"You're really not helping me, baby girl," Kayla said to her daughter, who was currently covered with as much oatmeal as she had managed to eat. In response, Stephanie just smiled and giggled, clearly enjoying this new breakfast game.

"Too bad your daddy isn't here to see this," Kayla chuckled. Grabbing the washcloth she kept nearby, she made another attempt at cleaning off Stephanie's face. As she worked, her smile faded, thinking of Steve.

Kayla had awoken that morning to a note and yellow rose on his pillow. Steve's note had simply said that he had an errand to run, he would explain when he returned, and he had promised to return soon.

As much as she did not want to think about it, Kayla was sure the errand had something to do with Steve's insistence on going after Lawrence Alamain. She sighed softly, wondering why fate seemed so determined to never let them just live a normal life.

Shaking off that thought, Kayla picked up Stephanie and carried her into the bathroom. For the next hour, she immersed herself in the simple, and messy, joy of giving her daughter a bath and getting her dressed for the day.

When Stephanie was presentable, Kayla placed her in the playpen in the master bedroom and quickly jumped in the shower herself. Keeping one ear pealed for any sound from Stephanie, Kayla showered rapidly, stepped out, wrapped herself in a towel, and headed for the bedroom.

"Thanks for being a good girl while Mo-" Kayla stopped in mid-sentence when she realized Stephanie was not in her playpen. A surge of panic coursed through her as she looked rapidly around the room and then bolted through the door.

"Stephanie!" Kayla called as she ran into the living room, only to be brought up short by the sight of her daughter crawling all over Steve as he lay on the living room floor.

Kayla sagged against the arm of the couch in relief. Steve looked up, concern in his eye. "Are you okay, Sweetness?"

Kayla nodded and managed a wan smile. "I didn't hear you come home and when I came out of the shower and Stephanie wasn't in her playpen, I . . . I guess I panicked."

"Oh, baby." Steve sat up, bringing Stephanie to his lap. "I'm sorry. I should have let you know I was home. I just figured I'd keep the little one occupied while you finished your shower."

"It's okay," Kayla replied, feeling almost normal again. She turned back toward the bedroom. "I'm going to go get dressed." Then she stopped and looked Steve in the eye. "And then I think we need to talk about your errand this morning."

Steve nodded. "I think that's a good idea, Sweetness."

Kayla walked to her bedroom, feeling strangely unsettled. Steve's willingness to talk surprised her and she couldn't help but wonder what the catch was. She loved his desire to protect her, but hated the all-too-common consequence of him trying to keep things from her.

After she had dressed, Kayla returned to the living room. Steve had placed Stephanie in the playpen. Surrounded by her favorite toys and stuffed animals, their daughter was babbling away happily.

Kayla sat down on the couch next to Steve and took his hand. It was almost impossible for her to be near him without touching him in some way. She gently played with his fingers and then asked, "So what was the errand that was so important this morning?"

"I went to talk to Shane," Steve said, without hesitation.

Kayla's eyes widened in surprise. That had not been what she had expected to hear. "Shane? You mean about his trial?"

Steve shook his head. "Not really." He turned to look at her. "Remember last night when I went to look for Shane and John?" Kayla nodded and he continued. "I found them talking on the pier. I wasn't meaning to eavesdrop, at least at first, but I could hear them talking about Alamain. Apparently, the two of them have been working together to find him."

Kayla's heart sank. "So you went to talk to Shane about Lawrence Alamain?"

Steve nodded. "Shane thinks that if he, or we, can find Alamain and stop him from carrying out whatever sick plan he's working on, then the ISA won't have any choice but to drop the treason charges against him."

Kayla scoffed. "Don't tell me Shane suddenly has faith in the common decency of the ISA?"

"No," Steve replied. "But if Shane can bring down Lawrence Alamain, the ISA can't possibly deny that Shane is working for them. Otherwise, they'll be admitting that one lone agent took down a guy that the whole ISA couldn't deal with."

"That's a pretty big 'if' isn't it?" Kayla could not keep the sarcasm from her voice.

"Yeah it is, baby. But Shane's running out of options. His trial is just a couple of weeks away and I've had no luck finding a way to get him out of the mess I caused for him. This may be his last chance." He sighed softly. "I have to help him, Kayla. I told Shane I wanted in on whatever he and John are planning."

Kayla was silent for a moment. The last thing she wanted was for Shane to go to prison. But at least he would be alive. Trying to bring down Alamain was a suicide mission. Her fear and anger rose to the surface. "Kim and Shane just reunited and he's recovering from serious injuries. John is trying to put his life back together. And you have a wife and daughter who just got you back. But instead of focusing on those things, you three are going to go play hero."

"Come on, baby. You know that's not fair."

"Isn't it?" Kayla asked, stubbornly. "It seems just as fair as asking me - and Kim and Isabella - to sit on the sidelines and hope you all manage not to get yourself killed."

"Oh, Sweetness," Steve whispered. Putting his hands on Kayla's shoulders, he turned her and pulled her to him so that she was leaning back against his chest. He softly kissed her hair and then spoke. "When I woke up this morning, I promised myself I would find a way to protect you without hurting you anymore. Maybe that's not possible, but I need you to really listen to me for a minute, okay?"

Kayla nodded and leaned further into the warmth of his arms. She needed to feel him around her right now.

"I know you don't want to think about it, but the fact is that Lawrence is going to come after us." Kayla tried to pull away to protest, but Steve's arms held her tight against him. "You know I'm right, baby. It's time to face the truth and accept it. He's coming here and he's going to try to hurt us . . . and our family." Steve brushed his fingers through Kayla's hair. "I keep having this dream of you and Stephanie. You're on the floor, paralyzed from the toxin. I'm begging you to wake up, but then you both stop breathing."

Kayla felt the tears stream down her cheeks at Steve's words. She knew he was right. As much as she had tried to deny it - to pretend that the ISA or somebody would stop him - she knew Lawrence was going to try and take his revenge on Salem.

"You know I'm right, don't you, baby?" Steve asked softly.

Kayla nodded again, unable to speak as the tears continued to stream down her face.

"Okay." He kissed the side of her head. "I know you still don't like it. But please just try and remember one thing."

"What?" Kayla croaked, turning to look at him.

"That whatever I do, it's because I love you and Stephanie, and I want you to both be safe. There is nothing I want more than to grow old with you and watch Stephanie grow up. I would never jeopardize that dream unless I had no other choice." He pulled her tightly to him again. "If you never believe anything else, please believe that."

Kayla melted back into his arms and cried softly. She wanted to tell him she understood, but she just could not form the words. The thought of losing him again was too terrifying, the memories of that dark and painful time were too fresh.

"It's okay, Sweetness," Steve said soothingly. "I've got you and I'm never going to let you go."

Kayla closed her eyes and focused on the sound of his steady breathing. She knew he couldn't really keep his promise about never letting her go, but right now she didn't care. She was going to hold on to it, and to him, for just as long as she could.