Prolog

Present day....


This was probably his least favorite holiday. Until this year. Since the divorce, it had gotten harder and harder to see his kids. The combination of his busy schedule and his ex-wife's mercurial mood swings had made it very tough, but she'd agreed to let him take Jake and Romeo trick-or-treating. Steph and Jesse were back at his place handing out candy, but his precious daughter was going on a hayride with some friends in about two hours. So, he had to hurry up and get this whole trick-or-treating thing over with his two youngest sons, or he wouldn't get to spend any time with Steph. He'd tried to talk her and Jesse into coming with him and their brothers, but the two of them had steadfastly refused, insisting that this part of Halloween was for babies, and that they were too old for it.

He steered the boys up the walk-way of a pretty little yellow cottage style house. What was this about the 20th house tonight? How many were required before he could take the boys and just go home?

"Trick or treat," his two youngest chorused in unison, when the door opened, jerking him out of his ponderings.

"Aren't you two just the cutest?" a pretty brunette with the most beautiful green eyes asked.

She seemed somehow familiar, but Jon couldn't remember where he'd met her.

Looking at Jake and dropping candy in his bag, she said, "Okay, I get that you're a transformer," then she turned to Romeo giving him his fair share of the goodies, "but what are you?"

Jon smiled at the question that had been asked repeatedly all night. Romeo had insisted on making his own costume, and Jon had made a promise when Steph was born that he would never try to stiffle any of his children's artistic talents. So, he'd allowed his youngest to make his own costume.

Romeo shouted eagerly, the same thing he'd said over and over tonight, "Guess!"

The woman took in the small boy. He wore regular clothes but had a small, square, box type hat perched on his small blond head that had some type of wire coming off the side with a styrofoam depiction of the Earth hanging from it.

"Uh," she glanced helplessly at Jon then back at Romeo, "can I get a hint?"

"Sure," the little boy grinned up at her, and reached out and slapped the Earth, making it spin around him. "Dere ya go!"

"Ok, I have no idea," she admitted after a few seconds.

"I'm da center of my daddy's you'verse," the boy smiled proudly. "See how da whole wold 'volves 'round me?"

The woman's laughter was infectious, and Jon joined in even though he'd heard his son's explanation over and over again. Then his eyes met her's and he noticed the unusual yellow starburst in the center of her green eyes. He'd only met one woman in his entire life with eyes like that.

"Kimber?"

She seemed startled that he'd recognized her, but she quickly recovered, reaching out and taking his hand to place a single Hershey's kiss in his palm. "And I suppose you're a pirate? Huh, Captain Kidd?"

"Kimber, I..."

She interrupted him, "You two boys are just the cutest. And," she looked at Romeo, "I think your costume is by far the best I've seen all night! You two have fun now."

She turned to go back in the house, and the boys began to tug at Jon's hands. "C'mon Daddy, let's go to the house with the spooky skeleton out front," Jake pleaded.

"No, Daddy," Romeo begged, "dat place looks scary. Let's go see da big pum'kin," he said pointing at a house with an inflatable jack-o-lantern as big as a hummer in the yard.

"Jakey," Jon explained, "let's go see the 'big pum'kin'."

Jake looked at his younger brother and nodded solemnly. The trio started off toward the house, but Jon looked back over his shoulder one last time at the little house. He'd go now, but now that he'd found her again, he would be back!