"Don't you think this has gone on long enough?"

His dad asked sipping cold beer from the mug. Sunday afternoon and his parents decided to visit him and his family. He never had a good relationship with his dad something that Ruby wanted to change but didn't get the chance to.

There was always something that fathers expected to get in return from their sons. And as for his father, it was the same, he wanted Marcus to be a great architect just like he was. Adam Guilliano Pierce, the great and renowned architect. For a while, Marcus thought that architecture was his calling, his father had high expectations about him so why let him down? He had studied architecture, he was on his way to become like his dad but when Ruby Grayson died things changed.

Suddenly getting justice became more of his calling than designing and buildings. Sure his vengeance had a role to play in when he decided to quit and become a cop but over the course of the years he realized that being a cop is what he liked most. Ofcourse like most father's, his dad was disappointed in him and as fate had it, his dad disowned me, told him to never set foot in his home.

And henceforth, he cut ties with his family. After all had he had any contact with them, it would only jeopardize his mission to take revenge on the Cervantes. Gid knows how his mother influenced him, though he didn't like to admit it, he was a Mama's boy straight from birth.

He gulped a large amount of the beer wondering what to say. To this day he still looked back and reasoned, had it not been for Mikaella's life being on the line, he never would have called his father. Yet he had to. If Mikaella was going to survive that grizzly accident she needed the best surgeons, one that Adam, his father was greatly connected with. Whether he liked it or not, his father had made everything possible.

A new identity for Mikaella, easily getting Mikaella out of the country to New Zealand, getting fake documents for Mikaella and making sure that in no way would Marcus be linked to Mikaella's supposed death. His parents knew what they were doing was wrong. But they couldn't bare it, they couldn't bare the thought of seeing their son once more shatter because of a woman.

Marcus Pierce acted tough on the outside but in the inside he was so fragile, one more blow and he wouldn't make it.

"And it will continue being that way dad. New York will not change anything between us"

Marcus hoped. Deep down he hoped that again fate would favor him. That Mikaella would go to New York and come back home to New Zealand the same way. Having been the same woman who loved him and their daughter more than anything in this world.

"What if she gets her memory back? Sure enough, she has been to New York before. Damn it, she might have studied there,"his father whispered irritably.

The whispers had gone for the past few minutes since they went out to have a drink on the patio. The women were back in the house preparing lunch. They couldn't risk Mikaella hearing them.

"What do you want me to do, dad? Once she makes up her mind, there's no way of changing it. Besides the more I try to control her the more she'll be suspicious and I wouldn't risk that. I wouldn't risk her finding out the truth"

Adam, stared at his son his eyes getting watery and his face carrying a lot of guilt. He should have been there for his only son. He cleared his throat,

"I probably don't say this alot but despite our differences. I love you, son and I wouldn't want you to go through the same experience of losing your family again"

"No one's losing anyone. Mikaella will come back to me. I know she will," he whispered more like tried to convince himself that Mikaella would indeed come back to him.

At this point, there was a fifty-fifty chance of Mikaella getting her memories back in New York. He prayed that it would be otherwise. That she wouldn't get them back.

"Why are you whispering?" Kylie's voice came from behind and both men turned to stare at her.

She had Me Knuckles in her hands, a large brown teddy that Marcus won her at the fair once.

"What? Who's whispering?" Marcus asked scooping the little girl in his arms so that she could sit on his lap.

He recalled the many times he sat with his daughter at the patio watching the sun set while Kylie asked her million questions. Questions that had him chuckling like crazy, questions like why their neighbors decided to get two kids from the supermarket instead of one. In Kylie's little mind, kids came from the supermarket. Why there was a time she made a fuss at the supermarket when Mikaella refused to show her 'the baby section ' where babies were bought.

In overall he loved their kid, her curiosity, her kindness, her gentleness. Marcus loved everytime he heard her call him daddy. He loved everytime she reached for his hand when getting a shot. Loved everytime Kylie said he was his favorite although they kept this part a secret from Mikaella. She would be jealous if she learnt that Marcus was Kylie's favorite parent.

"You,"she pointed her finger at Marcus then turned to the side to point at Adam,"and Pop-pop were whispering. Pop pop keeps staring at the house keeping watch on Meemaw and mom"

They both chuckled,

"Is he now?" Adam asked.

"Yes and mom said when people whisper between themselves they are trying to hide something. Are you keeping secrets daddy?"

"Which secrets?" Mikaella's voice came soaring from the house. She appeared before them wearing a fluor covered apron with the inscription 'momma's favorite'.

"Hey are you all trying to gang up on me. We were just having a manly talk, Rue"

"But Kylie said something about secrets. Aah forget it, lunch is served"

And she quickly went back into the house.

"I think she's still mad at you,"Kylie hinted.

"Come on, munchkin. Let's go" Adam intervened getting the kid off from Marcus lap and they headed into the house.

Marcus also stood up and entered the house, going straight to the kitchen after his mother left to once again pinch Kylie's cheek.

"Can we talk?" He started.

Mikaella moved around the kitchen moving from the kitchen counter to the fridge.

"I thought we already did, Marcus"

She only called him Marcus when things were wrong.

"Look, I'm sorry Rue. I shouldn't have tried to stop you and if you really want to go to New York, then go. But promise me, you'll be safe"

She turned closing the fridge, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Really? You really want me to go Marc?"

"Do I have a choice? If I don't let you go, you'll be brooding all week and avoiding me. I don't like it when you are mad, your smile means everything to me"

She came closer to where he stood wrapping her hands around his neck.

"Thank you. Though you know I was going to go whether you liked it or not, right?"

"Mmh let's not ruin the moment,"he joked kissing the top of her head and at the back of his head were a million of questions racing unanswered.

New York was far from Los Angeles right? Roman and Mikaella would never meet right? There was no chance they would meet! No absolute chance. But what if they did meet? What then?