The next morning, Laura woke up alone in Steve's bed, which surprised her. Then, it terrified her. She had woken up alone before, and it hadn't gone well. She tried to remind herself over and over that this was his house, and he couldn't just abandon her in his own home. She slipped over to the closest closet, hoping to find some pajama pants or something to go investigate, but instead found that it was full of women's clothes, all in her size. Sometimes, Steve's obsession was a little creepy. If she didn't know how harmless he was, she'd be counting down the days until he kidnapped her. She found a pair of pajamas after digging through an impressive amount of lingerie – he had good taste too – and she slipped them on. The soft fleece pants covered the pair of panties she had stolen from one of the drawers. She threw on the matching tank top and robe to cover the fact that she hadn't bothered to put on a bra yet. It was still early.
She walked out to the hall, and her heart began to pound in her ears. It all felt so familiar, except this time, she'd have to search a much bigger house to confirm that he was gone. She started down the stairs because she heard noises in the kitchen. Her heart slowed, and her face relaxed into a smile when she heard his voice echoing down the hall. She practically ran. She stepped quietly in the doorway and found Steve flipping pancakes, dropping half of them on the floor, while both her sons watched and giggled. She laughed lightly too, mostly out of relief.
He heard her sweet laugh, and it was like music to his ears. He smiled at her brightly. "Good morning, Sunshine," he called.
"Good morning, Steve," she smiled. She walked over to the boys and kissed them both on the forehead. "Morning, Babies," she cooed.
"Morning, Mama," Michael said, laughing as Steve threw another pancake to the floor.
"Darn!" he shouted, snapping his fingers.
Laura rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock. Maybe it wasn't as early as she thought. "Oh, man. I have to get in the shower," she said, standing.
"No, you don't, Mama! Uncle Steve said you guys don't have to go to work this morning."
"We don't?" she said, turning to him.
"Nope," he said cheerily. "I'm the boss, and I say we can spend the whole day at home together!"
Laura raised her eyebrows at him. "Hm. You do, do you?"
He nodded and smiled.
"And you didn't think it would be a good idea to run that by me before you announced it to my kids?"
He furrowed his brow. "Relax, Laura. I'm giving you the day off. You should be grateful."
She scoffed at him in disbelief and glared.
Uh-oh.
Her face turned too sweet too quickly. "Steve," she said, her smile tense and far too big, "can I speak to you in the hallway for a moment?"
He swallowed. "Sure, my queen." He turned off the stove and dropped a few of the finished pancakes on Michael's plate. Steve followed Laura out to the hall.
"We're going to work today," she said firmly, reeling on him.
"But, Pet–"
"No, Steve. That's not what our relationship is. I'm not going to get paid to sleep with you. I don't want any special treatment. I don't want us to take days off to have family fun time, presumably followed by lots of sex. We're keeping things professional… at work, at least."
He furrowed his brow. "We had sex in the office three times two days ago."
She looked around nervously. "Ok, fine. So, we're not keeping it professional, but you're taking it too far."
"I'm having trouble figuring out the rules, Pet."
"Well, so am I! That's why I didn't want to do this in the first place," she said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "But we're going to work today! I know that much!" she called as she headed for the stairs.
"Ok…" Steve agreed to himself. "We're going to work."
With a time limit suddenly set on their morning, they rushed through breakfast and packed up everything they needed. Laura got the boys changed and in the car, wearing one of the outfits from Steve's closet, and she drove off. Steve followed close behind her, even when she pulled into the drugstore parking lot.
She got out of the car and turned to him as he was walking over. "Can you sit in the car with the boys for a minute? I don't want to haul them out of the car just to run in and out."
"Don't you want me to come in there with you? Don't you need support?"
"No, it's not a big deal, Steve. I'll be fine."
"Ok," he agreed, slipping into her driver's seat. "We'll be here."
She mumbled a thank you and ran inside. She found her way to the pharmacy and asked the pharmacist for what she needed. She also bought a bottle of water to help her swallow it. She stepped to the side and opened the box right there, not wanting to have to explain it to the kids. She looked at the pill in her hand for a full five minutes, trying to work up the nerve. Suddenly, she realized she couldn't do it. It wasn't that she wanted to have a baby. It certainly wasn't that she objected to the pill on moral grounds. It was just high dose of birth control, and she had taken that for years. So, why couldn't she do it? Was Steve right? Did a part of herself that she didn't know about want to have a baby with him? She tossed the pill back in the box and decided to save the introspection for later. She tossed it in the trash and walked back out.
Steve got out of the car when he saw her. "I was just about to come in after you," he said.
