Roger whistled as he looked at the house, letting his gaze travel up and up. "dn house looks bigger every time I see it."

Leaning on the open door of the car, Gregory looked critically at his own house for a second. "Yours is similiar."

"True." Roger agreed reluctantly. "But mine is a manor, all Gothic stone and vines and ancient history. I even have gargoyles. I'm just a little jealous that you don't have the little beasties."

Tim took the luggage from the back of the car and headed for the door, holding it open for Roger. Both men disappeared into the house.

"Just you and me again sweetheart." Gregory whispered as he leaned into the car, wondering how he should wake her up. "I'll make you a deal. You wake up long enough to get into the house and I'll make sure you get up to bed."

He kissed her, trying to coax her awake as gently as possible. "Olivia."

Sighing without opening her eyes, Olivia ran a hand up his arm, keeping his head next to hers. "Why don't we just stay here?"

"Tempting." He teased, taking in the lavender smell of her hair. "But Tim needs to put the car into the garage and both of us should probably get some sleep." He wrapped an arm firmly around her back as she stood up, blinking in the sunlight.

"When did we get all the way here?"

His heart was liquid. The warmth creeping into his chest was a sensation he hadn't felt in years. When she blinked sleepily and smiled at him, he felt twenty years younger. Timeless and hopelessly in love again. They walked slowly up to the door, he couldn't force himself to hurry when the sunlight glinted in her hair. Gregory stopped her just in front of the threshold. Tim and Rose were taking all of the luggage upstairs. Roger was nowhere to be seen.

She looked up at him with interest, eyes still threatening to close. "What is it darling?"

"Just got lost in thought for awhile." Gregory looked away, his voice trailing off into the afternoon. Impulsively, he scooped her up and carried her over the threshold, laughing as she squirmed in surprise. "Welcome home."

Relaxing into his grip, she rested her head on the inside of his neck as he set her feet back down near the stairs. "You're certainly being romantic." Olivia brushed a stray piece of hair off of his forehead and tried to fight the knot of fear in her stomach. The closer they got this time, the more it would hurt if they fell apart again.

"Things between us have been-" Gregory almost looked like he was about to cry. His voice was rough, conveying the tightness in his throat. "Frankly, amazing recently, and I don't want- I mean I don't think- I can't go back to the way things were."

Hugging him tightly enough to force him back to the wall, Olivia fought her own impulse to burst into tears. "So this is a beginning."

Gregory clung to her, feeling the emotion arc between them and slice into his heart. "I'd like it to be."

It was all she could do to nod. Olivia swallowed, trying to chase the lump out of her throat as he took in the scent of him. "I'd like that too."

Cole reached for the wall safe, it was almost open- Then he heard voices in the hallway and his heart started to race. A man's voice, speaking softly, his voice too deep to be Sean's. He replaced the painting and ran for the door like lightning. His hand was on the knob when the door started to open inward. The voices had reached him.

"Darling it'll do us both good to sleep in our own bed-" That was a woman, she was opening the door with her back to him.

Cole jumped back as if the door had burned him. He looked around wildly and fled through the door that opened on to the balcony.

Olivia tumbled through the door, Gregory's hands catching her waist. She was laughing as she leaned against him for support. Lost in his renewed appreciation for his wife, he missed the figure slinking out along the balcony.

Cole watched for a second through the curtains as they collapsed onto the bed in and held each other. That would be the ruler of the household then, Gregory with the eyes made of ice. He now seemed to have more tenderness for his wife then Cole would have thought possible. Kneeling behind the sill, he had a full view of them through the curtain. He could see Gregory playing with her hair, and hear their soft laughter.

"Darling, sometimes it is all right to just sleep in bed." Olivia's voice cut off as she yawned again. "Later…we have all the time in the world."

"I'll hold you to that." Gregory promised as he leaned down to take off their shoes. Dropping them to the floor made a few soft clunks against the carpet. He was curled around his wife, his arm around her shoulders, protective even when she was safe in their bedroom.

He pictured Olivia's eyes, the deceptive fragility of her smile in the passport photo. Cole looked at his watch, giving himself another three minutes before Caitlin would be confronted. These two were obviously not going to catch him, they both seemed unwilling to move off the bed, but it was definitely to his advantage that they remain.

