Just a quick response to the reader who felt like the last scene bashed Kim. That was not the intent. Kim, like the other characters, is intended to be a very human and sometimes flawed character. As the foreward said, sometimes these characters are going to make mistakes and say or do hurtful things. And sometimes, even the most noble characters are going to show some warts.

Right now, Kim is going through hell. The man she loves is facing a lifetime in prison and keeps pulling away from her. Her son has been traumatized. And the events of the previous year have created a lot of strain on her relationship with Kayla. It felt natural that she would lash out. Some of her anger may be misdirected, but Kim also had some fair points about Kayla pursuing Shane, something she has never directly raised with her sister.

And, in some ways, it's equally natural that Kayla pushed back. During this time on the show, for the first time, Kayla expressed some resentments some of Kim and Shawn's favoritism, albeit to others (to Shawn and RoJohn). None of that came out directly, and, imo, has been festering beneath the surface. Now that those issues have been expressed, hopefully, it can lead to some exploration of Kim's and Kayla's relationship and their different perspectives on their childhoods as they come to some resolution of their conflict.

By the way, Kim and Shane fans may not be aware of this, but the story of Kim stealing Charlie from Kayla actually is canon. It's something that Kayla describes in her 2006 return, including the details about Kayla and Kim fighting afterward, Kayla locking herself in the bathroom, and Bo knocking down the door.

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Steve walked through the front door of Wings, and peeked around the corner into the dining room. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he did not see Kayla waiting for him. That meant he would have time to duck into the bathroom and clean up the cut on his cheek before Kayla saw it. He knew he would still have to explain what happened, but at least he would not be bleeding in the process.

Steve jumped as he heard Julie's voice behind him. "Why Steven, whatever are you doing peeking around the corner of my restaurant?"

Turning around slowly in an attempt to keep his cheek out of Julie's view, Steve said, "I'm supposed to be meeting Kayla for dinner tonight. I was just checking to see if she'd beaten me here."

"Really?" Julie asked, dryly. Stepping over to the maitre d's stand, she reached down and pulled out a first aid kit. She walked back to Steve and handed it to him. "I'm sure Kayla would appreciate it if you weren't bleeding during dinner."

Steve gave Julie a wry grin. "Can't get anything past you, huh?" He opened the kit and pulled out some gauze.

"Not often," Julie replied. Eyeing the cut on Steve's face, she sighed. "Please tell me you weren't fighting with Shane again."

"I guess that depends on how you define 'with,'" Steve said, still grinning while holding a piece of gauze from the first aid kit against his cheek.

"Steve-" Julie's voice began to rise, before Steve cut her off.

"I wasn't fighting Shane, Julie." Steve held his hand up. "Scouts honor."

"Then what was that 'fighting with' nonsense?" Julie asked with a bit of a glare.

Steve sighed, "Some over-patriotic dudes decided that they were going to teach Shane a lesson." He shrugged. "So I decided they needed to learn a lesson about 'innocent until proven guilty' instead."

"And Shane?" Julie asked.

"Well I don't think Shane was thrilled about my lesson plan, but he jumped in. I think it was good for him to remember what it means to fight for something." Steve checked the gauze. It appeared the bleeding had stopped. "I'm going to duck into the bathroom and finish cleaning this up. Do you think you could find Kayla and me a table? She should be here before too long."

"I'm sure I can find something for Salem's newest educator," Julie replied with a sarcastic grin. "Just promise me you won't be teaching any civics lessons in my establishment."

Steve chuckled. "I promise." Still carrying the first aid kit, he headed for the men's room. It only took a few minutes to finish cleaning the wound on his cheek. There was no way to hide the small welt and cut that must have come from the first dude's ring, but at least it was fairly small and shallow.

Taking one last look in the mirror and deciding it was as good as it was going to get, Steve headed back out to the restaurant. Dave greeted him and Steve returned the first aid kit. As Dave escorted Steve to his table, he noticed Rachel Knight sitting at the bar. She flashed him a brilliant smile and Steve nodded back politely, trying not to roll his eyes at her obvious flirting.

