Steve pulled the car into Shane's driveway and came to a stop. After leaving Kim, he and Kayla had both been checked out. He had been given a clean bill of health with no lasting effects from the taser. Neil had diagnosed Kayla with a cracked rib and had stitched the cut on her forehead. He had reassured them that none of her injuries were serious and she would heal fine with some rest and time. Neil had also given Kayla some pain medication but judging from the look on Kayla's face when Neil had given her the pills, it was going to be a fight to get her to take them.

Getting out of the car, Steve walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. He held out his hand and, with a bit of a grimace, Kayla got out of the car. "I wish you would have taken one of those pain pills Neil tried to give you," Steve said. "I know that rib is hurting you."

"I'm fine," Kayla said with a hint of exasperation. "It's just a little sore. I don't need a pain pill for that."

"Okay," Steve replied, not wanting to fight about it just yet. "But I'm keeping my eye on you."

Kayla just smiled as Steve put his arm around her and directed her towards the front door of Shane's house.

Entering the house, they immediately found Simmons, who appeared to be heading into the library.

"Master Johnson," Simmons said, surprised. His surprise grew even more when he realized Kayla was standing next to Steve. "Madame Johnson!" Then he saw the state of her clothing. "What happened? Is Madame Brady-"

"Kim's safe," Kayla said quickly. "I. . . ." She looked at Steve. "Would you give me a minute?"

Steve was a little confused and leaned close. "What? Shouldn't we just tell him?"

Kayla shook her head and whispered back, "He's known Shane his entire life. He's practically family."

Feeling the guilt wash over him again, Steve understood. It would be best if Kayla broke the news gently. "Go ahead, Sweetness. I'll wait right here."

Simmons watched the exchange with a befuddled look. "Madame Johnson?"

"Why don't we go into the library?" Kayla stepped forward, took Simmons by the arm, and led him into the other room.

Left alone in the foyer, Steve shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced around. Only a few hours earlier, he and Shane had stood there and said they were "cool" with each other. A few minutes after that, they had cheered Jeannie's first steps. It was a stark reminder to Steve how quickly everything could change, that suddenly, everything important could be taken away.

Kayla and Simmons reemerged from the library a few minutes later. Steve had never seen Simmons anything other than perfectly composed, but the butler seemed more pale than usual and he swallowed several times before he said, "I'm sure . . . I'm sure Captain Donovan will be just fine."

Steve wished he could share Simmons' determination, but he said, "Yeah, I'm sure you're right." He looked around. "Are the kids all okay?"

"Yes, sir," Simmons replied. "Miss Stephanie is with the nanny. So is Miss Jeannie. And Master Andrew is with his tutor."

Steve wondered how they were going to tell Andrew about Shane.

"I really need to get cleaned up before we see the kids," Kayla said quietly. She looked at Simmons. "Do you have anything here I could change into?"

Simmons nodded. "Absolutely, Madame. I believe Madame Brady left a couple of boxes the other day. I'm sure there is something in there you could borrow."

"Why don't you go upstairs and get in the shower, Sweetness," Steve said. "I'll get the boxes from Simmons and meet you up there. I've been staying in the guest room at the end of the hall."

Kayla nodded and started up the stairs. Steve watched carefully for any difficulties until she reached the top. Then, quickly following Simmons, Steve retrieved the two boxes Kim had left and headed towards the guest room.

When he entered, he could hear the shower running. Setting the boxes down, he sat down on the bed and gave a quiet prayer of thanks that Kayla had returned to him relatively unscathed. Now, if Shane would just pull through, maybe they could all survive this nightmare.

After a few moments, Steve heard the water shut off. It was not long before Kayla entered the room wrapped in a large towel.

"Feel better, baby?" Steve asked. He could not help but smile a little at the picture she presented. He always loved her hair wet.

"Much better," Kayla said returning Steve's smile. Her smile faded and she spoke quietly. "I wasn't sure I'd ever get the chance to do that again."

Pain clutched at Steve's heart at Kayla's words. Rising from the bed, he walked quickly toward her and pulled her to him. "Don't even think about it anymore, Sweetness. You're safe now."

Steve could feel Kayla shaking as he held her. In a voice muffled against his chest, he heard her say, "I was so scared, Steve. I was afraid I would never see you or Stephanie again. I thought he was going to. . . ."

