It was with more than a little pride that Mox unlocked the front door of the home he and Alexa had just purchased. When he swung the front door opened, he swooped down and picked his wife up into his arms and carried her across the threshold.

Alexa joyfully laughed and gave Mox a long lingering kiss.

Roman pulled the keys from the front door lock and grinned as Nikki began clapping.

"Hey, hey hey!" Seth grumbled as he set Kevin onto the wooden floor. "There's a child present!"

Alexa snickered as Mox gently set her on her feet. "Like he doesn't see you and Nikki kissing," she teased.

Kevin ignored them and curiously trotted into the living room.

Roman dangled the keys in front of Mox's face. Mox grunted under his breath and snatched them from his friend.

"Oh, this is nice!" Nikki exclaimed as she followed Kevin.

"Wait until you see the kitchen!" Alexa laughed. "And the dining room is going to look wonderful with a large table for the children!" The two women laughed and walked towards the back of the house.

"Children?" Seth asked in a startled voice.

Mox sighed as Roman smirked at him. "Future children," he clarified. He looked down as Kevin pawed at his leg. Mox could've sworn the small dog was giving him a disapproving look. "Alexa's already named them."

Roman began chuckling as Seth picked Kevin up into his arms. "What did she name them?"

"Scott and Autumn," Mox shrugged.

"Hear that, Kevin? You're going to have cousins!" Seth smirked as he patted his dog.

"Future," Mox firmly repeated.

Kevin retained his disapproving look.

Roman glanced at his watch. "Gotta go. Have a meeting to make."

"We'll talk," Seth assured Roman with an evil grin.

"Rollins, I swear to God…" Mox muttered as Seth sauntered out of the room. "Great, now I'm in deep shit with Kevin," he complained.

Roman hugged Mox. "I'm glad you and Alexa bought this house. I like the idea of it being kept in the family."

"Yeah…well…me, too," Mox admitted then looked at Roman. "This meeting…everything ok?"

"I'll answer that after the meeting," Roman shrugged.

Mox sighed. "You got somebody watching your back?"

"Always."

Mox sighed again. "I can go with you."

Roman smiled. "I know." He lowered his voice. "But you know there's a fine line you have to walk because of Alexa."

After a few seconds, Mox nodded. "Call me as soon as this meeting of yours is over, and you're out of the line of fire," he demanded.

Roman chuckled. "Yes, Mother dear," he drawled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was easy to spot Shane, standing alone by the railing of a deserted boat dock overlooking the Mississippi River. As Roman casually walked to join Shane, he idly glanced at the deserted boardwalk and ticket booth.

The concession stands and ticket booth were all boarded up. He idly wondered if his people and Shane's had played hide-and-seek as they'd made sure no one was hiding there with a plan to assassinate one of them.

Almost an hour north of Davenport, the boating excursions had been mostly used to travel up-river to a small island that had been home to a small amusement park and picnic area. Abandoned the year after his high school graduation, no one had purchased it; and he imagined whatever was left on the island had probably decayed.

Roman briefly wondered if Mox remembered their high school graduating class making the trip to the park and speculated if it would be worth it to purchase the island and the buildings he was walking past to open them back up. Or maybe just the island as a private retreat?

Shane turned his head and smiled. "Hello, Roman."

"Shane." Roman stood a few feet away from Shane and stared out onto the water. "Should I offer my condolences or would that be too hypocritical?"

Shane shrugged. "It was necessary. You're smart enough to know that." After a few moments of silence, he asked, "Do you remember how it was when we were kids? Being able to go wherever we wanted? Knowing we were safe from…the other side?"

Roman nodded. "Yeah. I do remember that."

"The way things had become, I didn't feel it was safe to bring my kids here. And I think that's why your child isn't here either." Shane sighed. "I don't mean any disrespect to you or your father in saying that either. That situation was all on Dad and Hunter."

Roman leaned against the railing and studied Shane in silence. "I heard you over-reached yourself, and that's why you left for the Far East."

Shane barked out a laugh. "That was Hunter's story. The truth was, when Dad left the country, I thought I'd be in charge. Instead, Stephanie managed to get her way; and Hunter took over. After about a month, I saw they considered me a threat, so I got myself and my family out of here."

Roman thought for a few seconds and slowly nodded. "Yeah, I can see that happening."

Shane folded his arms and turned to face Roman. "Ever think why, after Hunter controlling New York, that he came here?"

Roman nodded. "The general theory was that your Dad had stepped on some Big Apple toes so Hunter let Flair take over there."

"That's part of it," Shane admitted. "But it was mostly Stephanie's doing. In New York, she was just another mob princess and not a very important one. But in Davenport? She'd made herself the Queen Bee as we were growing up here. Homecoming Queen. Prom Queen. Belle of the high school." He wryly grinned. "Coming back, she could be the Social Queen."

"Better a big fish in a small pond?" Roman chuckled.

"Bingo," Shane nodded. "God help southern France."

"Linda taking her and her children there?" Roman quietly asked.

"Yep. She's closing the house on Long Island. At least for now." Shane ruefully smiled. "She's disinherited me, by the way."

