"Faith, would you like to explain why you're wearing a halter top and shorts when it's barely 60 degrees out?"

Faith froze like the proverbial deer in the headlights. "Ummm...I was trying on stuff for summer?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Nikita crossed her arms in front of her and managed to appear vaguely stern.

"I was. Trying on stuff, I mean." For once, Faith was so flustered, she couldn't think of a decent excuse.

"I don't suppose this had anything to do with Connor."

"Wh-why would it h-have anything to d-do with Connor?" Faith stammered.

Nikita smiled. "You shouldn't be so cheap when you bribe little sisters, Fee. It can come back to haunt you when you least expect it."

"I don't know what you mean," Faith bluffed, but it was far too late for that.

"Kady was dying to tell someone what she saw. So she told Luc. Luc, who wouldn't keep his mouth shut for any amount of money, told me."

Faith looked predictably horrified. "I can't believe he told you! He's such a little brat!"

"And you're not?" Nikita replied.

Faith glanced around anxiously, as if she was ready to bolt. Nikita regarded her with cool blue eyes and commanded, "Sit down."

Faith's eyes welled up with tears, but she obediently sat. Nikita loomed over her, knowing that she was making Faith feel uncomfortable, but at this point, Nikita felt that it was necessary.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to Connor?"

"Sorta," Faith whispered.

"Do you think you're old enough to have sex?"

Faith gasped. "No way, Mom!"

Nodding slightly, Nikita then repeated her first question. "Do you still think you know what you're doing to Connor?"

Faith worried her lower lip until it was ready to bleed. "M-maybe not."

"Maybe not is a good answer, Fee. Do you know what happens to a girl when she teases a boy beyond his control?"

"Connor wouldn't hurt me, Mom. I know he wouldn't," Faith said anxiously, suddenly seeing things in an entirely different perspective.

"Maybe he wouldn't *want* to, Fee. But what if you made him so crazy, he couldn't hold back anymore?"

"But--"

"What if he made you pregnant, Fee? Do you think you'd make a good mother at 14?"

"Mommm...stoppp..." Faith wailed before burying her face in her hands.

"I'm not going to forbid you to see him, Fee. It wouldn't do any good, anyway. I just want you to stop and *think* next time. What you do *does* affect other people."

"I know," the young girl sobbed, trapped between guilt and embarrassment.

Nikita knelt down and wrapped her arms around Faith. "I'm only telling you these things for your own good, sweetie. I love you. I don't want to see you make a mess of your life before you even get a chance to live it."

Faith swiped at her eyes with one hand. "I'll try to do better, Mom. I swear."

"I know you will, Fee. Now go upstairs and wash your face. You'll feel much better."

After Faith gave her a hug and a tear-stained brush of her cheek, Nikita stood there, thoughtful. Faith would eventually survive her adolescence, she supposed. But would she?

It started out like a perfectly ordinary day. But it didn't stay that way.

"Come with me. We'll take my car," Declan urged.

"I...don't know...what if I need mine?" Sey asked.

Declan smiled, a slow, sultry smile that illuminated his handsome features. Pressing his lover against the wall of the vestibule, he whispered into his ear, "I can make it worth your while not to need yours."

Sey arched an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

"Just dinner, maybe a little dancing. After work, of course."

"Oh, of course," Sey agreed, looking considerably happier than a few moments earlier.

Declan moistened his lips before trailing his mouth over his now willing companion's neck. Sey groaned and closed his eyes, vaguely wondering if the kids had left for school yet.

To his surprise, he realized that he must have spoken out loud, for Declan immediately said, "It's Saturday. No school."

Declan reluctantly released Sey and gave him a stern look. "And why would you be thinking about *anything else* while I'm kissing you?"

Sey reached up and tugged on a long strand of Declan's hair. "Obviously I need more practice."

"Obviously," Declan replied dryly.

"It couldn't be *your* fault. I *love* the way you kiss. That's one of the things I love most about you."

"Really?"

"Mmmhmm. I think that's how I fell in love with you." Sey continued to gaze ardently at Declan's mouth, as if willing him to resume kissing him.

"I think there's something wrong with your memory," Declan quipped. But he gave Sey a possessive look that shook his entire being.