"Is Roger checking on the kids?" Roger was the Dr. Baxter, the father of the innocent Ethan. Who had given him so much useful information.

"Sean and Tiffany went out early this morning, Rose said they couldn't resist the beach. Caitlin's sleeping. Apparently she and 'Ethan' were up all night. Talking." Gregory didn't sound very concerned, from Caitlin's descriptions of her father, he had expected a more intense reaction. The ruler of house Richards seemed only interested in his wife at the moment. Which, though surprising, was going to prove very useful.

Olivia was the key to the jewels. It was obvious in the quiet lilt of Gregory's voice when he talked to her. Gregory's armor might be perfect, but his feelings for her cut right through to his heart.

Cole had heard enough. Moving along the balcony, he crawled in through the window to the guest room. Caitlin was just waking up. She smiled sleepily at him. "Hey stranger."

He dropped to his knees next to the bed, putting a finger over her lips. "Shh…" Smiling to keep her calm, Cole listened for movement in the hallway. They were alone, for now. "I have a lot to tell you, and I don't have much time. I need you just to listen to me. My life may be in danger. Okay?"

Though confused, Cole's pleas for his life touched her and sent a thrill of excitement up her spine. Caitlin nodded.

"Thank you. Oh thank you. You don't know how important this is for me." Taking her hands, he started his confession. "My name is Cole. I pretended to be Ethan, I swear I didn't mean any harm to him or anyone else. You must be angry, and I'd understand if you never wanted to see me again-"

Dropping her hands he went to the door and listened at it for a moment, giving the impression of his panic. "But if your parents find me-"

"Daddy will kill you." She agreed as she went back to the window. Tim was moving the car into the garage, but no one was around the back of the house. "Drop down to the patio. If you go through the garden, no one will see you. I'll go find them, keep them from seeing you."

Crawling back through the window, Cole stopped and reached for her. "You don't have to do this for me."

"Maybe I'm not doing it for you." Caitlin kissed him, smiling with the thrill excitement his lips brought. "Meet me, tonight. I'll be in the Java Web after dinner. Now go, get out of here."

He dropped into the yard with a thump, keeping down but blowing her a kiss as he disappeared into the garden. Caitlin floated out of the room. Whoever Cole was, he was certainly the most interesting thing to happen to her in a very long time and it didn't matter what she had to do. She was going to see him again. She had a secret and he was gorgeous.

Gregory had never been one for naps. Even when he was as exhausted as he was at the moment, he couldn't get his mind to stop running. Sometimes it felt like his thoughts owned him instead of the other way around. The clock on the bedside table ticked past two pm. Wishing he could fade into sleep as well as Olivia had, he knew he needed to get up and deal with Caitlin. She had either lied to her mother on the phone or been taken in by some kind of con artist. Neither possibility was something he liked. He should have been paying more attention, talked to Caitlin personally, but he'd been out of his mind.

He gave himself another blissful few moments just to lie there. When she was sleeping everything disappeared from her face, all the hurt and guilt that came between them, gone and forgotten until she woke up.

Wishing it were as easy to banish his own guilt, Gregory straightened her out on the bed so her head was on the pillows and sat on the edge of the bed. Watching her sleep made his thoughts drift to his actions. Perhaps he should have just been honest with her from the beginning. Fully confessed his fears for the future, explained how he couldn't leave this world knowing that everything he had ever done was going to disappear. Maybe he shouldn't have drugged her.

But how could he have foreseen the sweetness of the last few days? Olivia's devotion and dependence were an intoxicating combination. He felt powerful when she looked at him with unwavering respect, strong when she reached for him for support. He was weak when he failed her. Petty and selfish when he ignored her. And she still trusted him. She was still here. Already she had taken his subtle hint that he wanted another child and magnified it into a goal.

"I'll learn to trust you. And someday, I hope I'll deserve you." Gregory whispered to himself as he fled the bedroom before his heart got away from him any further.

Roger was waiting for him in his study, feet tossed up on the desk. "Wondering if you'd make it back down."

Gregory shook his head wryly. "I was hoping you'd give up and leave."

"Spoiled that, didn't I?" Roger gestured the chair on Gregory's side of the desk. "Have a seat. I have found our imposter. Needed a little help from the NYPD to find him on the tapes at the airport, but this is the man who pretended to be my son." He tossed the faxed photo on to the desk with a smirk of satisfaction.

