After putting Lucas in the shower and getting him ready for bed, she was tired. She tried to go to sleep next to him but something kept nagging at her. He told her that he had a plan. He was scheming something and he didn't want a divorce! It had to be more than their scheme of reuniting Austin and Carrie because he would have wanted her advice. Carrie told her repeatedly that Lucas loved her, like it was obvious, and so had her mom. Even Alice was under the impression that their marriage was some romantic dream, and no one ever fooled her.

On the plane ride he told his grandmother that he started changing his mind about her after he kissed her. And that certainly had been the start of many more kisses between them. Was it possible that Lucas was scheming to win her heart just as she was scheming to win his? Was he just as apprehensive about telling her as she was telling him? Was that what the past few days of pent up frustrations meant?

She turned over to talk to him, but he was sleeping off whatever drugs that he was on. She checked his forehead for signs of a fever, and his face moved slightly to face her hand. When she pulled her hand back, she started playing with his hair as he slept. He looked so innocent sleeping. She confessed to him what she was figuring out, "I love you, y'know. I was so scared of my feelings for you because you make me feel out of control and part of something bigger and scarier. Since I've known you, you had this power to make me feel unbalanced. I was so messed up and afraid of feeling out of control. SO in the past I ran to others who could never make me feel anything. God if you try to leave me now, I just don't know what I'll do! I love you, and it's not the love you this moment then forget you tomorrow type of love that I always thought of as love. You are part of me. I might die without you right here beside me; I love you and I need you to love me."

His features never changed. He looked a little more boyishly happy in his slumber, almost like he was having a good dream. She shouldn't have expected him to show comprehension since he was in a drug induced sleep, but when she felt his arm go around her, she wished that she told him when he was awake.

But the statement 'Not until my plan works' kept running through her dreams. So she assumed that she was still dreaming when a nicely dressed Lucas kissed her forehead and said, "Sweetheart, get up. You have to get ready."

She lazily asked him, "Where are we going?"

He pulled the covers down a little and held his hand out to help her stand before he said, "You know I love torturing you with surprises. So come on, get dressed. I'll bring up some tea with honey."

She nodded her head and started to get up. He left the bedroom as soon as she started moving.

It wasn't until she dressed in one of her new outfits, a nice sweater and a pair of jeans, that she started to wonder what he was up to. As if she conjured him back with her thoughts, he appeared back in the room with the breakfast tray. He apologized, "I had trouble finding the kitchen and tea bags are 'reserved for English guests.' They had to find the storage area. Anyway here."

She took the cup but said, "You didn't have to go through the trouble."

He answered her automatically, "You hate coffee. You only have it in your house because I drink it."

She corrected him, "Our. And thank you."

He gave her that sexy half smile before he told you, "You look. I don't know. sweet today." He thought that he might have just insulted her so he quickly added, "Sweet but beautiful as always."

It was her turn to smile. There he went covering up for himself for being nice, like it was a sin. She asked him, "So what are your plans for us today?"

He wasn't going to tell her everything but he said, "Sightseeing. Alone. We'll reunite Austin and Carrie tomorrow." ~*~

Meanwhile Austin woke up completely disgusted at how he smelled. He showered, dressed, and slowly started to feel better after securing a big breakfast. He was on his way back to his room when he overheard Greta and presumably Nathan loudly discussing the wedding.

Nathan showed Greta the newspaper and asked, "Did you see today's headlines? Virginal Princess had Foursome with Three Americans!"

She replied, "Give it a rest Nathan. You know nothing happened, other than me drinking a lot of coffee, as usual."

Nathan asked her, "Do I?"

Greta pointed at the pictures and said, "He's married for goodness sake, or am I a temptress out to steal a man's husband too?"

Nathan picked up another headline that might very well have said just that. Greta said, "It will look awkward if we push up the wedding date, don't you think? Do you really want to marry me as the world thinks that I'm hiding something?"

Nathan told her quite determined to have his way, "It will squash the speculation once and for all, and the wedding will be over with. You will stop fretting over everything and let yourself relax. I can't think of a better reason not to just have the wedding today."

Greta stopped talking for a moment and just thought about how stupid she felt seeing Eric last night. He touched her arm for the briefest moment and she almost forgot that she was helping Austin walk to the car. She blinked away her thoughts of Eric and answered, "We can call the services. If we can arrange this earlier, fine."

Austin heard enough. He understood that Greta was just pressured or bullied into pushing up the wedding date. He also knew that he needed reinforcements if he was going to talk Greta out of this, so he walked across the street to get Eric, Alice Horton and the rest of Greta's friends. ~*~

Lucas and Sami walked out the door waving goodbye to Carrie. Carrie was still in her nightgown and drinking a nice warm cup of hot chocolate when Lucas and Sami descended the stairs, locked arm and arm. They looked so happy and in love this morning. Part of Carrie was jealous that Sami was getting a second chance at love. Carrie fiddled with her necklace, which now held her old promise ring from Austin around her neck. Paris must have brought back some repressed memories for her and Austin. But she refused to be a downer about love. Maybe if she was lucky she'd be in love again. She called out to the happy couple, "Have fun today lovebirds."

Sami was thrilled at the idea of someone saying lovebirds to her. Lucas told Carrie, "Call if there is an emergency."

Carrie nodded her head and they left. She settled back into her comfortable chair when she heard a bang on the door. She assumed it was Lucas and Sami, forgetting something so she opened the door without fixing her robe. She was shocked that Austin was there.

