Peter was one of eight Rhode Islanders to die on September 11th. His picture has been all over the local news and Will's been receiving condolence messages at home and work from people he hasn't heard from in years. The outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming, not just for him, but his whole family. They're private people, and need this time alone to grieve.

He deeply mourns the loss of his brother, and is enraged by the senseless act of violence that caused his death, but he finds solace with Julia and Liam. The loss of his brother is always with him, but Julia's home is his sanctuary, her arms a refuge from darkness.

Her presence calms him and spending time with her son fills him with joy. He lives completely in the moment with Liam and when it's the three of them together, he feels a surge of love unlike anything he's ever known. They're the family he thought he'd never have.

Will has the same nightmare every night. He's in the North Tower with Peter, suffocating from the smoke, his skin blistering from the heat of the flames. He's coughing, choking and crawls toward his brother.

Peter stands on the ledge of the window, his face calm and free from worry. He tells Will to join him, to come get some fresh air. Will leans over the windowsill and looks at the street...so far down and shakes his head in fear. He tells his brother to get off, to come down from the ledge but Peter looks up at the sky, unconcerned.

"Pete, please be careful. What if you fall?"

"Will..." his brother turns to him, "What if I fly?"

Peter smiles and jumps into the fresh air, his arms open wide, and soars above the buildings, disappearing from sight.

Will wakes up soaked in sweat, his heart pounding hard inside his chest and reaches for Julia. His brother jumped to his death, he's sure of it. There's some comfort knowing Peter took control of his own fate and didn't suffer in those final moments. What keeps him up half the night is the thought his brother was forced to choose how he died. No one should ever have to make that decision, yet hundreds of people did that day.

They've been home from New York for just over a week. Mid-morning Will drives to Bristol and pulls up in front of his house. He needs to walk Max and pick up a change of clothes before he heads back to Julia's. He can't sleep if he's not beside her.

Shifting his car into park, Will stares at the house he's lived in for the past six years. He bought it for the water views and its proximity to his parents, not because he liked the house itself. It's modern and sleek, not at all his style.

The interior is cold and impersonal. Avery decorated it with Architectural Digest in mind, not comfort. But the view is incredible. The wall facing the water is floor to ceiling windows and he's spent many nights alone in the living room, sitting in the dark, listening to the water lapping onto shore, and watching the moonlight dance on the harbor.

This has never been a home to him, just somewhere to sleep. Now he understands, home isn't a place, it's a feeling. His home is with Julia and Liam, no matter where they live.

Avery's car is in the driveway and he's dreading seeing her. He's avoided her for the most part, telling her his parents need him now. It hasn't been easy. When she came home from her trip last weekend, she attempted to comfort him in the only way she knows how. Sex.

The night she arrived, he stopped by to walk the dog and found her in a silky negligee, with candles lit and a bottle of wine on the table. He stared at her, dumbfounded. His brother was murdered. Did she really think a romantic evening would make him feel better? He grabbed Max's leash, walked him to his sister's house and drove to Julia's, sickened by the sight of Avery.

This morning, he finds Avery sitting by the picture window, staring out the window, and drinking a glass of wine. He's never seen her drink before noon.

"Where were you last night?" she asks, her voice flat. He can tell she's had a couple of drinks already.

"I slept on the boat." He walks into the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water.

"Why didn't you come home?"

"Because I wanted to sleep on the boat."

He fastens the leash around Max, walks out the door, and takes a deep breath. He has to tell her it's over. There's never a 'right time' for this kind of conversation.

He wanted to wait until after Peter's memorial service this coming week, for his parents' sake. He doesn't want to add to their sorrow, but it has to happen sooner. They need to be prepared in case she shows up at their door in a state of...who knows what state Avery will be in! She could be relieved, or she could fly into a rage.

He has no idea how she'll react, but his parents have had enough stress. They just lost their son in one of the most horrific ways possible, but that won't stop Avery from dragging them into their business.

His parents and Sloane are in deep mourning. He stopped by his parent's house earlier today and found his father in the den, staring at the news. He's been wearing the same bathrobe and watching CNN around the clock since the tragedy.