"He's attractive; no wonder Caitlin was so quick to trust him." Picking it up thoughtfully, Gregory studied the young man who had infiltrated his home. "In fact, he's rather too good-looking to be a simple thief."

"Right on the nose Richards." Reaching for a stack of papers from the printer, Roger added them to the desk. "He's an international jewel thief, gigolo and all-around breaker of women's hearts. Almost have to admire him. Can't blame Caitlin from bringing him home. He's a professional."

Gregory searched through the extensive Interpol printout. "This Cole St. John has an impressive resume, almost too impressive for Sunset Beach."

"That's what I can't figure out." Roger admitted as he drummed his fingers on the desk. "Not that you haven't spoiled Olivia with an impressive collection, but it's not worth the trip to the states. Why follow Ethan just to get here? What's in your house?"

"Del left Olivia the Deschanel jewels when he died." Gregory explained as he dropped the papers to the desk.

"That would be worth the plane ticket then wouldn't it?" Roger whistled slowly. Watching Gregory's face made him suspicious. "Should I ask why Olivia got them?"

Entwining his fingers neatly, Gregory grimaced at the remembrance. "She got them to get to me. Del's final way to take a stab at us."

"He always did have a thing for her." Roger admitted softly as he turned nostalgic. "Then again, who didn't in those days? She was gorgeous." Jumping out of the chair, he found the picture of Olivia on the bookcase. "Still is."

"She was still in love with me." Gregory explained grimly. "Del tried to get her to run away with him, but she couldn't because she still had feelings for me. Sometimes I wonder just how close I came to losing her."

"No matter how charming Del tried to be, he was probably still a good way off." Roger retorted lightly. "Olivia couldn't leave you. She's too smitten."

"I hope you're right."

"I am." Roger clapped his hands together and changed the subject easily. "Caitlin volunteered to show me around town and let me get to know the city again. I think she wants to hear all the sordid details of your youth, but it seemed like a brilliant idea to me so I've accepted."

"Good," Gregory agreed as he moved to retake his desk. "See what else you can find out about her time with this "Cole" character. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him."

Roger paused for a moment in the doorway. "I'm going to assume you can find something to do with yourself all day?"

"I will manage, somehow." Gregory replied dryly as he straightened the mess Roger had been able to make on his desk. "Have you seen Sean and Tiffany?"

"Sean's in the kitchen. Want me to ask him to pop in?"

"I'd appreciate it."

Roger gave him a quick nod and returned a moment later. "Boy's on his way."

"Thanks." Gregory added as an afterthought. He filed away the papers on Cole, trusting Roger to find out if there was something more he needed to know from Caitlin. He didn't expect this jewel thief to give up after only one night, but the Deschanel jewels were safely locked away in the bank vault. Anything they actually kept in the house could be replaced. He was straightening papers and trying to figure out what his next move would be if he wanted to steal those dammed jewels when Sean came in.

He cleared his throat, not wanting to have to address his father before he knew he was there.

Gregory looked up and managed not to look annoyed. Sean was surprised. "Hey dad, Dr. Baxter said you wanted to see me? You need something?"

His father pointed to the chair and actually smiled. "It's good to see you Sean. Please, sit down."

Sean remained standing, thinking it was all a formality. "When did you get back?"

"About an hour ago." Gregory sank into his chair and actually yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. "Sorry son, it's been a long couple of days."

Sean took the chair and sat nervously. "Caitlin said you had to go out east because your father died."

"Nicholas left a lot of things to take care of." There was genuine emotion in Gregory's voice that Sean couldn't place right away.

"It was nice of you to take mom with you." He admitted begrudgingly. "She misses you a lot when you're gone." Sean refrained from adding that she would have started drinking again with his father gone.

"I needed her with me." His father sounded honest again, it was starting to become unnerving. "It wouldn't have been a pleasant trip without her."

"Where is mom?" Sean asked politely, realizing he hadn't seen her around at in since she had returned.

His father smiled and something went soft in his eyes. "Your mother's sleeping. We didn't get to bed until quite late and we had to come back early this morning."

"Because Cate picked up the wrong guy from the airport." Sean replied. Noting the quiet way his father was talking about his mother. This marked a week of them being on good terms. Nearly a record where they were concerned.

