Sometime in the night Charlie is woken up by a loud gasping sound. Molly sits up, panting as she rubs her chest and stares around the bedroom. He blinks tiredly as he places a hand to her arm.

"Bad dream?" he says.

"Yeah," she says. She wipes her hands over her face and then her eyes. "It felt so real."

"It's okay, just lay back down."

He gently guides her backwards and her head nestles back into the pillow. She stares at the window and then flinches when some tree branches brush against the wall.

"What are you worried about?"

"Do you think it's possible that they have the wrong man in prison?" Molly whispers. "Sometimes, I still feel like I'm being watched. I know it makes no sense but I just have this feeling that he's still out there."

"Molly, he confessed," Charlie says. "They have evidence that links him to all of the crime sites. They matched his DNA there. He's not out there, I promise, he isn't going to hurt you."

"See, I know and understand everything you just said but I still have this. . . fear. Like a sixth sense. I can't explain it."

Charlie has been following the news reports for weeks because Molly refuses to. There's no doubt that this is the killer, that they have the right man. He's being transported to Florida after his trial in California ends and the prosecution want him dead. Molly hasn't spoken about it, she hasn't breathed a word, whatever they decide to do to him doesn't change anything for her. She can't bring herself to hear about the details of what he did to his victims and Charlie has never judged her for it, he wishes he never heard about them either.

"He'll never be able to hurt anyone else again," Charlie says as he strokes her hair. "It's normal that you don't want to believe it right away but you don't have to be scared anymore."

"You're right," she says. "I'm just being stupid."

"No, you're just being you." He smiles as he curls his arm underneath her back. She rolls into him and rests her face against his chest. Sleep takes them both a few minutes later.

The next day while taking Molly home Charlie becomes suspicious of a car that's been following them since they left the house. The car is a black BMW with tinted windows and the driver seems to be close behind him but won't overtake. Charlie slows right down and the car behind him slows down too. That's the first time a BMW driver has ever not overtaken him.

"What are you looking at?" Molly says as she turns and looks out of the back window.

"Nothing," Charlie says.

He turns right at the junction and the car follows again. Something is off, he feels it. He pulls up a few houses in front of Molly's.

"Why are we stopping here?" she says. "What's going on?"

Charlie is silent as he watches the car behind him. The driver pulls over too. "Stay here," Charlie says. He leaves the car and he locks it. "Hey!" he shouts as he approaches the BMW. The car pulls out and speeds past him. Charlie loses sight of it down the road.

He unlocks his car and Molly is narrowing her eyes as he opens her door. "Just thought I knew him," he says.

"You're weird, you know that?" she says as she grabs her bags from the back seat. "So I'll see you at mine on Christmas day?"

"Yeah," he says. "Can't wait."

"Okay then." She's standing right in front of him but he's looking past her, checking every inch of the road. "Thanks for last night it was perfect." She leans over and kisses him; it shocks him out of his focus. He touches her face for a moment before pulling his hand away and stepping around her.

"Bye," Charlie says.

"Bye," she says.

He walks back to his car and waits until she's inside the house before he leaves. Maybe he's becoming paranoid too. He shakes his head, trying to let it go. He spends the rest of the afternoon at the boxing gym and spars with a few of the regular guys. There's not much that can usually distract him when he's training but last night is surely doing it. His nerves got the better of him but he made it through somehow. Molly makes him crazy; he's never felt like this before and it's taking over his life.

When his mother and Jaz return in the evening he's forced into helping them decorate the tree. Pam and Daniel have invited them over for Christmas dinner and Jaz is overly excited to spend the day with Daisy. He won't see Molly again until then because they're taking her to visit Pam's family in Bakersfield. Even though it's only for a few days Charlie will miss her. He just has to keep himself occupied until they see each other again.

After they decorate the tree his mother orders take out and they eat together on the couch while watching stupid, cringy Christmas movies. Just as the second one begins, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it," Charlie says, beating his mother to the doorway.

He opens the door and he is stunned to see the familiar face standing there. His grandfather is turned sideways, glancing at Charlie with low, sad eyes. He looks ill, his back is slightly bent and he holds a walking stick in his hand.

"Hey, Charlie," he says. "It's been a long time."

"Years," Charlie says.

"I was passing through and I thought I'd stop by."

"Grandpa!" Jaz yells, she runs straight past Charlie and throws her arms around his waist.

"Hey, kiddo." Eddie pats her head and then looks over Charlie's shoulder. "Samantha."

"Eddie." His mother folds her arms and moves towards the door. "What are you doing here?"

"You probably heard but Diane passed away a few months back. Her last wish was that I made things right with you. With all of you."

"So you show up a few days before Christmas in the hopes that we'd forget?" Charlie says angrily.

"He was my son, Charlie," Eddie says quietly. "Whatever he did, nothing changed that."

"Jaz, go into the kitchen," his mother says, pulling her away gently. "Make us some coffees."

"Okay," Jaz says.

"Can I come in?" Eddie stares around the rim of the doorway. "Please?"

