A/N: Well, folks, this is the final chapter of my story. This was my first attempt at writing fan fiction. Thanks to all of you who have read it in its entirety.

Chapter 10

David did his best to calm himself. The altercation with Kate was unexpected and unwanted. However, Veronica was on her way and he had to lower his anxiety level. If she were to sense his current mood, it would cause unnecessary concern and ruin their evening.

He proceeded to the kitchen to check on dinner, being kept warm, perfectly timed with Veronica's expected arrival. He soon found himself slowly returning to his upbeat self as he refocused on her arrival while "pushing" the earlier unpleasant event way back into the recesses of his mind to be dealt with later.

As he was lighting the logs in the fireplace, the doorbell rang. His heart skipped a beat as he took long strides to the front door. He took in a deep breath as he turned the knob. Yes, this time it was Veronica standing on the other side of his front door. She greeted him with a big smile and stepped quickly toward him wrapping her arms around his neck. He gladly reciprocated her physical display of affection by wrapping his arms tightly around her and lifting her up. Her squeals of delight and his laughter echoed in the night air.

As he lowered her to a standing position, they each gently pulled from their embrace to face the other.

"It's so good to see you," David said as he held her face in his hands. "It's been such a long week!"

"Oh, David. I'm so glad to see you, too. It was all I could do to contain my excitement about this weekend!" she breathlessly replied.

"Here, let me take your luggage." He then stepped aside saying, "Come on in." She entered the foyer while taking in the décor of his home. She liked it; masculine and cozy. He entered behind her as he rolled her luggage inside and proceeded to close the front door.

"Hey, you," he said softly as he took a step towards her. "Come here." She turned to face him in response to his request. A moment in time, one that he'd been waiting for since they last saw each other, was sealed with a passionate kiss, then an embrace.

He breathed in the lightly scented fragrance of her perfume as he held her. "God, you feel good."

She sighed as they lingered, holding each other tightly. "So do you."

For what seemed an eternity, they finally stepped out of their embrace and walked into the living room.

"M-m-m, something smells good!" she said.

"If you're hungry, dinner's ready now," he replied.

"I am a little hungry."

"Well, let's start off with some wine." He'd prepared the table in the dining room earlier using his best dishes. The two lit candles stood guard, each one placed at opposite ends of a small colorful floral display.

She followed him into the dining room and sat in the chair that he'd pulled out for her. She waited patiently while he retrieved the wine from the kitchen.

"Ok, here we are," he said as walked towards her. He poured wine into her glass first. She sipped and gave a short nod of approval. He filled his glass and sat down beside her.

"So, Chef Smith, what's on the menu tonight?" she asked smiling.

He began, speaking with a French accent: "Tonight, mademoiselle, we have grilled wild salmon accompanied by organic baby carrots lightly sweetened with organic honey, roasted red potatoes, and a small delectable, sinfully rich, chocolate cake for dessert."

"Superbe!" Veronica replied in French. "You went all out...sounds delicious!"

During their leisurely dinner and dessert, they reminisced about their exploits in Colorado, laughing now at some of what wasn't laughable then.

"Thank you for cooking this fantastic dinner. It's been so nice being able to relax."

"You're welcome, baby." He still couldn't believe how his life had changed in the last few weeks. "Make yourself comfortable in the living room while I clear the table."

"Oh, let me help. It's the least I can do," she offered.

"No, ma'am. You're my guest and besides, you've had a long drive. Go," he continued, waving both hands in a backward motion to shoo her away, "relax...unwind...put your feet up. And take this with you." He handed her a refilled glass of wine.

"Merci beaucoup!" she replied smiling.

David cleared the table and put the leftovers into the refrigerator. The dinner dishes were placed into the dishwasher to be dealt with later. Veronica proceeded to the living room to her luggage. She removed a gift-wrapped article and placed it on the coffee table. She made herself comfortable on the sofa and waited for David to return while sipping her wine.

As he walked through the dining room, he blew out the candles, and poured himself more wine. He then went to the CD player and replaced the already played CDs with more soft music.

"Come, sit beside me," Veronica said patting the sofa seat next to her.

"OK," he replied smiling. A lit lamp sitting on a nearby table and the light from the fireplace softened the ambiance. As he sat down, he noticed the gift on the coffee table. "What's this?" he asked.

