Chapter 6

Threadbare

~ And through the walls they made their mudpies

"I got your mind," I said,

She said, "I've your voice."

I said, "You don't need my voice,

Girl, you have your own."

But you never thought it was enough of.

So they went for years and years,

Like sisters, blanket girls,

Always there through that and this,

"There's nothing we can not ever fix." I said.

~Bells For Her, Tori Amos

Kimberly stopped abruptly when she stumbled upon Shane and Kayla's awkward standoff. Her mother's careless confession on the nature of their past relationship escaped the shadowy catacombs of Kim's heart.

"Now that they are closer."

Briefly startled by the visual, though non-threatening in its appearance, her limbs grew limp sending the tray of items tumbling to the floor. Just before the echo of breaking glass shattered the tranquility of the evening soiree, her plaintive eyes lifted towards his regretful ones. Shane raised his hand in protest, desperate to rescue Kim from the grief he had inflicted upon her, but his efforts were futile.

"I, uh, I didn't mean to…" Kimberly felt her cheeks grow hot and desperately wanted all eyes off her. Embarrassed and feeling exposed by her slip up, she mindlessly dropped to the floor picking up pieces of glass scattered across the room.

"Kimmie!" Kayla shrieked. "You'll cut yourself!"

But her sister's warning was in vain.

Kimberly clumsily scooped jagged fragments into her hand, a desperate attempt to clean up the mess before a yard full of onlookers descended upon her. Shane rushed to her side for aide. Kayla slinked into the background and looked for assistance outside, relieved to see Neil quickly approaching the chaotic scene. She motioned for him to enter as she guiltily slipped outside to locate Stephanie and her niece.

"What…"

Neil's eyes traveled around the scene, resting on the two adults kneeling before him blocking his ability to enter inside. Shane's efforts to attend to Kim's injuries were rebuffed, her eyes cutting through him like the chards of glass that tore through her skin. The miles of progress the two ex-lovers made, gingerly stepping towards one another in the last two months, evaporated as a tide of memories swept over them.

"Neil?" Kimberly lamented. She slipped her bleeding hand out of Shane's whirling around to accept the aide of an old friend. Neil steadied her as Kim rose, the two of them walking over to the kitchen sink to address the wound.

"Oh my, do you think she needs to go to the emergency room?" Liz exclaimed when she saw the blood around the sink. The world-renowned singer looked for their car keys.

"Where's Phillip?"

"I'm fine Liz." Kimberly attempted feebly, avoiding Shane's intense stare from across the room by the door.

"You can see why I never made a good waitress." She elaborated with a nervous laugh. "Ah, we know better than that." The good doctor replied. Neil smiled encouragingly and examined the wound.

Meanwhile people rushed forward from outdoors, jostling and bumping into Shane as they discovered what had transpired. Immediately, the room was abuzz as partygoers volunteered to clean up and navigate the little ones to a safer area. For most, the event seemed trivial but a cue to draw the festivities to a close. A group gathered in the foyer.

"I'll take the birthday girl with me." Kayla offered as she corralled a few of Jeannie's belongings into her daughter's bag. Though her expression was light and sweet, Amanda noted the strain in Kayla's slightly swollen eyes. Her husband approached with one child under his arm, motioning for the family to head home across the street.

"You mind if we provide bed and shelter for another boy?" Peter suggested. Shane was close behind with Andrew by his side. Amanda agreed to the impromptu sleepover but her attention was on Kayla who bristled at the sight of Shane.

"Mummy, ok?"

The inquisition startled the Brit and he looked down to see the dimpled smile of his miniature self. Patting the boy on his head, Shane nodded positively which satisfied Andrew's momentary anxiety. The boy darted out towards his friend's house. Scooping his daughter up in his arms for one last hug before she disappeared over to her cousin's, Shane instructed,

"Now listen to your Aunt Kayla young lady." He cajoled. "And go to sleep."

"Yes, daddy." The little girl cooed in his ear, her eyes twinkling from all the excitement and sugary sweets. Like a little nymph she slid out of his arms and ran out the door with her cousin.

Kayla scurried out the front door escorting the chattering young girls to her home, neither aware of the tension that blanketed the evening. Peter and Amanda cut a glance over to Shane for clarification.

