Written by: Dallas Walsh

"Did you make the announcement that the wedding is off?" Stacey Rockwell asks with tears in her eyes as she sits on the sofa in the living room of the Rockwell mansion, as her father, Mac Rockwell, passes her a brandy. Stacey and Marat Kafelinkov's double wedding with her brother, Cole Rockwell and his fiancé, Celeste Baldwin, was interrupted when Vivian Blackmore arrived at the ceremony and announced that Celeste and Marat had been lovers years ago in New York City, and they had a child together that they gave up for adoption. According to Vivian, she has now adopted their child. Stacey just can't believe that Marat and Celeste would keep something like this from them and that Vivian would adopt the child.

"I did," Mac replies to her, before he looks over at Celeste and Marat, still livid that they have been lying to everyone for months. "Are you two going to start explaining yourselves?"

"Yea," Cole agrees with his father. "All this time, you two had a kid together and you didn't think Stacey and I should know this before we got married? I can't believe you would lie about this, Celeste."

"I didn't lie!" Celeste protests, before she looks over at Vivian, who has a smug look on her face. "It happened a long time ago! Why, would you do this, Vivian? What's your motive?"

Vivian purses her lips together. "I think Cole had a right to know the kind of woman that he was marrying, don't you? You're a tramp, Celeste. You married his father and when that failed, you couldn't leave this lifestyle, so you sunk your claws into Cole. He deserves better than you."

Celeste walks up to her, livid with her. "How dare you! You did this because he dumped you. He doesn't love you, Vivian! He never did. You did this to get some kind of sick revenge on me?"

"You bitch," Vivian spits before slapping Celeste across the face. "Don't you ever speak to me like that again, do you understand me?"

"That's enough," Marat comes between them. "This isn't going to solve anything!"

"So, it's true?" Cole asks, still shocked by the reveal. "You two did have a child together?"

"Yes!" Celeste cries to him. "It happened so long ago, I just … I tried to forget it ever happened."

"Maybe you could explain how this happened?" Stacey asks before she takes a sip of her brandy. She needs the drink to calm her nerves as she was already upset about her own behavior before the wedding began. This certainly isn't helping.

Celeste takes a deep breath and looks at Cole and then Marat. "It was a long time ago. I was in New York still as a design student," Celeste begins to explain to everyone. "Marat was there on business, helping his father. We just met one night after a show at a small bar just off Times Square."

"The Blue Dog," Marat chimes in, remembering when he first saw Celeste. "She took my breath away."

Cole rolls his eyes. "Get to the point already. We don't need all the details of your romance!"

"Within a month, I was late," Celeste continues to tell them. "I was pregnant. But, Marat had to go back to Moscow. I was going to be alone and pregnant. While I thought of abortion, I couldn't kill my unborn child."

"And, I supported that," Marat replies to them.

"So, we decided, together, that I would carry the child but give it up for adoption."

"I came back as often as I could to help Celeste during the pregnancy. And then, the baby came. I was with Celeste during the birth."

"The doctors told me it was a girl, but I never saw or held her," Celeste bites her lower lip. "I never saw my baby."

"Celeste and I," Marat tells them. "We have never forgotten, but we didn't think sharing this story was really anyone else's business. We never had any intention of trying to find our daughter. We just tried to move on with our lives."

"It all came flooding back to me when I saw Marat at Rockwell Mining," Celeste nods to him, as she wipes a tear away from her face. "And, then, I lost my baby and found out I couldn't have any more children…it's all been so very emotional."

"And you didn't think to tell me this? I could have fucking helped you cope!" Cole lashes out at her.

"God, I need some air," Stacey announces as she stands up and rushes out of the room.

"Stacey…" Marat calls out to her, but Mac stops him from leaving.

"Give her some space," Mac warns him. "She's been through a lot."

Marat nods and moves to the bar to pour himself a drink. "I can't believe you Celeste," Cole spits at her. "After everything we've been through, I can't believe that you would do this to me."