"That, my darlin', is the item I told you I'd be bringing to you. You inspired it." It was more than a gift; it was a piece of her soul.

"May I open it now?"

"Yes, of course." She fought the slight twinge of self-doubt rising within her.

David unwrapped the gift. He turned the item right side up and saw that it was a framed painting. In fact, it was a painting of the cabin that they shared while in Colorado.

"Veronica, this is beautiful!" He paused as he examined it. "I'm impressed! Thank you, sweetheart!" He leaned toward her and kissed her. The detail and colors of which she painted the cabin and the surrounding area was truly a beautiful piece of art. "When did you find the time to do this?" he asked as he continued to admire it.

"I took a picture of the cabin on my last day while you were sleeping, before I packed my stuff. I had remembered my camera being in my luggage. When I got home, I began painting, using the picture as a guide. Since the snow had melted, I improvised the snow scene from memory."

He was truly touched by her gift. "You keep this up and you'll be having your own exhibit soon!"

"Oh, that's a long way from now, but thanks for your vote of confidence. It does feel awfully good to be painting again, though."

He walked to the fireplace and placed the painting in a prominent spot on the mantle to join some artifacts he'd collected from his travels over the years. Assured that it was securely placed, he returned to sit beside her. "I'm glad you're painting again. You are truly talented!"

He saw Veronica in a new and appealing light. She seemed complete somehow, more confident which made her even more attractive to him. It was evident that she was getting her mojo back and he was glad to see this side of her.

"Come here," David said as he put his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest while conforming to his embrace. As he held her, she found herself feeling sleepy. It had been a long day.

As he watched the flames flickering in the fireplace, he felt an increased weight on his chest. He saw that Veronica had fallen asleep. To make himself more comfortable, he slowly raised his legs, placing his feet on the coffee table and crossing them at the ankles. Peace had arrived as he had hoped and, with that, he was certain he was holding a piece of heaven in his arms.

Earlier in the evening Kate had hastily decided, with confidence no doubt, to confront David Smith believing there was no time like the present. She had remembered the big guy at the tavern saying that he'd be returning from his vacation this week. Using her research skills, she had successfully found his home address. Her mission would be met with swiftness and without any regard as to the outcome. She had things to say and was going to make sure he heard what she had to say. However, his heated response was very unexpected. She'd obviously miscalculated his stance regarding his relationship with her mother.

She returned to her floating abode with eyes red and swollen from sobbing. She didn't know if her inner strength would last long enough to deal with all that she had on her plate. She wasn't sure why she had been crying, but despite her current state, she was rather satisfied at having finally confronted David Smith.

Having neglected to leave a light on outside or inside the cabin, she was forced to fumble in her purse for her yacht door key. Finally finding it, she unlocked the door and opened it. As she turned to close the door, a shadowed figure stood in the doorway. Kate immediately pushed the door to close it, using all her strength, but was unable to match the strength of the stranger. He gained entry and closed the door behind him.

She froze, unable to speak, at the surprised intruder. There was an eerie silence. Finally, he spoke.

"Miss Reed, it's me, Lieutenant Martin! I'm sorry if I frightened you," he said in a low whisper.

"If you frightened me? Damn it! You scared the hell out of me!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "What are you doing here anyway?" Oh how she wanted to deck him!

"Do you realize there was someone following you tonight? And I don't mean the security detail," he whispered loudly. He stood rigid, not knowing what she was capable of, prepared for any hard blows, and not wanting to invade the personal space between them.

"What do you mean I was followed?" she replied with a slight frown. "Wait...were you following me, too? And for god's sake, why are we whispering?"

He thought for a moment, then replied in his normal deep voice. "I, I don't know...it, it doesn't matter. Just what were you thinking not letting me or one of the other security officers know where you were going tonight? You know the procedure; we'd discussed that earlier." His temper was getting the best of him. God, he hated it when a citizen under police protection didn't follow his directives.

"Ok, ok, so I slipped up once." Jeez, she felt like a prisoner in her own home.

"Do you realize your slipup could've caused you to be hurt or worse?" he replied, hoping he'd gotten that point across to her somehow.

"I had to deal..." She paused for a moment thinking of how to finish her statement. "I had to deal with a personal issue."

"I don't care if it was a personal issue, a legal issue, or any other issue. You are to inform us where you will be going at ALL times! Do we understand each other?" The sound of his voice had raised a decibel or two. Even he was surprised at this.