"Uh, excuse me, I need to place a call." He replied not addressing their bewildered looks. "I'm sure Dr. Curtis and Phillip have things under control." He mused with a hint of melancholy escaping his otherwise stoic countenance. Shane retreated towards the study behind them.

Phillip was nowhere to be seen.

In the Kitchen:

"I think this needs stitches." Neil observed.

Kim's eyes pleaded with the good doctor. A trip to the ER would consume hours of their time.

"Hey, Blondie, could you grab my bag from the car?" Neil winked as Liz headed towards the front door. Phillip sauntered past Liz as she exited to obtain the medical supplies. He slid close to Kimberly as Neil wrapped her hand in a hand towel.

"Babe, what have you done now?" His blue eyes twinkled as he placed his hand on the small of Kim's back for support. An air of mild disgust permeating the statement was lost in the sea of activity. Neil paused briefly, perplexed by the man's tone, then continued extracting glass out of Kim's hand.

"It's nothing, really. I'm fine." Kimberly assured him sweetly. "My clumsiness didn't ruin your social gathering… dear?" She inquired pointedly meeting his gaze. Albeit brief, Kimberly's blue-green eyes cut straight through her fiancé. Shane's eyes flew open. Having re-entered from the entry hall, Shane slipped into the living area quietly observing the exchange. Catching her implication, Phillip switched gears quickly.

"Come, let's take you upstairs so Dr. Curtis will have a more suited operating area." He offered with the gentle wink of his eye.

Now his voice oozed with affection and Shane noticed Kim exhaled slowly as the two fell back into their public roles. Neil and Phillip guided her upstairs. Standing for a moment in the stillness of Kim's family room, Shane contemplated the scene before him. A trash bag full of shattered remnants of specialty glasses set propped against the cast iron barstool at the end of the bar. Dishes set piled up on top of the grey-speckled granite countertops. Shane busied himself with idle chores to pass the time, his mind racing. He had not calculated the consequences of facing the two sisters in the same room again. Kayla's hostility towards him was jarring though Shane understood the well she mined from. For such a long period of time, he led her to believe she was more than a diversion, repeatedly persuading the grieving widow that their relationship was something real when Kayla accurately sensed something else.

"Kayla, please. There is nothing more going on between me and Kimberly than just ISA business."

He offered somewhat convincingly, a hint of annoyance laced his statement at having to address the issue.

Kayla sighed.

"I would like to believe that. But you and Kimberly are so good at lying…"

A pin pricked his heart. She had been right. They were experts at hiding their true feelings from one another when they were hurting. What fools! The rest of the world didn't buy Shane and Kimberly's act, why should Kayla be gullible enough to consume the lie?

Shane stood alone in the midst of Kim's new world. For the first time he reflected upon his relationship with Kayla two years ago, noting how much of their time together centered on Kimberly, and Kayla's need to be reassured of her importance to him. Shane desperately wanted to tuck the memories back into the vault of his mind, but the family pictures that dotted Kimberly's dark-oak mantel fireplace wouldn't let him. Family, not a stranger but family! The effects of Shane and Kayla's indiscretion rippled into the present, its rip currents still threatening to sink them all. An old black and white picture encased in a cast-ironed frame highlighted the underlying current that replayed itself two years before. It was a picture of Shawn Sr. and two young girls, whose expressions revealed desperation to hold their father's favor. One carried a torturous secret in the process. The parallels slapped Shane in the face for he clearly understood the nuances of sibling rivalry. A delicate thread held together by blood and familial harmony, but any outside catalyst could unravel the seam. That is precisely what occurred with Shane and his twin. Yet, he never realized how fragile that thread had been between Kimberly and Kayla.

Once Kimberly walked away from the twisted tale, retreating to LA, and the hollow effects of meaningless sex settled into Shane's soul, he abruptly ended game. His paralysis a safe escape into a preferable world of solitude. His conscious still berated him over the treatment of Kayla. Shane couldn't dismiss her into the past because of her ties to Kim. Kayla was a Brady and he swore a promise to care for Stephanie in the absence of the little girl's father. Furthermore, Kayla's current state was a reminder of what he had done by choosing to seduce her. Kayla's reaction confirmed to Shane that she recognized her purpose in the affair as well. The reality wasn't pretty.

