Best of You
By Didi

Disclaimer: Same as before… The Young and the Restless is owned by CBS Broadcasting Inc., CBS Corporation and Bell Dramatic Serial Inc. and probably a host of other companies but definitely not by me. No malice or infringement of copyrights are intended by this writing and I will stop if someone just tells me to. Suing me isn't going to get you anything except maybe a chuckle or two and possibly my new bread machine. (But please don't take that, I love having fresh bread in the morning. You can have my waffle maker instead, okay? It's Hello Kitty shaped!)

Timeline: Nowhere in this universe. Start reading for the beginning if you want to know.

Summery: Adam slips up, Cane deals with setbacks and Amber run into someone.

Author's Note: Holidays was great, got right back into the swing of things once the craziness was over and then got hit with an idea that refused to shake itself from my mind. Read the chapter, it's going to get a little complicated from now on. I didn't mean to do it; honestly.

Seriously, don't kill me.

Chapter 10

"Already? Wow," Victoria nodded her head in a grudging show of respect, "you work fast."

"When it matters, time is of the essence," Adam replied and caught the attention of a passing waiter. "Mineral water with a slice of lemon."

Victoria gave him a funny look. "Didn't you know drank anything but Scotch."

"That's for you," he informed her. "I'll have a Scotch, 15 years, straight up."

If she was surprised that he knew her drink of choice, she didn't show it. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Wait a minute," Adam waved a hand to someone at the entrance. "I want to do this all at once." Then smiled and greeted the addition to the little party with a quick handshake.

Nick smiled as he leaned over and kissed his sister's cheek and took a seat across from his brother. "I take it that this isn't a business luncheon then?" he waved a waiter over and ordered a soda and water before turning to the table again. "So… what's up? Any word on that house yet? And isn't it a little early for you to be drinking already?"

"This will be the only one for the day. I want a clear head later. And nothing has been finalized on the house yet but I expect the bidding war to stop soon. No clue as to who else is after it. But I'm pretty confident that I'll end up with the house though."

"Chicken and hatcheries and stuff," Victoria reminded him as she nodded her thanks to the waiter that brought their drinks. She considered asking for coffee as well but decided against it, caffeine wasn't good for her skin.

Laughing, Adam shook his head and opened the menu. He was starved. The morning had been busy: besides dropping off breakfast for Amber before she got into the office then put in a lunch order to be certain she ate, he had two acquisition portfolios to review and a meeting with the head of the new teen fragrance line, on top of arranging for this little impromptu meal with his siblings.

"Dude, you are in a ridiculously good mood for someone that got yelled at by Dad this morning," Nick commented as he debated on the salmon or the veal.

Surprised, "How'd you find out about that?"

"Jamie in advertising told me." Nick grinned deviously. "She likes me."

"All the women at Newman likes you," Victoria groused and picked a salad with vinaigrette dressing. She planned on having a nice quiet romantic dinner with her husband later so she'd have to eat lightly for now.

"What's not to like?" Nick shrugged and decided on salmon. It was too early for veal anyways. "You fed Amber?"

"Yes," Adam answered as he went with the traditional steak. "Did it get there okay?"

Nick nodded and grinned again with amusement. He knew this whole thing was going to be entertaining for him. "She threw a hissy when it came…"

"Which is why I didn't answer my phone," Adam added cheerfully.

"But ate the food," Nick finished with a grin. "Good job on the soy shake."

Adam grinned and gave his sister credit, "Thank you, Victoria."

She nodded serenely with an air of mocking superiority, "You're welcome."

They shared a moment of laughter and then were surprised by a very stunned Nikki and David. Nikki's eyes looked ready to fall out of head. "Well… this is a… surprise." Never in a million years would she have expected to see the three Newman children together, sharing a meal and a laugh without the iron fist of Victor Newman forcing them into it.

Not certain why she abruptly felt a little like a wayward child, Victoria got up and greeting her mother with a quick kiss and a semi-hug, nodding to David politely. "Hi Mom. What brings you here?"

"Lunch, like everyone else," Nikki replied with unnecessary criticism in her tone of voice. "Hello, Nick… Adam." She nodded and did the civil thing.

