A/N: To the guest reviewer who asked if they misread Chapter 15...the answer is: not exactly. By the end of the chapter, Gregory hadn't received the DNA results, but he believed they will prove Trey is his and Olivia's child. He based his belief on how much Trey resembles Sean when he was the same age.

(See the first chapter for disclaimer, notes, spoilers, etc.)

Chapter 16: "Veritas"

I look away from the large windows, turning my back on the ominous clouds threatening the horizon. With the rich aroma of coffee lingering from the small concession bar, I pace the length of the quiet terminal. The private jet carrying Olivia and Colin should be landing any minute. My hands dig deeper into my pockets, wondering how she was holding up. Like Sean, I can't bear to exchange strained updates with her over the phone. She has to be here, in the flesh, for me to tell her about our daughter.

For me to tell her about Trey.

Our son.

Eleven hours have gone by since I arranged for her and Colin to get on a Gulfstream at an airfield outside of London. I wasn't having her wait for Heathrow to start running flights at daylight. I wasn't putting her through that unnecessary torture.

"You know, you're only a few steps away from wearing a hole right through that cheap carpet." I look up as Morris cocks his head and holds out a paper cup of coffee. I shake my head, starting to turn away, when he says, "Drink it. You've been up all night...and you look it."

"Do I look like I care about wearing yesterday's wrinkled suit?" I snap, taking the coffee from him. I swallow a mouthful, ignoring the way it singes the inside of my mouth and throat. I turn back to the window, watching intently. The sky was still clear, no sign of the jet. Yet.

"No," he says carefully after a moment. "But, I wasn't talking about your clothes. You look like you're two steps away from passing out."

I grimace, taking another deep sip of the coffee. It was awful, but it would do. "Not yet." Not until she was here. Not until she knew.

A heartbeat later, he stands next to me, exhaling deeply. "Have you spoken to Alex?" he asks.

Slowly, I shake my head, my eyes not straying from the window. "Not since this morning. She's meeting her editor."

"You haven't told her? About Trey?"

"No." The one syllable throbs between us, my hand trembling as I suck down another mouthful of coffee. We stand quietly for several minutes until the jet finally breaks the cloud cover. I inhale sharply, watching the wheels extend from the belly of the Gulfstream and make contact with the runway several seconds later.

"Have you thought about how you'll tell Olivia?" Morris asks softly as I set the paper cup aside.

I shake my head. "You know, when you gave me the D.N.A. results this morning, that was the first thing I thought about...how I was going to tell her." I needed the test results to be sure. I couldn't tell Olivia about Trey unless I was sure. Beyond the window, the jet slowly neared the terminal, the runway crew expertly guiding it in. "Dozens of words have gone through my head," I murmur as the jet comes to a stop. "But, none of them sounded right."

We watch as the cabin door unfolds, gently touching the ground. Two men in blue shirts from the terminal board the plane, disappearing into the dark interior. "Customs," I hear Morris say and I nod. As the minutes tick by, he clears his throat and turns to me. "When you see her," he suggests quietly, "you'll know what to say."

I tap my foot impatiently, watching as the official scrutinizes our passports. Several moments go by before he stamps mine, then Colin's, and passes them back. "Welcome to the United States," he says, but I barely hear him. I hurry after Colin, who goes down the stairs and then extends his hand up to me. A blustery wind greets me as I step onto the runway, the day appropriately gray and overcast.

I don't think I could've handled a bright and sunny sky. Not today.

I feel Gregory's eyes on me as Colin and I walk to the terminal, but I don't look up. I can't. My hand is firmly within my husband's and I feel him give it a squeeze as we step through the double doors. Gregory turns to me and I look up, gasping. The grave expression on his face turns my blood to ice and I feel my stomach lurch as I near him. I see Morris Stanton beside him and I blink, surprised. Gregory and Morris haven't spoken in years.

That can only mean...

"Oh, God," I gasp as my hand flies to my mouth. "Something happened? She's-"

She's dead. Oh, God, she's dead. Caity is dead.

"No. Not that." Gregory stands before me, unshaven and ashen-faced. I haven't seen him since Sean graduated from Columbia. His dark hair has more silver in it now and his eyes are smudged with exhaustion. I shake my head, not believing, until I hear him say, "Olivia, she's alive."

