"Spill it Sylvia," Niles ordered as he dangled the triple chocolate cheesecake in front of Fran's mother's face.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

As she tried to swipe a taste, he abruptly pulled it back. "Now now Sylvia. You want what I've got, you got to share what you know."

"What? That I skipped jazzerize two days in a row? Oh what are you going to do, report me to the aerobics jedi master?"

"I want to know where your daughter is. If you don't tell me, I make you this promise- I will never cook for you again. If you comply, there is plenty more of this like this where it came from."

"Oy Niles! Why must you toy with me? I promised Fran I would never tell..."

He looked at her as seriously as he could. "Sylvia, you don't see what I see. Mr. Sheffield and the kids are miserable without your daughter around, as am I. I no longer enjoy even toying with Ms. Babcock anymore. Nothing that brings me joy does anymore, and I am not happy about it. Now for God's sake woman, bring me her address!"

After watching him wave the cake in her face one final time, Sylvia reached into her purse and pulled out a card with Fran's address on it and gave it to him.

"Niles?" she asked through a mouth full of cake.

He looked at her.

"Bring my baby home."

00000000000

Fran was working at the gallery, lost in her own thoughts, when two very familiar faces walked in. This couldn't be happening. How did they find her? She'd made sure that she could never be found. Ma! Cursing her in Yiddish underneath her breath, Fran tried to make herself scarce, to no avail.

Niles stood back and let Mr. Sheffield do his thing.

"Miss Fine, it's no use. I see you."

"Miss Fine? There's no Miss Fine here!"

Maxwell gently pulled her out of the clothing rack in which she'd buried herself. "Miss Fine. I don't know what you're doing here, but I do know why you're here. And I came...well...I wanted to apologize to you for what I've done to you."

"You have nothing to apologize for. What's done is done. I've moved on. You really should do the same."

"Miss Fine...Fran...look at me." he gently cupped her face with her hands, until she looked into those gorgeous eyes of his.

Pierre approached them. "Fran is this man bothering you?"

"No, Pierre. This is Mr. Sheffield."

The lights went on in Pierre's eyes. He knew then and there he could never compete, and so he gracefully bowed away from them.

"Mr. Sheffield," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you. I came to apologize."

"I don't need your apologies!"

He was growing exasperated. "What do you want from me?"

"If you don't know then I'm not telling."

"Mr. Sheffield, if I may..."Niles approached them.

"Not now Niles!" Maxwell and Fran yelled, causing him to back off.

"The kids miss you. To tell you the truth they are miserable without you and I wanted to see if you wanted to come back. There could be a financial offer made, more substantial than what was previously presented to you."

"Stop it! Stop your lying. You're not here to apologize and you're not here to bring me back for the kids. Why can't you be honest with me, just for once?" Fran demanded.

"I don't know what you want from me. I think I'm being rather fair, and to tell you the truth, rather patient..."

"Patient? Try waiting five years for the man you love to tell you he loves you. I'd say that's rather fair and patient, wouldn't you?"

Emotions were never Maxwell's strong suit. He didn't have the words to tell her how he felt, so he pulled her in and kissed her, kissed her as if his life depended on it. And in a way, it did.

She slapped him, much to both of their surprise. "You can't do this to me anymore. I'm not some kid you can dangle a toy or a kiss and make everything better. You don't even realize what you've done! And to tell you the truth, I don't care anymore. You can keep your credit cards and your kisses. I don't need them anymore and I don't need you."

Maxwell, his face still stinging, looked at Niles pondering his next move.