"Follow me" Ed said, guiding Holly back inside of the house.

"Can you believe the nerve of that child?" Holly questioned.

"I cannot" Ed answered. "What happened to precipitate your, uhm, accident?" He was trying hard to stifle a giggle

"Accident? Are you kidding me? She tried to drown me!" Holly emoted.

"I wouldn't say that. She pushed you into my swimming pool, not off a boat."

Holly threw her hands up in the air. "Right, you would side with her."

"Honey, I'm not siding with anyone. I'm just making a point. A point that you're not going to like"

Ed pulled her into the laundry room and shut the door. "I've known Blake since she was born. I know that she isn't exactly level headed. She reacts emotionally, not logically. In that regard she is less like Roger and more like you" Holly began to counter attack but Ed put his hand up "The other difference between you and Blake is that she wears her heart on her sleeve while you bury yours to prevent it from being hurt, or so you think. Your eyes are what give yours away"

"Thank you, Dr. Freud. I should be going; I'm making a puddle."

"Unless this needs to be dry cleaned I think I can help you with that." Ed reached behind Holly and pulled a clean dry towel off of a shelf. Gently he dried her hair. He thought he heard her moan a little under the ministrations of his hands, but knew it was his imagination. Next, he laid the towel on her shoulders and started to unbutton her blouse.

"What are you doing?" She sounded alarmed.

"I'm helping you out of your wet things" He smirked.

Holly narrowed one eye. "I can do that myself." He watched as her nimble fingers made their way down the button row. She pulled the blouse off leaving her clad only in a lacy brassiere. She saw him looking at her but refused to make eye contact. She turned away as she undid her belt and unbuttoned her pants.

"Do you want them washed as well as dried?" He asked unemotionally.

"The chlorine has probably ruined them anyway, so I'll just throw them in the dryer."

"Nonsense" Ed said, moving towards her, pinning her against the washing machine.

"What are you doing?" Holly asked again when the material of his clothes touched her bare skin.

She heard the washing machine start and smelled the laundry soap that he put in. "I'm starting the washer. Let's see if we can't salvage more than our dinner tonight." He took her shirt and pants from her hand. He allowed a finger to trace her body from her hip to just where her elbow would lie. This time she did moan.

"Ed, what are you doing?" She whispered.

"It's been a long time, Holly, but I'm sure you can remember."

"Three years" she said drolly remembering their affair when she returned to Springfield when he and Maureen were separated.

"Good memory" He whispered as he leaned into her. She braced herself for an even more intimate exploration, but Ed shut the lid on the washing machine.

Turning around she studied him from head to toe. He was obviously willing, but was she? It hadn't been that long since Maureen died, or that she and Ross had shared intimate knowledge of each other. Despite these concrete facts that didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around his neck and probing his mouth with her tongue. Ed pushed her into the cold appliance once again allowing her to feel how willing he was.

"Are you sure?" He whispered? She didn't speak, she nodded her head affirmatively. He pulled her legs up and around his waist. With his arms around hers he carried her to the table where Maureen would fold the family clothes. Holly leaned back and balanced on her hands as he undid the belt and button that held his pants around his hips. They landed on the floor with a thud. Ed wasted no time in exploring her body. It hadn't changed much since they had been married all those years ago.

"You are still marvelous" He whispered, she threw her head back and laughed.

"You are still a great liar" She placed her hands on his ears and guided his mouth back to hers. Slowly and with purpose she kissed him as he entered her, slowly at first, but seemingly faster as if he were matching the cycle of the washing machine behind them. Finally, she bit his shoulder to keep from screaming as she met her peak. He didn't bother to hid his pleasure as he groaned loudly when he met his. Together they clung to each other as the spin cycle on the machine began.

After a few minutes Holly came back to down to Earth pushing herself off of the table. "I can't have dinner with Michelle looking like this" She held her arms out to her sides.

Ed grinned mischievously. "You don't have to. She's not here."

Holly's smile faded. "What? But you said we were having dinner together."

He held up a finger "I said we were having dinner and were going to brain storm Michelle, I never said she was joining us."

"So, I was set up then. First by you and then by Blake." Holly pushed him aside and pulled her still wet underwear on. She grabbed a large beach sized towel from the pile. "I'll collect my things the next time I visit Michelle" she said as she pulled open the door.

She could hear Ed behind her struggling to get his pants back on. "Holly wait" He called out but she kept going. By the time she reached her car, clad only in a towel he caught up with her.

"Holly, come on, don't be like that." He pleaded.

"Like what? Feeling like I've been taken advantage of? Because I was."

"You look just like her when you pout like that you know."

"Who?" Holly's mouth tensed.

"Blake"

That was all it took. Holly rolled her eyes and shoved her key in the ignition. "Good night, Ed." She slammed the transmission in reverse and sped away leaving Ed in the driveway, shirtless and without shoes.

When she got home, she quickly shoved the door open wide, just so she could slam it when she entered. She checked her voice mail.

"Mom, it's me, Blake. Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shoved you into the pool. You just make me so mad…."

Holly reached out and hit delete. "I make you mad? Well, guess how I feel knowing you're sleeping with Ross" Holly said to the dim light in the room.

"Holly, please forgive me for what happened tonight. I guess I misread what's been happening with us since Maureen died. You were so wonderful after her funeral the way you helped with Michelle, and as you've continued to help her, I've just been seeing you in a different light. I thought we were on the same page with how we felt. If I made you feel at all violated, I am so sorry. I would never take advantage of our friendship, or your body. Please call me."

Ed sounded positively forlorn. Holly picked up the phone and started to dial before dropping the phone back down. "No" she said, shaking her head. "I'm not going to do this again. I can have a life without Ed, without Roger, and without Blake"

She went to her room and pulled a pair of light pajamas from the top drawer and then went to the bathroom where she showered both the Chlorine and the reminder that she had been with Ed from her body. When she stepped out the phone was ringing again.

"Hello" She answered as she rubbed a towel in her hair.

"Oh, thank God. This will sound stalker like, but I timed how long it would take you to get home and when you didn't call me back, I worried"

Holly dropped the towel on the floor and slumped in the chair. "Ed, that does sound stalkerish. I'm fine, I needed a shower and now I think I'd like to go to bed."

"Fine, that's fine, but I just want to make sure of this one thing first." He was insistent.

"What is it?"

"That despite how you feel about me that you won't take it out on Michelle."

Holly scoffed, closed her eyes and shook her head. "Ed, I don't feel anything but annoyed at the moment. As for my relationship with Michelle, well, that is the most stable thing I have in my life right now and I'm not going to turn my back on it."

She could hear him breathe. "Thank goodness. I can't imagine how she'd feel about me if she thought I drove you away too."

Holly wasn't sure what that meant, but she wasn't in the mood to question his meaning. "Is that all, Ed?"

"Yes, I think it is. Thank you again, Holly."

She hung up the phone before going to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine.