He sat on the couch, her head in his lap, in complete and deafening silence. Dante's thoughts were racing. If only I were here, I could've stopped it. When I catch him, I'll kill him. No, death's too good. He can rot in jail for the rest of his life. Why didn't she tell me sooner? That was the hardest thing for him to comprehend. On some level, he knew, but this was Lulu. She could always tell him everything.

He was looking down at her. She was peacefully sleeping. He shifted his weight to get up. Waking her, she held him down. "No. Please don't leave me," she whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered back. He stroked her beautiful blond waves until she fell back to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up and found herself in her bed, the same clothes on. A bit startled, she looked over at Dante, in a large chair on the other side of her room. "How did I get here?" she wondered out loud.

"Once I knew you were asleep, I carried you in. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. What time is it?"

"Five thirty."

"Wow, that's pretty early. Well, since we're up, how about breakfast?" She walked to the kitchen, with Dante following behind her.

"Listen, I'm calling dad and mom to see if you can stay there for awhile. You can't stay here. It's not safe. Dad's guards will be there all of the time to watch out for you." Even though Sonny ran legitimate businesses, he still had some enemies. He had kept Max and Milo on staff because they had always been so fiercely loyal to him. Dante knew they would watch her like a couple of hawks.

Awhile later, she emerged from her room with some suitcases in hand. She knew not to argue with Dante. Besides, she liked Greystone Manor and looked forward to a little nostalgia, a welcome distraction. He helped her out the door and to the car.

Part of the way into the ride, he took hold of her hand, tenderly rubbing the top of it with his thumb. "Are you ready to talk about it? "

She took a long, slow breath and looked out the window. "I think so. Um, I was walking along the pier, cursing Kate. She had just called me in. It was late and very dark. I couldn't see very well and I accidentally bumped into someone, him." She starts flashing back to him grabbing her wrist, putting the gun to her side and shoving her into the warehouse. Her breathing is becoming more labored. Dante gently squeezes her hand, which gives her the strength to continue. "He shoved a gun into my side and forced me inside Sonny's warehouse. He pushed me down, so hard that I almost hit my head on the floor." She flashes back again, tears starting to flow quietly down her cheeks. "He tore my dress and, I was struggling, kicking, and screaming. He was hurting me. I was so scared. I screamed some more. I wanted so much for someone to hear me, to help me. I tried to get him off, but he was just too strong." She buries her head in her hands and weeps softly. "I can't…" Dante reaches over and caresses her on the arm, wishing he could take all of her hurt away. Listening to her account made his anger rise up all over again. "Dante, what if?" She didn't know how to even ask the question out loud. "What if I'm pregnant?"

"We'll cross that bridge if we need to. Let's just take it one day at a time," he replied softly. That thought hadn't even entered his mind yet. Does she have to have insult added to injury by having that monster's child? He knew he shouldn't think that way. It's not the child's fault, but thinking of that made him physically sick at the moment.

Eager to change the subject, he asked, "Have you talked to your mom?"

"Yeah, actually, she came to stay with me in the hospital."

"Oh. Sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"It's okay," Lulu interrupted. "I love my mom and I love talking about her. She was so helpful. I wish she could have stayed longer, but Scott has been so sick and she needed to take care of him also. She promised to come back soon, maybe even in a couple of weeks."

"Good. I know you miss her."

"I do," she said, with a little smile. "Dante, there is something I left out. Last night, I know that I said I didn't know who it was and I'm still not sure I do. However, I think I've heard his voice before. It was very distinct, with a heavy accent, British or Australian, maybe."