Rene moaned when he pushed her hard against the wall, her legs crossed, locking his lean hips against her. He swept kisses along her jaw before meeting her mouth again and again. The fire threatened to burn them alive as he ran a hand through a mass of tumbling gold. Her fingers entwined within his cobalt hair, urging him closer. When she felt the passion pooling in her stomach she followed her instincts by grinding her body into him.

Darien groaned into her earlobe, tickling her with the vibrations of his throat. They held onto each other even as he began haphazardly toward her bed. The journey was a bit painful but when her back sank against rich satin, Darien moved his attention to the silky column of her throat. Nibbling and sucking at the spot where her pulse quickened, his hands sank underneath her thin cotton shirt and made their way to...

Two knocks sounded on the door. Somewhat stupefied as well as pissed, the pair sat up abruptly and looked at the door.

"Oh shit!" Rene hissed as she pushed Darien, who was already swearing quietly, off of her.

Pointing at the bathroom door adjoining his room, he trudged quickly albeit angrily away. Rene looked briefly into the mirror and rearranged herself before opening the door.

"Mom, what's up?" she asked stupidly as Rene prayed to the heavens that Ilene didn't see her and Darien enter nor noticed her swollen lips, mussed hair, and glazed eyes.

"I was just wondering if you had come back from the market is all, dear. Why are you all flushed?" Ilene looked worriedly at her daughter.

"I…I was tired out by lugging those heavy groceries all day, and I think I might be dehydrated…my face has been red all day…sunburned." Rene wanted to shrink into a ball and die. 'I really need to work on this whole lying thing.'

"Oh I understand completely, Rene. Drink plenty of water. I'll see you for dinner soon and perhaps we can take our walk afterwards." Ilene wasn't fooled by her daughter's pathetic lies. 'Rene never could lie…' But she was awfully curious as to what Darien had been trying to pull.

"Of course. I'll see you at dinner," Rene said as she managed a bright smile. Closing the door and leaning her back against it, she took a deep breath. 'Did mama know? My lie sucked plus she could probably tell from the way I look. After all, mom wasn't born yesterday…'

Darien reentered Rene's room after hearing her conversation with Ilene. He had been hard pressed to keep from laughing out loud. When he approached her at the door, he swept her into his arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You know you're the worst liar alive, right?"

Flushing and smacking him on his arm, she scowled. In response, he gave her a smacking kiss that left her a bit breathless.

'A little bit longer,' she thought silently as they swayed in the light of dusk within her room. 'Just let me pretend that I'm more than a conquest and revenge to him for a little bit longer.'

Pacing back and forth within the confines of the library again, Ilene was close to panicking. Rene was disheveled and blushing when she answered the door. Ilene was no fool, and neither was Darien. 'Was he trying to use Rene? Was Matthew telling the truth about him?'

Ilene had wondered in the past if meeting George, allowing him to court her, and eventually marrying George had been a repayment to the kindness Elena showed her. Elena's death hit George as hard as Ken's death hurt her although both have learned to live on. Now she was alone again, and Matthew, a man she had always feared, warns her that the one person she had left could be taken away from her.

To say that dinner was awkward would be understating the whole situation. Ilene ate quietly even as Rene tried to make small talk with those at the table. Lita sat pensively, barely touching her own fare. And Darien's eyes always trailed back to Rene. Ilene's maternal instinct kicked in when she noted her daughter's behavior around the man. She was clearly besotted with him, and Ilene couldn't really blame her. Darien Brady certainly inherited a handful of handsome genes but that only made him more dangerous.

Ilene felt immensely tired about the meal. The oppressive air of foreboding hung heavily in the air yet she couldn't bring herself to take a walk with Rene as promised. She knew that if she were alone with her daughter right now, she wouldn't be able to control her questions. 'No, I need some time to sort out my own thoughts before approaching her. The last thing I want to do is to drive her closer to Darien…'

So she sat in the library, one of George's favorite rooms, and she flipped listlessly through the autopsy report again. "I shouldn't believe Matthew!" she muttered to herself repeatedly as facts and figures spread out before her eyes.

But what if it was true? The report showed there to be no sign of foul play, but Darien would be smart enough to kill his father in a more sinister way. Poison perhaps? The report showed nothing on toxicology… And the scene in the hallway already roused her suspicions not to mention anger. There was a high likelihood that Darien will hurt Rene regardless. She managed to stop them this time, but what about in the future?

Suddenly a particular name stood out in the report. It was the first name that caught her eye. It surprised her simply because she had never expected to see it there. When she reread the content surrounding it, she blinked. What a coincidence! Could this be a clue pointing to murder? Shaking her head, she dismissed her thoughts. She was being ridiculous. She smiled wistfully at the dusky sky outside. Maybe a walk alone wouldn't be such a bad idea right now.

