Episode 15



Peter comes home after working a double shift to find Susan gone. The divorce packet is scattered on the table and it’s a welcome sight. He feels nothing but relief. He can't wait to talk to Christine and tell her the good news, but when he calls her, he finds her number out of service. Racing over to her house, his finds nothing. Not a shred to tell him where she's gone. He asks her friend Rita, but she won't tell him anything. He can't understand what's gone wrong. He knew that Christine was losing hope in finding their son, but why would she just up and leave? He's going to find her and their son if it's the last thing that he does.



Peter hasn't been to work in 3 weeks. He's been searching for Christine and his son non-stop. He's no closer to finding Christine, but he has found a lead for his son. Something in his gut is telling him that this is it. Once he finds his son, he's sure that when he finds Christine, she'll want to come back to him. He messed up big time, but he’s going to make everything right.



After almost 2 months of constant searching, Peter gets the phone call he's been looking for. They've found his son. Peter is beside himself with joy. He can't wait till they bring his son home to him. He just wishes he knew where Christine was. He's going to look for her till he finds her.



The next day, as Peter is out exercising, he meets one of his new neighbors. Peter is struck by her beauty. She reminds him so much of Christine, he finds it hard to stay focused while talking to her. Maybe it’s the way she laughs or the way she tosses her hair over shoulder, a self conscious act that Christine used to do at night, when he was holding her. The ache spreads through his body and he struggles to keep it in.



They spend the day talking about his favorite subject and apparently hers, Hollywood. It seems that she is an upcoming production assistant. Peter finds himself attracted to her, but he can't let himself be sidetracked. He has to find Christine first, before he does anything.

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The next morning, after a restful sleep, Jacob comes in to find Claire waiting for him in the bathroom.
“What are you doing up so early?” He thinks she looks beautiful in the sunlight, so relaxed and carefree. Maybe he’d gone through all the trouble to get to this point, with this wonderful woman who looked at him as if he was all she needed.

A smile and she leaned back, beckoning him closer. “Waiting for you.” Claire whispered. They were married and it was their honeymoon. How much better could it get?

Jacob slides between Claire's legs, nestling up against her heat. “Oh really?” a slow curl of arousal seeps in, makes his heart beat faster.

Claire drew him closer, pushing up against his chest. “Yeah. I missed you and I wanted to see you before the day started.”

Jacob runs his hands over Clair's back, before sneaking up underneath her bikini top. It wasn’t as if they weren’t going to spend the day together, getting to know one another, satisfying every fantasy they had. He loved her and wanted nothing more than to wake up next to her. “I may have to take care of that.”

Claire gives a low moan as she feels Jacob’s hand on her breast. "I hope you do" she replies in a husky voice.



At breakfast, Claire runs into someone she would rather not have seen. Her boss from work. She can't stand the woman, since she's so vain, but she puts her best face forward so that nothing happens to her job. She grits her teeth as the woman primps in front of her, describing how her husband was taking her on a month long vacation. Claire holds back a snide remark as she excuses herself to find her husband.



The couple spends a few hours by the pool, drinking in the sounds and smells of the beach. As Claire gazes at her husband, she feels herself growing warm with desire. She can't wait for the bedroom. She wants to make love to him now. “Come with me.” She purred.
Putting down her drink, she pulls Jacob by the hand to a secluded place on the beach.

Jacob's not sure what's going on, but he's willing to see what happens. “Babe, where are we going?” he smiles, watching her hips sway with each step.

Pushing him down to the sand, Claire takes Jacob inside her slowly, savoring every inch. She has never been this in love, ever. It should frighten her, scare her a bit of how happy he makes her, but she can’t summon anything but blinding happiness at the thought that he’s her husband and she can see him every day next to her.

Jacob can only moan and hold Claire's hips as she rocks them to completion. Making love under the stars, surrounded by Claire, Jacob knows, in that moment, that he has never known love till Claire came into his life. What he thought he had felt for his ex-wife was nothing to what he feels for Claire. He would do anything for this woman. His life is perfect at this moment.
Jacob’s only regret is that his sister and mother aren’t included. He wonders again where his sister is, if she’s okay. He stops thinking when Claire scraps her nails down his chest.



Two weeks after their wedding, Claire asks Jacob if they can have a small dinner party. Jacob is not too keen on having people in his house. He is more of a solitary person. Claire turns on the charm, pulling him to her.
“Baby, I want to show you off to one of my co-workers.” She gives him a blinding smile.

Jacob frowns. He likes his privacy. “I don't know...”
Claire pouts, before trying another tactic. “Sweetums, he's one of my friends and I want to set him up with someone. Don't you know someone like that?”

Actually, Jacob does. There is security guard at his school that he talks to. He can tell that she's lonely and needs friends, especially since it's so hard to make them when you have a young son. “Ok, we can have this dinner party that you want.”

Claire beams up at him, her fingers working their way past his belt, into his pants, lightly stroking him.

A gasp and Jacob’s head flops back. Perhaps he should give in more often.

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Christine takes a look at her new house. With a little tender love and care, this house will shine. She tries not to think of the life she has just left behind. She’d told Rita where she was, but that was it. It had been too hard to think of facing Peter, telling him that she didn’t believe in him or his promises. That would have killed her. A tear leaked out and she let it.



Two months later, it’s been two months since Christine ran away, hoping for something better. She hasn’t found it, but she’s coming close. Maybe one day, it won’t break her heart every time she hears a baby cry or go running to the phone when it rings, praying that it’s someone telling her that her baby is coming home. She gave up that right when she’d left, but what other choice had there been? She misses Peter and her son, it’s okay to admit that. Christine’s just not sure if she should call Peter or not.



Christine spends most of her time in her garden, trying to keep her mind off Peter and her missing son. Most of the time she works herself till she's exhausted, too tired to think. It seems that today is one of those days. She doesn't go out and the neighbors know very little about her, which is the way she likes it. When she's not working in the yard, she does free lance journalism jobs for the local paper and a few magazines.



After another sleepless night of tossing and turning, Christine decides to call Peter. She can't take not knowing if he's found their son or not. She knows that he'll be hurt, but some things can't be helped.



