Hearing the sounds of Kayla’s pleas snapped Carly out of the fiery rage she’d been put into upon hearing Dave on the phone with Deidra. She spun around to find her daughter standing before her trembling with worry.

“Kayla honey, it’s okay,” Carly bent down to scoop her now crying daughter up in her arms, “Everything is okay.”

“Then why are you two yelling at each other,” Kayla sobbed into her mother’s chest, “Are you two mad at me?”

“Of course we’re not mad at you,” Carly replied not prepared for her daughter’s sudden outburst. She glanced over at Dave apologetically not realizing that her anger had reached out all the way into Kayla’s room.

“Then why are you fighting?” Kayla questioned bringing her head up to look at Carly again, “Does Dave want to leave?”

“No Kayla,” Dave stepped forward his heart aching as he saw the pain behind Carly’s daughter’s eyes, “that’s not it at all. Your mommy and I were just talking and it got a little loud.”

“No, you were fighting,” she insisted, her brown eyes full of sadness, “and I heard her say you were leaving.”

“No, sweetheart I’m not leaving,” Dave reached out to her. He felt her pull away, but as he and Carly exchanged looks he tried again, “Come here.”

Kayla finally held her arms out to Dave, letting him hold her as her tears continued. He carried her over to the bed with him and took a seat on the edge. Wiping at her tears, he spoke up again in a slow, soothing tone.

“Kayla, honey your mom and I were having a disagreement, but it wasn’t about you,” Dave started to explain slowly, watching her lower lip quiver as she looked up at him with big, brown eyes.

“Then what was it about,” Kayla questioned innocently.

“It was about me--about my being inconsiderate,” he admitted with a sigh.

“Inconsiderate?” she repeated with a sideways glance, “What does that mean?”

“It means that I was thinking more about a friend then I was about where I was supposed to be today,” Dave replied wiping at her cheek once more, “and I’m sorry about that.”

“Sorry for what?” Kayla asked not quite understanding what he was saying, “For yelling at my mommy?”

“Yes, for yelling at your mommy,” he nodded before his eyes swept up to Carly’s once again, “and for not being there when I should have in the past.”

“Did you hear that mommy?” Kayla looked over to her mother. “He said he was sorry. Does that mean that we can still go out today?”

“Of course we can still go out today,” Carly nodded in response taking a step towards the two of them. Silently she sat down beside Dave before turning to face him, “And for what it’s worth I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have thought the worst about the situation. I should’ve heard you out before I jumped on you like that. I was wrong.”

“See, she said she was wrong,” Kayla pointed out with a smile, “and this is the part where you kiss and make up.”

“Is that right,” Dave couldn’t help but smile at Kayla’s suggestion. He saw the eagerness behind her dark eyes and he couldn’t help but tease further, “Doesn’t that make you think of cooties or something?”

“Most of the time yes,” Kayla nodded in confession, “because all boys have cooties, but you’re different Dave. You’re just the kind of guy that I think I would really love to have as a dad. I think my mom would really like that too.”

“I’m sure she would,” Dave focused on Carly once again, “almost as much as I would love to be your dad Kayla.”

“So then what are you waiting for,” Kayla nudged him once again before rising up on her small knees to whisper in his ear again, “You have to kiss her and make it a really good one so she smiles. All the princesses on tv smile when the prince is a good kisser.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dave laughed lightly before leaning in towards Carly. He saw the expression on her face as he got closer to her. He leaned in closer to her ear before he mouthed in a low whisper, “We can’t disappoint Kayla, now can we?”

“No I suppose we can’t,” Carly replied closing her eyes and giving herself to the kiss that Dave offered her. She felt his lips brush against hers in a tender sweep. Feeling his lips over hers was reminding her of all the reasons why she’d wanted more than anything to make things work between them, but the biggest of all came to the surface when she heard Kayla squeal enthusiastically.

“That’s it Dave. I think she’s going to smile now,” Kayla clapped her hands together excitedly.

“You think so huh?” Dave questioned pulling away from Carly to see the grin that spread over her features.

“I know so. See it worked,” Kayla pointed at her mother with a small laugh.

“Well let’s see if it works for you too,” Dave replied leaning in to kiss Kayla’s cheek softly before tickling at her sides and causing her to break into an uproarious laugh. Despite the tension in the room before, it seemed irrelevant now that Kayla’s laughter surrounded them. For the moment, the feeling that filled the room was nothing short of perfect.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Everything alright in here,” Dean questioned walking into the bedroom to find Deidra crouched over on the floor. He saw the top of her head from beyond the bed and he walked in closer to her seeing her shuffling with something in her purse, “Deidra?”

“Oh hey,” she stood up taller, quickly closing her purse before smiling at him, “there you are.”

“And here you are,” he gave her a strange look, “I was expecting you to meet me in the kitchen when you got dressed, but…”

“But I was going to,” she blurted out quickly, “then I lost my earring.”

“You did?” he questioned with a small frown, “Well, let me help you look for it then.”

“No, it’s okay. I found it!” she explained quickly hoping to keep up the cover about the lie she’d told him. Even now as she thought of the phone call she made to Dave, she felt a moment of guilt sweep over her. Here she was having the time of her life with Dean and yet, well there was just something about what she’d discovered in that photo that she couldn’t quite get over.

“So you did,” he nodded his expression shifting somewhat.

“Yeah, I did,” she made a small tugging movement over her earlobe before offering up a smile, “So what’s on your mind today?”

“Well I was thinking that I’d take you off for a day of adventure,” he confessed moving forward to take her into his arms, “What do you say? Feeling up for it?”

“Well I don’t know if…” she started to protest thinking about the things she’d uncovered over the last couple of days. While she knew she didn’t have anything really, truly concrete to believe that the was a horrible person or that he was capable of some wrong doing, there was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. She thought back to how she’d been duped by Bruce and that made her body tighten further.

“Deidra, are you okay?” Dean questioned searching her eyes, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she lied further, “Why would anything be wrong?”

“You tell me,” he paused his dark eyes searching hers once again, “Ever since this morning you’ve been a bit…”

“A bit what?” she questioned forcing a small smile, “Overwhelmed? Exhausted?”

