"Mom!" Sean ran for her, hugging her desperately, not even noticing that he was sharing the embrace with his father. "Mom, we've been so worried about you. Everyone's been so worried about you. Roger, Alex, Bette, Ethan- everyone's here. We've just been waiting for you to get back."

Olivia let go of Gregory to hug her son again, almost smiling in relief. "Oh darling. I'm all right. They've taken good care of me, your father and the detectives."

"Hey Livie, no scaring us like that." Bette attacked her next, her hands shaking as she wrapped them around Olivia. "I think I'm going to have to dye my hair just to get all the gray out."

"Because there was never any there before." Olivia prodded lightly.

Roger and Alex joined the crowd, still hand in hand. "Did you hear that? She just made a joke." He teased, learning in to kiss her cheek.

"Must be doing all right then." Alex added as she squeezed Olivia's hand.

"Still look like hell." Bette pointed out bluntly. "Danger doesn't do much for the complexion does it dearie?"

Ricardo broke through the knot of people and tried to look stern. "I need Mr. and Mrs. Richards for few minutes, then you can have them back."

Gregory led Olivia through her family, keeping his face neutral, but his relief was obvious in his eyes. Ricardo opened the door and ushered Olivia in. Sean snuck through to catch his dad's arm.

He looked at the floor, chewing his lip in a way remarkably similar to his mother. "Dad, I know we haven't- I mean- you know."

Gregory clasped his son's shoulder, deeply touched by the attempt. "I know and I'm sorry it's been that way between us."

"No." Sean said softly as he lifted his head. "I'm sorry. It's just-" He broke off, shaking his head. "It shouldn't be this hard to say."

"You don't have to say anything son." Gregory was nearly whispering, hoping the sting in his eyes wasn't obvious to anyone else.

"I do!" Sean inisted in a hiss. "I'm- glad you were with mom. She feels better when you're there."

Reaching for his son's hand, they attempted an awkward handshake. "I don't think I could be anywhere else." They held hands for a long second, staring at each other.

"Mr. Richards?" One of the officers interrupted quietly. "We need you now."

Gregory's weak look of annoyance made Sean smile. "I'll be right there." He turned back to his son, studying the man who had taken the place of the boy he knew. "Thanks."

Ricardo waited for Gregory to sit down and nodded for Ruiz to shut the door. "All right. The way I see it we have a few options-"

hr

The cab dropped her off in front of her house. Caitlin went around the back and collected her luggage from the trunk as she paid the driver. Her house was lit up brightly for this time of night and the driveway was full of cars. Including a black and white police cruiser. Cole was dead on, so far he had predicted every response perfectly. She pulled the handle up on her luggage and treked up to the door.

She ran the bell and jumped when a uniformed officer opened the door. "Can I help you?"

Caitlin laughed nervously and gave him an naive smile. "I live here."

Roger appeared behind the officer and nodded. "Aye, she does live her. Welcome home Catey."

Ruiz opened the door and let her inside. Roger took her suitcase and left it by the stairs. Alex, Bette, Sean and Eathn were sprawled out in the living room. All of them were various states of exhaustion. Sean and Ethan actually had a fire going in the fireplace. Alex and Bette had hot chocolate and were arguing about the proper amount of marshmallows.

"We needed some comfort food." Roger explained as he followed her to the hall closet. "It's been a long day."

Caitlin hung up her jacket and cleared her face, putting on an innocent expression. "What happened?"

"You didn't hear?" Bette's voice carried across the room in shock. "I thought everyone heard."

"No, I've been in Paris." Caitlin shrugged and headed for the floor by Sean and Ethan. "My friends from school and I all went for makeovers, as a reward for finishing our summer classes."

Alex and Roger shared a long look that went unnoticed by the young woman. However, Bette was cheerful. "That explains the haircut. Looks good beauty."

Ethan peered up from his marshmallow making. "The outfit's a bit dark for summer though isn't it?"

"Not in Europe." Caitlin replied defensively, trying to decide if Ethan and Sean were actually making smores in the fireplace. "It's the latest from Paris."

Sean answered her question as he blew his flaming marshmallow out and stuffed it between his crackers. "Want one?"

"You're not actually cooking those in the fireplace?" Caitlin stood up to look disapprovingly over the mess they were making of crumbs and chocolate wrappers. "Dad's going to freak out."

Ethan watched his marshmallow turn slowly to golden brown and waved off her concern. "Gregory was already down here. He did one and shared it with your mom."

"He helped Ethan get his technique down." Bette pointed out as Roger snuggled into the couch with Alex. "Turns out they don't have smores in Manchester."

"They don't have smores in the whole country." Ethan explained as he licked off sticky fingers. "Purely a colonial thing-" Sean handed him another chunk of chocolate and showed him how to arrange his crackers. "But I'm getting pretty fond of it."

Caitlin was dumbstruck. Comfort food? Cole's brilliant plan was supposed to be succeding and her brother was camped out on the floor with comfort food. Everyone seemed so relaxed and speaking of her father, where was he? "Where's daddy now? I'd like to say hi and tell him I'm back."

That brought immediate silence. Bette and Alex both looked like they were about to speak, but they differed to Roger. He was fishing a marshmallow out of Alex's hot chocolate, but she pulled the cup away and pointed at Caitlin. As Alex reminded him to speak, Roger turned serious. "He's in San Francisco with your mother. Protective custody."

"Protective custody?" She repeatedly dumbly, waiting for them to explain to her what was going on. Cole was going to be so annoyed. Protective custody wasn't like her father at all. It was giving up. Giving in- what had Olivia done to him? When he had become weak like her?

hr

Ricardo pulled his car up to the marina and shut off the lights. "You're sure this is what you want to do?"

Gregory was already climbing out of the backseat. "I promised." Olivia smiled shyly at her husband and Paula shrugged, silently agreeing not to ask as she got out of the car.

"The marina's closed for the night." Ricardo continued. "How are you going to get your boat out?"

Grinning mischeviously, Gregory took Olivia's hand and started up the dock. "I don't know I should be telling a police officer."

Paula started laughing, leaning back against the hood of Ricardo's unmarked car. "He's going to steal his own boat." She whispered when he looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Maria used to do it all the time, remember?"

The only thing they had with them was one backpack over Gregory's shoulder. Their luggage would arrive at the safehouse in San Francisco without them. Keeping up the appearance of their presence, just as Ricardo had suggested.

Olivia rested her elbows on the railing at looked down at the elegant sailboat. "It's not really stealing is it darling?"

Gregory hopped lightly over to the deck and extended his hand back to guide her. "Of course not. It's ours. We're just taking it without telling anyone that we've got it."

She stepped across, letting him hold her for a moment. Hearing only the quiet lapping of the water beneath the boat.

Gregory tucked her hair back behind her ear with infinite gentleness. "This is what you asked for."

Laughing softly, she headed for the rope in the stern. "I believe all I said was 'take me away'. "

"What's more away then the ocean?" Gregory's hand closed over hers on the rope. "We're going to be so far out to sea, not even that bastard will be able to find us."

She looked up at the stars, wishing she could be as confidant as they were. As steady as Gregory was. "I hope so."

Gregory undid the rope and dropped it to the deck, pulling her close enough to feel her breath against his cheek. "Just you, me and the ocean. We don't even have to come back at all if you don't want to."

Kissing him added to the feeling of youthful rebellion, as if they were running away from time as well. Olivia slipped out of his arms, heading for the next rope with a smile. "Just you will do wonderfully darling. You're all I want."