Chapter 11

Thursday June 16th, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas Police Department
8:13 a.m. P.S.T

The rest of the year passed quickly, and 2011 began like ever year did. Vittoria and Michelle did decide to put in a bid on the house down the street from Catherine and Lindsey, and prepared for Michelle's birthday vacation to Disneyland. The actual week of her birthday found Michelle, Lindsey, Sara, and Vittoria happily encased at a suite in the Disneyland Hotel, and thoroughly enjoying themselves at the two parks. Though Sara and Vittoria were fonder of the original park than Disney's California Adventure. They had left Aiden at home in the care of Gil and the others who had been roped into helping on their nights off in a rather workable system, and headed off to California a few days before Michelle's actual birthday, with plans to return two days after the big day. They did everything under the son, meals with characters, seeing the parades more than a few times, had a guided tour of Disneyland by Peter Pan and Wendy…bought entirely too many souvenirs, and otherwise thoroughly enjoyed their vacation.

Michelle's actual birthday was the highlight of the trip, they had breakfast at The Plaza Inn for the Princess Breakfast, having pictures taken with Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother was teaching little girls how to curtsy.

From there the rest of the day was spent at the park, the first thing they did was stop at City Hall to get a 'It's my Birthday' sticker for Michelle who rolled her eyes but put it on her hat and grinned just the same as the Cast members and characters gave her birthday greetings. The New Orleans Square band even serenaded her with a rendition of Happy Birthday. They headed back to the hotel in the afternoon, only to find birthday balloons waiting in their room and an autographed picture of Cinderella and one of Aurora that Michelle gave to Lindsey, Sleeping Beauty being her favorite.

Dinner found them at the Hook's Point Restaurant there in the hotel, where much to Michelle's delight, they were brought a cake especially made for her, with a miniature version of Cindy's carriage made from spun sugar and a porcelain figurine of Cindy and the Prince dancing that Sara and Vittoria had gone in on buying as her birthday gift. And two days later they were on their way back to Vegas with lots of gifts, lots of pictures and memories and Lindsey and Michelle already talking about the next trip.

Once back home, life settled into a bit of a routine, Michelle went to school with Lindsey and made new friends, Vittoria became a stay at home mom without the need to work thanks to Robert's estate, and honestly she had no desire to work now. Once a week she, Sara and Catherine would go out to breakfast together while the girls were at school, and once a month the entire group would get together.

Sara had managed to convince Vittoria to join her and Lindsey in the quest to get the divorced Warrick together with Catherine…though so far it hadn't worked…much to Lindsey's annoyance most of all.

Nick and Sam announced they were expecting in March, and when Greg looked at Sara and Gil expectantly they promptly threw the closest, unbreakable, objects at him. Greg actually met a girl in May that they had hopes for…and all too soon June had arrived signifying the end of school for Lindsey and Michelle, and, to Sara and Gil's horror, quite possibly the most insane second birthday party in the history of birthday parties on the 7th. As Sara had said, like they needed something that crazy to celebrate entering the terrible twos, why couldn't the big party be when he LEFT the terrible twos?

Today though found Vittoria at first the Lab, then the Police Department, looking for Catherine to return Lindsey's cell phone that she was so prone to leaving behind…it was a conspiracy or something.

"Can I help you?

Hearing the voice behind her, Vittoria turned around to face the gentleman who had spoken. "The lab told me I could find Catherine Willows here."

"She's in interrogation right now. I don't know how long she'll be. Is there something I could help you with?"

"I don't mind waiting. I'm a friend of hers. Her daughter left her cell phone at my house and I didn't want Catherine to worry if she couldn't reach her and I thought I might take Catherine out for breakfast if she's free," Vittoria said.

"Well like I said, I don't know how long she's going to be."

"I really don't mind waiting," Vittoria said.

"I don't mean to seem forward or anything but would you be interested in having dinner with me sometime? I'm on dayshift next week; maybe we could get together sometime?"

Vittoria couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. "I would love to uh…" she trailed off not quite sure of the gentleman's name.

"Oh sorry, Michael," he said holding out his hand. "Michael Vartann."

"Aliana Kinsley," Vittoria said taking his hand and shaking it. "But most people just call me Ali."

"Nice to meet you Ali," Michael said not letting go of Vittoria's hand.