I sob in relief, leaning against my husband's chest. I haven't slept, not since Colin woke me in the middle of the night and told me about Sean's phone call. "I thought," I murmur as I look back up at him, "when I saw you with Morris, I thought..."

Morris steps forward, reaching for my hand. "Not today, Your Ladyship," he reassures me, squeezing gently.

With a tearful smile, I step away from Colin and walk into Morris' embrace. I shudder against him, his massive arms tight around me as I sigh. It's been years since I've seen him, but being in his arms makes me feel as safe as I did when he was glued to my side when I was pregnant with Sean. "What are you doing here?" I ask, looking up at him.

"I couldn't let Greg drive himself to the airport," he says softly, kissing my forehead. I close my eyes, nodding as he squeezes my shoulders. "He's holding it together, but barely," he whispers in my ear and I open my eyes, looking into his dark ones. I believe him. We both know that Gregory thinks he is invincible. Years ago, we went behind Gregory's back to protect him, even though it ultimately cost Morris his friendship.

I meet Gregory's eyes, listening as he introduces Morris and Colin with a dull flat voice. With a pang, I realize it hasn't changed in the hours since I heard him and Colin on the phone.

Colin nodded into the phone as he dropped a pile of my clothes into a travel bag. I sat numbly on our bed, gazing at the menagerie of colors and fabrics. Vaguely, I opened my mouth to point out that I wouldn't need a wool sweater in California, but I suddenly found my mouth frozen. I couldn't speak. I couldn't speak without sobbing.

"That will be fine," he said, zipping up the leather. Distantly, I heard the echo of Gregory's voice crackling over the phone line. My stomach clenched, the distortion of the international call giving his voice an ominous undertone. "Yes," he continued, dropping the suitcase onto the floor as he looked down at me. "We can be at the airfield in thirty minutes. Do you want to speak with Olivia?" he asked.

And, I shook my head, not ready to hear Gregory's voice. But, Gregory must not have wanted to speak to me either because Colin never passed me the phone.

"Let me go see about getting your luggage into the car," I hear Morris say and I look up, blinking. I watch him eye Gregory for a long moment, before he turns to me with a kind smile. Then, I look up at Gregory, the ominous feeling returning as I hear him sigh my name.

"Caitlin?" she asks simply, moving back to Colin's side.

I inhale, stepping closer to her. I've waited hours to give her this news. Now that she's here, watching me intently with bloodshot and puffy eyes, I want nothing more than to tell her everything will be alright. But, I can't. "She's out of surgery," I begin quietly. "The doctor is confident her prognosis is good, but-" My words catch in my throat and I see her square her shoulders, preparing for the worst.

"Please, Gregory," she says softly, her eyes full. She nods encouragingly and a new measure of strength sustains me.

"Her doctor is keeping her in a coma until he's sure the swelling is truly relieved." Her lips disappear into a grimace and I see Colin rest his hands on her shoulders. She nods, silently letting the news about our daughter sink in.

"Is- is she in pain?" she asks, a sob consuming her question.

"No," I say, hoping it will reassure her. Somehow.

Tears fill her eyes and Colin's arm goes around her. She shakes her head, like she wants to control her emotions, and she looks up, brushing tears from her eyes. "How long will they keep her in this coma?"

"They're monitoring her constantly, but as long as the swelling doesn't return or she doesn't have a seizure, they want it to be short-term. Another day, at the very most."

She cups her cheeks and exhales deeply. "So, there's every reason to be optimistic?"

I nod. "Absolutely."

"Darling, that's wonderful news," Colin says softly and she nods, her eyes turning back up at me.

"And Trey? How is he?"

Something flickers in Gregory's eyes and he looks down at the ground. "Gregory?" I ask, my hands falling from my face. But, he won't look at me. "Gregory?"

"Trey's fine," he says with a deep sigh, turning back up to me. But, his face is oddly blank, like he's purposely hiding something. "Bumps and cuts, but he's fine. He needed a blood transfusion from his- his father, but he's perfect." At the last word, his hollow face transforms, lighting up from the inside. "He's perfect, Olivia. He was awake and talking non-stop this morning. He'll be released later today."

