Amanda sat there, leaning against Cameron and trying to be cool, but she couldn't take it anymore. She bolted upright and Cameron looked up and smiled.

"Guess you and I will be taking a little walk by the water, huh?"

Josie and Gary laughed and Amanda pulled him to his feet. She didn't respond but just took him by the hand and pulled him along, full steam ahead. Cameron had to laugh at her eagerness and her worry. She stopped and turned to him, hands on her hips.

"Cameron, I have to know what's going on down there. It's driving me crazy! I just want a peek. I swear, just one little peek."

"Just a peek?'

"I promise Cameron. We'll go there and take a quick look, if anything is going on, you can bash Sean's head in and then we'll all go home." She continued pulling him along in her childish eagerness. Cameron laughed and went along. He was curious too. Ali and him had not gotten along at first, but that was both of their faults. But now it seemed like they had reached some kind of truce and they were building a friendship. Cameron already liked her and thought of her somewhat as a daughter, something he had told no one, not even Amanda. He saw so much of her in Ali that it amazed him sometimes.

They were on the path to the lake, Amanda still pulling him from the front when they heard laughter and Amanda stopped then so suddenly that Cameron crashed right into her. She turned around and looked at Cameron with her finger to her lips and her eyes wide. She leaned over and whispered her plot to her husband.

"Okay, they're right over there. I just want a little peek. How can I do that without them seeing me?"

"This was your bright idea, Princess, you figure it out!" Cameron teased her.

"You know what?" Amanda said as she drew back and narrowed her eyes in mock fury, "if we had a couch, you'd be sleeping on it tonight!"

"Oh I would, would I?" Cameron asked seductively, pulling Amanda closer.

"Yes you would!" Amanda said trying to keep a straight face, still trying to appear angry and not at all thrilled by his touch.

"So if I was sleeping on the couch," he kissed her neck, trailing down her throat, "Who would keep you company? Who's shirt would you wear? Who would you kiss good-night? And who would rub your back until you fall asleep?" He didn't give her a chance to answer, much to Amanda's delight. Cameron leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

Amanda felt the feeling seep through her as she and Cameron kissed. It was a feeling of pure electricity, the same feeling she had whenever they were together. She temporarily forgot about her quest to see what Ali was up to. Here she was, the mother going to find out what her daughter was doing, hoping to catch her and suddenly the tables were turned.

"Ahem."

Cameron and Amanda pulled apart and turned around. They were confronted by a smiling Ali and an amused looking Sean. Amanda's face flushed and she was glad that it was night, so no one could see her embarrassment.

"Are we going to have to go get the hose and cool you two down?" Ali playful asked.

"Alexandra!" Amanda shouted. "That will be enough of that, thank you very much missy!"

Amanda didn't know what to do then. Sean looked at the two women standing before him and then looked over at Cameron and laughed. Soon they were all laughing.

"Well kid, aren't you going to introduce us?" Cameron asked Ali.

"Oh, yes, sorry. Sean, this is my mother Mrs. Amanda Sincliar and this is her new husband Cameron Sinclair."

Cameron wasn't sure what to make of this boy. He seemed nice enough and everything, but Cameron thought it would be best to show this Sean character that Cameron was around in case he decided to try anything.

Cameron stepped forward and put out his hand. Sean took it and Amanda smiled to herself when she saw Cameron's attempt at intimidation by squeezing Sean's hand a little too hard. That was so like him.

"It's very nice to meet you Sean," Amanda said, smiling at the boy.

"You too Mrs. Sinclair. Ali told me you and Mr. Sinclair were married recently, congratulations to the both of you."

"Thank you," the newlyweds said in unison.

"Mom, Sean and I are going to go get some ice cream and then he'll bring me home. Is that all right?" Ali asked hopefully.

Amanda looked at Cameron who gave his wife a kind of look that said 'it's your call' kind of deal. "All right Ali, just not too long."

"Great Mom, we won't be too long! See you at home. Bye Cameron."

"Bye kid."

Amanda watched her daughter and Sean bound off, happy. They grow up so fast, she thought.

"Well, what about you?" Cameron asked, resuming his hold around Amanda's waist.

"What about me?"

"Are you ready to go home for a little ice cream? Or maybe," Cameron leaned over and whispered into Amanda's ear. Her eyes widened with surprise. She loved it when he was direct and aggressive like that.

"Cameron!"

He laughed at the look on her face. "Come on, let's go say good-bye to everyone."

