Chapter 17
'Someone Has Control Issues'

"Coastguard…Prepare to be boarded"

Ethan and Simone froze for a moment as they tried to consider what was happening. "Please tell me that this is not happening!" Complete embarrassment seemed inevitable and resigned to his fate Ethan closed his eyes lay back down and simply gave up.

Simone didn't share his lack of motivation and grabbing him by the lapels of his red jacket she tried to shake him before struggling to get up. "Ethan, I think they are already boarding the boat!" In her panic to stand Simone inadvertently kneeled on Ethan who let out a muffled squawk. "Whoops." Simone whispered embarrassed, "I'm so sorry." Ethan lay back down and closed his eyes and tried to breathe. "Are you ok?" Simone asked cautiously. "Look, you've got to hurry up and get dressed. I think they're already on the boat."

"Damn." Ethan managed to mutter but he still couldn't bring himself to move. Simone got up and grabbed his pants and boots and thrust them at him.

"Come on! Get dressed!" Simone insisted.

"Bloody hell." Was all that Ethan managed to gasp as he fought to catch his breath.

"I said sorry! Please Ethan. We don't have time for this!" Simone protested and tried to hurry Ethan along by helping him on with his pants just as there was a knock on the door. "Just a moment please!" Simone yelled. Turning back to Ethan Simone urged, "Hurry! Help me out here!"

"This is Officer Brooks with the US Coastguard, you need to open the door NOW or we will be forced to break it in!" Someone yelled through the door.

Groaning Ethan struggled to pull up his pants. He had just enough time to zipper and button up before someone broke the door open. "What is this all about?" He managed to ask as he sat on the edge of the bed, removed his eye patch and gave up any hope of not looking like a fool.

"We've been given word that this ship is transporting illegal drugs and we've been given orders to search your ship."

"Pardon?" Ethan asked. Stunned by the remark he momentarily stopped trying to button his shirt. "Could you please repeat that? I'm having a hard time digesting what you had just said to me."

"We've been alerted that this ship has been acting suspiciously and that in conjunction with the anonymous tip that your ship is transporting…" The officer stopped what he was saying to look around, "Where is your captain sir?"

"I believe that he is the captain sir." A man replied with a straight face and laughing eyes while looking at Simone in her Tinkerbelle costume.

"I believe that he is Captain Hook sir." Another man behind the officer laughed.

"Be quiet!" The officer ordered the men behind him before turning his attention back to Ethan.

"I've sent the entire staff to the island for the day." Ethan replied feigning calm.

"Well we'll need you both to step out on deck while we check the rest of the ship sir."

"We'll need to change our clothes first." Ethan drew Simone to his side and put an arm protectively around her.

"I'm sorry sir, but we can't leave you alone in here. We have orders to search the entire ship. Riley here will escort you to shore where you will wait until the ship search is complete."

"Oh Bloody Hell!" Ethan began to protest.

"Ethan, just let them look around." Simone suggested stepping forward to face him. "They aren't going to find anything. You know what this is about. This is Lauren again. Lets not make this worse than it already is."

Ethan turned on the shower and closed his eyes grateful to finally be back on the yacht. He closed his eyes and stood in the shower and tried to put the previous day's events behind him.

They had made it into the police station without incident. They hadn't been arrested they were merely being held, forced to wait until the search was completed. Simone tried to cheer him. Offering to pose for mug shots. Trying to get him to pose for a few. Kidding that this was what a life with her was bound to be like, that they probably would have been able to look back on the whole experience and laugh. To their relief it was only a couple of hours and they were free to leave.

Their relief was short lived; unfortunately the paparazzi were waiting to capture them as they made their way out of police station. Suddenly a man with a camera stepped forward calling out for Tinkerbelle to smile for the camera. Ethan tried to push Simone behind him but he wasn't able to prevent the man from grabbing Simone's bare leg. The guy was leering, obviously goading him on. The guy wasn't even looking at Simone. His eyes were locked on Ethan and they were challenging him to do something.

Ethan was arrested, cuffed and dragged back into the station. The 'victim' was accusing him of assault. He knew he should never had struck that guy…more than once…and in front of the police station…with cameras rolling. Ethan knew that he had been intentionally provoked. He was set up but was his own fault that he wasn't able to rein in his anger fast enough. But as the image of the man's laughing face played back in his mind, Ethan's fist clenched and he punched the shower wall. He was still furious and someone was going to pay, starting with Lauren and the cameraman she hired to grope Simone.

