Alex slowly eased herself into the easy chair in the living room and took a sip from her glass of wine. Mike had just left after helping her get the kids to bed. She was glad Bobby had eaten some dinner and now he was settled in bed, sleeping. Maggie was excited about going back to school the next day and Tommy seemed to finally understand that Gramma was not directly responsible for the injuries to his sister and father. She finally had a moment to sit and unwind. It had been a busy, draining day and she was glad it was over.

After a half hour of mindless television and two glasses of wine, she felt relaxed enough to go to bed. Locking the place up, she checked on Maggie and Tom, then went into the bedroom. Bobby was on his side, sleeping soundly. It was good to see him sleep so well, but she knew it wasn't a natural, restful sleep. He never slept that well. The combination of his physical injuries and the strong painkillers he was taking were responsible for his sleep.

She changed into sleep pants and a sleeveless shirt and slipped into bed, pressing her body up to his and draping her arm around him. Her breath feathered across the back of his neck and she drifted off to sleep.

Bobby tossed restlessly, struggling away from a nightmare, or a memory; sometimes he couldn't tell the difference. The talk he'd had with Alex stirred up a lot in his head, and he expected many nights of deeply disturbed sleep before his mind settled itself once again. The burning pain in his hip and knee drove the final vestiges of sleep from him. He settled from his nightmare and the pain slowly abated, but sleep was now very far away. He looked at the clock. Three a.m. Wonderful. Slowly, reluctantly, he moved away from his sleeping wife and limped to the bathroom.

When he came out, he felt dizzy again, but instead of returning to the bed, he sat in the chair by the window and looked out into the street. The streetlights drove back the darkness, preventing the night from completely taking hold. It was never completely dark in the city, but he knew darkness. He remembered the basement of the house his parents rented from the time he was eight until a couple of years after his father left...the closets his mother would lock him in to protect him from 'them'...the dark dreams that seemed to have always been there, mocking the light.

Absently, he counted the cars that drove by, distracting himself from the pain that seared his body, cutting through his knee and hip like a hot knife through butter, distracting him from distant memories of a painful past. His head throbbed, but the spinning abated some.

He lost track of time, wandering around inside his mind, seeking a deeper distraction. Another car drove by. Seventeen. He heard Molly make little sounds as she began to move around in her crib. Eighteen. His mind spun in a slow circle. Molly...Tom and Maggie...Mom...

His gut clenched and he suddenly felt nauseous. Gone...She's gone... How was he supposed to feel about that? Nineteen. He searched his logical mind for the right answer. Grief, of course. He should feel grief. And he did, so that was good. But...relief? Was that an appropriate response to losing a parent? No, he didn't think so. Twenty.

As he felt the burden his mother's life had placed on his lift, a heavier weight came to rest on his broad shoulders. Grief and relief. Good and bad. Right and wrong. Positive and negative. Life and death. Light and darkness. Alex...and Mom...

He hadn't noticed the change in his breathing. A soft sound rumbled through his chest and escaped undetected. His hands trembled. Grief advanced onto a narrow bridge somewhere deep in the emotional center of his brain. Relief met it halfway. There was not enough room for either to pass, so one would have to allow the other to dominate, but neither would yield. It was a stalemate and only bad could come of the battle that ensued.

Twenty-six. He wasn't aware that he had continued to count the cars. The silence from the crib told him Molly had settled back to sleep. Right and wrong. Which was stronger, which more cunning? Which held the ability to dominate since neither wanted to coexist?

He groaned, and this time, the sound registered. He felt its rumble in his chest and tried to swallow it, but it was too much and it pushed past his efforts. He couldn't identify the source of his pain. Emotional or physical? Both, maybe? Either way, though, it was pain, a deep, overwhelming pain of both body and spirit. He was suffering. Twenty-nine.

A pair of hands came to rest on his shoulders, the grip tightening as her fingers pressed into the knotted muscles of his shoulders and her thumbs burrowed into the band of steel at the base of his neck. Reflexively, his head tipped forward and the pressure from her hands increased. The pounding throb in his skull slowly began to ease and another soft sound slipped past his lips, mocking his failed attempt at control.

Soft lips gently teased the back of his neck and he shuddered. They burned a slow path to his left ear. Warm and moist, her tongue dipped into the hollow behind his earlobe, and more of the pounding headache slid away with his tension. What remained was a dull ache that lingered near the bruised laceration on the side of his head.

Her tongue made a slow circle of his ear and his head tipped to the right, allowing her easy access to the side of his neck. She took advantage of the movement and her mouth nipped and sucked its way from ear to shoulder and back.