"Maybe we can review things over dinner?" asked Sey, suddenly aware that he was flirting with his own life partner. And enjoying it.

"You can count on it, baby," Declan said huskily before pressing his lips to Sey's one more time.

"Jeez. Get a room," Sasha cried, elbowing his way past his parents.

Declan frowned. "Is that any way to talk to your old man?"

Sasha chuckled. "Nice try, Da, but a) you're not old, and b) you love me just the way I am."

"True, but you don't need to rub my face in it quite so enthusiastically, kiddo."

"Sorry. I'm in a hurry."

"And this is because?"

Sasha rolled his eyes. "Do I have to tell you guys *everything*?"

Declan crossed his arms and Sey leaned on him. Together, they said, "Yes."

To their amazement, Sasha blushed. "Cause every Saturday, Skye takes class with Adrian...and if I hurry, I get to see her for a few minutes before."

Declan looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin. "So you didn't forget that you were still grounded?"

Sasha shook his head, a somber look on his young face. "No, Da. I never leave the house."

"Looks like you're really and truly growing up, Sash," said Sey.

"I'm trying really hard," Sasha said, his voice suddenly betraying a surfeit of emotion.

All at once Sasha dropped his eyes to the floor and choked back a sob. "And now I missed her."

"Hey," Sey offered, "could you use a hug?"

Sasha managed to nod and before he knew it, Sey pulled the fifteen-year old into his arms. "Th-thanks, Dad."

"No problem, kiddo."

Declan buried his face in Sey's hair and kissed his ear. "My hero," he whispered.

Sey chuckled as his son instantly groaned. "I heard that, Da. Sheesh, you guys must need some time away. Together. How's Acapulco looking this year?"

Casting a sympathetic eye upon his son, Declan said quietly, "Why don't you go down and take class with Skye?"

Sasha's eyes lit up instantly. "You mean it, Da?"

"Just this once. It was our fault that you missed her."

"Thanks, Da!" Sasha reluctantly let go of Sey, only to throw himself at Declan. To Declan's credit, he caught him easily, but he couldn't resist remarking on Sasha's enthusiasm.

"And no more of this," Declan said. "You're liable to bowl over the wee thing."

"Da, Skye is going to be almost as tall as Faith someday. She already comes up to my shoulder."

"Aye, well, there you go, then. You're not all *that* much more than a handful yourself."

Sasha beamed at his father. "She's just the *right* size, Da."

"Guess you'd better get downstairs then."

"Thanks." With that, Sasha promptly skidded through the doorway and onto the landing with a loud clattering of boots.

"Take it easy, kiddo. No need to burn yourself out before you're legal," Declan called out, hearing Sasha's answering chuckle as the teenager continued down the stairway.

"So...where were we?" Declan asked Sey.

Sey waggled his eyebrows at his lover. "You're dropping me off at the bookstore."

"Oh, right...didn't I say something about special plans for tonight?"

"Damn straight you did. I'm holding you to it, too."

"Oh, really? I *like* it when you hold me...to it..."

"You are *so* bad."

"Can I *show* you just how bad later?" Declan purred as he moved in to kiss Sey.

Sey wound his arms around Declan's neck. "I'm counting on it."

*****

Sasha watched from the sidelines for a long time, not sure how he felt about interrupting Skye's lesson with Adrian. He had grown accustomed to feeling the empty place where she once resided in his heart, filling it up a little at a time with tiny glimpses of her, mostly from afar. He wanted to do the right thing. He *needed* to.

So he waited.

When the lesson was over, he saw Skye bow to Adrian and back away, as befit a student of her status. He felt her eyes light on his face. It was like being bathed in warmth, a shower of sunlight to rejuvenate his soul.

"Ange..." he breathed.

She smiled tentatively and he fell in love with her all over again.

"Beast," she murmured.

Like missing pieces of the same puzzle, they gravitated toward each other, fitting together as though they had never been away from one another.

"Your hair looks pretty today," he whispered, stroking a long pale strand with his fingertips.

"So does yours," she said with a barely stifled giggle. It made him smile and for a moment, it was as if something cracked open inside him, letting the light in even as it let the darkness out.