"Nikki," Adam greeted, standing but not offering a hand or anything. "You're looking lovely today. How goes the wedding plans?" he asked, addressing both his former stepmother and her latest fiancé. He was going to make an effort to get along with everyone – even if it killed him. David and Nikki both twitched as if someone had shocked them with electrodes then abruptly walked away without another word. Though use to being thoroughly hated by Nikki, Adam was nevertheless surprised by the reaction. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked cautiously of Nick and Victoria.

The brother and sister traded quick wincing looks and nodded their heads. Victoria elaborated with, "Mom had finally picked a date to get married when Dad announced that he and Sabrina had picked the exact same day to tie the knot at the Ranch. Needless to say, not exactly news that thrilled my mother."

Blanching, Adam sighed and simply resigned himself to being detested by that woman. "Foot in mouth?"

"You didn't know," Nick said with a shrug, "and she really shouldn't have taken it out on you like that. It all went down last night. By the way, where were you last night? I thought Dad summoned us." Resentful as he was at being sent for in their father's usual authoriative manner, he had still gone to the main house to meet with his father and soon-to-be stepmother.

Adam shrugged and didn't tell them that he had deliberately turned off his phone yesterday. "At Indigo watching Amber. That was one of the reasons dear ole dad was yelling at me this morning."

Despite herself, Victoria asked, "Amber okay?"

"She was fine. I was just being cautious."

"Caution is good," Nick commended as their food arrived. "Just don't end up smothering her. You don't want to freak her out in her condition."

"Don't worry," Adam assured him with a quick confident Newman smile. "I've got everything under control and every last detail taken care of." And he had certainly taken pains to do so. Besides the house he was about to purchase, he had already set up a perfectly planned evening where he will pop the question and secure his future. Nothing could go wrong. "I'm going to take very good care of Amber and our baby."

"What?" Nikki asked suddenly from behind Victoria, having decided that she had calmed down enough to be the civilized person she knew she could be to her ex-husband's bastard of a son. "What did you say?"

"Busted," Nick whispered out of the corner of his mouth at his little brother.

Victoria made a quick move to help, surprising even herself. "Mom, we were just…"

"Did you just say," Nikki asked very carefully and holding herself tightly under control, "Amber Moore is having your child?"

"Hello?" Amber answered curiously at the unfamiliar phone number on her cell. She was cautious of everything these days.

"Hey, it's CJ."

"CJ? Did you change your number?"

"No, silly. I'm calling you on the work number."

"Oh."

He chuckled and asked, "Want to come to New York?"

Surprised by the sudden invitation, she was delighted for a moment before, "I can't. My doctor won't let me fly, remember?" she finally fessed up to him when he called again inquiring after her arrival date. For someone that have had plenty of reasons to yell at her for her harebrained situations, CJ had been surprisingly supportive and non-questioning about the baby. Then again, he has know her for a decade now and has probably grown use to her insanities.

"Of course I remember," CJ replied cheerfully, not the least bit deterred, "And no one said anything about flying, Amber. There was more than one to get around the country you know."

"Doctor said no car trip either. Sitting too long is a no-no as well."

"I know, I heard you. But that's the beauty of Amtrak!"

For a moment, she wasn't sure what he was talking about. "Train?" Amber asked dubiously. "You want me to take a train to New York."

"Yes," CJ said quite proud of the fact that he thought it up all on his own. If there was a will, there was a way. "Check your email, I sent you a roundtrip ticket, courtesy of me. You said you wanted a little time away. All that stress isn't good for you. Well, this is me being a friend and giving it to you. It's a sleeper car so you can recline the entire way. Problems solved with a click of a button."

Checking on her personal email account, Amber found the ticket ready and waiting for her. "Tonight? You booked it for tonight?"

CJ hummed a little. "You sounded like you needed to step back from something the last time I talked to you. It's Friday night, you can be here by Saturday morning, spend the day in the city and then hop back on in time for work on Monday."

Amber laughed at the way he made it sound, like she was just driving to his house in the next city for the weekend or something. "CJ…"

"Come on," he urged, "I've got tickets to a musical extravaganza tomorrow night. You know you'll love it."

"Well," chewing on her bottom lip, she considered it for another half a minute. Adam's been hovering and now that Cane knew about the baby, she could only expect him to pop up on her front doorstep any minute. Actually she's rather surprised he hasn't slapped her with some kind of weird court order or something. "Okay… you've twisted my arm," and hit print on the e-ticket. "See you tomorrow morning?"