"It wasn't her fault." Gregory explained firmly. "That 'guy' is a professional jewel thief. It's his job to convince naïve young women he's something he's not."

Sean had cringed, expecting a reprimand for insulting Caitlin, but his father continued to clean up his desk. "So what do you want?"

Setting down the papers he was trying to sort, Gregory looked his son in the eye and wondered where he had started to go wrong with the boy. Probably from the moment he was conceived. "I just wanted to see how you were. How's Tiffany? Is she looking forward to the party tomorrow night?"

A week ago Sean would have just walked away, knowing that some cruel dig at his choice of friends was coming. Today there was something different. His father actually sounded interested. Gregory had put down his work and looked at him. Even now, he was waiting patiently for Sean to respond. "Tiffany's in her room. Looks like she got the flu."

"Oh," Gregory sounded disappointed. It was just getting weird talking to him, Sean thought to himself. "Did you ask Roger to check up on her?"

"Yeah, he did as soon as I mentioned she was sick." Sean nodded quickly. "Dr. Baxter said she was fine, just needs to rest for a few days."

"You can call him Roger." Gregory volunteered gently. "He may be my friend, but he's certainly never stood on ceremony."

Sean grew bold and picked up a paper from the desk to see what his father was working on. Wondering how long it would take for Gregory to snatch it away. "Is he going to stay with us for awhile?"

"Roger and Ethan both will until they decide how long they want to stay in Sunset Beach." He watched Sean look over the building statement Roger had left out and handed his son the pile of papers that went with it. "That will make more sense if you look at it in context. All of these pages explain the graph you see on page six."

Sean took them all, and looked at it to see if his father was trying to trick him somehow. There was a graph on page six. It was just too strange. He stood up, dropping the papers to the desk. "Okay, what changed?"

Gregory leaned back in his chair and thought seriously about the question, for once listening to his son before dismissing him outright. "Has anyone ever told you anything about my father?"

Sean shook his head. "Just that he died. Mom mentioned something about him being insane, but she wasn't very detailed about it."

"Nicholas had Alzheimer's disease." Gregory explained softly, looking out the window instead of at his son's rapt face. "But that wasn't why you never met him." He took a deep breath and thought of what Olivia would do. Wondering how she had always managed to connect with this boy.

"We never got along, my father and I." He turned wearily back to his son and sighed. "I know we've never seen eye to eye either, but Nicholas and I were extreme. My mother was always sick when I was growing up, and it was just Nicholas and I. I could never do anything well enough. No matter what happened, I was a disappointment. When my mother died I ran. I ran all the way to California and never looked back."

Sean's gentle eyes looked so much like Olivia's as he took it all in. Why hadn't he noticed it before? "I was still running when you were born." Gregory straightened himself in his chair and really wondered what kind of a monster he had been to this boy. How could he possibly start to undo that kind of damage? Was it already lost between them?

"Sometimes I think I'm still running." He leaned forward to rest his head in his hands. It was incredibly heavy all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry." And he was. That amazed even Sean. He felt bad for his father. That had never happened before, they had never talked. But here they were. Sitting across from each other and his father was sharing things. Things he hadn't even told Caitlin.

"No, Sean I owe you the apology." Regret was the newest surprise for Sean in his father's voice. "I owe you a lot more then that. I don't even know what we have between us."

"Not too much." Sean admittedly softly as he sighed and took his turn at confessing. "I heard you talking to mom."

Gregory stood up and pointed to the living room. "I need coffee." Sean followed him, taking his own cup and staring at it while his father waited for him to finish. "What did you hear?"

"Some stuff I wasn't supposed to I think." He looked up and forced himself not to blush. "You asked mom to start over."

Gregory sank into the couch, taking a long sip of coffee. "I did."

Sean took the plunge and sat down uncomfortably next to his father. "Can I ask why?"

His father leaned back, searching the ceiling for answers. "Honestly?" Taking a deep breath, he almost laughed. "When your mother looks at me, I can actually believe."

"Believe?" Sean repeated quietly.

"That I'm not a monster." Gregory set the empty coffee cup on the table and sighed as he stood up. "At least, not entirely." He gave Sean a weak smile, straightening his shirt and heading for the door.

It was all Sean could do to watch him go, and then he sat there and watching the empty coffee cup. Feeling the world had become entirely surreal around him and no one had bothered to tell him it had changed.