Part 12 - Chapter 1 - Reunited

Reese was in her office catching up on some paperwork when she heard a knock on her door. She looked up from her desk and called, "Come in."

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Vanessa said as she walked into the office.

"Oh, no. Come in," Reese welcomed Vanessa into the office and offered her a seat.

"I can't stay long," Vanessa said, opting to stand. "I have an appointment with Quentin to discuss the will. I just wanted to drop by to say hello and to thank you. I know you and Blaine went to a lot of trouble to find me."

"You don't have to thank me," Reese said shyly. "I wanted to do it."

"Well, I appreciate it all the same," Vanessa replied. "I should go. Maybe I'll see you later."

Reese showed Vanessa to the door, "Goodbye."

Reese returned to her desk with a sigh. She looked at her work briefly, but found she wasn't interested in working on it.

She was glad that they had found Vanessa and reunited a family, but somehow she felt less than satisfied. She wondered if it was a lack of closure on the case. Maybe she would feel differently if she had been the one to handle the will and see the sisters reunited, but somehow she doubted it. Maybe she had expected too much.

She did know that she was disappointed that the adventure was over and everything was back to normal. Her work just seemed so boring now. She missed the excitement and she missed Blaine as well.

She hadn't seen or spoken to Blaine since the night of the accident and what happened then was kind of a blur. She remembered screaming and then hearing a sickening bump as Blaine bounced off the hood. The car screeched as it accelerated down the street. She ran across the street to check on Blaine, who was lying motionless along the side of the road.

She, Cassandra, and Vanessa took Blaine and Lawrence to the hospital. Thankfully, both of them were fine, except for a few minor scrapes and bruises. The worst of it was the fact that Silas had gotten away.

"I should call to see how he's doing," Reese told herself, as she looked at the phone, but made no motion to pick up the receiver. When the phone buzzed on its own, she jumped.

"Reese, your 10:00 appointment is here."

"Ok, thanks, send him in."

"Hello, you must be Craig Sexton. I'm Reese Burroughs. What can I help you with?"

Craig settled into a chair in front of Reese's desk. "I need to sue someone. He's a musician I used to play with and he's passing off some of my songs as his."

"Ok," Reese said, taking out her notepad. "I'm going to need some specific details. Let's start from the beginning. When did you and, what was the man's name?"

"James Spencer."

"When did you and Mr. Spencer start working together?"

In the next office, Vanessa watched Quentin as he went over a stack of paperwork.

Finally Quentin looked up at her and said, "It looks like everything is in order here. I just need you to sign a few papers and as soon as the paperwork is processed you can pick up a check for the inheritance and the deed to the house."

"Ok," Vanessa said, subdued, as she signed the papers. She was still trying to grasp everything that had happened to her recently.

"Oh and there's one other thing. Mrs. May also left you this." Quentin handed Vanessa an envelope in exchange for the papers she had just signed.

As Quentin left to file the papers, Vanessa opened the envelope and started to read the letter inside.

Dear Dorothy Alice, the letter began. This letter is very difficult for me to write. I don't know when you will read this or what your life has been like, but there are things that I want you to know. I never wanted to give you up. I did it because I had to. I was unmarried when you were born and your father was away at war. My family wanted to save me the disgrace of being an unwed mother, so they sent me away and I put you up for adoption with the understanding that you would be placed with a good family. I don't know if that is what happened, but I hope it was true.

Your father never returned from the war and I married another man. We had two daughters of our own. I know my other two daughters were provided and cared for, but I always wondered about you. I wanted to make sure you were provided for as well, so throughout the years I saved money for you, hoping that it would find you someday. I hope you were never in need in your life, but whether you were or not, I want you to accept this small inheritance. If nothing else it will make an old woman feel a little bit of peace over something she's regretted for most of her life.

"I'm not sure if you know this," Quentin said as he entered the room. "But Mrs. May had two other daughters. They've expressed an interest in meeting you, if you are willing."

"Yes, I'd like that," Vanessa said as she returned the letter to its envelope and put it away in her purse.

"I'll call them and see if we can arrange a meeting."

"Before you do, I was wondering if you could help me with another matter, about my husband. When I married him, he was using a false name. I'm not even sure if we were legally married, but if we are, I want to file for a divorce. And I need to know if he has a claim on any of our property if it's in my name."

"I'll look into that and see if the marriage was legal, first. Then we'll decide where to go from there. What names did he go by?"

"When I met him, he said his name was Sebastian Barrett and that's the name on the marriage licence. His original name was Silas Rochester."

"Silas Rochester?" Quentin repeated. "I know that name." He excused himself and left the room for a moment. When he came back he returned with a file folder of information. "I handled his estate about 10 years ago when he was presumed dead. Oh, that's right," Quentin mumbled as he read through the details.

