Boone drove Zelda to pick up Eden at school. When they walked into the front office all eyes turned toward them, staring first at her and then at Boone. She informed them that she was there to pick up Eden early and then proceeded to fill out the necessary paperwork to do so while they waited for one of the staff to collect her.

It only took a few minutes before Eden came rushing down the hall, excited to be sprung early, and when she saw Boone her excitement doubled as she dropped her things and threw herself in his arms with a little girl squeal.

Boone grinned as he caught her in his arms. "I think I should always be greeted in this way. What do you think, Zelda?" He turned towards her with a wink for one of the secretaries who blushed in response.

"I think Eden's up for it," Zelda smiled as she picked up Eden's discarded backpack and lunchbox.

"But are you up for it? Would you be willing to jump into my arms everytime you saw me?" Boone asked, and Eden giggled.

"You can't catch Mommy. She's too big!"

"Let's try." He placed Eden on the ground and stepped towards Zelda, who took a step back.

"Come on, Mommy, try!" Eden encouraged.

"No," Zelda said in her sternest voice before she turned to say goodbye and thank the staff for their help.

Boon gave a dramatic sigh and held his arms open to Eden, who jumped in them once more. Then he loaded them up and drove them back to his apartment, with Eden chattering the entire time.

"Where are we?" Eden asked as she climbed out of the back seat of the car. They hadn't had a booster seat, and it had made Zelda nervous the entire time. She had been so worried about it that she hadn't thought of a reasonable excuse to give Eden as to why they had pulled her out of school early.

"You wanted to see my bar, right?" Boone asked, taking her hand.

Eden nodded as Zelda moved to the back seat to get Eden's stuff, knowing she would have homework.

"Well, I can only show it to you before we open, and we open in an hour." He led them through the back door and into the empty bar. Zelda looked around, noting that the bar looked much larger when it was empty.

The band was setting up on stage, and Boone took Eden up to meet them all while Zelda took a seat at a table. Watching Boone and Eden interact with each other was a joy. There were certain people in one's life with whom one felt an instant kinship, and Boone and Eden were that to each other. They hadn't known each other long, but there was a trust and bond between them that was strong, and it warmed Zelda's heart.

Boone leaned down to say something to Eden, who jumped up and down and then raced down the steps towards Zelda, climbing into her lap.

"What's going on?" Zelda asked as she held her daughter close thankful that she was safe.

"They're going to play me a song!" Eden hissed in a not so subtle whisper.

Eden and Zelda watched as Boone and the band tuned up and then decided what to play. When they launched into a unique version of Woolly Bully, Eden started to jump up and down as if it was her favorite song even though there was no way she could have heard it before.

They finished with a dramatic flourish, and Boone jumped off the stage, joining them at the table.

"Would you like to see where I live?" he asked Eden.

Eden nodded, and Boone led the way to the back staircase again and then up to the second floor. Eden rushed into his apartment and ran around like a mad little bee, looking at everything. Boone opened the balcony door for her and let her take a look down at the street below before calling her back inside.

After that, they spent the rest of the evening eating pizza, doing homework, and watching a movie. Zelda knew she had to take Eden home that night, but she hated to leave. When Eden fell asleep, Boone picked her up and placed her on his bed, closing the door behind him.

"Now we need to talk, Zelda," Boone motioned to a chair by the window and sat in the one across from her. "Tell me what's going on so that I can help."

Zelda sat, looking out the window, wondering where to start.

"Fine, let me help you, after our night together, you left here without saying goodbye. Why?" Boone asked, getting straight to the point.

Zelda smiled. "Because I knew that you wouldn't make it easy for me to leave." She turned to look at him.

"You said you didn't regret it. If you didn't regret it, then why did you avoid me afterward?" He leaned forward as he spoke in earnest, pain was reflected in his eyes. Zelda hadn't realized that her avoidance of Boone may have caused him hurt. She hadn't meant to hurt him.

"I was happy when I left here, but when I got home..." she stopped, knowing that when she opened that door she couldn't close it.

"What happened?" Boone looked frustrated as if he wanted to reach out and shake the truth out of her.

"There were photos of us on your balcony kissing pushed under my door. It frightened me to know that we had been followed and watched." She looked at her hands as she said it.

"Did this Charles guy take them?" Boone was watching her closely.