"I'll be there with bells on to pick you up."

Katherine happily flipped through the shopping catalogue, marking pages with colorful little post-it flags. "What do you think Esther? Shall we go with a nice white theme? Or maybe a yellow theme? I've always found yellow to be such a cheery color."

"We're not waiting to find out the sex of the baby first?" Esther asked as she leaned over and cooed over a lovely little changing table with ducks painted on them.

"Of course not," Kay said, putting a red post-it on a the page with the little red rocking horse. She's always wanted one of those. "It would be much too late to decorate the nursery by then. Besides, it would be nice to show Amber the room before she moves in; tells her how serious we are in helping her raise that child."

"Have you told Ms. Abbott that you're restoring the nursery on the third floor?" Esther asked with a great deal of trepidation. The battle over Chancellor Manor has been an on-going one even after that relationship between Kay and Jill had been uncovered and the reentrance of the heir apparent.

"I see no reason why I should consult Jill about redecorating my house."

Esther reframed from answering. It was safer for her health.

"What do you think of this minty thing," Kay held up the catalogue and pointed to a rug. "That's a nice calming look, right?"

"I like the lavender one more," pointing to the one next to it, "though I suppose it's kind of girly looking."

"Neutrals, my dear Esther, we're going for neutrals."

"But it's pretty," Esther commented, "And Amber would like it more than the green. She's more of a warm color girl."

"Really?" Kay mused, "I always thought she was kind of cool."

Laughing, Esther poured tea and offered up some sugarless cookies, to which Kay made a face at but grudgingly munched on with her afternoon tea. "What do you think it will be, Mrs. Chancellor?"

"What do you mean?" moving onto baby clothes.

"Boy or girl?" Esther asked, conspiratorially. She's been dying of curiosity. "I personally would prefer a boy but I think Mr. Ashby is the kind of father that would prefer a girl, someone he could really dote on." Grinning dreamily, "Can't you just see it: him and his blond, blue-eyed baby girl."

Katherine laughed, already picturing the way the house would be once again filled with laughter and giggling sounds of happiness. It's been so empty of late, just her and Jill to fill the space. Now if Cane, Amber and the baby were to move back…

The doorbell rang suddenly… then again… then again… then again. All within four seconds. Esther gave Kay an inquisitive look before scrambling to her feet and headed for the door. She was there for less than ten seconds when she reappeared hurriedly on the heels of an flustered Nikki Newman.

"Why Nikki," Kay greeted half raising from her seat. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost. Esther, Esther, leave that be. Bring another cup for tea."

"I don't need tea, Katherine; but I thank you." Nikki said just a touch breathless and threw her purse onto a nearby surface. Seemingly unable to sit still, she began to pace the length of the couch. "I have something I need to talk to you about… urgently." She glanced at the still lurking Esther. "Privately."

"I don't keep secrets from Esther, my dear," Kay informed her agitated friend. "Whatever it is, just say it. It can't possibly be that bad."

"Oh yes it can," Nikki replied with gravity, taking a breath and pulling herself together. "Oh Kay…" she shook her head and pulled a face.

"Enough with the dramatics, Nikki." Kay chided with irritation. "Just tell me already."

Nikki sat down suddenly and took Kay's hand. "Something terrible has happened and I'm afraid you've been terribly deceived. We all have."

Kay frowned at her. "Nikki, if you don't start…"

"It's about Amber."

"What?" Cane groaned and rubbed his eye. "You're kidding right? Stella, tell me you're kidding."

"Sorry, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that's the truth of it." Stella sighed and closed the notebook before her with some disappointment. "This is on the down low so don't be babbling it round town. I only got this information through a friend of a friend of a friend. It's definitely not common knowledge. But I think you're out of luck here."

"Oh for the love of…" he blasphemed in silence and took a breath. "Okay, then we're back to square one. Stella, keep it quiet for now and keep your eye on that house. If there's any chance that Adam Wilson decide to pull out or if the sellers change their minds…"

"You'll be the first call I make," Stella promised solemnly without any real hope. From what she's gathered, Adam Wilson Newman was not going to give up that house and the bidding wars would only disrupt the market value. "I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks," Cane clicked off the phone muttering nasty things under his breath. Everywhere he turned, Adam was just popping up to piss him off. "I hate him."