"What is it?" Vanessa asked eagerly.

"He didn't have anything left when he died."

"He told me that. He also said he spent his nephew's money as well. Is that right?" Quentin nodded. "How much money was the nephew supposed to get?"

"Quite a bit," Quentin answered. When he stated the sum Vanessa was stunned. Changing the subject he said, "I'll look into the details about your husband's name change and about your property and get back to you."

"Thank you," Vanessa said as she stood to leave. "I just want to make everything is in order."

Part 12 - Chapter 2 - Reunited

Reese nervously waited as the telephone rang. When a voice finally answered, "hello," she was almost too startled to speak.

"Is Blaine there?"

"This is him."

"Oh, hi. This is Reese."

"Oh hey, Reese. How's it going?"

"Fine. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good." After a moment of awkward silence Blaine said, "I was thinking of calling you. I'm working on a project. You want to join me?"

"What kind of project?" Reese asked eagerly.

"It's a surprise. Can you meet me at 6:00?"

"Sure, where at?" When Blaine answered, Reese thought she had misheard him. "Where?" she asked, but when he repeated the place she realized that she had heard him correctly the first time. "Ok, I'll see you there," she said slowly as she hung up the phone. "What is he up to?"

Amanda wandered around the room, straightening and rearranging everything in the room, too anxious to stand still. "Do you think I should bring out some appetizers now or wait until she gets here?"

"Just sit down and relax," Andrew suggested, motioning to the empty seat next to him on the sofa.

Amanda sighed and took a seat, but her nerves wouldn't let her sit still. She looked over at Alma. "How can you be so calm? Aren't you nervous?"

"No, why should I be?"

"We're about to meet our half-sister for the first time. It's a big deal. I wonder what she's like."

When the doorbell rang, Amanda jumped up, but didn't go directly to the door. "That must be her."

Andrew stepped up, much to Amanda's relief, "I'll answer it."

When Andrew opened the door he was greeted by a familiar face.

"Andy? What a surprise to see you!" Vanessa greeted Andrew with a big hug.

Stunned, Amanda turned pale, "What are you doing here?" When she saw Quentin follow Vanessa into the room, the pieces started to fall into place. Her jaw dropped. It couldn't be.

Quentin could tell that he had just walked into the middle of something, but he nervously made the introductions. "Mrs. Martin, Miss May, I'd like to introduce you to your mother's heir. This is Vanessa Barrett."

Amanda gasped and without a word stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Reese walked into the visitor's room of the mental hospital where Blaine had asked her to meet him. She found Blaine chatting with Sebastian Barrett's daughters.

"Hi. What's going on?" she asked as she approached the group.

"We're going to see our mother," Cassandra answered happily, before turning to Blaine with a bright smile. "It was so nice of you to set this up, Blaine. Thank you."

"Zara? Cassandra?" Serena called out in disbelief as she entered the room. "It's really you? Look at you," she started to cry as her daughters hurried over to greet her for the first time in years.

As the mother and daughters embraced, Blaine and Reese moved aside. Blaine whispered to Reese, "I'll be right back."

After hugging both of her daughters, Serena took a step back to look at them. "I can't believe how grown up you are. You're both so beautiful."

"We must take after you," Zara said, laughing through her tears.

"I didn't think we'd ever see you again," Cassie said quietly.

"Didn't you know we'd be together again?" Serena asked. "I knew we would be. I didn't know how long it would take, but I knew it would happen someday."

I'm glad it's happening now," Zara said. "After everything that's happened we really need you, even if we can only see you during visiting hours."

"I have good news," Blaine interrupted as he approaching the group.

"I talked to the front desk and you're going to be released. Everything you said about your ex-husband is true. The doctors don't think you need to stay here."

"You're kidding! That's wonderful news," Zara exclaimed.

Cassie turned to Blaine gratefully, "How can I ever thank you?"

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged.

Cassandra looked warmly into his eyes, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him and kiss him.

Blaine turned to Serena, "You just need to sign some papers at the desk and you'll be released."

"Let's go do it," Zara said eagerly, leading her smiling mother to the desk while Cassandra lingered behind.

Blaine walked over to Reese who was blinking the tears from her eyes, "I think it's so wonderful what you did, bringing a family back together. I just wish . . ."

"Wish what?"

"That could be me someday," Reese said suddenly embarrassed. "That probably sounds selfish."

"No, it doesn't," Blaine insisted. "Maybe your wish will come true. I mean, we found Mrs. May's long lost daughter and Serena. If you have family out there I'm sure we can find them. Maybe that could be our next big adventure."

Reese smiled at him, "I'd like that. I've missed, um, our . . .adventure." she trailed off quietly and Blaine just nodded. "We, um, I was thinking that maybe we should get together, even if we don't have a project to work on."

