Lily entered Gina's, with a spring in her step, and stopped at the maître d' stand.  She was happy, relaxed and looking forward to having dinner with her husband.  A couple of weeks had passed since the last time they'd gone out to dinner, if you didn't count Kate's engagement party. She'd been surprised when he told her that he'd made reservations for the night, because they hadn't done anything spontaneous in quite some time. Nick's schedule had been hectic as of late, because of the new venture he'd been working on. They'd had dinner at his office more times than she cared to remember. She understood how important the venture was for Newman, so rather than eat alone, she brought dinner to him, and sometimes they would make love afterward. It was nice, but there was just something wonderful about dressing up to enjoy a romantic dinner out on the town.

Lily was amazed at how happy she was by the simple act of having dinner with her husband. She felt beautiful in a simple black empire waist dress that stopped well above her knees, which was paired with silver sandals and accessories. She also felt extremely sexy in her black sheer lace La Perla lingerie. Tonight was going to be great. She hadn't seen Billy in over a week, and that, beyond anything else, added to her happiness. She frowned, had it really been over a week?

"Miss?" the snobby maître d' asked for the third time.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lily Newman," she said assuming he'd asked for her name.

"Newman," he said. His posture straightening as he looked from the woman next to him, to the reservation book. Of course, this was Nicholas Newman's wife, how could he have forgotten, such a beauty as she? "Signora, please follow me."

"Thank you," she said, and followed the maître d' through the busy restaurant.

Gina's was an upscale Italian eatery, with a band, a dance floor, and an ambiance that transported you back to the twenties. The musicians played soft jazz, which filtered through the restaurant, relaxing and intimate. It was still early so no one was dancing, but after eight, the floor would be littered with couples. She couldn't wait to dance with Nick. The feel of his arms around her, as he whispered sweet words of love in her hear, would be close to heaven. She smiled, Gina's was a great restaurant to start off what could be a delicious evening, and she planned on having one with her husband.

***

Billy was bored, he was really bored. And how could he not be, when he'd had to endure the company of his mother, his brother, and his brother's wife. He could have dealt with the latter, but the former, was the worst of the bunch. Jill Abbott, wasn't mother of the year, and never would be to him; although his brother Cane probably thought differently. He was her favorite after all, and why not?  Cane was the saint in the family, a lawyer who spent most of his time, along with his wife Mackenzie, trying to save the environment or whales or some other crap Billy could give two shits about. Billy didn't mind his half brother. Cane was Jill's youngest son from Phillip Chancellor, who was stolen as a toddler. He'd spent fifteen years of his life in Australia, before he found out about his real family on the woman who'd raised him, death bed. Cane wasn't a bad guy, just annoyingly smug, and at times a bit of a tool, but he was mostly harmless...mostly.

"Cane, works with the..."

Billy felt his eyes about to glaze over, at the sounds of his mother's voice, which had been the case for the past hour and a half.  He nodded, pretending to listen, but the soft music at Gina's, combined with the topic of conversations that revolved around Cane, Mac, and their three children, was lulling him to sleep.

Hell, what time is it? He thought and looked down at his Cartier Roadster.

"Are we holding you up?" Jill asked snappishly.

"No, but don't you have to be somewhere at eight?" he asked already knowing the answer. They'd chosen to have an early ‘family' dinner around his mother's schedule. She had a ‘meeting' with some man or another. As if he believed that. Jill Abbott, was about to sink her claws into some other unsuspecting fool, and he wished her all the best with it.

"What time is it?"

"7:45," he lied. It was only 7:30, but he wanted her gone, and the sooner the better.

"Oh, well, I should be going then," she said standing up.

"Weird," Mac said, "I only have 7:31."

"Really? Strange Mac, you might want to check on that," Billy said with false concern.

Cane looked down at his watch and then over to his brother, who was looking at his wife, as if he would strangle her, if she pressed the issue.

"Well one of you is right, but no matter, I know how you like to be on time," he said quickly cutting Mac off. Cane made it a point to never purposefully lie to his wife, and he wasn't going to start tonight. He patted her leg, and gave an indiscernible look towards Billy.

Mac followed his gaze, and flushed at the look of annoyance in Billy's eyes.  "Cane's right, you wouldn't want to be late for your meeting."

"Yes, no use in taking a chance, that one of us is wrong. Besides, what's fifteen minutes, here or there?" Billy said, and stood.

"You're right of course," Jill said, throwing Billy by the comment. He was positive that in his twenty-eight years on the earth, that this was the first time, she'd ever uttered those words to him. "I'm off. I will talk to you later."

