 
A Broken Fate

PRAISE & ACCLAIM FOR

CAT MANN'S

A BROKEN FATE

"Readers, be ready to be on the edge of your seats while reading this! You're in a for a treat!  
Tensions are raised, stakes and emotions are high; new secrets are revealed; and you can't trust anyone. Will Ava be ready for the final battle ahead? Will her and Ari's love prove to be unbreakable? Read and find out in A Broken Fate" \- Kawehi Reviews

"Just wow! I have not so patiently been waiting for this book! It was so worth the wait! This author is AMAZING!" - Book Fairy

"I had the screen pressed up against my nose once again as I devoured the book... I am interested to see where Mann will take Ava, Ari and the gang in the next novel! Keep writing Mann - you have a gift and I'm hanging for more!" - Sara's Supernatural Review

"I'm really loving this series! It's got a unique, intriguing premise, well-developed characters, and lots of chemistry between Ava and Ari. I thought A Beautiful Fate was a great read, but A Broken Fate was even better... I'm so happy I found this series, and would recommend it to fans of YA, paranormal fiction and also fans of contemporary fiction. I'm really looking forward to book three! \- I'd So Rather Be Reading.

"A Broken Fate picks up right where A Beautiful Fate left me - sucking in a breath with my eyes wide in surprise. Everything from the first book is back, and better than ever. Mrs. Mann's characters are lively and vibrant. A group I wouldn't mind spending a day with... The twists in this book floored me and I can honestly say that I did not see most of it coming... I love the way this story flows so easily, and I can't wait to see how things turn out for the Alexanders." \- Emily Savant, Goodreads

"I liked that this book doesn't strive for the heroine to be always perfect and strong, instead it shows how damaged they can get after the fight for their lives and how deep their wounds truly go. This time A Broken Fate leaves me happy with its ending. It's not a cliffy, thank goodness, yet it does leave you wondering for what's next to come. I bet A Forsaken Fate will be full of surprises! - Cuzinlogic.com

Insecurities, pain, depression, old enemies and new ones, responsibilities, truth, lies, trust, love. A Broken Fate will mesmerize and it will take you to the depths of Ari's and Ava's love. Definitely a must read - Book Madness

A Broken Fate

Book II of The Beautiful Fate Series

A novel

by

Cat Mann

Copyright© 2012 by Cat Mann

Smashwords Edition

http://authorcatmannblog.blogspot.com/

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

First Electronic Edition: August 2013

First Paperback Edition: March 2014

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

A Broken Fate: a novel / by Cat Mann.-- 1st ed.

Summary: Coping with the traumatic experiences Ava endured with the Kakos is more challenging than she ever imagined it to be. She finds herself struggling to remember the details of her time kept away with Damien Kakos and when the memories assault her mind, she is plagued with crippling fear. There is something in the back of Ava's thoughts screaming at her, telling her that the fight with the devil's brood has not yet ended.

Without the support of the following people, A Beautiful Fate would have remained a dream: Derek Mann, Mrs. Esther Kaplan, Theresa Norton Greco, KB Weakly, Mom, Dad, Rachel Harmon, and The Lovely Leanne Kuchar.

Thank you.

Cover designed by Derek Murphy of Creativindie Covers

To you. Always. For holding my heart.

Table Of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Dedication

1-Pattern

2-Memories

3- Remember

4-Set Back

5-Swimming Lesson

6-The L Word

7- Chinese Food and Scrabble

8-Surprise

9-The Hunt

10-Happy Family

11- Secrets

12- Half Truth

13- The F Word

14-Avasitting

15- Coming Clean

16-Inconsolible

17-Just Clothes

18 -Boycotting

19-Margaux

20- Max

21- Bad Decision

22- Corruption

23- Beautiful Family

24- Anti-anxiety

25- Hide and Seek

26-Tantrum

27- Traitor

28- The Host

29- One Last White Lie

About The Author

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before.

-Edgar Allan Poe

### Chapter 1

Pattern

My toes were cold. I pulled at the covers, my hand frantically searching the other side of the bed for comfort of some sort and my fingers dancing rapidly along the edge of the mattress. I found myself to be alone and the disappointment in this discovery was quickly replaced by absolute fear. My heart pounded rapidly in my chest and my pulse thumped deafeningly behind my ears. Screaming out, I jumped awake from a night terror, causing my ear buds to rip forcefully from my ears. My cell phone made its daily, overly dramatic plunge from my tossed blankets onto my bedroom floor where it landed with a ceremonial thunk. I had a most terrifying dream, one that ended with the death of my mother in a car crash. Running from my bedroom, I searched for her with hot tears streaming down my cheeks, panting breaths and sweaty palms. My feet pounded to a halt in the living room where I found her sitting, reading a book.

"Mom," I shrieked, startling her.

"Ava, what's the matter?" She looked up over her tattered copy of Tolstoy's _The Devil,_ her forehead creased in a deep _v_ with alarm and concern.

In a panic, I yelled, "Mom, please! Tell me you won't go to the fundraiser with Dr. Spruce tonight! You can't go! I had a dream and it was so real. Please, you cannot get in that car tonight or you will die. Promise me you won't go!"

She pulled my shaking body onto her lap. Shushing me, quieting me down with soothing words.

"Ok, Ava, I promise I won't go."

An unsteady breath of air streamed from my pursed lips, collapsing my puffed cheeks. She held me tight in her Mom-warm arms. Breathing in her sweet scent, I ran my fingers through her soft hair.

"Mom, I love you so much. Please don't ever leave me," I begged.

"I won't leave you today," she promised, then brushed the wayward wisps of hair off my face. "Tell me more about your dream."

"Ok," I explained to her in detail what I saw in my sleep.

"In your dream, did Spruce die, too?"

"Yes!"

For a moment, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. Her eyes were triumphant, then she blinked and the blink swept her emotions away.

"What other dreams do you have?"

"Umm..." I felt unsure; never had I been encouraged to talk of my nightmares.

"It's okay, Ava. Tell me. I want to know." Her voice was sweet, convincing.

"I walk in strange halls. People cry for me to come into their rooms. They ask me to let them die."

"Do you?"

"No... I don't know. My head hurts, Mom. I can't think."

We spent the day together at home and time passed in a haze. I had a pounding headache and I was very tired. Every time I closed my eyes, I was blinded by white light. In my sleep, I could feel hands touching me, caressing my hands, arms and face but when I tried to focus, no one was there. Unfamiliar voices filled my ears; people were begging me to wake up, to open my eyes. I tried to scream but each time I opened my mouth, I woke up again and I felt woozy and confused.

Each time I awoke, I searched frantically for my mom to be sure she had kept her promise. Each time I found her in the same place, in the living room with her book in her lap.

"Promise me," I begged of her over and over. "Promise you'll stay with me." She promised and then questioned me again. She asked me questions about my life that I could not answer. Questions about love.

"What is it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Love, Baby. What's it like for you to be in love?"

"I wouldn't know."

I could feel heat on my face from my blush. Looking down, I stared at my knotted fingers in my lap.

My mom tapped gently on my temple.

"You may not know in here, but you know in here," and she moved her finger from my temple to my chest, over my heart.

I looked back up at my mom. Tears stung the back of my eyes my throat was tight with emotion.

"My heart feels heavy. I am longing for something, but I don't know what or who it is."

"Oh, honey." My mother rocked me back and forth, hushing my sobs away.

"Adrian told me this would happen. I am so sorry. I tried to hide us, keep us safe. I failed us both."

I wanted to ask my mom who Adrian was, and what he told her, but I drifted back asleep before the words could form. My nightmare and the blinding headaches lasted for three days and would not leave me. Each morning, I searched the bed for something, some kind of solace or warmth. And when I found nothing there, my heart crumbled and I would wake in a panic.

I stayed at my mother's side every waking moment, unwilling to let her out of my sight. She asked me more questions that I did not have the answers to and I asked her questions that she would not answer. We reminisced about happy times we had spent together. Often I found myself in her arms just weeping, begging her to stay with me. On the fourth day of my nightmare, she made me no promises. She repeated the odd notion that I was in love and was needed elsewhere.

"Ava, I have been selfish keeping you here with me." Tears filled her warm brown eyes. "You are not mine to keep anymore and it is time I give you back." Holding me tight, she rocked me like a small child.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, sitting up in panic. "I'm not leaving you; stop talking like this!" My confusion caused my head to throb and pound in my ears.

She stroked my hair and then held my face in her hands. She stared into my eyes and turned very serious. Dropping her hands away from my face, my mother took my left hand in hers, turned my hand over and was overcome with emotion. Resting the back of my hand in her palm, she pointed to my wrist with fervor. I looked down at my bare skin; nothing was there. Tapping the inside of my wrist, she said softly but with determination, "You aren't safe. You aren't done. Be careful who you trust, Ava."

"What?"

"It's coming... it is time for you to wake up."

"I am awake. Stop it! You are scaring me!" I screamed and choked on my sobs.

"Ava, Baby, I love you so much, but you have to listen to me. Ari is waiting for you, Ava. You have to wake up."

" _Who?"_

Kissing me one last time my mom whispered a goodbye and then she was gone.

### Chapter 2

Memories

My eyes flew open to bright, blinding lights; the sounds of beeping machines rang out all around me. Shooting up in a panic, I let out a hoarse, painful scream. Tubes jutted out from all over my body and I pulled them out as fast as my bandaged hands would allow. A pair of very strong hands gripped me around my wrists, quickly stopping me.

"Ava," a man's voice said cautiously. "Ava, stop. Stop what you are doing and calm down." Pulling my body away, I tried to yank my arms free from his grip but it was no use; this person was much stronger than I was.

"Look at me, Ava, please. Look at my face." I looked up at the face of the man who held my wrists in his hands.

"Who are you, where is my mom, where am I?"

"Ava, it's me. Look at me. Don't you know who I am?"

"No," I pulled back hard again in another attempt to escape his grip.

"Could you please call my mother and let her know I am here?"

The man in front of me dropped my arms and rubbed the scruff on his face.

"Ava Baby," he whispered.

"Don't call me that," I snapped and watched as the hurt flowed onto his face. He was too close to me. I stared at him with cold, harsh, unkind eyes until goose bumps ran up the back of his neck and his arms. His jaw dropped and he took a cautious step back.

Closing my eyes, I searched my brain for my mom's phone number but I could not think clearly. I tried to remember my address and came up with nothing. Taking in my surroundings, I could tell I was in a hospital, but I didn't understand why I was there.

"Where am I? Is this the University of Chicago Medical Center? Because my mom is Dr. Baio, she works here. Go get her," I demanded.

The guy in my hospital room took a deep, slow breath and gently and calmly said, "Ava, you are at White Memorial Medical Center, in Los Angeles, California." He swallowed hard and added, "Your mother died a year ago. I am your husband, Ari. Please remember."

" _No_! She isn't. And _no_ , you aren't! What the hell is going on here?" I hollered with a hoarse and scratchy voice. "What the hell have you done to me?"

"Ava, please believe me. I would never lie to you."

"I don't know who you are, but you need to leave now," I was unwilling to listen to him any further.

With an open jaw, he ran his fingers through his messy hair. "I'll get your doctor." He mumbled as he turned and left the room.

Taking in a deep breath, I looked about the room. I was in a hospital bed. My arms and hands were wrapped up in bandages and gauze, my side, my head and my neck all ached with pain. Bleeps from annoying monitors sounded in my ears and liquid from an IV dripped in a steady beat. A green, fake-leather looking chair had been pulled out and made into a bed. It was adorned with a pillow and blanket, as though someone had been there for a while. A large, square window on the opposite side of the bed, across the room from me, looked out into a big hospital waiting room. In the waiting room stood many people who were crying and hugging the man I had just kicked out.

A moment later, a doctor in a white coat with a stethoscope draped across his neck entered my room. He cleared his throat, "Hello Mrs. Alexander, my name is Dr. Phillips. It is so good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"No," I said with a panic, "you have the wrong person. I am Ava Baio. B-A-I-O!"

"Ok, Ava," he began again. Without warning, he shined a very bright light straight into my eyes.

Asshole!

"You have been involved in a very tragic course of events. Your head was hit extremely hard and your body has suffered some breaks, burns and some cuts. I feel confident that you'll recover fully, but right now, your mind is trying to protect itself. Over the course of time, you will begin to recall the very unpleasant ordeal that you have endured. More than likely, these memories will be quite frightening."

"Where is my mother?" I asked again.

"The Alexanders are your family." He gestured at the group of people in the waiting room. "Your mother is no longer living."

His words were spoken quietly and with authority, but they sent me into a panic. These people, whoever they were, clearly had me confused with someone else and I needed to get out of the room right away. My sore hands began to pull at the tubes again, as I screamed at the doctor that I had just seen her; we had been together just a moment ago. I demanded that he go and find my mother at once. The people in the waiting room all stared, open mouthed, through the window at me and I felt a strong urge to give each and every one of them the finger.

A nurse rushed in with a huge needle attached to a syringe full of cloudy liquid and I freaked out even more.

"Don't touch me! Stay away from me!"

I backed up on my bed, pushing my body as far away from the nurse as possible. Stopped by the headboard and feeling like a scared and cornered animal, I froze as the nurse ignored my pleas and kept walking toward me.

The man who had been in my room when I first blinked into awareness rushed back into the room and stopped by my side.

"No," he demanded, "Stop what you're doing right now. She's awake now; don't give her anything she doesn't want."

"Mr. Alexander," Dr. Phillips said, "If she cannot calm down, we are left with no other choice. She will just cause more harm to herself."

The first man looked at the doctor with a cold glare. He didn't look like the type of person who was used to being told no.

"I said no and I meant it."

He turned and looked at me, "May I please talk with you alone for a minute?"

My head bobbed up and down in short rapid nods. I would talk if he kept the nurse and her needle away from me.

Dr. Phillips was irritated but gave a swift nod and left the room along with the nurse. "Call if you need anything," she said with a too eager smile before shutting the door behind her. I don't know why, but the coy, inviting smile she sent him made me want to rip out her throat. I gazed at her with an icy death stare. The guy with the scruffy face saw my expression and the corners of his lips turned up in a little grin. Butterflies awakened and stretched their wings in the deep pit of my stomach.

Crossing the hospital room to the waiting room window, he pulled down the shade, giving me the privacy I so desperately wanted. I watched him cautiously as he returned and then sat on my hospital bed. He sat close to me, much closer than people usually dared, and he seemed fine – not the least bit uncomfortable. Most people, upon getting so close to me, caused my body to instantly pull back, but with this guy I felt the opposite and was drawn to him. Kind of as though I were a magnet and he the fridge.

He looked me in the eyes. "Ava, I am going to touch you. Is that alright?"

I stared at him for a long hard moment, unsure. Finally, I blinked and nodded yes ever so slightly. He took my left arm, turned it over in his hands, and started to un-do the bandages. His caress was gentle and made me feel warm.

"This is the only way I know how to do what I want to do, so stop me if you can't take the pain anymore."

"Ok."

"Your name is Ava Zae Alexander, you are eighteen and we live together on the Southern California coast line. We are Greek... I will explain _who_ you are later."

Looking me in the eyes, questioning me with his gaze, he waited to see if it was okay to proceed. I bobbed another small yes. He continued, "We met at school and I fell completely in love with you. You were my whole world from the moment I first laid eyes on you." He smiled at me, as if remembering something I could not and then continued.

"You had terrible nightmares nearly every night and those nightmares were an avenue for me and I let them draw me to your room. I wanted so much to get to know you better...

Your favorite color is gray and you play the piano better than anyone has ever played any piano... ever. You speak perfect French, and your cheeks turn pink whenever we kiss. My family loves to make a game out of how many times we can get you to blush when we're all together. Rory always wins. You like college basketball and for some godforsaken reason, you like the Cubs. Somehow, Ava, after months of trying, I finally got you to love me back."

The gauze on my left hand began to thin as he wound the bandages up in his hands. "Ava, you left. Remember? You went to London. It was the longest six months of our lives. When you came home, you agreed to marry me."

With bandages from my left hand now gone, he took my hand and placed my sore palm in his, showing me a huge diamond ring.

"We had the most remarkable wedding."

Looking down at the ring, then back at the man claiming it was a symbol of our love, I tried to remove it. None of what he was saying made any sense to me.

"No," he said firmly, "keep that ring on that finger. I don't tell you to do anything, Ava, but I am begging you, do not ever take off that ring."

Tears swelled up in his large kind eyes and I put my hand back down in my lap. He flipped my hand around and held it in his palm showing me my blood-and-blister-covered flesh.

"I know this news may scare you," he said as he continued to remove the bandages from the rest of my arm, "but you have been hunted and you have killed people, five to be exact. But the important part is that you are _not_ a monster. You are a resourceful, competent and incredible young woman who has been forced into unbelievably challenging situations."

He showed me my now bare wrist. On it were five tattooed tally marks, and a sixth less precisely formed slash mark that had become a jagged and angry red scar.

Quickly, the words of my mother filled my ears, "You aren't safe. You aren't done. Be careful who you trust." I swallowed my panic down and closed my eyes. The mattress shifted and squeaked and I felt him move even closer to me and my eyes shot back open. Giving me an intensely sweet look, as though promising me he meant no harm, he slowly put his arms around my neck and began to untie my hospital gown. He moved my hair across my left shoulder allowing it to cascade down my side.

"Are you still okay, Ava?"

"Yes."

He blinked down at me and gave me a very small smile. He softly pulled the hospital gown sleeve on my right arm down from my shoulder and off my arm, revealing my bare skin and a certain intimacy that gave me pause, but he didn't move away.

"Ava, there were people in your life who are no longer with you. But they will always remain in your heart."

He showed me my bare arm. On it was a flock of beautiful birds taking flight, up towards the sky. Gaping at my own strange skin, my heart pounded. He pointed to the first and said, "This is your father." Next he caressed the second bird in flight and said, "This is your mother and here is Perry." With a soft and delicate touch, he finally motioned to the last, "and this is Mia."

"Mia?" I whimpered.

"I am so sorry," he said as he wiped tears from my cheeks.

"Ava, you may not remember me, but our love is unlike any other. I made a promise to you that I would never leave your side, never make you cry and never stop loving you. I intend to keep those promises. Forever."

He stood up, crossed over to the window and pulled up the shade to reveal the group of people, all of whom were crying. Then he came back to my side.

"That is your family, Ava. We all love you."

I looked out at them, blinked at them, gazed at their sad faces, I knew no one.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you. I think you should leave. All of you."

He closed his eyes, put his fists in his hair and pulled while he let out an angry noise of frustration. A tear slipped from his eye and ran down his cheek. I noticed a little wrinkle on his forehead that seemed so out of place for such a beautiful person. His jaw was square and firm and his nose was perfectly straight. The color of cream, his skin was so clear, so pretty. I could not deal with the pain I was causing this person by not being the person he thought I was. Slowly, my eyes traced their way down his face, towards his very soft-looking pink lips. I stopped abruptly at a rosy colored scar just below the bottom one.

A sudden flash of heat overcame me and my mind filled with images of the two of us in a moment of passion, our limbs tangled together, my fingernails ripping the flesh on his back. My teeth on that lip; I could taste his mouth on my tongue. My cheeks burned red hot, and my stomach did flip after flip. I slowly moved my hand up to him and placed my finger on his small scar, willing myself to remember more. His eyes shot open at my touch. A small smile crept across his lips and hope twinkled in his eyes. I climbed onto my knees so I could get even closer and my mind showed me picture after picture of the two of us together...

Our first kiss, private moments spent tucked away in bed, texts with x's and o's, lying on a beach, swinging gently on a hammock, laughing, kissing, crying, our wedding day, and our wedding night...

My mind allowed me to see all of him and I knew that I loved this man more than I loved anything in the world. I threw my arms around Ari and pressed my lips to his. Knotting my hands up in the back of his shirt, I breathed him in. His scent was a drug and I was an addict. Parting my lips, I kissed him as fully as I could, wanting to never stop. Cheers rang out from the hallway and distracted me, but Ari pulled me in tighter, refusing to break our embrace.

"Oh, God, Ava," he trembled, "don't ever do this to me again." Ari let go of what remaining strength he had and cried into my hair.

### Chapter 3

Remember

Ari pulled down the shade of the window that peered into the waiting room. With dark circles under his eyes and clothes that were uncharacteristically unkempt, Ari looked exhausted.

His hair flopped down onto his forehead. His shoulders were tight with tension.

"You look tired," my voice was meek and quiet.

Ari let out a long breath between his pursed lips.

"I am," he said, and his eyes closed when he spoke. In that moment, my strong man looked like a scared boy.

"Ari, will you do something for me?"

His eyes fluttered back open and he looked at me longingly.

"Anything."

"Promise?"

"Of course." He came to my side, worry radiating off him in waves. His eyes bounced around my body, searching for a way to help me.

I moved over in my little hospital bed.

"Hold me."

His shoulders loosened slightly and he smiled a bit.

"I can't, Baby. I don't want to hurt you." He gently rubbed his thumb across my cheek leaving a path of warm tingling skin.

"Please."

His eyes were so dark and heavy. I could tell he was struggling to stay awake.

"Please."

Giving in to my request, Ari slipped off his shoes, he crawled into my bed and curled his body softy around mine, cradling my head to his chest. He ran his fingers gently around the outline of my lips, the crease of my eyelids and the seashell contours my ears.

"What happened to me?"

The movement of his fingers paused.

"Ava, I don't think..." he hesitated and shifted a tad, causing the hospital bed to squeak. "I mean, I don't know how to tell you just yet. Let's talk about it in the morning."

"Ok," I said dropping the subject.

Ari fell asleep moments later. I relaxed to the gentle thump of his heartbeat, and the soothing sound of his soft breathing. His chest moved ever so slightly with the rhythm of his breaths.

I wanted to touch him, run my fingers through his unruly hair and across his soft lips but my hand throbbed. I hurt all over; my head pounded and my side ached with every inhale and exhale. Snuggling my face close to his warm chest, I fell asleep.

When I awoke the next day, I was still wrapped up in Ari. He was awake and he looked and smelled clean. His hair, no longer drooping down over his eyes, was back to the messy state that I remembered – sticking up everywhere. He had changed into clean jeans and a tee-shirt. He was propped up on one elbow, staring off into the distance while he ran his fingers through my hair. His face was still worried, though, and he still had that little wrinkle in his forehead. I lifted my hand and smoothed his creased brow out with the backs of my fingers. Smiling down on me, he took my hand, kissed it and put it back at my side.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Alexander. Sleep well?"

"You left?"

Ari shook his head no.

"I didn't leave. I used your shower." His head tilted in the direction of the en suite bathroom.

"My parents brought up some clothes for me while you were still asleep this morning. They sat with you for about five minutes. I hope that was okay."

I nodded. I did not remember his parents.

"I need to let Dr. Phillips know you're awake."

Anxiety took hold of me and I stiffened – I didn't want Ari leaving me; I was so scared.

Ari kissed my forehead, picked up a phone near the bed and called the nurse's station. I let out a shaky breath and he looked down at me, concern on his face.

Moments later, the doctor arrived with a too-eager-to-help smile. He looked me over in a general way and then said he thought I could have more visitors once I had eaten. He checked my eyes with his flashlight again, took blood pressure, checked my pulse and went over a long list of my injuries.

With five broken ribs and three cracked ones, rope burns around my neck, a deep wound on my wrist and burns on my left hand; it was needless to say that I had somehow been severely tortured. There were two hairline fractures on my skull but no readily discernible damage to my brain. I had been in a coma due to brain edema. Once the swelling reduced, they had been able to remove me from the ventilator that had been keeping me alive. My head injury seemed less severe than had initially been thought – though Dr. Phillips warned me that I wasn't out of the woods yet... head injuries have a life and progress of their own and only time would tell if more evidence of injury would materialize.

He stated again that I had been involved in an exceedingly invasive series of events and added that my failure to remember my past was an effort on the part of my mind to protect itself. He said that I would most certainly have to deal with some post-traumatic stress in the months that followed and that regaining all of my memories could be time consuming and difficult.

"What happened to me?" I pressed the doctor for information. I couldn't help it. I had to know why I felt as scared – no, as terrified, as I did. He looked from me over to Ari. Ari nodded at him and Dr. Phillips patted him on the shoulder and left.

"Ava," Ari took in a breath, "you were kidnapped the day after our wedding. You were held captive in a small house out in the hills; you were actually just a few miles away from home the whole time. We found you almost a week later. I don't know what happened to you while you were gone except that you had been grievously hurt. You are the only one who can tell us what happened."

"Who kidnapped me? Who would do something like this?"

Ari frowned. "His name was Damien Kakos. You knew him as 'No. 6,' though. You needed to dehumanize the Kakos clan as much as you could. He had five brothers."

I scrunched my face up and shook my head trying to remember. I looked at the five black tally marks on my left wrist.

"What happened before that?"

"Do you remember your dreams?"

I stared at him, blinked and then tried to look away. I do not talk about my dreams with anyone.

"I know about them, Ava. The scissors. The people and their screaming. You've told me about them before. You are Greek. You are more than Greek... you are the sole descendent of Atropos, one of the three Fates. The Kakos brothers knew who you are and they wanted to destroy you. But you beat them. You won. I don't really know how... you never shared that information with me. I only know that you killed them, Ava. The first two kidnapped my sister and you went after them. One was shot to death on their boat and the other died with the lanyard around his neck. I don't really know about the rest – only what the news reported. No. 3 was pretty gruesome, No. 4 not so much. No. 5's death was... intense. There are some things that you would not tell even me. I'm sorry I can't be more help."

"There are more... these men, are there more of them?"

"No... you are done."

Scrunching my nose in thought, I remembered, once again, the words my mother had spoken to me. I was not safe, I was not done. Ari was wrong.

As the day led on, I was able to remember odd details of my life and I worked at piecing them together. I remembered scenes from London, and as soon as I remembered London, I thought of August.

"I remember someone," I said. My words brought a smile to Ari's face.

"That's great, Ava! Who?"

"August! Where is he?"

Ari's smile faltered a bit and he laughed.

"Oh, August is going to love this. He's at our house right now, but he'll be up here a bit later to see you."

"Ok." I felt eager to see him and to know that everything I remembered was real.

The nurse (I already decided I hated her), popped in and checked my fluids. She then turned to Ari and flashed him another toothy smile.

"We're going to need a DNA sample from you."

"It can wait," he responded coldly.

"Well, no, I am afraid it can't. It won't take but a few minutes; the lab is just down the hall."

"Well, yes, it can and it will wait, until someone else is here and able to sit with her."

The nurse's cheeks turned red and she looked down at her hands.

"Yes, sir, I will bring Mrs. Alexander some lunch. When you both feel more comfortable, I can take you down there."

"I know where the lab is," Ari snapped, "and we'll order her lunch from here." The nurse nodded then left.

"What was that about?"

Ari closed his eyes and shook his head.

"It's nothing, Ava. They found traces of rohypnol in your system and they found DNA in your body that was not from you. They're just ruling some things out... that's all."

"Oh." I looked down in my lap.

"Hey Baby, it's going to be okay." He put his hand on my chin and kissed me softly on the lips. "We are going to get through all of this together."

"Mm hmm."

"Hungry?"

"Mm hmm."

Ari picked up the phone by the bed and ordered my lunch.

I ate a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich on whole wheat bread and then worked a bit on a cup of tomato soup. Ari's mom and dad came in to see me after lunch. They were still not quite in my brain's focus. I could not quite place them, but they did seem familiar. My attention was caught by the sound of Ari's mom crying and I tilted my head to the side to look at her curiously.

"I saw you," I said to her. "I saw you on the beach. You were holding a candle and the sky was full of lights." They all three looked at me as if I were nuts.

"What?" I said indignantly. "I saw her, I swear. She was crying and she hugged him," I pointed at Ari's dad. "I saw it."

His dad's jaw dropped. "The news," he said, shocked. "That was on the news; you saw the footage."

I shrugged. "I guess I don't remember that what I saw was from TV. It seemed so real to me."

Ari said, "I can't believe you actually saw that! Do you remember anything else?"

Wrinkling my forehead, I tried to think of something... anything.

"No, sorry."

"It's ok, Baby, you will. Slow and steady. That's the best way for your memory to recover."

His parents stayed with me for a long while, talking to me and telling me little stories about the first time they met me, and about moments we had all shared together. They re-capped their family history for me, showing me _who_ they were with their family stories. I vaguely remembered some details, but the memories were fuzzy.

"Oh, Ava Baby," Ari's mom sighed, "we just love you so much."

"Love," I cocked my head to the side again. "All tonight is, is love, Baby, nothing else but love," I quoted her from my wedding day. Her kind words had helped get me through the day.

A giant smile spread across all of their faces.

"You remember?" Aggie asked softly.

"I will never forget, Aggie. I love you and Andy so much."

She wrapped her arms around me in a gentle hug and when she finally let go, Andy stepped up to take her place.

August knocked on the door and I beamed up at him. I did not need any help remembering _his_ face; he was tied to such a dark part of my life. The sad, hard moments were harder for me to forget. I remembered the awful events in London and the two deaths that came before the trip. I even remembered how August had a hand in the killing of No. 4. Ari, worry showing in his eyes, slipped out of the room when August and I started talking.

"Ava, I have to go back home to France," he delivered mind-numbing news. "I am going to be there for a while with my family. I'll be looking for jobs in California, and as soon as I land one, I will be back, okay? I promise."

I frowned and August laughed.

"I had no idea you cared so much, but don't worry, Ava, your husband has already given me permission to crash in your pool house. We get to be roomies again!"

I smiled and rolled my eyes at him. Only August would beg Ari, at a time like this, to let him live with us. That was why I loved him.

He was catching a flight right away and I was going to miss him terribly. But I knew August would be back; there could be no keeping us apart.

Ari returned minutes later and August pulled him into a hug. They exchanged a quiet goodbye complete with more hugs, pats on the back and handshakes. August smiled back at me and left.

Exhausted and in pain, I was still able to convince Ari that I was fine so he would hold me again. His parents stuck around until the evening, then left to let me rest.

The next morning Lauren came in, crying, with Julia behind her. Rain had been falling steadily all morning and the squeak of their wet shoes on the tiled floor of the hall announced their arrival long before the two girls reached my room. I set about comforting Lauren as best I could... she needed it more than I did. Julia painted my toenails and brought me some of the clothes I had asked her to bring.

"I looked everywhere for your Cubs shirt, Baby, but I couldn't find it," she said with a furrowed brow.

Ari shot her a warning look and she gulped and shut up.

My dear grandmother Margaux came for a visit, too. She was dressed in a flowing summer dress, slightly the worse for having been rained on, and, as usual, improbably high heels. Oh, and huge, sparkly, yellow diamond studded earrings. After setting a vase full of cut flowers on my stand, she immediately turned to talk with Ari. Shortly after, she saw herself out of my room.

Toothy Nurse came to my room and removed some of my bandages and my IV. She said I could shower if I wanted to and even change out of my hospital gown. Ari offered to come with me to the bathroom to help me clean up, but I refused. I asked Aggie to help me instead.

My declining his help hurt Ari's feelings, but I didn't want him to see my bruised and beaten body. I didn't want those images of me in his head.

Ari helped me out of bed and holding his arm, I shuffled slowly to the bathroom. I ached all over and my legs were beyond weak. Aggie waited for me at the bathroom door, but Ari was hesitant to turn me over to her. Aggie put her hand on Ari's cheek and smiled up at him reassuringly.

"I'll be right here," he pointed to the spot just outside the bathroom door.

"We know, Honey," Aggie took my hand, closed the door behind him and helped me out of my hospital gown. She stifled a gasp.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I was appalled at what I saw. I was much worse than I had expected. The person before me was a stranger, an uglier, scarier twin. My left side was completely black and blue. I had broken the same ribs that had been hurt the last time, only much more seriously. My point of balance was nonexistent and I wobbled even when standing still; walking by myself was impossible.

My arms and legs were like sticks, fragile and frail. My left arm and the fingers of my left hand were swollen and liquid oozed from them. I looked again in the mirror. My sunken eyes were rimmed by bruised purple flesh and bits of blood stained my hair. My neck was bright red and the flesh there was raw and meaty.

Aggie watched me watch myself and her tears threatened to roll down her cheeks.

"We'll get you cleaned up, Ava Baby, and you will feel so much better," she said, her voice full of sorrow and love as she tried to reassure me.

Aggie knew I had issues with close contact and with modesty, so she made quick work of helping me wash. Over and over she had to wipe tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. She washed and rinsed my hair, then wrapped a big towel around me. Aggie started on my hair. She brushed the long strands carefully with soft strokes that were soothing for both of us. She was quiet as she helped me get dressed in a loose white tee and a pair of Ari's sweats. She even pulled up the legs the way I like them and rolled down the waistband.

"You know me well."

"I really like to think so, Ava."

As we finished, there was a knock at the door and Miss Tooth came in to replace the dressings on my burnt fingers and on the slash in my arm.

When she opened the bathroom door, Ari was there, pacing the floor. He stopped as she slipped past him, then looked at me. Relief washed over his face. He wrapped his arm around me and helped me to my bed. He peppered my face with kisses as he lay back down next to me. Julia, Lauren, Gianna and Aggie were in the room. He tuned them out almost as though none of them existed for him now that I was near.

"They got our lab results back today," he whispered. I could tell the others were straining to hear his words, but they were meant only for me as he whispered them almost soundlessly into my ear.

I drew in a sharp, painful breath. Ari held me more closely and more gently.

"We're good; nobody there but you and me." Tears ran down my face and then down his.

"Oh, Ari, I am so sorry this happened."

"No one is sorrier than I am, Baby. I should never have let you out of my sight."

****

I stayed in the hospital for a week for observation and evaluation. As the days went by, I remembered more and more of my past. My mother's death, Mia's death, my time in the dorm – these all came back to me. I was able to remember Rory before he visited me and he responded with a delighted smile; not that his self-esteem needed any help at all... just like old times. I laughed and rolled my eyes at everything he said. He told us that _Miike Snow_ was coming to L.A. in a few months and that he was going to get all of us tickets to the concert. I said I would believe that when I saw the tickets in his hand.

### Chapter 4

Setback

Ari and I spent the first week after I was finally released at home together with the doors locked. I was unceasingly tired and often fell asleep next to him on the couch, waking several hours later to find myself surrounded by the billowy blankets and pillows on our bed with Ari still at my side.

My body slowly started to heal. My ribs ached almost all of the time, but my wrist was starting to feel a little better, turning from red to pink as the healing went on – there would definitely be a scar and I was dealing with some Ulnar nerve damage. The tips of the fingers on my left hand were ultra-sensitive and I could hardly bare to touch anything. My head hurt, but the throbbing started to ebb to a dull twinge.

Late one evening, Ari and I were wrapped up together on the couch, watching a movie. I giggled at something silly, he kissed me and that was all it took before we were completely carried away with our love for one another. Our kissing led to much more. Making love with Ari was just as wonderful as I had remembered. He was slow and cautious. The feelings he drew from me were powerful and lovely. I was careful to bite him only softly, and on his shoulder rather than his bottom lip.

Rolling me gently into the nook in his arm, Ari's heart beat rapidly and his skin glistened. He held me for a while and rubbed his finger back and forth on my lips. Before long, my side started to scream in protest and I had to sit up to give my ribs some needed relief. Our clothes were strewn carelessly about the floor, tables and even a lamp shade and I gave a hoarse giggle at the state of our living room.

"Thirsty?" Ari asked with a smile. I put my hands up to my throat and nodded in response. He grabbed a pair of boxers up off the floor and slipped into them. Yanking Ari's tee-shirt from the table, I slipped it on over my head, followed him into the kitchen, and leaned up against the island. He filled two glasses full of filtered water and set them both down in front of us. I reached for a glass and suddenly horrible images of being held at gunpoint, having to decide which glass of water might contain poison, and which might be harmless flooded my mind.

I covered my mouth with my hand in horror and my eyes grew wide. My body shook and my stomach churned. I was filled with shock and fear, and Ari immediately took notice.

"Ava? Ava, what's wrong?" He was frantic, but I was too terrified to answer him; my eyes were glued on the glasses in front of me. Ari quickly picked them up and threw them into the sink. Water and shards of glass flew over the countertop. My knees grew weak and he rushed over to grab me before I collapsed to the floor.

"Oh, my God; oh, my God," I repeated these words, this litany, over and over again as the panic and anxiety grew stronger inside me. Ari held me tight in his arms as we sat on the kitchen floor. Eventually, my breathing slowed and Ari put my face in his hands.

"What happened? What do you remember?"

I shook my head. "I, I," I stuttered, "I can't. I'm sorry, Ari, but I can't tell you."

Ari was hurt, but more than hurt, he was worried.

"Ok," he said simply as he picked me up off the floor and carried me to our bedroom. He held me all night long, patting my hair, and wiping my tears away as I cried.

At some point, sleep found me and my mind was busy with nightmares until the afternoon sun woke me. Ari was in the shower; I could hear the water running. Pulling myself out of bed, I headed to the kitchen. I was now exceedingly thirsty. The broken glass was gone, the water wiped up, our kitchen restored to its clean and tidy state. I opened the cabinet and found that all of our glasses had been replaced by red plastic cups. A small smile spread on my lips as I filled one with water.

I drank the cool water quickly and since I was in need of a shower, I went into the bathroom to join Ari. My bruises were more yellow than black and blue and I wasn't nearly as scary looking as I had been a couple weeks ago. Our master bathroom was spacious. The floor was covered in large, dark slate tile. We had two big sinks and a long mirror that stretched across the wall. Fog on the mirror kept me from seeing my reflection.

We had a pretty cabinet on the wall to the left that held folded piles of thick, white towels. Two hooks held matching bathrobes. The shower was the centerpiece of the whole room. The shower doors were clear glass that opened French style. The handles were sleek and silver. The shower itself was very roomy and had three showerheads, one on each of the dark tiled walls. I opened the shower doors and walked in and Ari pulled me straight into his arms. He flipped the other two showerheads on, washed and rinsed my hair and then my body with his clean smelling soap. His touch sent lovely tingles all over my skin. I closed my eyes and just let the feeling take over. Ari moved his fingers down to my swollen ribs.

"We should have never done that last night. I could have hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, Ari. I needed you."

I was surprised at the words that came out of my own mouth. I had never been bold about sex, but my statement was true. I needed to feel him. I needed him to want me.

He turned the water off and wrapped me up in a robe, then started to put on his clothes.

Despite the setback, I had the night before, I wanted to be strong and move forward with my life. I did not want my fears to control me. I resisted the temptation to dress in Ari's tee-shirt and boxers. Instead, I chose something much cuter and more appropriate for the middle of the day. I put on a little bit of makeup and sprayed some product on my hair to keep the frizz at bay, then met Ari out on the deck. He sat at the patio table and read the morning paper line for line. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. He swiveled around to face me and pulled me onto his warm lap.

"So what do you want to do today?" I asked.

"Mmm..." his lips pursed in thought.

"Actually, tomorrow is Lauren's sixteenth birthday and I haven't gotten her anything yet. I guess I kind of have to take care of that."

"What are you going to get her, a new car?" I teased.

"Ha, no, my parents already did," he said as he rubbed the stubble on his cheeks. "I have no clue about what I should get her."

I stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him up with me, "I guess we'd better get started then."

We hopped in Ari's SUV and spent the better part of the late afternoon in local shops around Dana Point. Lauren was going to be moving to the dorms for her junior year, so I got her some things for her dorm room and some new clothes for school. I went overboard, as usual, but she is really fun to shop for and her reactions when opening gifts are priceless and very enjoyable.

After a lot of deliberation, Ari finally decided to get her a new surfboard. She always complained about having to use his old one. We stopped in Killer Dana Surf Shop, where Ari was greeted by each employee by name. Only they called him Are and not Ari. They did weird handshakes and talked surf lingo.

"Sup, Are? Gettin' your babelini a board?" a tall, shaggy-haired, tan guy asked as he walked up to the two of us.

"Nah, she's a gaper." Ari ran his hand through his hair.

"You doin' a gaper?" he _tsked_.

"Ava is my wife. I'm here to get new gear for Lauren," Ari answered.

The guy mumbled something about another one biting the dust.

Ari introduced me to Trevor, called Trev by the guys; Erik, nicknamed Erika; Mindy, whom they called Betty, and lastly, Ella, better known as Bunny. I heard words like bro, brosef and brosiah – all three of which I am pretty sure mean the same thing. Trev asked Ari how Andy was and referred to Andy as a "grey."

They talked for a while, using their specialized vocabulary, and then Ari, with Bunny's help, found the perfect board for Lauren. It was a BIC Sport Wahine something or other. White, with a purple streak down the middle. Ari kept trying to talk me into letting him buy me one too, but I vehemently refused. The staff was friendly and all of them came out from the back room to say goodbye. Ari did another series of weird handshakes and we were on our way.

As we left the shop, I turned to him. "What's a grey?" I wanted to know.

"An older surfer."

"What's a gaper?"

Ari chuckled a bit to himself and ran his hand through his hair again. "It's someone who watches surfers but has never been in the water."

"Oh."

"I can't believe I married someone who doesn't like to get in the water. We have a pool and a hot tub, and we live on the beach – all of which are of no use to us."

"You can get into whatever water you want whenever you want. It's not as though you're starved for company."

"Yeah, but I only want to play with you," he frowned.

"Well, we'll just have to find other things to do in our spare time," I suggested with a wink.

"Ok," a sly smile replaced the frown on his face, "but I wouldn't mind combining the two one day."

I _tsked_ at him and rolled my eyes.

The shopping trip had one other interesting aspect. Because of the fact that I had been kidnapped by a man seriously wanted by the FBI and that I am the only heiress to _baio_ , my grandmother's wildly successful clothing company, Ari's and my face had been plastered all over both papers and in magazines. People recognized us wherever we went. Most people smiled and offered a few words of encouragement. In the few instances when someone got a little too personal or encroached upon my delicate space bubble, Ari was right there to usher the intruder away. A couple of times, I saw people snapping photos with their cell phones or cameras and it made me feel uneasy and a bit violated. I could tell that Ari was angry about the photo situation, too, but he tried hard not to show it.

We packed up Ari's Rover with Lauren's gifts and then walked down the road to a small restaurant on the corner. We ate dinner together at a private outside table, talked, held hands and watched as dark storm clouds rolled in off the sea. After our meal, the wind began to pick up, howling and whistling. Then the sky opened up and fat drops of rain began to drop heavily down from the heavens. We ran to Ari's car and laughed as we slammed the car doors. Ari shook his wet hair out, causing droplets to splatter his leather seats.

His smile faded. "This attention is all going to blow over, you know – people wanting to talk to you and take your photo."

I nodded. "You're right. It'll be fine. We just need to give this situation some time."

"I shouldn't have brought you out with me today. I wasn't thinking."

"I wanted to come, Ari. I want to be normal with you."

Ari let out a breath between his cheeks. "We will never be normal, Ava."

I frowned. Ari changed the subject quickly to the weather and the fact that the storm would make for some decent waves the next day.

He pulled into the garage and began to unload the gifts while I went to hunt down ribbons and wrapping paper. I was still new to the house and since I had never packed or unpacked a single item, finding the ribbon drawer was a bit of a challenge. After ten minutes of diligent hunting, I called Aggie, who told me the ribbon was in the utility room – a space I hadn't even known existed in my own home. Or maybe I had known, but just couldn't retrieve it from the depths of my impaired memory. When I found it, located just off the den, I was more than happy to see that the space was full of all the gift-wrapping essentials along with tools, cleaning supplies and all sorts of random, useful items. It was a do-it-yourselfer's dream closet.

I walked back up to the main living room with paper, ribbons, scissors and tape in hand. Ari put a _Beck_ album on the whole-house sound system and we got to work on the living room floor, wrapping everything up in shades of purple. When _Beck's_ version of "Pink Moon" came on, Ari grabbed my hand, bringing me to my feet, and the two of us danced together, barefoot in our living room. He sang along with the music while the thunder crashed just outside. I felt unbelievably safe in his arms and pushed myself closer to his chest.

"I never should have let you leave me that day." Ari held me tighter in his arms. He kissed my hair. "I will never be able to forgive myself for what happened to you."

### Chapter 5

### Swimming Lesson

The next morning, we went next door to Ari's parent's house. The sun was shining brightly and the air was soft and warm. Ari unloaded all of the gifts for Lauren's birthday in a pile in Aggie's kitchen. Lauren's eyes grew wide when she saw the surfboard with a great big purple ribbon wrapped around it.

"Oh, my gosh," she squealed. "Please tell me that's mine!"

"Happy birthday!" Ari laughed and Lauren ran across the kitchen and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you so much; I love it! Can we go out today? Please?"

Ari scratched the back of his head, "Uhh, I don't know, Lauren." He looked over at me questioningly and I could tell he was torn about leaving my side. Sheer disappointment showed on Lauren's face.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ari; of course you'll go," I spoke up before he could make any excuses.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely. I'll be out in a little bit to sit on the beach and fulfill my role as a gaper."

He stared at me for a minute in thought. "Are you sure?" he repeated.

"She said yes, now let's go!" Lauren whined before I could respond.

I smiled a reassuring grin and Ari kissed me softly and left to get his board.

Sitting down at the kitchen island, I watched Aggie make Lauren's birthday cake. The house cleared out quickly as soon as the others found out that Ari and Lauren were going surfing. Even Andy joined in on their fun.

"So, Ava," Aggie started. "Were you able to find the 'ribbon drawer?" She teased.

"Yes. That closet's so over the top, don't you think? But I love it!"

"Only a bit. Didn't Ari show you around your own home?"

I frowned. "Yes, Aggie he did. I just don't remember everything."

"Oh." Aggie's face fell and her shoulders dropped. "Right, Ava, I am sorry, Baby."

"It is totally fine, Aggie. No worries; it's just a room, and I... just forgot it was there. No big deal."

She turned serious.

"Is everything going okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I answered. I didn't want to go into detail or mention anything about the glasses of water, and I am sure she understood.

"Are you sure? Ari told me about yesterday and some of the people snapping pictures of you."

"Yeah." I tried to brush her off.

"That will blow over; just lay low for a bit."

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. I will."

Aggie could see I didn't feel like talking any further on the subject of my kidnapping or of the aftermath. She tactfully changed the subject. Or maybe not so tactfully.

"We haven't really talked since the wedding... how is married life?"

Grinning, I fidgeted with my ring. "Good."

"Oh, come on" Aggie laughed as she threw her dishtowel down on the counter. "Is that all you're going to give me? 'Good?'" She mocked. "You know I want details."

"Aggie, first of all, Ari is your son, so, _gross_ , no, I will not give you details. Secondly, you know I don't like to talk about that kind of stuff. I think we may need to set up some boundaries."

She rolled her eyes at me and we both said "whatever" at the same time.

"AH!" Aggie hollered, startling me and I jumped a bit in my seat. Before I could ask her what was wrong she quickly and excitedly said, "Piase Kokkino. Say it, Ava, say it!"

"What?" I laughed aloud at her silly behavior.

"Say it! Piase Kokkino!"

"No! Why?"

"When two people say the same thing at the same time they each say 'piase kokkino' and then touch something red."

"Why?"

"Saying the same thing is an omen! We will get into a fight or an argument if we don't touch something red! It's Greek tradition. Here!" She pointed to a red magnet on the refrigerator. "Touch this."

"You are a nut, Aggie. I am going out to sit in the sun. Call me if you need me," I gave her a quick hug to show her I love her.

"You aren't going to touch red?" She was disappointed and frowned.

"Nope," I answered as I pulled off the clothes I was wearing over my bikini, grabbed a towel and headed to the beach.

****

Nick, Rory, Ari, Andy, Thais and Lauren were splashing around out past the breakers and Julia was stretched out on a towel on the sand.

"Hey," I said, "mind if I join you?"

"Hi, girl, not at all," Julia said enthusiastically. She must have been really bored to be so happy to see me.

"So..." I racked my brain for a normal conversation to have with her.

"How are things going with Rory?"

"Really good, actually; it's funny how hung up I was on Ari when we first met. I can't believe I overlooked Rory for even a second; clearly he's perfect."

"Clearly," only a tiny tad of sarcasm crept into my tone. Julia missed the sarcasm and I was glad.

"Rory is great," I said, this time in all honestly. "I'm glad things are working out for you."

"Me too! I really love him. And we are moving up to L.A. in a few days for school. I found a great apartment on campus. I am looking forward to having some alone-time together." She smiled. "How about you – how is married life?"

"Everything is super," I replied, hoping she would leave it at that.

Julia rolled over and sat up. She had a crafty look on her face.

"So dish - how was the wedding night?"

I let out a nervous laugh.

"It was good."

"Oh, come off it, Ava; I know it was more than good, don't give me that. I heard it was brilliant," her words rolled off her tongue in her perfect little English accent while pointing nonchalantly to the corner of her bottom lip right where Ari's scar was.

My jaw slid open. "How would you know that, Julia?"

"Uh, Rory, duh!"

"Rory? How would Rory know anything?"

"Oh, Ava, please. You know Rory and Ari put on this big front that they couldn't care less about each other, but the truth is they tell each other everything. Just look at them out there carrying on like two eight-year-old boys."

The two of them were splashing and dunking each other in the waves. I was mad, mad at Ari. I resolved to talk to him about this later. So little in my life was private anymore; the least he could do was to keep our intimacy private and just between the two of us. Julia kept talking and before long my anger receded. I let the warm sun ease some of my tension away.

Ari sauntered up the beach a little while later. He took a seat next to my towel.

"Come swim with me."

"No thanks. I watched you swimming with Rory; I'll pass."

Ari ran his hand through his wet hair.

"I promise I won't let you go," he spoke very fast while reaching for me.

"Ari!" I screamed but before I could protest any more than that, he scooped me up cradling me in his arms and took off down the beach in a dead sprint. I hadn't realized just how fast a runner Ari is. He reached the water in seconds and once his body hit the waves, he wrapped my legs around his waist and held me like a child on his hip. As he waded in deeper and deeper I wrapped myself around him like a constrictor and shoved my face in the crook between his neck and shoulder.

Ari moved his arm up my back and tilted my chin up with his finger to look me in the eye. He smiled a reassuring smile. The water this close to shore was warm and calm. The waves were gentle and had a lazy way about them.

Not able to suppress my grin any longer, I smiled so hard it hurt my cheeks.

"Fun, right?" Ari asked with his boyish charm and I nodded eagerly.

He threw his head back and laughed aloud. "I knew you would like this!"

I'll admit that I was not scared in Ari's arms and I laughed with glee as he kissed my neck and tickled me with his lips.

Ari did just as he promised and did not let me go. The salty waves rolled all around us. He had his arms wrapped around me and kissed me as if we had never kissed before. Despite the cool breeze chilling my wet skin, my body begin to heat up and tingle. I closed my eyes and tightened myself even closer around his body.

"Yuck," Lauren yelled over the crashing waves and cawing birds, "I can tell you aren't going to be any fun anymore; I'm going in."

A smile spread across Ari's face and he loosened his grip for just a second to wave Lauren off, then went right back to kissing me.

The beach cleared out almost as though on cue, and only Ari and I remained. Once he realized we were alone, his grin turned mischievous. I let out a giggle when he pulled the strings on the bottom half of my bikini, letting it come loose.

"Oh, Ava," he murmured, "music to my ears." He walked with me through the water back towards the shore and lay me down in the wet sand. Thank God for a private beach! We were just far enough out that the waves would rush up my legs then trickle away only to come right back again. Ari kept pace with the sea and my fear of the water mixed with the pleasure of Ari was unlike anything I had ever felt before. My fingers dug into his hair and his fingers dug into the wet sand. I let out a moan then put my mouth on his strong shoulder again and bit down on him to muffle my screams.

"Damn, Ava, I love it when you bite me, but I want to hear you, too."

My stomach flipped, tumbled, summersaulted, cartwheeled and round-off -back-hand-springed. Ari can say the sexiest things some times. I was no match for him. I looked away from his face, played with my hair and tucked a strand behind my ear.

"Baby, it's me. Hearing your moans and your giggles, feeling your nails and your teeth in my skin -- it's enough to unman me -- I lose control every time. I love watching your little toes curl with pleasure. I want to hear your pleasure, too."

I blinked at him, unable to respond.

Ari picked me and my discarded swimsuit up in his arms. He headed back to our house so we could clean up before Lauren's birthday dinner. In the bathroom, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was healing. My eyes were no longer sunken and shrouded in dark circles. My cheeks were full again and between the sun and the blush Ari had just put on them with his conversation, they had taken on a rosy sheen. I looked forward to the dinner, to spending time with all of the people I love... and to laughing with them once again.

We got back to Aggie and Andy's in time to join everyone at the dinner table. The table was filled with family, fun, and lighthearted conversation, just as I had hoped. The day had made me feel like me again; it helped me forget about my troubles for a while. The only thing that was missing was August.

I had talked with him earlier in the week. He was doing well. He insisted that we speak in French and the effort made my head hurt, so I didn't stay on the phone for long.

After dinner, Ari and I helped Aggie clean up the kitchen and then we all gathered around the big kitchen island to sing happy birthday to Lauren. The cake was two layers and covered in purple icing. It was decked out with sixteen glittery, pink candles. Andy pulled out a silver zippo lighter to light them. At the sight of the lighter, I instantly froze. Fear and pain lodged in the pit of my stomach. My head pounded, my heart raced and my hands trembled. My knees were weak and bile rose in my throat. Images of my fingertips blistering and melting away flashed before my eyes. I saw No. 6's sadistic smile and heard his evil laugh. My own screams echoed in my ears as my anxiety level mounted. I looked at my hand, then back at the lighter.

"Dad," Ari shouted, "Dad, stop. Dad, for Christ's sake, put the damn lighter away now!"

The entire party turned to look at us and finally Andy dropped the lighter to the counter top. It came down with a clatter against the hard marble.

"Oh, my God," was once again the only thing that would come out of my mouth. Ari grabbed me by my arm and pulled me through the kitchen and out the back door. He sat me on a deck chair and went to his knees, in-between my legs. Putting my face in his hands, he looked up at me in the eyes.

"Ava, breathe, it's ok. It will never happen to you again, I promise. Ava, I love you so much; just please breathe. Everything will be okay."

It took me much longer to get over this flashback than the first one. Horrorstruck, I kept looking down at my hand to make sure the flesh wasn't melting from my bones.

Once I began to calm down, I put my hand on Ari's face. He held my fingers to his lips and kissed each fingertip over and over again.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked softly.

"Kind of, but I don't want to hurt Lauren's feelings."

"I'm sure she'll get over it once she sees what's waiting for her in the garage."

We walked home slowly, hand in hand. I couldn't face going to bed for fear of my taunting nightmares, so Ari and I snuggled up on the couch for a while without saying much of anything.

"Ava," he whispered after a long while. "You know you can tell me anything. Maybe you'll feel better if you talk about the things you went through."

Closing my eyes, I let out a breath, briefly considering giving him every single gory detail.

"No," I shook my head, "it's bad enough that I have these images in my head and in my dreams; I don't want them in yours, too."

"Please, I would do anything for you. I wish I could trade places with you. I wish it had been me he had taken."

I closed my eyes as Ari's words brought back even more images... Ari on the TV begging to let us trade places, my captor giving me that option time and time again and the memory of how each time I said no, to keep him from hurting the person I love more than I love my own life.

I remembered how I faced torture and death by letting the thought of Ari take up all of the space in my head.

I laid my head on his chest and breathed him in.

"You were with me the whole time. No. 6 kept turning the TV on, playing images of you over and over and over again. Each time I felt scared or was in pain or was sad, I closed my eyes and thought of you. You saved me a thousand different ways, a thousand different times."

He kissed my head, "I'll always save you, Ava."

"How did you find me?" I asked.

He cocked his head to one side. "You texted me, remember? I don't know how you got hold of a phone, but you sent me an 'x' and I knew right away it was you. I was," he paused, "Ava, I was a complete wreck. Getting that text was the closest I have come to believing in miracles ever in my life. The police traced the number and they were able to locate you within a matter of a few hours."

I shook my head. Fuzzy memories began to come back to me. I remembered the sounds of the helicopters and then fighting with No. 6 at the top of the stairs. I remembered running through the house and finally finding my door to freedom. I remembered seeing Ari's face in a sea of lights and faces.

I rubbed the back of my head, "What happened?"

"He came after you with a..." Ari swallowed hard, "with a bat and he hit you."

I lay silent for a while.

"Ari?"

"Mmm?" he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Is he dead?"

It was his turn to stay silent.

"No, Ava, he's not dead."

He rubbed his scruffy cheek as he usually does when he's thinking about something or when he is nervous or uncomfortable.

"He's in the hospital in critical condition. He was shot five times. They took him to the hospital per protocol. None of paramedics thought he would last the first five minutes in the ambulance...but... "

"But... I have to do it, don't I?" I cut his sentence off. "I am the only person who can really end his life on earth?"

"Ava, don't worry about that right now. He isn't going anywhere. If he ever recovers, the authorities will take him straight to prison. He will never get to you again."

I nodded my head and then snuggled deeper into Ari's chest. I willed myself to sleep and filled my thoughts of No. 6. There was no way that bastard was going to live another day; conscious or not, he would die by my will before daybreak.

****

I found myself in the dimly lit hospital hall with my scissors in hand. I stormed through the halls, searching for No. 6. I knew he was in there somewhere. The pounding of my feet reverberated against the corridor's walls. After a long search, I found his door at the end of a quiet passage. I barged straight into the room and stopped dead in my tracks.

The room was filled with a hauntingly familiar scent and No. 6 was not alone. I couldn't make out the other person's face because as soon as I walked in, the person vanished as if into thin air. All I saw, as the figure faded from the room, was a Nike trainer with a yellow swoosh on it. I tried to push the fear from my mind. Who would want to visit someone as evil and demonic as Damien Kakos? What if the end of No. 6 wasn't the end of the Kakos? I focused on the task at hand, Damien Kakos watched, helpless with fear in his eyes as I took his red thread in my hand. Looking down on him with merciless hate, I sliced his life in two with no remorse. I heard the hospital monitors give a few final bleeps and melt into a single flat tone. I turned around and left.

### Chapter 6

The L Word

I woke with a pounding headache as the flat-lining monitors common in my dreams turned into very loud honking.

The noise was coming from outside the house. I had fallen asleep, on top of Ari, on the couch. I nudged him, poking him a few times in the ribs before he woke.

"Morning," he said sleepily as he blinked his tired eyes up at me. He re-adjusted his head on the pillow and closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

"Someone is honking a car horn. Will you please make that noise stop?" I groaned, growing more and more annoyed at the _honnnnk, honnnnk_ that wouldn't stop.

Ari moaned and slid out from underneath me. His hair stuck out everywhere from his head in springy tuffs. For a grown man, Ari is adorable when he first wakes up, which is probably why nothing gets accomplished at our house in the morning. He walked through the living room and down the hall towards the seldom-used front door.

"You had better get up," his voice echoed from the entryway. "The honking isn't going to stop until you come out and see Lauren's car."

"Ugh." Pulling myself up from the couch, I dragged my feet across the floor to the front door. Lauren was waving and honking from her new, little, red Volkswagen hardtop convertible. We went outside in our bare feet to check it out and shut her up. The car was cute and shiny. Lauren had already stuck a clingy decal of the Greek flag to the back window – and I guessed Andy had a hand in that gift.