Christine has just called Peter. She couldn't tell if he was excited to hear from her or angry. She remembered when she could tell. Hoping to calm her nerves, she waters her plants. They’re always there, never disappointing, never hurting her. She swallows a lump in her throat at the sound of a car driving up.



Christine's heart is in her throat. She can't believe that Peter is here, on her doorstep.

“Peter…” she gives a tremulous smile, not knowing what to do with her hands.

Peter steps closer and she can see his eyes, trailing over her body, as if memorizing everything about her. She shivers.

“Christine.” His voice sounds rusty; as if he hasn’t used it in a long time.

She holds her breath as he leans in, his hands gripping hers, pulling her up against his body. His lips touched hers, slow and gentle, as if he weren’t sure she was real. A happy sigh and she pressed closer. She still loved him, there was no denying that.

When Peter pulled back, Christine stared back, unsure of what was about to happen next.



“How could you just leave and not tell me a thing?” A spark of fire leapt in his eyes and Christine trembled. “I have been worried sick about you for months and now you decide to call me?!”

Christine looked away, fingers twisting in front of her. “Peter...I didn't mean to worry you. I...I just needed some time to get away. I needed to be alone. Can you understand that?”

Peter shook his head, stepping even further back. “No...I can't. I do know that I found our son.”

Christine exhaled, savoring the sound of those words and what they meant. Her son was coming home. “You did? Where...how...is he okay?” her heart started picking up speed and it was hard to stay standing, but she managed.

Peter gave a grim smile. “Yes...He's fine. I'm bringing him home tomorrow.”

Christine’s heart stuttered to a halt at his words. She didn’t like the look in his eyes either. “What do you mean...home?”

“I mean to my house. He's going to be living with me.” He stared straight into her eyes, softness gone.

Christine paled. “You can't do that!” she sobbed. “He's my son and it's your wife's fault he was taken. He should be here with me!”

Peter’s face went red, then white. She could see him balling up his fists and she shrank back. “You ran away! You didn't tell anyone where you were going or where you were. Now you call me out the blue and I'm supposed to just be willing to leave my son with you?!” he scoffed, running a hand through his hair. His body relaxed and he moved to the steps. “I don't think so.”

“Don't...Don't do this to me. He's mine.” She sobbed, arms wrapped around her midsection. How was this happening?

Peter shook his head. “He's mine too.”

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Devlyn has just received a call from the bank. She has fallen behind in her house payments and the fact that she asked for more money to renovate her house has caused her to overtax herself. It looks like she's going to have to work extra hours.
She thinks about the money in the bank that she’s been saving since that night she left, but she shakes it away. That’s for her son to go to school on and she won’t take it from him, even if she needs it.



Months of putting in long hours and barely seeing her son have enabled Devlyn to pay down her debt to the bank and gotten her a promotion. It's also allowed her to finish the renovations on her house. Now that she's on a regular desk job, maybe she'll get to see her son more often.

Later that night, Devlyn tucks her son in, liking the fact that she can do that now. It’s been so long since she got to read him a story; she almost forgot what it was like. “Good night my little prince.”

“Good night mom.” Paul looks up at his mother, yawning sleepily. Can you tell me about daddy tomorrow after school?”

Devlyn holds her breath, waiting for Paul to say more before she says anything. When he stays quiet and his breath evens out, she releases her pent up breath. He's become more persistent as the days have gone by to know more about his father and where he comes from. Devlyn’s not sure if or how she should tell him. She’s been holding it in so long, she can’t figure out where she would even start.



At breakfast, Devlyn notes with dismay the holes in her son’s shirt. Damn, didn’t she just buy him clothes? She mentally goes over her budget, hoping there’s some room to wiggle. “Tomorrow, we are going out to get you some new clothes.”

Paul’s eyes brighten. “Can I get some new toys?”

Devlyn sighs. It hurts to deny him, but she can’t afford luxuries right now. “No, you cannot. I don't have that budgeted for this month.”

“Mom...please?” Paul starts to whine. “I saw this cool new toy on the TV and...”

Devlyn arches an eyebrow. “When were you watching TV? I told you about watching it when I’m not here.”

“Mom, I’m not a kid.” Paul gets red in the face, looking down at his bowl.

Devlyn huffs. “Oh yes you are! You are only 7. There are things on that TV that you are too young to watch.”

“MOM...”

Devlyn twists her mouth, not put off by the whining. “Don't mom me! Finish you breakfast and get to school. No toys and if i catch you watching TV without me, you will be restricted.”

Paul scowls, still toying with his food. “When am I supposed to watch TV? You're never home. You're always working or gone.”

Devlyn stares her son, tears threatening to fall. She knows that she's been putting in a lot of hours at work, but they were for her son. “That's not fair and you know it. Just eat, ok? I'm not in the mood.”

Paul looks down at his eggs, pushing them around his plate. He knows that his mom works to take care of them, but he wishes that he had a normal family like the rest of his friends.



After work, Devlyn changes and they head out to the store.
Devlyn looks up at her son as he twirls in the mirror. Their argument from the day before is still on her mind and she tries to make an effort. “Come on Paul, I do not have all day for you to primp. Let's go.”

As she's walking in the door from a long day of shopping with her son, her phone rings. It's one of the teachers from the school where she works.
“Hi Jacob. How are you doing?” Devlyn and Jacob have been good friends she came to work for the school. He is one of the only professors that actually talks to her as if she's human.

Jacob coughs lightly “Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to come over and have dinner with my wife and I. We would really like if you could come.”

Devlyn is little taken aback. She likes Jacob, but she can feel that it's a set-up. She takes a moment, before coming to a decision. “Sure, why not. I'll need to call a babysitter.”

Jacob is thrilled. He gives her the information about the dinner and when it is.



That night, Devlyn and Ryan come over for dinner. The moment they meet, Claire can tell that they have met before. She doesn’t know how, but she knows. They act stiff and the tension is so thick, she wonders how no one can see it. Jacob is clueless to the tension, going on about his dissertation and classes at the school. Ryan and Devlyn just nod, not really paying attention, rather trying hard not to pay attention to each other, though they fail at it miserably. Claire decides to ask her dear co-worker what is going on later. Devlyn can't even swallow the food, she's so nervous to be sitting next to Ryan. She's not sure how to act around him. It's been at least seven years since she's last seen him. She wonders if he knows about Paul.