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"Ok," Reese said with a shy smile. She had decided to let what she wanted to say go unsaid, but Blaine could tell she was holding something back.

"What is it?"

"I was thinking that when we get together it could maybe be more like a date? That is, if you still want to."

Blaine was surprised. "I thought you didn't date guys you work with."

"I don't, but we don't really work together that much and I - I think I can make an exception."

"Ok," Blaine smiled. "Sounds good to me. When should I pick you up?"

"Amanda, what's wrong?" Andrew asked as he walked into the bedroom a few minutes after Amanda had slammed the door behind her.

"Do you even have to ask?" she hissed.

Andrew blinked dumbly, "Yes. Why did you run off like that?"

"That woman, that Vanessa, the barmaid," Amanda sputtered. "She can't be my sister."

"Why not? Because she works in a bar? She was raised by a good family."

"No, that's not it."

"Then what? Why not give her a chance? Once you get to know her, you'll find out that she's a really nice person."

Amanda rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "That's the problem."

Meanwhile, in the living room, an awkward silence passed. Alma sat down and offered Vanessa and Quentin a seat. Quentin declined and said he had to go, but Vanessa joined Alma on the sofa.

"So, we're half-sisters," Vanessa started, trying to break the ice. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Vanessa."

"Alma. I thought your name was Dorothy."

"It is or was. I had it changed when I decided to become an actress, but my family and old friends still call me Dorothy. You can too if you'd like. I answer to either."

"Which ever you prefer," Alma shrugged.

"So, tell me about yourself, Alma. Are you married? Have any kids? Do you work?"

"I'm a teacher and I'm not married."

"What do you teach?" Vanessa asked with interest.

"Elementary. Third grade."

"I bet that's a fun age. Do you like it?"

"I love it," Alma said, starting to warm slightly. "Getting back into teaching has been the best thing that's happened to me. It's changed . . .everything for me."

"Really? That's great when you find something that you feel so passionate about," Vanessa said with a warm smile. "Why did you get away from it?" When Alma's expression darkened, Vanessa worried that she had hit a sore topic. "If you don't want to talk about it, just say so. We'll forget I even asked."

Alma shook her head. "It was because of mother. When she got sick I had to stay home and take care of her. I didn't start working again until after Amanda got married."

"Oh," Vanessa said quietly, reading Alma's expression. "It must have been tough on you."

Alma shrugged. "I did what had to be done."

"You know, I think we should get together again sometime. I'd really like to get to know you better and hear more about our mother. Maybe visit her grave. If it's ok with you. You don't have to answer right away. You can think about it and make up your mind."

"No, it's ok," Alma answered. "We can get together."

"Great," Vanessa smiled.

When the bedroom door opened, the two women looked up. They saw Andrew walk out alone, with a defeated expression. "I'm sorry. Amanda . . .well, she's a little overwhelmed. Maybe we can do this another time, when she's had a chance to let this all soak in."

"I understand," Vanessa said as she rose to leave. "I know this is an awkward situation for all of us. Give me a call or have her call me if she changes her mind."

"I will."

"It's nice to see you, Andrew," she said clasping his hands in farewell. "You have a lovely apartment." She turned to Alma and waved. "And it's nice to meet you, Alma. Give me a call sometime soon."

As the door closed behind Vanessa, Alma crossed her arms in front of her and exchanged a look with Andrew, who just shrugged.

Part 12 - Chapter 3 - Reunited

As R.J. walked down the darkened path along side the lighthouse, the gravel crunched beneath his feet. He paused a moment, looking around, before a figure emerged from the shadows.

"It's about time you got here," Lauren cried out. "I don't like waiting out here alone. It's dangerous."

"What information do you have for me?" R.J. asked, getting straight to the point. "It had better be good."

"Oh, it is," Lauren promised. "But if you want to know what it is, you have to do something for me first. I want you to call that friend of yours, Ms. Jordan, and tell her to break off whatever she has going on with Lawrence."

R.J. rolled his eyes, "You have a one track mind, don't you? Don't worry about Audrey, she's only dating him to get information for me. Once you tell me what I need to know it'll be over between the two of them."

"Get her to back off first then," Lauren insisted stubbornly.

"Fine," R.J. gave in and went in search of a payphone.

"Hello?" Audrey answered the phone at her brother's apartment.

"Audrey, it's R.J. I need you to do something for me."

Audrey exhaled sharply as she summoned up her courage. "No. I'm through doing things for you. I don't owe you anything, Chad does. If you want something then go to him, because I'm through."

"You'd better listen, Audrey."

"Or what? If you're going to do something to me, then do it. I'm tired of your threats."

"That's just it. I don't need you anymore. So I want you to stop seeing Lawrence Arrendale."

