“Deidra, are you in here,” Dean questioned from the hallway. She practically jumped up from where she stood,. She quickly pushed her robe up over her shoulders in an attempt to cover herself. She felt dirty and terrified and sickened by the thought that she’d given herself to a madman again and again. It was bad enough that she’d been stupid enough to fall for Bruce, but now as she looked to the computer monitor before her, she realized that she’d made another fatal mistake.

“Deidra,” Dean’s voice grew nearer to her.

She started to panic as she looked around the living room area. She quickly reached down to unplug the monitor as she rushed over to the other side of the room. Hearing footsteps behind her she spun around just in time to see Dean standing by the lights.

“Is something wrong,” he questioned leaning up against the wall watching her with scrutinizing eyes.

“Wrong,” she repeated with a half smile contemplating how the hell she was going to get out of this situation, “No, why would anything possibly be wrong?”

“I was just outside for a minute and then when I saw you were up, I was worried that something was going on. You weren’t in bed and,” he stopped himself his eyes traveling over to the computer. Suddenly realization dawned in upon him. Saying nothing he walked over to his computer area practically tripping on the cord she’d yanked out. Looking down he felt a sense of worry overtake him. He looked up at her again, “Deidra, how long have you been awake?”

“Long enough to know you’re one sick son of a bitch,” she shouted out reaching for the desk lamp and striking him right square across the head with it.

She watched as Dean fell to the floor and she knew it was then that she needed to make her move. Shuffling around the room she sought out her shoes hoping to find them for the long walk down the mountain, but she was coming up empty. She heard him groan and then there was a rustling sound from behind the desk that followed.

“Deidra,” he slurred her name attempting to pull himself up off of the floor. His glossy eyes fixed on her as he struggled to reach out to the edge of the desk.

“I saw the pictures Dean!” she shouted at him giving up on finding her shoes. She saw him fall to the ground again and she leapt forward reaching for the letter opener on top of the desk, “I saw those sick and disgusting images. I know what you are!”

“Deidra, I can explain. It’s not what you think. I’m not…” he reached for his head his hand covered in blood as she stepped backwards.

“I’m not going to let you get to me. You might’ve fooled me, but you’re not going to kill me,” Deidra shouted racing over to the front door. It was locked. Double locked, she realized as she struggled with the chain in front of her. She was almost finished unlatching it when she felt Dean stumble in behind her.

“Deidra wait. You’re not going anywhere. You’re…” he started to speak to her, his body pressing into hers, but her reflexes were on overload. She spun around stabbing him in the abdomen with the letter opener. She twisted the letter opener a bit to open the wound further.

He cried out and watched his eyes widen in shock. Then he stumbled backward falling flat onto the floor. Refusing to focus on him, Deidra wrenched open the front door knowing that there was only one thing that would save her now--only one thing that could keep her alive and that was escape. She had to get out of there or else Dean would kill her. She was sure of it. Now all the love she’d felt for him was replaced by the need to survive. She had to get away. There was no other alternative.

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

“Home at last,” Dave announced pulling Carly up into his arms. He squeezed her closer to him, feeling her lean forward to kiss him lovingly.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that--to really feel like it is to be home with the man I love ready to begin our lives together,” Carly snuggled into him feeling him set her down on her toes once more.

“I waited a long time to have you back Carly,” Dave confessed thinking about how his heart had been broken when she’d left town. Even after the ups and downs of their relationship over the last few months, Dave knew full well that their getting married was the right thing. It was the best thing for all of them and now as he leaned forward to kiss his bride, he knew that he could give her the world of happiness and love that she deserved. As they parted, he smiled down at her touching her chin lightly in an attempt to look into her dark eyes again, “I’m just sorry that the honeymoon wasn’t longer.”

“Given everything that’s going on,” Carly pressed her fingers over the center of his chest, “I think it’s okay that we had a short honeymoon. Maybe when things settle down around here, you and I can go off and have something special. We can take Kayla with us and make it a whole family celebration.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Dave decided thinking about the beautiful little girl waiting inside for them, “Speaking of Kayla, are you ready to see her?”

“More than you can imagine,” Carly nodded in confession, “I miss her already.”

“So do I,” Dave replied squeezing Carly in his arms, “I missed seeing my little girl, though I’m sure she had fun with Cori.”

“I truly hope so,” Carly answered moving to open the front door.

“Wait just one minute,” Dave reached out to her drawing her back into his arms again, “Now while I realize we skipped over a great many traditions, there’s one that I’d like to uphold.”

“And just what might that…” Carly began to speak up only to feel his arms wrap around her.

Before she knew it, she was curled up against his chest while he fumbled with the keys for the front door. Unable to refrain from smiling, Carly pulled the keys from him and jiggled them in front of him. “Allow me.”

“Thanks,” Dave smiled in response watching her unlock the door before settling back into his arms.

“Now, where were we,” she questioned with a smile feeling him push open the front door with his foot. He took a small step forward before kissing her excitedly. They moved further into the foyer before Dave kicked the door shut behind them.

“We’re home,” Dave announced as their kiss ended. “Kayla? Cori?”

“Why am I not hearing anything,” Carly questioned throwing her gaze out over the room. Her jaw dropped as she saw the mess in front of her. The room around them seemed to stun Dave as well as he lowered her from his arms.

“What in the world happened in here?” he couldn’t help but ask stepping aside to move through the house. “Cori, where are you? Cori?”

Carly followed watching Dave move through the hallway, but before she could pick up the pace and move in after him, she saw something that made her squeal.

“What in the world…” Carly stepped into the kitchen seeing the dishes piled up in the sink, the counters covered in various sticky, multi-colored substances. There in the center of the mess was an oversized glass that had a murky brownish liquid running over the side of it.

“What is that?” Dave asked walking into the kitchen.

“I think someone was having a little too much fun in here,” Carly replied wrinkling her nose at the concoction before her. She pointed to it before looking to Dave, “I’m guessing that your sister let Kayla work on her experiments in here while we were away.”

“I don’t believe this,” Dave’s eyes widened when he stepped in something thick and sticky. Lifting his foot up, he saw something that looked like a puke colored orange-red under his foot.

“Kayla likes to play sometimes and make these little drinks, but I have never, ever let her do something like this when…” Carly stepped in another pile of goop herself.

“I’m going to kill her,” Dave announced with a tight scowl. “I’m so going to kill her.”

“Kayla?” Carly’s jaw dropped in horror.