Ari curled his fingers around mine and as he did, his watch nudged the scar on the inside of my arm. I held his wrist up to check the time. Seven in the morning – the early morning sun was beating down and my headache was not relenting. I turned, holding on to Ari's hand and walked back towards the house, pulling him with me. Lauren parked and trailed in behind us. I made my way to the coffee pot and Lauren slipped her hands around me in a hug.

"Thank you so much for all my gifts, Ava. I love you."

"You don't love me, Lauren," I grumbled. "You just love the fact that I have a better fashion sense than your mother and your wardrobe has dramatically improved since I came into your life."

"Well, maybe a little bit, but I still just mostly love you," she said, letting me go.

"I love you, too."

I poured some coffee and set a mug down in front of Ari, then sat down to look at the paper.

"So did you guys hear that Damien Kakos died last night?" Lauren asked unable to hide the curiosity and excitement in her voice. My annoyance with Ari's sister was growing with every passing moment.

Ari coughed on his coffee and shot me a suspicious, angry look. I quickly looked away, my eyes dropping down to my dark black coffee and the stain that ringed the inner surface of my favorite mug.

"Mmm, I think I knew that," I answered, looking up quickly for Ari's reaction. He rolled his eyes at me and then looked back down at the morning paper, although his eyes weren't bouncing line from line as they usually did when he reads. I knew he was listening, waiting for me to explain more even though he knew I wouldn't utter a single word about my encounter with No. 6 on his death bed.

"Ava," Lauren said sheepishly, "are you alright? What happened last night with the lighter?"

"Lauren!" Ari yelled disapprovingly at his little sister.

"What? I want to know, too," she said to him, assuming that I had told him all about my flashback.

"Lauren, I'm fine, really. The lighter just brought back some pretty gory memories; you have nothing to worry about."

"Fine, no one ever tells me anything," she pouted with her arms crossing over her chest, her foot stomping once on the floor. Ari shot her a warning look so she decided to change the subject.

"So when are you guys going to have kids?" she chirped.

"Never," I replied at the same time Ari said, "Someday."

We both shot each other shocked looks.

"Lauren," Ari stood up, "go bother Rory, it's too early for this shit."

"Fine but I am having a party tonight on the beach with my friends, so please tell mom not to do anything embarrassing."

"Oh, holy hell. I'm so glad we live here instead of there," I muttered over my coffee.

"No kidding," Ari chimed in as he walked Lauren to the door.

Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath. I tried to clear my thoughts, erase the images of No. 6's fear-filled eyes as I cut his thread. Ari brought me quickly back to reality.

"I cannot believe you did that last night," Ari leaned his hip against the counter top, his mug of coffee cupped in his hand.

I shrugged, "No. 6 had to die; no sense in prolonging the inevitable."

He shook his head at me disapprovingly. "So..." his fingers strummed his mug a tad uncomfortably, "no kids?"

I bit at a fingernail, feeling uncomfortable, too.

"I guess I have always pictured myself with children until I found out who my dad was and who I was. I just don't think I want to continue down that path. I don't want someone else to have to bear my burden as a Fate."

"Ava, the worst is over; you've taken away any burden that might have fallen on our children. Everything you've gone through has been for our future. You've done something that no one in your past has had the strength to do. The Kakos are gone now."

I thought back to the night before, how No. 6 had company. Something in the back of my mind was trying to surface, something that told me my business with the Kakos was not yet over.

"I just don't know if I want to take my chances."

"I want kids," Ari responded flatly.

Looking down at my coffee. I was unwilling to meet his eyes.

"I am only eighteen. I didn't plan on getting married this young, let alone having children. Give me some time; let's enjoy our marriage first and then we can maybe cross that bridge when we get to it... _if_ we get to it."

****

Ari and I spent our morning hanging out together at home. We sat on the porch with the newspaper and looked out at the crashing waves.

"Hey," I said as a thought popped in my head. "What on Earth does ' _piase kokkino_ ' mean and when did your mom become such a nut?"

"She's always been a nut and as for ' _piase kokkino_ ,' why do you ask?" Ari shifted in his seat to face me.

"Well, yesterday your mom and I both said some something at the same time and she freaked out on me. I had to leave the kitchen before she started to do that weird spitting thing you guys all do."

"It means 'touch red'."

"Yeah, that's what she said."

"Well... did you touch red?"

"No, I refuse to fall victim to her silly superstitions."

"Dammit, Ava!" Ari laughed, "You just sealed your fate with my mother. I'm sure there will be hell to pay between the two of you and I am going to get stuck in the middle of some dumb fight of yours."

"You can't possibly believe in that bull. Last year when I said that spitting 'ftou, ftou, ftou' thing they do is silly, you agreed with me."

"Well, for starters, I really liked you and I would have agreed with anything you said – and spitting _is_ silly, but I still believe in it, that it wards off evil spirits."

I leaned across Ari and gently placed my finger on his full red lips. " _Piase kokkino_. There, all better."

He kissed my fingertip. "It's too late now, Ava."

"What other things, superstitions, do you believe in?"

"You really want to know?" His eyebrow arched.

I laughed, "I feel as though I am left with no choice; I will be doomed if I never learn these oddities."

"Ok... Well, you know that cactus over there by the door?"

Ari pointed to a round cactus in a big blue pot that sat perched by our backdoor. "My parents have one, too and so do Gianna and Thais. A cactus is supposed to ward off the evil eye from a home."

"What is the evil eye?" I said the words with a fake, spooky, ghost-like tone.

Ari _tsked,_ sounding exactly like his mother. " _Matiasma_ – a Greek word for the belief that a compliment can be backhanded, showing jealousy, and that such a compliment is intended to make someone feel bad or be devastated. Greeks go out of their way to avoid the evil eye. Some wear blue charms around their neck and even hang ropes of garlic above doorways. My mom keeps that rope of garlic over her stove to keep her cooking safe from the evil eye. She thinks people are jealous of her culinary skills."

I smiled a great big silly smile. "How do you know all of this stuff?"

Ari scoffed, "I had to endure Greek School for nine years before DPI and I had the information beat into me on a daily basis."

"Will you tell me more?" As ludicrous as the beliefs sounded, I enjoyed hearing about them. Even more so, I loved to see Ari's passion for his heritage.

"Of course I will. Crows... " Ari pointed to a bird flying away in the distance. "Seeing a crow is considered an omen of bad news, misfortune or death. If you hear a crow cawing, you say ' _Sto kalo... sto kalo... kala nea na me feris_.' By doing so you are telling the crow to fly away and bring back good news."

"What is that thing your mom always does with her bread knife?" I asked.

"That's an important one. Knives... you never ever hand someone a knife. Every evening my mom sets the bread knife down on the table in front of my dad; he picks the knife back up off the table and slices the bread. If she were to hand the knife directly to him, she would be giving him her unspoken permission to stab her in the back or do her harm. And bread... we have bread at every meal; it is considered a gift from God and should never be thrown away. If the bread becomes too hard to be eaten, we feed it to the birds. Since the food was a gift from God, it would be a sin to put it in the garbage."

"I like that one."

"Me too."

"What else?"

"One more..." Ari glanced down at his watch and then grabbed hold of my shoe and shook my foot playfully. "Shoes... a shoe left out and sitting overturned with the sole facing up is an omen of death. If you take your shoes off and they accidently land upside down, you have to immediately turn them rightside up, say ' _skorda_ ' and spit on them."

"So many of the beliefs have to do with death; it seems like a lot of energy wasted on trying to avoid the unavoidable."

Ari shrugged, "as much as I would love to sit here with you and tell you more about where we come from, we have to go. I promised both my mother and sister we would help out today."

"Ok. Thank you for sharing that with me."

"My pleasure," Ari beamed a smile, "and if you behave yourself with my mom today, I will reward you with our superstition about bat bones."

I laughed a great big laugh and Ari stood up, took my hand and we walked down the sandy path to his parents' home. We then helped Aggie get ready for Lauren's little party. Aggie was having a hard time with the fact that Lauren was growing up and she was not looking forward to Lauren moving into the dorms. I have to admit that I was not looking forward to it either. I knew a little something about student behavior, having witnessed it first-hand. Thankfully, Lauren was not placed on the twelfth floor as she had wanted; instead she got stuck on an all-girls floor lower down in the building. I kept telling her an all-girls floor would let her concentrate better on her classes and she kept telling me, "I am just going to go to work for Ari anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"Lauren!" I exclaimed. "Believe me; you don't want to work at _baio_. Margaux is pure evil and you will want to kill Ari if you have to work for him."

"That may be true, but I want to do something in fashion and I figure since I already have a brother and a sister-in-law in the industry, you and Ari can help me get my foot in the door."

"Ari is not doing anything with fashion; that is all Margaux. He is managing her business, not her clothing line. He is just a glorified accountant. Margaux wanted him to take it over so she could concentrate on design; she has been doing both since my grandpa died and is tired of it. As for me, I don't have anything to do with _baio,_ except wear the clothes Margaux gives me. But if you're serious about fashion, I bet she would let you intern next summer."

"Yay," she squeaked.

"Lauren, think long and hard about that; Margaux is a big, nasty pill to swallow and if you don't have perfect grades she won't even give you a second glance. She didn't pick Ari because of me; she picked him because he is brilliant."

I hoped my words would help Lauren concentrate on school and not boys. She is the most boy-crazy person I have ever met. As a descendant of Aphrodite and Adonis, Lauren is drop-dead gorgeous, a true goddess and I was sure every straight boy in her school had a thing for her. I worried that she would end up making the wrong choices. I think she could tell what I was thinking because as we were packing up her room, she got up and closed the bedroom door.

"Ava," she asked. "Are you glad you did what you did with Ari? You know, how you waited to be married before you ummm... before you know... you had sex?"

I groaned internally. I am the wrong person for this type of conversation and I wanted to tell Lauren that nothing would make her mother happier than to have this talk, but I sucked it up and put a smile on my face.

"I love Ari. I cannot imagine loving anyone else. I wanted to give him something that no one else in the world could ever have. Waiting until I was married made everything so much more important, more intimate, and more powerful. It brought a very strong and beautiful emotion to the mix. Deciding to wait was a difficult decision but in the end, I would have been disappointed with myself if I had not waited."

She thought things over for a moment then asked, "Are you disappointed with Ari for not doing the same thing?"

"I am not disappointed in anything that Ari has ever done. That was his choice and he has had to deal with his decision. Who am I to hold a person's past against him?" In truth, it did sometimes make me angry and his past certainly did not help with my friendship with Julia but jealously and insecurities aren't issues I easily 'fess up to.

Lauren's door swung open and her cheeks flushed bright pink.

"What are you two talking about in here?" Ari took a step into her room.

"The L word," I answered with a crinkle of my nose.

He turned on his heel, left the room and shut the door behind him.

Lauren giggled and I help her finish packing while the wheels turned in her head about our conversation. Ari and I left as soon as Lauren's friends from school started to arrive for her party that evening. My nerves could not take all of their little squeals and high-pitched screams.

Ari talked me into getting in the hot tub with him. I had never been in one before, but he knew how to make the experience a lot of fun. In fact, it turned out to be a _very_ fun experience and I was extremely thankful for the fact that our house edged a very private and secluded part of the beach.

"So what was I interrupting earlier between you and Lauren?" he murmured in my ear in between kisses.

I bit my lip and gave him my, 'I don't know if I should tell you,' face.

"C'mon, I'm your husband; you are morally obligated to tell me about any conversations you have with my sister."

"Uh, she just wanted to know if I was happy with the fact that I had waited until after our wedding to be intimate with you, so I just told her how I felt."

"And?" he probed.

"Well, of course I'm happy with the decision I made."

"I know that, Ava; that's not what I'm asking. What else did she want to know?"

"She just wanted to know if I was disappointed in your decision to not wait."

His face fell a little.

"Ugh, she knows about me and Julia?"

"She's not an idiot, Ari. First of all, do you ever listen to the conversations at the dinner table? Your mother practically gave me her blessing to share your bed with you the third time I met her. What mother does that? And besides, Lauren was there when I got in that fight with you last winter after I found out about the sordid details of your relationship with Julia."

"Right." he said. "So, _are_ you disappointed in me, Mrs. Alexander?"

Just thinking about Ari and Julia together made me angry and my stomach was assaulted with all kinds of pains. I tried to push the feelings away and continue on with our nice evening alone.

"I guess you could try to make it up to me."

He pulled me closer to him and it didn't take long for me to bite down hard on his ear lobe in anticipation and desire.

### Chapter 7

Chinese food and scrabble

We had Sunday dinner, as usual, at Aggie and Andy's house. In the middle of dinner, Aggie grabbed Ari's ear.

"Ari, what happened?" she asked in her worried, motherly tone.

He pulled his head back out of her hand, "Nothing, Ma. Don't worry about it."

"No seriously, Ari, what happened?"

"Ma, seriously, nothing," he responded more sternly and my cheeks turned from pink to red hot in a matter of seconds. Rory happened to hear the conversation, noticed my red face and broke into a fit of loud laughter, with Julia joining in right behind him. I was immediately reminded that Ari had discussed our wedding night in detail with Rory and I was beyond angry.

Ari shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Andy and Thais did the same as Ari. Aggie looked at me confused, as if I might explain the situation to her. Covering my face with my hands, I tried to hide my embarrassment.

Aggie pursed her lips at us. "Tell me what's going on!"

Ari opened his mouth but no words came from him.

Andy, who is usually cool and calm, said in a very stern voice, "Aggie, drop it _now_." Ari threw his arm around my shoulder and kissed me on the temple. I nudged him off me.

"I'm sorry I asked, Ari." Aggie said quietly.

I was so mad; I excused myself from the table and walked home. Ari followed after me.

Storming up our deck steps in a fury, I passed the pool and then fumed through the sun porch. Walking through the glass doors, into the kitchen, I whipped around to face Ari.

"You told Rory all about our wedding night! I cannot believe you did that, Ari! That was private. It was special to me and now everyone knows!"

Ari closed his eyes and took a breath. "I did not tell Rory, Ava. It wasn't like that at all."

"Julia told me that you told Rory; she even knew details!"

"Julia is an idiot. She doesn't know what happened and I will talk about this with Rory tomorrow."

"Tell me how he knows." I demanded.

Ari ran his hands down his face, nodded and pulled out a seat at the table. He gestured for me to sit down and then took a place across from me.

Ari swallowed hard. "Ok. Here is what happened, Ava. You were missing. I was the last person to talk to you or see you that day. I had a bite mark on my lip, scratch marks down my back. There was umm... blood on our sheets." Ari had the decency to look embarrassed. "The detective who showed up was a complete fool. He wouldn't stop to listen to me about your connections with The Kakos. He was determined that I had injured you or hurt you in some way- that I had killed you. He tried to take me to the police station to get my statement. My dad and Thais were still next door. They were delivering the news of your disappearance to the rest of the family. My dad, Thais and Rory arrived at our house just in time to keep the detective from taking me to the police station.

"My dad made a deal with the detective that I would give a statement but it would be in our home and that he and Thais would be present. After some discussion, the detective agreed."

Looking distraught, Ari stared down at his hands while he spoke. "I had no other choice, Ava. I had to explain what had caused the marks to my body and the blood in our bed. I had to clear my name so they would focus on finding you. So, I told him that you _did_ cause the marks to my lip and back but out of an act from pleasure not otherwise. My dad and Thais each sat on either side of me while I explained in detail what we did together in our bedroom after our wedding. The detective's questions were relentless, intrusive and at times out of line. Eventually, Detective Scott was called. A neighbor reported seeing Damien Kakos in the area and was concerned. Scott heard of your disappearance and came as soon as he was able. Since Detective Scott was head of The Kakos' files, he dismissed the other detective and cleared my name."

Ari looked up at me with a grief stricken look on his face. "I am so sorry, Baby. I really am but I had no other choice but to talk about the details our relationship."

I bit at my lip. "That doesn't explain Rory and Julia."

"Like I said, Rory came over with my dad and Thais. He was there when the detective was questioning me and he heard everything. Rory never left my side the entire time you were missing. He was there for me. I am not sure why he told Julia and I am sorry for that. As I said, I will talk with him about it in the morning."

"Ava, I know how important your privacy is to you. It is important to me, too. I never would have exposed our relationship like that if it wasn't a complete necessity. Please forgive me."

I got up from my seat, moved across the table and climbed on to Ari's lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my forehead up against his. "I'm sorry, too. I hadn't thought about what an ordeal you must have gone through while I was gone."

I kissed the bite mark on his ear and the small scar below his lip. "So Andy and Thais know I am a biter, huh? That's embarrassing."

Ari laughed aloud. "Nah, Ava, don't sweat it. They are used to passionate women; that's just how Greek woman are." Ari winked at me and again I felt my cheeks flush pink.

Ari was set to start school and work the next day so we cuddled up on the couch and watched a few episodes of _The Abbot and Costello Show_ on DVD then went to bed. Ari was studying English Literature with a minor in creative writing. His classes at Pepperdine met Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from eight until one. After class on those days, he went to work for _baio_. He also worked at _baio_ all day Thursdays and Fridays. His was indeed a very full schedule.

My grandmother took Ari's employment very seriously. She gave Ari the corner office down the hall from hers. My grandfather, Perry, had used the space when he was alive and I was quite familiar with the spectacular view of L.A. visible from the office window. Margaux was also working on hiring an assistant for Ari. Knowing Margaux, the assistant would be some beautiful, tan, blonde that had great dreams of modeling for _baio_ one day.

Thankfully, Margaux expected Ari to be at _baio_ only when she was in L.A. and she traveled quite a bit...so his work in the office would not be constant. I wasn't sure how much he was going to like working for her. In fact, I was pretty sure he was going to end up hating _baio_. I had given up trying to talk him out of working for Margaux, though. In the end, he had to make the decision by himself, and even though I reminded him that my plan to concentrate on school and look for a job later would give him more time flexibility, he declined it.

I had considered starting classes when Ari did, but my doctor ruled that adding school stress to the burden of physical healing and psychological anxiety I was already carrying would be unwise. And in truth, I felt strongly that I needed to use my time doing some research about The Kakos to see who else may be involved. I was fairly certain someone out there was still a threat to me. I did _not_ want to be blindsided.

In addition, I was going to get started working with Andy at the foundation, _House to Home._ Getting children off the streets, out of the foster care system and into more permanent situations was a difficult task, one that included matching kids to various mentors and tutors. _House to Home_ offered regular studies and also included specialized classes like computer skills, ballet and art. My grandfather, Perry, had started the organization many years ago. He collaborated with Andy a few years after the association was established and, as a result, hundreds of children in the L.A. area had grown up to be literate and successful adults. I was eager to start helping out as much as I could. Starting back to classes mid-year and playing catch up over the summer would allow me to be on track to graduate from Pepperdine at the same time as Ari.

The first couple of weeks that Ari was away during the day took a lot of adjustment. I had some paranoia issues and was uncomfortable being alone. My "lost" week never left my mind, even though actual memories were fuzzy. What terrors like the ones already triggered by a glass of water and a cigarette lighter might pop up in my mind when I least expected them? The question bothered me most when Ari was out of the house... I dreaded being alone with the unknown.

With time, I told myself, my fears will level out a bit – but the opposite happened. My dread grew worse as the time went on. Even the evenings were hard since Ari was kept so busy by classwork. I helped him as much as I could, working next to him in the study. When not working on a project with him, I did my own research on Greeks and The Kakos and never really told him what I was doing. Sometimes I didn't even know exactly what I was looking for myself. We spent our evenings together at home as much as possible; we made dinner and on occasion we watched baseball on TV.

One Friday night, Ari came home, pulled at the knot in his tie, opened his shirt collar and threw himself face first on the couch. I crawled on top of him.

"What's the matter?" I purred sweetly in his ear.

"Margaux," he grunted.

I gave a little laugh, "Yeah, she can be nasty. I did tell you so. Why, what happened? What did she do to you?"

"She didn't do anything to me; she is actually unbelievably nice to me. It's just the way she treats other people. She fired some poor old woman today for spilling coffee on some sample fabric. It was a nightmare. She made a huge scene and was screaming and yelling. Margaux was red in the face with anger and she made the poor woman pack up her things and leave right then."

"Was that the first time you ever saw her fire someone?" I asked a little shocked.

"Yeah, why?" He looked up at me from the corner of his eye.

"Sounds like she's gone soft, but don't worry I'm sure that woman will be back in the office on Monday morning as if nothing ever happened."

"Are you serious?"

"Oh yeah, I have seen it happen tons of times. Margaux will have her assistant, Delia call the woman and apologize and then offer her the job back. With a raise."

"That's absurd!"

"That's Margaux. So what do you want to do this weekend?"

Ari rolled over on to his back, wrapped his arms around me and laced his fingers at the small of my back.

"We're going to see _Miike Snow_ tomorrow, remember?"

"No, I don't remember. Since when?"

"You remember -- Rory said he would get tickets."

I laughed aloud.

"I thought he was just kidding. I never thought he would actually come through on his promise."

"Yeah, I know; same here. But he felt really bad about telling Julia about our wedding night details and so he got four tickets and made reservations for tomorrow night for dinner. We'll be meeting him and Julia at their new place in L.A. at seven."

"Ok, then what do you want to do tonight?"

"Chinese food and Scrabble," Ari said with a hopeful look on his face.

"That sounds perfect!"

And so we spent the whole night spread out on the living room floor playing Scrabble with _Coeur De Pirate_ on in the background. Ari had developed a slight obsession with the pianist ever since the time I played a song of hers on the dorm piano.

Aggie and Andy came over and played a few rounds of Scrabble with us and Andy finished off the Chinese take-out leftovers. They stuck around quite a while. I think they were having a bit of empty nest syndrome, Aggie especially. She missed having Lauren around, but really, I think she missed Ari more than anything else. She had a harder time with him being married, working and going to school than she thought she would; that was my theory. She called him daily to check in and came up with as many excuses as she could to get him to stop by in the evenings. He changed light bulbs, carried in her groceries and even once had to go over there to kill a spider. I love Aggie, but their relationship was a little problematic at times.

Saturday morning Ari talked me into playing around with him on the beach. I was getting a tad more comfortable in the water; he really didn't give me a choice. We walked half way down the beach, and then he picked me up without warning, threw me over his shoulder and ran. I screamed all the way, until he came to a stop in waist-deep warm water. I still wouldn't let him let me go, but he didn't seem to mind.

After our romp in the sand and waves, we got ready for _Miike Snow_ and listened to their new album twice while showering and dressing. We took Ari's SUV for our drive into L.A. I no longer owned a car.

A year earlier, Margaux uprooted me from Dana Point after I killed Kakos No. 1 and No. 2 on New Year's Eve. She set me up in a flat she owned in Camden Town in London. I killed No. 5 by burning that building down into a pile of ash. In retaliation for me burning down her building, Margaux had turned up at the Alexander's home and collected my car. She told me, when I got back from London, that if I wanted my vehicle back, I would have to buy it from her. I had been planning to send her the money but just never got around to doing it. I had concentrated on the wedding and then I had been abducted. The car issue had gone right out of my head.

Rory and Julia were living in an apartment together on campus, at UCLA. They had been there for about a month. Ari told me on the drive up that Rory hated living in L.A. He wanted to be at home and commute. He was tired of dorms, apartments and fast food. He liked the luxury of being right on the beach (and access to his mom's cooking and cleaning.) Julia steadfastly refused to live with Gianna and Thais any longer. Gianna was very nice and funny, just like Rory and Nick, but I could understand not wanting to live in one's boyfriend's parents' house. I had felt the same way not too long ago. Ari also told me that Rory and Julia had been fighting over the issue of living in L.A. quite a bit and I would be wise not to mention the apartment or L.A. to them at all.

We arrived on campus and Ari knew right where to go. He had helped Rory move a month earlier, making several trips back and forth from Dana Point to Los Angeles. Julia was waiting for us when we arrived and she excitedly gave me a tour of their place. The apartment she and Rory had was nice – small but still nice. Every room showed Julia's own unique, girly style and clearly the space seemed like home to her. The only thing I that I saw of Rory's was his surfboard. It sat propped up in a corner of their bedroom. If Julia wanted it gone, she would have to pry it from Rory's cold, dead hands. And at times I think she would be happy to do so. I kept my comments about their place neutral. I was afraid to say much. Rory and Julia's relationship was at times tumultuous and argumentative.

After the tour of the new apartment, we went to dinner at Eveleigh on Sunset Boulevard, an oasis of local farm food and outdoor dining patio. Rory entertained us with an endless supply of funny stories about growing up with Ari. Halfway through our meal, two women approached our table. They had smiles on their faces. "Excuse me," The first woman said. "I don't mean to be rude, but aren't you Ava?"

I gazed at them with a questioning look on my face. I was trying to place the two. I was trying to figure out how I should know them. Looking over to Ari, I hoped he knew them somehow; my memory still was not what it should have been.

"Yes," Ari spoke up. "She is Ava. But we are eating dinner with our family."

"We love _baio_ , we just want a quick picture, please!" The second girl said with a whine.

"I'm sorry, no." Ari said curtly.

Ari signaled for our waiter, the women got the cue that he was going to get management and they scampered away.

I looked at their hasty departure, dumbfounded. "What was that all about?"

"Don't worry about them, Baby. They recognized you from the magazine articles from when you were missing. This will all blow over."

"Oh..." I rolled my eyes. I was used to having admirers approach the table whenever I was with Margaux. She is a fashion icon. People adore her and whenever she makes a nasty, belligerent scene, they seem to love and praise her even more. I, on the other hand, am not at all used to anyone knowing who I am, let alone them wanting to be near me. It seemed that was beginning to change.

After dinner, we made our journey up the road to see _Miike Snow._ Rory drank, perhaps a bit too much, and he made Julia angry by saying, for the third time that night, how much he hated L.A. By the time the show was over, they had quit speaking to one another, which was nice because it meant they were no longer screaming. The hour was so late when the concert ended that Ari and I decided to crash together on Rory's lumpy couch.

I was a little grouchier than usual because August had called me as soon as we got to Rory's place after the concert and I had stayed up a bit talking with him. He was making headway on jobs in California. I had no idea what he was looking for career wise, but I missed him and I was ready for him to come home. I told him he could probably land a job with Margaux. I was sure she could find something for him to do... but he laughed and said he would never work for her again as long as he lived. I found his vehemence funny; he had been my in-home professor when I lived in London. Margaux found and hired, him but the two of them had not actually met until I had already graduated and he was no longer working for her. No love lost there.

Julia and Rory rode back to Dana Point with us; Ari had offered to give them a ride back Monday on his way to class. Ari turned _The Cold War Kids_ up to max sound to help drown out the annoying sounds of Rory and Julia bickering in the backseat about living in L.A.

Lauren came home from school and we all spent the afternoon at Aggie and Andy's. Lauren told us all about her suite mate, Jen, and her classes. She announced that she had made the school's dance team and that she had also met a boy, Luke. Andy congratulated her on the dance team but then quickly turned into the overly concerned father and asked her dozens of questions pertaining to the new boy in his young daughter's life. I'll admit it was fun to watch her squirm, especially since I am usually the one who is blushing with embarrassment.

The house was full of the usual Sunday afternoon guests. Aggie and Andy's friends, Ophelia and Pete, came over and brought with them their baby, Stella. Ari's eyes lit up when Ophelia carried Stella through the doorway. He instantly stood up and held out his arms to hold her.

"Ari, I get to hold her when you are done!" Aggie hollered at Ari as he walked away, cooing to the little baby. "Ophelia, why did you pass her to Ari first? You know he is a baby hog!" Aggie complained.

Ignoring his mother, Ari played with the baby all afternoon. I watched him from the sidelines for a bit then moved over to the piano bench. I played half a song. The deep gash on my wrist had injured a nerve and because of the injury, my fingers could not keep up with my brain. My playing the piano was no longer soothing but rather frustrating and maddening. I closed the lid and moved back to my spot on Aggie's sofa.

"Stella is the descendant of Erinyes." Ari looked up at me as he spoke. "Erinyes means "The Avenger" and is sometimes referred to as an infernal goddess. Essentially, Erinyes punishes anyone who has sworn a false oath." He looked back down at the sweet little baby and tickled her belly causing a giant giggle to erupt from her lips. "Stella's duty as deity may be difficult, but it is an honor to her. She is happy and blessed, Ava; she is not burdened."

I frowned at the story and after a while, Ari stood up and tried to pass Stella along to me. "Oh, no." Pushing my body backwards in my seat, I waved my hands to and fro. "I don't hold babies, Ari."

Ari ignored my frantic plea and placed the baby in my lap anyway. Stella began to fuss almost immediately and I called for Aggie. She swooped in to save the day and quickly snatched the baby from my lap. Ari shook his head back and forth at me incredulously.

Later, we ate dinner and Ari held Stella on his knee. She was eating table food so Ari kept sneaking her bits of his peas and mashed potatoes. It was really cute to watch Ari be so entertained and captured by such a sweet little baby.

At the end of the evening, we walked the short distance home on the sandy beach. Ari held my hand and walked slowly. "How are you feeling?" He asked out of nowhere.

I shrugged, "fine, I guess."

"Are you healing ok? How is your hand?"

"My hand still hurts. My head hurts from time to time but I'm fine."

"What about your ribs and your wrist?"

"Ari, I am fine."

Ari's jaw clenched. I wasn't being honest with him and he knew it. I was still in some pain and at times, my headaches would be blinding and nearly unbearable. My side hurt when I took in deep breaths and my wrist was tender. I still had a certain amount of difficulty when I tried to move my fingers.

"Have you had any more memories of the time you were missing?"

"No, I haven't." And that was the truth. I really had not had any more flashbacks of when I had been missing.

"Not that you would tell me about them anyway," Ari said in a clipped tone as we reached the door. I stood in the threshold and watched him walk coolly away through the house without another word.

Upset by Ari's comment, I retreated to the shower, scrubbing my skin with force as his words made me angrier and angrier. When I emerged a half hour later, my skin was red and raw. Ari was waiting for me in the bedroom on the other side of the bathroom door. He immediately took me in his arms and pushed my body up against the wall. His lips pressed hard against mine. His tongue forced its self into my mouth. My body responded to his advance hastily. I kissed Ari back and my fingers worked hard on undoing the buttons on his shirt. He moved his hands down my body and gripped my bottom, lifting me up. No words were exchanged. We were breathless and our skin was wet with our sweat. When the time came, I clamped my teeth down hard on Ari's arm.

After the unexpected burst of passion, Ari lay me down next to him in the bed. He ran his fingers against my swollen lips.

"Hi," he whispered.

I looked up at him from under my lashes. "Hi."

"I am sorry for getting upset with you, Ava. It's just... I worry so much about you. You were missing for so long. I thought I would never see you again. I want you to be honest with me in all things. I know you aren't fine, so don't say that you are."

"I am getting better, Ari. I really am."

"I can see that you are getting better, Baby. You look healthier and healthier each day, your marks are fading, your cheeks are full and rosy again. But I can tell you are still in pain. I can tell that certain things bother you more than you let on. I know your fingers don't work as fast as they used to and you can't play the piano like you once could and I know that it frustrates you. I can tell. I watch you more than you know."

Ari tapped his finger on my temple, "I worry about what's in here. You have experienced more darkness and evil than anyone should ever have to face. I don't know how you are able to deal with all you have seen and done. I wish I knew what you went through."

I promised myself that I would never tell Ari the horror I had experienced in killing the Kakos. The images haunt my mind – in my dreams and when I am awake. I had a gut-wrenching feeling that my work with The Kakos was not yet done. Something deep down inside me was demanding that I stay alert and vigilant.

### Chapter 8

Surprise

On Monday morning Ari left for Pepperdine with Julia and Rory fighting in the SUV's back seat. In the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee, I poured myself into old news articles that mentioned the Kakos, trying to see who else might be out there intending to do me harm. I was putting together a list of people who had worked with or for the Kakos over the years. Surely, close associates might hold some kind of grudge against me.

I was becoming quite frustrated with myself for not being able to remember clearly the events of the week that I had been with No. 6. I still had no clue how I had suffered some of my injuries. My ribs had been broken; there were rope burns around my neck and a slash, now scarred over, on my wrist. How these injuries had been inflicted, I had no idea.

I did eventually remember putting my Cubs shirt on for my run the day of my kidnapping; it was long gone. I had already replaced my cell phone along with the bloody shoes my rescuers found in the basement where I was tortured. Ari had found my cell where it lay, murdered by seawater, on the beach where I was abducted, a mile and a half from our home.

Ari no longer felt comfortable when I ran by myself and with Rory living in L.A. I had no partner. Ari ran with me sometimes. He was actually just as fast as and possibly more athletic than Rory, but he preferred activities he saw as more fun than running for miles on a hot, sandy beach – activities like surfing.

He bought me a membership to a local fitness club so that I could keep up my daily running routine – a nice gesture, though I was going to miss running outside. But my saner self told me the gym would be a safer place to run and I took the membership with gratitude. Ari didn't know yet that I suspected someone existed who sought my demise, someone biding his time, waiting for me to slip up, to give him the chance he needed to kill me. Ari was worried about regular crazy Californians and I was worried about much more.

I went to the gym every morning after Ari headed out to class or work. Aggie and Gianna went to the gym, too, so I rode along with them. I thought again about calling Margaux about getting my car back. I had a nostalgic fondness for it and wanted it, though buying something new would have been simpler than dealing with the devil, Margaux.

Aggie and Gianna went with me to the gym, but they didn't do much working out. They were there for the socializing that went on at the fruit bar. I got a kick out of seeing them standing around and gossiping, but in all fairness I must say that they sometimes joined me at the treadmill station for a... slow walk. There they could continue their gossipy chatter and never break a sweat.

After a particularly pathetic morning at the gym, I sent a text to Margaux asking how much she wanted for my car and she quickly replied with the price. I choked on my granola, took five minutes to regain my composure and then sent a text back.

We negotiated the price of my car, Margaux and I, for about an hour before we settled on a number and then I told her I would send the cash with Ari on Thursday. Rory and Julia could drive the car back home on the weekend.

At that point, Margaux gave up on the texting and called me.

"The price is fine, Ava dear, but I will be out of town for a couple of weeks. Is there any way you can just wait? I won't see Ari again until I return."

"So Ari will be off work for two weeks?" I asked, any thoughts about the car flying from my mind.

"Yes, that's what I said isn't it?" she snapped with her usual lack of grace.

"Does he know you'll be gone?"

Margaux sighed as if I were wasting her time.

"I don't know, Ava. I have no idea if Delia has spoken with him yet and I don't care."

"Margaux," I said, "I will get you the cash for the car as soon as you come back from your trip, but please do me a favor and tell Delia not to tell Ari that he will be off for two weeks, okay?"

"Whatever, Ava," _click!_

I was looking forward to spending the next two weeks with Ari and no work. I racked my brain for something fun I could surprise him with; classes weren't being held the next week either and I wanted to do something special for him. I was playing around on the internet, looking into concerts and gigs, but no one we really liked was touring this fall and the locals weren't names I knew, so I closed my old MacBook just as my phone started ringing.

The number was from Montréal, so I answered it and found François, the caretaker of my childhood home, on the other end of the line. My mother had left my home to me when she passed. Ari and I stayed there together with August, Rory and Julia the past summer, before our wedding. Before we left, I packed up the house and had François list the home on the market. He phoned to say that I had received a cash offer on the house and wanted my opinion and possibly a response. I put him on hold and went to dig out the house's paperwork. I looked through the figures and decided the offer was a fair one, very close to what I was asking and I told him to go ahead and accept it. He emailed me the documents a few hours later and I signed them, scanned them in, and emailed them back. I asked him to have the money put into my Montréal account and thanked him for all of his help.

I spent Wednesday catching up on household chores, listening to _Lily Allen_ as I worked. The house was in pretty good shape. Most of the time I was the only one there and I tend to be clean and tidy. Nevertheless, the mundane duties of dishes and laundry could not be ignored any longer.

When Ari got home from work, I told him about the sale of the Montréal house and we went out to dinner to celebrate. Ari and I had not been out of the neighborhood together since we spent the evening in L.A with Rory and Julia. Ari was a bit apprehensive about going out in public. He hated people coming up to me even more than I did. I reassured him that everything would be fine. I had gone to the gym and the market with Aggie dozens of times and no one said a word to me. And no one approached Ari and me while at dinner either. We had a quiet time in Dana Point and it was nice and relaxing.

Later, I helped Ari with some research for a paper he was writing for his Literary Study class. He finished up and emailed the document to his professor around ten o'clock and then went to bed.

I couldn't sleep so I grabbed my phone off the charger and went out to the sun porch to call August. His phone rang for a while.

" _Allo_?" August finally answered, sounding annoyed.

" _August, allo! C'est ici Ava. Comment ça va? Que fais-tu_?" I asked.

"It's six o'clock in the morning, Ava. What the hell do you think I'm doing?"

"Right, sorry, I'll talk to you later I guess."

"No, it's fine," his tone softened. "I actually need to get up; what's going on?"

I found it a bit strange that he jumped right into English as soon as he knew it was me. Since I grew up in Montréal, I learned French as a first language. August is Parisian and prefers to speak in French, even though he is more or less fluent in half a dozen other languages, English included. I could hear someone's voice in the background but I chose to ignore it and carried on with our conversation.

"I dunno," I said running my fingers through my hair, "I guess I just miss you that's all."

"Aw... listen to you, Ava, going all soft on me."

"Hardly! So when are you coming back to California?"

"Well," he said, drawling the word out, "I accepted a teaching job at your old school in Dana Point and I start next month. I'm leaving for Greece in a few days and then I am going to fly out from there to L.A. in a week."

"A week!" I shouted. "When did you plan to tell us?"

"Ha, well Ari and I were going to surprise you. So don't tell him you know I am coming or he will kill me. I need to stay on Ari's good side so I can live in that awesome house of yours."

I smiled into phone. "How about we trick Ari and the two of us surprise him instead."

" _Oui_!" August said, excitedly.

I powered on Ari's iPad and, with August's help, I booked a flight that would leave for Greece the next day. Then I made reservations at a B&B in Athens and even managed to get us on the same flight home that August would be on. I was excited to surprise Ari with our impromptu vacation in the morning.

Rory and Julia had a knock-down drag-out and he had been staying with his family for the last week. I sent him a text asking him to pick Ari and me up at seven the next morning to take us to the airport. I called Aggie and told her my plan and she agreed to bring Ari's passport over in the morning along with a guide to Greece she said I could borrow.

I got busy packing all of our things without waking Ari. Thankfully, most of our clothes were still folded and stacked in the laundry room so I just moved them straight into our suitcase. Once my preparations were done and our bags were packed, I had a few hours to spare so I curled up in Ari's arms. He blinked his eyes a few times, smiled and kissed my forehead before drifting off back to sleep.

I woke up what felt like only minutes later to Ari's alarm. His alarm is set daily for quarter to six. Ari pushes snooze at _least_ three times each morning. I shut the alarm off before Ari stirred and snuck into the bathroom. I took a shower and did my hair and makeup. I wrapped myself into a towel and opened the door to our room to hunt down some clothes that weren't already packed away in my luggage.

Ari was just starting to wake up, he stretched and yawned.

"Morning," he smiled, tugging on the hem of my towel, bringing me closer and closer to him in bed.

"Morning," I smiled back, barely able to hide my excitement. Ari kept pulling on my towel, one gentle tug at a time. As soon as I reached his side, he gave my towel one final pull, causing it to fall unceremoniously to the floor. He hooked his hand around my thigh and brought me onto the bed with him, while he covered me with kisses. I giggled at his playful mood and Ari's eyes turned dark, my body tingled with heat. Rolling me over, Ari locked my wrists in his hands and held them tightly on the pillow above my head. With a mischievous grin on his face, he wanted to play and it was clear that he was up to no good. Holding his body away from me, depriving me of his touch and his skin, my need for him grew deeper. Our breathing turned heavy. The heat in my body began to spread like wildfire. When I was sure I was going to explode into fireworks, my eyes searched for something to bite down on; Ari's eyes twinkled with excitement and he gripped my wrists even harder. "Let me hear it," he whispered in a husky plea. I couldn't hold back anymore, my body melted into pleasure and screaming out, I did as he asked, then Ari followed after me.

Triumphant, Ari finally let go of my arms and settled back down next to me. I rolled around to face him; his eyes were bright, and his smile was huge.

"You did that on purpose."

"Guilty as charged, but it was worth every sound."

"Yeah, it was."

I looked past him and happened to see the time on our bedroom TV – _7:15!_

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed. "We're going to be late!"

"No, it's fine, I have time," Ari said, thinking he had to be at _baio_ at nine thirty.

"I could even call in sick," he said hopefully. "I still haven't found that third freckle, Baby. I could excavate all morning."

"You can't," I jumped out of bed. "I have a surprise for you."

I tossed him a pair of jeans, a button-down shirt and a pair of loafers. I threw on a light dress with a cardigan and my _baio_ mocs.

"What is it?" He followed me out of our room and down the staircase into the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the first surprise was for me! I stopped short when I saw Rory leaning back against the counter, eating an apple, trying to mask the smirk on his face.

"Oh, my God!" I said for the second time that morning.

Rory put his hand up to stop me.

"Please, Ava, don't remind me," he laughed.

I was absolutely mortified.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ari asked Rory.

"I'm taking your ungrateful behind to the airport," Rory said, hurt by Ari's lack of appreciation.

On the table sat a Greece guidebook and a passport.

"Oh, my God," I cried, holding up the book.

"Seriously, Ava, stop," Rory laughed and I hit his shoulder with the book.

"Was Aggie here?" I asked completely humiliated.

"Oh yeah, she was here alright," he smiled again. "Told me to tell you to have nice trip."

I shuddered with embarrassment.

"What's going on?" Ari spoke up, annoyed.

I held up the book.

"Our flight leaves in a few hours."

"What! We're going to Greece?"

"Surprise!"

"Ava, what about _baio_?"

"Margaux is out of town for the next two weeks; ergo, you don't have to go to work! We're meeting August there and we're doing Greek things for a few days and then we are going to fly back early next week – you won't miss a thing."

He picked me up and kissed me full on the lips.

"I can't take this anymore," Rory grumbled. "Are we going or do I need to step outside for a while?"

I rolled my eyes and headed to the garage. Rory drove us to LAX in the Rover. When he thought I wasn't listening he said quietly to Ari, "Dude, you're gonna have to tell me what you are doing in there because I haven't been able to produce those kinds of results."

Ari rubbed at his scruffy face and patted Rory on the shoulder, smiling. Thankfully, he did not offer up any advice, instead he turned the music up and played _Daft_ _Punk_ through the car speakers for the rest of the ride.

Since I had very little sleep the night before, I slept through the first half of the flight while Ari read over some documents for Margaux. Our attendant was very pretty in that sleek, too-much-makeup kind of way and she hung around our row a little more than necessary, offering Ari cold drinks and pretzels. I had become used to that kind of attention when I was around Ari. Ari has a magnetic personality. He unintentionally makes friends everywhere we go and this plane ride was not an exception. He became involved in a conversation with a man across the aisle. The man told Ari his life story, for what seemed like hours. Ari didn't seem to mind. He listened, engaged in the conversation the whole time. How could we be so different?

Happy to be tucked away in the window seat, I nevertheless became more and more bored. As Ari's conversation with the man across the aisle droned on, I picked up Ari's paperwork and started looking over it. Might as well help get it done. The summer before, Margaux had offered Ari a job at _baio,_ but not just any job. He had landed a cozy executive position that had been my grandfather's before his death. Perry and Margaux had been married, but they also made up the _baio_ team. Margaux had wanted to keep the business in the family after Perry died, but I was the only family member she had left; she offered it to Ari instead. In all honesty, I didn't care. I had no desire to work for Margaux. I stared down at Ari's paperwork and after some time, I figured out what Margaux wanted him to do and finished it up for him.

He put his glasses back on and saw what I had done.

"I don't know why you didn't take the job instead of me. You're a much better fit for this, Ava."

"It's bad enough that I have to be somewhat related to her, I am not working with her, too," I said with a shrug.

"I get that you don't like Margaux, but I don't know why."

I stared at him disbelieving.

"Are you serious, Ari? She is a complete nightmare. A total she-devil."

"I dunno, Ava; she absolutely loves you. She asks me every day how you're doing, and feeling. She has an ungodly number of photos of you in her office. The entire _baio_ company was on shut down when you went missing, and she was a total wreck."

I took a deep breath, taking all of this information in, then finally decided that her concern must have been all for show.

"Well, you must see a side of Margaux that I don't."

The man across the aisle who had commanded Ari's attention for the last few hours had begun doze. We still had several more hours until we touched down in Athens. I changed the subject.

"Did your family go on vacations when you were young?" I loved learning little bits about Ari as a child.

He smiled brightly at my question. "Yes, quite a bit."

"Where all have you been?"

"Well... my parents tried to plan some place new and different each year. We always traveled with Thais and Gianna, too. So of course every vacation memory I have involves Rory." Ari squinted his eyes. "Except for the last trip, Rory wasn't there. Anyway, when we were kids, our parents took us to the Disney parks, Lego Land, we went on cruises, we spent a week in Jamaica once and we visited all the big zoos – places like that. We went camping once in Glacier National Park. Lauren had a miserable time; she cried every day and faked an ankle injury so she wouldn't have to hike. When we got older, we just started going to this awesome resort in Mexico every year. It's got a great golf course," he added with a nod and I giggled.

"Why didn't Rory go on your last family trip?"

Ari let out a breath. "He and I were fighting. We hadn't spoken in months over that crap with Julia. My mom planned the trip. She had hopes that it would bring Rory and me back together. Our fight was tearing the family apart. I came home from class on a Thursday afternoon to find my bags had already been packed and the entire family waiting to go. Rory trailed in the house after me. Our parents tried to surprise us all with a long weekend at the resort I mentioned in Mexico. Rory said he'd stay if I were going. He caused a major scene. My mom cried. Gianna cried. Truth was, I didn't want to go either but I saw how important the trip was to my family. Rory turned around and left. He drove right back to DPI campus for the weekend."

"Oh, poor Aggie." I said. "Rory must have really hurt her feelings."

"He did. However, I have to say I didn't make her feel any better. I was a jerk through the whole trip. Nick and I stayed out late each night. I slept the day away and kept mostly to myself." Ari laughed a touch and rubbed at the stubble on his cheeks. "My dad got so mad at me one day that he got the key to my hotel room from the front desk. I was still asleep at the time and it was well past noon. I was sleeping in the buff. My dad barged into my hotel room and ripped the blankets off me. I was sleeping on my stomach," Ari added with an eye roll when he saw the shocked expression on my face. "My dad hollered at me to get up and to spend some time with my mother. I shot back a nasty comment and he brought his palm down on my ass so hard that it was red and stung for three days straight."

I laughed so loud the woman sitting in front of me turned around and shot me an evil eye. I covered my mouth with my hand to suppress my giggles.

"Anyway," Ari continued, "after the slap, I relented and got dressed and met my mother downstairs for lunch. She told me that Rory called to check in with them. He apologized to everyone for his behavior and announced that he had met a girl and was ready to move on and patch things up between the two us. Rory told his mother that he was going to talk with me and make up as soon as I came back to California. I was thrilled." Ari frowned and paused. I watched him shift in his seat.

"That was the weekend Rory first met you, only I didn't know that yet. When we got back to California, I went straight to campus in search of Rory and instead locked eyes with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. You were the girl from my dreams. I called my mom from my dorm room and told her all about you. How I had met you. That I couldn't stop thinking about you and the way you caused my stomach to flip and my palms to get sticky. I found out the next day that you were the girl Rory was talking about to Gianna. Turned out, Rory felt the same way about you as I did. I was told by my family to back off and leave you alone."

He smiled and wrapped his fingers around mine. "I am so glad I didn't listen to them."

"Me too."

### Chapter 9

The Hunt

We spent the first day of our trip to Greece acclimating to the time change. We were staying at a wonderful place called The Athenian Loft. Our space was open and airy and the view was breathtaking. The master bedroom was crisp and inviting. The wall the bed was on was painted a deep, dark red and the bed itself was embellished with a soft, white, linen canopy. The whole place was romantic and serene. I slipped my shoes and cardigan off, Ari took our luggage and put it in the closet. He turned to me with an impish smile on his face. I peered at him from across the room. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip and sauntered towards me like an animal on the prowl. I giggled and his eyes turned dark.

"We are not leaving this place until I find what I have been looking for. It has been one whole year, Ava, and I have been patient. I have played my cards fairly. I want that freckle. Now."

Holy Hell.

My jaw went slack. The air left my lungs. I felt a lovely, familiar tickle at the bottom of my tummy. I turned around and ran. I heard a low growl come from behind me and Ari was at my heels in a matter of seconds. I laughed as I ran all through the loft, dodging works of art, expensive stereo equipment, glass tables and lush furniture. I circled through the living room, treated the couch like a hurdle, ran through the kitchen and back into the master bedroom and then out onto the ultra-private balcony. There was a spectacular view of The Acropolis and Lycabettus Hill from that balcony, but I had no time to enjoy the sight before me. Ari flew through the open glass doors and grabbed me around my waist. On the balcony was a huge, cushioned lounge chair that was the size of a small bed and covered in blue and white linen pillows. Ari tossed the pillows to the floor, put me on the chaise and pinned my hands over my head with one hand. His other hand made its way down my body. He grabbed the hem of my dress and pulled it over my head. Ari began to kiss me all over, I squirmed and laughed as the stubble on his face tickled my skin. "Are you going to tell me where that little freckle of yours is, or do I have to kiss every inch of your body?"

"I'll never tell."

An hour or so later, I lay breathless on Ari's chest. His fingers traced little pictures on my bare back and he whispered sweet words into my ear.

"You are beautiful, Ava, even in defeat," he smiled.

****

On the second evening of our trip, Ari and I decided to take a walk through an old, hilly neighborhood just off the beaten path. Beautiful flowers draped from stone pots and window boxes. Women hollered across balconies to one another as they put laundry out on lines to dry. Stray cats stretched and meandered about the white-washed lane, men sat together at chessboards and smoked cigars while small children kicked a ball back and forth along the narrow pathway. The experience was like walking back in time. I felt at home in the community. I could tell Ari felt that way, too. We belonged in Greece. It was in our blood.

We came upon an old woman outside sweeping the steps to her home. She turned to greet us and as soon as I saw her face, I knew that I had met her before but couldn't quite place the memory, as if our meeting had been in a dream. I gave her a smile as we passed and her face went slack. She dropped her broom and pointed at me in awe.

"Ava?"

Ari's jaw dropped and he looked from me to her. "Do you know this woman?" he whispered in my ear.

"Yes," I smiled, "I think I do."

A dream I had so very long ago that it felt like a different lifetime flitted into my memory. This woman had spoken to me in my hospital dream and had taught me how to reel the thread in to make time back up; she had pleaded for more time and I gladly gave it to her. The lesson that she bestowed upon me was ultimately what had saved Aggie; Ari and I both owed her so much.

We hugged one another and fat tears fell from her eyes. I wiped them away and turned to introduce her to Ari. She got one look at Ari, blushed, threw her arms around him, and kissed both of his cheeks. She invited us in and I took Ari's hand and told him that I would explain it all later.

I remembered that her name was Maya. She welcomed us into her home and introduced us to her little grandson, Max, sitting near the garden door and rolling a ball back and forth. Maya's hair was salt and pepper colored, long, and smooth. Her eyes were light brown and sparkled brightly. She smiled at us almost adoringly.

Max was a beautiful child, with rosy, chubby cheeks and stubby little-boy fingers. His brown hair stood up all over in disarray, just like Ari's. He had a cute, baby tooth smile and the same light brown eyes as his grandmother. He took to Ari instantly. Max spoke only a tiny amount of English and Ari kept looking at me for guidance, but the little boy's speech was mostly that of a two-year-old – nonsensical sounds along with some words for various toys and games.

Maya's home was lovely. It possessed a worldly charm with stone walls and exposed, natural-wood beams, windowsills and doors. She had a large farm kitchen sink and freshly cut flowers displayed in antique vases. The space was really quite magical. Maya insisted that Ari and I stay for dinner and she served moussaka with a plate of olives and wonderful loaf of bread. For dessert, she gave us Greek yogurt with honey and almonds. Max sat on Ari's lap the entire time and babbled to him about playing ball on the pathway. When the meal was done, Max dragged Ari by the hand out to the courtyard near the garden.

I helped Maya clear the plates and walked with her to the sink in her little kitchen. I set the plates down and Maya took both of my hands in hers and looked me in the eyes before pulling me in for another hug. She released me then placed her hand on my cheek.

"I have waited a long time to meet you, Ava."

I looked at her quizzically.

"Why me?" I could tell Maya was a descendant of a deity but I was not sure of whom. "Who are you?"

She walked down the hall and pulled out a large book from a closet and then took my hand and sat back down at the table. She pulled a picture out of the book and showed it to me.

I cocked my head to the side and took in every detail. The picture was of Maya, taken probably forty years earlier. She was wearing a dress that went past her knees and was standing next to another young woman of approximately the same age. I pointed to the one that was clearly Maya.

"You?" I asked.

"Umm hmm," she responded. She pointed to the other woman, looked at me, and said "Margaux."

My eyes turned the size of half dollars and my heart began to pound of out my chest.

"My Margaux?"

"Umm hmm."

She took out another picture, the photo was of Maya and Margaux again, only this time, Maya's belly was swollen and round. She pointed to her belly and smiled at me until I understood.

"Lucy. My mom."

"Yes."

"You are my Grandmother?"

"Yes, Ava, I am."

I felt as though the wind had been knocked from my lungs. My jaw slacked at this revelation and my heart pounded against my chest. Maya was my mom's birth mother. My grandmother.

"I am of the goddess of Demeter, Ava. My husband, your grandfather Christos, was the last known descendant of Clotho, the spinner of the thread."

I had learned the year before, on my trip to London, that my mother was the descendant of Clotho. I had to beat the information out of Margaux but in the end, she confirmed that my suspicion was right. I kept this information to myself. I had not even told Ari of my discovery.

Since my grandfather was descended from Clotho, Maya had known, in my dream so long ago, that I could pull her thread and delay her death. I possess all three capabilities – I can spin life, measure life and end it. I looked out the garden door at Max who was laughing loudly at Ari who was trying with much difficulty to bounce the ball on his head several times in a row.

Maya nodded at me with a smile and stated that Max was my cousin. She had another daughter, Lacy, ten years after my mother was born. When Lacy died, Maya, not willing to lose another child, kept Max to raise him. She said both of her daughters had possessed the power to spin life and that the Kakos had sought them both out. Max's mom, Lacy, and his dad, Egan, were murdered right after Max's birth when they refused to spare the Kakos' lives any longer. Margaux had taken my mother, ten years prior to Lacy's birth, vowing to keep her safe and away from her destiny as a Fate.

My mother was never told about her past or where she came from; she had no idea who she was until she met my father. Maya added, with a bit of bitterness, that if it hadn't been for Margaux allowing my mom to be with my dad, my mom would still be alive today. The Kakos, she said, found out about my mother in the course of their hunting down my father.

Maya, angry with Margaux, stopped speaking to her friend when I was born. She had herself spent considerable energy and ingenuity keeping Max a secret. The little boy was born. I was the first person to know of his abilities as a Fate. She said that she had been following my progress with the Kakos. And she wished me good luck.

"What do you mean...good luck? There's more, another Kakos isn't there?"

I took a deep breath as I asked my question. I wanted to know what Maya had meant by wishing me luck. Her face turned serious and she nodded yes, slowly.

"Is he safe -- Max?"

She frowned. "It is you he wants, not a little boy. He will find you, Ava."

I asked who _he_ was and where I could find him. She told me there are some things not to be spoken of and that the person I wanted to know about was one of those things. I begged for more information and she simply said that No. 7 rarely shows his own face and had not been seen for eighteen years. When No. 7 does come forth, she added, he takes the form of someone else and thus is not recognizable. He has the power to possess someone else's soul and body. A very cold chill ran through my veins at this news. I pressed Maya again for more information but she was not forthcoming. She turned to look behind herself often, as if someone might be listening in on our conversation.

It began to get dark; Maya's home filled up with shadows, and a cool evening breeze came in through an open window. Ari carried Max, who was rubbing his eyes sleepily, back to the table. I stood up to leave; worried that Ari and I would not be able to find our way back in the dark. Maya gave us great big hugs. Max threw his chubby little two-year-old arms around Ari and cried for him to stay. I choked back tears, afraid of what would happen with Max the next time I saw our grandmother in the hospital dream.

Maya stopped us right before we walked out the door and told me to wait one more minute. She hurried down the hall and started rummaging through a closet and came back with a long rectangular box. She handed the box to me and I looked at her curiously. She motioned for me to open it. I slid the top of the old, dusty wooden box off and found a very ancient pair of sharp scissors tucked away inside. The very same pair I hold each night in my dreams.

Shock and wonder consumed me as I sucked in a breath. Maya smiled and told me the scissors had belonged to Atropos. She took my face in her hands and her eyes looked straight into mine as she said, slowly and deliberately, "Use them when the time comes; you have to use them."

I tried to ask what she meant but, looking out into the darkening sky, she ushered us from her home and bolted the door behind us.

I linked my arm through Ari's and we walked back to The Loft. I told him that the scissors had belonged to Atropos, and that they are the very ones I use each night when I roam the hospital halls in my dream. Then I told him about the dream I had a year ago, when Maya taught me to pull the thread, and I told him how my experience with her had given me the tools I needed to save Aggie.

"Ari, I haven't told you this yet, but I have found out that my mother was descended from Clotho."

He came to a stop on the path and turned to gape at me.

"When did you learn this, Ava?" Ari seemed more than shocked at my revelation.

"On my way to London, last winter. Margaux explained a little bit of my background to me. I had to force the information out of her and I couldn't tell if she was being truthful or not until tonight."

"Why do you keep things from me? You knew this whole time... Christ, Ava!" Ari's jaw was tight and he sounded irritated.

"I'm sorry, Ari. I have a hard time talking about some parts of my life."

"I'm your husband. We should tell each other everything. I know I tell you everything."

I closed my eyes and nodded my head, filled with remorse, yet I still didn't say anything about No. 7. I wasn't ready for him to know that my fight with the Kakos was not yet over.

* * * *

The rest of our trip passed quickly. Ari and I basked in the sun on the beaches near Cape Sounion. We spent a morning at the Central Market. We walked to the top of Mount Lycabettus and back. We toured the museum in Mycenae. We spent a great, lazy day in Hydra.

Ari and I decided to make a hike up Mount Olympus to the Skolio summit. We arrived in the city of Litochoro, also known as The City of the Gods, in the early morning. There was a kind of vibe in the air, a certain kind of electricity. The sky was bright blue and brilliant without a cloud in sight, creating a magnificent background for the Mytikas peak. The higher we climbed, the more at peace I felt. However, with my growing calmness, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, there was a buzzing in my veins, coursing through my body, pushing me higher.

"Do you feel it?" Ari asked, as he took hold of my arm, he rubbed his fingers across the goose bumps that had appeared there.

I nodded and gazed at him curiously. "I do... It's a bit strange."

"I don't think the feeling is strange at all, Ava, this is our home after all. The mountain is just calling out to us, welcoming us back. Mount Olympus is in our blood."

"It is. I can feel that."

****

Nearly a week into our trip, August sent me a text asking us to meet him for dinner at a beach resort called Delfino Blu. Ari and I arrived early and ordered drinks. We sat at an outside table at the beach bar and were mesmerized by the bright blue Mediterranean Sea as we waited for August.