Steve took his seat at the table and ordered a beer for himself and a glass of wine for Kayla. Checking his watch, he saw that it was only a little after six, so he knew he might have a while to wait. He busied himself looking over the menu and did not even look up as his beer was set down in front him.

"Thanks," he said absently, still decided between the lobster and a nice filet.

"You're welcome," a sultry voice replied.

Steve looked up to see Rachel standing there, holding her drink. "May I join you?" She sat down in the chair on the other side of the table without waiting for his answer.

"Actually, I'm waiting for someone," Steve said, taking a sip from his beer.

"Well then . . . I'll keep you company until your dinner companion arrives." Rachel flashed another big smile.

"I'm really not in the mood for a chat with a reporter right now." Steve did not want to be rude, but the woman did not seem to get the message.

"Then I won't be a reporter right now." Rachel leaned over the table, clearly making sure that Steve got a close-up view of the contents of her low-cut blouse.

Steve leaned away from the table and took another sip of his beer. He studied Rachel for a moment, trying to figure out what game she was trying to play. She knew he was married and had to expect that his wife was going to be joining him for dinner. So why was she pushing so hard?

Apparently mistaking Steve's confusion for interest, Rachel reached out and ran her hand down Steve's arm. "If you're not in the mood for talking, I'm sure we can find something else that you might be in the mood for."

Steve stared at the hand on his arm. Did she really think this type of approach would work with him? Not that any approach would have, but her blatant propositioning was ridiculous. As much as he might have enjoyed toying with her, he didn't want Kayla to have to deal with Ms. Knight. Time to shut this down, permanently.

Leaning forward again, Steve smiled and placed his hand on Rachel's as it lay on his arm. Rachel smiled again, batted her eyes, and ran her thumb across his forearm. Steve's smiled faded as he grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled it from his arm. With very deliberate and less than gentle movements, he put her hand back on her side of the table.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear, Ms. Knight." Steve's voice was calm, but cold. "I'm not interested in anything you have to offer tonight - or any other night."

Rachel's face flushed at the rejection and he saw anger flash in her eyes before she caught herself. "I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you," she replied, again using her sultry voice. "You don't know what you're missing."

"Maybe I'll ask Shane, since he seems to know," Steve said in a low voice. "But I guess it couldn't be that good, seeing as he didn't seem interested in coming back for seconds."

Rachel's mouth opened and then closed as she sputtered momentarily.

Steve could help but laugh out loud. His laughter quickly stopped as he saw Kayla standing in the doorway looking at him as Dave pointed to their table. Even from a distance it was easy to see the thunder in Kayla's blue eyes.

Steve stood as Kayla approached the table. "Sweetness-"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kayla's tone was furious and Steve realized she was not looking at him. She was totally focused on Rachel.

"Just enjoying a drink with your husband." Rachel said innocently. She had regained her composure during Kayla's arrival. "I always hate to see such a handsome man sitting alone."

"I just bet you do." Kayla's voice dripped with such sarcasm that Steve could barely stifle a laugh. "But I'm here now, so you're free to leave. In fact, I think you're in my chair."

"No need to be unfriendly," Rachel replied as she stood up. Turning to Steve she said, "Remember what I said. I'd love to . . . discuss things further if you change your mind."

Looking at Kayla, Steve gave her a wink, then turned to Rachel. "Since you didn't appear to understand me the first time, let me be blunt." Placing an arm around Kayla, he said, "There is nothing in this world that you could . . . offer me that is better than what I have right here. Your type is a dime a dozen. My wife is one in a million."

Rachel's eyes flashed again as she looked at Steve and Kayla. Picking up her drink she turned and walked back to the bar without another word. As he held Kayla's chair, Steve watched out the corner of his eye as Rachel slammed back her drink. She was clearly pissed. Good.

Returning to his chair, Steve smiled broadly at his wife. He ignored her glare, finished his beerm and set the glass down on the table. Then, he reached for Kayla's hand and asked, "So, Sweetness, how was the rest of your day?"