Nikki Hunter rolled over in her bed as the sunlight began to fill her bedroom and pulled the covers over her head.
"Mommy, wake up," her three year old daughter said as she jumped on the bed.
"Abby, sweetie let mommy sleep for a few more minutes," Nikki said but her daughter just continued to jump on the bed.
"Abby non importuna il vostro mama," a woman said as she entered the room. Nikki recognized the voice as belonging to her house keeper and sometimes nanny Carlotta.
"Thanks Carlotta, but I'll take care of this," Nikki said getting up and grabbing her daughter and starting to tickle her.
"Mommy, stop it!" Abby shrieked in laughter.
"That's what you get for waking me up," Nikki said joining her laughter.
"Uncle Bruno's here!" Abby said suddenly as she heard the front door of their apartment being opened and Nikki hurried after her.
"Hello my little butterfly," Bruno said as he picked Abby up into his arms.
"Good morning, Bruno," Nikki said watching the two of them together. It made her sad to see how close her daughter was to their bodyguard because it was the sort of closeness that her daughter should have had with her father.
Abigail Nicole Oliver looked so much like her father it was scary. She had his eyes, his nose, his ears, his hair. The only thing she got from her mother was her smile. It was hard to believe that so much time had gone by since Tommy's death. Nikki wondered if it would ever be safe for her and her daughter to go home. It had been three years and so far no one had come looking for them. Nikki wanted so much to be able to contact her parents and Tommy's parents to show them how beautiful her daughter was becoming but it was a risk Nikki wasn't willing to take. Not until she was sure that it was safe.
"Earth to Nikki," Bruno said.
"I'm sorry were you talking to me?" Nikki asked snapping back to reality.
"You seemed like a million miles away," he told her.
"I was just thinking about my family and how long it's been since I've seen them," Nikki replied.
"You have been here in Italy for three years and no one's come after you, maybe it's finally safe for you to go home," he said.
"Getting tired of looking after us?" Nikki asked smiling.
"No, when your godfather contacted me and said that you needed help I knew that it might be for sometime, having you and Abby in my life has been wonderful I feel more like family than I do a hired hand," he informed her.
"Oh Bruno I don't think of you that way, your not just a hired hand you are family," Nikki told him.
"Yes but perhaps I could contact Rex just to see what I can find out about this man that you ran from all those years ago," Bruno replied.
"Maybe it couldn't hurt, I would like for Abby to meet her grandparents and Thomas' parents don't even know she exists," Nikki said.
"Will you be ok if I leave for awhile?" he asked.
"Yes, don't worry we'll be fine," Nikki told him as he left.
"Abby are you dressed yet?" Nikki said going to her daughter's room where she found her dressed and ready thanks to Carlotta.
"Grazie, Carlotta," Nikki told her.
"Volonta del Signorina state avendo bisogno di niente altro?" Carlotta asked.
"No, Carlotta, grazie," Nikki replied.
"Do I have to go mommy?" Abby asked.
"Yes you do, mommy has lots of classes to teach but if you're really good maybe Bruno and I will take you for some ice cream after school," Nikki told her.
"Can we invite Maria?" Abby asked referring to her best friend who lived next door.
"Sure, if it's ok with her mother," Nikki said.
An hour later, after dropping Abby off at her preschool Nikki stood in front of the mirror in her studio where she taught dance classes practicing a few moves.
"Sembrate bei come sempre," a man said as he stood watching her.
"Oh hello, Vincenzo I didn't see you there," Nikki said as she stopped dancing.
"I didn't mean to stare, I was just hoping you'd join me for lunch," he said.
"You know I can't Vincenzo," Nikki told her.
"And why not, your not married," he said.
"Maybe not but I'm still very much in love with my daughter's father," she told him holding up her hand and revealing the engagement that she never took off.
"Tell me, how long with you continue to mourn this man, he is gone but you are not don't you wish to find love again?" he asked.
"All I care about is raising a happy and healthy daughter, now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to work," Nikki told him.
"I've never liked that guy," Bruno said entering the dance studio.
"He's harmless," Nikki said with a smile.
"I made that call to your Godfather in America," Bruno told her.
"And what did you find out?" Nikki asked.
"I'm not sure how to tell you this," Bruno began.
"Tell me what?" Nikki asked.
"Apparently a very rich man in the United States has hired several investigators to find you," Bruno revealed.
"What rich man?" Nikki said growing pale.
"Anton Mercer," Bruno said and Nikki felt her body going numb.
Flashback toThree Years Ago
"Hello?" Nikki said picking up the phone in her London office at Mercer Industries.
"It's me," Haley said.
"Oh hello Haley," Nikki replied.
"I just wanted to call and see how you're doing," Haley told her.
"I'm fine, work keeps me pretty busy," Nikki answered.
"When are you going to come back to the States, it can't be good for you to be all alone there, why don't you consider coming here to Reefside," Haley said.
"I can't come home Haley, going home is like admitting to myself that Thomas is really gone and I can't do that, not yet," Nikki told her.
"That's actually the reason I was calling, Tommy's parents are giving up the search for him and they want to have a service in his honor, they were hoping since you were his fiancée and all that you'd be willing to come home," Haley explained.
"No they can't, they can't stop searching not yet!" Nikki yelled.
"Nikki I don't want to accept it either but there's just no hope that anyone could have survived that explosion," Haley replied.
"You tell Thomas' parents that they can give up if they want but they'll do it without me," Nikki said hanging up the phone.
A few hours later, Nikki sat in her office still working. It was past time for her to go home but she couldn't get the phone call from Haley off her mind. She felt bad for hanging up the phone but how could she tell Haley the news that she couldn't fly home because she was very pregnant and her doctor had told her that flying was out of the question. Her pregnancy had been very stressful with Thomas being gone and the stress had only gotten worse once she learned that he had supposedly died on that island along with Anton Mercer.
"Hello Nicole," a voice said.
"Anton?" Nikki whispered in disbelief.
"Surprised to see me?" he asked.
"You're supposed to be dead," Nikki said still sitting behind her desk.
"I know but as you can see I survived," he said.
"What about Thomas, did he survive?" Nikki asked.
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but Tommy didn't make it, he sacrificed himself to help me get off the island, you should be proud of him," Anton replied.
"I don't believe you," Nikki replied.
"That's just your grief talking but you and I were dating long before Tommy Oliver came on the scene, we could be that way again, I know your hurting but I can take care of you, I can give you the life that Tommy never could," Anton said.
"We were never dating, I never had any interest in you other than professional, and Thomas has given me more than you know," Nikki said trying to remain calm.
"Damn you, will you just forget about that boy, he's dead," Anton said growing pale.
"Get out; I want you out of this office now!" Nikki shouted.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Anton said as he changed form right before her eyes into a monster that could only be described as hideous.
"Oh my god, what are you?" Nikki asked growing afraid.
"Now look what you've done, I'm afraid I'm going to have to make sure you never reveal what you've seen," he hissed as he lunged towards her. Nikki got out of the way as fast as she could and he crashed into her desk. She wasted no time in using her self defense skills to catch him off guard and ran. She didn't look to see whether he was coming after her.
"And that's when you contacted your godfather and asked him to hide you away," Bruno said after Nikki finished her story.
"Yes, I left a message for my secretary asking her to write a letter of resignation for me, I packed as many things as I could cleared out my bank accounts and eventually ended up here," Nikki said.
"I've been looking after you for all these years and I promise no one's going to come near you or Abby, I will die before I let that happen," Bruno said.
