"I love you, Julia," He holds her face in his hands and can see his love reflected in her eyes. Nothing feels better than loving someone with your whole heart, and knowing they feel the same for you. His heart is swelling with emotion, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Always," she smiles, then reaches out and touches his face. "Will, if you go to New York tomorrow, I'm going with you. I want to help."

"Thank you, Jules. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

They are quiet while the President addresses the nation. "Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices. Secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers. Moms and dads. Friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror."

He pulls Julia close to him, his eyes fixed on the television. "This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world."

"Will, we live in a nation at war." Julia wipes her eyes. "How do we fight a war against terror? Who are we fighting exactly? Some fundamentalist group scattered around the globe?"

He shakes his head. It does seem hopeless.

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind...my Gram used to say that. No one wins when revenge is the goal. Yet something has to be done..."

Will holds onto her tightly. His country is at war, his brother might be a casualty, and he's sitting beside the love of his life. He's not alone anymore. He can never go back to the life he was living before today.

They stayed up well past midnight. He asked to see more pictures of Liam and Julia pulled out a couple of photo albums. They went through the photographs together and he studied each one intently, memorizing each picture, imagining he was there with them while Julia shared stories about their lives in Italy.

"Liam is a well-travelled little man. Been all over Europe and speaks two languages."

"He speaks two languages?" he asks, amazed.

"Kids are sponges. They pick up languages so much faster than adults when they're immersed in the culture. It took me at least six months to learn Italian, and I wasn't fluent by any means. Now I am."

"Where was he born?"

"Verona."

"You stayed in Verona?"

"I went back there when I was pregnant. I wanted to be there for so many reasons," she looks into his eyes, "I thought about you all of the time, Will. You were with me throughout my pregnancy, on the day he was born, and every day since. You are a part of me."

"I've tried so hard to forget you Julia, to accept my life as it is, but not a single day has passed that you haven't cross my mind. My wedding day was one of the worst days of my life. I felt like a fraud. Pretending to be happy, to be in love. I remember walking to the water and wondering where you were. What you were thinking about, if you ever thought about me."

"Now you know." Julia clasps his hand, "I thought of you every single day."

"Ellie didn't go to the wedding." He lies back on her bed, "That's what happened between us. She said she couldn't watch me ruin my life. She was right. I made a huge mistake."

"Will, I've always known you didn't marry her for love. You married her to pay for your sin." Julia places a finger under his chin, turning his face toward her, "I think you're paid in full. It's time to stop punishing yourself."

"I agree. Now I have to get out of this mess."

Chapter Twenty-Two.

Something's different. Julia begins to stir, her eyes slowly opening. She's not alone in her bed. She feels Will's arms around her and she runs her hand along his chest. She isn't dreaming, he's really here. She grins ear to ear and looks into his eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful." Will leans down to kiss her.

"Good morning...How long have you been up?

"I don't think I ever slept. I didn't want to close my eyes and wake up to find you gone. That being with you was a figment of my imagination."

"I'm not going anywhere," she smiles, then remembers he's waiting for a phone call. "Any word from Peter?"

"Nothing yet." Will puts his phone down on the nightstand, "Come here."

She rests her head against his chest, and listens to his heartbeat in the warmth of his embrace. It doesn't get much better than this, she thinks, then cringes. Peter could be dead and all she can think about is how good it feels to be in Will's arms again.

"Try his number," she whispers. "See if you can get through."

"It's ringing!" he says and they both sit up. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Will's face falls. "Voicemail." He dials Peter's apartment, then shakes his head, "No answer."

"That doesn't mean anything. For all you know he's helping with the rescue efforts. He could be anywhere."

"Then why hasn't he called? He has to know we're worried sick about him. Julia, I have a very bad feeling about this...I think he's gone..."

"We don't know what he's gone through in the past..." she checks the clock on her nightstand, "twenty-one hours, Will. Don't give up hope."

"I can't wait around anymore, I need to do something."

"Then let's go." She climbs out of bed, "Let's head to New York now. Why wait six more hours?"

"I need to stop at my house and change, grab a few supplies. See my parents."

"I'm going to stop and see the baby before we go. I'll take my car and meet you at Ellie's."

"I'd like to meet Liam...if that's okay."

She figures if Will hasn't noticed the resemblance after seeing two hundred pictures of Liam, then he's not likely to make the connection in person, though how he can miss the resemblance is beyond her. Maybe he's in denial and doesn't want to believe he's missed so much of his son's life. Or maybe he just believes me, she thinks, her heart sinking.

They pull up to her mother's house around eight-thirty and Julia's sure Liam's been up for a couple of hours by now.

"Mom? Liam?" She walks into the kitchen, "Where are you two?"

"We're back here honey!" her mother calls from the patio.

"It's hardly changed," Will says, looking around the kitchen.

