Billy walked with confidence down the hospital corridor. It was a confidence he didn't feel. He'd been all fired up to see her, but the closer he got to Genoa City the more apprehensive he became. It wasn't that he no longer wanted to see her. Even after CC had finally called to confirm what Kate had already told him, that Lily was doing well, it didn't stop him from needing to see for himself. He had to know if she was okay. He wanted to know if they were okay.

***

Lily was tired. She felt tired and weary down to her very soul. Her marriage was over, and she was having a baby without a single clue as to who the father was.  She refused to even think about who she wanted to be the father. The only thing she wanted was to rest. No, that wasn't true, she wished, she wished with every part of her that she could go back to the beginning, back to the day she gave Nick a second chance after she'd caught him with Sharon. She hadn't been in love then, but she was lonely, lonely without Billy, lonely within herself. That loneliness had eaten away at her soul, causing her to make some very stupid decisions. Yes, she'd love Nick, but she shouldn't have married him.  She should have done what Billy had. She should have gone away to find herself, left Genoa City and her loneliness behind.

***

He wasn't sure what he would do if she told him the truth. If she told him he was the reason she'd fallen down those stairs, that his selfish disregard for anyone's feelings except his own had almost killed her. Billy knew what Jack said. He knew what both Kate and CC said. But she could have died. She could have been killed, and it would have been his fault.

He stopped, suddenly feeling unable to go on.

"Billy," Jack said in concern when he noticed his brother stop. His hands where at his side and he looked as if someone had dropped a weight onto his soul. Jack hated this. As much as he didn't understand the man his brother had become, he didn't want to see him like this.

"Give me a second, Jack," he replied, running a hand through his blonde locks. He already knew what Jack was going to say, and on some level he knew it to be true. He needed to pull it together before he saw her. He didn't want to invite her to his pity party. Fuck everyone else.

Taking a deep breath, Billy continued down the hall toward the bank of elevators, packing his doubt into the black box with each step he took.

***

She could see him. He was standing there on the bottom step of the gazebo; smiling up at her, she felt her mouth lift at the corners in return. She loved his smile, his real smile. The one that showed you who he really was deep down inside, not the mask he wore for the world. It was her smile, the one he especially reserved for her.

"I want you to come away with me."

"What?"

"Come away with me," he said, and then pressed a kiss to her hand.

She could feel her heart beating a mad rhythm against her chest as if it were trying to escape. "Where?"

"Does it matter?" he asked, moving his hand to her hips. "Nothing matters as long as we're together." He pulled her closer, and as if she could read his mind, she leaned down into his eyes and fell into his kiss.

The kiss was soft, but filled with a passion that surpassed anything she'd ever felt before. His lips moved firmly against her. His tongue dipped into her mouth and began to dance with hers. Giving, receiving, taking, leaving, it was all there, in a kiss that made her head spin.

"Come with me," he said again, his blue eyes drinking her in.

"Yes," she breathed, before he devoured her mouth again.

***

"Billy," she sighed.

Colleen froze in her conversation with Kate. "Did she just my uncle's name?"

"Sounded like it to me," Kate said, relaxing back in her chair.

"And that's all you have to say?"

"What else am I suppose to say? It's not like we didn't know she slept with him."

CC rolled her eyes and then looked around the room as if she thought someone would jump out and yell surprise. She leaned into Kate and whispered, "Do you think it's his?"

As much as she wished did, Kate didn't have to ask what ‘it' was, but she really wished she did. "I hope so."

"How can you say that? After all, Nick is her husband."

"Hey, you asked, I'm just telling you the truth. Besides, it would be easier for her if Billy was the father."

Colleen couldn't deny it, there was even a small part of her that hoped ‘it' was Billy's, but she couldn't say it aloud. Although that didn't stop her from wanting it to be so. However, she was married, and a married woman should never support, let alone be accepting of an adulterous relationship.

"It would be easier," Kate said again, "Much easier." 

