Collateral Damage (Read 56,418 times)

[gapeach]

Jan 16, 2014 15:15:32 GMT -5 Minako98 said:

OK I should NOT have read this while at work. Tears are streaming down my face...

I agree 100%! This has to be the best chapter yet... Tarrington gets sacked, Shane gets offered the job and turns it down and KIM & SHANE ARE GETTING MARRIED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MrsM]

Awwwwww!!!!! Happy tears here too!

[fluffysmom]

What a perfect Christmas. I love the kids being there for the proposal.

[jwsel]

Chapter 545

Snuggled deeply in her bed, Kayla reached instinctively for her husband as the first hints of waking made their way through her body. Her eyes opened to nothing but emptiness on his side of the bed. As she adjusted to the dark room, she saw two items on the pillow where Steve's head should have been. Sitting up, she reached for them. She found a single, yellow rose and a small, wrapped box.

Smiling, she pulled back the covers and stepped from the bed. As she wrapped her robe around her, she was thankful that her morning sickness had begun to eased during her second trimester. Well, it was either that or her child had decided to give his mama a break on Christmas. Either way, she was happy not to experience the all too familiar nausea this morning.

Holding the small box she had found, Kayla quietly made her way out of the bedroom, walked down the hall, and peeked into her daughter's room. Stephanie was still asleep, having been worn out by the Christmas Eve festivities the night before. Kayla knew that this would likely be the last Christmas that did not begin with small children waking their parents in breathless anticipation of what Santa had left under the tree.

Moving to the living room, Kayla first saw the beautiful Christmas tree that she and Steve had put up just a few days before. Underneath the tree were wrapped presents. Most were for Stephanie and some would go with them to her parents' house later that morning. After the craziness of the last few weeks, it had taken several marathon shopping trips with Kimberly to cross all of her items off her list.

Turning slightly, Kayla found Steve standing at the window looking out on the snowy street. He was wearing only his pajama bottoms and a Santa hat perched on his head. As she watched, he put his harmonica to his mouth and the quiet strains of "Silent Night" began to filter through the room.

Kayla walked to Steve, put her arms around him, and leaned her cheek against his back. He must have felt her approach, because he never flinched and continued to play the song. When it was finished, they stood there for a moment before Kayla whispered a soft "Merry Christmas, Steve."

Steve slowly turned in her arms and placed his hands on the sides of her face. They stared into each other's eyes, seemingly lost in time. Kayla could read so many emotions in his eye -- happiness, peace, perhaps a little regret, but most of all there was love.

"Merry Christmas, Sweetness," he said as he bent down and softly kissed her lips.

They stood together for several moments before Kayla remembered what she was holding in her hand. Pulling away slightly, she held the box up. "Is this for me?"

Steve's green eye twinkled, "Who else did you think it was for, baby?"

Kayla smiled brightly and shrugged. "Well I didn't want to make an assumption. Maybe you left it on the pillow by mistake."

Steve took Kayla's hand, walked her over to the couch, and pulled her down on his lap as he sat. "Why don't you open it and find out."

Carefully removing the ribbon, Kayla opened the box and gasped. Inside was a gold necklace with a heart shaped pendent hanging from the chain. Within the heart, three small stones hung from tiny strands of gold.

"It's beautiful," Kayla said as she lifted the necklace from the box.

"It's our family," Steve explained. "The heart is you and the stones are me and our children." He took the necklace from her and placed it around her neck. "Your love surrounds us and keeps us whole."

"You're amazing," Kayla sniffed, tears filling her eyes. "I love you so much."

"I don't know about amazing, Sweetness. I just know that I love you, and that you and our children are everything to me."

Kayla looked down at the necklace lying on her chest and then back up at her husband. She felt so much love that she thought she might burst right there. She leaned up and kissed his lips softly, and then with more passion, pouring everything she was feeling into him.

Steve finally pulled back and smiled. "Careful, baby. You don't want to start something you can't finish before your daughter wakes up."

Kayla sighed regretfully. "You're probably right." Then she kissed him again, more playfully this time. "But you better not plan on getting much sleep tonight, Mr. Johnson."

Steve chuckled. "I love how you think. Actually, I love how you do everything."

"The feeling is entirely mutual," Kayla replied. She stood up. "And now it's your turn to open your present."

As Steve leaned back on the couch, Kayla walked to the Christmas tree. She carefully moved several presents before pulling out two boxes and carrying them over to the couch.

"Two presents?" Steve asked with a raised brow. "Now I'm going to have to go shopping again."

Kayla just smiled. "Actually, one of them is really for both of us, so we're still even."