They walked back to the park and said good-bye. They wished Cass and Lila good luck and said bye to Joe and Paulina. Then it was time to say good-night to Gary and Josie. Amanda stiffened inwardly as she approached the two. She loved Gary and owed him so much. The other day at the Harbor Club, she told Cameron that she wanted to bury the hatchet with Josie. But that was a lie. Well, it was actually the truth. Amanda would have loved to bury the hatchet, right in that little witch's back. There was really nothing more that she could do, though, but grin and bear it for Cameron's and Gary's sakes. They had both risked their lives for her, Cameron, more than once. And if pretending to like Josie was what she had to do to pay them back, well she would have to hide her loathing for the little hellcat deep inside.

"Amanda, call me this week, maybe you and I can have lunch or something," Josie said as she leaned over and gave her sister-in-law a kiss on the cheek.

"Sure, Josie," Amanda replied, all the while thinking "yeah sure you little tramp. The day that I willingly sit down with you will be a cold day in hell."

"Amanda, tell Ali we said good-night. I'll see you soon little brother," Gary said while pinching Cameron's cheek jokingly.

"Yeah Gar, I can't wait."

Amanda and Cameron left the two and walked over to their car, Amanda's gray Lexus. Cameron would never admit it, but he loved driving this car, it drove so smooth. He felt free for some reason. Maybe it was because the car glided over bumps like they weren't even there, just like how he lived now, no bumps. Not that he would ever care if he didn't drive it again, as long as Amanda was with him. They walked over to the car and Cameron helped his wife slide in. He shut the door and went and got in behind the wheel. The car started up with a soft roar and the Sinclairs were on their way home.

Amanda sat besides Cameron as he drove home. The radio was on and the soft music comforted Amanda as she tried to get rid of the feeling of Josie's sick sweetness and offer at friendship out of her system. Oh how she would love to just deck her, just one time. Amanda didn't notice that they had stopped at a red light. She had her head back and her eyes closed, rejoicing in the fact that she had the man that she loved sitting besides her, and also enjoying the fantasies of sweet revenge on the little piece of trash that almost cost her everything. Cameron looked over and saw Amanda with her eyes closed. He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. Amanda opened her eyes and smiled at her husband.

"What are you thinking about?" Cameron's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I just can't believe what went on today. A wedding was supposed to take place and then the groom was carried off by a gorilla. And then we all sang to this gorilla. I just... I am having trouble with grasping this, the fact that that all really happened."

"Yeah, pretty wild. I'm just glad that I wasn't carried off by King Kong on our wedding day."

Amanda leaned her head back and closed her eyes once again. And with a smirk on her face said something that shocked Cameron.

"I would never be so lucky as to have that happen to me."

"Ohh, so that's the way your going to be, huh? Married already less than a week and already your taking shots at me?"

"Oh, you love it and you know it."

"I guess I do." He kissed her hand one more time and then continued driving home. Home, that was a word that was still alien to Cameron. He couldn't believe that he had a wife and a family to go home to. Seeing Amanda sitting next to him filled him with a joy so deep that he could never express it to her.

Amanda sat there next to Cameron and thought about everything that had transpired with in the last few days. There had been her wedding and then the fact that Paulina had a daughter Remy and then, well, she didn't know if Carl coming back was a good thing yet. But Paulina having a daughter well, that was defiantly a good thing.

She sat up and looked over at Cameron. "We should give Remy a present or something. Like a welcome to our family gift or something."

"Sounds good. What do you want to get her?"

"Oh, something like a bath basket. You know with bubble bath and bath beads and lotion and spray, you know stuff like that."

"Okay, I'm sure she'll like that. After all, all you Cory women like that good."

"You know, I never hear you once complain that my skin is rough, or I smell and do you know why? Hmmmmm?" Amanda asked these questions in a mockingly scolding voice. Cameron knew that he had done it now, he had unleashed the demon. But he knew that she was only joking. God, how he loved this kidding with her.

"No, I don't know why. But I am sure you'll tell me."

"Yes I will. It's because..." She looked over and saw the look on his face, the amused look. Well she was not going to give him the satisfaction. Two can play at this game. She crossed her arms and looked away. "Forget it."

"Your not going to tell me?" Cameron asked amused.

"Nope."

"Oh, come on."

"I will not tell you now."

"Why not?" Cameron asked, totally entertained by her annoyance.

"Because when it comes to things like this, you have an attitude."

"An attitude?" he said, mocking her tone.

"Yes, you think it's frivolous and a waste of time."

"You know what I think?" They were home, pulling the car into the garage.

"I really don't care but I suppose you'll tell me anyway." Amanda still pretended to be annoyed.

