My day started way too early the next morning; Will and I were up and ready to go by 4 a.m. I was tired of fighting with him.  I felt like I'd gone far enough last night.  He confiscated my phone so I wouldn't tell Jaime where I was, which irritated me.  But, to my surprise, my anger towards his treatment of my boyfriend wasn't what it used to be.  I guess I was starting to understand his determination to protect me at all costs.  After all, I was doing the same thing. 

It remained silent for the duration of the hour-long car ride. I felt the tension every minute of the way, despite the fact we had the radio going to break the silence. Once the sun started rising, we found ourselves pulling up to a building. The nervousness began to bubble in my chest. I'd have to face my dad soon. I'd been so worried about Will I hadn't had time to think about it until now.

"Don't worry. This isn't where your father is staying. I thought you might want a chance to eat, shower, and wake up fully before you spoke to him." His eyes flashed understanding and compassion before returning to their stone-cold state.

I nodded in thanks and got out of the car. He was so confusing. How could he still be so angry over the trust issue last night yet be so caring and considerate of what I want? His thoughts were a puzzle.

I grabbed my duffle bag out of the back seat and approached the safe house. It shouldn't be called that. In reality it looked more like a shed. It was tiny and run-down. I didn't imagine it would be much nicer inside.

Will walked up past me, to the door. He dug around in his pocket, pulled out a key, and unlocked the front door. Without waiting for me, he went inside, leaving the door wide open for me. 

Following him in, I observed the tiny living room with a couch and a fireplace. I walked back through a very tight kitchen to the one bedroom and bathroom the place had. In the bedroom there was a small twin bed. The whole inside of the house was painted a ghastly pastel pink. I shuddered. It made me think of visiting my grandparents house when I was a kid.

I didn't notice Will creep up behind me until he touched my shoulder and made me jump sky high. I turned, glaring. His mouth was twisting in a smirk. Clearly he was repressing the urge to laugh, which made me roll my eyes.

"I was just coming to let you know you'll be sleeping in this bedroom and I'll be sleeping on the couch. You can go ahead and shower if you want. I'm going out to pick up some takeout breakfast. French toast okay?"

I nodded. French toast was my favorite breakfast item. His kindness at offering to get my favorite thing confused me yet again, when he'd been ignoring me this whole time.

He gave me a brief smile and walked out, leaving me to my thoughts. After a moment I decided I did need a shower. Digging through my bag, I groaned. I hadn't brought a towel! Well that was just great. I looked through the cabinets in the closet and in the bathroom but had no luck finding a towel. My lips pursed as I thought. Eventually I relented, deciding I would shower anyway. Will wasn't around and I could change in the bathroom right after the shower anyway. So I grabbed fresh clothes and disrobed. I turned on the hot water and sighed contentedly as it pounded my muscles, relaxing me. This was just what I needed.

After an unidentifiable amount of time under the hot water, I hopped out, shaking off in the process. I heard the front door slam closed and felt grateful the bathroom door had locks. At least I wouldn't be surprised. Will called through the house for me as I picked up my clothes to get dressed. Of course, just my luck, I realized I'd grabbed two shirts. Now I had to decide what to do.

The least bad of the options would probably be to put a shirt on and rush to the bedroom. I guessed I'd have to pray he didn't see me. I slipped the shirt on and opened the door, peering out. When I didn't see Will, I rushed the few steps to the bedroom and slammed the door closed. Success!

I dug through my clothes until I found a pair of pants when suddenly the door opened and I screamed. The door swung open to reveal Will, who's eyes immediately bugged out of his head. He completely froze, just staring wide-eyed at me for a second before he covered his eyes with his hand and flushed tomato red.

"I—I—I'm sorry. I didn't see...You rushed in here...and I thought...sorry!" He stuttered then quickly exited, slamming the door shut.

The embarrassment flushed through me so strongly I had to sit down on the bed. How would I face him now? It was already awkward. I threw my clothes on and rushed to the kitchen.

Will was standing at the little island that served as a table, staring at the plate in front of him blankly. I cleared my throat and his form suddenly stilled.