"What? No! Stay out of my life and don't ever call me again!" she exclaimed before slamming down the receiver.

Lauren watched eagerly as R.J. hung up. "Well?" she prompted.

"It's done. She won't see him again," he answered. "Now where's the information?"

"Wait, there's just one other thing," Lauren said slyly. "What I've got is really good. Too good to just hand over. Whatever you're going to do next, I want in on it." When R.J. hesitated she added sweetly, "Otherwise I'll just turn you in and use it myself."

"You wouldn't do that," R.J. said with a threatening edge to his voice. Lauren just stared at him, unflinchingly, until he finally said, "Ok, I'll let you in, but only because I might need you later on."

"Great," Lauren said chipperly.

"Now tell me, what do you have?" R.J. added to which Lauren smiled deviously.

"I'm just so worried about her," Veronica said to Arthur in a hushed voice. When Eileen entered the living room their conversation ceased.

"I'm fine. You can stop talking about me behind my back."

"We didn't mean . . ." Veronica started to explain, but Eileen interrupted.

"I know, but . . .just stop worrying about me."

"We're sorry, sweetheart, but you've seemed so down lately. We just want to help," Arthur said.

"It's not easy ending a relationship. If you want to talk about it, we're always here for you."

"No," Eileen sighed. "Well, I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to talk about it or not."

As Eileen was making up her mind, the doorbell rang and Arthur excused himself to go answer it.

"Hello, Lawrence. What are you doing here?" Arthur asked cheerfully. When he got a better look at the young man, he asked with concern, "And what happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lawrence replied self-consciously.

"Alright, then what do you want to talk about?" Arthur asked, inviting Lawrence inside.

"Actually, I'm here to see Eileen."

"She's just in the living room with Veronica," Arthur said, leading the way. He added in a lowered voice, "I'm glad you're here to visit her. She's been feeling a little down since what happened with Hector."

"Lawrence stopped in his tracks, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure exactly. All she said was the engagement is off."

"It's up to you," Veronica said, as she and Eileen sat down on the couch together.

"It's kind of complicated," Eileen said with a sigh.

"It often is," Veronica said gently, but her words did nothing to ease Eileen's mind.

"Not this complicated," she said hesitantly. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to tell Veronica the whole story or not. If Veronica knew she would probably tell her father and turn Hector into the authorities. Eileen hadn't made up her mind yet about turning him in. On the other hand, if she didn't tell someone else the whole story, she could be in a great deal of trouble herself. She was a little afraid of what Hector might do.

"I found out something about Hector . . ."

"Eileen, you have a visitor," Arthur interrupted.

"Not now," Eileen protested. "I really don't want to see . . ." Before she could finish her sentence Lawrence stepped into the doorway behind Arthur. "Lawrence, where have you been?" Eileen asked, jumping up from her seat. Her tone changed when she noticed his face. "What happened to her eye? Are you alright?"

As Lawrence hesitated, Arthur and Veronica excused themselves from the room.

"I'm fine," Lawrence replied. "I got your note."

"I went by your apartment a few days ago, but you weren't home. I've got to tell you something. I went to see you because I talked to Hector."

"Your father told me you ended the engagement," he said nervously.

"I had to," Eileen insisted. "I talked to the nurse who took care of Clifford, the one Hector tried to set you up with, remember?" Lawrence nodded. "And what she said confirmed it. He did it. I confronted him and he admitted it."

Lawrence took a deep breath and tried to clear his head. "What evidence do you have?"

Eileen explained all of the details. Inside she was all nerves, but seeing Lawrence so calm helped steady her. When she was finished Lawrence said, "We have to go to the police."

"No!" Eileen objected. At Lawrence's look of confusion, she added, "I'm not ready to do that yet. Tell me you won't say anything about this to anyone."

"But-"

"Please," Eileen clasped his hands and looked at him with pleading eyes. "I just needed you to know."

Lawrence sighed and gave in, "I won't say anything."

"Thanks," Eileen said, putting her arms around him and hugging him tightly. For a moment she seemed to lose herself, then she pulled back awkwardly. She blushed, but Lawrence was looking away. "Thank you."

Victoria walked through the house rattling off a list of details, as Jordan followed her taking notes. "Oh, no wait. We can't host the benefit that weekend. That's when Lucy's using the country club for her wedding."

Startled, Jordan fumbled with his pen and notebook, dropping them on the floor.

"Oh do be more careful, Mr. Jordan," Victoria scolded. As Jordan retrieved his pen and paper, Victoria turned to the living room where she saw her son, Hector staring listlessly out the window.

"Hector," she said sadly, causing him to slowly turn around. "My poor boy," she lamented as she crossed the room and took his hands in her own. "You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

Hector nodded, how could he not think about her? Not only had he lost the woman that he loved, at anytime she could have him arrested for murder and he would lose everything.