Steve gave her a questioning look, but remained silent as Kayla handed him the first box. "I wanted to find something for you that would symbolize how much I love you and how blessed I am to have you back," she said. Touching her necklace, she smiled ruefully, "Unfortunately, you're not much of a jewelry guy, so I had to come up with something a little more practical."

Steve looked at Kayla but didn't open the present. "You don't need to give me anything to show me you love me, Kayla. I see it in your eyes every day, and I see it in our daughter and in that baby that is growing inside of you."

Kayla leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I know. But there has been something missing for the last week or so, and I wanted to fix it. So open your present."

Steve nodded and carefully opened the box. Kayla watched as his eye widened and a smile crossed his face. Moving the paper inside, he pulled out a leather jacket. It was black with silver zippers on the pockets and the arms. As Steve examined the jacket, Kayla spoke softly.

"I can't seem to remember a time when a leather jacket wasn't part of you. At first, it was a bit intimidating -- like you," she said with a smile. "But when I got to know you -- the real you -- I realized that the jacket wasn't there just to intimidate people, it was there to protect you."

Steve looked up as Kayla continued. She explained, "I realized that the jacket was this shield for you. It projected that 'tough guy' image you wanted everyone to see, but really it was protection for that big heart inside. So now when you wear it, I want you to think of me and our family. We are your protection and will always be here for you. . . ." She grinned. "Plus, it's just weird to see you without one."

Steve's eye was filled with unshed tears as he leaned down and kissed her. "It's beautiful, Sweetness. Thank you so much."

Kayla smiled. "You're welcome. Now there is one more left to open before Stephanie wakes up and has her turn."

"You said this one was for both of us, right?"

Kayla nodded. "Well, sort of. It's actually . . . it's a present you gave me last year, and now it's my turn."

Steve looked at her questioningly. "Last year? Sweetness . . . I wasn't here last year."

"Not in body," Kayla replied with a sad smile. "But . . . somehow, you still sent me a present. It was something you had arranged before you disappeared. It got delivered to the house after I sold it, but Maggie made sure I got it."

Steve's eyebrow rose, and Kayla could tell he had realized what she was referring to. "You mean you actually got that present?"

Kayla nodded and gestured to the box. "Open it."

Steve opened the box and pulled out the bright silver antique teapot. Holding it up, Kayla could see the dual engravings on the side. Just below the engraved names of Emily and Gideon were the names Steve and Kayla and the 1990 date. Steve then reached back into the box and pulled out the card he had included with the teapot the previous year. "A hundred years from now our love will be a legend too."

"When I opened that box last year and saw what you had done, it was like you were still there with me. And even though I knew it was impossible, I couldn't help but feel this tiny bit of hope that, like Gideon returned to Emily when she thought all was lost, you would return to me." She smiled up at Steve as tears fell down her cheeks. "And then you did." She took a deep breath to collect herself. "So I thought it was only fitting that we open this again this year -- together. Just like it was always supposed to be."

Steve put the teapot on the coffee table and moved the boxes to the floor. Then he pulled Kayla to him and held her tightly against his chest. She could feel his tears and quietly let hers flow too. She knew that the tears were not of sadness, but of healing. They had been denied this moment by an evil act over a year before, but they had somehow triumphed over that evil and had reclaimed the life together that they had worked so hard to have. The tears they shed now were the final mourning of that time lost.

As they held each other, Kayla heard the tell-tale sounds of her daughter stirring, followed quickly by the familiar calls of "Mama! Papa!" Pulling away, Kayla wiped her tears and then wiped Steve's from his cheek as well. "Sounds like your daughter is ready to open her presents now."

Steve smiled and slid from underneath Kayla and stood. "I'll go get her while you get the camera. I want to capture every moment of this Christmas."

Kayla stood and gave Steve a kiss on the cheek. "I can't think of anything better."

Steve headed for Stephanie's room and Kayla stood still for a moment, listening to the happy squeals of Stephanie greeting her father. She placed a hand over her belly and felt her baby resting there peacefully. She did not know how they had come through everything, but it did not really matter. All that mattered now was that their family was whole and happy and she could only pray that it would always be that way.

[fluffysmom]

Such a beautiful scene. It's the perfect Christmas morning for the two of them.

[MrsM]

Awwww!!!!!!!!!!!

[gapeach]

Perfect!!!