"You're sunburned," he said softly, his lips pulling down in to a frown.

I patted my cheeks with my fingertips.

"Just a touch... it doesn't hurt."

I could feel Ari's penetrating gaze on my cheeks. From the time I disappeared on a run and turned up broken, beaten, and burnt a week later, he had been consumed by worry for my safety and wellbeing. Sometimes when I wake from a nightmare, I find him sitting up, watching me sleep.

"Didn't you wear sunscreen?"

I smiled at his fatherly tone.

"Yes, I put some on, but it must have worn off. I'm ok, Ari. It doesn't hurt."

Ari took my hand in his and slowly turned it over to inspect the pink, freshly healed scar on my wrist.

"I should have never let you out of my sight. I should have never let you leave me that day. I should have never let him get to you. I wish I had killed him myself."

I shook my head slowly.

"You aren't a murderer, Ari."

"Neither are you, Ava."

We sat silently for a long moment and watched the gulls over the sea dive into the water and come back up with dinner. We listened to their screeches and cries over the crashing waves.

"I could live here," I said, mostly to myself.

"Could you?" Ari asked; his interest peeked.

"Yeah, I could."

"We could, you know. Leave California and live here. Change our names and hide away. I could keep you safe here."

I shook my head no.

"You could never leave your family, Ari, and I would never ask you to."

"I would leave everything behind if it meant keeping you safe."

"Damien Kakos is dead, Ari. He can't hurt me."

I closed my eyes and pushed back the threat of tears welling up inside me. I should tell him! I thought. I should tell him that I am not safe, that I am being hunted! But I couldn't do it.

August showed up with his ex-boyfriend Claude, breaking us from our quiet conversation.

"Ugh," I sighed, when I saw them walk together up the path, hand in hand.

"What?" Ari side whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "Who's that?"

"His ex. We hung out in London. Nice guy, but he's a cheat. I'll tell you about it later."

August and Claude stood at the table smiling down on us. As soon as I saw them, I knew it had been Claude I heard talking in the background of my call to August before the trip. I also knew instantly why August began speaking in English as soon as he heard my voice. Claude speaks very little English; August almost certainly didn't want him to know about the plan to move to California. I gave August a knowing look when Claude's back was turned. August shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "What?"

"You know what," I said in a sharp tone.

I introduced Ari to Claude as August's friend, and then asked Claude what he was doing here in Greece. He explained that he had taken a few days to holiday here with August and was leaving for home on an evening plane. I then gave August another accusatory, unbelieving look.

It wasn't that I didn't like Claude. He was actually a pretty fun guy to hang around with. The three of us had a blast one night in London at an Amy Winehouse tribute party. Claude had arranged VIP passes for us and pressured me into dressing in character. He puffed my hair and tied it in a wrap, then did my eye makeup to look just like Amy's. Truth was, I looked quite ridiculous while August and Claude ended up looking quite fabulous. August actually won one of the look-alike contests.

I tempered my usual impatience with Claude that night because, after all, he had brought us to the party... and because I ended up getting to meet Kate Nash and Lily Allen. But Claude, for the most part, treated August poorly, and one quality I cannot stand in a person is the failure to be faithful.

We moved our party into the resort's restaurant for dinner and while waiting for our meal, the four of us shared recaps of what we had done so far in Greece. August noticed my pink, sunburned cheeks and Ari frowned again. I changed the subject to what we had planned for the upcoming days and I was thankful when Claude announced, at the end of dinner, that he had to be on his way. He got up to leave and we said our goodbyes. When he was out of earshot, I turned my attention to August.

"What was that all about?!"

"What on Earth do you mean, Ava?" August put his hand on his heart as if I had wounded him.

"Don't play dumb with me, August. I know Claude was with you the other morning."

"Oh? So what?" he said, trying to brush me off.

"So what? He cheated on you. How can you even think about settling for him? I thought you had moved on from this relationship."

"I promise this is the last I will ever see of him," August frowned.

"Ok, sure," I said sarcastically.

Ari just stared at us the whole time, having no idea what we were going on about, or who Claude really was, so I filled him in on the details. He told me I should stay out of August's relationships and just mind my own business. Part of me knew he was right, but I elbowed him in the ribs anyway as the three of us got up to head back to The Loft. August had shipped most of his things to Aggie a few days earlier; what he had left was in a backpack he carried on one shoulder.

Later, after Ari and I were settled, I went to check on August. I found him sitting on the bed, staring at the floor as though in a pit of utter despair. I sat down next to him and he put his head on my shoulder. I could tell he was upset about letting Claude go for the last time.

"It's okay, Aug," I wrapped my arm around him in a hug.

We sat like that for a while then he took a deep breath.

"OK, it's over. You're right, Claude is a complete jerk and I am over him."

"It's okay if you're not," I said petting his hair.

"Ok, good, because I'm not," he choked out as tears slipped down his cheeks.

Ari came in and took one look at us. I could tell he wanted to turn around and leave but instead he took a seat on the other side of August and put his head on August's shoulder. A small laugh escaped both August's and my lips at Ari's attempt to comfort him. Before long August dried his eyes, stood up and started to get a few things out of his bag.

"I can't believe you're going to be teaching again," I said to him once he was calm. "I didn't think you wanted to keep that up."

"I don't really, but I am ready to be back in California and DPI offered me good pay. I'll be teaching French and history, so that should be easy enough. I will keep my eyes open for something else, but DPI will work for the time being."

I smiled, happy to be getting August back to the U.S.

Ari, August and I spent the next couple of days being obnoxious tourists. We went to The National Archaeological Museum and The Parthenon. We saw the Theater of Herod Atticus, the Theater of Dionysius and the Ancient Agora and Kerameikos. August took pictures of absolutely everything. Every time August and I saw a statute of Adonis, we giggled. Then Ari would give us his best annoyed look, which made us laugh harder. Being in Greece with my husband and my best friend was more fun than I had anticipated. It helped me forget the fears that plagued me, if only temporarily.

On our last night, August made reservations for dinner and a tour on some boat. I was apprehensive about going and suggested that August and Ari go on without me. They looked at each other and then shook their heads no. Ari pulled me up off the bed and held me in his arms.

"Ava Baby, don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time. It's not a boat, it's a yacht; you won't even know you're on the water."

Ari was right about the yacht; it was huge. Nevertheless, I definitely knew we were surrounded by deep water. Between my uneasy feeling and a slight chill in the air, I had to cuddle up on Ari's lap on a deck chair to keep from feeling sick.

We were all talking about how we weren't looking forward to the long flight home the following day, and how we could stay here in Greece forever when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large rope tied around one of the rails. Rolling waves of nausea hit my stomach and I knew then what was coming and I attempted to brace myself for the horrible memories that were invading my mind. The images flashed before my eyes and I quickly got up and rounded the deck out of sight.

Pressing my forehead against the cold steel rail, I forced myself to inhale. I saw myself hanging from a rope. I felt the blood trickle down my torso, urine running down my leg. I could feel the wobble of the stool underneath me, my only lifeline. I heard voices sifting through the ceiling beams from the room above as No. 6 wrongfully predicted my suicide and a muffled voice responded from his speakerphone. That voice had given me my first hint that No. 6 was not the last of those determined to kill me.

The stream of images intensified. I felt the crack of my ribs as No. 6 kicked my limp, nearly lifeless body. I felt my lungs burn and scream for air. I felt the cold sharp blade as No. 6 sliced my wrist open and I watched the blood pool around me.

I pushed my forehead more firmly onto the cold steel of the yacht's railing, grabbed my wrist and bit down on my lip to keep myself from screaming. When a warm, oddly familiar smell flooded my senses, my stomach gave up and I was sick over the rail.

"Ava, are you ok?" Ari asked, rushing towards me.

"Yeah, fine, just a little sea sick," I moaned.

Hurt washed over his face and then was quickly replaced with anger.

"You're lying. Do not ever lie to me, Ava."

_Oh, crap_. I felt horrible and tears sprang to my eyes. He was right.

"I'm sorry," I cried. "But I can't get the words past my lips." The images came back and I continued to be sick over the side of the yacht. My reaction to the rope was by far the worst of my flashbacks...but I finally felt as if there were no more holes missing from that week. I had at last been able to remember the whole ordeal.

Minutes passed, my shaking slowed and my breathing began to go back to normal. Ari helped me to my feet and he put my face in his hands and gave me a serious look.

"Ava, you don't have to protect me. I understand if you don't want to talk about these issues, but we are in this together. Don't ever lie to me again. Ever. I mean it." He handed me a bottle of water and kissed my eyelids.

"Ari," I spoke quietly, "I do have something I need to tell you, but I am not ready to talk about it with you yet."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed, and thought about what I said for a second. I could tell he was seriously angry with me. I wanted so much to get the news of No. 7 out in the open, but my mouth stayed closed and no matter how much my brain screamed at my lips, they would not budge. Ari nodded and pulled me into a hug.

"Just promise me, Ava, that you will talk to me about everything as soon as you are able."

"Promise," I said, breathing his calming scent in, letting it wash over me.

****

The three of us had planned to sleep on the plane ride home, but Ari had gotten a ton of emails from Margaux before we boarded the flight. He groaned and started to get to work as soon we took flight. I looked over his shoulder and asked to look at his work for a bit. I needed a distraction, something to keep my mind off the secrets I was harboring from my love. He gladly handed his iPad over and took his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. I read Margaux's notes over and shot her back an email under Ari's name addressing the situation at hand. Her problem was clearly something of importance to her, though not really to anyone else. The issue had a quick fix and I knew Margaux had already seen the resolution...she just wanted to remind Ari that she could demand things at a moment's notice.

"All finished, that should keep the devil happy for a bit. I wish Perry were still here. He could do this and you wouldn't have to."

Ari smiled crookedly at me.

"If he were here, Ava, then I wouldn't have a job."

"True, but you don't need a job. We could just be beach bums."

Ari laughed.

"Three weeks ago I couldn't get you near the water and now you want to be a beach bum? Not happening. I want a job, Ava. It's not a matter of whether I need one or not. I want to provide for you, for our family."

"You do provide for me, Ari. You don't need to work for _baio_ to make me happy. And I do miss Perry; he was so nice to me," I said as I snuggled my head down on Ari's shoulder.

"Really? You hardly ever mention him."

I bit at the inside of my lip. I didn't like to think about Perry because thinking of his death reminded me that it had been caused by my hand. I took a deep breath and very quietly began to tell Ari about my first encounter with cutting the thread. I toyed with Ari's fingers while I spoke, and I twirled his wedding band around his ring finger. When I finally told him everything about that dream and his death and the funeral, he turned to me, moving my head off his shoulder.

"So, Margaux and your mom both knew that you cut Perry's thread?"

I nodded my head, "I didn't know it then, but yeah, they knew."

"Why didn't they tell you who you were?"

"I don't know, Ari. There is just so much that I do not know."

I put my head back on his shoulder and fell asleep.

### Chapter 10

Happy Family

After my flashback on the yacht, brought on by the sight of heavy rope coiled around a railing, I had terrifying nightmares and my anxiety was through the roof. The plane ride home from Greece was a nightmare in and of itself. Right after I fell asleep on Ari's shoulder, I woke up screaming. Ari hurried to calm me down before I panicked the other passengers, cupping his hand quickly over my mouth to muffle my scream. He told the flight attendant that a spider had scared me and she helped us search for the little intruder before giving us a look of suspicious curiosity and walking away.

I put my head back on Ari's shoulder, but he gently nudged me off him.

"No, you can't fall asleep here, not until we get home, Baby," he whispered.

I was tired and the situation made me grouchy.

Without another word, Ari lifted his iPad.

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," Ari read to me softly as he started Tolstoy's _Anna Karenina_. His voice was so calm, warm and soothing that every so often my eyes would flutter and close. At such times, Ari nudged me softly back awake, shaking his head no.

Rory and Julia picked us up from LAX. They were holding hands, apparently having made up while we were away. Julia squealed with delight when she saw August and they had a classic airport reunion. I walked past them and climbed into the back of the Rover. I was in no mood for squealing or girl talk.

When we finally arrived home, I headed straight back to our bedroom. I climbed into bed and fell asleep within seconds. The images on the other side of my consciousness were those of torture and fear. Time and time again I was brought back to the basement, my prison, and to No. 6's taunting laugh and dirty fingers.

I woke screaming in the night. I ripped blankets from my body and threw pillows to the floor. I cried for Ari, screamed for the pain to stop.

"Ava, Ava, shhhh. You are home. You are here. I am here. Open your eyes. It's going to be alright. You never have to go back there again. Shhh, calm down."

I opened my eyes to Ari's rushed words. I searched in the dark for his face. He flipped the bedside light on and pulled me into his arms while I sobbed.

"I was so scared," I whimpered.

"I know, I know," he whispered. "I'm here with you; you're safe."

I lay curled up in Ari's arms while he rocked me in bed, back and forth. He ran his fingers through my hair and down my back. He wiped the tears as they sprang from my eyes.

"On August fifth, my world ended," Ari spoke so, so quietly. "I waited for you. I waited so long, Ava, and you never came home to me. I called you and called you and sent you text after text. I went to my parent's house; no one had seen you. I went to Gianna's and none of them had seen you. No one saw you run by, you didn't stop to talk to anyone on your way home, you had vanished. You were missing and I panicked. I knew I had failed you. I hadn't protected you, kept you safe. I should have gone with you that day, but I didn't.

"Why had I let the woman I love, the woman I had just married, leave my sight for one tiny moment? What had I been thinking? I ran as fast as I could down that beach. I screamed for you. I looked out in the water in a frenzy searching for you. I died inside when I found your phone lying in the wet sand. I fell to my knees and cried as I dialed 911.

"My family followed me out on the beach, looking for you. My mother found me crying in the sand and she was the first to notice the trail of blood-soaked sand and footprints. He had dragged you away from the water, towards the road and just like that, the trail stopped. He had taken you away. I didn't know where to find you or even where to look. I didn't know if you were alive, if you were scared, if you were in pain.

"Days went by with nothing. No word, no leads. Everyone was afraid to talk to me, afraid of saying something that might upset me. I caught people looking at me. My friends and family, people I have known my whole life, looked at me with pity. They didn't know how to communicate with a man who had just lost his heart, the love of his life, his reason to breathe. I couldn't eat or sleep. I didn't know how.

"My mind shut down. I don't remember making the statement on the news, I don't remember the press conference, or the vigil. The only thing I remember, the only thing I will never forget is sitting in our living room, listening to Detective Scott along with my family. He had come to tell us that the police department was calling off the search for you, and that they were going to make a public announcement the next morning. He said that the department was presuming that you were dead.

"People broke down all around me and cried. All I wanted was for everyone to leave so I could hurry up and join you in death. I wanted to die, too. I wanted to die so badly. I sat and breathed what I thought, what I hoped, would be my last breaths. I looked at my family for what I thought would be the last time. I couldn't stand living a second longer without you in my life.

"Then, out of nowhere, my phone whistled a text alert. Everyone I knew was in that room – except for you. I grabbed my phone off the table in front of me as fast as I could."

Ari closed his eyes.

"That text saved my life – one tiny x. People jumped out of their seats and watched me text you back. I fell to my knees and cried, 'It's Ava! She's alive!'

"We found you in that dirty house, broken and beaten. You looked so scared, so close to not being alive."

Ari took a breath and steadied his emotions.

"I don't know what you have gone through and I don't know what you dream about while you sleep, but I promise to protect you from it, whatever it is. I will keep you safe, Ava. I love you; you can trust me with your secrets."

That was my cue, it was my turn to talk, to open up about my experiences, my secrets, as Ari had put it. Instead, I sat in the quiet room and contemplated Ari's mention of suicide.

"How?"

"Hmm?"

"How were you going to, umm... do that to yourself?"

He shook his head slowly as he stared out of the window at the dark ocean waves that crashed on the shore just beyond our sandy lawn.

"Swim out to sea. Drown. Let the current pull me under and carry me away to you."

"Huh, I have never considered that, purposely drowning myself."

"Why would you?"

I turned and looked at him.

"Never do that. Never! I don't care what happens to me, I cannot dream of a world without you in it."

"Nor can I dream of a world without you in it, Ava; you are my world. If I don't have you, then I have no reason to live."

Moments passed and we sat in the quiet darkness, our room lit by a tiny bulb no brighter than a candle.

"Ava?"

"Hmmm?"

"Tell me what happened to you."

"No."

Ari shook his head incredulously as I crawled off his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight as I drifted back to a dark, tortured sleep.

****

Ari took me back to my physician, Dr. Phillips, the next day for a checkup. The doctor tried to prescribe some meds for my post-traumatic stress and I declined. I told him I was doing fine and that there was no need for me to be on any prescriptions. Ari kept his jaw clenched through the whole visit. We walked through the hospital in silence and then out to the parking lot. Once we were in the car, he slammed his door shut.

"Why did you do that?" he barked.

"Do what?"

"Lie!!"

I blanched.

"I didn't lie."

"There. You did it again. Stop lying, Ava. You aren't doing fine. You do need help."

I was saved by a call coming in on Ari's phone. He shifted in his car seat and retrieved his cell from his jeans pocket. I stole a glance at the caller id display but the number was not one that I recognized. Ari gave me a sideways glance, then accepted the call.

"This is Ari." He answered in a clipped tone.

"Hello, Mr. Alexander. This is Jane Wilcox with _The_...." I heard the woman on the other line say before I lost interest and stared out the window as we turned right onto the I-5 south ramp towards home.

Because my kidnapping had been all over the news and had involved a seriously wanted fugitive, Ari and I received requests for my exclusive account almost daily from various news stations and reporters across the country. Obviously, I wasn't going to talk to a bunch of strangers on television or in print, especially if I couldn't even talk with my own husband about what had happened. Each time we were presented with a new offer, Ari would release the same statement: "Ava is an incredibly private person and wishes to remain that way. She is working through her experiences at home, in the arms of her loved ones. She wishes to thank all of those who supported and prayed for her."

****

Ari was set to go back to work after the weekend and I was dreading his absence. I kept reminding myself that real life involved things like work and school and I needed to get a better grip on reality. It was hard with all of the fears that had been plaguing me. It was already the end of October and I was beginning to think I would not be able to start school at the spring semester and the realization made me feel worse.

We went over to dinner at Aggie and Andy's on Saturday night rather than Sunday, because the Alexanders were to throw a small party afterwards for Halloween. I was sick of parties and crowds and all I wanted to do was stay at home, but that would mean I would have to be home by myself and I was too scared to be alone.

I walked into the kitchen with Ari; he hugged his mom hello and left to talk with his dad - alone.

I hadn't seen Aggie since we got back from our trip to Greece. I took the book that she had lent me and set it on the table in front of her.

"Thanks," I said and started to turn to go to the living room.

"Sure, Ava," she said with a smile. "You can pick it up over here next time, though."

I looked at her, having no idea what she was going on about, and she gave me a little wink. Then I remembered what had happened the week before, when she had come to our house to deliver the book.

"Serves you right, Aggie; you wanted details and now you have them." My tone was harsher than I intended.

"Okay, you win. I'll never ask again! Believe me, I don't want to know," she said, smiling playfully. I could not bring a return smile to my lips. I just nodded and walked away. I couldn't find the playful, carefree side of my personality. I didn't feel like smiling or laughing. Aggie watched me leave the kitchen with concern in her eyes.

I sat at the piano and played until my fingers ached too much to carry on. At dinner, I stayed quiet until Lauren said how excited she was that August was going to be teaching two of her classes. I nearly choked on my food.

"Don't take this the wrong way, August, but you, Lauren," I said turning to look at my sister-in-law, "you are going to hate him!"

August nodded his head up and down vigorously, agreeing with me.

"What? Why?" Lauren frowned with disappointment.

"August was my private teacher for Wheatin Prep and he was a harsh taskmaster jerk. His exams were brutal and his lectures went on for hours. The closer we got to becoming friends the harder he pushed me, so don't think he will go easy on you because you know each other. Oh, and if you speak or write one lick of English in your French class, be prepared for a ton of homework and public humiliation."

"Don't act like my rules and tests were a bad thing, Ava. If not for me you never would have graduated at the top of your class at one of the highest-ranking schools in London."

"I would have settled for just graduating at that point, August, but thanks. Truthfully, Lauren, August is a great teacher; just don't let his looks fool you. He will not be fun...ever."

"Uh, we did too have fun!" August said with a pout.

"Yeah, we had fun, after class, like three times."

"It's not my fault you were so hung up on Ari that you couldn't enjoy London," he retorted.

Ari put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my hair.

Lauren looked angry, pushed her food around on her plate for the rest of dinner, and did not say anything else. I didn't either for that matter; my mind was somewhere else entirely. I could not forget about No. 7 and I couldn't put my uneasy feelings to rest. I was beginning to feel paranoia lurking behind all my thoughts. I had bitten and peeled my fingernails down to near non-existence. I fidgeted constantly with whatever was at hand. My leg shook and bounced around at dinner so much that Ari had to keep putting his hand on my knee to stop the table from rattling.

### Chapter 11

Secrets

I wanted to be selfish after dinner and have Ari at home all to myself, but the back deck was filling up with friends from school who still lived in the area. Emily, Sophie and Viola, our 12th floor dorm mates from DPI, shared a flat in L.A. and had driven down to hang out. So had Collin, Misha, Rachel and Nigel, friends of Nick's that I had met on a few occasions. I began to relax a little bit. Some of the girls from Lauren's floor were there and her new boyfriend, Luke, made a first appearance at the family home. I got a kick out of watching him fidget every time Ari, Rory or Nick asked him a question. I also felt a twinge of pity for him, knowing how it is to be overwhelmed by such a large, close group of people. He seemed to be doing okay, though, and Lauren had a goofy, love-struck smile spread across her face the whole evening.

I was talking quietly with August when I felt someone grab my shoulders from behind. I let out a scream and everyone fell silent. Whirling around, ready to fight, I found Andy standing there with his hands up in surrender.

"Oh, Ava, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to see if you might have a chat with me inside."

Letting out a shaky breath, I tried to calm back down.

"It's okay, Andy, no worries. You just startled me, that's all... um, maybe another time for the chat? I don't feel up to talking."

"I am here for you, Ava, if you need to talk. Ari tells me you're having a difficult time right now."

"I'm fine, totally fine. Another time, though; you don't need to worry about me when all your friends are here."

He looked at me for a long moment with a concerned stare. I forced a smile.

"If you're sure, Ava."

I nodded my head reassuringly.

Ari came up to make sure everything was all right.

"I'm fine, really. Your dad just startled me," I told him.

He brushed my cheek with his thumb and cocked his head to the side with a worried expression.

"We can leave if you want. Head home."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ari. Your friends just showed up, they haven't seen you since... "

... _Since the vigil they held when I was missing._

I heard one of the girls from our old school, Keri, mumble, "She's such a freak," to her friend, Skylar, and they both giggled. The two lived on the same floor as Ari and I did, floor number twelve at the dorm. They had never much cared for me, and I had never been sure why. I pretended not to hear them, but a tear slid stubbornly down my cheek, giving away my emotions. Ari clenched his jaw and started to turn towards them. I grabbed his shoulder, "Ari, stop, don't worry about them."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ava," was his only response as he walked away from me. He didn't get too far before we heard Julia's voice, draped in ice.

"You clearly have little regard for Ava, the question is, what brings you here into the midst of my family, _her_ family? If you are here to gawk and sneer, Keri, you have made a serious mistake. You are a sad and tragic excuse for a human, and Skylar is just your pathetic little minion. Time for you to leave. And I'm sorry I invited you to begin with."

I mouthed Julia a small "thank you" and she gave me a wink. She might make wild comments that get under my skin, but we are family and the two of us share a bond. I love her like a sister.

August walked back up and draped an arm over my shoulder. I was happy to see him. One of the best things about having August around was that I could pour my heart out and no one else had any idea about what we were saying.

" _Je me sens stupide_ ," I said wiping the rest of the tears away with the back of my hand.

He pulled me in for a one-armed hug, " _Non, elles étaient stupides_."

As I continued to talk quietly with August in French, I filled him in on my anxiety and constant feeling of uneasiness. I knew I should have been talking to Ari about my feelings, but I also knew Ari would overreact and want to leave and I could tell he was having a nice time. He was smiling and the little crease in his forehead was nowhere in sight.

I tried to be careful, though. Ari gets a little annoyed when August and I talk together in French, and August tends to use Ari's lack of French to his own advantage. Ari especially dislikes hearing his own name in a mix of other words he does not understand. Often, back when we were in Montréal, August and I teased Ari by saying his name in the middle of conversations that had nothing to do with him. August started to pull that very trick, using Ari's name, rolling his eyes and moving his hands dramatically, and a giggle burst from my lips for the first time since before my last flashback.

I knew August was teasing Ari more to make me forget about my worries, but he was also doing a great job of getting under Ari's skin. In between my laughter, I explained to Ari that August was just being playful and that the story he was telling had nothing to do with Ari but, instead, was about a foolish ex-boyfriend. Ari looked at me skeptically.

"He was just trying to make me feel better at your expense," I reassured him with a small smile.

"If that's the case, then I'll willingly be the butt of all his jokes. I miss that giggle; it makes my heart smile." Ari wrapped his arms tight around me in a hug and kissed my forehead.

Ari stayed by my side the rest of the evening and when Aggie kicked people out on account of the noise and late hour, Ari, Rory, Nick and August brought the late-night party goers over to our house.

Ari and I snuck off to bed a couple of hours after that and when I woke the next morning, I discovered people scattered all about the house sleeping on my couches, chairs and even the floor. I made my way through the sea of bodies and made a pot of coffee. I grabbed the paper, filled up two mugs, and headed back to bed. The smell of coffee woke Ari up and I handed him a mug and _The Times_.

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you," I warned him, getting comfortable under his arm.

"Mmm," he smiled, "I have no intentions of leaving this bed this morning." Ari opened the paper to our favorite section and we read it together, trading little comments to each other here and there, very much the old married couple.

A bit later, there was a knock on our bedroom door. Ari called out from the bed that the door was open and in popped Emily's curly head. She smiled and walked the rest of the way into the room.

"Oh, my gosh; you two are so cute!"

I blushed and Ari laughed. "Is there something we can help you with, Em?" Ari put the paper down on his lap and removed his reading glasses.

"Am I interrupting you?"

"Of course not; what's up?" Ari said.

"Nothing. I just wanted to thank you two for the invite to the party. I had a great time. I haven't seen either of you in a while and loved catching up. Your house is amazing, by the way. I am majorly jealous right now."

"Want the tour?" Ari asked as he pushed his head off the headboard in an attempt to get out of bed.

"Oh no, no. Some other time, stay put."

Ari eased back down.

"So anyway, we are all leaving. Thanks again for the invite. I hope to see you both again soon."

"You are always welcome. You know that," Ari told her.

Emily's eyes bounced about the room, she wrapped a curl around her finger, twirling it around and around. Clearly something else was on her mind.

"It's not like you to be shy, Em. What's going on?" Ari is an expert at reading people's body language. God knows he always can tell when I am not being truthful.

"Well, um, I kind of wondered – is your cousin dating anyone?"

"You're going to have to be more specific, Emily," he laughed.

Even though Ari's only "real" cousins are Rory and Nick, he has several, more distant family members – second cousins, cousins twice removed – and for simplification's sake, all of them refer to one another as cousins.

"Nick," Emily answered, blushing a hot pink.

"Ah... "

Ari readjusted his body and rubbed at the stubble on his cheek. "Nick's a hard nut to crack, Em. But yes, he and Misha kind of have a thing going."

This was news to me.

Emily frowned. "Oh, ok then."

"Sorry." Ari grimaced.

"No worries." Emily laughed it off, said goodbye once more and shut our bedroom door.

I turned to Ari. "I didn't know Misha and Nick were dating!"

"Don't tell anyone, Ava, okay? Rory doesn't even know."

"What? Why? Misha is wonderful. She is so nice."

"She is," Ari agreed.

"Then what's with the secrecy?"

Ari bit down on his lip. "He doesn't want his parents to know."

"But why?" I pressed.

"Misha isn't Greek, Ava. Thais and Gianna wouldn't be happy about that."

"You have got to be kidding me! They wouldn't want Nick dating someone who isn't Greek? That is so, so _stupid_."

Ari gave me a look as though I may have overstepped my bounds.

"I get why you may think that fretting about dating a non-Greek is foolish. A part of me agrees with you. But, as you know, our family is ultra-traditional when it comes to heritage. Our parents expect Greek babies. That expectation is instilled in us from a very young age."

"Ari, I don't mean to be rude, but _I_ think that expectation is archaic. Nick, and anyone else in this family, should be able to choose the person to love. What if I weren't Greek? Would you have dated me... married me?"

Ari smiled at me and ran his fingers across my lips. "It doesn't matter because you are Greek."

I frowned at him.

"Ava, don't dwell on this issue; it's the way things are with us. You'll be knocking your head against a wall." He sighed, kissed my cheek, and picked the paper back up to read.

"What does Misha think about Nick not telling his family about her? Doesn't that hurt her feelings? How serious is their relationship?"

Ari grudgingly placed the paper back down. "They are choosing to be together in spite of the difficulties; it's not really our business, Ava. Misha has confided in me once or twice and yes, her feelings are hurt that she isn't welcome to come to family events as Nick's girlfriend. But she understands Nick's predicament and she supports him. And yes, they are serious. They have been together for a few years... they actually live together."

"What?! How is that possible? They live together and no one even knows they are dating?"

"Nick works hard at keeping his life private, Ava. You of all people should understand how compelling the need for privacy can be. We need to keep this information quiet. Neither Misha nor Nick would like it to come out.

"Of course not; I won't mention anything, I promise."

"Good." Ari picked the paper back up to continue his article.

"I just... "

He let out a determined puff of breath in obvious annoyance.

"I mean, If I weren't Greek would you still have dated me?"

"You are Greek, Ava. This isn't about us."

Ari's evasion of the subject told me that his honest answer would have been no. No, he would not have dated me if I were not Greek.

I crossed my arms over my chest. I was angry. Angry at Nick for not being a man and standing up to his parents for the woman that he loved. Angry at Misha for putting up with the situation in the first place. And angry at Ari for buying into such an archaic tradition.

"Listen Baby," Ari turned to me. "I love you. I get that you are upset but, like I said, this isn't about us. You don't have to worry about this small family rule."

"That's right; I don't have to worry about who's Greek and who isn't. Since we aren't having kids, finding Greek mates for them won't be a problem. I won't have to tell my kids they can't fall in love with this person or that person, because there won't be any children."

Ari rolled his eyes at me. "Ah, yes, that's right. The childless family. And when my mother finds out you won't give her grandchildren, she will kill you and I will have to find another Greek girl to marry and bear my children."

I gasped. I was appalled by Ari's comment.

Ari smiled brightly.

"Just kidding!" Pause. "Well, sort of... my mother _will_ kill you when she finds out you don't want babies."

I shot Ari a dirty look.

"Ava," he said sweetly in my ear, "don't let this ruin your day." He nuzzled his nose in my hair. I tried to nudge Ari off me but he wouldn't budge. "I am not going to let you stay mad. I have ways of making you forget – easily."

Ari moved his lips to my ear. I felt the warm sensation in the pit of my stomach, a feeling that I love and know so well. I squirmed and Ari laughed.

Ari shifted and moved his lips to my lips and kissed me tenderly.

The bedroom door creaked open. Rory, Julia, and August all made their way into our room, interrupting the moment.

"It's, like, ten o'clock in the morning! You two need a hobby other than the beast with two backs."

"Rory." Ari greeted him with an irritated tone as he moved his head back to its place on the headboard. "Morning."

The three piled in our room and made themselves at home at the foot of our bed.

Rory recapped some pretty funny stories that happened after Ari and I had fallen asleep and August, in an incredibly animated fashion, told Julia and Rory all about how he had teased Ari the night before. Then he sheepishly announced that he had met someone.

"You guys remember Collin, Nick's friend?" he asked.

I had met Collin several times. He seemed really nice but he had never really spoken to me before.

"Yeah, Collin – cute guy with really, short, light blonde hair and glasses like Ari's?" I asked.

"Yes!" August said with a huge grin. "We met a few months ago at your wedding and then again when umm... well, Ava, when you were missing, and we got to talking. I thought he was so cute, but I was too worried about you to think anything more about it. So anyway, when we met again last night we hit it off and, well, we've got a date in a few days!"

Julia and I both squealed and Rory and Ari rolled their eyes at us. August filled us in on all the details and once the coffee was gone, the paper was read, and the sleeping crowd of people had dispersed, we made our way out on to the pool deck for an afternoon in the sun.

Ari and I stayed put on the hammock. He worked on getting caught up on some issues for _baio_ and seemed to be getting the hang of Margaux's requests just fine. I think he was even enjoying the work.

Rory, August, Julia, Lauren, her new boyfriend Luke, Andy and Aggie, Nick, Gianna and Thais had arrived and began playing volleyball in our pool.

"Is _he_ Greek?"

Ari looked up from his work.

"What?"

"Luke, is Luke Greek?"

Ari pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. He is not a "descendant," but he is Greek."

_So stupid_. I thought to myself, but suppressed an eye roll. I didn't want to fight with Ari. I looked up at him and smiled then planted a little kiss on his lips.

"You can join them, you know," I said referring to his family splashing around and laughing in our pool.

"Yeah, but I don't want to leave you."

"Please, Ari," I said, this time rolling my eyes, playfully. "I can tell you're dying to get your mom's hair wet so just do it already."

He laughed, "Why on Earth would she get in the pool if she didn't want to get her hair wet?"

"Do it!" I said encouraging him.

He set his iPad and glasses down on the table next to me and snuck off the patio and down to the pool deck unnoticed. He did a cannonball, creating a huge splash right in front of Aggie. She yelled at him and splashed him back playfully. Then, defending his wife, Andy jumped on Ari's shoulders and dunked him in the pool. I watched fondly at the close-knit relationship that Ari had with his parents – with his whole family – and I couldn't help but feel that I was pushing a wedge between us by keeping the dark secrets I had of the remaining Kakos to myself. I thought about Nick's secret from the family – his undisclosed relationship with Misha. I was wrong to judge him. I was keeping a big, life-threating secret from them. They were all in danger because of me; I rolled over away from the group and wept quietly to myself.

Ari had music blaring through the speakers but still I somehow managed to cry myself to sleep. Dreams came: shadows, scissors, and images of my loved ones dying horrible deaths. Dreams of me killing others, murdering them in cold blood.

When I woke up, it was dusk and I was covered with Ari's towel. The smell of charcoal on the grill wafted in the air. August was in the middle of telling the story about the killing of No. 4. I had never shared those details with the family. Somehow, August managed to make the story, the same one that haunted my sleep at night, sound funny. I sat up and stretched. August noticed me and fell silent.

"Sorry, Ava," he said quietly.

I waved him off, "Nah, Aug, don't worry about it." My joints popped as I stretched again. "It's your story, too. We do seem to remember the important details a little differently, though."

"Well, if that's the case, maybe you should tell it," he said, as I made my way over to the patio table. There weren't any seats left so I climbed up on Ari's lap and ran my fingers through his hair.

"You should have woken me up; I didn't intend to fall asleep."

"No way – you looked so peaceful in your sleep for once."

"That's strange; I had nothing but weird nightmares that involved me killing your mom."

Ari laughed.

"That's not funny!" Aggie snapped.

"I didn't intend it to be. I love you, Aggie, very much. I can't help what I dream." I smiled at her. Aggie gave up on being angry and smiled back.

Ari's family, our family, gathered around our pool and shared stories and laughs, ate, drank and star gazed until slowly people began to head for home, one at a time. After the last goodbye was said and the final hug given, for the first time in what felt like forever, Ari and I were alone. We very quickly found our way to our bedroom. I insisted on taking a shower so Ari opted to join me and we found we had no need for a bed after all.

### Chapter 12

Half Truth

I loved living with Ari. He is a crazy music fan and has wireless Bluetooth speakers throughout our entire home. Every morning, he puts a different song on and we dance in the bathroom together while we brush our teeth. In the morning of Ari's first day back to _baio_ , he could tell I was dreading our separation. He turned on _Brad Sucks_ and turned up "Making Me Nervous."

"Here we go," he said, quoting the first line of the song. Then he turned our bathroom into a private dance club. He and I danced together and I giggled at how silly we probably looked. Ari's ploy to make me smile had worked. Dressed in his _here-I-am-world_ suit and all ready for work, the dance was even funnier – the serious professional acting like a teenager. When the song was over, he grabbed his cell off the bathroom sink and laced his fingers together behind the small of my back.

"If you need me for anything, anything at all, please, please call me, Ava. Call my cell, call my office, call my assistant. Please."

"I will. But I won't need to; I'm fine," I nodded reassuringly.

Ari ran his thumb across my lips.

"I'll check in on you in a couple of hours. My mom is home next door if you... "

"Ari," I smiled, "I am fine. Go! You are going to be late!"

"OK, love you."

I bit at the inside of my lip.

"Love you, too... oh, wait! Can you give something to Margaux for me?" I rushed to our study and grabbed a big, fat manila envelope that was stuffed to the brim with cash.

"Yeah sure, what is it?"

"Money. I finally arranged to buy my car back; I am going to have Rory drive it home for me this weekend," I smiled.

"Ava, you bought a car! Why don't you tell me these things?" Ari looked angry.

My smile slid right off my face.

"I did not buy _a_ car. I bought my old car back and I guess I just forgot to mention it. I made the deal with Margaux right before our trip to Greece and it just slipped my mind."

Ari sighed, "I will cancel the car I ordered for you then." He took the envelope; he gave me another kiss goodbye, urged me to call him, and then closed the door.

I waited for a moment in our quiet house. The garage door creaked shut. I closed my eyes and listened to the pings of wind-tossed sand hit our windows. I listened to the icemaker churn and dump fresh ice in the freezer bin. I swallowed with great effort, the uneasiness I felt about being alone constricting my throat, and then jumped out of my skin when the dryer buzzer sounded. I ran out the back door, onto the patio and across the deck to the pool house.

"Hi."

"Bonjour," August mumbled, yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "What's up?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Nothing... what are you doing?"

August looked at me unsmiling.

"Well, I was sleeping until you pounded on my door and woke me up... so now I am standing here in my boxers waiting for you to tell me whatever the hell it is you need to tell me at eight in the morning."

"Right. Sorry. Just making sure you have everything you need, or whatever."

August opened the pool house door all the way and gestured for me to enter. He walked back to the bedroom and came back out a few minutes later wearing a pair of charcoal dress pants and buttoning up a white dress shirt. He was due to start his first day of work at nine. I was seated on the couch staring down at my knotted fingers.

"Do you have something on your mind, Ava?"

I let out a long exhale between my pursed lips.

"I have a lot on my mind." I stood up to leave. "I'm sorry I woke you, Aug. Have a nice first day of work."

"Nuh-uh. No way. I'm up now; you're stuck with me. Sit."

My leg was shaking and bouncing around. I unlaced my fingers and began to chew on my thumbnail. August took my hand away from my mouth; he set it calmly down on my leg and steadied me.

"What did that bastard do to you, Ava?"

August was referring to No. 6.

"I don't want to talk about that."

"I know you don't. Ari said you keep saying that you don't want to talk about your kidnapping or any of your experiences, but I don't think your best interest is a matter of _want_ at this point. I think it is a matter of _need_. Whether you want to discuss your issues or not is irrelevant; you need to talk about them. You cannot keep bottling these issues up inside, Ava."

I pretended to pick pieces of lint off my shirt as August spoke.

"Do you have any good books to read?" I asked, when his lecture was finally done.

August rolled his eyes at me and shook his head incredulously as he walked over to an unpacked box he had sitting on the floor. He pulled out _Pride and Prejudice_.

"I've already read that one," I moped.

August threw it at me.

" _Encore_! Read it again."

I took the book and went back into the house. I walked through the empty kitchen, passed the dining room and wandered through the living room. Aimlessly, I visited every part of our house until I found myself standing in front of our bed. I tossed the borrowed book on a pillow and pulled back the blankets on Ari's side of the bed. I coiled up in a small ball and wept until my phone rang a couple of hours later.

"Hi," Ari's voice was so soothing.

"Hi."

"You doing alright?"

"Yeah."

"August called me; he said you looked upset this morning."

"Mmm..."

"What are you doing right now, Ava?"

I picked up the Jane Austen novel and flipped to the cover page.

"Reading."

"Oh? How's your day?"

"I miss you. Can you find a way to disable the dryer buzzer?"

Ari chuckled into the phone. "I miss you, too. I'll call you this afternoon. Consider the dryer buzzer as good as gone."

"Bye."

I tossed the book aside, curled back up in my little ball under the mass of warm blankets and pillows and continued my silent sobs.

****

I woke up with Ari every morning, made the bed, showered, got dressed, kissed him goodbye with a smile. As soon as the garage door creaked, I knew I was alone. Each morning I pulled back the covers on Ari's side of the bed, fit myself into the indentation his body had made on the mattress, and soaked his pillow with tears. Ari called me at the same time each day. To keep from lying to him about what I was doing, I pulled myself out of bed just before his call and started some mundane chore like turning laundry over or putting a dish or two away from the dishwasher. I pretended to read every Jane Austen and Brontë novel ever written.

In spite of my attempts to hide my distress from him, I could see the worry in Ari's eyes when he looked at me. I could hear it in his voice. The crease in his forehead was ever present. I made sure to schedule my appointments with Dr. Phillips on days when Ari had class so he couldn't come with me and hear me lie about being fine and feeling great. The truth was that I was far from fine. After successfully peeling every fingernail away to nothingness, I began to pull the skin away from my actual fingers. My scarred hand was especially raw. It was angry and scary looking.

Ari was busy in the evenings with schoolwork, so fairly often I wandered out to the pool house to seek out August's company. He had backed off pressing me for details about the days I had been missing and it was nice to pretend to be normal with him. I helped him grade papers and he told funny stories about the petty high school drama he suffered in dealing with his students. August's date with Collin had gone really well and I began to see less and less of him. I had a hard time dealing with the isolation. My anxiety got worse day by day and my nightmares became next to unbearable. Many nights I sent Ari into a complete panic because he could not silence my screams and he couldn't wake me up right away.

I woke late one night, to wet, tear-filled eyes and cheeks. My throat was raw and scratchy. The bedside light was already on and I was already being cradled in Ari's arms. My head was pressed up against his chest and I could hear the rapid beating of his heart. His white tee-shirt was soggy with my tears. He didn't notice me wake up and he stared with unseeing eyes out the window. I shifted and scratched at the peeling skin on my sore, raw hand.

Ari moved his gaze from the window to me and said nothing. He had dark circles under his red-rimmed eyes; a stack of papers sat piled up on the covers next to my open laptop. My nightmares had interrupted his late night cramming session. He grabbed onto my fingers and moved them away from my pink, peeling skin. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"You were talking in your sleep," he whispered.

My body stiffened; scared of what I may have revealed. "What did I say?"

"My name."

I nodded. "What else?"

He let out a puff of breath and shook his head.

"You weren't speaking English."

I relaxed and giggled a little and Ari gave me a small crooked smile.

"You said my name with this cute little accent. I liked it."

" _Arie_." I smiled.

" _Oui_." He laughed and then turned serious.

"Tell me what happened to you, Ava."

"He did bad things, Ari. I've done bad things. You don't need to see me in that light."

Ari sighed a heavy sigh. He took a tube of Neosporin off the bedside table and gently rubbed it into my peeling flesh.

"Leave your hand alone, Ava. You're turning into Freddie Kruger... it's creepy," he teased. And I laughed a tiny laugh.

### Chapter 13

The F Word

I ran at the gym – four miles or more daily to try to stop the stress. My body started to hurt and scream in protest at overuse. I spent hours and hours in the study doing research, looking up anything that could possibly shed light on No. 7. But I always came up empty handed.

I started working with Andy for _House to Home_ , making a few contacts and setting up some funding for a few events to be held in the spring, nothing time consuming or difficult. Andy suggested that I put work off and take more time to "get well." But I assured him that the distraction from my thoughts was nice. I still had not actually gone in to the _House to Home_ office to meet anyone. I preferred to stay put. Actually, I preferred to stay safe. I told Andy not to pay me at all, but he refused so I set up an account, arranged for the direct deposit of my paycheck and set up an automatic payout to the company as a charitable donation. The work was enjoyable; doing a little bit of good for someone else felt nice. I researched other organizations that were in need and set up donations. My mother had always donated to a few of the women's shelters back in Chicago, so when she passed I decided to continue on with her monthly contributions as well.

No matter how hard I tried to focus on real time, I found that my mind sometimes wandered far away, trying to solve a puzzle Ari knew nothing about – the conundrum of who No. 7 might be, how I might identify him if he could appear in any form he chose, and how I would kill him.

I became so scared of my alone time that I began to wander over to Aggie's. She and I didn't talk much; I just liked the idea of having someone near me. I practiced the piano for what felt like hours, trying to get my fingers to do what I wanted them to do. I played until my fingers turned sore and stiff and the bitten ends bled. Then I began shutting myself in Ari's old bedroom, crying under his bulk of pillows and blankets until I fell asleep.

"Ava." Aggie spoke softly from the doorway. "Ava, Baby."

"Mmm?" I moaned and removed the pillow from my eyes. Ari's old bedroom was bright with the afternoon sun. I blinked several times.

"Ava, I have to run to the market. You'll be alone for a bit. Andy will be back from work in about an hour or so."

I sat up in the bed. "I'll come with you."

Aggie furrowed her brow. "Sure."

Making my way to the guest bathroom, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were red rimmed from crying, I was pale and my hair was uncombed. I tied it back in a knotted ponytail and washed my face. I didn't have the energy to do more than that.

I walked into the kitchen and found Aggie waiting with her purse and keys in hand. Following her out to the garage, I climbed in the passenger seat of Aggie's little Audi convertible. I wondered how she had room to squeeze in any groceries in the car's tiny space.

Aggie had a _Snow Patrol_ album on. Leaning forward in my seat, I turned the volume way down.

"I thought you liked _Snow Patrol_!"

"They're okay... I just don't feel like listening to music."

"Oh?" Aggie was trying to ease me into opening up and talking with her about my feelings.

I nodded and then looked out the window, putting an end to any discussion.

We pulled up to _Ralph's_ and I walked with Aggie up and down the aisles while she filled her cart. I spied the pharmacy.

"Can I refill my prescription while we are here?"

Aggie blinked at me. "Er... Do you want me to go to the pharmacy with you, Ava?"

"Yes."

"Ok, Baby. Let me just grab some milk and we will walk over there together."

"K."

Aggie waited behind me as I talked with the pharm tech. I had to refill my birth control.

"Give us about ten minutes, Mrs. Alexander," The pharm tech said with a nod, then walked away from the counter.

I turned around and Aggie raised an eyebrow at me. I took a seat in one of the bucket chairs in the pharmacy department and waited.

Aggie and I sat in an uncomfortable silence. After five minutes she spoke up. "I saw this cute idea on _Pinterest_ the other day, Ava."

"Oh?" I looked up at her.

Aggie smiled and pulled out her cell phone. "Yes, it would look awesome on your pool deck... " Aggie carried on and showed me some picture she had pinned and I zoned off almost immediately. Thankful when the pharmacist finally called my name, I grabbed my renewed prescription and walked with Aggie to the check-out lane.

By the time we arrived back to our road, Ari was home. "Can you just drop me off at home, Aggie?"

She turned into my driveway and wound the car up to the front door. "Have Ari stop by later, would you?" She asked. "I need to talk to him."

I nodded, grabbed my little white prescription bag and climbed out of the car.

Ari was waiting for me on the front porch step. He waved at his mom as she pulled out of the drive.

"Where were the two of you?"

"The market."

Ari wrapped his arms around me in a hug and planted a kiss on my head. I immediately felt safe there in his arms.

We walked in the house together.

"How was your day?" He asked.

"Uneventful. Yours?"

"Same." Ari nodded.

"Were you at my parent's house long?"

"Mmm," I muttered, making a noise that could be construed as either a yes or a no.

"What did you and my mom talk about?"

I racked my brain hard for a conversation Aggie and I had that day.

"Uh, _Snow Patrol_ and, um, _Pinterest_."

Ari squinted his eyes at me. "Ok, Baby I have a ton of work to do. I am heading to the study. I'll check on you in a bit." Ari kissed my forehead and disappeared down the hall. I brought my prescription back to our bathroom and unloaded the little pill container next to my sink. I walked back to the living room and plopped down on the sofa.

****

The moon was taunting me; staring at me from beyond the little rectangular window. The moon, unlike me, was free. Free to come and go as it chose. I was stuck. My mouth was soggy with old duct tape. My arms were pinned behind my back, my wrists held tightly together with handcuffs. I pulled at the cuffs but they did not budge, the metal only dug further into my tender, broken flesh. I was wet with urine. I could smell the ammonia – it made my stomach churn with nausea. Hit with a bout of violent heaves, my mouth filled with stomach acid, it tasted bitter and I could feel the texture of something chunky on my tongue. Due to the tape that kept my mouth from opening, I was forced to swallow my vomit back down. My teeth felt gritty. Leaning back against the water heater, I pillowed my head against a pipe.

I heard the heavy footsteps of No. 6 on the floorboards above me. He was whistling, carrying on a tune while he made his dinner. The house smelt of tuna. The acid and chunks flew up my esophagus again, my cheeks filled and I forced my vomit back down as quickly as I could. No 6's fork clattered against his plate. I listened to him stand up; his chair rubbed loudly against the hardwood floors. I heard the clash of his dish as it hit the kitchen sink. Moments later, the basement door opened with a creak. Panic rose. It was time. What was he going to do to me? What was next? I squirmed and pulled at the cuffs. I started to breathe heavily, my heart pounded. Oh, God. Oh, God. He reached the bottom of the steps. I could see the wicked gleam in his eyes. He put his mouth up to mine. I could smell the tuna on his breath. Once again, the bile rose and filled my cheeks. Once again, I swallowed my vomit back down.

****

I jumped up, screaming. Terror coursed through my veins. The house was dark, shadows danced on the walls. Wet with sweat, my matted hair stuck to my neck and back. In a panic, I ran. I threw open doors and called out to Ari. I searched through the whole house, screaming for him. He was gone. I was alone. Running to our bedroom, I threw open the closet door and hid, like a small child, in a dark corner. I pulled down clothes that were folded in neat, small stacks. I yanked Ari's suits off the hangers. Shoes flew across the closet as I dug through clothing for a bit of security, for some sort of refuge. At last, I found what I was searching for; I shook and cried in to Ari's gray hooded sweatshirt. "Oh, my God." I cried out, again and again. My litany.

No. 6 tortured me, mercilessly. He tortured my body and my mind. What he failed to do was finish me off; the only thing left for me to do was die, to sit and hide like a coward until No. 7 finally came to kill me. He was coming; I could feel it in my bones. He was plotting his next move.

A door creaked in the distance. I heard footsteps, slow at first as they moved through my home from room to room. After a beat, the footsteps picked up the pace. Doors opened and slammed shut. I pushed myself further into the corner in my bedroom closet. I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears poured relentlessly down my cheeks, and chin. My body would not stop quivering. I bit down hard on my own hand in an attempt to keep silent – to keep from screaming out in fear.

The closet door flew open with a bang.

"Holy Fuck!" Ari hollered and my ears rang with the noise he caused.

Ari immediately dropped to his knees. He pulled my shrunken, tightly coiled body into his arms. Ari was panicky, I could hear his heart pounding though his chest. His fingers were trembling as they searched my face, neck and body for a way to help me.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"Y-You l-left. You left me," I sputtered.

"Fuck." Ari cussed again, this time to himself, under his breath. I winced at the harsh word.

Ari stroked my hair and rocked us back and forth on the closet floor. It was a long while before either of us spoke again.

"You were asleep on the sofa," Ari said softly. "My mom called, she said she had been waiting all evening for me to stop by. She told you to tell me to come over. You must've forgotten to relay the message. I checked on you before I left. You were sound asleep. I didn't have the heart to wake you. It was just an hour. I was only gone an hour. I was right next door. I didn't know. I didn't know you felt this way."

"I'm so scared," I whimpered.

"I can see that. I'm sorry; I didn't know this would happen. I didn't know you were this bad, Ava. I had no clue."

This bad?

I hated his words; they angered me. I was fine; I told myself I was fine. I took a breath in an attempt to steady my emotions and I climbed off Ari's lap.

"It's fine. I'm fine." I said to Ari, quickly. I wiped my wet face with the borrowed sweatshirt and stood up off the closet floor.

"Tell me what happened to you."

"No."

I left the closet. I left Ari there alone with a clenched jaw.

I moved soundlessly to the bathroom and threw up; happy to be able to open my mouth and expunge the evil bile my dream had caused. I brushed and re-brushed my teeth removing all the grit. I was completely aware that Ari was watching my every move from the doorway but I pretended not to notice him. I undressed, peeled my sticky, sweaty shirt from my back and untangled it from my damp, matted hair. Turning the showerheads on cold, I forced myself to stand still under the freezing spray.

Eventually, Ari retreated, closing the bathroom door behind him. I washed my cold skin with Ari's soap. I loved the way it made him smell so clean. I washed my hair and face. I scrubbed under my fingernails. My skin, covered in goose bumps, had taken on a slight bluish hue from the chilly temperature of the water. Climbing out of the shower, I wrapped myself in Ari's robe. Standing in front of the mirror, I took on the arduous task of detangling my long, wavy hair.

I could feel the vibration of Ari's footsteps as he paced our bedroom floor. He talked quietly on his cell phone. He was talking about me. I could hear my name. He said it again and again.

It had grown late. Ari had an important day at work the following day. He had meetings with Margaux – they were working out some big deal with some fashion magazine. I had forgotten which magazine, although Ari had told me numerous times. When I emerged from the bathroom, Ari was sitting up in bed going over his notes for work. I wasn't sure what to say to him if anything at all.

Removing Ari's robe from my shoulders, I hesitated in front of our closet doors. I did not want to go back in there. I did not want to see the evidence of my out-of-control anxiety attack. Instead, I pulled open the dresser and slipped on a pair of Ari's boxers. I could feel his gaze on my back as I dressed myself with his clothes.

I hesitated again, this time at the bed. I didn't want to fall back asleep. I was too afraid of what horrors were waiting for me on the other side of my consciousness. Ari shifted and leaned down off the bed to pick something up from the floor. He came back up and held out his iPad to me with a sheepish smile.

I smiled big at his gesture of peace, climbed under the sheets and gratefully took the iPad.

"I downloaded a new book the other day. It was a good read, Ava. I seriously read it in one night. You'll love it."

"K." I smiled again.

Ari leaned across me and ran his finger over the bottom of the screen, unlocking the tablet. He pulled up the book he was speaking of and we each stayed up the rest of the night. I read, Ari pretended to work and I tried not to notice his worried, penetrating stare.

I fell asleep just before dawn. I am not sure if Ari slept or not. I heard the sound of his alarm but didn't bother to open my eyes. Ari quickly turned the buzzing, annoying noise off, the mattress moved under his weight as he climbed out of bed. I dozed in and out of sleep as Ari got ready for work. I heard the shower run and the sound of the shaving cream canister. Cracking my eyes open, I watched him walk to the closet. Ari emerged minutes later, fully dressed and handsome. I rolled over and Ari smiled a weak smile at me. He grabbed his cell phone off his bedside table.

"I'll be right back," he whispered.

Rolling over, I shoved my face into a pillow. I dozed again then woke once more to Ari.

"Hey, Baby," he was rubbing little circles into my back. "Why don't you start to get up? Sit and talk with me before I have to leave for work."

His tone was cautious.

"Ok..." I rolled over and pushed myself up in to a sitting position.

Ari pointed to his iPad. "What'd you think of the book?"

I shrugged. "It was alright."

"Alright?" Ari scoffed. "That book was great. I hadn't read anything that good in weeks."

"The plot was kind of obvious; don't you think? I mean it was the mother – I suspected her from the beginning."

"You did not!"

"I did!"

Ari laughed, "C'mon, I made coffee." Ari took hold of my hand and we walked into the kitchen. August sat propped up on a stool at the island. Normally in the morning, he grabs a cup of coffee and leaves for work in one quick swoop.

"Hey," I said to him, biting at my thumbnail.

"Morning."

Ari handed me a cup of coffee. "Ava, you have an appointment today with Dr. Phillips; it's at ten."

I shook my head and furrowed my brow. "No I don't."

"Yes. Yes, you do."

"Since when?" My tone had turned harsh.

"Since I called him last night; as I said, he will see you at ten. My mom is going to drive you to his office."

"I can drive myself," I snapped.

Ari closed his eyes. "Don't fight me on this, Ava."

I didn't respond. Ari looked down at his watch and I spied the time on the oven. He was late; Margaux was sure to be infuriated.

"I have to go. I love you, Baby." Ari put his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up so my eyes would meet his. "I love you, okay?"

"Okay, okay," I nodded. "I love you, too."

"Please, please call me. Call my cell, call my work, call my assistant – anytime, any reason."

"I will. Stop it. I'm fine."

Ari rolled his eyes at my "I'm fine" comment.

"My mom will be here in an hour." I rolled _my_ eyes at his comment. He kissed my closed lips.

Ari nodded at August. "Thanks, man." He said before he walked out the garage door.

"Thanks for what?" I asked August.

"Hell if I know." August grunted.

I slid on a stool next to August. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"My class is beginning the study of the Hundred Year's War today. I don't need to work on my preparatory lecture. Remember – I taught you about it last year?"

"Right."

I stared ahead at the refrigerator, August continued to sit at my side and after ten minutes he spoke, "Aggie will be here sooner than you think, Ava. You should probably start to get ready."

"Whatever," I mumbled.

"Why are you wearing men's underwear anyway? Please tell me that isn't what you sleep in."

I looked down at Ari's boxers and white tee-shirt. "Sometimes."

"That poor man. As much as he does for you the least you could do is put on something sexy to go to bed in."

"Shut up, August."

I bounced down from the stool and walked back to my bedroom. Our closet looked like a war zone. I dug through the piles of clothing on the floor for a pair of jeans. I finally found some and slid them on with a wiggle of my hips. I found a shirt still on a hanger, put it on and meandered through the house.

"You still here?" I said to August who was still on his perch in the kitchen.

"Mmm," August responded and turned a page of _The Times_.

There was a knock at the front door. Before I could turn, August moved off his stool and walked across the house to the front door. Moments later, Aggie appeared in the kitchen. She was twirling her keys around her finger. She had a worried look on her face. August left through the garage door to head to work.

"Come on, Sweet-heart. We have to move or you'll be late."

"Yeah, ok."

I walked up next to Aggie. She placed her hand on my back and ushered me towards the door. "Are you doing ok, Baby?"

"I'm fine."

Aggie kept the music off on the way to Los Angeles, I stared out the window and she kept small talk to a minimum.

Dr. Phillips was waiting for me when we arrived.

"Ava," he smiled, "right this way." Dr. Phillips opened the hallway door to let me back to the exam rooms. Normally, his nurse, Liz walks me back and checks me in. Not this time.

Dr. Phillips gestured for me to take a seat on the paper coved exam table. I climbed up and the paper crinkled under my weight. Phillips took a seat on a little rolling chair and scooted up next to me. He crossed his ankle over his knee, he leaned forward and his fingers formed a steeple over his mouth.