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Donny knows that his time is drawing near also. He can't eat and he's always tired. He knows that Cassandra needs someone, but he knows that he's not of much help either. In a moment of clarity, he wishes that he’d tried harder to reconcile with his son. At least then his wife would have someone to turn to.



With Donny being asleep, Cassandra lets the tears fall. She is so lonely and she has nowhere to turn. She decides to go out for a spell and hopefully get out of this funk.



Coming back from a walk in the gardens, Cassandra returns to find Donny out of the bed and on the floor, writhing in pain. She rushes to the phone and dials 911. By the time she returns to Donny, she knows that the phone call was in vain.



As Donny slips away, his last words are to his wife, speaking of his love for her.



At Donny's funeral, Cassandra is dismayed to see that no has shown up. She truly is all alone in this. She cannot believe that her husband is dead and she truly is all alone now. What is she going to do now?

Episode 16



The months following her husband’s death have been trying and Cassandra feels that at times, she going crazy. No one comes to see her, no one calls and it almost as if she’s stopped existing. Grumbling at herself for being such a wuss, she grabs her bag and heads out, desperate to flee the silence that’s taken up residence in her home.
While browsing around downtown, Cassandra runs into one of her neighbors, Bella. The other woman is stunning, her dark hair gleaming in the sunlight and for a moment so brief, Cassandra feels something stir in her stomach. She shakes it away, chalking it up to be being lonely. She lets the other woman hug her, hold her close and she tries hard not to break down. It feels like it’s been forever since she felt the touch of another human and Cassandra sinks into the feeling, holding it close.

“I’m sorry I never came to see you. I just didn’t know if it would be okay.” Bella pulled back, still holding onto her shoulders, eyes full of worry and concern.

Cassandra nodded. She understood that feeling well. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I should have come by, made sure you were okay.” Bella’s eyes roam over her face and to Cassandra it almost feels like a caress. When the other woman drops her hands, she feels the loss acutely and has to step back before she does something. What she doesn’t know.

“I know this is hollow now, but if you need anything, to let me know.” Bella smiles, something warm in her face.

“Thank you for your kindness. It's been a trying time and it feels good to have someone to finally talk to.” It really does. After all the drama and grief, it’s nice to meet someone who seems interested in her.

“I'm just sorry that I wasn’t there when you needed someone.” Bella’s eyes light up and she leans back in. “You should come over sometime. Have dinner. I might be nice to get out and have a little fun time.”

Cassandra feels a weight lift and suddenly it’s as if she’s not alone. “I think that I'll talk you up on that offer.”

Bella shifts closer and wraps an arm around her shoulder, soft and comforting. “anytime.” Cassandra fights the urge to snuggle closer.



Looking at the house that she shared with her husband, Cassandra realizes that she can no longer live in this house. It's too big and too full of memories, both good and bad. She has tried to call Danny and see if he wants the house or anything in it, but all to no avail. He is not accepting nor returning her phone calls. Being the only beneficiary to Donny's will, the decision is up to her. She decides to sell. There is nothing keeping her here and she wants to make a fresh start. So starting tomorrow, she's going to sell everything in the house and move some place smaller and quieter.



After having sold nearly everything in the house, Cassandra feels only slightly better. She knows that the only reason people came was because they were Donny's things. Vultures! Even with the sale of all their possessions, Danny still didn't come. *sigh* It is no longer her concern. It is time for her to move on and start a new life. As Cassandra walked away, she gave the house that she had lived in her whole married life one last look, and wiped a tear away. Things were never going to be the same.



A few days after the sale of her marriage home, Cassandra finds a house that she finds to her liking. Nothing big, but just right for her. She's also found a therapist to help her through her grief. Things are starting to look up.

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The next night, Ryan sits at home, contemplating what happened the night before. He hadn't seen Devlyn in 6 six years. He never thought that he would see her again. He doesn't understand though why she's so angry with him. He knows that he left, but they were young, and had been forced to keep their relationship a secret lest his parents found out. They had found out anyway in the end and sent him away. He'd written her, tried to let her know what had happened, but he'd never gotten an answer from her. Only later had he found out that she had left home.
He wonders what she's been up to these past 6 years. She certainly had filled out. He remembered back in high school that she'd been so thin and awkward. He had loved her then. The way any teenager could love someone. Looking at her now though, he thinks that he can love her the way a man could. He never did get a chance to get over her, since he'd been whisked away from her in the middle of his love for her. He just isn't sure how to proceed now. Obviously she's mad, but he figures that he can fix that, get her past that, since they didn't have to worry about his parents approval now.



After sitting at his house for hours thinking about Devlyn, Ryan decides that he needs to get out, see what the neighborhood looks like. He heads to the local theater, to see what's going on. It's mostly chaos. The community is getting ready for their annual Christmas play. Ryan laughs when they try to recruit him. He's never acted a day in his life, unless you count the tolerance he shows towards his parents. While he's walking around, a pretty brunette comes up to him and starts talking to him. Her name is Nicole and Ryan notices right away that her eyes a gorgeous blue color. To his delight, he finds that they have a lot in common. They talk until the play director calls her away to start rehearsing.



As Ryan watches her walk away, he finds himself attracted to her. He wonders if he'll see her again.



As he continues to walk away, Ryan runs into Claire. He can tell by the sheepish look on her face that she's still embarrassed about the other night. He walks over to her.

“Hi Claire.” He gave a small wave, shoving his hands in his pocket. “What are you doing down here?”

Claire gave a tepid smile and shrugged. “I'm in the play. It's a small part. Look...Ryan...about the other night-”

Ryan waved it away. How could she have known their history? “It's not a big deal. You didn't know that Devlyn and I knew each other.”

“If you don't mind me asking, how do you know her?” Claire tilted her head to the side and watched his face closely.

Ryan flushed as the memories came back. “She and I were high school sweethearts.”

