NOTE: The bit of song Olivia sings is "The Sound of Silence" (performed by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon) and can be found on the cd, "The Essential Simon & Garfunkel"; lyrics in italics and appear here strictly for non-profit entertainment purposes.
(See first part for disclaimer, notes, spoilers, etc.)

Pt 5: "Ninety-Nine Percent"

Gregory sits at the desk in his San Francisco hotel suite. The TV hums quietly in the background and a 24-hour news channel recapps the day's news. The phone balanced precariously in the space between his head and shoulder as Gregory impatiently listens to his associate going off on some tangent. "No, no! Those were not the terms of the agreement. Get the negotiations back on track, otherwise I'm holding you personally responsible. Don't call me back until you've fixed the problem!"

Gregory slams down the phone and rubbed his eyes tiredly. The whole point of coming to San Francisco was to handle these negotiations and close the deal. He was scheduled to fly home tomorrow afternoon, but with this business deal on the verge of collapsing…Coward, he accuses himself. You aren't going home because you still don't know how you are going to deal with "the Casey problem."

At that moment, the phone's shrill ring pierces the silence and with a sigh of resignation, Gregory picks up the phone. "Richards."

"Mr. Richards, it's Stanton."

"Stanton! It's about time you called. Did you get the tests done?"

"Yes sir, I did. It wasn't easy, but I'm holding the results in my hand."

"I trust that this doctor is reliable?"

"Yes sir," Stanton replies.

"Alright. So, what are the results?" Gregory asks with a sigh.

Stanton clears his throat. "They're positive, sir. You and Mr. Mitchum are a match."

Gregory's eyes close and he wearily lowers his head into his hand. "We're sure? This doctor is sure?"

"Yes. Ninety-nine percent sure. This man is your son."

"Alright….Thank you, Stanton. The money will be deposited into your off-shore account within the hour." Gregory places the handset back on the receiver while Stanton offers his appreciation. "Damnit." Within a matter of moments, he decides to return home to Sunset Beach tonight. I need to tell Olivia. I can't wait any longer, especially now that I know Alex was telling the truth. His expression darkens as he thinks of Alex. Another one I need to talk to….Why the hell is she telling me this now? He reaches for the phone and orders the pilot to have his jet on standby. With a promise from the pilot that the skies are clear and that he'll be home in just over an hour, Gregory packs his papers spread out across the face of the desk back into his briefcase. With speed that can only be defined as lightening quick, he packs his clothes back into his suitcase.

What am I going to say to-…How am I going to tell her, he asks himself. Goddamnit Alex, why now? Why now?

Bryan holds open the front door and allows Olivia to enter first.

"Thank you, Bryan," she says, her voiced tinged with melancholy.

"You're welcome, ma'am. Will you need the car anymore this evening?"

Olivia shakes her head "no" and sinks down into the couch with a sigh of exhaustion. "What time are you picking up Gregory from the airport tomorrow?"

"The flight plan filed by the pilot indicates that the E.T.A. for wheels down is 6 p.m." He pauses before tentatively asking, "If you're sure you don't need me-..."

"Go home. How far along is your wife now?" Olivia asks with a small smile.

Bryan smiles broadly and answers with barely concealed pride, "Eight months. Baby Boy O'Fallon should be here any day now."

"Have you and your wife decided on a name yet?"

" 'Patrick Antony,' after our grandfathers."

" 'Patrick Antony O'Fallon'," Olivia says, testing out the name. "He'll certainly know where he came from. Sean was named after my paternal grandfather."

"Was he?"

"Yes." Olivia smiles wistfully. "And he certainly lived up to his name. My grandfather was the kindest person…He died shortly after I came to Sunset Beach." Her eyes close and she leans her head back onto the sofa. "Enough of my ramblings…You go home to your wife."

Bryan eyes Olivia as he recalls Gregory instructions before he left: I want you to keep an eye on Mrs. Richards while I'm gone. Make sure nothing happens to her..."Mrs. Richards, are you alright? If you want, I can wait until Caitlin or Sean comes ho-..."

Olivia's eyes open. "I'm fine. Honestly, I'm fine," she insists as Bryan opens his mouth to object. "I'm just…tired. So very tired. And its been a long day. Go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ma'am-."

"Goodnight Bryan," Olivia says forcefully as she closes her eyes again. She feels his eyes on her for a few moments before he quietly leaves the house and closes the front door behind him. Leaving her alone in the silent house once again.

Silence from the house.

Silence from Gregory.

Silence.

Olivia felt it suffocating her very being and slithering into her body, where it penetrated her soul.

"And no one dared…disturb the sound of silence. Fools, said I, you do not know…silence like a cancer grows …," she sings softly. She reaches over into her handbag and pulls out several hairpins. Olivia runs her hands through her dark hair before gathering it up and pinning it into a somewhat messy bun. She kicks off her heels and lies down on the sofa, pulling the throw blanket over her body. She tucks her hands under her head and thinks back to theA.A. meetings she attended over the last two days.

I know I can fight the urge to drink, she tells herself. I can stay sober and not resort to the alcohol every time a harrowing situation arises. I can do this. I can. Her eyes close again and she drifts into a light slumber.

Gregory walks into the dark and quiet house. He gently touches the dimmer switch on the wall and blinks his eyes as the lights gently come on. The lamps and chandelier glow softly and he sees Olivia curled up on the couch, fast asleep.