I smile, relief flooding through me. At least one of them was safe. Hearing about my grandson is a balm to my heavy heart after learning about my daughter. "I-I'm so glad," I say, happy tears stinging my eyes.

Olivia smiles through the tears and I swear, it's like a knife to my heart. I reach out, taking her hand as I softly say her name. She must sense something because she swallows hard, watching me intently. "There's something you need to know before you get to the hospital." I look up at Colin, realizing he's a part of this. "Both of you."

They exchange a glance before Colin asks, "What's wrong?"

I sigh, my insides churning like a hurricane. Olivia's face is frozen, encased in fear as her lips curve into an O. I squeeze her hand as I lead them over to the corner of the small terminal. My mouth is suddenly dry and I force myself to whisper, "Trey isn't Cole's son."

I stand quietly, watching Gregory's face. His eyes are on me, imploring me to understand. But, I don't. I shake my head, feeling Colin's chest against my back. "What? What are you talking about?"

I don't know what I was expecting to hear, but it certainly wasn't this. I thought he was past his feelings about Cole. Caitlin said that Gregory had changed in his attitude towards him over the last few years. I just...don't understand. "Gregory, what are you-"

He shakes his head, watching me solemnly. "He's not his father."

"Gregory," I say sharply, stepping closer to him, "this is ridiculous!" My voice drops considerably as I continue, "Cole was...Caity's first. There was no one else."

And, he looks back at me with such a pained expression that it takes my breath away.

"Caitlin isn't his mother," I whisper, watching the shock bloom on her face. She pales rapidly and I watch her jaw drop.

"What? H-how can that be?"

I clear my throat and explain, "She lost her baby. In the car accident." She gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. "She faked being pregnant. Sean helped her," I continue, my voice flat. I don't have any more emotion left in me. I only have the truth, as cold and painful as it is. "Caitlin paid Annie to get her a baby."

Her eyes widen and a strained hiss dies in her throat. "I can't believe this," she croaks as her hand falls from her mouth. "Why wouldn't Caitlin tell us?"

A beat of silence goes by. "She knew," I say quietly, watching her carefully. In a flash, Olivia understands. Caitlin knew about my plan. She knew what we were going to do to her. She knew we were going to kidnap her child and tell her it was dead. Thanks to Annie, we've been swallowing our own bitter medicine for the last six years.

Her eyes brim as she shakes her head, a low moan filling the silence. "No," she cries, her hand settling at the base of her throat. "No, Gregory. No, please don't say that. She couldn't-"

But, I only watch her quietly. She sniffs and lowers her face. Over her head, I see the confusion swirling in Colin's eyes and I realize that he doesn't know what we're talking about. Olivia never told him about my plan for Caitlin's baby. That painful secret was something we still shared. "Wait," I hear her say and my heart begins to thunder.

I look up at him, struggling to find something to grab on to, something to make me understand. "But, you said Trey's father donated blood." I watch him stiffen as I ask, "Who is he?"

In a sea of confusion, I want something to buoy me, to help keep my head above water. I watch him meet my eyes and I back away from the raw pain shining in them. I feel Colin's hands bracing my arms as I back into him. With my husband holding me steady, I hear Gregory murmur, "It's me."

And, that's when I slip beneath the surface, ice cold water flooding my tortured lungs.

I had hours to think of something to say to her, some way to explain the unthinkable. And, all I can manage is the simple truth. She's so still that I don't know if she heard me. Colin did. His head goes back as if the truth reached out and smacked him. In an instant, he understands. But, Olivia...she just stands there, watching me with a blank stare. "He's my son," I repeat. "H-he's our son."

Her head moves a fraction of an inch, tilting to the left as she blinks. Slowly, her lips part and I pause, waiting for her to speak. But as the seconds go by, the silence continues to grow between us. "Our son didn't die," I continue, desperately wanting her to say something. Anything. "He's alive."

A memory flashes before me, Olivia and I sitting on the floor of the nursery after we came back from San Francisco. The way her hands trembled in mine. The way hot tears streaked across her face. The way she insisted she remembered hearing our son cry.

The way I told her that she was wrong.

"What?" I whisper. His eyes fly up and he takes another step closer to me. "What did you say to me?"

I don't understand.

I don't...understand.

"Our son is alive."