[jwsel]

Chapter 546

"Come on," Andrew urged as he prepared for his typical full-speed run towards Shawn and Caroline's stairs. Shane was pulling Jeannie out of her car-seat while Kim and Eve were figuring out the logistics of transporting the trunkload of presents to the house. Shane looked over at Kim, who caught his gaze and smiled. She raised her hand and wiggled her ring finger so the sunlight shimmered off the diamond.

Shane smiled back and then had an idea. "Eve, sweetheart, would you take Jeannie? Leave the presents. We'll worry about them in a little while." When Kim gave him a confused look, Shane added, "Just trust me."

He turned Jeannie over to Eve and Kim closed the trunk. He nodded at Eve, who headed toward the Brady house with Andrew and Jeannie, leaving him alone with Kim.

"So what's going on, Shane?" Kim asked. "I don't know if I can take any more surprises today."

"Are you complaining about the surprise?" he asked.

Kim swatted him playfully. "Not at all. . . ." She looked down at the ring and then up at him. "Marrying you again is what I want more than anything in the world. And . . . after everything that's happened, the idea that we're actually going to be able to be together is almost beyond my wildest dreams. I just don't think you can top that."

Knowing exactly how Kim felt, Shane replied, "I wouldn't try." He put an arm around her shoulder. "I just thought we could take a little walk." He could tell she was suspicious, that she thought he had some plan. "I promise you there isn't a marching band or some big surprise on the pier. I just wanted to walk down there."

Giving in, Kim let him guide her down the stairs to the pier. It was not long before they reached the location where Shane and Steve had fought off the dockworkers a few weeks ago. He stopped and looked around the spot.

"Do you remember--" He and Kim said the words almost simultaneously, then stopped. They both chuckled a little momentarily, but they soon grew somber. This part of the pier held a lot of memories.

"You followed me here when I ran out of Roman's wake," Kim said softly. "You were the only one who realized what seeing Uncle Eric after all those years did to me. . . ."

Shane remembered that night well. Looking back now, he could say that he should have known then that he and Kim were meant to be. The connection they had . . . it was always there.

"Not even my family could see it," Kim said.

Shane held her a little more tightly. "Hey, you don't have to think about that. Let's think of something happier."

"Like what?" Kim asked.

"Like the second time we ran into each other here," Shane said, remembering a bitterly cold Christmas eve. "That was the night you invited me to your family Christmas for the first time." He looked out at the river. "That was probably the first time I began to feel a part of a family again, and maybe that's when Salem began to become my home."

Kim turned her body into his and nestled her head against his chest. "I had very good taste, I think."

He held her silently as they both listened to the sound of the water lapping around the pier's pylons. When he spoke again, he realized he almost sounded wistful. "You always had your family, Kimberly. You have no idea what it's like to look back at how lost I was . . . at how empty that way of living was. You gave me a life I had stopped even imagining in my dreams -- no, what you gave me was even better than I ever imagined."

Shane felt funny, hearing the emotion in his own voice, but he continued. "And it was only a few months ago that I was back in that dark place, without a family, all alone, thinking I would never find love again."

"Shhhh," Kim said, silencing him. "That's the past, Shane. We've worked through that and I think we both know that's not how you want to live."

"No, it's not." Shane had to agree. "I just want to thank you for giving me a family in the first place -- and then for giving it back to me when I was a fool and nearly threw it away. It's like I told that man from the CIA. . . . Family is all that matters to me."

There was a funny look in Kim's eyes when he said that, a look Shane could not read. She stared up at him and then reached up and caressed his cheek. "I think you mean that," she said.

Does she doubt me? Shane wondered. "I do mean it," he insisted.

"I know," Kim said. "I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to suggest I didn't believe you." She seemed to think a little before she spoke again. "It's just I was thinking about the ISA and that offer. . . . And . . . maybe you turned it down too fast."

Shane was confused. He thought his decision was settled and Kim approved. After everything they had gone through, he was sure she would be thrilled that the ISA would no longer interfere in their lives. "I turned down the job, Kimberly. Isn't that what you want?"

"But what about what you want?" she asked.

That answer was easy. "I want to be with you and our children; I want to have a happy family."

But Kim pressed him. "Can you really give up being an agent? In a few years, will you look back at today and regret that you didn't take the job?"

"I don't understand," Shane said. His head was spinning. "I thought you, of all people, would be happy. Finally, I've put you and our family first."

"And I love you for making that choice -- and for sincerely believing it's the right choice," Kim replied. "But I also think of what you could do as ISA Chief--"

Shane shook his head. "What I could do?"