“Among other things,” he started before contemplating his words, “I think distant is a bit more appropriate in this particular case. You seem like something is bothering you. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s not you. It’s just that…” Deidra stopped herself wondering if perhaps she was jumping to one too many conclusions in this particular situation. She bit down on her lip for a moment as flashes of the previous evening rushed into her memory. Thinking about what it had been like to make love to Dean--about how it had felt waking up in his arms, well it seemed so right, so perfect, yet…

“Deidra, if I did something wrong, then you can tell me and maybe I can find a way to fix the situation. Just tell me what…” he offered up with an apologetic expression, “If this was about the disaster of breakfast in bed.”

“No, that’s not it,” she shook her head, “I guess I’m just a bit surprised at how fast we’re moving this along. I mean here we were strangers not so long ago and now, well now we’re lovers.”

“I thought that was what you wanted,” he leaned in to kiss her, feeling something happening behind her eyes, “It is what you want for us, isn’t it?”

“More than anything,” she admitted freely, “I guess I’m just afraid that something is going to come along and spoil it. I know that sounds completely irrational, but…”

“No, it’s not irrational at all,” he shook his head taking a step back, “I’ve actually been worried about that as well. I mean I’ll be honest and tell you that things very seldom go really good in my life. There have been countless times when I felt like I found happiness only to have it just out of my reach.”

“Really?” she questioned sensing a change in him.

“More than you can imagine,” he offered up with a sheepish grin, “but I’m just better at hiding it then others are.”

“Why do you work so hard at hiding it?” she asked gently wondering if he’d open up further.

“It’s not that I try to, but sometimes it’s just how it works out,” he sighed before taking another step forward, “though I’ll be honest and tell you that right now I really don’t want to think about it. I’d much rather focus on the plans I have for us today. What do you say? Should we put an end to the doom and gloom and have a little fun for a while?”

“Dean, I just don’t think that…” Deidra stopped herself as she thought back to her constant tendencies to destroy good things by thinking the worst. Okay, so maybe she screwed up with Bruce. She knew full well that was a mistake, but this was different. Dean was different and if he wasn’t, well she had Dave looking into that. What harm could come in enjoying the time she and Dean spent with one another? Okay, so that was a loaded question, but still…

“Deidra, if you really don’t want to…” he began again worry clouding over his face.

“No, I do. I really do,” she decided ready to take a leap of faith with the man who had taken her to heaven time and time again over the last few months, “Dean, I’d love to see what you have in store for us today.”

“Good because I promise you that you’re going to love it,” he vowed wrapping her up in his arms as Deidra said a silent prayer that she wasn’t making a mistake in putting her faith into him all over again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“You see there is no way that you are taking Kyle anywhere with you,” Sarah snapped, hearing Susan laugh. “You find that funny do you Susan?”

“Of course I do, because I know Kyle would want to be there to try and find Jade,” Susan declared looking towards Kyle, “Isn’t that right Kyle?”

“No, that’s not right,” Sarah shook her head quickly as Kyle took a step back from the two, “I don’t think you are getting it. No one trusts you Susan…no one. Not Grady, not Kyle…no one.”

‘“You got something on me Sarah?” Susan wondered, holding her hands up in the air. “If you have evidence on me Sarah, tell me just what that is, because I would like to know what you think makes me so bad.”

“Susan, just by looking at Grady,” Sarah began, resting her hands on her hips, “You can tell you're evil for what you did to him. Grady was a good guy…all you did to him was make him feel worse.”

“Hey, you can’t change a person,” Susan stated with a small frown, “The only thing that made Grady change was himself and nothing more.”

“So you are telling me that you weren’t the one who drove him to the edge?” Sarah questioned, seeing Susan fold her arms out in front of her chest angrily. “Come on Susan, he couldn’t stand you and that’s why he left you.”

“Like you have room to talk,” Susan scowled seeing Sarah raise an eyebrow slowly, “You aren’t an angel yourself.”

“Your damn right,” Sarah agreed with a small smirk on her face, “If you want to start something, I can show you how much of a devil I can really be.”

“Uh Sarah,” Kyle tried to calm her down as she looked over at him, “Why don’t you just calm down.”

“Sit down,” Sarah ordered seeing Kyle sit down on the couch quickly, “You see, he doesn’t want anything to do with. Nor will he ever want anything to do with you.”

“Since when did you run his life?” Susan questioned, pointing towards Kyle who just wanted this whole thing to end.

“Since he became my boyfriend,” Sarah answered looking towards Kyle, “You see, I love Kyle and he loves me. We know what’s right for each other and you aren’t one of those right things. You are just a piece of garbage that needs to be thrown on the curb.”

“I dare you to say that again,” Susan stepped forwards, only to feel Kyle get between them holding his arms out, making a distance between the two.

“I dare the both of you to just shut up,” Kyle sighed looking between the two. “Listen, Susan, Sarah is trying to tell you that we need to trust you before I run off somewhere.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I have to know where she is,” Diego sighed, sitting up from his couch. He was still worried about Heather and he had to know where she was. He couldn’t just sit back. “I’ll go to the Ashford mansion and see where she is. I’ll only stay for a couple of minutes. That’s all.”

He grabbed keys from his desk and walked towards the door. He jumped back when he opened the door and saw someone standing before him.

“Cori, you scared me,” Diego frowned, letting her walk into the office, “What are you doing here?”

“I was coming to talk to you,” she answered as he shut the door behind her. “What about you? Where are you going?”

“Oh, no where,” Diego gulped down, sliding his keys into his pocket, “I was just going to get some fresh air and that’s all.”

“It’s good that you aren’t going anywhere,” Cori smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck gently, “Because we have some plans right now.”

“We do?” Diego questioned seeing her nod slowly. “What do we have planned?”

“Well,” Cori began, twisting her fingers through his hair, “We have a lunch date planned.”

“We do?” he questioned, raising his eyebrow slowly. “I’ve seemed to forgot where we are going. Would you like to tell me?”