"Well, I'm sure it's all for the best," Victoria said comfortingly. "In time you'll find someone much more deserving of you and you'll forget all about the Townsend girl."

"Thank you, Mother, but I doubt it."

Victoria smiled weakly and kissed Hector on the cheek before turning back to Jordan. "We should get going. We don't want to be late for the meeting with Mrs. Hepplewhite."

As they left the room, Hector turned back to the window and wondered, "What am I going to do? I have to find a way to keep Eileen quiet."

Hector's thoughts were interrupted by someone at the front door. When he looked outside he was surprised to see who was standing on the front step.
"Hey R.J. what brings you here?"

"I've got a proposition for you. Can I come in?"

"Of course," Hector said. He stepped aside and invited R.J. into the living room.

"So what do you have in mind?" Hector asked curiously.

"I'm thinking about leaving the company."

"Really? Why?"

"I've never been cut out for working under somebody else. What I really want to do is start my own company, but first I need a business partner. Are you interested?"

Hector was taken by surprise, but somewhat flattered. "I don't know what to say. I never thought about leaving Stuart-Townsend."

"Start thinking about it," R.J. advised. "That company is old news. You can either hang around there waiting for old man Townsend to throw you a bone, which isn't likely to happen after what happened between you and his daughter."

"What do you know about it?" Hector snapped, his eyes wide with panic.

"I heard you broke up," he replied simply, putting Hector at ease. "Anyway, you can work for someone else the rest of your life or you can take charge and partner with me. I'll put it bluntly. You've got the money, the connections, the know how. You know the way the company works inside and out. Add all that to my motivation and vision and we could out-compete Stuart-Townsend or at least give them a run for their money.

Hector took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "You weren't kidding about having vision," he remarked. "I don't know, R.J. I've got to think this over.

"Alright," R.J. said turning to leave. "But don't take too long. I'll see you at the office."

Part 12 - Chapter 4 - Reunited

"So this is it. We're home," Cassandra announced as she and Zara led their mother into the house.

"This is your father's house?" Serena asked as she nervously walked into the house with her arms wrapped in front of her.

"It was," Zara answered. "We're not sure if it belongs to him or Vanessa now."

"Vanessa?" Serena questioned.

"Dad's second wife," Cassandra answered in a low voice.

"In any case," Zara spoke up. "She said she doesn't want to live here and Dad won't be back."

"I hope not," Serena muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath and looked around. "Show me the rest of the house."

"Upstairs are the bedrooms," Cassandra played tour guide as they walked up the steps. "At the far end is the bathroom, then Zara's room, my room, and the master bedroom."

Serena wandered into the master bedroom at the top of the stairs and felt a chill go through her body. "This is your father's room," she said as she quickly backed into the hallway and shut the door. "I can't stay in there."

Cassandra and Zara exchanged concerned looks before Zara said, "You can take my room. I'll be in the dorm anyway."

"I don't want to put you out," Serena insisted.

Zara gave her mother a hug. "It's no problem. Let's get you settled in."

As Zara helped Serena unpack, Cassandra went downstairs to answer the telephone.

"Cassie! How's it going?"

"James? Hi, I'm fine. What's up?"

"I just got into town and I thought I'd give you a call. How about having dinner with me tonight?"

"I can't," Cassandra said nervously. "My mom just got home from the hospital and I'd really like to spend some time with her."

"What about another night? It looks like I might be in town for awhile."

"I don't know," Cassandra hedged. "Besides there's someone I'm kind of interested in and . . ."

"So?" James said with a laugh. "I'm only asking you as a friend. Bring your mom or your guy or anyone else you want with you. I just want some company and you and Zara are the only ones I know in town that I can call."

"Ok," Cassie gave in with a sigh. "I'll see what everyone else is doing and get back with you."

When she hung up the phone and saw her sister standing right behind her, Cassie was startled.

"Who's this guy you're into?" Zara asked skeptically.

Reese wandered around the house aimlessly, stopping often in front of the mirror to check her reflection. She wondered if her clothes were alright or if she should do something different when her hair or her makeup, but deciding that she looked fine as she was, she tried to convince herself to stop worrying about it. Then she wandered around the house again looking for something to take her mind off of the waiting.

When she finally heard a knock at the front door, she jumped. She stood frozen nervously in place for a full moment, wondering what she had gotten herself into, before forcing herself to answer the door.

"Hi," Blaine greeted her with a relaxed smile that started to put Reese at ease. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure," Reese said as she stepped outside and locked the door behind her. "Where we are going?"

"I thought about bowling, but I'm still a little sore from getting run over."