"Nice to meet you too Michael," Vittoria said. "Looks like I don't have to wait as long as we feared," she said when she saw Catherine walking down the corridor.

"Hey Ali," Catherine greeted as she stopped next to where the two were standing, noticing the fact that Michael had only just released Vittoria's hand but choosing to remain silent on the matter.

"Hi Catherine. Lindsay left this at my place last night. I didn't find it until I was getting Michelle off to school and I thought I should bring it to you so you wouldn't worry if you couldn't reach her," Vittoria said digging out the cell phone and handing it to Catherine.

"Thanks," Catherine said taking the phone from Vittoria.

"Up for some breakfast?"

"Would love some," Catherine groaned. "I'm famished."

"Then let's go. Breakfast is on me," Vittoria said linking arms with Catherine as she began to lead Catherine from the station, throwing a look back over her shoulder to where Michael still stood, watching them leave, a small smile playing on her lips.

Friday June 24th, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
Rainforest Café
7:25 p.m. P.S.T

"I honestly didn't think you'd call," Michael said as he pulled Vittoria's chair out for her as they were seated at their table.

"Oh, why's that?" asked Vittoria curiously as Michael took his own seat.

"I…I don't know," he laughed. "I hoped you'd call, but just figured you probably wouldn't. Especially you being who you are and everything."

"Me being who I am?" Vittoria asked in confusion.

"Well, you were married to the Vice President, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Vittoria replied sadly as an image of Robert flashed before her eyes.

"I just figured a high class lady like yourself wouldn't be interested in a police detective," Michael explained with a shrug.

"I'm far from a high class lady Michael and I've had my fill of politicians."

"You were married to the second most powerful man in the nation, how can you not be a high class lady?"

"Appearances can be deceiving Michael, as a police officer, you of all people should know that what you see is not always the way of it. Yes, I was married to the Vice President and we were very happy together, but the woman you saw on TV and such, is not the woman I was or even am today. My life hasn't been easy Michael. Hell, it's been far from pretty and not one I would wish on anyone. I've had to give up my fair share of things. I've had to walk away from some things and it nearly killed me to do so but I did it anyway and I'm repaid for it by having my husband taken from me and then to nearly lose my daughter in the process to her Aunt and Uncle," Vittoria said.

"What kind of things did you walk away from?" Michael asked after their orders had arrived.

"There were two men in my life before Robert. One I walked away from for his own sake and the other…the other forced me from his life when he learned something about me that he didn't like. I was hesitant to get involved with Robert, knowing who he was and what he planned to do but he convinced me to trust him and I eventually told him everything and he accepted me and my past without question," Vittoria shrugged. "And then God saw fit to take him from me for some reason."

"You miss him, don't you."

"I do. Not the way I did six months ago but I still miss him. I think I'll always miss him but I can't let that rule my life. I need to move on, not just for me, but for our daughter."

"Well it sounds like you've got things figured out, at least this far," Michael said.

"I hope so," Vittoria laughed.

The rest of dinner was spent getting to know each other and before long Michael found himself escorting Vittoria home.

"Would you like to come in for a night cap? Michelle is staying with Catherine and Lindsay tonight," Vittoria said when they reached her door.

"Sounds nice," Michael said as he followed Vittoria into the house.

"What would you like?" Vittoria asked as she led him into the living room, walking over towards the liquor cabinet.

"You," he said, taking a gentle hold of Vittoria's arm and turning her around so that she was facing him, her hand on his chest and their faces mere inches apart.

"Michael…" Vittoria began only to have her words trail off as she felt Michael's lips touch hers. Her whole body tensed at the first feel of his lips on hers but she soon found herself relaxing into the feeling, as his contact remained gentle. "Michael wait…please…" she pleaded when she felt his hands start to wander over her body.

"Ali? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked pulling back slightly. "Don't you want this?"

"I do but…I can't Michael. I'm sorry. It's too soon," Vittoria admitted quietly stepping away from him.

"Too soon after losing Robert?" he asked needing clarification.

"It's not that," Vittoria said nervously.

"Then what?" Michael asked as he stepped up to Vittoria once more and began rubbing her arms, having noticed that she had begun to tremble.

"The night Robert died, we'd been at a party earlier in the night and I was attacked. He managed to take out my Secret Service guard and get me to a broom closet. He tied me up and practically hung me from the wall before he started to try to rape me. Luckily for me, someone realized I was missing and came after me and stopped him before he could finish," Vittoria explained.

