Simon gazed deeply into Lily's eyes showing great restraint.

"As wonderful as it is being here with you, I've got to go. Jake has set up an appointment for me this afternoon with one of the advertisers," Simon told her with regret in his voice.

"An advertiser? That's unusual, isn't it?"

Simon shook his head. "I tried to tell him that it wasn't my area, but he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. This one is particularly difficult, and I think all the heavy hitters have struck out so they're throwing me into the fire."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Your meeting wouldn't be with Mrs. Berger, would it?"

"Yeah, you've heard of her, huh?"

Lily nodded. "Oh yeah. She's a real peach, Simon. You've got your work cut out for you, but I have confidence in you."

"Thank you, Lily. You give me hope."

Lily understood his double meaning, but tried to keep the deeper feelings at a distance.

"It's almost time for Luke to come home from school. I want to be there when he gets off the school bus."

"Thank you again, Lily. I had a great time," Simon told her bringing her hand to his lips, gently caressing it before he pulled away.

"Thank you, Simon, for being here when I need you the most."

Their gazes locked in silent communication.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Holden had the evening copy laid across the table in the living room. He had come home hoping that Lily would be there. They needed to spend time together and work through their problems. Lily seemed to be avoiding them. A part of him wondered if she truly wanted to work things out. He was startled by a knock on the door. He hoped that was Lily.

Holden walked to the door and yanked it open. For a moment, he thought his hopes had come true, and Lily was indeed standing there. But a few seconds staring into those eyes and he knew that this woman was not Lily.

"Holden," Rose greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Holden demanded harshly.

Rose's hopes sank upon hearing the tone of his voice. She knew what she had to say was not going to be easy, and Holden was not going to make it any easier.

"I need to talk to you."

"I don't have anything to say to you," Holden stated with little emotion in his voice.

"That's all right, because I have a lot to say to you, and I can do all of the talking."

"This is not a good time."

"I really don't want to put this off, Holden. We've got a lot to talk about."

Something in the tone of her voice struck a nerve. Holden finally moved aside and Rose walked inside and on into the living room.

"What is it that you want to say, Rose?"

Rose spun around and the smile died on her face. "I'm sorry, Holden."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Simon walked into the small glass office. The decorations were pricey. He knew why they had called him in as a last resort. The Berger account was big money, and they were willing to do anything to keep it.

"Hello, I'm here to see Mrs. Berger," Simon told the receptionist.

She waved Simon into the next office without saying a word or looking up from her computer. Simon knocked lightly on the half-open door. When no one answered his knock, he pushed the door open. A slight woman with graying hair and half-moon glasses sat behind the desk making notes on a legal pad. Simon cleared his throat, but she still made no move to speak to him.

"Mrs. Berger?"

The woman snapped to attention. Her cold, gray eyes swept his body from head to toe. Her face conveyed no expression.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

Simon raised his eyes brows, then graced her with his most charming smile. "I'm Simon Frasier from The City Times. We have an appointment."

Phyllis Berger removed her glasses from her nose and sat back in her chair. "So they think that tall, dark and handsome combined with some foreign accent will make me happy. You're wasting my time Mr. Glaser."

"That's 'Frasier', madam. I hope that you will hear me out. I understand that you are disgruntled with your advertisements. I think we can come up with something together that will be mutually beneficial."

"Talk fast. You've got two minutes," she told him, then glanced down at her watch. "And your time begins…..now!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lily and Faith stood down at the end of the drive waiting on the school bus to bring Luke home. They laughed easily with one another, which thrilled Lily. She had missed most of Faith's young life and any bond with her at all pleased Lily.

Luke bounced down the stairs after the bus stopped and the driver opened the door. He was a bundle of energy and full of smiles.

"Mommy! I had a great day at school."

Lily hugged him tightly. "Well, I am really happy to hear that, Luke. I want to hear all about it."

"Hello there!" Emma greeted as she walked up to the trio. Her smile was unsure.

Lily nodded in response, then smiled. "Hi Emma. How are you?"

"Fine, dear. Listen. I just made a whole batch of cookies, and I need some cookie monsters to eat them up. Do you know any?"

Lily smiled. "I think I know two."

"Me! Me!" Luke shouted.