"Stands to reason," Roman pointed out.

"Totally expected," Shane shrugged.

"You know you're got Stephane and Michaels coming for you," Roman pointed out. "Taking out Vince and Hunter isn't just business for them. It's personal."

"Also expected," Shane admitted. "And there's be some others, I imagine. It's a race now to see who can consolidate what the fastest."

Roman slowly smiled. "How long after you left did you start planning this?"

Shane chuckled. "Maybe not as soon as you think, but long enough to have a lot of the pieces in place. I'm seriously hoping those pieces of my aces in the hole." He looked back at the river. "From what I could see, Hunter had two big problems. First, he was arrogant."

"Agreed," Roman nodded. "He tried to have me killed, never understanding that just because he suborned one person, that didn't mean the others were disloyal as well."

"Dad was furious about that," Shane admitted. "Hunter figured with your death, there would be a power struggle. He'd make further moves against you during that period of chaos. Dad pointed out that the Bloodline always had a succession plan in place that would automatically go into effect if you were taken out." He crookedly grinned at Roman. "Hunter's plan was to contact Dwayne and plead innocence and point out that I was here under Dad's protection and engaged in a secret project. He'd let Dwayne put two and two together while throwing me under the bus as responsible for your murder."

Roman's eyebrows raised. "And he thought Vince would buy that explanation?"

Shane shrugged. "He thought Dwayne and the Bloodline would attack the Authority, and he wouldn't have to explain anything until the dust settled. The Authority would win that war, of course."

Roman snorted, causing Shane to chuckle and nod. "Like I said, Hunter was arrogant. Second, he was making bad decisions in various cities." He met Roman's eyes. "New Orleans and San Francisco, for example."

"What happened in New Orleans had to be dealt with," Roman calmly stated. "As for San Francisco, I haven't had seen any problems there."

Shane chuckled. "We both play our cards close to the vest, don't we?" He took a deep breath. "That attack on the island was more stupidity. There was no reason for that. The people there were no threat to the Authority. And Moxley's mother wasn't going to be much of a threat either. Hunter's plan to use her and her late husband to screw Moxley's testimony in Court, and that was just never going to happen. From what I remember about Moxley, he wasn't going to crack like that."

"You remember correctly." Roman hoped Shane didn't realize just how close Mox had come to breaking.

"Hunter should've made sure Cole pled guilty in the beginning and then made sure Cole's family was protected and taken care of so Cole would keep his mouth shut," Shane grumbled. "Killing off other witnesses just drew more attention to that trial than was necessary. Total stupidity." He shook his head and continued, "I want Davenport to be neutral territory. We each have our…spheres of influence. There's bound to be some give and take a times. But I want a safe place for my family to live without fear. And I think you want that as well."

Roman nodded. "Agreed. If there are any…disputes, you and I sit down and resolve them. Just like our fathers did."

"There are going to be changes on my side. That's inevitable. I'll take care of some sooner than later. Some are already being changed." Shane saw Roman's eyes narrow and inwardly smiled. "I think there are enough…honest opportunities in Davenport for economic growth, better education opportunities, better infrastructure and more for the both of us."

"Are you proposing the Bloodline and the Authority work together?"

"No," Shane answered. "I'm proposing the Bloodline and the Alliance work together in Davenport to make it a better and safer place for our children and grandchildren."

"Alliance, huh?" Roman briefly grinned. He saw Shane was in earnest and quickly thought. "That's an…intriguing thought. However, I think we both know that would come gradually. Baby steps at first."

Shane nodded with a smile. "I totally agree. I'm going to be busy for a little while. Hopefully closing on property for my family to live and getting them moved and settled in. Plus, I'm going to be on the road on business for a while. How about we revisit this in, say, three months?"

Roman nodded. "Three months, it is." He held out his hand. "Good luck, Shane. I hope you get things settled your way."

"So do I," Shane laughed as he shook Roman's hand.

The two men parted, walking in different directions. Roman glanced over his shoulder to see Shane talking on his cell phone as he walked away. Roman took a deep breath and glanced up at the overcast sky. He pulled out his own cellphone and pressed a button.

He smiled as he walked towards his car. "Hi, babe. Yeah, everything's fine. In fact, I'm hoping this are going to be better than fine. Start packing. You and the Princess are coming home." He widely grinned at his wife's shriek of excitement. "Tell Dwayne I'm setting up a big conference call for later tonight after dinner. I'm telling my people here then. I love you, too. Give the Princess a big kiss from me." He disconnected the call and slid the phone in his pocket as he reached the car. He saw Jericho and McIntyre exchange glances. He knew Black would be making his own way back to the compound.

"Jericho, let everyone know their presence is required at dinner tonight. No exceptions," Roman ordered as he opened the car door.

"Including Marko?" Jericho asked in surprise.

Roman hesitated then nodded. "At least for the first part." He smiled as he got into the car, seeing the other two men exchange another look. He leaned back in his seat, allowing thoughts to run through his mind. He'd sort them out later. But, for now, he'd just enjoy the thought of a new day.