Alex sat on a park bench underneath the shade of an oak tree. Out in front of him was a little playground area, on which Norma was chasing Theresa.

He watched with an entertained expression as a little blonde four-year-old climbed the steps to a winding slide, her brown eyes lit with determination as she did so. Norma snuck to the end of the slide, waiting for her child to slide down before chasing her, and the whole thing would start over again.

"I'm a dragon!" she shouted playfully, after having successfully avoided Norma's grasp.

"Oh, you're a dragon now, huh? Well, I guess Mommy and Daddy are going to need a new strategy for that one--" she broke off, glancing at Alex with a big smile.

Her dress was way too nice for such an occasion, but it didn't appear to matter to her or Theresa, as it had already been splattered in dirt. Sweat trickled from her brow as she peered around the playground equipment, stopped to take a breath, then continued on up the steps.

Her husband watched as she walked the wobbly, swinging bridge to the twisting slide, then surveyed the inside as if she was planning on staying there permanently. Upon reaching satisfactory status, she finally went down the slide, saying something that Alex couldn't quite hear on her way down.

Theresa waited at the end of the slide, giggling at her "silly Mother." Norma joined with her own fit of laughter as she swept Theresa off her feet, bombarding her with a ton of tickles.

"Hey guys, I think we'd better hit the road if we're going to make it to Dylan's on time!" Alex called, shaking his wrist as he checked his watch.

Norma released their little girl and knelt down to her level, speaking in a hushed tone. "Hey Honey, are you ready to go see Dylan and Emma and the baby?" she asked, grinning.

"Uh-huh," Theresa nodded eagerly.

"Alright then, let's go get Daddy so we can go."

Theresa sped off to meet her father with a fierce hug, and he groaned, teasing, "Aw, c'mon kiddo, you're squeezing me too much."

His daughter giggled again. He ran his hand through her tousled, blonde hair, then picked her up. Norma came up behind him, carrying her bag on her shoulder. He paused to kiss her, and Theresa screamed to the world about how gross her parents were being. "C'mon, kiddo, let's get you in the car," Alex said, guiding his family away from the hot playground.

It was a beautiful summer day in White Pine Bay. The waters of sunset beach were a magnificent, glistening blue, and the sands were hot and crowded with people who had rented out beach houses for a relaxing vacation. Norma and Alex had already taken Theresa there many times, yet there was a very different reason for this particular visit.

Dylan had saved up enough money to get himself a house here, and after his marriage to Emma three years ago, she moved to the beach as well. The couple had just welcomed their first child, Katherine "Kate" Masset, and the Romero family had been dying to go visit them ever since. "Now, when we get to the house, you need to remember to be very gentle and quiet around baby Kate," Norma told Theresa. "She's still very little, understand?"

Theresa nodded from the back seat, acknowledging that she heard her mother's words.

"Alright. There's my good girl."

Upon arriving, Alex knocked on the door, making sure that their entrance wasn't unexpected.

Dylan came to the door, his eyes bright and happy. "Hey, guys, come on in," he whispered, opening the door a little wider for them. "Emma's in the living room with Kate; she's just fallen asleep."

Norma's already soft smile deepened as they walked into the living room. The place was lightly furnished with a beige carpet and brown leather furniture. A smart choice, considering they now had a child to clean up after. "Hello, Emma," Norma whispered. Theresa followed behind her, holding onto her dress with a hopeful glance at the baby.

"Hey, nice to see you," Emma said, smiling. She was holding her's and Dylan's child in her lap, rocking her gently. "How was the drive?"

"Oh, there was plenty of traffic, but you know we're used to it by now," he waited until Norma sat down before planting himself beside her, making as little movement as possible.

"Oh, Emma, she's so precious," Norma cooed, her eyes glistening as she ogled over her new granddaughter. "How are you feeling?" she asked a few minutes later, prompting them both into an intense conversation about everything that had happened in the past week.

Dylan turned to Alex, seeing that Emma and Norma were in their own little world. "So-- how's everything been?"

Alex sighed. "Well, you remember what I was telling you about Norma's nightmares. They're still terrible, but it's gone from being an every night affair to an every-other-night one, which is slightly more manageable."

"And...his room is still there?"

Alex nodded. "She doesn't talk about it, but she insists on keeping his things there. We try to keep Theresa away from it, just because it really bothers Norma to see her in there. It doesn't work very well, though. She's a stubborn little thing."

Dylan smiled. "Guess that's what I have to look forward to," he joked.

Alex smiled. "I'm proud of you, Dylan. That little girl out there...she's got a wonderful set of parents. I'm very proud."

Dylan laughed sheepishly. "Thanks, Alex. I just," he glanced over at Kate, watching as his own mother stroked her granddaughter benevolently. "I can't get Caleb out of my head. We've talked about it before, yet it still doesn't seem real, and I just don't want Kate living with something like this over her head. And I can't hide it from myself. Caleb is dead, but he'll always be a part of me."

Alex was silent. He watched as Emma passed Kate to Norma, who took the baby eagerly, cooing as she did so.

"It's rough, you know. Living is rough. Neither of us want these two to have to face the things we've had to deal with for so long...it just isn't fair, is it?" he laughed. "They'll figure it out eventually, and maybe it won't come off as bad as we think it will. They're strong. Stronger than we think. At least, if they have to face this world, they can face it knowing that we love them."

Norma must have heard at least a piece of the conversation, for she glanced over at her husband with a snort. "That was poetic. Where'd you get it?" she teased.

Emma laughed, and Alex rolled his eyes. "See, this is how I learned to keep my mouth shut," he told Dylan.

Norma eventually took over the kitchen, and before the day was over, she had managed to cook a lovely meal out of the remnants of her son's pantry. They sat, eating a dinner of grilled chicken, corn, green beans, and hand-mashed potatoes (with a little help from Theresa, of course). They enjoyed each other's company, conversing and laughing in that little beach house, grateful for their momentary safety in the mist of the turmoil that was White Pine Bay.