***

The elevator ride to the eighth floor of the hospital seemed to take an eternity. As each floor passed, Billy's decision to tuck his guilt away into the black box grew stronger the higher he ascended. He no longer blamed himself for her accident. Yes, he could have done things differently and he would forever wish he had, but her accident was not his fault. No, her accident lay at the feet of one person, Nicholas Newman.  

Ding

"It's up ahead," Jack said, after they'd taken a few steps.

Looking up, Billy spotted the room number Kate had told him over the phone. "805," he said, feeling his pulse quicken. He made to move towards the room.

"Billy."

Turning at the sounds of his name, Billy saw Neil approaching from the waiting area, with Olivia close behind. No one else was there. He'd been certain he would see a Newman, at least Nick, if not Victor. He'd mentally prepared himself to deal with them, but he now dismissed them from his thoughts.

"Victor had an emergency meeting at Newman." At Jack's raised eyebrows, Neil added. "It seems that," he trailed off, turning from Jack to Billy he continued, "It seems Nick has an illegitimate child."

"Wait a minute, Nick has a child?"

"Yes," Neil replied, never taking his eyes off Billy. "He has a son with his ex-girlfriend Sharon Collins, who just so happens, or shall we say happened, to be the CEO of Symphonic Smells."

Jack faced his brother, "You knew?"

"Of course he knew," Neil clenched his fists. "What I want to know is how long have you known?"

Billy stared at the father of the woman he loved. He'd never really cared for Neil. He was Victor's right hand man, which meant he was always an enemy of Jabot, always a danger to his father's company. But he was a good man in spite of the fact he kept his nose firmly up Victor's ass. "I didn't learn about Noah until a few years after they were married."

"And if you had?"

Billy could feel his body ready to lash out at the sound of his voice. Breathe, just breathe, he thought before answering. "I would have never...ever let her marry, you."

"Nick, Billy," Olivia said when she saw Nick approaching. "This is a hospital. We have patients here, and this is not the place for you to resolve your issues, so please try not to cause a scene. The patients don't need it, and neither does Lily."

"It's a little late for that," Billy said motioning to their captive audience. He knew the gossips of GC were all atwitter at the news of Lily's accident, and now the news that Nick had an illegitimate child. Billy owed Adam for leaking that little tidbit, because he knew for certain it wasn't Sharon. Sharon was bold, but she'd been scared shitless when she'd spoken to him on the phone. She was too afraid of retribution to do anything more. So there only left one person, Adam.

"Be that as it may, the two of you don't have to make it worse." Olivia folded her arms under her breast and glared at both men, who were staring each other down. 

Billy didn't respond. As much as he wanted to put Nick through a wall this was not the time or the place.

Jack looked at his brother's tight jaw and said, "I think we should give them a moment."

Olivia looked at Jack as if he'd lost his mind. "Are you crazy?"

"They aren't going to do anything, are you?"

Silence. 

"They are not going to do anything," Neil repeated. "My daughter is in the hospital and the blame lies at both of your feet, so you are not going to do anything to cause her to hurt more than you already have." Neil faced Nick, "especially you."

Nick stared at his father in law. A man who'd always treated him like son, now looked at him, as if he were something he scraped from the bottom of his shoe. He hated this, hated the way her family and friends now looked at him like he was scum. He'd lost their respect and trust. He'd lost it because of the man standing directly in front of him.

Nick nodded.

"Billy," Jack said.

He nodded, "I'm not going to upset Lily." At least not today.

Jack, Neil, and Olivia parted without another word. Although Olivia hesitated, but left when Neil placed a firm hand on her arm. The two men stared each other down, when finally Nick spoke.

"I will repay you for this," he said in a voice low and steady.

"I look forward to it."

"You really don't know what you've done do you?"

"No Nick, the moment you put your hands on her, you didn't know what you'd done."

Nick started to take a step forward but stopped himself. "I didn't touch her."

