By the time T.C. got home Eve was already in the kitchen, busily making dinner for her family. He stopped just inside the doorway and watched her moving around the kitchen, humming some old song to herself. He rarely heard her sing or hum, and certainly never when she thought anyone was listening. In fact, she didn't even like to listen to the radio much. Catching her unaware in a completely unguarded moment was rare even for her husband, she kept a wall around her emotions so much of the time that T.C. sometimes worried that she wasn't completely happy in their life together. He sighed and reminded himself how lucky he was to have the perfect woman literally fall into his arms all those years ago. Even though he didn't deserve her he'd vowed back then to spend the rest of his life making her happy, and he still intended to keep that promise.
"Can I help?" he said softly, startling her out of her thoughts.

"T.C., you scared me half to death," she said, her heart in her throat as she realized she'd been humming one of the songs Crystal used to perform nightly. It was one of Eve's favorite memories of her former best friend, the one woman in all the world that knew something about her past. Eve learned too late that Crystal didn't know as much as she'd thought she did, but her secrets had died with her so it didn't matter anymore. Even if she'd been convinced that Chad was Eve and Julian's son, she hadn't told anyone that so Eve's secret was safe.

"Sorry, baby, I didn't mean to sneak up on you." T.C. wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and pulled her to him, kissing her impulsively. "I just couldn't wait to get you in these arms."

Eve laughed softly and pushed all thoughts of Crystal and her past to a hidden corner of her mind. "I'm almost done. Your timing is perfect, as usual."

"You're perfect," he murmured as she pulled out of his grip and turned back to the stove.

"Honestly, T.C., I wish you wouldn't keep saying that," she sighed. "No one's perfect, it's an impossible standard to live up to."

"Well, you're perfect for me," he said, casting a longing glance at the soft curve of her neck. They'd been married almost nineteen years now, and although they'd agreed to leave the past in the past and start over together, he couldn't help wondering what ancient hurt caused her to tense and pull away any time he tried to tell her how wonderful she was. She'd been the perfect wife and mother for as long as they'd been together, but she never let herself enjoy it.

She smiled but didn't glance back at him, hoping he'd let the conversation die at that. Every time he said the word "perfect" she cringed; if only he knew all the shameful secrets from her past, the way she'd sold out her lover and their child for a chance at a better life...Eve shook her head and swallowed, willing herself not to cry over the choices she'd made. At the last minute she'd decided to betray Alistair Crane and keep the child she promised to give up, but his stillbirth had rendered her betrayal unnecessary. So she'd taken the money and gone to medical school, met T.C. and left her past behind. But she'd never forget the child that might have been, or the life he might have had.

"How was Whitney's tennis practice?" she asked, hoping to steer the conversation toward something that wouldn't make her heart ache with every word.

"She's still having trouble," T.C. admitted, shaking his head as he remembered her disastrous practice. "I think she needs to get her mind off the pressure for awhile."

"That's a good idea," Eve agreed as she opened the oven to slide the chicken in. "Maybe she should take some time off."

"Actually I got an interesting offer from Sheridan Crane today," he said, bracing himself for the fight that he was sure she'd put up at the idea of Whitney spending time with the Cranes.

"Sheridan? What could Sheridan possibly do for Whitney's tennis?"

"She suggested a type of cross training. A distraction, more or less. Sheridan likes to ride and I think she relates to Whitney for some reason. I'm sure the pressure of being Alistair Crane's daughter is something like the pressure Whitney's feeling." He settled onto a stool at the island in the center of the kitchen and watched Eve move about the room, her footsteps almost rhythmic as she moved to a melody that only she could hear. "She wants to give Whitney riding lessons."

"Absolutely not," Eve began, turning to look at him for the first time since he'd entered the kitchen. "Horseback riding is dangerous. And the thought of Whitney spending time at the Crane mansion..."

"I know, the Cranes aren't exactly my favorite people either. But Sheridan's not like the rest of them, she's a decent person. And she seems to really want to help."

Eve felt everything inside her screaming to keep Whitney away from Julian and Ivy and the entire evil clan at any cost. She took a deep breath and quelled the urge to lash out at him, knowing she'd never be able to explain such an emotional reaction to the prospect of one of their children learning to ride a horse. "I really don't think it's a good idea. She could fall, or be thrown - she could break her neck. The number of spinal injuries from horseback riding accidents alone..."

T.C. slid off his stool and walked toward her, taking her by the arms and looking into her eyes. "Baby, it's just a horse. Nothing's going to happen to Whitney. Sheridan knows what she's doing, and I think it could be good for Whitney to get out of her usual circles and get a fresh perspective on things."

"T.C." She said his name in a low, serious tone, the weight of those two letters conveying all her misgivings about letting Whitney spend time with Sheridan. He sighed and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her gently before he pulled away to look at her again.

"It's just Sheridan," he promised, looking deep into his wife's eyes. He had no idea why he was giving her such a hard sell on this idea, he hadn't even discussed it with Whitney yet. Hell, he wasn't even sure how he felt about it - Meredith's only daughter getting to know his daughter was something he'd never even considered before today. But as he remembered the way Sheridan had looked at him this morning, as though she understood his pain and wanted to help take it away, he knew that he wasn't going to back down. "It's not like she'll be hanging around that scumbag Julian."

Eve winced at the mention of his name - no matter who he was now, there was a time...had she really thought that she loved him? Had he loved her? In all these years she'd never really known, he'd never let her get close enough to him to find out. She'd been lonely and desperate when he found her, and he'd been searching for something to fill a void in his own life. They'd never talked in all those months together about the need each of them was trying to fill, but they'd held the emptiness at bay in one another's arms for many nights, and she couldn't think of him or even hear his name without a twinge of regret for what might have been.

