Steve opened the door to the apartment as quietly as possible. He knew that Stephanie would be in bed by now and did not want to wake her.

Closing the door softly behind him, he made sure it was locked and then turned to find Kayla standing by the couch.

"Hi, baby," he said with a tentative grin, hoping she wasn't too upset with him.

"Hi," Kayla replied softly. She had a look in her eyes that Steve could not quite read, and a smile on her face that seemed to be hiding some kind of secret.

Steve walked to her, a curious grin on his own face. "What's going on, Sweetness? You look like the cat that swallowed the canary."

Kayla shook her head. "You first. What were you and Shane and John up to tonight anyway?" She quirked her brow. "Kim was here most of the evening and she told me Shane and John left the house before she did. So don't bother telling me you were there."

Steve smiled. "I guess I'll have to come up with another story, huh?" He held up his hand before Kayla could protest. "I'm just kidding."

Taking her hand, Steve led her to the couch and sat down, pulling her down next to him. He knew he could not tell her the whole story, as much for her own protection as anything. While he was growing more convinced that Shane was right about the field director preventing any further investigation to the break-in, Steve did not want to take any chances that could put Kayla at risk.

"Well?" Kayla asked, giving him a pointed look. "What happened?"

Steve chose his words carefully. "We figured out a way to get some more information about what Alamain might be up to, so we went and got it."

"That's it?" Kayla shook her head. "I know better. There's a lot more to that story."

"Yeah, there is, Sweetness," Steve admitted. "But the details don't really matter, and it's better if you don't know them anyway. All that matters is that we got the information." He paused. Every instinct in him told him to stop there, but he had also promised not to withhold things from her. "The information isn't good, baby," he finally continued. "It looks like Alamain is on the move, probably to Salem, and whatever is going to go down is going to happen soon."

"Oh." Kayla looked down for a moment, but Steve didn't miss the flash of fear in her eyes. That was all Steve needed to ask the question he had been mulling over since he had left Shane's house.

"What do you think about you and Stephanie leaving town for a little while, baby?" he asked in a rush. "You could go to Texas and visit Justin and Adrienne and the kids. You know they would love to see you, and Stephanie would have a blast with her cousins."

Kayla didn't respond at first, and Steve had a brief moment of hope that she might agree. But that hope quickly vanished when she shook her head. "I can't run away, Steve. Not when the rest of my family will be here, most of them without any idea of what is coming. Plus, I'm a nurse and I know about the antidote Carly is working on. If something happens, they will need me here."

Steve sighed. He had known what her answer would be before he had asked. That didn't mean he had to like it. Kayla obviously sensed his frustration because she snuggled closer and kissed him.

"I know you want me to be safe and I love you for that," she said, stroking his cheek. "But we're a family and we'll face whatever happens as a family. Besides, you're more likely to be a target for Lawrence and you won't leave, will you?"

Steve shook his head. "You know I can't do that."

"I do know that," Kayla agreed. "And I can't leave either. I hope you can understand."

Steve sighed. "I do understand. I just want you safe, that's all." He looked her in the eyes. "Just promise me that you will be extra cautious until this is over. If you're not working at the hospital, then stay at home or someplace else we know is safe. Can you do that for me?"

Kayla nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Good." Steve leaned back against the couch and pulled Kayla to his chest. It had been a long day and he was starting to feel the fatigue. Plus, he was sure Kayla needed her rest after not feeling well that morning. "Let's go to bed, baby." He sat up and started to get up from the couch.

"Wait a minute," Kayla said, pulling him back down. "There's something else we need to talk about. Or rather, something that I need to tell you."

Steve looked at her curiously, then remembered the look he had seen when he entered the apartment. "What is it, baby?"

Kayla did not respond at first. She was holding Steve's hand and running her thumb over his fingers, seemingly lost in thought. Then she started speaking, her voice so quiet he could barely hear her.

"Do you remember when I was pregnant with Stephanie?" Without waiting for his response, she continued, "We weren't in a very good place back then. Everything that had happened with Marina had pulled us so far apart. I . . . I wasn't even sure we could put it all back together."