She smiled and moved to get into the driver's seat again.
"You ok?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said quickly.
He furrowed his brow. "Did you do it?"
"Yup," she lied.
"Mm-hmm," he nodded suspiciously. He looked at her tightly clenched jaw and decided to press her further only after she calmed down a bit. "Then, I guess, I'll see you at work," he said slowly, backing away.
"See ya!" she called, quickly sitting down, slamming the door, and pulling away.
Their day went pretty normally. Laura relaxed a bit when she really started to work, and Steve watched her carefully, trying to figure out why she had been so odd earlier.
It was almost lunchtime when things got weird. The elevator dinged, and Laura looked up. Her heart started to pound even harder than it had the night before. She saw Stefan walking toward her, and she started to scout for exits. She tried to tell herself it was unnecessary. He couldn't hurt her here, but she couldn't look at him anymore without feeling like she was in immediate danger. She stood, preparing to run.
"Hi, Laura," he said softly, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
She didn't move, but she cringed when his lips met her face. "How did you get up here?" she asked.
"I look like Steve. I just walked in. You can't say, 'Hi,' first?"
"What are you doing here?"
The interns were milling about behind her, but as they noticed Stefan, they stopped and stared, trying to figure out what was going on.
Stefan rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Laura. We were married for four years. Can you treat me like a human being?"
"You need to leave, Stefan. You're not welcome here," her voice was small, trying to conceal her secrets from the interns, but it was sharp and clear.
"I need to talk to you about something."
"What?" she said pointedly.
"Not here," he grumbled. "What the hell are you even doing here anyway? We couldn't make it work so you came running back to Steve?"
"Leave him out of this," she barked.
"I wish I could," he snapped back.
Suddenly, Steve burst through his office doors in a fury. He moved to confront Stefan, but Laura stepped between them, so he stopped in his tracks. He looked at her, upset that she would try to protect Stefan, and then he looked back at the intruder. "Get out of my office. I've already called security."
"Steve!" Laura scolded.
"Laura," Steve whined, "why are you trying to protect him?"
"Maybe she still loves me," Stefan answered smugly.
Steve lurched forward and stopped again when Laura put her hands on his shoulders.
Laura glanced at the interns. "All three of you, out." They didn't move. "Now!"
They scurried and took the elevator to another floor, disappointed to miss the action, but excited to speculate about what the heck was going on with Dr. Urkel's doppelgänger.
Laura turned to Stefan when they left. "That's not it, Stefan. I don't love you anymore. At all. You hit me, and that's unforgivable."
"I barely touched you," he dismissed. "So, that's why you sent the Italian mob after me?" he accused.
Huh? That wasn't even remotely the kind of response she had expected. "Boy, are you jetlagged? What the hell are you talking about?"
Steve looked away, acting innocent.
"The goon that was waiting for me in my apartment. He beat me up and then told me never to touch you again. Why am I explaining this to you, anyway? You must have had something to do with it."
Laura stared at him, completely lost. "Stefan," she said as slowly and clearly as she could, "I don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about."
"Oh, c'mon, Laura–"
"It was me," Steve interrupted, not wanting her to take any heat for what he did.
"What?" Laura gasped, turning to hm.
"I was the one who sent that goon after you, Stefan, and I'll do it again if you ever give me reason to," he threatened.
Stefan rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm so scared," he said sarcastically. He scoffed, "If you had any balls, you would've done it yourself."
"Laura doesn't seem to have any problem with my–" Steve stopped midsentence, catching himself as he turned his… romantic time with the love of his life into something gross and competitive.
His catch wasn't enough for her, however. "STEVE!" she yelled.
"I'm so sorry, Laura. That was in poor taste."
Laura continued to glare at him. She covered her chest, ashamed that Stefan knew their little secret.
"So, what is it, Steve?" Stefan asked as his suspicions were confirmed. "You put her on payroll just so you could fuck her brains out like the whore she is?"
That was it for Steve. Without missing a beat, he swung his arm back and punched Stefan right in the jaw. He recoiled and spat a tooth into his hand. Steve went for a second punch, but Laura grabbed his arm before he made contact again. He turned to her in surprise.
"That's enough, Steve!" she yelled. She released his arm and went to Stefan. She grabbed his arm and led him toward the elevator. "I'll be back after I get him cleaned up," she called to Steve as the door closed between them.
Steve stood alone in the office, staring at the elevator doors that had already closed. He didn't move again until the interns returned. When they walked in, he moved quickly to his office and slammed the door.