"Look, it's alright. I know you didn't mean to walk in on me, so can we just try to forget about it?" I muttered, glancing around awkwardly.

When I finally met Will's eyes they seemed less anxious than before. I half-smiled at him and sat down on the stool across from him. He pushed the plate in front of him to me just as my stomach growled, so I tucked into my French toast and he did the same.

When we were done eating, he took a shower, then we drove to a separate location, saying very little to me the entire time. That was for the better, seeing as every time he did speak I blushed scarlet red, remembering my embarrassment. Finally the car stopped in front of a rundown house in a remote area. I had seen very few people around as we got there.

My deep embarrassment faded, replaced by nervousness at facing my father. I stared wide-eyed at the house. Maybe if I stared at it long enough I could see what secrets it held from me. Suddenly a warm hand covered my own. I turned my deer-in-the-headlights expression towards Will, who was looking at me calmly.

"You'll be okay. You're strong enough for this. Just breathe." His warm brown eyes gazed reassuringly into my own.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. I don't know how, but he was always able to say exactly what I needed to hear. I took a couple deep breaths until I felt a sense of calm wash over me. I nodded to myself, ready to go inside.

Will got out of the car first, and I followed shortly. He led the way up to the door and knocked. He held up his FBI badge to the small window by the door. Suddenly the locks clicked and the door opened creakily. Will's tall frame stooped to fit through the door and I followed, feeling very unsure.

The first thing I saw as I stepped through the door was the built man, presumably FBI agent, who'd opened the door. He was dressed casually, probably to stay under the radar. I looked around and shuddered at the dingy walls. I could see spider webs in the corners, and what appeared to be a cockroach crawling across the floor. I was shaken out of my observances by Will greeting someone.

"Mr. Bloom, it's good to see you again."

I looked up and was confronted with the sight of my father, embracing Will lightly. He looked a lot older than I remembered with his graying hair and scruffy beard. I studied his face silently, trying to reconcile what I remembered of him with the new truths Will had told me. His crooked nose, broken a number of times, his gray eyes, his rough skin all looked the same to me as before. But if I looked closely enough I could see a calm in his eyes I'd never seen before. It was like he was at peace now in some way.

He slowly turned to me, looking me up and down before settling with a slightly uncomfortable smile on his face. He moved forward to hug me and I halfheartedly returned it. He let go and stepped back finally, giving me room to breathe.

"Annalee, it's really good to see you."

"You too Dad." I muttered, feeling shy.

Will cleared his throat to get my attention. I glanced in his direction and he gestured towards the door.

"I'm going to leave now. I've got a couple things to do while you're here with your father and Agent Johnson. Behave for once, please." He finished with an exasperated tone. I blushed in embarrassment and glared at him, making him chuckle and smirk at me.

As Will walked out, I caught my dad looking at me with a smirk of his own. I raised an eyebrow at him. He just shook his head in response and guided me to a kitchen table where he sat across from me.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad you know the truth now. I thought it would put you in more danger, but it gives me a sense of relief knowing you are aware of the danger. I also hope you can see why I stayed away after your mother passed and why I yelled at you a few weeks ago." His steel-gray eyes bore into mine with sincerity and apology.

"I know why you were absent and why you mistreated me. Though I wish you'd told me about all this earlier. I could have handled it, and then I wouldn't have felt so alone. And this whole situation with Will wouldn't have happened either."

His eyes lit up in surprise. "Really? I thought Will being in your life was the one good thing to come out of this. Would you rather he kept his distance from you and never got to know you as a friend?"

My eyes narrowed in suspcion. "You sound very comfortable about Will, yet you two shouldn't know each other. How do you know him so well to talk about him like that?"

He sighed. "I do know him actually. He knew your grandmother and I pretty well when he was growing up. His dad died serving in the military and his mother made friends with your grandmother when they were neighbors."

My mouth dropped in surprise. He knew my grandmother? Was that why he called me Annie like she did?

"Great. Just another thing he's kept from me. This is a perfect example of why I haven't forgiven him." I muttered to myself, ignoring my dad's presence.