"You could do a lot of good, Shane." Kim turned in his arm so she was now facing him. "You figured out Lawrence's toxin and you found him when nobody else could, so I know you could lead the ISA. But it's more than just how you solve crimes. It's how you feel about the ISA. Look at the way you wouldn't compromise the ISA even when your life and your future was at stake. Maybe the ISA could use a leader like that, not one who puts children at risk for leverage or barely cares about the lives of the people that work for him."

Shane was floored. This was not what he expected to hear from Kim.

"And I know that, even if you took the job, you would make time for me and your children. We'll always be your priority. That you're ready to turn down the job for us proves that." Kim smiled again. "So think about it." She started to pull away, but took his hand in her's. "Think of the good you can do. . . . Now, come on and let's get over to my folks before Papa sends out a search party."

"Wait. . . ." He held on to her hand. "I think we have a few more minutes before they come looking for us." He pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her again. Kim relaxed against him and they both stared out at the river.

The sun was shining, creating shimmering reflections off the small waves. The water seemed to dance in the light. In the distance, a tugboat blared its horn. It cut through the peaceful lapping of the waves, almost a protest that its occupants were working on the holiday.

"Will you take it?" Kim asked.

She meant the job. Shane did not have an answer. His mind was still reeling and he was still stunned that Kim might want him to return to the ISA. "I could be very happy just like this," Shane answered truthfully. "With no job . . . no obligations other than to hold you and love you and our children."

"I think you would," Kim replied. "But I also know there is a part of you that believes you have obligations that go beyond our family. It's that sense of duty that brought you to Salem in the first place -- to stop Stefano -- and kept you here after Roman died. You felt responsible to Marlena and wanted to protect Bo, and that's the man I fell in love with. That's always been a part of you, and I'm not sure you'd be the same man if you weren't trying to save the world."

Kim fell silent and leaned her head back against his chest. Shane softly kissed the top of her head and stared out at the river of the town that had become his home.

In his arms, Kim smiled and said, "Whatever you choose, Shane, I'll be happy. I want whatever makes you happy."

[fluffysmom]

I think Kim is right. Shane could do a lot of good in the job. I suspect he will decide to take the job.

[jwsel]

Chapter 547

Steve adjusted his white beard and checked his hat one last time. Then, slinging the red bag over his shoulder, he headed down the stairs of the pier with a loud "Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!"

Below on the pier, the children looked up and smiles spread across their faces. A little girl who could not have been more than four or five shouted "Santa!" Another boy, who Steve recognized from prior years, shook his head. "That's not Santa. It's Patchy Claus."

The girl looked at the boy in confusion as Steve approached. "That's right, little dude!" Steve said. "Patchy Claus is here with toys for good little boys and girls." He could see the flash of disappointment in the little girl's face, so he settled himself on the last step of the pier and pulled the girl into his lap.

"By the look on your face, I'd say you were hoping for Santa." The little girl nodded shyly. "Well, Santa has so much to do on this day that he gets helpers all over the world, like me," Steve said, smiling. "That way, all of the boys and girls get their presents that Santa picked out for them." He leaned down and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "And I happen to know that there is one in here just for you."

"Really?" the little girl asked, her smile brightening on her face.

"Really," Steve replied. He reached into his bag and pulled out a gift that he and Kayla had wrapped the night before and was specially purchased for a small girl. He handed the package to the girl and watched as she tore through the wrapping paper to find a new doll inside.

"This is the doll I asked Santa to bring me!" she squealed. "You really are Santa's helper!"

Steve laughed heartily and set the girl on the ground with her doll. "That's right, little sweet thing. Santa made sure to tell me that doll was just for you."

The girl smiled broadly and threw her arms around Steve. "Thank you for bringing my doll to me. My mama said that because by daddy lost his job that I shouldn't expect a new doll this year. But I knew that Santa would read my letter and I've been good for weeks."

Steve's heart caught in his throat as the little girl's innocent words. He still remembered those Christmases in the orphanage when the children would make long lists to Santa, always hoping their wishes would be fulfilled. He knew now that the orphanage staff did the best they could, but most Christmases arrived with a small present that rarely matched the wishes of the children. He was thankful that fate or the Big Dude had helped Kayla and him find the perfect present for this little girl. He was glad that she could still have faith in Christmas and Santa for at least another year.

The girl moved off with her new doll and the rest of the children crowded around. Steve recognized some of the faces, but there were always a few new ones and others who he missed. For the next half an hour he handed out the presents to the kids. Some of them appeared to be perfect matches, and he pretended not to notice when a few of the children traded presents after they were opened.

Finally, he was down to the last kid. It was the boy who had identified him as Patchy Claus earlier. Steve looked into the bag at the few remaining presents, thankful that he brought enough for everyone and hoping he could pick the right one for the boy. He pulled one out and handed it to the boy. The boy smiled, opened it, and found a new football inside. He grinned.

