You guys are wonderful! Thank you ever so much for the reviews. My muse gets so giddy over every one of them. Hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter and will share more of your thoughts and comments. I'll say this and that is the only clue I am 'allowed' to divulge, the two men are the same men from an earlier chapter (They've been mentioned/talked twice.) Trust me, two bad guys besides the Webber's is more than enough for the time being lol.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Epiphany looked over at Francis and blurted out what was troubling her. Feeling a little like Elizabeth and her tendency of verbal diarrhea, when she all but spat out her question. "Why?"

"Why what?" Francis asked, his brow drawn.

"Oh, come on. You are a good looking man, in amazing shape, I don't want to use the words pity fuck but…why?" Epiphany asked.

"Pity what…oh…you've had a number done on you. No, this was not a pity fuck as you so eloquently put it. As to my looks or physique…I don't see what they have to do with anything. You are a beautiful woman Piph. You are smart and courageous, kind and funny and most importantly, you don't normally worry about silly stereotypes. Was it not you who was flirting with me? What's really wrong?" Francis asked, taking her hand while indicating she should sit.

"I guess Elizabeth isn't the only one who has been burying her head in the sand. Since my timely divorce, if I wasn't using work as an excuse to not open up, then I was using Elizabeth and everything she went through. We've been running from one moment to the next for so long, that it seems, I forgot how to just be a woman. I'll never be stick thin and that never bothered me, until now…"

"Does it bother you or do you think it bothers me so it now bothers you?" Francis asked and then thought about what he said, "Does that make any sense?"

"Maybe I'm jaded but shouldn't you be dating/marrying some limber gymnast like creature who can keep up with you?"

"I didn't see you having a problem keeping up with me and I find it funny that you think that is something I'd want. Sure, we don't know one another well and this happened rather quickly but I don't regret a moment. And…if I dated a gymnast, I'd be the one in traction and wondering where my youth went. Honestly Piph, I like you, I can't find a flaw, even though you sure try to exude a tough as nails, devil may care attitude. You are exactly what I wasn't looking for but didn't know I needed till you ended up in my lap…on my lap. I'm no spring chicken and I am of the belief, you don't mess with what works. If you say this was a one-time thing, I'll treasure our moments and try to convince you that you'll need more than one sitting to judge my skills." Francis said with a cocky smile.

"You have an answer for everything don't you?" Epiphany asked softly.

Realizing this was more about her insecurities and most likely what her ex put her through, Francis decided to forgo his joking nature and be completely serious. "No, I don't have a clue about anything, I try to follow my heart and instincts and learn from my mistakes. We could crash and burn but we could also burn bright and long, that my dear, depends on you. I'm not looking for a booty call, I want to get to know more of the real you, I want to see if this- whatever this is- could be as great as I imagine. You've been hurt before and I can promise up the wazoo that I won't do that but life and love is a gamble, you willing to gamble with me?"

"You know, it would be easier to say no to you if you were so incredibly sexy and smart." Epiphany said with a small smile. "I don't want to continuously live waiting for life to happen to me, like my dear Elizabeth, I've been in a holding pattern for so long, I feel like most of me has atrophied but since we got here, it's like we've been parlayed…it is a stranger, scary and beautiful thing. Can we take it slow?"

"As slow as you like, just don't throw everything in to reverse, we can take it a day at a time and if you aren't ready to be physical again, we can wait."

"Not to change the subject but I'm changing the subject…Do you think Jason or Elizabeth realize the atomic attraction they have to one another?"

"I don't know if they realize it yet but I think they will. She's different with him. I haven't known her long but from what I can see, she trusts him implicitly. How worried are you about her earlier actions and what's to come?" Francis asked.

"I think my stress level is about 40 but I trust you and your men, I just don't know if after everything she's been through, she'll be able to open up or let it all go. You want a real look into her psyche; listen to her when she's asleep, she may not say much when she's awake but asleep, that girl can ramble."

