New York is cold, steam comes up through the pavement grates and the walk toward the Therapist's office, this time, with Teddy at my side, feels more empowering. It was less like the walk to your death, and more like the walk to the future, putting the past to rest, for us all.

Teddy arrived last night from Greece, I came over on a dawn flight and arrived to meet her. Harper wasn't aware that Teddy was even back on American soil, she wanted to surprise her later on tonight when we got home.

"Are you ready kid" I ask her.

She turns and smiles nervously "Willa I've never been more ready" she admits "it's time"

I take her arm in mine as we walk the final block.

***

The last few weeks with Allie had been a little off, she did her best to forgive me for my error of judgment, meeting Morgan without telling her, but she hadn't forgotten and I could still feel her holding me a little at a distance from her. There was now a small degree of separation, and I don't know if she was even aware she was doing it, but she turned away from me as we slept the last few weeks, something she had never in her life done. Even as teenagers, she slept tucked into me, like she couldn't bear to be not touching me in some way. At some point...after the incident, she had stopped, and I wasn't sure what that meant, but it made my heart hurt to wake up and find her, suddenly, so far from me.

The building looms and we look up to find Morgan walking toward us in the opposite direction, her smart tan coat pulled up around her cheeks to keep the cold at bay.

"Hi" she greets waving "Dimple popper" she says affectionately reaching out and pulling Teddy in for a hug, her honey blonde hair spilling over Teddy's shoulder.

She looks to me and smiles. "Willa" she acknowledges warmly.

I smile back "Morgan...how are you" I ask.

She leans back from the hug and kind of lifts her lips, but it is laden down with troubles behind it "Working my way out of the dog house...slowly" she informs me.

Teddy frowns "Why are you in the dog house" she asks, still unaware of what had transpired.

Morgan takes her other arm and we walk her into the therapists building "long story, but the main thing is...I'm working on it...and I feel so much better" she says glancing at me "Therapy is most definitely doing things for me Ted, and the voice inside, it's changing" She admits.

I smile relieved to hear it, as does Teddy "I know what you mean Morg. I wish I had done it sooner, perhaps my life wouldn't have been so full of meaningless conquests who constantly wanted more of me, it's been...exhausting" Teddy replies.

I rub her back as we come to a stop by the elevator "Teddy... Isra wasn't your fault, you should be able to sleep with someone and then them leave you alone when requested... it's not an open invitation to a free for all"

Teddy looks downcast "Willa it's not just Isra, I've left a wake of romantic interests, who I have, now thinking about it, probably left worse off for being with me. I learnt that the hard way in Turkey, with Avery"

"Avery?...what did I miss" Morgan asks, her deep blue eyes looking at Teddy curiously.

Teddy brushed her curls out of her face, pushing them back behind her black scarf that was wrapped around her neck and up to her chin.

The elevator door pinged and we all stepped inside "Avery and I kind of hooked up early on in Turkey" Teddy confesses "and I knew before it happened that she was interested in me from back home. I should have known better than to try and sleep with her"

"Did she catch feelings?" Morgan asked as she pressed the floor level and the doors shut ahead of us.

"Yes ... and it was messy. Luckily we are back on good terms now, but I could have blown up an entire season with Lane, all because I am programmed to ignore my heart and head and just go with the physical desire instead"

"I wondered why Lanes game was off those weeks before the end" I say thinking back.

Teddy nods "Yes that was me... I'm a shitty human being, but I want to be better... for myself but also for Harper. Willa... I love her so much it terrifies me" Teddy confesses.

Morgan and I both take her arm again "We are going to make that better" Morgan promises, nudging her arm affectionately.

"Teddy we are going to make this right" I promise too.

She looks between us both and smiles "I missed seeing you guys together" she muses...
"It's actually pretty comforting, like my moms have reconnected" she says with a little laugh.

Morgan and I share a look between us of great affection before Morgan replies "I think we all needed to reconnect... so we could disconnect a little safer this time, take our time to turn off the electricity supply before connecting again, making sure it was safe to touch it....no more shocks" Morgan finishes, as the doors ping open to Claudia's office.

