Chapter 62

For several days Bo and Carly set out to create new memories they would always treasure; exploring Cancun, horseback riding on the beach, boat rides, rides in a hot air balloon, pool side lunches and candle lit dinners; finding time to send postcards to the children.

One evening after dinner, armed with blankets, they walked along the beach to the small cove they'd named their "special spot"; the day they'd arrived in Mexico the first time around years ago. Bo managed to find some dry wood lying nearby and Carly helped him arrange them along with a few twigs. For a while they watched the flames of the fire they'd built; Carly resting against Bo's chest.

'Seems just like yesterday when we first came here.' Carly reminisced fondly. 'After I got off the boat, I kept praying for the very minute I could finally walk along the beach with you hand in hand in full view instead of skulking in the shadows like a criminal. It was here we were finally free to live our love… no more sneaking around, no more denials… right here.'

Bo's arms tightened round her. 'I feel the same way about this place. I never came back here after you were gone… it wouldn't have seemed fair and it would've hurt so bad if I'd allowed the memories to rush back in after fighting so hard to lock them away.'

She squeezed his hand hard. 'Of all the memories I kept replaying after coming out the amnesia was of our wonderful time here, especially our wedding night. For a while after I came back to Salem I figured it was the only part I'll always have of you, besides Olivia of course; part of you that still belonged to me after so long- that nobody could ever take. Even after I had that dream I didn't dare think I had more than just a part.'

Bo's fingers stroked her cheek. 'What dream?'

Carly felt herself blush red. 'I dreamt of the night at the hut… when we first made love.'

Bo couldn't believe it. 'Was it on the night you came back?'

Carly turned her head to look at him in surprise. 'How do you know?'

'Because I had the same dream that same night, for the first time in years. I didn't understand the significance until I realised in the morning it was our anniversary.'

'Oh my God…' Carly shook her head, smiling. 'It never stops, does it? This weird and wonderful thing we have… so that's what reminded you what day it was.'

'Exactly.' Bo kissed her. 'And it gave me even more willpower to get you back. I told our daughter in Paris that I was never going to lose you again and I meant every word.'

Carly rested her head back on his chest, closing her eyes as she felt his fingers comb through her hair. 'You've got all of me now, Princess; along with our new memories and the future ahead of us.'

'I know. I just hope another child of ours will be in that future; I know how badly you really want us to raise one together.'

'There will be another child, Carly; I just feel it.' He kissed the top of her head.

Carly prayed he was right; she wanted that too but she was yet to really believe she could conceive again. While their spiritual link to each other had united them for life, giving them a baby was another matter. Bo didn't love her any less before she finally got pregnant with Olivia but she'd felt a great sense of failure all the same; the main reason she was determined to be a good mother to Nicky and Shawn Douglas. But if her husband truly believed another child was coming, she had to draw strength from that and believe it as well.

So smiling, she looked up at him. 'Do you hope for a boy or girl?'

'I don't care.' His hand went down to caress her stomach. 'A son or a daughter… either way… it would be a wonderful gift; having another kid we can see each other in.'

'Yes. So…' she fingered the open neck of his shirt. 'Do you feel like making a baby again?'

'Hmm…' Bo pulled the thin straps of her dress down her shoulders. 'Isn't that the whole point we're came out here?'

'That's inspiring…' Carly sighed as his lips and hypnotic hands went over her soft skin; his mouth capturing hers in a searing kiss. In a few minutes they were making love on the blanket they'd spread on the sand; the benign moon casting her light over them.

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Two days later they set out for Chichén Itzá early, armed with a cooler full of bottled water and wrapped sandwiches and small bags. Although it was a three hour trip by road they rented a jeep anyway; Bo didn't mind the long drive one bit and Carly was more than happy to freely ride beside Bo this time; on their first trip to the area with Isabella, she was forced to hide in the back of the truck under a blanket, away from the policía. She looked forward in seeing El Castillo again and the Professor and Soledad.

The sun was overhead when they finally got to their destination. There was a handful of hotels in the area, which looked more developed since the last time they were there but the couple only had eyes for the Moore's house, which wasn't at all difficult to find. The last time Bo had communicated with Hank Moore was when he'd gathered the courage to write to him about Carly's "death" and they'd drifted apart since then.

'Well... here we are.' Bo got out of the jeep. 'I hope they're home.'

Carly got out as well, wiping her damp, trembling hands on her shorts. 'Maybe we should have called first... suddenly it doesn't feel right surprising them like this.'

'Tell you what... I'll go in first. Stay here.'