He could have stopped her at any time, but he didn't. Her erotic ministrations brought his internal struggle to a screeching halt, placing it on hold for the moment. Her teeth nipped his earlobe as her lips drew it into her mouth and she sucked at it, continuing to tease it with her tongue. He shifted as she continued to heat his body from its center. The electric charge that connected her mouth to the deepest parts of his body glowed hot and he suddenly turned to the right, away from her. Spinning from the chair, he grabbed her, drawing her against his battered body as his mouth sought hers.

He kissed her deeply, pulling her against him as he slowly backed across the room. His fingers slipped into the waistband of her pants and pushed them down over her hips. When the back of his legs hit the bed, he brought his hands up to splay over her ribcage. Moments later, her shirt fell to the floor, followed by her pants and his.

He guided her with him onto the bed, kissing, fondling, stroking. Her tongue danced with his and his thinking mind shut down entirely. He turned himself over to the heat of passion that seared his body as her leg slid over him and her body gently came to rest on top of his. When she settled onto him, the lump of molten lava deep in the center of his body erupted to consume him.

She continued to move on him slowly, watching for any sign of discomfort from him. He was beyond pain. He burned only with a need for her. When his hips jerked, she began moving faster, building speed slowly.

He was consumed by the fire she had created, only peripherally aware of her climax as he built to his own. When release finally came, it was shattering. The physical and emotional tension he'd been suffering over the past few days consolidated and added to the intensity of his climax. A white light exploded behind his eyes and his body shuddered beneath hers. He groaned deeply and when his body finally relaxed, he slipped almost immediately into a deep, restful sleep.

Alex watched as his eyes slid closed and his breathing slowed and deepened. She realized with a pang of guilt that he'd desperately needed what she had just given him: irrefutable proof that she still wanted and needed him, that she still loved him deeply with her body as well as her heart. Easing herself down beside him, she nestled into his body and returned to sleep.

When the alarm sounded, she leaned over him to turn it off. She softly kissed him before sliding from the bed and crossing the room to the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, she stood under the stream of hot water and let her mind wander as she washed. With reluctance, she finished her shower, toweled off and returned to the bedroom to dress.

After pulling on her underwear and a pair of pants, she went to the crib. Molly waved her arms and kicked her feet when her mother entered her line of vision. With a smile, Alex lifted the baby from her crib, changed her and sat in the rocker to feed her.

After Molly ate, Alex settled her back in the crib and finished dressing. Then she crossed the hall to get Tommy up. She sat on the edge of his bed and smoothed his unruly curls back off his forehead. He had his father's hair with her coloring. His eyes popped open, amber in color and bright with joy. "Mama!"

"Good morning, little man."

He looked around the room. "Maga?"

Maggie was usually with her when she woke him up. "Maggie is still sleeping."

He placed his finger on his lips. "Shhh."

Alex laughed and kissed his head. "Let's get you ready to go to Grandpa's."

"Yay!" He bounced out of bed. "Gapa!"

Alex helped him get dressed then sat him in his high chair with a bowl of cereal and went down the hall to check on Maggie. She was surprised to find her sitting up in her bed with a book. When the door opened, Maggie turned her head toward the door and smiled. "Good mornin', Mommy."

Alex came into the room and sat lightly on the edge of the bed. "I thought you were still sleeping."

"No. My leg hurt and waked me up."

"Why didn't you come to get me?"

"It doesn' hurt that bad an' I didn' wanna wake Daddy. He needs to rest, 'member?"

Alex gently stroked the little girl's dark hair. "Don't you think it would upset Daddy to know you were in pain and didn't come in to get one of us?"

"We won' tell him that."

Alex smiled. "Only if you promise to come to get me from now on when your leg hurts or you need something."

"Okay, Mommy. I promise."

"Do you want breakfast?"

"Is Tommy up?"

"Yes. He's eating his cereal."

She nodded. "I will eat with him."

Setting her book aside, Maggie got up and grabbed her crutches. She followed her mother to the dining room and climbed up onto the chair closest to her brother, who kicked his legs excitedly. "Maga!"

"G'mornin', Tommy!"

Alex set a bowl of cereal in front of Maggie and went to the bedroom. She watched Bobby sleep for a moment, then packed Molly's diaper bag. She kissed Bobby softly, without waking him, and lifted Molly from the crib. Closing the door quietly, she carried the baby into the living room. "Maggie, you'll have to go in my room when I leave. Daddy is still asleep."

"Okay, Mommy. Are you gonna come to get me for school?"

"It will be either me or Uncle Mike."

"At ten-thirty, right?"

Alex smiled. "Right. Are you done eating?"

"Omos'."

Half an hour later, after settling Maggie in the bed beside Bobby with a portable DVD and several movies she liked, Alex left with the two little ones.

Maggie settled back into the pillows close to Bobby's back and chose a movie, making sure the volume was low enough not to wake him.

At quarter after ten, Alex opened the bedroom door and looked into the room. Maggie was asleep, leaning against Bobby with her hand in his hair, and that made her smile. She debated whether or not to just keep the little girl home for the rest of the week. She was about to leave the room when Maggie's head popped up. "Mommy?"