Bryan comes in behind Gregory and places the luggage in the foyer. He follows Gregory's gaze to Olivia's sleeping form. "That's all of it, sir. What time do you need me tomorrow?" he asks softly.

Gregory tears his eyes away from Olivia and looks at Bryan. "I probably won't. Consider it a paid day off. Thank you for looking after her."

"It's not necessary, sir. Mrs. Richards is a wonderful person. She's always been kind to me."

"Nevertheless, I appreciate it. My appreciation never goes without reward."

"Good night, Mr. Richards."

Gregory sees Bryan out and closes the door firmly behind him. As he clicks the locks shut, he takes a deep breath. He turns around and walks over to the couch were Olivia is sleeping. He sits down in an armchair across from the couch and simply watches her. The gentle curve of her hip beneath the blanket. The swell of her breast against her shirt. The slender hands that cushion her head. The wisps of hair that fall out of her hastily made hairdo and into her eyes. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest with her breathing. The sparkle of her diamond stud earrings.

He loves everything about her.

He loves her accented laugh and the way it floats through the house like music. He loves the tired smile she gives him when she wakes up in the morning and he is the first thing she sees. He loves the love and pride that shines through when she hugs her children and speaks of them to others. He loves the way she clings to him in the throes of passion and the breathless "I love you" that she whispers in his ear when she lays entwined with him afterwards.

He loves her.

He loves her and he's going to end up hurting her the way he always does.

"Gregory?" a sleepy voice asks.

Gregory looks up and meets Olivia's sleepy blue-gray eyes with his dark ones.

"You're home?"

He nods slowly and watches as Olivia sits up and stretches. The throw blanket falls to the floor as she walks over to him and sits down on his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck and whispers, "I'm glad." She kisses his cheek softly and rests her head on his shoulder.

Gregory wraps his arms around her and leans down to kiss her forehead. "I've missed you."

She laughs softly.

"It's true," he insists. "Olivia, we need to talk."

She sits up slowly and looks at him warily. Oh god…This is it, she thinks to herself. She tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear and slides off Gregory's lap. He stands up and moves to sit in front of her on the coffee table. Olivia takes Gregory's seat on the armchair and tucks her legs underneath her.

Gregory takes off his coat and places it next to him on the coffee table. He removes his tie and lets it fall to the floor as he unbuttons the first few buttons on his shirt. He reaches over and takes Olivia's hands in his. "Liv…Something, There's something-. I learned something recently."

"What's that?"

He sighs deeply and looks down at the floor for a moment. When he looks up again, he sees Olivia's pale face looking back at him. He reaches out and tenderly strokes her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he says softly. "Alex Mitchum came to see me a few days ago."

"About what?" she asks.

Gregory sighs. "She had something to tell me. Something she should've told me a long time ago. And, it's something I should've told you when I first found out but…I had to be sure. I had to be sure, Liv." He squeezes her hands gently, as if that sqeeze could somehow brace her for what was going to come next. "Liv, she told me I was the father of her son."

"Are, Are you?"

"Yes," he sighs. "Yes, I am. I had a private D.N.A. test conducted. There is a ninety-nine percent chance that I am his father." He waits for some kind, any kind of reaction from Olivia. Nothing comes. "Liv," he pleads, "say something."

Her head snaps forward, as if her attention had drifted from him for a moment. "I've had all this time to anticipate all the ways that you were going to tell me about Alex's son. I imagined it at least a dozen different ways but-…"

"What are you talking about?"

"…I never imagined what my reaction would be," she concludes.

"How did you know? Did Alex say something to you?"

Olivia shakes her head. "I was there. In your outer office. The door wasn't shut all the way."

Gregory stares at her with a look of pure shock on his face. "My god, Olivia…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He tries to pull her into an embrace, but she resists. "What?" he asks.

"I've been on a roller coaster of emotions this weekend. Everything from shock, to sadness, to anger, to depression. I doubted myself and for the first time since Sean's accident, I've wanted to drink." She pulls her hands out of Gregory's grasp and wraps her arms around herself in an act of self-comfort.

Gregory rests his elbows on his knees and lowers his head into his hands. "Did you?" he asks after a moment as he looks back up at her.

She shakes her head. "I wanted to…god; I wanted a drink so badly I could taste it. I got into the car, prepared to go to some bar but I ended up at that church on Palm Way. They have nightly A.A. meetings…I've gone to two today."

"I'm proud of you, Olivia." He reaches out and touches her knee. "Very proud."

"I didn't do it for you," she whispers. "I did it for myself."

"I know. I know." He clears his throat and asks, "Why didn't you confront me with Alex's accusation when I came home that night?"

"Because," she sighs, "I needed to trust you. I needed to trust that things really have changed and that we are going to work through our problems together. I needed to trust that you would talk to me."

"I do, Liv…I do. I just couldn't bear…to see you in pain and know that I caused it. We both lived with that for too many years and we can't go through that again."

For a brief moment, something sparkles in the corner of Gregory's eye. He reaches up to swipe the tear away but is stopped from doing so when Olivia grabs his hand. She raises her other hand and gently wipes the tear off his face.

"Together," she whispers. "We do this together." She squeezes Gregory's hand softly. "Together."