"Would you mind if they spent the night with me? I wouldn't ask, but I want to give you and Holden a chance to talk."

Lily thought about it for a moment. "I think that would be a good idea. You're right. It's time that Holden and I talked."

Emma gave her a slight hug as Lily looked toward the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"'Sorry' isn't going to get it, Rose. The things that happened aren't things you can just stick a Band-Aid on and forget about."

"I know, Holden, but isn't it a beginning? I'm not just saying it. It's not just words. I mean it. I need your forgiveness."

Holden looked at her blankly. "I'm not sure what you want me to say."

Rose walked toward him, throwing her hands up in the air. "Say that you can find it somewhere in your heart to forgive me."

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you what you want to hear."

Rose nodded her head. "I guess I understand. I just thought….."

"Thought what, Rose?"

"I thought maybe just a little teeny tiny part of you felt what I felt when we were together."

Holden shook his head. "You purposely deceived me, and now I don't know if I can ever repair my marriage because of it."

"Maybe there's nothing left to repair."

"Don't analyze my marriage."

"Why? Someone needs to. You and Lily aren't talking to each other. That's obvious. She's still off with Simon Frasier."

"She's not with Simon Frasier."

"Oh, yeah? Then who was that man I just saw her cozying up to in the park?"

Holden looked at her, trying to see if she were telling the truth or weaving another web of lies to make him doubt Lily. "Our conversation is over. Now it's time for you to leave."

When Holden made a move to grab her intending to lead her out the door, Rose scrambled to the other side of the room.

"Rose, don't play games with me."

"Don't you want to know why I came over here?"

"I thought you just told me."

"No, I have something much more important to tell you. It's something big."

"Don't be so dramatic. Just tell me what you came to tell me then leave."

Rose smiled slightly. "I was hoping that this would be a happy event. There's no way to sugar coat it. Holden, I'm pregnant."

Holden's eyes riveted on Rose in disbelief, as a stunned Lily stood framed in the doorway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Isaac and Jake were at the bar. Jake was nursing a beer as he and Isaac talked. Both of them would look at Julia Lindsey as they conversed, but neither approached her. She sat alone at a table in another part of the club.

Simon breezed through the doors with a smile on his face. He slapped Jake on the back as he and Isaac slapped hands.

"Hey, my man, who put that smile on your face?" Isaac asked.

"That would be your man, McKinnon, here, because he's about to buy me a drink," Simon responded and smiled at Jake.

Jake narrowed his eyes and gave him a sideways glance. "You want to run that past me again?"

Simon nodded. "Sure. I just spent two and a half hours coddling Mrs. Berger…."

Isaac almost spit out his drink as he said, "Mrs. Berger? That battle axe put the smile on your face."

"Ah, so you've heard of Mrs. Berger. She has quite the reputation, Jake."

Jake would not look at him as he took another swig of beer.

"Heard of her? We asked her to donate some money to the halfway house. She exploded. Some of the people who work down there still have the look of fear on their faces."

"She's a jewel all right, but I managed to save the account. So I believe that deserves a drink from the Editor himself."

"Give the man a beer so he'll shut up."

Isaac slid the beer toward Simon. He took a long drink before he looked at Jake again.

"You haven't asked me how I managed to save the account?"

"I don't want to know. Whatever you did….."

"Oh, come now, Jake, you're dying to know. I promised her the moon and when that wasn't enough I gave her your personal guarantee," Simon said flatly then turned away from Jake. Simon and Isaac shared a glance as Simon began speaking again. "Then I gave her your home number and your cell phone number. She was happy as a clam."
Jake spit his beer out and glared at Simon. His face turned red as he pointed his finger at Simon and began moving it back and forth. "No, you didn't."

Simon smirked jutting out his chin as he pursed his lips. "Ah, but I did. I'll expect my bonus on my next paycheck."

"Oh I'll give you a bonus all right."

"Yes, you will, then you'll remember that I saved the City Times' biggest account and that I am an artist not a salesman."

Jake glared at him for a moment, then turned away. When Simon was sure that Jake was finished, he spun around on his barstool to survey the crowd that was gathering. It was early so the clientele mostly consisted of people stopping to get drinks after work. His eyes rested on a familiar figure. He leaned forward to make sure that it was her.