Vivian watches in glee as Cole racks Celeste over the coals. "I don't care if you're upset," Celeste tells him. "All I care about is my child," she says turning to Vivian. "Where is she? Where is my daughter?"

Vivian chuckles back to her. "Correction," Vivian reminds her. "My daughter; I adopted her, remember? Your child is mine now!"

***

Stacey rushes out of the living room and into the foyer. She stops herself at the base of the large staircase and puts her hand on the large pillar, trying to catch her breath through her tears. She can't believe this is how her wedding day turned out. In reality, she's also thinking about how she has to tell her other brother, Lex Rockwell, the truth about how she was plotting keep the CEO position of Blackmore Ltd. If Kent tells him first, it will make everything far worse.

"Did I miss the wedding?" Lex asks as he opens the front door and sees his sister, still in her large wedding dress. "Stacey? Why are you crying?"

"It's a long story," she replies to him, wiping her face dry. "The wedding is off though. Look, Lex, can we go upstairs and talk? There's something I have to tell you."

Lex arches his eyebrow. "I was just with Kent," he reveals to her. "I think I we do have to talk. I think you owe me an explanation."

"Oh God," Stacey covers her mouth in shock. "He told you, didn't he?"

"That you left him for dead? Yea, I know," Lex spits at her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Stacey shakes her head. "I don't know," she admits to him. "I never meant for it to go so far. I never meant…"

"You know who you remind me of right now?" he says moving closer to her. "Mother. Do you not remember how she drugged me to me to sign my proxy in her takeover of Rockwell Mining? Do you remember how disgusted you were with her?"

"Of course I do!" Stacey yells back at him before she covers her mouth. "I'm sorry. I never meant for it to get so out of hand. It just happened…I don't know what came over me. Please, please, tell me you forgive me?"

"I can't say that to you," Lex admits to her. "And, Kent, I don't know if he will either. You better just hope that he doesn't press charges against you."

"Lex," Stacey comes up to him. "Please, make him understand. I'll do anything, I promise."

"Anything?" Lex asks her as she nods back to him. "I might have an idea then…"

***

Upstairs, Sabine Andrews pushes Yuri Kafelinkov into the study and closes the door behind her. She was shocked to see him at the Rockwell mansion before the wedding began, although she should have realized that he would show up to the wedding to support his son. Still, this wasn't supposed to be a part of their plan.

"What the hell Yuri? You didn't tell me you were coming to Kelsey Lake?" she scolds him, shocked that the man whom hired her is actually standing in front of her. That wasn't part of their deal; the opposite actually. "You're lucky that there was an interruption at the wedding so we can have this time to talk about it," she tells him. "I don' t know if I could have hide my shock and awe."

"Oh please," Yuri replies to her, as he lights a cigar. "You can cut the dramatics, Sabine."

"You paid me a lot of money to get some information from Rockwell Mining for you," she replies to him. "You being here is going to ruin everything."

"I highly doubt that," Yuri tells her. "In fact, I suspect it might, how does one say, light a fire under that ass of yours."

"I was working on it!" she tries to tell him.

"You were too busy worming your way into MacKenzie's bed instead of doing your job."

"That's not fair," she replies to him quickly. "I had to sleep with him to get closer to the information you wanted. He's not exactly going to leave confidential information just laying around the office you know."

"I can't imagine he'd leave it laying around the bedroom either," Yuri quips as a large cloud of smoke comes up from his cigar. "I'm here for a few days, Sabine, you better used to it. And, before I leave for Moscow, you will have that information for me, is that understand?"

"Don't threaten me, because you will live to regret it," she warns him. "And, don't you dare try to ruin what I have with Mac."

"What you have with Mac? Are you telling me you're in love with him?" he laughs at her, but he stops when she doesn't' reply. "My God, you are. Oh Sabine, you're a very bad girl."

"I'll get you the information and then this deal is over," she tells him before she storms out of the room, leaving Yuri alone with his cigar.

"We will see about that," he grins to himself.

