It was just getting dark when Rocco pulled up to the mountain resort they'd be staying at.

He was quickly in and out of the office cabin; he picked up their keys, some firewood, and a couple of bags of food from the little market inside. The woman at the store warned him to make sure to get a fire going right away. It was supposed to storm tonight and could get cold.

He packed everything into the trunk and got back inside the car. Gavin was awake listening to Dani, who'd climbed into the backseat while he was gone, to tell him a story.

"So, then Kiki and Gavi and all their friends decided to fry up all the fish they caught and eat 'em up" He glanced back at her and gave her a little smile.

"I bet we can do that this weekend too!" Rocco said, and Gavin's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, Kiki and I fish!"

The cabin Dani chose for them was the furthest down the long windy road from the main office cabin. It was tucked away and surrounded by forestry. He parked the car in the driveway in front of the house. The yard was huge, which Gavin would love.

The outside of the cabin was perfect, exactly what he had in mind. It was a log cabin with a big porch and picture window. Dani was carrying Gavin this time, and he had their bags slung over his shoulder. He unlocked the door, and she went in ahead.

He followed her inside and dropped the bags on the floor. His jaw dropped. This was, well, almost was, the same cabin he'd dreamed about. There was a closet right next to him in the walkway. Then he walked right into the open space.

The kitchen, which looked almost the same as his dream other than some different appliances and a giant table, sat on one end of the open space, and the cozy living area with the fireplace on the other. It was furnished with two brown plaid couches and didn't include the medallion above the fireplace or any further fine details from his dream, but it was similar.

How was this possible? Of course, he'd never told her about his dream, and even if he had, she couldn't have found an almost replica of it. This was beyond weird.

"I put Gavin to bed in the first bedroom." She walked back into the room and grabbed the bags Rocco had dropped earlier.

"I'm just gonna check in on him." He said quickly, hoping she didn't see how flustered he was.

He hurried into the hallway, and it even looked similar. The first room was simply furnished with two twin beds and a dresser in the middle. Gavin was sound asleep in one of the beds with Kiki tucked into his arms. He leaned down and kissed his cheek before leaving.

 He peeked into the second one, silently hoping it would not have a pink teddy bear. Luckily it didn't; it was also slightly bigger and different from some of his dream. It was also furnished with twin beds and a dresser, like the last room.

He stared at the bedroom at the end of the hall for a few long moments before braving himself to go in. Logically he knew Alyssa wasn't going to be in there and wasn't going to be sporting a bloody knife. Still, he felt a chill as he turned the handle and opened the door.

He almost laughed at his sheer ridiculousness. The room was just a room, unlike his dream room. Unlike the others, it contained a queen bed but also had a smaller cot in the corner of the room. This room had an attached closet for a wardrobe instead of a dresser.

He heard a clap of thunder in the distance.

"Oh, the fire!" He recalled the lady warning him and hurried out to get it started. He could already smell the wood burning and heard the crackling before he got there.

Dani was sitting in front of the fire on the couch. She had a glass of wine in her hand and poured him one. A lump formed in his throat, and he wished that dream could be possible.

This was going to be a long week.

"Is everything okay with the cabin?"

"It's perfect." He said, gulping back the emotions.

He sat on the other couch and took a healthy sip of the wine she poured.

The rain started coming down hard, beating against the windows. The fire seemed to crackle louder in response.

"Wow, the weather can change fast here," she murmured. "It was like in Oaktown too."

"Should we get some candles out, in case..."

Before she could even finish her thought, the house went dark.

"We lose power?" He finished her sentence with a low laugh.

"I think the fireplace will light it up enough." He added, and she nodded.

"A cozy cabin, a fire, and wine," she mused, "what more could you ask for?"

You in my arms, he didn't say.

The fire continued to burn, illuminating the dark room in a soft glow. The rain outside showed no sign of letting up. The distance thunder was getting closer.