The gravity of the situation weighed on him. Shane ran his fingers through his wavy black mane in frustration glancing over to the old Grandfather clock in the hall that slowly ticked away the minutes. He hadn't noticed where Peachy disappeared to but desperately needed her sage advise. In a flash, Shane had been blindsided by his fate. He glimpsed the sorrowful depths of pain that enslaved Kimberly… pain he had caused. It was a look he had seen before but not reserved for him. Thus, Kimberly's refusal to seek his aide during her illness the year before was not an anomaly. It was the natural state of their relationship. Their very foundation sprouted from a sacred bond of trust and security and with it shattered, their interaction would always be superficial. For Shane, that was a punishment worse than death!

But their love wasn't dead; just buried deep beneath the rubble of their mistakes. Their time together this summer among the tranquil grounds of his childhood home, the cradle of their love, ignited something within the two that needed to be nurtured. Would the opportunity that presented itself at Donovan Manor just two months before, occur again? Doubtful. Shane dialed the number once more. After several rings Marlena's professional, soothing voice on the Brady answering machine echoed in his ear. Shane placed the cordless phone back on its base and waited…

Location: Next door at Kayla's house

"Miss Peach!" Kayla greeted with surprise when she opened the door.

"Good evening, dear." Peachy observed her closely. Kayla's eyes were red and puffy.

"Do you need some help settling the girls?" Peachy offered gently.

Kayla smiled appreciatively informing the old spy how the two literally fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow.

"Hmm, come see for yourself." She suggested with a light-hearted laugh when Peachy's skepticism hadn't waned. Kayla knew Peachy well enough to know she wasn't there to simply make sure Jeannie was tucked in tight for the night.

The two women tip toed upstairs to check on the girls who nestled closely together in Stephanie's Little Princess bed. Each girl slept soundly clasping their favorite pink and lavender blanket their grandmother made for them. The sight conjured up memories from Kayla's youth, sneaking into her older sister's bed on cold winter evenings, wrapping up in the same flannel blanket, gossiping until the wee hours of the morning. They were so close. "Blanket girls," her mother called them. Fresh tears formed in her eyes.

"Are you alright, Love?"

The question startled Kayla. She wiped her eyes and motioned for the two to return downstairs into the living room. Walking through Kayla's home revealed how different she was from her sister. The same wooden carvings and floor plan however; Kayla had painted the beams and paneling white, her décor more contemporary than classic. She hastily wiped away the scattered books and papers lining the denim colored sofa and offered Peachy a seat. Kayla ventured into the conversation by beginning with the usual safe introductions.

"Would you like something to drink?" She fought to keep her voice steady.

"Oh, a spot of tea would be nice!" Peachy replied with a smile. Kayla's face fell.

"I don't drink tea."

"Kayla…"

"You're thinking of Kimberly." She said softly. Something in her voice revealed Kayla wasn't simply referring to tea or even addressing Peachy. She possessed a far away look. A ghost resided in her soul. Peachy reached for her arm and squeezed it compassionately.

"Whatever you have in the ice box will be fine." She replied with an encouraging wink.

While Kayla sought refuge in the kitchen, Peachy casually strolled around the room glancing at various photos and trinkets that adorned tables and shelves. Her eyes landed at the white mantle of the fireplace, a picture taken at Steve and Kayla's first wedding. Sisters, smiling brightly, they held close to each other holding a bouquet of freshly cut flowers for the occasion. Peachy remembered seeing it displayed in the side hallway of Shane and Kim's once.

"Why are you here, Ms. Peach?" Kayla asked nervously interrupting her thoughts. "Is Kimmie ok?"

Kayla handed her a glass of lemonade. Peachy took a polite sip.

"To the point." She replied crisply. "I like that."

Kayla placed her hands on her hips ready for what was coming.

"The lassie's fine I suppose." Pausing as she whirled around to set the glass down on a coaster.

"Physically."

Crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'm more concerned with the heart and in particular yours." Peachy probed keenly. Kayla tried diverting her attention elsewhere but her choice was to focus on Peachy or the hypnotic power the picture from her wedding had over her at the moment.

"It's hard to lose the man you love." Peachy stated sympathetically watching Kayla's expression carefully.

"Yes, yes it is." She replied with a heavy sigh. "But sometimes I almost sense his presence and it comforts me." Kayla stepped closer to the mantle and picked up the last family picture taken before Steve's death, avoiding the other one. The darkness lifted briefly and one could almost see a spark in Kayla's wistful eyes. She cradled the frame.

