It took a while for things to become normal again. Leah didn't want Stevie to know about the whole bathroom incident, and made Bill and Tom promise not to say a word. The very thought of Stevie finding out turned Leah's stomach; she had already hurt the guys, she didn't want to upset Stevie as well.

Little by little, Leah slowly got back to a normal daily routine. She'd get up, have toast and black coffee with Bill (it was his favorite, and he got her hooked on it), go to the gym for a couple of hours, come home and shower, and then spend the rest of the day doing whatever was on the agenda.

She wasn't sure why, but one of the things she particularly loved doing the most was going grocery shopping with Bill; it was hysterical to watch his eyes light up whenever they passed the candy isle.

The thrill of wearing disguises so no one would recognize them gripped Leah every time she and Bill went out on a little shopping adventure. At first, Bill had insisted that security follow them everywhere they went, but slowly he compromised with Leah to just let them follow at a distance. Besides, it was his cute little bonding time with his girlfriend; even if it was over picking out what kind of Skittles to buy, it was precious to him.

About a month after the incident, he and Leah made their way to the store; Tom kept complaining about how there was "nothing to eat in this damn house," so a grocery run was much needed.

Bill and Leah were standing once again in the candy isle, arguing about what to get.

"But Leah," Bill put on his best pouty face. "Skittles are the best! Every time I eat them, there's a party in my tummy!"

Leah rolled her eyes, clearly not swayed by his puppy dog pout. "Billa. We get Skittles every time! Don't you want to try something different?" She flashed a teasing smile in his direction. "Or is my big, bad, German rock star too much of a baby to broaden his horizons?"

Bill narrowed his eyes and slowly crept over to Leah. "Don't make me do it." A devilish smile spread across his face.

"Bill, not here," Leah smiled and stepped to the other side of the shopping cart. "You know how much I hate…"

Bill flew to her side and unmercifully attacked her with tickles, giggling like a little girl.

Leah's laughter exploded from inside of her as Bill tickled her relentlessly. "Billa! Billa, stop it!"

"Not until I get my Skittles!" he grinned and kissed her neck.

Tears of laughter were streaming down her face. "I mean it! What are people going to…"

She suddenly bumped into someone, sending the contents of their grocery bags crashing to the floor.

"Oh my God, I am so…" Leah froze as she came face to face with the last person she expected to see in LA. "Colden?"

XXXX

Colden stood rooted to the floor, not completely sure whether he should say something or not. "Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God, it's Leah!" he thought to himself while silently picking up the spilled contents of his grocery bags. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Wow," Leah mumbled. "That's the second time now that I've run into you and caused a disaster." A sheepish smile crept onto her face. "Let me help you with that…"

"No…no, it's okay," Colden stumbled over his words as he managed to get everything back into his bags. "I should just go."

Bill stopped him short. "Wait. Uh, Leah and I have something we want to tell you."

Taking Bill by the hand, Leah faced Colden and looked him straight in the eye. She was met with a crashing wave of emotion as she found herself looking into those icy blue eyes she had grown to love and despise. Clearing her throat and giving Bill's hand a slight squeeze, Leah mustered up all of her courage.

"Colden, what you did to me was wrong. I'm going to have to carry it around with me for the rest of my life."

Tears started to mist in Colden's eyes as he prepared himself for the rage he had so long been expecting to rain down on him. He hung his head and continued to listen.

"And even though I'll never be able to forget what happened, I just wanted to let you know," her voice cracked with emotion. "I forgive you."

Colden's head snapped up. Had he heard correctly? "I'm sorry, what did you say?" he whispered as a single tear slipped from his iceberg eyes.

"She said," Bill reaffirmed as he wrapped his arm around Leah's waist. "She forgives you."

A wave of emotion crashed over Colden as he stood facing the person he had almost killed, trying to grasp those last three words that she had spoken. "Are you serious?" His eyes darted back and forth between Bill and Leah in disbelief.

"Yes, quite serious," Leah said confidently and took a deep breath. "All of this hurt and pain is too much for any of us. I want to—I need to forgive you so I can move on with my life."

Colden couldn't believe it. He had never thought in a million years that Leah would even spit in his direction now, let alone forgive him; even if he had gone through intensive therapy and anger management while incarcerated. "I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything," Bill quickly stated. "Just know that we're not holding any grudges. Come on, Leah." He started to turn back to the cart.

"Wait," Leah reached into her handbag and pulled out a slip of paper and a pen. "Here," she said as she scribbled her number and handed it to Colden. "In case you ever need someone to talk to."

He took the paper and held it in his hand for a few seconds. Glancing up into Leah's soft grey eyes, he managed, "Thank you. Thank you both."

Bill decided not to say anything, because he knew he was seconds away from tearing into the guy. Instead he gave him a slight nod in acknowledgement and walked back over to the cart to wait for Leah.

Knowing that Bill was getting a little more than aggravated, Leah sighed and ventured another look into the blue abyss that was Colden's eyes. "Just remember, any time you want to talk…"

"I know," Colden weakly smiled. "And I know this doesn't even begin to make up for it," another tear fell from his eyes. "But I am SO sorry for what I did to you."

Leah shook her head. "It's in the past. I know you're a different person now. Just remember what we told you." Giving him one last reassuring look, she whispered, "Goodbye, Colden."

And with that, they separated, and Leah made her way back to Bill, who was still waiting by the cart.

"You okay?" he asked her with concern in his voice. He wrapped her in a giant hug.

"I will be," she sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "It just makes me feel so much better knowing that this whole ordeal is over with." She smiled and looked into Bill's warm eyes. "Now, how about we get you those Skittles?"

Bill chuckled and kissed her forehead. "How about we just go home?"

"Sounds good to me," Leah laughed and gently kissed him. "I'm sure Tom and Stevie will be dying to hear about our little adventure."

XXXX