"Tell me what happened last night."

I shrugged, ran my fingers through my hair and eventually, I did as Dr. Phillips said and gave him every last embarrassing detail of the night before, my screaming, the closet, the mess, Ari's cuss words, everything.

We talked for an hour, the doctor and I. He concluded that I was most definitely dealing with some major post-traumatic stress. That I had paranoia. That my anxiety was becoming unmanageable and these issues were making it difficult for my body to focus on healing. He tried to refer me to a psychologist. I declined. He tried to prescribe some anti-anxiety medication. I declined.

"Really, I am fine," I said as I slid down off the paper-covered exam table. Philips opened the door and we walked back down the hall.

"Liz," he called to the nurse as he handed her my chart, "schedule Ava an appointment in four weeks to see me, please. Send her appointment card in the mail."

"Ava, have a nice day; call us if you need something."

I turned and found Aggie looking distraught, twirling her keys in her hand.

I rolled my eyes and sighed at her. "I'm fine. Would you relax? Let's go."

We got down to her car. "Where to?" she asked in a chipper tone.

"Home," I responded flatly.

"Nope! Girl's day, you and me; a little lunch and then maybe some shopping. I think a day out will do you some good, Ava."

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the headrest. "I'm not hungry. Can we please go home?"

"No, Ava, we can't."

Aggie started the engine and drove to some restaurant where I picked at my food and tuned in and out periodically to her chatter.

"Where to now?" Her tone was still chipper. She wasn't going to give up on this 'girl's day.'

"I don't care, Aggie."

"Don't you have anything you want to shop for?"

I thought back to August's comment about my unflattering sleeping attire. I grimaced at the thought of shopping for sexy clothes with Aggie.

"Let's go to _baio_." I mumbled.

"Ok!" Aggie responded and drove off towards L.A's downtown shopping district.

I walked into the store with Aggie at my heels. She followed me as I walked straight to the back. Occasionally, Aggie would pause at table of neatly folded garments, pick something up only to set it back down again and walk a few quick steps to catch up with me.

I stood at the back wall that displayed strappy, barely there scraps of lace and silk material. I blushed at the thought of Ari's mother standing behind me and began to grab one of everything in my size.

" _Oh_." I heard Aggie say once she realized what I was getting. I swallowed back my embarrassment and continued my pursuit.

Once my arms were full with frightful panties, delicate bras and way-too-sexy-for-just-sleep clothes, I turned and faced her.

"Is there anything you want?" I circled my finger lazily around the store. "I mean... just grab what you like... I get it all for free."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really." I smiled at Aggie for the first time that day.

"Well... sure! What'd you get?"

"You know what I got, Aggie." I frowned again.

Aggie giggled and turned back around to the back wall and picked out a red, very sexy piece of lingerie. I raised my eyebrow at her and she giggled again.

"Might be fun." She said quickly as she turned and we walked towards the row of people standing behind a counter of cash registers. I took Aggie's clothes, added them with mine and put the pile on the counter in front of a young, cute, _baio_ employee.

"Good afternoon, Ava. Did you find what you were looking for today?" The cashier asked.

"Uh, yeah." I answered briefly as she began to remove all of the security devices and then she boxed each item up separately.

"How can you just assume that these people know who you are, Ava? I mean _baio_ must get new employees all the time; don't they?"

I turned to Aggie, "I don't know, Aggie. They just do. They always have. The employees at every _baio_ I have ever stepped foot into have always known exactly who I am."

"Um," the girl behind the counter said, "they talk about you in orientation. There is a picture of you at each store across the world; Ari too, now that you are married. They play a video of Ms. Baio, she talks about how the company got started, and how you inspire everything she has ever designed. She started the lingerie line when you got married." The girl smiled. "I think it is so sweet. Ms. Baio sends sugar-free cupcakes to every one of her stores in honor of your birthday for all the employees."

I smiled at the girl and nodded. "There, Aggie, you happy?" My tone was a bit harsher than it should have been. "I'm mentioned in their orientation." I rolled my eyes at the thought. Margaux is absurd. She's a complete fake. Not once has she even sent me so much as a card on my birthday, yet all of her employees celebrate the day with cupcakes.

"Have someone bring the boxes to our car, please. It's a white Audi parked just out front."

"Yes," the girl blushed, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Alexander. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have said anything." I nodded at her.

"Can we go home now, Aggie?"

"Sure, Ava."

On the ride home, Aggie had her music up loud. The same _Snow Patrol_ album she had on the day before.

I was expecting Aggie to drop me off at the front door but instead she helped me unload all the _baio_ boxes from her car to my bedroom floor. She turned to open our bedroom closet.

"Don't," I told her.

"Don't what?" She opened the closet before I could respond and she gasped a bit at the sight of the God-awful mess.

Aggie bent down and began to pick the clothes off the floor.

"Aggie, leave it. I will clean the clothes up later."

"Nonsense, I can pick this mess up in no time."

"Damn it, I said leave the clothes alone!" I screamed at her. Her hands dropped to her sides in exasperation. Aggie straightened up her posture; she squared her shoulders and stared at me.

"Ava," she said calmly. "You will not speak to me in that tone. I realize that you are dealing with some tough issues right now but that doesn't let you off the hook for treating people with respect. Now, you and I are going to fix this house before Ari gets home. Do you understand me?"

For a second I considered kicking her out of my home. I contemplated screaming, yelling and even cussing. I even considered name-calling – but for just a second. Instead, without a word, I got down on my knees on the closet floor and began the task of tidying up the clothes. Aggie stayed soundlessly by my side as she folded my jeans and re-hung Ari's dress shirts. She turned over tossed shoes placing them back on their soles and spit on each one, reciting 'skorda' as she placed them correctly on their soles, warding off the omen of death. The death I knew as certain, unavoidable and inevitable.

She pulled his sweatshirt up off the floor and began to fold it.

"I'll take that." I said quietly. She handed the gray sweatshirt over and I shoved it in the corner on the floor. "Just, please leave the sweatshirt alone."

She nodded slowly, her eyes a bit wide.

An hour later, my closet was back in its original, organized state and it even included my new, frilly and delicate items from the day's trip to _baio_.

Aggie moved on to making my bed. She _tsked_ and instead of making the bed, she pulled the sheets and blankets off in to a pile on the floor, then she removed the pillows from their cases.

"Let's run these through the wash."

I looked down at my knotted fingers. She was making me feel like an errant child. I wash our sheets weekly. I may have just missed a week that's all. I followed Aggie into the laundry room. She pulled a load of wrinkly clothes out of the dryer and sighed.

"What were you planning on making for dinner tonight, Ava? Let's get started on that while I re-wash these clothes."

I shook my head from side to side. "I had not planned for anything."

"What do you mean? Were you two planning on going out tonight for dinner? Is there a special occasion?"

"No... I just hadn't thought about dinner yet."

Aggie looked down at her watch with a frown. It was half past four.

"Dinner is a daily occurrence. It should never just sneak up on you like this."

"Whatever," I mumbled under my breath and Aggie shot me a little warning look.

I sat in the kitchen and watched Aggie pull ingredients out of my refrigerator and pantry. She pulled out turkey burger, potatoes, breadcrumbs, eggs and a bunch of other items I didn't know were in my pantry.

"Turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes and homemade macaroni and cheese – Ari will love it." Aggie said as she held out a potato peeler for me to take. I didn't offer out my hand. Aggie picked my arm up and shoved the peeler in my palm. "Get to work on the potatoes, Ava. I will start the meatloaf."

"I don't like meatloaf."

Aggie laughed. "Men love meatloaf, so get used to making it!"

I rolled my eyes at Aggie, playfully, and began to peel potatoes. After a while, Aggie washed her hands and turned to leave my kitchen.

"Where are you going?" I asked quickly with a bit of panic in my voice. My words popped out of my mouth – I didn't have a chance to add a filter to the way they made me sound – scared and desperate.

"The laundry – brand new, state-of-the-art dryer and already the buzzer is broken!" Aggie pointed in the direction of my laundry room.

"Oh, of course." I said sounding much more confident.

Dinner was in the oven, my house was clean. I could hear the rumble of the clothes dryer, which was filled with my fluffy blankets. Aggie stuck around into the evening.

"Andy must be wondering where you are."

"Andy knows right where I am, Ava."

"Oh."

"Come here, Baby." Aggie patted on the cushion next to her on the couch. I took a seat. "You are going to get through this – whatever this is. He can't hurt you anymore. Damien Kakos is gone. You are safe and you are loved by all of us. Take your time in healing but please be honest with us when you are having a hard day. Please don't ever hesitate to ask any member of this family for help."

I could feel tears stinging the back of my eyes. "I'm fine."

"Look at me." I looked up in to Aggie's eyes. "Ava Alexander, you are very far away from being fine."

The reverberation of the garage door was just enough of a distraction for me to narrowly escape an emotional breakdown.

Ari walked into the house just moments later and his presence alone put me at ease.

"Hi Baby." Ari's crease was there in his forehead.

He looked me up and down over and over again. He pulled me into his arms and held me in a warm hug. He kissed the top of my head, then my forehead. He smiled down at me and then kissed me on the lips, softly and chastely.

"Did you make it to the doctor in time?"

"Yes." I looked down at the floor. Ari looked over to his mother.

"We made it in time," she agreed. "He wants her back in four weeks."

"Did you make an appointment?" he asked me.

"No, the nurse is going to mail me an appointment card."

He nodded. "How was your day? What else did you do?"

"Uh, we went to lunch, and then we went to _baio_ , then we came home... that's it."

"What did you get at _baio_? God knows the last thing you need is more clothes."

I shrugged, pulled at the hem of my shirt and blushed a bit. "Nothing really... just some stuff."

Aggie giggled. "I have to get going. I am sure your father is famished. Your dinner is in the oven, Ari. It should be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Call Dad, have him come over, you two can eat here," Ari suggested to his mother.

"Thank you for the offer, but no. You two need some time together. Call me if you need me."

Ari unlaced his fingers from the small of my back. "I'll walk you out."

The two of them walked to the door. I could hear them talking in hushed tones. They had a lengthy conversation and then I finally heard the door close. I pulled out the meatloaf and the mac and cheese. I dished up plates, gathered the silverware, the drinks and set the dinner table. Ari and I had a nice evening, quiet but nice. He told me about work, how his meeting went. I told him about _baio_ and the fact that every store has our picture. He told me he already knew that – that he had seen the orientation video when he was hired, a mandatory sort of thing. We went to bed early. I donned my usual tee-shirt and boxers, Ari petted my hair, and stroked his long fingers up and down the length of my arm, occasionally tracing the outline of my tattoos until I fell asleep.

### Chapter 14

Ava Sitting

"You again?" I said to August as I emerged from Ari's and my bedroom in the morning.

"I thought I told you to wear something nicer than men's underwear to bed."

I rolled my eyes at August. "Leave me alone. What are you doing here anyway?"

"What does it look like I am doing? I live here; remember? I don't have a coffee pot in my designated area and I like to read the paper in the morning."

I eased up on a stool next to him and worked on eating a bowl of Greek yogurt and granola. August kept checking the time on his watch. Ari flew down the staircase tying his tie. He looked down at his watch, too, then to the back door.

"I gotta run." He said over a cup of coffee. "Ava, I love you."

"Love you," I said in return.

Ari patted August on the shoulder. August looked down at his watch again; Ari grimaced then looked back at the sliding glass door.

"I'll call you, Ava, in a few hours to check in," Ari said right before he opened the door leading to the garage. I watched him leave. I felt August shift off the stool. He grabbed his messenger bag and took another sip of coffee. There was a light rap at the glass door, August mumbled something under his breath and slid open the door allowing Julia to enter. August slipped past her and left for work.

"Hey, Babe!" Julia smiled.

"Hi?" I looked up a Julia. She had a bikini on under a little sundress. Her sunglasses were pushed up on top of her head, keeping the hair out of her eyes. She walked across the kitchen, her flip flops smacked the backs of her feet with each step she took.

"It is supposed to be eighty degrees and sunny today. Is it cool if I use your pool?"

"Whatever," I shrugged.

"Cool! Hurry up, get your bikini on and join me. I have some gossip for you."

I strummed my fingers along the counter top, thinking of the nicest way to say no.

"Hurry! We are wasting sunlight!" she commanded.

"It's like... nine in the morning."

"Yes, and look at me... I am pale. I need all day to even this tan out."

"Don't you have class?" I asked, bemused by Julia's behavior.

"Well, yeah but just the pointless ones. I'm cool to skip. A girl needs a break every now and then; you know?"

And so Julia and I spent the day by the pool sipping ice tea and eating sugar-free popsicles. She combed through pages of gossip magazines and relayed her juicy news, which was nothing more than a semi-scandalous story involving Lauren, her new beau Luke, and an after-hours rendezvous in the campus dance studio.

"Oh, my gosh!" Julia squealed.

I had just begun to doze off in the sun. I cracked one eye open and looked at her. "What?"

"Look!" She shook the glossy pages of one of her magazines at me.

"I can't see anything – stop shaking it!"

"It's you!"

I sat up and took the magazine out of her manicured hand. Sure enough, there I was with Ari just outside of Killer Dana Surf Shop. In fact, a few pictures had been snapped of me doing various mundane daily actives. Pictures I had not even known were taken. There was a photo of me climbing out of Aggie's car to go in to _Ralph's,_ my hair was piled on top of my head and I was wearing huge sunglasses. There was one of me taken a few weeks earlier in L.A. on my way to one of my doctor appointments.

"Look Julia, there you are."

"Gimmie!" She pulled the magazine back out of my hands and studied a picture of Ari, Rory, Julia and myself just outside of the L.A. restaurant Eveleigh. Julia's back was turned so the photo only showed her from behind but I knew it was her.

" _B_ _aio_ heiress, Ava Alexander..." Julia began to read the article aloud. The magazine editorial went into some of the details of my background including the facts that I was bilingual and had grown up in Montréal and then Chicago. The article also went into some of the details of Ari's and my relationship – mentioning that I had married at only eighteen. After a recap of my life, the piece spoke of my kidnapping and then took it upon itself to tell the world that I was "struggling to cope with my traumatizing kidnapping experiences." The magazine then asked its readers, "Will the _baio_ heiress be stable enough to one day run her grandmother's clothing empire?"

Julia quit reading. I laid my head back in my chair.

"They don't know, Ava. They're just a bunch of idiots. No one else could have survived what you've survived... "

"Julia, just stop."

"I'm sorry I showed you."

"It's fine. I needed to know."

I fell asleep in the sun in the afternoon and woke to Ari who was angry at Julia for not waking me sooner and for not using enough sunscreen. I calmed him down by pointing out that I had been under the shade for most of the afternoon and then proceeded to show him the magazine article.

"This will all blow over," he said as we walked into the house for the evening.

A pattern ensued. I woke in the morning to August waiting at the kitchen island impatiently. Ari left for work, someone showed up out of the blue at my door and then August took his cue to leave. I hung out with Rory one day. He "needed to use our utility closet" so he could wrap Julia's birthday gifts. I helped Lauren on her day off from school with a project for her French class and lectured her on the misuse of campus property. This went on for a week. One morning I opened the door to find Andy standing outside. I rolled my eyes, annoyed, and let him into my home.

"Ari suckered you in to babysitting this morning, huh? Don't you have work? Don't you have something important to do?"

"Yes, I do. But what is most important right now, Ava, is you."

"Andy, listen, I don't want you here. I don't want anyone here. I had an anxiety attack; so what? It happens. Move on. I am not a child. I do not need to be babysat. I don't need anyone. Leave me alone. I'm fine!"

I was a big, fat liar.

I turned and walked away slamming the door to my bedroom.

I heard Andy pace the floor as he talked loudly on his cell. I had pissed him off majorly and I was sure to get an ear full from Ari later.

I heard Andy's footsteps recede, I heard the door open and shut and for the first time in a long time, I was all alone. I got up and locked all of the doors to the house. I went back to the bedroom and locked myself in there as well. I turned out the lights and I buried myself under the blankets on Ari's side of the bed.

My body shook at the violence of my sobs. I gasped for air and wiped my running nose with the back of my shirtsleeve. I was terrified. Every noise I heard made me quiver and cower in fear. No.7 was out there and I was going to die. I knew the only way for this mess to finally end, was to truly accept my fate and give my life to The Kakos.

My phone rang repeatedly. My cell phone's caller id display showed that it was Ari calling every time. The ringing made my head hurt and I eventually just shut off the phone.

****

I wonder what dying will be like, I thought to myself as I teetered delicately on the creaky stool in No. 6's basement. My bladder was full and the pressure and urge to urinate was immense. The longer I stood the heavier the rope around my neck became. I tried to hold as still as I could but the urge to pee was too great and I kept wiggling. Each time I moved, the rough, natural fiber rope scratched into my skin. In time, a rash formed and then little drips of blood began to run down my body. The blood tickled me and made me itchy. I wiggled some more in an attempt to ease the pressure in my bladder. I heard No. 6 laugh aloud upstairs. The noise startled me and urine began to run down my legs. I squeezed my thighs together but it was too late.

****

"Shit!" I said aloud to myself. "Gross." I had peed the bed. I tore off the blankets and freed my tangled feet from the sheets. As fast as I could, I made my way to the shower and turned the showerheads on. I was still fully clothed. I rinsed out my clothes and then began to peel them off my wet skin. I washed myself completely and then washed again. I climbed out of the shower and dried off.

Someone was knocking on the front door. I assumed it was Aggie coming to "check on me." She would just have to wait. Scurrying off to the closet, I found some clean clothes and then combed out my wet hair. I pulled the sheets and blankets from my bed and carried them, with much disgust for myself, down to the laundry room. The pounding on my front door continued.

I started the wash and shoved all the sheets into one load. As I reached for the detergent, I stole a glance out of the laundry room window. The window looked out onto our long, curvy driveway. I cocked my head to the side. There was a beaten, old, blue Honda parked outside. No one I knew drove a car like that. The pounding on my front door grew stronger and louder. I slammed the washer lid and ran through the house. I snuck into the study where the window looks out at both the driveway and the front door. I peeked out of the shades. My heart was pounding though my chest. I blinked.

"Misha?" I said aloud to myself.

I took a moment to catch my breath and then walked to the door. I slid back the lock and eased open the door.

"I need to talk to Ari," was the first thing that came out of her very angry mouth.

"Ari isn't home." I blinked at her and she pushed her way through the door into my entryway.

"When will he be home?"

"To be perfectly honest with you, I don't even know what time it is. I can't even tell you what day it is. Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah," she snapped. "What the hell have you got that I don't, huh? Is it money? Do you think you're better than me because you are some stupid rich girl? Is that it? Why do you get to sit in this huge house and play little housewife all day in your designer clothes and your manicured toes and I have to sneak out of my own shitty apartment when Nick's mom decides to drop by for a surprise visit?"

" _Ohhh_. Hang on, I'll get you something to drink. Ari should be home a little after six. What time is it now?"

"Four."

_Great_. I nodded and invited Misha in past the entryway. She followed me through the house and into the kitchen. I put on a kettle of tea.

"So... do you want to talk about it or would you rather just wait for Ari?" I asked awkwardly.

"We have been dating for three years," Misha started. "And the only people who know about our relationship are Collin, Nigel, Rachel, Ari and now _you_." She said the last part with major distaste in her tone. "Do you know how much it hurts me to listen to you all plan birthday parties and family holidays and to know that I will never be invited, I will never be included, you will never make me feel like I belong? I can't take this anymore. I hate feeling this way. Thanksgiving is in two days, I haven't got the money to go home to my folks and Nick will be here with you guys and I will be at home in our apartment all weekend long alone."

Misha seemed a bit strange. Her words were rushed and her eyes were glassed over. She kept moving her hands nervously about, and then would rest them lightly over her stomach before running her fingers forcefully through her hair.

I blinked at her, unsure of what to say.

"Um. Well, I am not exactly the right person for you to be seeking advice. I am kinda messed up myself at the moment. But, I think what Nick has done with your relationship is wrong. I think you deserve much better. If he loves you – I mean really loves you – he would be proud of you, you know? He would want to show you off and welcome you into his family. I cannot imagine how you must feel, Misha. If you want I can give you money for an airline ticket or gas or whatever you need to get home for the holiday."

"I don't want your stupid money," she spat. "I want Nick to move forward in this relationship. I want him to make us public. I want to be like Ari and Ava."

My heart sunk. The air left my lungs. "Ari and I aren't perfect... " I started.

"Don't give me that crap." Misha cut me off. "The whole entire universe knows how much Ari loves you. He knocked the world off its axis to get you home when you went missing. He loves you, only you. You are his life. If you two aren't perfect it's because of something you are doing wrong, not him."

"Well, I won't argue with you on that last part."

"I'm outta here." Misha stood up angrily.

"Wait, no... don't leave. Ari will be back soon and he can talk with you. He always knows the right things to say."

"I can't sit here any longer and listen to how ungrateful you are for all you have. A husband who would do anything for you, a family who stands behind you and supports you, _this_ house, _that_ ring." She pointed to my wedding ring. "You are an ungrateful, spoiled, selfish brat. You don't do anything for anyone. I hate you just as much as I hate the rest of the Alexanders."

I nodded, stood up and showed Misha to the entryway. I did not say another word. I opened the door and then locked it behind her. I walked back to my bedroom and found my cell phone. I turned my phone back on and I called Ari's cell but he didn't answer. I called his work phone and it went to his voicemail. I opted out of voicemail and after several rings, his assistant picked up the line.

"Thank you for calling _baio_! You have reached the office of Ari Alexander, this is Fauna speaking. How may I assist you today?"

"This is Ava. May I please speak with Ari?" My voice was small.

"Ava! Can you please hold on a sec? Ari has been trying to reach you. He is down the hall now; I'll page him for you."

A moment passed. "Ava." Ari's voice was so warm. My heart sputtered and thumped at his soothing tenor.

"Will you come home? I've had a bad day."

"Of course. I am on my way."

"Thank you."

"Anything for you, Ava; you know that."

Ari made record time and was home within the hour.

"I am sorry for the way I acted in front of your dad." I said into Ari's chest as he held me in his arms.

Ari nodded slowly. "You are going to have to tell him that yourself, Ava."

"I will. I promise." I looked up at Ari. We were swaying gently to and fro in the living room. "I had a nightmare. When I woke up, I... I peed the bed."

"Oh, Baby." Ari held me tighter and kissed the top of my head. He smiled and then laughed a bit.

"It's not funny!"

"No, it's not. It's just... of all the secrets you keep from me."

I opened my mouth to protest but Ari placed his pointer finger on my lips to stop me.

"Of all the secrets you keep from me, and I know you keep a lot of things from me, Ava, I can't believe you actually told me that."

I shrugged. "Well, I thought you should know; I was sleeping in your spot in bed."

"Gross!" He laughed and then I laughed, too.

"It was just a little bit and I washed the bedding!"

Ari held me closer to him. His arms were so strong and warm. He continued to rock us back and forth – a slow dance to no music.

"Tell me what happened to you, Ava. Tell me what he did to you. Tell me what you did to them. Tell me what you see when you sleep."

I stopped moving. "No."

Ari dropped his arms to his side, letting me go. He turned to walk away, paused and then turned back to face me. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Ari ran his long fingers through his dark and unruly hair.

"We are having dinner tonight at my parent's home. You can apologize to my dad then."

"Okay," I looked up at Ari from under my lashes.

"I have work to do." He walked passed me on the way to our study. He closed the door behind him.

I stood there alone for what felt like ages. I hated what I had done to my marriage. I hated who I'd become. I had isolated myself from everyone I knew, from everyone who has come to love me and accept me. Misha was right. I was ungrateful, spoiled and selfish. I was going to die, this I knew. No. 7 would come for me and I would accept him. I would accept my death. My family would be the ones who would suffer, they would be the ones who would end up hurt and would cry for me. Just like they had every other time I faced death, every other time I turned away from them, lied to them and betrayed their trust.

I heard Ari walk up behind me. He ran his fingers through my hair and pushed my long waves over my shoulder. Ari trailed kisses down the length of my neck. I closed my eyes and rolled my head to the side to grant him access. Ari wrapped his hands around my front and brought his lips to my ear. I moaned very quietly at his soft touch.

"Time to go," he whispered.

I let out a sigh and walked with him next door to his mom and dad's house.

Aggie was just putting a dish in the oven. She was chatting up Andy as Ari and I walked through their door. I felt out of place in the Alexander's home for the very first time. I felt as though I was an outsider, an intruder. I thought back to Misha – how she must have felt like a parasite wreaking havoc on the Alexander's empire.

"Andy." The sound of my voice was pathetic, weak and pitiful. "I love you like a father." I immediately began to cry. "I am so sorry for the things I said." I shook my head at myself. "I'm not fine." I admitted, aloud, for the first time and doing so felt good, a very small weight had been lifted from my chest.

Andy nodded and stood up, he motioned for me to follow him to his office. I looked up at Ari as he unlaced our fingers and gestured for me to go with his father. The look on Ari's face told me that I was in big trouble.

I walked, unsure, to Andy's office. He closed the door behind him and took a seat at his big desk. Andy indicated with his palm that I should take a seat across from him. I sat and crossed my ankles; I looked down at my lap.

"Look at me."

I looked up at Andy.

"Do not ever speak to me or Aggie that way again." Andy's voice was authoritative.

"I won't. I'm sorry."

"I've raised my own kids, Ari and Lauren and then I had Julia all of her teenage years." Andy rolled his eyes at the last bit. "I have had my fair share of Nick and Rory's antics. Ava, you are by far my most challenging, my most independent and certainly my most troubled. But you are mine, you are my family and I love you. I love that you married my son. I love that one day you will be the mother of my grandchildren. I love how hard you work to be uniquely you. You are right though, you are not fine. You are not fine at all, Ava. You are but a bird that has escaped from its cage, your wings clipped, you spirit shattered, the song gone from your heart. You are a broken fate, Ava. You are exposed but we can fix you, help you fly and sing again – all you have to do is talk. You don't have to tell me what happened, but can you tell me what's bothering you?"

I nodded and looked down in my lap again. "I am having a hard time coming to grips with what happened to me when I was kidnapped. He did bad things to me, Andy. I don't know how I survived those bad things. The images in my mind are right out of a horror movie. There was so much blood, pain and fear. I was so scared. I am still so scared."

"You don't need to be scared anymore, Ava. Damien Kakos can't get you. He is dead. You are safe now."

I opened my mouth to protest. I wasn't safe. No. 7 was out there. We were all at risk. I quickly snapped my mouth shut. I nodded at Andy.

Andy stood up and I followed suit. "You may not be fine, Ava, but I know you will be. You are the strongest woman I know. We are all going to get through this together."

"Mmm hmm."

I walked with Andy back to the kitchen. Aggie and Ari were seated at the island. They were talking about the upcoming holiday. They both looked up at us and turned quiet when Andy and I walked through the doorway. I bit at a fingernail and walked up to Ari's side. He wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Ava?" Aggie said.

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind helping me out tomorrow with cleaning the house? I need to get things in order for Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, sure; I can help. I'll come over in the morning when Ari leaves for work."

"Great!"

The oven beeped and Aggie slipped a potholder on her hand. She opened the oven door. The kitchen filled with the smell of tuna noodle casserole. My cheeks filled with air, my stomach rolled and heaved with revulsion. I covered my hands over my mouth and ran. I made it to the bathroom with a nano-second to spare, I dropped to my knees and puked out my guts.

Ari rushed in to the bathroom after me. I tried to push him back. I hated him seeing me that way. He did not relent, Ari scooped my hair up in one hand and held it on top of my head. He pressed his free hand to my forehand checking to see if I had a temperature.

"Tuna," I choked, "the smell." I thought back to No. 6. The way his house would smell in the evening. He ate tuna every night. His breath reeked. I could smell it on his lips, his fingers.

I took a fast breath and continued to get sick. Ari pulled at a hair tie of mine that he kept around his own wrist and knotted it around my hair, keeping the strands away from my face.

He got up and turned the faucet on, then handed me a cool, wet cloth. It felt so refreshing against my hot skin. My stomach began to calm down and the queasiness receded. I leaned my back against the wall and caught my breath. Ari handed me a bottle of water. I chugged it, handed the bottle back to Ari and then closed my eyes.

"Feeling better?"

I nodded, "A bit, yeah."

Ari opened the bathroom door. I heard him walk halfway down the hall and start to rummage through Aggie's linen closet. He reappeared back in the bathroom moments later. He reached his hand out and wiggled his fingers, indicating that I should grab hold. I slid my hand in to his and he pulled me to my feet. Ari took a new toothbrush from the pack and loaded it with minty toothpaste.

I smiled and began to scrub out my mouth.

"Tuna, huh? Never bothered you before..."

I spit toothpaste out into the sink and shrugged at Ari. I handed him the toothbrush and he raised his eyebrow at me.

We walked together back to the kitchen. Aggie was slipping foil onto her casserole dish. On the table were four plates. Each plate held a peanut butter sandwich, carrots and apple slices.

We sat and ate together, the four of us, Ari, Andy, Aggie and I. Andy and I talked together about _House to Home_ and an upcoming fundraiser that was currently in the works. He asked me to make a few contacts after the holiday and I agreed. I did not contribute much more to the conversation after that.

Ari and I walked home in silence. I donned my usual pajamas – his boxers and shirt – and sank into the sheets. Ari joined me in the bedroom before long and we each sat up in bed, Ari reading through notes for school while I worked on compiling a list of contacts for the _House to Home_ fundraiser. It was late, well past midnight when I yawned. Ari turned to me.

"Tired?"

"Mmm," I nodded.

"Me too." He took my work out of my hand and shuffled his papers in order. He placed them both on his bedside table and turned off the light. Ari pulled me close to his side, kissed the top of my head and nuzzled his face into my hair.

"Ari?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think I am selfish?"

"What on Earth would possess you to ask that question?" Ari asked softly in my ear.

"I dunno."

"No, Ava. I do not think you are selfish. Do you have any idea how much money you've donated in the last three months to different charitable organizations?"

"Not really, no."

"One hundred thousand dollars."

"How would you know that?"

"I get the mail, Baby. I keep all your tax receipts."

"Oh... "

"So no, I do not think you are even remotely selfish. The idea is absurd."

"Do you think I am ungrateful?"

Ari sighed. "No. Where is this coming from? What are you dwelling on? Did my dad say these things to you?"

"No, no, of course he didn't. He would never say something like that."

"Then where is this coming from, Baby? What is it that has you upset?"

"Misha came here today looking for you. She said some stuff... "

Ari sat up and turned the bedside light on. "What?" he snapped.

"Yeah... she came here this afternoon looking for you. She wanted to talk. She was pissed as all get out over her relationship with Nick. She came in the house and we talked for a bit. I guess I said something that upset her. She said that I was ungrateful for all I had, that I was selfish and spoiled. She told me she hated me."

Ari was pissed. He ran both hands through his messy hair with his jaw clenched tight. "Listen to me very carefully, Ava. You are none of those things. Ok?"

Ari climbed out of bed and grabbed his cell phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing this. _Now_." Ari held his cell phone up to his ear as he spoke to me. I could hear a tired, muffled voice answer the phone on the other end of the line. Ari immediately began to cuss and yell.

He said things like "leave her out of this." And "figure your shit out, Nick. Ava doesn't need to deal with your issues." Ari's words were harsh and angry. They talked for a while and slowly Ari began to tone his voice down, he still sounded angry though. When he finally did end the phone call, he came back to me in bed. Ari put his hands on my face.

"You are not selfish, you are not ungrateful... If you are spoiled, Ava, then that is my own fault. I put you on a very tall pedestal; I love to make you happy. Making you happy brings me great pleasure. Our life and our happiness is no one's business but our own. Misha had no right to show up at our home and harass you. Nick will make sure that never happens again."

He mashed my cheeks together between his palms and kissed my puckered lips. I let out a giggle and Ari smiled very brightly.

"I am worried about Misha; she was really upset, Ari."

"Misha has a world of issues, Ava. She has her own demons that are far more challenging than her screwy relationship with my cousin."

"Issues? Like what?"

Ari shook his head. "That is none of our business, Baby. Do you think you can sleep now or do you want me to stay up with you?"

I yawned in response. Ari turned the bedside light off again and pulled me, once again, very tightly to his warm chest. I snuggled my face into his skin. I could feel the small splay of his chest hairs against my cheek. I inhaled Ari's calming scent, freshly cut grass and clean sea air. I reached my arm around him and ran my fingers through his hair a few times before I finally dozed off to sleep.

### Chapter 15

Coming Clean

It was the day before Thanksgiving. I had nightmares all night the night before. Taunting, terrorizing nightmares. Ari woke up with me each time I screamed and yelled out in fear or pain. By the time his early morning alarm went off, we were both exhausted and spent.

Ari climbed out of bed and headed to the shower. I could hear his morning music playing through the speaker system, a Jack White album.

I blinked my eyes when the bathroom door opened; he emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist. He still had beads of water running slowly down his chest and his hair was wet.

He grabbed his cell phone.

"Who are you calling so early?" I croaked.

"My mom; I was going to tell her you can't help out today; I think you should rest."

I sat up quickly. As scary as my nightmares were, I did not want to spend one moment alone on this day.

"No, no. I will be there. I really want to help her after all she has done for me. Don't bother to call her. I am planning on heading next door as soon as you leave for work."

Ari shot me a questioning gaze.

"I haven't got anything to do around the house. The weather is calling for rain so I can't even sit at the pool and I can't call on my contacts for _House to Home_ until after the holiday." I explained.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"Alright," Ari smiled sleepily at me and set his cell phone back down. He walked off in the direction of the closet and as he dressed, I showered and got myself ready for a day of helping Aggie. I met Ari out in the kitchen; he was just finishing an orange.

"You look lovely this morning." He smiled up at me. I looked down at my clothes. My jeans were sagging on my frame a bit and my shirt was a too baggy. My hair was toppled up on top of my head in a too messy bun. I didn't respond to Ari's comment.

"I'll just brush my teeth," he said, "and then I will walk you next door."

"Oh. Don't you think you will be late if you walk with me?"

"Why break the habit of being late now, Ava?"

"K. I'll just find some shoes..."

Ari held my hand and walked me next door to his parent's home. Aggie had a pretty, paisley apron tied around her slender frame. Her hair was tied neatly back. She wore yellow cleaning gloves and was standing at a sink full of soapy water.

"Morning!" She beamed and sloshed water on to the counter. Ari picked up a hand towel hanging from the oven and soaked up her mess. He kissed his mom on the cheek and looked down at his watch.

"Morning, I was just dropping Ava by; I gotta run."

"Oh, okay then, have a nice day!" She smiled at him.

Ari kissed my cheek and recited his morning coda, "I love you, Ava. I love you, ok? Call me, call my cell, call my work, call my assistant."

"I will, Ari, stop worrying. And... I love you, too, more than anything." He kissed me gently, chastely, and then went out the door to work.

"How are you at cleaning ovens, Ava?"

And so, I cleaned Aggie's oven until it shined. I cleaned out the refrigerator and re-organized her vast pantry.

"What about chicken salad sandwiches for lunch?" Aggie asked me as I emerged from the pantry.

"I'm not at all hungry, Aggie. Eat without me, maybe I'll get something later. What else do you want me to do today?"

Aggie pulled out two croissants and made me a sandwich anyway. She added to my plate, celery and pretzels and sat down at the table. She waited for me to join her.

"I am not a child, Aggie."

"I never said you were."

"Please don't treat me this way."

"Someone needs to take care of you. Clearly you can't handle the task." She snapped at me. "When is the last time you've really eaten?"

"What else do you want me to do today?"

Aggie stared at me for a moment and finally relented. "Luke, Lauren's boyfriend is joining us for the long weekend. He is going to be staying in Ari's old room. Could you please grab clean sheets from the closet and change the linens? Could you also dust and tidy up in there?"

"Sure."

I left my plate, untouched, at the table and made my way down the hall to the linen closet. I grabbed what I needed and headed to Ari's old room. It still smelled like him – so sweet and clean. Pictures of him surfing were still hanging neatly on the walls. I slipped my shoes off and ran my toes through his thick, soft, white rug. I thought back to the late nights I spent cuddled up with Ari in this bed, talking, laughing and kissing. Our kisses were deep back then and full of passion. Not at all like the small chaste kisses that the last few weeks had brought. I was damaging my marriage with my lack of honesty. Ari deserved so much better than what I had given him. I crawled in to his old bed, wrapped myself up in his old blankets and cried to myself. My sobbing brought on fierce shakes, which eventually wore my body down and ushered me to sleep.

I woke up in his old bedroom disoriented. Dusk was coming and the sky was a brilliant pinky orange. I crawled out of his old bed and padded my way down the hall. I was light headed, woozy, and needed help from the wall to walk straight. I paused in the edge of the doorway to the kitchen. I saw Ari come in through the glass door looking scruffy and tired.

"Is Ava still here?" he asked Aggie as he loosened his shirt collar.

"Yeah, she is." Aggie answered with a frown. "She's asleep in your old room. She has been in there all afternoon."

Ari nodded his head and took a step.

"Wait a minute, Ari," Aggie said sternly, stopping him.

"We have got to do something about her. Ava is a mess. She never eats and she has lost too much weight. She screams in her sleep nonstop. It scares me. She hardly speaks unless someone asks her a direct question and even then, it's like pulling teeth to get her to focus long enough to answer. I can see what she is doing to you, Ari. I will not sit here any longer and watch you fall apart because of her. I have seen you lose her too many times. I watched you pump the life back into her unconscious body nearly a year ago on my deck. I watched her lie to you and then leave with no word, no phone call, for six long months. I saw what happened to you when she went missing. I saw the son I love turn into a shell of a person before my eyes.

"I watched you cry on that damn beach for her, Ari. And if you think for one moment that I didn't know what you thought you were going to do to yourself when they said she was dead, you are wrong. If you thought for even one minute that I would let you take your own life, then you have seriously underestimated me. I love Ava. You know I love her, Ari, and it pains me to see her like this, but you are my son, damn it. And seeing you this way, Ari, kills me inside. You need to tell me what the hell is going on with her right now!"

I had never seen Aggie so angry before. I shrank my body back into the darkness of the unlit hallway.

"I don't know, Ma," he said, slowly shaking his head. "She won't tell me. I've tried to get her to open up but she won't talk about any of the things that have happened. I don't know what's going on with her right now, and I am afraid if I keep pushing her to tell me I will only push her further away. I don't know what more I can do. I don't know how to help her." A tear slid down his cheek and Aggie scooped him up in a hug, as if he were a small child again. They stayed that way for a while, both crying, both worried, all because of me.

The air left my lungs. My eyes stung with hot tears and my heart crumbled to a dusty pile at my feet.

I had spent so much time trying to save and protect my family and the end result was that I had pushed them away from me. I had caused everyone I love so much pain and heartache. Misha was right. I was incredibly selfish. I made my way, unnoticed, to the bathroom and washed my face and ran a comb through my hair. I pinched my checks until they turned pink and I did my best to look like Ava again and less like the zombie I had become. When I walked back to the kitchen, I saw Ari and Aggie sitting at the table. They were still talking, still worried. I cleared my throat and Ari looked up and saw me. His face lit up as it always does and his smile caused my dormant butterflies to stretch their wings.

"Hi, Baby," he said quietly.

I walked over to him with a small smile.

"Aggie, do you think I could have Ari's time for a second?"

"He is yours, Ava; you don't have to ask." She smiled a sad smile at me.

Ari stood up, looking unsure, then took my hand and we walked outside. The sun had already set and the deck was softly lit with the twinkling lights. I took a seat on the steps that run down to the beach and Ari sat next to me and placed his arm around my waist. We stared out at angry waves as they crashed to shore, pummeling the sand over and over again. Dark clouds were rolling in towards land.

"I owe you an apology," I started to say.

"Ava, no... "

"Stop, Ari. Let me just say this, please," I said, but not unkindly. Having made the decision to tell Ari everything, I needed to get all of my secrets off my chest as soon as possible. He fell silent and pulled me even closer to him.

My hands were shaking and my voice caught in my throat as I pointed to the first two tally marks on my wrist. Ari sucked in a quick breath when he realized what I was about to do.

I began my story with the details of the night that the murders started, the night Lauren was taken. All of the gore and horror came out. I was careful not to hide even the tiniest of details. I told Ari about the vision of myself in my own hospital bed and my dad helping me pull my thread. I told him about my garbage bag casket and the way I felt when I pulled the trigger of the gun and watched someone's head turn to mush. I told him how I held that damn rope in my hands as my shoulder seared with pain until I felt No. 2's struggles turn into nothingness. I told him how I ran on that beach through the cold rain, and how the last conscious image I had was of my own bloody handprint on his glass door.

I told Ari how Margaux had made me leave him, Dana Point and everyone I loved, and had forbidden me to return. I described how I turned my emotions off and how I lied to him after he begged me to tell the truth. I talked about the hate and anger that consumed my heart and my soul. How the only thing that made me feel alive was physical pain. I explained how I pulled my hair and screamed into my pillow and told him that the pain of getting tattoos had been therapeutic – a pain that was real, a pain I could treat; on the outside rather than on the inside, tangible and controllable.

I moved on to Kakos No. 3 and described for Ari how I had sliced the man's throat open with my apple knife and dragged his dead, heavy body to a dumpster in Camden Town.

"I burned all my sheets and blankets and slept on a bare mattress for months afterwards. The only thing that gave me any kind of solace and comfort was the fact that you were here, safe, and away from me. I scream at night in my dreams because I cannot wash No. 3's warm, red blood from my hands. I can feel it, whenever I close my eyes I feel his blood teasing my skin as it rolls down my fingers."

My shaky finger pointed to tally No. 4, I told Ari about the poisoning and about all the pain taking a life away caused me. How each time I killed, I felt a piece of my soul detach, a part of my heart turn cold. I told him what murdering someone felt like and how very much I hate that I have had to kill. I needed a deep breath to speak of No. 5, how I watched the flesh bubble and peel from his face. Then I told him how I had come crawling back, like a coward, to California.

I finally came to the sixth mark, not a black tally but a jagged fleshy scar. I shook as I opened my mouth. I told him every single moment of that week I spent locked away in No. 6's basement. Tears streamed down our faces as I told Ari about the bargain No. 6 offered each time he came to torture me – my freedom for Ari's. I told him what it was like when the barrel of the gun was pressed firmly against my temple and the relief I felt when the chamber was empty.

Ari put his face in his hands and I watched a tear roll down his cheek, but he never asked me to stop. I told him how I can still feel the blood that trickled down my stomach after hours of standing on a stool with a noose around my neck. And I told him that what had kept me from kicking that stool over were my thoughts of him. I told him how I had been kicked and beaten. Sliced open and stitched back up. Deprived of food and water and how, when water was offered, there was a fifty/fifty chance that it was poisoned. I opened my palm and looked down at my scarred flesh. I talked about losing hope time and time again. About the joy I felt when I heard the police sirens and helicopters and then the way my heart swelled with love when I saw Ari in a sea of people, coming to rescue me.

"It's not over, Ari," I said, closing my eyes. "There is still someone out there, someone I did not know about until I was kidnapped."

I told him about the one-sided phone conversations I heard and about the feeling I had that someone else had been in the basement after I passed out from blood loss. I told him about the wet shoe print and the fading scent and how I was fairly positive the perfume was from the person who stitched up my arm. I knew No. 6 would have been happy to leave me to bleed to death if he had his way.

I told Ari about the night I went in my dream to cut No. 6's thread and saw the shoes and felt the fading presence of someone who had been with him in the room.

I took a deep breath and went on to tell him what I had learned that night from Maya, in Athens.

"I have been researching No. 7 and the Kakos' cohorts for months. I have become completely obsessed with finding a clue, but I have nothing really; just a few bits and pieces to go on. I don't know who it is or how to find him. All I can do is sit here and wait for the day to come when No. 7 decides he wants to kill me."

I looked Ari in the eye.

"So there it is, all of it. I'm sorry, Ari. I should have told you sooner. I thought I was protecting you, keeping you safe. Turns out, I was only hurting you; I can see that now. I promise I won't ever keep things from you again. I am sorry for the way I have been acting. You don't deserve that kind of behavior. I don't deserve you, but I will spend the rest of my life trying to, if you will still have me."

Ari turned to me. He had not spoken a word since I started my story. He brushed a stray wisp hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear, and then he kissed me. His touch was electric and my lips began to tingle. He held me tight to him for a while then he put my face in his hands. His eyes were red and swollen.

"Christ, Ava, that is so much worse than I ever imagined."

"I'm fine now, Ari. As long as I have you I am fine."

"We are going to do this together."

"We are."

### Chapter 16

Inconsolable

When I opened my eyes on Thanksgiving morning, Ari was already awake. He was holding me tight, running his fingers softly down my arm.

"Hey," he whispered, "Good morning, Baby. How did you sleep?"

"Morning." I stretched, "Do you want the truth?"

"Always."

"I slept really great. I am so sorry that I kept so much from you. I am glad that I was finally able tell you everything that has happened."

"I'm glad, too."

"What time do we need to be at your parent's house today?" I stretched again and then added a yawn.

"An hour ago," he smiled.

"Oh, my! What time is it?"

"Ten thirty."

"I'm so sorry! You could have gotten me up."

"It's fine, Ava, relax. I sent a text to my mom this morning to let her know we would come over later today."

"What did she say?"

Ari leaned over the side of the bed, picked his glasses and cell off the bedside table and read the text.

"Thank you for letting me know. Have a nice morning with your beautiful girl. I love you both so much. We will see you this afternoon!"

"Wow, that's... so nice."

"Of course it was nice, Ava. She's my mom; what did you expect?"

"I saw you two talking last night, Ari. I heard what she said. She looked so angry with me... she _should_ be angry with me, you _all_ should be."

Ari ran his fingers softly down my face.

"She is not angry with you. Nobody is. We're worried about you."

"Mmm... " I wrapped my body tighter around Ari. I felt so safe there in his arms.

****

We arrived at Andy and Aggie's in the early afternoon. The house was already packed with family and close friends busily decorating for the holidays and getting ready for the evening's Thanksgiving feast. The smell of turkey and fresh bread hung in the air.

Ari and I walked in through the back door, hand in hand, and when he wrapped his free arm around his mother and wished her a happy Thanksgiving, she smiled and kissed his cheeks. He let her go and I stepped in to take his place.

"Aggie, I am so sorry for everything I have put you through. Ari and I talked last night and... "

Aggie patted my cheek.

"I am just happy to see you smile, Ava. You don't need to explain anything to me."

Ari gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

Ari and I cuddled on the couch for the rest of the afternoon and laughed with friends and family. The dinner table was even more crowded than usual. The Alexanders had gained a few more celebrants over the past year. Lauren's boyfriend, Luke, lived in Washington, so he had accepted Aggie's invitation to join them over break, and August and Collin joined us, too.

They were officially an item and Collin had even moved into our pool house to be with August. Ari and I didn't mind. I was super happy to see August happy. He and Collin were such an odd couple that I loved to watch them interact with each other. August was sweet to Collin, getting up to refill Collin's drink or nudging him on the shoulder, and they laughed together at little inside jokes like an old married couple. However, Collin never spoke with me. At first I thought he was just shy and was sure that he would warm up to me and everything would be great, but the more I was around him, the more he avoided even looking at me. He and Ari and the rest of the family got along just great, but with Collin around, I was reminded of _who_ I am and how uncomfortable I make some people.

August caught me staring at him and Collin during dinner and threw a dinner roll right at my head. He didn't anticipate Ari's quick reflexes. Ari caught the roll right in front of my face and whipped it back in one fluid motion, hitting August square on the forehead. Aggie started shouting that there would be no more throwing food and Ari threw his own roll at her, causing her to blink in surprise. She put on an angry face while trying to hide her laughter from everyone else. Even Nick, the quietest of the cousins, joined in.

Nick was also the tallest of the cousins. All of them shared the same bright brown eyes and creamy skin, but Nick's hair was a lighter, honey-brown color, like his mother's. Unlike Ari, Nick kept his hair neat and short. He was charming, handsome and smart and currently finishing law school at Pepperdine. He was also quiet and kind of insular; we saw him only a few Sundays a month, on holidays and at an occasional beach party.

In the middle of the laughter, Nick's cell phone rang from his pocket. There had always been a strict 'no phones at the dinner table' rule at the Alexander's home. Nick pulled the phone out of his pocket. He scooted his chair back from the table and took the call while he walked towards the living room. Gianna frowned. Thais took his napkin off his lap and began to scoot his chair back.

Nick could be seen just beyond the dining room and his voice carried in to us all seated at the table. His face had taken on a pale hue and his breathing was labored. Clearly he was experiencing some kind of shock.

" _Is she okay_?" He asked the question three times to the person on the other end of the line before he came to pieces and dropped to his knees onto the hardwood floor. He held his cell phone in his hand, cried and shook with fierce emotion. The family all looked at one another, confused and worried at Nick's obvious grief. I saw Ari make eye contact with Collin just across the table. Collin eyes grew large with shock and Ari put his head in his hands.

Thais went to Nick's side to see what had his son so upset. Nick pushed him off and shouted angrily at his father.

Ari stood up, fished his car keys out of his pocket and went to Nick's side. He took Nick's cell phone out of his hand and began to talk to whoever was still on the other end of the line. Ari talked quickly and then ended the call. He brought Nick to his feet. "C'mon. Let's go for a ride."

Collin whispered something to August and then stood up and went along with them.

"Ava, I'll call you," Ari said to me before he closed the door behind them.

The crowd that was gathered at the table looked at me.

"What is going on?" Thais demanded.

I swallowed. "I honestly don't have a clue – no idea what just happened," I answered. In my heart, though, I knew the phone call and Nick's breakdown somehow involved Misha.

"Rory? Do you know what is going on with Nick?"

Rory, wide eyed, shook his head from side to side. "No. I really haven't seen much of Nick lately until tonight."

Julia, Gianna, Lauren and I helped Aggie pack up leftovers, wash dishes and wipe down counter tops. Everyone was quiet as we worked.

We all sat in the living room and waited for a phone call. August had tried Collin's cell phone a few times but he didn't answer. Thais tried to call Nick, but the call went straight to voicemail.

"Ava, phone Ari, please. Find out what is going on with my son," Thais asked with his head in his hands.

"Sure." I agreed and called Ari's cell. He picked up on the first ring.

"Ava, Baby, I will call you in a minute." He hung up the line without saying another word.

I shook my head _no_ at the group.

A minute turned into an hour. The group grew restless. My phone rang and various family members let out gasps, and relieved breaths.

"Are you alone?" Ari asked as soon as I answered my cell.

I looked around at all the faces staring at me. "No. I am with your family."

"Go home. We'll talk there, I'm pulling in the drive as we speak."

"Ari, they want to know what's going on."

"I just dropped Nick off at his parents' house. He wants to be the first to talk with them about some things. Tell Gianna and Thais that Nick is home and then come out the back door; I will meet you outside. I am walking your way now."

"Ok... " Ari hung up. "Um... " I stammered as I stared back at the solemn and worried faces around me. "Nick is home. He wants to talk with you there, Gianna and Thais. I still don't know what happened; Nick wants to be the one to talk with you."

People stood up and began to talk in hushed tones. They speculated and stretched their legs.

Without saying goodbye, I walked out the back sliding glass door.

Ari waited for me at the bottom of the steps on the sandy beach. He wrapped his arms tightly around me in a hug.

"Let's go home."

"Tell me what happened first, Ari."

"I will tell you everything, I promise. But first I just want to get you safely home."

Ari scooped me in his arms and carried me down the sandy path. He walked up the wooden deck steps, passed our pool and went through our sun porch. Ari walked through the house and finally ended in our bedroom where he set me down in our bed. He sat down next to me.

"Misha died tonight of a drug overdose."

I gasped.

"She has been battling with a prescription drug problem for a long time," Ari's voice was sad and hoarse. "She and Nick were going through a lot. He told her he would introduce her to his family as his girlfriend as soon as she sought help for her addiction. She agreed to clean up her act but had a hard time following through with the treatment. The worst part is that Misha found out that she was pregnant a month ago."

I gasped again and tears filled my eyes.

"Nick was very worried about the baby, so he checked Misha into the rehab center again about a week ago. She stayed for a few days and then checked herself back out. She went on a drug binge and that's when she came to our house. Nick was really angry with her for that. He left her at their apartment and came home for the weekend – to get some space and clear his head. He had not heard from Misha until Nigel called him tonight. Misha had called Rachel earlier in the day. Rachel said Misha didn't sound right, that something was wrong, so she and Nigel left to check up on her. Rachel and Nigel found Misha unresponsive; she was already dead when they arrived."

"And the baby?"

Ari slowly shook his head no.

"Oh, Ari! That's so sad," I cried.

"Yes, it is absolutely horrible – what happened. I still can't believe it myself."

We hugged and sat quietly for a bit.

"When is the funeral? Does Nick want us to help him with anything?"

"He called Misha's parents. They're driving down from Etna now to make arrangements for their daughter to be buried at home. They told Nick to keep away. They don't want to see him or anyone in his family. Collin is packing whatever she had at Nick's apartment so they can take it all back with them."

My heart sank."I could have helped her! She came here for help but I was too consumed with my own shit to do anything for her."

"No! No, Ava. This has nothing to do with you. You got stuck in this mess by pure accident. If Emily hadn't asked about Nick's relationship status that day, you would never have known anything about the two of them being together. You had nothing to do with what happened to her."

"Ari!" I whined.

"Ava, _stop_. This situation with Misha and Nick – it's awful. She was a very sweet and loving person. She really was. And if she had been well, she would have been a great mother to their baby. He was ready to start a family with her. He just wanted her to get well first. She couldn't do that and there wasn't anything we could have done for her."

"What do we do now?"

Ari let out a breath from between his cheeks. "Nick is telling his parents everything now. Tomorrow he is going to talk to Rory and Julia and then he is going to tell my mom and dad. I don't know what he wants to do for Misha. He isn't welcome at her services; her family made that perfectly clear. Keeping this secret from his family was wrong, but we cannot judge him for that because we are keeping a dark secret of our own."

"Seven." I said.

"Yeah... No. 7. They have to know, Ava. I can't do the deception thing. I won't keep this secret from the people I love."

"You're right. I'll tell them."

" _We_ will... I'll tell them with you. We're a team, remember?"

I nodded and sent a somewhat bleak smile in Ari's direction. He returned the look. His eyes were sad.

"How is Nick holding up?"

"He is a man who has lost his heart, Ava. He was... inconsolable." Ari shook his head slowly at the thought.

Ari took my chin in his hand; he lifted my head up so my lips would meet his. He kissed me sweetly at first then moved closer to me and wrapped his arms around my body, closing the gap. A spark ignited between us. The heaviness of the evening came crashing down upon us and we were desperately in need of one another. I kissed him back and pushed myself up against him. Ari moved his hands up my body and cupped my chest. I moaned and my cheeks turned hot with the sound. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. He removed my shirt and then his own. He unbuttoned his pants and removed them. He did the same to mine. He peeled my pants slowly down my hips. His fingers traced delicately back up my inner thigh.

Ari's lips met mine again, he gripped my behind and pulled me up to meet him. Ari flexed his hips. His fingers began to tug at my underwear.

Ari's phone rang. He hesitated for a moment and it rang again. He bent down, picked his discarded pants up off the floor and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. He fumbled around with it for a moment and finally hit the answer button. He walked away to talk. The moment between us was gone. The heavy feeling of what had happened to Misha crept back into my mind. I donned my usual sleeping clothes – Ari's boxers and a soft, white cotton tee. I was tired. It was well past midnight.

Ari walked back into the bedroom, still talking. "Come on over in a bit. We can talk about things here," he said. "No, Ava's here... " Ari looked over at me for the first time since he came back in the room. He looked me up and down, taking in the sight of my frumpy, baggy clothes. "Ava's just getting ready to go to sleep," he sighed. "See you in a minute." Ari hung up the phone.

"That was Nick."

I nodded.

"He's coming by."

I nodded again.

Ari slipped his pants back on and I lay down on his side of the bed. He shut off the bedside light, kissed me on the top of the head and left to open the back door for Nick.

****

I stirred around dawn, blinking my sleepy eyes. Our bedroom was bathed in soft, muted, early morning hues. Rooting around in the bed, my hands searched for Ari so I could wrap myself around his warm body. My toes were cold. He wasn't there in bed. I was still alone.

The bedroom doorknob turned and I watched him walk quietly into our room. My eyes followed Ari to the dresser where he removed his wallet, keys and cellphone from his pants pockets. He undid the clasp on his watch and slipped it off his wrist. He undid the button on his pants and stepped out of them. He looked over at me for the first time.

"Ah, hi there. You're up early."

"And you are up late."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Ari looked beyond tired. He crawled into bed next to me and we instantly wrapped our bodies up tightly together. I basked in his warmth. I nuzzled my face into his chest and he did the same to my hair.

We slept the morning away and woke in the early afternoon to Ari's cell phone. He stumbled to the dresser and answered.

"No, we're home." He yawned. He grabbed his watch off the dresser and squinted his eyes at the time. He picked his reading glasses up and slipped them on. "Calm down, we'll be right there."

Ari hung up his cell and moaned. "That was my mom," he said shaking his phone in his hand. "Everyone is at Gianna's. Get up and start to get ready."

"Get ready for what?" I stretched.

"To tell them all about No. 7."

Ari turned to head to the shower. I lay around a bit longer and stretched my joints, each one loosened and popped.

"Ava!" Ari hollered. "Get up."

I didn't budge.

Ari emerged from the shower a bit later. I was still in bed, laying on my stomach, face first in a sea of pillows.

I heard his chuckle, then I felt the swift movement of my blankets being ripped away from my behind. I peeked my eyes up and saw a mischievous grin on Ari's face.

"I'm up!" I jumped up. "I'm up!"

Ari laughed, and I headed to the shower. A quick clean and a quick grab of clothes, then I met him in the kitchen so we could walk together to Gianna's.

Ari's and my semi-light-hearted mood did not last long. The heaviness of the previous evening's tragedy sank back into my psyche. The atmosphere at Gianna's was solemn and grave. Tension was thick in the air. Gianna, herself, had red, puffy eyes and a tear-streaked face. Some people stood and some were sitting, some were crying and some stared blankly into nothingness. Nick sat alone in the empty living room. His fingers were tangled in his hair, his elbows rested on his knees. He stared straight down at the floor. Occasionally, he cried, weeping into his hands.

"You're always late," Aggie said sternly at the sight of us. "You should have been here with the rest of us, hours ago."

"You're right. I'm sorry," Ari said to his mother.

"He was up with me until six in the morning, Aunt Ag," Nick spoke up, his voice throaty and deep.

Aggie pursed her lips and then relented.

Gianna burst into full-blown sobs and Aggie and Julia rushed over to soothe her.

We spent the remainder of the day like this – no one really speaking, all of us just staring and crying for Nick and his loss of Misha, and the unborn child, mourning the potential they had to be a loving family.

Misha's funeral was set for Monday. We learned this information from Collin, who had grown up with Misha in Etna and therefore, had been a very close friend. He and August were planning to fly up for the service along with their other friends, Nigel and Rachel.

Ari and I learned from Rory that Thais was angrier than Rory had ever seen him. He said his father felt betrayed by Nick. Not only had Nick kept his relationship with Misha a secret for three years, but he had dated a non-Greek and he had gotten her pregnant. Thais had locked himself away in his study after Nick told his parents his secrets – and hadn't come out or spoken a word since.