His hand settled on her shoulder, restlessly kneading the skin beneath. "I could kiss you, so quick, no one would ever know," he whispered.

A small sound escaped her as her lips parted, seemingly involuntarily, and she swayed toward him. "Please..."

He closed his eyes. Just as their lips touched, he heard the shout. Pulling away from Skye in alarm, he searched for the source of the noise. "What's that?"

Skye frowned and listened. "Sounds like Mr. Adrian's wife."

"Francesca?"

Skye nodded. "It's coming from over there," Skye said, pointing in the direction of the stairwell.

Together they ran and found Francesca crumpled in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. Panting, the older woman choked out, "I was going upstairs when I felt my water break. I slipped and lost my balance."

Rapidly assessing the woman for injuries, Sasha asked, "Are you in pain anywhere?"

"My ankle. I think I twisted it."

"Can you walk on it?"

"I'm not sure."

"Skye, help me get her up."

They pulled the woman to her feet, only to watch her clutch at her abdomen. "Oh, no!"

"What? What is it?"

"The babies. They're coming."

"They can't be coming. You're not at the hospital," Sasha heard himself state dumbly.

Francesca smiled. "But they are, Sasha. I'm in labor. The fall must have--ohhh!"

"But you can't have them here! No one's home! Except us! Wait! Where's your husband?"

"He went out...to get me...some ice cream. I--ohhh!"

"I'll go get help! Maybe Uncle Neil is home!"

"Don't leave me, Sasha! Please! Don't leave me!" Francesca shouted, her hand gripping his tightly.

Skye looked worried. "What are we going to do, Sasha?" she muttered under her breath.

Suddenly Sasha made up his mind. "We're going to take her to the hospital."

"But how?"

"Dad left his car behind. So he and Da can go out tonight."

"But Sasha--"

"Francesca? It's up to you. We can stay here and take our chances that help comes in time. Or we can go where we *know* there's help. The hospital."

Francesca looked straight into the clear, dark eyes of her would-be savior. "*You'll* have to drive, Sasha. Do you think you can get me there?"

"I know I can."

Getting Francesca into the car was no easy task. By the time Skye and Sasha were done, all of them were sweating. Francesca's contractions were coming closer and closer together, necessitating more than one stop along the way.

Skye bathed the older woman's face with a clean, wet facecloth quickly liberated from the downstairs bathroom on their way out. Francesca lay her head in the twelve-year old girl's lap, her body stretched out as much as possible under the circumstances. "Good thing...this back seat...is roomy," Francesca managed to say.

"Yeah...you okay back there?" Sasha asked worriedly.

"Just drive, Sasha."

Sasha gripped the wheel in silence and drove. To all outward appearances, he was as calm as could be. But on the inside, he was shaking. He was old enough to understand what was involved in delivering a baby...and smart enough to know that he didn't want to be at ground zero when these babies were ready to enter the world.

As it turned out, luck was with them. Thanks to Skye's quick thinking, not to mention Sasha's foresight in taking his cell phone, the emergency room was expecting them when they arrived.

"We'll take over, son," the paramedic advised Sasha. He swiped a hand across his face and nodded. "Thanks."

As they lifted Francesca onto the gurney, however, she clung insistently to Sasha's hand. "Please don't leave me, Sasha."

"These people know what they're doing, Francesca. You'll be safe with them."

"I know. But--"

"I'll call your husband. I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can," Sasha said hopefully.

"Then stay with me till he gets here? Please, Sasha?"

Sasha glanced at Skye. She shrugged and shook her head. "You're supposed to be grounded, Beast. But it's your decision."

Sasha cast a troubled look at the young girl. If he stayed, he risked being grounded for an even longer period, possibly into the summer. *More* time spent away from Skye.

But he didn't see how he could do anything *but* stay. He couldn't let another human being down, not when all she asked of him was his company.

"I'll stay. But only if they let me." The paramedic nodded imperceptibly. "But no cell phones inside the ER. They disrupt pacemakers and other electrical equipment."

Sasha handed his cell phone to Skye. "Call Adrian from out here. I'll meet you inside."

Skye smiled. Once again, it was as if the curtains shielding Heaven from his eyes had opened wide and allowed him a glimpse of what lay within.

