Although he swore he wouldn't give in to Victoria, Dr. Pelican could not resist her. During his follow up house call, Victoria was relentless about walking on her foot. After everything that happened, she didn't want to rely on Conrad for anything. All it took was her hand on his leg and he knew he couldn't resist giving in. She wasn't thrilled with the large black boot, but if it allowed her to walk she couldn't reject it.

"Mrs. Grayson, I cannot stress this enough. No more than 25% walking and 75% off that foot. Otherwise you risk seriously damaging your foot."

"Of course, Doctor." She said with a sweet smile.

"And no heels. Nothing with any type of heel. No wedges, no heels, no strappy sandal things-"

"Doctor, I understand what flats are." Victoria said, trying to control her temper. She wasn't an idiot.

With a sigh, the Doctor headed towards the door. As he closed Victoria's bedroom door, he noticed Conrad lurking in the hallway. With a silent gesture, Conrad walked the Doctor out. He wanted to hear the verdict himself, knowing his wife wouldn't tell him and would only hear what she wanted from the doctor.

Her first few steps were excruciating but Victoria loved the freedom of being able to walk again. She wanted to leave the Manor and take a long walk, but the doctors voice nagged her to take it easy. Instead she just moved to her balcony. She knew that in addition to the doctors words, she was also avoiding Conrad. She hadn't talked to him since their fight.

She wasn't sure if she blamed him for turning their easy questions into tough, sensitive questions or herself for falling for it. She knew she had lashed out at him because of how she felt about her actions with Jason. She didn't want to sleep with him, but needed to protect Daniel. To protect Conrad and Charlotte. She didn't expect Conrad to stroke her ego about sleeping with Jason, but she wished he had understood where she was coming from. She rolled her eyes, knowing she needed to explain the situation to him.

Without her heels, Conrad almost didn't notice Victoria approaching his study. Her black boot seemed out of place in contrast to the purple silk nightgown. Even with her boot, she was flawless.

"After the last time, you'll have to excuse me if I refuse you a nightcap." Conrad joked.

"I actually came to talk to you."

"So the doctor gave you stronger pain medication."

Victoria chuckled as she leaned against his desk. Conrad immediately noticed the way she tried to casually lift her foot and lifted her, setting her down on the desk. Although it was mostly because he knew she couldn't push herself up onto the desk, a part of him also wanted a closer look at her. Time had treated her well; her long lean legs, the way her chest revealed the bones that subtly protruded. Her hair hadn't lost its luster or thinned out. More than anything was her face, free of wrinkles. It wasn't enough that she looked like she had decades ago, but she looked better than she had back then. Everything about her was an anomaly.

"Victoria, I owe you an apology for earlier..."

"Actually, I came to apologize to you."

"I'm sorry, I think I was hallucinating. Could you repeat what you said?"

"Arrogance doesn't suit you, Conrad."

"You don't owe me any apologies, my dear."

"But I do. I shouldn't have lashed out earlier. And I think I owe you an explanation to your earlier question. I had planned on getting Jason Prosser to invest in Stonehaven. A few coy remarks and I thought I'd have him eating out of the palm of my hand. But he wasn't convinced as easily as I thought-"

"He's always been after you. I'm not surprised that he held out for the chance to sweep you off your feet."

She rolled her eyes.

"Hardly. It was like a compilation of all the things I despise." Her comment had piqued his interest. He has always known that Jason was interested in Victoria. Conrad had assumed that Jason's desire for her was as strong as Conrad's. And to find out that given a chance, albeit a deceitful one, Jason couldn't win her over. He felt foolish of spending so many years worrying that Jason would steal Victoria.

"Please, do continue." Conrad said, dying to know all the sordid details.

"You want the sordid details?" She asked. She was surprised that Conrad wasn't angry, wasn't jealous. If anything he seemed amused. Maybe it was her misfortune that was giving him do much enjoyment. But she had to admit it was nice to talk to Conrad like this.

"Well, to start he was a terrible kisser. He stabbed my mouth with his tongue and he held the base of my neck so I couldn't move." She said with a laugh. She hadn't let herself laugh at her time with Jason. Thanks to Conrad, she could finally understand how comical it had all been.

"He threw me on the bed and blew hot grunts directly into my ear with every thrust. He narrated the whole thing like some frat guy."

Conrad stared at her, dumbstruck. Although he had been in a fraternity he wasn't aware of any narrations. When he pressed Victoria, she laughed.

"You know. 'Oh baby... I'm getting close... Come with me.."

Conrad laughed. He couldn't believe what a son of a bitch Jason had been.

"So you didn't enjoy anything about that evening?" Conrad asked.

"I suppose I did. It was a humbling experience. It made me realize how much I ... It made me wish ..." She stammered, struggling to put into words what she felt.

"Made you wish it were David?" Conrad said in a hushed tone. He had long accepted that David Clarke had been more than a notch in her bedpost. If he ever wanted a place in her heart, he knew he needed to understand that his wasn't the only spot.

"Not David. You." She said. Her voice was so low that she wondered if he heard her. His dumbfounded expression proved that he had.

"Don't be so surprised." She began. "We've always had a certain-"

"Sexual chemistry?" He offered. She smiled but didn't say much so he crept closer to her. He ran his hand through her hair, letting his fingers slide down her neck. She shuddered at the trail of goosebumps that followed.

"I know how you like to be touched" Conrad said, letting his lips graze hers. Her eyelids fluttered. "And how you deserve to be treated." His kiss grew more urgent as her hands caught tufts of his hair.

"Thank you." Conrad said, coming up for air.

"For what?"

"For what you did for Daniel. For all of us. I was so jealous that I didn't consider the lengths you were willing to go for our family."

"I told you. No need to be jealous. You and Jason may have ended up at the same place but you got completely different service."

Conrad grabbed her waist, helping her off the desk. He offered her his hand.

"What?"

"All this talk of going places has gotten me in the mood to... take a trip." He said, his words dripping with innuendo.

She reached for his hand but instead he scooped her up.

"I can walk, you know?" She said, pointing to her boot.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should." He said as he carried her to the bedroom.