Evening set in and I began to help Aggie make an easy dinner of leftover turkey and noodles. Thais appeared from his study and pointed to Nick who was still sitting in the living room with bloodshot eyes. "Let's have a talk."

"Yes, sir."

Nick stood up to join Thais.

He walked away through the crowded kitchen and followed his dad into the study. Thais shut the door. Gianna began to cry again. They were locked away in the study for a long time and when the two reappeared, they both had red-rimmed eyes.

"Ari, can I talk with you for a minute?" Ari looked up at Nick. He rubbed his fingertips across his scruffy, unshaven face.

"Uh, sure." Ari squeezed my hand and Nick took a seat next to us.

"I can't live there anymore – in that apartment. There are just too many... memories. Her stuff is gone, she's gone. I am never going to see her again. Do you think you could drive up there with me tonight and help me pack up and move home?"

Ari patted Nick on the back. "Of course."

"We can leave after dinner," Nick suggested.

"Ava and I need to take care of something first, then we will leave."

Nick looked at me and I smiled reassuringly then we all sat down to dinner. The table was full of awkward and uncomfortable silence.

"Someone say something, please. Let's try to get our minds off the grief for just a moment." Aggie said to the quiet table.

No one spoke.

"Andy?" I asked.

"Hmmm?" Andy smiled up at me.

"When did your study catch on fire?"

He squinted his eyes, surprised by my odd question, and tapped his fingers on his lips, thinking.

"Oh, I don't know, Ava; sometime in September of last year."

"How did it happen?"

"The fire marshal determined that it was arson, but wasn't able to find evidence pointing at anyone in particular. He said something about 'teenagers with nothing better to do,' but I don't believe any of us, including the marshal, found that scenario a likely one."

"What was in your office that someone might want to destroy?" I asked, agreeing with Andy's assessment of the fire marshal's conclusion. I didn't believe for a second that some Dana Point teenagers had set that fire.

"Well, I keep most of my important documents in my safe at work; all I had in the study were some of my books, a few paintings, and some of Aggie's earlier works. My computer was destroyed, but that's all."

"You didn't lose anything important?"

By this time, the entire table was listening to our conversation.

"No, Ava, the only document I keep at home is the one I had been holding for years, for you. It was in the fire safe and was unharmed."

I pursed my lips.

"They never caught who started the fire then?"

"No," he said looking at me quizzically.

"Huh," I said and then dropped the subject and we all went back to eating quietly.

Once the dinner mess had been cleaned up and the dishes put away, Lauren and Luke left for a walk on the beach. Collin and August went back home to pack. Ari and I had agreed earlier that we wouldn't bring up No. 7 until Collin and Luke were both out of ear shot. Neither of them knew _who_ we were – descendants of Greek deities that is, and the Alexanders worked hard at keeping family matters private. Ari turned to his family and took a deep breath.

"I know that this is a really horrible time to do this but since everyone is here, Ava and I have something important to tell you all." Everyone turned and looked at us. Their faces all displayed different emotions from worry and confusion to shock and concern.

Ari waited a moment and continued once he had everyone's attention.

"Ava has discovered that there is a seventh member of the Kakos family."

Gasps and murmurs erupted throughout the kitchen. Aggie broke down in to sobs and was comforted by Rory. Andy closed his eyes in pain and sadness. It was as though Ari had dropped a bomb on an already weakened community.

Once everyone calmed back down, Ari started up again, "Ava has been able to remember some strange details of what happened to her while she was kidnapped and she believes that No. 7 was involved somehow."

"Strange things like what?" Rory asked, not unkindly.

"Well, without going into too much detail about her experiences, she heard some phone conversations that Damien Kakos had and she has a feeling that No. 7 may have been the one to stitch up her wrist."

"No offense, Ava, but weren't you pretty drugged up during that whole ordeal?" Julia asked this time.

"Yeah, I was. But I think No. 7 was the one who had been drugging me. I can't help but feel that he was working against No. 6 in some way. As if he wanted me to survive so that he could have me all to himself or something. I think I was given drugs so I would not feel the pain. If I hadn't been stitched up, I wouldn't have survived; I would have bled to death. I remember watching the blood running down my hand and pooling before I passed out, I remember thinking how quickly it was moving. No. 6 didn't care if I lived. He wanted me to feel pain; he was so sadistic."

I shuddered at the memories of him and then shut my mouth, not wanting to talk about my experiences anymore.

Ari continued, "When Ava cut Damien's thread that night, he wasn't alone. She didn't get a clear look at who was there, but she's confident that it was No. 7.

"Then later, we met Maya, Ava's grandmother, in Greece. Maya is Ava's real grandmother. She and Margaux had been friends and Margaux had promised to keep Lucy safe. When she failed, Maya cut all ties with Margaux. Maya had a second daughter who was also killed by the Kakos family. Before she died, Lucy's sister had a baby and Maya is raising him. He is Ava's cousin and his name is Max. He shares some of her abilities, but Maya is certain that no one besides us knows about Max. She believes that No. 7 will try to kill Ava."

By this time, people were just gaping open mouthed at Ari and me.

"Maya had heard stories of the seventh Kakos and told Ava to be diligent in her watchfulness. No. 7 does not show his face; rather, he possesses the body and soul of anyone he chooses. He could look like anybody.

Ava has been doing research for the last few weeks and she has discovered that No. 7 cannot be killed. When the host body dies, No. 7 simply moves on to find someone else. Ava thinks there has to be a way to deal with No. 7, but she doesn't know yet how to find the loophole. We're both working on discovering a way to be safe... and we want to caution you guys to be careful, too."

After a few minutes, people began to close their mouths and blink again.

"Is that why you were wondering about the fire last fall?" Andy asked after a moment, breaking the tension.

"Yes," I said nodding. "Don't you think it's a little strange that just days after my mother died, right before I moved here, someone set your study on fire and the only thing of importance that you had in there was the letter and information from my father? I mean, if that had been lost, if I had never read that letter, it is possible I would have never been warned. I would have been killed months ago."

"Who do you think started the fire?" Andy asked.

"I don't know. I guess it could have been any of the Kakos, but I have a gut feeling that it was No. 7."

"That's so creepy," Julia said, shaking a chill out of her shoulder.

"Yeah, tell me about it," I said, rolling my eyes in her direction.

We all sat around and grasped at straws for a while. The conversation had certainly done a fine job at moving the attention away from Nick for a bit. But it did nothing to lighten our moods. Soon after, Nick and Ari stood up to leave.

"Will you be okay if I leave?" Ari asked me.

"Sure," I said, and picked at my chipping fingernail polish.

"I'll only be a few hours." Ari moved my chin to look me in the eye.

I nodded. "K."

"Do you want me to walk you home first?"

"We can take her, Ari. Just get going with Nick," Andy said from across the room.

Ari looked at me he raised his eyebrow.

"I'll be just fine. Please be safe."

"Of course."

I walked home a bit later with Andy and Aggie. "Do you want to stay with us tonight, Ava? Ari might not be home until real late. You could stay with Lauren."

"No, Aggie. Thanks though. I'll be okay." She nodded and they both walked me up all the way to my back door.

I slid the door open and saw Aggie move her eyes back and forth between Andy and me. She kissed Andy on the cheek.

"I would feel better, Ava, if I stayed with you."

I felt a rush of relief at her words. "Ok, thanks, Aggie."

### Chapter 17

Just Clothes

On Saturday, a few of us went down to the beach to surf and lie around in an attempt to give our minds a break from the heaviness hanging over the family. Lauren lent Luke Ari's old board so I watched Ari give Luke pointers and try to teach him to surf. It was fun to watch. I had my laptop open, too, and worked on some research until Julia and Rory came stomping up the beach from Gianna's home. Julia was screaming at Rory and the scene was not a pretty one. She stopped right at my beach blanket, turned around and screamed at Rory to get away from her. He threw his arms up, turned around, and headed into the water towards Ari.

I shut my laptop and patted the blanket next to me for Julia to sit down. She climbed on with me and put her head on my shoulder.

"What was that all about?" I asked her.

"Los Angeles," she replied.

"Again?"

"Rory is upset about this situation with Nick. He wants to be closer to home, closer to his family. He told me last night he was moving home, too, and I could come with or stay in L.A. by myself. He said the choice was mine."

"Wow... So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I can't stand the idea of living with his parents again but I don't want to live in L.A. without Rory. I can't afford school and getting a place off campus, close to home, while paying for gas for the commute. I just can't find a way to make it work. And in the meantime, we keep fighting."

I rubbed my temples and could not believe what I heard myself start to say: "Julia I have a proposition for you, but I haven't spoken to Ari yet so you'll have to check with him first, but if you want, you and Rory can take one of our spare bedrooms."

"Oh. My. Gosh. Are you serious, Ava?" she shrieked.

"Yeah, I guess I am, but listen, there is danger where I am and you have to understand that."

"Okay, I do," she nodded enthusiastically.

Ari and Rory came up the beach moments later. Ari unzipped the top part of his wet suit, letting it hang off his hips, and ran his hand through his cold, wet hair. His looks still mesmerized me.

"Hey, Ava," he said, "can I talk to you?"

I stood up and walked down the beach with him.

"I told Rory he and Julia could stay with us, in the spare bedroom downstairs, if it was okay with you."

I laughed.

"Look, if you don't want them to, I completely understand. I just feel so bad for him and it's not like we don't have the room. And I mean, he _is_ family."

"Ari, it's ok with me. I already told Julia they could move in as long as it was okay with you."

He smiled at me, "Ava Zae, you're the best. I never thought we would get married and live with my cousin, ex-girlfriend, your gay best friend and his boyfriend."

"We really do live glamorous lives," I teased.

"It won't be forever. One day this will be over and it will be just you and me and then maybe you will change your mind and have my baby."

"Ari I..."

He kissed me before I could give him about a thousand good reasons why a baby was a very bad idea. Ari wanted kids and I did not. How could I when I had seen so much death? Not fair, I heard in my thoughts, to place the burden I bear on an innocent and helpless child. I had said as much to Ari on several occasions, but I knew he didn't agree... we had a perfectly lovely spare room, right down the hall from our bedroom, and he had not offered that room to either Rory or August. It was completely empty, unfurnished and painted white. I knew he was waiting for a baby before he did any finishing details in there.

****

Rory and Julia didn't waste any time moving their stuff into our home. They drove to L.A. that night, taking both my car and Ari's, and packed up then drove straight back. They made several trips and the last one brought them back to our place really late, but both Ari and I were still up, watching some highly addictive and unbelievably trashy reality show marathon. We were both yelling at the people on the TV when I heard the front door open and then a loud crash that followed right behind it.

Ari got up to see what happened and I heard Rory yell out a few cuss words.

"What was that all about?" I asked when Ari flopped back down on the couch.

"Rory just tripped over that big box you left by the front door."

"What big box?" I asked, having no clue about what he was talking about.

"You know that one box that came a few weeks ago? It's been sitting there, untouched, ever since you signed for it."

I sat there forever racking my brain, trying to remember signing for a box, and then it finally dawned on me.

"Ohh, the one François sent from Montréal."

I just barely remembered signing for the package, back when I was in my zombie-like state.

"Yeah, that one. What's in it, anyway?"

"Obviously, I do not know, Ari," I said with playful attitude. "As you just saw, I left it sitting in front of the door for the last three weeks, unopened."

He threw himself on me in a playful attack and I broke out into a fit of laughter as he tickled me and kissed me all over. Once again, I forgot about the big box.

It had grown late and Ari stood up and stretched his hand out for me to grasp. He pulled me up to my feet and we walked together to our bedroom. Ari began to unload his pockets on to the dresser; he slipped off his watch and pulled out his wallet and keys. I pulled open his dresser drawer and pulled out a tee and some boxers. I walked with the clothes in to the closet and shut the door behind me.

I can do this. They are just clothes.

I gave myself a pep talk. I shoved the borrowed tee-shirt and boxers onto a shelf in the closet and walked to the back corner where a row of very sexy, lacy teddies hung neatly together. I closed my eyes, grabbed a black strappy piece of lingerie, took a few deep breaths and for the first time slipped on the clothes.

After a bit of pacing, I cracked the closet door open; our room was lit by the soft candle-like glow of the bedside light. Ari was just walking out of the bathroom. He ran his hand through his hair and began to walk over towards the bed. I pushed the closet door open the rest of the way and did my best to walk out calmly. Ari looked up at me. He blinked, smiled slyly, cocked his head to the side and ran his tongue across his bottom lip. I blushed. Ari pounced. He was at my side in a heartbeat. Ari knotted his fingers around the back of my head and pushed me, hard, back against the wall. His lips were on mine. I moved my hands down to the hem of his shit and struggled to pull it off him. He beamed at me and pinned me to the wall with his hips while he pulled the shirt, with carnal grace, away from his lean body. Ari grabbed hold of my bottom and slid me up the wall while he dropped his boxers to the floor. He wrapped my legs around him. He pulled at the bottom part of my lacy, black attire and flexed himself up against me. I closed my eyes and let my need for Ari take control.

****

We were splayed out in bed. Ari ran his fingers over the lacy fabric. "I was wondering when I was going to see you in this." He tugged at a strap.

I shifted and looked up at him. "What do you mean? How did you know I had this?" Although the lingerie had been in our shared closet, it was in a deep, dark corner that had gone unexplored by Ari.

"I was golfing with my dad, Thais and Rory a couple of weekends ago – remember?"

"Yes, I remember, but that doesn't explain anything."

"Let me finish." He tugged hard on the strap between his fingers and then let go causing it to smack and sting the back of my thigh. The noise was harsher than the bite and I giggled.

"My dad, very chipper for five in the morning," Ari continued, "was explaining, in-between holes three and four, that Aggie, my mother, had come home from a shopping trip with Ava, my wife, and that the two of you had visited the new lingerie section at _baio_. My dad went on to tell my uncle just how great my mother looked in the color red. My dad then proceeded to ask me, with a wink, how my evening had gone. I had nothing to report – you and I hadn't done anything in a _long_ time – if you get my drift." Ari frowned. "So anyway, my dad carried on with his story and told me that my mother had told him that you, Ava, had a wardrobe full of sexy little things just like this." He slapped me on my bottom, playfully. "So every night since then I have waited, and waited... and waited to see you come out of that closet in something other than my underwear."

"Well, you should have said something," I pouted.

"I rather enjoyed the suspense. Will she... or won't she? I honestly didn't think you had the nerve."

"Well, you were wrong."

"Mmm." He ran his finger up the inside of my thigh. "I can see that. Now, as I recall from the _baio_ catalog, sitting on my desk at work, this little black scrap costs a _lot_ of money. I think we should get your dollars' worth."

"Ari, I didn't pay for this."

"Minor detail... " He said as moved himself on top of me on the bed. We spent the rest of the evening reconnecting, being in love, making love and strengthening the bond in our marriage.

****

I wrapped a silky, black robe tight around my body and opened our bedroom door to make a pot of coffee. It was early in the morning and the house was still dark. I took a step and walked straight into something hard and big. I yelped and held on to my shin.

"Why is there a box in front of my bedroom door?" I yelled at anyone who could hear me.

Rory came out of the kitchen and looked up at me.

"I got tired of tripping over it," he said past a mouth full of cereal while holding up his shin to show me the giant bruise he had on it.

"Please put the box in the study for me, Rory. I don't want it here," I said, a little annoyed that he was already messing with my stuff.

"Fine," he said, scooting the box a little more forcefully than necessary back down the hall, past the front door and into the study.

"Why don't you just open it?" he asked when he came back.

"I don't know. I just don't feel like it – haven't you ever been so lazy that you would rather avoid something than actually take the time to deal with it?"

"You know who you are talking to right? This is Rory after all," Ari laughed as he walked out of our bedroom.

"Right. So I'm sure you can relate," I said to Rory who was now lacing up his running shoes.

"You coming?" he asked, and started to stretch out his hamstring.

"Running!?" Finally, a perk to Rory as a roomie.

"Yes, running. Let's go. I'm leavin'."

"Give me a sec, I need to change."

I turned and walked straight into Ari's bare chest. He grabbed my shoulders and steadied me. "Are you sure that's a safe idea?"

"It's just running," I said with an eye roll.

"Ava," Ari closed his eyes. "The last time you ran out there you went missing for a week and came back to me broken, bloody and seriously messed up. Don't forget, this issue with the Kakos family is not yet over. I don't think it's wise for you to go. "

"I'll be with her, Ari. I won't let anything happen to her."

Ari ran his hands through his hair.

I pouted and frowned.

Ari looked back and forth between Rory and me. He shook his head from side to side and sighed. "I'll go along with you."

"You want to run?" I asked Ari, thinking I had misunderstood him.

"Not particularly. I got all of the workout I need last night. But I want to keep you safe and happy. If this makes you happy then count me in. I don't have to be in class for a few hours."

"K!" I shouted and ran past him to the bedroom to dig out my Under Armour.

The three of us ran down the sandy beach. It was quiet and still a bit chilly for the November morning. The waves crashed hard against the shore. Ari stayed a few steps behind us and Rory gave him grief about not being able to keep up the pace. After the third or fourth insult Rory threw at Ari about being slow, weak or pathetic, Ari responded.

"I'm just enjoying the view, Roar."

I turned around and caught Ari staring at my behind.

"Pervert," I mouthed. He smiled playfully at me and winked.

"You know, Ava," Rory huffed, "when Ari and I were young, I challenged him every day to race me. He has never, ever been able to outrun me... ever."

"Rory, don't put me in the middle of this." I sighed and picked up my pace.

"What he's not telling you, Baby, is that my mom bribed me to lose so Rory wouldn't cry. Every time I let Rory win, she bought me new surf gear."

"Nuh uh!" Rory yelled out angrily.

"Oops," Ari smiled wickedly. "I thought you already knew that part of the story."

Rory came to a halt on the beach. "You're a liar."

"I don't lie, Roar, I think we both know that."

"Hundred yards – right now."

"Don't do this to yourself, Rory."

"No. I want this. Hundred yards. C'mon, Ari, let's race."

"No."

"Why not?" Rory had turned mad.

"You don't have anything I want. There is no challenge in this race. You don't have anything to make this bet interesting. I am better than you in everything, Rory, and you know it. I don't need to prove it."

"You're a dick."

I coughed and sputtered at their exchange of words.

"No, I'm not. I'm just honest."

"I'll find something you want one day, Ari and you won't get it until you race me and win."

"That will never happen. Now, we have to get moving. I have class."

Ari turned at three miles and headed back at his own leisurely pace a few feet behind Rory and me. Rory fumed and grumbled to himself the rest of the way back home.

The boys and Julia left for work and class and I was left alone. August and Collin were at Misha's funeral services and were due to get home in the evening.

Aggie, who is a photographer, works only on shoots she finds interesting, so her work is sporadic. A favorite actor of Aggie's was expecting a child and had contacted her for some pregnancy photos. Aggie was delighted and agreed to a photo-shoot in the woman's home; it would keep her busy in L.A. all day.

I locked the doors and started on the task of calling contacts and setting up arrangements for the _House to Home_ function that was in the works. The job was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I liked the idea of helping people. It gave me a purpose. Doing good helps me feel like a better person and the burden of having killed the Kakos was a strong and heavy one; it pulled me down every day and added psyche damage to go along with the remnants of my torture. Working for others was turning out to be another type of therapy, I suppose. It was helping me heal.

I thought about Misha and her struggles as I worked. So much sadness had surrounded an animated and beautiful person. I knew her last words to me were not spoken from the heart. Her anger had been misdirected and I was sad to know that I had not been able to help her. I had not been there for her as I should have been. I pulled up the website for the Newport rehab center she had been treated in and decided to make a donation in her name. I reached out to a facilitator at the center and after some discussion we agreed to plant a tree for Misha's unborn child. Near the tree would be a bench that looked out towards sea. On the bench, they were going to add an engraving in memory of Misha.

Once the plans for Misha's memorial were finalized, I felt a bit better and was able to concentrate back on my work for _House to Home_ , which kept me busy until late in the afternoon.

I planned to make chicken enchiladas for dinner, Rory's favorite. I could tell Ari had hurt Rory's feelings earlier in the day and Rory perks up pretty quickly whenever food is involved. I started sautéing sweet peppers, red onions and jalapenos and jumped out of my skin when someone knocked at the back glass door. August was staring in at me.

I unlocked the door and allowed him in. " _Salut_."

" _Bonsoir_."

"How was... you know... everything? How are Misha's parents holding up?"

"The weekend was sad. They are devastated."

"I bet."

He sat there at the counter for a bit and watched me cook. "I met Collin's folks."

I turned around and saw August smiling.

"Did you!?"

He nodded with glee.

"Looks like the meeting went well."

"It did. I was nervous."

"Nervous! Why? Collin's nice; I am sure his parents would be, too."

"Collin just came out a few months ago; having a gay son is still new to them, you know."

"Oh... right."

"They made us sleep in separate bedrooms." August admitted.

I laughed aloud. "Don't they know you two are living together?"

August nodded. "Yeah, they know. He told them, but not every parent is like Aggie. Not everyone wants a kid, no matter how old, shacking up with a boyfriend under the family's own roof."

"Hey! Don't judge _me_. My mother would turn over in her grave if she knew Ari and I slept in the same bed before we were married."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I loved him from the second I saw him. My heart knew where it belonged before I did."

August rolled his eyes at me.

"Where is Collin anyway?" I asked.

August rubbed at the back of his head. "He's next door at Gianna's with Nick."

"Ah." I nodded and then changed the subject. "Your parents know you are gay, right?"

"Ava, please! They knew I was gay before I did."

I laughed again.

"How did you tell them? How old were you when you knew?"

August shrugged. "I don't know how old I was. I guess the same age everyone is when they start to think about sex and relationships, dating and life. I liked guys – simple as that. I didn't really start to date until college. I told my parents my freshman year that I was gay and they were wonderful and supportive just as they always are about everything in my life. I am lucky to have them. They met Claude and liked him just fine. He and I had a serious relationship."

"Was Claude your _first_?"

August gave me a shocked look.

"What, August? You know my whole sexual history! I am entitled to a bit of gossip about your own love life."

"Yes, he was."

"Did you love him?"

"I thought I did."

"Do you love Collin?"

"I do."

"Are you going to introduce him to your parents?"

"I'd like to." August toyed with a bottle of wine that sat on the counter. "They may come out to California for a visit this summer, but Collin's not been to Paris before so I would really like to take him there."

I smiled brightly. "He'd love that."

"Indeed." August turned the wine bottle around in his hands to read the label and then held the bottle up to me. "I didn't think you drank."

"I don't. It's Ari's."

"Man's got good taste."

I pulled a wine glass down from the rack and handed August the corkscrew to help himself.

I heard the garage door rumble and then the slamming of car doors. Julia and Rory had come home and joined August and me in our conversation. Ari strolled through the door just in time for dinner and we all sat, ate my enchiladas and discussed our day.

The day had been long and I was starting to wind down. Ari was working in the study. I retreated to the bedroom, put on my favorite _Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs_ album, took a long, piping-hot, shower, and rewarded myself with a mind-numbing game on Ari's iPad. The battery was visibly wearing down and I knew he would have to charge it before he could use it for work. I had tried talking him into buying a new one so I could just have the old one, but I don't think he liked that idea. He suggested I go back to using my MacBook.

As soon as Ari came into the room, he pointed to his iPad and said, "Don't forget to put it on the charger tonight."

I gave him a pouty face and he laughed and plugged it in for me as I rolled over, making room for him to get in bed. I had retired Ari's underwear as sleeping attire and opted instead on a silk, light pink, baby doll camisole. It was soft against my skin, innocent enough to keep the blush off my cheeks but still sexy.

My cell phone alarm sounded indicating that I needed to take my daily birth control pill. Ari knew the drill. He picked up my phone and silenced the alarm. He headed to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and washed his face then came back to my side holding a pill and a glass of water.

"Thanks."

He stood there for a moment and rubbed at his cheeks.

"Uh," he began, and then stopped again.

"What?" I asked.

He took a deep breath, and then sighed, "did you refill your birth control prescription in front of my mother last month?"

I blinked my eyes trying to think of the last time I went to the pharmacy. "Yeah. She was there. I rode with her to _Ralph's_."

Ari sighed. "Don't do that again."

"Why not?"

"She had me come over to her house to talk about it – it was the same night you had... " Ari rubbed at his cheeks. "It was the same night as your anxiety attack." He pointed to the closet.

"Talk about what?" I snapped.

"To talk about you being on the pill, Ava."

"You cannot be serious!"

"She and my dad want grandkids. She told me to get you off the pill. I told her we wanted to enjoy our marriage a bit first."

"She _told_ you to get me off the pill! I can't believe her!" I was seething mad. "Birth control is my right as a woman, Ari! It's no one's business but my own. She has some nerve!" I ripped the blankets off my legs and pushed off the bed. I was going to march over there and give that woman a piece of my mind once and for all.

"Calm down! I agree with you. Chill! My mother just doesn't have to know about it anymore... ok?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you just get it over with and tell her we aren't having kids?"

Ari clenched his jaw. "I want kids, Ava. We can give it some time and revisit the conversation later on down the road."

I stared angrily at the wall with my arms crossed tightly across my chest.

"Well... since you're already mad at me, I may as well get this over with, too. Margaux just called me. She invited us to a dinner party next Saturday night and she really wants us to be there."

My jaw went slack. "Whaaat?" I asked, drawling the word out. "No way, I'm not going."

"Ava, we have to go; she's your grandmother and she's my boss."

"She isn't really my grandmother, and you can just quit."

He laughed a little but I could tell he wasn't in the mood for a fight over this.

"Ava, come on... you know you haven't seen her in ages and you didn't even call her on Thanksgiving. I think her feelings were hurt."

"Phones work both ways, Ari."

"I know. And I'm sorry. But, Ava, we have to go. It's the right thing to do. She really wants to see you."

"I can't," I said racking my brain for an excuse. "I don't have anything to wear."

"Is that the best you have?" He rolled his eyes at my lack of creativity. "We both know you have plenty of things to choose from. Please don't act like this."

"Fine, whatever; but you are going to owe me big for this. _Huge_."

"Ava, it's just a dinner."

"Yeah, Ari; it's a dinner with Satan in a very fiery realm of hell!"

"Don't be so dramatic," he replied in a harsh tone as he finally got under the covers. I moved away from him, over to the never-used far side of the bed. I had never, ever done that before.

"You can't be serious," I heard him mutter under his breath.

"Oh, but I am," I said, matching his nasty tone. "And tell your mom to stay the hell out of my damn business!"

I fell asleep on the firm part of the mattress with very cold toes.

### Chapter 18

Boycotting

I awoke to Ari kissing my cheek before he left for work. Tugging at the blankets, I covered my head, blocking him and he sighed. I knew I was acting like a child but I couldn't snap out of my angry mood. I didn't want to go to Margaux's stupid dinner party.

I got up as soon as the garage door closed and tried to get ready to start my day. There was no hot water left – the price we paid for having six adults in the house, five of whom had to be either at work or at school by nine a.m.

Giving the water situation a pass, I climbed into my car to head for the gym. A look at the gas gauge told me my tank was nearly empty, thanks to Rory and Julia having used my car all weekend driving to L.A. and back. I filled my tank, mentally reminding myself to charge Rory for the gas and for the extra miles he had put on my car.

When I got to the gym, Aggie was already there, despite my anger for her completely overstepping her bounds, I gave her a friendly wave. Then I put my ear buds in and got on my favorite treadmill, one in the back, next to the wall and an out-of-order stair master. My secluded spot would keep people from talking to me, at least that's what I had hoped. I had _Yelle_ , my favorite French electro pop group, blaring in my ears and was totally lost in a song when Aggie came up to me with her hands on her hips. "What?" I mouthed, without taking out my ear buds. She gave me a nasty look, and then yanked my ear buds out for me.

"Don't 'what?' me, Ava," she snapped. "What's this I hear about you not speaking to Ari?"

I stared at her in disbelief.

"I swear, Aggie, I don't know how you do it. It's only nine thirty and you already know the day's best gossip!" I rolled my eyes.

"So, what's going on, Ava? What could Ari possibly have done to deserve the silent treatment from you?"

"You say that as though Ari can do no wrong, Aggie, and it's not that I am not talking to him. I am. I'm just boycotting him for a while. Not that it is any of your business."

"Over this dinner party?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, over this party. I will go if I have to, but I don't want anybody to think I'm happy about it. I do not want to be there."

"You are so spoiled, Ava. You are going and that's that."

"You aren't my mother, Aggie. I am a married adult, I will do whatever I wish. And keep your nose _out_ of my marriage! I know you had a discussion with Ari about my choice to be on birth control. You have seriously overstepped your bounds."

I pulled my ear buds out of her hand and shoved them back in my ears.

"Great, now you're boycotting me," I heard her say as she walked away.

"No, I am not talking to you," I yelled rather nastily. Aggie shot me a look that could kill and in return, I yelled some nasty remark in French that she would later ask August to translate.

I finished my run in a bad mood and headed back home without another word to Aggie. I washed up and then walked into the main part of the house. The kitchen was full of dirty dishes and the laundry room was full of unwashed clothes. Seething, I unloaded the dishwasher and filled it up with the dirty ones, then cleaned the kitchen. I washed all of Ari's and my clothes, folded them up and put them away, then cleaned our bedroom and living room.

I couldn't even stand looking at Rory and Julia's room, their room was a disaster and they had only been living with us for a few short days. I just shut the door. I went out to the deck and picked up half a dozen towels hanging from the rail and someone's discarded swim trunks. Each time I moved to pick something up, throw something away, or re-organize something I got more and more angry.

I opened the door to the study and walked straight into that big, stupid box and stubbed my big, stupid toe. I yelled out a few cuss words then slid the box across the floor, causing it to slam against the bookcase. It hit the bookcase so forcefully that my collectibles nearly cascaded onto the floor.

My Macbook powered on and then I sat down to do a little bit of research before my house filled back up with noise. I sat there reading and rereading whatever I could find on the Kakos for a few hours until I heard the front door close. I poked my head out and saw it was just Collin. He gave me a small wave and headed straight towards the kitchen.

August came home a little after Collin, and he came and found me at my desk.

"What's up?" I mumbled, not looking up from my computer screen.

I heard him make a 'humph' noise, as if he were pissed, and I waved my hand at the empty seat across the desk from me. He sat, I finished reading through an interesting article, and then finally looked up at him sitting across from me. August's arms were crossed over his chest, his face was pinched in an irate stare.

"Please don't tell me you're angry about me not wanting to go to this dinner party." Air left my cheeks from a long exhale.

"What? No... I'm mad at Collin."

Now he had my attention, and I sat up straighter in my chair.

"Why, what happened?"

"Promise me you won't get mad."

"I promise I won't get even madder than I am already."

"Okay, fine, I'll take what I can get," he said, and then looked at me for a minute as if he didn't know how to begin. August finally blurted out, "Collin said that you give him the creeps."

I rolled my eyes and smiled a bit.

"August, that is totally fine. I make a lot of people uncomfortable."

"What? No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do, August; you just never noticed other people's reactions to me before. People like you don't possess a sense of fear and don't get creeped out by me, but normal people like Collin do. Don't be mad at him. Give him time and he'll come around."

"What are you talking about?"

By now, August was totally aware of _who_ I was and he knew about my nightmares. He knew about No. 7 but I guess he didn't understand that I still made normal people uncomfortable.

"August, I am used to making people uneasy. When I was a kid, my mom felt bad for me because I didn't really have any friends. She worked all the time, so she bought me a goldfish. She put the fish in a little glass bowl and put some shiny rocks at the bottom and tried to surprise me one day after school. Every time I put my face up to the glass, the fish freaked out and swam the short distance to the other side, where it beat its nose against the glass searching for an escape. The look on my mom's face was sheer sadness. I knew she felt so bad for me, but I didn't mind. I was used to making people uncomfortable and watching animals run for the hills. I told her thanks anyway and asked her to take the fish to the pediatric center for the other little kids to look at."

"Ava, that's the saddest thing ever."

"Look, August, the point of the story is that I am fine with my life. I have accepted who I am. I have people who love me; I don't need to be everyone's friend."

"But I at least want my boyfriend to like you."

"I'm serious, give Colin some time. Nora was super uncomfortable with me at first and she finally came around to me and we became good friends. Collin will as well. We just need to find some common ground. Now go and make up with him."

"Fine, but I suggest you do the same with Ari. It's just a dinner party, Ava." August stood up to leave. I picked up a pen off the desk and threw it at him, hitting his back, right before he closed the door.

I heard August say "Good luck" from the hallway and then the study room door opened again. It was Ari. He had a small smile on his face and he looked gorgeous. He had just gotten home from work and he had on his dark suit pants and a white button-down shirt. The collar was open and he had already removed his jacket. Ah, he was torturing me with his remarkable good looks. His delicious scent filled the room and I couldn't resist breathing in deeply. I tapped my fingers on my lips, trying to hide my smile. He took a seat across from me and leaned back, put his ankle up on his knee and put his hands behind his head and just beamed across the desk at me.

My mind started to get cloudy, so I gave my head a small shake and tried to look somewhere else in the room, but doing so was difficult. My smile finally broke all the way across my face.

"You done?" he asked, referring to my tantrum.

I surrendered and nodded my head yes.

"Good, are you going to call Aggie and apologize?"

"She started it!"

"Ava!" Ari scolded me.

"Ari, she is overstepping her bounds by butting herself into my personal business."

"I'll talk with her. Now, please make the first step and apologize. You know it is only because she cares so much for you."

I mimicked August's earlier humph noise, picked up my desk phone and called Aggie to patch things up with her.

****

Since the talk I had with Ari about my experiences and thoughts, I had been feeling remarkably better. I had a clearer head, and felt safer knowing he knew about No. 7. I was able to restore some sort of normal routine in my life. I was pushing forward and able, finally, to concentrate on the matter of the final Kakos brother, rather than just hide in my bed all day and wait for him to come and kill me.

I spent the rest of the week combing through all of the articles I had culled from newspapers and online stories about the six Kakos brothers. My name, thankfully, was mentioned only in connection with No.'s 1 and 2 and 6, all of whom had died in Dana Point. No one other than August, Margaux and the Alexanders had even known I was in London when No.'s 3, 4 and 5 died, so I never got a call from the authorities about them. Furthermore, Margaux had somehow managed to cover up most of what had happened with No. 5 and the burning of her flat. The Kakos family had many, many enemies, and I was far down on the list of suspects. I didn't really think the police cared who had killed them, so long as they were finally off the streets.

I looked for days for more leads to go on and never did I see mention of No. 7. I was beginning to think I had made him up and was actually going nuts. If it hadn't been for my conversation with Maya, back in Greece, I would probably have given up on my search already.

I had put together a list of Kakos' cohorts with some help from Andy and had already studied each individual in detail. Some were in prison, some were dead, and others were living double lives as doctors or lawyers in affluent communities throughout the United States and Europe. One morning Andy sent me a new email that added a few names to my list. I pulled up his note and read his message. The new names came from a friend of his in Chicago; the people mentioned were also from the Chicago area. This information peaked my interest considerably. I pulled up the attachment Andy's friend had sent and read a list of people twenty names long. The very last name on the list made my heart stop and my blood run cold. It read: "20. Dr. Steven Spruce – deceased 9/3/2011." This man had been my mother's boyfriend and had been driving the car the night my mother died.

I pulled up my Google search engine with a shaky hand and typed in Spruce's name. I found several articles about the University of Chicago Medical Center, Spruce's work with pediatrics and even an article or two about the projects he and my mother had worked on together. I scrolled down the screen and my eyes froze on an editorial about Spruce's charity work with various organizations. The article was dated five or so years before my mother and I had moved to Chicago. I clicked on the link and was taken to a site that showed the whole piece. At the very top was a picture of a younger Spruce shaking hands with the one and only Damien Kakos, No. 6. They were attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the hospital. Spruce had been part of the Kakos group all along. He had killed my mother. I closed my Macbook softly, grabbed a tissue and cried silently to myself. Frustration, sorrow and regret were all pouring out of me at once.

I heard a small knock on the door.

I quickly dried my eyes and in a croaky voice called out, "Yeah?"

The door cracked opened and I saw Collin on the other side standing in the hall.

"Am I bothering you?"

"Hi, Collin. No, you aren't bothering me. I was just..." I wiped my eyes again and tossed the tissue in the garbage. "What's going on? Come on in."

"Are you sure?"

"I could use a distraction. Please."

Collin hesitated and rubbed at the back of his head before he finally decided to take a step into the study.

"So... what are you up to?"

"Um, I was just reading up on some things."

He took a seat and started to toy with the Stonehenge snow globe August had given me a year ago in England. Collin was a native of northern California, born in Etna, the same as Misha. August told me that he worked for some huge internet based company and was also taking classes at UCLA part time. I didn't see much of Collin, but when he had work to do at home, we once in a while bumped into each other at the coffee pot.

"What's in the box?" he asked, pointing his chin in the direction of the bookshelf. I scrunched up my nose and turned around in the direction he was pointing.

"I don't know. Let's check it out."

I slid the box across the floor and it stopped next to Collin's feet. I took a seat on the floor next to the box and pulled off the packing tape that held it closed. Collin got on the floor and sat across from me on the other side of the box. I flipped open the flaps and pulled out a note; it was written in French and signed by François, the caretaker.

The note explained that the contents of the box had been left to me and that he had forgotten about it until the new owner found them in the attic. He apologized for the delay in the shipping.

I peered down into the brown cardboard parcel and began to unwrap a seemingly endless supply of bubble wrap. I pulled out a pair of scissors and set them down on the floor beside me, reached back into the box and pulled out another, and then another and another until twenty-three pairs were lined up on the floor next to me. The scissors were of all different sizes. Some had intricate hand crafted handles and others were simple and plain. Some were shiny silver and others were rusty brown. I laughed to myself and shook my head.

"What is all this?" Collin asked.

"When I was a child my mom and I loved to go to flea markets and find hidden antique stores. She collected scissors." I rolled my eyes. "She used to be fascinated with them or something. I don't really know. Anyway, she collected them, and we had all of these scissors framed in a beautiful glass case that hung on the wall in our living room in Montréal. I came home from school one day right before we moved to Chicago and found the glass front of the case had shattered all over the living room floor. The scissors were nowhere to be seen and I assumed they had been picked up, boxed, and put away before I got home that day."

I took my favorite pair of scissors up out of the pile and turned them around in my hand. They were small and golden. The handles were in the shape of a heron's wings and the blades served as a beak.

"My mom used to say that scissors are one of the most underestimated tools we use. That their purpose is profound and yet we take them for granted. She would point out all the uses we have for them – from the mundane, like teaching children to cut out simple shapes and removing scratchy tags from new clothing, to the more demanding, such as cutting hair and fingernails, and finally to the seriously difficult, like saving lives in open heart surgery."

I shook my head incredulously at the box's contents, put the pair I had in my hand back in the pile, and stood up, dismissing the scissors.

"Wait," Collin grabbed my hand and then quickly released it.

"There's more... uh, stuff in the box."

I sat back down and I pulled out a thick envelope and tore it open. It held my mother's brown, leather-bound journal. I scanned the through the diary quickly and saw immediately that some of the entries had been made in blue ink, while others were in black or red. Here and there, she had circled a letter in a different color.

Collin was watching over my shoulder as I looked through the diary. We both stared at the writings for a few minutes and finally he spoke:

"It's a code."

"A what?"

"It's an Alberti polyalphabetic cipher. A code."

I turned and stared at Colin and waited for him to elaborate.

"The Alberti Cipher is basically a deliberately jumbled alphabet used to scramble a message. But you can see that your mother wrote the message very carefully. Certain parts are done in certain colors on purpose and then she circled different letters in different colors. It's all in code you have to figure out what it is she was trying to tell you."

"No way," I stared at the scribbled handwriting in front of me. "Ok, how do I figure out this message?"

Collin pursed his lips and took the journal out of my hands.

"Well," he said, "you'll need a Vigenere square. Then I guess that you'll need to separate the entries in order of the color of the ink the letters are written in. Then you need to go through each one and find the circled words and separate them by color. And then you can try to decode the letters. When the letters are straightened out, then you can unscramble the words."

I ground my teeth in frustration.

"What's a Vigenere...?"

"Vigenere square," Colin said the words again, a little louder and more deliberately, much as someone using a foreign language speaks more loudly, thinking his meaning will be clear as a result. "It's a table – a square with 26 alphabets in it. Each alphabet shifts one letter to the left from the one above it."

"How do I find one of those?"

"Wikipedia, of course."

"Of course," I said dryly.

"May I?" Colin pointed to my Macbook.

"Be my guest."

Within seconds, Colin pulled up an example of a Vigenere square and printed it.

"Holy cow, this will take ages," I said, hitting my palm on my forehead.

"Yeah, but are you really going to even bother? I mean do you think that what she was trying to save for you so long ago could really be important?"

I swallowed hard, and nodded my head. This was my key to No. 7. I knew it. My mom had known all along. My dad had probably told her about him before he died and she had spent seventeen years writing me cryptic messages trying to tell me about it.

"Yep, I think I'll give it a try," I said nonchalantly. "I mean what else do I have to do with my time?"

"OK," Collin smiled, "I'll help you get started."

"You want to help me?" I was a little surprised; the last I heard, I gave Collin the creeps.

"Absolutely, I love this kind of stuff. When I was kid, my best friend and I sent messages like this to each other all the time, for fun."

"Umm hmm," I responded skeptically, twirling another pair of scissors around in my hand. We got started.

We first organized the journal entries by ink color. The earliest of them had been entered in Montréal when I was a small child, and they continued fairly regularly up until the time we moved to Chicago.

I'll admit the whole project did kind of make me frustrated. Why couldn't she just have told me what it was I needed to know? Why make me go through these mental gymnastics? And what if I had never received the diary, then what?

"Arg, how frustrating," I said as I tossed the journal at the door. It was still flying through the air when the door opened and stopped only when it hit Ari's shin.

"Nice to see you, too," he said picking the journal up off the floor. "What's all of this?"

I explained that I had finally gotten around to opening the box from Montréal and that what Collin and I found in it was a giant pile of scissors and a journal. Ari thumbed quickly through the diary.

"So it's just a journal and an odd inheritance of a scissor collection?"

"No, it's more than that," Collin chimed in excitedly and explained that there was a message hidden in the letters. Collin had his back to me so I held up seven of my fingers and Ari's eyes grew wide.

Ari tossed his suit jacket on the chair, sat on the floor next to me and listened intently to Collin's explanation of the Alberti Cipher and Vigenere square. Ari and I worked late into the night as Collin taught us how to decode the message. At some point August joined us and "helped" mostly by sitting at the desk complaining about various students in his class. He was entertaining, though, and helped the work go faster. Rory came in too but was of no help at all; he kept asking Collin to "explain the square thing again"; Ari eventually got mad and kicked him out of the study. We made headway slowly, but the more I worked out the system, the better I understood the process.

When we went to bed that night, I put my head on Ari's chest and ran my fingers through the tiny little hairs he had there. I told Ari about Dr. Spruce and his connection with the Kakos and his relationship with my mother.

"I used to think my mother loved him, that she was eager for me to move on so they could have a life of their own together. But the last time I talked to her she seemed happy he was dead."

"What does that mean? I thought they died in the same accident."

"They did."

"Well how on Earth would you have talked to her then, Ava?"

"She said things to me in my dreams. When I was in the hospital... strange things. The memories are fuzzy and weird but she asked if Spruce died and smiled when I confirmed that he had."

"Oh, Baby." Ari held me and stroked my hair, nuzzling my face to his warm chest. "Someday this will all be over, I promise."

****

I got up early on Saturday morning, made a pot of coffee, and got back to work. Ari joined me an hour or so later.

"Did you find anything?" he asked, taking a sip out of my coffee cup.

"Not really, but look at this," I slid the journal across the desk at him.

"Look at the back page," I told him, nodding my chin at the book.

He stared at the back cover for a long time before he finally spoke.

"Is that your tattoo?"

"Mmm hmm." My mom had doodled all over the inside of the back cover. One of her drawings was an almost perfect small-scale replica of my bird tattoo. Next to it, she had also sketched six tally marks. Five of them were two inches long just like mine, and then the sixth one was longer and jagged.

"Look in the corner," I said to him quietly.

There were three dates written in perfect handwriting in the upper right hand corner: 09/03/2011; 08/04/2012; 10/07/2013. "The first is the day my mother died; the second is the day we got married."

"And the third?" Ari asked a bit shaky.

"I don't know," I bit the inside of my lip. "We have about ten months to find out."

Ari flipped the page; on the other side were numerous tally marks. In fact, my mother had added tally marks all throughout the journal, in the margins and in corners.

Ari looked down at them and then back to me. "You do this, too."

I blinked at him.

"I've seen you do it. Sometimes I don't think you realize that you are making the marks, but you do make them, though not as much as you used to. Whenever you have a pen and paper in your hand you make tally marks."

"Force of habit, I suppose."

"That's an odd habit."

"Mmm," I agreed. "I started to make tally marks when I was young; when I first began to dream the scissor dream. It scared me when I was little; people screaming, pleading with me behind closed doors, people crying in obvious pain. I began to tally up how often I would have the dream. When I moved from Chicago to California, I had to pack my bedroom up and I found pages and pages covered with tallies." I shrugged.

Ari frowned at me. "We will figure this whole thing out, Ava. It won't be like this forever."

"I know." I nodded and then got back to work.

Ari and I spent the rest of the morning in the study and uncovered a few actual words, but we didn't know where to put them in the progression of the note.

At four thirty, Ari stood up.

"We have to get moving, Ava."

"Why, what are you talking about?"

"We have to be in L.A. at eight. It takes over an hour to get there and you take ages to get ready."

"L.A?" I scrunched my nose.

"Margaux," he said, reminding me of her silly dinner party.

"We're still going to that?"

"We have to, Ava. I'm sorry, there is no way I can cancel."

He wiggled his fingers, I took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet. We walked back to the bedroom and I threw open the closet doors.

"I have no idea of what to wear."

"Um," Ari said, rubbing the stubble on his face, "Margaux sent home a dress from her new line that she really wants you to wear tonight."

"You're kidding me."

"I'm not, but it's really pretty, Ava; you'll like it, so don't freak out. I left it in the car."

He went to get the dress and I climbed into the shower and let the hot water run down my back. I heard the bathroom door open a few minutes later. My stomach did little somersaults and a giggle escaped my lips as the shower doors opened.

### Chapter 19

Margaux

I won't lie. The dress Margaux sent home really _was_ beautiful. It was tight and snug against my body. The color was a soft, dusty rose and the fabric was lace with a creamy silk sheath underneath. The shoes she sent along with the dress were Louboutin, much higher than I like to wear but totally typical of Margaux. I made an effort to look my best. I didn't care about impressing Margaux or her friends, but this command appearance was in the interest of Ari's job after all, and it mattered to him.

He came to fetch me at six thirty and he looked absolutely stunning in a sleek, dark suit. I wrapped a fist around his tie and he pulled me in for a lingering kiss.

"Do you think we could be a few minutes late?" I teased and tugged at the button on his dinner jacket.

Ari bit his lip while he thought about my proposition.

"It's never just a few minutes when it comes to the two of us, Ava. If anyone other than Margaux were hosting this deal, I would – but I am afraid she might kill us if we were late." He looked me up and down with a salacious smile. "I love you in this dress. I am very much looking forward to peeling it off of you as soon as we get home... maybe sooner."

I did my best at suppressing the small fire that ignited in the pit of my stomach and we left our room and headed into the main part of the house. Collin had my mother's journal propped up on his knee in the living room while August, Julia and Rory sat on the couch and watched an action movie on TV. Ari told them all we were heading out to a party and would be home late. No one really paid him any attention and we slipped out of the house.

We arrived at Margaux's mansion of a home and as soon as we walked through the door, she glided across the floor and wrapped me up in a delicate hug, then kissed me on the cheek.

"Oh, Ava, darling, I have missed you so much," she purred. I nearly gagged and gave her a look like she was nuts. I had called Margaux's cell and office three times each to catch up over the past week, after Ari suggested that I had hurt her feelings over the holiday. Margaux never took my calls. She linked her arm through mine and led me through her home, as if I had never been there before. I shot Ari a nasty look and he gave me a small laugh.

Margaux led us down a corridor, past the dining room and back to the sitting room where the rest of her guests had gathered. She handed each of us a glass of wine and then cleared her throat. There must have been twelve other people there and they gave Margaux their full, undivided attention as she introduced me.

"This is my precious granddaughter, Ava," she said sweetly, "and of course you know her genius husband, Ari."

I gave the room a small wave and a smile and then peeled my arm away from Margaux and linked it with Ari's. Margaux gave a frilly laugh, batted her eyelashes and said, "Young love... " and the whole room giggled with her. I suppressed an eye roll and bit my tongue to keep back a nasty remark. Ari gave my arm a squeeze and we walked into the room together.

As usual, Ari was the center of attention. Everyone wanted a minute of his time, and we spent the first hour smiling politely as people took turns peppering him with questions and stories. I was actually relieved when Margaux announced dinner was ready to be served in the dining room. My feet hurt and I was thirsty. I had hopes of getting a glass of water. I wondered idly if the devil drinks water.

Ari and I hung back for a moment as the room cleared.

"This isn't so bad, huh?" he asked.

"I guess not, Ari, but Margaux is acting so strange."

"She seems to be acting fine to me, Ava. She is pleased to see you."

"You don't know her like I do; she's gone nuts."

He kissed me on the forehead and we were interrupted by Margaux.

"Coming, darlings?"

Ari and I followed her out of the sitting room and back down into her spacious and elegant dining room. If someone had told me Martha Stewart had organized this dinner party, I would have believed it. Everything was perfection. The dining room table was set formally and quite stylishly. The centerpieces were red and white amaryllis in clear glass vases. Flickers of candlelight gleamed against the glass and danced around the room, bouncing off the chandelier and back again.

For dinner, Margaux served a herb salad with feta followed by Mediterranean chicken on rice pilaf. The final course, dessert, was apricot-fig compote. Dessert-wine glasses were brought in for the peach and apricot hints of a decadent riesling to go with it. I was sure Margaux had no hand in the decorations or the meal other than the ordering around of several very scared people.

"Ava," a woman across the table said, raising her voice a little to get my attention, "that's a beautiful dress you're wearing."

"Thank you; I think so, too. It's one of Margaux's designs actually. She gave it to me as a gift for this evening."

Everyone in the room turned to look at the dress and then turned to Margaux.

"Is that true, Margaux?" The woman asked. "I don't remember ever having seen it."

"No, I'm lying," I said under my breath with an over-exaggerated eye roll. Ari put his hand on my knee and squeezed... hard.

Margaux cleared her throat and had a very pleased look on her face that made me want to puke.

"Why, yes... I brought the dress out for the new spring line; I had Ava in mind when I designed it, as always. Tonight is the dress's debut. We have plans of it being on the cover of _Vogue_."

_Oohs_ and _ahhs_ erupted from the group of people and I forced a smile. They all carried on about the new spring line for a few minutes, giving me a reprieve from attention.

"Did you know that?" I side whispered to Ari through clenched teeth.

"What, about the dress?" he whispered back.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"Because you wouldn't have worn the dress if I had told you. And you look lovely in it."

And with that comment my reprieve from the group's conversation ended. Margaux fixed me with her gaze and said, "Ava, I thought I might put you to work for a little bit this evening. I am sure you wouldn't mind entertaining us with a song or two on the piano."

I opened my mouth wide to protest, but she cut me off, stopping me from speaking.

"Ava is a classically trained pianist. She's brilliant."

"Margaux, I can't... "

She held her hand up to stop me, "Ava, I insist."

I ground my teeth, annoyed and pushed my food around with my fork for the rest of dinner. I no longer enjoyed playing the piano. I wasn't as good as I used to be. My fingers on my left hand were still too slow thanks to the nerve damage No. 6 inflected when he sliced open my wrist.

We all got up, I followed Margaux into her giant foyer and I took a seat at her piano.

"Do you have any requests?" I asked her politely.

"You know what I like," she said with a tight smile, and there was a wicked gleam in her cold, dark eyes.

I looked at Ari out of the corner of my eye and he mouthed a small, "Sorry."

I gave him a look that could kill and began to play. Margaux loved Beethoven so I started playing "Moonlight Sonata" and then moved into a few of his other pieces until my hand began to tighten and my fingers started to cramp. Once I finished, I stood up and walked over to Ari's side. He kissed me sweetly and I peered over at Margaux. She was dabbing tears from her eyes. And, amazingly, they weren't the phony ones I had seen her pretend to wipe away so often before. She appeared to be genuinely sad and upset over something. I gave Ari's arm a squeeze and pulled him aside out of earshot from the rest of the guests.

"We have got to get out of here," I whispered.

"OK, we will soon, I promise."

"Ava, darling," Margaux called for me. I turned around and gave her an acknowledging smile.

"Darling, come here for a moment."

Ugh!

I kept hold of Ari's hand and we walked back across the room towards Margaux. One of her guests, whose name I was fairly sure was Yvette, turned without looking and walked straight into me, causing her full glass of after-dinner port to spill down the front of my dress. I let out an audible gasp in shock, looked down, and saw I was completely soaked and the dress was ruined. Yvette sputtered out apologies as people dashed towards us to pat me with napkins.

"Oh, Ava!" Margaux cried. "Quickly, go up to my room and change. I have plenty of things in my closet you can change into."

"No Margaux, I'm fine," I said, thinking I could use my wet dress as an excuse to leave. "Ari can just take me home."

"Nonsense, Ava, you can't drive home like that. Go change now."

I knew not to argue and grumbled, "I'll be right back," to Ari as I turned around to head up the giant staircase that led to Margaux's lair.

Her room was massive and very plush. It was also very private. I had only been in Margaux's room one other time, in the dream when I cut Perry's thread.

I took in all of the photos she had out on display. All of them contained Margaux, Perry and my mom, when my mom was a little girl. A few of them included me. Family shots of all kinds covered the bureau and the walls and Margaux looked lovingly at my mom in each one. She seemed to be a completely different person from the cold, distanced woman I knew. Her smile looked genuine and her eyes even looked to be a different color. The cold, dark look I had noted at the dinner was gone and in its place were eyes of a light, soft blue.

I picked a photo up of my mom standing with me and holding my hand. I remembered the day perfectly. I had been eight years old and Perry had come to visit us in Montréal for my birthday. He had taken this picture of the two of us in the garden, right before he had to get on his flight back home. I set the photo down, walked across the floor, passed Margaux's king-sized sleigh bed, and stopped in front of her dressing table. Her jewelry, including her wedding ring and the necklace I had gotten her for Christmas last year, was lying there. I picked up her ring and twirled it around in my fingers, gazing at it for a moment before putting it back down.

A glass plate on top of the vanity held various perfumes. I opened a bottle of " _baio_ for Women" and was overwhelmed by the delicate, warm smell of lilac and vanilla. I tilted my head to the side trying to place the scent. It was so familiar. Suddenly, the smell made my stomach heave with nausea. I suppressed a gag reflex, let out a cough and set the perfume down.

I turned towards Margaux's walk-in closet, in a hurry to get the hell out of her creepy room.

At back of the closet, her dresses hung neatly in a row. Below the dresses, lined up in order of color, were her shoes. The collection was pretty impressive – rows and rows of Jimmy Choo, Louboutin and Manolo Blahniks – and in the corner all by themselves, a pair of Nikes. How odd for Margaux's closet. I had never seen her in shoes that weren't tall and pointy. I got on my knees and picked one of the Nikes up, turning it around in my hand. There was a bright yellow swoosh on it.

The Nike dropped to the floor from my shaking hands. My pulse quickened and panic began rise in my chest. To keep from passing out, I had to remind myself to breathe.

"Ava?"

My head snapped up at the sound of Ari calling my name. My jaw was slack and my eyes were beginning to pool with tears.

"Ava Baby, what's taking you so long? Just grab a dress and put it on."

"Ari, it's her. No. 7 – it's Margaux."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Ari rolled his eyes at me as if I were being overly dramatic.

"I'm serious, Ari. I know she's the one. She had a burn on her arm at the same time your dad's study was set on fire. She is the one who stitched me back up after No. 6 cut my wrist. I could smell her perfume, the kind _baio_ sells, I could smell it in the basement when I came to. I know she was there."

I picked up the Nike.

"She was wearing these when I cut the thread of No. 6."

"Ava," Ari said quietly, letting his hands drop to his sides. "Everyone has a pair of Nikes in their closet, _baio_ is the most popular perfume available, of course Margaux would wear it, she designed it."

"You don't believe me do you? I'm not lying, Ari. I wouldn't accuse her if I didn't believe it."

I was hurt that he didn't trust me, but I had brought Ari's lack of trust in me on myself.

He looked at me for a moment and let out a sigh.

"No, I do believe you, Ava. If you say Margaux is involved with the Kakos, then I believe you." I didn't hear much conviction in his voice as he made his statement. He came to my side and helped me up off the closet floor.

"If you really think Margaux is No. 7, then what are you going to do about it?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I can't let her know I know."

I turned my back to him and he undid my wet dress so I could peel it off and change.

"This is not at all what I had in mind when I pictured taking this dress off you." He grumbled.

"Ari!" I scolded him. "This is serious."

I grabbed the first dress I saw out of her closet and threw it on, "we are leaving, now. Make up an excuse and let's go!"

Chills ran down my spine as I tried to gain composure.

"Don't panic. She won't try anything now; there are twelve witnesses downstairs."

"Ari, please! Let's leave!" I begged.

Ari stopped me at the top of the steps.

"Take a deep breath. Calm down. We'll leave and we will figure out what to do. I promise."

We walked back down the staircase and found that the guests had all retired to the lounge, where they were sipping wine and talking again about _baio_.

"Margaux," Ari interrupted the conversation. "I am so sorry to have to do this, but Ava and I have run into a small emergency and we need to get going." He held up his cell phone and shook it in his hand, as if the gesture would prove there was a real emergency.

Margaux stood up, "oh, I am so disappointed, dears. I hope everything is alright."

"I'm sure it will be," he gave an inviting, easy smile. "I'll see you all on Monday. Have a good rest of the evening!"

Margaux walked us to the door and I couldn't help but shudder. She turned to me and for one very small second her black eyes flashed a sad, worried blue. She wrapped me up in a small, soft hug but before I could even give her a quizzical glance, she had gone back to her hard, mean self, with her usual fake smile plastered across her face. Margaux's cold hand held on to mine. She gave it a tight squeeze, so tight that my hand hurt... then she wished us both well as she shut the door.

As soon as Ari opened the car door, my phone began to ring.

I answered it quickly and found August on the other line yelling at me in French.

"Stop. Slow down. What's wrong?" I demanded.

"Collin has been working on this damn message of yours and is seriously freaked out!"

"Okay, August, what is it that has him upset? What did he find?"

August talked a hundred miles a minute and explained what Collin had unearthed. For the most part, Collin had decoded what I had already known; that I am a Fate and was being hunted. I frowned in disappointment.

"How much of the journal has he gotten through? Is there any more?"

August sighed, "There's loads more to work through, Ava. But count Collin out; I don't want to see him this upset ever again."

"Okay, okay, chill."

"He did put together one thing that's a bit odd though."

"What?"

I heard the shifting and rustling of papers moving in the background.