“No Cori,” Dave blurted out realizing that while Kayla was young and ready to obviously immerse herself in playing, Cori on the other hand was using her not so subtle tactics to try to convince Dave that he’d made a mistake. He could almost see her gloating over the fact that she knew full well Dave wouldn’t appreciate the mess in his kitchen. Knowing Cori she was banking on him thinking that Carly and Kayla had to go, but instead Dave found himself ready to strangle his little sister. “I’m going to murder her for this one.”

“Dave!” Carly scolded seeing the flicker of anger behind his eyes, “I can clean this up and…”

“Oh no,” Dave shook his head adamantly, “This was Cori’s mess and since she was in charge, she can get back here and clean it up.”

He turned around to walk out of the kitchen, speeding up his movement as Carly chased after him.

“Where are you going?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m going to call my sister and find out what in the world she did with our daughter,” Dave promised knowing that it was about time that he and Cori had a long talk about her childish methods of putting in her opinions on Dave’s social life. This time she’d gone a bit too far in the name of showing Dave what a mistake he’d made. As far as he could see the only mistake he’d made was in believing that Cori was responsible enough to watch his daughter while he was away, but after today, he vowed to never, ever make that mistake again!

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

“Wow,” Kellen backed away slowly after what just happened, “Pinch me or something just to let me know I’m not dreaming here.”

“Okay,” Kipp shrugged, leaning over to pinch Kellen’s arm lightly, “Feel? That’s real Kellen.”

“Now that I know that,” Kellen thought for a second before realizing what was going on, “What in the world are you doing Kipp? Please tell me what just happened.”

“I kissed you,” Kipp pointed out seeing Kellen nod slowly, “It was something that I should have done a long time ago Kellen. You need to know that.”

“Whoa,” Kellen let out a deep breath, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “This is weird Kipp. Not even a day ago, you didn’t care. You didn’t even notice me the way my heart noticed you.”

“It did Kellen I know it did,” Kipp protested with a small sigh, holding his hands up in the air, “Kellen I realized that you are the most important person in my life other than Charles.”

“That’s not true,” Kellen shook his head slowly, looking up at Kipp with his intense blue eyes, “You love Heather, not me Kipp. It’s obvious.”

“Then I guess you aren’t looking good enough Kellen,” Kipp began to explain, taking a seat next to Kellen on the edge of the bed, “I don’t think you realize it, but no one has ever been this good to me. You are the only person that I know I could trust myself with. Kellen I don’t think you realize how special you are to me.”

“You are very special to me Kipp,” Kellen pointed out with a small sigh seeing Kipp nod slowly, “I just don’t think the feeling is the same Kipp. It never will be.”

“How could you say that Kellen?” Kipp questioned with a small frown, “Kellen, I don’t want to be with Heather. I don’t want to be stuck with that my whole life. I don’t want to be stuck thinking what if. I want to know what it’s like. I don’t want to lose you Kellen.”

“Are you serious about this?” Kellen wondered seeing Kipp nod slowly. Kellen rubbed the front of his head slowly, letting out a deep breath. All of this seemed like one of his crazy dreams. He couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. “You really care for me Kipp? You aren’t lying to me? This isn’t some joke?”

“If it was joke,” Kipp began, reaching out to wrap his arm around Kellen’s neck lightly before beginning to pull his forward, “Would I do this?”

“Uh,” Kellen thought for a moment after Kipp kissed him again, “I don’t think so.”

“Exactly,” Kipp smirked with a small sigh, “Do you believe me now? I am not lying to you. I seriously feel something for you Kellen. You are right here in my heart.”

“Kipp,” Kellen smiled, feeling Kipp grab his hand and put it over his heart, “I feel the same way for you. I have for so long and I just always wanted the best for you.”

“I think you should know already Kellen,” Kipp started, running his hand through Kellen’s thick hair slowly, “You are what’s best for me. No one cares for me like you do. I don’t want to lose what we have Kellen. I want to have you in my life forever. Nothing less than that.”

“I feel the same way Kipp,” Kellen declared with a small smile, reaching out to wrap his arms around Kipp’s neck before he pulled him into a strong embrace, “I can’t believe that this is actually happening.”

“You better believe it,” Kipp chuckled, letting out a small sigh, “I want to make your dreams come true Kellen. Now I can actually have that chance. Now that you know how I feel. I don’t have to hold my feelings in any longer.”

“How about you and me leave this place,” Kellen suggested with a deep sigh, “I don’t think this is the type of place I want to be at right now.”

“I would have to agree with you,” Kipp stated, standing up and reaching his hand out to Kellen’s to help him up, “We’ll just go home and talk about this whole thing.”

“I would love to go anywhere, but here,” Kellen declared with a small smile. All his dreams were finally coming true. Every single bit of it was real and not a single thing was fake.

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

“Excuse me for one second,” Cori sighed, hearing her cell phone begin to ring, “I have to take this.”

“We’ll be here,” Diego replied looking back up at Heather as Cori took the call.

“Hello,” Cori answered with a small smile, noticing the number that called her.

“Cori, my wonderful little sister,” Dave began with a fake smile, “We’re back and we were hoping that you would bring our daughter back home.”

“Of course I will,” Cori replied with a small chuckle, “So tell me, how was your honeymoon big Dave? Was it as good as you hoped? Or was it kind of boring.”

“It was wonderful,” Dave answered quickly with a small sigh, taking a look back at the mess behind him in the kitchen, “You know, it would truly be great if you would bring Kayla home. Carly and I would both love to see the two of you if that’s alright.”

“Sure,” Cori shrugged with a silent smile, “We will be home in a little bit. We just have to get ready.”

“Okay,” Dave nodded to himself, wrapping his finger around in the cord angrily, “Just make sure you get back soon.”

“Will do big brother,” Cori assured him with a small shake of her head, “Love you.”

Cori said her goodbyes before walking back up to the group where Heather, Diego, and Kayla were. She grabbed Diego’s shoulder lightly before seeing him turn around.

“We should be getting back soon,” Cori informed Diego, looking across at Heather, “That was Dave calling. He said he wants to see Kayla.”

“Oh,” Diego nodded slowly, feeling Kayla grab onto his hand lightly, “I guess we should get going then.”

“Mommy and daddy are home?” Kayla questioned as Cori kneeled down to her size. “Did you say that they were home?”

“Yes they are,” Cori answered with a small smile, “and they miss you so much and can’t wait to see you.”

“What are we waiting for?” Kayla questioned with a small giggle, pulling Diego towards the door. “Let’s go.”

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

“I remember this day,” Seth chuckled watching the images over the screen before him, “That was her eight birthday. She looked so cute that day.”

“That she did,” Blake agreed with a small sigh as she watched Seth never take his eyes from the screen, “How are you feeling Seth?”

