Two cities Two homes!

Taylor and Ridge became accustomed to their life as a married couple pretty easily. Basically, their life was no different than before. Only now they both had the secure feeling they were finally settled. Taylor enjoyed the calmness she felt inside. Often she caught herself gazing at her wedding band. Sometimes she still couldn't believe it; she never thought she would have so many 'butterflies' in her stomach again at her age. Her colleagues occasionally teased her about her infatuation, especially since Taylor was the most likely one of all her female colleagues who got flowers sent to her office. Ridge also had to listen to Ted and Rosa's ridicule when they caught him sitting at his desk dreaming and his mind on anything but work.

When Ridge came home that evening, Taylor could tell something was bothering him. But Ridge insisted they should eat first, he wanted to talk to her about it later. So after dinner they made themselves comfortable on their roof terrace. Taylor couldn't stand her curiosity any longer.

"Now tell me what's going on?" Ridge suddenly seemed very thoughtful.

"I had a long chat with Dad today..."

"Is something wrong with him or is something wrong with Stephanie? Is she getting worse again?"

"No, it's not that. They're both fine." Taylor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, so what is it?"

"It's about the future of Forrester Creation!"

"What about it?"

"Doc, you know when I moved here, Dad agreed to run the businesses in LA. He wanted to give me some breathing space after all the turbulent months before. But the arrangement we made was limited to a few months." Taylor got an inkling of what Ridge was getting at. "Dad told me today I should give some final thought about a long-term solution for the future of the company! Mother and he aren't getting any younger, and they haven't been remarried that long, either. They want to travel, visit friends all over the world, enjoy life and not sit in an office all day."

"I understand! Of course, they have every right to do that. So that means Eric wants you to go back to LA, am I right?"

"That would indeed be one possibility!" Taylor exhaled slowly. "I know it's a tough decision! I know how comfortable you feel here in San Francisco. I feel the same way."

Taylor stood up and let her eyes wander over the city.

"In fact, over the time, this city has become a home to me. I mean our life here is perfect! We both have our work, we have our friends and we have plenty of time for each other. But on the other hand, there are a lot of positive things waiting for us in LA. The family, the kids, our house and we wouldn't be unemployed either."

"Nah, more like the opposite!"

"But you just said that would be only one option?!"

"The other would be for me to give up the CEO position and give it to someone else. Steffy and Thomas for example, eventually one of them will probably run the company anyway. Then they would just take over sooner than expected, or in a pinch Rick would also be an option."

"Would you seriously give up the CEO position?" He stepped up to her and took her in his arms.

"Yes! If we both come to the decision that we'd rather stay here and continue our life as it is right now, then I will do it." Taylor was speechless.

"But..." He covered her mouth.

"Doc, when we got married I promised you our marriage would be the most important priority to me. It's all about us, where we're both happier. I mean, after all, we're doing wonderful here." Taylor had tears in her eyes.

"You don't know how much that means to me...but no, I don't want that! We're packing up our stuff and going back to LA!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's the best for all of us. The fact that you'd really be willing to give it all up means a lot to me. But I can't accept it. Ridge, I know how much this position means to you. This is your life's work, you've been working towards this your whole life. I know you and I know deep in your heart you wouldn't be happy with this. Especially since the other alternatives aren't really an option. You know as well as I do, it would make you sick to your stomach to give the company to Rick. And as for Thomas and Steffy, it's not that I have no faith, they could handle it, but I think they're both way too young for the enormous responsibility. They are only at the beginning of their careers and they should still enjoy their lives. They need time for themselves to go out, fall in love and start a family. If we decide to stay here, it would be at the expense of Thomas and Steffy and I couldn't live with this! It would be a bliss neither of us could enjoy!" Ridge nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right!"

Besides...I also made you a promise at our wedding. I vowed that I always want to make you happy, and therefore we will move back to LA! It's also our home and as long as everything between us stays the same, I happily live with you anywhere in the world!"

"Do you have any idea what a wonderful woman you are!" They sank into a deep long kiss. They stood in an intimate embrace, enjoying the panorama. Knowing they were leaving soon, they both became a little melancholy. "We're going to miss all this!"

"Yeah, we had a great time here!"