"How long has she been here?" Simon asked over his shoulder.

"Too long," Isaac responded.

Jake turned around to see whom they were talking about. "She's drinking herself into a stupor again."

"And you're going to let her?" Simon asked looking back and forth between the two.

"It's better that we watch her here than for her to go somewhere that we can't," Isaac said.

"She's trying to kill herself," Simon stated.

Jake nodded. "She thinks that she can drown out everything."

"I ran into her this morning and tried to talk sense to her, but she'd have none of it. What happened today that set her off?"

"Not that it takes anything, but I ran into Hal earlier, and he said that Julia came to the police station today. She saw Jack, Carly and Parker together acting like a family," Jake said.

"She needs help," Simon told them.

"You have seen how she responds to help," Jake said.

Simon nodded. "So we just sit back and let her self-destruct?"

"Until she's ready to let someone help her all we can do is watch out for her," Jake said as all three men looked at Julia.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You're lying!" Holden yelled, then jerked around as he saw a movement out the corner of his eye. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Lily standing there in the doorway. Her eyes were blazing.

"I would say that I wish I was, but I'm not, Holden. I'm not lying, and I'm not sorry that I'm going to have your baby," Rose told him.

Lily stepped between them, then faced Holden. "It makes sense, Holden. It all makes sense."

"No, Lily. She lies. You know that's what she does."

Lily glanced at Rose. "Holden, when you sleep with someone, these things happen. You slept with her, Holden. You made love to her. To her!"

"I have no reason to lie about this."

"Sure you do," Holden said as he stepped past Lily. "You would do anything."

Rose shook her head. "Not this, Holden. This baby was made out of love."

"It…."

"If you two will excuse me, I don't think I need to be here to hear this," Lily said and started walking toward the stairs.

"Lily, wait!" Holden yelled as he ran after her.

Lily did not turn around as she walked up the stairs. She went directly into their bedroom and began throwing things into a suitcase.

"What are you doing?" Holden asked as he watched her continue to pack.

"The kids are with Emma. They're spending the night."

"Where are you going?"

Lily turned on him. "I'm leaving this house. I will not sleep in this house with you tonight. I suggest you think about what happens from here. You've got Rose to deal with, and you better do it. I'm leaving."

Lily picked up the suitcase and started walking out the door. Holden grabbed her arm, stopping her. Lily glared at his hand.

"Let go of me," she gritted.

"Where are you going, Lily?"

Lily jerked her arm out of his grip. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Lily walked out the door and toward the stairs. Holden ran out into the hallway watching her make her way down the stairs.

"Are you going to be with Simon? Lily! Lily!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Simon changed into a pair of jeans and a denim shirt. He walked to the kitchen barefoot. His apartment was starting to look more like a home. The once desolate living room was now inviting with a couch, rug and some end tables. The kitchen was now clean and freshly painted white with small lapis blue decorations. There was still a lot left to do. The bathroom was next, then he would start on the loft.

Simon snarled his nose when he looked at what he had inside his refrigerator. His stomach growled.

"Down, boy. I’m trying," he told his stomach.

Simon finally took out things to make a sandwich. He slapped the bread on a plate and reached for a knife. He turned around quickly when he heard the insistent knocking on his door. His shoulders slumped as he walked across the living room and up the stairs to the door. The knocking continued the entire time. Simon jerked the door open with a frown.

"Yeah, so where's the….."

"Where is she?" Holden asked as he plowed past Simon. Simon staggered a few steps as he glared at Holden. "Where are you hiding her?"

Simon walked down the stairs and glared at Holden. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Lily. Where is she? Don't act like you don't know."

"Well, obviously I don't, Holden. Have a look around. You'll see that she's not here."

Holden glanced around the small apartment, then walked up the stairs to the loft. Simon stood in the center of the living room with his arms folded. Holden ran back down the stairs and grabbed the front of Simon's shirt pulling him roughly.

"Where is she?" Holden demanded.

"I already told you that I don't know. What more do you want?" Simon responded as he pushed Holden breaking his hold.

"You started all of this," Holden said as he staggered backward. "If you hadn't come into our lives….."

"What? What, Holden? If it hadn't been me, it would have been someone or something else. You blame me, but you know what I say is true."