"I'll walk you out," Cane said, holding out her chair.

"Thank you darling, but you enjoy your time with your brother." She patted his cheek, bussed Billy's and then Mac's before departing.

***

Billy sat down, relaxed now that his mother was gone. The rest of the evening would be a breeze and a short one at that. Mac didn't like being away from her children to long. And he if wasn't mistaken, because he hadn't really been listening, his mother mentioned something about Mac having to make two dozen cupcakes for their eldest daughter Stephanie to take to school tomorrow. Mac could easily buy a few dozen cupcakes, but she would make them, because Steph wanted her to. He was sure his auburn haired seven year old niece was wide awake, waiting on her mother to get home. She'd already text Mac and Cane each once tonight.

"Billy I can't believe you lied to your mother," Mac said sounding like...well, a mother.

"Of course you can. We did date for like a minute."

"And I still can't believe that," she said shaking her head, while Cane looked on amused.

"Relax Mac. We were what, fourteen, having our first summer fling." Billy said, before taking a sip of the Pinot Noir he'd had with his dinner. "Admit it, we had fun."

She frowned, which caused him to smile. Mackenzie Browning, now Ashby, was too serious for her own good. She'd relaxed a lot since giving birth to her daughters. Billy still couldn't believe that Mac and Cane had three children and a fourth on the way after only eight years of marriage.

"Yeah, it was so much fun, when we got caught swimming in our underwear in our Grandmother's lake."

Billy pretended to shudder, "Good thing we didn't do more than kiss." He said, watching Mac pale.

It had been later that same year, around Christmas that they'd found out that Jill was Katherine's long lost daughter. It was a shock to the senses. And it explained why he'd never felt more than a weird, friendship for Mac, who he'd found extremely attractive back then. Which still didn't really explain things, since about seven years later they'd discovered that his mother wasn't really Katherine's long lost daughter.  But after having lived as family for so long, they continued to do so. However she and Cane were a completely different story.

"Ugh," Mac said. "Don't remind me." Don't, really Billy, just don't.

Mac didn't want to think about that time. She and Billy had been puppy love, but she and Cane...had been serious. They had tried to fight their attraction, but...they couldn't seem to help themselves. They hadn't had sex, and had only shared a few kisses. Such sweet kisses, that had made her heart soar, her knees weak, and her soul ache. It had been unbearable, the pain...the pain of being in love with someone, who you thought you shouldn't love, the way you loved them, was...unbearable.

"It was just a peck Mac, we didn't even use tongues." He laughed, when she groaned.

"Billy, do you mind not torturing my pregnant wife," Cane said, leaning over to kiss said wife.

"Now, I think I'm going to be sick," Billy said in mock jest.

 Cane ignored him, "Are you feeling alright?" He asked, observing her slightly pale pallor.

She smiled reassuringly, "I'm fine.  I just, have to go the ladies room."

"Okay," he stood, and held out her chair for her. She eased out of the chair, her perfectly round bump showed against the flowing lavender dress she was wearing. "I'll go with you."

"I'm fine, really" she said, kissing his cheek, before she departed.

Cane stood, watching her leave until she was completely out of sight, before returning to his seat.

Billy watched as Cane looked off in the direction, Mac had just gone. "She's fine," he commented.

"I know," Cane sighed, "We're having a boy, after three girls, we're finally having a boy." His eyes were shiny.

"You're not going to cry on me are you?" 

Cane scowled in answer.

"So what do you do, plan one every two to three years?" Billy asked semi-serious.

He wanted know, perhaps Lily and he would plan theirs. He wanted to have as many kids with her as she would allow him. It was her body after all, but he knew that she wanted children. He was surprised that she and Nick didn't have any. He was happy about it, but extremely surprised.

"Stephanie's seven, Ginger's five, Haley's three, and Mac's due in what, two, three months tops?" 

"Three," Cane said thinking about it. Billy did have a point, but truthfully, they'd never planned it. Mac had never been on birth control. 

"Is this the last one?" Billy didn't care, but he knew that Cane loved his kids, and a happy Cane, was easier to manipulate.

"I think so, but who knows. Four seems like a good round number." Cane replied, "But I'm sure that you're not interested in hearing about my children."

"I'm always interested in hearing about my nieces," Billy replied. He took a sip of wine, and watched as his brother nodded in acknowledgement of his last comment. "Family is important! And no matter what happens, family should always be...ones first concern." He paused, to let his words marinate in Cane's mind, before he continued. "Don't you think so?" 

Cane was silent. He didn't need to answer the question. His brother already knew what he would say. Family meant everything to him. He'd missed out on a family for most of his life, and he would do anything for his family. "What do you want?"