***

"I'm glad that we have some time alone while Vivian went to get Ashlee," Celeste tells Cole as she passes him a brandy. "I think we need to talk, don't you?"

Cole sighs and looks back at her, before he takes a large gulp of the brandy. He looks at the woman he was so close to marrying and doesn't even recognize her now. How she could have lied to him about having a child is beyond him; he can't believe that she would do this to him after all they had been through to get to this point.

"You want to talk? You want to talk now? Why didn't you want to talk before today?" he asks her, turning his back to her. "You only want to talk because your dirty little secret came out."

"Cole, please, just listen to me," she pleads with him as she comes up to him and puts her hands on his shoulders. "If you would just let me explain!"

"Get off me," Cole pushes her off him, causing her to fall back. "I don't want to see you! I don't want to hear any more of your lies!"

"What are you saying?" she asks as tears fill her eyes.

"It's over, Celeste," Cole spits at her. "We are over!"

***

Stacey, who is no longer wearing her wedding dress, slowly walks through the cemetery as she approaches Houston's gravesite. After everything that has happened, she felt like she needed to remind herself of who she really is; the fact that she was allowing a man to drug himself to keep a job or stealing from her father, is not something she is proud of, or the type of person that she is. She can't help but think about what Lex told her at the mansion; that her actions were no better than Lydia's. Stacey gets tears in her eyes thinking about the fact that Lydia never got a chance to redeem herself from her actions because she was killed in the plane crash. She doesn't want to suffer the same fate as her mother.

She reaches Houston's grave and kneels down as she touches the tombstone with her hand. She covers her mouth once she's done. "I still can't believe you're gone," she says aloud to the grave. "You were the one person who really grounded me. Do you remember those times in the cafeteria when we worked at the mine?" she asks with a grin on her face. "It seems so long ago now, but those were some of the best days of my life because everything seemed so simple. It was you, it was me and we were against the world. God, Houston, how did we get here? How did you die and I'm here, almost killing your father to keep a stupid job?" she shakes her head as tears stroll down her face.

"And, to top off, the man that I was going to marry, he lied to me," she wipes her eyes. "I know that you never do that to me. You would never betray me in anyway, because that's just the type of man you are."

She stands up and wraps her arms around herself as the wind blows a little. "I love you, Houston," she whispers. "I always will. But, have to make things right. I will make things right. That's why I did what Lex wanted me to do. I hope you're proud of me."

"I'm always proud of you," a voice says from behind her.

Stacey turns and sees Marat standing there, with his hands in his coat pockets. "How long have you been standing there?" she asks him.

"Long enough to know that you're beating yourself up," he replies to her. "We all make mistakes, Stacey. It is a part of being alive and a human being. Have you learned from your errors?"

"I hope so," she bites her lower lip. "I don't want to be that person."

"Then don't be that person," he tells her. "I know I'm not Houston, but I hope you believe me when I tell you that you're a good person and that I love you."

"I love you too," she replies to him as they hug.

"You still love me, despite what Vivian revealed at the wedding?" Marat asks her as they exit their embrace.

"Of course I do," she tells him. "Am I upset that you didn't me the truth? Of course," she continues. "But, the fact is, you and Celeste giving up your baby was between you two. I can't fault you for having a past."

"See," Marat smiles to her. "This is why I love you. You're the most understanding, caring woman I know."

"I'm trying to change my ways," she admits to him.

"I have an idea," he tells her as he grabs her hand. "Let's get married. Let's show the world that they can't break us down, no matter what. That is, if you'll still marry me?"

"Of course I will," she says through her tears. "I'd love to be your wife."

***

"There you are," Mac announces to Sabine, as he comes into the study of the Rockwell mansion and sees Sabine sitting on the sofa holding a glass of champagne. "I was wondering where you disappeared too."

Sabine stands up to greet him. "I thought I'd come up here until things died down," she tells him before they share a quick kiss. "I can't believe that Vivian Blackmore stopped the wedding."

"I can," Mac chuckles back to her. "That woman will stop at nothing to get what she wants."