"Hey, I have an idea! What do you say we keep our penthouse and whenever we get homesick, we hijack the jet and we'll be here in no time."

"That's a wonderful idea Ridge, I'm sure Rosa or Susan will be more than happy to check on things in our absence."

In LA, everyone received the news that Taylor and Ridge would be returning soon with the utmost joy. Stephanie and Eric were relieved to soon be able to return the responsibility back to their son and enjoy their retirement. Stephanie was especially thrilled because the family would be closer again. Thomas and Steffy were also looking forward to living with their parents again soon. The reactions in San Francisco were quite different. Their friends reacted not surprised but nevertheless very sad and depressed to the news. Everyone had kind of seen it coming, but now that this moment was actually real, everyone was very upset to let them go. Susan was the hardest hit. Taylor was her best friend and closest confidant. From the moment Taylor moved into the building, they had been through everything together. They always were able to rely on each other and even when Ridge had come into Taylor's life, the two had spent a lot of time together. Susan could hardly imagine what it would be like without them. Sadly, she retreated to the patio to be alone for a moment. That's when Taylor stepped up to her.

I hope you understand why we're leaving. I swear to you we'll always keep in touch and after all, I'm not leaving the continent and you're always welcome to visit us!"

"Yes, I know, but it will never be the same again!"

"True, it's not like it's easy for us to leave." Susan wiped away her tears.

"I don't want to make your heart even harder. I should be happy for you. After all, you're going to have the life you've always dreamed of, with Ridge and the kids. But actually I'd really like to tie you up and gag you to keep you here." They both laughed. "No, seriously, I understand the reasons why you are leaving and it is the right decision. You should look positively ahead and look at what awaits you."

"Oh Susan, you are the best friend anyone could have. I would love to pack you up and take you with me."

"Anyway you're not going to get rid of me that easily, if I can't descend on you for breakfast on Sundays anymore, I'll just ring you out of bed!"

"Hey, don't you dare!" They fell into each other's arms. That's when they heard a distinguished clearing of the throat. Ridge had joined them.

"Sorry to bother you, but Marc claims if he doesn't get your wonderful dessert right now, he's about to nibble on the coffee table."

"Oh dear, we'd better not risk that." Taylor hurried into the kitchen.

"I hope you're not too mad at me for kidnapping Taylor, so to speak."

"Well, I'll generously forgive you, but take good care of her and don't do anything stupid. Otherwise you'll have to deal with me!"

"I promise, I'll be a good boy! Now come on, before the others eat away all our dessert."

A hard step for Taylor was saying goodbye to the orphanage. Some of the children, she had spent a lot of time with, took the news very hard. It broke her heart to see the children so sad and she felt miserable. She cried to Ridge, feeling terrible about abandoning the children. He did his best to cheer her up. He comforted her, even though she wouldn't be at the orphanage, she could still support them and if there was going to be a big celebration, they could be there. Besides, there exists enough children and people in need in LA, who could benefit from her big heart. She should look for a new project in LA where she could volunteer. The staff and children of the orphanage threw Taylor a huge farewell party. She was quite touched by all the attention. She promised to send everyone regular postcards from LA. As hard as it was for her, she managed to keep it together until the end. It was only in the car that she let her tears run free. To cheer her up, Ridge ordered her favorite French menu that night. Afterwards they sat cuddled together on the couch. Ridge pulled her close.

"Are you really sure going back to LA was the right decision?"

"Yes, I am! We just need to finally get over these goodbyes. They're too much!"

"You're right. We should have just left quietly."

"I will send a prayer, when we're finally on the plane and have gotten all these tearful acts behind us!

However, they still had to say goodbye to their workplaces, but they were nowhere near as emotional. Ted and Rosa had decided to run the store together and share the responsibilities. Ridge thought this was an excellent idea and confidently left his 'baby' in their hands. He knew they would continue to run the store in his spirit. Even though Ted, Rosa and the other employees were a little sad to see Ridge go, in essence his departure was really no big deal. They had been working toward Ridge handing over the boutique one day from the beginning. Taylor had decided to find an internal solution for the issue of who would take over her position. In consultation with all her colleagues, she had agreed to give her post to one of her colleagues. Over the past few days, Taylor has been working her into her new role. Together, they also hired another psychiatrist. On her last day at work, Taylor held a small reception for all her colleagues and thanked them for their good cooperation. All her colleagues bid her farewell with loving words and wished her good luck for the future. Ridge came to pick her up just as she was packing the last personal belongings into a box.

