For those that are reading and following my little story I just wanted to both Thank You (it's really kind of cool), and to say that this is my first time posting on FanFic, so I have no idea how to answer and questions etc, except at the front of the story, as I'm . . . well, pretty much an idiot, especially with computers. It took me ages to figure out how to add a chapter – alright, in all honesty, I had to google it -lmao.

To Thelma, I haven't really thought about what actors I'd have for Marius and Cat I just know Marius has an infectious smile, but I'd love to hear what people think (although I have an idea for Marius's late mothers' heritage. I keep seeing her as an American Indian, for some reason, anyway it's just a thought for the moment). If any of you have any critiques or suggestions, please just leave a review and I'll see if it jibes with how I'm going as honestly, I usually just make this up as I go along. Sometimes even I'm surprised at what they get up to. :D

After Liam gets home that evening Hope says she must go over to her mother and Ridges, she explains that Ridge needs to know what's happened as Steffy might need her father. Liam tries to protest that it should be up to Steffy who she tells and when she tells them, but Hope is adamant and ignores him, rushing out the door before he can argue his point any more. She arrives at her mothers and walks confidently into the house finding both Brooke and Ridge on the couch having a drink of her mother's favourite faux Champagne as they relax. "Honey, it's so wonderful to see you," says Brooke coming to her feet immediately.

Hope gives her mother a brief hug before she looks at Ridge. "I just came over to see if you've heard the news?" she says, her face a mask of concern.

Ridge frowns, "What? Has something happened?"

Hope nods sadly and tells them both about Steffi's split with Finn, the annulment, and of Liam being Hayes real father. Brooke is horrified, Ridge shakes is head, his face a mask of concern, he quickly grabs his jacket and tells Brooke he'll be back a little later as he hurries out the door, leaving Brooke alone with her daughter.

Brooke shakes her head, "I can't believe it, I honestly thought it was all over, that this was all behind us. Damn Sheila Carter, that evil, evil woman. It's as if she's reaching out from the grave to stab at us!"

She stares at Hope thoughtfully for a moment. "Honey, I don't want to be alarmist or anything, but what does this mean for you and Liam? You don't think Steffy will turn to him, do you? I mean she has before!"

Hope holds up her hand, "Relax mum, I've already spoken to Liam about this and he's promised he won't be increasing his visits to Steffy, and I've also put Steffy on notice this morning. Trust me, she won't be trying anything, at least for a while anyway!"

"But how can you be sure Honey, you know how Steffy is, and if Liam is Hayes father she could use this to her advantage. Hope honey, you're way to trusting, you always have been, you're always trying to help people, even when you should be wary of their motives."

Hope smiles, "Mum, I've got this covered, trust me, please. The reason I'm not worried is that instead of taking time off and healing, Steffy is throwing herself into her work. In fact, she taken over organising my showing, she's doing all the auditorium bookings, media etc that I hate. Of course, I'll have the final say over everything, I've already told her that and she's agreed, but she's freed me from all of that tiresome grunt work that I hate, to let me concentrate on the clothes and my speech."

Hope laughs and shakes her head. "In fact, I've never seen her so fired up, I think she really needs this, she's burying herself in my showing and she seems determined to make it the biggest, best fashion event she can, just so she can forget her own problems for a while, and you know Steffy when she sets her mind to something, she's meticulous."

"Oh honey, that's wonderful, but just remember, when your showing is over, just be careful of her. I don't trust her around Liam, and I don't want you hurt!"

Hope nods. "I will be, don't worry mum, I'm not a little girl anymore, I can handle Steffy Forrester, and, anything she might throw at me."

Meanwhile back at Steffi's office she is still hard at work, as she's in the middle of organising a computer technician to arrange exactly what she wants to do for Hopes showing her door opens, as she looks up and sees her father standing there, she quickly closes her lap top. This is the last thing she needs, she's already had to assure her mother she was doing alright, and that it wasn't like when she thought Finn had died, this was different. Taylor had eventually relented but it had taken a lot of convincing on Steffi's behalf - now this!