"Let's go make this better" I suggest.

Teddy and Morgan smile back at me apprehensively as we take the first steps to bringing Teddy home.

***
The session was long, and daunting, but needed, and with Teddy sat between us, Morgan and I unlocked every last detail of our breakup and the breakdown of us. I admit as I went over it all again, the guilt it got louder, and I knew it was something I had to get used too. I would never not feel guilty for not being able to will the want of children when she needed it from me, all she required was a dream shared and I couldn't share it. The feelings I had felt for Allie this week, the thought of us in an alternate life having a family, making me feel no fear whatsoever, it made me realise there was a reason I never felt it earlier. I had to wonder now as I sat here listening to Morgan speak, if this wasn't all some grand plan in the grand scheme of things. Morgan wasn't ever meant to be mine, we were never meant to be, not perhaps in this life, maybe somewhere in another universe we were quite together and quite happy, but in this life, my compass, my absolute true north, the quivering tip of my compass needle was thrown straight at Alberta Anderson, undeniable and always.

The session with Claudia was lighter in places, now Morgan and I had gone over it once, we went back over it with a newer sense of peace, with a more gentle and comfortable disposition, our words were more free, our body language more open, and we were willing to look at the past and not look away this time. The pain was still there, it always would be, but us as two people who shared it, we could bear it now, together, knowing we were both so far from its shores now, the overwhelming waves couldn't drag us back into it. We were taking larger and more confident steps away from its roaring calls... the sounds of us quieting the further away we got, and even Morgan admitted, that seeing me this time, and talking to me, it had healed some part of her. All this time, and all she had needed was to talk it through, with me, and make me real again, like she said, to put me away as more than a memory.

Teddy listened, she took it all in and she asked questions, we asked her questions too and it felt as it all unwound, and as the session progressed like Teddy's shoulders seemed to relax a little. I swear you could see the weight of it all leave her, like as she witnessed our discussion, our truth, it unveiled hers, and she as an adult found a newfound understanding of what Morgan and I really went through together, so much love, so so much.

"I think the take away Teddy, is that love is what binds us all together, it's nothing to shy away from and your love going forward for Harper, let it blossom and take flight and see where you both travel. I can see from the way you talk about her that it will be far, and it will be well... well travelled" Claudia says smiling and clasping her hands together.

Teddy begins to tear up as she takes a deep breath "I feel... like... I feel like I need to go and take Harper Jamesons hand, I don't think I should ever let it go" she says as a smile slips onto her lips.

I look at Teddy and sigh contentedly squeezing her leg as she looked to me "We love you so much Ted"

Morgan leans in too as we wrap our arms around her. "Dimple Popper you need to go get your girl" she suggests.

Morgan and I high five each other over the back of Teddy as she laughs "okay guys, I wanted you to be friends, but don't gang back up on me will you" she asks as she stands up and looks back down to us.

"We will... because we love you... and Teddy Nomikos..." I say affectionately "you are and have always been ours" I say lovingly.

Morgan nods "Yes we claim you..." she teases with a grin.

"So you did have a kid together after all" Teddy says eyebrows raised, and then she wrinkled up her nose coyly "too soon" she asks.

Morgan and I look to each other and shake our heads "Nomikos are absolutely savage aren't they" Morgan remembers.

I laugh "They are ruthless, but we love them"

We walked out of Claudia's office that day, bringing Teddy back out with us, the door to the past firmly shutting behind us all.

Teddy was now on a one way collision course with the love of her life, and she would rush me back to the airport so that the collision could take place as soon as possible.

Morgan and Annie, they had a lot to work through, and unfortunately it would take longer for them to get through the chaos this tornado of us had whipped up for them. Although Morgan did quieten the voice inside that was me, Annie never truly believed it had gone and it was a source of conflict because with Teddy being our tie to each other, I would always be around somewhere. Morgan and I had moved on emotionally but our wives took a little longer to get there...and to believe it.

My journey back to Alberta...it began once again.I had to bring her back to me...something I never thought I would have to do, to go in search of Allie, never believing she would ever wonder so far away, not again, but I was going to find her...and I was going to make it right.