He stole a glance at her; the dim lighting highlighted her olive skin tone. She'd let her hair down from the messy bun she'd had it in all day. It now fell over shoulders in soft natural waves. She had a serene look in her pale brown eyes as she gazed into the fire before them. Her cheeks were just slightly flushed from the warmth the fire was providing. She was absolutely beautiful. With a pained effort, he pulled his gaze away from her and looked at the crackling fire himself.

They sat quietly and comfortably, enjoying the peaceful moment inside while the storm began to rage outside.

**

Dani found herself awake before anyone else the following day. She yawned and headed into the bathroom to get ready, frowning when she realized the power was still out. She threw her clothes on in the dark, used the light on her cell phone to brush her teeth, and fixed her hair the best she could.

She made her way into the kitchen and looked out the window. The storm had let up some time, very late last night. It left a mess in its wake; the entire yard was scattered with branches.

She rummaged through the cabinets and smiled when she found a percolator. She was hoping they'd have one. She re-stoked the last night's fire and started making coffee from the stovetop.

Once she had a nice steaming cup, she stepped outside. The crisp, cool morning air held a fresh scent she'd missed after being in the city all this time. She took in the views in the background and smiled softly. It was so serene and peaceful out here. She was right about this cabin, it was perfect.

"Morning." Rocco stepped outside and held up a cup of coffee. "Thanks. I'll call about the power in a while."

"Don't rush." She shrugged. "We have everything we need. They'll get to it when they get to it."

"How are we going to eat?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Easy." She gestured to the yard out in front of them. "All those branches will make great kindling for a fire. We have cast iron pans in the kitchen; that's all I need."

"Well, this is the best coffee I've ever had. How did you get so good at this stuff?" 

"We used to get our power shut off a lot." 

"Shit, sorry."

"No, it's okay. My dad had a way of making stuff like that fun. Like we'd go camping for the weekend, or the fort thing got that from him." A thoughtful look crossed her face. "I think, even knowing how it turned out, that I am glad for how he raised me; he taught us to treat people right. I'd have hated to turn out like Alyssa."

"It's not even in your nature to be like her," Rocco argued. "Satan could have raised you, and you'd still be a total sweetheart."

"Stop," she blushed furiously.

"You're right. I shouldn't call Katherine Satan. She is your mother, after all."

She burst out laughing at that and playfully swatted at him. In doing so, she accidentally splashed his coffee all over his shirt.

"Oh no, Sorry! you, okay?"

She shrugged off her flannel and started to dab at the coffee all over his shirt.

"Now you're just wrecking two shirts." He chuckled and grabbed the other end of it; in doing so, he accidentally pulled her closer. Their eyes locked, the air stilled as his gaze washed over her face.

"Daddy?" Gavin's little voice pulled them both abruptly from the moment.

"Be right there, champ!" Rocco called with a nervous edge to his voice.

"I better go check on him." He was still so close she could smell his piney scent.

She nodded as she gulped, "Yeah."

She let out a massive breath of air after he stepped inside.

**

Later that afternoon, they were all packed to explore the Pinewood Forest. It was a vast forest with some insanely tall pine trees. Gavin was beyond excited. He hadn't stopped chatting with Kiki about it since they got in the car.

An hour later, they were deep into the beautiful forest. Surrounded by the tallest and most beautiful trees in the world. Dani was snapping so many photos he was sure her battery would die. Viewing these sights through both her and Gavin's eyes was enjoyable.

"Look at that one!" Gavin ran ahead to a big tree with a huge knot.

"Sit right there, Gavi. I need a photo!" Dani directed, and he happily did, grinning cheekily at her as she snapped the picture.

"Get in there, Rocco!" She demanded. He sat beside Gavin and smiled brightly while she snapped another picture.

"I can get a few of you all together." A man who was nearby exploring offered.

"That would be great!" Rocco handed him his phone as did Dani. She sat down on the other side of Gavin, and they posed for silly and normal photos as the kind man snapped a bunch.

Rocco was excited to look at them all later. When they moved, he'd probably frame a few for Gavin to put in his new room. Hopefully, it would make that easier on him.