"I've been needing a new one of these. My dog got a hold of my old one and, well, it's a little hard to throw now."

Steve laughed. "Keep this one away from the dog and it should last a long time."

The boy nodded and then looked at Steve more closely. "You're not the same Patchy Claus that was here last year. You're the one that used to come here before."

Steve nodded. "Unfortunately, I couldn't be here last year." He looked up as he heard footsteps and saw Kayla approaching with a well-bundled Stephanie. "But I sent the best person I know to fill in for me. I bet she . . . er . . . he did a great job too."

The little boy shrugged slightly. "He was okay, but not as good as you."

Steve saw Kayla stifle a laugh and roll her eyes. Then she said, "I agree. Nobody can replace the real Patchy Claus."

The boy nodded, thanked Steve again, and then headed off to play with his football. Kayla sat down next to Steve and put Stephanie in his lap. Steve looked around at the children with their new toys and then looked at Kayla.

"You did good," she said. "The kids all look so happy."

"We did good," he corrected her. "You picked out a lot of the presents and helped wrap them all." He smiled. "And you kept things going last year, so they didn't give up on ol' Patchy Claus."

Steve saw a sad look cross Kayla's face for a moment. "It wasn't easy to do this last year," she said softly. "But I knew that the kids were counting on me and I didn't want to let them -- or you -- down."

"Thank you," Steve whispered and leaned over to kiss Kayla on the cheek. It wasn't easy through the fake beard and Kayla giggled as he worked to get his lips through the fake hair. Kayla's giggles seemed to infect Stephanie and soon she was giggling as well. Steve wrapped his arm around Kayla and reveled in the sound of both of his girls laughing.

He again hard footsteps on the pier. Looking, up he saw Jack approaching. He was dressed in a suit and tie with his long overcoat buttoned around him. Steve just shook his head. Even on Christmas his brother could not seem to dress down.

"Merry Christmas, Jackson!" Steve called as Jack reached them. "If you're lucky I might still have a present in here for you. I think a squirt gun would be perfect."

Jack smiled. "I don't think I'm supposed to go near any kind of weaponry." He looked at Kayla, nodded, and brushed his hand over Stephanie's head. "Merry Christmas."

Kayla smiled, but Steve could see the tension that was always there when Jack was around. He would forever be grateful that his wife was willing to tolerate Jack's presence in their life, but he also wanted to spare her as much of that strain as possible.

"Sweetness, why don't you and Stephanie head on over to your folks? I'll wait here in case there are any stragglers and meet you there soon."

"Sure," Kayla replied as she gathered up Stephanie. "Don't be too long though." She headed for the stairs, pausing just briefly next to Jack. "Merry Christmas, Jack." Then she headed off to her parents house.

Steve and Jack stood silently watching her leave. Steve tried to read the expression on his brother's face. He thought there was a mix of regret and sadness there, but he was not really sure. He and Jack might be brothers, but they were also still Jack Deveraux and Steve Johnson, and Steve really could not read Jack any better now than he could when they first met.

Jack finally broke the silence, turning to Steve. "Glad to see you got your old job back. I thought Kayla might try to recruit me next."

Steve laughed at the thought. "The kids are luckier than they know. With you shopping for them, they would all get ties and subscriptions to the Spectator. How are things at the paper these days?"

"Couldn't be better," Jack replied with pride. "Circulation is up, revenues are up, and the accolades are pouring in for our coverage of the toxin attack and death of Lawrence Alamain." He looked Steve in the eye. "Thank you. If you hadn't brought me in on that, I might have been in serious danger of losing the paper."

"Don't thank me, Jack. That's not why I did it."

"I know," Jack agreed. "But regardless of the reason, I'm grateful." He smiled ruefully. "I guess my big brother saved me again. You really are a superhero."

Steve shook his head. "You're wrong, Jack. I'm anything but a superhero. I've made too many big mistakes and hurt too many people to be any kind of hero. I'm just a guy trying to do the right thing for his family."

Jack shrugged. "Well, whatever you are, I think Salem is pretty lucky to have you back." His tone grew serious. "We're all lucky to have you back."

Steve did not know how to respond to the sincere emotion there. He and Jack had written the book on how to avoid emotional conversations over the years. The rare moments that they occurred never failed to surprise Steve.

Jack then reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. "I brought this with me hoping I'd find you here. Merry Christmas."