"You can go back to sleep, Maggie."

"But I wanna go to school. I miss my friens and my teacher. I gotta go to school, Mommy. I'll be okay."

Alex smiled and walked to the bed. She looked down at Bobby and gently stroked his cheek. He groaned softly and opened his eyes, blinking and rolling onto his back. Maggie draped herself over his chest in a hug. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed as she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Do you feel better, Daddy?"

He nodded. "I do."

She rested her head back on his chest and he kissed her then shifted his gaze back to Alex. He gave her half a smile but his eyes glowed and that made her face light up when she returned his smile. She rested her hand on Maggie's back. "Come on, honey. Let's get you dressed. We have to get going."

Maggie gave Bobby another squeeze and slid off the bed. She grabbed her crutches and hobbled from the room. Alex leaned down to give Bobby a quick kiss, but when he weaved his fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss, she lingered.

When she finally found the willpower to withdraw, her knees were weak and her breath was slow to return, making her dizzy. She did not pull her gaze from his until Maggie returned to the room, dressed in the clothes Alex had set out for her that morning. "I'm ready, Mommy!"

She entered the room and approached the bed. Bobby smiled at her as he reached out and unbuttoned her shirt, readjusting it on her shoulders and buttoning it straight. Then he tugged her sweater and ran his hand over her hair. "Don't forget to brush your hair and your teeth."

She smiled back at him. "I al'ays 'member." She kissed him. "Don' freget to rest. You needa get better."

"Promise."

She beamed at him and left the room as Alex leaned down for another kiss, this one brief and affectionate. She crossed the room, turning in the doorway to look back. He'd folded his arms behind his head and was watching her. She felt the color rise to her cheeks at the heat she saw in his eyes, and it warmed her to see the return of the passion that had been missing from him since just before Molly was born. A wave of hot desire flashed through her body as her mind recalled their early morning encounter. She gave him a warm smile, letting her gaze linger on his bare chest. Moistening dry lips, she turned and left the room while she still could. It blew her mind what he could do to her with one look. He could communicate more passion and desire with his eyes than any man she'd ever known. One hot, dark look from him, stormy with passion and roiling with desire, could make her as weak at the knees and as breathless as one of his kisses. Thank God he turned that off when they were working. She had missed that passion, but she never realized how much she'd missed it until it returned.

Bobby scrubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin and smiled. She had done him more good that morning than Richard Wrightweiler had ever done with his surgeon's scalpel and patient bedside manner. He let his mind return to the early hours of the day, before the sun rose and the children woke. Turning onto his side, he closed his eyes and got lost in the memory.

He heard the door open, drawing him out of his head, and he opened his eyes as Maggie came into his line of vision. He smiled at her. She set aside her crutches so she could hug him, and she kissed his cheek. "We're leavin' now, Daddy. Don' freget what the doctor telled you."

He smiled and kissed her nose. "I won't. You have fun at school."

"I will!"

Alex had followed her. "Come on, Maggie. You'll be late."

"I'm comin', Mommy."

Bobby watched as Maggie scurried from the room on her crutches, then he looked at Alex. Her smile melted him. She crossed the room toward him as she said, "I left lunch in the refrigerator for you. You need to eat, and take your medicine if you have to. We'll see you tonight."

As she approached, he rolled onto his back, his eyes locked on hers. She reached toward him, fingering a soft curl before letting her fingertips stroke the side of his face. When he closed his eyes, she leaned down and kissed him.

His hand slid into her hair, holding her head in place as his mouth moved against hers. When his tongue teased her lips, they parted and she pressed closer, lost in the kiss. His other hand, splayed over her ribcage, moved up beneath her arm and his thumb brushed over the fabric that covered her nipple. She moaned softly and closed her lips around his tongue, sucking gently. The world around them spun and swirled...until... "Mommy! C'mon! You can kiss Daddy later! I gotta gets to school!"

Alex drew back. Two pairs of heated eyes bore into each other and she caressed his lips with her thumb. His tongue darted out and she laughed. "Tonight," she whispered, her voice husky with desire.

He nodded and kissed her thumb. Her fingers stroked his cheek and she stepped away. She could feel his eyes on her as she crossed the room and she dared a look back. She did a poor job of suppressing the tremor that assaulted her muscles, weakening her knees and flipping her heart in her ribcage. She darted out the door as Maggie called her again.

As she drove to the school, Alex let her mind rewind and she wondered what had caused the sudden return of his passion. Not that it mattered, but she was very curious. Something had happened in that wonderfully complex mind of his that allowed him to let go of whatever it was that had mired him in dark thoughts and darker emotions. Something, somewhere along the way since his mother's death, had set him free of his melancholy. What it was, though, she had no idea, and she had an odd feeling he didn't know either.