"Oh Ali," Michael sighed.

"I want to give us a try Michael. I think we could make this work but I just…I need time…"

"Of course," Michael said pulling Vittoria into his arms. "Take all the time you need. I'll let you decide how far and how fast we take things. You just have to let me know when you're ready, okay?"

"Okay," Vittoria said into his shoulder. "Would you mind if I called it a night?" she asked a short while later.

"Of course not," Michael said pulling back. "I'll call you in a few days."

"Sounds good," Vittoria said as she began to lead him back towards the front door. "Thanks for understanding."

"Don't worry about it Ali," Michael said when they stopped at the door; leaning down he kissed her lightly on the lips before turning as she opened the door.

"Jethro?" Vittoria asked in surprise when she noticed the person standing on the other side of the door.

"Ali," Jethro greeted.

"I'll call you," Michael said as he stepped out of the house and past Jethro, on his way to his car.

"May I?" asked Jethro indicating the doorway.

"Of course," Vittoria said stepping back to allow Jethro to enter the house. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by and see how you and Michelle were doing," Jethro offered.

"Jethro, how could you just be in the neighborhood, you live in Georgetown on the other side of the country," Vittoria said as she led him into the living room.

"About that…"

"Jeth what it is?"

"I retired about a month ago," Jethro said.

"Retired? Jethro what happened?" Vittoria asked worriedly

"Jenny happened. I just couldn't deal with her anymore. After the incident at NCIS the day Brat hit her, she just got more and more intolerable. She would take every opportunity to go after either one or both of you," he explained.

"I'm sorry Jeth," Vittoria said quietly.

"Sorry for what?" he asked in confusion.

"I never should have come to you the way that I did. It was wrong of me to turn to you like that…"

"Ali don't," he ordered as he took a hold of Vittoria's arms. "This was not your fault. Jenny's been pushing me to get back with her ever since she took over as Director of NCIS. I'm glad you came to me that day," he said brushing a few strands of hair behind Vittoria's ear.

"It was wrong of me to lean on you the way that I did."

"No it wasn't. Ali you had no one you could really trust in DC. Robert's family proved that the day of his funeral."

"Jeth…"

"Ali please don't," Jethro said caressing her cheek lightly with his thumb before starting to lean in towards her.

"I've met someone," Vittoria said moments before Jethro could kiss her, causing him to back away.

"I see. It was the gentleman that was leaving earlier, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Vittoria said.

"I should go," Jethro said suddenly as he started to make his way from the living room.

"I'm sorry Jethro," Vittoria said quietly as she heard the front door close, breaking down into tears once she was alone in the house.

Friday December 2nd, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
Michael Vartann's Apartment
9:05 p.m. P.S.T

It had been almost a year since Vittoria had moved back to Vegas. As the days passed she was slowly coming to terms with the loss of her husband as she allowed herself to begin to feel once more. The man currently holding her had a lot to do with that. Michael had been true to his word and had not pushed her for more than she was willing to give, both emotionally and physically. He was proving to her that she could indeed trust him and it was because of this that she made the decision she had.

"Make love to me?" Vittoria asked quietly after they had been dancing for a few minutes.

"Are you sure?" Michael asked in concern resting his forehead against hers.

"I'm sure," Vittoria said. "But can we take it slow?"

"Of course," Michael said as he leant in and kissed Vittoria for a few minutes before bending down and picking her up so he could carry her into his bedroom.

"Thank you," Vittoria said as she rolled over so that she and Michael were lying down facing each other, their faces mere inches apart.

"You're an amazing woman Ali. Gorgeous as well," Michael said as he brushed sweat soaked strands of hair behind Vittoria's ear. "What?"

"Nobody's ever said that to me before," Vittoria admitted quietly.

"I find that hard to believe given all the men you've had," Michael countered. "Ali? What's wrong?" he asked when Vittoria sat up suddenly.

"I can't believe you just said that," Vittoria said angrily as she threw the covers off and got out of bed, grabbing her clothes in the process and quickly throwing them on.

"Ali wait!" Michael called as he jumped out of bed to chase after Vittoria, grabbing his pants on the way by.

"You're a bastard Michael Vartann," Vittoria snarled as she spun around at hearing him near her. "Let go of me," she growled when he grabbed a hold of her wrist before she could strike him.

