The soft glow of the T.V. screen reflected over Leo's face. He couldn't get the mysterious DVD that had shown up at David's door the night before out of his mind. David had wanted to talk about what they had watched the night before but, Leo ignored him retreating to his room slamming the door on David. He laid in bed all night the images playing over and over again in his mind.
Now he sat on the couch the screen paused on his wife. He couldn't get past what he saw in front of him. He snatched the remote off the table and lifted it to the screen. He played the video again watching the scene from last night again. As the screen began to fade to black he pressed the rewind button and played the video again. He did this over and over again, his stomach growing sicker and sicker with each repeat.
"Leo?" David asked meekly. He needed to talk to his brother about that tape. About what he had seen.
"No David. Please leave me alone." Leo kept his back to the older man the only person left of his messed up family.
David placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "We need to talk about what you saw…I can help explain what you saw…"
"No! I need to talk to my wife…my ex-wife…my…my Greenlee…" he didn't know what to call her. His love for her never died. Were they still married now with him alive? Did she still want him? "I've put off talking to her long enough David. I need her to tell me about what I saw and what else went on in her life. She deserves to be the one to tell me. And I owe it to her to tell her what I've been through."
David only nodded his head. "I'm here whenever you need me…I'll tell you anything you want to know after you talk to her." David thought about his own life over the last decade and how much he had done during Leo's absence.
Leo's eyes moved back to the screen in front of him. Once again the picture was paused on her face. Seeing her like that…experiencing what he saw before him sickened him. Not able to see it anymore he flipped the TV off.
"I'm going out…I don't know when I'll be back." He called out roughly to his brother as he grabbed his jacket and car keys.
Ryan held the door open for his wife. She had just finished with her weekly physical therapy sessions. She limped in admitting that the new therapist was kicking her ass, in a good way of course.
Greenlee sat down gently on the couch as Ryan joined her. She leaned back against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes enjoying his safe embrace. "Shouldn't you be going into work?"
"Nah. I told Zach I was going to take the day off. I wanted to spend it with my lovely wife." He leaned down kissing her forehead.
"You didn't have to do that. I'm a big girl Ryan I can handle being home alone." She sounded more defenseive than she meant to.
"I know you can but what can I say I like spending time with you. It's much better when we're home than when you were stuck in that hospital bed." He smiled.
"Ok I'll give you that one." She laughed before trying to hold back a yawn.
"Tired baby?" Ryan asked as she nodded her head.
"Why don't you go upstairs and take a nap?'
"No I'm fine right here." She cuddled deeper into his embrace enjoying being a somewhat normal couple again. "Why don't you tell me how things are going at the Foundation?"
Ryan began to tell her about the ideas he and Zach had come up with to finally put the Cambia's billions to good use. They had already started looking a properties they could buy to build housing for families who had lost their homes. They were going to partner with the Miranda Center as well. There was talk about buying an apartment complex that would house women who were the victims of spousal abuse. Both Ryan and Zach were ready to bring honor to their family names.
"Greenlee?" Ryan looked down at her. He had expected to hear her thoughts on the proposal but instead only heard her soft breathing. She had quickly fallen asleep while he talked. Ryan only smiled down at the woman. He squeezed her tightly enjoying the quite time together they were enjoying together. As he gently moved his own body into a more comfortable position he closed his eyes as well.
Leo drove up and down the streets of Pine Valley aimlessly. He wanted more than anything to go find her and make her explain what he witnessed on that video. More than that he wanted to know what she been doing all these years how she had fallen in love with someone else.
He instantly realized how jealous he was feeling in that moment. He didn't blame her for moving on, not really. He had been go so long giving her no indication that he was still alive. He couldn't expect her to live alone could he?
He drove past all their familiar hangouts. He smiled inwardly as he passed by WCRW thinking back to the first time they had been together. That first time they made love...he knew that she was the only woman for him. He drove past the condo he had shared with Laura during their short marriage regretting how he had wasted his life with her knowing he would never love her. He regretted leading Laura on but more than that he regretted how badly he had treated Greenlee during that time.
The familiar streets also brought him back to the time he spent away from this place. He remembered everything that happened after he fell over the falls. He never would have believed he would go from making love to his wife for the last time in America to losing her forever. The years of being away from him flashed through his mind as he thought of everything he needed to tell her about hoping no praying she would understand that she wouldn't hate him.
BANG…BANG…BANG… a forceful knock on the door woke Greenlee and Ryan up instantly.
"What the hell?" she asked trying to wrap her head around the intrusion. Greenlee lifted herself off Ryan ready to go see who was banging on their door.
"its ok baby I'll see who it is." Ryan to was confused at who was making all that noise. He swung his legs over the side of the couch and went to open the door.
Ryan opened the door as the man on the other side rushed in. "Ryan I need to see Greenlee!"