“You have such a bad memory,” Cori frowned before seeing him smile, “Anyways, I can’t tell you where we are going if you don’t remember. You will just have to go with your instinct to where we go. So how does it sound? You still want to go out to lunch? My treat.”

“Sounds great,” Diego nodded slowly before feeling her kiss him quickly, “Are we going now?”

“You bet we are,” she declared grabbing his hand and pulling him along quickly.

“So, since I have forgotten where we were supposed to be going,” Diego started with a small grin, “Do you have any places in mind that you would like to go?”

“Um, I have a few places in mind,” Cori nodded with small laugh, “Don’t worry, you will love whatever one we are going to.”

“I’m sure I will,” Diego agreed before looking down at his watch. He still wanted to check in with Heather, but he was going to go out with Cori for a little bit.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Knock, knock,” Brant tapped on Avery’s office door entering the room only to discover her buried in work at her desk. Moving across the room he held out a bouquet of flowers offering it out to her over the top of her desk, “For you my beautiful wife.”

“Brant, you shouldn’t have,” Avery replied with a thoughtful smile, her gaze lifting up to the colorful roses before her.

“Of course I did,” he circled around the desk to kneel in beside her, “There is no way I could pass up an opportunity to spoil my beautiful wife especially after the wonderful morning we had with one another.

“Now you’re just being a kiss up,” she replied turning her chair to face him once again, “because we both know it didn’t start out wonderful.”

“But it had a very amazing finish I would like to think,” he extended his hand out to touch her face gently, “Even now I can’t help but think about what it was like making love to you with you all wild and reckless ready to tear me apart.”

“That was because I was extremely upset with you,” she answered flatly before motioning to the roses, “and I’m assuming this is more of an apology.”

“I’d thought that what happened in bed was my apology,” he leaned in closer to her, “This was just my way of telling you how much I loved you.”

“Well, they’re beautiful,” she smiled at the flowers before looking at him once again, “and for what it’s worth, I love you too.”

“So am I forgiven?” he questioned his lips delving in towards hers.

She placed her hand in the center of his chest to keep a distance between them, “Did you come in here to ask for my forgiveness or to seduce me?”

“Why not both,” he shrugged bridging the distance between them long enough to steal a quick kiss from her.

“Well, as it stands I’ve forgiven you already,” she replied as they parted, “but as for the seduction, it’s going to have to wait. We have a lot of work here ahead of us. I’ve been looking at the things I’ve been taking a break from and…”

“And what?” Brant questioned lazily, “The way I see it, the company is fine. Hell, it’s better than fine right now. Once Grady agreed to strike a deal with us in putting an end to that stupid lawsuit that Cameron Stone wanted to keep going against us, well that frees up a huge chunk of work that wasn’t really necessary in the first place.”

“Even so, Grady is still drawing up the final papers and,” Avery started to explain thinking about the deal Brant and Grady had made, “you do realize that Cameron could try to fight this one.”

“Let him try,” Brant chuckled with mild amusement before standing up taller, “What’s he going to do? Have his bunkmate call one of the hoods on the outside and put a hit on me?”

“Brant, that’s not funny,” Avery frowned up at him. “Don’t joke like that.”

“Hey, the way I see it, the only thing Cameron’s going to be in control of at this point in time is making sure that he’s not violated in jail by a big man named Bubba and even then, well I’ll be honest with you, there’s no telling that is in the cards either,” Brant quipped before adjusting his tie, “As far as the rest of town sees it, he’s going to fry for all he’s done in taking Jade. There‘s no way in hell he‘s going to get out of jail anytime soon let alone be in a position to challenge me on legal matters regarding my company.”

“That confidence is bound to get you into trouble Brant. Even though we all know Cameron was behind what happened to Jade, there is no evidence tying him to that at this point. No matter how hard we wish that it was true he’d be locked up for life, the fact that he’s been held this long is well, something that I’m even wondering about. The only thing they have to tie him to any of this is circumstantial and I’ll be honest with you, if Grady doesn’t find something soon, he might not be in jail as long as you think he will be.”

“Hey, where is this newfound pessimism coming from?” Brant replied with a small frown, “Normally you’re on top of the Cameron is going to go down for his crimes bandwagon.”

“I know that and I really want to believe that, but Brant we have to be realistic about these things,” Avery started to explain, “We can’t just be all excited about the good things ahead when we need to prepare for the worst as well. If by some chance that happens and he wants to refute this deal you and Grady made.”

“I dare him to try,” Brant remarked confidently, “because I can assure you that there’s nothing in this world Avery that Cameron could ever have that would take me down. Mark my words on that one. That man has nothing on me or my company.”

“I’d like to believe that, but given how far he went to destroy Grady,” Avery began again thinking about Grady’s fight to reclaim his life again.

“That attempt to destroy me is over,” Grady blurted out making his way into Avery’s office triumphantly.

“Grady,” she gasped surprised to see him standing in the center of her office.

“Gee, don’t you know how to knock,” Brant questioned gruffly spinning around to face Grady.

“I believe these are for you,” Grady slapped an envelope into the center of Brant’s chest before smiling brightly, “I finished writing these up this morning while I was doing a little research. You can look them over and if you and Avery feel they are fair enough, then consider yourself out of hot water with Stone Corp.”

“See,” Brant grinned widely waving the envelope in the air, “I told you we didn’t have a thing to worry about Avery.”

“Then why don’t I have the same confidence you do,” she mouthed under her breath before looking to Grady. She could see he was beaming with enthusiasm and at that moment she found herself wondering just what else he’d come there to share with her. “So what’s on your mind?”

“Just a little bit of everything,” Grady shrugged before a smile lit up his face, “and anything. Anything that is to make sure Cameron can’t cause anyone anymore problems again. I’m ready to take that next step Avery.”

“Next step?” Brant half questioned sensing he was missing something that was going on between Grady and Avery that he was in the dark about.

“You mean you’re ready to take me up on my suggestion?” she asked with wide eyes.

“I’m more than ready,” Grady nodded in confession, “Not only did I think I had a clue what was going on, but after I did some research I realize we were onto something.”

“I thought we might be,” Avery added brightly, “So you found proof?”