"Ali, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded," Michael said, making sure to prevent Vittoria from being able to strike at him.

"I thought you were different then all the others. I thought you cared about me but I guess I was wrong," Vittoria snapped angrily, determined to keep her tears in check.

"I do care about you Ali," Michael countered.

"All you care about is getting me in bed."

"That's not true and you know it," Michael argued angrily.

"Isn't it? There have only been three men in my life who have truly cared about me. My father, my brother and Robert," Vittoria countered.

"If I don't care about you, what about Jethro? Surely he cares about you?" Michael said finally releasing his hold on Vittoria.

"Jethro doesn't care about me," Vittoria said stepping away from Michael and rubbing her wrists.

"Then why does he watch you?" Michael said as he paced away from Vittoria before turning to face her once more. "Ali, the way he looks at you makes it obvious to everyone that he cares about you."

"How should I know why he watches me and as for the way he looks at me, you're all delusional because trust me, he doesn't look at me in that way and if he did, it wouldn't be me he was seeing."

"Ali, he does look at you in that way," Michael countered evenly as he walked over and took Vittoria by the hand, leading her over to the couch where he sat them down so he was facing her. "Granted, he's not one to show how he's feeling but I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. He wants you Ali. All you have to do is say yes."

"Trust me Michael, I've been down that road before and it's not me he wants," Vittoria said quietly, her eyes downcast.

"I don't understand, Ali," Michael said truthfully. "I've seen the look in his eyes…"

"I was fourteen when I first met Jethro. I met him through Sara. She'd had some family trouble and ended up in foster care when she was thirteen, which is where she met Shannon, the daughter of the couple that took her in. Shannon and Sara became like real sisters almost instantly despite Shannon being eight years older than her. Sara met Jethro through Shannon. She and Jethro had married a few years before Sara went to live with Shannon's parents. Since Shannon thought of Sara as a little sister, Jethro began to see her the same way," Vittoria explained.

"How do you fit in to the picture," Michael asked curiously.

"I met Sara that fall when we started high school. We had many of the same classes together but we never really met each other until we ran into each other one day walking down the hall."

"How'd you manage that?"

"We both had our noses buried in our books and didn't see the other one coming," Vittoria said.

"That must have been quite the sight to see," Michael mused.

"Needless to say we became fast friends. I met Jethro and Shannon that Christmas when they came to visit. Shannon was always nice to me. Treated me like a friend since I was her baby sister's best friend."

"And Jethro? How did he treat you?"

"He tolerated me," Vittoria said quietly. "Didn't stop me falling completely in love with him though. I was in love the minute I first laid eyes on him."

"At fourteen?"

"At fourteen," Vittoria confirmed. "I knew nothing would ever come of it so, I kept it to myself. A few years later, Jethro was sent to Kuwait to fight in Desert Storm. While he was there, Shannon had the misfortune of witnessing the murder of another Marine. She and Kelly were killed because of it, practically destroying Jethro in the process. They were his world. When he returned stateside, he went to work for NCIS. By this time Sara was at Berkeley in California and I was putting myself through medical school by being the pretty girl on the arm of some of the most powerful and influential politicians in Washington. It was thanks to my contacts in Washington that I was able to build the reputation I had as a psychiatrist and could have had a very lucrative career in Washington if that was what I wanted but I chose to return home to Vegas to be with my brother."

"But didn't you travel back and forth to Washington a lot over the years?" asked Michael in confusion, remembering what Vittoria had told him of her life as Vittoria Stark.

"I did. I was called in to consult or testify for various cases and things. Each time I went to Washington, I spent some time with Jethro. He would take me out to dinner when I was in town."

"Surely that had to mean something."

"As time passed and we spent more time together I began to hope it might mean something. But as I later learned he only did it because he felt obligated to do it. I was the best friend of his late wife's sister. And Sara had asked him to look out for me while I was in town. Each time I saw him I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe this time would be different. Each time I returned home with a broken heart."

"Oh Ali," Michael sighed as he brushed her hair back from her face, wiping away a few tears in the process.

"And then Ari happened," Vittoria said quietly.

"Ari?"

"Ari Haswari. He was an Israeli Moussad officer, who was masquerading as an Al-Quida operative, or at least that's what he made everyone believe. He broke into NCIS one day to try to retrieve something, taking Ducky, the medical examiner, his assistant Gerald and Kate, one of Jethro's agents hostage. He escaped but Jethro got shot in the process. They learned later that he was supposedly Moussad trying to infiltrate Al-Quida. Turns out it was the other way around."

