The medical examiner, Warner snapped on her gloves as detectives Torres and Stevens invaded the morgue. "We just got the dental records back but there aren't any missing men with his description in the greater California area. I did manage to get a partial fingerprint-" She opened a drawer and undid the zipper on the long black body bag. "Off his left hand. Had to get down to the last layer of skin to find anything worth lifting."

The nauseating smell of rotting flesh oozed out to fill the room. "If he hadn't have floated around in sea water for such a long time I'd have more for you."

Paula furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully. "How long do you think he was in the water?"

"The supervisor on the construction site, Dennis Garrison, said the pumps had failed on Thursday night, and if our corpse had been there during the day someone would have seen him." Warner pulled free the left hand of the body from the bag, only two fingers remained as more than ragged stubs. She indicated the ring finger and tilted the palm up to demonstrate. "His right hand is gone completely. We're just lucky the scavengers didn't get to all his fingers."

"What does the one print give us?" Ricardo asked as he put his hand over his nose. "Anything match?"

Warner dropped the hand back into the body bag and indicated a manila folder with a shrug as Paula picked it up. "You thought your Richards case didn't have enough publicity before-"

Paula opened it up and bit back a gasp of surprise. "Ricardo, this could be Cole St. John."

Ricardo didn't need to reach for the file to realize his life had suddenly become very, very complicated.

One Ocean Avenue rarely saw as much activity as it had that Monday morning. At seven am the bodyguards switched, Agents Montgomery and Spears trading off with Agents Craig and Sorenson. By eight, Gregory was trying to finish his breakfast with Roger, Ethan and Bette, as messengers from the DA's office started to arrive. By eight-thirty breakfast was forgotten as the mountain of paperwork grew in his study. As district attorney he had three assistants, and each of them handled a bevy of cases.

Even with Laura Fitzgerald helping him sort the state's cases by trial date, he suddenly had a new respect for the system he had tried to circumvent all these years as a defender. The option to deal with all of this in his office in the Federal Building was there, as Laura reminded him as his neatly organized study became an altar to all that was criminal in Sunset Beach.

His suit jacket lay over the back of the sofa, Laura, who continued to insist she was retired and she wanted to enjoy it, had shown up in a t-shirt and jeans. She straightened and kicked the carton of lesser misdemeanors back into the corner. "Mostly D and E felonies, no hurry with that one."

He reached for the carton in the center of his desk only to have Laura grab his hand away. "SV cases, I wouldn't get into those now."

"SV?" Gregory pulled back his hand, noting the term in his mind.

"Special Victims," Laura began to explain with a grim expression, but Rose's quick knock on the door turned them both around.

"Detective Torres is here to see you sir."

Gregory left Laura to the case files and followed Rose out into his living room. Agent Craig opened the front door at a nod from him. Ricardo kept his hands in his pockets as he stepped gracefully in through the doorway. "I'm sorry to bother you at home Mr. Richards."

"I hope for your sake you have news about Mr. St. John." Gregory was careful to keep face neutral. He'd been expecting this visit from Ricardo ever since he had returned to bed with Olivia that fateful morning. Neutral wouldn't be enough to convince Ricardo and in order to tap the emotions that would, he needed Olivia at his side.

"I do," He looked quickly around the living room. "Is Mrs. Richards home?"

Gregory's eyes flashed upstairs and he sank into a chair. "She's asleep."

Ricardo didn't have to feign his reluctance. The last thing he wanted to do was drag the pregnant Mrs. Richards out of her bed to identify the rotting carcass of the man who attacked her. "I'm going to be candid with you, Mr. Richards. We've got a body."

"St. John's dead." It had certainly taken the police long enough to find the body. Every sign of Gregory's presence at that site was gone with the rush of sea water. After a weekend in the water Cole would be barely recognizable as human anymore. He let half a smile slip through his control. "Don't know when I've heard better news. Where ever did you find him?"