Carly nodded, taking off her dark glasses and watched as Bo walked up to the familiar house. He didn't have to knock, the door was wide open as usual and Professor Moore was working at his desk, his back to him. But Bo knocked anyway, anticipating his reaction.

Hank Moore turned and sprang from the chair; his weather beaten face filled with great amazement and delight at the sight of his august visitor. 'As I live and breathe! Bo, is that you? I can't believe this… Bo!'

'Professor…'

The two men exchanged a tight, heartfelt hug, laughing. 'It's so good to see you!' the older man exclaimed. 'How've you been all this years? And your brothers and Marlena and Isabella… how are they? My God, we have so much to catch up on, Bo!'

'I know… it's really been a long time; I'm so very sorry for not keeping in touch or visiting at all…'

'Not at all, it's one of those things… that's not important!' Professor Moore shook his hand firmly. 'You're here and that's what matters… querida Solida, come here!'

Soledad Moore's serene face had only a few lines and her black hair now had strands of grey glinting here and there. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of Bo who walked up to her and hugged her.

'This is a big surprise… I never imagined we will ever see you here again.' she stammered, incredulous joy on her face. 'Welcome, welcome! Did you come alone… or you brought your wife with you?'

Bo's laugh was happy and excited. 'Yeah… I brought my wife, she's outside if you'll follow me and meet her.'

Carly ran forward as soon as they came out with Bo, heading towards Soledad.

'Oh my God!' the woman crossed herself. 'It's not possible… not possible!' her hands reached out to touch Carly's face. Professor Moore stopped short, stunned beyond measure as the two women burst into tears in each other's arms.

'Carlina… you're alive; I grieved for you for so many years!' Soledad wept, holding Carly close. 'Dios Mio! This is a miracle!'

Carly sobbed against Soledad's neck, so very happy. Seeing the professor over Soledad's shoulder she released her and went over to hug him as well; the old man unable to speak as he held her tight in his arms.

Over lunch Soledad immediately put together, Bo and Carly narrated everything that had happened to them from beginning to end; including Isabella's death, which made Soledad briefly bow her head in sorrow; Hank squeezing her hand consolingly. Carly added her second time in the casket, Isabella's visit and how Bo found her that night in the tale.

'You went through all that…' Hank whistled, shaking his silver head. 'Amazing! I've never heard a story like this in my life!'

'You survived your ordeal, found each other again and you discovered your spiritual link and made use of it. And now you're married.' Soledad said softly, looking down at Carly's rings. 'You're truly blessed… I told you that years ago, Carlina.'

'I remember.' Carly looked at Bo lovingly, holding fast to his hand. 'But now I know just how much I'm blessed.'

'Me too.' Bo smiled back, kissing her hand. 'You could say it was one full circle.'

Hank and Soledad surveyed the photograph of the children Bo had passed to them; Shawn Douglas and Olivia sitting on a couch with Ciara between them. 'So this is your son… he looks a lot like you, Bo.'

'Your daughters are very beautiful.' Soledad said, her eyes moving from Ciara to Olivia who held her interest more. 'Has Olivia begun to break hearts yet?'

'A few.' Bo chuckled. 'But now she's got a steady boyfriend.'

'I bet she's got a lot of your spunk besides her mother's looks too.' Hank grinned, admiring the young girl in the photo.

'Everybody says that.' Carly laughed. 'And she's so proud of it. I really wish you'd been at our wedding. Olivia gave it a Mayan theme… the food, the décor, everything; the symbolic wedding we had here made a huge impression on her.'

'She really sounds like a great kid.'

'Perhaps she might come over here herself with Nathan, that's her boyfriend; when her school breaks up for the summer. I'll advise her on it.' Bo promised.

'So you will stay with us, yes?' Soledad asked.

'We can check into a hotel nearby since we sort of sprang a surprise on you…'

'No, No… we won't hear of it; we're always prepared for guests.' Hank insisted firmly. 'And I'm sure you need to rest after your long drive down here and visit El Castillo later. By the way, you can't climb up there this time if you're thinking about it.'

'Why not?' Bo asked, disappointed.

'No one is allowed to, ever since a local woman fell to her death down the steep stairs four years ago.' Soledad explained, crossing herself. Bo winced and Carly shuddered at the thought.

After getting their carryalls from the car, Soledad led them to the guest bungalow. Before she left them alone, she enveloped Carly in a tight hug again. 'I'll light a candle of thanksgiving tonight.' She whispered.