"That would explain why he still hasn't told you about..." he trailed off to himself under his breath. "You should give him another chance. He's good for you." That made my blood boil a little.

"And how would you know? You don't even know me. I don't really want to talk about this with my absentee father anyway." He winced at the jab and I kept any guilt at bay by focusing on my anger with him.

"I truly am sorry about that. You have no idea how much it hurt me to stay away from you. I had to keep you safe. I couldn't watch you die like your mother. You are all I have left." To my annoyance, I began to feel a little understanding and guilt creeping in.

"What kind of dad abandons their child to grieve over her mother alone?! You don't have me anymore Dad," His face fell into crushing disappointment. I sighed, pushing my anger aside for a moment and made a decision. "But that doesn't mean you can't have me again someday."

He seemed unconvinced. "You mean it? After all I've done you'd forgive me and let me back into your life?"

"Yes I mean it, though I can't promise it. I know you had good reasons and I love you for that. It's going to take me some time to come to terms with all of it though, if I ever can. I still feel a lot of hurt."

Tears started to fall down his cheeks. I stared wide-eyed. I'd never seen him cry before, not even at my mom's funeral.

"Annalee, I'm so glad. I couldn't stand to lose you forever. I'd never forgive myself. This was all my fault, all these years. It was my involvement with the gang task force that got your mother killed and started all this. When Miranda died, I was so angry. I wanted to hit the gang back hard. That's why I volunteered to go undercover. I should have just let it go. It made me miss so many years of your life, and it's put you in danger now. I'm so sorry." He sobbed into his hands.

I thought for a second before moving to him and pulling him into a hug. I held him until the tears subsided and he pulled away. It felt strange offering him comfort. I'd never seen him as needing me in any way, yet here he was, saying he needed me to be in his life. It warmed my heart, mixing with the confused guilt.

For the next hour we talked about our lives. He filled me in on his job in the gang and how he'd risen through the ranks until he ran the branch. I told him about college, Alyssa the bully, and Jaime. He was surprisingly attentive and sweet. Though when I got to talking about Jaime he scowled slightly. When asked, he said he didn't like the idea of me dating someone right now with all that was going on, so I rolled my eyes and blew it off like I did when Will said it. He said he'd like to meet Jaime someday, though I had the feeling that by "meet" he meant threaten.

We had a wonderful time talking and before we knew it, Agent Johnson was getting a phone call and telling me Will was waiting out in the car for me. My dad seemed reluctant to let me go, but acquiesced. I gave him one last hug.

"When will I see you again?" I asked, feeling my heart leaning toward wanting to see him again.

"Soon sweetheart. I won't make you wait long. Hopefully they'll have the investigation wrapped up soon and the remaining gang members in custody. That will make seeing each other a lot easier."

I nodded in understanding, then turned to walk out the door Agent Johnson was holding open for me. Right before I walked out onto the porch, my dad lightly grabbed my arm, turning me around.

"I know you may not want to talk about it with me yet, but there's something you should know about Will. I doubt he'd tell you himself, but I think you should know. Annalee, the reason I've trusted solely him to keep you safe is because he's in love with you. He has been since he met you. And I think you should give him a chance. I can tell even though you're mad at him right now he makes you happy. He's a good man. That's the last I'll say about it now, I promise."

My mouth gaped open in surprise. What?! No, that couldn't be. He was wrong. I didn't get a chance to discuss it further though because suddenly Will was beside me, asking what was taking so long. He made me jump a foot into the air with surprise and embarrassment. I blushed, knowing we were just talking about him. My dad gave him a smile and bid me goodbye. I walked out to the car mechanically, unable to speak.

When we were in the car and Will was pulling out of the driveway, he glanced at me. "So how was it? Do you need to talk about what happened? You seem upset."

I shook my head and stared at him for a moment, then looked away. "I'm not upset. I just need to think about it for a minute."

I studied his face as he gave me a half smile and reassured me I could tell him if or when I wanted to. He didn't love me, did he?

Was Will Tucker in love with me?