"I think that Remy will love her bath basket and she will decide that you are her favorite aunt." Cameron pulled into the garage and put the Lexus in park and turned off the ignition. He looked over at Amanda and she smiled at him. She looked so pretty sitting there. Amanda knew what he was thinking and decided to give him a hand. She leaned over and gave him a kiss. She pulled back and smiled at him.

"Come on, lets go inside."

They both got out of the car and Cameron opened the door into the house for her. She wrapped her arms around his one arm and leaned on him going up the stairs.

"So, are you going to go with me tomorrow?"

"Go where?"

"To get the bath basket and give it to Remy."

"Oh, that..."

"Yeah that."

"Do I have to?"

Amanda pulled back from him and looked at him and with this look, it was real annoyance. Cameron saw that and shielded himself with his arm to her blows.

"Kidding! Kidding! I was just joking. I would love to go with you." he said appeasing his wife.

"Well that's better." They reached the door to their room, well her room actually. It still hadn't been decided yet where they would live and for now, they were shacked up in Amanda's bedroom. She had her hand on the knob and turned it, when he surprised her by swooping her up from behind.

"What are you doing?" she laughed as he carried her into the room and closed and locked the door.

"Well you see," Cameron said as he laid her down on the bed and began kissing her neck in the place he knew she loved. "You see, shopping for a bath basket really isn't my thing."

"It's not?" Amanda laughed. He was tickling her neck.

"No, it's not. In fact, I'll probably hate it. I can see it now. I will definitely hate it. So the way that I figure it, you owe me for that."

"Oh, I owe you?"

"Oh yeah," Cameron was still trailing kisses all over her shoulders and neck.

"And you see, I want payment in advance."

"Oh you do? Well what did you have in mind?" Amanda asked, totally thrilled with him by now.

Cameron didn't answer and she didn't want him to. He was too busy. She worked his tie off and then his jacket. The buttons on his shirt and the buttons on the back of her dress were extremely exasperating obstacles to both of them. But they worked past them and then there were no more obstacles for them to deal with that night.

(Later that night....in Amanda's bedroom)

Amanda and Cameron lay there, not saying much at all. It had been magic just as it always was with them. Amanda looked over at him and his face showed that he was deep in thought. She frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just I can't believe all this."

"All what?"

"Us, who ever would have thought that we would get past all of it."

Amanda smiled and lay back down and snuggled up to him. "Well we did. Now there are no more secrets, no more time traveling nut cases. There is nothing going to get in the way of us again. Cameron rolled over and looked at her. He kissed her. Amanda was tired from the wedding and from before with him, but well, that kiss gave her a second wind. And as the old saying goes, the second time around is better than the first.

(Los Angeles, California)

The boy was out of breath, he had been running for 6 blocks trying to make it in time to catch his bus. He gave the conductor his ticket and took his seat next to the window. He looked out the window and saw the bus pull away from L.A., a place that had been his home for so long. Actually it would be better to say a place he lived in, and not his home, for it wasn't his home.

He was leaving here, hoping to find his home. Or at least 2 people who might know how to make him a home. The boy pulled a rumpled picture out of his pocket and looked at it in the fading light. The picture was a photograph or 3 small boys. The one oldest one had dark hair, just like the young baby boy. And the other one, the middle boy had lighter brown hair and bright green eyes. Bright green eyes.

The boy sighed and put the picture back in his pocket. It was time. He had waited so long and now it was time. He leaned his head back and listened as the driver came on.

"Hello folks and welcome to Bus 74. Departing from L.A. and heading for Bay City, Illinois. Hope you all enjoy the scenery."

The boy closed his eyes. He was tired. He had been running all his life. "Bay City," he thought to himself. "Well it sounds like the perfect place tofind a home."

He pulled out the picture again. A smile came over his tired face when he looked at the oldest boy in the picture, holding the baby. But when the boy's eye's shifted to the boy with the bright green eyes, rage bubbled up inside of him. He once again put the picture in his pocket and clenched his fist. He pulled out a folder from his backpack. And out of that he pulled a news paper clipping with a picture on it. The boy read the short article to himself. It was a marriage announcement. It read:

There was a picture of Cameron and Amanda next to the article. The boy's jaw clenched at the sight of the smiling pair. He laid his head back again and resumed his thoughts. He still stared down at picture of the smiling couple.

"Yep, Bay City is the perfect place to find a home. And to settle a score. Oh Cameron....... watch out. Your past is coming to town."

The boy crinkled up the picture of Cameron and Amanda and held it in his clenched fist. He turned and stared out the window. "Yep, Cameron you better buckle up. You're in for a bumpy ride."

continue