"He was Al-Quida masquerading as Moussad?"

"Yes. It was after this first run in with Ari that Jethro started distancing himself from me. He would spend less and less time with me eventually not seeing me at all when I was in town. And then Ari killed Kate. I flew to Washington to be there for him at her funeral but he never even acknowledged me. It was as if I wasn't even in the room. I knew then that what I had hoped for when he started spending time with me was nothing more than a twisted and painful fantasy. He would never want me. So I came back to Vegas devastated and heart broken once more. I decided then that it was time to try to move on so when Nick asked me out, I figured why not. He was a nice guy and he treated me well. The night Nick proposed, I had just learned that Jethro had been caught in an explosion and he was in a coma, the doctors not knowing if he'd ever wake up again."

"What did you do?"

"I went to DC. I left dinner with Nick and found myself in DC, not quite sure how I got there. Sara found me outside Jethro's room too afraid to actually go in. She sent me back to her hotel to get some sleep; only I received a call from someone in NCIS saying they needed my help with a witness who was having trouble remembering what happened. What they didn't tell me was that it was Jethro. Sara was livid when she found out what they'd done. She'd banned them from seeing Jethro because all they did was upset him by trying to make him remember. He'd forgotten everything since the last time he'd woken from a coma. He believed it was still 1991 and he'd just lost Shannon and Kelly. He was so happy to see a familiar face other than Sara's. He asked me if what they said was true, if Shannon and Kelly really were dead. It broke my heart to tell him they were. When I was in with him, he started to remember some things from the time we'd spent together over the years. He remembered pushing me away and he apologized for it. He said he never meant to hurt me like that."

"I told you he cares about you Ali," Michael said.

"About a week or so after he was released he took me out to dinner. Sara and Gil, who'd come to join her, had gone to Boston for the day. While we were at dinner, Jethro tried to tell me something only he couldn't get the words out. As his frustration grew his ability to speak decreased so he switched to using sign language, only my own ability to communicate through sign was very limited at the time. I figured we could both use a few minutes, so I excused myself and went to the ladies room, where I ran into Jenny Shepard, Jethro's boss at NCIS. She was determined to keep me away from Jethro so she blackmailed me with information about what I'd done to put myself through school. I was afraid of what people would think of me if they knew so, I went along with her demands. When I returned to the table I told Jethro I was leaving, that I'd been away from my patients long enough and I couldn't stay any longer. As soon as I said that, I left the table, hoping he wouldn't follow."

"Judging by the man I know, I'd have to guess that he followed you," Michael said.

"He did. He caught up with me in the elevator," Vittoria said, wiping her eyes. "He told me he loved me and that he wanted to marry me. I couldn't believe it. The man I had wanted and loved for over twenty years had just asked me to marry him. I completely forgot about what had happened in the ladies room and immediately said yes. That was the first and only time Jethro and I ever made love and it was everything I had ever hoped for, only..." Vittoria trailed off as the words got caught in her throat.

"Only what? Ali what happened?" Michael pressed softly.

"It wasn't me he wanted. It wasn't me he made love to. It wasn't me he asked to marry him. It was Shannon," Vittoria said as she broke down completely, collapsing forward on herself.

"Oh Ali," Michael said pulling her into his arms. "I'm sure that's not what he wanted."

"Yes, it is," cried Vittoria, her body being wracked by gut wrenching sobs. "He called me Shannon while we were lying together afterward. It wasn't me he saw or touched, it was Shannon."

"Ali, you said yourself he was having problems with his memory…"

"Don't you dare try to defend him Michael," Vittoria snapped as she suddenly pulled out of Michael's arms.

"I'm not trying to defend him Ali," Michael said, hoping to reassure her. "Ali, listen to me, please. I've seen the way Jethro looks at you since he came to Vegas and it's not as some sort of replacement for Shannon."

"Michael…"

"No Ali, trust me on this," Michael said, taking Vittoria's face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "That man is in love with you. You Ali, not Shannon, not Vittoria but Ali. All you have to do is reach out to him. Tell him how you feel and I guarantee you, you won't be disappointed," he said.

