A/N: Listen, I know I swore not to post another story until I finished two WIPs. But this story is important. It goes it to my lord and savior, keepswingin (tumblr name) because I love her and we've been idea sharing about this story for like a whole two weeks. Plus! Always Had a Feeling is almost over anyway! Don't judge me, I have a problem! Anyway, enjoy this one chapter!

Some minor housekeeping: it's a human!au. They're much, much older. That's all I'll tell you about the story, since you'll learn as you go! Enjoy!

Sunday is always Family Day, proclaimed since the day his first son was born. His kids weren't old enough to branch out and do things on their own, so the only person who had to clear their schedule was him. This week, they were going to a charity event at the local park, The Shady Hills Nature Festival. Zed even splurged on shirts for all of them—white and bright orange with the words printed across the chest.

Unfortunately, his kids were late. As always. Well, except for Lily, because she was six, and Zed got her ready.

"Aidan! Nicky! Let's go!" he shouted.

"Coming Daddy!" Aidan yelled back.

Zed rolled his eyes and fixed plates for his two boys, putting them on the table. "Lily, don't go anywhere," he told her.

She nodded and Zed left the kitchen, heading down the hall and into the boys' room. Aidan is pulling on his pants and his older brother, Nicky, is halfway under his bed.

"Nicky can't find his shoes," Aidan said.

"What shoes?" Zed asked.

"The red and white sneakers Auntie Zoe got for my birthday!" Nicky shouted from under his bed.

Zed crossed his arms and Aidan chuckled, knowing his brother was going to get in trouble. "You mean the shoes in the living room last night, after I told you to put them away four times?"

Nicky banged his head against the bed frame and shouted out in pain. Zed immediately softened up, stepping over and pulling Nicky from under the bed. "Shoes, breakfast," he told him. He noticed Nicky's pained face and frowned, examining the back of his head. "And put some ice where it hurts."

"Kay." Nicky slipped past his dad, jogging out of his room in search of his shoes.

Zed turned to his other son, who had his pants on and was pulling on socks. "Hurry up, you gotta eat before we leave."

Aidan nodded and Zed turned and left, heading back to the kitchen. He passed Nicky in the living room, who was sitting on the couch and tying his sneakers.

Finally, he got all of his kids sitting down for breakfast. Fifteen minutes later, they were being ushered out toward the car. It was the middle of summer, so Zed filled their school bags with a change of clothes and snacks. He grabbed his keys and opened the door, almost walking right into the woman pacing back and forth on his porch. She stopped and looked at him with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights, and Zed's breath caught in his throat.

It's Addison.

Behind him, there was a chorus of gasps. Aidan shouted, "Mommy!" His three kids ran past him and attack their mother.

Because Addison was their mother, and his wife. Still is, legally.

Zed and Addison met freshman year of high school. They were best friends, for two and a half years. Then Addison asked him out, and they became the power couple of Seabrook, New Hampshire. Everything was perfect. And then Addison got into her dream school, in southern California, all the way across the country. And Zed was going to Seabrook Community College. They managed long distance for a year and a half. Then Zed ended up transferring a community college in California, only a few miles from where Addison was.

Because this was the girl he was in love with.

After he gets an associates degree, he goes to the academy. It took about a year before he got a job as a firefighter. Another year later, Addison graduated. Within four months of Addison graduating, they got married, and it was amazing.

Nicky was born a year later, and another year later, Aidan was born. Three years after Aidan was born, they had Lily. They had three perfect angels, and were happy together, with two stable jobs and a home and friendly neighborhood. Everything was perfect.

Then one day, when Lily was two, Addison disappeared. Zed remembered that day clearly: Zed was taking Lily to daycare and Addison was taking the boys to school. Like every morning, they kissed goodbye. Zed had said, "I'll see you tonight." Addison nodded, but Zed knew something was off. He wished he would have said something.