Laura led Stefan down to the health center Urkorp kept in the building. She stood patiently by his side while he was stitched, bandaged, and checked for concussions. He still had to see a dentist about his tooth, however. Neither of them said a word the whole time. When they were done, Laura gave him the name of her dentist and put him in a cab with a plan to meet at the house later. Then Laura returned to the health center and asked if they had any emergency contraception. She was so mad at Steve that she couldn't see straight, so she knew she'd be able to do what she hadn't been able to earlier. A nurse handed her the little box and a mini bottle of water. She ripped open the box and held the pill in her hand again. She tried to focus on the Steve she just saw, the Steve that terrified her. She focused on the Steve that told her that all men were the same, that anyone of them could be pushed to violence. She focused on the Steve that told her that there was no happy ending. She placed the pill in her mouth and immediately spat it back out. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just do it?
The nurse looked at her in confusion. "Having second thoughts, Honey?"
"No," Laura said firmly, holding the dissolving pill in her hand. "I don't want a baby."
"Well, then you have to swallow it."
Laura stared at the pill for another minute before tossing it in the trash and storming out.
She returned to the office to find the interns staring at her. She was in no mood. "WHAT?" she barked at them.
They all jumped, but eventually, Kelly said, "Is everything all right, Laura?"
She glared at them. "No! Obviously, not!" She left them staring at her as she stormed into Steve's office and slammed the door. She locked it immediately to keep out any and all eavesdroppers. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she barked at him as she stomped toward his desk.
For once in their relationship, Steve was just as ready for a fight. "What's wrong with me?" he repeated, standing from his chair. "Am I the one who walked off into the sunset with my abusive ex-husband?"
"'Into the sunset?' I took him to the doctor!"
Steve scoffed, "Oh, like he did after he beat you? Oh, wait. He just left you on the floor, didn't he? Damn it, Laura! Why didn't you let me kill that man?"
"Because you're supposed to be the good one!" she shouted at him, her eyes stinging with tears.
"What?"
"Because he was the bad guy! He treated me like dirt, and he was angry all the time at the end, and he hit me, and I hate him for it! I hate him so much! But you're supposed to be the good one! The guy who could never hurt a fly! But you're just as angry. You're just as violent. You're just like him," she spat, tears streaming down her face.
"I am not!" he growled, tears streaming down his face, too. "I was protecting you!"
"No, you were getting vengeance. That's not the same thing!"
"He hurt you, Laura! He deserved it! You heard what he called you. Nobody gets to call you that!"
"Why? Because I'm yours?" she accused.
He gasped. "No," he said softly. "No, not at all. That was just a game, Pet."
"I'm not your pet, Steve. I'm a person."
"That's not what I mean!"
"I don't care what you mean anymore, Steve," she sobbed. "God, you're all the same. I never should have… Damn it!" She moved quickly toward the door, but he ran after her and blocked her exit.
"You can't leave, Laura. Not until we fix this."
"So, you're going to prove to me that you're not like him by holding me hostage?"
"No," he shook his head. "You're misunderstanding everything. I… I… I-I love you."
This time, she didn't say it back. He stepped aside, and she stormed out, heading straight to the daycare center for her kids.
She took the kids home. When Stefan showed up, she was forced to ignore her mother who was trying everything to start a fight with her. She was in no mood for her tough love. Her father still wasn't home, and based on the riot act her mother had read her, she wasn't looking forward to his return. She sat patiently in the living room, watching Stefan play with the boys. She had been worried that seeing him play the role of a father again might send her down the road to forgiving him, but it had the opposite effect. As she watched him play with her kids, she felt like she was watching her kids play with a bear. She stared intently, refusing to trust him. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she counted down the minutes until she could put Mikey and Eli safely into their beds and send that man packing.
Steve didn't move from the office for the rest of the night. He sat in his desk chair waiting for her to call, but she never did. Eventually, he gave in and dialed the house phone.
"Hello?"
Steve breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Harriette's voice. She was just about the only person in that house that wasn't mad at him. "Oh, Harriette. Thank God. It's Steve."
"Hey, Steve," she smiled, relieved to hear his voice. She certainly didn't want him to be out of the picture again, though he sure seemed to be as she peeked into the living room from the phone in the kitchen at the happy little family inside.
"Is Laura there?"
"Mm-hmm. Did you two have a fight?"
"Kind of," he mumbled. "Is it that obvious?"
"Yes, it is," she said, not wanting to explain that Stefan's presence was what made it so obvious.
"Is she ok?" he asked, feeling a rush of guilt over his caveman-like behavior.
"She's been better."
"Can I talk to her?"
