"Thanks. That'd be great."

"You might as well bring all of her stuff over," she said sounding somewhat resigned.

You gave her a curious look.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how to shop for myself right now. The clothes I'd normally buy - my old tastes - don't really work for me anymore. There's already a wardrobe for this body, so I might as well take advantage of it," she explained.

You patted her hand, feeling a little weird but wanting to show your support.

She gave you a half-smile. "Besides, I'm going to need to pass for Jennifer Connors soon, so I should look the part."

Hoping to keep Allison's mood from turning more melancholy, you changed the subject back to her new apartment - pointing out how cool it would be for her to be on her own. Before long you got her sense of excitement and anticipation back.

The two of you hung around awhile longer before driving back to her parents' house. Linda **** you to stay over for dinner but you left soon after, saying that you needed to pack up your mom's stuff if you were going to help move Allison in to her new place tomorrow.

When you got home, you asked your father about taking more of your mom's clothes to Allison. You were a little nervous, afraid that he might see it as betraying your mother or tarnishing her memory. But to your surprise, he seemed relieved!

"I think it's a good idea," he answered. "Frankly, son, I'd really appreciate you packing up all of your mom's belongings to give to Allison. I've set aside a few personal things to keep, but I can't bring myself to sort through the rest. And seeing all her clothes and jewelry every day is hard for me. It reminds me too much of her...". He paused, his eyes tearing up.

"I...I'm sorry, Dad," you stammered, feeling terrible for bringing up the topic. "I shouldn't have asked - it's too soon."

"No...no..." he said, pushing aside his grief. "Keeping her things is just a reminder of what happened. Please, take everything to Allison. At least it will go to some good that way."

"Okay, if you're sure..." you asked.

"Yes, yes... I am," he responded. "I've got to try to move on. It will be difficult enough going through the 'divorce' - I don't need constant reminders of Jennifer around me."

You frowned and looked down, having almost forgotten about that part of the plan. You understood why your dad had pushed for it - as hard as things had been, it would have been 100 times worse for both your dad and Allison to have to fake being married. But strange as it was, you still felt sad at the idea of the end of your parents' marriage.

Noticing your expression, your dad put his arm around your shoulders. "I know, Tim. I feel almost guilty about pushing for this. But I don't see any other way. And with Allison moving into her own place, this is the perfect time to get it started. We can tell everyone that we've separated, that your mom moved out. I'll file the paperwork tomorrow." He kissed your forehead and added. "Be strong, Tim. Allison needs your support too. I'm sure your mom's friends will want to talk to her about the separation - so help her out as much as your can."

You looked up at your dad and felt a surge of pride. Despite his own grief - and his inability to **** himself to see Allison - it was clear that he still cared for her, not holding any anger or resentment. "I will, Dad. I was hoping to take mom's stuff over to her tomorrow and help her move in."

"Well then, you better go get started," he said, letting you go. He paused for a moment. "If you don't mind, I think I'll go out for awhile - maybe catch a movie or something to take my mind off things. David and Tabitha are both staying over at friends and I don't think... well, I'm not really up to helping you with Jennifer's things. You understand?"

It was probably a good idea for him to get away for a few hours. Your dad hadn't done much besides go to work and hang around the house since the accident. "I get it dad. Go out and do something. Try to enjoy yourself."

He smiled and gave you a thoughtful look. "You're growing into a fine man, Tim. Your mom would be proud at the way you're handling all this." He paused to give you another quick hug, then grabbed his guys and walked out.

Pushing aside your mixture of emotions, you dug out your mom's luggage - along with some boxes and bags - and began packing up her belongings. You spent the rest of the evening gathering her stuff. You emptied the drawers and closets of her clothes, jewelry, shoes, and other things that Allison would obviously need. You weren't sure what to do with everything else. Clearly your dad wanted it gone, but you weren't sure if Allison could use it all. On the other hand, you figured she would need some stuff to keep up the charade of being Jennifer Connors, so you decided to grab anything else that stood out as your mom's - some books, cds, and dvds, various knick-knacks, pictures of you and your siblings, and even some of her favorite cooking gear. By 11:00 pm, you finally had it all loaded, packing the van completely full. Fortunately the insurance company provided a rental while they processed the claim from the wreck, because you couldn't have possibly fit everything in the car. You were completely exhausted - as much from the emotional strain of going through all of your mother's things as from the physical effort. So you set your alarm for 7, knowing that you'd need to get up early to help Allison, and almost immediately fell asleep.

The next day...