SOUNDTRACK: 'Wonderwall' by Oasis

Once again, Jared found himself back in the judge's chambers several days later. But this time a man had joined the female counselor on the opposite side of the table. He was about Jared's age and had greying hair at his temples. He wouldn't make eye contact and spent the entire waiting period staring down at his phone, just like the female lawyer. A stenographer was seated in the corner behind the judge's desk. Once again, everyone stood when the judge entered.

"Please be seated," he said as he sat down himself. There was a scraping of chairs on the floor as everyone scooted into the table. "Now, today we are reading the results of a paternity case. The sample was taken from Mr. Leto on Friday, August 28th, 2015 and tested over the weekend to determine paternity of the minor, Katherine Rachel Wexler."

Jared's heart actually skipped a beat when he heard the girl's name. Having a name made it more real. He watched as the judge opened an envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. For some reason, Jared felt like there should have been some type of dramatic background music.

"In the case of Katherin Rachel Wexler, Jared Joseph Leto has a 99.7% probability of being the father," the judge read. "That's enough for me to end my involvement in this case and send it down to San Diego. Dismissed."

Jared looked down at the table in numb disbelief. He had no idea how this could have happened - well, he knew how it happened, but he didn't understand why the woman didn't tell him about the pregnancy and resulting child sooner. Sure, his lifestyle wasn't exactly child-friendly, but he would have at least helped out financially if nothing else. He was not someone who ran from responsibilities. Silently, he stood along with everyone else as the judge left. As soon as the door closed, he sank heavily back down into his chair.

Silence filled the room as both sides let the weight of the revelation set in. Jared couldn't bring himself to look up from the table because he was so engrossed in his own thoughts. His feelings were muddled up in his brain. On one hand, he realized he missed all of the bad parts - the midnight feedings, the tantrums, the play dates, and all of those other negative things. But he also realized he missed all of the good parts as well, like the cuddling, seeing her face on Christmas morning, helping her with her homework, all of that. The only problem was that he wasn't sure if he was happy or angry that he'd missed all of it. His life had been easy and simple a week ago; why did it ever have to change?

"Obviously this changes your situation a bit, Holly," Sam told the other lawyer. "We will wait for your next move, but please understand that my client is a busy man and he cannot just put his life on hold until you cone up with your next decision. We would like this to be resolved as quickly and quietly as possible," he explained.

Holly nodded. "We are aware of this," she said, opening her black attaché case. "I will be filing a petition for full custody on my client's behalf later today." She loaded her files into her case. "Expect to hear from us in two days."

Jared watched the pair walk out, his mind still reeling. "So now what?" he asked.

Sam sighed. "Now we wait," he answered. "They hold the cards now."

"So now they're going for custody?" Jared asked. "What does that mean? How can they go for full custody of a child I've never even met?"

"Best guess is that they're going to ask the judge to strip you of your rights to the child on the grounds that you have had no part in her life," Sam replied.

Jared watched him pull on his coat. "But I didn't even know I had a kid until today! How the hell was I supposed to be involved in the life of a kid I didn't even know I had?" he demanded, his anger rising. "They can't just take away rights I didn't even know I had!"

"We have to wait to see what they file. You're right that no judge is going to strip you of rights you didn't know you had," Sam replied. "But it doesn't mean you automatically get full access to the child either. If they file to strip you of your rights, no judge will rule in their favor. But if they offer you some type of custody arrangement or just ask that you revoke your rights voluntarily, given the situation, there's no way to tell at this point."

Jared nodded and stood up. "I guess we wait then. I'm more worried about this going public before we get it resolved."

"I'll file an injunction to keep them from going to the press with it," Sam said. "I don't think they want the added attention either. It would just complicate things."

They walked out of the room and Jared was left with dozens of thoughts whirring around his head. What was he going to do? How was he going to tell his mother and Shannon? Who else would he tell? Was it even worth telling anyone if he was going to sign away his rights anyways? He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, but it was unsuccessful. Sam bid them goodbye and Robin tugged his arm to stop him.

"You need to talk to your mom and Shannon," she said. "You don't want them blindsided if this case escalates."

He nodded in silence.

"Jared, I mean it," she repeated. "Talk to them."

"I will," he assured her. "I'll call you when I hear back from Sam."

Robin walked out of the building and Jared remained in the lobby. He pulled his phone out and dialed his mother's number. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey Jared," she said cheerfully. He wished his mood matched hers. "What's up sweetheart?"

He swallowed thickly. "Are you busy tonight?" he asked. "I wanted to know if you were free for dinner?"

"Sure sweetie," she replied. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I - uh - I need to talk to you and Shannon," he answered, ducking his head as he walked out of the building. "It's kind of important."

"Of course," Connie urged her son. "What time do you want me to come over?"

Jared paused as he got into his truck and did a mental inventory of what he had at home. "What about seven?" he suggested, allowing enough time to swing by the grocery store on the way home. "Will that work?"

"Sure," she said. "Do you need me to bring anything?"

"No, it's fine. I'll see you at seven, Mom," he said before ending the call.

He started his car and headed to the store. He called Shannon in the parking lot of Whole Foods. He ignored the fight they'd had about the tour; now was not the time to be worried over that.

"Sure man," his brother responded happily. "Should I be worried?" he asked.

"No," Jared replied, though he knew it was a lie. He had every reason to be worried. "I'll see you then."