"That's ok," Reese said, not thrilled with the idea anyway.

"How about dinner?" Blaine suggested.

"Sounds good."

Reese stood in awe as she and Blaine waited to be seated at the restaurant. The restaurant was beautiful. The tables were set up on a patio along the beach that overlooked the bay. When Blaine looked over and saw Reese smiling from ear to ear, he grinned back. "What do you think?"

"This place is . . .great. How did you find it?"

"A friend recommended it." Blaine leaned closer and pointed to a sculpture on the far wall. "Hey, check out the fountains. It looks like there's a waterfall along the side of the building."

"They're pretty," she agreed happily, before turning back to Blaine. When she realized how close they were standing to each other, she looked away shyly and gently took a step back. "Oh look, it's Cassandra Barrett."

Cassandra tried to turn away before the couple saw her, but it was already too late. Blaine was already waving at her, so she mustered a smile and reluctantly walked over to them.

"Hey, how's it going?" Blaine greeted her.

Cassie shrugged. "Not bad. Mom got to come home today."

"That's great. Is she here with you?"

"No, I invited her, but she decided to stay home and rest. I'm just out with a friend . . .I guess you two are here on a date?"

When the couple looked at each other and smiled before answering, Cassandra felt ill.

"It's our first," Reese explained shyly.

"That's nice," Cassandra replied awkwardly. She was grateful when she saw James approaching.

"Cassie, our table's ready."

"Thank God," she mumbled under her breath before saying a hasty goodbye to Blaine and Reese.

After they were seated at a table, Reese looked around the restaurant, for the moment too nervous to make eye contact with Blaine. "This is a nice restaurant. Your friend has good taste."

"I'll tell him that. Maybe he'll have a good suggestion for our next date."

Reese smiled shyly and stared down at her plate.

"I don't get to do this often . . .go out to a nice restaurant for dinner, that is," Blaine continued. "I'm lucky to grab a quick bite to eat from the cafeteria between classes and work."

"I don't go out much either," Reese admitted. "Unless it's work related."

"So you don't date much?"

"No," Reese admitted, then after a pause quietly asked, "Do you?"

Blaine shrugged. "I've had my share of girlfriends, I guess. Not that I date around or anything like that. Most of my relationships have ended on good terms." For a moment neither of them said anything and a silence hung over the table until Blaine added with a grin, "And almost all of my first dates have been at least a little awkward for me."

"You really don't want to be here, do you?" James asked suddenly. Cassie had barely spoken since they had sat down and she was still picking at her salad, long after he had finished his.

Cassandra sighed, "I don't know. I'm sorry I'm not good company tonight."

"Is it me?" James asked. "You just didn't want to see me?"

"No, it's nothing to do with you," Cassandra assured him. "It's. . . someone else."

"That guy you're seeing?" When Cassie half-nodded, half-shrugged, James remarked, "I guess that's why he's not here tonight."

"He had other plans," she said simply as she gazed across the patio.

James turned his head, wondering what Cassie kept glancing at. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone familiar at the table behind him. He did a double take and then murmured under his breath, "I don't believe it." He got up from his chair. "I'll be right back."

After the waiter served their meals, Craig lifted his glass and gazed lovingly at his fiancee. "I want to make a toast to the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, soon to be my wife and the mother of my child. Here's to a long and happy future together."

After clinking glasses, Lucy quickly brought her glass to her lips to hide her face, but she wasn't quick enough. Craig noticed the tears in her eyes, but mistook the reason for them.

He reached over to touch her cheek and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I don't mean to be this mushy. You just bring it out in me. I'm so lucky to have you. When we're together, nothing else matters."

Lucy shook her head and looked up with a smile, "I don't deserve a guy like you."

"Are you kidding me? You-" Craig started, but he was interrupted when someone standing behind him cleared their throat very loudly. Expecting a member of the restaurant staff, he turned around to give the rude employee a piece of his mind, instead he was stunned to find himself face to face with his former partner.

"James?" Craig said coldly. "What do you want?"

"You've got some nerve," James started. "A lawsuit? I knew you were bitter about being taken off the tour, but I didn't think you'd do something like this."

Craig stood to face James. "I'm not suing you because of the tour. I'm suing you because you stole the songs I wrote."

"No, not you. We. Those songs are mine as much as they are yours and I had every right to record them."

"We'll see about that."

James shook his head and glared at Craig through narrow eyes. "You've changed. Ever since you shacked up with your rich girlfriend."

"Shut up," Craig snapped as he poked James in the chest.

James slapped Craig's hand away, but before the argument could continue, the manager of the restaurant interrupted and told them both to leave.

"I wonder what's going on over there," Blaine remarked as he and Reese observed the argument from across the patio.

"I don't know," Reese shrugged. "And I don't think I want to know. One of those men is a client of mine."