After several minutes of peace, Kayla released herself from the memory and placed the picture back on the mantel. Other joyous memories displayed on the mantle taunted her at that moment.

"But that's not what you wrestle with at night, is it?" Peachy inquired pointedly following Kayla's line of vision towards the picture. When Kayla refused to budge any further, Peachy gave up on all pretenses.

"Very well then." She said with a slap of her hand against her thigh.

"Things didn't end well between you and the Laddie…"

Shocked by her forwardness, Kayla bristled and curtly shot back,

"You know that already."

She wasn't comfortable with the conversation yet Kayla had talked to no one about what happened or how she felt. Kayla was battered and bruised, desperately seeking some resolution, but her sister's walls were too fortified. The whole affair was an albatross around Kayla's neck.

"Yes," The old spy prodded.

Kayla's moist eyes lifted to meet hers.

"He's like a son to you."

"So you believe that precludes my ability to recognize when the Laddie's behaved like an ass?"

Despite herself, Kayla had to stifle a laugh. The pronouncement forced her to meet Peachy's impenetrable gaze.

"We're making progress." Peachy nodded with a wink, seeing Kayla's stance soften.

"I didn't behave any better." Kayla admitted softly. "To Kimberly." She added regretfully.

"A dreadful time." Peachy offered somberly.

Something in her words released Kayla from the burden of silence. She began talking about their childhood, how despite their friendship, Kayla resented the attention Kimberly garnered from the outside world. Peachy listened attentively as Kayla spoke of Shane and Kim's wedding.

"I truly believed what the papers said about them: a Fairytale wedding." Her expression revealed how naïve she had been and more importantly how simplistic the view seemed now.

"Oh love, you know that no relationship is idyllic." Peachy admonished. Kayla nodded in agreement and laughed bitterly.

"Shane was always so chivalrous, I didn't believe for a second he could possess that cold, Bond like trait."

Peachy smirked knowingly.

"Is that why it was easy to lay the blame at Kimberly when their marriage ended?" she interjected. Kayla didn't answer. She felt uneasy going any further but Pandora's box was already opened and the tears started to flow.

"I know it isn't right, but I had lost Steve and nothing I could do would bring him back!" She broke into great gulping sobs.

"And he was kind and attentive…I knew it wasn't right!"

Peachy handed her a tissue as Kayla began to shake uncontrollably. She was mourning.

"Finally, someone favored me over her!" She exclaimed sarcastically.

"Oh, Kayla!" Peachy reached out to comfort the grieving woman. Kayla slumped into the overstuffed armchair. Peachy knelt down in front of her, clasping Kayla's hands.

"And Kimberly wasn't there, he was and he was so sad without her…"

Kayla's hands slid out from Peachy's as she gestured wildly.

"And then she waltzes right back into his life, and I was supposed to slink back into the corner?"

Suddenly, silence engulfed the room. Stunned by her own outburst, Kayla covered her mouth to keep from speaking anymore. Her eyes wide, brimming with tears,

"I didn't mean it." She whispered frantically, frightened by the venom in her own words.

"I know dear." Peachy soothed. She had seen the disastrous effects of pain and anger before.

Kayla stared at her hands, which had fallen back into her lap.

"I knew all along, you know?"

"What, dear?"

"What he was doing."

Kayla paused. Without looking up, she quietly moaned,

"I cut my hair."

Without waiting for a response,

"I tried to be different." Kayla explained lifting her chin. She searched Peachy's expression for absolution.

"What dear?" Peachy guessed the direction this conversation was taking.

Kayla almost choked on her words.

"It didn't work."

Peachy pressed her lips together as Kayla revealed with disgust,

"He couldn't even resist referencing her when we were in bed!" She cried. Embarrassed by the admission, Kayla hid her face in shame behind the mounds of tissue.

"Kayla, did you love Shane?" Peachy pondered, perplexed by the nature of Kayla's revelations. Kayla narrowed her eyes and wept bitter tears.

"Ha, that's the nice little gem in this nightmare! I tried to convince myself for justification, but no." She replied mournfully. "I've only loved one man like that."

Peachy surmised as much.

Swallowing hard,

"I feel so cheap." She whispered and then it was simply too much. Kayla sunk further into the chair as Peachy reached out to comfort her.

"The saddest part is that I threw away the best friend I ever had…" Taking in a deep breath,

"And nothing will ever fix it." Kayla whimpered.