Ethan took his shower and wondered what was keeping Simone. After waiting a few extra moments Ethan turned off the water. Grabbing a towel Ethan stepped out of the shower only to find Simone sitting wide-eyed on the edge of the bath. She held something in her trembling hand and she was stammering, "Ethan, he…he…"

"He? Simone! Talk to me!" Taking her by the shoulders Ethan guided her to her feet and lightly shook her, "Breathe Simone. My God what happened while I was in the shower?" Ethan tried to get her to look at him but she was staring at her hand. Was this some sort of flashback? Taking the object from her hand and tried to make eye contact with her but she was looking right through him.

"Ethan, I didn't notice. I didn't even check and he…he…" Simone's eyes were glazed and she wasn't even focusing on him.

"He? Simone he's not here. He can't touch you." Ethan placed his hand on her shoulders tried to get her to face him. "Simone. Look at me."

"Here? Ethan he's not here!" Simone whispered confused. Suddenly she took a deep breath and growled in outrage, "I'm going to kill him!"

"Simone, you know that I'll take care of this. He isn't going to get away with this. He'll never lay a hand on you again. I swear it. No one will."

"Ethan, he never touched me." Perplexed by his comment Simone looked up at Ethan and really saw him for the first time.

"Simone that guy grabbed your leg. He…He…"

"Oh yeah. That guy. He deserves to die too." Simone replied glibly.

"Too?" Bewildered Ethan looked hard at Simone. He was completely lost. They were obviously talking about two different men. "Simone what are you talking about?"

"Ethan! In your hand! Look at it. The pharmacist slipped the card into the sleeve upside down!" Simone cried in a rush.

"What?" Ethan looked at the packet in his hand. Half of the pills had been consumed. It looked fine to him until he noticed what she was talking about. Turning it right side up he realized what she was saying. "Simone, you've been taking these wrong."

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING!" Simone wailed. "I've been taking the same prescription for years. It isn't like I EVER read it anymore. I only noticed now because I'm starting the third week! The THIRD week! I pulled it all the way out by accident and that's when I noticed. That jerk slipped the card into the sleeve upside down!"

"What does this mean?" Ethan asked sitting on the edge of the tub.

"Oh I don't know? That we're probably screwed." Simone whispered sitting down next to Ethan.

"But we don't know anything for certain. You might not be."

"Yeah. But with my luck…" Simone stopped herself from blurting out what she was really thinking. With her luck they should get ready for twins. They sat in silence before Simone finally replied, "Ethan I'm sorry. I should have been more careful. You know I didn't do this on purpose. The last thing I want to be is pregnant."

"The last thing?"

"Ethan. Babies are sweet but I've never…the thought of actually being pregnant has never appealed to me."

"Never? Well where exactly do you see us going Simone?" Ethan tried not to sound defensive. "I want to get married someday and I want children, preferably my own children. I was hoping that you were hoping for the same things."

"Sure someday." Simone tried to laugh. "There's nothing like a scare to get your future to flash before your eyes in one horrific nightmarish image."

"So being married to me and pregnant with my child would be a nightmare." Angry Ethan got to his feet.

"That's not what I meant. I just meant that it's too soon. We need time. I need time. Someday, maybe…sure, but just not yet, not now." Simone stood up and faced him.

"Well guess what. It just might be now." Ethan noticed Simone's stunned expression and it left him instantly sorry that he had said that. Pulling her close he took a deep breath and tried to begin again, "Look, it isn't like we wouldn't have gotten to this point eventually. So why not now? Now is as good a time as any. It isn't like money is a problem. We know how we feel about each other."

"Ethan, we haven't even technically moved in together yet! This is all happening way too fast." In fact it was Simone's head that was spinning so fast that she thought she was going to be sick. She pulled away from him and sat back down on the edge of the tub so she could sit before falling over.

"Simone…" Ethan began.

"Ethan, please. I just need a moment to myself." Simone refused to look at him. She bowed her head down and tried to keep breathing. He had no idea what to say to make her feel better. Not knowing what else to do Ethan left to have some food sent to their room and to talk to the steward.

