Stephanie's cries forced Kayla out of bed. Pulling on her robe, she glanced at the clock first - approximately 4:50 a.m. - and then over at Steve. She was sure the cries would have woken him, but he was still fast asleep. Between their "strenuous activities" in celebrating their anniversary and a small nightmare, Steve had not had much rest during the night, so she was grateful to see him sleeping soundly, even if that meant he could not use his magic touch to get Stephanie back to sleep. But Steve would not be sleeping for long if Kayla did not take care of Stephanie quickly.

Kayla rushed to the other room and pulled her daughter out of the crib. The diaper seemed okay and Stephanie should not have been hungry that early. Kayla worried momentarily that the baby was sick, but Stephanie's forehead did not seem warm. Maybe she was just teething. Or maybe she had just woken up and was having trouble falling back to sleep in a strange house. That had happened in Salem, first, when they lived at Shane's and, later, when Kayla moved into her apartment.

Whatever it was, Kayla decided to get Stephanie out of the room so she did not wake Steve. Carrying Stephanie, Kayla gave a regretful glance at her warm bed and sleeping husband, and slipped out of the room, deciding to take the wailing baby downstairs.

The sitting room was their best bet, she decided. She liked that room, which reminded her of the library at Shane's house in Salem. She had always felt safe and protected there. With a smile, she remembered how Shane would dance around the room with Stephanie when she had a bad dream and struggled to fall asleep. She could use that help now.

Stephanie was still crying when Kayla reached the bottom of the stairs, and she was surprised to see the light was on in the sitting room as they entered. She walked over to the mantle, cooing at Stephanie to get her to quiet down. Only then did Kayla realize they were not alone.

"Shane," she said in surprise, as he stirred on the couch and opened his eyes. He must have been asleep and woken by Stephanie's cries.

He blinked a couple of times and started to sit up. "Kayla?" He looked around. "What time is it?"

"It's about five in the morning," she said.

Shane ran a hand over his eyes. "Oh . . . I must have fallen asleep."

It was only then that Kayla noticed how disheveled Shane looked. His button-down shirt was open and the shirttails were hanging loose. His eyes were bloodshot and she thought she could detect the scent of alcohol.

A wave of guilt washed over her. She knew Shane was going through a difficult time, but seeing him in this state brought home how difficult it was for him and how much of it was her fault.

He looked at Stephanie, who continued to cry, and then at Kayla. "She have a bad dream?" When Kayla nodded, he stood up and held out his arms. "Can I try?"

For a moment, Kayla hesitated. She knew Steve might not be happy if he knew, but this was about Stephanie, not Steve. She handed Stephanie to Shane.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Shane said in a low voice, as he rocked Stephanie back and forth. He whistled something that, after a minute or so, Kayla recognized as the song from the music box he had given Stephanie. It had an effect. Stephanie stopped crying and looked at him, before she smiled and then yawned. "I think it's working," Shane whispered.

Kayla could not stop herself from smiling. He was so good with Stephanie; he had been so caring and protective of both of them.

Shane continued to whistle and rock Stephanie for several more minutes. Then he looked at Kayla with a sad smile and passed Stephanie back to her. Kayla looked down at her quietly sleeping daughter.

"Uncle Shane works his magic," she said, giving him a soft smile. "You've always been so good with her."

Shane nodded and turned away. "I'm going to miss her," he said.

Kayla reached out a hand and touched his shoulder, but he pulled away. "I'm sorry," she said. "But it's not like you won't see Stephanie. She'll always have Uncle Shane around."

Shane shook his head and turned back around. "You know that's not true." He sighed. "Steve wouldn't understand and I don't want to make any more trouble for you."

"No, he probably won't understand," Kayla said, acknowledging the truth of Shane's statement. "But Stephanie adores you and she shouldn't have to lose you just because so many things have changed." She paused, recalling Steve's words about feeling like he had been replaced by Shane. "It's just going to take some time, that's all."

"I'm not sure time is going to fix things," Shane said, ruefully.