Before he could give himself a chance to think about it, he bent his head and kissed Skye full on the mouth. She touched her lips with her fingers and gazed dreamily after him.

It wasn't until another paramedic spoke to her twice that she realized he was speaking to her. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I said, is that your boyfriend?"

Skye's mouth curved into what could only be described as a blissful look. "Yes. We belong to each other."

"I can't, Mom."

There was a sudden outburst of excited chattering on the other end of the phone. Skye winced and held the phone away from her ear.

"I'm *trying* to explain it to you, Mom. Sasha's with Francesca. He can't leave her to take me home."

"I *know* I'm not supposed to go into town without telling you. But this was an *emergency*."

Skye sighed and ended the phone call. Muttering under her breath, she quickly put the cell phone in her jacket pocket. "Sasha *is* responsible, Mom. You just don't understand."

*****

"Did you get hold of Adrian?" Sasha glanced up anxiously at Skye as she entered the waiting area in the ER.

Skye shook her head, sending her pale blonde hair flying. "No, my Mom answered the phone."

"Shit."

"Yeah. She's mad at me."

"At you? Why's she mad at *you*? You didn't do anything. You just came along to help *me*." Sasha sounded personally affronted that anyone, even Skye's *mother*, would be angry with her.

"She thinks I should know better than to--ummm..."

When Skye hid her face behind a flowing curtain of golden hair, Sasha instantly pierced the veil by pushing her hair out of her eyes. "What did she say?"

"She said I shouldn't have gone with you."

"So I'm the reason you're in trouble?"

She nodded and his tentative stroking of her hair became a genuine caress. "I'll take care of it, Ange."

"But it's not fair, Beast. You had to help Francesca."

"I won't let you suffer because of me." Sasha pressed a kiss to her forehead and she nearly swooned. His lips were so warm and gentle. How could she ever have doubted how much he loved her?

"Where's Francesca?"

"They took her up to Maternity right away. She didn't want to let go of me, but they were pretty insistent."

"Maybe we should go then," Skye suggested.

"I promised I would stay till Adrian got here, Ange. If you want to go, though, I'll understand. Maybe I have enough for you to take a taxi home." Sasha immediately began to rummage through the pockets of his jeans.

Skye placed her hand over Sasha's wrist, effectively trapping his hand within his right jeans pocket. "I didn't tell Mom that you drove us here."

"I'm not going to lie, Skye, and I wouldn't ask you to either."

"You don't have to lie, Sasha. Maybe you just shouldn't...mention it?"

"It doesn't matter. I did what I did, and I'd do it again, too."

"I'm glad." Adrian stepped forward and gave Sasha a pat on the back. "I appreciate the fact that you took care of my wife when she needed someone, Sasha."

"Thank you," Sasha mumbled, apparently flustered by the martial arts instructor's unexpected understanding.

Adrian spared a kind look for Skye, who smiled hesitantly from a spot somewhere behind Sasha. "I've already spoken to Nikita. You shouldn't have any problems, but if you do...please let me know."

Returning his attention to Sasha, Adrian asked, "Do you know where they've taken Cesca?"

"Sure. Let me show you."

*****

With Adrian arriving in time to witness the birth of his babies, there was little left for Sasha and Skye to do but wait. "Think we should stay till the babies are born?" Skye asked.

"I'd kinda like to, if you don't mind. But I could take you home first, if you'd rather," Sasha offered agreeably.

"I don't mind waiting...as long as I can stay with you," Skye said shyly.

Sasha smiled and gathered the young girl into his arms for a firm hug. Reluctantly releasing her, Sasha murmured, "I always want you with me."

Skye stifled a sound of contentment and grazed his cheek with her lips. "Me, too," she whispered.

Sasha slung his arm around her shoulder, and Skye responded by burrowing her pale head under his arm. Sasha chuckled, "Silly, what do you want to do that for? I can't guarantee how good my armpits smell after all we went through to get here."

Skye didn't say anything. She just closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. It made her whole body shiver in ways that she didn't understand, but it wasn't a bad feeling.

But there were some things that Sasha was better off not knowing.

Yet.