His heart heavy, Will headed upstairs to check on his mother. She's hardly gotten out of bed in the past week and a half and spends her days in prayer, doing the rosary over and over again.

Sloane was lying in Peter's bed, staring at the ceiling, totally unresponsive. Everyone's very concerned about her health. The whole family desperately wants her to carry this baby to term, so part of Peter will live on. He doesn't know how to reach her. No one does.

His sister has been incredibly strong over the past week. When he and Julia returned from New York they stopped here first and shared what they discovered about Peter's whereabouts the morning of the attack with Ellie and Kevin. His sister held onto him and sobbed while Julia took the kids outside to play. "It's just the two of us now."

They walked to their parent's house together and shared the news with the family. His mother burst into tears and ran from the room, his father stared at Will, in shock, and then followed his mother to their bedroom.

Sloane sat in the armchair motionless. The only sign of distress on her face the tears rolling down her cheeks. Ellie kneeled beside her and asked if there was anything she could do. Sloane slowly turned her head toward Ellie, a dazed expression on her face, "I'm going to bed." She stood and placed her hand over her stomach, "The baby needs to rest."

From his house, he walks Max to Ellie's. "Hello? Ellie?" He enters her house with the dog and there are toys strewn everywhere, piles of laundry folded on the coffee table, and Sesame Street on the television. He can hear his niece and nephews tearing it up in the next room.

"Hey there." She walks into the living room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel, and kisses his cheek, "I was just making lunch. Do you want to stay? I'm creating a culinary masterpiece with two boxes of macaroni and cheese and a head of broccoli."

"I'll pass, thank you," he laughs. Ellie is not known for her cooking abilities. "It's Julia's birthday and I'm heading up to Providence. Can you watch Max?"

"Of course." She nods her head, smiling.

He follows his sister into the kitchen and sits on a stool at the counter, pensive.

"Ellie. I'm going to tell Avery I'm filing for divorce this week."

Her face lights up and a smile spreads across her face. Ellie flings her arms around him, tears in her eyes.

"Hallelujah! That is music to my ears!" His sister is glowing with joy, "You'll be rid of the albatross at last!"

"I think Avery's getting suspicious. She was drinking when I stopped home and asked me where I was last night. Thankfully, Dad told me she was there looking for me earlier." Ellie raises an eyebrow. "I said I slept on the boat."

"Fuck her!" Ellie grits her teeth, sticking both of her middle fingers in the air, "I fucking hate her!"

A comment like that would have pissed him off a month ago. Not anymore.

"I'm nervous how she'll react. I don't care if she unleashes on me, but I don't want her to involve Mom and Dad."

"They may be upset, but after losing Peter...I don't think they'll be overly distraught. Do you want me to be there?"

"No. I'm a big boy. I can do this on my own."

Ellie takes the pot of macaroni off the stove and walks to the sink.

"Have you told Jules?"

"No, I'm going to tell her tonight..."

"And?" Ellie turns and stares at him. "I hear an 'and' in your voice."

"And...I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Ellie's mouth opens, her eyes growing wide. She drops the pot of pasta in the sink and jumps up and down, throwing her arms around him.

"Oh my god! Something good has come out of this nightmare. Peter is your guardian angel, Will. He's been guiding you toward happiness."

Will can't disagree. He and Julia were reunited almost moments after his brother's death. They both see Peter's hand in this.

"When are you asking her? Ahhhh, I'm so excited!"

"Calm down, not tonight. I want to plan something special."

"Do you want me to help you pick out a ring?"

He shakes his head and smiles.

"I bought her a ring years ago."

Will is with Liam at the park while Julia is grocery shopping. It's late Sunday morning and a beautiful fall day. The trees have begun to turn brilliant autumn colors, but it's still warm enough they don't need to wear coats. He's smiling as he pushes Liam on the swing, thinking how his entire life has turned around in the best possible ways since that awful day.

Two weeks ago he was miserable, in a loveless marriage, and feeling trapped. He never imagined he'd see Julia again, let alone be with her. In the past he would have been overcome with guilt for being happy in this time of grief, but not now. He feels Peter's presence every day and his brother has given him the courage to live the life he wants. His brother would want him to be happy. Will closes his eyes in gratitude.