Kayla let out a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry that this has been so hard on you, and I'm sorry that you're paying the price for my mistakes." She paused and then remembered something she had intended on telling him a few days earlier. "Steve told me what he said to you the other day, and I want to apologize. He never should have said that."

"No, it's all right." Shane looked down at the floor. "I was wrong for what I did that night. I should never have touched you."

"You were concerned, Shane. You wanted to make sure I was safe. I understand that now."

"It's not my place to be concerned about you anymore," he said. "That's Steve's responsibility. I know I just made things worse by rushing in."

"Maybe so," Kayla acknowledged. "But we both know it's not that simple. It's like you said - caring for someone is not a switch that can just be turned on or off." Kayla lightened her tone and teasingly added, "And I'll be furious if you ever stop caring for Stephanie. She's still going to need her Uncle Shane to spoil her rotten."

He gave her a sheepish look. "It's good to hear you joke, Kay. I can tell you're happy. That's all I wanted."

Shane paused and Kayla saw that his eyes had gone to the wedding ring on her hand. "I guess everything really has come full circle," he said. "I know how hard it was for you to take that ring off. Now it's back where it belongs."

"And it's because of you, Shane." Didn't he understand that? "You got me through the worst time of my life, and then you gave me and Stephanie the greatest gift anyone could give. I have my life back because of you."

Shane shrugged, but said nothing. He turned back to the mantle and ran a hand along the polished wood. There was a long silence before he said, "I saw Eve yesterday. Did you know she's moving to Africa with Frankie?"

"Yes, I heard."

"I always wanted a little girl," he said. "I guess I made a mistake growing so attached to Stephanie. In my mind, I'd pictured raising her - making up for all the time I lost with Eve. Now it feels like I've lost two girls in the matter of a few weeks."

Kayla was not sure what to say.

"Steve's a lucky man," Shane said.

Yes he is, Kayla thought. The room became silent as neither of them spoke. Shane continued to study the mantle, his back turned to her. Finally, Kayla decided to broach a different subject. She took a deep breath.

"Kim still loves you," Kayla said. Shane's shoulders seemed to shake and for a moment, she thought he was laughing. "Do you think that's funny?"

"No," Shane said, turning back to face her. There was no sign of amusement on his face. "It's just that that bridge is burned. If not before last night . . . well, it is now."

What happened last night? Kayla wondered, but she did not ask. Instead, she said, "I know you still love Kim. As much as I didn't want to think about it or acknowledge it, I've always known that. Like you said, there were limits on what we could give each other and that's because we could never let go of the past."

Kayla paused, wondering if she even had the right to push further given that she had played her part in keeping Kim and Shane apart in the first place. But Steve's return had brought some clarity to her emotions and what had happened over the preceding months, and she owed it to Shane and to Kim to try and repair some of the damage - damage she had helped inflict.

"I got my past back, Shane, when you brought Steve home. And I know you were hurt when Kim left, but the love you two have for each other is strong enough to work through the hurt. Maybe the two of you could be happy again. I saw how hard you fought for each other before. If I hadn't-"

Shane cut her off. "Kay . . . I know you mean well and I appreciate it . . . But there's nothing left for me and Kim."

Kayla felt her frustration rising. Why can't he see what's so obvious to everyone else? Before she could protest further, another thought popped into her mind. Why didn't I see it months ago? Kayla's frustration was quickly replaced by guilt.

"Look, I'd better go upstairs and get cleaned up," Shane said. "I have to call Tarrington in a little while about a new assignment."

"What do you mean? You're not going to leave?" Kayla asked.

Shane shrugged. "It's something Tarrington's wanted me to take for the past few weeks. I've put him off for long enough. Once I finish arrangements for your cover story for going back to Salem, I'll be leaving."

"Is it dangerous?" Kayla asked, but then she realized how stupid the question was. "Of course, it's dangerous. It's the ISA after all." She waited for him to protest, but Shane said nothing. They both knew he was running away, but she did not want to say it aloud. Finally, she sighed and just said, "Good luck, Shane. Take care of yourself, and please remember that you have a family that needs you to come home safe."