Steve's heart clinched at her words. He hated remembering those dark days. He had made so many stupid mistakes and had hurt Kayla so badly. Even now, he did not understand how he could have been so foolish as to let Marina come between him and Kayla so badly.

He was about to speak when Kayla spoke again. "I know we got through it all, but when I first found out I was pregnant, I let my fear control me. I was so afraid that if I told you, you'd stay with me because of the baby, even if that wasn't what you really wanted. I was afraid I'd never know what you really felt."

Steve was completely confused and more than a little concerned by Kayla's words. "Baby, what's this all about? We dealt with all of that a long time ago. You're not questioning my love for you now, are you?"

Kayla shook her head. "No." She looked at him and smiled, her eyes filled with so much love it took his breath away. She took a deep breath. "It's just that I've always regretted that I didn't tell you myself that I was pregnant and that you found out from Jack." She shrugged slightly and held his hand to her heart. "I never really apologized for that, but I promised that I would make it up to you someday. And now I have that chance."

Steve was still confused, but alarm bells were going off in his head. He felt like he was holding a bunch of puzzle pieces, but could not quite put them all together. "What are you trying to tell me, Sweetness?"

Kayla smiled and slowly moved their joined hands from her heart to her abdomen. She rested them there for a moment, then looked up at him. Steve felt his heart skip a beat as the final piece of the puzzle slipped into place.

"I'm pregnant," she breathed. "You're going to be a daddy again."

Time seemed to stand still while Kayla's words echoed in his ears and his brain tried to comprehend them. He stared at her, his eye shifting from her face to her stomach where their hands still lay. He tried to remind himself to breathe, but he wasn't sure his body was listening.

"Steve?" Kayla's voice broke through his fog. "Aren't you going to say something?"

Steve just shook his head, knowing he was unable to say a word just yet. Instead, he leaned over and kissed his wife. First her lips, then her cheeks and forehead, and back to her lips again. Then he leaned back, smiled and laughed. Still laughing, he slipped off the couch and knelt beside it and began planting kisses on Kayla's stomach, awed by the thought that their baby was now growing just beneath the spot he was kissing.

Kayla laughed with him and ran her hands through his hair as he laid his head in her lap and wrapped his arms around her. "I know we haven't talked about this at all . . . and I know the timing isn't the best, but-"

"No buts," Steve finally spoke, cutting her off. "We're having a baby, Sweetness. A baby! This is one of the best moments in my life." He kissed her stomach again and looked up at her, his heart filled with love and thankfulness. "Thank you so much."

Kayla chuckled. "I didn't exactly do it on my own you know. So thank you too."

"Are you happy, baby?" Steve had to ask. "You said yourself we hadn't talked about it. Is this okay with you?"

Kayla nodded, reached down, and pulled Steve up to sit beside her again. "I'm not going to pretend it's not a bit of a surprise, but I'm thrilled. Creating this baby with you . . . it's a miracle I could never be anything but happy about."

"I'm so lucky," Steve said, reaching out to stroke Kayla's cheek. "There isn't another man in this world as blessed as I am."

"We're both blessed, Steve. Somehow we've come through everything that the world has tried to throw at us. Despite all of it, we're here together and we're having another baby. It's amazing."

Steve found himself unable to speak again. So he leaned down and kissed Kayla, saying with his lips and tongue what he could not put into words. She returned the kiss and he could feel the passion begin to rise in them both.

In one swift move he stood up, lifting Kayla off the couch. He stopped only long enough to turn off the lights before moving quickly to the bedroom. The fatigue he had felt earlier had been replaced by joy, love, and now, passion. He placed Kayla on the bed and they worked quickly to remove the clothes that kept them apart.

Danger might be lurking all around them right now, but, as he lost himself in the feel of his wife's lips and the sounds of her pleasure-filled moans, Steve vowed that nothing bad would touch them. Not tonight - and not in the future if he had anything to say about it.