"Don't!" Steve said sharply. "Don't say it. That maniac can't hurt you now. You don't have to be scared anymore."

Kayla nodded and wept softly against Steve's chest. Steve knew she needed to release all the emotions she was feeling, so he just held her and let her cry. He gently ran his hands over her hair and whispered soft words of comfort and love.

Gradually, Kayla's sobs eased and she pulled away slightly. "I'm sorry." She wiped her tears from her face. "I didn't mean to get so emotional."

"Don't be sorry, Sweetness." Steve cupped her face in his hands. "Don't ever be sorry for leaning on me when you need to." He smiled gently. "God knows, I've leaned on you often enough."

Pulling Kayla back to him, Steve spoke softly in her ear. "Do you know how scared I was while you were missing? I thought I'd go insane not knowing where you were or if you were okay. Don't ever scare me like that again. Okay?"

Kayla wrapped her arms around him and gave a muffled, "Okay."

After a few moments, Steve released Kayla and took a step back. "I guess I better let you get dressed, huh?"

Kayla nodded and offered Steve a tired smile. As she opened the boxes to look for some clothes to wear, Steve thought about the time he had spent alone in that very room, wondering if he would ever see her again. Almost without realizing it, he began speaking.

"I've never been so scared in my life as I was when we found Kim's car and you were gone," he said slowly. "And every hour that went by, that fear just got worse."

"Steve. . . ."

Shaking his head, Steve continued. "I kept trying to tell myself that you were okay and we were going to find you, but . . ." his voice trailed off.

"Hey," Kayla said, walking toward him. "Remember what you said just a minute ago. It's over now. I'm here." She reached up and stroked his face gently.

Steve placed his hand over hers, holding it to his cheek and nodded. "I know, baby." He took a deep breath. "But when you were gone, I kept thinking about how all that time I was away all I wanted was to be home with you. And then I got my wish and instead of being grateful, I took it for granted." He looked deeply into Kayla's eyes. "And I vowed that if . . . when . . . I got you back, I wouldn't take anything for granted anymore."

"You didn't-" Kayla started to speak.

"Yes, I did, Sweetness," Steve interrupted with a small shake of his head. Taking her hand, Steve led Kayla to the bed, sat down, and pulled her gently down beside him. In a halting voice, he explained, "Ever since I've been home, I've been angry. . . . I was mad at you when I found out about you being with Shane. Then I was mad at Shane. And no matter how much we've talked about it, that anger never completely went away and we both know it."

"You had a right to be angry, Steve," Kayla said. "I understand that."

Steve chuckled softly. "Of course you understand, baby. You always do." He took a deep breath. "Maybe I had a right to be angry about the time I lost, but I was taking it out on all the wrong people. What I finally realized was that the person I was really mad at was me."

"Why would you be angry at yourself?" Kayla asked.

"Because I let you down." Steve said harshly, hearing the bitterness in his own voice. "I promised you and Stephanie that I would be there and take care of you. Instead, I let myself get caught in a trap and turned into a lab rat. I wasn't here for you, baby. And I'm so sorry for that."

"You didn't let me or Stephanie down," Kayla said, a tear running down her cheek. "What happened wasn't your fault. You were trying to help Bo. You had no way of knowing what would happen."

"It doesn't matter what I knew or didn't know," Steve replied. "All that matters is that I wasn't here when you needed me." He took another deep breath to calm himself. "I never should have been so angry at you or Shane. And I'm sorry for not ever really trying to understand what you went through while I was gone."

Steve wiped the tears from Kayla's cheek and cupped her face in his hands. "I'm not going to lie to you, baby. It's never going to be easy for me to hear, or think, about you and Shane together. That is always going to hurt in some way. But I promise that I will never let that come between us again. Nothing is going to come between us again."

"I love you so much." Kayla's voice was quiet yet firm. "I don't want anything between us anymore either."

Leaning close, Steve gently kissed her. He reveled in the feel of her lips and the taste of her tongue as the kiss deepened. Finally, he pulled away and smiled at her. "I love you too, Sweetness. More than anything ever in this world."

Steve kissed her again and then pulled her back to him, careful not to jostle her rib too much. He knew that they needed to go see Stephanie, Andrew and Jeannie and get back to the hospital, but he desperately wanted this moment of peace to last just a while longer.