Claire leans forward eagerly, wanting to know more. “Really? What happened?” She can tell immediately that she's overstepped her bounds by the withdrawn look on his face.

Ryan looked away, swallowing convulsively. “I'd rather not. I'll catch you later ok?”

“Sure.” Claire shoots him an apologetic look.

Ryan walks away to be alone with his thoughts.



A few days later, Ryan calls his mother over. He wants to talk to her about Devlyn and he's hoping that he might actually get some answers from her this time. It seems that every time he ever brought Devlyn's name up, his mom would change the subject. He knows that she never liked her, but it always seemed as if there was more to it than that.

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The next day, after the fiasco at Jacob's house, Devlyn is watching tv with her son, when he asks if he can have a birthday party. Devlyn knows that he really wants one, but she has to tell him no. They just don't have the money for one right now.

Paul gives her a smile that’s too adult for such a little boy and her heart breaks. “It's ok mom.” Paul assures his mother, before going to bed.

Devlyn knows that her son is disappointed and she wishes that it didn't have to be this way. She wonders what it would have been like if she and Paul had stayed together. Would they have had Paul? Would they have been able to afford a party for their son? She shakes these thoughts from her head. It's not use drowning in the past.

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Peter pulled Christine into his arms, cradling her close to his heart. “Christine, I don't want to take him from his mother. I just need to know that he's safe.”

Christine lets the tears flow. Her baby, he was safe and Peter was holding her. It was suddenly too much and the tears started to flow. “I do too.”

Peter rocked her slowly, rubbing her back in soothing circles. He kissed her neck softly, his breath soothing and comforting. “Baby...come home with me. We can make this work.”

Christine stiffened and jerked out of his arms. “I don't think so. Not right now. I just can't.”

Peter sighed and crossed his arms.



“Look Christine, I can't wait for you forever. I have to get on with my life.” His words cut through Christine like a knife and she had to look away, biting her lip in pain.

Christine shook her head. “I'm not asking you too. I just...my son”

Peter made an exasperated noise and jerked his shoulders up. “Look, I’m not going to keep you from our son. You can come see him anytime. You know where the house is.”

Christine nodded, her eyes still moist, body yearning for Peter’s touch. “Thank you.”

Peter just gazed at her, the hurt and anger in his eyes clear. “I'm not some monster you know. I do still love you.”

The pain in his words had Christine clutching her stomach. “I know...I just...I can't.”

Peter’s mouth twisted and he shifted away. “Fine. Ted will be home tomorrow and you can come by then.”

“Peter...I do still care for you.” She reached out for him, but her hand fell away when he stepped away “..It's just that-”

Peter moved away and down the steps.”Fine...I have to go.”



A week later, Christine sits down to write an article for one of the magazines that she is working for. An hour later, Christine realizes she hasn't written about the topic, but has written down her feelings for Peter. She hasn't denied that she still has feelings for him, but she didn't know they were that strong. Now, she has to decide what to do. Should she call Peter and try to work it out, or move on, and try to get along with him for her son's sake? After staring at the paper in front of her, her feelings in black and white, Christine decides to put her pride on the line and call Peter. She hopes that he hasn't moved on.



An hour later, Peter is at her house. The conversation starts off stiff and awkward, the tension so think that Christine can feel it closing in on her.

Peter breaks the silence, his fork clattering to the plate. “Why did you call me over here? I know it wasn't just to feed me.”

Christine looks at her plate, working up her nerve to talk to him. “I wanted to talk to you about us.” She feels a blush creep up her neck at the look Peter gives her. This is going to be harder than she thought.

“I wanted...” Christine faltered, before plunging ahead. “…to know if there is still a chance for us.”

Christine holds her breath as she waits for Peter to say something. She feels her breath catch as Peter stands up and holds his hand out for her take. She walks behind him dumbly as he leads her into her backyard, to the little retreat that she's created for herself.



Peter pulls her down beside him as he sits down. Pulling her close, he begins to talk. “Christine, I know that we have some history between us. I swear I never meant to hurt you, though I did. I do love you. I have always loved you.”

Christine feels the tears slid down her cheek. “I remember the time that we went on our first picnic and I was pregnant. It was so sunny and bright that day.”
He laughed and hugged her tighter. “I remember that too. It was the most perfect date I’d ever had.”

Christine stares at Peter, unsure of what is happening.

Peter must have seen the confusion in her eyes, leaning into clutch her chin and kiss her softly. “I want there to be a chance for us. I want our son to be raised by both his parents, not just one of us. Let's give it a try.”

Christine smiles at him happily. She could do this, she had to.



Christine stands to go inside, but finds herself stopped short by Peter.

“You look so beautiful in the moonlight. I was so lonely when I didn't know where you were.” He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ears, kissing her nose with aching tenderness. “I'm glad that you called me. You are so special to me.”

Christine feels herself being drawn to Peter, embraced in his arms. They kiss, hungry for each other. Christine feels Peter sliding his hand beneath her jeans and she can feel herself getting excited. It’s been so long, so many nights when all she had was her pillow. She pulls him toward her bedroom, hoping that they can make it that long.



They don't make it past the kitchen before Peter pulls her to the floor, stripping her of her clothes, pulling her body on top of his. He is hungry to be inside her, having been without her for so long. There’s a rough gentleness to his touch, as if he’s holding back, trying not to scare her with his need. Overwhelmed by the feel of Peter beneath her, Christine sobs with pleasure. It feels like years since Peter’s hands were last on her, stroking her, claiming her skin. A dream, that’s what it feels likes and Christine doesn’t want to wake up and find that it’s not real. Feeling Peter inside her and around her is a drugging feeling, one that she does not want to give up again.
After fierce lovemaking, Peter cuddles Christine on the floor, before picking her up and carrying her to the bed.
As Christine is getting ready for bed, she looks over at Peter, who is getting dressed. She’s scared to ask if he's going to stay, fearing that asking the question will break the spell that they are under. Peter quells any fear she may have by taking off his clothes he was just putting on and crawling into the bed as if he owned it, patting the space next to him. Christine gives a throaty laugh before getting into the bed beside him. They snuggle up together, falling asleep entwined in each other's arms.