"Nothing...much," Billy answered.

"What's- not much?"

Billy was about so speak, when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. His senses were pricked, the atmosphere around him changed, dissolving, breaking away like cracked ice. Cane spoke, but he wasn't listening. His hearing, his body, and his senses were all attuned to the entrance of the restaurant. He couldn't see the front, but he knew...he just knew she was here. He could smell her, her scent called to him, like a lioness seeking its mate. The primal male beast that lived inside of him, awakened from its sleeping slumber, searching, waiting, wanting to pounce as soon as he saw her.  His eyes focused at a spot over Cane's shoulder. She would either turn into their section or go to the next one, and regardless of where she went, he would see her...he always saw her.

It took Cane a few minutes to realize that Billy wasn't listening to him. He was certain Billy hadn't listened to a single word of his diatribe about not getting caught up in one of his schemes. Not that Billy ever asked him to, but the remark about family, set his teeth on edge. Cane probably knew his baby brother better than anyone else. He turned his head, following Billy's line of vision towards the open area to their section. There wasn't anything over his shoulder. A few people coming and going, nothing out of the ordinary.  Cane faced Billy, whose attention was still focused somewhere over his shoulder. Billy's blue eyes were hooded, and intense, watching the walkway with an intensity that disturbed him. Cane turned back towards the entrance. It was the same, nothing new, nothing...he paused mid thought, when he saw an extremely beautiful woman walk past, a woman who looked fairly familiar to him, a woman, who he would know anywhere, a woman, who was married to his best-friend. Cane's head snapped back around to face Billy. He watched the way his eyes followed Lily, and then settled back on him, as if nothing had occurred.

"I suppose it would be futile for me to ask what you want." Cane remarked bluntly.

"I told you that it was nothing."

"Lily is nothing?"

"Lily," he breathed. "She could never be a nothing, and I would never refer to her as such."

"Then enlighten me, because I have a feeling that whatever favor you're about to ask me, will have something to do with Lily...Newman."

Billy sighed. They really didn't get it, not His Tiger Lily, his brother, or his niece. They didn't seem to realize, that they could shout her marital status until they turned blue, and it wouldn't change a thing. Billy wasn't about to get into- what was sure to be another pointless conversation, with his brother.

"Ethan," he said using his brother's birth name, his real name, a name that never failed to put a frown on his face. He knew that Cane didn't particularly like being called Ethan, because it brought to surface, how much he'd lost. Billy also knew that the name provided Cane with a sense of belonging.  Ethan was the son of Phillip Chancellor, not just some poor teacher, who could barely get by.

"I'm here on business," he said, steadily looking his brother in the face. "I'm here on Jabot business."

Cane felt uncomfortable staring directly into Billy's midnight gaze. Business, Billy wanted him to know that he was here on business. "I understand Jabot is trying to acquire Symphonic Smells."

"Exactly."

"Exactly," Cane asked unsure of Billy's reply.

"Business, I am here on business." He repeated." Someday...real soon, your BFF is going to ask you, ‘Why I'm here.'  And you will tell him that I'm here on business." Billy said tossing his napkin on to the table, his gaze never wavered from Cane's.

"You want me to lie to Nick for you?" Cane asked choosing his words deliberately.

"I never asked you to Lie. I told you why I was here, nothing more, nothing less."

"Bullshit, you and I both..."

Billy slowly clapped his hands, "I didn't know you had that kind of language in you." He looked around, "Of course when Mac's away," he let sentence fall off, it hung in the air between them, so much was said, without uttering a single word.

Cane swallowed, there were things...things he'd...done-dishonest things...things that would cause his wife to look at him, differently. Cane was a lawyer, and once in a while, he was required to do things that left a bad taste in his mouth. But he did them, because it was his job, working for Michael Baldwin required one to go the extra mile.  "I will not help you destroy a marriage." 

"Again, I never asked for you to help me destroy anything." Billy replied, feeling like a cat about to corner a canary, or maybe a snake with a mouse, he thought tapping a finger lightly against his wine glass. Snake seemed a little harsh, a canary, definitely a canary. After all, Cane was family.

"Billy, you may be Genoa City on business, but I highly doubt that it's the only reason you're here," Said Cane. "I was there, remember. I was there, when Raul broke the news to you about her marriage. I saw you. I saw the pain, the hurt, and the anger in your eyes. So don't tell me that you are only here on business."