Zelda shrugged. "I don't know. There was a note." If she was going to tell him some of it, she might as well tell him all of it.

"What did it say?" Boone stood quickly and started pacing.

"It said, 'Where's your little girl, whore', nothing else." Zelda shivered as she recalled the words and dread filled her once more.

Boone's hands clenched into fists. "Who is this, Charles?" He was pacing faster now, his mind working in ways Zelda couldn't begin to fathom.

"He claims to be Collin's father. He says he wants custody of Eden." Zelda's voice wavered as she said the words aloud. Admitting it aloud made the situation much more real.

"You don't know if he's Collin's father?" Boone asked as he stopped pacing and turned to look at her incredulously.

"No, Collin said neither he nor Cara had any family to look after Eden, which was why I needed to take her. I never met Charles and Collin never spoke of him. He wasn't at our wedding, he didn't visit after Collin's accident, and he wasn't at his funeral."

"How did he find you?" Boone asked, sitting across from her once more. He didn't reach out and take her hand or try to comfort her in any way.

"I don't know. I was having lunch as Maspero's, and there he was, staring at me. I got nervous, so I left, and he followed me, finding his chance to talk to me, threaten me." Zelda wrapped her arms around herself in a protective manner.

"Do you know what he wants? I find it hard to believe that he wants custody of Eden. There must be something else he wants." Boone frowned.

"If there is, he hasn't told me." The band in the bar below, which had been taking a break, started back up again, and it made Zelda jump.

"I really don't see how you can help me, Boone. He says he's going to ruin me in the papers and then again in court. He knows Eden's not mine. I don't know how he knows, but he does, and I think Simone's been talking to him about us. He says he'll use our relationship to ruin you and me." Zelda jumped out of her chair. "I can't let that happen. I've been through it all before, the scrutiny in the press was horrible while I waited for the adoption to be final." Zelda paused as she did her best to regain control of her emotions, but it proved hard to do. "What if I lose her?" she said on a sob.

"Who are you going to lose, Mommy?" Eden asked from the doorway of Boone's room, where she stood squinting at the light through sleepy eyes.

Zelda and Boone looked at each other, neither knowing what to say.

"Ummm, my friend, I don't want to lose her as a friend," Zelda said quickly.

"Why would you lose her?" Eden perked up a little. This was girl drama, her favorite thing.

"She's jealous that Boone likes me and not her." Zelda decided that she could talk a little about Simone, keep a little to the truth, that way it would be easier to remember when Eden brought the subject up again in the future, which she would, without a doubt, do.

"But Boone likes you and not her?" Eden said, sure of the answer. "Just tell her that." It was a simple solution by six-year-old reasoning.

"You're right, are you ready to go home?" Zelda asked, changing the subject.

"No, I want to stay here with Boone," Eden ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Why don't I pack a bag and spend a few days at your house with you?" Boone suggested, avoiding Zelda's shocked look. He was playing her by using Eden.

Eden jumped up and down with excitement. "You'll be there when I wake up! Will you take me to school?" she asked.

"I will," he assured her. "There's a bag in the bottom of my closet, why don't you go find it for me so that I can pack," Boone instructed with a smile.

Eden nodded as she ran off to do as he asked.

Boone stepped close to Zelda, and she could feel his stable presence pressed against her as he tilted her chin up to look at him. "I told you I wasn't letting you out of my sight," he reminded her before he kissed her hard.

Zelda couldn't help but melt into him.

"Nothing you have told me scares me, Zelda. Did you think it would?" Boone traced her cheek as he looked into her eyes with worry.

"Yes," she choked as she looked up at him. It was true. Zelda had been worried that he wouldn't want to stay and fight alongside her.

"I love you, Zelda."

"I don't want you to be hurt, Boone." She shook her head at the thought.

"No one's going to be hurt, Zelda. I have a plan, but if it fails, I know a hell of a good lawyer who will help." Boone kissed her once more, and it made Zelda's knees weak.

"Booooooone!" Eden called. "I don't see a bag!"

Boone smiled. "That's right. It's on the shelf, not the floor." He had sent the child on a wild goose chase.

"Coooooming!" he called, with a wink at Zelda.

One thing was for sure, she and Eden wouldn't be bored while Boone was staying with them.