“What proof?” Brant asked stepping in between the two of them. “What am I missing here?”

“It’s quite simple Brant,” Grady informed him confidently, “You see, I knew it. I knew something was up with Cameron and I think I know how to get him. Now that I‘m armed with the truth, he‘s going down and nothing is ever going to stop that from happening!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I haven’t been here in years, Seth,” Blake reached out to squeeze his arm as they entered the small café on the lake. While he’d promised her a whole new breakfast for them after his kitchen had gone up in smoke, she hadn’t really expected him to take her all the way out here to this place.

“It’s a nice change though,” Seth pointed out with a small sigh looking towards the lake, “It’s much more calming out here. We need some time away from everything else for a while.”

“I totally agree with that,” Blake sighed deeply before following someone who led them to their table. “So you said Kevin was supposed to be meeting us here?”

“Yeah, he should be here soon or a later,” he nodded, pulling her seat out for her, “I’m sure he will come. He’s not the type to just turn down a breakfast invite.”

“He’s that responsible, huh?” Blake questioned seeing Seth take his seat and shake his head quickly. “What is it then about him? He seems really dependable.”

“He is,” Seth replied with a small laugh before shrugging, “If you mention the word food, he usually will come. I don’t get it, he eats so much, but he is in the best shape I have ever seen. He‘s an eight pack when in reality he should have an eight pack of rolls.”

“Well, I guess you know what they say,” Blake shrugged with a small giggle, “Some of us work it off, or sometimes it just doesn’t affect us.”

“If you say so,” Seth shrugged before looking out towards the water, his gaze stuck on the little waves that rose and fell. Their table was in a perfect spot, right by the water. It was just perfect. “This is the most calming place I have been in a while. I love it.”

“I know,” she took in a deep breath, reaching over and giving Seth’s hand an assuring squeeze, “I don’t think anything could change how perfect this moment really is.”

“Hi there,” Valerie smiled as Seth and Blake turned to face her seeming slightly annoyed, “You don’t seem so happy to see me.”

“Maybe I was wrong,” Blake scowled, standing up from where she was sitting, “No one would be happy to see a face like yours. They would just want to turn away in disgust from the way you look.”

“Why don’t you say that to my face,” Valerie growled, taking a step forwards, feeling JT’s hand resting against her shoulder so she couldn’t go any further.

“I just did,” Blake pointed out with a small laugh, “What did you follow us here or something. You are like a pathetic little stalker aren’t you?”

“Blake, why don’t you just calm down,” Seth pleaded, standing up from his seat. “I don’t think she is worth it. We are in a public place right now and I don’t think this is the right time. Right Val?”

“I don’t care if this is a public place,” Blake declared, holding her hands up in the air. She was really starting to get tired of Valerie’s crap. She wanted something she wasn’t going to get. “You followed us here for a reason, why don’t you just tell us why?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“And the doors are open to your new home little guy,” Kellen smiled, opening the door enough for Kipp to walk in. “He looks so cute in your arms Kipp.”

“He is cute all around,” Kipp replied with a small smile seeing his son’s little eyes look up at him.

“You should sit down,” Kellen offered, sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to him, “It might be easier to hold him that way.”

“Alright,” Kipp nodded slowly before taking a seat, “Do you want to see him?”

“I would love to,” Kellen declared leaning over as Kipp gently pulled the blanket away from the baby’s face. “He is so cute…so what color eyes do you think he is going to have?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Kipp shrugged seeing Kellen rest his arm on the back of the couch, making it easier for him to see the baby. “Either way I think he will be adorable.”

“He is so adorable,” Kellen agreed with a small laugh seeing the baby smile, “He just smiled at me.”

“He did, didn’t he?” Kipp questioned seeing Kellen nod happily. “I guess he likes you. Do you want to hold him?”

“Me hold him?” Kellen questioned seeing Kipp nod quickly. “No, I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not?” Kipp wondered with a small frown seeing Kellen shrug. “I mean, he likes you already and you seem to be good with a baby, so I insist that you hold him.”

“Well, I guess if you insist,” Kellen shrugged as Kipp slowly placed Charles in Kellen’s arms, “Oh my, how precious is he.”

“Very,” Kipp smiled, scooting in closer to Kellen, “You two look so cute together. I think you would make a match with him.”

“I know,” Kellen agreed with a small laugh, “It’s because the both of us are so darn adorable.”

“Right,” Kipp sighed hearing someone knock at his door, “I’ll go get that. Be right back.”

“We won’t be going anywhere, will we Charles?” Kellen smiled looking down at the little boy in his arms. “We can’t crawl that far yet, but don’t worry. We will soon. It’s just a matter of time, you will be on the foot and running around the house.”

Kipp smiled at the sight of his best friend and his son together. It was just cute seeing two of the most important people in his life together. He took one more glance at Kellen and Charles before going to the door.

“Mr. Mahoney?” a man questioned as Kipp opened the door. “Are you Mr. Kipp Mahoney?”

“Yes, I am,” Kipp nodded slowly seeing the man hand him over a clipboard, “What is this?”

“Just sign here and here,” the man replied pointing to two lines before taking the clipboard back and handing Kipp a packet of papers. “Later.”

“Wait,” Kipp called out seeing the guy turn around, “What is all of this? I mean, what am I getting here?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the guy shrugged seeing Kipp look through each page, “Some type of legal papers or something.”

“Alright,” Kipp nodded slowly, still looking through the papers, “Thanks…I think.”

“What do you have?” Kellen questioned looking up from Charles, after hearing Kipp shut the door. “What are all those papers?”

“I don’t know,” Kipp shrugged looking at the front paper of the pack, “Oh my god. I can’t believe what this says.”

“What?” Kellen questioned quickly, heart beating a little faster. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, something is wrong,” Kipp scowled dropping the papers on the table, seeing the worried look on Kellen’s face. “Heather is launching a counter attack on me to try and keep Charles.”

“What?” Kellen questioned with a small laugh, placing his hand over his chest. “For a second there I thought we really had something to worry about.”

“We do Kellen,” Kipp bit down on his bottom lip as Kellen looked down at the now sleeping baby, “We really do.”