A weightless fog consumes me and I stand back, watching my own hand fly up. I watch as it cracks against the side of his face, the sound reverberating in waves around me. I see my chest heaving, my lips pulled back in a grimace as I glare at him.

"Olivia," I hear him say, his voice morose, "Trey is-"

I watch my right hand come up again, but he deftly catches it. I watch as he cradles my hand against his chest, looking at me with full eyes as I hear myself hiss, "I don't know what kind of sick game you are playing, but-"

I watch him shake his head as he gently releases my hand. I watch it fall back to my side, a strange hum distorting his voice. "You were at a cabin," he says, his words muffled, and I watch myself shake my head. "Annie was there. She injected you with a drug that affected your memory. You gave birth to our son...and she stole him."

Like Venus emerging from the sea, my head breaks the surface, shocking my senses. His story flashes before my own eyes and I surrender, trembling as I watch it happen. The way I now remember it happening.

Pine needles on the cabin floor.

A sharp pain as something pinches me.

The way the mattress collapses beneath me.

Annie crying as she kneels at the foot of the bed.

The baby crying as he slips out of me.

The baby.

The baby.

My baby.

Olivia's eyes roll back in her head and she gasps deeply, sounding like a drowning woman. Her knees buckle and Colin and I both lunge for her. We guide her into a chair, Colin taking the one next to her as I kneel before her. She leans forward, gripping her head as she continues to suck in air, moaning. Never before has the truth and memories hurt as much as this does. I look up, seeing Morris hurrying towards us with a bottle of water. "Breathe, Olivia. Deep breaths," I hear Colin urging her.

Morris holds out the cold bottle and I pour some onto my hands before I reach out to cup her cheeks. Carefully, I tilt her face up, my eyes meeting her wild ones. "Like this," I say softly. "In, then out."

She was terrified of giving birth to Caitlin. Of all things, she was worried about not being able to stand the pain, that childbirth was something she could fail at. She was relentless about knowing how to breathe right during the labor. Towards the end, when she was so round and uncomfortable, practicing her Lamaze breathing was the only thing that could get her to fall sleep.

Colin pulls the pocket square out of his coat and pours a splash of the cold water onto it. He brushes her hair aside and drapes it across the nape of her neck. "Darling, drink this. Please," he urges, holding the bottle up to her lips.

I lower my hands as she swallows, her entire body trembling.

I'm freezing.

Freezing and dizzy.

I narrow my eyes, my vision clearing enough to see Gregory kneeling in front of me. I feel Colin next to me and I reach out, gripping his thigh. "I remember," I murmur, my throat scratchy as my head throbs. My husband's hand covers my own, comforting, as I lean against him. "Oh, God," I sob, lowering my face, "I remember. I-I was so scared."

I look up, meeting Gregory's sad eyes as I continue, "I wanted you. I begged her to call you." I shake my head, remembering the terror that raced through me when I realized she wasn't going to call him. I grip Colin's hand, as if that will somehow save me from what I'm recalling, what's already happened. "Oh, but Gregory, then he was born...and he was beautiful."

And, I smile, remembering the way the baby's weight felt in my arms as he looked up at me, blinking sleepily. "Annie wrapped him in a blue and white blanket," I sigh, feeling the newborn's satin cheek against my finger. "I held him and when I looked at him, I thought he looked so like you."

A darkness consumes me as I remember her hands reaching for him.

Olivia flinches, knocking the water bottle out of Colin's hand as her head shakes violently. Her throat works as her breathing morphs into short and stilted gasps. "She-she-" Her eyes are wide and she turns to Colin, gripping the lapels of his coat as she shakes him. "S-s-she took him! Oh God!" she shrieks, her knuckles white around the fabric. "SHE TOOK HIM!"

Her scream gives way to a heart-wrenching cry and my throat tightens, watching as she relives our son being kidnapped from her arms. Colin wraps his arms around Olivia, holding her tight against his chest as she sobs. Our eyes meet over her head and I sigh, listening as she wails, "I couldn't stop her! I couldn't!"

Slowly, I force myself to my feet, feeling nauseous. Morris watches me from the other side of the chair, hovering behind Olivia. He nods, the only comfort he can offer as we stand there, her brokenhearted sobs echoing around us.