Austin couldn't stop his eyes from looking Carrie up and down. She fixed her robe uncomfortable with his gaze and apologized, "I thought you were Lucas or Sami."

Austin asked in shock, "You wear that in front of my brother?"

Carrie was fully dressed in a nightgown that was more than suitable to hang around her grandmother's house in the dead of winter, not some sexy negligee. And she was not found of the accusation when she rebuked him, "You lost your rights to criticize my attire a long time ago."

Her hands started inching up to her necklace. She had to put the ring inside the robe. But he saw what she was doing and focused in on her ring. He asked her, "Is that the ring that I gave you?"

Carrie sighed. It would figure that her lapse into nostalgia would produce a disaster. She changed the topic and asked, "What are you doing here?"

He wanted her. He forgot how much her presence in a room could make him feel excited with just a smell of her perfume or the sight of her delicate skin. His ex-wife was the most beautiful female that he ever laid eyes on. Beautiful, smart, sweet, gentle and unfaithful. He had to force himself to remember the last part. She betrayed him in the most biblical form of betrayal for a wife. He tried to hold onto that memory and not look at her. He looked into the house instead of meeting her eyes when he said, "I need to see Lucas or Eric."

Carrie opened the door a bit further before she said, "Lucas went out for the day with Sami. I'll go see if Eric is around here or not."

Austin nodded his head and watched Carrie walk up the front stairs. Her hips swayed just as they always had, and Austin felt this strong sense of remorse come over him. He still wanted her and that hurt his pride. No man in his right mind would lust after a woman who betrayed him.

A few minutes later Eric came down the stairs alone when he asked, "What's wrong with Greta?"

Austin answered, "He just pressured her into moving up the wedding date."

Carrie came back down the stairs dressed for day when she heard Eric ask, "When?"

Austin replied, "Today if it's possible."

Eric started to walk across the street in his sweat pants before Austin told him, "You're not allowed entrance? Nathan gave the order to shot you on sight."

Carrie asked, "Well what can I do to help?" ~*~

Sami followed Lucas to the Eiffel Tower. She explained to him, "I've been to Paris before."

He turned around and asked her as he put his arms around her waist, "Have you ever actually gone inside the Eiffel Tower and looked around or were you too busy to look around?"

She couldn't answer him when he put his arms around her like he was. She stopped breathing when he touched her. He looked so handsome today, and he was only wearing slacks and a button down shirt. She finally caught her breath enough to answer, "No I never actually went up."

He took her arm and pulled her along in a sprint to get to the elevator. She started laughing as she tried to keep up. When they stepped onto the half deserted elevator early in the morning, they were breathless from the short run. As the elevator began to ascend upwards, he leaned down and gave her the sweetest most romantic kiss that she could ever imagine. Every daydream that she had after finishing a romance novel felt fulfilled in his kiss. Her arms went around his neck as she kissed him back.

As the first elevator ride ended and the kiss ended, she told him as she walked to the next elevator, "If your scheme is for a day to ourselves, I might have something to tell you later."

The next elevator arrived as he asked her, "Why would you think I'm scheming anything today?"

She smiled at him. His question was an admission in her mind. She told him, "You told me last night sweetheart. Right before you told me that I'm never allowed to ask for a divorce. You also told me that you loved me."

His head hurt trying to think about what he said to who last night. He slowly asked, "What did you say to that?"

The doors opened, revealing a spectacular panoramic view of the city. She honestly never went up to the top, so the view took her breathe away for a moment. Seeing Lucas with such a beautiful sunny backdrop, gave her a wonderful feeling of happiness. She was living out one of those dream movies, like Sleepless in Seattle, and she had her very own hero standing in front of her. She slowly answered him, "I told you to turn around so I could wash your back.'

He looked disappointed in her. She hadn't meant for her joke about love to cause any disappointment so she confessed, "I made up the part about you loving me. I want to hear you tell me. first."

His eyes were determined, like he wanted to tell her. He backed her up to the handrails before he put his arms on both sides of her to hold her there. His brown eyes looked so deep in thought.

She actually felt little and she was terrified. Why was she afraid that he might tell her what she wanted to hear? She started to answer her own question with because she never felt what she feels for him and if he didn't return her feelings, she'd go numb until she died. She started to tell him, "I'm scared of heights like this."

He put his arms around her waist and settled himself there before he told her, "Sami Brady-Roberts, I love you. I've always loved you."

She was going to cry. She waited so long and schemed over nothing. She replied, "I'm sorry I ruined your scheme of romance and flowers. And I'm old fashioned, it's Sami Roberts."

She hadn't returned his feelings. Part of him was disappointed but another part took pride that she wanted an admission from him. If she wanted an admission, she might love him back someday.

He leaned down to kiss her anyhow, but she put her hand on his mouth and stopped him. She explained, "I didn't finish. I was trying to seduce you because I love you too, and I wanted you to love me too. But I never thought you were scheming for the same thing."

She winked at him like the past couple days were a joke that they played on themselves. Her wink was like a sign that everything was working out. He didn't think it was possible to feel more for her than he already did, but there was truth in her eyes. He couldn't explain his feelings if he tried, so instead he kissed her. He kissed her to stop her from saying something more. He kissed her because he loved her, even with all the scheming. For the first time in his life he felt a part of something, a team, a family. Sami was his wife and she loved him regardless of the past mistakes. He wanted to stay with her forever.