“How do you think I am feeling?” Seth questioned with a small sigh. His dark, intense eyes looked back into hers. You could just see right through his eyes. All the sadness showed clearly. There was no hiding it. “I feel horrible Blake. I can’t believe she’s gone. Everything I have right in front of me means nothing anymore now that she is gone.”

“That’s not true,” Blake protested, scooting in behind Seth before resting her hands on his shoulders lightly, “Everything that you are watching is what makes you remember her. She lives on throughout you Seth. You can’t let this eat you all up.”

“It’s harder than it looks Blake,” Seth explained, his eyes falling back to the screen that was one of the days they went to school. “When we were younger, I was so protective of her. When someone made fun of her I was there. When some guy tried to pull some cheap moves on her, I was there to protect her. Now none of that matters Blake. What I did back then will never give back the one chance that I should have had.”

“Jade loved you Seth,” Blake tried to explain as he rested his hands on the ground, “You can’t think that she wouldn’t still love you. You couldn’t do anything Seth. This was something that happened, it had nothing to do with you.”

“It had everything to do with me Blake,” Seth declared with a small frown, shaking his head slowly, “I let her down again. I did so many things to protect her in my life, but the two times she needed me the most--I wasn’t there. I should have just stayed and waited here for her. She would still have been here if I did.”

“You don’t always know that Seth,” Blake pointed out with a deep sigh, “You don’t understand all of this Seth. You should know by now that everything happens for a reason. If anything, you should at least know that. Jade loves you and still does. You never failed her. You loved her and you were always there for her. You never made any mistakes. You couldn’t have done anything more for her Seth. In Jade’s eyes, you were the best brother in the world.”

“Then why do I feel like it’s all my fault?” Seth questioned, holding back his tears. “How come I feel like I could have done something to stop all of this? How come I feel like she is disappointed in me Blake?”

“Because you wouldn’t be a good brother if you weren’t,” Blake explained, reaching down to enclose her fingers with Seth’s, “You are hurt. Those are the things you are supposed to be asking yourself. If you didn’t think anything, you wouldn’t be a good brother. You can’t just keep asking yourself the what ifs. You have to realize that you did what you could. And I know that Jade realizes that.”

“I hope so,” Seth sighed, feeling Blake slide down next to him and wrapping her arms around his neck lightly, “I just wish I could have had one last chance to say goodbye. To just tell her that I loved her.”

“You wouldn’t want that,” she insisted with a small sigh, “You don’t want to say goodbye. You can’t, because no matter how hard you try, she will never be gone. She will always be inside of you Seth. You can never have a departure with her because she will live on throughout you.”

“I know,” Seth sighed, feeling Blake’s arms pull him in close to her body, “I guess I could just hold her in my arms one last time. Just to know that she is okay.”

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

Trisha quickly shuffled out of Ria’s apartment thinking about the thank you she’d left waiting for her sister. Ria wouldn’t even see it coming and while it was the last thing that Ria expected, Trisha was sure that she’d be able to appreciate it. Yes, this was a wonderful surprise indeed--one that would make Ria’s night--that is if Trisha could just get out of the apartment before her sister came back and caught her red-handed.

“Just one more twist,” she mouthed turning the key in the lock and taking a step back. Stumbling backward, she felt someone behind her. She spun around to apologize when she saw Michael’s surprised face behind her.

“Hey,” he couldn’t help but smile down at her, “Trisha, how’s it going?”

“Better than it was the last time we ran into one another,” she confessed taking a small step back upon realizing that she was practically on top of him. “You know we really need to stop bumping into one another like this in the hall.”

“Actually I find I’m rather enjoying it myself,” he shrugged his shoulders before offering up a small smile, “It’s nice to see a pretty face around here every now and then.”

“It’s nice to hear someone say I’m pretty,” Trisha felt a blush rise over her features at the realization of what she’d said aloud. She cleared her throat uneasily, “I mean it’s nice to see you. It’s always good to know someone around this place given the week I’ve had.”

“I’ll bet. So tell me did you lock yourself out again,” he couldn’t help but ask watching her shift from one foot to the other nervously.

“Not this time,” she replied holding up Ria’s spare key, “but for what it’s worth thank you for last time. I didn’t actually think that I would be able to find my way back in, but there you were ready to help.”

“It was my pleasure. It‘s been a long time since I‘ve had someone over so it was nice to socialize with someone outside of work for a while,” he nodded down at her, causing her to take a good, long and hard look at his beautiful eyes. They were the kind of soulful eyes that you could get yourself lost in--the kind of eyes that you could really find yourself enjoying--the kind of eyes that fit oh so perfectly with the lips a girl could long to spend hours kissing.

“I really appreciated your taking the time to sit with me,” she tossed her dark hair over her shoulder, “It was nice.”

“Yeah, it was,” he motioned to the hallway in front of them, “Are you on your way out?”

“Sort of,” she nodded, “Ria’s got a big night and…”

“And you thought you’d give her a little privacy,” he arched a curious brow.

“Something like that,” she continued thinking about her plans for her sister, “What about you? Are you on your way to anywhere important?”

“You mean other than to the trash,” he laughed lightly holding up the small bag in his hand, “Not really. Although I had thought about kicking back and watching a little television for a while since I don’t think I’ve seen anything all the way through in the last decade.”

“Well then I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad if you wound up taking another night away from catching up on what you’ve missed and you joined me for coffee instead, would it?” she questioned hopeful that he wouldn’t refuse her invitation to go out with her.

“Well, as much as I’d like to catch up on Friends, I suppose that it wouldn’t hurt to actually go out and have a conversation with someone else,” Michael decided with a small smile of his own, “I mean I heard a nasty rumor that the show was cancelled anyways.”

“It was,” Trisha added with a tiny laugh, “but I can promise you that after tonight, you’ll realize that there’s no point in catching up with the show. Real life can be far more interesting.”

“In that case,” he smiled at her, “let me just toss this out and then we can be on our way. Have any place in particular you’d like to go to?”

“Yeah I do,” she nodded thinking about the small café just out of the way that she’d frequented during the school year. “You don’t mind if I drive, do you?”

“Of course not,” he paused a teasing grin spreading over his features, “that is of course if you’re a good driver and promise not to get me killed.”

“Well as much as I’d like to say I could promise you that, it will have to depend on how nice you are to me,” she joked back seeing the amusement behind his eyes.