Billy could feel his skin begin to sizzle, the deep penetrating anger and betrayal he'd felt the day he'd discovered that she married, began to simmer at the bottom on his stomach.  The ache, the agonizing ache he'd felt at hearing those words, that Lily Winters, His Lily Winters, was now and forever would be Lily Newman. Billy closed his eyes. This was not the time or the place to bring up those thoughts. He needed to put them back in their box, the small black box that sat in the center of his mind, holding all things he needed to hide, so that they would not be emotional burdens. The aching loss of the two people he'd loved most in the world, lay in that box, the loss of his father, and  the love of his life, who owned part of his soul. He couldn't bring his father back from the dead, but he could return the soul that he'd freely given to her, a few weeks before he'd said goodbye, and known that without her, he would never be the same man. Lily Winters had a piece of his soul. The largest part of it was intertwined with hers. What was left of his soul carried her voice, a voice that attempted to make him be good a man. He rarely listened to her voice, A. it hurt, and B. he just wasn't a good man, not without her, and even with her, his motives at times could be questionable.

"And what if I am here to destroy Lily's marriage?" Billy continued, as Cane sat in silence. "Come on Ethan, I'm dying to here, what you'd do to stop me if...I were to...claim Lily?"

"Billy," Cane began

"Tell me," Billy said an edge creeping into his voice. "Tell me...brother," He said, watching Cane over his steepled fingers, "Is water thicker than blood?"

If it were possible to bring a man down with one blow, Billy's last words dropped Cane to the floor, one more, well aimed phrase, and he would be on his back, belly up, offering Billy the kill. Cane's palms began to sweat. He could feel a small bead run down the nape of his neck, while his mouth cried out for him to lick it only to quench the sudden dryness there.

"Is that a yes," Billy said with a nonchalance that he didn't feel. He needed Cane's word, because he knew that once he gave it, he would never break it. He didn't want to bring any undo stress to his family members, but if they got in his way... ca sera, sera.

Cane took in a deep breath before grounding out, "No," He looked behind him to see if Mac was coming, before turning back and added, "Is there no limit you want go to for her?"

None, thought Billy, who realized a long time ago, that where His Lily was concerned, the limits were infinite.

***

Billy watched her work, head bent diligently over a stack of papers, pen moving methodically from one place to the next, checking, and writing as she went down the page , before moving on to the next. He'd been standing in the doorway for sometime, trying to decide the best way to handle this delicate situation. He'd gone over a few scenarios, each one was worse than the last. He sighed, there was only one way to handle this and that was to be, direct. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Mr. Abbott," Mrs. Park said, when she looked up and saw him at her door. "How may I help you?"

Billy gave her an easy smile as he walked into the classroom towards her desk. "Me, well I'm fine, it's just, that," he trailed off.

"Yes?" she asked, one pale blonde lash rose in expectation.

 Pasha Parker or Pip as her friends called her, was the ideal standard all American beauty, blonde haired, and blue eyed, and much like myself, thought Billy, who didn't reply. She was twenty-eight, from Minnesota, and working at the best paying school in the state, that was about as hard to get into as Forte Knox.

"How did you get this Job?" he asked pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." She said standing up, "If you don't have anything in particular to discuss with me, then I suggest you leave." 

"It couldn't have been easy," he said ignoring her. "You must have gone to Yale or Harvard to get this position?"

"Mr. Abbott."

"No, you look more like a Golden Gopher," he chuckled, "Damn that's a terrible name for a mascot."

Pasha crossed her arms over her chest and watched the insolent spoiled brat, who was no more than eighteen, laugh at her alma mater. "Mr. Abbott, I am not one of your fellow classmates, so I will not stand here in my own classroom and..."

"You were a dancer, right?"

"What?"

"You were a Dancer, at the University of Minnesota?"

"I,"

"I bet you were good, not good enough to be a professional dancer, but it must be nice sharing your knowledge with other girls." At her look of confusion Billy knew that playtime was over. He should've just been direct...damn. "Shaping the youth of the America, helping them to perfect their turns, and leaps, or whatever technical term your use, for jumping and twirling." 

Mrs. Parker moved around the desk to stand in front of him. "I don't know what type of game you are playing, but I suggest you play it somewhere else.

"Randolph Parker right," he asked.

"What?"

"Your husband, that's how you got the job here?" He asked, continuing before she replied. "And that nice house you live in. I mean it's not as if you need to work, but I guess it can't easy being married to an old codger can it?" He stood, and leaned against her desk. "He's like what, seventy or eighty?"

"Sixty," she snapped.

Wow, he mouthed, stretching his eyes, as if this was a shock to him. "That's," he moved his fingers as if he was counting and then said, "Well, that's a, huge- age- gap. It must be hard, having to sleep with someone so much older than you."

