Disclaimer: Proctor and Gamble owns all rights to Another World and the characters who reside in Bay City. I'm only borrowing a few of them in order to fulfill my personal preferences for Cameron and Amanda.

Acknowledgements: Michael Rodrick and Sandra Ferguson who bring Cameron Sinclair and Amanda Cory to life every day. Without their stellar performances this story would be impossible to envision.

Running. Running as if all the demons of hell were chasing him, nipping at his heels like hungry dogs. If only he could run fast enough, far enough, he might outrun the pain, at least for a moment. Legs pumping, heart pounding, his breath coming in short gasping sobs, Cameron reached the pinnacle of his run even as his soul reached the depth of despair. Heart breaking with absolute hopelessness, Cameron accepted that he could never escape his past.

Although he had run without conscious thought, he was not surprised to find himself in the park where he had first found Amanda. From the start, his heart had longed for her, recognizing the half which made him whole. He'd fought his feelings for her long and hard, unable to believe a woman like her would ever love someone like him--a loser from the wrong side of the tracks. But against all odds, Amanda had loved him. At least until he had ruined everything.

Cameron closed his eyes against the pain of losing the one good thing in his life. Amanda. She was his world, his life. Without her nothing mattered. Not Gary. Not Josie. Not even the baby. Amanda. The disappointment in her eyes when he'd finally admitted the truth had twisted like a knife in his heart. She'd given him every opportunity to tell her the truth, but fear had made him remain silent. Fear and a promise made long ago. Amanda. Her tears, falling in a steady stream, had unmanned him and he had run away before she could send him away. Amanda. Knowing he would run from the agony of losing her for the rest of his life, Cameron faced the endless night without her. No matter how far or how long he ran, there was no escape. Nothing would ease his pain. She was gone from his life forever; she might have forgiven his child, but she would never forgive the lie.

His mind drifted back to the moment he had truly lost Amanda. She had remained in his life for a time longer, but the lie was always between them. The lie which had ruined his life and hers.

"Is the baby yours, Cameron?" Amanda asked, eyes hard with fear.

Cameron hesitated for a heartbeat, trying to decide where his loyalties lay. "No," he lied. "I am not the father of the baby Josie is carrying."

Staring at him with narrowed eyes, she said, "Don't lie to me, Cameron. I can't stand it when you lie to me. After Boca Lynda you promised you'd never lie to me again."

His fingers lightly touched her face as his eyes hungrily drank in every feature on her beautiful face, etching it in his heart forever. "Why would I lie, Amanda?"

"To protect Josie," she retorted. "Everything you've done since Boca Lynda has been to protect Josie and your secret."

Shaking his head and pulling Amanda into his arms, he said, "Not Josie. Gary. I don't want to lose my brother again, Amanda. He didn't speak to me for years and I don't want that to happen ever again."

"Lying about what happened on the beach in Boca Lynda won't solve anything," Amanda told him. "Lies have a way of coming out."

And come out they had. From out of nowhere it had seemed at the time. Unbeknownst to either of them, Cindy Harrison had learned the secret and told Gary all about their tryst on the beach in Boca Lynda. Then the rest of their house of lies had tumbled down all around them--Gary's sterility, the length of Josie's pregnancy. He had lost both his brother and the woman he loved in that same instant of time.

His mind shied away from the memory of his final talk with Amanda. But her eyes haunted him, staring at him with a mixture of betrayal and loathing. Cameron knew her eyes would never again gaze at him with love, and it tore at his heart knowing he'd caused her such pain. He would give anything to see that pain erased from her eyes and heart, but it was not to be. At least not in this lifetime, perhaps he'd have better luck in another life.

"Amanda," he whispered, even as his heart screamed her name to the cold, unfeeling night sky. Sparkling like cold, hard diamonds on black velvet, the stars seemed to glare down on him malevolently. Unforgivingly. Amanda was gone and his life was over.

"Running away, Sinclair?" came a voice from behind.

Cameron stiffened, but did not answer. He had no desire to face this angry apparition of Amanda his mind had conjured up.

"Look at me, Cameron. You owe me that much."

The scent of Amanda's perfume wafted gently under his nose, carried by the soft evening breeze. Realizing she was no apparition, Cameron turned slowly to face her, steeling his courage to accept without question the unacceptable. "Amanda," he whispered, voice husky with unresolved passion. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to stop you from leaving Bay City."

Eyes moving slowly, Cameron gazed intently at Amanda's face, noting the red-rimmed eyes, and tear-stained cheeks. His heart breaking anew at the sight of the pain he had inflicted, Cameron said, "It's better for everyone if I go now. I've hurt enough people, don't you think?"

"What about your child?" she asked, voice cracking. "You have a responsibility to your child, Cameron. You can't just run away from your baby."

Sighing deeply, Cameron understood just how much it had cost Amanda to ask the question. "If I'm gone, Gary will be forced to take care of the baby--and Josie."