“In that case, I’ll be on my best behavior,” he promised her walking down the hallway a bit, “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here,” she assured him waiting for him to finish with his trash before she entered into a new adventure with him. Okay, so maybe she’d been a bit way too adventurous over the last week and it had cost her, but Michael was nice. Ria had told her how sweet he was and Trisha realized that maybe just maybe it was time to get to know a nice guy for a change--of course the fact that he was sexy as all hell didn’t hurt either. Oh yes tonight would be a night full of possibilities indeed.

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

“You feeling any better?” Ria wondered, holding onto Kevin’s hand as they got off the elevator. “You still look a little pale to me.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kevin assured her with a small sigh, watching as she reached inside her purse to search for her keys, “Don't worry about me. I just feel little aches. That’s all.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s all,” Ria frowned, shaking her head slowly, “You don’t have to lie to me Kevin. I know that you are feeling bad and I think you should just let it all out. You know that I will always be here for you Kev.”

“I know that Ria,” Kevin let out a deep sigh, thinking of all the things that had been happening lately, “I think I will be just fine Ria. It’s just going to take some time to adjust to this whole thing. Eventually, I will be feeling better about everything. Eventually that is.”

“I hope it will be better soon,” Ria turned to face him after opening the door. “I mean really, seeing you like this just makes me worry Kevin.”

“Oh my god,” Kevin’s face dropped as Ria frowned, “What in the world?”

“I was just saying that I didn’t like to see you upset,” she explained as Kevin shook his head slowly, “I mean seriously, is it that bad to just care about you feeling better?”

“Of course you can care Ria,” Kevin frowned, shaking his head slowly. He grabbed her in his arms and turned her around to face what he saw. “That’s what I said oh my god to.”

“What happened in here?” Ria questioned, walking into her apartment to see candles lit around the whole living room and kitchen. Kevin followed her in and shut the door behind him. “Do you think Trisha did this?”

“She must have,” Kevin shrugged with a small frown looking around the house, “Trisha?”

“Something tells me that she isn’t here,” Ria pointed out, walking into the kitchen to see the dinner table set up for two. It had two candles placed in the center of the table with a note.

“Whoa,” Kevin took a step inside the kitchen, seeing everything that Trisha had done. “She was really trying to get something started here.”

“Yep, take a look at this,” Ria handed Kevin the note that Trisha had wrote to the two of them, “I guess she wanted us to have a good time together. To make things better I guess.”

“Uh huh,” he nodded slowly with a small laugh, walking to one side of the table to pull out a chair, “I guess we shouldn’t waste this then. I mean really, what a waste it would be if we did.”

“I guess if you insist,” Ria shrugged, taking a seat as Kevin helped her before taking his own seat across from her.

“It’s not me that insists,” Kevin declared with a small smirk, “I think it was Trisha that insisted this whole thing go on. You know, just imagine if she accidentally knocked over one of the candles.”

“That would be horrible,” Ria let out a small laugh, seeing Kevin nod slowly, “I would have to kill her after that happened.”

“Well, at least it didn’t,” Kevin shrugged, reaching out to something in the center of the table, “Let’s see what she had set up for us tonight.”

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

Gabe snuggled into Guy’s arms laying with him underneath the tangled sheets of his hotel bed. The two men were nestled with one another lost in the afterglow of their love making. Everything felt so very right between them--just like it had before they’d parted ways in the first place.

“Happy now,” Guy questioned teasing his fingers through Gabe’s sandy blonde hair.

“Very happy,” Gabe turned in his arms reaching out to embrace him, “I missed not being with you. I know it sounds crazy seeing as we were apart for less than a day, but…”

“But it felt like an eternity,” Guy nodded knowing full well how horrible he’d felt when Gabe walked away from him. “However, I’m not going to let us fall into that ever again. I made you a promise and I intend to keep my word about it.”

“You’re serious,” Gabe questioned moving up onto his elbow to look down at Guy.

“Very serious,” Guy nodded reaching out to touch his lover’s chest tentatively. He massaged the warm, muscled planes of Gabe’s chest, “I know that I’ve made you wait a long time for this, but I’m not going to do that anymore. I’m going to tell my mother everything and hope that she understands.”

“I’m sure she will,” Gabe ran his hand over Guy’s shoulder lovingly, “It might take her time to adjust, but eventually you’ll see that she will still love you.”

“I know,” Guy closed his eyes imagining his mother’s reaction to learning he was gay. Still it was irrelevant given that his heart was with Gabe. “Even if she’s upset, it doesn’t change a thing. It doesn’t change how I feel about you--about us. It’s my life and I’m the one who has to live it.”

“I’m not saying this will be easy for you Guy because I know how hard it was when I had to tell Noelle. I hated myself for hurting her--for putting her through the hell that followed, but I couldn’t keep hiding from the man I was,” Gabe continued leaning in to kiss him tenderly, “but just know I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“That in itself gives me the encouragement I need to know that I can make it through this. I mean here I am talking about our relationship like it’s this big, horrible disgusting secret that I’ve been hiding, but it’s not. It’s nothing that I should be ashamed of. It’s who I am and I’m no different than anyone else. I want to be loved and be able to love the man of my dreams. There isn’t anything wrong with that,” Guy remarked his voice laced with passion and determination, “and if someone has a problem with that, then it’s their problem--not mine.”

“Easier said than done,” Gabe confessed with an air of realism, “but sooner or later it does get easier.”

“I can’t imagine it being any harder than what it was I had experienced when I thought I lost you forever,” Guy tilted onto his side, his arm sliding underneath the blanket to trace the lines of Gabe’s body. “I felt as if my world was closing in--as if everything that I’d wanted all my life was slipping away from me. I knew that if didn’t act fast I would lose my dream forever and I didn’t want that…”

“Neither did I,” Gabe replied with a small sigh, “It’s just when I saw everything that was happening at the memorial--when I thought about all that Grady and Jade had together, well it got me thinking about everything that I wanted for us. I started remembering all the plans we’d made and the dreams of a life together that we’d been working towards. When we came back to Coral Valley, there was this strain upon us and…”

“No more,” Guy promised pressing his index finger over the center of Gabe’s lips. “We’re not going to have that strain between us any longer. I love you and that’s all that matters.”

“I know,” Gabe nodded placing a small kiss over Guy’s finger tip, “and I promise you that I’m not going to walk away from that again. I know that we can have those dreams we wanted to share with one another. You’re the man I want to share my life with--to share my daughter’s life with and I know that this can work for us.”

“Of course it can,” Guy promised moving in over him, “As long as we have each other we have the whole world at our hands.”

“You really believe that don’t you,” Gabe questioned sliding his fingers over Guy’s spine gingerly.

“I believe anything is possible when we’re together,” Guy admitted leaning in to claim his lover’s lips in a heated kiss.

