Kayla knocked softly on the door to Kim's office. As she waited for an answer, she looked again at the newspaper in her hand.

"Damn that woman," Kayla muttered under her breath.

After a moment, she heard Kim's call, "Come in." Kayla opened the door and saw Kim sitting at her desk, clearly upset. As she entered the room, she could see that Kim also had a copy of the Chronicle.

"I guess you've already seen this." Kayla gestured to the paper she carried.

Kim nodded. "Another hatchet job by Rachel Knight. You have no idea how much I despise that woman."

"Oh, I think I do." Kayla took a seat in the chair opposite Kim's desk. "I just feel so bad for Eve right now. She doesn't deserve this."

"No," Kim agreed. "She doesn't. We knew it was coming, but I guess I was holding out hope that that woman would have some small sense of decency."

Not likely, Kayla thought to herself. The lead story in the Chronicle that morning had been an expose about Eve under the guise of telling the "truth" about Shane Donovan. Rachel Knight had made Eve's past out to be as sordid as possible, and had done her best to paint Shane as the man responsible for his daughter's transgressions.

"Have you talked to Eve yet?" Kayla asked.

Kim shook her head. "I tried to call Wings, but Julie said that Eve took off when she saw the article. Then I called the house, but Simmons said Eve wasn't there and Shane was getting cleaned up after his physical therapy."

"So Shane doesn't know yet either?"

"I don't think so," Kim said. "I'll try to call again a little later. Julie said she would call me if she heard from Eve."

"I'm sure she just needed some time to herself." Kayla offered Kim an encouraging smile. "We both know that Eve is a lot tougher than she seems. She's had her past drudged up before and has always gotten past it."

"I know." Kim ran her hand across her forehead. "I just wish there would come a time when this family wasn't always having to get past one thing or another."

Kayla could not disagree with her sister there. Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "Have you talked to Marlena recently? Is there anything new with Roman and John?"

Kim shook her head. "We spoke briefly yesterday, but there's really nothing new. Roman still isn't happy about her helping John, and John is feeling completely lost."

"Have you seen him?"

Kim again shook her head. "No. I guess he was at the house yesterday, but he left before I got home." She shrugged. "I think he feels more comfortable around Shane than anyone else right now."

"I guess I can't blame him for that," Kayla replied. "I miss John, but I don't want to push him. I just don't know what to do for him right now."

"I know how you feel, sis." Kim sighed. "I'm just hoping that things will get a little better with time."

"Maybe when Steve gets back, I'll invite John over for dinner," Kayla said, not really thinking.

"Gets back?" Kim raised a brow. "Where did Steve go?"

Kayla mentally kicked herself. "He . . . he just had to go out of town for a few days. He should be back tomorrow, I think."

"Steve wouldn't have left town with everything that's going on unless it was important." Kim stared at Kayla. "What's really going on?"

Kayla did not respond. She knew that Shane was aware that Steve had gone to New York and she knew that Kim was not going to run and tell the ISA. Still, Kayla did not want Kim to get her hopes up. They had no idea what the captain Steve was meeting with might say or if Shane would even let him help if he wanted to.

"Kay?"

Deciding to be as honest as she could, Kayla finally spoke. "He went to New York to try and find some information that will help Shane." She held up her hand before Kim could speak. "Before you ask, I don't know if it will actually turn into anything. When he gets back, I'm sure he'll talk to Shane and Shane will tell you."

"I'm not so sure about that," Kim said. "So if Steve finds something that will help Shane, I hope you'll tell me about it."

"What do you mean, you're not so sure?" Kayla deliberately ignored the second half of Kim's comment. "Why wouldn't Shane tell you?"

"Well . . . it's not like we're talking that much right now." Kim sounded frustrated.

Kayla looked at her sister curiously. "Did you two have a fight or something?"

"No, actually. Just the opposite." Kim shook her head and laughed humorlessly. "He kissed me," she said softly. "And then I kissed him."

Kayla smiled broadly at her sister. "Oh, Kim. That's wonderful."

Now it was Kim's turn to hold up her hands. "Take it easy, baby sister. It doesn't change anything."

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kim. Of course it changes things. You can't tell me that kissing Shane doesn't mean anything. You still want him."

"Of course I want him, Kayla." Kim's frustration was replaced by exasperation. "He's the man I love and I've always wanted him. It just doesn't change the fact that we still have things to work through. And kissing him is just going to make that more complicated."

Before Kayla could respond, Kim's secretary buzzed her and told her that her next appointment had arrived.

"Saved by the bell." Kim smiled slightly at Kayla. "You're going to have to save that lecture you were ready to give me for another time."

Kayla smirked at her sister. "Don't think I won't have it ready the next time I see you." She stood and walked towards the door. Before she left, she turned back to Kim one last time. "Stop fighting what you know is right. Just be happy."