Amanda shook her head. "Not good enough, Sinclair. The child is your responsibility--not Gary's."

Clenching and unclenching his hands several times, he retorted, "I'm trying to do the best thing for my child, Amanda. I don't want him--or her--growing up without two loving parents. If I'm gone, Josie and Gary will be those parents."

Again Amanda shook her head. "Gary won't forgive Josie that easily. Or you for that matter, Cameron," she said. "It's hard to forgive lies. You keep wondering what else has been a lie."

Cameron crossed the small clearing and pulled Amanda into his arms. "Nothing else was a lie, Amanda. I love you more than life. You've got to believe that."

He felt her tears falling, soaking through his shirt and dampening his chest. Tears filled his eyes as he gently stroked her golden hair, and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Amanda," he said, voice choked with unshed tears. "I never meant to hurt you, I swear. I was only trying to protect you, protect us."

She pulled out of his arms and cried, "Protect me? With lies? You were only trying to protect yourselves and your dirty little secret." She paused for a moment and then said coldly, "I should never have forgiven you for Boca Lynda."

Cameron's arms dropped to his sides as he stared at her helplessly, wishing he could take away her pain, but knowing there was nothing he could do. "You're absolutely right," he assured her. "Boca Lynda was unforgivable."

He turned to leave, unable to face Amanda's tearful anger. More than anything he wanted to protect her, kiss away her tears, but it was much too late for that.

"Not so fast, Sinclair," she said coldly. "I'm not finished with you yet."

Turning back to face her wrath, Cameron was startled at her nearness. Small, clenched fists pummeled his chest, and he flashed back to other, more severe, beatings. Then he had been too small to protect himself; now he was too filled with guilt. If hurting him made Amanda feel better, he was willing to pay the price.

"Why?" she raged. "Why did you lie? I asked you more than once if Josie's baby was yours."

"I didn't want to hurt you," Cameron said, covering her fists with his hands, and holding them firmly against his chest. "Or make you a part of the lie. It was bad enough that I convinced you to keep silent about Boca Lynda."

"Why did you continue to lie about Boca Lynda, Cameron? Gary has been fully recovered for some time. If you'd only told him the truth when he got better, none of this would have happened."

Cameron stared off into the night, eyes focused on the distant past. "I made a promise a long time ago to protect Gary. A promise which supercedes any others I might make."

Her hands unclenched and Cameron loosened his grip, but Amanda kept her hands flat against his chest. "What promise did you make, Cameron? Who is more important to you than us?"

Cameron was silent for some time, reliving the moment in his mind. His body began to tremble under her hands. "Cameron? What's wrong?"

"My mother. I promised my mother as she was dying that I would protect Gary. She told me that I was the strong one--the one with her will--but Gary was more like the old man. She wanted me to watch out for Gary, keep him safe."

"How old were you, Cameron?" she asked.

"Twelve."

"You've been trying to protect Gary since you were twelve?" she asked incredulously.

Nodding his head, Cameron answered ruefully, "I haven't done a great job so far, have I?" His mind still in the past, he added, "Gary started drinking before I was old enough to stop him. Hell, he was already drinking when Ma died. But I've always tried, Amanda. I couldn't do much while I was in prison, of course."

"So lying about the baby was your way of keeping your promise to your mother?"

"Yeah. Gary was so excited about the baby and being my brother again. I didn't want to do anything to ruin it."

Sliding her arms around his waist, Amanda held him tightly against her body. "No more lies, Cameron. Promise me. Whatever you have to do to protect Gary, we'll do together."

Eyes sparkling with unshed tears, Cameron asked in wonder, "Does this mean you forgive me?"

She smiled up at him. "This time. Just don't ever lie to me again, Cameron."

His lips captured hers in a heart-searing, soul-stopping kiss. Cameron felt the passion ignite between them once more. A passion he had feared he would never feel again. A passion he now knew would never die, but would only get stronger with time. "I love you, Amanda Cory."

"I think it's about time you showed me, Cameron. I've been waiting a very long time."

Lips nuzzling her neck and sending shivers of desire down her spine, Cameron said, "Guess it's a good thing I haven't given up my place yet."

Moaning at the gentle assault on her body, Amanda said, "Let's try someplace else, Cameron. How many times have we been interrupted there?"

"Too many," Cameron agreed. "Where do you suggest?"

"It just so happens that I have the keys to the Cory cabin," Amanda said with a grin. "All of the keys I might add."

"Are there any rangers around?" Cameron smiled.

"Nary a one," Amanda answered, eyes glinting mischievously.

"Phones?"

"We'll unplug them all," Amanda promised. "And leave all cell phones in the car."

Kissing her one final time, Cameron said, "Let's go, Princess. Your chariot awaits."

Hand in hand, they ran together, neither knowing what the future might hold, but knowing nothing would separate them again.