The teasing movement sparked a fire between them and as Gabe urged Guy back onto the mattress, he moved over him ready to explore the passion between them all over again. As their lips parted, Gabe smiled down at Guy unable to contain what he was feeling. His fingers swept over Guy’s cheek tapering off into his dark hair before Gabe whispered against his lips.

“I believe that too,” Gabe sighed kissing him again knowing full well that now that Guy was ready to stop with the illusions that surrounded his life, the two of them could finally be free to enjoy the life that they’d wanted to share with one another. Nothing could spoil that for them now.

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

Shannon weaved her way through the blur of flashing lights knowing full well that they had a mess on their hands. She looked over her shoulder to where Jenna had been talking to a few uniformed officers. It seemed that they were all as shaken by this latest tragedy as Shannon was. Of course it wasn’t like they all hadn’t been subjected to Bruce’s madness, but to think of the poor woman that had thought she’d escaped--to the victim that had believed they’d found freedom only to find herself on the receiving end of a hit and run, well it was just chilling.

Knowing that they were still picking up parts of the victim over the street, Shannon had to wonder if they would be able to really pull anything more from this other than the scattered details that eyewitnesses had offered up.

“Have any luck,” Jenna questioned breaking through Shannon’s contemplations.

Shannon looked over to her with a shake of her head. “I think they’ll still be searching for the rest of her for weeks.”

“I just don’t understand any of this,” Jenna shook her head having turned things over to the others working in her office. She had been called in, yet right about now she was left feeling queasy and less than up to one hundred percent.

“You okay,” Shannon noted giving her a strange look.

“Yeah,” Jenna nodded quickly, “I guess I’ve just been feeling a bit under the weather lately. That on top of having to come here for this, well it gets to be too much.”

“Tell me about it,” Shannon surveyed the crime scene area once more, “Although here’s something I don’t understand.”

“What’s that?” Jenna asked.

“Well for starters here we have Bruce Mathis--a man who has been careful and calculating about the murders he’s committed for years, yet all of a sudden he’s letting his victims get away,” Shannon noted with a small cough, “From the looks of things it seems that desperation is setting in.”

“Which means he’s close to the end of his rope,” Jenna added recounting Bruce’s latest acts aloud, “First he tries to kidnap Avery…”

“And fails when she fights back,” Shannon replied knowingly.

“Then he breaks into a clinic and attacks someone else…leaves his finger prints all over the place…” Jenna added.

“And a victim who was able to identify him readily,” Shannon pointed out.

“Then there was the incident with Trisha Merhan,” Jenna felt a chill creep up in the air surrounded them.

“And now this,” Shannon took a firm step forward despite the fact her knees were a bit wobbly.

“He’s ready to snap,” Jenna deduced her pulse quickening at the idea of what was starting to fall apart around them.

“He’s clearly someone who isn’t about to hold back any longer. He feels he has nothing to lose,” Shannon continued sharing the same thought with Jenna.

“Which means he’s ready to make another bold statement before it’s all over. He’s preparing for something big and in his desperate acts, he’s really reaching,” Jenna added with a frown, “He’s no doubt preparing to make one final, violent confrontation with Avery. I mean that has to be why he’s getting more reckless--more angry. Before he seemed to have a skill to the murders--kind of an art form as he would look at it. He was careful, very patient in the torture and things were…”

“Clean and untraceable,” Shannon finished, “but now it’s as if whatever was driving him before has shifted and changed altogether. He’s not bothering to try to charm them. It’s no longer about the seduction or the act of violence--it’s about rage--about the pure and untapped rage that has taken over him. He’s desperate and out of control. His violence is a representation of that.”

“Do you think this was sparked by Avery’s retaliation?” Jenna couldn’t help but ask.

“It may very well have been, but if it is, well it’s even more important now more than ever that we find him. So far it’s been one dead end after another, but with him being sloppy…” Shannon deduced.

“He’s leaving a trail of clues that will lead us right back to him,” Jenna nodded returning her attention to the man from her office. “I’ll be right back. I’ll see if I can come up with something more.”

“Good thinking,” Shannon replied watching Jenna walk off before she decided to make a phone call of her own. If Bruce was ready to lash out on those around him, then she was certain he’d want to find a way to get back at those who wronged them. Jenna was clearly onto something about the possibility of Bruce going after Avery, but Shannon could very clearly recall someone else who was no doubt on the top of Bruce’s hit list--someone that may be in more danger than she realized. Shannon just hoped she’d have enough time to make sure that Bruce didn’t get an opportunity at a repeat attack with the woman in question.

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

Don walked out of the kitchen coming out with a couple of beers and handing one over to Hart. Hart eyed his friend suspiciously before accepting the drink from him. Taking a seat in one of the chairs once again, Hart couldn’t help but ask.

“Does your wife know that you have these tucked around given her particular difficulties in this area?” Hart questioned lifting his drink to his lips.

“Well, given that I’m well aware of Shannon’s alcoholism and I’m trying to be supportive, I need a good excuse to get rid of this stuff,” Don replied taking a small drink before setting the bottle down on the table top. “As much as I hate to say it, if it wasn’t for the alcohol I might not have Shannon with me now and that in itself is reason enough to have a drink every now and then.”

“You do realize she’d probably deck you for saying that,” Hart noted sipping his drink again.

“Chances are she would, but I’m willing to risk it,” Don decided as an afterthought. He raised the bottle to his lips before lowering it again, “So what about you? What’s going on?”

“What do you mean what’s going on?” Hart glanced over at him.

“Hart, something’s up. I know you. I mean come on we grew up together. What’s on your mind?” Don leaned forward to eye him intently, “I mean I know that look.”

“It’s nothing. It’s just…” Hart sighed heavily, “I guess I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. I mean it sounds trivial in the grand scheme of things, but…”

“Try me,” Don suggested taking another drink of his beer, “I mean hey it can’t be anymore trivial than half of the things that I’ve complained to you about over the years.”

“I don’t know,” Hart shrugged his shoulders slumping down in his chair, “I guess I’ve just been thinking about this whole family thing.”

“You mean with Sam?” Don noted his friend’s somber expression.

“Among other things,” Hart sighed heavily, “I mean I never really saw myself as a father. You were always the one who was so good at it and I was just…”

“The ladies man for life,” Don chuckled remembering their misspent time as youths, “I mean that was the plan for all of us, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah until you fell in love and ran overseas to save the world,” Hart noted with a small smile, “I mean for so long I kept thinking about how stupid you were for wanting that, but then when I see you with Matthew I can see you were smarter than the rest of us.”