Thank you, Peter.

"Higher! Higher!" Liam calls out and Will obliges.

"Your son looks just like you." The woman pushing her daughter on the next swing over smiles and says, "How old is he?"

He likes the sound of that. My son.

"He's four."

"I'm five!" Liam shouts.

Will frowns. He's sure Julia told him Liam is four. The woman beside him raises an eyebrow.

"He's not my son," he explains.

"Oh!" She seems confused, "You're not his father? Are you his uncle? He's the spitting image of you. Really! His eyes, his nose... everything!"

My spitting image... he's five...

"Yes," he slowly nods his head, "We're related."

"I thought so. He's adorable." She smiles and joins her daughter at the jungle gym.

Will stops pushing the swing and stares at Liam. Is it possible...?

"Hey!" Liam cries out and pumps his legs to get some extra height. "Don't stop!"

"Liam..." Will moves to the side of the swing, "When's your birthday?"

"August 3rd"

Doing the calculations in his head, he asks, "You turned five in August?"

"Uh huh, I had a big birthday party at Nana and Papas. There was a bouncy house and everything!"

Will takes a deep breath in, slowly exhales and closes his eyes.

I'm an idiot.

Liam's in kindergarten, he's bigger than his nephews. He looks exactly like me. How could I not know?

"You're a big boy now." He lifts Liam off the swing and hugs him.

"Tell Mama. She still thinks I'm a baby." Liam wiggles out of his embrace, and runs to the sandbox.

Will studies Liam from the bench. He has my eyes, my nose, my mouth, even my hands. Why didn't Julia tell me? Why would she keep my son from me?

His eyes well up as he thinks about the five years of Liam's life he's missed... the five years he's been married to Avery. He was already married when Liam was born. Was she punishing him for leaving her alone in Verona?

He didn't fight for Julia, he just let her go. Worse than that...he walked away.

What would he have done had he known about Liam years ago? He would have wanted to be part of Liam's life, surely. But would he have been ready to make the changes he's willing to make now? Would he have had the strength to leave Avery? He's not sure. God only knows what Avery would have done! She would have made their lives hell.

Julia understood this, she must have. Why else would she keep his son away from him? She was protecting Liam. By all rights he should be furious with her, but he's not. She was right to protect their son from the drama. He wouldn't have been able to give all of himself to either of them and that wouldn't have been fair to anyone.

Everything is different now, he's not the same person he was even a month ago. September 11th changed everything. This is his life, and letting go of his past has freed him. He won't miss another day of Liam's life, not one second.

"Will? When can we go to Fenway?" Liam climbs onto the bench and sits on his lap. He closes his eyes and breathes him in, his heart full of love. My son. He can't believe it.

"Do you want to go next week?"

"Yes!" Liam's face lights up, and he wraps his little arms around his neck, his soft cheek against his.

"I'll talk to Mom and see what she says."

Liam rests against him, his back pressed against his chest. I'm filing for divorce tomorrow, he's not waiting any longer. He wants his family together, under one roof.

Will's on his way to Bristol to tell his parents about divorcing Avery. It's a horrible time to have this discussion, but he has to do this now. I have a son! He's still wrapping his head around this.

When Julia joined them at the park, he was going to tell her he finally figured it out, it must be eating away at her, but he wants to show her the divorce papers, he wants her to know this is real.

Turning the corner onto his parents' street, he watches Avery running to her car and hears the squeal of her tires as she races away from their house. His heart sinks. What was she doing here? Checking up on him again?

He pulls into the driveway and runs into the house. Something doesn't feel right. He runs up the stairs and stops outside of Peter's room when he overhears Sloane talking to Ellie...

"The baby was Joe Butler's," Sloane is saying. "Avery had a fling with him and he dumped her. She wanted to get back together with Will, but your brother wasn't interested. He got very drunk at a party and they fooled around, but Avery was already pregnant. She found out the week before your brother came home from school."

What is she talking about? His heart is racing. Is she saying that Avery was pregnant with Joe's child...not mine? That I've felt guilty and responsible for Avery all of these years for nothing?

"Sloane, you don't have to talk about this now," Ellie says.