"Who, darling?" Jill asked absentmindedly as she walked into her son's office without knocking. The thirty letters and files on her hand may have something to do with it though. "By the way, do you have the quarterly forecast anywhere? I can't find a copy of it and accounting is dragging their heels."

Flipping through the stack of paper to his right, Cane pulled out a light blue folder and handed it over without a murmur. He'd already seen it and was certain that accounting was dragging their feet because they did not want Jill seeing the forecast. "I want to talk to you about repacking the new teen line with Jabot. It's not selling well and I want to see someone about jazzing it up a bit, maybe put a new advertising campaign to it. The green line is pulling it's weight but the teen line is just dragging down the profit margins now."

"I thought that was the profitable one," Jill asked, her face furrowed with discontent.

"It was until the market got saturated with green lines. Teens like to be trendy… they'll go with the treads. And right now, going green is the 'in' thing to do. Ergo the teens have moved onto the green line market. Now we need a new ad for the teen line to sell."

"Good grief," Jill made a face and shook her head in disgust. "Meet with advertising and see what you can do about it. Talk to Victoria, she's got a good bead on the teen thing."

"Already on it," Cane replied depressingly. His mind wasn't really on work right now. He had other things to consider… like Adam Wilson's possible objectives. He has no intentions of seeing that arrogant ass play daddy to his child or husband to his Amber.

"What's the matter darling?" Jill asked, her brows furrowed with concern. Really, there's something about her brows that showed her emotions… most of which is her unhappiness with the world at large. "You look a little under the weather. Something bothering you?"

Shaking his head, Cane silently vowed to keep his mother as far away from Amber as possible for the time being. He could only imagine that damage his mother can do to his already fragile hold on Amber. "No, just working on some things."

"Don't overwork yourself, son. I'm sure your grandmother would love to know that I've been torturing you with work." Jill rolled her eyes at the mention of her own illustrious mother.

"Grandmother knows that you would never do such a thing," Cane assured Jill and smiled for her benefits. "By the way, I was looking at the new Glow By Jabot campaign ads. They look fantastic. Lily is really coming into her own with the whole modeling business. That ad is going to sell well."

Making a face, Jill sighed and dropped herself into the chair across from her son's. "I'm sorry to hear about you and Lily." She had actually heard it through the grapevines and confronted Lily with it the day before. "She's a very lovely girl; much better for you than that little tramp that tried to scam us."

Mentally wincing and sorry he ever brought up anything to do with his personal life, "Mother, Amber and I are at a very good place now." And he needed his mother and Amber to be at peace.

"Stay away from that little gold-digger," Jill warned severely, her eyes clouding just at the memory of that time in their lives. "She's trouble with a capital T and she'll do everything in her power to get her tentacles on you again if given half the opportunity. With girls like her, you cannot let your guard down, not even for a second."

"You don't have to worry Mother," finding it ironic that his mother would be giving him advise like this at a time like this. If only Amber would try to get closer, want to get closer to him.

"Of course not," Jill replied, her smile wide with pride. "Once bitten and poisoned, you're now immune. You would never have anything to do with that girl again." She shook her head and got up to leave. "I don't know why I was even bothered by any thoughts of her."

Cane smiled weakly and nodded his head as his mother made to leave. It was going to be a frosty day in hell when Jill Abbott would accept Amber into the family again. And Cane would simply have to deal with it. "Well, at least I have Grandmother." He sighed and smiled at his mother.

"Okay Darling, I'm going to go and…" the phone interrupted Jill's thoughts.

Picking it up, Cane was informed that his grandmother was on line 1 for him and that it sounded urgent. Curious, he ignored his squawking mother and greeted the grand dame with a cheerful, "Hello Grandmother. I was just about to call you about afternoon tea."

"Come over right now," Kay commanded with a careful and neutral tone. "I need to see you."

"What is it, Grandmother?" already out of his chair. There was something about the way she was pronouncing every word so rigidly that made him extremely nervous. He waved his mother silent. "Is something wrong?"

"Come over right now," she repeated calmly. "I'll tell you when you get here," then hung up the phone before she said too much.

Placing the phone back on its receiver, Cane stared at it for a few seconds before grabbing his jacket. "I have to go."

"What is it?" Jill asked, her brows furrowing again. "Is it her heart?"

"I don't know," answering honestly. "She just said she wanted to see me right away."