She hated being reprimanded. It made her feel like a chastised adolescent. "Yeah, yeah, ok, ok" she replied raising her hands slightly and shrugging her shoulders. "It won't happen again." She had to say something to make him think she was remorseful for her actions.

"Good, see that it doesn't!"

Silence filled the room again. Neither of them had moved.

"Who do you think was following me?"

"Right now, I have no idea. Whoever it was, he or she was in a silver Lexus sedan.

She wasn't one to cave in from fear and intimidation, but this was beginning to get to her. "I don't know how much longer I can deal with this," she said in frustration.

"Miss Reed, our investigation is ongoing and it's not going to be solved overnight. If you're feeling like this now, how are you going to be feeling a month or two down the road?" He didn't like the implication that she was faltering. "You've got to remain strong and resolute."

If only you knew, mister. "I'm beyond putting up a strong front. I don't deserve any of this," she whimpered.

He refused to respond, not wanting to cater to any pity party, no pun intended. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked as he switched on the ceiling light.

Her eyes squinted at the sudden burst of light. "No, I haven't. My errand distracted me from my dinner plans."

"You had dinner plans, too? Miss Reed..." Oh, he was royally annoyed.

"I didn't mean dinner plans as in...oh, forget it." She gave up on correcting his misinterpretation.

"Well, you should eat something. It's after 8 o'clock." He was hungry, too. "What'll it be? Chinese? Pizza?"

"I dunno. I can't think about food right now." She just wanted to be alone.

He convinced her to sandwiches from a local delicatessen. They added potato salad and drinks to their carry out order. As Jeffrey drove them to pick up the meal, he wondered what Kate's personal issue was and why her eyes were red and swollen. It didn't appear that she had been hurt physically. He thought it best to not pursue the issue at this point as he felt it did have something to do with where she was earlier.

As they walked back to his pick-up truck with bags in hand, Jeffrey commented, "Looks like we're in for a quiet evening as far as the weather is concerned." He rolled his eyes, annoyed at having made the stupid comment, and thought to himself, Why is it when there's nothing to say, the subject of the weather always fills the void?

"Looks like it," Kate replied as she looked up toward the sky. The stars were barely visible due to the lights of the city.

They entered the pick-up truck to return to the yacht. Jeffrey's eyes scanned the area for any sign of unusual activity. He was also on the lookout for the silver Lexus.

Kate suggested they go to the deck at the back of her yacht facing the bay—her favorite spot—to sit and eat. The lights of the marina twinkled in the darkness and the clang-clang of the buoys echoed in the night air. There was a lighthouse in the distance across the bay at the edge of a peninsula, its powerful light shining brightly as it rotated in a perfectly timed rhythm.

"Nice spot," Jeffrey said as he sat down in one of the deck chairs. "I'd be out here every night."

Kate sat in the other deck chair and removed her shoes. "Yeah, I do sit out here often despite the fact that I'm being watched."

He let that comment pass without reply. He watched her for a few moments.

"Kate, I'm curious about something." He couldn't wait any longer to ask.

"What are you curious about?" she asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"I noticed your eyes were red and swollen when I turned the light on inside the cabin earlier. Would that have anything to do with the personal issue you spoke of earlier?" While he waited for her reply, he drank some of his iced tea as his throat felt very dry.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied as she gazed out to the bay. It was an uncomfortable feeling learning that he had been so observant of her appearance.

"Fair enough," he replied. He'd leave it for now, but would address it at a later time.

They finished their meal in silence. He was glad to see her at least looking relaxed, her bare feet resting on the railing. He smiled at the shiny color of her toenails. It looked to be a pinkish-orange color. He was reminded of how his twin sisters regularly polished their toenails and fingernails when they were teenagers. There was something very feminine about that.

Jeffrey looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly 11 o'clock.

"Kate, I'm going to call it a night. What are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked.

"No plans whatsoever. I'm going to sleep in and hang around the yacht. I've got some work to do anyway regarding a case." This, she hoped, would be a hint that she wanted to be alone. The case she would be working on would be Terry's.

"Ok, then. If you need me for anything, please don't hesitate to call me, ok?" He had plans of his own that included researching the owner of the Lexus.

