I stepped firmly down upon the gas as I set my course to Patsy's Pies; I didn't know what it was about Josh that had set me off just now. All I did know was that I needed my older sister, and I needed her now. When I arrived, I parked out in front as per usual, getting out of and locking my car behind me, and pulling my leather jacket more firmly around my shoulders as I circled my car to the curb, stepped up, and walked towards the door. I hesitated for a moment, remembering the last time I'd been in, just before Charlotte's funeral, standing in the kitchen in the back, and allowing myself to be tempted by fate, allowing Nicholas to kiss me.

Pushing the thought from my mind, I wrapped my fingers around the door and pulled it open, walking inside immediately and spotting Fiona behind the counter. Not wanting to make trouble, I sat at the counter, and Fiona promptly put a slice of chocolate crème pie in front of me. I found myself sighing then, my shoulders nearly deflating completely as I reached for the fork, but Fiona reached out and stopped me, her hold on my wrist causing me to raise my eyes to hers, and she could sense the pain behind mine.

"Talk," she said softly.

I sighed. "I'm not in the mood to talk," I confessed, my voice close to the breaking point. "I just came here because I needed you... I'm playing the little sister card, Fiona. I know I only get so many of those in my life, but, I figure, since I came into yours so late..."

Fiona shoved the pie out of the way then, leaning across the counter and giving me a hug. "Trust me, Murph, you get as much of those as you want," she assured me. "I love you, and you're my sister, and I can't stand to see you unhappy."

I sighed, quickly dashing the tears from my eyes. "Thanks, Fi. That really means a lot to me, and you'll never know how much..."

"It's fine," she told me firmly, pulling back and wiping the rest of my tears away. "Now, why don't you tell me about the doctor's appointment?" she asked, moving my hair to the side to get a look at my skin. "I don't see a bandage..."

I nodded. "Yeah, they took it off."

Fiona grinned. "That's amazing, Murph! You must be so relieved!"

I gave another nod. "I was."

My sister arched an eyebrow. "But?"

I shook my head. "No, I mean, I understood the whole protocol aspect to it, really I did, but my doctor had to bring up plastic surgery to me..."

Fiona nodded. "And you're against it?"

I stammered for a moment before figuring out just what to say. "Not for everyone," I said. "I mean, I'm sure it's good for some people, but it just wouldn't work for me. I mean, I literally got this from saving someone's life, Fiona—two lives. And it's not just for the sentimentality I've got which is attached to it, but the notion that I'm still here."

"Still here?" Fiona asked.

I smiled up at her. "Yeah—still here. Still here despite everything I've gone through in my life and I'm happy to be here. If I'd broken under the pressure and devastation that Dr. Normal supplied, then I wouldn't have made my way home, to where I really belonged. I wouldn't have found all of you, I wouldn't have had Iana..."

"Wouldn't have fallen in love with Nicholas?" she asked.

Immediately, I shook my head. "No."

She blinked. "What?"

"No, I don't love him," I said, the thought of bearing my soul to anyone else in my entire life in that way feeling like a sickness to me.

"But you're together..."

I nodded. "Oh, yeah, we're together, and I care about him, believe me—but not on a level that I could ever compare to Iana, Ian, or you..."

My older sister regarded me then, her dark brown eyes attempting to scratch away at a surface she was convinced was there. "Come on, Murph," she said.

I let out a small noise of exasperation, pulling the chocolate crème pie towards me. "I don't love him, Fi," I said, stabbing the pie and cutting off a piece for myself, which I promptly shoved into my mouth.

"So, you like him, and you care about him...?"

I shrugged. "He's my boyfriend," I said with my mouth full.

She crossed her arms. "Murph..."

Quickly, I swallowed. "Sorry," I said, making a grab for my napkin and wiping my mouth for any offending matter. "But seriously, Fi. You're not gonna find anything."

"Not saying I'm looking for it."

"Well, what's the interest?" I asked, realizing I was already halfway done with my slice of pie as I lowered my fork back onto the plate.

She sighed. "I don't know, Murph. It just really seemed like you were devastated when he had that ill-advised relationship with Jasmine Jones, and then when you were dating Josh, you always went back to him..."

"Fiona, once and for all, I don't love him," I said, ending on a burst of laughter, for the notion of me loving anyone romantically at this point in my life was absurd.