Sabine arches her eyebrow. "Sometimes, women knowing what they want is a good thing."

"Is it, now?" Mac winks back to her.

Sabine leans in and kisses him passionately again. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you making love to me," she admits to him. "I think I might need it to happen again."

Mac pushes her up against the wall and kisses her passionately again. "I think that can be arranged," he says in between kisses, as she lifts her legs around his waist.

"I'm not wearing any panties," she moans to him as he drops his hand to his pants and unzips them.

"Bad girl," he grunts as he enters her, and she moans loudly in ecstasy.

"Oh Mac," she gasps. "Don't stop. Please….don't stop."

***

"Celeste, why are you alone?" Marat asks as he walks into the living room of the Rockwell mansion, knowing that Stacey had to take care of something before they got married, so he came back to see how she was doing. "Where is Cole?"

Celeste turns to look at him with her damp, red eyes. "He left," she admits to him. "I don't know where he went. All I know is that it's over. He told me it's over."

"I'm so sorry," he says as he comes up to her and hugs her. "I wish that this hadn't happened."

"It's not your fault," she tells him as they exit their embrace. "It was Vivian Blackmore. That woman wants Cole back, and this is how she thought she would accomplish it."

"But, she has our daughter. Have you given any thought to what that means?"

Celeste shakes her head. "She went to get Ashlee," Celeste tells him. "While you went after Stacey, Vivian told us that she would bring Ashlee here. I'm expecting her any time."

Before Marat can reply, Vivian walks into the living room, holding a 5 year old girls hand. Celeste and Marat look over at the girl and gasp in awe of how beautiful she is. "You only have 5 minutes, I don't want to confuse my daughter," Vivian tells them. "Ashlee, these are the people I was telling you about. This is Celeste and this is Marat."

Ashlee waves her hand before putting her face into Vivian's side, feeling shy. Her long blonde hair is a giveaway that she is Celeste's daughter.

"Hi sweetheart," Celeste bends down to see Ashlee's face. "You're so pretty, you know that? Did you have a good flight from New York? I bet it's a big change, huh?"

Ashlee nods back to her before yawning. "Are you tired? Do you want to lie down?" Marat asks her, noticing how much the girl looks like Celeste.

"I think that's all the time we have, it's been a long day for her," Vivian announces. "Come on, darling, let's get you home so you can sleep."

"Wait, Vivian," Celeste calls out, calling her to stop and look back. "Can I see her again?"

"Time will tell," Vivian purses her lips together.

Once Vivian has left the room, Celeste covers her mouth as tears flow from her eyes. "I can't believe that's our daughter," she falls into Marat's arms. "She's so beautiful."

"She looks just like you," Marat tells her as they exit their hug. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Celeste admits to him. "But seeing her, I know that I can't let Vivian Blackmore raise my daughter. I can't do it."

***

Lex slowly opens the door to the morgue in the hospital and moves inside. While he was waiting for Stacey to arrive at the hospital so they could see Kent together, he decided he had to see his husband, Jarek Williams, one last time. Because everything has happened so fast, Jarek hasn't even been buried yet, so he is in the morgue to see him.

Lex moves up to the body with the white sheet over it and slowly puts his hand up to pull the sheet down. He uncovers Jarek's blue face and gasps at the sight of his husband in this state. Tears fill Lex's eyes as he thinks about all the times he and Jarek spent together.

"How could you do this to us?" Lex gasps for some air. "I thought you loved me, Jarek, but you never did. You only ever loved my money. You used me to try to get my money. Do you have any idea how hurt you've left me?"

Lex shakes his head. "I guess I was a fool for believing in you, I was a fool for marrying you…but, damn it, I loved you," Lex cries to him. "And, I thought you loved me too. But you know what? I will get over this. I won't let you get me down. I won't let this set me back, Jarek. What you did to me, it was awful. I could have died. But guess what? I'm the one still standing. I'm the one that's going to live a long, happy life. So, the joke is on you."