“You still have a chance to be a father Hart. Sam is a great girl and…” Don spoke up encouragingly.

“I know that, but I just don’t know how to tell her the truth without shaking up her world. Beth and I hate each other and for me to walk in there and tell Sam that everything she knows about her father is a lie…” Hart sighed heavily.

“It is a lie Hart. It’s not one that you put upon her, but the longer you keep her in the dark, the more hurt she’s going to be about all of this. She’s not going to be happy with the way things have turned out if you continue to help Beth hide her from the truth. You need to be honest with her because I can tell you from experience that nothing good comes from deceptions. In the long run they can cost you more than you’re willing to pay,” Don added knowingly, “I mean look at Shannon and I. We’re still caught up in a huge mess now that I’ve deceived her. She and I both don’t know what to make of us and…”

“And you’re well on your way to figuring it out,” Hart offered up encouragingly, “I mean I was never big on her and never saw the appeal. Hell, I couldn’t stand the woman and it’s debatable if I still can or not, but looking at the both of you I can see how happy you can make each other.”

“Yeah when we’re not ready to kill one another,” Don laughed lightly thinking about his turmoil relationship with Shannon. Still there was a lot more than that to think about, “I guess if it works, it works, but if it doesn’t, well I’ll be exactly where I’ve always been. Being Matthew’s father always has been my top priority and that’s not going to change.”

“And it shouldn’t,” Hart nodded in response, “You’re a great dad and I just wish that one day I’ll be half as good as it as you are.”

“Hart, you’re going to be great,” Don spoke up encouragingly, “especially considering that your daughter isn’t in that awkward phase anymore. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be raising a girl.”

“It’s something that you don’t want to get into. I mean like the other night when we went to the Star Wars premiere I was ready to deck every guy that looked at her. You should’ve seen the costume she was in. It made me beyond nervous…” Hart offered up in confession thinking back to that nerve racking experience.

“Serves you right given that you were once one of those guys,” Don couldn’t help but laugh teasing him lightly.

“Hey watch it. You may be jinxing yourself because when you have a daughter, I’m so going to remind you of the kind of guy you were growing up,” Hart warned him, “I mean let’s face it you were worse than Brant and I put together.”

“Don’t remind me,” Don groaned inwardly, “That was a lifetime ago.”

“Not that long and your mother, well you so had her fooled. If she had any idea of what kind of lady killer you were…” Hart jabbed with a laugh.

“Hey, I thought we were talking about you, not me,” Don warned him sharply.

“Well, we were, but I guess you just were asking for it,” Hart shrugged his shoulders, “Even so I think we’ve come to a good place in our lives.”

“I suppose,” Don nodded thinking about his relationship with Shannon, “So what about you and Jenna? How does she feel about everything with Sam?”

“She’s been great--beyond it. She keeps telling me that I need to be honest with Sam. She keeps pushing for me to just be up front about everything, but…” Hart trailed off.

“But what?”

“But I just don’t know how to do it in such a way that it won’t complicate her life further. Of course life is just a big ball of complications right now,” Hart explained with a small smile, “I mean just when I think I’m getting used to the idea of having a daughter who is almost completely grown up, I get another shocker thrown in.”

“How so?” Don questioned.

“Well, for starters Jenna’s pregnant,” Hart confessed knowing that he and Jenna had talked about keeping her pregnancy low key for a while, but now that he was having a candid talk with one of his best friends he couldn’t help but offer up that piece of information.

“Are you serious?” Don’s eyes widened surprised. “Really?”

“Yes really,” Hart couldn’t help but smile thinking about how excited he truly was about being a father again. This time he’d be able to share everything from day one--he’d be able to be there for his son or daughter in ways that he hadn’t been for Sam, yet it didn’t change how he’d longed to be there for Sam. That thought caused him to sigh.

“So why the long face? Was this an unexpected surprise?” Don couldn’t help but ask seeing Hart lost inside himself.

“Yeah it was, but it’s not the fact that Jenna and I are having a baby that’s got me worried,” Hart revealed thinking about the one thing that had bothered him over the last few days. “It’s about the fact that my father is back in town.”

“What?” Don practically spit out his beer. “Since when?”

“Since he decided that it’s urgent he needs to see me,” Hart rolled his eyes, “Here I spent most of my adult life avoiding him after all the things he’d done to me, yet just when I’m trying to get it all together, he returns…”

“What does he want?” Don couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t know and I really don’t care. Jen wants me to find out, but you know what he’s like. You know all of the things he’s capable of,” Hart shook his head downing another swig of his beer, “He spells trouble and I’m sure he’s got an axe to grind where I’m concerned. You know how I annihilated him and his company.”

“Which was something he brought on himself,” Don added remembering Hart’s fight against his father. The two had spent years in court duking it out and it had gotten ugly--very ugly.

“Exactly, which is why I don’t want to get wrapped up in that kind of drama again. Still in trying to explain it to Jenna, I’m at a loss,” Hart slumped down further in his chair, “I didn’t want to revisit any of that again, yet…”

“Here it is in your face,” Don nodded in complete understanding. “Well if you ask me I think you’re doing it right. You should just stay away from him. I don’t know what kind of trouble he is trying to put you in the midst of, but given how you’re trying to get your priorities straight, it’s probably best if you keep him out of your life.”

“Yeah, that’s where I’m at right now. I just hope I can keep it that way,” Hart replied looking out the window and hoping that somehow he wouldn’t let the memory of his father or the return of Walt Steiner compromise what it is he’d worked so hard to obtain in his life. He just couldn’t let it get that far ever again.

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

“I can’t believe that all of this is happening,” Diane sighed to herself after Ben had walked into the kitchen to get something for the two of them. “Nothing can go right anymore. It‘s like everyone has to only feel pain in this city.”

Being at Jade’s funeral made her realize that life was really screwed up. The only feeling that people had lately was pain and pain only. How was one person supposed to take all this pain? Seeing Jade’s family and Grady was the most upsetting thing that she had seen lately. Kevin and Seth were so desperate in being strong that it was almost scary. The two knew they had each other, but everyone could see that the two of them were feeling pain like no one else could. It seemed like they felt that no one would understand, when in reality everyone truly would. Kevin and Seth had basically raised Jade when they were younger. They took care of her all the time and to think that this was happening to those two was horrible. No one should have to feel the pain that she knew they were experiencing--it seemed so wrong to do this to two good people in this world. Seth had to be feeling the worst right about now. His baby sister was no longer going to be with him. Diane knew just as good as anyone else that Seth always blamed himself for everything. He probably felt that as if all this was his fault.