"Is this because of Jessica or Lip?" she asked, and I lowered my eyes at her words, pulling the plate back towards me. "Is it because, in some form or another, they were taken away from you, so now you're closed off to the idea of love?"

I shook my head. "I didn't love Lip."

"No?" Fiona asked, not wholly convinced.

I sighed, the topic of discussion very uncomfortable for me, but, I figured, if I brought it up once, it could have the possibility linked to it that it would never be mentioned again... "It's called Genetic Sexual Attraction," I said quietly.

"Wait, what?" Fiona demanded.

I raised my eyes to hers. "Real thing—I wouldn't make this up."

"I've never even heard of it..."

I nodded slightly, looking around to make sure that our conversation wasn't on display for everyone to hear. "Essentially, it means that, two people, who are related but weren't necessarily raised together for an extended period of time, become overwhelmed with feelings of a sexual nature because they haven't been taught how to act around this person. Sometimes they know about the blood relationship and sometimes they don't. And sometimes, even if they know, they don't care, and just fall into this pattern of allowing themselves to take liberties, even though it's against the law and the repercussions could be, shall we say, harmful..."

"So, you think that's what happened with you and Lip?"

I sighed, moving my cheek to rest in my hand. "It's a possibility," I replied. "I guess that I was better at getting over it than he was..."

"Well, what about Jessica?" she wanted to know.

I locked eyes with hers. "What about Jessica?"

She shrugged. "Well, I know you loved her..."

I shrugged. "Yeah, when I was eighteen. So?"

"Do you ever think about her?" she asked.

I shook my head, picking up my fork again. "No. I got over that one quickly, too," I replied. "I just never allowed myself to get close to anyone..."

"Until you came home?"

I raised my eyes to hers. "Yeah. Until I came home."

. . .

The next two weeks passed in a combination of me doing things with Iana—which was wonderful, because she'd been sprung for daycare most days since my hospitalization, and she seemed to truly enjoy spending time with me—and catching up on case work. Finally, the day came for me to get back to the firm, and I was pleased to get a sense of normalcy back into my life when it came to my daily routine. Nicholas had not spent the night the evening before, so I got up at the usual time that Monday morning and saw to getting myself and Iana ready on time before heading downstairs.

"Ah, the skirt returns," Ian joked as I stepped into the kitchen, rolling my eyes at him as I set Iana down in her highchair. "What's on the menu this morning?"

"Strawberry yogurt for me, peaches for Iana," I replied briskly, bending down and kissing the top of Liam's head. "Morning, little man," I said gently to him, before walking over to the counter where the fruit was and got a peach for my daughter. "How about you? What's going on with you today?" I ask him, running the peach under cold water for a moment before grabbing a paper towel and drying it off.

"Typical work stuff," Ian replied, watching as I got a plate and a knife from their respective cabinet and drawer locations, and sliced up the peach for Iana. "Trevor and I are going out later, if that's not an issue."

I shake my head. "No, of course not," I reply, slicing up the peach into the little half-moon sections Iana so enjoyed before putting the plate in front of her. I watched for a moment as she stared at the individual pieces on her plate, before she let out a shout.

"Mama, peaches!" she crowed.

I laughed. "Yes, darling," I replied. "Eat up, now. You get to see Rebecca this morning, and Mama need to get Uncle Liam to school after that."

Iana nodded. "Okay, Mama," she replied, picking up her peach slices and sucking on them for a moment before finally eating them.

"Nicholas is coming by later so we can take a look at the Eastman case," I continued, crossing back to the sink to wash my hands. "That all right with you?"

Ian shrugged. "Your house, too," he replied, going to sit beside Liam, a bowl of cereal in his hands as I got a cup of yogurt from the fridge. "I don't think I ever asked you how come you eat so light in the mornings on weekdays..."

I let out a short laugh then, fetching a spoon before I moved to the table to join him. "It's all to do with my anxiety," I replied easily. "I don't know what's going to happen in the morning. I mean, sure, I've got a set schedule, but if it doesn't go according to plan, I freak out. This ensures that I have enough nutrients and energy to make it to lunch without the possibility of getting sick in the morning."

Ian raised his eyebrows. "That bad, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah, apparently so."