Lex turns and quickly rushes out of the morgue, catching his breath once he's outside. He wipes his eyes, as Brock Jennings sees him and comes up to him. "Lex?" Brock asks him, his muscular arms exposed through his polo shirt. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lex nods back to him. "I just said goodbye to a very painful chapter of my life and I'm ready to put it all behind me."

"That's a good way to think about it," Brock smiles back to him. "If I can do anything…"

"Actually you can," Lex tells him as Brock arches his eyebrow and Lex moves up to him. "You can kiss me."

Brock moves in and kisses Lex passionately as he grabs his ass. "God, I've wanted you to do that for so long," Lex smiles as they part lips.

"I want you," Brock tells him. "Badly."

"Then you should have me," Lex winks at him. "But first, I have something else I have to take care off," he says, spotting Stacey over Brock's shoulder.

"Okay," Brock replies to him. "Just don't keep me waiting too long."

Lex walks away from Brock and rushes up to his sister. "Stace, over here," he calls out. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," Stacey nods back to him. "I meant it when I said that I am sorry for what I did, Lex. If you think this will help prove that, then I'm game."

"I think it will be a good start, yes," Lex tells her. "Come on, let's go see Kent."

The siblings quickly walk through the hospital until they reach Kent's door. They move inside, causing Kent to look up in surprise to see Stacey in his room. "What the hell is she doing here?"

"It's okay," Lex tries to calm Kent down. "I asked her to come. She wants to make things right."

Stacey slowly moves up to Kent. "Kent," she says as she grabs his hand. "You have no idea how bad I feel for what I did. I'm so, terribly, sorry for what I did. There are no excuses, but you have to know that after everything I went through with Houston, this is the last thing I wanted to have happen."

"Words are cheap," Lex announces to her. "And, that why, I have the power of attorney transfer documents right here. Stacey, if you mean this, if you are truly sorry, you'll sign them and I will become Kent's POA today."

Kent's eyes light up. "That means you'll be the CEO of Blackmore Ltd," he looks at his son, as he nods back.

"Yes, Kent," Lex nods back to him. "I'll be running the company until you're better."

"What about Rockwell Mining?"

"What about it?" Lex shrugs to him. "This is my family business, after all. Mac will have to understand that."

"I've never been so proud," Kent tells him. "Thank you for doing this."

"Stacey?" Lex asks her, as she moves to the table in the room. "Sign here."

Stacey looks at Kent and then Lex before she signs her name on the document. "There," she purses her lips together. "I hope this proves to you that I meant what I said. I'm no longer the CEO of Blackmore Ltd."

"Thank you, Stace," Lex tells her before they hug quickly.

Kent looks back at her with utter disgust on his face. He knows that as soon as he is out of the hospital, he will seek revenge on the Rockwell family. Stacey knew what he was doing and she didn't help him; and she left him for dead during a fight that she provoked. Yes, he can't wait to make her pay.

"I'll leave you two alone now," Stacey looks over at Kent and then back at Lex. Something in the look in Kent's eyes scares her, she realizes.

Stacey leaves the room and Lex looks at Kent. "I'll file these today," Lex tells him. "It might take a day or two, but soon, I'll be running your company."

"No son," Kent corrects him. "You'll be running our company."

***

Detective Owens walks through the yard of the jail, moving towards Odette Williams, who is sitting at a picnic table watching some of the other inmates play basketball. He is dreading the conversation that he is about to have with her, because he knows that she will be devastated; while he has a job to do, he still can't help but end up growing closer to some of the inmates that he deals with on a regular basis.

He sits next to her, causing Odette to stop watching the game and look at the officer. It's not often that an officer will sit with them, unless something is wrong.

"What is it?" she asks him.

"There's no easy to tell you this," he replies to her quietly. "It's about your son."

"Jarek?" she asks. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He looks back at her and pauses for a moment. "He's dead," he reveals to her. "He fell from a balcony at the Rockwell mansion. There was no chance for him."