Holden lifted his fist to hit Simon, but Simon moved in an equally menacing manner. Holden dropped his fist and continued to glare at him. He shoved Simon again as he walked past. Holden turned as he got to the door.

"This isn't over. Not by a long shot!" Holden yelled and slammed the door behind him.

Simon rolled his eyes and walked back to the kitchen. He shook his head as he tried to concentrate on making his supper. He glanced at the phone.

"Maybe I…..no, I can't get in the middle of this anymore than I already am," he said to himself, but the phone beckoned to him. "To hell with it…" he said as he dropped the knife and strode to the phone. He put the phone to his ear and started to dial when he heard the knock at the door.

Even though the knock was quieter, Simon walked to the door prepared to do battle. He jerked the door open and said, "Listen, I already….."

"Simon?" Lily questioned quietly.

Simon's eyes swept over her then settled on the suitcase at her feet. He made a slight move, and Lily fell into his arms. Simon wrapped his arms around her tightly and gently stroked her hair.

"What is it, Lily? Tell me."

Lily bit her lip trying to stop herself from crying out. She shook her head against his chest in reply. Simon took a step away and leaned down. He lifted her chin, then placed his hands on her face.

"Don't hold it in. Cry if you want to."

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears and her bottom lip began to tremble. Without a word, Simon swept her up in his arms and carried her across the room to the couch. He sat down gently with her cradled close. Lily buried her face in his neck and let the sorrow and pain rock her body.

"Let it out. That's right. It will be all right," he soothed.

Simon leaned his chin on top of her head and let her cry, soothing her as best he could. He looked up at the doorway when he saw a movement there. His eyes gazed steadily at Holden as he stood looking at the scene before him. Holden took a step forward as if he would challenge them. He stared at them for a long time, then turned and walked away. Simon breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry," Lily told him as she leaned away.

Looking at her tearstained face broke his heart. Simon wiped at the tears. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I'm sitting here crying on your shoulder like a million times before."

"That's what I'm here for, right?"

Lily stared at him for a moment. "Yes," she whispered.

"I have a sandwich."

Lily shook her head in confusion. "Excuse me."

"I was just making a sandwich. Would you like to share it with me?"

Lily smiled slightly. "No, thank you. I'm not hungry."

Simon gave her a look, then said, "You know how stubborn I can be."

Lily's smile widened at the determined look in his eyes. "Yes, I do. So are you forcing me to eat, Mr. Frasier?"

"Hardly, but I'm not going to make you sit there and watch me eat. So you go finish that sandwich, and I'll get your suitcase."

Lily brought her hand to her forehead in a salute. "Aye, aye, Captain."

Simon picked up her suitcase, setting it inside the door. He closed the door quietly and locked it, putting the security chain on as he watched her. The sadness in her body was evident from where he stood. He quickly walked to the kitchen as she continued to work on the sandwich.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked as he pulled two glasses from the cabinet. "I'm sorry. I don't have anything stronger than tap water."

"Good, clean tap water sounds good to me," she said as she finished the sandwich.

Lily walked toward the living room with the sandwich, and Simon followed her with the water. They sat on the couch and Simon handed her a glass. Lily took a small sip and stared at him.

"Come on, now. Get a bite of this sandwich," Simon urged.

Lily shook her head. "Really. I couldn't eat a bite, Simon."

Simon watched her for a moment, then took a bite from the sandwich.

"So are you going to tell me what's bothering you or do I have to torture it out of you?"

Lily searched his eyes. She shook her head before she answered. "I'm already being tortured, Simon. I thought things could get back to normal, but I'm not sure that is possible."

"You can't expect it to happen overnight. You and I have both been out of circulation for quite a while."

"I know, but instead of it getting better. It just gets worse," she told him as she reached over and broke a piece off the sandwich and stuck it in her mouth.

"What happened today?"

"I left you to make sure that I was home when Luke got off the bus. Faith and I waited by the curb, then there he was. Emma walked over and asked to take the kids. She thought tonight would be a good time for Holden and me to talk," she told him as she reached over and tore another piece of the sandwich off. Simon tried not to smile as he watched her nibble at the piece.

"I agreed with her. Tonight seemed like as good a time as any for Holden and me to get it all out in the open and decide where we are going. I got myself all pumped up to say my piece and then prepared myself to listen to him."