The day was so much fun. They spent hours walking around and exploring. Gavin was exhausted and hungry by the time they left. There was a little diner nearby, and they opted to stop to eat. Better to get dinner in Gavin before he had a meltdown.

The diner smelled amazing and had both breakfasts and dinner items.

"Good evening!" The perky waitress greeted them. She was very young, probably a teenager. She had a face full of freckles and curly red hair pulled into a messy bun. "I'm Sara. Welcome to the Woods Café. "

"I'm Gavi," Gavin told her, and her face lit up with a big smile. "Well, hello, Gavi! And who is this?" she asked, looking at Gavin's teddy bear.

"He is Kiki."

"That's a great name."

"I know, 'cause he is my best friend," Gavin said.

"He is! Oh my!" She cooed, glancing at Dani. "He's so cute!"

"Isn't he?" Dani agreed with a little laugh.

"I can have pancakes?" Gavin asked Rocco, pointing to the picture on the menu.

"Sure thing, champ." Rocco agreed. "I'll have the same mine with coffee and his with milk."

"Pancakes sound perfect," Dani agreed, "I'll have coffee as well."

"Sounds good!" She wrote down the order quickly and dashed off to put it in.

Dani's phone rang, and she looked at it. "It's my friend Kara from back home. I'll be quick."

"Go," Rocco waved her off. "Take your time."

He started looking at all the photos on his phone while she was gone. He stared at the photo of the three smiling brightly at the camera for a long time. He felt his heart tighten with emotion. He was here with her and Gavin. It was haunting in some ways. He felt like he was barely dipping a toe but still stepping into that dream. It left him feeling very unsettled, and he quickly put the phone away.

He looked up to see Gavin pretending the syrup was a bottle and was feeding Kiki with it.

"Oh boy." He hit back a laugh. "Looks like Kiki is going to need another washing."

"He was hungry."

"I'm sure he was. But bears don't eat syrup, Gavin." Rocco said, reaching over for the toy.

"They eat honey." Gavin's eyebrows were furrowed, and he realized he needed to tread carefully. He was tired and hungry, and the last thing Rocco needed right now was a meltdown.

"That's true, they do," Rocco said. "Did you see that on your animal show?"

"Yup!" Gavin nodded.

"Well, Kiki bears, they eat something special. It's called imagination, honey. You can't even see it." Rocco told him in an animated voice as he saw the waitress appear from the corner of his eye. She had an amused smile as she set everything down.

"Them do?" Gavin said with wide eyes.

"They do!" The girl said. "And I brought some!"

She set down the imaginary bottle, and Gavin happily "picked" it up.

"Why don't you hand me, Kiki. So I can get him cleaned up. You can feed him that later." Rocco said, and Gavin finally released the beloved sticky bear into his hands.

He held it up and laughed a little. "Thank you for helping," he said to the girl. 

"No problem!" She said. "If you need to go wash that. I have a slow section. I can watch him until his mommy comes back."

"My mommy is coming?" Gavin looked up with furrowed brows. 

"No, buddy," Rocco said. "She's talking about your auntie Dani."

He looked at the girl, who looked embarrassed. "She's his aunt, not his mom."

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" She flushed.

"It's fine. You would be surprised how often it happens." Rocco assured her. "He probably needs cleaning up, too. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, your food might get cold. Should I put it back in the window?" she asked as he got up and picked up Gavin.

"It's okay. We won't be long," Rocco said as he hauled both Gavin and Kiki into the bathroom.

He cleaned up Gavin quickly and then worked on getting Kiki cleaned up. Dani was a saint for letting a three-year-old have her treasured bear.

"Daddy?" Gavin looked up at him while cleaning the bear in the sink as best as he could.

"What is it, champ?"

"How come Auntie Dani is not my mommy?"

Rocco stopped cold, his eyes widened, and he felt that ball of emotion in the pit of his stomach get bigger.