Odette keeps her calm as she nods back to him. First Bernie, now Jarek, she thinks to herself. She forces a small smile on her face. "Thank you for telling me," she finally says back to him. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get to my service. It's my day on washing dishes."

She stands up and quickly moves away from the detective. He arches his eyebrow, wondering why she took the news so well. He had assumed that she would have been a lot more emotional.

"What is going on with you, Odette? What's going through your mind?"

***

"Are you feeling any better?" Houston asks Lydia, who yawns as she wakes up from a nap on the cot in the cage. He knows that she was missing her children earlier because of the double wedding that she couldn't attend. If he's honest, he was upset too because it means that Stacey is marrying another man. While he would never want to do anything ruin his relationship with her, he understands why she is moving on with her life because she thinks he is dead. Still, it stings.

"Not really," she admits to him. "How about you? What's going on?"

"Same old," he replies to her. "I've just been thinking about how we can get out of here."

"Come up with anything?" she asks him as he shakes his head no. "God help me, I'm starting to lose hope that we will ever get out of here."

"I know," he admits to her as he comes and sits on the edge of the cot. "Lucinda is a smart woman; too smart, really. She has really covered all of her basis."

"To never see my children again, it seems so cruel."

"Stacey married someone else today," he whispers. "It just means that I'll never be with the woman that I love again."

Lydia grabs his hand. "You look so much like your father right now," she tells him. "You're always so brave, but underneath it all, there's a vulnerable side. Kent is exactly the same way."

"You love him a lot, don't you?" Houston asks her.

"Just like you love Stacey," she smiles back to him. "Look at us, we are like two love struck teenagers."

They both share a laugh together before they lock eyes with one another. Before either one know what happens, Houston leans in and kisses Lydia passionately.

***

Lex moans loudly as his legs are on Brock's strong shoulder and Brock pushes into him deeply. Brock grunts as his climaxes and then falls down to Lex's mouth as they kiss passionately.

Lex peels his legs off his shoulders and then rests his head on Brock's sweaty chest. "God that was amazing," Brock laughs a little.

"It seems like you wanted that for some time," Lex smirks back to him. "Like you were pent up or something."

"I had wanted you since I first saw you," Brock admits to him. "So yea, I was pent up. Are you sure you're okay with this? I don't want to move too fast."

Lex leans up and looks into his eyes and kisses him. "I'm sure," he licks his lips as they part. "I wanted you just as much as you wanted me."

"Good," Brock nods back to him. "Because, I could get used to this."

Before Lex can reply, his cell phone starts to ring. "I need to get that," Lex jumps out of the bed and grab his phone from his jeans pocket. "It could be Kent."

"Hello," he says, answering the call.

"Lex, it's Mac," Mac says into his phone, as he buttons up his shirt from making love to Sabine, who is also getting dressed.

"Dad, hi, what's up?"

Sabine comes and nibbles on Mac's ear before gesturing that she is leaving. He wave bye to her before he focuses on the phone call. "Dad, are you still there?"

"Yea, sorry Lex," Mac replies to him. "I got distracted for a moment. Look, I was wondering if you're ready to come back to Rockwell Mining? I really need the help right now with the company, and you're the best right hand man I could ask for."

Lex sighs. "I'm afraid I can't," he tells him.

"Why not?"

"I'm going to be the CEO of Blackmore Ltd. I'm going to work for Kent," Lex feels his heart move into his throat.

Mac's mouth opens in shock. "Dad?" Lex says, not hearing anything from Mac.

"Do you know what this means?" Mac asks him. "We are rivals, son. We are working against one another now."

***

Lucinda opens the door to Mac's office at Rockwell Mining and moves over to the bar quickly. She pours herself a brandy and turns around when she hears the door opening again.

"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice," she says before she takes a sip of her brandy. "Would you care for a drink?"

"I'd love one," Yuri replies to her, as he moves into the office, not closing the office door the entire way. "I'm assuming this means you have my payment?"

"Of course I do," Lucinda passes him a brandy. "I'm assuming this means that you will be silent?"