Steve took the box and stared at it, emotions swirling inside. His little brother had brought him a Christmas present. It was, in some ways, a dream come true. And yet, Steve could not help but be a little suspicious.

Jack must have seen the look on Steve's face and chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not going to explode and it doesn't have a microphone hidden in it."

Steve rolled his eye, but opened the present anyway. Inside was a small framed picture of him, Jack, Jo, and Adrienne. Steve recognized it as having been taken the Christmas before Lawrence took him. It was the first time they had all been together on Christmas.

"I thought you might like to have this," Jack said quietly. "After you . . . disappeared, I used to look at that picture and wonder why we had so little time to be an actual family. Now, it's just the first family picture we managed to take."

Steve swallowed the lump in his throat. "Thank you, Billy Jack. I . . . It really means a lot."

Jack nodded and shifted uncomfortably. Then he checked his watch and said, "Well, I better being going. I have to meet Jennifer at the Horton's. Apparently, there will be singing involved."

Steve laughed. "Hard to believe you are part of the Horton clan now." Then he stuck out his hand and Jack shook it. "Have a good Christmas Jack."

Jack looked at their joined hands and offered a rare sincere smile. "I think I already have." Then he turned and headed off up the stairs.

Steve looked down at the picture again. Somehow, despite years of pain, anger, and hurt, his family had managed to find their way back to each other. They would never be the Hortons or the Bradys. There was too much history there that could never be entirely forgotten -- or maybe even entirely forgiven. But for a boy who grew up in an orphanage never believing he would ever have any kind of family, it was more than good enough.

He put the picture back in the box and gathered up his things. The pier was now empty as the children had headed off home. As he walked up the stairs, Steve spotted Shane and Kim at the far end of the pier. They looked deep in conversation and he knew he would see them soon, so he did not interrupt and continued on his way.

Soon he reached the Brady house. After a brief stop at his car to rid himself of the red suit and gather the presents he and Kayla had brought for the family, he climbed the stairs to the front door, opened it, and entered the house. Inside he saw nearly the whole Brady clan, including his wife and daughter.

Kayla looked up and smiled at him, and just that smile was enough to make his heart nearly burst. So much had happened, not just recently, but through their entire time together. And yet, watching her with Stephanie on her lap, Steve knew that if that is what it had to take to get to where they were now, he would do every single step over again.

He had everything he had never dreamed was possible. His wife, his daughter, a new baby on the way, and his family -- Johnson and Brady. He was home and he was happy.

With that thought, he bellowed a hearty "Merry Christmas" and walked into the warmth of the house feeling something he had never really known before. Peace.

[MrsM]

Love seeing them so happy!!

[fluffysmom]

Loved Patchy Claus taking presents to the kids in need. The family photo from Jack was a touching gift.

[jwsel]

Before I post the next chapter -- the last of the story -- I wanted to just say a couple of things.  We have been posting here for over 1.5 years and it is hard to believe the story is finished.  We know that there were some long delays and that some of the twists and turns have been difficult to read.  But we hope that, in the end, readers have enjoyed the the overall.   As we said in the very first post:

This is a story about four people – Steve, Kayla, Shane, and Kim – who are human and therefore, flawed. They have made and will make mistakes based on human emotions – loneliness, fear, pain, jealousy, insecurity, a desire to protect one another, and the desire to protect themselves. But, they are also all fundamentally good people who try to do the right thing even when they sometimes feel conflicted about it. They are intricately and intrinsically bound together by circumstances and family ties and therefore must learn to co-exist and figure out how to forgive each other for hurts (both intentional and unintentional) and accept each other despite those human flaws.

. . . . This story is about two supercouples torn apart by circumstances (and, some would argue, bad writing) being put back together by two fans who love a good, messy, complicated, emotional, and sometimes very difficult story. Our heroes are flawed, but those flaws hopefully make them even more heroic in the end.

Looking back, we think that was a pretty apt description.  For esp13 and me, this has definitely been a labor of love and we hope that we managed to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.

So thank you to all the readers who gave the story a chance, including those who decided it was not their cup of tea.  But especially, we want to thank everyone who has taken the entire journey with us.

[jwsel]

Chapter 548

The party was in full swing when Shane followed Kim through the door of the Brady house. His arms loaded with presents collected from the car, Shane tried to look past the family members swarming around him to locate his children. Andrew was racing around the room with Shawn-Douglas, Eric, and Max, while Sami and Eve were entertaining Jeannie and Stephanie on the living room floor in front of the Christmas tree.

A moment later, Kayla nearly squealed. "Kimmie!" Shane looked over and saw that Kayla had Kim's hand and was pointing at the new ring. Kim blushed.