Reading from whatever he held in his hand he said, "Margaux loved you so greatly that she made a deal to save you."

### Chapter 20

Max

Weeks passed with only bits of information to add to the cryptic message.

One piece of the puzzle read, "I fled with you away from Margaux, away from what she had become." I read that sentence a hundred times. I was more positive than ever that Margaux was No. 7, but I didn't know what to do with the information. I couldn't just kill beloved fashion icon Margaux Baio – a stunt like that would ensure a life behind bars. Frustration set in and I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.

"Ava. Ava, Baby."

My eyes shot open, but I couldn't see anything. My vision was blurred from cloudy tears. Ari held my face in his hands as he whispered at me to wake up; I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand and sat up in bed.

"Ava, you've been crying in your sleep all night. What's going on?"

I closed my eyes, remembering my dream; I had been in Greece, in a familiar stone home on a slope in a hillside town. Night had just fallen and I was with Maya.

"It's Maya... she's gone."

He looked at me for a minute cocking his head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"She was with me last night in my dream; it was her time to go, Ari. There wasn't anything I could do for her. She wouldn't let me spare her again; she was old and tired and was ready to go home."

"Oh, Ava," Ari said and began to rock me softly back and forth.

I laid my head on his shoulder while he held me and we remained silent for a while.

"Ari?"

"Hmm?" he murmured softy in my ear.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"She put Max in our custody."

I felt Ari's arms go a little slack and I heard him suck in a breath. I could feel his heart pick up the pace. I felt his jaw against my cheek drop open, he pulled me back a little bit to look me in the eyes.

"Max?" he asked slowly.

"She didn't have anyone else she trusted to care for him. We are the only family he has left and she had no one else to turn to for help. She couldn't just leave Max alone with no one to care for him."

I was getting defensive, as though I thought Ari had been going to say no. I was starting to panic. I was starting to fight for Max.

"Shhh," Ari stopped me. He put his hands on my face.

"Ava, calm down," he smiled at me. His smile was small at first then it grew bigger and bigger as he let the information sink in. His eyes sparkled with excitement. "We have to go get him!"

"We can't... " I frowned. "Well, you can't anyway, you have finals and work."

"Well, you can't go to Greece by yourself, Ava. It's not safe for you."

I let my shoulders drop. He was right. It wasn't smart for me to travel by myself right now. "What about Rory or Julia; could they come with me?"

"They have finals, too," he reminded me.

"Ok, August or Collin can come."

"August has to work and don't take this the wrong way, but you still make Collin a little bit uncomfortable."

I bit the inside of my lip.

"Who then?"

"I bet my mom would be thrilled to go with you."

I groaned at the thought of Ari asking his mom to babysit me in Greece, but there was no one else.

"Yeah, ok, you ask her. I'll book the flight."

I went down the hall to my study, stepped over a pile of scissors on the floor, got on my computer and booked round-trip tickets to Greece. We had a few hours to make an afternoon flight and we would be back by the end of the week. I hoped the window would give us enough time to pay our respects and get all the legal work started for Max. Maya had been adamant that he be put under my custody; she said, in fact that the legal work had all been taken care of and I hoped she was right.

I booked a few days' stay at The Loft, the same place Ari and I lodged in a few months back. It was fairly close to Maya's home, so packing up some of Max's belongings and taking them back to our rooms would be simple.

I went back to our bedroom, took a quick shower and got ready for the trip. I do tend to be a major over-packer and already had half my suitcase filled before I even started on clothes. I sat down on the closet floor and readied myself for the chore of packing outfits, shoes and underwear. Ari walked through the door a few minutes later. He had gone next door to explain everything to Aggie. Ari never phoned home when something special was happening; he always had to tell his mom in person. He had been gone quite a while.

"Is she coming?" I asked.

"Yes. She's glad to go along with you and is already almost done packing. I'll put her stuff in the car in a little bit. I just wanted to see if you needed any help."

"Sure," I said with a smile and patted the space on the closet floor next to me. Ari took a seat beside me and at the same time handed me a box wrapped in Christmas paper. I had been so busy folding clothes into tiny squares I hadn't even noticed him holding the package. I looked at him curiously.

"What's this?"

"Well, it's one of your Christmas presents. I want you to have it now; you may want it for the plane," he shrugged.

A large grin grew on my face, "are you sure?" I asked before tearing into the paper.

"Yeah, I'm sure; go ahead."

"I love you," I said before opening it.

He laughed then gave me one of his huge beautiful smiles and said, "I love you."

I finished ripping the paper off and then squealed with delight.

"My very own iPad! Ari, wow, thanks!"

"You are most welcome, Ava; it's actually more of a gift for me than it is for you... now you can give mine back to me."

"Well, do you want this one? I can just use your old one," I asked, thinking that letting Ari have the new one was the fair thing to do.

"Nope, this one is all yours. I know an iPad is not a very romantic gift, but I also know you've been wanting one. It's already charged and I downloaded all of your favorite apps."

I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, Ari, I am going to miss you."

He ran his fingers down my arms.

"I know, and I am going to miss you, too, but it will only be a few days and you'll have my mom to keep you company."

"Lucky me," I said sarcastically into his shoulder.

"She won't be that bad, besides she's great with little kids. She'll probably be a really big help to you. I should know – she was the best mom ever when I was little."

I unlocked my arms from around Ari's neck and rolled my eyes at him, "Ari, you are such a mama's boy."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Well, it certainly isn't good," I teased.

He shrugged his shoulders at me and then zipped up my bag and took it to the car.

Ari drove Aggie and me to the airport. I held on to him for as long as I could in the noisy, crowded corridor, not wanting to say goodbye. I hated that he couldn't come with me. I hated being apart from him.

"Hey," he tilted my chin up with his finger. They had just announced our flight over the loud speaker and I was beginning to cry.

"It's just a few days, Ava. Call me anytime day or night."

I nodded my head up and down and wiped my nose with my shirtsleeve.

Ari smiled a smile that was so huge it made my breath catch in my throat. He pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to me.

"Be safe. You hold my heart in here," he gently placed his hand on my chest. "I can't live without it."

"Okay," I hiccupped and sobbed simultaneously and gave him one last kiss before we parted.

****

"He loves you so," Aggie said quietly as the plane taxied down the runway.

"I know," I laughed. Even then, after all Ari and I had been through, my cheeks still turned pink at the mention of him.

Aggie took my hand and placed it in hers. She fidgeted with my wedding ring.

"You were right at the gym... I need to be more respectful of the fact that the two of you are married. I did overstep my bounds, Ava and I am sorry. I will give you two the space you need. I am glad I have you as a daughter-in-law. I couldn't imagine losing my son to anyone else."

"You haven't lost him, Aggie. Ari would do anything for you."

"It's not the same," she said and frowned out the window.

The flight to Athens was sixteen very long hours. I stayed up and worked my way through my mother's journal. "She agreed to give the man her soul to spare your life but only temporarily." My tray table was covered in post-it notes as I arranged and rearranged the sentences. But I couldn't come up with the sequences that fit into my interpretation of what had happened. As we readied for landing, I sighed and repacked the notes for another try later on that day.

As soon as we arrived, Aggie and I took a cab straight to Maya's home. I found Max there with a social worker. He was quiet, scared and sad. He sat perched by the garden door with his ball. The social worker spoke English, so I explained who I was, providing the proper documentation. She told me that she had been trying to call me and had reached Ari earlier, who told her I was on my way. I sat at the table with her to figure out some of the arrangements for Max while Aggie took him to his bedroom to pack.

The following day we attended a small service for Maya at a church down the street from her home. People gathered from various neighborhoods and hill-top homes to show their respect. Women dressed in black patted Max on the head and looked down at him with sad eyes. Clearly Maya had been loved. The day was very long and we didn't get to our room until late in the evening. Aggie and I were beyond tired and Max was exhausted. Aggie took the smaller room down the hall and Max and I snuggled into the bed in the bigger bedroom. One minute we were awake and the next we were dead asleep. I don't know how much time passed before I woke to Aggie shaking my shoulders and calling my name.

"Ava!" she yelled. "Wake up! You're screaming in your sleep again. Max is terrified. Ava, open your eyes!"

I shook my head trying to clear my mind and wake myself up; Max was crying so hard his whole face was bright red. I had scared him bad.

"Oh Max! I'm so sorry. Sweet boy, come here."

I took him out of Aggie's arms and held him close, hugging him and kissing his crumpled forehead.

"I was just having a bad dream, it's okay... calm down. Shhhh," I crooned over and over. But Max pushed against me and pawed at the air in Aggie's direction in an effort to get back to her arms. I couldn't blame him. I was sure he was scared and confused. Ari was a grown man but still my screams scared him most nights.

My heart sank. "I'm so sorry," I cried to him again, willing him to understand.

Aggie ran her fingers down my cheek. "Max knows you are sorry, don't worry," she said. "This situation will just take some getting used to, that's all."

She took Max from my arms and carried him out the door and down the hall to her room, where the two of them slept for the rest of the night. I stayed up and worked through the rest of the night on my encrypted message. At dawn, I had no more information than I had at dusk.

Aggie spent the next two days with Max while I took care of some of the legal matters dealing with Maya's will. Back home, Andy stayed up half the night helping me with legal documents and addressing all of the questions I had. Maya had left everything to Max. Her little home was beautiful and quaint. It had been in her family for years, so I arranged for a caretaker. I boxed up some things that belonged to Max and some of Maya's personal items and had them shipped home to Ari.

I met up with Aggie and Max for dinner on our final evening in Greece at a kid-friendly restaurant by the sea. Max had seemingly forgiven me for scaring him and sat on my lap for a while, coloring the back of a menu. He sang a little song that Aggie had taught him and I applauded and cheered when he finished.

What a sweet little boy... chubby pink cheeks, wide-open brown eyes like Ari's, and a wonderful, loving smile. Brown spiky hair flopped forward over his brow, sometimes covering his eyes and I fell totally in love with him.

After dinner, I called Ari. The phone rang three times before he answered my call.

"Hi," he whispered in a sleepy, groggy voice.

I smiled into the phone and longed to be in the bed next to him.

"Hi. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Mmmm," I could hear him stretch and yawn. "Don't be. I'm happy to hear from you."

"We'll be in California tomorrow at three thirty in the afternoon; will you be okay to pick us up at the airport? Ari, Max is so adorable. But he's sad; we will have to be careful with him."

"Yes, I promise to be there... and I am ready to do whatever I need to do to give Max a secure and happy home... and I am so excited to see you, to see you both."

"It's not the same here in Greece without you," I whispered softly in the phone. "I miss you. The balcony at The Loft misses you, too."

"Is that so?" I could hear him smile into the phone. "Well I miss you and that little freckle."

"I love you, Ari." Tears stung the backs of my eyes and my throat clenched with emotion.

"I love you. Be safe, Ava."

### Chapter 21

Bad Decision

Sixteen hours on a plane may as well be an eternity for a three-year-old. We were only two hours into the flight home when Max started to get bored and restless. Aggie, a mom after all, had thought ahead and planned for the long flight. At a moment in the trip that might have seen Max in a major meltdown, she pulled from her carry-on a tote bag full of crayons and coloring books, storybooks and puppets, little race cars and trucks she had found in the airport shops. She entertained us both with a little puppet show and then gave Max a turn to play out a story of his own. I laughed until my stomach muscles started to complain. Aggie's animation and Max's little-boy enthusiasm gave life to the little plays and when Max was ready to settle down, he had pictures to color and little books to look at. Aggie's gift for soothing him made me think of all the cute projects she must have shared with Ari when he was little.

Once Max started to get sleepy, I put some PBS cartoons on my iPad. He took to them immediately and very shortly after, he fell asleep.

"Ava?" Aggie said quietly.

"Hmm?" I asked shutting my eyes and leaning my head back on the seat.

"How are you going to do this?"

"What do you mean? Do what?"

"Well," she started, "I mean, how are you going to make living with Max work? You have a house full of people living with you. You are newly married. And you scream all night long in your sleep. Max can't stay in your room, surely you see that. And you are busy, sweetheart; you have a very full plate right now and parts of that plate are scary and threatening. You have to figure out your issues with Margaux. Max isn't safe as long as that last Kakos is out there."

I placed my head on her shoulder, "I don't know what to do, Aggie. What choice do I have?"

Just weeks ago, Aggie had been pressing Ari to start a family and there she was, telling me I'm not ready for a child. Her signals were full of contradictions, that was for sure.

"Here is what I am thinking, Baby. Let Andy and me take Max," she said cautiously, as though she were afraid of my response.

Her proposal completely floored me. I furrowed my brow and frowned. My emotions rebelled against the idea but my serious side saw the wisdom of her idea. Still I felt asking Aggie and Andy to take Max would be placing a burden on them.

"Aggie, I can't expect you to drop what you're doing to take on my responsibility. I can't push Max off on you."

"My kids are grown. They don't need me anymore and you aren't pushing anything off on me. I know you would never do that. I want this. I want to take care of Max." Her sentences were careful and full of conviction.

I looked her in the eye, then looked down at Max. His little head was nestled into a pillow on Aggie's lap. I could tell she was serious. In fact, I could tell she was more than serious. Her heart was already involved.

I pushed back my emotions.

"Um, ok," I said nodding my head. "I can tell he already loves you." Saying the words aloud hurt and I immediately regretted my decision. I think _my_ heart may have been involved already as well. She was right, though. Max would probably be safer and more emotionally stable if he stayed away from me – stayed safe. I knew not to allow Max into my life considering that my time left on earth was at the mercy of No. 7.

"Thank you, Ava," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"I think Ari is going to be disappointed though; he was pretty excited about having Max."

"I know, I know," she said quietly while softly rubbing my cheek, "but you and Ari will be right next door; you'll see him every day. And you will give Ari his own baby one day."

I couldn't respond to her. I put my head back against the headrest, closed my eyes and stayed that way until we landed.

****

At LAX we gathered our bags and set out to find Ari. As soon as my phone got reception, a dozen texts came flooding in. They told me that Ari was stuck in a meeting all day long and couldn't get away in time to pick us up from the airport. Andy was in court and everyone else was somewhere else, either at work or in class. Ari's last text let me know that he had arranged for _baio_ 's car service driver to pick us up instead. I grabbed our bags and sent him a quick "okay."

By the door, I spotted a man waiting and holding a sign that said "A. Alexander." I waved my hand at him and he came to collect our luggage and guide us outside to a waiting car. I opened the car door and was relieved to see a child's car seat strapped onto the back seat. Aggie got Max buckled up as I climbed in on the other side of them. The driver pulled away from the airport and turned into L.A. rather than towards home.

"Aren't you taking us to Dana Point?" I asked, hoping he had taken the L.A. exit by mistake.

"No ma'am, I am taking you to _baio_. Ms. Baio is in need of the car. I will be dropping you off there with Mr. Alexander."

"Terrific," I muttered sarcastically, wanting to kill Ari.

We pulled up to _baio_ and the driver switched the car seat and the luggage out from his car into Ari's. I sent Ari a text letting him know we were outside in the lot. He called me back, "Ava, I am so sorry. I'm stuck here. Can you come up and sit in my office for like one hour? Then we can go, I promise."

"You have to be kidding me, Ari!"

"I'm not and I'm sorry, but don't worry. Margaux is in a meeting right now and when it's over she has to go straight to LAX to leave for Chicago. Chances are you won't even see her." I hung up the phone and started inside. Aggie and Max followed behind me.

Up on the twenty-second floor we found _baio's_ business office teeming with people. Margaux's business office was chic and modern. She had magazine covers blown up and framed to showcase popular models and movie stars wearing her clothing designs. In the waiting room stylish club chairs and a matching sleek couch offered seating. Her employees were dressed fashionably and spoke in hushed tones and whispers.

I made my way to the back towards the large executive offices. Every single person we passed greeted me as if I were Margaux herself. I had never met ninety-nine percent of them, but they apparently knew exactly who I was. After I heard the hundredth, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Alexander," I reached Ari's office. He was nowhere in sight. I walked in; Aggie and Max followed in behind me and I closed the door with an irritated sigh.

Ari's office was decorated in the same fashion as the rest of _baio_. He had a few personal items on his desk. One was a photo of the two of us with our faces pushed together, wearing sunglasses, out sunning on the sandy beach by our home. _The Times_ was folded up and resting near his computer and his empty, coffee-stained mug sat on the other side of the paper along with the most recent _baio_ catalog.

I picked Max up and walked over to Ari's huge window. I pointed to different buildings along the skyline, then looked down towards the street at the cars buzzing by and got dizzy. A few minutes later, I heard the door click open. I turned around expecting to see Ari, and was seriously disappointed to see Ari's assistant, Fauna.

Fauna did not look at all as I had expected. She wasn't a fake, tall, skinny blonde. She was my height with long, wavy brown hair, green eyes and a pretty, dazzling white smile. She was naturally beautiful.

"Hello, Mrs. Alexander," she said to me with a kind smile, "Mr. Alexander is in a meeting but he'll be out shortly. Is there anything I can get you – water, tea, coffee?" She ran her fingers through her hair a bit nervously.

I eyed her for a minute then shook my head no and looked over at Aggie to see if she needed anything. She shook her head no, too, and Fauna quietly let herself out of Ari's office.

Fifteen minutes later, I started to get restless and so did Max. Aggie was flipping through the catalog at Ari's desk so I decided to take Max for a walk through the building. We walked the halls for a little bit and everyone offered Max candy and chips, whatever little snacks that they had holed away in their desks. He seemed to think the whole place was great and that it had probably been created just to amuse him, but I was growing increasingly ill at ease. I continually suppressed the chills that crept up and down my spine.

We reached the back office, Margaux's office. The lights were off and the door was closed. She was gone, just as Ari had promised. I looked around and saw no one, so I opened the door and flipped the switch.

Max and I walked in and I slowly looked around the room. Ari was right; there were pictures of me everywhere, not in a stalker kind of way, but in a loving grandmother kind of way. Margaux had a picture of herself on her desk; in it, she was smiling from ear to ear and was holding a very tiny baby with a head full of dark hair and bright green eyes. That picture was the first and last photo the two of us had ever had taken together.

She showcased my life in photos. She displayed my awkward and clumsy school pictures, piano recitals, dance recitals. She even had pictures of Ari and me from our wedding.

I picked up a photograph of our first dance and showed it to Max.

"Look, Max, that's Ari. Do you remember Ari?"

He smiled and then giggled a little bit and said, "Ari!"

"Yes?" Max and I both turned around and saw Ari leaning against the doorway with a huge, beautiful smile stretched across his face. I set Max back down and he ran over to Ari and hugged his leg. I was right behind Max and wrapped my arms tight around Ari's neck.

"What are you doing in Margaux's office?" he asked curiously.

"I guess I just had to see it for myself."

"Ah, well, she's still around here somewhere, so let's hurry up and go."

I flipped the light off and shut the door. Ari picked Max up and carried him back down the hall, tickling him the whole way. The hall rang with Max's giggles, but Ari didn't stop. He didn't care at all that people were working or on the phone, he just tickled Max harder, causing even bigger laughs. I stayed a few steps behind him and saw how happy he was. How would I be able to tell him that I had agreed to let Aggie take Max? Pain attacked my stomach when I thought of what I had done.

Once we arrived back to Ari's office, he handed Max off to Aggie. Then Ari pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately. I could feel my cheeks getting pinker and pinker by the second.

"Alright," Aggie finally said. "Some things are better done at home."

Ari pulled away and smiled at me again, looking at me in my eyes. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and gave me one more little kiss. Max whined and pushed out of Aggie's hands and wrapped himself around Ari's leg.

"Ari, Margaux stopped by here looking for you. She said she needed to speak with you."

"About what?" Ari asked as he picked Max back up into his arms. "I just spent the entire afternoon stuck in a meeting with her." He rolled his eyes. "What more could she have to say?"

"I wouldn't know, darling. She said she was looking for you – you weren't here so she said she would talk to you when she got back from her trip. We chatted for a bit and then she left."

Aggie took a step and stumbled forward towards the floor. Ari, with Max still in his arm, jumped towards her and grabbed hold of Aggie, steadying her on her feet.

"Jeeze Ma, are you alright?"

She looked up at him and slowly shook her head. "I'm ok. I'm just a bit dizzy; jet lag from the long trip."

"Sit down," he ordered.

Aggie smiled. "I'm fine now, Ari. Let's go home."

He gave her a sideways glance, she patted his cheek sweetly and we left his office.

"Have a nice evening, Fauna." Ari knocked on his assistance's desktop with his knuckles and she waved goodbye while she talked on the phone.

Ari grabbed hold of my hand and we walked through the halls towards the elevators with every single person saying goodbye or wishing us a nice evening. I had a feeling of uneasiness while in the _baio_ office, and the feeling seemed to stay with me as we left and headed for home.

Ari continued to hold my hand on the ride home, kissing each knuckle seemingly a hundred times and stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. He asked how the trip was. I filled him in on the details of Maya's funeral and of going through her meager belongings. When I was through, he told me I hadn't missed much at home other than a squabble between Rory and Julia over whose turn it was to do the laundry.

"I didn't get any furniture yet for the extra bedroom so Max will just have to stay with us in our room until we can pick out some things. The three of us can shop this weekend. I called the painter; he will come out Monday morning to paint the room and... "

"Uh... Ari? I think Max is going to stay with your parents."

He furrowed his brow and looked over at me.

"What? Why?"

"It's just... he isn't safe staying with us. I have to figure this out with the last Kakos and deal with him. Aggie and I talked things through and both of us agreed that Max will be safer with them."

"Ava, why didn't you talk with me about this?" Ari was clearly angry and a bit crestfallen.

"Your mom and I talked about the situation on the plane. This is the first chance I have had to talk with you. It's for the best, Ari, really."

He sighed. "Are you sure you are up for it, Ma?" Ari looked back at his mother in the rearview mirror.

Aggie laughed in the backseat. "Of course, Ari; I'm not that old." I peeked back at her and Max. He had tears in his eyes and I felt a sudden pain in my heart.

"Ok, well, Ava and I will get you whatever Max needs."

"What and take all the fun shopping away from me? I don't think so."

****

Ari and I stayed at Aggie and Andy's house most of the evening. We played with Max on the floor with some of Ari's old toys and helped unpack his belongings in Ari's old room. We didn't leave for our home until long after Max had fallen asleep. I think Ari was worried about leaving him behind. I had to assure him over and over again that Max staying with Aggie really was for the best; that his safety was the most important thing.

When we got back home, Rory, Julia, August and Collin were all camped out in the living room watching a movie.

"Where's the newest member of our little family?" Rory asked, making room for us on the couch.

"Aggie's," Ari huffed, flopping down on the sofa. I frowned and snuggled up on the couch next to my husband.

### Chapter 22

Corruption

I woke up the next morning very surprised to find Ari still cuddled up in bed with me. I was fairly certain that it was a Friday but jet lag fogged my brain and my days had been running together so much that I could have been wrong. I reached across Ari and grabbed his cell phone off the bedside table. I was right, it was Friday and Ari was extremely late for work.

"Ari," I shook him awake, "you're late – get up!"

He blinked his sleepy eyes, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me on top of him. "Margaux's in Chicago remember? I don't have to go to work."

I let out a happy sigh and rested my forehead on his. Ari flashed me a salacious grin and we played around for a while together in between the sheets. Eventually, I kicked off the blankets and we made our short journey to the shower to start the day.

It was eleven o'clock in the morning by the time we left our house to cross the lawn to Aggie's. When we walked through the back glass door, we found Aggie sitting at the table with Max eating lunch. Aggie held a knife in one hand and an apple in the other.

"It's a little early for lunch don't you think?" Ari said stretching his arms up over his head in a yawn.

"Please tell me you didn't just wake up," Aggie huffed as she sliced into the apple.

A sly smile spread across Ari's face.

"Well, Ava and I have been awake for a while, but yes, we did just get out of bed."

Aggie _tsked_ and shot me a cold look.

"Ari, I swear Ava has corrupted you."

I stared at her in disbelief; Ari laughed and kissed his mother on the cheek.

"Max and I have been up since five this morning, isn't that right, Max?"

Max blinked his large, sad eyes at Aggie. She didn't wait for any other response and began to chat with Ari.

I pulled a chair up next to Max.

"What's the matter?" I whispered.

Max is a quiet child and didn't respond, but his bottom lip trembled a bit and he wiped his runny nose with his hand.

I frowned and looked over at Ari, who was still talking with his mom.

"There's nothing to be scared of here, Max. Andy and Aggie won't let anything happen to you. You are safe and loved."

He let out a tiny whimper and I sat with him for a while and talked a bit more, but he still didn't say a word.

I stood up to re-fill Max's drink and grab him a tissue.

"So what are you and Max doing today?" Ari asked, still giving his full attention to his mom.

"Well, I need to run to town and pick up some things for him, and then we're going to meet your father, sister and her boyfriend for dinner out."

"So was Dad okay with this whole situation?" Ari asked, pointing to Max.

"Of course he was, Ari. You know your Dad. He would never turn anyone away, especially someone as sweet as Max here."

"Okay, just making sure."

Ari walked across the kitchen to my side at the sink.

"You ready, Ava?"

I nodded and gave Max a kiss on the top of his head and promised to come back over later in the evening. Ari and I went back home to get started on some more decoding.

After an entire day of diligent code cracking, Ari and I were able to decipher that my mother and I had been staying with Margaux and Perry in L.A. after my father died. A Kakos came to my mother and demanded my life. Margaux made the deal that saved me temporarily, but then we were no longer safe with her. We fled to Canada and we lived there unbothered until I was thirteen and at that time another man named Steven Spruce, Kakos zealot, came for my life. He had been sent by the Kakos to do their dirty work. One look at my beautiful mother made him weak. He made a deal with her that he would spare me if my mother left Canada to be near him in Chicago. She agreed, desperate to do anything to keep me safe. She didn't know that Spruce never even had the power to make such a contract. The deal sealed her fate, but it sealed his as well.

"So Margaux sacrificed her soul for me and is now possessed by No. 7? The part of Margaux that is still my grandmother is trying to fight for my survival, while the part of her that is No. 7 is trying to kill me? Let's see, I have to try to save Margaux and destroy No. 7 all at the same time, before Margaux loses her internal battle and comes to kill me. If she comes to kill me before I figure out how to save her, we are all dead. The whole thing is absurd!"

I laid my forehead down on the cool wooden desk and let out a frustrated moan. Ari reached across the desk and ran his fingers through my tossed hair.

"Why do you think Margaux set my dad's study on fire? I mean, why not just leave you in Chicago? If she hadn't brought you here, you would never have known anything."

"Well, I don't think Margaux set the study on fire; I think No. 7 did. I do think that Margaux brought me to California. You have to look at it as if they are two different people. Margaux loves me and is fighting to save me and No. 7 is fighting to kill me. It just so happens that they are stuck in the same body. Bit of an inconvenience, that."

"That's pretty messed up, Ava," Ari flipped another page in the journal.

I lifted my head.

"Yeah, it is. Poor Margaux."

"What, so you like her now?" Ari gave me a sideways glance.

"I have always hated the person inside her because that is the only person I really know. She can't help but be hateful towards me when I am around. But when I think back at all she has done for me, I can see now how much she loves me. She brought me here to you, she kept us safe from each other when the Kakos started after me, she gave you a job, she apparently built her clothing empire using designs suited just to my liking. I should have seen it earlier but I was just too busy being a selfish, snobby teen."

I paused for a moment thinking about the all the times she had been nice to me and how at those times she had been an entirely other person.

"Have you ever noticed her eyes change before?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"One minute she is on a rampage of hate and her eyes are cold and black and then for like a split second she gives a look as though she is so sorry and so sad and her eyes turn a deep blue. And her face looks a little bit older and little more tired."

"Yeah, I guess I know what you are talking about; I just never really gave it much thought."

"That moment of weakness, or strength, however you want to look at it, that's Margaux, the real Margaux."

Ari and I were interrupted by August and Collin. They came in a little before dark and announced that they were getting in the hot tub and asked if we wanted to join them. I really wanted to, but I knew I would feel guilty abandoning my work. I needed to figure out how to destroy No. 7 and fast.

Ari pulled me to my feet, "Listen, Ava, you can't keep this up; you need to give yourself a little break."

I pursed my lips and looked down at the mountain of work before me.

"Please," he pouted and smiled one of those smiles that I cannot resist.

"Okay, but let's go next door real quick to see Max. August, you guys should come, Max is scared – afraid of being in a new place. I know he would really like you."

"Yeah, sure," August agreed and he and Collin walked with us over to Aggie and Andy's house.

It may have been the first time I ever walked through the back door at Aggie's and found the kitchen with no one in it.

"Hello?" Ari called though the house.

My ears perked up when I heard the TV.

"Come on," I said, "they're in the den."

Andy, along with Lauren and Luke, were sitting on the couch while Max sat on the rug right in front of the TV. They were all sucked into an episode of _SpongeBob SquarePants_. All four of them were watching the television intently, heads cocked slightly to the side, and none of them noticed our arrival.

Ari cleared his throat and Andy spoke up. "Hey guys," he mumbled without taking his eyes from the TV.

Ari walked across the room and turned off the TV.

"No way, this stuff isn't good for Max."

"Oh, really?" Andy said. "Maxy, sing the song."

Max giggled then sang the chorus to the _SpongeBob_ theme song.

"That's great, Max," I gave him a fake smile. "I'm sure several hours per week of watching _SpongeBob_ will look super on your college applications."

He smiled his little boy grin at me and I was relieved that he seemed to be a little happier than he had the last time I saw him.

Andy _tsked_ at us.

"That cartoon is fun, guys, and Max is three. Lighten up. Ari and I used to watch some dopey show he had on DVD all the time when he was little and I think he turned out fine. What was it called again, Ari?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Ari said deadpan.

"Oh, come on, you do too... you watched that show so often the disc wore out and your mother had to buy a new one... "

Ari sighed. "Power Rangers."

A huge laugh burst through my lips.

"Yes, that's right!" Andy cheered. "You were obsessed with it; watched it every single day!"

"He's exaggerating," Ari grumbled to me.

"Don't lie, Ari!" Lauren yelled playfully. "Ava, he watched it every day after school and then again before bed time. He even had Power Ranger underwear!"

I laughed harder.

"Lauren," Ari smiled an evil smile, "I suggest you stop talking before I reveal some seriously embarrassing stories about you in front of your boyfriend."

Lauren blanched and pinched her lips together quickly.

"I was like seven years old," he said defensively to me.

I smiled warmly and leaned up on my toes to give him a kiss.

"I think it's sweet." I moved my lips to his ear, "Do you still have the undies?"

"Maybe... " His eyes sparkled mischievously, "... and if you're good and you play your cards right, I might model them for you one day."

August sat down next to Max and had him laughing in a matter of seconds. August generally talks very fast and, like a true Frenchman, uses expressive hand gestures and facial expressions. Max laughed and clapped his hands while we all sat around and played with him. Before long, Aggie walked in through the laundry room door carrying a heavy basket of clothes. Max climbed up on my lap in a hurry and Ari rushed up off the floor to help his mom.

We stuck around for a little while longer, until it was time for Max to go to bed. Ari and I tucked him in and I sang him a little French song, then sang it again in English. He hugged us both tightly and then we got up and closed the door behind us.

We said our goodbyes and left with Collin and August to go hang out in the hot tub for a little bit.

We weren't in the water long before Rory found us there, grabbed Julia and a cooler of his favorite drinks and joined the group. Then Nick discovered the hot tub scene and came in along with Lauren and Luke. Ari and Lauren were trying to out-do one another by sharing embarrassing childhood stories with the group. Then Nick, the oldest, joined in on the storytelling and put them all to shame. It was good to see him a little happier than he had been since Misha's death. We stayed in the tub a long time and eventually the guys started to get rowdy. I decided to get back to work on the journal.

I camped out in the living room and made my way slowly through the pages. I had a list a mile long of words I needed to figure out and my head was pounding. My eyes were bloodshot and I was past the point of exhaustion. I sat in a messy pile of post-it notes, hardly able to keep my eyes open, when Ari came in the house. The sun was just peeking up over the east lawn.

"You're still awake?" he asked with a huge yawn.

"Barely," I answered, nearly inaudibly.

Ari scooped me up off the floor, threw me over his shoulder and carried me to our room. He plopped me down on the bed.

### Chapter 23

Beautiful Family

Ari and I were knotted up together with limbs interwoven and blankets tossed when I heard our bedroom door open with a creak. I could hardly even open my eyes to see what the cause of my disturbance was.

I peeked through a slit in my eye to see Aggie standing in the doorway with a very sleepy looking Max at her feet. I tried to shake Ari awake but my efforts were useless.

"What," I finally croaked.

"Do not 'what' me, Ava."

"Aggie, what do you want?" I moaned in a childish whiny way.

"It's noon. Why aren't you up yet?" she snapped.

"What do you want?!" I snapped back, tucking my face into Ari's neck.

"I need to run to the store to get some Christmas shopping done and Max needs a nap. Also, tonight is Andy's Christmas party for work. I need you to watch Max. I packed a bag and left it on the floor in the kitchen."

I nodded at her.

"C'mon, Max."

He tore away from Aggie's side in a flash and I helped him crawl up in to the bed next to Ari. Max curled himself up into Ari's free arm, blinked twice, and was asleep.

Aggie tried to give me instructions or something but she was too late; I was already slipping back into the world of sleep as she gave up and left.

I woke up a couple of hours later to the sound of Max giggling. I gave a stretch and sat up, Ari wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"What is this all about?" he asked, nodding at Max.

"Um, I don't really remember, something about a party; point is we have Max tonight."

Ari gave a smile. "Okay, great, what should we do then?"

I exhaled through tight lips and air-filled cheeks, racking my brain, trying to think of something that would keep a three-year-old entertained.

"I don't really know. Any ideas?"

Ari rubbed at the stubble on his face and stared at me blankly.

I climbed out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and headed to the shower.

"Let me know what you come up with, I have to wash hot tub scum off me. I'll be out in a bit."

"Hurry," Ari said in a small panic.

I tossed my head back and laughed.

"Why Ari? Are you nervous?"

He climbed out of bed and threw Max over his shoulder.

"No... not nervous, just hurry." They headed for the kitchen, presumably for a snack and I hurried up to get ready for what was left of the day.

****

Out of the shower, I checked the weather on my phone. _Sunny and 70!_ I love California. I threw on my jeans and a breezy, silky top and walked barefoot into the kitchen. Ari was leaning against the sink, peeling an orange and Max sat perched at the island on a stool eating some crackers. I moved him from the tall stool to the chair at the table, took a few grapes, cut them in half, and added them to Max's plate along with a piece of fresh Swiss cheese. Then I took his cup of sugary apple juice and added some water.

"You're a natural," Ari grinned and I chose to ignore the comment.

Except for the three of us, the house was empty, which was a nice change of pace. August had gone up north with Collin to spend the holidays with Collin's folks and Rory and Julia were out getting their holiday shopping done. Christmas was just a few days away. I had ordered Ari some gifts from my favorite London shop a week or so earlier and was expecting them to arrive any day, but we still had a few loose ends to tie up, and we needed to get some things for Max.

I joined Ari at the sink and he handed me half of his orange.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Mmm," I shrugged. "We can go to that little playground up the beach from here. That'll keep him busy for a while, I guess."

"Great," Ari's shoulders dropped in relief.

I found Max's tiny little Converse shoes that Aggie had left by the door. Ari threw Max up on his shoulders and we walked along the beach to the playground.

Max went nuts. The playground had slides of various lengths and curves. There were tunnels to explore and a large, wooden pretend pirate ship. He played for hours and outlasted Ari and myself by far. The two of us had to call it quits and take a breather at a bench until we finally convinced Max that the time to head back home had come. We walked home slowly and dodged the waves that were threatening to dampen our sandy feet. Ari taught Max how to comb the beach for white shells and black stones and we found a few of each to add to Ari's collection. We got back home in the late afternoon a little before dinnertime.

In the kitchen, Ari and I discovered we had barely any food in the house. We hadn't gone to the market in weeks. Usually on Saturdays, we head to the farmers market, but we had slept through it this morning.

"Dinner out?" Ari suggested.

"I don't know what other choice we have," I said as I walked out of the pantry empty handed.

"What are you hungry for, Ava?"

"I have to check something out in Newport. Let's drive up there and go to that pizza place you like, then maybe take Max to a movie?"

"Sounds great. What do you need to check out in Newport though?"

"I'll show you. It's a project I've been working on for a bit. It was supposed to be finished as of yesterday."

"A project for _House to Home_?"

"Nope, this one is personal."

We packed Max up in the car and made our journey to Newport. I asked Ari to stop at a flower shop along the way and I bought three bouquets of various vibrant blooms.

"Where to now, Ava?"

I had been giving Ari directions and had gotten a bit turned around. "I think it's just up here. Turn left."

Ari turned up the drive to a large beach type resort.

"Pacific Recovery? Is this the place?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Yes. That must be Juan waiting for us."

Ari unbuckled Max from his seat and followed me up to a man waiting by the front entry.

"Ava!"

"Juan?"

"That's me. It is nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise. Juan, this is my husband Ari and this little guy is Max. Ari, Juan is Pacific Recovery's facility director. He runs the place and founded the center back in the early nineties."

"1991 to be exact."

Ari and Juan shook hands.

"You have a beautiful family, Ari. Your wife is an extraordinary person."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Ari responded and wrapped his arm around my waist, still confused as to why we were even at the rehab center.

"Everyone here would like to thank you, Ava, for your generosity. Your kindness means so much."

I blinked in response.

"Follow me. The memorial is all finished; just like I promised."

"Great." I handed Ari and Max both a bouquet of flowers and we followed Juan up a cobble stone path that led through a vast and colorful garden. The path wound its way lazily to a wooden, white gate that sat under an archway completely covered in flora. Juan opened the gate and ushered us forward onto a spacious seaside cliff.

"It's just up here a ways."

We moved forward along a sandy path edged in tall grass to where a simple, rustic bench sat overlooking the ocean. Near the bench was a freshly planted pink magnolia tree.

"We were able to construct the bench out of old driftwood. I think it turned it out nicely."

"Oh, Juan, it's just perfect!" I ran my hand across the smooth, sun-bleached wood then turned to Ari. "I had the center put the bench and tree here in memory of Misha and the baby," I told Ari as he studied the scene before him.

"We hold you in our heart as family. Misha Kline 1989-2012."

Ari read the message aloud. "You did this?"

"Yeah." I was still unsure if my gesture was the right thing to do or not and I felt a little uneasy as I waited for Ari to show some sort of emotion.

"Does anyone else know about it?"

"No." I pulled at the hem on my shirt.

"Ava, you sweet, sweet girl, you are the nicest woman, person, human being I have ever known. I would like you tell the family that this memorial is here. They will want to come as well."

"Won't they be mad?"

"No, Ava. This is a wonderful gesture. I am so proud that you are my wife."

I pushed back tears and Ari and I placed our flowers on the bench, Max chose to put his under the tree and then we walked back quietly towards the center.

"Thanks again, Juan. You have done a wonderful job. It was really nice working with you. I would like to collaborate with you again, do more for your center."

"I look forward to it, Ava. It's nice to have made a new friend."

I smiled at him and Ari, Max and I waved goodbye as we drove off towards Ari's favorite pizza place. After dinner, we took Max to a movie at the theater. Max had never experienced a movie theater before and was very excited; he never took his eyes away from the screen.

It was late and dark when we left the cinema. It had been a very long day and we had done a fair job of wearing out Max. He fell asleep in the car on the way home.

"So where is he sleeping tonight?" Ari asked, looking back at Max in the rear-view mirror. Max had been sucking his thumb before he fell asleep and now it was partially hanging out of his open mouth. I laughed, snapped a picture on my phone and texted it to Aggie. I found it odd that she hadn't called either Ari or myself to check in on Max.

"I guess Max will stay with you in our room. I can go to the couch."

"What? No way! Why?" Ari asked quickly.

I explained what had happened the last time Max and I had snuggled together and how he had woken up in a panic to my screams. Ari was a little bummed out, but he eventually agreed. "Okay," he said, "but I will miss you. I hate sleeping without you."

"It's just for tonight," I said, forcing a smile.

"OK, just tonight. This isn't so bad, is it?"

I cocked my head to the side, unsure of what Ari was talking about.

"Max... kids... today was fun."

I put my hand up to my mouth and began to chew on a fingernail. After a moment's hesitation, I let out a breath.

"Ari, making room in our lives for a child is not why I don't want kids and you know it."

"We had a chance at a family, Ava, and you gave it away. Max could have stayed with us. Why did you do that? Why did you agree to let him live with my parents? We can do this."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I closed my eyes. I did not want to have this conversation.

"You do so much for so many. Why couldn't you do this one thing for me; for Max? He would have been happy here with us as parents. Family is the most important thing to me, Ava. I want one of my own. I wanted to raise Max as our own child and you passed on the opportunity. Why did you do that to me?"

I hesitated again before responding. Longer this time.

"If you had known before you asked me to marry you that I didn't want children would you still have asked?"

Ari scoffed at my question but he didn't answer me. Instead, he pulled into the driveway and hit the button to open the garage.

Ari carried Max inside and tucked him away in bed. I wasn't sure if we were on speaking terms or not. To my surprise, he came and joined me on the floor in the living room for a while to work through my pile of scribbled on post-its.

"So what is Margaux doing in Chicago?" I asked, setting down the journal to stretch. I was looking for any topic other than Max to fill the awkward silence.

"I don't know, really. She was going to be gone for only a day or two. I try not to ask."

His tone suggested that he was still upset with me.

"Oh, so she is back in town already?"

"Yeah, I think so," he shrugged.

"What is she doing for the holidays?"

"I don't know what she's doing on Christmas. She mentioned that she would like to see you, but I kind of brushed her off, and then I felt really bad about it."

I grinned at him and tried to lighten the mood.

"You can't feel bad about brushing off a demon that is holding my grandmother's body hostage. You are too nice, Ari."

He shook his head back and forth. "No, it wasn't No. 7; it was Margaux."

"Oh," I said sadly, "now that does make me feel bad."

"Don't feel bad, Ava. You're right. You can't be near her and Margaux knows that more than anyone. The best thing you can do is figure out how to save her."

"Yeah, but I am beginning to think it is impossible. The more I work at this, the harder it becomes."

"I agree. Maybe we should take a break from the decoding until after Christmas and then when we come back to the journal, our minds will be clearer."

I didn't agree. I couldn't help but think that I was working on already borrowed time.

Suddenly we heard Max start to scream from the bedroom. Before I could respond, Ari jumped up and hurried down the hall.

I got up a few minutes later to check on them, but by the time I arrived, they were both curled up in a ball sound asleep.

I stood in the doorway gazing in at my bedroom. Max was curled up in Ari's arms. Their heads shared a pillow and Max's hand rested lightly on Ari's stubbly cheek. Ari's lips were softly touching Max's forehead.

What have I done?

I tiptoed in and pulled the blanket up over the two of them, kissed them both softly and clicked the bedside light off and left, closing the door behind me. Of all of the horrible deeds I had done and bad decisions I had made and pain I had endured, choosing to place Max in Andy and Aggie's care was by far my biggest regret. I love Max. Ari loves him.

I worked for a couple more hours and figured out one or two more words, but soon I couldn't concentrate. The weight of my decision to place Max next door was bearing down on me. Eventually, I gave up, grabbed a throw blanket and made my nest on the couch. I hated not being able to wrap myself up in Ari's arms, but the possibility of scaring Max again was too likely.

Choosing to sleep alone proved to have been a good idea, too, because my dreams were nasty. I kept dreaming horrible things about Aggie, Max, Margaux and Ari. Each of them took turns haunting my mind with worry and regret. I tossed and turned and ultimately I rolled right off the couch and came crashing down to the floor with a loud thump. An ominous pain lurked around my ribs but began to ease almost immediately.

I groaned and searched around on the hardwood for my cell. I found it resting under the couch next to a fluffy dust bunny. The time was just a few minutes after five a.m. According to Aggie, that was about the time Max had been waking up. I pulled myself up off the floor, folded my blanket, picked up all the stray papers that were strewn about and put them back in a nice pile in the study. I ventured down the hall to our bedroom and with the creaking of the door, Max's head shot straight up from the blankets. He had a huge grin on his face. I put my pointer finger up to my lips to keep him from waking Ari, then scooped him up out of bed and carried him to the kitchen.

"Hungry?"

Max nodded his head up and down rapidly with his cute just-like-Ari smile.

"Ok, let me see what we have."

I peeled him an orange and then sliced up my last banana and opened my last yogurt and sat him down at the kitchen table. While Max ate, I cleaned up the kitchen, wiped down the counter tops and put away all the clean dishes.

Max was a sticky mess by the time he finished his breakfast. I picked him up and carried him away to the guest bathroom that Julia had been using since she decided she would not share a bathroom with Rory.

I held Max at an arm's length in an attempt to keep his sticky fingers out of my hair. I ran a tub, then stuck him in and scrubbed him down, cleaning all the yogurt and fruit goo from his hair and face. He splashed half the water out of the tub, soaking the tile floor and my stocking feet.

When I pulled him, clean again, out of the bath, I wrapped him in a big towel.

"Well, Max, you smell a little like Julia but you're better than you were!"

I got him dressed in the outfit that Aggie packed, a pair of jeans and a _Rolling Stones_ tee-shirt, and asked, "How do you feel about going to the market with me?"

I got no response so I took it that he agreed. I left Ari a note letting him know where we had gone, even though I was certain he would still be asleep when we got home. I fished around for Ari's car keys, since his car had the car seat, and then I buckled Max up and we took off down the street.

The store was nice and quiet for seven in the morning. There was one sleepy looking cashier reading a tabloid magazine while tending her post and a man with a push broom slowly making his way down the bread isle. Other than those two, we were alone. Max and I loaded a cart with all of our favorites and a few of Ari's. I picked up a couple of items for August and Collin and stocked up on the house necessities we were in danger of running out of. I picked up some bath toys, baby wash, and snacks for Max so that we would be prepared for his occasional visits and then we headed home.

Aggie hadn't mentioned when she would be back for him, or maybe she did and I just hadn't been listening, but I was sure she was probably wondering where we were. I called her cell but she didn't answer so I left a detailed message.

After our buying session, I remembered why I always waited for Ari to come shopping with me – he was the one who always loaded and unloaded the bags and having to do it by myself was seriously annoying.

Back at home, I carried Max in, set him down on the floor and turned on some PBS cartoons while I began the daunting task of unloading bags and putting the groceries away. Half way into the job, Aggie rapped on the back door. I waved her in with a smile and she slid open the door.

"Hello, Ava," she said as her eyes swept across the room looking for the boys.

"Ari is still in bed. Max is in the living room."

Aggie walked passed me to the living room and sat down to talk with Max.

"Nice to see you, too, Aggie!" I said joking.

She came back a few minutes later and sat down at the island in the kitchen.

"So what did you guys do?" she asked.

I recapped the evening while I packed up Max's bag. Ari showed up still looking half-asleep and wrapped his arms around his mom's shoulders. He kissed Aggie on the cheek then came and wrapped his arms around me. Max ran in from the living room and softly beat his palms on Ari's legs until Ari picked him up while continuing his conversation with Aggie.

After Aggie reminded us for the hundredth time that Christmas Eve was in a few short days and she expected our presence at her house all day long, she announced that she and Max were leaving. Max locked his arms around Ari's neck and refused to go to Aggie. He began to throw a fit.

"Ok," Ari said, trying to calm Max down, "I'll go with you and I'll take you to Andy." He nodded reassuringly at Max and smiled.

"Ava, I'll be back in a few." Ari kissed me on the cheek and walked out the door with Max and Aggie.

I thought Ari would take longer than "a few" so I opted to use the alone time for a long shower. I turned my music on full blast and let the hot water run through my hair and down my back. I hadn't realized how tense I was until I tried to relax.

My music was so loud that I didn't hear any footsteps or even the opening of the bathroom door. I jumped and let out a yelp when I heard his voice.

"Do you want company?"

I let out a shaky breath as the door pulled open and Ari smiled at me.

"Did I startle you?"

"Very much so."

"Well?"

"I always want your company, Ari. You know that."

Ari took my shampoo bottle out of my hand and washed my hair with his dexterous fingers. He massaged my scalp with small circles and I closed my eyes and smiled.

Once dry and clothed, Ari and I made a quick trip to town to finish our Christmas shopping. We picked up toys for Max and a few last minute items for various family members along with a ton of festive wrapping paper, pretty ribbons and big sticky bows. We spent the rest of the day at home wrapping up our gifts and listening to _Of Monsters and Men._

August and Collin returned from their visit while we were wrapping gifts and Collin went straight out the back door towards the pool house while August threw himself down on the couch in our living room.

"I thought you guys weren't coming home until next week."

"Change of plans," he mumbled into the cushion.

"Oh?"

He grunted.

"Well, okay, August, don't tell me what's going on between you two. I don't care. But if you aren't going to dish on the details then go throw your pity party on someone else's couch." I sounded harsh even to my own ears, but I hadn't said anything he wouldn't have said to me had the situation been reversed.

August rolled over and faced the other direction and Ari coughed back a laugh. This caused a giggle to burst through my lips, which then irritated an already very angry August.

"So, what? Did you get caught sneaking into Collin's bedroom in the middle of the night or something?" I asked, unable to help myself.

"Stop, Ava, everything is fine," August turned back around to face us.

"Yeah, it sure seems that way, August. I guess I'll just go outside and talk with Collin. He'll tell me what went down."

I started to pull myself up off the floor and his eyes grew great big and round.

"Do not go out there, Ava!" he panicked and jolted up into a sitting position.

"Okay, okay, fine, don't get your panties in a bunch, August. I'll leave Collin alone... for now."

He shot me a nasty look.

"Sorry, Ava, our argument is just not something I want to discuss with you. So please, just drop the conversation."

I relented and gave him an easy smile.

"Ok, ok. So... I take it that you guys will be here for Christmas then?"

"It does appear that way," he said with an eye roll.

I got up, a little annoyed, and grabbed a handful of wrapped boxes and started out the door to take the gifts to Aggie's and place them under her tree.

I stayed next door for a little while and tried to help Aggie wrap a huge box that was too heavy for just her to handle. Apparently, I wasn't doing it the way she wanted me to do it and she finally yelled at me and told me to "just forget it!" She said she would have Andy help her when he got home. She was pretty grouchy and I thought to myself that Christmas has a way of making people tense, but I had never seen Aggie succumb to tension quite so easily.

Max was taking a nap and Luke and Lauren were at a movie. I stayed another hour or so trying to be of some help to Aggie by making pie crust for the next day and unloading her dishwasher. I had lost track of time when Ari came through the back door lugging more gifts. He called out a hello to his mother, who had just gone to the laundry room and was more than likely out of earshot.

"What did you do that for?" he asked with an irritated look.

"Do what? I didn't do anything."

"You left me alone with August."

"So... ?"

"So, you left me alone with August when he was having guy problems."

I laughed aloud. "Oh, please, Ari, I am sure his issue wasn't that bad."

"Ava, he made me blush."

I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. "So, are you going to tell me what the conversation was all about?"

"Absolutely not, there is no way I can relive that talk."

"That bad, huh? Well did you manage at least to help him out? He seemed really out of sorts."

Ari sighed and sat down at on the stool next to me.

"I think so. Maybe. Heck, I don't know. Just don't ever do that to me again."

I ran my fingers through his thick hair.

"I am so sorry, Ari. I promise to make it up to you."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and a mischievous and salacious smile spread across his face.

"You promise?"

"Mmm, I promise." I licked my lip, my stomach did a little flip and Ari picked me up off my stool and threw me over his shoulder. In true 'me Tarzan, you Jane' fashion, I screamed in fake protest, beating my softly closed fists against his back as he ran with me out the back door.

Aggie came through the kitchen in time to see our hasty departure. She held the laundry basket against her hip and looked less than pleased.

### Chapter 24

Anti-anxiety

Ari woke me up at the crack of dawn Christmas Eve morning. His lips were on my ear, whispering a quiet good morning. I let out a sleepy moan and stretched my arms up above my head. A bead of water from Ari's freshly washed hair dropped on my cheek and the chill from the water forced my eyes open.

"I should have woken you up a while ago. We have to get moving."

Aggie wanted us at her place all day Christmas Eve and then all day on Christmas. I wouldn't have been surprised if she asked us to stay the night, and she probably would have if it weren't for the fact that Max had taken up residence in Ari's old bedroom.

I groggily made my way to the shower and tried to wake myself up; the warm water and Ari's clean smelling soap didn't do the trick. I wrapped myself in a towel and climbed out, and Ari greeted me on the other side, holding a cup of hot coffee. I took it with a sleepy smile, sat in our bedroom chair, and watched my husband move about the bedroom. I could hear Rory and Julia down the hall. Christmas Eve dinner is always spent at Gianna's, so I was sure she had a list a mile long of things she wanted the two of them to do. I sat there lazily and watched Ari pick out his clothes. He still had his towel wrapped around his trim waist. A droplet of water made its way down his chest and curved in and out of the toned creases made by his stone-like abs.

"Are you going to stare at me all morning or are you going to get going?" he asked with a cute smile.

I blinked my eyes a few times and tried to shake my head clear of thoughts of him with no shirt on but I wasn't having much luck.

"If you'd just hurry up and get dressed, I would be less distracted," I answered him honestly.

Ari cocked his head to the side and licked his bottom lip, causing my jaw to go slack. He let out a sigh. "My mom will kill us if we're late again."

"Please don't talk about your mom right now," I requested as the deep brown in his eyes began to make my body melt.

Ari ran his fingers through his hair and I swooned. He sauntered over to the chair, took my mug out of my hand, and set it on the dresser. He put his hands on each of the armrests and leaned down to place his forehead gently on mine. I thought he was going to give me a lecture about always causing him to be late, but instead he kissed me. Ari moved a hand off the armrest and cupped the back of my head in his palm while his other hand worked on loosening the towel that was wrapped around my body.

Once free from my towel, his hand traced smoothly across my skin. I opened my mouth as a small moan escaped and Ari quickly but gently moved his other hand from the back of my head and covered my lips with his fingers.

"Shh," he said with a husky breath. I bit down hard on my tongue, closed my eyes, and let my ache for Ari take control.

****

I untangled my fingers from Ari's hair. I was covered in a sweaty sheen and my hair was a half-dry, uncombed mess.

"Better?" Ari smiled.

My cheeks flushed with heat and I nodded shyly.

"Me too."

Ari joined me for my second shower since he wasn't much better off and after, I redid my makeup and stood in front of the closet trying to figure out something to wear. We were already over an hour late.

Ari was in a hurry and threw on a shirt and a pair of jeans. His attire, I was sure, would make his mother mad. I dressed a little more nicely since I already knew I was going to make her really mad by causing us both to be late. We grabbed the rest of the gifts and we were the last couple to leave the house.

Aggie started griping at us from the moment we walked through the door. She shot me a nasty look, muttering under her breath about responsibility and respect for others. The fact that August and Collin, neither of them family, had arrived at Aggie's before us, made matters worse. I instantly tuned her out and Ari smoothed Aggie over by giving her a huge hug and secretly passing her one of her Christmas gifts from him early. She immediately backed off and tore into the paper. Inside was a new bottle of perfume. I stole a glance at the label. It was " _baio_ for Women." _Great_. Now every time I'm near Aggie, I'll want to puke.

I started in on making the half dozen or so pies I wouldn't be eating and was thankful for Collin's help. August and Ari played with Max at the table. Max had the table top covered with Legos and they were making all kinds of little castles and moats. They talked excitedly about a Lego joust with their knights.

When they tired of Legos, they built a tent with blankets, and when they grew bored with the tent, Ari read Max a few of his storybooks, while I continued to bake. Ari's warm, soothing voice put Max to sleep in the middle of the afternoon and once he was asleep, August and Collin left for Gianna's. I snuck away from Aggie and her kitchen and found Ari on the back deck. He had his legs propped up on the rail and was staring off at sea.

"Hey."

Ari moved his feet off the rail, turned and smiled.

"Hey, Baby. Come sit with me."

I looked back at the house and then looked down at Ari's watch. I had fifteen minutes before I needed to take the last pie out of the oven.

"Okay."

Ari pulled me down onto his lap and I leaned my head back on his chest and enjoyed the view with him until my eyes grew heavy and I let them shut.

Ari must have fallen asleep, too, because when Aggie started yelling from the back door, we both jumped. I grabbed Ari's wrist and looked down at his watch.

"Crap! The pie!" I yelled. "Sorry, Aggie! Here I come!"

I tried an apology while I was running up the deck steps but Aggie kept yelling about responsibility and respect until Ari stepped in to save me. I did feel sincerely remorseful about the pie, though.

"Ma, it was just a rhubarb pie. No one likes that kind anyway. You end up throwing it away every year. Ava just saved you a step."

Aggie looked away from me and softened at Ari's words.

"People do too eat it," she pouted.

"No. No one does, Ma. Sometimes I cut a piece and toss it just so you don't feel bad." He walked up the deck and kissed her cheek. "Calm down, it was an accident."

They walked into the house together, leaving me behind and speechless.

****

Dinner at Gianna's started off as loud and fun, then it turned into just loud. A thousand different conversations seemed to be going on and through the noise, I heard Collin quietly thank Ari for helping August when they had been arguing a few days earlier. I saw Ari's cheeks turn a tiny shade of pink and I nearly choked on my food. The sight of Ari blushing was a very first for me. Ari elbowed me pretty energetically in the ribs to quiet me, forgetting that they were still sore from having been broken a few months ago and I let out a cry of pain. All joking aside, it hurt like hell. He was stronger than he thought most times. Ari's face went pale and he jumped up out of his seat causing the chair to rub loudly against the floor. His hands flew to his mouth as I closed my eyes and choked back tears.

"What the heck just happened?" Andy said from across the table. All conversation had stopped and all eyes were on the two of us.

"I just broke Ava's ribs," Ari said as he got on his knees and put his hand on my side.

"No way," Rory laughed in a disbelieving way. "How's that possible?"

I couldn't find my breath; I felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me. Ari hadn't nudged me that hard, but his elbow had caught me in the very spot where the ribs cracked the first time.

"Ava and I were playing around and I elbowed her to keep quiet and I heard a crack. Ava, I am so sorry."

I finally was able to take in a breath and look at Ari.

"It's fine, Ari. Would you just go get me some Tylenol?"

He looked horrified as he went to Gianna's medicine cabinet and brought me back the whole bottle.

Ari stood at my side and watched me while I downed three red-and-white capsules with my glass of water. I looked at him as if he were nuts, not sure why he wouldn't just sit down. The entire family was quiet as they stared at us in disbelief.

"Ari, I'll be fine, sit down," I clamped my teeth together and forced a tight smile.

"No way, I am taking you to the hospital."

I shook my head no and his jaw clenched.

"Ari, they can't do anything for a cracked rib. I'll be fine as soon as the Tylenol starts to work."

"What if you punctured a lung?" he asked, looking even more horrified.

I shrugged my shoulders then winced at the pain it caused.

"I promise to let you know if I start to have difficulty breathing."

My promise was only a half-truth because I was already having a hard time breathing. I just wasn't sure if the trouble was because of my ribs or because of something else and I didn't feel like going to the hospital on Christmas Eve. He looked at me, a little unsure at first, and then took a seat next to me at the table. Conversation picked back up; I was in too much pain to eat and Ari refused to take his eyes off me.