She stood, seeking refuge by the fireplace gazing into the picture taken on the day of her wedding. Feeling exposed, Kayla wrapped her arms around herself. Closing her eyes, Kayla desperately wanted to travel back to her wedding day. She could still feel the breeze blowing against her face and the sound of the gulls looming overhead. She was so happy that day. But when her eyes opened once more, Kimberly's loving smile stared back at her through the portal of the still shot.

"You were my voice when I couldn't speak for myself."

Kayla gushed as the two sisters embraced each other on top of that glorious yacht.

Kimberly simply shrugged,

"You would've done the same for me."

The memory flooded back against the backdrop of the evening's events.

"Kimmie, always believed in me." Kayla gestured towards the picture. "She never let me stand in her shadow."

Kayla's pitiful blue eyes reached out to Peachy's. In barely an audible whisper,

"She didn't have to. I willingly placed myself there."

"Oh my child!" Peachy exclaimed giving Kayla a sympathetic hug. After a few moments of letting Peachy mother her, Kayla added philosophically.

"I understand now,"

Pause.

"How painful it is to lose something you never fully appreciated until you betrayed it."

Location: Kim's home, late evening.

Shane opened the front door to escape into the night air just as Peachy approached from outside.

"Where on earth?" Shane exclaimed surprised by her entrance. He assumed she might have been upstairs with Kimberly. Peachy brushed off his inquiry.

"Nothing to bother you with." She placed her jacket on the hook nonchalantly and didn't meet his gaze. Instead glancing upstairs,

"Still waiting for word?"

Shane sighed and nodded affirmatively placing his hands on his hips. Not dissuaded by her obvious attempt to ignore his question, Shane started to interrogate his partner once more.

The two were interrupted by the sound of the upstairs bedroom door opening and footsteps from above. Phillip emerged looking relieved and in a hurry bounding down the stairs. Breezing past Peachy, Phillip grabbed his linen blazer and headed towards the front door.

"And the lassie?" Peachy inquired bewildered by his attitude.

"Oh, she's fine." Phillip replied smoothly. "A real trooper while Neil stitched her up. I think he's giving her something for the pain that will make her drowsy." He pronounced in a way to excuse him from having to stay the night. Shane couldn't believe how daft the man was!

"Talking to Neil right now." Not once making eye contact, he fumbled around for his car keys.

"You know how Kimmie overreacts." He added dismissively.

"Kim doesn't overreact." Shane retorted flatly, stepping forward to partially block Phillip's exit from the house.

"Pressing business?"

The maneuver forced the two men into a quiet draw for a brief moment as the blistering accusation echoed up the stairs. A wave of guilt rolled across Phillip's face, Shane's menacing stare momentarily breaking the producer's cavalier stance.

An eerie stillness enveloped the trio of occupants congregating around the oak banister.

"Ah, but you two have things under control!" Phillip chirped suddenly, heartily patting Shane on the arm before walking out the door. The two spies followed behind.

"I'll give her a ring in the morning." He called out from over his shoulder as he flagrantly slipped into his red Maserati, peeling out of the driveway and disappearing into the night.

Turning her attention to Shane, who was still leering in the direction Phillip exited,

"Was that really necessary?" Peachy demanded impatiently.

"What?"

Shane appeared genuinely surprised by her admonishment. One armed pointed towards the second story of the old craftsman home as the other rested firmly on hip.

"He has no business leaving her…"

Peachy narrowed her eyes and after a split second standoff, Shane conceded and dropped his argument.

"What happened, Laddie?" Peachy inquired softly.

Shane shuffled around his partner and gazed at the adjacent house. Rubbing his neck with a free hand. Shane confessed,

"Peachy, I never realized…"

Peachy dropped her head, her steely eyes bearing into his. Retracting his statement, Shane began to pace the length of the porch.

"I've made a bloody mess of everything haven't I?"

"I tried to warn you." Peachy simply replied.

"Well you don't have to gloat about it!" Shane shot back, his temper rising.

"Gloat? I beg your pardon Sir!"

Peachy's voice grew stern.

"The one gloating is you! Frankly, you need to be on your knees that their brothers didn't see fit to horsewhip you for your blatant disregard…"

"I get it, Peach!" Shane sniped back.