"Daddy asked Mommy to marry him," Andrew said, taking a break from his cousins to announce the obvious. Then he added, "I gave Mommy the ring."

As everyone broke into laughter and then another round of hugs, Shane found himself face-to-face with Shawn. The elder Brady gave Shane an appraising look and then grinned, "I know I was hard on you, lad, but you're a hard one to make come to your senses. You're stubborn enough to be a Brady." He narrowed his eyes and asked, "You sure you don't have any Irish blood hiding in that limey family tree of yours."

Shane began to respond, but stopped when he heard Steve call for everyone's attention. Turning from Shawn, Shane saw that Steve and Kayla were standing together. Steve had an arm circled around Kayla's waist.

"Well, since this seems to be the right time for important announcements, we've got something to say," Steve started. He looked at Kayla and grinned. "It looks like Stephanie's going to be getting a little brother or sister in a few months."

The room erupted once more. Everyone began congratulating Steve and Kayla, with Caroline demanding to know how long they had known. Shawn was suitably chuffed at the thought of becoming a grandfather again that he did not seem to mind the delay in being told.

Shane hung back until the Bradys had finished fussing over the couple and then approached Steve. "I can't say I'm just finding out," he said, "but I am happy for the two of you."

"Well you'd better be," Steve replied. "I've got plans for you."

Shane had no idea what that meant, but Kayla quickly explained. She had walked up with Kim by her side. "What Steve means is that we've talked about it, and we can't think of anyone we want more to be the baby's godparents than the two of you."

Unable to contain his surprise, Shane looked at Kim. It was hard to forget that just a few months ago, Steve and he had nearly come to blows over Shane holding Stephanie.

"Are . . . are you sure?" Shane stammered.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Yes, we're sure. We'll even talk about getting that pony when the time comes."

"I don't care about a pony," Kim said. "Absolutely." She enveloped Steve in an embrace. Then she grabbed Kayla and pulled her away to talk about the baby.

Still stunned, Shane had to shake his head in wonder. So much has changed. Finally, he said, "I'm honored, Steve."

"Yeah, well. . . . I know there's nobody we can trust more than you and Kim," Steve said. He laughed sardonically. "Can you believe I just said that, after everything that happened the last couple months?"

Shane knew what Steve meant. "It is amazing."

"A hell of a couple of months, it's been," Steve said, turning to look at Kayla and Kim, who were now talking excitedly with Caroline as they readied Christmas dinner. Steve glanced at Shane sidelong and said, "So what are you plans now? I mean now that you're done with the ISA. Or are you?"

For a moment, Shane wanted to laugh at Steve's attempt to be subtle. "Funny question, coming today," Shane replied. "Kim didn't happen to mention a job offer to Kayla did she?"

Steve shook his head and then, not doing a good job of feigning ignorance, asked, "What kind of job offer?"

"It seems like there is an opening at the ISA."

"Really?" Steve said. "So they'd send you back out in the field?"

Nope, subtlety is not one of Steve Johnson's more developed skills, Shane thought, before saying, "It's not a field agent job -- but then I suspect you knew that. It seems the agency is looking to replace Tarrington."

"Woah." Steve's words did not actually match his tone, despite his attempt to act surprised.

"Yes," Shane explained. "You see . . . some members of the Congressional committee that oversees the ISA, plus some important people in the White House, received a very interesting audio recording." Shane watched Steve for a reaction. "Apparently, they were quite unhappy with Tarrington's willingness to . . . what were the words of the man from the CIA . . . 'trample on the civil liberties of ordinary citizens.'"

This time, Steve did not bother to fake any surprise. "You don't say."

Shane chuckled. "Oh, yes . . . so the Chief has been given a nice retirement package and sent off quietly to live by the seaside."

"Couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Steve muttered. "Hope they have sharks."

Shane grew serious. "I appreciate it, Steve."

"What does this have to do with me?" Steve asked, again trying to feign ignorance.

"Peachy spotted you in DC the other day," Shane said. "With the charges against me dropped, she got pulled from her deep cover. She was at ISA Headquarters when you left your package for Tarrington."

Steve shrugged and dropped his facade. "I should've let him be blindsided, but I thought he might go more quietly if he knew what was coming." Looking carefully at Shane, he asked, "So are you going to take the job?"

"I don't know," Shane said, though he suspected he did. "Kim thinks I should; I'm just not sure I want to deal with that. . . .

"Deal with what?" Steve pursed his lips. "The bad guys? That's what you're good at."