“Poor Seth,” Diane frowned, grabbing one of the pillows next to her. She hugged it close to her body before letting her thoughts drift off once more.

Also seeing Grady had her thinking about every possibility in life. Grady was going to have to live without the love of his life forever. He could never see Jade wake up next to him in the morning. He could never feel her in his arms and know that she was safe. Instead he would have to wonder what could have been instead of living his dreams. Jade was gone forever and she would never be back to brighten everyone‘s days. It would be like a true dream come true if everyone had a second chance at everything. Unfortunately in this world, there was slim to none second chances. You would be lucky if you got a second chance at saving the love of your life from leaving you. It would kill Diane if she had to live life without Ben. She didn’t think that she could survive another day if he was gone. That was something that she never wanted to experience in life.

“Things have been more than screwed up lately,” Diane pointed out, running her hand over her stomach lightly. Letting her bad thoughts drift through her mind--which was entirely a bad thing. “I mean this is my child. It’s either my son or daughter. The question is, what am I going to do? The child could be Ben’s and it could also be JT’s child on the other hand.”

“What did you just say Diane?” Ben questioned, walking into the room as Diane’s heartbeat nearly stopped. Did he just hear everything she just said?

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

Avery entered the mansion with Sarah at her heels. Looking around the darkened foyer, Avery couldn’t help but worry about where Grady and Kyle could be. Turning to Sarah she could clearly see that neither she nor Sarah had any relief from their drive around town. They’d gone over by Cameron’s place in the hopes of spotting Grady or Kyle’s car in the event that they were ready to lash out at him, but neither one of them had seen anything out of the ordinary. After that they’d frequented a few of the places that Kyle and Grady were known to frequent in the past, but without any further luck.

“I just don’t understand why he would just leave like this and not talk to me,” Sarah reached for her cell phone wanting to call Kyle, but knowing it was no use. She’d tried a few times already, but he hadn’t picked up. “I wish that he would’ve said something before he left.”

“Maybe he saw that Grady was upset and he tried to talk him down,” Avery replied doubtful herself. She closed her eyes remembering the anger in Grady’s eyes when he’d lashed out at Cameron. While she’d tried to reach out to him--to talk him down, it just wasn’t happening. If somehow Kyle had found a way to reach out to him, then maybe just maybe they were both somewhere okay. Maybe they were cooling down and…

“If they were together, then why did they take two cars,” Sarah questioned asking the one thing that had been on Avery’s mind all night long.

“I don’t know,” Avery shrugged her shoulders, “I honestly don’t know, but maybe I could call around and someone might have seen them. I mean I think I know a few places where they might be and…”

“Where who might be?” Brant questioned slipping out of his coat. He walked through the front door eyeing the both of them intently. He could sense something was wrong as his gaze shifted between Avery and Sarah. “What is it?”

“Kyle and Grady are missing,” Avery blurted out unable to mask her concerns.

“They both disappeared at the memorial,” Sarah filled him in on the situation further, “One minute they were there, and then the next…”

“They were gone,” Avery finished with a heavy sigh, “We’ve been looking all over the place, but no one seems to have any idea where either one of them could be.”

“What about Cameron’s? Did you check and see if Grady went over there given how Cameron showed up at the church?” Brant asked remembering what Avery had told him earlier.

“We did, but it didn’t look like anyone was there,” Sarah informed him worriedly.

“We drove around the estate a few times, but there was nothing. I tried Grady’s office, my old place, Sarah’s and…” Avery rubbed her hands together worriedly.

“…nothing,” Sarah blurted out, her voice shaking with emotion, “I just don’t know what he could be doing. Avery, when I found him the other night--when he was drugged, he was out of his mind with rage. There were so many things happening and…”

“I know Sarah,” Avery replied hoping to find a way to soothe Sarah’s nerves, “We’re going to find him.”

“That’s right we are,” Brant promised with a small nod, “What do you say we head on out and take another look around town? Maybe I can call a few people who will be willing to help us locate them?”

“You’d really do that,” Avery’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Of course I would,” Brant nodded accordingly making a step towards her, “Given what both Kyle and Grady must be feeling right about now the last thing that they need is to be out there dealing with all of their emotions at once. It’s dangerous and right now it’s not good for either one of them. I’ll go get the car and pull it around.”

“Brant,” Avery moved in closer to him reaching out to touch his arm gently.

“Yes?” he questioned tilting his head down to look at her.

“Thank you,” she replied with a small smile.

“For what?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“For doing this. For being here when I need you--when we all need you,” Avery smiled up at him thinking about how lucky she was to have someone like him in her life.

“Don’t mention it,” Brant touched her cheek lightly, “You can thank me later once we’ve found him. Right now why don’t you try to calm Sarah down? She looks like she’s about ready to climb the walls.”

“Alright,” Avery nodded watching him go. She turned to Sarah again seeing the worry evident behind her eyes. She just prayed that wherever Grady and Kyle were, they wouldn’t be getting into a situation that they couldn’t control. If they were in over their head, there was no telling what would happen!

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

“What are they talking about?” Grady asked himself, watching the way that Kyle talked to Susan.

He tried his best to hear the conversation that Susan and Kyle were having, but it was so hard for him to hear from this far back. From where he was standing, it sounded like it was tiny whispers echoing through the woods. The only thing he could make out was the sound of Kyle’s deep voice and the sound of Susan’s voice. He wished he could just hear what they were saying, it would make everything better that way. He shouldn’t even be standing here trying to figure out what was going on. He should be taking action right now and as soon as possible. He had the perfect chance to get what he deserves. The perfect chance to get revenge on Susan for what she did to him. It should be now or never.

“Why is Kyle just standing there?” Grady wondered as Kyle watched Susan intently and made no movement at all. “He should be taking her down right now. That’s what I would be doing to her right now. She doesn’t deserve to be standing on her own."

The way Kyle made him a promise on how Susan would pay came back through his mind. Kyle said that he would do anything to get Susan back for what she did. Grady knew he could trust Kyle, he was his best friend. They would never lie to each other. They would never do anything to betray the other. Kyle would get Susan for him, he didn’t have to worry. Or did he? The way that Kyle just stared out at Susan had him wondering. Was it really going to happen at all?

“What is taking you so long Kyle?” Grady questioned as if Kyle could hear him from where he was standing. “Come on Kyle, give her what she deserves.”

Grady stood there a few more minutes, waiting for it to come. Nothing happened that should have been happening. Right now was the point of no return for Grady. Susan took so many things from him and he deserved to take something away from her. Susan didn’t deserve anything in her life at all. She took away everything from him and she wasn’t going to walk off just like nothing happened. No, certainly not. Grady had to make a choice and he had to make a choice now. And, he knew what he was going to do.