"Floating face down at a construction site." Ricardo studied Gregory, looking for any sign of weakness, any trembling of the hands that would give away that he knew more then he was letting on. "Your construction site as a matter of fact."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're getting at." The grin on Gregory's face turned icy. "The construction site is protected by a fence and a rusty padlock. It's designed to keep children from getting hurt. I sincerely doubt it would make a murderer pause."

Sighing as he sat down across from him, Ricardo noted that he hadn't been offered a drink or a seat by Gregory. "As the only person who's seen him, I'm going to need Olivia to come down and identify the body."

"No!" The word was out before Gregory had time to reign it in and he was out of his seat with his response. "She hasn't left the house since she was attacked." The dangerous edge was in his tone now. "Olivia is not going down to morgue."

"I'm afraid it's the only way we can be sure that our body is indeed Mr. St. John. Olivia's the only one who's seen him." Ricardo let himself smile at Gregory's back. That response wasn't orchestrated because for a second he had seen honest emotion. "If she won't identify him, we'll have to put him in the county graveyard as a John Doe."

"She's not even awake yet." Gregory hissed as he turned around.

Ricardo shrugged and held his ground. "Olivia doesn't have to identify him if someone else could. Are you sure you didn't get a look at him?"

Walking past the detective, Gregory opened the door. "No, I'm afraid I haven't seen him."

"I'll expect you and your wife within the hour." Stopping in the doorway, Ricardo suddenly remembered. "Where were you, say early Friday morning?"

It was the kind of smile demons used to lure children in fairy tales. "In bed with my wife, then walking the dog with Roger-" Gregory paused and corrected himself. I mean Dr. Baxter."

"You'll sign an affidavit?" Ricardo knew that threat was toothless. If he'd killed Cole, Gregory would not be caught in some common slip-up.

Nodding as he starting to shut the door. "Both Roger and I will for the hour I was out. As for the rest of the night, I'm certain Olivia will tell you I was next to her the entire time. I'm afraid she doesn't sleep well without me."

"He was in the water for a couple days, I'm afraid it's not very pleasant." Medical Examiner Warner explained apologetically.

Roger took the offered jar of vapor rub and used a finger to put it under both nostrils. He held it up to Olivia with a nod. "It really does help with the smell love."

Gregory's hand went through her hair, smoothing it back against her neck. Olivia did as she was told, but Gregory felt the sharpness of guilt whenever she looked at him.

"It'll only take a moment, you just have to tell us if it's him or not." Warner waited patiently for Olivia to pull together her resolve, but when her hand went to the zipper of the body bag Olivia turned away. Gregory caught her shoulders and held her against his chest. "I know I told you you'd never have to see him again, but he's dead Liv. He can't hurt you anymore."

Letting Gregory wipe frightened tears from her face, Olivia nodded weakly. "I know, I just-"

Roger's hand patted her back and he wandered over to talk to the Warner. They turned their attention to the x-rays and Warner's findings in the autopsy.

Sighing heavily, Olivia bit her lip as she stared at the floor. "What if it's not him?"

Gregory's arms tightened around her and he lowered his head. She was the only one who heard him whisper. "I swear to you Olivia, Cole will never, ever touch you again."

Below her stomach, their baby fluttered and she knew could believe Gregory. Olivia didn't want to know why he was so certain, but it was enough. Turning back to the doctors with Gregory's hands still securely on her shoulders, Olivia cleared her throat. "I'm ready."

She shut her eyes and listened the slow hum of the zipper. Just behind the sound came the smell, the sickly sweet haze of rot. Though it crept up up them, when it arrived it hit like the oncoming wall of a hurricane. The intensity of the vapor rub was a fond memory after the bag was opened. It was if the scent could reach in through her nose and crawl down into her stomach. Olivia swayed slightly, feeling immediately nauseous, but Gregory was solid behind her. She felt his quick intake of breath and realized he was looking at Cole.

Ricardo saw the shock flash across Gregory's face in the wake of the pleasure he expected. Shock quickly gave way to the same concern he'd had since he arrived at the morgue. Gregory's face was entirely unreadable beyond his worry for his wife. He watched Gregory's hands slide up and down Olivia's shoulders as she started to pull back from the table. Roger stood at Warner's arm, looking down at the body with professional detachment.