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Nicole is all too happy to say goodbye to her husband. He's going to be away on business for a month, trying to salvage his company. Nicole has been married for less than a year and already she's regretting it. It is not what she expected. She'd thought that they were going to travel and see things, but instead, she's been working overtime in her private practice law firm to keep them afloat. Jonathan is apologetic, but it's not enough for Nicole. She wanted more.



Nicole's first client of the day is here. This is one of the cases that Nicole hates to take. Some rich young socialite has gotten into trouble and needs help getting out of it instead of accepting responsibility. Nicole wants to work on something more important. Something worthwhile. For now, she needs these cases to pay the bills.



It's the same old story. Roxy was so in love with this guy, who took advantage of her and her money. She saw him at a club with another girl, so Roxy decided that she was going to get even by hitting the girl in the head with a beer bottle. Nicole gives a groan. Though she can easily get the girl off, this is such a waste of her talent. She tells Lauren, her paralegal to hold all her calls while she takes Roxy upstairs to discuss the case.



After two hours, Nicole is ready for lunch. After seeing Roxy off with promises to get her off, Nicole heads out for lunch. She's hoping that she can catch Ryan, the guy she met at the community center. He’s been on her mind since that day and she can’t forget him.

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The next day, Susan is moved into her new place. It's in the worst part of Simcity and it's filthy. Susan doesn't know if she's going to make it. She's never been without money. Now, she only has $5,000 to her name and she still has to get the lights turned on and the heat.



After turning on the heat and lights, Susan finds herself living in squalor and filth. She hasn't been able to unpack, since she has nowhere to put her things. Susan is not one to let the little things get her down, but this may do it for her.




Susan has also never been reduced to this. Having to exchange her body for favors. Often, she can't pay the rent and the landlord, being the nice guy that he is, has come up with a solution. Susan finds herself growing angry and bitter at this. Susan blames Peter and Christine for her being here. They're probably laughing at her now, looking down their noses at her. She's going to make them pay for humiliating her like this.



Susan decides to pay hooky from work and head to studio town. While there, she runs into her favorite actress of all time-Sandy Pullcock. She runs over to the woman and begins gushing about how much she loves her movies and how she has always wanted to meet her. The woman gives her a tolerant smile before walking away. Susan is humiliated. She is going to be a star, so that no one can treat her that way again.

Episode 17



As Susan is leaving the store, feeling lower than she ever has, some guy tries to mug her. Susan is having none of it. She pokes him in the chest, daring him to do something.

“I don't think so, punk. I'm not going to let you or anyone treat me like I'm dirt! Go bother someone else, creep.”

The guy walks away with his tail between his legs and Susan is feeling empowered. She wishes that she’d had the guts to say that to Peter when he’d kicked her out, but something had stopped her. She wished again that she had the power to make him pay.



Susan rushes home to look at the latest copy of star magazine. In the back, she sees an ad for up and coming stars that need managers. Susan sees her chance.



After finding an agent, Susan begins the night club circuit. It's not what she had in mind, but she knows that it's not going to be easy. It also doesn't help that she's so much older than the rest of the people on the circuit. Susan is pleased to find that she's popular in the nightclubs where she's singing. She's making great tips and she can feel the crowds love for her. The nightclub owner, Marcus, is another matter.



The owner feels that if she wants’ a better slot on his ticket, she needs to be a bit more friendly towards him. It's not that Susan is above using her body to get what she wants, but it's got to be on her terms. She's already in too deep with landlord, owing more in rent that she can possibly catch up on. Now, here is this creep, who barely pays her, telling her she needs to put out more.

“Look here you pervert. I'm good and you know it.” She pokes him in the chest, some of the power from when she stood up to the mugger rushing over her. “The crowd loves me and you can't deny it.”

Marcus smirks at her and leers. “This crowd loves anything with as much liquor they are drinking. IF you want something better, you need to start acting like it.”

Susan gasps and backs away. “Why you little...”

Marcus laughs, knowing he’s got her in a corner. “Either you act like you want it, or you can find another club to sing at.”



The next day, her agent finds her work as a print ad while trying to find her another club to sing at. Its slow work and the photographers are so picky about what they want. Susan goes from place to place, posing and advertising stuff that she would never use in a million years. These print ads barely pay and Susan is not sure how much longer she can keep her landlord satisfied with their current arrangement. Susan hopes that her agent comes through. She's going to need better work soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The next morning, Peter gets up to take a shower and get ready for work. He is pleasantly surprised when Christine gets in the shower behind him, massaging his back and stroking his chest, sudsing him up and making his blood boil.

“Christine, baby I gotta go to work.” He tries to get her stop but his attempts are half-hearted.

Christine gives a throaty laugh, continuing her motions.

Instead, they spend the day in bed, making love and catching up on lost time. Christine brings him breakfast in bed and they get to know each other all over again.




Later that day, the couple go for a walk in the neighborhood. They walk hand in hand, till Peter stops short, almost causing Christine to run into him. He looks at her, a panicked look in his eye. “Christine, you know that i love you, right?”

Christine nods her head. He’s said it enough times and now, it finally feels real. “I do. What's wrong Peter?”

Peter just shakes his head, before taking Christine's hand in his own and continues walking.



Peter decides to stay one more night, before heading back to his house to be with their son. He tries to convince Christine to come with him, but she's not so sure. She doesn't want him to think that she's only in it for her son. She wants to make sure that this is going to last.



That night, while Peter is sleeping, Christine is awakened by a nightmare. In it, her ex-boyfriend has come back for her and no one can keep her safe. In the dream, he even kills Peter. Christine knows that he's gone, but there is something else there that she's not sure of. Why now is she dreaming of her ex?



Peter wakes up when he feels her body is not next to his. He goes in search of her and finds her in the kitchen, eating. Grabbing a plate, he sits down across from her. After a few moments of silence, he realizes that she is not going to say why she's up so early.

“Honey, is there something wrong?” He reaches across the table, shocked to find her hands freezing.

Christine looks up, her eyes unfocused. “Huh...oh...no. I just had a bad dream. I didn't mean to wake you.”