“This is it,” Grady decided reaching into his pocket and pulled out the gun he had grabbed before following Kyle out here. “She will pay for what she did. She wasn’t going to get away with this and I am going to make sure she never does this again.”

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

“What is so important Susan? What is it that was so important that made you call me all the way out here to meet you?” Kyle questioned after waiting for a quite a while after the ongoing silence between them. “Come on Susan. I am waiting for your answer here. Or is there nothing that you had to tell me? Are you just here to try and pull some trick? Are you here to play some games with my head again after the last few times?”

“It’s far from games Kyle,” Susan explained, taking a step forward towards Kyle, “I know this is something that you would want to hear Kyle. I couldn’t keep this away from you.”

“Don’t touch me Susan, don’t ever touch me again,” Kyle scowled, taking a step back and away from her after she touched his shoulder lightly, “You think that I am actually going to trust you after everything Susan?”

“I understand that you should hate me right now Kyle and I don’t think you shouldn’t,” Susan began, looking up into Kyle’s angered dark eyes, “I just need you to push that all aside right now. I think you have the right to hate me right now…”

“Your damn right I do,” Kyle let out a small chuckle, shaking his head slowly, “Do you have any idea what you have done to my friends? My best friend?”

“I understand that I have hurt people Kyle,” Susan stated, seeing him nod slowly, “I know that I don’t deserve anything, but I need to tell you this one thing Kyle. I could never live with myself if I just walked away from this.”

“What do you want from me Susan?” Kyle questioned seeing her look down towards the ground. “Look at me when I talk to you Susan. Look into my eyes when I talk to you. I want you to see what my eyes look like when I talk to you. I want to see what you are thinking inside the crazy mind of yours. So please Susan, look at me when I talk to you so you can see what I truly feel for the filth that you are. What do you want from me? A second chance? A chance hurt the people I consider my family? Fat chance. I don’t think you realize this, but there is no way that I would give you sympathy. No matter how hard you begged.”

“I was thinking that you would say something like that,” Susan frowned seeing Kyle nod slowly, “I was hoping that you would think differently when it came down to it. I just was hoping you would give me a chance.”

“A chance? At what Susan?” Kyle wondered, watching as she looked up at him. “I gave you a chance when you married my best friend in this whole world. Grady was the person that I would do anything, absolutely anything for in this world. He is my best friend and you killed his soul Susan. I gave you a chance even after that when I came for your help. I trusted you Susan, scratch that--I had hope in you. I thought you changed. I thought I could trust your help. I thought that you would be able to take a look at life and realize that you had to change. And look at what you have done to me now. Do you know what you did to me? I could have died Susan. I almost died and you want me to give you a second chance. Do you know who I hurt when you did what you did to me?”

“I understand that I hurt you and I wish I could go back in time more than anything--I didn’t know what I was thinking,” Susan began to explain as Kyle cut her off quickly.

“You didn’t know what you were doing?” Kyle questioned angrily, throwing his hands up in the air. “You knew fully well what you were doing Susan. You wanted me so bad, so extremely bad that you drugged me to get me into bed. You know, you are pathetic Susan. It’s hard to even look at you and not realize how truly pathetic you really are. You used my emotions against me to hurt me Susan. You knew that I wanted to find Jade so bad, so bad that it hurt me on the inside. Then you came along and pretended to want to be there for me, to help me. You laughed in the back of your mind when I tried to so desperately just to get some clues. You knew how important it was for me to find Jade and you used that to get to me. You used it to hurt me and used it used it to take control of everyone around me. I thought I could trust you Susan. How am I supposed to stand here and just listen to what you have to say after hurting Jade? She was one of the people I cared about most in life Susan. I loved her like she was a part of my family and you took a part of my family away from me. I risked my own life just to save her. That should prove to you that I loved her, that I cared about her. She meant something to me because she meant something to Grady. You also killed someone I considered to be my little brother Susan. Russ was also the person I tried to be there for throughout my whole life. You took away so many people in my life. How do you expect me just to forget that Susan? You think that I can lose Russ and Jade, to just forget about it? I would never want to look in your eyes again after this. The person I considered my little brother you killed. You don’t know how hard it is to just stand here and look at you.”

“I understand that you are hurt Kyle,” Susan pointed out with a small sigh, watching as his jaw tensed in anger, “I don’t think you would believe me, but I feel bad about that. I wish I could have changed it somehow.”

“Bullshit,” Kyle cussed, shaking his head slowly. “If you cared, you wouldn’t have done it in the first place. You wouldn’t have tried to hurt me Susan. You wouldn’t have tried to hurt the people I love. You wouldn’t have raped me because I didn’t want you. You wouldn’t have taken advantage of me because my love belonged to someone else. Susan, you make my stomach turn when I just think about what you did. So what makes you think that I would want to give you a second chance Susan. What? Because in my mind, there is not one damn thing in this world that could change my mind about you. Not one thing. To me, you‘re just as good as dead.”

“That’s where I think you are wrong Kyle,” Susan frowned, folding her arms out in front of her chest, “I think there is one thing that could change your mind around.”

“Is that so Susan?” Kyle questioned only to see her nod slowly. He couldn’t believe that she was actually standing in front of him saying this to him. “Susan, I don’t think you get it. I don’t care what you have to say…”

“I’m pregnant Kyle,” Susan blurted out as Kyle’s expression turned to confused, “I’m pregnant with your child Kyle and that’s what I wanted to tell you.”

“Right,” Kyle rolled his eyes, letting out a small laugh before shaking his head slowly, “You had me going there for a second. Good one Susan. You did it again, used my emotions against me. You knew that I wanted to have a family in my life. This time I am not going to fall for that again.”

“I am not trying to use your emotions against you Kyle,” Susan declared, pulling a bag from her pocket that had a pregnancy test inside it. “I took this the other day.”

“Let me see that,” Kyle scowled, grabbing the bag from her hand, looking over the test as his jaw clenched. His heart began to beat faster as he let the test fall from his hands and to the ground. “No, that’s not true. There is no way.”

“How is there no way Kyle?” Susan questioned watching as he gulped down and began to breath heavily. “We slept together, I wasn’t careful. I can’t fake this test Kyle. There is no way that I could have.”

“So you’re telling me that,” Kyle began, taking in a deep breath as he saw her nod slowly, “I’m going to be a…”

“Father,” Susan finished as Kyle’s chest tightened. “You are going to be a father to a little boy or a little girl Kyle.”

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

 

...to be continued...