"Yeah," she says. "Come through."

Charlie bites down on his teeth as Eddie walks into their house. The first thing he sees is the tree and he smiles as he touches the baubles. Charlie sits on the edge of the couch with his arms folded, eyeing his mother who shakes her head at him as she closes the kitchen door.

"I like your tree," Eddie says. "I wanted to put one up but my back isn't as stable as it once was." He places a thick bag underneath it. "I brought some gifts."

"We don't want your gifts," Charlie says.

"You have the attitude," Eddie laughs as he turns around slowly. "Just like your father."

"He's nothing like his father," his mother says as she crosses the room. "That. . . man if you could call him that is not mentioned in this house. Ever."

"Okay, I get it." Eddie falls back into the couch, resting the stick between his legs. "He did some unforgiveable things. He destroyed many lives. But he was my son, Sam. He was the boy that I raised from birth, the boy that I cradled when he was sick, the boy that I taught how to ride a bike and to drive. How do I just forget all those memories?"

"You gave him a character reference!" she says, almost spitting from her anger. "Do you know how badly I wanted to be the one prosecuting that day? They wouldn't let me but my god, I wanted him to look into my eyes and know that I forgot those memories. Six girls, Eddie. Six. And you defended him? You stood by him. You and Diane heard everything those girls said and you chose to believe they were lying. All of them?"

"I was wrong," Eddie admits. "It was a long time ago, Sam but you had no right to keep our grandchildren from us."

Charlie laughs along with his mother. Eddie looks between them with confusion.

"I never kept them from you," she says. "Charlie made his own mind up, but Jaz? The last time you saw her you told her that her father was amazing, you painted him as a saint. Charlie and I have had to live with her thinking that because we can't bear for her to know the truth."

"She still doesn't know?" he demands quietly. "She still thinks he died in a car accident?"

"We'll tell her one day. But she's nine, she won't understand. That's our business, not yours."

"I just want to see my grandchildren, Sam," Eddie says as he glances tearfully at Charlie. "Charlie, I know it's hard for you to forgive me for what I did but I can promise you that I have paid for it. We had to move because of death threats, we've had things thrown at us in the street, we feared for our lives."

"Good," Charlie says. "You defended a child rapist."

"They were in high school, hardly children."

His mother's finger points towards the doorway slowly. "Get out."

"I didn't come here to fight," he says as he stands up. "I just wanted to spend Christmas with my family."

"You have other children, other grandchildren, go and spend it with them," Charlie says. Eddie lowers his eyes with bereft. "Oh they want nothing to do with you either? Are we the last choice?"

"I'm just trying to make things right," he sighs. "But I can see that this was a mistake. I'll come back next year when you're in a better mood."

Charlie can't believe what he's hearing, it's taking all of his control not to pick his grandfather up and throw him out. His mother has the same look. Eddie limps his way to the door that Charlie holds open for him.

"Make sure that Jaz gets her gifts," he says. "She doesn't have to suffer because of this."

"She's the only one that hasn't suffered," Charlie hisses. "Because she doesn't remember him. The rest of us? It tore our lives apart."

"It tore mine apart too," he says. "But no matter how much you want to hate him you can't deny that he gave you the best childhood and your mother the best years of her life."

"The best thing, the only good thing your son ever gave me was my children," his mother says as she charges towards the door. "Goodbye, Eddie."

"Merry Chris-"

She slams the door closed and locks it. Charlie follows her into the lounge. She paces for a while, he can't tell if she's upset or proud.

"The nerve of him," she mutters. "He's never been able to admit what his son did, never. And he turns up here thinking he has automatic rights to you both when he hasn't bothered to even call in years? I need a drink."

She opens the kitchen door just as Jaz is walking through with two mugs of coffee. She takes one off her and disappears into the room. Jaz brings Charlie his coffee and he takes it from her slowly.

"Thanks," he says. "You heard most of that didn't you?"

"Yeah," she says. "There was a lot of yelling. What happened? What did dad do?"

"Something really bad," Charlie sighs. "We never told you because you were really young and as you got older it just got harder to ever bring it up."

"Did he hurt someone?"

Charlie nods. "Yeah, he did. He went to prison when you were a toddler and he died in there."

"That's why you'd never take me to his grave," Jaz whispers. "I thought something was weird but I was scared to mention it."

"Don't be scared," Charlie says. "I won't lie to you anymore. I promise. If you want to visit his grave then I can take you, that's your choice. But I just don't want you to get upset when you see it, it's been badly vandalized over the years."

"No," she says as she wraps her hand around his arm. "I'm good."

She cuddles into his stomach and he places his arm around her. They sit for a while in silence, and then Charlie starts playing the movie to distract her.

"You hate this movie," Jaz mumbles.

"I could never hate anything that you love."

"Cringe," she laughs.

"Yeah, don't tell anyone that I ever said that. I've got a reputation to keep."

Their mother returns and joins them. She puts her feet up and rests her head against Jaz's shoulder. They all watch the movie and nothing about the night is spoken again.