He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "So, first day at the interim firm building?" he asked, and I nodded, my mouth full of yogurt. "How do you think it'll go?"

I shrugged. "Can't say. Nicholas took me on a tour yesterday after our picnic, when you were watching Iana with Trevor, so I know the layout and where my office is, but I think all the memories associated with the old building..."

"Still thinking about the fire?" he asked.

I bit my lip. "Yeah. I mean, a little..." I turned to Liam then, and, seeing that he was done with breakfast said, "Sweetie, why don't you go upstairs and finish getting ready, okay?"

Liam sighed, getting to his feet and putting his bowl into the dishwasher. "I'll be back down soon," he said to the two of us, going towards the stairs; he was still smarting from our recent discussion about particular websites he shouldn't be on.

I shook my head at him as he walked upstairs before turning to Ian, after making sure that Iana was fully absorbed in her peach slices. "A freaking pipe bomb exploded on my neck, Ian," I said, and he averted his eyes, his mouth forming into a thin line at the notion of it. "I guess I'm allowed to be...slightly panicked."

He nodded stiffly. "Any word on who did it yet?"

I sighed, feeling my shoulders deflating. "No. None yet."

He ran his hand over his face for a moment. "You worried?"

"Terrified," I replied. "Those bombs and the fire were planted and set for a reason, Ian. Someone at the firm was being targeted, and I can't help but think..."

"What?"

I bit my lip. "I know it sounds crazy, Ian, but part of me wonders if Josh did this to get to Nicholas, in the wake of our breakup," I said, and my brother regarded me with a shocked expression at the implication. "Like I said, totally crazy, but just think about it. He has the money and the means to do so, which means he could've hired somebody inconspicuous to do the dirty work for him. And he's hated Nicholas for years..."

Ian nodded. "I know, Murph. But that's a serious allegation, and if you're wrong, you don't want to go down that road..."

I hesitated for a moment, wanting to tell Ian about what Josh had said at the hospital, but resolved to keep my mouth shut. "Yeah, maybe you're right," I said, shrugging it off. "He may be an...A-S-S, but I don't want to go accusing him publicly if I'm wrong."

My brother smiled at me. "A wise decision."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's hope I'm wrong, then," I said quietly.

I dropped off Iana and Liam on schedule and arrived at the interim building that the firm was using, still slightly skeptical of my safety as I parked in the lot and went upstairs. Someone was waiting for me on that first day; just as Hugo had been waiting when I joined the firm, Nicholas was waiting for me just as the elevator doors opened, letting me out on the main floor. He looked amused at my surprise at seeing him there, and as I stepped forward, I allowed him to kiss me as he took my hand and led me through the assistant's area and down the back hallway, towards where my office, Allie's, Hugo's, and his were now stationed.

"This is a surprise," I said gently as we walked down the hall, towards my interim office. "I thought you'd be doing some pre-work on the Eastman case."

Nicholas smiled. "I got in about an hour before you did this morning," he said as he came to my office door and opened it. "I did some more preliminary research before our sit-down with Gwen this afternoon."

"Well, aren't you Mr. Productive?" I joked, flipping on the light of my office and stepping inside of it. I couldn't help but feel slightly saddened at the loss of my former office, for Allie had had it especially catered to my likes, but I thought that this interim office—despite the coldness the Ikea furniture presented—and the lack of blinds would suffice for the time being. "When do you want to do our preliminary meeting?" I asked, turning around to face Nicholas, setting my bag upon my desk.

Nicholas shut my door behind us. "It's been pushed until after lunch, I'm afraid."

"Oh," I replied, raising my eyebrows and walking towards him. "Is there a particular reason why that was? Or wasn't last night in here enough for you?" I asked, casually yanking a little at his necktie, a standard black one.

Nicholas grinned down at me, his dark eyes hungry. "It'll never be enough—I thought I made that abundantly clear, Murphy," he whispered, yanking me towards him before kissing me. "In actuality, Mom has requested that we have a Skype call with Dad."

I blinked, surprised. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine," he assured me. "We're just expected at eleven to discuss the Halloween extravaganza this year. The party planners are on hold, and they're giving us a bit of leeway this year when it comes to venue booking, since the building owner's don't think throwing a big party here is a good idea."

I shrugged. "Well, I'll certainly help however I can."