"Will do." She started to get up from her chair.

"Sit tight. I can find my way off the yacht. You look so relaxed."

"Ok. Have a good weekend."

"Thanks, you too. It might be a good idea to keep an outside light on."

"Yes, lieutenant," she replied with a salute.

"Well, goodnight then." As he walked away, he heard her reply, "Goodnight, Jeffrey."

Kate decided to go inside. She'd never felt unsafe sitting outside, but was feeling that way now since learning about the Lexus. She locked the door behind her and switched the outside light on. She peeked through slightly parted blinds of one of the port windows and didn't see anyone from the security detail. She began to wonder if there was indeed any other security officers other than Jeffrey.

She wanted to go to the airport and retrieve the gym bag, but decided instead to view the CDs that she'd hidden in an air vent passageway in her room. She unscrewed the vent cover and retrieved them.

The first one was placed into the CD/DVD drive of her laptop. A few moments later, a video appeared on the computer screen. It was a video of Teddy and he began to speak;

"Kate, I hope you're the one viewing this. I recorded this after our conversation during our lunch at Delgado's. If you've been to the airport locker, you will have found more CDs and handwritten notes of mine. There is something else that I want you to know and it's about the videos that you have either seen by now or will eventually see. In order to maintain secrecy about my knowledge of Tom and Lauren's plans, I had to rely on someone to help me. He is of questionable character, but his assistance is legitimate. I'm sorry for leaving you crumbs to follow, but in order for this have a successful outcome, I had to do things this way. I love you always, my darling." Teddy through a kiss to the camera intended for her and the video faded to black.

Tears surfaced in her eyes for the second time today. She replayed the video to hear his voice again. Oh, how she missed that comforting, deep voice of his!

Kate relinquished to the fatigue plaguing her and decided any further research of Teddy's belongings could wait until tomorrow. She crawled into bed and soon fell asleep.

It was Saturday morning and Kate had gotten up early to continue her research. She'd retrieved the gym bag from the airport earlier and had gone through most of the information. She organized the most important information while setting aside that which would be reviewed later.

She now understood David Smith's comment about Lauren in his letter to her. Lauren had been leaving work more often than usual since Tom's arrest, ostensibly to meet with a client. Kate wondered...

The phone rang. It was Victor Hernandez.

"Hello, Mr. Hernandez. How are you?" she asked smiling.

"Hello, Kate. I'm fine. I was calling to see how you are doing."

"Oh, you know...the usual."

"Well, I've some updated information for you regarding Tom Montane that I'd like to share with you when you're able to meet me at my office."

"Let's hear it now," she replied with anticipation.

"No, I'd prefer to do this in person, in my office. Can you meet me first thing Monday morning?"

"And let me stew all weekend? No sir. I want to know now!"

"Well," Victor Hernandez replied, then paused for a moment. "It's highly unusual, but how soon can you meet me at my office?"

"I can meet you within 30 minutes."

"OK. I'll see you then." Victor ended the call with trepidation, knowing the information he had for Kate would be devastating.

"Hello, Kate. Come on in," Victor said in greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Hernandez." She shook his hand and sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk.

"I'll get down to business. Kate, as it turns out, Tom Montane was also embezzling money from your and Teddy's firm."

"What?! How? For how long?"

"It appears from the records we confiscated from his office that he had set up a fictitious account in the name of a deceased client of your dad of several years ago."

"For what purpose?"

"It turns out he was fronting a drug trafficking operation. His greed for wealth got the best of him. But that's not all."

"Oh?"

"We discovered the extortion scheme he was involved in that included Teddy."

"How could Dad be involved in something like that?"

"I'm sorry. I've misstated what I intended to say." Victor collected his thoughts and clarified with, "He was blackmailing your father."

"For what purpose could he be blackmailing my dad?"

"Kate, Tom knew about your true parentage and used that information to blackmail your dad, or that is, Teddy."

"Mr. Hernandez, I've only recently learned of who my biological father is." She told him of the letter she received from David Smith. "How did Tom know?"

"He learned of the information just before your mom and Teddy married. It was he who arranged the paternity test for David Smith. He was considered a close friend of your mother's family. They felt he could be trusted."