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'The best moment of our time here.' Carly said as they stood at the foot of El Castillo, also known as the Kukulcán Pyramid, the next morning. 'When we climbed up there and got our sacred blessing, without even knowing it then. It's still like we left it; hardly changed… still so strong and solid, no cracks.'

Bo slipped his arm round her waist. 'Remember that night? The light and sound show when the lecturer was telling the tourists how these Mayan structures were built to last thousands of years.'

'Yes… I remember. And you said to me "just like our love."'

'No cracks, still strong and solid. Or actually, stronger.' Bo took off the wide brimmed straw hat she was wearing, staring deep into her eyes. 'And not just our love, Princess. You.'

'Me?'

'Yes. You're still the same Carly Manning I fell in love with years ago. You never changed after all this time in spite of what happened; you're still beautiful inside, strong… generous and spirited.'

Carly blinked, touched by the compliment. 'But I'm still not perfect. We would have been married years ago if I didn't have the habit of keeping secrets. After you found out about Nicky, our relationship went through a lot of cracks.'

'But it stayed strong… like this building, like these structures all around us. And you know what I think? I think the spirits of the ancient Mayan Shamans were probably with us that day; working their magic on us while we made our vows. Maybe they knew what we were going to face much later on and decided to make sure we'll always be linked and our love will always stay solid no matter what.'

Carly shook her head. The way he'd put it, it sounded so true. Maybe it was. 'I like to believe that.' She looked at the ancient castle again. 'Perhaps… that's what really happened that day. I can never get over how lucky we are.'

'While we're still here, I want to do something.' Bo took her hands and unexpectedly knelt before her. 'If the spirits of the Mayan Shamans are really present right now, I want them to witness this.'

Surprised by the sudden gesture, Carly knelt as well, looking at her husband intently.

' I promise to always love you Carly Brady; to always be there for you in every way, be the best damn husband and your best friend. I'll never ever give you cause to be disappointed in me and if another obstacle comes along, my love for you will help us get through it.'

Carly sobbed, tears pouring down her cheeks. 'You haven't changed either Bo. You're still the same wonderful man who stole my heart; that's why I can never stop loving you.' Holding his face, she kissed him passionately before saying: 'I promise to love you for the rest of my life; I'll never keep anything from you for any reason, I'll always be there for you too… in any way you want me to be. And I'll always draw strength from you and trust you with my life.' She kissed him again, hugging him tight. 'I love you so much! Don't ever change, ever!'

Bo pulled back to grab hold of her chin. 'Don't you ever leave me.'

'Never.'

Another passionate kiss sealed their heartfelt new vows.

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After spending three days exploring and shopping for souvenirs for the family, Bo and Carly took their leave, despite pleas from their hosts to stay a while longer.

'Don't let be so long before your next visit you two.' Hank hugged Carly before shaking Bo's hand.

'Not this time.' Bo promised. 'It's going to be an annual thing from now on.'

Soledad hugged Carly, her eyes damp as she reluctantly pulled away to look at her, wishing from the bottom of her heart they would prolong their visit. 'God go with you my friend. Here…' she pressed a small package in Carly's hands. 'I look forward to meet your daughter. This is for her.'

'I'll see that she gets it.' Carly kissed Soledad on both cheeks. 'And we'll see each other again, I promise.'

Soledad turned to Bo. 'Take good care of her, please.'

'I will.' He smiled, kissing her on the cheek and took Carly's hand. 'It was great seeing you both again.'

The Moores waved frantically as Bo and Carly drove off, Carly waving back tearfully.

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The children were in the living room, watching television when the newly married couple finally returned.

'Anybody home?' Bo called out, putting down their suitcases.

'Daddy, Daddy!' Ciara squealed as she ran into the foyer, hurling herself at Bo, followed by Claire. Phoebe ran out as well barking excitedly, pawing at Carly who patted her.

'Hey Munchkins!' Bo lifted them in his arms. 'We've really missed you!'

'We missed you too, and we missed you, Aunt Carly!' Carly kissed the little girls as well as Shawn Douglas and Belle.

'Welcome home!' Olivia greeted joyfully, exchanging a hug and kisses with Carly before Bo enveloped her in a bear hug. 'So marvellous to have you back!'

'Well, well… look at you.' He grinned. 'You straightened your hair.' Instead of the familiar natural ringlets, his older daughter's chestnut tresses were now in lush waves down her shoulders and back, enhancing her beautiful features further.

'I don't like it.' Ciara pouted sulkily.