"However you can?" Nicholas asked, running his hand along the buttons of my cardigan. "Are you sure about that, Gallagher?"

I grinned up at him. "And just what are you implying, Blomqvist?"

His eyes darkened further then, as he merely stared down at me for a moment, and I allowed myself to bask in the look of utter hunger that he bestowed upon me. He raised his hand from the buttons on my cardigan then, taking his fingertips and gently dragging them down my jaw, to the point where they slipped and caressed my latest scar along my neck. As the self-consciousness flowed through me, and as I lowered my eyes, I was rewarded with Nicholas tilting my chin up immediately thereafter, staring deeply into my eyes.

"And what have I told you, Murphy?"

Fighting against myself, I looked away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, my voice unsteady.

Nicholas turned my face gently back towards his. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Murphy," he said throatily, his other hand pulling me by my waist, so as our bodies became meshed together. "I'll never get tired of telling you that."

I sighed. "I don't know about that..."

"I do," he replied, and I found myself biting my lip, biting back the insecurities that threatened to flow through me, and up towards the surface, and out my lips. "Hey, Murphy, believe me—I'm not going to get tired of telling you that."

I sighed again, my shoulders slacking. "But what if you get tired of me?"

He shook his head. "Not possible."

I hunched my shoulders then, my nerves getting the better of me. "I'm not some damsel in distress that needs rescuing, Nicholas," I reminded him.

"And that's why I..." He began, but there was an unexpected knock at my door, and he immediately let me go then, muttering, "Dammit," under his breath before yanking me to him and kissing me—quickly and with a hunger I never could've imagined—before letting me go again and opening the door for me. "Hey, Mom," he said, clearing his throat. "I was just showing Murphy around and letting her know about the meeting with Dad."

"Which is due to begin in almost an hour and a half," she said, smiling at the two of us, a bit of understanding in the back of her eyes. "Well, you two must have a lot of ideas about the annual Halloween celebration."

Nicholas shrugged. "Not really."

"I have one that may work, actually," I put in, and Nicholas and Allie turned and looked at me in an expectant manner. "I'll bring it up at the meeting."

"Wonderful," Allie replied. "Well, I should get back to brainstorming myself. I'll see you kids in the meeting," she said, before reaching around the door and pointing. "It locks to the left," she told us in a conspiratory tone, before shutting the door behind her and walking off.

I found I was laughing as Nicholas dragged his hands through his hair. "Wow," I said as he turned back to look at me. "I've never met a mom who was so cool about her son sleeping with a co-worker before."

"My mother likes to see me happy..."

I smirked, turning around then and giving him an eyeful before I hopped up onto the edge of my desk and looked at him. "Do you like to see me happy, Nicholas?"

Nicholas looked up at me then, amused. "And what did you have in mind, Murphy?"

I wiggled my hips upon the top of my desk then and proceeded to unbutton my cardigan very slowly, taking each button milliseconds at a time. "Why don't you lock the door," I said, and threw my cardigan down, exposing my white blouse beneath, "and I'll let you know?"

Nicholas grinned back at me, turning around to lock the door, before he crossed my office then and made a grab for my hips, which caused a squeal to escape from me, before he clamped his lips down, hard, upon mine. He pulled at my clothes, careful not to tear them because of my need to appear presentable later, while I made quick work of what he was wearing that day. He chuckled against my lips as I wrapped my legs around his neck, managing to get me out of my blouse completely.

"You're bad, Blomqvist," I muttered, nipping at his lips.

Nicholas just continued smiling down at me, at least for a moment, as he cupped each of my breasts in his hands. "Maybe," he said, breaking his silence for a moment as he bent down, and spread my legs apart, and immediately I felt myself turn red, "I just need to show you how bad I can be, Murphy."

"Nicholas, no!" I said as he yanked down my panties quickly. "Are you insane?!" I hissed at him as he gently pushed me backwards, so as I lay on top of my desk. "You know as well as I do that I won't be able to— Oh, my god," I whispered, trembling all over as he opened his mouth, his breath hot upon me. "Nicholas, we really... Fuck," I whispered, clamping both hands hard over my mouth, my toes curling as they always did, as he showed me just how bad he really could be on such short notice and quick thinking.

. . .