"She still fell down those stairs," Billy ground out. "She could have died."

"I don't need you to tell me what might have happened to her. But you, you need to understand one thing."

Billy didn't reply, only raised one dirty blonde eyebrow.

"She is still my wife," Nick said, taking a step forward, "and the baby she's carrying might be mine."

Baby? Billy thought. Lily was pregnant. He didn't have a chance to process this new information as Nick continued.

"I will fight for her with everything I have,and if the baby's not mine, it doesn't matter," he leaned in, "because I will never let you have her." Nick stepped back, "Never," he repeated. Turning away, he walked off down the hall, leaving Billy alone with his thoughts.

***

She was sleeping when he entered her room. CC and Kate left without a word. The look on his face must have spoken volumes. Walking over to her bed, he moved his fingers gently against her soft skin. She had the softest skin he'd ever felt. It was smoother than the finest Chinese silk. Her angelic face was marred with an ugly purple bruise, and yet, it couldn't detract from her beauty. His fingertips skimmed the shell of her ear and moved to the soft baby fine hair at the nape of her neck. He swallowed, trying to ignore the feel of the puckered skin there. This was new. He knew her body, and this small thin line at the back of her neck hadn't been there the last time they were together.

She shifted against his palm and sighed, "Billy."

Billy's heart lurched at the sound of her voice. "Lily," he said. Leaning down, he kissed her temple and whispered in her ear. "I love you."

***

Lily felt his breath warm against her ear and blinked. She looked up into the pacific blue of his eyes and felt as if she were drowning.

"I'm sorry," Billy said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She stared up at him. He looked...tired, and very young, younger than she'd ever seen him. "It's okay. I've slept too much already."

"You need to rest."

"I'm fine." She watched as his eyes travelled from her face to her stomach. "Who told you?"

"Nick," he answered, and there wasn't anything friendly in his voice.

"Oh God, Billy," she exclaimed, and begin to get up.

Billy sat on the bed and put a hand on her shoulder, "Nothing happened." The small lie burned within chest. "We didn't fight or even argue."

Letting out a deep breath, she let him plump up the pillows behind her head, before straightening the sheets over her. He touched her so gently; the slight brush of his fingers tingled as they grazed her skin. "I don't break that easily."

"I know," he said in a voice slightly choked with emotion. He moved a chair closer to the bed and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry."

"Billy don't," she said. "Please just don't, this was not your fault."

"Lily it was my fault. Maybe not all of it, but I did get the ball rolling. So I need you to let me do this...please."

Nodding, she watched as he ran his free hand through his hair, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I missed you so much, so very much, and I just...I don't know, something in my heart told me that you needed me, just as much as I needed you. I saw you in Times Magazine and you looked so...sad and empty."

Lily looked down, unable to hold his eyes. She was embarrassed that he could see what no one else could. Embarrassed that she'd been married to a man who slept with her every night, yet couldn't tell how she felt. She knew Nick loved her, but she'd always known that he didn't truly know her. So why had she married him?

"It was like you were calling to me," he said, lightly messaging the area between her thumb and forefinger. "It was stupid, really, but that didn't stop me from jumping to conclusions and using..." he trailed off. He had to do this, to tell her everything. How do you tell the woman you loved above all others, that you'd intentionally set out to destroy her marriage?

"I set Nick up."

"What do you mean?" she asked, raising the bed higher in order to sit up. "Billy," she said when his eyes left hers to stare above head.

"I wanted you, so I did whatever I could to destroy your marriage."

Lily's heart tightened. She licked her suddenly dry lips, "How?"

"Did Nick ever tell you about Symphonic Smells?"

Heavy, that's the only thing Lily could think of. The air felt heavy, as if the once intangible substance had suddenly become tangible. Her heart felt heavy, heavy in the sense that it felt as if it was about to be yanked down into the pit of her stomach. She didn't understand why she felt this way; it wasn't as if she didn't know Billy wanted her back. He'd never come out and said, "I'm going to destroy your marriage," but he hadn't hidden his intentions either.