"I just heard, are you alright?" he asks as he enters.

Steffy frowns in annoyance before muttering under her breath "Hope, damn her." She looks up at her father noting the real concern on his face, this alone surprises her after all that's happened, so she answers him honestly. "No, I'm not alright, but you know me, I'll get there, it is what it is."

"Damn that Sheila Carter and her meddling! Steffy, is there anything I can do, please, just name it, I'm here for you."

Steffy raises an eyebrow, "Concern for your daughter, well, I suppose it's better late than never, but no, there's nothing you can do, only I can make this better, and trust me dad, I intend to!"

"Steffy, I know we've had our problems, but your still my little girl, I love you, and I can't stand to see you in pain." Says Ridge as he reaches for his daughter.

Steffy snatches her hand away, "Honestly dad, I just can't do this now, I have to much going on. This isn't about you and me, you, made your choices about what you thought of your own children, not me!"

She holds up her hand as Ridge begins to protest. "Look, see me after the HFTF fashion show, if you still want to, we'll talk then, alright?"

Ridge nods sadly, "Alright Steffy, just promise me, if you need anything, anything at all, just tell me, okay."

Steffy nods before adding thoughtfully, "At the moment all I'd like is Liam to attend with Hope. I don't want the press to think there's any bad blood between us all because he's working for R.E.B. Designs, that would be helpful."

Ridge nods, "He'll be happy about that, I'll make sure he's there." He reaches out with his hand before dropping it again then he simply turns and leaves without another word. Steffy angrily wipes an errant tear away as she whispers quietly. "I wonder if you'll be so happy about everything soon dad. I guess time will tell."

Five weeks later Hope is getting ready for her big day. She's still slightly miffed that Steffy had the temerity to push her showing back by just over two weeks, but as she had explained, she'd had a one-off chance to book the same Auditorium that had housed Forresters last Couture collection.

Hope couldn't help but forgive her for that after she had explained that their new guest list wouldn't fit in the much smaller venue she usually used. She was beyond excited, from what Steffy had told her of the arrangements, this was going to be the biggest fashion event of the year, anyone who was anyone was going to be there. How Steffy had managed to pull this off was a mystery to Hope, but a mystery she was ready to embrace, even her own odd introduction.

Although Hope usually opened the line with a short personal address, this time Steffy wanted to introduce Hope personally, and have Liam escort her to the stage through the audience from the visitor's area, instead of her being backstage.

She'd said she wanted Liam to escort her before going to his seat because it would have far more impact with the audience as all eyes would be forced to be on her. Once she made it onto the stage Steffy said she wanted to give the audience a short narrative of her contributions to Forresters before the Fashion show itself would begin.

Although Hope personally thought that this was a little over the top, she had to admit, she was quite excited at the prospect of all the important people there, along with everyone around the world that would be watching the live stream, hearing of all her achievements, and of all of her contributions to Forresters. And having her endorsed by Steffy Forrester herself, well, that was just the icing on the cake.

She swirled in front of the mirror checking her appearance, she looked good, her make-up was done to perfection, and the hairdresser had finished her hair and left fifteen minutes ago. She grinned at reflection; she was ready!

Twenty minutes later Hope and Liam arrive at the Auditorium, she can see the last of the crowds moving inside as Bill Spencer sidles up to the car.

"What are you doing here?" snaps Liam suspiciously.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, I'm just doing Steffy a favour in escorting you two to the main door. I'm to tell you that the usher will tell you when to enter, don't fret, it won't be long, everyone's here, they're just seating the stragglers now so you better get moving." He adds when he see's Hopes look of concern.

Bill escorts them to the main door before excusing himself and entering to take his own seat. An usher approaches them and they wait silently for another two minutes before the young man raises his hand to his ear phone and turns to them.

"Are you ready?" he asks quickly. At Hope and Liam brief nod he opens the doors.

'Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Hope, Logan, Spencer!" says Steffi's voice from somewhere inside

Hope takes a sharp intake of breath, plasters her happiest smile on her face as she grabs Liams arm in her own. The moment she's waited her entire life for has finally arrived. They enter slowly, Hope looks radiantly happy, beautiful, confident, exactly like a spokeswoman for a leading fashion house should look like. She seems to glide down the aisle between the seated guests before Liam finally stops and moves to his seat as she walks up a short temporary staircase onto the stage.

Steffy smiles and places her arm through Hopes, holding her beside her as she begins to speak.

"So, where to begin," she smiles at Hope who smiles back at her.

"Hope Logan Spencer, a true force to be reckoned with. I was pregnant and having problems in my marriage when Hope first arrived back from Italy, and Hope being Hope was the first to offer me her help." Steffy smiled at the audience as Hopes smile began to slip as she wondered where Steffy was going with this.

"Hope volunteered to act as a go between Liam and myself, well, we all know how that turned out don't we, I was just under six months pregnant when Hope found out she was pregnant to my husband."

Hope gasps and tries to pull away, but Steffy hold her firm and continues.

"Eventually I decided to forgive both her and Liam, I was pregnant, I wanted my child to know his or her father. I, rather foolishly, thought that was the end of it and everything was going well, I'd had my beautiful daughter and both Liam and I doted on her, but there was one problem, as many of you know, after having a baby you can't be intimate until you heal. Hope unfortunately saw this as her chance, so four weeks later, well, I'll let you be the judge – she turns and waves at the screen as Hope stares in shock. "Unfortunately for Hope we'd had security cameras installed everywhere in case of design theft and such, they caught a thief alright, just not the one we thought." says Steffy as she tilts her head to the side and raises an eyebrow.

Liam tries to stand, to run to his wife and rescue her, but Bill grabs him and keeps him seated whispering, "Oh son, you're really going to want to stay to the end, trust me!"

The scene unfolds of Liam entering Hopes dressing room, then of them kissing and him lifting her onto a table where she wraps her legs around him, not long after they all witness Steffi's shock and pain as she catches the pair red handed. Another scene starts of Steffy putting a ring on Hopes finger and placing her hand in Liams.

"I'd had enough after that, so I gave Liam to Hope, I even gave her the ring that Liam had given me, seeing as neither it, nor his vows meant anything to him. I didn't want to be like my mother and Brooke, having a man for-ever waffling between the two of us, I had a daughter to raise, I wanted a better life for her than the one I'd had, so I opted out. A still picture of Hope with her legs wrapped around Liam replaces the last video clip as Steffi continues, Hope now struggling against her and crying to be let go.

"But why are you showing us this I hear you ask, well that's a great question people. I'm showing you this because as you know, I recently seperated from my husband, Dr John Finnegan. "

At the mention of Finns name Hope who is almost free of Steffy stops her struggles and gasps in horror, "No Steffy, please, don't, I beg of you."

"Hope, please, don't be so modest, we're celebrating all your achievements." says a smiling Steffy.

Liam turns to Bill who now lets go of his arm, "Dad?"

"Sorry son, brace yourself" he says with a pitying look.

Steffy looks back at the shocked and captivated audience, "The night that Finn left me he told me that Hope had caught up with him while he was drunk after we'd had a fight, and guess what?" There are several audible gasps from the audience.

"You guessed it, not being content with getting pregnant by my first husband and then cheating with him behind my back, resulting in me giving him to her, no, no, no! That's not our Miss Sanctimonious, Hypocritical, do as I say, not as I do, Hope, Logan, Spencer, she then spread her pearly whites again and slept with my second husband."

Steffy turns her eyes to Liam who is sitting with his mouth hanging open. "Karma's a bitch, isn't it Liam," she finishes bitterly

Hope is standing in shock staring down at Liams horror struck face, "Liam, no, it wasn't like that, we were drunk. I didn't mean it to happen, I swear, please Liam." She begs, just before the room erupts in a storm of flashing camera bulbs and yelled questions.

Hope looks up in horror, realising where she is and what everyone's just heard, she turns and runs for it, as Bill quickly ushers Liam out a side entrance.