"Well, is it hard for you to leave all this behind?"

"Kind of, but I'm also looking forward to my own practice."

"And all the lunatics in LA will breathe a sigh of relief when the best psychiatrist in the world is back. You probably won't have any time for me at all!" He looked at her with puppy eyes.

"Oh, my poor baby!" she replied in a mock-pitying tone. "You know I always have time for you. After all, you are my favorite patient!"

"I'm your patient?!"

"Well, you always call me your favorite shrink."

"That's quite different!" he declared defiantly.

"Okay fine, you are my lifelong research project then!"

"That sounds much better!"

A few days before they left, they spent one last evening with all their friends. They had wished for a last cheerful evening without any parting sorrow. So they all tried to hold back their emotions as best they could. They both swear to high heaven, they would stop by frequently. Marc nudged them.

"You won't have any other choice. Don't think you can just slip away like that.

"Exactly!" agreed Stacy. "You'll have to come to the tennis tournament, the bowling tournament and the squash tournament."

"Yeah and when I open my new gallery, you guys have to be there!" demanded Marc, and Steven admonished them.

"Don't think you can avoid our hiking tours!" Ridge groaned in exasperation.

"I can see us being on the jet every weekend!"

Their last night in San Francisco they spent alone. They sat on their terrace one last time and reviewed the past few months. Ridge remembered the moment when he had seen her for the very first time, back downtown. Taylor recalled their first encounter.

"I got the shock of my life when you suddenly stood in front of me at that pizza place!"

"Yeah and as revenge, you slammed the door right in my face!"

"When are you going to forgive me for that?!"

"In any case, I never thought then that one day we would be married again."

"Neither did I!"

"At the very beginning, I assumed you were flirting with Marc." Taylor laughed.

"That's right, I remember. But Marc has other interests, after all. But you know, the very first time I was in your store and I met Rosa, I suspected for a moment that there was something going on between the two of you. That was before you told me she's married."

"Rosa and I? For God's sake! I really like her, but in the long run she'd be too exhausting, too hectic and too energetic for me. I sometimes wonder how John can stand it. But I have to admit, she has a very good sense for others. She realized right away that I love you."

"So did Susan! She could tell I was in love with you by the tip of my nose. Probably our feelings for each other were rather obvious to everyone."

"Yeah, if the others even bet on when we would get involved."

"Well, you did make me squirm for quite a while!"

"Oh yeah and you? Besides, your advances were really cute!" He stroked her cheek. "And it all turned out pretty well in the end, didn't it?"

"Indeed!" Their lips met and he wrapped her in his arms.

"I'll never forget a moment we've had here."

"Me neither!"

The next morning things were pretty hectic. In front of the house all their friends waited and this time no one could hold back their tears. It turned out to be a stirring goodbye. Taylor and Ridge took a deep breath when they were finally in the cab and on their way to the airport. Weeks before they had already packed both cars full of stuff and had driven to LA, returning the next day by plane. The rest of their belongings were brought to LA by a moving company. On the jet they made themselves comfortable, the closer they got to their old/new home, the more they looked forward to it. Only one subject gave Taylor a headache. Ridge nudged her.

"Hey, what are you worried about?"

"Oh you know...it's ridiculous...I shouldn't be giving it a thought….I'm just wondering how Brooke will react when we get back home now. Somehow the distance from her was quite comfortable. Ridge glanced at her, concerned.

"You're not still worried, are you?" He pulled her closer to him. "You really don't have to!"

"I know, it's not that. I don't feel threatened anymore. It's just...it's going to be quite a shock for her when she finds out we're married."

"She'll get used to the idea. After all, she's been pretty good about keeping her feet still lately. Even if she comes up with any tricks again, we shouldn't care."

"Well, if you say so!"

"But speaking of that, I wonder how everyone will react when they find out we're married?!"

"Oh yeah it's going to be a big surprise!"