Two hours later, Jared was scrambling around his kitchen as he rushed to get everything ready. His mother was known for arriving earlier than scheduled and he still had a host of other things to take care of as well. They were having salad and vegan bread, but for some reason he kept making mistakes and had to correct them.

"Jesus fucking Christ," he muttered in exasperation as he knocked over one of the glasses on the table, spilling water everywhere.

He rushed into the kitchen to grab towels for the mess just as the doorbell rang. He glanced at his watch and sighed. As usual, his mother was ten minutes early, or according to her usual behavior, right on time.

"Come on in!" he shouted.

A few seconds later his mother was standing in front of him, her long grey hair on either side of her face like curtains.

"Everything alright?" she asked, surveying the scene in front of her.

Jared looked up at her. "Oh - uh, yeah. I just spilled some water," he explained. For some reason he was more nervous than he'd ever been in his life.

Connie picked up a towel and began blotting the table cloth. She could tell her youngest son was distracted and nervous. As she dried, Jared went back into the kitchen and emerged a second later carrying a large wooden salad bowl. He set it down just as a timer went off for his bread.

"You made bread?" Connie asked in surprise. "I was wondering what that smell was."

He gave her a weak smile. The doorbell chimed again and Shannon let himself in. Connie hugged her first born and he pressed a kiss to her cheek before looking at the dining table in front of him.

"Whoa," he said. "When did Martha Stewart move in?"

Jared shot his brother a look as he pulled the chair out for his mother and she sat down happily. He walked around the table and sat next to her.

"Jared, it all looks very nice," Connie remarked, giving him a pat on the arm.

Shannon sat and they ate in silence. After about fifteen minutes of nothing but forks scraping against plates, Shannon spoke.

"So what's going on, Jay?" he asked, setting his fork down. "You haven't taken one bite since we started."

True enough, Jared looked down at his plate, still covered with salad greens and other vegetables. He didn't realize that he'd just been staring off into the distance without moving, consumed by his own thoughts. He blinked several times and forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

"I - uh - I have news," he said, setting his unused fork down. He cleared his throat and looked at his family's expectant faces. "I may as well start at the beginning." He took a deep breath. "About two weeks ago, I was served a court order to submit a DNA sample."

Shannon's eyes widened. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?" he asked.

Jared glared at him. "No. For a paternity case," he explained.

Slowly, Shannon's face brightened to a huge smile, like the Grinch's on Christmas Eve before he raided Whoville. Jared took a deep breath and pressed on.

"Anyways, the results came back and I'm definitely the father," he continued. Connie remained silent, a pensive look on her face. He caught a look at Shannon's ridiculous smile. "I'm glad you find all of this so entertaining," he told him sarcastically.

"I'm just surprised. I figured I'd be the one to have the illegitimate child first," Shannon explained. "It's refreshing to not be the fuck-up for a change."

Connie shot him an icy look and his smile fell. "So what does this mean?" she asked. "Like how did it happen?"

"Apparently," Jared started, cutting his brother off before he could make a lewd remark. "It was a one night stand, like fifteen or sixteen years ago."

"Fifteen years ago?" Connie remarked in surprise. "Why wait so long?" He shrugged. "Well - is the mother seeking child support? I mean, I don't understand all of this."

He sighed. "She wrote me down on the birth certificate but I never signed it. Apparently, the mother married and her husband was helping her raise the baby. But she died recently and the only way the husband can keep the kid in his custody is if he legally adopts her. Otherwise, she goes to the foster system. When he went to start that process, they discovered my name on the birth certificate. Since it wasn't signed they needed confirmation from me to ensure I was the father. Since I am," he paused. "I now have to sign away my rights before the husband can proceed to adopt her."

Connie blinked. "I have a granddaughter," she said quietly.

"Yes. Her name is Katherine," Jared explained. "She lives in San Diego. She's fifteen."

Connie brought her hand to her heart. "Well, when do we get to meet her?" she asked, excitement growing in her voice.

"The thing is, I'm not sure you'll ever get to meet her," he continued. His mother's face fell. "She's fifteen. She's gotten by without me in her life this far; is it even worth trying to have a relationship with her at all? I don't want to intrude on her life or cause issues."

"Well what are your options?" Shannon asked, leaning forward.

"It depends on what the other side decides," Jared said. "They could decide to petition the court to terminate my rights for me; they could politely suggest that I terminate my rights voluntarily; they could come after me for child support," he said, listing the choices off of his fingers, one by one. "If I choose to pursue a relationship of any kind, I will most definitely end up paying child support of some kind, regardless."

"Is that all this comes down to, Jared? Money?" Connie asked in shock. "That is your child - my grandchild! She deserves to know her family!"

"But not if she doesn't want to!" he replied, standing up. "I'm not just thinking about money, Mom! Believe me, I will take care of all of that for them, regardless of how this ends. It's about the fact that I'm a public figure with a worldwide presence. Bringing a teen girl into all of that is not fair to her," he explained. "Her stepfather is the only dad she's ever known and I won't be the reason she gets ripped away from him."

The house fell so silent that you could hear the crickets chirping through the open kitchen window. Jared sank into his chair at the table, letting his head fall into his palms. Several more seconds passed before Connie spoke.

"Well," she said gently. "We want to support you, regardless of your choice. Its your choice, you do what you think is best. Family sticks together."