"I'll check," she said. She popped her head out the kitchen door and into the living room. "Laura, it's for you."
"Who is it?" she asked, not wanting to take her eyes off of Stefan for a second when he was with her kids.
Damn. Harriette was hoping she wouldn't ask that. "It's Steve."
That got Stefan's attention and aggression flashed in his eyes, though he tried to cool it like he used to be able to.
Laura caught the look in his eye and withered. "I don't want to talk to him," she lied. She swallowed hard, hoping to quell Stefan's rising frustration. It seemed to work for the moment.
Harriette nodded and pulled back into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Steve."
"What did she say?" he asked, deflating as he was hit by even more guilt.
"She said she didn't want to talk to you. That was it."
Steve cleared his throat, trying to sound manly. "Ok, I'll try again another time."
"I hope you do," Harriette mumbled just before she heard the dial tone. In the same moment, she turned to see Carl walk in the backdoor. Uh-oh. "Carl," she said, "don't overreact."
That wasn't a good greeting. "What is it, Harriette?"
"Stefan's here. He and Laura are playing with the kids in the living room." Carl immediately moved toward the door, but Harriette blocked him. "You can't do anything to him in front of the kids. It will traumatize Michael."
"Then get them out of the room," he snarled.
"Laura's pretty insistent that he spend some time with them."
"She is? Since when?" he demanded.
"She and Steve fought this morning."
"So?"
"I think her tolerance of Stefan is related to the fact that the only other man she's ever really loved messed up somehow," she explained.
"Then I'll kill them both," he said, charging forward.
"NO!" Harriette barked. "We can't drive her away. We need to be here if things go sour. Just wait it out. The kids are going to bed in a few minutes."
Carl snarled but knew she was right. He had been getting everything wrong with Laura lately, and Harriette had been getting everything right. He sat at the table and listened carefully for any noise that was out of the ordinary.
Harriette did the same, holding his hand supportively.
A while later, Laura and Stefan tucked the kids in, and she walked him to the door. She watched as he honestly tried to swagger up to her, flashing her a smile. "It was so good to see you again, Baby."
She didn't have the energy to handle him, and with the kids in bed, she no longer felt the need to keep him sedated. "Get out, Stefan," she ordered flatly.
"What?" he scowled, taken aback by her sudden change of tone.
"Did I stutter? Out. Now."
"No, you did not," he admitted. "I'm just a little confused, Laura. A few minutes ago we were tucking in our babies, and you were talking so sweetly."
"Well, yeah. I'm not going to yell at my children's father in front of them. Look, I thought that maybe you could have some sort of relationship with them now, but I was wrong. Seeing you with them is still just as terrifying to me as it was the day I left. You will never see them again." She spoke as clearly and confidently as she could, but she was glad that her parents were eavesdropping in the kitchen. He couldn't hurt her again. Not here.
He clenched his jaw. "Laura, I swear to God… Can you just stop being a bitch for two minutes and let me talk to you?" He took a step closer, and she took five steps back.
"Stay away from me, Stefan."
"Why? Because you wanna run back to Steve?" he yelled. "Just because that loser has money now, he's so much better than me? It's good to see where your priorities lie. Hop from the aging model to the brand-new billionaire. Classy."
She rolled her eyes. After all this time, she wasn't going to protect his feelings anymore. "I chose him first, Stefan. I chose him over you, and he left me. And while we're airing dirty laundry, I also gave him my virginity. Not you."
"You're such a liar," he growled, not believing a word of her story.
"You can believe whatever you want. I don't care what you think. I'm done with you. Don't come back."
"They're my kids, Laura!" he yelled.
"Not legally, anymore! They're mine! Only mine! You're not going to be a part of their lives."
He stepped closer again, but this time moved quicker so she couldn't pull away. He grabbed her shirt and yanked her close. He growled in her face, "I've had enough of this. If you're gonna treat me like a monster, I'm gonna act like one."
Laura's poker face fell, and her fear poured out of her eyes. Then instinct kicked in. Her knee flew sharply into his groin, and he released her in pain.
Carl flew into the room at the same time, ready to toss him to the curb, only to find his little girl had already put him on the floor. He saw Laura on the edge of a panic attack and decided to finish the job for her. He offered Stefan a hand to help him up, but then opened the door and shoved him out of it, slamming it in his face. He locked it and turned back to Laura. He watched as she deflated into tears, and he quickly pulled her into his arms. He rubbed her back and shushed her as she sobbed, "Shhhh, Sweetheart. Shhhh… He's gone. You got him."