'George would practically drag me to go on a walk with him in this weather.' She smiled and decided to head downstairs. 'Besides I need to clear my head, there are too many conspiracy theories crowding my mind right now.'

"Kels, I'm going out for a walk! Is Rene still here?" She asked the housekeeper.

"Enjoy yourself, ma'am. Rene left a few minutes ago," Kelsey replied.

Ilene almost froze. "She left by herself?" She asked worriedly.

"No ma'am. She left wit Lita for a walk, maybe you can catch up t'em," Kelsey answered.

"And Darien? Is he still here?"

"I believe he left a while ago too, but he took th' car…"

Ilene nodded, pacified. She waved briefly. "See you soon."

Kelsey was ecstatic the woman would finally be able to crack a smile. 'Mourning in that manner ain't no good for a person's health,' she thought.

She walked to the stables with a grin on her face. She felt peaceful all of a sudden. The warm air hugged her as she dismissed Matthew's ill-willed warnings from her mind. George died from natural causes, and he was in a better place. She was just being silly about Darien. He was a young man who has been a lot of pain… he loved his father too much to kill him. Before she completely reached the stables, she saw a familiar figure approaching her.

"What a pleasant surprise!" Ilene answered with immense pleasure.

"Hello Ilene."

"Care to join me on my walk?" She smiled when they began walking in sync.

"It's a beautiful day."

"Indeed. I decided to come out and get some fresh air. George would have adored today."

"He has always enjoyed dusk."

"I miss him immensely. I'm sure he's felt the same way when Elena died."

"Yes, I remember that. I came to see her during that time. She didn't have long even then."

"I don't know what I'd do if I was you. Dealing with that all the time…" Ilene's mind suddenly reverted back to the moment in the study when she had seen that name in the autopsy report. 'Perhaps I can get information about George's state of health. After all, what's the harm in that?'

"It does get hard. Especially when it's someone you've come to care for a long time."

"Now I don't mean to intrude, but how was George physically? Was he healthy?"

The figure turned to her and smiled sweetly as they momentarily stopped their ambling.

"I suppose you've gone over the autopsy report."

"Yes…I was just tying up loose ends I suppose."

"And you saw my name on it?"

"It was in it. I just thought it was odd that it'd be there…" Ilene suddenly felt very anxious. They were in one of the paths bordering the corn fields. She looked back to the person in front of her. 'Don't be foolish. It'd be impossible.'

"Well, what do you think?" The voice asked easily as if asking for opinion on a homemade soup.

"Think? I was just wondering about…" Ilene let out a gasp of pain as the figure jabbed a needle into her neck.

"Ilene, you've probed too hard. I didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice."

"Rene…I love my girl…Rene…"

"She's next unless you tell me where you put the report."

"Study…Rene…" within the next five seconds Ilene collapsed to the ground and twitched sporadically.

The figure glanced at Ilene's wristwatch. It was almost time for the farmer to come make his rounds on the perimeter of his field. He would find the late Mrs. Ilene Brady still warm to the touch.

"Lita, are you okay?" Rene asked quietly as they walked among the flora and fauna of the gardens.

"Fine," she replied curtly before retreating within her thoughts.

"This must be so awkward for you. I can't believe Darien is going to do this to you…"

"The bastard," Lita cursed.

"But maybe he wants something other than to make your life a living hell. Maybe he wants what I want: for you and Nathan to be happy, together."

"Haven't chya been listen' t'me. We can't ever be happy t'gether! He made a choice years ago, n' he's gonna choose agin, and it won't be me," Lita spat angrily.

"But you two never had a chance for it to come out. Neither of you have closure from the relationship. Won't you think you'll be happier just to know exactly how he's felt even if it means walking away from him a free woman?"

"What if I don't wanna walk away? What if I wanna love 'im even if it means nev'r movin' on?" Lita whispered.

"Why do you think he's coming, Lita? I think he wants to know why you left him years ago without a backward glance. I think he was heartbroken that you never trusted him enough to make his own decisions…you left him, Lita. You made that decision," Rene baited. She knew Lita could blow up at her at any moment, but it was better than letting her keep it pent-up like at dinner.

"He would've don'it 'imself. I didn't wanna be the one who begg'd 'im," Lita insisted, her eyes fiery as she speared Rene with a glare.

"You were selfish. You wanted to protect your own heart so you decided to break his first. Who cares right? He probably won't even remember you!"

"How dare you say tha t'me? He loved me, I know tha he did!" Lita spoke with quiet fury and determination.

