Gregory's kiss on her cheek smelled of rich wine and cigar smoke. Constanza winked at her as her own husband, Tribuno, performed a similar act of contrition. "Men always think that they can disappear mysteriously to talk their business and one little kiss will remove the any feelings of animosity that have appeared in their absence."

"Faccia bella, is this your way of asking for two kisses?" Tribuno teased his wife as he took her by the shoulders. "Or three?" The elegant Senora Ricciardi laughed and allowed him to kiss both of her cheeks. She kept her face austere and Tribuno had to resort to kissing her lips to get her to smile.

"I am sorry to have abandoned you, but my business with Gregory was terribly dull. Dull enough that it would have put you two lovely ladies off of your appetite for dessert." Tribuno insisted as he let his wife steer him back towards the table. As he pulled out her chair to seat her, he watched sternly as Gregory followed suit with Olivia. "And I am told that you, piccola ragazza, have been put off your appetite quite enough lately."

Though she didn't understand the italian phrase, she understood the warm concern in his voice. It was a worry Gregory shared. The two weeks they'd spent in Italy so far had flown by, but her body was running behind. She was midway though her fourth month, when she carried Sean she'd been showing by now. Instead of rounding out her body, her pregnancy was a whisper in her figure that barely stirred her dress as it cascaded down her over her stomach.

The burgundy silk gown was a gift from Senora Ricciardi, who sympathized with their hurried tale of escape. Gregory must have let it slip in one of his visits that they had brought little to wear, and Olivia had absolutely nothing appropriate for a dinner party. Constanza was only too happy to play the benefactor.

Now she clucked her tongue in agreement with her husband as she poured his coffee. "Tribuno is right, you are too little. Gregory must not be feeding you enough." Without noticing her slip in Italian, Constanza continued to tease her. "Una donna incinta dovrebbe emettere luce, irradia la salute e la vita. Siete bianchi quanto la luna di inverno e sottili come le canne nel lago."

Gregory started to chuckle and Tribuno joined in as they enjoyed the puzzled expression on Olivia's face. "A pregnant woman-" He began to translate as he sank his fork into his almond cake, but still laughing, he shook his head. "You're too thin and too pale for Connie's taste."

Feeling a little put out by being the only one out of the joke, Olivia delayed starting her cake and drew a disapproving stare from the overbearing lady of the household. "Haven't you been sick when you're pregnant?"

Tribuno traded Olivia's untouched piece of cake for a much larger one. "My wife has had five of my children, and not only is she never ill, but each time she refuses to take advantage of my good will and even feign being sick. Connie would have had five more if I had let her."

Gregory choked on his coffee and his the coughing turned to rolling laughter as he tried to imagine how much damage Olivia would do done to him if he suggested two more children after this one. Not that she would object to the children themselves, but he doubted her body would stand up to that kind of abuse. The nausea, the headaches, the way her eyes always looked tired when she was pregnant- all of that was something she should be sainted for being so willing to take on once. Asking her again would be cruel. He had enough guilt this time.

Olivia took his hand, wrapping small fingers around his wrist as if she could tell what he was thinking. "I'm afraid I'm not as lucky."

Constanza took the teapot from a neatly dressed maid and filled the cup in front of Olivia. "You've a more delicate constitution, more house-cat than workhorse, and it's nothing to be ashamed of." Her deep blue eyes were strong and steady as she met Olivia's gaze. "I'm just descended from a long line of goat-herders and olive-farmers." To support her words, she held out her hands; tan, worn and roughened from years of work in the kitchen and field. "Tribuno would love to see me be more elegant and refined like his dear momma and Nona Clarastella, but I wouldn't be his innamorata if I was."

Dropping two sugar cubes into her tea out of habit, Gregory stirred the cup before passing it to Olivia.

On the other side of the table, Tribuno took his wife's hand and kissed it warmly. "And I love her for every mark on her hands."

Cole tossed his feet up on the dining room table, drawing a frustrated snort from his father as AJ had to scrambled to pull his pictures away from the dirty shoes. "Be careful where you put those."

Giving his father a nonchalant wave of dismissal, Cole kept his feet where they were. "You'll have the real thing soon enough." He picked up one of the nearest pictures and looked it over. The petite figure of Olivia Richards walked the hallway of the Mayo Clinic, Gregory's arm around her shoulders protectively.

"She hasn't been out of that hospital in three weeks. Gregory doesn't leave her side. It's obvious she's lost the baby." He tossed the photograph back to the table and watched as his father snatched it back nervously. "It shouldn't be hard to drive a wedge between them. Just sweep in and do you charming thing and take her away. Bette told Cate and I that her first miscarriage nearly destroyed her marriage, made her an alcoholic-"

Cole flashed his father a bored smile. "Seems too easy to jump in and take her away, if she's still what you want."