"Well, because Mommy is your mommy," Rocco said slowly. He picked up Gavin and set him up on the sink. "But you know what? That means you have a mommy and an auntie Dani. That makes you very lucky."

"But I don't want my mommy to come here." His lips started to quiver. Was he scared of Alyssa? Rocco felt a chill come over him.

"She's not coming here, buddy," Rocco assured him.

"Mommy is mean! I want my Auntie Dani to be my mommy!"

So do I... is what he wanted to say, but he took a long breath.

"I'm sorry your mommy is mean," Rocco said slowly. "I promise she isn't going to come here, okay?"

"Okay." He said meekly, his little lips curled into a frown.

"Your auntie Dani loves you very much, as much as a mommy would, actually even more, I think."

"I love my auntie Dani, Daddy. "

"I know you do, Gavin." Rocco could feel a breakdown coming on.

It took all his strength to push it deep inside and keep his cool façade. He would have to have a conversation with Gavin sooner than he realized.

"Look at how clean these hands are!" Rocco smirked as he held up Gavin's little hands.

"Yup!" Gavin said proudly.

"Well, we better go eat some pancakes and get them all dirty again, don't you?" Rocco asked.

"I do!" Gavin agreed, and Rocco forced a small laugh as he helped him down and headed back to the table.

Dani was already sitting down and cutting Gavin's pancakes into little pieces.

"There you two are." She smiled at them and Rocco held the bear up as they approached.

"I did what I could, but I think he needs a washing machine."

"Looks like it!" she laughed.

"I'll bring it out to the car."

"It can wait, sit and eat." Dani motioned to his empty chair. "The food is getting cold."

"I don't want to make the table any stickier than it is." Rocco shrugged as he set Gavin down, who immediately started eating the pancakes Dani had cut for him. "Be right back."

He slipped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air before he headed to the car. Rocco's heart broke in two when Gavin innocently asked why Dani couldn't be his mom. He needed a moment alone because he feared he'd break down if he looked at her right now.

"I just embarrassed myself so badly," He heard the server's voice and realized she must be around the corner, maybe taking a break.

"No! Not in front of a hot guy. I mean, he was good-looking, but he's a dad." She was saying.

"It was like this super cute family. A man, a woman, and a little boy. Cutest family ever like total goals, you know?" Rocco realized he should leave, but he was curious. "So anyway, the girl leaves, and I mentioned I could watch him till mommy gets back. So, then I find out it's not his wife but his sister!"

Rocco almost laughed out loud, she assumed the aunt's comment meant Dani was his sister? 

"So embarrassing," she groaned out loud. "I still can't believe it. I was so jealous of how he looked at her. Who looks at their sister like that? So weird..."

Rocco felt his face get hot. Look at her like what? Was he looking at Dani in a certain way? Had she noticed? Suddenly, all his amusement was gone. He froze and found himself questioning everything. He'd thought only he knew and saw the inner turmoil Dani caused him. He liked it that way. If a stranger could see it, he wouldn't have wanted to go there...

"I better go. I'll call you when my shift is over."

Rocco tried to head to his car quickly, but they ended up face to face as she came around the corner. Her pale face turned bright red.

"Oh my god, I'm so..."

"Don't worry about it." He cut her off, but his voice was clipped. He wasn't annoyed with her gossiping, but that ball of emotion was getting bigger by the second. He needed this girl and her accusations about how he looked at Dani away from him.

"Here." He opened his wallet and handed her a one-hundred-dollar bill. "That should cover dinner and your tip. I'm not feeling good. If you could let my sister-in-law know I'll be in the car."

Her eyes widened in realization, and her cheeks flushed even deeper.

"This is too much money, especially after I was so rude. I shouldn't have been talking about..."

"I said don't worry about it." He said a tad harsher than he meant, but tonight was getting to him in ways he didn't like.

He needed a moment alone. He left her standing there embarrassed and as caught off guard as she had made him.

He walked quickly to his car, biting back tears he didn't want to shed for emotions he wasn't ready to face.