It was a dreary, overcast day in Salem; the first in a long time. But Kim wouldn't let that ruin her jubilant mood. Not the weather or the two-hour delay she endured getting home. Her New York trip had been a success and nothing was going to dampen her spirit.

Jeannie picked Kim up at the airport as planned and didn't even seem to mind the long wait for her arrival. Kim took her good mood as a sign that all had gone well while she had been away.

On the flight home, Kim thought once more of that odd comment Jeannie had made when they went shopping. What did she mean about forgiving Shane? And why was she so determined not to talk about it? Kim had planned to bring it up on the drive home but Jeannie seemed so happy, Kim didn't want to do anything to spoil her mood. So once again she postponed the conversation.

It didn't really matter because Kim already had so much to tell Jeannie. She shared her good news about the meeting with her publisher, then went on to tell her all the shopping she did in New York. She wasn't sure which Jeannie found more interesting, the publisher's meeting or shoe-shopping at Barney's.

As she and Jeannie talked, Kim found she was thinking of Shane again. As excited as she had been to tell Jeannie her news, Kim found she was really looking forward to sharing it with Shane. Where was that coming from, Kim wondered. Barely a month had passed since Shane had re-entered her life and here he was creeping into her thoughts. How many times had she thought about him during her stay in New York? Too many, Kim conceded, although she tried to fool herself by dismissing them as simply wondering how he and Jeannie were getting along.

The drive home was long despite Jeannie's typical teen tendency to speed. Kim repeatedly had to advise her to slow down and Jeannie just smiled at the warnings. "Mom, it's fine. I'm not going that fast."

"Well there's no reason to hurry. Just go the speed limit," Kim insisted although she was eager to get home and it was apparent to Jeannie why.

When they finally pulled into the driveway, Kim looked back towards the guest house and was pleased to see Shane's car parked in front. "Good, he's home," Kim said to herself as she felt a familiar sense of contentment envelope her. It was exactly how she felt all those years ago, when Shane would safely return home from his ISA assignments.

Jeannie drove up to the main house, rambling on to her mother, something about a boy named Tim but Kim really wasn't listening. Her attention was now totally on Shane and her anticipation at seeing him. Jeannie helped with the luggage and packages before begging off staying for lunch. Kim feigned disappointment but actually was relieved; she was eager to visit with Shane and share her good news. After getting Jeannie to promise she'd return for dinner, Kim headed for the guest house.

"Shane, are you in?" Kim knocked lightly on the door.

The door immediately opened and Shane greeted her with a huge smile. He would have much preferred giving her a welcome-home hug but feared she'd think him too presumptuous. He had been anxiously awaiting Kim's arrival since early morning. Thankfully, Jeannie had called and warned him about the delay or else he knew he would have worn out the floor pacing back and forth.

"Have I got news to tell you." Kim rushed past him into the guest house's small living area. Turning to face him, she pretended a drum roll then announced, "They're going to make a movie of my book!"

"My goodness Kim, that's fabulous."

"That's the reason they delayed the book tour," Kim explained excitedly. "They want the tour to coincide with the movie announcement. Get this, Jennifer Aniston is going to star in my story. I met her in New York at the meeting. We instantly got along, as if I already knew her." Worried that she sounded more like a star-struck teenager than a best-selling author, Kim remarked still wide-eyed, "I know I live in L.A. and was married to a movie producer myself but – Jennifer Aniston. Jeannie said it best … 'Way too cool.'"

Shane was duly impressed although he dared not spoil Kim's excitement by telling her he didn't really know who Jennifer Aniston was. He didn't watch much TV or go to many movies in England. But he knew enough that a movie deal was reason to celebrate. "How about we toast your success with a cup of Earl Grey?"

Kim smiled in agreement and sat down at the small table while Shane made a pot of tea. Over steaming teacups, Kim rattled on breathlessly about her meeting, the movie deal and all she did in New York, leaving Shane little chance to get a word in. But he didn't mind. He loved seeing her so happy and excited. It had been too long since he had seen her this ecstatic and he found it filled him with immense joy.

"Oh, look at the time." Kim glanced at her watch and saw she had spent a good part of the afternoon talking with Shane. "I better get going. Jeannie will be home soon and I haven't even unpacked." Kim got up and headed for the door before realizing she hadn't even asked Shane how things went while she was gone. She turned and asked tentatively, "So how was your time with Jeannie?"

"Splendid, absolutely splendid," Shane repeated. "We really connected, especially last night."

"Wonderful. I told you it was only a matter of time. This has been a couple of rather jolly good days for both of us," Kim said mimicking his vernacular. Then, not sure if the gesture was impulsive or instinctive, Kim reached up and kissed Shane. Before he could even respond to the tender touch of her lips on his, Kim pulled back stunned and apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not." Shane gently grabbed her shoulders before she could turn away and looked deeply in her eyes. "Kimberly, how much longer are we going to deny our feelings?"

"Shane, please," she pleaded trying to break free. "It's being here, in this house, surrounded by all these memories that are creating these feelings."

"Oh Kim, you know it's much more than that," he implored. "It's you and me together and it feels so right. You know it does. Kimberly, I love—"

"No, don't say it," Kim interrupted, pulling free and turning away.

Shane walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "I know I let you down but—"

Interrupting again, Kim almost laughed as she turned and faced him. "Let me down? What, is that your euphemism for breaking my heart?" Shane was sure a slap across the face would have been less painful. Kim peered at him with narrowing eyes and stated sharply, "Shane, she was my sister. I can't forget that."

"I'm not asking you to. I want to move forward."

"Forward? There's no future for us. It's not just Kayla, there's so much more. We're not good together."

"That's not true," Shane objected.

"Oh it's true. We hurt each other. I've hurt you. You've hurt me. Whether it's intentional or not, we've caused each other pain. You can't deny that."

"I know, and I'm so sorry Kim. But if we could try and get past …"

"But we can't," Kim cut him off. "We've tried before, and no matter how hard we try, we can never get past ..." she paused, her voice trailing off. Then her eyes locked with his as her voice became firm again. "It always comes back to the same thing, Shane. You never could accept my past, really accept what I was. It was always there between us."

Shane exhaled sharply, astounded at her last comment. "I can't believe you're still bringing that up, after all these years."

"Why? It's the truth, Shane. I was a ... " Kim hesitated before blurting out, "I was a whore and no matter how many years go by, that fact doesn't change. That, and how you see me, how you always saw me."

With exasperation in his voice, Shane snapped, "I always accepted your past. You just never believed I did. Your past was between us because you kept it between us." Shane tried to maintain control but felt his voice rise in anger, unable to mask the accusatory tone. "You never trusted me and you never trusted my love for you."

"In the end, I was right. Wasn't I?" she shot back, matching his anger. "You proved that I can't trust you with my heart." Kim turned her back on him and willed her breathing to slow, desperate to stay in control. She walked towards the door before turning around, her voice quivering. "I am flawed Shane. I make mistakes. The problem was we never could get past them."

"I made a mistake and we can't get past that either. You just can't forgive me," Shane uttered solemnly, sadly shaking his head.

Kim felt her legs go weak beneath her as she lunged for the door. Grabbing the knob, she turned and looked at him for one second more before hurrying out the door. Shane tried one last valiant attempt to reach out to her before the door slammed shut. Frustrated and angry, Shane grabbed his teacup from the table and threw it against the wall. "Damn it," he cried out as the tea splattered on the wall and the cup shattered to the floor.