"Not much does around here."

Liam runs into the kitchen, wearing his Batman pajamas, and flings himself at her legs.

"Mama!"

"Hey sweetie pie." She leans down and scoops him up, "You're feeling better I see!"

"Yes, but Gran said I don't have to go to school today."

She kisses his cheek, suddenly very nervous. What was I thinking bringing Will here? Will's staring at Liam, his mouth half open, his eyes glazed over.

Her mother walks into the kitchen and freezes in her tracks.

"Will."

He snaps out of his daze and turns toward her mother.

"Hi Carol," he kisses her on the cheek. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Will," she says robotically, "Julia?"

"Liam, this is my very good friend Will."

"Nice to meet you." Liam raises his eyes, a little shy, and holds out his hand.

Will smiles and bends down, shaking his son's hand. He's hypnotized and continues to stare at Liam.

"Nice to meet you too. Your mom tells me you like baseball."

"Want to see my baseball cards?" Liam's face lights up, and Will nods, smiling. He grabs Will's hand and pulls him down the hall to Julia's old room, which is now his room.

"Julia, what the hell is going on?" Her mother whispers, pulling her into the dining room.

"Mom, I don't know where to begin. I haven't told him so don't say anything."

"Jules, do you think he doesn't know?" Her mother is in shock. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"Mom, he saw hundreds of pictures of him at my place and never registered an ounce of recognition." Carol raises an eyebrow and shakes her head. "We're going to New York City. His brother is missing."

"You're going where? Out of the question, Julia! It's dangerous. You're a mother. You have forfeited the right to do foolish things."

"Mom, it was my home for years, and it's probably the safest place in the country right now, other than DC."

"Julia, what are you doing with him? Sweetheart, I know how much he means to you but he's a married man!"

"I'm going to tell him about Liam once he files for divorce," she meets her mother's gaze defiantly, hands on hips. Julia doesn't want to think of herself as someone who would have an affair with a married man. But this is Will! He's the father of her child! She's not breaking up a happy marriage.

"He said he's getting a divorce?"

"Not in those exact words."

"Julia, please," Carol throws her hands up in the air. "Be sensible."

Indignant, she walks away from her mother, down the hall to Liam's bedroom. They're facing each other, looking at this year's Red Sox team. Seeing Will and his son sitting on the floor together, so alike, her breath catches in her throat.

She never thought this moment would come. She never believed Will would meet his son. The sight of them together, doing something they might've done, had he always been a part of their lives, paralyzes her in the doorway.

"He's my favorite." Liam points out Pedro Martinez, and Will picks up the card.

"Hey, mine too!" Will gives him a high five.

"I like Trot Nixon, too. Mama doesn't like his last name. She said that's the name of a crook." Will laughs and ruffles his hair, and Julia forcibly snaps herself out of her trance.

"Well, it is!" she says and enters the room, kneeling on the floor beside him. "Sweetheart, I'll see you in a few days, okay? I have a lot of work to do, but Gran will take good care of you, and I'll call you every day. Promise."

"Okay, I love you Mama." He wraps his arms around her neck and squeezes tight.

"I love you too." She kisses his cheek.

Liam turns to Will, "Want to watch a Red Sox game with me?"

"You bet." Will looks into Liam's eyes, "Have you ever been to Fenway?"

"No! But my mom has. Have you?" Liam's face lights up with curiosity.

"I go all the time. Maybe you and your mom can come with me sometime."

"Please, oh please?" Liam turns to her, his eyes pleading.

"That would be wonderful."

Julia's quiet on the drive to Ellie and Kevin's house and wrings her hands, feeling torn. She feels so guilty about lying to Will. She wants to tell him the truth, but she has to wait until she knows he's really leaving Avery. Once the papers are filed she'll tell him. She keeps repeating that to herself like a mantra, once the papers are filed, once the papers are filed...

"Are you okay?" Will asks, squeezing her knee.

"I just miss him, that's all."

"He's a great kid, Jules. I'm glad I got to meet him. Thank you."

"He really liked you too," she smiles weakly, staring out the window, then turns to study Will's profile.

Seeing them together was unsettling, more than she imagined it'd be. They were so comfortable with one another, so...happy. The magnitude of the lie she's told is a weight pressing on her heart.

Dear Lord, what have I done?

Ellie's eyes are swollen and puffy when she opens the door, but her face lights up when she finds Julia standing beside Will.

"Two of my favorite people, together again." She pulls them inside the house and wraps her arms around her brother. "I am so happy to see you two, you have no idea! I've waited years for this."

Ellie hugs Julia to her, and whispers in her ear, "Does he know?" Julia shakes her head and mouths, no.

"Have you heard anything from Peter yet?" Ellie asks Will and he shakes his head. Her chin trembles, "What if something happened to him, Will?"