A small smile and he rubs the back of her hand, hoping to warm her up. “You didn't. I just missed you next to me. Wanna tell me what it was about?”

“Just anxious about Jacob, that's all.” Christine shakes her head, hoping that Peter doesn't pry to much harder than that.

Peter can see that she's not going to give anything up without a fight, so he decides to leave it alone...for now. Even after he decides to drop it, Christine still seems tense and agitated. Peter knows that she'll never go back to sleep like this. Not giving Christine a chance to protest, he sweeps her up in his arms and carries her to the bed.



After stripping her down and placing her on the bed, Peter begins to make love to her. He uses his body to soothe her mind and ease the tension from it. Pretty soon, she's putty in his hands, moaning and calling out his name. He keeps them both on the edge, never quite giving her what she's asking for or what his body needs. He wants to make sure that her mind is clear and that whatever had her running from her bed and him is gone.

Christine is blown away by the tenderness that Peter is showing her. He leaves no room for doubts or for her nightmares. After what seems like hours of lovemaking, Peter finally lets them both reach the peak. It takes Christine a minute to catch her breath, before she responds to Peter's tugging on her arm. She rolls over to be enclosed in the strong security of Peter's arms. She has no more nightmares for the rest of the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




A few days later, Ryan calls his mother over. He wants to talk to her about Devlyn and he's hoping that he might actually get some answers from her this time. It seems that every time he ever brought Devlyn's name up, his mom would change the subject. He knows that she never liked her, but it always seemed as if there was more to it than that.



Ryan sits down to a tense meal with his mother. Ever since they sent him away, he's been unable to forgive them. It also doesn't help that they seem not to care.

Ryan glanced at his mother, calculating when it would be a good time to broach the subject. He sees when she takes a sip of her water. “So mom, i ran into Devlyn the other day, at a friend's house no less.”

Ryan watches his mother's hands clench around her fork, before relaxing it. “Really? How nice? Was she there asking for money?” Cornelia’s voice is dripping with scorn.

Ryan is not amused by his mother's response. She always had something to say about Devlyn and her situation at home. Ryan bites his tongue to prevent anything from coming out. “No, she was there as a guest.”

His mother nods, before changing the subject. Ryan gives a frustrated sigh. He's going to have to try harder.



Ryan pushes his plate away from him, before heading the couch. His mother is about to clean up behind them when he blurts out what's on his mind. “Mom, I’m going to invite Devlyn out to coffee and see why she never wrote me back.”

Ryan's mom turns to him, her face schooled into a blank look. “Really? Why would you want to do that?”

“Because I care about her.” Ryan braces his hand on his knees and stares hard at his mother. “I never stopped just because you sent me away. I have always wondered what would have happened if we had stayed together.”

Cornelia tries to hold in her fear at her secret from so long ago being found out. She cannot let this "thing" ruin her or her tenuous relationship with her son. “I don't think it's a good idea, but if you feel it's necessary, then do it.”

Ryan knows that it's not the end of it, but he's helpless at this point to stop it.



After a long, tedious night of his mother's "helpful" critique, Ryan sees his mother off. He's got to get up early to head into the office.



After a long day of dealing with his parents and their company, Ryan decides to head out to the Carnival that's in town. While out, he happens to run into Jacob. He's happy to see him, since he knows Devlyn and could help him out in that area.



Ryan jogs slightly to catch up to him, tapping him on the shoulder. “Hey Jacob. About the other night...”

Jacob just waves him off. “It was no big deal. Claire told me about it. We didn't know, otherwise...” Jacob shrugs to show it's a bit awkward and he's not sure what to say at this point.

Ryan switches gears and gives a friendly smile. “I was hoping that you could help me out with Devlyn. I was wondering if you knew where she lived or even her phone number. I wanted to give her a call and hang out.”

Jacob looks at Ryan a moment, his arms crossed in thought. He's not sure how to go about this. Devlyn is a co-worker and a friend and he's not so sure she'd appreciate him giving out her information. On the other hand, his wife is pressuring him to "hook" them up. She thinks they may have some chemistry. Jacob decides to go it half way. “I have her number, but that's all I'm giving you.”

Ryan smiles, understanding what Jacob is saying. “Thank you. I won't say a word.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It’s a few days later when Cassandra takes a look around her new home and realizes that it’s still empty. Not wanting to go out alone again, she calls the first person that comes to mind. “Hey, Bella.”

Bella gives a friendly laugh that sounds as if she’s both happy to hear from her and surprised. “Cassandra honey! How are you doing?”

“I'm fine.” Cassandra flushes at the throaty way Bella says her name. It makes the hair stand up in her arms, the way she rolls the R’s. “Uh…I was wondering if you'd like to go downtown with me and help me find some furniture for the house.” It’s scary how much she hopes the other woman says yes.

Another laugh. “I'd love to!! Just come on over and pick me up and I'll take you to this cute little place that Mortimer and I found a while back. It's pricey, but they have the best.”

“Thanks. Afterwards, we can go for drinks or something.” It almost feels like a date, but Cassandra brushes off the thought.

Bella makes a low sound and Cassandra’s stomach clenches with some new raw emotion. “Sounds great. See you in few.”



Cassandra and Bella are standing in the middle of the showroom, surrounded by beautiful furnishings and artwork. Cassandra looks around, unsure of where to start. She glances back at Bella, not surprised to find the other woman watching her, again. She’s been doing that a lot since they got to the place, but there’s something to it that makes Cassandra feel special for the first time since her husband died. “So I was thinking that I would put a piano in the living room with the furniture. What do you think?”

Bella nods in agreement, her eyes sliding from Cassandra’s face to land on a lamp. “I think that would be good.”

“So what do you think of this set?” Cassandra points to the set they are standing in front of. It means something for the other woman to like it.

Bella shakes her head, a gleam in her eye. “It's not you. I mean it's nice, but you need something more bold, you know what I mean?”

Cassandra tilts her head to the side. “I guess. What did you have in mind?”

Bella smiles. “Follow me.”



Bella ushers her into a retro looking living room set, crossing her legs as she looks over at her. “Now, this is what I see you in. Something bold and sophisticated, eye catching.”