"Then let's get out of here," Blaine suggested. "It's a nice night. Let's take a walk along the beach."

"Ok," Reese shyly agreed.

The beach was deserted at that time of the evening so they had the place to themselves. They chatted about everyday things as they walked along the shore, pausing only briefly to gaze across the water or look up at the stars.

When they reached the edge of the beach where the waterfront turned into private property, Blaine suggested they go back and Reese agreed. After they turned around, Blaine quietly took Reese's hand in his own and they walked back to the car hand in hand.

They rode back to her place almost in silence. When they arrived, Blaine offered to walk her to her door.

"I had a really nice time with you tonight," Blaine said, breaking the silence as they walked up her front steps.

"So did I."

As they lingered on the porch a moment, Blaine turned to face her. "So I guess it's my turn to ask. Do you want to go out again sometime?"

Reese nodded, while smiling shyly, "Sure."

"How about next weekend. Maybe we can catch a movie or get tickets to a show."

"Sounds great."

"Ok, then I'll give you a call or you can call me . . .um, goodnight." He leaned towards her slowly and kissed her lightly on the lips.

As he stepped away and started down the steps, Reese didn't even think of saying goodnight back, instead she walked inside and closed the door behind her. Sinking down into the closest chair, almost in a trance, she stared at the wall a moment, trying to take in the events of the evening. She breathed a contented sigh and smiled to herself. It had been a wonderful night.

Part 12 - Chapter 5 - Reunited

"Surprise!"

Lucy opened the front door to find Eileen, Chloe, and a group of women carrying wrapped presents, food, and balloons, standing on the front step.

"What's going on?" a bewildered Lucy asked as she stepped aside to let them in.

"We're throwing you a wedding and baby shower," Chloe announced as Eileen led Lucy into the living room where she was ordered to take a seat while the other women got to work setting up decorations and laying out food and presents.

Lucy sat back and watched them in awe, "I can't believe you did all this for me."

After the presents were opened, Chloe took a seat next to Lucy on the couch. "So tomorrow's the big day. How are you feeling about the wedding? Excited? Nervous?"

"A little of both," Lucy admitted. "I am excited about it, even though it's not exactly the wedding I'd always dreamed of. The only thing I wish is that my parents were alive to see me get married, especially my dad."

Chloe patted Lucy's hand comfortingly and was about to offer some soothing words, when they were interrupted by a crash. Chloe and Lucy looked up to see Eileen fumbling with her plate.

"I'm so sorry," Eileen said embarrassed. Her face looked flushed. "I'll get something to clean it up."

Before Lucy could protest, Eileen bolted out of the room.

"Is she alright?" one of the guests asked. "She's been acting odd all afternoon."

"It must be all the wedding talk," Chloe suggested. "It can't be easy for her to be around after breaking her engagement with Hector."

"I think I know what it is," Lucy said, raising herself from the sofa. "I'll go talk to her."

Lucy found Eileen at the kitchen sink, trying to wash out a spot on her dress. "How are you doing? Is everything ok?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Eileen answered sharply.

"You can talk to me, Eileen, about anything. You know that." When Eileen looked away and said nothing, Lucy continued, "Despite what you think about Hector I am sorry that you had to go through this break up after you started planning your wedding. I know it can't be easy for you to hear all of this wedding talk."

"No, it's fine and don't be sorry about it because I'm not. You were right about him all along, I'm just glad I found out now and not later."

"Is it about Craig then? You still don't believe that I love him enough? Because I do. He's really good for me and we're going to have a child together soon."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Lucy," Eileen sighed. "I'd wish you'd forget I said anything about that. I only said those things because of what you said about me and Hector. You were right all along."

"Then I give up," Lucy sighed, throwing her hands in the air. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," Eileen insisted, but avoided making eye contact with her friend and instead turned to the cabinet drawer. "There's nothing bothering me, so stop worrying." She quickly drew a towel from the drawer and pushed past Lucy on her way back to the party.

As Eileen walked away, Lucy noticed a scrap of paper fall to the floor. When she bent down to pick it up, she discovered that it was a to do list, written in Jordan's handwriting. As she held the note in her hand and gazed over the letters, she sighed and hoped she was doing the right thing.

Justin was standing in the living room of his apartment, looking over an list of events scheduled for the country club, when he was startled by the opening of the front door.

"Oh, hi," Audrey said as she walked into the apartment. "What are you looking at?" She asked. When he showed her the paper, one event on the list stood apart from the others, the Stuart-Sexton wedding. "Oh, I see," she said touching his shoulder gently as she walked past him. "You and I just aren't lucky in love."

He seemed startled by that remark. Not wanting to talk about his lack of a romantic life, he questioned her, "Are you having problems with your new beau?"

