A/N: Someone reviewed. lol, thank you very much. I hope you'll keep checking back to the story to see what happens. As far as I know, Rex's last name IS DiMera, and I doubt I'm wrong but ... I guess you never know with these soaps, eh? lol. For other readers, PLEASE READ&REVIEW!

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A very quick moment passed before Mimi walked (bordering on stomping) to Rex and turned him around by the shoulder, cutting his options short.

"It is you, then." she said, staring at his face and knowing without him saying anything that he was seriously doubting showing up. She tried so hard not to smile, but her already-open mouth curved up into an unsure, but happy grin. "Well wha- I mean ... why are you here?"

He took her hand off his shoulder and for a moment Mimi was filled with the dread that he'd drop it and treat her to that same heartbroken look he had given her before he left. But her fears were quieted and she was left shocked as he clasped them with his own hand and lowered it, but didn't break the connection.

"I ... hey, you don't mind if I invite myself into your house, do you? I'm not a fan of hallway conversations."

"Oh, oh, no! Not at all. Please, come in. I forgot for a second." She walked backwards and grasped the doorknob with her free hand, opening it wider so the both of them could walk in. As soon as they did, Rex did let go of her hand. She looked down at her empty hand and tried to hide her disappointment as she turned around and waited as he closed the door behind him. She took another second to decide how to react to this and turned back around and crossed her arms in a lame attempt to look cool and casual. "So, what brings you back to Salem?"

Rex put his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders slightly, and memories flashed through Mimi's head as she remembered how he could be so shy and sensitive and how he was having one of his moments where he really didn't know what to say without embarassing himself.

"Well ... I guess ... okay." He took his hands out of his pockets and took a few confident steps towards her. "I've had a lot of time to ... to think about what happened."

Mimi nodded, bracing herself for the worst and the best. Whatever came her way. She just hoped whichever it was, she didn't cry. She hated herself for thinking that, but she did.

"And I had time to ... well, soul search, if you will. I kept thinking about what you did, and why you did it, how I thought I felt about it. And ... you know, it still hurts." he said earnestly, looking at her with big eyes that showed more than his words ever could that he really was affected by it.

"Yeah." she choked, almost inaudible, with her palms together and at her nose. She was obviously anxious and close to tears.

"But ... even though what you did hurt me. All that time away from you made me realize that being without you hurt me even more."

Mimi's mouth opened into a small O as she lowered her hands and began to whisper "Rex ..."

"So ..." he took another step to her and took her lowering hands in his own and rose them to his lips. "Mimi Lockhart ... I'd like to give us another shot."

As he closed his eyes and kissed her hands, Mimi looked at him and looked past him at the door with a frightened look in her eyes. Rex was back, and she wanted him more than ever, but what about Shawn? What about her marriage?

Her baby?

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As Shawn stepped out of the elevator, he shuffled his feet as he reached his door. Mimi was still upset over what had happened with Belle and he wasn't very eager to enter to face her women's wrath as she'd enquire whether or not he had seen Belle on his way to the postbox.

But, as a matter of fact, he had.

"Belle," he had said, looking at her bemusedly as he approached the blonde at the bench. "Hey."

"Oh, hey ... Shawn." said Belle uncomfortably, smoothing out her skirt as a way to do something with her hands to try and distract herself.

"Um ... how are you?"

"Been better." she said, a thin smile on her lips and nodding. She lowered her eyes and turned her head to look the other way.

"Yeah, I can definitely understand that." Shawn laughed slightly, almost in relief. "And uh ... Philip?"

"He's good. At home, sleeping in."

"Oh, yeah, that's ... that's good! Still the big sleepyhead, huh?"

"Yep." she said, smiling but not looking like she meant it at all.

"Well, I ... guess I'd better go. I was just supposed to mail these letters and ... it would be weird to be late from that with empty hands." He said, sucking his lips in and raising his hand as a goodbye gesture as he turned to leave.

"Yeah, if you had groceries or something I'm sure Mimi wouldn't suspect that you've been with me. As much, anyway." said Belle, almost bitterly.

Shawn paused, then turned around and walked back to her. "Look, I know Mimi can seem ... hostile." he said, trying not to use a word that girls would normally say. "But she's only protecting our marriage, and ... she just has a bit of a hard time convincing herself that a guy could really love her, after Rex ..." his words faded, not wanting to bring up Mimi's hard past. "She's just careful, that's all. She's having a rough time and just needs time to let her soak in everything ... she means well."

"I know that, Shawn." Belle said, almost desperately. "But the things she said to me ... some of it may have been true, but the way she ..." she shook her head, sliding her hand on her forehead and down her cheeks in fatigue. "I guess I can't blame her. We did kiss." He looked away. "But sometimes the reason behind actions are more important than the action itself, you know? I mean, I just ... I wish she'd understand. It's hard to let go of people you used to be in love with."

He looked at the door handle with a shake of his head. He'd have to try and coax Mimi into relaxing, maybe taking a nap or a hot bath. She didn't need the stress, and neither did he. He had just opened the door in time to see Mimi looking over the shoulder of a man he couldn't recognize from the back. He let go of the door and stood there, staring at his wife being kissed on the hand by some stranger in his own home.

"Shawn," said Mimi, looking at him with guilty eyes.

Rex opened his eyes and looked at her. He straightened and turned around to see a surprised Shawn smiling painfully and scoffing in disbelief.

"It's hard to let go of people you used to be in love with."