After dinner, Ari left the table to clean Max's sticky hands and face in the bathroom. Aggie asked me to help Gianna with the dishes while Lauren and Julia wiped counters and stowed leftovers. I tried to stand up from my chair but the pain was starting to become unbearable. My side hurt much more than I remembered from the last time my ribs were broken, when No. 6 kicked me over and over, but that was probably because then I had been drugged the whole time.

I stood next to the table and attempted to catch my breath. My chest was tight and my lungs were burning. Aggie set a stack of dirty dishes in front of me with a "get moving" look on her face. I steadied the stack with a white-knuckled grip.

Ari appeared from the hallway with Max in his arms.

"You are ghostly pale, Ava. There is no way you should be up moving around right now. What are you doing?"

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out from between my parted lips.

He had an anxious look on his face and turned to Aggie.

"Mom, how can you make her help you right now? Her ribs are probably broken. I think she should stay sitting down."

Aggie gave Ari an indulgent little smile and an eye roll.

"Oh, I'm sure she's fine, Ari."

Ari's jaw clenched tight and he set Max down on his feet. Max quickly fled the kitchen in search of August.

"Obviously, Ava is not fine," he spoke through clenched teeth.

"Ava's been through worse. A little more pain is good for her, considering the anguish she has caused my family over the past year," Aggie said, laughing at her own bad joke. Ari was angrier than I have ever seen him before.

"You think it's funny that she nearly died half a dozen times trying to save our lives? Not to mention that last year when she was in London she saved you from cancer. Did you even thank her? You must have forgotten that someday Ava will be the end of us all. One day, she will come for you and if she is feeling kind, perhaps she will show you mercy. I don't know what your beef is with Ava right now, but you had better get over it or you're going to think it's really funny tomorrow when the two of us don't show up for your stupid Christmas."

I saw Aggie's face blanch as I made my way, unnoticed, to the kitchen counter. I grabbed the garbage can from under the sink and started to get sick from both pain and shock. Ari yelled a bit more and used a couple of foul words I was fairly certain he had not used in front of his mother before. Aggie lost her nerve but then quickly found it again and started yelling back at him. The whole kitchen erupted into chaos around me. I began to feel dizzy and got on my knees as I continued to get sick in the garbage. I heard someone trying to calm Aggie and Ari down but I couldn't concentrate on voices or words. I tried to get sick again but my lungs would not let me take in any more air. I finally gave up, put my head down on the cool kitchen floor and closed my eyes. I did not pass out but I was weak and my lungs screamed and pleaded for oxygen. The pain became overwhelming.

"Hey, Ava, are you okay?"

I looked up and saw Julia standing over me. I shook my head no and she hollered for Rory. He rushed over and picked me off the floor and cradled me in his arms then started to yell through the screaming to get someone's attention. He bumped my ribs against his body. I let out a little cry with the pain it caused. Rory started to freak out, his booming voice outdid everyone else and the room finally fell quiet.

Ari took me out of Rory's arms and went straight to Gianna's garage. He put me in the front seat of her tiny sports car. He peeled out onto the street and sped all the way to the closest hospital.

Emergency personnel took a chest X-ray as soon as I arrived and confirmed that I had three fractured ribs, but couldn't determine if my lung was collapsed. The on-call doctor kept me under observation for a few hours.

After a quiet wait in a dim hospital room, the doctor finally determined that my lung was unharmed and that I had an anxiety attack. I tried to convince Ari, whose jaw was still tightly clenched, to apologize to his mother, whom I could hear crying, perhaps a bit too dramatically, in the waiting room. But he refused.

I heard a knock on the door and Ari left my side to yank it open. "Oh," I heard Ari say, "hello, officer."

"Mr. Alexander, do you mind if I have a moment alone with Ava?" I heard the familiar voice of Detective Scott say.

"Ava?" Ari turned around and opened the door all the way revealing Detective Scott. He looked the same as always, with his dark hair slicked back, wearing his presumably expensive suit. I nodded my head at Ari to let him in the room.

"I'll be right outside the door if you need anything, okay?" He smoothed my wispy hair back and kissed me several quick times on the forehead.

I smiled at him.

"Ari, I'm okay, really. I already feel a hundred times better. He probably just wants to know if I am going to press charges against you."

I tried to say the words playfully, even though I was sure that was why Scott was there. I mean why else would he be? I had told the hospital's staff the truth, that my husband elbowed me in the ribs. I was sure my statement had not made us look good. Ari looked grief stricken as he walked out of the room.

"Merry Christmas, Ava," Detective Scott took a seat next to the hospital bed.

"Merry Christmas," I said with a half-smile.

"So what happened?"

I recapped the evening and Detective Scott laughed aloud. He was already well aware of my extensive list of injuries, since he had shown up every time I had been in the hospital. He was well aware of my preexisting rib damage. I guess you could say we had a sort of friendship growing.

"So, are you planning on pressing charges against Mr. Alexander?" he asked.

"No, of course not," I felt a tiny bit appalled and my facial expression showed my dismay.

"I had to ask, Ava; it's my job. Is there anything else I should know?" he gave me a good hard look in the eyes as he spoke.

I shook my head from side to side and let out a "nope."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Why, what are you getting at?"

Detective Scott put his elbows on his knees and scooted the little rolling stool a tiny bit closer.

"Ava, I know _who_ you are," he said the words so quietly that I could hardly hear him.

"I think you have mistaken me for someone else."

"No, no I haven't. I know exactly who you are, Ava. I knew who your dad was, too. I just want to let you know that if there is anything you need – all you have to do is call."

He handed me another one of his cards, wrote his cell phone on the back, and stood up to walk out of the room.

"There's another one," I blurted out. "No. 7. And I know who it is; I just need to, um, get rid of him."

Scott nodded at me. "Who is it?"

I bit down on my lip, unsure then responded, "Margaux Baio."

Detective Scoot peered down at me. "Are you _sure_ about that?"

"Positive."

He ran a hand through his slicked back hair.

"I wish you all of the luck in the world, Ava. If there is anything I can do, please call."

I nodded and swallowed hard.

"Oh, and Happy New Year," Scott said as he walked out of the room.

Ari came in right after he left and Aggie and Andy trailed in behind him. Aggie was still beside herself and her eyes were bloodshot and moist.

"Oh, Ava, I am so sorry."

She took my hand in hers and held it warmly. I looked at Ari to see if they had made up yet. He shook his head no, so apparently he was still mad at her.

"It's alright, Aggie; you didn't even do anything. You know I love you. Where's Max? Is he alright?"

"I love you, too Baby. I'm just so sorry. I don't know where we would all be without you. Max is fine. He's at home getting ready for Santa. Collin and August stayed back with him."

I put my head back against the bed and closed my eyes.

"Ari, I just want to go home. Can you please find the doctor and get my release?" He brushed another series of kisses on my forehead and left to go find the on call doctor.

I turned to Andy.

"Hey, do you know Detective Scott?" I asked, showing him the LAPD business card.

"Yeah, I know him. I see him all the time at the courthouse."

"Is he Greek?"

"Yeah, I guess he is. Why do you ask?"

"He knows who I am."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he came in here and told me he knows _who_ I am," I made a scissors gesture with my pointer and middle finger.

Andy tapped his lips with his fingers as Ari and the doctor came back into my room.

I watched Ari hold his breath as the doc checked me over one last time so I could go home. Doctor Miller prescribed some painkillers and anti-anxiety meds to prevent another pain-induced anxiety attack. He added that I should follow up with Dr. Phillips after the holiday and I grudgingly agreed.

Ari drove me home while Andy and Aggie went to fill my prescription. I stood at the counter in our kitchen with my back to the door. My hands were pressed down firmly on the marble counter top for support. It was cool and smooth against my hot, sticky palms. Ari and I were discussing Detective Scott. He thought Scott's knowledge of who I was probably accounted for why I had been asked so few questions after the deaths of No. 1 and No. 2. I agreed. My story had been full of holes but Scott never really seemed to have doubts about it. He had known that I was a Fate from the start.

I heard a small knock at the back door but I didn't turn around. Ari walked passed me and yanked open the door.

"If we come over tomorrow, we'll be late, so don't wait around for us," I heard him say in a clipped tone.

"Oh... ok," his mother responded.

Ari shut the door and turned the lock. He came back to my side and opened a small, white paper bag. He pulled out two pill bottles, opened them and placed two pills in front of me. One was a large oval with a big V on it; the other was a small circular white pill. He opened a bottle of water and waited for me to take my meds. I took the painkiller then pointed to the small white pill.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Anti-anxiety."

I looked at the pill for a minute then flicked it across the room. It pinged against the oven, then skidded across the kitchen floor, and finally came to a stop underneath the refrigerator. Ari was angry, but I knew he was too tired to fight anymore.

We went to bed. Ari encased me in pillows then gently wrapped his arms around me. I stayed awake, trying to fight off the effects of the medication. Ari could tell how emotional I was feeling, so he stayed awake and calmed me down by telling me stories of how nervous he used to get when he came to my dorm room at night. And of how he would get a stomach full of butterflies each time he saw me in the halls or rode with me in the elevator. I listened to his soft, sweet words until my eyelids grew too heavy and I gave up and lost the battle to sleep.

I woke up the next morning in a fog and my side ached like crazy. Ari traced his fingers down the side of my face.

"Merry Christmas, Baby," he said quietly.

"Mmm," I murmured, nodding my head, "Merry Christmas."

"How are you feeling this morning?"

I took a deep breath and quickly regretted doing so as shooting pain radiated through my body.

"Fine," I answered.

"You promised you would never lie to me, Ava."

"Okay then, Ari," I ground my teeth, the scraping and crunching sounded in my ears. "I feel awful. My side hurts like hell, and I am in an incredibly bad mood."

"That's better," he said as he climbed out of bed. I watched Ari walk out of the room only to come back moments later holding pills in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He helped me sit up and he held his palm open waiting for me to take the meds. I stared at them for a moment, wanting nothing more than to knock his hand away and send the pills flying. I resisted the urge, took the pain pill, tossed it to the back of my throat, and swallowed. I looked at the other pill and then, defiantly, at Ari.

"Ava," Ari said, brushing a stray stand of hair off my forehead, "I know that you don't think you need this and maybe you're right, but please just try the medication."

I kept firm my face unchanging and waited for him to take the pill away.

"I know you are strong, we all know that and no one is arguing with you. No one will think you are weak if you take this, I promise. Just please, Ava, do as the doctor told you and try the meds for a while. If they don't help, then I promise you can stop taking them. Please give this medication a chance. Do this for me."

I wanted to scream and yell and kick and I may have had my ribs not hurt as much as they did. I blinked and felt a stupid tear run down my cheek.

"Oh, no. Don't cry, Ava." Ari wiped my tear away with a kiss, causing the floodgates to open; tears poured down my face, my eyes swelled and my nose turned stuffy. He crawled back in bed with me and softly held me to him, wiping away all the tears as they fell. I sat there and cried until I ran completely dry. I was upset because he was right. I probably did need the pill but I was more upset that I was in the situation to begin with. I was mad that I couldn't figure out what to do with Margaux and that I had a sense of impending doom that I couldn't shake. I was angry that I could feel this pain and was too weak to be able to deal with it on my own, without pain medication and anti-anxiety crap, as I had been able to do in the past.

I began to feel the loopy feeling that the painkillers cause and then gave up on my fight and took the stupid little white pill. We sat in bed for a while longer as I tried to fight off the painkillers. I absolutely hated the way they made me feel. My eyes were droopy, my nose itched, my head was clouded and hazy. My arms and legs seemed to weigh a ton. Ari chuckled and I smiled at him.

"What?" I said, dragging the word out much longer than necessary.

"Nothing," he smiled, and suppressed a laugh. "Do you want to go next door today or not?"

"Ari, you know we have to go. You know we should have been there hours ago and you also know that you owe your mom an apology. You need to say you're sorry for yelling at her yesterday."

"I don't know that I owe her an apology, Ava. I think she needed to be reminded of a few things and now we are back on a level playing field. You are my wife. _You_ are my family now."

I put my head back against the headboard, closed my eyes, and let my mouth hang open.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," I said, opening one eye to look at him. "I just don't feel like getting dressed."

"Ok," he said with a smile, as if taking on a challenge. "I'll do it for you."

I bobbed my head up and down in agreement and closed my eye again.

Ari got up and went to the closet. He put on a pair of gym shorts and some Nikes then pulled on a hooded sweatshirt, something he wouldn't be caught wearing outside our home in a million years. In fact, even when he is lounging around in the house he wears jeans and a fitted tee shirt.

I watched Ari disappear into the closet again. He strolled back out moments later with one of my bras, matching underwear, a pair of my black leggings and a black and grey baseball tee. The outfit was close to something I would wear to Pilates. He threw the ensemble on the bed. Ari peeled my shirt off my back and held up my bra and underwear. I blushed.

"I've never had any experience in putting any of these _on_ before."

"Ari!"

"I'm just saying... " he teased.

Ari slid my clothes on slowly one article at a time. I giggled the whole time he dressed me, and in between giggles, I let out little cries of pain. He got me out of bed and we went to the bathroom to wash our faces and brush our teeth.

"Turn around," Ari said and made a circle motion with his pointer finger. I turned facing away from him. He began to gather my hair up in his hands. After a few failed attempts, he tied a hair tie around my hair in a ponytail. The ponytail was a tad high for my taste but Ari beamed at his handiwork. He tugged at the end of my hair playfully.

"Too cute, Ava."

"Thanks." I smiled a large, toothy smile at him.

"Are you ready for your Christmas gift?"

I cocked my head to one side.

"You already gave me my gift. My iPad."

"I said that was _one_ of your presents. I have a few more to give you... This gift was a bit last minute but I think you'll like it. Collin helped."

"Okay..."

"Follow me."

Ari grabbed my hand and we walked out of our bedroom. He turned left towards the study. We walked down the hallway and he stopped in front of the study door.

"If you don't like it then we will find something else to do with them."

"It? Them? What is it already?!"

Ari turned the knob and pushed open the door. I cocked my head to the side again and my jaw hung down. Ari had taken the scissors from my mother's collection and had them arranged in a glass shadow box. The box hung magnificently on the study wall near the door.

"What do you think?"

"It's beautiful. Perfect."

I walked closer to the wall and stared at the scissors carefully hanging in mix-and-match rows.

Ari tapped on the glass at the pair in the middle of the middle row.

"Oh... " I furrowed my brow. "Those are mine – the pair Maya gave me."

"I hope it is okay that I added those. I figured they needed a home, too."

"The gift is perfect, Ari. I love it. I love you. Thank you."

"You're most welcome."

I frowned.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," I shrugged a bit. "Your gifts from me are next door, but they aren't nearly as good as the gifts you have given me."

"You give me everything I need by just breathing, Ava."

He kissed the corner of my mouth, took my hand and we walked back out of the study and towards the back door.

"You know your mom is going to kill us for showing up at her house on Christmas dressed like this," I said looking down at my bare feet and Ari's hardly worn gym shoes.

"Ava, I am sure she won't have one negative thing to say for a very, very long time."

Ari pulled my favorite gray hooded sweatshirt from a peg by the door, the one that had once belonged to him, and wrapped me up in it. He tugged at my ponytail again with a smile, planted a kiss on my lips and very slowly picked me up in his arms. He cradled me in his arms as he had on the evening of our wedding and I watched as his Nikes make Swoosh imprints in the sand.

We showed up at the back door four hours late but we were still greeted with smiles and gentle hugs. Ari walked me straight to the living room and made a little nest for us on the couch.

Max was sitting on the floor playing with a dozen or so new toys. I had gotten him a little antique piano. It was a kid's toy from the 1950's and probably shouldn't have been played with anymore but I wanted him to have it. He sat on his knees and pushed on the tiny black and white keys. He had a grin stretched across his face from ear to ear. He carried it over to me and I played _twinkle, twinkle_ for him and he laughed and had me do it again and again. I laughed, too, but I think it was mostly the painkillers talking.

Apparently, my actions and reactions weren't just funny to Ari, because after my second dose of medication for the day the whole house made a game out of making me say funny things. Ari was shaking so hard with laughter over a French conversation August was trying to engage me in that I had to have him scoot over to keep from shaking me, too.

I didn't eat much or say much at the dinner table and neither did Aggie. She kept quiet all day and I felt awkward. I felt bad that Ari had fought with her over me and I hoped they got over their differences soon. Aggie had been cold to me lately and a little quick lipped but I didn't think she meant to be. I hoped not anyway. I knew that she liked me, more than liked me – she loved me and I loved her, too. It was just that I had taken her baby away from her. I don't think she had been prepared for the hard time she would have picking up the pieces and moving on with this stage in her life.

Andy lightened the mood by giving a nice Christmas toast and pouring glasses of wine a bit too full. Max told Ari all about Santa coming and I really regretted not having been there in the morning to see the excitement on Max's face. I could tell Ari was more than disappointed that he missed the occasion, too.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, Max," Ari said to him as he placed his hand on my back and rubbed his thumb down my neckline. "But my Ava wasn't feeling well and she is my whole universe."

His statement was a bit deep for a three-year-old, but it made me swoon nonetheless. Julia and Lauren drew out a long "awww." And I, of course, blushed. I didn't have to look up to see Aggie's reaction because the whole table could hear her audible _tsk_. Ari tried to ignore her and keep his conversation up with Max. But I could see his jaw clench tight.

We were nearly done with dinner when the front door bell rang. Andy looked across the table to see who was missing, but every seat was full. And it wasn't as though any of us had ever used the doorbell before. Andy excused himself and disappeared down the hall towards the door. He was only gone for a few seconds when he called for Ari.

Ari stood up, kissed me on the top of the head, and followed his dad's voice towards the front door. I could hear some talking but I couldn't make out what was being said. Ari came back a few minutes later holding two small packages and a thick manila envelope.

"What was that all about?" I asked as he took his seat next to me.

"Well, these are for you," he said and handed me the packages.

"Oh," I said a little taken back. "Who was that at the door?"

"I don't know who that person was exactly, but he was sent here by Margaux."

My eyes got large and I took a aching, deep breath and started to open the first package. Margaux had gotten me a gift from _Toy Me_. I had seen them before in London. It was a pair of silver scissors that had been molded into a bracelet. I took the bracelet, set it in front of Ari for inspection, and then opened the second gift.

"What the hell... " Ari said as I pulled out a faded blue Cub's tee-shirt with a Cubby Bear on it – the same style shirt that had been ruined by my own blood when I was kidnapped four months earlier.

I handed the shirt to him quickly.

"I don't know if she is taunting me or being nice," I said, trying to suppress a cold chill that was working its way down my back.

Ari took the gifts and slid them under his chair. He took the envelope and hesitated for a moment.

"Maybe I should just throw it away."

"You can't, Ari; you work for her. You have to at least know what it says when she asks you."

"Yeah, man," Rory said. "If you don't open it, I will."

Ari tossed the full envelope down the table towards Rory and it came down on his plate with a thud.

"Do I get to keep whatever is inside if I open this for you?" Rory asked as he toyed with the metal clasp.

"No, you don't, so just open it and shut up."

Rory pulled the clasp straight and then ripped the folded part away from the rest of the envelope. He peered down inside, "uh, please can I keep it?"

"What is it?" Ari asked.

He pulled out a wad of cash that was the size of a brick and the whole table gasped.

"Let me see that," I said in disbelief and Rory tossed it at me. I dodged out of the way, as Ari caught the wad of cash, saving me from hurting my ribs again.

"Oops, sorry, Ava; I forgot," Rory said with a rare frown on his face.

Ari handed me the cash and I thumbed through it.

"This is the same money I gave her a few months ago for my car."

"You're joking," Ari said incredulously.

I pointed to the hair tie I had used to wad it all together.

"Nope, that's my hair thing."

"Why did she do that?"

"I don't know, Ari; she's something of a psycho."

Ari rubbed my back.

"She's not psycho, Ava; she's just possessed."

I smiled, then I laughed, then I laughed harder while I held onto my side in pain.

"That wasn't funny, Ari," I said, scolding him.

"Are you sure? Because I think it was," he said playfully, pointing a finger at me.

I handed him back the money.

"Here, you can have it. Maybe cash will make up for the less then awesome Christmas gifts I got you this year. Can I see that bracelet again?"

"Aw, Ava Baby, how romantic, but I like my presents from you," Ari put the money down with the shirt and grabbed the bracelet. "I'll add the money to the donation you made to Pacific Rehab. They need it more than we do."

I smiled at him and kissed the corner of his mouth. "That's a great idea."

I looked across the table to see Aggie staring at us.

"What?"

"Do not 'what' me, Ava."

I let out an irritated sigh.

"Did you just give Ari that cash?"

"Well, what's mine is his, so I don't really see what difference it makes."

"How much was there?"

"Ma, stop," Ari said with a serious look on his face, forgetting to hand me the bracelet.

"Ava didn't give _me_ the money; we are donating it to Pacific Rehab. Ava has been working with the center's founder since Misha died and she has added them to her charity list. She had them construct a memorial in Newport. It is really beautiful."

Ari and Andy were aware of my financial situation, but I don't really know if anyone else was. I think for the most part people just assumed I had inherited _some_ money but they didn't know how much. Ari supported the fact that I donated my pay from _House to Home_ back to the cause and we mostly just lived off what he earned at _baio_. No one was aware of the fact that I worked with other charitable groups, and I liked that.

"Ava, how much money do you have?" Aggie asked with a bit of a snotty tone.

If she wanted to play this game then I would play it with her.

"I don't know, Aggie. Hundreds of millions. Why?"

"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked.

"Ma, that's none of your business. Stop now," Ari snapped at her.

Max let out a tiny whimper.

"Yes, I am serious," I said, ignoring Ari's plea to end the conversation. I didn't know why Aggie cared. She and Andy had plenty of money. Maybe she enjoyed thinking of me as an orphan.

Aggie smiled a tight-lipped smile and took a bite of her food and Ari shot me an irritated look.

"What? She asked," I whispered at him as he got up to put my gifts in a bag by the back door.

We went back to our post on the couch after dinner and watched basketball with the rest of Ari's family. I fell asleep before the end of the first quarter, thanks to the painkillers. I had loopy, weird, nonsensical dreams about Aggie and Margaux until Ari woke me up when it was finally time to go home. We walked back to the house behind August, Collin, Julia and Rory.

"What's gotten into your mom, Ari?" I asked, not able to stand her beef with me any longer. "I swear one minute she is fine and then the next minute she looks for an excuse to hate me."

"She loves you, Ava, you know that. I don't know what her problem is. I'll have a talk with her tomorrow."

Ari did not have to talk with Aggie the next day because when we left for home Christmas night, she caught up with us on the beach before we reached our gate. Her eyes filled with tears and she enclosed me in her arms and held me in a tight, painful hug.

"Ava, I am so sorry."

"Okay, Aggie," I said petting her hair, "I'm sorry, too. It's fine."

"No, it's not fine. I don't know what's wrong with me. I am just so sorry."

"Mom," Ari said pulling her off me, "it's alright."

She threw her arms around Ari and cried. He shushed her and calmed her down after a few minutes and she agreed to let him walk her back to the house. I gave Aggie one last hug, Ari handed me the bag with the gifts in it, and then I headed up our back steps towards home alone.

I sat on the couch and waited for Ari. It took him ages to get home and I was beginning to feel anxious. To kill the time, I pulled the scissor bracelet out of the bag. The bracelet was silver and shiny, it was pretty and I really liked it. I turned it around in my hands a few times while I stared off at the blackness beyond the window. The wind had picked up briskly and was whistling and pounding on the glass. I suppressed a sudden chill, tossed the bracelet back in the bag and took it, the cash and the tee-shirt back to the study. I threw the cash in a drawer, and took the bracelet and left it on top of the desk. Perhaps Ari could add it to the collection behind the glass case. I walked back up the hall and threw the Cubs shirt in the closet. When I got back to the living room, Ari still wasn't home. I finally broke down and called his cell phone. I heard it ring the same time the kitchen door slid open; I was relieved when I saw him and hung up the phone.

"What took you so long?"

"Sorry, she just needed to talk I guess," Ari took a seat next to me.

"Oh, well I was worried about you."

Ari ran his thumb across my cheek. "Ava, I was at my parent's house next door. There's nothing to worry about."

"You're right," I put my arms around his neck and took one big, aching breath so I could inhale his sweet, wonderful, comforting scent.

"Listen Ava," Ari said in to my ear, "she feels really bad about how she's been acting and she wants to get together with you tomorrow."

"I don't know, Ari," I bit down on my bottom lip. "Will you come with us?"

"I can't. I have to go to work tomorrow."

"Are you serious? It's the day after Christmas."

He laughed at me.

"Margaux doesn't view the day after Christmas as a holiday."

"Well, I'll only go with your mom if I can bring Julia or something."

"Ava, are you for real? You want to spend the day with my mom _and_ Julia?"

"No, I don't particularly want to spend the day with either of them. I would rather stay here and try to figure out what's going on with Margaux. But if spending some time with Aggie will help us patch things up, I'm all for it. I just want to have some backup."

"Backup," he scoffed. "Ava, you're being ridiculous. I think your meds are still messing with you."

"They aren't," I held my side in pain as I got up off the couch and walked down the steps to see if Julia was still awake. I knocked on their bedroom door and Rory yanked it open wearing just his boxers. I shielded my eyes.

"Where's Julia?" I asked.

Rory pushed the door all the way open and I nearly flipped. Their room was a complete mess. Julia was lying on the bed reading a magazine.

"Hey," she smiled up at me.

"Um, hey, uh, sorry to bother you, but umm, what are you doing tomorrow? Would you please hang out with Aggie and me? I need a buffer."

"Of course. What do you want to do?" she asked, tossing the magazine aside.

"Uh, well _I_ feel like getting a tattoo, so we had better do something _you_ want to do."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like fun to me. I have to return some things at a few shops in town, turn some ugly Christmas gifts in to cash, and then we can grab lunch or something."

"Sure, that's fine. See ya tomorrow," I said, then closed the door and turned around; I nearly walked right into Ari, who was quietly standing behind me.

"Another tattoo?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. I was thinking about it."

We walked upstairs and down the hall to our room and Ari arranged my gaggle of pillows. Then he handed me my meds. I situated myself and took my last pill for the day. Ari gently wrapped himself around me and put his head on my pillow.

"So what are you going to get?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"Tattoo?"

I looked down at my arm and traced the wing of a bird on my half-sleeve.

"I don't know, why?"

"Just wondering."

"Would you ever get one? A tattoo?" I asked.

"Not unless I needed to," he answered and then kissed me goodnight.

### Chapter 25

Hide and Seek

Ari kissed me goodbye early the next morning before he left for work. I had my head buried in the blankets and he had to dig through them to find me. I grabbed his shirt collar and gave him one last kiss.

"I put your meds on the nightstand," he told me, "and you should take them and then try to go back to sleep for a little while."

I pulled all the blankets off and looked at my phone. Eight o'clock already.

"I can't. I have to get some work done before I go out with your mom."

"Ok, but take it easy, Ava, and call me if you need anything."

"K, I love you," I said and he closed the door and left for work.

I got ready and then walked down the steps to Julia's room. I called from outside the door, afraid of what Rory might or might not be wearing.

"Julia, I'll be in the study... just come and get me whenever you're ready."

I didn't wait for her response, just walked back upstairs and sought refuge in my study for a few hours. I worked on a project for Andy, phoned Juan at Pacific Rehab to notify him about Ari's donation, then opened my mother's journal to the page I had been working on last.

Julia saved me from a growing pile of post-its a couple of hours later and sat down across the desk from me.

"Nothing more?" she asked.

"Just a few things here and there, but nothing coherent," I said, looking up at her.

"That's cute," she said, nodding at the bracelet Margaux had given me.

I half glanced at it.

"It's is cute."

"Well, are you ready?"

"I guess," I said and peeled myself up out of my seat. Julia grabbed the items she had to return and I slipped on some shoes. We walked out the front door and across the lawn to Aggie's. We walked in through her front door, a first for me, I think, and there in the foyer sat Max. He was crying and his eyes were red and puffy. I scooped him up in my arms.

"Max, what's the matter?" I asked, holding him to me as best as I could with my still very sore ribs. He couldn't answer me. He was crying so hard that he was forgetting to breathe. I carried him into the living room and sat him down on my lap. I wiped all the tears off his face and rocked him for a minute while he calmed down.

"Ok, Max, what happened?" I asked again.

"Aggie scared me," he said and started to cry a little bit again. Aggie came in through the kitchen and I looked up at her.

"What's going on?" I asked in as civil a voice as I could manage.

"Oh," she said waving her hand casually in the air, "we were playing hide and seek and I guess I startled him. We won't be doing that anymore." She smiled a bright white smile. "He's a fragile guy."

"Oh...okay." I rocked Max back and forth a few more times.

"Julia is coming with us today; I hope you don't mind."

Aggie nodded and smiled again when she saw Julia walk into the living room, but she didn't say anything.

"Well.... are you ready to go?" I asked her.

"Sure! Let me just grab my keys."

We rode with Aggie to town. I sat in the tiny backseat with Max and read him a book that I found under the seat and he bounced back to normal after a few minutes. We spent the late morning wandering through Aggie's favorite stores and for the most part, she seemed back to her normal self. She was personable and loving and seemed to have moved on from whatever had been bugging her.

We went for a quick lunch at Aggie's favorite restaurant. I was thankful to be able to sit. My side ached and Max kept holding his arms out to me, wanting to be held. I could tell he was getting tired. We sat at a table that looked out over the ocean and Max climbed out of his chair onto my lap. He put his little head on my shoulder and his hand on my cheek and fell asleep. Max was a sound sleeper and his body was still having issues adjusting with the time difference between Dana Point and Greece.

While Max slept, Julia babbled on with Aggie. They gossiped about actors breaking up and some Hollywood starlet's dramatic weight loss. I was incredibly glad that Julia had agreed to tag along. She was the perfect person to have as backup – she and Aggie always got along; in fact, she was much more like Aggie than I ever would be. Things seemed to back to normal, and I was relieved and thankful to move on with our lives.

"What do you girls say we walk next door after this and get a pedicure?"

I looked down at Max sleeping on top of me and then back at Aggie.

"What about Max, Aggie? He's not budging."

"Oh, Ava, he'll sleep like that for hours. I'm sure you'll be fine holding him."

I bit my tongue and smiled. I didn't want to get back on Aggie's bad side, but Max weighed nearly thirty pounds and his body was pressed up right against my ribs.

I carried him next door to the salon after lunch and sat in a chair to have my toes painted. I shifted him to my other side, which gave me a little relief, but still my ribs screamed out in pain, while Aggie and Julia carried on an animated conversation about their nail polish color choices.

I asked for the girl who almost always painted my toes – we had developed a nice relationship over the past year and she worked quickly and efficiently, keeping small talk out of the process. She grabbed my standard color and started right away.

I was done before Aggie and Julia so I got up and readjusted Max. I paid for all three of us so I could get the two of them out the door more quickly and announced that I was going to put Max in the car seat.

By the time I got to the car, I was nearly in tears. I managed to maneuver a still-sleeping Max into his seat and buckle him in, then climbed into the car myself. I took a few careful breaths of relief and dug out my cell phone from my purse, causing half of my purses' contents to spill out on the floor of the car. I hastily shoved my belongings back in to my bag. I called Ari's cell, but he did not answer. I toyed with the phone for a moment then broke down and called his office, but the call went straight to his voicemail. I opted out of voicemail and got his assistant.

"Thank you for calling _baio_! You have reached the office of Ari Alexander, Fauna speaking. How may I assist you today?"

"Hi Fauna, this is Ava. Is Ari busy?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Alexander. He's tied up in a meeting with Ms. Baio. They'll probably be a few more hours. Is there something I can assist you with?"

Yeah, you can put Ari on the phone, I answered impolitely in my mind.

"No," I said. "Just tell him to call me, please."

"Okay, Ava, sure thing, buh-bye!"

I put my head against the car seat and closed my eyes. Aggie and Julia got in the car a few minutes later and we finally drove home.

Aggie pulled up in front of my house to let Julia and me out, "that was so much fun girls --thanks a bunch for such a relaxing day!" Aggie said, all smiles.

"Sure, Aggie. See you later," I said, trying to get out of the car.

"Oh, Ava," she called, stopping me, "could you watch Max tomorrow for me? I have an appointment."

"Sure, Aggie; I'd love to."

"Okay. Why don't you come to my house and watch him so he doesn't have to lug his new toys over to your place."

"Yeah, okay, great. I'll see you tomorrow."

I climbed out of the car and softly shut the door behind me so I wouldn't wake Max.

Julia walked with me to the front door.

"Do you think she was acting strange?" I asked, digging in my bag for the house keys.

Julia shook her head.

"No, not at all," she said and tried the door handle before I found my keys. Surprisingly, it pushed open with ease; I must have forgotten to lock the door.

"Yeah. I think she's done with being so mad at me."

"Yeah, Ava, go soft on Aggie. She feels really bad about how she's been acting. She almost started to cry after you left to put Max in the car. All she could talk about was how awful she feels for treating you unkindly. She said she can't even sleep at night because of it."

"She sure does have some crazy mood swings going on."

"Yeah, maybe. I know you hate it when I bring this up, but Aggie acted that way a bit when I was dating Ari. She doesn't like to share. You know how close the two of you are; it's always been that way with them." Julia said and turned towards her bedroom with her bags in hand.

I tried to work in the study and finish up on some lose ends but my side ached too much to do anything else but rest. I took my pain meds and curled up in bed, on Ari's side because the sheets and pillows smelled like him. I fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

****

I woke up in a very dark room. My eyes were soggy with tears and Ari's pillow was soaked. I grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand and saw that I had missed three calls from Ari and one from Margaux. I started to panic. It was ten o'clock at night and Ari should have been home hours ago. I called him back and could hear his phone ringing in both of my ears, and it was getting louder by the second.

Our bedroom door opened and Ari walked in holding his ringing phone.

"Oh, my God," I said, closing my eyes as relief washed over me. I was shaky and I didn't know why. I couldn't remember what I was dreaming but apparently the dream had gotten the better of me.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ari asked and took a seat next to me.

"Where were you?"

"I was watching a movie with Collin in the living room. I didn't want to wake you; my mom said that Max wore you out today."

"Were you alone with Margaux today?"

"Yeah, but only for a little bit," he rubbed the stubble on his cheeks.

"Ari, I don't feel comfortable with you working for her right now. I just keep getting this really uneasy feeling that she could use you to get to me."

"Ava, don't worry about that. She is perfectly fine. She is always professional and all she did was walk in my office for five minutes to talk."

"Fauna said you were in a meeting with Margaux for hours."

"I was in a meeting with her... and the whole rest of her staff. Ava, you know, it's probably better that I am there, so I can keep an eye on her."

"She called me tonight."

"Yeah. She said she needed to talk to you about something."

"Do you know what?"

"She wouldn't say. Try calling her back to see what she wants."

I looked at him as if he had gone crazy. I didn't think his idea was a great one.

"Ava, it's just a phone call." He kissed my forehead, stood up and left the room.

I took a few quick breaths and called Margaux.

"Ava?" she answered.

"Um, yes, Margaux. I saw you called."

"Yes, did you get your gifts?"

"Oh, uh huh... Thank you very much."

She paused for a moment.

"Did you get the message?"

"What message? No, I only saw that you called. You didn't leave a message."

"Ava, you don't understand – I need to talk to you."

"So talk."

Background noises filled the space in between our conversation, voices and the clinking of glasses, as though she may have been at a party or out to dinner.

"Call me tomorrow at work?"

She hung up the line.

I shook my head, trying to keep back the emotions I could feel bubbling up inside me. I took a few minutes to gain some composure and then got up to find Ari.

He was stretched out on the couch and Collin was sitting in the chair. They were watching a movie, just as he had said.

"Everything okay?" he asked, making room for me to sit down.

I nodded and took a seat to wait for a chance to talk with him. Eventually the movie ended, but Ari and Collin talked for almost twenty minutes about the movie and then for a few more minutes about the sequel. He finally stood up and Collin left to go out back.

"I called Margaux."

Ari looked at me from the corner of his eye then slowly turned his head towards me.

"So... what did she say?"

"Nothing... just that she wanted to talk; she asked me to call her tomorrow."

"Ok... are you going to call her?"

"No... yes... I haven't decided."

"What do you think she is trying to do?" he asked.

"I think she is trying to get me to come to her so she can finally finish me off."

Ari nodded slowly and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

"Maybe you can come to work with me tomorrow and you can talk with her at _baio_. I'm sure she won't try to do anything there."

"Ari, that's a horrible idea, like walking straight into the lion's den – and besides I have to watch Max tomorrow at your mom's house."

"Just an idea," he rolled his eyes at me. "How come you're watching Max tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Aggie has an appointment or something. She should be away for only a couple of hours."

"Ava, you should have told her you couldn't do it. You have to get this stuff with No. 7 figured out."

"I know," I said, getting somewhat short with him. "You know, you're the one who made me go out with her today, so don't make it sound like I'm pushing off my responsibilities. No one knows more than I do that I need to get No. 7 figured out. My life is on the line, Ari."

He softened a little bit and brushed my cheek.

"I'm sorry, Baby; you're right. I should have told her no for you on Christmas. I just felt really bad for her."

"It's fine. I'll watch Max tomorrow and then that'll be it for a little while."

Ari kissed me gently and I softened a little bit. I pulled myself to him and kissed him back, closing my eyes. He ran his fingers through my hair then down my back and then finally rested them on my hips.

"We will figure this out. I promise," he said quietly in my ear.

### Chapter 26

Tantrum

My joints popped and cracked with a stretch when I got up with the sound of Ari's early morning alarm. I headed straight to the study. My ribs were starting to feel better and I needed to get a head start on the day. I worked first on the project I was involved in for _House to Home_. We were hoping to land a deal with an art gallery that Aggie occasionally worked with. Andy and I were putting together a big black-tie event to auction works of art from local photographers, Aggie included. The event would be a great big night of drinking and entertainment at the gallery, with photos available in a silent auction. The proceeds were going to help fund the center. I was still trying to nail down the costs from the caterer, the liquor distributor and the gallery owner.

Next, I took out the journal. I had only the last few pages to decipher. The cover was now fully decorated with colorful post-its still needing to be unscrambled. I tucked it under my arm around ten and took the journal next door with me, hoping Max would let me get some work done while he played.

Aggie was waiting at the back door for me when I arrived.

"Ugh! You're late!" she frowned.

"Sorry!" I looked over at the clock on the oven. I was not late. In fact, I was ten minutes early, but I didn't feel like arguing with her. I put my journal down on the table and left in search of Max.

His soft breathing was a dead giveaway and I found him quickly, hiding in his closet on the floor under a baby blanket.

"Max, what are you doing?" I pulled the blanket off him.

"Hiding," he whispered.

"Oh, okay. Well, Aggie is leaving, so you'll have to find another game to play."

Sticking my hand out, he grabbed on tightly and I helped him up off the floor and walked with him into the kitchen.

"I have to go to L.A. I don't know how long I'll be gone. If you need anything, call Andy, he should be in his office for most of the day," Aggie said.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. Max and I will be just fine. Be safe on the roads, Aggie," I said with a smile. Aggie frowned and walked out the door to the garage without another word to either of us.

Max was on his best behavior for me. He was actually really quiet. He sat at the kitchen table and colored while I attempted to decode another word.

After I made lunch, Max settled in for a movie in the living room. He cried and came searching for me every time I left him alone, so I moved my operation to the living room. Eventually Max gave in to his need for an afternoon nap and fell asleep on the couch. I moved him to his bed and really started to concentrate. Max had only been asleep ten minutes when I heard him screaming from his bedroom.

I closed my journal and tossed it on the floor by the chair in the Alexander's living room. I ran down the hall and threw open his bedroom door. Max was asleep but he was crying and screaming for Ari.

I pulled him into my arms and started to smooth his hair, waking him.

"It's okay, Max. I'm here, don't worry. You were just having a bad dream."

He asked for Ari over and over again. "Max, Ari isn't home; he's at work."

Max's little lip started to tremble as big fat tears rolled down his cheeks. I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket and called Ari's cell. He didn't answer. I called his work phone and it went to voicemail. Opting out of voicemail, I spoke with Fauna, his assistant, for the second time in the week.

"Thank you for calling _baio_! You have reached the office of Ari Alexander, Fauna speaking. How may I assist you today?"

"Fauna, it's Ava. I need to talk to Ari," I said, nearly cutting off her drawn out spiel.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ava; he's in a meeting again. You sure do have bad timing," she laughed.

"I understand that he's in a meeting, but I need you to get him _now_."

"I'm sorry, but Margaux does not permit her meetings to be interrupted."

"Fine, let me talk to Margaux. Let her know I am on the phone and that I need to talk to her; she'll take my call, I'm sure of it."

"Mrs. Alexander, I don't think I can do that for you. Margaux has the editor from _Vogue_ in her office. I cannot interrupt her. I am sure you understand – you know Margaux after all, and I need to keep this job."

"Listen to me, Fauna, if you don't put one of them on the phone right now, I promise you, you will be fired. So which will it be it, maybe or definitely?"

"One minute," she said with a hint of attitude in her tone.

"Good choice."

I was on hold for an eternity before Margaux picked up the phone.

"Ava Baby, I can't speak with you now. Can you meet me at home tonight?"

"No, I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to Ari. Put him on the phone."

"Honey, he is in a meeting. We're trying to get things in order for the spring line; this is just a bad time."

"I don't care about your meeting and I don't care about your spring line. I don't want you around Ari anymore. I don't want you in our lives. I hate you, Margaux. I know who you are and I'm not afraid of you anymore. I promise I will kill you. Now, put Ari on the phone before I come down there and take care of business right now."

"You don't know what you're saying," she said calmly.

Max was crying uncontrollably by now and I could hardly understand what she was saying on the other line.

"Put him on the damn phone!" I yelled.

"I'll go ahead and conference us in," she said.

I heard a few beeps then I could hear a ton of people talking and Ari's voice booming over all of them. I was on speakerphone.

"Ari," Margaux said sweetly, interrupting the meeting through the phone.

"Yes?" I could hear him say to her.

"You are on with Ava."

"What? Ava?"

Max was going nuts. I tried to pick him up and calm him, but it wasn't working.

"Ava, are you on the phone? Is everything ok?"

"No, everything is not okay. Can you not hear the crying going on in here? Look, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you told me to call you if I needed anything, and I need you to come home. Like now."

"Ava, I can't leave. We're launching this line in six days."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, but it didn't work.

"I don't give a damn about that line, that place, Margaux, or that meeting! I need you to come home right now!"

Ari picked up the line, taking me off speakerphone.

"What's going on, Baby?" His voice alone was so soothing and helped take the edge away from an impending anxiety attack.

"I have a bad feeling. And Max won't stop crying for you, and your mom's gone completely nuts and she's been gone in L.A. for hours. I don't trust Margaux to be around you anymore and I need you to come home."

I gasped for breath.

"Ok, Ava, take Max over to our house and I will be right there."

"Thank you," I said, a little more severely than I meant to.

"Sure, Baby, I love you. I'll see you soon."

"I love you, too."

After a hasty raid of Max's closet, I grabbed some pajamas and a change of clothes. I put his shoes on and took him home. He was still crying but not hysterically. He just had warm, wet tears streaming down his face. I kept telling him that Ari was fine and he was coming home.

Back home, I sat Max up on the kitchen counter, brushed the hair off his forehead and saw a little smudge of dirt there. Grabbing a washcloth, I got it wet and washed his face. Max wrapped his little fingers around mine. His hand was trembling. Whatever he had dreamed had really scared the wits out of him.

"Max!" I looked down at his dirty fingers. "You're filthy! When is the last time you had a bath?" He just stared at me with his big, wet, brown eyes.

"Ok, come on, maybe a warm tub will calm you down and then, by the time you are done, Ari will be home."

He nodded. I grabbed his bag and took him to Julia's bathroom (since Ari's and mine had no tub). I ran warm water and then, from the linen closet, hauled out bubble bath, tub toys and towels – all the stuff we had picked out at the store together.

Max was completely filthy. His hair had sand in it and the bottoms of his feet were smudged with dirt. Max gave me a tiny smile as I shampooed his hair.

"You're a beach bum!" I teased as I rinsed and re-washed his hair.

The bath seemed to help take Max's mind off Ari for a bit so I watched him play in the tub with a little plastic pirate ship and some action figures. I got him out once his fingers turned to prunes and wrapped him up in a big towel.

"Ari?" Max asked as soon as I dried him off. I picked my phone up off the sink.

"Give him fifteen minutes, Max, and if he isn't home by then, we'll call him. But he promised he would be home, so don't worry."

Little tears started to pool up again in his eyes and spill over onto his cheeks. I wiped them away as fast as I could and pulled his tiny pajamas on, the ones Ari had gotten him for Christmas. The shirt had a surfing dinosaur on it and the pants were fleecy and soft. He looked like a miniature version of Ari with his wet hair sticking up in tufts. I carried him to our bedroom and grabbed the gray hooded sweatshirt I always found comfort in and wrapped it around him like a blanket.

We went to the living room and waited. I put Max on my lap and he laid his little head on my shoulder while he cried. Moments later, the garage door rumbled and I started to breathe a little more easily.

Ari walked in through the door and came straight to us in the living room.

"Hey," he said with a worried look on his face.

Max's head perked up when he heard Ari's voice. He pushed himself down off my lap as fast as he could and ran across the room to Ari. The uncontrollable crying started again, but I think they were tears of relief. Ari scooped Max up in his arms and held on to him tight. Max placed his little hands on Ari's cheeks and held his face like that, looking Ari straight in the eyes for a solid minute before putting his head down on Ari's shoulder.

"What on earth is going on?" he asked.

"I don't know. I went to your mom's this morning to watch Max and found him hiding in a closet. She complained about me being late and I was actually early, then said she would be in L.A. all day, then walked out without saying goodbye or even looking concerned that Max was upset. Max took a nap then woke up in a panic crying for you. I called _baio_ but no one would let me speak with you. _Every_ time I call _baio_ no one will let me speak to you. I think I may have fired your assistant, so you might want to call her later tonight."

"Ava, not only did you try to fire my assistant but you cussed your grandmother out, threatened her life and told her that you didn't want me around her anymore. Then you threw a fit in the middle of my meeting."

I closed my eyes for a minute and bit at my bottom lip.

"I didn't know what else to do, Ari. Do you know how frustrating it is to be here, feeling vulnerable, listening to that Fawn somebody or other tell me _no_ , _you cannot talk to Mr. Alexander_? Max thought you were dead or something. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Fauna will get over it. I gave her a few days off. Margaux doesn't expect anything more from you than what you gave her and the people in my meeting are used to your grandmother's behavior, so no harm, no foul."

"Are you mad at me?" I peeked at him from under my lashes.

"Absolutely not," he looked down at Max who still had not let go of him. "Obviously, something is going on and you and Max are a million times more important to me than that stupid job."

"Ari, what's wrong with your mom?"

He frowned and the crease in his forehead appeared.

"I don't know. Fauna called me on my way home to tell me that my mom had dropped by the office to talk. I tried to call my mom on my way home but she didn't answer. I'll call my dad in a while to see if he knows what is going on with her."

I got up and walked behind Ari and peeked at Max, whose head was still resting on Ari's shoulder.

"Hey Buddy, are you feeling better now?" Max gave me a small smile and I kissed his forehead. "I told you he would come home."

Ari sat on a stool in the kitchen with Max while I made dinner. Rory and Julia came home a little while later, followed by August and Collin. I felt as though I hadn't seen August in years even though it had probably been only two days. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him.

"What's gotten into you?" he wiggled away from my grip in fake disgust.

"Nothing. I just miss you."

"Well, please don't get me all wrinkly," he _tsked_.

I playfully tried to shove him away but he held on to me, and hugged me back.

I pulled out some more ingredients from the fridge and made two huge lasagnas, a salad and an Italian loaf. We all sat down together and ate. Max sat on Ari's lap, refusing to let go of him for even a second.

After dinner, Ari called his dad while I found a kid's movie on Netflix that Max could watch.

With a handful of spare blankets and pillows, I made Max a little bed on the couch and we all lounged around and watched the movie with him.

Ari was on the phone for a good hour with his dad, which was unusual. Andy came over all the time in the evenings to hang out so I just assumed he would hang up the phone and walk over; he must have still been tied up at work. I noticed Ari from the corner of my eye; he put down his phone, pinched the bridge of his nose and walked toward the French doors by the patio. I snuck away from the living room unnoticed and walked with him out onto the sun porch. He seemed to be distraught over something.

"They think her cancer is back," he said matter-of-factly. "That's why my mom has been so moody. She doesn't want anyone to know yet, but I guess she hasn't been feeling well. She saw a specialist in L.A. today and they should get the test results back in a week. Dad said she went to _baio_ , right after I left, to tell me about the cancer. Apparently, she was pretty unhappy to find me not there."

"Oh, Ari, I am so sorry."

He pulled me onto his lap and we sat together and cried.

"I told my dad we would keep Max for now until she is feeling better. He's going to bring a bag of Max's things over tomorrow before work."

"Ok," I agreed with a bit of apprehension over keeping Max. We sat like this a little longer until I heard Max start to cry for Ari. We got up and went into the living room. Rory was holding Max and bouncing him around in the air but it wasn't really helping. Max still cried, his tears mixed in with his laughter. Ari caught him mid bounce and Max reached over and stretched his arms until he could clasp his hands behind Ari's neck. I could tell he was getting really sleepy.

Ari got Max to calm down again and carried him into our room. He lay Max down on his side of the bed and tossed him the two-headed teddy bear we had sitting on our bedroom chair. Max giggled and I kissed him goodnight. I gave Ari a kiss and turned to leave.

Ari grabbed my hand and spun me back around.

"No, if he is going to be here for a while, we are going to make this work. I promise to wake you up if you start to scream."

"Ari, I don't know, he is already freaked out enough as it is and I don't want to make matters worse."

"Ava, stay with me," his eyes searched mine, pleading.

After some hesitation, I agreed to stay. Ari slept between Max and me and couldn't have been the slightest bit comfortable. Max and I both used Ari's chest as a pillow and he had his arms stretched around us both, holding on tight.

### Chapter 27

Traitor

I lay awake. Our bedroom was dark and the only sounds were our quiet breathing and the crashing of the distant ocean waves. I closed my eyes and snuggled my face even deeper into Ari's chest. That's when I heard the first tiny creaks of the hardwood floor down the hall from our room. Someone was up; the creaking became slightly louder as that someone crept with slow deliberation toward our bedroom.

Long moments passed and the noise stopped. Our doorknob began to turn. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on high alert. My heart pounded and my palms were sticky. The metallic flavor of adrenaline flooded my mouth. The doorknob clicked and the door was slowly pushed open with a quiet creak. The air was sucked out of my lungs. I was too scared to scream. Not a single sound would come out as I began to panic.

"Ava, wake up; you're having a nightmare."

My eyes shot open to Ari's voice and the door closed like a quiet whisper. I drew in a breath. I was drenched in sweat.

"Ari, someone's in the house!"

"What?"

"It was my time. I was deciding my fate. No. 7 was here. You scared him away when you woke me up."

My fingers trembled.

"What are you talking about?"

"I was asleep, only I didn't know it. I heard someone walk through the house and come to a stop in front of our door. The latch clicked -someone was pushing the door open. You woke me up and the door closed. I was dreaming reality."

"Is No. 7 still here?" Ari shot up and grabbed his cell off the bedside table. Max was still asleep, but his face was pinched up and his little hands were shaking.

"I don't know."

Ari started to get out of the bed but I grabbed on to him tightly.

"No, Ari; please don't go. I'm too scared. I don't want you to go out there."

"What do you want me to do then, Ava? We can't just stay in here like sitting ducks."

I bit on my lip and thought for a moment.

"Will you hand me my phone, please?"

Ari did as I asked and slid my cell off the little table to hand it to me. I checked the time. One o'clock in morning! Okay, he would definitely be asleep, but I dialed him anyway.

" _Allo_ ," August mumbled, groggily and a little grumpily.

" _Je suis vraiment désolé, August, mais c'est une urgence_ ," I apologized for waking him and explained that it was an emergency. The tone in his voice immediately changed.

"Ok, Ava, what's going on?" his words were rushed.

"There is someone in the house. Can you please meet us at the back door?"

"Yeah, sure, right now?"

"Yes," pushing away the blankets, I climbed out of bed, motioning at the same time for Ari to follow. He hesitated just a second, then grabbed Max, cradling him in his arms. I turned the light on in the bedroom, and then opened the door. I flipped on the hallway light and looked up and down the hall. There was no one in sight, but an oddly familiar fragrance created a nausea that rolled around in my stomach. I shot Ari a worried look and hurried to the living room, turning on every single light I passed. The living room was empty, but the blankets, pillows and couch cushions had all been thrown about room. I let out a shaky breath. If Ari had not convinced me to sleep with him and Max, I would be dead. I jumped when I heard a knock at the back door.

"It's locked," August's muffled voice sounded through the thick glass door.

"Locked?" I looked at Ari and he nodded.

"Yeah, I locked the door earlier when I got up to get Max some water."

Whether or not a door to our house was locked or unlocked at any given time was definitely a hit-and-miss question. So many people came and went that a lock was more of a hindrance than a help. This time the door had been locked.

Ari walked through the kitchen with Max in his arms and let August and Collin in, I flipped on the rest of the lights and explained to them in detail what was going on while Ari called and woke up Julia and Rory. They clambered up the steps a few minutes later. Everyone pulled open doors and walked through rooms checking to make sure no one was hiding. The front door was also locked.

"I'm so sorry. I swear someone was here."

Ari wrapped his arms around Max and me.

"Ava, it's very late and you're tired. We're all tired. The house is empty, it's locked up. Let's go back to bed."

I nodded and suppressed the nasty chill that ran up my spine.

****

I didn't fall back sleep until dawn, and then woke what felt like moments later to Max patting my cheek with his palm. My cell said five o'clock.

"Won't you go back to sleep for me just this once?" I moaned with a little pout. He smiled at me, then started to pat Ari's cheek instead.

"Shh, no don't," I stopped Max from waking Ari. "Come on, I'll get you breakfast and we can wait for Andy to bring you some toys."

Max and I went down the hall to the kitchen and I made him a stack of blueberry pancakes. I ran to my study to grab the journal and the post-its of unscrambled letters so I could get some work done and immediately remembered that I had left everything at Aggie's the evening before. I went back to the kitchen and texted Andy, asking him to bring the journal along with Max's bag when he came.

I picked up all the scattered blankets and pillows in the living room with a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Andy showed up at the back door after Max was done with breakfast and had been dressed. Max gave Andy a big hug, dug one of his puzzles out of his bag, and carried it with him to the living room floor.

"Hey, Andy, good morning! Did you get my text?" I asked, noticing that he did not have my journal of work with him.

Andy rubbed at the back of his head.

"Yeah, I did get your message, but I couldn't find your things anywhere, Ava. Are you sure you brought them over?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure. The journal is brown, leather-bound, and the post-its are stuck to it. I left them in the living room by the chair – you can't miss it."

He shook his head, "Well, they weren't there this morning."

"Ok, wait here for like five minutes with Max and I'll go get it," I offered.

"Um, Ava, it's best that you don't go over there right now."

I started at him blankly.

"Why not?"

"Because Aggie isn't feeling well; she was on a tirade last night when she found out about Max staying here and she wore herself out. She is angry that Max is here with you and I just think it's best if you stay away from her for a bit."

"What?" I cried in disbelief.

"I know she is being unreasonable right now. We went through the same kind of stuff with her the last time she was ill." He shook his head from side to side as he talked.

"Aggie just... she loves you kids so much that it upsets her to think that she may not be able to be in your lives for as long as she had hoped."

"You know I won't let that happen right, Andy?" I said indicating that I would pull her thread. I could give her more time; as much as she needed.

"She doesn't want you to interfere, Ava," he said blankly, as though he didn't agree with her choice but had been told to back off.

"Fine," I huffed, "please look for the journal again when you get home tonight; I really need it."

"Ok," Andy agreed.

"I have to get Ari up for work, so I guess I'll see you later."

"Sure, Ava, bye; let me know if you need anything," Andy responded and gave me a sorry smile. I locked the door behind him after he left.

I headed to our bedroom to get Ari up before he overslept, expecting to find him lost somewhere under the blankets. He was just coming out of the closet, barefoot and wearing jeans with a white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt. The shirtsleeves were rolled half way up his forearms. His hair was still damp from the shower.

"What are you doing? Margaux will have a fit if you enter her office dressed like that."

"I'm going to work from home today. I feel uneasy about leaving you and Max here. I have a meeting this morning and then, depending on how that one goes, I may have another this afternoon, but I'm just going to conference in."

I smiled a silly toothy-like smile. I immediately felt loads better knowing I would not have to battle anyone's assistant in order to speak with my husband.

"Okay, do you need any help?"

He narrowed his eyes at me as if I were being cute or something, and I was momentarily offended.

"No, Ava, I can handle it, thanks," he said kissing me softly and then followed me into the living room. By then, Max had grown tired of his puzzle and I spent the next few minutes picking up pieces from the floor and from under the couch and table. Pulling his bag into the living room, I began to unload games, puppets, more puzzles, cars, trucks and blocks and Legos onto the rug. Ari sat with him for a while and they used wooden blocks to build tall buildings which they then knocked down, typical guy fun. I told Ari what his dad said about Aggie being angry with me for having Max.

"Don't take it personally, Ava. I am sure she doesn't mean it. Last year, when we went through this she... " he let out a puff of breath... "My mom was a mess. She cried over everything and was constantly upset. She and I grew closer to each other and I was almost as much of a mess as she was. You were gone, and I didn't know if you were ever coming back. We were really there for each another and I plan on being here for her now. Please give her time. She loves you, Ava. This isn't about you and everyone knows that."

"Yeah, I guess."

Ari looked down at his watch and stood up. "Okay, I have to get on the phone for my meeting. Come and get me if you need me."

I sat down with Max and we played with his blocks until the rest of the people in house started to wake up and show their faces. Collin rushed through the back door, grabbed a cup of coffee, said a quick hello and goodbye, then left for work. I wondered briefly why he and August didn't just splurge on a coffee pot of their own.

August trailed in a little while later, just bumming along as he had through the entire winter break. He poured the last of the coffee into his cup and started another pot. He took a seat on the rug next to Max and me. August was much better at the knock-the-blocks game than I was so I let him take over for a bit. I got up, moved to the chair, and watched them play.

I love watching Max interact with August. The two of them chatted together so happily, and I could tell that Max had been looking forward to seeing August.

Max started whispering to August quietly.

At first, the whispering was just a little game. Max whispered something in August's ear and then August whispered something back; it was all harmless and silly. Then Max's face got serious and he asked, more loudly, "Where is the devil?"

My mouth went dry. August whipped his head around and stared at me.

"The devil is in hell," I answered.

"No, not anymore," he whispered back.

I looked at Max for a moment and waited for him to say more, but he didn't. He just shifted his attention to a different toy on the rug. My blood ran cold and jaw hung open as I attempted to recover.

Rory and Julia came out of their room and sat with us. Up in the office, Ari's meeting started and he put the conversation on speakerphone. The business at hand was so loud out in the living room that we had little choice but to listen to it. Even with the office door closed, we couldn't help but hear the bickering back and forth between Ari and the rest of Margaux's staff. I got up and left Max with August and cracked open the door to the study.