"No, just thinking of an old one," she said, her voice trailing off as she disappeared into her bedroom.

As she changed out of her work clothes, let down her hair, and took off her makeup, Audrey's mind was on Chad. She kept thinking about how much simpler her life would be now if she had never gotten involved with him. Even though their relationship had ended long ago and he had taken off again, the bleak ending to their relationship was still lingering on to complicate her life in the form of R.J. Majors. She was tired and she just wanted to be done with it once and for all.

She had considered leaving town, but moving here hadn't done much to help her situation, in fact it only made things worse. The only thing to do was to take a stand and hold on to her new life, career, and relationship no matter what the consequences. She only hoped she had the strength to follow through.

When Audrey returned to the living room, Justin was still looking at the same paper, but when he saw her enter, he quickly put it back in the desk drawer.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Audrey remarked. When he struggled to answer, she looked at him sadly. "Then fight for her. Tell her how you feel before it's too late."

"It's already too late," he said simply before turning and walking away.

Alma and Vanessa walked through the cemetery in silence, the stone of the gravel walkway crunching beneath their feet. They stopped before a simple gravestone where Vanessa placed a flower in the empty vase before it.

After a moment of silence, Vanessa asked, "What was she like? As a mother?"

Alma paused in through, not sure how to answer that question or where to start. "She was strict. She had to be tough to raise us on her own after Dad died. She was difficult to get along with most of the time. I guess I never really knew what she thought or how she felt about things. I didn't know anything about her past until after she died. I was around her everyday of my life, but now it's almost like I never knew her at all."

"I know the feeling," Vanessa said quietly, thinking about her recent marriage. The stood in silence, reverently looking at the gravesite.

"I'm going to have my name changed," Vanessa announced. "Sebastian is out of my life for good now and I don't want to keep his name. I'm thinking of taking the name Summers. Do you think she would have liked that?"

Alma shrugged, "I wouldn't know."

"Once I get all of these legal matters settled, it's going to be like making a fresh start. I'll have a new name, a new home, a new family," she laughed softly to herself. "And to think when I was younger, I thought I'd have it all settled by now. But back then I thought 35 was ancient." Alma smiled. "I was sure I'd be a famous actress by now touring the world with some handsome, charming man at my side. Why didn't anyone tell me life isn't a straight path?" she mused before turning to Alma. "Where did you think you'd be at your age when you were a kid?"

Alma looked thoughtful, "I don't know. Before Mother got sick the plan was for me to work for the family until Alma finished school."

"Then what? What did you want for yourself?"

"Before Mother died, when I had to quit work to take care of her, more than anything I wanted to live my own life and make my own decisions without Mother telling me what's best. I just wanted my own home and my own life."

"It sounds like you have that now."

"But now I want something else," Alma said quietly, ashamed to admit that fact. "For so long I just wanted to be free from everyone else, but now . . .I never thought I'd get lonely," she looked away and almost mumbled the last words. She never felt comfortable sharing her feeling with anyone like this, but Vanessa was so receptive and easy to talk to, she seemed to draw out the words without even trying to.

"Whenever you feel that way, just give me a call, ok? I have a feeling I'm going to have some lonely days ahead of me as well."

Veronica was in her office finishing up some paperwork before going home for the evening when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she called.

"Hello Veronica. I hope I'm not interrupting," a deep voice said.

"Not at all, Ed. What brings you by?"

"I wanted to talk to you about our patient. How are things going with Miss Barrett?"

"They aren't," Veronica said, putting her notes aside and walked away from her desk. "Since we spoke about her she's cancelled her appointments. I got the impression that she was only coming to them because her father insisted and now that he's out of the picture, she's stopped coming."

"Are you concerned about that?"

"Not overly concerned, no," Veronica answered. "She seems stable and in good mental health. Though I think keeping her appointments would have been good for her, I think she'll be fine without them."

"You, of course, mean aside from her so called premonitions and fainting spells."

Veronica shrugged, "Even with them. I can't say whether or not she has a sixth sense," Edward scoffed and frowned at the suggestion, but she ignored him and continued her line of thought. "But believing that she does is important to her. I believe it fills a void in her life and the more I think about it, I don't think the fainting is a direct symptom. I think it was probably related to stress . . .surely you can't disregard that possibility."

Slowly an ironic smile crossed Edward's face. "No, I can't . . .You know I've missed our debates. You always kept me on my toes." When Veronica smiled, he leaned forward slightly and said in a more serious tone. "And I've missed you."

Veronica backed up and Edward immediately regretted his words and knew he had gone too far. He could see Veronica struggling to find the words to let him down easy and he decided to spare her the trouble. "I won't keep you. I should be going. Have a good evening," he said nervously as he retreated out of the office.