Cassandra blushes at the frank look in the other woman’s eyes and looks at her hands. “You think so? This is a nice set. I'm just not so sure about the picture.”

A low laugh. “Well, we can get you something else.”

Cassandra likes the way she says ‘we’ as if they are in together. “Well, I think this is it. Now all I need is something to go in my bedroom and the rest of the house, and then I’m done.”

“What are you going to do when it's all finished?” Bella leans in, propping her hand on her palm as she stares into her eyes. “Do you have any plans?”
Cassandra opens her mouth, but realizes that she didn’t have anything to say. “No, not at the moment. I can't really think too far in advance. I'm just going to take it one day at a time.” Even though it’s nothing, it feels good to say it out loud, to admit that she’s not ready to face the rest of her life alone. It’s with relief that she sees Bella understands.

Bella grins and reaches out to rub her shoulder. “Well that sounds like a good plan. Let's go pay for this and get something to eat.”

“Ok, let's go.” Her shoulder still tingles from where Bella touched it and she fights the urge to lean in and inhale the scent of the other woman still lingering on her clothes.



Later, after dinner the two women head to the bathroom to wash up. Cassandra waits until Bells is done drying her hands and turns to face her.

“Thank you Bella for today. I guess that I'd better get home now. It's late and you have to put your baby to bed.” She’s surprised and pleased when Bella pulls her in, wrapping her soft arms around her shoulder and hugging her tight.

“It was my pleasure.” Her voice was almost a purr and Cassandra nearly trembled with the strange rush of emotion coursing through her. “Call me anytime.”

Cassandra pulled back and smiled, hoping to hide what was going on her head. “Thank you.”



Two weeks later, Cassandra's furniture arrives. The house is starting to come together. If only Danny would take her calls. She has the stuff that his dad wanted him to have and she doesn't want to hang on to it. She wants him to have it in hopes that he will move past the anger that he felt for his father.

Episode 18



The next morning, Ryan is eager to call Devlyn. He can't wait to see her again. He doesn't even get dressed before he calls her. When she finally picks ups the phone, she sounds rushed and out of breath.
Ryan chuckled. “Hey, I didn't wake you did I?”

Devlyn is silent on her end of the phone. The only way he knows that she’s still there is the faint sound of breathing.

“Uh...it's me...Ryan.” He stammers, suddenly unsure.

Devlyn coughs, voice stiff. “I know who it is. What do you want?”

Ryan is nervous now. Her voice is full of anger and some other emotion that is just as powerful. “I was wondering if you would like to have coffee with me today.”

Devlyn hesitates. “I don't...”

“Just this once.” He cajoles. “So that I can at least explain.” Ryan knows that he's begging now, but he really wants to see her again.

Devlyn gives a sigh. “Alright. I'll see you at the coffee shop at the corner of Hampton and Eustace.”

Ryan gives a grin, but he knows that she can't see it. “I'll see you there.”



Ryan and Devlyn meet up at the shop. Ryan is still amazed at how different Devlyn looks. He can't help staring at her as she orders her cup of coffee. When she tries to hand the cashier her money, he snaps out of it.

He puts his hand over hers, a warm smile spreading. “No, I asked you down here, so I'm paying.”

Devlyn looks at him before nodding. She steps back and waits for him to get finished. They sit at the nearest table.



The silence is deafening as Ryan sips his coffee. Devlyn refuses to make eye contact, instead staring off into space, not looking at him.
Ryan decides to plunge in. “My parents sent me away that summer. I didn't want to go, but they put me on a boat and shipped me off. I tried to write you, but I never got anything back, except the letters that I wrote.”

Devlyn looks at him now, a question in her eyes.

Ryan takes heart at the unguarded emotion and hopes that he can get back what he lost so long ago. “I never knew that you didn't know what happened. I was stupid; I just thought you "would" know.”

Devlyn give a snort. “Who was going to tell me? Your parents? Your brother? Perhaps someone at your school?”

Ryan gives a cringe at her sarcasm. Yeah, in hindsight, he was pretty stupid. He gives a sheepish shrug. “I know...I know...”

Devlyn just shakes her head, looking away from him. “That night we were supposed to meet, I waited for you till dawn. You never showed.”

Ryan. “I'm...I'm sorry. That was the night I got shipped off.”

There were tears in her eyes when she looked back at him and he held his breath as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Do you know what HELL I've been through since then?” she didn’t yell, but the quiet in Devlyn’s voice had the hair on his arms raised.

Ryan looks at her, not sure what she's talking about. “What? I don't understand.”

Devlyn appeared to catch herself, as if she’d forgotten something. “Never mind.”

Ryan knows there is something else on her mind. “No, you were going to say something. What was it?”



Feeling cornered and trapped Devlyn retreats behind the wall she's created to protect herself. “Look, I have to go. Thanks for the coffee.”
Devlyn gathers her things and walks out the door without a backwards glance.



Ryan chases after her. “Look, why don't we hang out, get to know one another again? How does that sound?”

Devlyn panics a little bit. She wants to spend time with him, but if she does, he's going to find out about Paul and the truth about him. Devlyn can't have that. She knows that if he finds out, he's going to want to spend time him, even try to take him from her.
“I don't think so. You have your life and I have mine. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble.”

She knows that the comment is not fair, but she needs him to lose all hope of seeing her again. She doesn't want him popping up again. With that parting shot, Devlyn walks away. Ryan stares after her, not sure of what has just happened. It felt as if there was something else going on, something she wasn't telling him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



A few days after her meeting with Ryan, Devlyn feels a bit of relief. He hasn't called her or tried to come by. She does feel a bit down. She can admit to herself now that she still has feelings for him. Feeling a bit stifled, she goes outside to get some air and perhaps run from her feelings. As she steps outside, she notices a strange car parked in front of her car. It's too nice to be from her neighborhood. She gives a groan when she see's who steps out of the car. It's Ryan. The quiet was too good to be true.

Devlyn walks over to the car. “What are you doing here?” She looks over her shoulder, making sure that her son has not come outside.

Ryan holds up a box of chocolates. “I wanted to apologize for the coffee house. I think that we got off to a bad a foot and i wanted...”