XxXxXxX

Mac sat on the lounger, against the wall in the lobby of the towers. He wasn't supposed to be here until later but the idea of leaving Elizabeth unguarded, by him, left him feeling helpless, a feeling he wasn't overly familiar with.

"Mr. Scorpio, is there something I can help you with?" Marco asked as he approached the man.

Mac laughed, if his cops were as on the ball as Corinthos' men, they might solve more cases, "No, not really. I woke up and couldn't sleep. I just had this feeling that I was needed here, even if it is sitting on this hard bench contemplating where in my life I went wrong in so many ways. I don't know if your man Enzo told you but I have a meeting with Mr. Corinthos later today."

"Actually it was Mr. Corinthos who told me about the meeting and he also mentioned that if you couldn't stay away, to send you on up. He wasn't expecting to get much sleep. His wife is pregnant and in the last day, her morning sickness has become troublesome. I think he called the prognosis Hyperemesis Gravidarum… Thanks to Ms. Johnson, she was diagnosed early and they hope to get it under control before it causes serious issues. I'm sorry, after finding yourself in this situation, I am sure you aren't overly fond of hearing about someone else's pregnancy when you were denied the chance at your own daughters…" Marco babbled.

Mac watched the guard blush but decided to take pity on the poor man. They were all in no-man's land here and the situation wasn't something one could prepare or even understand. "It hurts, I'll admit but I can't change what happened only try to do the right thing from here on out. I feel badly for Mrs. Corinthos, I have heard Bobbie Spencer talk about that particular form of morning sickness and how many issues it can cause. If you are sure my being here so early won't be a problem, I think I will go see Sonny. I have a bad feeling and want to know everything I can to help prevent any more trouble for my daughter."

Marco was nodding his head in agreement but stopped suddenly, "Relay that to Mr. Corinthos, your daughter isn't overly fond of me but we've all been briefed so that we can protect her. You know, for a man who has just found out that he is a father; it's nice to see that you are so ready to stand up and be someone she can count on. I heard about the problem's up at Vista Point yesterday but every time you say daughter, you positively light up. Just, from what I've learned thus far, don't try too hard and give her space when she needs it. Whatever those Webber people did to her…it wasn't pretty and I feel that might only be the tip of the ice burg."

"Thanks for the advice. You'd think I would know how to be a dad but I've been Mac and Uncle Mac and while in my heart, those three girls were mine, and whether this makes me an ass or not, this…it, feels different." Mac said looking slightly ashamed.

"No, I may not understand but I think I can get it. I have a niece and I love her dearly but when I think about my future and a child calling me dad or daddy, I swear my smile alone should glow at just the idea. Now that I've totally destroyed your image of what Mr. Corinthos' guards are like, I'll shut up and let you head on up." Marco offered with a self-depreciating laugh.

In one way, Mac was shocked but he could admit that it was nice to see the more human side of the men. Most, if not all of the guards had been in his police station off and on over the years and they all had the stone-cold countenance about them. "Nah, I appreciate seeing you guys more human. We were starting to wonder if Mr. Corinthos was manufacturing robots or something." He said with a laugh.

As he reached the elevator he turned back to the guard. "Thanks for the advice."

XxXxXxX

"How are we going to go about this? People know us both, so are we going to be out in the open or are we cloak and daggering it?" He asked.

"I could say we are here on business but the simplest of lies could be our downfall. I'd say we should just act naturally but if this plan has any chance of fruition, then we need to skulk… I am not going to lose her again." The second brother said resolutely.

His brother was probably going to be a problem, especially since he didn't know there was a deeper reason and need for revenge than he knew but he would…they all would. When the time came, all the lies and secrets would be unveiled and true justice would be had and then his perverse side would be allowed free reign.

"I don't care how long this takes, so long as at the end of the day, I get justice for my wife and child."

His brother mumbles something under his breath, 'if it was your child…' but he doesn't hear what was said. "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing, let's find a place to stay and find out where the little bitch is."

Unsure whether to believe his brother or not, he lets the matter drop, infighting would not be a good idea when their plans were so close to succeeding.

XxXxXxX