“Why? What could you possibly have to worry about? Everyone knows you would be a better parent. It’s not like she can get some awesome lawyer on her side,” Kellen pointed out before seeing Kipp look the other way. “She does have someone good doesn’t she? Who is it? Who is going to be in her corner?”

“I’ll tell you who,” Kipp disgustedly replied, shaking his head slowly, “Augustus Ashford…that’s who.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“You see,” Susan pointed her fingers towards Sarah who stepped forwards, “Kyle said that he would go with me to find Jade.”

“He said he would go with you if he trusted you,” Sarah reminded Susan with a small grin, “Get it straight. We all know that isn’t going to happen.”

“Right,” Susan rolled her eyes grabbing onto Kyle’s arm and pulling him closer to her, “You would go with me wouldn’t you Kyle?”

“No he wouldn’t,” Sarah answered for him, wrapping her hands around his other arm, pulling him closer to her.

“Why not?” Susan wondered pulling Kyle closer to her, only to feel Sarah pull him back towards her. “He only said I needed to be trusted before he went with me. That means that he would go with me if I prove to him that I can be trusted.”

“No, that’s not what it means,” Sarah defended right back as the two woman still pulled back and forth at Kyle’s arms as he struggled to get out of their grasps.

“I’m not a rag doll,” Kyle growled pulling out of their grasp and falling on the ground.

“Are you okay Kyle?” Sarah questioned leaning down, trying to help him up from the ground…seeing Susan go over and try to help him up from the other side. “I think I can handle helping my boyfriend myself.”

“Right,” Susan frowned dropping Kyle’s arm and seeing Sarah do the same thing as Kyle was half way up, making him fall back once more, “You can’t handle a horsefly.”

“Grow up,” Kyle shouted from the ground, getting to his knees, “You’re acting like I am some prize to the better person. Let me tell you this right now…I am a human. Not some toy that can get thrown around. Susan, I am Sarah’s boyfriend and I love her to death. Now Sarah, in a way Susan is trying to help. Sure, it isn’t convincible, but still. So, would the both of you just shut up for a minute?”

“Fine,” Sarah sighed looking towards Susan who was scowling at her, “This really isn’t working.”

“Just a second,” Kyle frowned, grabbing his cell phone from out of his jeans, “I need to take this.”

“Which means be quiet,” Susan shot at Sarah seeing an icy glare return back at her.

“Hello,” Kyle answered his cell phone turning away from the two women.

“Hey Kyle,” Grady sighed looking down towards his watch, “It’s Grady. Are you really busy right now?”

“No, I am almost free,” Kyle replied looking over his shoulder before turning back, “Why?”

“You think you could meet me at Avery’s office?” Grady suggested a place as Kyle looked at Sarah’s clock on the wall.

“Yeah, I can be there in a few,” Kyle agreed before frowning slightly, “Is there anything wrong?”

“No,” Grady shook his head to himself, shrugging his shoulders, “I guess you could just say that I have some good news.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Go down the twirl slide you two,” Matt shouted from the bottom of the playground, “It’s the only way to get down from there you know.”

“You go first,” Shannon pushed Don ahead, almost making him trip on the way up some of the steps.

“Why do I have to go first?” Don questioned with a small frown seeing her shrug. “Okay, I’ll go first. I don’t get it though, you are the smaller…”

“Oh just go,” Shannon cut him off pushing over onto the twirl slide, seeing Don go down on his back.

“Ouch,” Don frowned landing on the ground with a thud as he heard his son laughing at him, “That’s not funny.”

“No, but what’s going to happen next is,” Matt pointed out as he looked towards the slide seeing Shannon coming down the slide and landing on top of him.

“Oh my,” Don groaned as all her came down on his stomach, “I’m getting to old for this stuff.”

“These things are dangerous,” Shannon frowned pulling a woodchip from Don’s hair, “Don’t you think?”

“I would say so,” Don agreed before grunting, “I think we should get up. There are woodchips all over me and I think I feel some poking me in the butt right about now.”

“Well, we don’t want that,” Shannon frowned, standing up slowly and wiping herself off.

“Why did you push me down like that?” Don questioned with a small sigh, “Slowly getting to his feet.”

“You’re the braver one,” she suggested seeing Don’s eyes look over at her like she was crazy, “You are.”

“I’ll be right back daddy,” Matt smiled pulling at Don’s shirt, “I’m going to get my crayons, I feel like drawing.”

“Alright,” Don nodded slowly before biting down on his lip, “Don’t be too long. I want you to be back here as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” Matt agreed before running off to the table to grab his things.

“Why don’t you tell me how I can be braver than you,” Don told her to go on, “You never seemed to think that in the past. So why don’t you tell me why you think that now.”

“Well,” Shannon bit down on her bottom lip, trying to think of something to say so she could explain herself, “You have a son and you can still take care of him. More importantly, you will let love into your life.”

“Does that mean you are trying to say you want to be with me now?” Don wondered with a small smile looking back at Matt. “After being with us, did you realize that having a family really can’t be that bad after all?”

“Well, I did have fun with the two of you,” Shannon agreed before hearing him cut her off.

“But what?” Don questioned seeing her frown. “Please tell me that you came up with a decision. Do you want to be with me? Are you going to accept everything…and be with me?”

“I don’t know,” Shannon fought back the emotion behind her voice, seeing his face fill with anger.

“How can you still not know?” Don questioned, feeling somewhat of rage coming up. “You don’t understand how this goes do you? You know what? I’m not even going to get upset over this because…”

“Daddy, I have them,” Matt came up as Don looked down towards Matt, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Don nodded slowly with a small frown, “We are just going to get going Matt. Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Matt nodded holding his arms out for his father to pick him up. Before Don reached the car, Matt waved goodbye to Shannon saying goodbye.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So this is the place that you had in mind?” Diego questioned looking up at the big sign for a Sushi restaurant. “Please tell me that you are just playing with me.”

“No,” Cori laughed lightly before wrapping her arm around his, pulling him towards the door, “This is one of the best places in town. You will love it.”