Addison never came home that night, and the vast majority of her clothing was gone. Zed got in contact with the school she worked at, and learned that she had requested the week off. All of his calls went straight to voicemail.

A week turned into a month. Then a year. And now three years.

After a month, her phone disappeared from their family plan. Her email became disconnected. He was a cop, and ended up with a priority case, where they discovered that, on the day she left, she had bought a plane ticket to New Hampshire and withdrawn several thousand dollars from their bank account.

She took their money and left without a word. Not a single word.

And here she was, on his porch.

To say he was speechless was an understatement. He didn't know how to feel. Here was the love of his life, who had been missing for three years, back again. His heart swelled with relief and joy and he was genuinely happy to see her, just like the kids. And she looked more beautiful than he remembered. Her blonde hair was in a messy braid and she wasn't wearing anything special, but just seeing her made his heart swell.

But, well, he thought about how she left. For three years. And turned up on their doorstep without a warning or anything, after abandoning her family. She didn't even say goodbye, she just left them.

He had no idea what to feel, so he stayed neutral.

Addison crouched down to hug her kids. "Oh my god my babies! I missed you so much! Look how big you guys are!"

After a few minutes of the same things, Addison stood up and looked at Zed with a nervous smile. "Zed, hi," she greeted.

He gave a small, forced smile. "Hey."

"It's, uh, good to see you again."

Zed nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. He glanced at his kids and said, "Why don't you guys go wait in the car."

He unlocked the doors for them as they ran down the steps, away from their parents, and climbed inside. Once they were all inside, Zed turned his attention back to Addison.

"You're back."

"I'm back."

He couldn't figure out what else to say. Addison looked at the ground, shifting on her feet. Which when he noticed exactly what shirt she's wearing: a bright orange and white, 'Shady Hills Nature Festival' tee shirt.

"I see you're going to the festival," Zed pointed out.

"I, uh, figured it was something you'd take the kids to," Addison explained. "So if I didn't catch you here, I could find you there."

Zed raised an eyebrow at her. "That sounds stalkerish."

"Well I wasn't sure if you even still lived here." Addison shrugged. "I was about to…um…head out. To see if you were at the show."

Zed nodded. For the first year of her being gone, he couldn't stop picturing what it would be like to see her again. What it would be like to hold her and talk to her. This awkward exchange between them, wasn't even close to what he had imagined.

"I would love to, uh, stay and chat, but the kids are really looking forward to the concert and carnival, so I'd better get going."

"I'll see you there?" Addison asked, her voice and expression giving away how hopeful she was that he'd say yes. "If that's alright with you?"

Zed but his tongue to keep from saying what he really wanted to say: 'It's a public event, who am I to stop you?' It was snippy and rude and he was better than that. If anything, he should offer her to go with them. Even though she had left them without a note, or phone call, or even an email. She may have abandoned them, but he couldn't do that to her.

"If we're both going there, we might as well carpool," he said. "Seems dumb to go to a 'Save the Environment' event in two cars."

Addison giggled lightly. "Yeah."

Zed nodded toward the car and Addison turned, walking down the porch to the vehicle. Zed made sure to lock the door, then jogged over to the car. As he pulled out, he couldn't help but notice there wasn't another car in the driveway.

Nicky and Aidan were beyond ecstatic to see their mother again, pulling her to all the different rides and games at the festival. Lily was not. She was only two when Addison left, there was no way she remembered her. Lily clung by Zed, refusing to leave his side the entire morning. Zed didn't mind, he loved his clingy baby.

Zed was finally left alone with Addison when Aidan and Nicky managed to convince their sister to go with them on one of the rides—a windglider styled ride, for three people. Zed leaned against the gate close to where his kids were waiting. And Addison's stood next to him.

"Can we talk?" she asked. "Without the kids around?"

"Sure," he said. "Is this about you leaving for three years?"