AJ tucked his pictures away, tracing his finger over the blurry picture of the little dark-haired woman he intended to possess. Her face was unrecognizable from the distance his photographer had been at, but his memory filled in the details. "Olivia is what I want, and thanks to you she's free of the parasite he infected her with."

Resting hand on his son's shoulder, AJ smiled at him with a touch of warmth. "I'm proud of you Cole, and I want you to know I couldn't have done this without you."

"It's been interesting." Leaving his chair for a drink, Cole poured one for his father as he remember the sheer pleasure found in Olivia's terrified eyes. The ice clinked together in the scotch as he set it in front of AJ. "I could have done without Caitlin's constant chatter, but she has her purposes when she's not speaking." He winked crudely and licked his lips.

AJ just raised an eyebrow. He would agree that Olivia's daughter had inherited her own share of beauty, but she was nothing on the original. "As soon as Olivia has been properly taken care of, I'll make sure the jewels make their way to you. After all, they are your legacy."

Cole finished his drink and checked his hair in the modern mirror on the wall. Caitlin was dragging him on yet another shopping trip and he gritted his teeth as he reminded himself he was nearly done with this backward little town. "There's a sapphire necklace of hers. Something Gregory bought her a few months ago- It's out of India, nearly priceless-"

Nodding absently, AJ was more than happy to part with the bauble. Once Olivia was separated from her husband, he would give her new jewels. He would buy her clothes and take her all over the world. She would have everything and she'd love him for it. All she wanted was to be taken care of. He hadn't been ready when he was young, but now he was seasoned with time. Tempered with their time apart, AJ knew what to do now.

"It's yours of course." He ran his fingers lovingly over the black leather portfolio filled with his glimpses of her. "Have fun with Caitlin."

The door clicked behind him as Cole exited the apartment. Alone at last, AJ took the photographs over to his desk. He removed a pair of scissors from the central drawer and choose an appropriate shot. The scissors bit hungrily into the glossy paper as they clicked their way through the picture. The image of Gregory parted from his wife, the hand holding hers severed from his body as he fell to the desk in effigy. AJ kept the image of Olivia in his hand as he reached into the breast pocket of his suit.

The silver filigreed bracelet wasn't extraordinarily special. It formed a delicate curve, fitted to the wrist of the woman who wore it. The outside was a simple pattern of twining leaves, but he flipped it over. On the inner edge, tapped out with a careful hand was an engraved message. "To Olivia, brightest star in my heavens, all my love, Father."

Shoving the scraps of photograph away, AJ laid the image of Olivia reverently on the cleared area. Framing the blurry image of her face with the bracelet, AJ remembered taking it from her in her sleep on their last night together. He kept mementos from all of his lovers and she had never asked him about the bracelet. Maybe she had been too heartbroken when he had left that morning and spent the following night in the bed of her friend Elaine, but she had never asked him where her bracelet was.

He'd never give it back, never mention he had it in his possession all these years. His index finger stroked the face in the poorly focused picture. "I'll bring you home Olivia..."

Roger bounced up to get the door and the bags the moment they saw lights in the driveway. Bette caught the door for him and Belle ran out into the yard, tail wagging a mile a minute.

Caitlin dragged herself reluctantly from the sofa. She'd been enjoying the peace and quiet of having her parents gone. Cole squeezed her hand affectionately, he was so supportive of her.

AJ took a slow sip of his whiskey and remained, like a spider waiting to make his kill. He could picture their return now. Olivia's beautiful face drawn with exhaustion and sorrow. Gregory would be biting back his latest stinging remark. They'd drop their bags and barely contain their contempt for each other long enough to get rid of their guests.

Bette's laughter ruined his imaginings. She jumped away from the door and swept her friend up in a excited embrace. "Oh Livie, you look wonderful. Just wonderful, doesn't she look wonderful?"

Olivia smiled softly, reaching for Gregory's hand as he dropped their suitcase to the floor. "It's good to see you too." Belle nearly knocked her over in her enthusiasm and Olivia bent slightly scratch the fluffy brown and white head that rubbed against her knees. "And you darling. You too."

Gregory snuck a hand around her lower back, sharing a smile with Roger. "Thanks for holding down the fort."

Roger grabbed the collar of the St. Bernard and made room for Olivia to leave the doorway. "Anything for a friend." He grabbed a suitcase and shut the front door. "And you've got a whole party waiting for you. The boy and Phebe wanted to be here for you, but their flight back got delayed. It's snowing in Minnesota now."

"We just missed it." Gregory explained with a smile as he released his wife to head to his daughter. "We missed you so much sweetheart."