"Oh my god!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Tom was very envious of Teddy's success as an attorney. He was unable to realize that level of success for himself. So, when his firm was failing, he confronted Teddy and asked, or rather demanded, that he work in his firm armed with the information about your parentage he had in his possession to use when it would benefit him. Teddy, being the man that he was, agreed to pay him "hush" money in order to protect your mother's reputation and from your finding out the truth."

"That sounds so out of character for my dad, uh, Teddy. It wasn't like him to cave in to bullying. This extortion scheme must have gone on for a long time!"

"I know you have a high regard for Teddy. He loved you very much, Kate." He watched the emotion wash across her face, then continued. "He and I met a few months before he died as you probably know by now. His gut instincts were correct about Tom. Now, let's get to Lauren."

"Ok." Kate held her breath.

"As it turns out, Lauren helped Tom set up the fictitious account. The name of the client is immaterial for now. The investigation of Lauren is slow-going, but I no doubt feel we'll have enough on her to put her away for a long time too."

Kate digested this new information. Then it struck her...David Smith apparently had no idea that Teddy had known the truth about her mother and Smith. It appeared that Teddy kept that nugget of information to himself.

"Mr. Hernandez, I want to help in your investigation of Lauren. What can I do?" She was fired up now. The more she understood about Teddy and David Smith's friendship, the more she loathed Tom and Lauren.

"Kate, at this time, I don't see what you can do to help."

"Dad, uh, that is Teddy, left me quite a bit of information in the form of disks and handwritten notes that I could lend to you. Also, I have noticed her leaving the office more often than usual. She always uses the excuse of meeting with a client," Kate replied using air quotes with her fingers for emphasis. "That's suspicious in itself!"

"Lauren is being followed. As for Teddy's information, he told me when he handed me information that he'd left the same for you. He certainly covered all the bases." He noticed a slight surprised look on her face. "However, for your safety, we will continue the status quo: You will continue to be under the watchful eye of my staff and Lauren will continue to be the object of our investigation."

Kate understood the importance of the plan. She decided she'd go with the flow and wait it out.

It wasn't until a few weeks later, on a Friday morning, that all hell broke loose. Kate walked up the steps to the front door of Reed and Reed only to be met by a handcuffed Lauren being escorted by the FBI to a waiting vehicle. She looked at Kate and threatened her with, "I'll get you for this!" Kate just shook her head and replied, "In your dreams!"

Leo, wide-eyed and speechless for once, caught site of Kate as she entered. She walked up to him, grasped his shoulders, and stated while slightly rocking his shoulders, "It's going to be a glorious day!" She released her grasp and walked into the direction of her office. Leo quickly followed.

"Boss, what in the hell just happened? First Tom Montane, now Lauren?" His confused state was priceless.

"Let's just say, she got what she deserved. I can't talk about it now, but suffice it to say that Reed and Reed will no longer include Lauren!" She felt such satisfaction in that statement.

Lauren was found to be meeting with the head of the drug trafficking ring instead of her clients. Her uneasiness in Tom's arrest was bearing down hard on her, making her desperate and fearful of any revelations that might implicate her in their scheme. She did her best in her frenzied desperation to convince the head of the ring to hire a hit man to kill Kate; however, she obviously was unaware that the person posing as the head of the drug trafficking ring was Robert Hazelton who'd spoken with Teddy some months prior regarding Tom and Lauren. He had disguised his character so well that even the other ring members never suspected anything out of the ordinary.

Robert met Lauren at a designated spot to complete their transaction. She gave him an attaché case containing a large sum of cash for the hire. A hidden microphone worn by Robert provided the audio that was being recorded by agents hidden in a nearby van disguised as a home repair business, implicating Lauren royally. A wireless camera hidden nearby recorded the transaction.

David Smith was washing a few beer and wine glasses behind the bar when he noticed a news report on the TV about the outcome of the trials of Tom and Lauren. He smiled with a sense of satisfaction that his hunches about Lauren had been right all along. He wondered how Kate was handling it all. It was then that the front door of the tavern opened and it was she who walked in.

He took a deep breath not knowing what to expect. Kate smiled slightly and walked up to the bar and sat down on a stool near where he stood behind the bar. She had a large manila envelope in her hand.

"I'm not here to cause you any trouble, Mr. Smith," she stated. She looked up toward the TV screen to see an old video of Lauren being whisked away in a police car. She smiled and returned her gaze to David Smith.

