Author's Note: About a week after the last chapter.

"What are you doing?"

Colin looked up quickly to see his girl sitting up in bed. She looked beautiful, with her blond hair tousled and her eyes still heavy-lidded. The blanket pulled up to her chin made her look small and delicate.

"Just looking at some shots," he said, putting the pile down and walking over to the bed, "Did I wake you?"

She smiled and nodded, leaning back with a giggle as he tried to steal a kiss from her. "Colin!"

"What?" he asked, drawing back with an answering grin.

"Couldn't you sleep again?" she asked him, dropping the humour for a more serious worry. "Is something wrong?"

He debated telling her. But for what? Just so she could be disgusted or worried? Just so she could feel cheated? Just so he could ruin whatever it was that they had? "Nothing," he promised her, "You?"

"No, nothing," she protested, "I just woke up and saw you sitting there. I thought something was wrong, maybe that you were…" she looked a little uncertain, "Upset with me?"

"With you? Oh, Suze. Would I ever be upset with you? You're my girl, remember? Forever and ever."

"Forever and ever," she sighed, grabbing his hand with a cheeky smile.

Forever and ever… a bad choice of words, perhaps. "Suze, we should go see Henley tomorrow. Tell him that you aren't going back there." She looked terrified and Colin's heart twisted in his chest. Just what had she suffered with that old queen? "What happened, baby? Tell me."

"Nothing happened, Colin. I just… I don't want to see him. He- I was so unhappy. And I only wanted to go home but I couldn't. I made such a mistake and I can't face him, Colin, I just can't."

"Okay. Go back to sleep, Suze. It's okay. I'll do it tomorrow and you can stay with Cool until I come back."

He petted her until she went to sleep, smiling slightly as he murmured soft words for her and her alone. She was so damaged, so broken. But still so innocent. Or was she? Was she really the innocent girl she'd once been? Maybe not. She didn't seem to be quite what she once was, in spite of all the sweetness. She didn't talk about money so much any more, or about all the exciting possibilities in the world. She didn't have that habit of charming her way into everything any more. She was thinner and leaner with lines in her face and shadows in her eyes. Maybe she hadn't been hurt physically, but she'd had to grow up.

Just like him.

The innocence was gone.

And it hurt to see her like this. To hold her close and know the only person to blame for all it was Suzette herself. She'd made her choices and now she couldn't face them. Colin didn't have the heart to force her. So he sighed and let her sleep and when the morning broke and the rain stopped, he dressed and made his way to Henley's elegant pile. The man that opened the door wouldn't let him in until he mentioned that if Henley didn't speak to him, he'd go to the press and tell them all about his part in the recent race riots in Napoly.

The door was slammed in his face but opened again less than twenty seconds later, with the butler giving him a deadly glare as he coldly invited him in.

Henley was in the drawing room. He was sitting on the couch, sipping on a cocktail with his lips pursed in disapproval.

"Bit early for a drink, 'ey?" Colin remarked.

"What do you want?" Henley asked, ignoring anything else in favour of getting this person that he disliked so much out of his life.

"I just came to tell you that Suzette is with me and she's staying," Colin told him firmly, "She wants out. She'll sign divorce papers as fast as you can get them."

"I suppose she wants a lot of money," Henley sighed, looking thoroughly bored with the situation.

"We don't want your money, Henley. We just want to be free."

"Really?" The man looked his sudden pleasure. "Well, good! Will that be all? I am expecting a guest."

"Sorry, Henley," Colin grinned, "Can't stay. Got a whole new life to plan with my Suzette." He was almost out of the door before he stopped and turned, a black look replacing his previous good humour. "Tell me one thing- did you know about Vendice's plans?"

"No, I did not. I can't imagine he had any part in such a reprehensible act. I was most displeased with the whole affair." Henley looked righteously irate. "A terrible thing to happen."

Colin levelled a measured glance at him. "If that building plan goes on, we'll fight it."

Henley smiled. "You don't even own your own apartment, dear boy. How can you fight anything? You're not a useful member of society. You are too young and far too impetuous. You have no steady job, no family connections, no social or political contacts and no impact at all that is sufficient to make any kind of statement that does not involve your fist and someone else's face. Just what do you imagine you could do?"

Colin didn't reply to that. He left. He wouldn't trust himself not to use his fist and Henley's carefully manicured face. But he would not give the bastard the benefit of the doubt. It wouldn't be right! He would be mature and walk out. He could get his revenge later.

He was standing outside against a tree, hands stuffed in his pockets as he drew deep breathes of fresh air, when the familiar whine of an engine went passed. He looked around quickly, peering around the tree. A familiar car, indeed. With a familiar blond-headed figure leaving the car. A familiar man that pulled off his driving gloves and walked a little too fast in that fluid way of his to hand a redheaded woman out of the passenger seat.

Colin felt his chest tighten in that familiar way and wondered just how long he had been furious with Vendice. Or Dido. Or the both of them. Certainly it was more than just the recent betrayals. It had to be. Because none of his feelings felt as if they had changed since he had first met them.