"Then why did you leave him?"

"I…" Lita stuttered.

"When he's asks you that question, what are you going to say, Lita?"

"I…" Lita said again.

"You what?" Rene persisted, determined to get Lita to see the blazing truth.

"I wish I could take it all back." The anger and hurt finally left her body in a gentle sigh.

"It's not too late, Lita. For you, it's not too late. This is Nathan's gift to you," Rene murmured as she led a shivering Lita to a stone bench. Together they watched the sunset in the distance, its rays glowing bloody red before disappearing into the horizon, drenching the earth with its last breath of life.

The blare of police lights welcomed Rene and Lita's return. Confused they entered the house where Kelsey and an assorted collection of people gathered around a sheriff. Many were crying.

"What's going on?" Rene asked one of the nearby cops who redirected her to the sheriff. Lita gripped her hand as Sheriff Jones told her the news.

"I'm real sorry, Rene. Your mother died of heart failure tonight outside Farmer Johansson's fields."

"No…It couldn't be! NO!" Rene said vehemently as eyes turned on her with pity and sorrow in them.

"I saw her not even two hours ago! Where is she? Tell me this is a joke! I don't believe you. Mama! Mama! This isn't funny! Where are you?" She cried in anguish as a gaping Lita stood by her side.

Somehow she found herself in Darien's arms. His arms held her to him as she sobbed while he barked out orders for information. When the Sheriff told him the news, Darien muttered a loud curse.

"Look I know you're going to want statements from us, but she's in shock. As the surviving relative, I'm going to try and calm her down." Jones eyed him suspiciously before nodding his head.

"Don't go far, Brady. You're under investigation as well."

"Innocent until proven guilty and I wouldn't think of it. Now if you'll excuse us," Darien said as he swung his arm under Rene's legs and easily picked her up. He comforted her with soft whispers in her ear as he climbed the stairs to their rooms.

Depositing her gently on her bed, he sat with her until she fell asleep from the exhaustion and sorrow. It was only then did he allow himself to leave her side and return to the chaos below.

"What d'ya mean heart failure!" Kelsey sobbed loudly. "She was fine n' dandy not mor'en two hours ago!"

"Ma'am, sometimes these things happen. Couples dying around the same time…I've seen it many times," a deputy added which only caused the woman to cry louder.

"She died of a broken heart! Oh, the world's too cruel!"

Lita was busy getting the details out of the Sheriff who in turn was busy deriving a statement from the brunette.

A few other maids were whispering among themselves… "There's a curse…I'd say foul play…Something's fishy all right…Could it have been suicide...Wonder if Rene will stay…Wouldn't that be convenient for Darien…They were pretty cozy going up those stairs…Surviving relative my ass…Makes one wonder if Master Brady's death was as natural as it seemed…What is the world coming to?"

Darien found the sheriff and Lita rallying questions like a tennis match. From Lita's threatening tone, the sheriff managed to croak out a few details concerning Ilene's body's whereabouts before interjecting that the whole thing was under investigation. Cutting in, he asked where he could give his statement. He was redirected to another sterner-looking man who Jones introduced as Deputy Brock, 'More like Deputy Rock,' Darien thought. The next half hour was a blur as he was beat and bruised by the criminal justice system.

To be honest, the situation wasn't looking good for him. He was a suspect that much was obvious. When he told Deputy Rock that he had been driving around after dinner was almost a blind admission of guilt. There were no witnesses to back up his alibi, and he certainly had a motive in the eyes of the law. This also told Darien that they were suspicious of Ilene's death. If they pronounced it plain heart failure, they wouldn't have questioned him with such depth and suspicion.

Why had he been driving around? He wasn't quite sure of the answer himself only that he had to get away from Rene before doing or saying something that he'd regret. The girl was a little too much for him. He couldn't think, couldn't rationalize around her! His two most valuable character traits went down the drain the second he laid eyes on her…

During dinner, he felt her foot accidentally brush against his leg setting his body on fire. Earlier in her room, he tasted the perfume of her skin. When he closed his eyes, he could feel her soft hands on his slightly rough cheeks. And just a few moments ago, he had held her trembling form in his arms, his heart breaking for her. They were both orphans now…

'How did Ilene die? How could she just die like that?' He didn't believe heart failure for a hot second when he saw the glare in the sheriff's eyes. Now it made him rethink the whole situation. 'Could Dad have been murdered?'

Too tired to keep awake any longer, he trotted upstairs to check on Rene, who was tossing about on the bed. Calming her down by clamping her clammy hands within his, he fell into a restless sleep on the 19th century chaise in her room.