"You don't think this is going maybe just a little bit overboard?" Bill looked down at the table that was still mostly covered in various flavors of ice cream and toppings.

"I wanted to make sure I had her favorite flavors," Kelly answered innocently. "Nothing worse than having your favorite treat be a disappointment, right? Besides, what fun is plain old ice cream when you can have sundaes? And this was supposed to be my thank you, wasn't it?"

"I thought the dinner was your thank you." He smiled slightly at her.

"The dinner was my thank you for the ride to the club. This is a thank you for being my shoulder to cry on tonight. I'm sure you didn't get up this morning planning to end the night as a therapist."

Billy shrugged. "That's not how I saw it, not at all. You needed someone to listen and I'm just glad I could do that for you. We all just need someone to listen sometimes, don't we? I think you'd do the same for me. Besides, it's the least I could do after jumping to the worst possible conclusion after seeing you here with Victor."

"Well, it didn't look great, I'll admit that, but like I said, there was really nothing to it, nothing for you to …"

"It's okay. I believe you. You don't need to every say that man's name in my presence again."

She narrowed her eyes as she studied the frown lines that now marked his forehead. "Hmm, there's obviously a story there," she mused.

"Let's not ruin the ice cream with that." He dipped a spoon into the chocolate dish and tested it before offering her a bite. "That's a saga for next time or the next."

"Next time?" Her eyebrows raised as she brought the spoon to her lips. "So you're already banking on a next time?"

"Well, I mean, I hope there's a next time. You did say you were thinking about the job offer, so …"

Kelly smiled. "Maybe we should ask your …" She turned towards Katie and stopped short.

Billy laughed quietly. "Well, we did market it as a late night snack, I guess." She stepped over towards the side of the bed and watched Katie for a moment as she softly snored next to her iPad and now empty bowl of ice cream. His eyes turned back towards Kelly. "Wouldn't it be nice to sleep like that again? Peaceful and relaxed, not a care in the world?"

She felt the quick puff of air leave her lips. "Yeah, if they could bottle up that childhood innocence, they could sell it for any price the wanted. I can't even remember when that goes away."

"Probably earlier for some than others," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

The tone didn't escape her and the look on his face was one she knew well. His eyes were filled with stories he still hadn't told, things she wouldn't and couldn't know and didn't need to – especially not tonight. "Yeah," she said simply in a feeble attempt a camaraderie. "I know what you mean."

A quick glance at her and completely believed she did. He turned back to Katie now, her innocence and light keeping him for the darkness that could easily swallow him whole. His hand gently pulled the iPad from her grip and placed it on the nightstand beside her. "I almost hate to move her," he whispered. "She looks so peaceful."

"So don't." She couldn't help but smile at the slightly shocked expression on his face. "I mean," she said quickly, unable to quell the giggle that snuck out from her lips as she watched the flush of embarrassment snake down his cheeks and onto his neck. "I wasn't suggesting that you … or that we …"

Damn it, she drew in a breath and bit down a bit on the inside of her cheek as she found herself getting a bit flustered as well. "What I mean is," she continued, finding her composure again, "You have a room here too, right? So just stay here with her tonight and I can stay in your room. It's not like I've even had a chance to really settle in or anything. It'll be a matter of moving a toiletry bag and a change of clothes down the hall."

"Well, I …" He looked over at his sleeping daughter again, her peaceful slumber something he could only hope to find tonight. There was really no reason to wake her. "If you're sure you don't mind."

"Trust me," Kelly said honestly, "After a day like today, I'm just going to crash tonight. It doesn't really matter where."

He couldn't stop the grin that crept across his lips. "Well, if that's true." He felt a rush of heat rush to his cheeks as he watched her blush a bit.

"I'm gonna go get my things," she said softly before flashing a quick smile at him. "Just make yourself comfortable."

He nodded as he reached into his jacket pocket. His hand brushed hers for only a second as he passed the keycard to her. "You do the same."

She let the door close quietly behind her as she stepped into the room and allowed her eyes to slowly scan the surroundings. It was what she'd expect from a hotel suite masquerading as a home. There were personal touches – as many as possible, but it was still a hotel. This wasn't supposed your home. Kelly shook her head as she placed her overnight bag on the foot of the bed and began to slowly unpack. Her robe was lightly folded on top of the silk gown and she pulled them out and lay them across the bed before reaching for the simple black dress she planned to wear tomorrow.

The wardrobe opened easily and she couldn't help but allow her fingers to dance across the fabric of the contents. There were suit coats, dress shirts, denim, and a lone leather jacket that she could only imagine draped over the arms that had held her only moments ago.

"Stop it," she hissed aloud as she placed her own dress on a hanger and slid it into a vacant spot. She pushed the door closed quickly and took a step back. The last thing she needed to do was to let herself come here and get distracted by yet another sure-to-be doomed relationship. She wasn't meant for love. She had to learn to accept that. She was here to start over, to make a new life, to find herself, her real self, to answer the questions that had been burning in her mind her entire life. It was the only way she'd ever be anywhere near okay again.

The soft light blanketed the bathroom as she stepped inside and placed her toiletry bag on the counter. Her breath stopped suddenly. It was hard to keep Billy Abbott out of her mind when the smell of his aftershave now tickled her nose. She sighed hard and flipped off the light. Sleep might the only escape she could hope for tonight.