“You know, I’m not really feeling hungry right now,” Diego held his finger up, beginning to protest, “Maybe we should just go and grab an ice cream or something like that.”

“I figured you would be afraid to go into a place like this,” Cori frowned, opening the doors, “That’s why I’m not letting you back out of this. You need to at least try it.”

“Looking at it and smelling it is enough for me,” he protested, smelling the fish, “Maybe I will just watch you eat Cori. I really don’t think I want to try this stuff.”

“You are going to try it,” Cori ordered seeing him frown as they got seated to a table, “You are going to love it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Diego held his nose closed, hating the smell coming from the fish, “If I hate the smell…you really think I am going to like this stuff?”

“You never know,” she shrugged with a small smile, reaching over and grabbing his hand, “Come pick some things out.”

“Oh, okay,” he nodded, getting up from the seat and walking towards the table. “They all look really bad.”

“They aren’t though,” Cori protested with a small frown, handing him a plate, “I will pick out the best kind for you. Here you go there is this kind and…”

“That’s enough,” Diego pulled his plate away from her after she piled at least five things on his plate, “You think that one would be bad enough.”

“Alright, but you might ending up liking it you know,” she pointed out hearing him laugh, “You never know.”

“Well, if I end up liking it…which probably wont happen,” he strictly informed her seeing the frown over her features, “If I do like it, I will be coming back up here to get some more.”

“If you insist,” Cori shrugged, grabbing some chopsticks, “But, I think Sushi is great. You might too.”

“Right,” he looked down at the food before him disgustedly, tilting his plate seeing it roll, “You really want me to try this stuff Cori? Why couldn’t it be something like anchovies?”

“That’s too easy,” she protested as they sat back down, “Just take one bite and if you don’t like…you don’t have to eat it you know.”

“I like that idea,” he agreed grabbing the chopsticks and picking at the sushi before him, “This one looks small enough, what is it?”

“Oh, that’s that one fish,” she snapped her fingers trying to think of the name, seeing him put it in his mouth and begin to chew, “All I know is that they said it was a poisonous fish.”

“What?” Diego questioned, spitting it out onto his plate and beginning to choke. “Why would you give me something like that?”

“I am just playing with you,” Cori laughed seeing him frown at her joke, “Just really try it, I promise I won't scare you anymore. There is no fish in here that is poisonous.”

“Fine,” he growled taking a tiny piece into his mouth before making a disgusted look on his face, “That’s nasty.”

“Fine,” Cori giggled seeing him take a drink from his water, “We can do it your way. Let’s go out for pizza or something.”

“I like the sound of that,” he agreed with a small sigh of relief, “If I had to eat anymore of that…I would just barf.”

“You are overly dramatic Diego,” she disappointedly shook her head, “I thought you would be the type of guy that could handle something like that.”

“Well, I’m not, but I can handle lots of different things,” he wiggled his eyebrow before standing up from the table, “Now let’s go get some pizza before I pass out from the smell of this stuff.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“First off little girl,” Valerie began with a big scowl, “I didn’t follow you two here. It might have just been by instance. How do I know that you two didn’t follow us here?”

“I find that very unlikely because if you haven’t noticed,” Blake began, the anger building up behind her voice, “Neither of us like, nor will we ever like you.”

“I find that harsh, really I do,” Valerie nodded slowly with a wide smile, “But if so many more people like you…name all of your friends.”

“Why? So you could go and harass them too?” Blake questioned seeing Valerie shake her head slowly.

“My whole point of asking you that was that I know more people would be caring about me then your pathetic little self,” Valerie declared, seeing Blake’s eyes build up with fire.

“You know what? Sure, you may have more friends…or clients, whatever they are,” Blake shot right back seeing Valerie’s expression turn from stuck up…to shocked, “But I have the one person in this world that is the greatest. That would be Seth and if you look at it, he is with me…not you.”

“Newsflash, I’m the one married to him,” Valerie reminded Blake of the terrible news that she had gotten a few days ago.

“But your not the one he loves,” Blake stepped forwards, jabbing her fingers at Valerie’s shoulders, making her go back.

“You’re going to pay for that,” Valerie scowled feeling someone’s muscular hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

“Would you two stop it?” Kevin questioned looking between the two women. “You are lucky that no one is here because if you broke into a fight again, it would end the same way it did last time.”

“She was the one starting it,” Valerie pointed out seeing Kevin shake his head, “You are going to be on her side aren’t you?”

“I’m not on any side,” Kevin scowled looking over at her, his dark eyes intense, “I just don’t think we need to be acting like idiots here. Why don’t you two just stay away from each other?”

“Seth is married to me, not…” Valerie began seeing Kevin’s face grow red with anger, giving his full attention to her.

“Why don't you make a contribution right now to my sanity, and do the one thing you never seem to be able to do...shut up,” Kevin yelled pointing towards the door, “How about you get going…away from Seth. Where you should be.”

“Fine,” Valerie stomped off, leaving JT behind. Kevin saw the JT shrug his shoulders before following her out.

“I hate her so much,” Blake growled, feeling Kevin’s hands on her shoulders soothingly, “She just gets me so…”

“Worked up,” Kevin finished her sentence, nodding slowly. “I know Valerie is a pain, but she isn’t important at this point. Jade is what is important. Helping her out is what we really need to do.”

“I know that,” Blake took in a deep breath, sitting back down seeing Kevin take a seat next to Seth, “I feel bad for getting so worked up over her.”

“It’s alright,” Kevin hushed, looking over towards Seth, “I think it’s time that I meet Jade’s boyfriend.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“You hungry?” Nick questioned in an attempt to break the thick silence between him and Angela as they drove back towards her place.

“Not really,” she shook her head, her eyes still glued to the window as she looked out at the world beyond the Jeep.

While she tried to be reasonable and not get worked up about everything that had gone on, she couldn’t help but find herself on edge after learning that she was having twins. Sure, she was excited and thrilled in her own way, yet it made her realize how completely unprepared she was for such an event.

“Are you sure?” he questioned gently, his eyes sweeping in over her before he turned his attention to the road again.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I don’t really want anything,” she nodded in response slumping down further in her chair before she felt him pull off of the main road. Turning her attention to him, she glared up at him, “Nick, what are you doing?”