Caitlin wrapped her arms around her father's shoulders and breathed in the scent of his aftershave. She had missed him too. Without him around, her life had been so quiet. So empty. Now he was back, and he would never leave her again. Not when her mother had lost the baby.

"Now let's get you out of your coat Livie, and you can tell me all about your trip." Bette helped Olivia out of her long black coat, taking the hanger Roger handed to her and tucking the coat away into the closet. Gregory followed suit with his own, and pulled Caitlin into another hug.

Bette's squeal of delight drew the attention of everyone in the living room. Even AJ got up from his chair as the circle formed around Olivia and Bette. "Oh honey, you're pregnant."

Blushing profusely, Olivia pretended not to know what her friend was talking about. "I was pregnant when I left."

"Not like this." Bette teased as she turned her friend around for everyone's benefit. "You were still wearing your own clothes, this is Gregory's shirt-" She grabbed at the collar of the shirt and punched Gregory playfully in the shoulder. "I knew putting you out to stud was a good idea."

"Bette-" Olivia begged her to stop, mortified as her friend drew Gregory's shirt tight across her belly.

"Oh hush Livie, you're gorgeous and you know it. Just look at you." Gregory saw the glow in her cheeks he'd been worried would never come. Roger picked up the change in Olivia's bearing, the way she stood more confidently meant she was starting to feel safe. Bette's excitement came from the swell of her belly that rounded out the gray oxford shirt of Gregory's. "You're just adorable."

Cole realized immediately that Olivia couldn't have been in a hospital, that kind of smile wasn't breed in the disinfected walls of a medical center. Caitlin bit her lip. Her mother had lost the baby. She had to have lost the baby. It was a trick. Her mother's beaming smile was an act.

Suddenly every fantasy she had of a normal life with her father faded out of her head to be replaced by the screaming of an infant. A parasite who would take her father away. A red, grasping creature that demanded everything, and took everything away from her.

While Roger and Bette fussed about Olivia's sudden explosion into the middle of pregnancy, Gregory whispered in her ear. "Who let that-" He struggle to find the proper words to describe the hated AJ. "Into our home?"

Olivia slapped Bette's elbow as she did a mocking impression of the continued growth of her waistline. She leaned into his neck and whispered back. "His son is dating our daughter."

"That doesn't mean he has to be here, now." His discomfort was amusing and she squeezed his hand sympathetically.

For his part, AJ had barely kept his glass off the floor when he saw the way Bette pulled her shirt taunt across Olivia's swollen belly. She was supposed to have come back free of the parasitic infection that was Gregory's spawn. The problem was obvious, his son had underestimated his old rival. He should have seen this coming. AJ set down his glass and pasted a falsely sincere smile on his face. It was time to address this personally.

Olivia watched as AJ took a step towards her. She could feel Gregory tense at her side. She didn't want to watch them fight. It was nice to see AJ again, of course, but her heart was with Gregory. If he didn't want to talk to him, he shouldn't have too.

Sighing suddenly, she let her body go limp. Roger and Gregory's strong arms caught her before she came anywhere near the floor. Fluttering her eyelids, Olivia clung to Gregory's neck long enough to whisper, "Make the most of it."

His amusement flashed in his eyes and vanished the concern. A false fainting spell was brilliant, a real one would have twisted his stomach into knots of worry. Gregory knelt by the sofa and watched Olivia's act. She really was convincing as she blinked in confusion.

Gregory winked to Roger, who fell into the deception without a question. "Don't move, just lie still for awhile love, it should pass soon."

Bette patted Olivia's shoulder sympathetically. "You poor dear, spending all that time on a plane just to be attacked by your own family!" She clucked her tongue sympathetically. "We'll get out of your hair, let you and Man-O-War here recover from your trip."

She grabbed Cole and Caitlin's hands and tugged them towards the door, giving AJ a stern look. "Come on lovebirds, molto sauve, Livingston and I will give you a ride back to the Lich."

Roger gave Olivia another professional look of concern before getting to his feet to leave with Bette. "I'm sure you're all right. We should just give you some space to breathe. Just take it easy, you've got the number for the flat-?"

Gregory nodded quickly as he sat down on the sofa next to his wife, feigning worry was far easier then real problems. "We do."

"Livie, call me, we'll do lunch!" Bette called over her shoulder as Roger caught up to her.

The door shut before Olivia had a chance to reply. As soon as the cars left their driveway, Gregory burst into a deep belly laugh as he leaned down to kiss her. "You Liv, you're brilliant. Just brilliant."

Olivia sat up and shook out her dark curls over her shoulders as she gave him a little wink of pride. "You wanted AJ gone- he's gone."

Putting one hand on her chest, Gregory pushed her lightly back to the sofa as he leaned down over her face. "Do you know why I love you?"

Kicking off her shoes, Olivia bit her lip playfully. "I've got a few ideas..."