Lily leaned over and picked up the other half of the sandwich. Simon did not say a word.

"Then I felt like I got hit by a train," she said with the sadness seeping back into her tone.

"What happened?" Simon asked when Lily sat there silent for several seconds.

She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. The overwhelming sorrow was reflected in her eyes. Simon drew his breath in sharply as he watched her struggle. He felt like the knife was turning in his own heart.

"I walked into the house, and I could hear Holden talking to someone. I didn't let them know I was there, then I realized that it was Rose. She said……she told him…..she…."

Simon leaned forward and lifted her chin. Her lips trembled as she struggled for the words.

"What, Lily?"

"She told Holden that she's pregnant."

Simon fell back against the couch. He tried to think of the words to say, but nothing seemed adequate. He reached for Lily, but she pulled away from him and stood.

She paced in front of him. "I feel like the life has been squeezed out of me. I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what I'm doing. I had to get out of there. I couldn't stand one more moment in that house, so I packed my bag and I ran. I just drove around for a long time."

Simon stood and walked up behind her. He enfolded her from behind. She sobbed audibly, but she did not turn around.

"Shhh…." He whispered against her hair.

"I came to the only person who knows me….who knows what I need."

"I'm glad you did."

"Are you?"

"Of course, I am, Lily. I’m always here for you."

Lily pulled away from him and walked to the other side of the couch. "Why do you put up with me? I'm constantly crying about something. Every day is a new crisis. How do you stand it?"

Simon smiled slowly. "I'm a glutton for punishment."

Lily stared at him for a moment. "Quit trying to make me smile."

"It hasn't worked so far."

Lily walked to the table and picked up the other half of the sandwich and took a big bite.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Lily asked.

Simon leaned his elbows on the back of the couch as he watched her.

"I thought you weren't hungry."

Lily continued to chew, then she looked at the sandwich in her hand. "So I changed my mind."

Simon smiled and he watched as some of the tension left her face.

"What are you smiling about?" She demanded.

"You. You make me smile, Lily. You asked why I put up with you, but I think you know the answer to that question. You know exactly how I feel."

The smile left his face as he said the last part. Lily watched him carefully and felt her own heart leap in response.

"Simon?"

"What?"

"Dance with me."

"I don't have a stereo. I only have a clock radio."

"Just dance with me. I don't care about the music," she pleaded needing to feel his arms around her.

Simon switched on the radio and turned the dial until a song began to play clearly. He held open his arms to Lily, and they took a practiced stance, placing hands together with several inches of space between them.

As they swayed together, their bodies drifted ever closer together until their fingers were intertwined and Lily's head rested under Simon's chin. He closed his eyes as he tightened his grip on her waist.

Simon's hands slipped around her waist as he pulled her closer. Lily slid her hands up his chest as she laid her cheek against him. She sighed deeply content to sway slightly to the music while wrapped in Simon's arms. Simon moved one of his hands from her waist pushing Lily's hair away from her neck. He pressed a kiss on the side of her neck.

Lily leaned away and looked at Simon through half-closed eyes. His green eyes smoldered with desire as their eyes met. Lily's eyes widened when she looked at him. Simon leaned forward gently placing a kiss on her cheek. Lily intertwined her fingers behind his neck, then purposefully moved her mouth to his. Their lips touched then danced away.

"Simon?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Touch me."

"I am," he said huskily.

Lily shook her head, "No, I mean…." She whispered as she touched her lips to his. All the pent up desires and feelings exploded in one touch. Suddenly everything they felt was all consuming and only a kiss could express it all.

As their lips moved together, their hands and fingers caressed and soothed the aches. Simon lifted his lips from Lily's, leaning his head against her forehead. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, and then Simon swept her up into his arms. She put her arms around his neck and the looked at each other for a moment before Lily laid her head on his shoulder. Simon walked swiftly toward the stairs.

They gently fell to the bed, kissing each other with unfettered desire. Their breaths were so shallow that it seemed that they breathed as one. When Simon leaned away, Lily roughly pulled his mouth back to hers.

Author's note: The song is "Wicked Game", which was recorded by Chris Isaak on his CD, Heart Shaped World.