Nicholas and I arrived separately to Allie's office later that morning, and I'd done my best to splash cold water onto my face beforehand. As I sat on the provided chair, I did my best not to swear or squeak under my breath, for I was still tender in all the right places. Crossing my legs as Nicholas arrived shortly thereafter, I smiled at him in greeting as Allie did her best to cue up the Skype session as the hour arrived.

"I've got that, Mom," Nicholas said, stepping forward and pressing all the correct buttons, while Allie sat back, amused.

"You always know how to figure these things out," she replied.

Nicholas came and sat next to me one the session had been set-up, and the three of us waited for Hugo to call. "Any moment now," Nicholas said, looking at his phone.

Sure enough, at eleven-thirty one the dot, Hugo's call came through, and Allie pressed the button to answer it.

"Hello, darling," she said, blushing like a young girl as she stared into the monitor. "Are you all right? Taking the medication on schedule?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Hugo said indulgently, before turning to the rest of us. "How about you kids? I hope you found the new office all right, Murphy."

I nodded. "It was found appropriately, I assure you, Hugo," I replied. "Of course, none will replace the one you and Allie had made for me."

Hugo smiled. "We'll be sure to make you another one in the new building."

"New building?" Allie asked, straightening up. "Hugo, did you have the telephone call from the insurance company?"

Hugo nodded. "I did," he replied, "just an hour ago. They're giving us the same location, and the building is going to have the best security equipment Chicago's ever seen."

"That's really great, Dad," Nicholas said.

"I'm so happy it all worked out," I put in.

"But onto happier matters," Hugo said, folding his hands in front of him. "We need to discuss where the Halloween spectacular is going to be, and what its theme is. I have a phone meeting with the party planners at noon today, so I hope we can come to a decision."

"Murphy mentioned an idea," Allie said, turning to look at me. "Go ahead, Murphy. Tell Hugo what you were thinking."

"A masquerade ball theme," I said, hoping it didn't sound too ridiculous. "I was doing some research, and I've figured out we've got some impressive historical houses in the area. Perhaps the party could be held at one of those," I said, passing Allie the list.

"Oh, the McGill House," Allie said, seeing the first place I'd written down. "Hugo, don't you know someone on the trustee committee?"

"Yes," Hugo replied. "I'll call Chad and let him know what our purpose for our intended use of the house is, and I should have an answer before the party planner phone call."

"Have them print out invitations as soon as you've got the location secured," Allie ordered. "And then there's the matter of decorations and costumes and food..."

"Food won't be a problem," I put in, and Allie turned and looked at me. "My sister would be happy to have her diner cater the affair."

"Oh, Fiona, of course," Allie said, smiling. "She's such a delight. You make up a menu and send it to me, and, once I approve it, you send it on to her."

"Can do," I replied.

The meeting concluded shortly thereafter, and Nicholas and I left Allie and Hugo alone for a few moments as we moved to return to our offices.

"You're a smooth operator," he put in.

I turned around, smiling at him. "Oh, really?"

"It's a great party idea, Murph," Nicholas said, an arm snaking around my waist as he gently pushed me up against my office door.

I grinned at the sensation of having him so close. "Well, I certainly like to think that I have great ideas, and that they aren't in short supply."

He smirked down at me, tangling his free hand into my hair, his eyes never leaving mine. "Well, I suppose that great minds think alike..."

"Oh?" I asked him. "Do tell."

"Well, I think my office is feeling a trifle neglected," he said, and I raised my eyebrows at him in a coy manner. "And you only have until two-thirty to get everything done here."

I nodded. "It's a shame, really, that we have to little time..."

"I don't need a lot of time," he put in.

I bit down hard on my bottom lip, arching myself against him. "Somehow, I think I know that," I replied, lowering my hand to his crotch, "especially when I'm working with my mouth. You always go so quickly..."

In response, Nicholas grabs me fully against him then, slamming hismouth onto mine, and his tongue down my throat, before gathering me into hisarms and walking down the hallway with me faster than lightning. He somehowmanages to get the door to his own office open, and we find ourselves laughingthen as he forces his way inside there, slamming the door behind us. He staresdown at me then, hunger in his eyes, and I reach behind him to lock the door,my hand drifting slowly towards the zipper of his pants, all the while his eyesupon me, and mine on him, looking forever innocently up at him as I lowermyself to my knees.