Harriette walked in when she heard her sobbing and walked up to them. She wrapped her arms around Laura's other side, and they both held her as she dealt with her new, but hopefully last, encounter with him.
Soon, they sat and Laura poured her heart out to them. She told them everything about the first and only time he hit her. She told them everything that had been going on with Steve, from when he left her up to the current pregnancy scare. She told them everything that had happened that afternoon. When she was done, she rested her head against her mother's shoulder, and they sat with her in silence, not knowing what to say after all of that had been dragged into the open. The one thing they knew was that they didn't envy their little girl. She had far too much on her plate. No wonder she had finally snapped and let it all out.
Riiiiiiiiiing, riiiiiiiiiing.
Carl stood and grabbed the phone in the living room. "Hello?"
"Carl?" Steve asked nervously on the other end.
"Steve?" Carl said. His mind flashed back to everything Laura had just told him. He started to do the math in his head to figure out whether or not Steve was a good guy in their books. He slept with her and left her, which was awful, but he thought he was doing it for her. He cut off all contact so she could get a fresh start, which was decent, though painful for all of them. He happily gave her a fantastic job when she needed it. He pursued her very respectfully. He did have sex with her, which made the Papa Bear instincts in Carl flare, but he realized that wasn't completely fair. He also punched Stefan so hard he knocked a tooth out. That was a big plus in the Steve column for Carl, but then he fought with her afterward. It was all too complicated for so late at night.
"I-is Laura there?" Steve whimpered.
"She's here."
"Will she talk to me?" he asked sadly.
"I don't know, Steve." He turned to Laura and shrugged his shoulders.
She wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "I'll call him back on my cell," she said heading toward the stairs.
"Steve, she'll call you right back, ok?"
"Will she," he asked, "or is she just trying to get rid of me?"
"I'm just repeating what she said, Steve."
"Ok. Thanks, Carl," Steve said as he hung up the phone. He sat in tense silence waiting for her to call.
She tried the home phone first, but when he didn't answer, she realized he must not have left after their fight. She called the office, and he picked up on the first ring.
"Laura?" he said.
"Hi, Steve," she replied softly.
He breathed a huge sigh of relief when he heard her voice. At least, they were talking again. They could get through anything as long as they were still talking. "Oh, Sweetheart, I owe you the biggest apology. I was such a–"
"No, Steve," she interrupted. "I overreacted."
"No, you didn't, Pet," he paused, hearing his use of that nickname again. "I mean… I… Uh…"
"It's fine, Steve. I don't mind when you call me 'Pet'. I was just really upset today."
"Are you sure? Because I could pull that one out of rotation. It would take me some time, but I could get used to it," he said seriously.
"Yes," she smiled softly. "I'm sure. It's fine."
"I'm so sorry you saw all that today, Laura. I never wanted you to see that side of me, but I promise you, it only comes out to defend you. I would never hurt you."
She paused. "Stefan would have said the same thing years ago, Steve. That's what I meant about marriage. It does change people."
"No, Sweetums. I would never hurt you."
"Not now."
"Not ever!" he insisted.
"I need to break-up with you, Steve," she said quickly, before she chickened out.
"What?" he breathed as all of the air was ripped from his lungs, and he felt like he was beginning to suffocate.
"I love you, but I can't do this again. I thought I could handle it, but ever since we started going down this road, things have gotten more complicated and more difficult. I can't do it, anymore, Steve. I don't know if we were even together enough to require a break-up, but I want to be clear. I really just want to be friends again."
"But, Laura…"
"No but's, Steve."
"So, you're cancelling our date?"
"Yes," she said, surprised by how disappointed she felt.
"And we're not going to make love anymore?"
"No, we're not," she said, holding back her tears.
"And when you decide you're ready to date again, are you going to come to me?"
"No," she said finally. "There's too much history, Steve. That's gonna be a long time from now, but when it happens, I'm going to need a fresh start."
Steve was openly crying now. "Laura, please, don't do this," he begged. "I love you. I need you."
"I'm sorry, Steve," she whispered as her own tears stole her voice. She hated to hurt him, but she couldn't keep going through these ups and downs. It was too hard on her, which meant it was too hard on her kids.
"You don't mean it," he said.
"I do, Steve. I'm sorry. In another universe, maybe we could have gotten it right, but not here. Not now. It's too late for us."
"It's never too late, Laura Lee," he replied, wiping his tears and taking a deep breath to regain his composure. "I'm never giving up on you."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Steve."
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, though the dial tone cut him off half way through. He continued, hoping a part of her could hear him somewhere, "I love you, Laura Lee Winslow. I will always love you."
Both of them cried themselves to sleep that night.