“I’m taking you to breakfast. I know it’s later than anticipated, but you really do need to eat something. You have two little ones to eat for now on top of yourself,” Nick informed her point blank, making his way to where the IHOP was.

“So what? You’re going to try to force-feed me now?” she frowned over at him.

“No, not force-feed, but rather get you to take care of yourself,” he explained focusing on the road ahead of him, “I realize that you were probably shell-shocked to learn you’re having twins.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” she sighed inwardly, closing her eyes as she thought back to the weekend that changed her life forever, “You know I’ll be honest with you. When I learned I was pregnant it kind of threw me for a loop, but never in a million years did I think I’d be having twins. I mean twins--that’s a pretty big responsibility there.”

“Yes it is, but I think we can handle it,” he glanced over at her before smiling, “In fact I think we can more than handle it. I welcome the thought actually.”

“Of two babies in need of changing? In need of being taken care of and given our full attention?” she questioned surprised by his words. She looked to him once more, “Nick are you serious?”

“I’m very serious,” he nodded in response, “Not only do I think it sounds like a wonderful way to start a family, but it also is going to be great to share each and every step of this with you.”

“You have no idea how much that means to me considering that this isn’t your responsibility,” she sighed bringing her fingers up through her dark hair, “I mean you wouldn’t think that something like this would happen when I was safe about the whole thing.”

“Angela, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he reached out to place his hand on top of her leg. “I’m not upset with this news.”

“I know that, but just to think that I knew him for less than a week, yet I’m having two of his children,” Angela shook her head still trying to come to terms with the reality behind her situation, “It just seems like some kind of joke there. I never, ever have relationships like that. I never just leap into something so physical with someone I don’t know and…”

“And what?” Nick questioned looking over at her once again.

“And I probably shouldn’t be talking to you about this,” she dropped her hands into her lap nervously, “It’s not really appropriate.”

“Why? Because we’re engaged?” he asked sensing her uneasiness, “I thought we were friends Angela.”

“Well of course we are, but now that we’re more than friends, I know that people tend to get worked up about thinking of their lover in a past relationship. I shouldn’t just be spouting off about this to you when…”

“When what?” he gave her a strange look, “When you’re going to have another man’s children and it‘s left you feeling a bit uncertain? Angela, don’t you know by now that if something is bothering you that I’m here for you? I’m not going to judge you about any of that. Hell I’m the last person to do any of that. I have no past and for all you know I could’ve been a professional gigolo there thrilling a great many women, which by the way would make me a bigger slut then you’re thinking you are.”

She laughed lightly, “Nick, I highly doubt that’s the case.”

“Hey you saw me shake my stuff on that bar,” he teased with a small wink, “I could’ve had them coming in by the masses.”

“Yes, but the masses isn’t what you went home to after that dance,” she reached out to set her hand on his thigh, “You were with me.”

“And you’re with me now too,” he replied pulling into a parking spot in the lot before turning to face her, “and that’s really what matters. I love you and your children. Their father is irrelevant to me unless you feel he’s going to be some kind of problem in the future. If you’re saying you’d like to try to find him and…”

“No,” she shook her head adamantly, “it wasn’t like that. We had a fling and that’s all there was to it. His wife must’ve been away and I was too stupid to think that just because he didn’t have a ring on his finger it meant that he wasn’t taken. He sold me a lie and I bought into it because I wanted to. I let myself believe that he was something special and maybe in his own way he served his purpose now that I’m going to be a mother.”

Nick nodded reaching out to take her hand in his, “You want that, don’t you?”

She nodded feeling tears threatening, “Of course I do. I’m just, well I guess I’m just a bit emotional now with all my hormonal imbalances happening here. Being pregnant is a big thing and…”

“And you’re going to have me here with you every step of the way,” he promised pulling her into his arms, “those little ones won’t ever have a day where they don’t feel completely loved.”

“I really appreciate that Nick,” she smiled leaning into his chest. She closed her eyes as another breath escaped her lips, “It’s been a long time since I faced the possibility of having a baby.”

“Were you pregnant before this,” he questioned smoothing his fingers through her dark hair.

She nodded, “When I was married I found out that I was pregnant about a week after my husband died. Of course it didn’t last, but I remember being so excited about the thought of having a baby. Cary always talked about a family and I guess in my own warped perception of things, I thought that our becoming parents might get us back on the right track. Boy, was I wrong about that one. Though in a way I guess it was just hard to feel that hope and then have your whole life ripped away from you in less than a month. I lost him, then the baby and it was like I had to start all over again.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he kissed the top of her head, “but it won’t happen again. This time you have me and that’s not going to change for us. I love you Angela.”

“I love you too Nick. I really do,” she replied lifting her head up to kiss him tenderly as the warmth of his arms surrounded her.

“Good, then why don’t we go get something to eat? You know you want some chocolate chip pancakes,” he teased giving her another small kiss.

“I say you’re on, but after this, well after this, you have to let me spoil you for a change since you’ve been so good at doing it for me,” she urged wrapping her arms around his strong shoulders.

“You’re on,” he nodded in response making a silent promise to do what he could to make Angela as comfortable and happy as possible during the next months of her pregnancy. Together they had something special to share and he wasn’t about to miss any of it for the world.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So I was thinking that maybe after we finished up with all the legalities in here, you and I would head on out and get started with the next step in finding out where Jade was,” Grady announced watching Brant sign the documents in front of him.

“Well I have a few things I wanted to finish, but I’m sure that I can get back to them later,” Avery replied causing Brant to look up at her strangely, “I mean we could just go over there and get what we need and I could get back to work.”

“And I could get on going to find Jade and…” Grady started up again optimism in his voice.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to find her Grady. In fact if this works like we’re hoping then maybe she can be home tonight,” Avery added brightly hoping that this newfound lead they were coming upon would pan out.

“Does anyone want to tell me what’s going on here right now because I’ll be honest and say that I don’t have the first clue to what’s happening,” Brant grumbled watching the way that Grady and Avery continued to boast about how Cameron’s days were numbered.

“Well for starters we’re going to get inside the prison and get Cameron to crack,” Grady explained matter of fact.

“That’s right,” Avery nodded knowingly. “When I get inside to see Cameron…”

“Whoa, back up a second here. What did you just say?” Brant’s eyes widened with obvious surprise, “Did you just say when you go inside and see Cameron?”

“Don’t worry Brant. It shouldn’t take long for me to…” Avery began thinking about her thoughts of getting Cameron to talk.

“No way. There’s no way that you’re going to go in there and speak to Cameron under any circumstances. I don’t know what you and Grady think you’re up to, but I most certainly am not going to sit back idle and let the two of you do something stupid,” Brant turned to look at Grady with a frown, “You might want to go off and do something stupid, but I’m not letting Avery get sucked into whatever half assed plan that you have going.”

“You know Brant I think Avery can speak for herself and she wants to do this,” Grady stepped forward, a scowl pressing over his lips, “Isn’t that right Avery?”

“That’s right Brant,” Avery nodded reaching out to touch her husband’s arm, “Grady and I talked about this and…”

“Well, that’s wonderful that Grady talked about it with you, but I’m her husband. If she’s going to get wrapped up in some kind of dangerous situation based upon your urgings, then…” Brant argued further with him.

“Brant, Grady isn’t trying to force me into anything. This was my idea,” she explained matter of fact.

“What?” Brant spun around to face her, “You’re kidding me right?”

“No, I’m not. Brant, if we can find Jade, then I don’t see why I can’t help in this one. If Cameron has her, it’s obvious that he hasn’t been talking and I think it’s long past time for him to tell us where she’s at. He’s been locked up for so long already that if he’s the only one who knows where to find her, then…” Avery began to explain herself.

“Avery, you’re pregnant,” he reminded her before glaring at Grady, “with your niece I might add and to top that off you’ve been having issues with Bruce lately. The man tried to abduct you and I think that in itself should be a hint that you shouldn’t be walking into more danger. I don’t know what kind of idiotic plan you and Grady have concocted with one another, but it’s not happening. He can find Jade, but not by using you as the bait.”

“I’m not the bait Brant. If you just listen to what I’m trying to tell you here, then maybe you’ll see that…” Avery started with a frown.

“The only thing I see is Grady on a kamikaze mission and his goal is to take everyone else around him down in the process with him,” Brant glared over in Grady’s general direction, “Now whatever it is you think you’re going to do, you’re most certainly not getting Avery involved especially when neither one of you is willing to give me any answers about what this supposed plan is.”

“You want answers,” Grady half questioned taking a bold step towards him, “Fine, then I’ll give you answers, but once I’m done, well, you’ll have to let Avery make her own decision since the last time I checked she was a grown up perfectly capable of doing so.”

“What I know about my wife is that she’s gone out on a limb time and time again to save you. Given the way you’ve treated her over the last few months, I think she’s been more than accommodating to you and your cause,” Brant answered tightly, “She doesn’t need to risk herself all over again because things aren’t going like you’d like them.”

“Brant this isn’t about Grady. This is about saving Jade and I want to help in any way that I can which is why you need to hear him out before you start launching an attack on him,” Avery pleaded tugging on his arm gently, “Just hear him out.”

“Fine, I’m listening. Spill it,” Brant ordered still quite certain by the time Grady was giving him the details of his latest plan that Brant would still hate it. He only hoped he could find a way to talk Avery out of participating in all of it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So where are we going,” Kayla questioned looking up at Dave as he slung her backpack over his shoulder.

“It’s a surprise,” Dave confessed bending down to scoop her up in his arms, “You like surprises, don’t you?”

“Do I ever,” she clapped her hands together excitedly, “They are like so totally the best. Right mom?”

“Of course they are,” Carly agreed moving in behind Dave, “Stay still for a moment.”

“Got it,” he replied feeling her unzip the backpack before depositing a few more juice boxes inside for Kayla. Looking back over his shoulder, Dave smiled at Carly, “I think we’ve more than covered it with juice boxes.”

“Or so you think,” Carly laughed lightly, “You haven’t seen Kayla yet when she’s out on a busy day in the sun. Plus I heard it was going to be hot today so I don’t want her to be dehydrated there.”

“What’s dehydrated?” Kayla questioned curiously.

“It’s when you lose water and you get all shriveled up like a raisin because the water is missing from your body,” Dave informed her simply, “It’s a very bad thing.”

“And that can happen if I don’t drink my juice boxes?” she asked with wide eyes before looking to her mother, “In that case, hand one over. I so don’t want to look like a raisin.”

“You’re not going to look like a raisin Kayla,” Carly reached out to tickle her, “I just want you to have your juice so that you don’t start to feel bad in the sun.”

“I won’t feel bad in the sun mommy. I like the sun,” Kayla promised before turning to Dave, “Do you like the sun?”

“As a matter of fact I do,” he nodded in confession, “I think it’s nice when it’s bright and sunny because you get to play outside and I like being outside.”

“Me too,” Kayla grinned excitedly, “Tell me is the place we’re going to outside?”

“It might be,” Dave replied cryptically having fun with Kayla’s reactions to the mystery he’d presented her with. He found himself more amused by the moment as he thought of the day he’d planned for them. He saw Carly reach for her own tote bag and just as he was about to open the front door he heard her cell phone ring.

“One second,” she held her finger up to take a look at who was calling as he threw out a displeased look. He was about to say something to her about turning the phone off, but when he noticed the expression on her face, he felt a moment of worry press in over him.

“Carly, what is it?” he questioned turning to face her more completely.

“It’s the hospital,” she answered with shaky hands bringing the phone up to her ear. She spoke into the phone before listening to someone on the other end. After a few seconds, she spoke up once more, “I understand.”

Saying nothing more Carly hung up the phone tucking it back into her pocket. Her face had drained of all color and in that moment her eyes were filled with a newfound apprehension.

“What did they say?” Dave questioned taking a step towards her.

“The test results are in,” she explained drawing in a long, slow breath, “They’d like us to come down to the hospital to get them.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

...to be continued...