"Michael, I've been hurt by him so many times I don't know if I can. If he rejects me again it will destroy me completely. I'll never recover from it, I know it," Vittoria said.

"You won't have to because he won't reject you," Michael told her. "Do it however you want, however you feel comfortable. But Ali, for your sake, you need to do this."

Vittoria nodded.

"Come on. Let me get dressed and I'll take you home," Michael said, kissing Vittoria lightly on the forehead before rising and making his way into his bedroom, emerging a few minutes later fully dressed. Walking to the couch, he helped Vittoria to her feet and led her out to his car and drove her home.

Tuesday December 6th, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
Kinsley Residence
3:45 p.m. P.S.T

"I'd forgotten what a great voice your Mom had," Lindsay said as she and Michelle made their way up to Michelle's room. Michelle had gotten home from school a short while earlier and Lindsay had agreed to help her with her class assignment. As they passed the living room on their way upstairs they had heard music coming from inside and had peeked in to see what was going on and had seen Vittoria sitting at the piano Michelle had insisted they buy when they had moved into the house.

"I know. I missed her singing. She used to sing all the time when Dad was alive. When he died, it was like he took that part of her with him," Michelle said as they sat down on her bed.

"It was a beautiful song she was singing. Sad though," Lindsay commented.

"I know. It's called "I don't know how to love him"," Michelle said.

"I wonder if she was singing about anyone in particular," Lindsay mused. "What?" she asked when she noticed the look on Michelle's face.

"She is."

"She is what?" asked Lindsay in confusion.

"She is singing about someone in particular."

"Do you know who it is?"

"I have an idea of who it might be but I'm not sure," Michelle shrugged.

"Who is it?"

"I think it's my Uncle she's singing about."

"Not Peter cause that's just…" Lindsay trailed off with a shudder.

"No, not Uncle Peter," Michelle said punching Lindsay in the arm. "I think it's my Uncle Jethro she's singing about."

"What makes you think that?" wondered Lindsay curiously.

"Before we left Washington, after my dad's funeral, we were staying with Uncle Jethro. It was the day I asked Mom if we could move to Vegas. After we talked I went upstairs, I passed my Uncle on the way to my room as he went in to talk to Mom. After I got upstairs I realized that I'd forgotten something downstairs and I went to get it. I got partway down the stairs and I heard them talking. I saw Uncle Jethro kiss Mom…"

"He kissed her? Like kissed her cheek right?" asked Lindsay in surprise.

"No he kissed her. On the lips," Michelle said.

"But your Dad had only just died a few weeks earlier," Lindsay commented.

"I know."

"Weren't you upset?"

"Not really. I know Mom loved my Dad. I saw it whenever they were together but Mom's known Uncle Jethro a really long time. And it's not as if Mom and Dad were divorced or anything like that. I know my Dad is never coming back. I just want Mom to be happy and I know that she would never try to make anyone take my Dad's place. It's not in her to do that."

"So what happened?" asked Lindsay curiously. "After your Uncle kissed your Mom?"

"She said something about it being too soon and that they don't work," Michelle said. "I don't know what the last part meant though and I had run back upstairs because I didn't want them to know I'd overheard them or seen anything."

"But isn't your Mom seeing Detective Vartann?"

"Yeah but the strange thing is, it wasn't until a few days ago after he brought her home that she started playing that song. She hasn't touched the piano since we moved in and that's the song she's taken to playing right now. Uncle Jethro came over the other week, just as Mom and Michael were getting ready to leave and there was some really weird vibes going on."

"You think your Uncle is in love with your Mom and vice versa and Detective Vartann picked up on it?" asked Lindsay curiously.

"Yeah. When Michael dropped her off a few days ago she looked like she'd been crying and then she started playing that song. I haven't seen Michael around since then," Michelle said.

"What are you planning, Michelle?" demanded Lindsay when she saw a look cross Michelle's face, a look that said she was plotting something.

"Well, I want my Mom to be happy and I think Uncle Jethro could be the one to make her happy I just don't know how to get them together and I don't understand the significance of the song and how it relates to him. I think I need to speak to Aunt Sara. Lindsay would you…"

"Come on, I'll drive you over," Lindsay said with a smile as the two made their way downstairs, stopping off in the living room momentarily to tell Vittoria that they were heading over to Sara's place and that Lindsay would have Michelle back before dinner, before heading out of the house and climbing into Lindsay's car to head to Sara's place.