Ari looked like he was going to pull his hair out; I sat across from him at the desk and he looked up and gave me a smile. He put the call on mute.

"Ava, are you ok? Is there something you need?"

I shook my head no and sat there listening a little bit longer. The arguments focused on the spring line and industry costs. I had heard Perry have this conversation a dozen times. I sat and listened for a bit, then I grew bored. Ari was wrapping the call up so I stood up to leave. I reached the door, then paused and heard Margaux's voice through the speaker.

"I'll take a look at these figures in my office, Ari. Enjoy the rest of your day. Be sure to send my love to Ava, and I'll see you both on New Year's."

Ari quickly ended the call.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, turning around to face him.

"Ha, um, it means I have the rest of the day off, so what do you want to do?"

"Don't get cute with me, Ari. What did Margaux mean by 'I'll see you both on New Year's'?"

He rubbed at the stubble on his cheeks and blew out a breath.

"She's having a cocktail party. We're invited and she's insisting that you come. I told her you would be there, but I am actually planning on showing up by myself for a bit and making an excuse for your absence."

I sighed.

"You mean your plan is to go to Margaux's party on New Year's Eve and leave me here by myself? Ari, that's absurd."

"I know, Ava, and I am sorry. Margaux is being a complete lunatic about this. She asks me every day if you are planning on coming and I don't have the heart to tell her no."

"Ari! She is trying to get me there to kill me!" I shouted. "Don't you see that? I mean come on! We already know she wants me dead... why do you keep playing her games?"

"They don't seem like games to me, Ava. Margaux seems desperate or something. When I got up to leave yesterday, she practically begged me to bring you and Max to the office with me."

"Ari, get a grip. She isn't nice, she isn't trying to be nice; she has ulterior motives and always will. For Christ's sake, she broke into our house and tried to kill us last night. This isn't about a family reunion, it's about No. 7 planning his next move. I swear, Ari, for as brilliant as you are, you can be incredibly obtuse."

Ari ran his fingers through his hair.

"Perhaps you're the obtuse one, Ava. Look, I already told you that you don't have to go. I'm just going for an hour. It's not as though she's going to kill you, or me for that matter, at her party, in front of her guests. The entire office will be there. And besides, you don't know that Margaux was in our house last night. You don't even know if anybody was really in our house last night."

"Oh great," I threw up my arms sarcastically, "the entire office! Well, I hope you have a great New Year's Eve hanging out with your little office buddies instead of being with me, where you belong."

"Come on, Ava, don't be like this." Ari dragged his hands down his face in exasperation.

"No, Ari, you don't get it. That isn't Margaux – that person is trying to kill me and you keep indulging her."

"Ava," he sighed, "I don't think No. 7 is Margaux. I'm sorry I just don't."

Angry and annoyed, I couldn't listen to one more word. I turned around and slammed the door in his face.

I walked back into the living room and all eyes were on me. I ignored their stares and grabbed Max's shoes.

"Come on, Max, let's go to the playground."

Max's little eyes lit up and he jumped up off the floor. I put his shoes on and we left without saying goodbye.

We didn't even make it out of the back yard before my phone started to ring. It was Ari. I wanted to stay mad at him; I wanted to go for a week without talking. I wanted to prove a point, throw a fit and act like a child. I wanted to kick, scream, and throw punches. I declined his call and kept walking.

Max and I walked up the beach towards the park. I took a seat on a bench while Max played. I thought about my situation. Ari didn't believe me when I said Margaux was No. 7. He had lost faith in me. I couldn't blame him; I was losing faith in myself. I had spent the last five months moping about, crying and being completely useless in trying to make a stand against No. 7. I had decided long ago that I would just surrender and let him kill me. I had lost faith and I despised myself for it. I knew then that I had no choice but to fight. I had to stand up to The Kakos even if it meant doing it alone.

An hour went by and I saw a pod of gray whales making its way across the horizon. I nudged Max, who was now sitting by me in the sand, and pointed at the whales. A beautiful baby-tooth grin spread across his face. I scooped him up, put him on my shoulders, and walked right down to where the water met the sand. I pointed out to the whales and Max's little hands flew up to his mouth in excitement. Max and I stood there in the wet sand with his mouth hanging open until the whales had long since passed.

We walked back home for lunch and afterwards I put Max down for a nap in our bed. I turned around and saw Ari leaning in the doorway.

"Are you talking to me?" Ari asked with a sad smile.

"I don't know yet," I shrugged my shoulders as I got up and walked out of the room.

"Ava, I just... I just don't see Margaux the way that you do... I'm sorry but... "

"Stop. I cannot talk about this with you anymore... Just, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure... "

I asked Ari if he would go next door to check on his mom and grab the journal. I told him exactly where I had left it. He agreed and left. I still wasn't ready to make up with him, but I needed that journal and since I couldn't just walk over and get it myself, Ari was my only option.

The noise from loud machine guns rang out from the den, I went downstairs and found August playing video games. I almost turned back around but he hit "pause" and stopped me.

"What was that all about this morning?" he asked.

"I dunno. Ari said something I didn't like and my temper got the better of the situation."

He rolled his eyes at me.

"I wasn't referring to your little lovers' quarrel, you stupid girl. I'm talking about Max and his devil comment; that was messed up, Ava."

I playfully punched August's shoulder for the "stupid girl" comment and took a seat.

"I have no idea where that came from. I've never heard Max talk like that before. Some confusion shouldn't be surprising. The Kakos killed his parents, his grandmother died, he was brought all the way to America by a person he had only met once before, he lived with an unfriendly Aggie and now is here with us trying to make sense of the whole deal. He probably has a thousand little questions."

"True, but he sure started off with a strange one."

I bit at my thumbnail for a minute and thought back to this morning. Max's comment definitely had been strange. I changed the subject.

"So what's going on, August? We never talk anymore."

"Nothing, really," he said, moving his bangs out of his eyes.

"How are things with Collin?"

"Great," he looked at me from the corner of his eye. "If you're trying to get my conversation with Ari out of me, it isn't going to happen."

"What, no, jeez, August. Can't I just be a friend and ask how things are?"

"OK, things are fine, super actually," he grinned.

"Good. I think you two are perfect for one another."

"Yeah, I think so, too. Don't get mad, but I think we're going to get our own place."

"I'm not mad; that's great. I don't think Collin likes living here anyway."

"It's not that he doesn't like it here – he really likes you now by the way – it's just, we both want something of our own."

"Is this urge to move the result of last night?"

"No, no, Ava, we went and looked at a condo up the beach a few weeks ago. I think we're going back to look at it again after the New Year."

"Oh, okay... that's great. Let me know how it works out."

"Okay. Well, actually, we're pretty sure we want to get it."

"That's great. I'm happy for you."

"Oh. Okay. Well. Then, actually, Ava, we already put a down payment on the place and we're moving in next week."

"What the hell, August?" I yelled and nudged his shoulder again. "I don't give a damn where you live. Why are you playing this little game with me? When were you going to tell me, on moving day?"

"So sorry, Ava. I swear I didn't mean for our move to happen like this. The sale went through really fast and I thought we should wait until all this drama blew over to tell you."

"August, look at my life. The drama will never just blow over. I am glad that you and Collin are happy. I think it's great that you guys are getting your own place. You'll be safer that way. You know I would never be mad about something like that."

"Yeah, that's what Ari said."

"Ari knew before I did? You are such a jerk, August! I thought we were friends!" I pouted.

"Collin told him, yesterday. They are like best friends now or something," he rolled his eyes as if Collin and Ari being friends was a bad thing.

August picked up the video game controller and resumed his game, dismissing me in his own cranky way. I got up and started upstairs again. I checked on Max, who was still peacefully asleep, thankfully. Then it came to me that Ari wasn't back from his mom and dad's house yet. He'd been gone more than an hour and I figured Aggie probably had him changing every light bulb in the house just to keep him near her.

I chewed on my bottom lip unsure of what to do. I couldn't work with my journal missing, Max was asleep, and Ari the traitor was gone. My best friend had chosen a video game over me and God only knew where Julia and Rory were or what they were up to.

I picked up my phone and toyed with it for a minute. I dialed.

"Thank you for calling _baio_. You have reached Margaux Baio's office. This is Delia. How may I assist you today?"

"Err, umm, Delia, Hi, this is Ava. May I please speak with Margaux?"

"Absolutely, Mrs. Alexander; I will put you right through."

"Ava," Margaux said on the other line. "Ava?"

"Hello, Margaux," I said, not sure why I called.

"Ava, I am glad you called; I need to talk to you."

"Go ahead, Margaux. You keep saying we need to talk, but you don't ever tell me what you want to talk about."

"Did you get my message?"

I looked up and saw Ari walking up the deck steps.

"Listen, I'm sorry I bothered you, Margaux. I have to go." I hung up the line, really wishing I had not called her.

Ari came home from his mom's house empty handed.

"Did you forget the journal?" I asked with an irritated sigh and stomped my foot in annoyance.

"Sorry, Ava, I couldn't find it."

"What the heck? It's right in front of the chair in the living room."

"No, it's not and I asked my mom if she'd seen it and she didn't know where it could be."

"Ari, this is bad. That journal is all I have. Maybe your mom forgot and moved it somewhere? Like to the study or something?"

"I looked in the study. I looked in every room in the house. I'm sorry."

I put my head in my hands. I couldn't accept no for an answer. That journal had been left in plain sight and everyone was somehow overlooking it. If I hadn't been banned from Aggie's precious house, I could probably find it in thirty seconds.

"So, how is she?" I asked, attempting to move on from our argument.

"I don't really know. She seemed fine, I guess. She is upset that we have Max. She misses him."

"That's too bad; maybe we can have her over for dinner or do something else that might make her feel better."

"Well, actually, Ava, she is going to come over here on New Year's Eve for a little bit. I hope that's okay. My dad is going to Margaux's party and so are Thais and Gianna. Rory and Julia will be out of town and my mom is too sick to go. She doesn't want to be alone."

"Why is everyone going to Margaux's stupid party?"

"Because it isn't going to be a stupid party; it's going to be the most talked-about party of the night."

"And being at the most talked-about party of the night has been important to you since... when?"

"It's not. I'm going because she is my boss and being at that party might just as well be mandatory."

I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted a little bit.

"I am going to be there for an hour tops," he said, trying to unfold my arms.

"Ari, it takes way over an hour just to get there and another hour to get home. I will be stuck here for more than three hours, basically the whole evening, with your mom yelling at me the whole time because I served her tap water or something."

"Well, you should at least use the filter, Ava," he teased attempting to make light of the situation.

I buried my face in his chest and tried not to laugh at his dumb joke.

"I miss you."

"Ava, Baby, I am right here."

He wrapped his arms around the small of my back.

"I know, but I still miss you."

He pulled my chin up and kissed me on the lips.

"Don't worry, we'll get Max set up in the spare room down the hall in a few days and then maybe our lives will be more normal."

"Yeah. Oh... and when were you going to tell me that August and Collin are moving out?"

"I assumed you already knew. I thought you were best friends with the guy."

"I am, but apparently you and Collin are closer than the two of us."

"Well, Ava, what can I say; I give great love advice."

"Am I ever going to know what that conversation was about?"

Ari shook his head no really fast and made a grimace.

"Well, I am still mad at you – just so you know."

I pulled myself out of his arms and left him standing alone in the kitchen.

### Chapter 28

The Host

I sat on our bedroom chair with my arms folded across my chest. My feet were bouncing up and down so frantically they were making the chair squeak and shake. My eyes danced across the room as I watched Ari get ready for the evening.

"Are you sure you have to go?"

"I am not having this discussion with you again. Period." He snapped.

I squinted at him in a cold stare and he rolled his eyes at me. I got up, said nothing more, and slammed the door behind me. Ari had given up following me out of the room during a fight days ago. He had found he had better luck to let me stew alone; fewer items flung at him in fury and broken that way. I walked to the study and slammed that door, too. The glass case holding my scissor collection rattled with the force of the door. I was probably going to wake Max up from his nap but I was too ticked off to be rational.

I did not want Ari to go to Margaux's cocktail party. But most of all, I didn't want to be stuck all night warding off Aggie's anger by myself. I might have been okay if someone else had offered to stay with me, but it seemed everyone was going to Margaux's party. I felt betrayed by my family and friends. Margaux, I was convinced, was determined to kill me and all the people who supposedly loved me were running off to some black-tie event she was hosting.

The study door opened and I looked up from my desk expecting to find a very crabby Max. Instead, Ari strolled in wearing a black dinner suit and tie. He looked absolutely perfect and I got even angrier.

"Don't look at me like that, Ava. I love you. Please stop being mad at me. I thought we were over this."

"What do you want, Ari?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled noisily.

"I am going now. I wanted to tell you bye."

I gave a very fake, too-sweet smile. "Bye!"

He clenched his jaw. Good. I was getting under his skin, just as he had gotten under mine.

"I promise I'll be back in time to kiss your soft, pink lips at midnight."

"Okay," I snapped. "But just let me make sure I have this right. You made plans to go out though I begged you to stay home. You made plans for me to stay here. You are dressed in black tie clothes and look perfect. The whole _baio_ office and the whole family will be out with you except for your mother, who, even though she has actually banned me from her house, will be here at my house with me. Oh and with Max, my other New Year's Eve date. Well, let me just tell you, if you walk out that door, don't worry about coming home at all, let alone about kissing my soft, pink lips!"

Ari turned and slammed the door behind him. _Hard_. So hard, in fact that the glass case slid violently down the wall and crashed to the floor. It should have shattered, it hit the floor so hard, but the case door, unharmed, swung open, hitting the wall behind it. The scissors tumbled out and formed a giant pile on the floor.

I ignored the mess and left the study after I heard Ari's car pull out of the garage. I padded down the hall to check on Max. I had kept him busy all day long and he was off schedule. I had been avoiding Ari all day... all week actually. Max hadn't gone down for his nap until late in the afternoon and if he didn't wake soon, he would definitely not go back to sleep at bedtime.

I walked softly in to our bedroom.

"Come on, Max, it's time to wake up. Aggie'll be here soon and she'll have my head if you're still sleeping."

He rubbed his eyes and blinked at me a few times. It was already dark outside and Max looked confused.

"Hey, Buddy, it's just me. Let's get up for a while and I'll make you something to eat."

He climbed across our bed and crawled up into my arms. I carried him to the kitchen and flipped on the lights.

"Holy crap!" I screamed and jumped about ten feet in the air.

"Aggie, you scared me! What are you doing here in the dark?"

"Ava, that is terrible language to use in front of a child. You should be ashamed of yourself." Her voice was cold and flat, but she was right, nonetheless.

"Sorry, I was not expecting you for a while and you startled me. What were you doing in here in the dark?"

"I wasn't doing anything, Ava; I only just walked in."

"The door was locked."

Aggie held up my house keys, jiggling them between her fingertips. "I found these in my car – they must have fallen from your purse the other day when we went shopping."

"Oh," a cold chill trickled down my spine as I took my keys from Aggie. "Well... I was going to fix Max something to eat. Would you care to eat with us?"

"That sounds lovely, Darling."

I pulled a roasted chicken out of the oven and Aggie sat at the table and watched me dish up the chicken, couscous and spinach. Max had wrapped himself completely around my leg and buried his face in my jeans. I had to peel him off me and strap him in to the booster seat at the table. After setting a loaf of bread down on the table, I walked away to grab the knife.

"I'll take that, Ava." Aggie put her hand out towards the knife, I placed it in her palm and she smiled and sliced the loaf.

Taking my seat in between Max and Aggie, I ate and made a valiant attempt at conversation as dinner went on. I asked her how she was feeling and what she had been up to, I talked with her about some of the photos she had taken lately and about donating a few of her choice to the _House to Home_ silent auction slated for the summer. But, when my phone rang, I sprang to my feet, thankful for a reason to get away. Thankful, that is, until I saw Ari's name on my cell. I hit "decline" and put my phone back on the counter.

"Who was that, Darling?"

"Uh... just Ari."

"You can answer his calls; don't feel as though you have to sit here and keep me company all night." The peevish tone in her voice was hard to miss.

"Oh no, it's all right. He'll just leave me a message."

"Okay," she said with a tiny smirk and a noncommittal shrug.

I walked back to the table, collected all the dirty dishes, and freed Max from his booster seat. As soon as his feet hit the floor, he took off in a dead sprint towards the living room.

"What's gotten into him?"

I peeked into the living room.

"Rory must have left the TV on; he's on the couch watching cartoons."

"All he does over here is watch TV," she mumbled under her breath, but loudly enough for me to hear every word.

I suppressed both a sigh and an eye roll.

"Aggie, please don't start. You know that isn't true. Let's have a nice evening."

She batted her eyes at me and watched as I cleaned up the kitchen mess. My phone rang again and I saw it was Ari. _Decline_.

"You really ought to answer his calls – he may have something important to tell you," Aggie's voice was sing-songy and really irritating.

"Doubt it."

She peered at me from the corner of her eye and gave me a wicked little smile. I guess she was attempting to be coy, knowing full well that Ari and I were angry at each other and had been fighting all week.

Looking back at the week that had just passed, I saw clearly that the two of us had been at odds about everything. The only time we had communicated with each other in the last three days was to scream at each other. I had yelled so much that my throat was raw and my voice sounded gravelly. We argued about Max. Ari wanted to get started on getting Max's bedroom put together. I didn't want to set up a bedroom for Max. I knew in my heart that doing so would only make things tougher for when Max went back to live with Aggie. We argued about money, of all things. We argued over the lost journal and about how it had just disappeared off the face of the earth. I said Aggie probably threw it away and Ari defended her. I told him that his mother kept him on too tight a leash and he completely blew up on me. His mother put me down every chance she got and he kept taking her side, running across the yard to wipe her tears away instead of mine, even though he knew she was the aggressor and that I was right every time. We might as well have been born to be enemies.

Mostly we fought over the cocktail party though. New Year's Eve of all nights! The very date my ordeal with the Kakos had started the year before! Earlier in the week, in an attempt to salvage what little civility we seemed to have left, I had sat down with Ari to tell him how I felt about being left alone with his mother on New Year's Eve. I asked him to reconsider. Ari came to his senses and agreed that going off to a party while Max and I stayed home was not a good idea.

But when Aggie heard of his decision, she called him over to her house and had little trouble convincing him all over again that he needed to go, that his job obligated him to attend and that because he had already promised Margaux he would be there, he should keep his word. She convinced him to go and I couldn't change his mind no matter how much I begged, screamed or cried. I reminded him of his promises not to leave my side or make me cry. He accused me of acting like a spoiled brat. I knew those words had come right out of Aggie's mouth. I told him he was breaking my heart and he scoffed at me. Aggie was poisoning him, plotting to turn him against me. What I couldn't figure out was why.

I picked my phone up off the counter, stared at it, and then jumped when it rang again.

"You are awfully skittish tonight, Ava Baby," Aggie said derisively.

I declined the call and shoved the phone in my back pocket.

"Hey, Aggie, I have a huge mess in the study. Would you mind if I disappeared for a minute to go sort it out?" I wanted to add, "Also, I need to get away from you." But I held my tongue.

"Oh please, take longer than a minute, Baby."

I bit my tongue and walked through the kitchen to the living room on the way to the study. Max caught sight of me as I passed by.

"Ava Baby, where are you going?" I secretly loved it when Max called me Ava Baby. How could the words sound so ugly coming from Aggie?

"I have to clean up a mess, Max. Do you want to come with and help?"

He hopped down from the couch and was at my feet almost before I could finish my question. Once in the study, I shut the door behind us and breathed a small sigh of relief to be out of the line of fire for a bit.

I started to pick up the scissors while Max sat on the floor and fooled around with some creepy little collectibles that I pulled down for him from the shelf, little items Ari and I had found on our various trips to the flea market. Max ferreted out my _Ghostbuster_ action figure, played with it for a while, and then dug through the collection some more. I turned to place a pair of scissors on the desk and noticed the scissor cuff bracelet Margaux had sent me for Christmas. The inner surface of the cuff was visible and for the first time I saw an inscription. "Use them."

Chills ran down my spine.

I thought briefly of Maya but my phone rang, ripping me from my thoughts. I placed the cuff on my wrist, hit "decline" and noticed that Max was holding up a pair of super-sharp, ancient scissors and I let out a gasp.

"Max, no! Give me those! They can hurt you."

"Use these, Ava?"

"No, Max, put them down. They aren't a toy."

I was distracted by my stupid phone again. Why on earth had Ari decided that Margaux's big party was the perfect time to call me and make up? I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw the name: Margaux. Yeah, right... _decline_.

I had half of the scissors arranged back in the case when the study door swung open with a crash.

"Why do you have Max in here?"

"He wanted to help. Why, Aggie? What's going on?"

Her eyes grew impossibly big and round when she saw Max sitting on the floor holding my ancient scissors. Great, I'll never live this down.

"Where did you get those?" she spat.

"What do you mean where did I get them? They're mine."

"Where did they come from?" she asked again, trying this time for a sweet tone, but I could still hear the venom on her lips.

"Hmmm. Well, Maya gave them to me when Ari and I went to Greece last fall."

"Give them to me. He shouldn't be playing with them!"

"No, Aggie. They're mine"

"Max, bring me those, now," Aggie demanded.

Max let out a whimper and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Goose bumps spread down my arms. My phone had not shut up since Aggie had walked into the room. It was ringing again like crazy from my back pocket.

"Max! Bring them! NOW!!" Aggie demanded again.

I swallowed hard.

A flash of light from car headlights hit the study's windows and, moments later, I heard the front door open. Footsteps pounded through the house.

_Oh, thank God, Ari's here_.

The footsteps made their way up the staircase and down the study hallway at rapid speed and a figure dressed all in black stood in the doorway.

_Oh, crap. It's Margaux_.

I swallowed hard and took a step to position myself in front of Max. Margaux squinted her beady little eyes at Aggie. They were standing right next to each other. One wrong move and the scene could go terribly wrong.

"Margaux, what are you doing here?" I asked over the ringing of my phone. My eyes stayed tight on Aggie, watching her every move.

"Stay still," I mouthed to Aggie as quietly and calmly as I could.

"Why weren't you at my party tonight, Ava? Ari promised you would be there."

"Ari lied to you. You are the devil, Margaux. I hate you. Whatever made you think I would come to your party?"

Margaux looked down at the bracelet on my wrist.

"I see you finally got my message."

Max poked his little head around my legs and stared, wide-eyed, at Margaux. She peered back at him and I felt him slide his hand up my leg. He pressed the old, cold scissors into my palm. "Use them," he whispered. I curled my fingers around the scissors, holding them like a dagger.

"You shouldn't have come here tonight, Margaux. I am going to kill you," I took another step toward where she and Aggie stood side by side. I caught another gleam of light hitting the study windows as another car pulled up to the house.

"You don't know what you are talking about, Ava," Margaux spoke in a hushed voice.

A car door slammed.

"Yes, I do." I took another step towards Aggie, trying to position myself in between her and Margaux. My back was turned to Aggie then, and I did not let Margaux out of my sight. And Margaux, it appeared, was not about to let Aggie out of _her_ sight.

Margaux slowly moved her hand and put it on her chest. She spread her fingers out wide then curled her pointer finger and tapped twice right above her heart. I blinked as I took one more tiny step.

Aggie's breath was on my neck.

"Help us, Ava," my mother-in-law said. "She will kill us all."

"Don't worry, Aggie. I promise I'll save you."

I took one more step, nearly closing the distance between myself and Margaux.

Footsteps and hollering rang out through the house. The study door shot open, providing the distraction I needed. I spun around, gripped my ancient pair of scissors and drove them straight into Aggie's chest. Ari's hand flew to his face in horror as he fell to his knees in the doorway. He had just witnessed me stabbing his own mother. Aggie collapsed to the floor as her eyes rolled back in her head. Her mouth opened and a white ghostly mist trailed out of her leaving Aggie pale and nearly lifeless.

"Margaux, save her!" I screamed and Margaux came to Aggie's side and began CPR. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed 911. Once I was assured an ambulance was on the way, I riffled through my desk drawer and pulled out Detective Scott's card.

"Scott," he answered on the first ring

"It's Ava. I need to you to meet me at the hospital. I just killed No. 7 and I have seriously hurt the host."

"On my way."

We both hung up with no further discussion.

Ari was catatonic, on his knees in the doorway. Margaux had removed the scissors from Aggie's chest and was working on applying pressure to the wound to keep her from bleeding out; Max stayed silent at my side. The paramedics arrived and took Aggie, who was unresponsive, out on a stretcher. I buckled Max in his seat in Ari's car. Margaux slid into the front passenger-side seat as Andy pulled up in front of the house.

"Aggie has been taken to the hospital. Ari is still inside the house. Get him and go, now."

"What's going on, Margaux?" Andy demanded.

"I can't explain it right now, Andy. Just please get Ari and come on."

I peeled away from the curb and drove to the hospital. I had to remind myself over and over again that there was a three-year-old child in the back seat and that I needed to be careful. Andy, with Ari in the passenger seat, passed us at lightning speed on the highway.

I called Rory, Gianna and August and told them that there had been an accident of sorts and Aggie had been hurt.

We arrived at the hospital, but there was no word yet on Aggie's condition. I sat with Max on my lap in the waiting room. Margaux took a seat next to me and put her hand in mine. I rested my head on her shoulder and stared blankly at the white tiled floor. Ari still had not even looked at me. An hour passed and the doctor hadn't come out to tell anyone anything and I was beginning to freak out; if I had killed Aggie, I would never be able to forgive myself and Ari would never speak to me again. The waiting room was full of family, but no one spoke. The room was thick with tension.

Detective Scott broke the silence by running down the corridor from the emergency room. He pointed at me, then to an empty hospital room across from the waiting room. I slid Max off my lap and he went willingly to Margaux. I followed Scott into the room and he closed the door behind us.

"Start at the beginning," Scott demanded. He took a seat on a rolling stool and motioned for me to sit across from him. Scott unbuttoned his suit jacket and the gleam from the fluorescent lights in the ceiling bounced off the handcuffs hanging from his belt. I swallowed and stared at him.

"Well, Ava, come on. What happened?"

"Uh... I am really nervous. Can Ari come in here with me?"

"I am sorry no, Ava. Please take a breath and tell me what happened earlier in the evening."

I nodded my head up and down a few times while I gathered my thoughts.

"Ok, here goes. My grandmother, Margaux Baio has been possessed by a Kakos, No 7, for as long as I have known her and a month ago, I set out to find a way to kill her. But the closer I got to finding a way to ending her life, the less certain I felt about her being possessed. There was something different about her. She was nice and almost... caring."

I shook my head and frowned.

"Aggie never saw the danger coming. She is by nature sweet and loving. She was no match for evil. The thing, No.7, left Margaux and attached itself to Aggie, maybe as long ago as a few weeks. I didn't process the change in my own mind until this evening, though."

Then I closed my eyes and described how hatefully Aggie had been acting towards me the past few weeks and how Max seemed to be fine until she would come around. Whenever Aggie was near him he cowered and whimpered as though he were afraid of her. Aggie had everyone believing that her cancer was back. That she was ill and upset. That my journal had disappeared without trace in her house. The truth was that she had been taken over by No. 7 and that No.7 had begun his ploy to kill me.

"So tonight, with Max and Margaux's guidance, I stabbed Aggie in the heart with a pair of scissors."

"Which scissors?" Scott was wide eyed.

"Atropos' scissors."

"How do you know you had the right pair?"

"Because, Scott they are mine. They belong to me. I have dreamed of them every night since I was a young girl. I knew what to do with them as soon as Max placed them in my hand."

"It sounds as though Aggie was lucky to have you there, Ava."

"It wasn't an accident, Scott. I stabbed her."

He put his elbows on his knees and his fingers formed a steeple in front of his mouth.

"Ava, you made the right decision. You did what you had to do. If you had not acted when you did, I am certain that you and Max would not have survived the evening. I believe that No. 7 was going to kill you in your home. Aggie was not a strong enough host; she was too kind and fragile for him to stay in that body any longer."

"Is she going to live?"

"If you did it right, I am sure she will be fine." He stood up to leave.

"So what's going to happen? What kind of trouble will I be in for this?"

"I thought you just told me that Aggie tripped and fell into the scissors you had in your hand. Have a nice night, Ava. Oh, and Happy New Year! Hard to believe it's only been a year. Feels like you've been keeping me busy a lot longer than that. No offense, but I am glad this part is finally over. I miss my wife."

"Thanks, Scott."

I steadied my shaking hands and took a few quick, calming breaths, then walked back out to the waiting room. Ari hadn't moved... his elbows were still on his knees and his fists were knotted up in his hair. Andy paced the room until the doctor finally came out in to the waiting area.

"Well, she's stable and her vitals are good. I don't anticipate her regaining consciousness until the morning. I think it would be for the best if you all went home and got some rest. You come on back in the morning and we'll see what's what," he said.

Slowly people made their way out of the hospital and into the parking lot. Ari climbed into his dad's car and my heart crumbled into a million little pieces. I buckled Max into his seat and drove him and Margaux back to our home. We were the last to arrive back home and our house was packed with family.

Andy sat on the couch next to Lauren, and Ari sat in the armchair in the same position as at the hospital, elbows on knees, fists in hair. I took Max and changed him into his P.J's. He was sleepy, but he refused to lie down. He walked back with me to the kitchen and I stood with him as I looked into the living room at Aggie's family. How familiar the room was and yet how overwhelmingly alienated the family looked to me. I didn't know if I would ever be welcomed by them again. Margaux came to stand by my side, handed me a cup of tea, and squeezed my hand.

"You did the right thing, Ava. It doesn't seem like it now, but you saved a lot of lives tonight."

I nodded my head and closed my eyes.

Max pushed at me in an attempt to get down. He is a lot like me and when he is sleepy, he gets pretty grouchy. He ignored everyone and walked back to the bookshelf only to come back out a few moments later dragging his favorite book by the cover.

"Hey, Buddy, want me to read that to you?" Andy offered as Max walked by him in the living room.

"No. I want my daddy to do it," Max grumbled.

The whole house simultaneously sucked in a breath at Max's words and watched as he walked towards the chair and stood in front of Ari. Ari lifted his head and blinked at him. Without a word, he pulled the boy up onto his lap and began to read.

"Llama, Llama," Ari started and Max put his little hand on Ari's face and fell asleep on the third page of the story. Ari kept quietly reading until the very end. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever witnessed. When Ari finished, he closed the book and set it on the table. He stood up and walked across the room with Max asleep on the soft spot of Ari's shoulder. He wrapped his free arm around me and pulled my face into his chest and in that moment, we both let go and cried.

People began to shuffle around and the doors opened and closed, but neither Ari nor I bothered to look up or say goodbye. Ari held me to him long after we were alone. He took a deep breath, sighed, and kissed me on top of the head and I melted.

"I thought... " he paused as his voice caught in his throat, "I thought I had lost you. I thought I had lost you and Max both. I am so sorry, Ava. You asked me not to leave you. I promised that I would never leave your side, Baby. I promised you. I am so sorry I broke my promise. If something... if something had happened to you my life would have been over."

"I'm fine, Ari, it's okay now."

"I was so worried about you. When Margaux saw I had come without you, she was very angry with me. She jumped into her car and squealed out of her driveway. I thought she was coming to kill you. I called you a hundred times. I thought I was too late. Then when I saw you and Max standing together... you both looked so scared. I should have been there to help you."

"We are okay, Ari. Please, don't worry anymore."

"How did you know... how did you know No. 7 wasn't Margaux?"

"Max. Max knew the whole time. He kept trying to tell me but I wasn't listening. He was so scared of Aggie."

"When did this happen? How long had my mom been possessed?"

"Margaux told me on the ride to the hospital that No. 7 switched over to Aggie the day we arrived back to California from Greece and stopped at _baio_ to see you. Something was off that day. We should have never walked into _baio_. I ignored warning after warning.

"Aggie, Max and I waited for you at your office. I grew restless and left with Max and took him down the hall to Margaux's office. Your mom was alone in your office and No. 7 went looking for you and found her instead. Margaux said that No. 7 had wanted to get closer to me and was planning to move on to you. When No. 7 went in your office, he found Aggie instead and he made the switch."

"Did my mom know?"

"I don't know. Margaux doesn't seem to think so. She thinks that No. 7 really had her believing that she was truly ill."

"How did you find out how to kill him?"

"This... " I handed him the bracelet and showed him the inscription from Margaux.

"I was doubtful at first – but Max knew. When your mother came into the study and saw those scissors, she looked terribly scared. Margaux came in right after and Max slid the scissors up into my hand. He said, "Use them."

He and Margaux knew exactly what to do. She pointed to a spot on her chest and when you came in, I used the distraction to turn on Aggie. I am so sorry about what I did to your mom, Ari."

"That wasn't my mom, Ava. She was lost somewhere deep inside and I know you did what had to be done. No. 7 was going to kill you. My dad found a gun, on the counter in the kitchen, and a note. He was going to kill you and Max and then take Aggie's life. He was going to make it look like you killed them."

Chills ran down my spine and I pulled myself closer to Ari and kissed Max's little cheek. "Max isn't leaving, Ava. You heard him call me Dad. Max is staying here. We are his family and this is where he belongs."

"I know, Ari. I can't bear the thought of him ever leaving us again. I love you both more than I have ever loved anything."

Ari's entire body relaxed and I finally recognized what we had both been fighting about: Max. Deep down inside I think we were both fighting for the same thing. I just wasn't willing to admit to myself how very much I needed Max and how much he needed us, too. Ari carried him to bed where we gave him a kiss goodnight.

We walked hand in hand down the hall to our living room and Ari stopped and glanced down at his watch.

"It's midnight and I believe I owe you something."

"Oh, really?" I asked and flashed a coy smile up at him.

"Yes, really. Happy New Year, Ava."

Ari cupped my chin in his hand and brushed his lips against mine, causing my eyes to flutter and close. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. My body quivered with anticipation. Ari pulled my body up in his arms and my legs wrapped around his hips. He purposely fell backwards and I came down on top of him on the couch. His lips and fingers greedily searched my body. We needed each other in that moment in every way possible.

****

Ari, Max and I went up to the hospital first thing in the morning to check on Aggie. We were, as usual, the last ones to arrive. For once, the tardiness wasn't my fault but Max's – he had finally decided sleeping in was safe and Ari hadn't had the heart to wake him.

By the time we arrived, Aggie had woken up and she was weary and confused. Margaux had been amazing through the whole experience and had explained to Aggie as best as she could what had happened to her. Margaux was an incredibly strong person and had taken No. 7 on willingly when I was a child. She battled No. 7 for eighteen years and he had become almost as much a prisoner to her as she was to him. Margaux felt horrible that he had escaped; she had planned to be his final host no matter what it meant for her. My relationship with my grandmother changed overnight. I owed her my life. She did for me what no one else was capable of doing. She was just leaving Aggie's room when we arrived.

She smiled warmly at Ari, Max and me. We stopped and Ari wrapped his free arm around Margaux.

"Thank you for keeping the love of my life safe. I owe you so much. Ava is my whole universe."

"She's mine, too, Ari." My grandmother said quietly.

My eyes were burning with hot tears. I was at a loss for words. Margaux pulled me into her arms and I sobbed.

"I can't wait to be your grandma, Ava."

Ari and I walked in to Aggie's room and I was incredibly apprehensive. When last I had seen Aggie, I had just stabbed her in the heart with a pair of scissors. She flashed us a beautiful smile and opened her arms up for a hug.

"Oh, Ava Baby! I had no idea; please forgive me for everything. I love you so much. I would never hurt you."

"I know, Aggie. I know you wouldn't. I love you, too."

"I'm sorry," Aggie and I both said at the same time.

"Piase Kokkino!" We both nearly shouted and we each quickly touched the red roses on Aggie's bedside table with a relieved sigh.

Ari set Max down so he could hug his mom. He had a deep crease set in his forehead.

"I'm okay, Ari. You don't have to worry about me."

Max climbed up on a rolling stool and pulled his way over to Aggie's bed. He popped his head up over the side and waved at her.

"Hi, Aggie."

"Oh, Max!" She cried.

Aggie was released that very afternoon. No damage had been done to her heart. There was a small hole in her chest that had been stitched up, she had some memory loss from the last few weeks but that was all. No. 7 was gone and we were free to live without fear of the seventh Kakos.

### Chapter 29

One Last White Lie

Living with Max took some adjustment on our part, but Ari and I found that having him in our lives gave us a happiness we had not anticipated. He is wonderful and fun and I wouldn't have made any changes in our family if I could have; I love our lives.

Okay, yes, we have to get up earlier; with Max around there is no longer such a thing as sleeping in... ever. Yes, we have had to turn our music way down and some of the rowdier songs on our playlists have been removed completely. And certainly our somewhat flirtatious and frisky behavior has had to be curbed ever so slightly.

Max never stopped calling Ari "Daddy" and every time I hear him use the word, my heart melts a tad. A couple of weeks after Max moved back into our house for good, he began to call me "Mom," and when he said "Mama," he almost always added "Baby." It was his own little-guy rendition of "Ava Baby" and I found it adorable.

Before long, March trudged along and the iffy weather began to gnaw at my nerves. I was sick for the entire week before Ari's birthday, so sick that I had a hard time even getting out of bed. Ari started dropping Max off with Aggie in the mornings. He was worried that I might be contagious and was trying to ensure that Max wouldn't catch whatever bug was bothering me. I had a hard time keeping anything in my stomach and I was beyond the point of exhaustion. Just when I began to feel better and think about getting some work done, a new wave of nausea would hit me broadside and I would curl back up in bed.

One afternoon I caught, through the pillow wrapped around my head, the muffled words, "Ava, are you still feeling sick?"

I looked up and saw Julia's head in the doorway.

"Mmm hmm."

"I hope you get over this whatever-it-is in time for Ari's birthday," she said as she came in and took a seat at the foot of the bed. "Is there anything you need? Can I get you something, tea, crackers, Tylenol?"

"No, not right now, thank you, though."

I looked over and pulled my phone off the bedside table. Ari would be home in less than twenty minutes.

"Will you ask Ari to come in here as soon as he gets home?"

Julia smiled fondly at me, "Okay, sure, Ava. You know, of course, that checking on you is always the first thing Ari does when he gets home, but I will remind him to come see you anyway."

"Thanks."

"Yep. Sorry. I'd stay and chat but I don't want to get stuck with the bug you've got."

"Sure, sure, see ya, Julia," I rolled back over, snuggling deeper into the bedcovers. I closed my eyes and was back asleep again in a matter of seconds.

****

"Hi, Baby," Ari whispered as he traced circles on my back. I blinked and smiled up at him.

"Hi."

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked, and I saw the crease above his eyes.

I rolled over and smoothed his forehead with my thumb.

"Yeah, actually, I feel good. Hungry."

"Hungry? That's a good sign! Why don't you try to get up and I'll go next door and grab Max, then I'll make some grilled cheese sandwiches."

"With tomatoes?" I said, perking up; my stomach was roaring with hunger.

"Anyway you want it."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. I really hope you're getting better. I have been worried about you."

"It's just a stomach bug. I'll be fine."

"I hope you're right." Ari brushed the back of his hand against my cheek and smiled.

I climbed out of bed, took a quick, hot shower, and changed into some clean clothes. I even peeled the sheets and blankets from the bed and carried them down to the wash. I heard Max's giggles coming from the kitchen as I emerged from the laundry room.

"Hi, Mama Baby."

"Hiya Max! How was your day? Tell me, what did you do?"

"I played with Rory in the ocean."

My heart skipped a beat and I shot a panicked look at Ari.

"He was with my mom and dad, too, Ava; don't freak out."

"Oh, thank goodness."

Rory was great with Max but he played a little too rough at times for my liking. Max carried on about more of his day's activities while Ari made grilled mozzarella and tomato sandwiches on crunchy Italian bread and I ate my weight in them. I helped wash dishes, then turned over the laundry. Ari, Max and I played together in the living room until it was Max's bedtime. We tucked him in and I yawned.

Ari had the painter and decorator in and out of our house for a week straight working overtime to set Max's bedroom up to Ari's very high standards. What he had done with the room really was magnificent. Max's new bedroom was boyish enough that he would feel very much at home, yet the space was sophisticated enough to blend naturally with the rest of our home. The bedroom was perfect for Max.

"You tired, Ava?"

"Yeah, I'm exhausted."

Ari frowned at me and the crease in his forehead reappeared.

"If you aren't feeling better by tomorrow, I want you to see Dr. Phillips."

"Don't worry about it, Ari. I'm sure I am fine. Besides, I already have an appointment with Dr. Phillips for tomorrow."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

I shrugged, "I dunno, I guess I don't really like him. He's arrogant."

"Well, he's the best doctor in L.A., Ava. He's entitled to a little arrogance. Now let's go to bed."

"Ari, its only nine o'clock in the evening."

"I'm aware of the time, Ava, but you're tired; let's go to bed."

I poked his ribs, "You don't look tired."

"There is no place in the world I would rather be than in our bed watching you sleep. Now come, please."

I gave into an early bedtime only because I was honestly too tired to do anything else. Ari wrapped me up in his arms, played with my hair, and kissed my eyelids while I drifted off to sleep.

I woke in the morning to Ari's alarm. I was lying on top of him so he had to shuffle out from underneath me to turn off the annoying noise. He scooted me under his arm and turned to face me. "Morning, how are you feeling?"

"Mmm... I think I'm fine." I stretched out and didn't immediately feel sick and I took the lack of nausea as a good sign.

"What time is your appointment?"

"I think ten. I'll have to check to make sure."

I had been seeing Dr. Phillips, per his request, every eight weeks. He had suggested I see a therapist for my anxiety and stress. I refused, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and arranged to meet with me personally to check on my progress. The appointments, in my opinion, were a huge waste of time.

Dr. Phillips always started by asking how I was feeling. I continued the ritual with my line: "I'm fine, thank you." Next, he would urge me to stay on my scripts and I would take the little piece of paper with a refill prescription scribbled on it, roll my eyes and leave. The whole ordeal took just under ten minutes, but I had to drive all the way to L.A. to see him. I had discovered that taking Max with me into the examining room shaved nearly two minutes off the usual ten, and I had brought him with every time since.

Ari asked, "Well, the two of you'll be in town, so do you want to come up to the office for lunch?"

Ugh, food. Suddenly just the thought of eating made my stomach turn sour.

"I can't. Max and I have some shopping to do for your birthday."

A cute smile spread across Ari's lips, "Okay, but call me when you leave Phillips's office so you can tell me what he said."

"K."

Ari gave me a quick kiss then got up to get ready for work. I stayed in bed and watched him walk back and forth with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth while he adjusted his shirt collar and chose a tie. I heard Max's footsteps as he came running down the hallway towards our bedroom. He jumped into bed next to me, making my stomach complain a bit, just in time to watch The Ari Show, a morning tradition in our home. Ari put on "Everlasting Light" by _The Black Keys_ and started to dance. Max loved Ari's morning dance party possibly more than I did. He giggled and clapped his hands. When the dance was over and Ari was ready to go, he kissed us both and asked me again to call as soon as I left Dr. Phillips's office.

****

I waited with Max in one of Dr. Phillips's cold, ugly, green-ish examining rooms. The doctor was running behind and I was thinking wistfully of just walking out when he finally brushed through the door and graced me with his presence.

"Ah, my favorite patient," Phillips said as he breezed through the doorway. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Ava. How are you feeling?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Fine, I guess."

"Have you been keeping up on your meds?"

"Yeah."

He smiled a tad and shone his annoying light in my eyes. He placed the diaphragm of his stethoscope on my chest and ordered, "Deep breath." He listened for a moment, moved the scope to a new place on my chest, then placed it on my back and continued asking me to breathe deeply until I began to feel a little lightheaded.

He furrowed his brow at me and pressed his fingertips together.

"Ok, Ava ...what's going on?"

I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Umm, I don't know, really. I have been sick a lot lately, quite tired, too. I can't seem to keep my food down. One minute I am fine and the next minute a wave of nausea hits me like a ton of bricks."

"Any fever?"

"Nope."

"Coughing, sneezing, chest pain?"

"Nope."

"Just fatigue and nausea?"

"More or less, I guess."

"How long have you been feeling this way?"

"I don't know a couple weeks, maybe a bit longer."

Dr. Phillips pushed the call button and spoke into a little speaker.

"Liz, can you come in here for a minute and take Max to the treasure box?"

I looked at Max, then I looked at Dr. Phillips. He just smiled.

Liz, Dr. Phillips's toothy nurse, came in and took Max by the hand.

"He might be interested in the new coloring books we just got... maybe he could sit at the desk with you for a bit and color. We shouldn't be too long."

Liz nodded and walked out of the room with Max bouncing happily behind her. I felt a first glimmer of alarm.

Holy hell, what's wrong with me?

Dr. Phillips handed me a calendar as soon as the door closed.

"Ava, when was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?"

I could feel the color drain from my face and my stomach was assaulted by all kinds of uncomfortable feelings.

"I don't know," I mumbled and looked down at my knotted fingers. "I'm never regular, you know that. My anxiety messes with my cycle; sometimes I don't have a period at all."

"Just take a quick look at the calendar and tell me as best as you can remember. Have you been taking your birth control pills?"

"Yes," I said, blushing.

My mother had put me on birth control years earlier to help regulate my periods and the pain they caused. The pill helped until I met Ari and my life turned upside down. I stared down at the calendar as it trembled in my shaky hands. I pointed to a date on the calendar and Dr. Phillips raised an eyebrow at me.

"Do me a favor, Ava and lie back on the table."

As I did, Dr. Phillips turned on a TV monitor, flipped off the light then came back to my side. "I am going to do a real quick sonogram just to make sure."

I couldn't respond. My throat was too dry to talk. I just lay my head back and closed my eyes. I focused on breathing in and out. I was somewhat aware that Dr. Phillips had squirted some goo on my tummy. Suddenly the room filled with noise. It was a loud, rushing whoosh-whoosh sound. It was the beating of a heart. I gasped and my eyes flew open in shock. Dr. Phillips smiled at my response and nodded his chin to the large monitor displaying a somewhat blurry curved form with a recognizable head, two little arms and two little legs.

"I'm going to put you right at twelve weeks, Ava. Congratulations!"

I gaped open-mouthed at my little baby. Ari's little baby. Oh, my God, _our_ little baby. My eyes filled with tears. Dr. Phillips handed me a tissue and held out his hand to help me sit back up.

"How is this possible?" I whispered after a long moment.

Phillips frowned. "Well, for starters, Ava, birth control is not always effective and your body is under too much stress. All I can say for sure is that you are definitely pregnant."

He handed me a fuzzy picture of the baby and I wiped my eyes again with the tissue. Dr. Phillips wrote out another prescription: "Vitamins - don't even think about throwing this one away. This isn't about you, it's about little Alexander." I nodded. I couldn't process the information. Truly, I was in shock. I couldn't put the array of emotions that surged through me in order. I was, in turns, astounded, weepy, frightened, brilliantly happy and touched by sadness that my mother would not see this child. Phillips handed me a business card, my autopilot kicked in, and I mechanically took it from his hand.

"Here is the name of an excellent obstetrician, the best in my opinion. I'll call her today and set you up with an appointment. She'll probably want to see you in four weeks. I'll send her your chart. Remember, though, this pregnancy will not get you off the hook with me, Ava; I want you back here in eight weeks. I mean it."

"S-sure," I said, glancing down at the business card for a Dr. Niti Patel.

"You should begin to feel better in the next week or so, maybe even sooner; morning sickness usually lasts only during the first trimester. If you have any questions between now and then, feel free to call either myself or Dr. Patel."

Dr. Phillips handed me a pamphlet with a little blue-eyed baby on the front and then a folder full of pages of do's and don'ts.

I swallowed hard.

"Do you need to talk this through, Ava? That's what I am here for."

"I don'... I don't know what to think or say or do right now."

Dr. Phillips let out a breath and sat down on his stool.

"This baby is pretty unexpected then?"

"Uh huh."

"Let's start by breathing, Ava."

I talked with Dr. Phillips for a bit and he helped get me through a slight anxiety attack.

When I was a bit calmer, Dr. Phillips gave me a brief hug, then walked me out of the room and down to where Max was coloring.

"Hiya, Mama. Baby."

My jaw dropped. _Clotho_. Max knew about the baby. He had known from the start. I smiled at him and showed him the grainy picture. He nodded and pointed, "Uh huh, baby!"

I put my pointer finger up to my lips.

"Let's keep it a secret for a little bit, ok?" Max grinned mischievously and grabbed my hand to leave.

Once Max and I made it out to the car, I took a few deep breaths and called Ari. I knew if I didn't call him right away, he would call Dr. Phillips's office – and I wasn't ready for him to know my new information quite yet.

"Thank you for calling _baio_! You have reached the office of Ari Alexander, Fauna speaking, how may I...

"Fauna, this is Ava. Can you put me through to Ari?"

Man, I really have to tell Margaux that the little thing she makes the assistants say is super annoying.

"Sure, Mrs. Alexander, he's around here somewhere; I'll page him for you."

A few seconds later Ari picked up the phone.

"Hi Max and Beautiful, what'd Phillips say?"

I played with a strand of my hair.

"It's just a little bug."

I was so thankful to be having this conversation on the phone. If we had been speaking face to face, Ari would have known in a heartbeat that I was being dishonest with him.

"Wow, that's a relief! Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I feel great."

Whoa, those words were truer than I intended them to be.

"Good, I'm happy."

"Yeah, I'm happy, too. I'll see you when you get home tonight. I love you, Ari."

"Ava, I love you, too."

I took Max to lunch and was able to keep my food down. Then we set off to get Ari some birthday presents. Max helped me pick out a few gifts and then fell asleep in the car on the ride home. I carried him in from the garage to bed and made quick work of wrapping up Ari's gifts. Ari's birthday was Sunday. I had to play it cool until then. I took the folder Dr. Phillips had given me and walked back to the study and began to read.

No sushi. That sucks. The rest I could live with. I hid the folder in the bottom drawer under Max's adoption documents. He had been officially named Maximus Egan Xenos Alexander, son to Ari and Ava Alexander, soon to be big brother to Baby Alexander.

A few days after Aggie had been released from the hospital, Ari and I sat down with her and Andy to talk about Max. Ari explained that Max had begun to call him Daddy, and that he and I were planning to keep Max with us now that the danger of Kakos No. 7 was gone. Aggie understood and agreed with us that we should raise Max.

"It's for the best, I know," she murmured and then turned to us with a loving smile. I had been half expecting more of a fight, but I reminded myself that we were dealing with Aggie now and not No. 7. Aggie was nothing but love and understanding. And since the cancer that had been plaguing her had been a phantom illness imposed upon her by No. 7, she was healthy again and would be the best grandmother on the face of the planet.

****

Ari met me at home after my doctor's appointment and I made a big family dinner. We were joined by Julia, Rory, August and Collin. August and Collin had moved out in January but we still saw them at least twice a week and every single weekend. They were regulars at Aggie's house on Sunday and since neither of them cooked, they came over to snag dinner as often as they could. They also used our beach because the stretch of sand in front of their home was usually crowded with sunbathers. Their pool is shared with other people from the condo, too, so they preferred ours... and so on. I didn't mind. I missed August whenever he was away.

****

A few days after No. 7 was defeated, August had come over and surprised me.

"Come on, I have something for you; let's go," he said as he walked in through the back door.

"I can't leave, August; I have Max."

"No, you don't. Ari will watch him, so hurry the hell up or I'm leaving without you."

"What's this about? Ari's at work."

At that moment, Ari came in through the garage door and smiled at me.

"You better get a move on it, Ava; August is serious – he's gonna leave without you."

August yanked me by the arm through the door Ari just came from and out into my car. I didn't even get to question why Ari was home early or kiss him hello or goodbye. August shoved me in the passenger side seat and drove my car towards L.A.

He pulled up to the best tattoo place in the city and handed me a gift certificate. I gawked at him in surprise.

"What's this for?"

"It's for you. You're my best friend, Ava. I love you. I am so proud of everything you have done and all that you have become. You are a hero and a mom and I think you are an astounding person. I knew that you'd never get your wrist finished if I didn't drag you down here and I think you owe it to yourself. You finished the job, did something no one else was capable of and I think your tattoos need to reflect that."

I sniffled.

"Don't freaking cry on me, Avie; let's do this."

Thanks to August, I finished my wrist. I officially had six black two-inch tally marks and one fleshy, pink, slightly longer, jagged one. The assembled tattoos were awesome and the seventh one hurt like hell. I was too happy in life for the pain to be therapeutic.

****

After dinner, everyone decided to get in the hot tub. I remembered reading in my pamphlets that hot tubs were off limits.

"Umm... I'm gonna sit out with Max."

"Are you sure?" Ari asked with a frown.

"I'm sure," I smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "and young children aren't supposed to be in hot tubs anyway."

Max nodded.

"Mama. Baby," he said. I picked him up and sat with him on the deck. I gave him a stern look and put my pointer finger up to my lips. Max and I sat together and read story books and once it got late enough, I took Max to his bed and then walked down the hall towards my own room for rest. The baby growing within me was demanding of my energy and left me quite fatigued. I slept the night away, peacefully and when I woke up in the morning, Max was playing the whisper game with Ari.

"Mama. Baby."

"No Max, don't wake Mama up; let's let her sleep," Ari whispered back to him.

Phew... Ari didn't understand.

Ari and Max left to make breakfast and I snuggled more deeply in the pillows for a few more minutes of peace and quiet.

Because Margaux was getting the _baio_ summer line together, Ari was up to his elbows in work. He went into the office for a few hours and I had a chance to let my guard down. I sat and thought about the little baby that was on the way. I was terrified, nervous and worried. I had no idea what to expect out of pregnancy, but most of my worry revolved around the possibility that our baby would be burdened with the "scissor dream," as Max puts it.

Ari and I had discovered that when I miss a night on duty in my dream hospital, Max has to fill in, a reality I still can't fathom for a three year old. I really didn't want our children to have to deal with the life and deaths of our loved ones.

****

We all gathered at Aggie's early on Sunday for Ari's birthday. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm. Ari, Lauren and nearly everyone except for Aggie and myself went down to play in the water and surf. Max is a natural in the water. He and Ari could spend hours splashing around and playing in the sand.

I sat in the kitchen with Aggie and helped her make Ari's favorite dinner. My morning sickness had eased up and I was starving all the time. I kept sneaking bits of the veggies she was chopping. Aggie had a half of an apple pie left sitting on her counter and as we talked, I cut myself a sliver. I sat at the island and took a bite. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at me. She stopped talking mid-sentence.

"What?" I said with a mouth full of pie as I looked around the room.

Her open mouth turned in to a huge, giddy grin.

"Oh, nothing," she said in a sing-songy kind of way.

I realized what I had done and dropped the fork to my plate. I don't eat sugar. Aggie knows that better than anyone, having tried to shove pie and cake down my throat for the last two years. I took a drink of water and shoved the plate across the counter top. I tried to ignore her twinkly-eyed stare, but she was unrelenting.

I took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.

"Don't tell anyone," I said sternly.

Aggie squealed, clapped her hands and ran around the island to hug me for what felt like an eternity. She pulled back, kissed my cheeks, pretended to spit on my belly and then wiped tears from her eyes. She went back to cooking without saying another word. Her giddy little grin did not leave her face for the rest of the day.

When everyone came back into the house from the beach, Max was repeating "Mama. Baby" over and over again. Ari carried him in and set him down by the island.

"There she is, Max, right there. I swear, Ava, he has been asking for you ever since we left for the beach."

"Uh huh, I'm sure he has."

I picked Max up, put him on the counter top in front of me and gave him a strict look. "I thought you were going to be cool about this, Max," I whispered into his ear. He shook his head no and flashed me a little monster smile. I put some dry clothes on him and we all sat down to a huge dinner at a very crowded and noisy table.

Ari's family highly values gift giving and everyone showered him with birthday presents. The family is creative and competitive – everyone tries to top the others by giving the "best" gift. I had been told that I was the _in absentia_ winner the year before with the nineteen gifts I sent from London, and I had reason to believe I might win again this year.

Ari opened gifts from Aggie, Andy, Gianna and Thais, Lauren and Luke, August and Collin, Nick, Rory and Julia. Some were handmade, others were nice, and some were expensive, but most just were hilarious. Anything the person having the birthday had messed up on during the year or any funny situation that might have occurred, the others in the family were bound to recount at the birthday dinner.

"Band-Aids to cover bite marks... very funny, Rory." Ari rolled his eyes and laughed out loud.

The whole kitchen was filled with wrapping paper, bows and discarded boxes. It was at last my turn to present my gift. I handed Ari a box and smiled. My nerves shot through my body like lightening. My fingers were trembling but Ari didn't notice. The box was wrapped in a simple solid blue and Ari took his time opening it. All eyes on were him. Ari flipped the lid on the box and began to peel back the pink tissue paper. His slow pace at opening the gift was excruciating. He finally uncovered the picture frame that Max had helped pick out and stared down at it. He blinked once, then twice, then three times. My stomach was so full of butterflies that I was about to fly away. The box lid slipped out of Ari's fingers and fell closed. He looked up at me, in one fluid motion Ari pulled me in his arms and spun me around.

"Oh, my God, Ava. I love you so much."

Ari put me back on my feet and his hands flew to my stomach, then to my face, then back to my stomach.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and he wiped them away with his thumbs. He was speechless.

Murmurs and questions broke out in the kitchen and finally Rory picked up the box and flipped the lid back.

"They're pregnant!" He announced happily as he passed the little picture frame, holding the grainy black-and-white first photo of our tiny baby, around the kitchen. Our loving family members gasped and shed tears of joy. "Mama. Baby. Daddy. Max," Max said, and Ari's eyes twinkled.

"He knew!"

"Uh huh, he knew. He knew before I did."

"Why didn't you tell me, Max?" Ari asked as he picked him up in our little family hug.

"I did," Max grumbled.

Once the kitchen calmed down, Aggie began to cut the cake. She slid me a piece with a sly smile and I happily took it. Ari started to slide my plate down the line to pass it to the next person like he usually did and my eyes went wide. I nearly stabbed his hand with my fork.

"Ma, you know Ava doesn't eat this stuff," Ari huffed.

"She doesn't, but that little baby does, Ari, so you better give that cake back before you get hurt."

He looked at me with a confounded little look.

"You told my mom before me?"

"No, I didn't. I can't help it that she decided to be observant one day out of the year. She saw me eat one tiny bite of pie and instantly knew I was pregnant."

I took a bite of cake and it was the sweetest, most amazing, mouthwatering thing I had ever eaten. Ari watched me eat every last bite of my slice of his birthday cake with a giant smile. His hands never left my tummy.

That night Ari kissed my belly and then whispered to the baby. "I love you. You hold my heart in here. Be careful with it; I can't live without it."

####

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cat Mann is an Illinois author who writes teen and adult romance. She is happily married to a genius of a man and together they are raising two beautiful daughters.

With her dog at her side, Cat obsessives over French music, witty films and lengthy novels.

Cat's books have been listed on numerous Amazon bestseller lists, including the Amazon Top 100, Literature & Fiction Fantasy Based Novels, as well as being a top contender in Mythology & Fairy Tales.

To find out more about Cat's projects and get dates on upcoming releases, find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authorcat.mann and follow her blog, http://authorcatmannblog.blogspot.com/.

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