He hadn't meant to sound so harsh and cringed. Addison ringer and nodded. "Uh, yeah," she answered. "I just—I want to ask for you to forgive me. Because I'm sorry, like, really sorry. I never meant to be gone for so long."

"You left. Without even saying goodbye." Zed stated.

Addison's cheeks tinged pink. "I-I couldn't. If I had, I wouldn't have left."

"Am I supposed to be sympathetic?" Zed spat. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? You left us."

"I had to," Addison said firmly.

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

Zed raised his eyebrows. "I-I don't get it, Addison! I just—"

The windglider ride started up, the kids calling for Zed's attention. Zed grinned at them, cheering them on.

"Zed—"

"Addison, not now," he told her. "I'm trying to enjoy Family Day."

"I missed Family Day," Addison mumbled, turning away from him.

'Maybe you shouldn't have left.'

The kids got off the ride bouncing with energy. Except Lily, who looked a little green. "Why don't we take a break from the ride and check out some of the shows?" Zed suggested.

"Aw!" Aidan complained. "Can't Mommy take us on more rides?"

"Yeah!" Nicky exclaimed.

Zed frowned, not even glancing at Addison to see her opinion. He trusted her as far as he could throw her (which was about as far as across a room and to get her to land in bed). He was afraid if he left her with them, she might disappear and leave the boys alone in the slightly overcrowded public event. He bent down and picked up Lily, telling his boys, "We gotta spend Family Day together. Otherwise it's not Family Day."

The kids accepted that as an answer. "Lets get some lunch first," Zed told them, and they all more or less agreed. Let's grab lunch first." Zed led them over to the food stands, getting sandwiches for all of them, including Addison, then leading them to a picnic table.

Nicky and Aidan filled Addison in one everything they could—from school to their friends to Auntie Bree's new puppy. Lily stayed quiet like Zed, sitting close to him, not understanding why her brothers were so comfortable with this stranger.

After they eat, they go to one of the small stages were local talents are putting on benefit shows for the cause. The whole idea didn't make much sense really, hosting a save the environment event with air polluting rides that killed the grass they rested on. But, Zed wasn't here for the logistics, just for the family fun.

During the first show they were at, Zed's phone started ringing. He would have ignored it, since phones weren't allowed on Family Days, but it was his job, Shady Hills Fire Department. Instead of the usual 24-hours on 48-hours off most of the folks at the station worked, he did 10-12 hours for four-five days, usually consecutive or random. As long as he got Sundays off for Family Day.

But, it was an emergency, there were men down and they needed as many firefighters as they could get. Zed agreed immediately, only being a little more than a block away from the station. Only one slight problem, or three. Three small problems.

"Guys," Zed said, getting the attention of his kids (and Addison). "I have to run to work, so we're gonna reschedule Family Day for another time and you guys can hang out with Auntie Bree!"

All three started complaining and Zed instantly felt bad. Sunday was the only day he got to spend with his kids and only his kids. But this was an emergency, Shady Hills needed him.

"Zed, I can watch the kids," Addison offered.

That was a hard no.

When Addison saw his skeptical face, she pressed, "You have to go to work! I'd be a huge inconvenience to go all the way home while I'm here. I've got this."

Everything in him told him to say no and take his kids home and leave them Bree. Bree never disappeared on his kids. Bree was trustworthy. But Addison had a point. Plus, they were her kids. She was their mom.

Against his better judgement, he passed her the car keys. "I'm trusting you," he warned her.

Addison smiled and rolled her eyes. "Go be a hero, Zed," she teased. He tensed at her words, the same words she would tell him everyday before he went to work. He almost fell back into routine, kissing the top of her head and saying bye like he used to do. Instead, he nodded, then gave each of his kids a hug.

"I'll be home by bedtime, I promise."

As he left, he texted his neighbor, Madeline, that one of his relatives was watching the kids and to let him know if they weren't home by six. The festival would end at five but Zed was willing to give Addison some wiggle room. Once he got a message back, he started walking with purpose to the fire house.