Devlyn shakes her head, not ready to hear any of this. “I don't think so. Look, whatever we had is in the past. I'd like to leave it there.”

“I understand that. I just wanted to try to be friends.” Ryan's not so sure why he's pushing this, but he is. There is something telling him that he needs her in his life.



The things that Devlyn feared the most has happened. Her son has come outside looking for her.

Paul looks up at his mother, barely glancing at the man in front of her. “Mom, tomorrow my class is going swimming. Can i go too?”

At this point Devlyn is willing to say anything to get her son back into his room and away from Ryan, before his figures out just who Paul is. “Sure honey. That's fine. Just go back inside and I'll be in a moment.”

Paul gives a impish smile and runs back in, paying no attention to the man his mom is talking to.



Devlyn turns back to Ryan, a wary look on her face. She waits, wondering what he will think.

Ryan just stares at her, unsure of what to say. “I didn't know that you had a kid.”

Devlyn can hear the disappointment in Ryan's voice. She feels relief, mixed with a bit of hurt. Relief that he doesn't know that it's his son and hurt, that now he's looking at her differently, as if she's failed him in some way. She holds her head up, her arms crossed over her chest. “I didn't think that it was any of your business. Sorry to disappoint you.”

Ryan holds out his hand, his mouth working, but no sound coming out. He hadn't known that his voice had betrayed him that much. “Devlyn...”

Devlyn looks at him; her feelings clear on her face. “I suggest that you don't come back to my house. The police in this town don't really care what color you are, they still come to answer trespassing calls.”
Devlyn then turns and walks away, not even acknowledging Ryan's calls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The next morning, as Peter is getting ready to go to work and head home, Christine joins him in the shower.
“Last night was just what I needed. Thank you.” Christine murmurs against Peter's ear as she soaps up his body.

Peter can only moan as Christine's hand moves lower. He's going to be late for work again, but it will be so worth it.



Since Peter has gone to work and he's not coming back for a few days, Christine decides to run a few errands. While she's out, she runs into the last person she ever expected to. Susan. Not sure of how to act or even what to say, she goes up to Susan.

“Hello Susan. Peter and I got our baby back.”Christine's not sure why she said that, but she did and it feels good to see that shocked look on the woman’s' face.
Susan doesn't say a word. She just waves her hand in Christine's face and walks off.



After a lot of hemming and hawing, Christine finally decides to come over and see their son. Peter is ecstatic that she has decided to come over, but is dismayed to find that she hasn't brought an overnight bag.
Peter caresses her face, wondering at the fear he can see deep in the depths of her eyes. “You aren't going to stay the night?”

Christine shakes her head, a smile hiding the fear he’d seen. “I thought that we should take it slow at first. I don't want to rush anything.”

Peter knows that there's more to the story than this, but he has time to figure it out.



After dinner, Peter brings up the subject of her Christine moving in with him. Her reaction mystifies him.

Christine looks as if she’s going to have a breakdown. “I can't. I just can't. What's wrong with the way we are now?”

Peter arches an eyebrow. “I don't want my son to be raised in two households. I was raised that way and I don't want my son to be raised that way.”
Christine is quiet after his last statement and Peter can see that she is trying to come up with another reason. He grabs her hand and pulls her behind him, up the stairs.



Peter hauls her into the room across from his, a room decorated in animal themes. “This is our son. I think that he deserves to have both parents under the same roof.”

Christine just looks at her son, a wounded, lost look on her face. Peter feels a tug of regret at the way he has been talking to Christine. He wasn't the one that had the baby taken from him. He wasn't the one that had raised his son for the first six months of his life.

Peter sighs and wraps his arm around her waist, wishing that he could take back everything that’s happened up to this point. “Christine, you don't have to decide now. I just want you to know that you can let down your guard with me. I'm not going to hurt you.”

Christine looks at him, gratitude and love shining in her eyes. Peter is drawn in. Leaning in, he kisses her with all the pent up longing he's been feeling. As he feels Christine give in to him, he slowly starts to make his way to his bedroom.



Peter makes love to Christine all night long. He has wanted to make love to her in his bed for a long time. He loves the sounds she makes when he touches her and when he's inside her. He can't get enough. He whispers loving words into her ear, his hands writing them on her skin. He wants her to know that he's the one for her, that he's not going to hurt her again. How can he when she has given him a child?
As Christine reaches her peak, Peter leans in. “I love you and I'm going to prove it to you.”

Afterwards, Peter holds Christine close, savoring the smell of her skin. He gives a groan of protest when she gets up and starts getting dressed. He leans up on one elbow, watching her. “Why do you have to leave? We can go get you something in the morning.”

Christine smiles at him over her shoulder. “I don't think so. Maybe some other time.” She leans over and kisses him sweetly, before hurrying out the door.

Peter is going to have to find a way to convince her to stay the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The next job her agent finds her is in a new club, with much better management. She sings her heart out, glad to be done with the print ads for awhile. After her set, she is pleased to give out her autograph to one of her fans. Susan's star is starting to rise.



Now that Susan is moving up on the social ladder, she's getting paid much better. She's spruced up her apartment and paid off her landlord. Now, all she needs to do is get a contract.



Monday morning and Susan is up bright and early. She's heading downtown to record her first album. She can't wait. She’s going to put her heart and soul into this thing. No matter what, she's going to make it. When she does, she's going to make sure that Peter and Christine regret what they did to her. It still burns to know that they are happy now, having gotten their little brat back.



At first Susan is nervous about singing. She's been doing it for months now on stage, but the recording booth is different. There is no one there to tell her that she's great or even that she's not. It's all on her. After a few tries, she gets it down. She pours her heart and soul into the song, knowing that it has to get her out of here. After she's done, the producer raves to her manager about how great she is. Susan has the grace to blush. After signing a few contracts, Susan is whisked away in a limo to her next stop, photos.



Susan's not too sure what a bathing suit has to do with anything, but she figures she'll go along with it. Some of the pictures will be for magazines, while the rest will be for her album. Susan feels a thrill going down her spine at the thought. She's going to have an album coming out. She is going to be a star.
Episode 18