"Yes," she said slowly pulling the word from her brain.

"I own it."

"You own it?" 

"Yes, I own Symphonic Smells. I bought into the company three years ago when I heard the owner wanted to expand." Billy felt like each word was being yanked from him. As hard as it was to watch the emotions flitter through her eyes, he owed her direct eye contact. "Sharon and I were partners." 

He and Sharon were partners. Sharon, Nick's ex- lover the woman her husband had a child with. Billy was partners with her. She voiced her next thought aloud. "How could you not tell me?" she accused, removing her hand from his. 

"I didn't know about Noah when you married Nick," he replied, feeling the absence of her skin against his. "I didn't find out about him until two years ago, and at that time, I thought you were happy and I didn't want to ruin it for you."

"But it's okay now?" she asked. "You see a picture of me in a magazine, and then all of sudden it's okay for you to destroy my life?" Her voice rose with each word, "It's always on your time, Billy."

"Lily."

"No," she said, and her voice cracked. "Why is it always on your time and never mine?"

"Lily."

"You never wrote," she continued, tears coloring her voice. "I waited everyday for an email that never came. I waited very week for Colleen to tell me you were coming home. I wanted you so much, but..." she swiped the back of her hand across her check to clear the tears. "You didn't want or have time to for me."

"Lil," Billy said, moving to the bed he sat down next to her and took her face in his hands. "Lily, I tried. You have no idea how many times I tried to write to you. How many emails I started to write, but could never form the words right, or how many times I picked up the phone to call you, but didn't."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because, I'd left you," he said.

For first time since she'd known him, Lily saw a single tear fall from his eyes, but that was it, only one single tear.

"The few weeks away were great," he said, ignoring the wetness on his cheek. Needing to distract from it, he slid an errant hair behind her ear. "I had an amazing time exploring Spain and then traveling south to Morocco. The architecture, the history, and the people were like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I met people from all over the world, many out exploring the world for the first time like me. And then one day, I was standing under an awning in a market in Marrakesh, the sun rays peaking into the shadows, while people bargained with the merchants, and I thought, Lily would love this. She loves to bargain at swap meets. And in that moment, I didn't understand why you weren't with me, or why I'd left you."

Billy stroked a hand against her cheek, before removing both from her face. "I didn't know why," he said. "I guess I could've blamed Nick."

"Nick?" Lily questioned, feeling as if she'd missed something.

"Let's just say Nick made exploring the world sound very appealing to a young man who was tired of hearing that he needed to be more responsible." Billy shook his head at what a fool he'd been. "It wasn't until I heard you were engaged that it all clicked for me. He wanted you, and I made it so very easy for him to have you."

Lily was floored, Nick couldn't have...He wouldn't have...He was with... The jell-o she'd eaten earlier threatened to come back up. Nick had manipulated her, but then so had Billy.

"I should have written you the moment I realized what a mistake I made. I should have returned to Genoa City, got down on bended knee, and asked you to come away with me."

"But you didn't."

"No, I didn't. My mind was constantly debating itself. One minute I believed the time apart would do us good, and the next, I'd sit at a computer trying to figure out what to say, or I would call the airline ready to book a ticket home. I went back and forth over this again and again, and then..." he stopped, unable to go on.

"Your father died." she finished for him, seeing the pain on his face. She knew that pain, even after four years, her mother's death still sat heavily on her soul.

"Yeah," he replied, determined to keep those emotions in their box. "He died, and I convinced Jack to let me take over the London office. I threw myself into work, and gave up on my travels. I wanted to be the responsible son. The son my father had always wanted me to be."

The room grew quiet at his words. Lily couldn't explain it, but she found a small bit of peace, to finally learn why he'd never reached out to her. "I cried for you," she said, suddenly. "At the funeral, when you didn't show up, I cried, for you."

"I did show up."

"What?"