Greenlee watched in awe as Leo pushed his way inside without being invited. "Leo what's wrong?"
"Leo you can't just come in here like that. What do you want?" Ryan asked at the same time.
Leo ignored the taller man walking over to the woman he still called his wife. He sat on the table across from her. "Greenlee I need to talk to you. Please." He added pleading with her with his eyes.
"Of course. What's wrong?" she asked again growing more and more concerned.
"Yeah Leo if something's wrong we would love to help." Ryan joined them sitting next to his wife placing an arm around her shoulders showing Leo that she belonged to him.
"Not here. Can we go somewhere else…alone." Leo made it obvious he didn't want to talk in front of Ryan.
"Now wait a second Leo. You agreed to give Greenlee time to recuperate before you started going down memory lane. She just had a physical therapy session she needs to rest." Ryan gave the blonde man a dirty look.
"Ryan it's ok." She placed a hand on his leg before turning back to Leo. "Where do you want to go Leo?"
"I don't know maybe we could just go for a drive and talk?" Leo stood offering his hand to her.
"Of course. Let me go change first and then we'll go." She accepted his hand as he helped her stand up. She went upstairs to change.
"Leo what the hell is going on?" Ryan almost shouted once he heard the door close.
"I need to talk to my wife if that's ok with you." Leo answered curtly.
Hearing Leo refer to her that way caused Ryan's hands to instantly ball themselves into fist. "Leo look I'm sorry but she's my wife now and you can't come in here and order her around. You told me you respected our marriage and would let her maker her decisions. Now I'll let her talk to you this time. But next time I expect you to call first and ask me if you can talk to my wife." Ryan grew more and more possessive as his anger grew.
"Ask your permission? What the hell are you her father? You do know she's a grown woman she can make her own decisions."
"She's my wife." Ryan repeated. "You have to respect that."
"No I don't" Leo bit back. "You forget Ryan I'm not dead so your marriage certificate means's nothing now. If I want to see MY WIFE I'll see here whenever I damn well please. You got me?" Leo was quickly learning what exactly Ryan viewed his marriage to Greenlee as. She wasn't his wife she was just a trophy for his case.
Ryan grabbed the man that had once been his best friend by the collar, "Keep this up and you'll never see her again." The hate growing quickly in his eyes.
Leo qu9ickly pushed back against the taller man pushing him into a wall, "Listen to me and listen to me good Ryan you ever lay your hands on me or anyone else ever again I'll kill you. Now I'm taking my wife for a drive and there's not a damn thing you can do about it." Both men glared at each other before removing their hands from the other.
Around them everything seemed to freeze. They stared into each other's eyes as their hatred for the other quickly grew.
Greenlee walked down the stairs feeling the tension instantly as the two men broke their gaze. "Is everything ok?"
Leo placed his hand on her elbow guiding her out of the house, "Everything's fine." He lied.
Ryan stood in the middle of the Penthouse alone the argument with Leo still playing in his mind over and over again. Leo had never been like that. His anger rarely showed to other people. Something must have happened to drive Leo to come after him to get Greenlee away from him. One thought entered his mind "David."
Ryan grabbed his own coat and headed for David's cabin ready to do battle with the good doctor.
"Leo?" Greenlee asked concerned for the man that sat behind the wheel. From the moment they had sat in the car he hadn't said anything to her. He drove down the streets of Pine Valley with a purpose not telling her what was going on.
"Do you trust me Greens?" was his only answer.
"Of course, you know I do."
He smiled at her as he turned down a gravel road before finally stopping the car.
She looked out the window instantly knowing where he had taken her. She looked over at him. He opened the car door motioning for her to do the same. They walked around the car towards each other and he took her hand as they walked up the stairs to the boat house.
Greenlee sat on the bench staring out into Willow Lake in the distance she could see Miller's Falls. The water from the lake came from those mountains.
Leo kneeled down in front of her his back facing hers. He too looked across the lake at the falls. He placed a hand in the freezing water before him. The shock of the cold instantly took him back in time. The sound of the water crashing in his hears. Seeing his mother holding a gun to her head. The dirt under his finger nails as he dug up the diamonds. He saw her fall over the cliff. He could hear the gun shots he could feel the bullet's fly past him. He felt the old woman's strength as the fought for control of the gun. The sound of wood breaking as the leaned against the railing.
Leo opened his eyes as he felt the cold water rushing over him after he fell over the cliff. Dropping 100ft into the freezing water below. His hand sat in that same freezing water again.
Leo stood up as Greenlee stared intently at him. He walked over to the stairs sitting across from her. It was time to tell her what happened after he fell and where he had been all these years….and the awful thing he had done.
He looked at her wondering if nine years could change how much they loved each other. As they stared at one another the only sounds came from the crickets singing in the distance and the soft movement from the water in the lake.
"I'm so sorry Greenlee…" Leo finally said with sadness.