Shane shook his head and kept his voice low. He didn't want Kim to overhear. "What it might do to me." When Steve looked back with a blank expression, Shane tried to explain, "Look at the last ISA Chiefs we've had -- Tarrington, Vaughn, Nickerson. . . . Look at how they let the job corrupt them. I don't know . . . maybe that's just how you need to be to run the ISA. Whatever it is, that's not me."

"And they're not you," Steve said, a bit sharply. "You're not Tarrington or Vaughn. You don't play god with people's lives. Just look at what you did with those charges. You could have done a lot of things to save your skin, but you wouldn't because you wouldn't compromise what you believed was right. You wouldn't reveal ISA secrets and you wouldn't call Nowicki or Deakins to testify. . . . You think Tarrington would have thought twice about Deakins' family if it meant saving his own skin?"

Shane had to concede Steve had a point.

"You're what the ISA needs," Steve added. "I can't believe I'm saying that, but you can do a lot of good, and you could fix a lot of things that are wrong there. That's what I told those dudes in Washington."

Falling silent for a minute, Shane thought about Steve's words. "If I take the job," but from the way he said that, Steve had to know the "if" really meant "when." "If I take the job," Shane repeated. "There would be a place for you. We could use you."

"Not a chance, Donovan," Steve said. "If you hadn't figured out, I don't exactly do things by the book."

"Maybe . . . just maybe the ISA could use a little instruction from the Steve Johnson school of throwing away the book." Shane chuckled again, then grew serious. "We may not see eye to eye on everything and it may not be the way I approach things, but it seems to work for you."

Steve laughed in response. "Funny, but I've been thinking the same thing about you." He punched Shane in the shoulder lightly. "Nah, the ISA's your gig. I've got to find my own thing." He glanced across the room to where Roman and Bo were talking. "Speaking of which, Roman wanted to talk to me about the Torres gang. Seems Rafi Torres is making noise about taking over for his dad." Steve started to walk away, but stopped and looked back at Shane. "Take the job, Donovan. It's the right thing to do."

"Hey, wait . . . Steve. . . ." Shane waited for Steve to finish acting exasperated. Then Shane said, "Thank you. Thank you for everything."

Steve laughed loudly. "As a guy I know once said, 'That's what family's for.' And you know what? He's a pretty smart dude." He turned and headed toward Roman.

That left Shane to mull things over in his mind. He could do it. He could remake the ISA without being corrupted like the chiefs before him. And he would make it work at home; he would not sacrifice his family.

He took a moment to look around the room, first at Andrew, who was playing with some toy lightsabers with Shawn-Douglas. His son looked great. Not only had Andrew fully recovered from his ordeal in the woods, but, with Shane going free, all of the fear and stress seemed to have left him. He was a happy little boy once more.

Shane turned his attention to Eve, who was picking Jeannie off the floor. His gaze came to rest on Jeannie. It was so strange that, a few months earlier, he had struggled to even look at his darling daughter. Now he felt as strong a bond to her as to either of his other children. He had come so close to never knowing she was his little girl, and now he wouldn't hesitate to give his life for her.

"Hey."

Kim's voice jarred him out of his thoughts and he looked down at her and smiled.

"Food's ready," Kim said. "Or were you too lost in your thoughts to hear Mama sounding the alarm?"

"Sorry," Shane said. "I was just thinking -- about our family, and how lucky we are."

Caroline's call to dinner must have interrupted Steve's plan to talk to Roman, because Steve and Kayla passed by on their way to the table. Shane saw the way she looked at Steve and the bright, excitement in her eyes. She gave Steve a soft smile and he crouched, put a hand over her abdomen, and broke into a grin, probably at the feel of the baby kicking. Then, over Steve's shoulder, Kayla looked up and realized Shane was watching them. Her eyes were filled with a peace and happiness that had not been there when Steve was gone, and Shane felt a surge of joy at what he saw. That had been what he had wanted for her all along -- to be happy -- and it was obvious that Kayla and Steve were deeply in love and deliriously happy.

Kayla continued to smile, and gave Shane a quick nod, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Then Steve rose, blocking Kayla from Shane's view, and the two of them headed for the table.

Next to him, Kim took his hand. Shane looked at her and could see almost the same look Kayla had given Steve. The depth of love that reflected back at him was unlike anything he had ever seen or experienced.

Shane squeezed her hand as she looked into his eyes and asked, "Are you okay?"

The answer came immediately and simply as he wrapped an arm around hers and led her toward the already-crowded table.

"I couldn't be happier."

**** finis ****

[MrsM]

Such a great journey. It was worth the ride!!!