"I showed up at the grave site, but I stayed far away. I was so angry that he was gone, that I knew I would probably cause a scene. So I stayed in the background, and left before everyone began to depart." Answering her unspoken question he added, "I didn't you see." He reached back up to stroke her face, "Although I wish I had."

"I wish you had too," she said, and removed his hand from her face. "Maybe then I wouldn't feel so betrayed."

"Lily."

"I know what you're saying, and I'm happy you told me, but you hurt me. You knew Nick had a child, and you didn't tell me."

"It wasn't my place."

"Maybe it wasn't, but it wasn't your place to try and destroy my marriage either, but that didn't stop you, so once again we're back to square one, you getting what you want, on your time."

"Lily, I love you and I know I made mistakes, but..."

"Billy, I can't do this with you. Not now, not after we..." she stopped, and placed her hand on her stomach. "I just can't."

"What about the baby?" he asked, his hand joining hers over her stomach. "He or She might be mine."

"And he or she might be Nick's. What if the baby is Nick's?"

"I don't care," he said, because he didn't care. He wanted her for keeps and he would take care of her and the child, no matter who the father was.

"You say that now."

"Lily," he said firmly. "I. Don't. Care. Do you have any idea how close I came to losing you? How crazed I felt when I heard about your accident?" Billy brought his face close to hers. Her usual smell of vanilla was barely noticeable, but he still picked up a slight trace of it. "I know I hurt you, and I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I hope, God I hope, that someday you will forgive me."

"I do forgive you, but I can't be with you," she said, wiping a tear from her face. "I might have committed adultery, but I am still married. And even though my marriage is over, I'm not ready to start something new. Because that is what this would be, what we would be."

"I know you."

"You knew me, and I knew you, but neither of us really knows who the other is now. We can't live off the love we had as teens, if anything, we need to discover a new love, a stronger love."

Billy felt his heart lift at her words. She would give him another chance. She didn't say it, but the implication was enough for him. I will never let you have her. The words came unbidden into his head. Billy thought of the way Nick had looked at him. He'd never seen him that way. Yes, he'd underestimated Nick before, but he wouldn't again. There was no way he'd leave Lily alone in Genoa City, and he had to return to London. "Come away with me."

"What?"

"I know that I fucked up, and I know you need to work some things out, but I want you to let me take care of you."

"Billy..." Lily said, exasperated. She was tired of people trying to take care of her. "I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, but I..." God, how could he tell her that he didn't feel comfortable leaving her in Genoa City with Nick? He knew she wouldn't understand, and the rational part of him believed that Nick wouldn't physically hurt her. But he'd never seen that look in Nick's eyes, or heard the assurance in his voice. No, Lily couldn't stay here, even if he could stay here with her.  Billy knew that Nick would only stress her out. "Do you love me?"

"Billy, I just said that we needed to..."

"Do you love me?" his whispered against her lips.

"Yes," she sighed as his lips brushed gently against hers. She knew she shouldn't let him kiss her. She was registered in a hospital as Mrs. Newman, kissing man who wasn't her husband, and pregnant without the slightest knowledge of who the baby's father was. But she let him kiss her, even after all she'd said, she let him, and it was perfect, and sweet and so gentle that it left her wanting more.

"Then let me take care of you."

"Billy..."

"You said you wanted us to learn each other again, to get to know each other better." He raised her hands to his lips and kissed each in turn, never taking his eyes from her. "I want our love to be stronger."

Her eyes left his to travel down to his lips, then over to his cheeks and up to his forehead before returning to his eyes. She was so tired, and it was would be so easy, but...

"I'm not asking you to be me with now," he said reading the indecision in her eyes, "but I want...no, I need for you to let me take care of you." Taking one hand from her face, he placed it against her flat stomach, "Both of you." Billy moved in to kiss her, "Will you let me?"

He waited for what felt like an eternity, and then finally she leaned in and kissed him.

*

*

*

* 

Fin.