Olivia opened her eyes on the faces across from her first. The corpse lay just beneath the edge of her vision, but she didn't want to look down. She took a slow breath inward and forced herself not to choke on the smell. Silently grateful for Gregory's insistence that she not eat before she came, Olivia tilted her head down to the body.

His hair was plastered to his head with water and mud, but it had been dark and curly. His forehead was high and streaked with blue rot and peeling skin. Thinking she might actually be all right, Olivia let her gaze continue down. She gasped, putting her hand over her mouth to keep herself from being sick. His eyes were gone, dark holes stared blindly up from beneath his eyebrows where they had been. One of his eyelids was gone and the other hung on as a shred of ragged flesh. One side of his nose was torn away, and his lips had been nearly chewed off, exposing perfect white teeth.

But he had been Cole. The missing eyes were the terrible eyes that lit up with pleasure at the fear in her face. She was sure. Fleeing the sight of him, Olivia turned without seeing anything but the wreck of the corpse's face in her mind. Gregory caught her, pulling her back to him, whispering that it was all right. "You don't have to keep looking."

With her husband's body between her and the corpse, she felt a little better. As if the horrible holes in his face couldn't stare at her with Gregory between them.

At Ricardo's nod, Warner zipped up the bag. "Mrs. Richards, is this the man who attacked you?"

Olivia pulled away from Gregory's chest, but kept her death grip on his arms with her hands. "Yes detective, that's him." The steadiness of her own voice surprised her.

"And you'd be able to swear to that in court?" Ricardo continued as he watched the anger grow on Gregory's face.

Her hand caught her mouth again and she nodded as turned her eyes desperately towards the door. "It's Cole." Gregory pushed the door open and followed her as she fled the morgue.

The back door opened to a parking lot and he stopped her bid for freedom right next to the door. "It's all right Liv. I told you he couldn't hurt you anymore."

She swallowed again, feeling the smell of the morgue cling to her hair and clothing. "Hold me." Kissing her head and folded her hands into his chest, Gregory obeyed.

"I know this was difficult for you, but he's gone now. You've seen him dead-" He continued to rub her back, smiling slightly as he felt the bump of her pregnancy press against him. "I think that'll be better for you."

"He can't hurt us." Olivia repeated as she felt the odd sensation take hold of her. She couldn't remember feeling this way, or what it was that was settling over her. Finally looking up, she let her tears fall on his jacket.

"He can't hurt anyone again, ever." Gregory smiled gently as he noticed Agent Sorenson listening to his earpiece and close the distance to them.

"Detective Torres would like you both to come back in and sign some papers, whenever you're ready of course."

"Of course." Gregory let go of his control and let his relief light his face as he kissed her cheek. "Let's get the paperwork out of the way, I bet you'd love some breakfast."

Olivia took a moment to realize that she agreed with him. Out in the sunshine it was hard to feel bad about anything. They were free now, completely released from the dark cloud Cole had put over everything. The strangling hand in her chest was gone. "You want to go out for breakfast?"

He used his handkerchief to wipe the vapor cream from her face. "Only if you'll come with me."

Taking advantage of his proximity, Olivia kissed his lips sweetly.

"What was that for?" Gregory asked in surprise as he lead her back inside.

"Just for being yourself." Olivia replied with a smile that reassured him. "And for taking me shopping."

He raised an eyebrow and started to chuckle. "We still haven't gone, have we?"

"No," Olivia replied with a touch of a pout. "And I can't keep wearing your shirts, eventually you might want some of them."

Gregory cupped the swell of her pregnancy with his hands and shook his head. "You look better in them anyway. Liv, you are so beautiful-" He returned the kiss, not caring that Ricardo was advancing on them down the hallway. "I think I forget how lucky I am."

"How lucky we are-" Olivia felt the tears sting her eyes again as she realized the baby was moving almost in response to his hands. "Darling, we both are."