Outside the office door, Sabine stands listening to the conversation. She had arrived at the office in hopes of getting some information that she could provide to Yuri to keep him quiet until she figured out how to get out of his clutches. At first, the idea of spying on Mac for money seemed like a good idea; but after being with Mac, she realized that she has feelings for him and she can't do it anymore. She just needed a way out. Now, she is listening to Yuri and Lucinda talk about something; but she didn't even know that they knew each other.

"Of course it does," Yuri drinks his brandy. "As soon as this cheque clears my account, I will never utter the name Lydia Rockwell well again."

"Good," Lucinda purses her lips together. "Because, Lydia, for all intents and purposes, is dead. And no one will ever think otherwise."

Sabine arches her eyebrow, wondering what Lucinda is talking about. Is it possible that Lydia isn't dead? She wonders, as she continues to listen to the conversation.

***

Vivian moves into the living room of her mansion and pours herself a glass of champagne. Since returning home, she has put Ashlee to bed, since the child was exhausted from travelling from New York. Now, it's time for Vivian to celebrate, she thinks to herself. She pulled off the biggest coo in a while; she knew she had to stop the wedding, and she did just that. There's no way Cole will stay with Celeste now, she smiles to herself as she drinks some of her champagne.

"And," she giggles to herself. "The best part is that, Ashlee isn't even Marat and Celeste's daughter. Once I discovered that they had a child, I knew it would be impossible to track her down before the wedding. Thankfully, I hired a talent agent to find me a girl who could pass as Celeste's daughter."

She takes another sip of her champagne. "Vivian, you are brilliant," she smiles to herself, before she drinks more of her champagne, knowing that the only thing missing is for Cole to come back to her. Then, everything will be perfect.

***

Marat and Stacey stand together in a small church, with a minister and his wife at the altar. Neither one is dressed in anything fancy, but they are together, standing united.

"The two of you wrote your own vows, is that correct?" the minister asks them, as Marat nods back to her. "Very well then, you may begin."

Marat smiles back to Stacey. "I've told you so many times that you are the most beautiful woman in the world," he starts as he looks into her eyes. "And, I mean that every time I say it. You've brought so much into my life, Stacey. I've travelled the world, and the only place I think of as home, is whenever I am with you. I never want to be away from you. You complete me. You are my better half, the best part of me is you. I love you so very much and I'm honoured that you want to be my wife today. I promise, I'll continue to always be the best man I can be and will love and cherish you forever."

Stacey smiles back to him. "You came into my life, Marat, at a very dark time for me. I had just lost someone that meant the world to me, as you know. I didn't think I'd ever want to be in love again after Houston died. But you, you showed me that it was okay to move on with my life. I will never forget Houston, and that's okay. You caught me that it's okay to have him in my heart, but to still live my life. And, I want to live my life with you. The emptiness I felt after he died, you completely removed from my life. Now, I can't imagine my life without you. You're the best man I know and the only man I would ever want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you so much, and will cherish you forever."

"By the power invested in me," the minister announces to them. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Marat chuckles as he leans in and looks at Stacey. "We did it," he tells her as she grins back to him. "We are married. Nothing will ever come between us."

"Nothing," she whispers back to him as she kisses him passionately on the lips.

***

Lydia moans in delight as Houston thrusts into her on the cot in the cage. The two continue to engage in wild, passionate sex, until Houston loudly climaxes and he falls to her side. Lydia runs her hand over his toned torso and smiles up to him.

"I didn't think that would happen," she whispers to him as he looks down to her.

"Me either," he admits to her. "But, we aren't leaving here any time soon…and we both have…needs."

"I completely agree," she purrs to him, as she leans in and kisses him again. "I'm not complaining. Not one little bit."

"Good," he says, pulling her closer. "Because, we can do this all we want…we have nothing else to do."

Lydia chuckles. "I see what Stacey saw in you," she tells him.

He rolls over on top of her and kisses her again. "Let's not talk about her right now," he says, getting aroused again. "I'm ready for round two."