'That's about the fourth time she's said that.' Shawn D chuckled. 'And she still hasn't forgiven Belle.'

'Why's that?'

'Because she's the one who gave me the hair straightener in the first place. I just wanted to experiment a bit.' Olivia rumpled her hair.

'Finally trying to be a conformist at your old age, kitten?' Carly teased, remembering the time Bo horrified her when he'd shaved his beard in an effort to be taken seriously at the police academy. But after he'd made plain clothes detective he'd let it grow back along with his hair, hence causing a few of his colleagues to give him the nickname "Serpico."

Olivia noticeably bristled at the idea. 'No!' was the contemptuous reply. 'Not now, not ever.'

Carly hoped she meant it; Bo as well. Olivia was a free spirit and everything about her, including her tattoos made her unique. She may strongly resemble Carly but she was obviously determined to have and maintain her own identity. Except during the dinner party at Victor's and their wedding day, she never wore dresses despite having a closet full of them, her jeans were always ripped or tight, she wore leather pants and skirts and her footwear were mostly sandals, sneakers and boots. Anyone looking at the deep red top she was wearing over black leather pants could hardly expect her to become a conformist anytime soon.

'Good for you, kitten; don't ever change your style for anyone.' Bo kissed the top of her head.

'So how was your trip?' Shawn D asked as they led them to the living room.

'Did you visit El Castillo? Did you climb up there again?' was Olivia's question.

'We want to hear everything!' Belle said.

'What's El… El Castio?' asked Ciara curiously.

'Did you bring us presents?' Claire piped up hopefully.

Here we go, thought Bo ruefully, exchanging a defeated look with Carly. Still, it was so good to be home again. And the honeymoon was far from over.

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Waiting to spend time with Carly before he went back to Philadelphia, Marcus invited her to lunch at The Wings, taking a walk

together along the pier afterwards.

'Marriage sure agrees with you.' he smiled at her, very glad to see his old friend looking so radiant and happy. But then again, any

woman would have more than enough reason to smile if she was in Carly's position right now. Against all odds, her life was finally

complete.

'I like to think so; at least we made it through this wedding… unlike the last time.' Carly said wryly.

'Past tense my friend; you guys made it this time and it was a lovely wedding.'

'I'm glad you were there. And don't worry; raking up the past is something I don't intend to do ever again. Our honeymoon taught me a

lot of things; lock away the bad memories, treasure the good ones but make new ones.'

Marcus nodded. 'I can imagine how hard it must have been for you… trying to forget everything you and Olivia went through.'

'After coming out of the coma, I had nightmares.' Carly admitted. 'Mostly of Lawrence dragging me to the balcony… then I'd wake up

screaming. I made Olivia promise not to tell Bo… at the time I didn't want to burden him with it; I felt he had enough on his plate

without going out of his way trying to take care of me as well. At the nursing home, I had excellent therapists; gradually I stopped

having bad dreams.'

'And Olivia how was she able to handle it?'

'Till now, I don't know. I know my daughter inside out but I got to admit… sometimes she's an enigma to me.'

'Like Bo was when you guys first met.'

'Yes, exactly.' Carly stared at the water, watching the fishing boats move across the river towards the sea. 'Maybe it was because

she finally settled the score with Lawrence that night or Bo's strength in her, I don't know. But it was a huge relief that besides

growing up too fast, the experience didn't traumatize her permanently. I couldn't bear for that to happen to my daughter.'

Marcus squeezed her shoulders from behind. 'Having those nightmares was a perfectly natural reaction. It doesn't mean you're a

weakling; it just makes you human. Olivia may be tough but she's human as well. And she's got your strength besides her Dad's.

Remember I was there when you looked after Bo when he got so sick; you didn't allow yourself to break down even when you thought you

wouldn't be able to find a cure for the virus on time; when Torres kidnapped him, you remained strong for his son! Nobody who knows

you this much can ever say you're weak, Carly Brady.'

Carly turned to regard him solemnly. 'You're the only one besides Bo and Frankie who know me this well. And to think I was evasive

about my past when we first met.'

'But you confided in me and I was honoured you trusted me enough to do that, especially since you had good reason to be cautious.'

Enfolding her hands in his he added, 'you're going to have a wonderful life from now on. But if you ever need me, I'm only a phone

call away.'

'I won't forget. You always held a place in my heart, Marcus.' She smiled. 'And you still do.'

She had no way of knowing then that it wasn't her past that would resurface; but Bo's. Several miles away, an old enemy was at that

moment tracing her features in a newspaper clipping for the umpteenth time…