He had no room to argue. Still skeptical that his stubbornness hadn't been quenched, Peachy treaded carefully, her tone full of love, albeit of the tough variety.

"I take no pleasure when the ones I love are hurting. You forget dear boy,"

At once Shane's demeanor changed. He began to listen.

"I tried to warn you of the peril that awaited you if you gallantly traipsed here," Peachy motioned in dramatic fashion.

"Without considering what your presence might do to the fledgling relationship between the two!"

Peachy soften, only a little.

"Laddie, you are not guaranteed a victory this time."

Shane's indignation had evaporated into a conciliatory stance.

"Time," He sighed. "I thought the passage of time…"

"Would heal all the wounds?" She interrupted. A lopsided smile emerged briefly across Shane's worn face betraying that she read him like a book.

"Poppycock!"

Stepping forward so that he heard her clearly, Peachy pointed to his heart.

"It's not merely the passage of time my boy, but what you do with it?"

He pondered her statement and then responded graciously,

"Thank you, Peach."

He grabbed her hand, kissing it as a son dotes on his mother.

"I should probably go and speak with Kayla." He offered. Ever the eager spy, Shane turned towards the steps.

Peachy held her hand up in front of his chest stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh, I think you have done enough damage for now." Peachy exhaled laboriously. "Let the poor girl be."

Her tone betrayed exactly where Peachy had ventured off to after the spill. She was always cleaning up after his messes, whether it fine china, glassware, the victims of his unfettered temper, or broken hearts and spirits resulting from his callous use of women as his vehicle to run from emotional pain. Old accusations he hurled at Kimberly echoed back at him this time, an indictment of his own folly.

"You haven't changed, that's for damn sure!" Shane scolded her.

"You're making the same mistake, Kim."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" She cried.

Shane clasped his forehead exasperated with the whole conversation.

"What it's supposed to mean is," Shane retorted in frustration.

"If you're trying to avoid pain, you don't rush headlong into a self-destructive relationship!"

The bitter irony of the memory created a low, cynical laugh that slipped out from Shane's clenched jaw. In the hazy glow of the crescent moon lit night that seeped through the canopy of trees dotting Kimberly's front lawn, a hollow expression formed across his face. Shane's head dropped into his hands as he leaned against the wooden railing of the porch. He arrogantly lectured Kim on the merits of how to correctly deal with pain as he callously flaunted his budding affair with Kayla in front of her. He harbored his fury over the entire circumstances regarding Winters, the way he left things with Kimberly before the Jericho mission, so it permeated every conversation with Kim during that tumultuous time. The compounding lie of Jeannie's possible paternity took its toll on the battered spy, resulting in the loss of another marriage. To avoid dealing with his failure to save the woman he loved from the maniacal perpetrators that set up camp in their lives, Shane insanely clung to his work. Fueled by self-loathing, Shane could not let go of the past thus, stood still as Kim walked away. Nor, could he let go of Kim either. Quite the conundrum, Shane wrestled with his pent up emotions using Kayla as the safe substitute until he could work through the conflict. It reached a fevered pitch once Kimberly's relationship with Lawrence took a wicked little turn. Once again his enemy had cuckolded Shane. But at least the case was a success! In retaliation, Shane took the exact same steps as when he believed Emma dead from the explosion; only it was supposed to be somehow more refined to use only one woman to exercise a need instead of multiple?

Peachy remained quiet despite the urge to pull Shane out of the emotional detoxification. Wisely, his partner knew this was the first step towards his long journey home. Time crept by in silence until finally Shane's prophetic words broke the silence.

"You know, sometimes you can push a person too far and…"

His words faltered and Shane drifted deep into his thoughts once more.

Frowning, Peachy replied,

"How insightful of you to finally notice, Laddie!" She patted him on the back sympathetically.

"Not really." Shane replied sullenly. "I told Kimberly the exact same thing once." He exhaled slowly. His words filtered back to bite him in the worst way.

"You push a person away so many times,

you cry wolf so many times that in the end you get what you want.

You get to be alone. Because if you push a person away so many times…

Finally he walks away."

Shane caste a longing look towards Kimberly's darkened bedroom window.

How many times had he scaled a wall for her?

At that moment, Shane admired Kimberly's strength to walk away. He simply prayed she might find the courage to return to him one day. Looking back at Peachy with regret,

"Pity, I never practiced the lessons I preached."