"I'll come with you," Jill replied, dropping work in a heartbeat.

"No need," Cane said, patting his pockets for keys. "Whatever it is, I'll handle it." A part of him understood that it could be about Amber and the baby and he definitely did not need Jill there for that.

"She is my mother," his mother stated rather firmly.

"She called me," Cane reminded her. Their contentious relationship was still a source of fascination to him. "Besides, we don't even know what it's about. For all we know, she needs a bulb changed."

"She wouldn't call you for that and you know it." Jill regarded her son with renewed interest and definite suspicion. "Why don't you want me there?"

"Because I know you and Grandmother aren't exactly always on the friendliest terms." Her accent grew thicker as he suddenly felt the urgency of his grandmother's summons. "And if she called me for an ear to listen to a problem, she may not speak as freely in front of you, Mother." He reassured Jill with a quick hand on her arm. "I'll call you if I feel you are needed, alright?"

Jill frowned with concern. "Well…"

"Go to your Berklas meeting. I know it took you days to set it up. I'll call you later," and hurried out the door without another backwards glance. His grandmother was not usually quite so cryptic; which means something has happened. And he most assuredly want to know what.

Standing in her son's empty office, Jill considered her options for a few moments. On the one hand, everything Cane said about her relationship with her mother was completely and absolutely true. Her and Kay haven't been seeing eye-to-eye lately about anything but Cane and her presence may not be the best thing if her mother's health is once again compromised. On the other hand, Cane's recent distraction and the demise of his once perfect relationship with Lily Winters has been a source of confusion to Jill. And now they're having this strange tête-à-tête.

Something isn't adding up right. And Jill Abbott wasn't one of those that sit around and wonder. She did something about it. "Lila! I'll be out for the rest of the day. Reschedule my appoints."

The taxi line expanded to forever at the Amtrak station and Amber was hard pressed not to groan out loud as she stared at it. CJ's unexpected meeting with an important client had left her high and dry and definitely without a ride to get to his studio. It was an annoying but understandable, she couldn't expect him to drop everything for her. But now she was standing in a line with irritated and hurried New Yorkers that were ready to snap at any given provocation. It was kind of a scary place to be.

And worse of all, she was hungry… again.

"This is ridiculous," someone behind her groused impatiently.

"Is it always this bad?" Amber couldn't help but ask rather weakly.

"Not really but most of us got shuttled over from the airport because of the construction," the man sighed and ran a quick hand through his dark blond hair. The tall lean body was encased in a dark suit that looked expensive and leather shoes that looked shiny. He wore a titanium watch of a contemporary style but silver antique cufflinks. "Sorry, I didn't mean to complain." Blue eyes twinkled apologetically at her as he smiled. It was a nice smile. And the man had a nice face.

"It's okay," she shrugged and silently chastised herself for checking him out. "Get a hold of yourself, Amber. You're pregnant for god sakes." Which only mean that her hormones was just that out of whack. "You think there'll be enough taxis to go around?" standing on her tiptoes to look over the sea of people before her.

"They'll call in more if there isn't," the man assured her. "New in town?" tilting his chin toward her overnight bag. There were a lot of newbies to New York looking for dreams and a start at a different life.

"Visiting a friend," she informed him with a quick smile. "They had a meeting come up on the upper east side," glancing at the piece of paper in her hand, "so couldn't pick me up. I hope this isn't far away. I wasn't expecting to have to take a taxi so I didn't bring a lot of cash."

Glancing over her shoulders at the address, "Hey, I'm going to that area as well." He looked at her a little more carefully now, making a judgment and a decision. "It's a bit of a way. Um… if you wouldn't mind, we can share a cab over; split the cost."

Surprised by the offer, "Are you sure? I don't want to be of any trouble."

"Of course I'm sure," he shrugged and smiled again, showing dimples and perfectly straight white teeth. "And it's no trouble at all. Heck, it'll definitely help. We'll both be saving money and there would be one less cab clogging up the streets and blocking traffic."

Amber laughed. She loved New York. It's bustling roads and endless stream of people and things to see… maybe once the baby was born and she was more settled in life, she'll move out here and start anew. Just her and her baby.

"By the way, name's Liam."

She smiled and held out her hand. "Amber. It's nice to meet you Liam."

To be continued…

Thoughts? Complaints?