Simone heard Ethan close the door behind him. Wonderful, Simone thought, I've managed to drive him away. Grateful to be alone and yet angry for forcing him to leave she glanced over and saw the blue packet lying innocently on the floor. Marching over Simone stood over it and after a moment she clenched her fists and began stomping it into the ground, "Stupid freaking pharmacist! I swear, By God that I hunt you down and castrate you with my bare hands!" She was so incensed she didn't notice when Ethan slipped back into the room.

"Hey," Ethan whispered from just behind her causing her to jump. The scare only made her angrier. "Please tell me that you are still talking about the pharmacist."

"I was. But I can't swear what I'll do if you ever creep up on me like that again!" Simone was visibly shaking and her cheeks were flush with anger.

Ethan wisely stifled the urge to ask her if she were having a bit of a hormonal moment. "We don't know anything yet Simone. You just need to get something to eat and some sleep. Just take a deep breath and try to calm down. You haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon and you are just overtired and stressed Simone."

"Don't you dare say it's not good for the baby!" Simone challenged him.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I just thought you might want this." Ethan spoke tentatively he held out his palm.

"Oh." Simone replied and began to cry. "When did you get this?"

"This is why we had to stop at this island, so I could have the steward collect this for me. It wasn't ready before we left and they had to forward it to the Cambias office here. I was hoping to give this to you at the perfect moment. I don't know what I was hoping for, the perfect sunset or sunrise…something…. but I never dreamt I'd be offering it to you when you were angry at me." Ethan replied quietly as he silently prayed she would accept his offer.

"I'm not angry at you. I'm mostly angry at myself." Simone whispered.

"Still not the moment I was hoping for." Ethan sighed and took her into his arms.

Simone was still holding the ring and tried to wrap her mind around the idea that this was really happening.

"Simone. You're everything to me." Ethan held her close and pressed his face into the crown of her head. "Please say yes."

"But Ethan…" Simone began, the worry in her voice spoiling the moment.

"Look we don't know anything for certain. And there isn't anything that you can do about what we don't know. Just say yes and we can work through everything else later. Just think about us Simone. Just say yes."

Simone pulled from his embrace and handed him back his ring. And for a brief moment Ethan thought he had lost everything and then she held out her left hand. Ethan gave her a hug and then went to start the shower again resolving not to push her and to let the subject of children drop.

Ethan woke with his arms wrapped protectively around Simone. He held her close, spooned to his body his free hand resting on her abdomen. Ethan closed his eyes an envisioned a pulse of energy darting beneath the surface of her skin, dancing beneath the palm of his hand. He wanted this more than he was willing to say to Simone. Please he thought to himself. Please be there. Please be safe. He wasn't planning on this so soon and it upset him that Simone was so unsure but he wanted this so much it filled him with a sense of foreboding. He would do anything to protect her and any child to come. He was willing to live for them, die for them, kill for them, he was on the verge of having everything he had been too afraid to dream of and he wasn't going to lose it.

Simone felt his arms contract around her and sensing something amiss she placed her hand over his. "Ethan, are you all right? Have you changed your mind?"

"No. Of course not."

"Ok, because I was thinking. Ethan you are the only family I have. You have Miranda and Zach, sort of. But really we don't have anyone else that is family. There really should be more of us." Simone turned and pressed her face into his chest and yawned. "Even if we have to make them ourselves."

"Are you sure? We might not be. We could wait." Ethan offered.

In response Simone softly ran her hand along his back toward his thigh. Whispering his name Simone made it clear she lacked any reservations. Drawing her form beneath his Ethan looked down at the woman he loved. She was a wonder to him. She was a miracle. Pausing he took her face in his hands and placed his forehead to hers before kissing her sweetly. She was offering him everything. Everything he'd ever really wanted. And he wanted to offer her something in return. He wanted her to know how much her words meant to him. He ran his hand along the length of her body exploring the soft warmth of her skin. Tossing back the blanket he sighed and bent to kiss her neck trailing kisses everywhere his hand had traveled, kissing her neck, her breasts and pausing at her waist gently kissing just below her navel and then lower until his kisses reached the apex of her sex. He took her hips in his hands and gently raised her so he could kiss her deeply, drawing out her sweet essence, losing himself in the moment until Simone's urgent cries brought him back. She pulled at his shoulders and drew him back over her. He entered her tenderly not wanting to rush the moment, not wanting to break the spell both of them aware what this moment meant. Together they plunged and took that leap of faith placing their lives and their futures in each other's hands.