"I don't think it's a good idea," she said quietly, pulling out of his reach again, "but if you feel that it's what Whitney needs then I'll go along with it. For now."

"Thanks, baby," T.C. said, flashing her a broad smile. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

She watched him walk out of the kitchen, wrapping her arms around her chest as the tears she'd been holding back finally made their way down her cheeks. She'd had a child that belonged in the Crane mansion, and she'd lost him. The idea of sending another one of her children there, even for an innocent reason like horseback riding lessons, struck a fear in her heart that she hadn't felt in years.

~

Whitney stared up the driveway that led to the Crane mansion and asked herself for the thousandth time that morning what she was doing. "How'd I let Daddy talk me into this?" she muttered, standing at the end of the circular drive as she decided whether to take the final steps to Sheridan's cottage or bolt in the other direction. Finally she sighed and cast her eyes on the pavement below her feet - no matter how much she wanted to turn and run, she knew she wouldn't. She wasn't brave enough for even that tiny act of defiance. The look of disappointment in her father's eyes would be too much for her, and she couldn't bear to disappoint him anymore.

She turned as she heard footsteps behind her and sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes fell on Chad. "What are you doing here?" she snapped before she could stop herself. Her cheeks flushed as she heard the tone of her voice and she wondered again why she couldn't just be civil to him. No wonder he didn't want anything to do with her, she couldn't even say hello like a normal person.

He looked her up and down quickly, taking in her faded jeans and brightly colored sweater before he forced himself to meet her eyes. "I'm meeting Ethan," Chad answered quietly, resigned to the fact that she was never going to think of him as anything but a loser from the wrong side of the tracks. "What are you doing here?"

"I have an appointment. With Sheridan," she mumbled nervously. They both glanced toward the cottage and stared at it awkwardly for a moment, neither of them sure how to act around the other.

"Well, see you around," Chad finally said, turning back to the driveway and starting toward the main house. Whitney stared after him for a long moment, telling herself she didn't feel anything for him. It doesn't matter what he thinks, she repeated over and over, sure that if she told herself that enough times she'd eventually believe it.

Chad steeled himself against the bitterness rising up in his throat and forced himself to keep his eyes trained on the mansion, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of looking back at her. Not that she'd care, he told himself. Or even notice. He shook his head as he reached the door and pressed the doorbell, running over the events that had ruined any chance he and Whitney had to find common ground. Kay Bennett and her big mouth, he thought bitterly. If it hadn't been for her...but Whitney had only believed what she wanted to believe. If she knew him at all she never would have believed Kay. You're better off without her, he reminded himself.

"Hello, Chad," Pilar said as she pulled open the door, stepping aside to let him into the Cranes' expansive marble foyer. "Ethan's waiting for you in the sitting room."

"Hey, Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald," Chad said, glancing around nervously. "You never really get used to this place, do you?"

Pilar smiled knowingly as she shut the door. "Not really," she admitted. "Follow me."

She led him into the sitting room where Ethan and Hank Bennett were already engaged in what could only be described as negotiations. Ethan was pacing back and forth in front of the marble fireplace, pontificating about his game plan for the search for Chad's birth parents, and Hank was looking on, a skeptical expression on his face.

Ethan stopped pacing as Chad entered the room, his face lighting up at the sight of his friend. "Chad, good, you're here. I think you know Hank Bennett, he's agreed to help us in our search."

"Hey, man," Chad said, shaking Hank's hand. "How's it going?"

"Not bad," Hank answered, although from the glazed look in his eyes Chad could tell that Ethan was already getting to him.

"I appreciate your helping me out," Chad continued, hoping that Ethan wouldn't scare away the only person that had offered to help them so far. "I'm pretty much at the end of my rope on this thing."

"Don't worry, Chad, we're going to find your birth parents," Ethan promised, rushing to his briefcase to pull out a series of files. "I've already drawn up documents to get the proper releases on your birth records..."

Hank held up his hand as Ethan started in on affidavits and releases again. "No offense, Ethan, but if you don't want me to do my job, why'd you hire me?"

"What are you talking about, Hank? You're an important part of the team," Ethan insisted. "We need someone to do the leg work, someone that knows the ins and outs of investigating."

Hank suppressed a laugh at the stupified expression on Ethan's face. If he'd had any misgivings about working with a Crane, they'd just doubled. "Listen, I know you're anxious to get started and all, but you hired me because you'd been coming up empty in the search for Chad's parents, right? So let me do what you hired me to do. If I need legal documents or releases from the courts I'll let you know."

Ethan opened his mouth to say something but Chad put his hand on his friend's chest to stop him. "Yo, Ethan, I know you're just trying to help, but Hank's right. Just let him do his job."

Hank shrugged and broke into his best signature Bennett grin. "Hey, if you aren't happy with my work you can always fire me."

Ethan leveled a serious stare at Hank, then glanced over at Chad. His eyes softened and he turned back to the older man. "True. Alright, Hank, you've got carte blanche for now. But I'll expect regular reports on your progress."

"You're the boss," Hank said, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "I'll be in touch. Later, Chad."

"Yeah, see ya, man," Chad called after Hank as they watched him cross the sitting room and disappear into the foyer.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Ethan asked as he stared after Hank. "He says he has experience, but he is a Bennett, after all. Sam's his brother, and we both know how incompetent Sam can be."

"Ethan, no offense, but this was your idea. You need to lighten up, man. Just relax and let Hank do his thing. He can't do any worse than I've been doing."

Ethan took a deep breath and forced himself to relinquish control of the situation. "You're right, it'll be fine," he said, although he wasn't sure if he believed it. Somehow in the past two days the search for Chad's birth parents had become almost as important to him as it was to Chad himself. Part of him wanted to find Chad's parents so he could keep his friend in town, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him that he might have just set in motion a series of events that would change their lives forever.