"So much has happened since I last spoke to you..." She paused and noticed David Smith's right eyebrow lower in somewhat of a frown as he tilted his head. "There is information in this envelope that expands on some of what you wrote in your letter to me. I also want you to know that there is some information regarding Teddy and Tom Montane in that envelope that has been sealed by the court and will not be released out of respect for me and, ahem, I don't believe I'm saying this, out of respect for you. You'll understand it all when you read the contents of this envelope. I have powerful friends of my own, you know." Kate placed the manila envelope on the bar and slid it in David's direction.

David looked at her even more puzzled. He took the manila envelope and began to open it.

"Better not, unless you have a double scotch in hand," Kate suggested. "Wait to read it when you go home tonight. It's very illuminating!" She stepped off the bar stool and left the tavern.

At home later that evening, David poured himself a double scotch for a little fortitude to read the contents of the envelope. He sat down on the living room sofa, took a deep breath, opened it, and began to read. The most confounding and revealing part of the whole thing other than Tom's embezzlement of the law firm was the reason behind Tom's extortion of Teddy. What a louse! he thought to himself.

He found a sealed business sized envelope addressed to him from Teddy included in the manila envelope. That little minx! he thought to himself as he wondered how much effort it had taken for Kate to decide that she should relinquish the envelope to him.

He opened it and found a letter in Teddy's handwriting. In it, Teddy revealed his knowledge of Kate's parentage. He went on to explain how he came to find out about that and the ensuing extortion by Tom. Most of the letter, however, was an attempt by Teddy to encourage David to not "beat himself up" about what had happened. He reflected on that information with a sense of sadness and relief. Shaking his head, he remembered the times he and Teddy had gotten together at the tavern, and yet nothing was ever brought up about the affair. He concluded that they had each paid for their past decisions in differing ways. They were both connected, yet separated.

He continued to read that Teddy acknowledged his own behavior which eventually lead to David and Yvonne's affair. He admitted to selfish desire, comparing himself to Tom Montane, to be successful at all costs, even allowing his friend to take the fall for him all those years ago rather than being a man and taking the sole responsibility for his actions. He also stated Yvonne had changed after Kate was born and understood why after he found out about their affair. He felt her change in attitude toward him was because she now had a part of David to sustain her through their less-than-stellar marriage. He stated further that although he and Yvonne had a child of their own later, their marriage wasn't as he'd hoped it would be, but he wanted David to know there was no malice toward him. He stated he was sad for how his selfish acts and neglect of Yvonne had affected her. Most of all, Teddy acknowledged, he was proud to have been his friend despite all that had happened, and that David was a better man than he.

David took a long drink of the double scotch and allowed all that he'd read to sink in. So, Teddy knew all this time and didn't say a thing. How he wished he did. He envisioned a fist fight and the bellowing of vulgarity between the two. At least, there would have been some sort of closure between them.

He wondered how Kate was doing. She was now the sole owner of Reed and Reed, keeping the firm's name in homage to Teddy.

As he reflected on the letter, his phone rang. It was Veronica. She wanted to tell him "Good Night" before going to bed. He smiled and told her how he wished with every fiber of his being that she was with him that he'd missed her. They'd both been very busy with their own businesses which widened the gap of time that prevented them from seeing each other on a frequent basis. He told her of the letter, but saved revealing the content until they saw each other again. The doorbell rang and he asked her to hold on as he went to answer it. He opened the door and saw that it was she who stood on the other side. She said she'd wanted be with him when she learned of the results of the trial. He embraced her tightly, happy to not be alone.

It was October again, and football season was in full swing. It was Saturday and the tavern was full of football fans from all walks of life. David was happier than he'd been in his life as he and Veronica became engaged that year in the spring when cherry tree blossoms perfumed the air. Until Veronica came into his life, he had been a bit disparaging of marriage. She eventually sold her café and moved in with him. She opened a restaurant of her own and called it Second Chance. The true meaning behind the name was known only to her and David.

Good things had happened to Kate as well. She and Lieutenant Jeffrey Martin began to date after the trials of Tom and Lauren and were now in a serious relationship, despite Jeffrey's frequent challenges of her strong independent and willful nature. She had also forged another relationship. She and David Smith came to an agreement that while there was still some emotional pain to be dealt with, they would make every effort to work things out between them, for their love and their memory of Yvonne.

THE END