"That's it, get..."

"I'm not happy with your roster for the dance team," he said changing the subject.

Pasha blinked, what was, he talking about. "What do you mean, by your not happy with my roster? It's not that I care, but how could you possibly know what it says, when it hasn't been posted."

"Lily Winters is not on your final roster." He said ignoring her question.

"How did you?"

"That really needs to change," he said meeting her gaze. 

"Ex..." Pasha began, determined to hold his gaze. His eyes were cold, flat, and hard. She'd met many men in her life, and few could pull of the chilly gaze he'd directed at her. She wanted to look away. It took all of her will power not to. He was just a boy...just a boy. "Excuse me?"

Hesitation, poor Pasha, she really shouldn't have hesitated, before he'd thrown his cards on the table.  Billy sighed. "I really hate repeating myself.  Lily isn't on your roster. And that just...won't do."

She snorted, "Is the about Lily Winters?" She asked and then laughed, "You somehow got your hands on my roster, and now you here to convince me to put your girlfriend on the squad."

His girlfriend, if only she were his girlfriend. But she would be...soon. "I didn't come here to convince you of anything." He said his voice dropping the temperature in the room. "You are going to do put her on the squad, because she is a great dancer, and she deserves to be there."

She laughed, "I hope you aren't trying to intimidate me, you'll have to...

"I can only imagine the perks that come with working at Walnut Grove. Good benefits, free lunch" he said, ticking each one off on his fingers," good pay, fucking Principal Richards after school."

Pasha swallowed, no, he...he couldn't.

"Not the reasons you like working here?  I really thought that last one was a special benefit just for you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," She said stepping back, when he moved to go around her.

"Pasha, you graduated with a 3.72 GPA from college. You and I both know that you are not stupid...but then again, Mamie always said that "common sense isn't common."

Pasha was stunned, how did he know what grade point average she'd gotten in college? How did he even know what school she'd attended and how did he...She let the thought trail off.

"Lily Winters is going to look very cute in her uniform," he said stopping at the edge of her desk, where he pulled out a small white envelope and laid it on the top. "Don't you think so?" He threw over his shoulder, as he walked towards the exit.

Pasha felt her palms go sweaty, and her stomach cramped as she stared at the envelope. She should wait until he leaves, she should wait...But. She reached for the envelopes tearing it open, she gasped.

"Does Mr. Parker know you're that flexible?" Billy asked before exiting the room.

***

It was the first time Billy had ever used extortion to get what he wanted, but now, it was child's play. Not that it mattered, because he was smart enough not to get his hands dirty. He looked over Cane's shoulder and watched as Mac made her way back to the table, "Is there any limit you wouldn't go to for Mac."

"None," Cane said without second thought. Shit, he thought, I'm fucked. He knew the place where Billy was, he'd been there when he'd fallen in love with Mac.    

"Exactly" Billy said.

Cane sighed, and turned to see his wife, smiling happily as she walked towards them. His heart still skipped a beat, when she smiled like that. Mac was his everything, and Billy knew it. He'd risked being disowned, to be with a girl who he'd thought was his cousin. It still bothered him the way he'd rejoiced, when the news had come out that his mum wasn't really Katherine's daughter. He'd comforted his mother to her face, but had smiled in glee, with a heart filled with unbridled happiness at the thought that he could really and truly be with Mac. Yep he was fucked...well and truly fucked.   

"I'm sorry I took so long," she said to Cane, before turning to Billy. "You're not leaving already?"

Billy, who'd stood at her approach, bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "We'll catch up later. I have a business to attend to."

"Business, Billy I swear all you do is work."

"Hon, Billy's here on business."

"Yeah, lighten up Mac, I'm here on business.

"Yeah, just business," Cane reaffirmed, he and Billy exchanged looks of understanding. "We need to leave any way, so that you can make those cupcakes with Steph.

"Oh, what time is it?" when Billy told her, she departed as if being chased out, but not before getting a promise from him that he would come to dinner Sunday to visit with his nieces.

***

One more thing down, a few more details to take care of, but I can do that later, thought Billy. At the moment, he only had one person on his mind. He walked towards the section he knew she was sitting in. It would be rude to leave without saying hello to...his thought trailed off, when he saw a gentleman waiting for him at the bar. He glanced down at his watch. It was only a little after eight. He had time. Changing directions, he casually strode over to the bar, and took a seat next to the man, before ordering a glass of scotch.

 The two men sat in silent at the bar, until the bartender returned with his drink. 

"Billy." The man said staring down into the clear liquid in the small tumbler that sat in front of him.