Life Changes By Mandy

Well, it finally happened. Gregory Richards, a.k.a my psycho-killer husband, has been caught. After a long, drawn-out, but sometimes exciting, fight between him and Cole, he was cornered and Ricardo and those hunky SBPD boys cuffed him and read him his rights. Not that he should even have any. I mean, he is a cold blooded killer. A man like that should be locked away.

But all of that is over with now. I can't wait to get home and take a long, relaxing dip in the hottub. In fact, thats where I'm heading right now. To the Richard's house. My house. I waited so long to be able to say that. Of course, I'm only here because of Gregory. I guess I owe him that. He must have cared for me. And Lord knows I loved him. But I wasn't lying when I told him I was over him. I am. Really!!

Okay, I'm here. My house. I'm not sure who's home. I hope Queen Olivia the bitchiest isn't. Well, the only way I can find out is to go in.

"Hey!!" I said angrily. The door was locked. I knocked and Rose answered. "Why was I locked out of my own house!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Richards. Mrs....uh, the other Mrs. Richards said you wouldn't be returning." That little twit housekeeper told me. Why wouldn't Gregory fire her when I asked him to?

"Well, she was wrong. I live here, I'm not leaving." I said defiently. Who was Olivia to kick me out?!? She didn't even live here.

"Yes, you are, Annie." Oh, God. That snobby, British accent. I would know that sound anywhere. She was holding Trey and, of course, looking down on me.

"I don't think so. This is MY house, Olivia. Mine, not yours. Got it?" I told that witch. She was not going to intimidate me.

"Actually, Annie, it's Caitlin's house now. And I suppose its her choice as to who lives here." Olivia was so sure that Caitlin would throw me out. Come on! I got Caitlin her son, why would she kick me out? If it weren't for me she would never have had the chance to be that precious brat's mother at all. And it definitly wasn't my fault she screwed it up and Cole found out. So why would she be mad at me?

"Yeah, it is her choice. Why don't we ask her?" I pushed my way past Olivia to the living room, where Surprise! I found Caitlin talking to my other darling step-child, Sean.

"Annie. What are you doing here?" Little Miss Blondie asked me.

"I live here. And I need you to tell that to Olivia. She keeps insisting that this isn't my house anymore." I threw a glare in Olivia's direction, where I noticed A.J. had come up behind her. What was he, her guarddog or somthing?

"But, Annie, you don't live here. I figured you would realize that you can't stay here with Daddy in jail." She said. Like I was supposed to know that!

"Why?!?" I was SO outraged! What right did miss priss have to take my house away from me?

"Annie. you stole Mom's baby. You made her think she had gotten drunk and lost her baby, and you gave it to me to raise when you knew exactly who the real mother was. Then you married my father for his money. You tried to make Mom confess to Francesca's murder, and when you found out it was Daddy that actually did it, you sent him to jail! Do I need anymore reason's not to want you around?" Caitlin was almost screaming by that time, and she was near tears.She stepped back and ran out of the room, obviously upset. I, for once, was speechless. I had never realized that she hated me that much. I have to say, it wasn't a pleasent feeling. You would think by then I would be used to being hated, but I wasn't. In fact, I hope I never get used to it. That would be horrible.

"She's absolutely right, you know. You have almost ruined my sister dozens of times. The best thing for my whole family would be for you to leave and never come back." Sean said quietly to me and then went after Caitlin, no doubt to comfort her from the pain I had supposedly brought her, once again.

I turned, to leave the house when I realized that Olivia was hadn't said anything while that exchange went on. Now she was standing to the side, holding Trey and wearing a silently maddening triumphant look on her face. Then she had the audacity to smile at me. Actually, it was a wierd mixture of a smile and a leer.

"Oh, great." I mumbled to myself. Olivia heard me, unfortunately.

"You brought this on yourself, Annie. This is all your doing. We would be a family, Gregory, me, Caitlin, Sean, Trey, we would all be the perfect family if you hadn't butted your trampy, redheaded nose into our business." She said with that horrible leering grin still on her face.

"No. You're wrong." I insisted to her. She WAS wrong. Wasn't she? Well, my words had no effect on her anyway. She continued.

"You claimed to love my hus- my ex-husband, but all you did was ruin him. You broke up our marrige, which he should have hated you for. You stole his son, his own flesh and blood, yet he still forgave you. Well, maybe he didn't for-"

"NO!! Olivia, you're wrong" I told her, keeping an angry front in place, but that didn't stop her.

"give you, but he kept you here anyway. And you know what, Annie? I'll bet that's what drove him crazy. You! I'm sure that somehow, you're responsible for him killing Francesca. Having you around day in and day out would make anyone go insane. It should be you rotting in that jail cell, not Gregory!" Now she was getting riled up. She was nearly screaming at me. By that time, I wasn't even bothering to defend myself.

"NO.nonononono." I told myself quietly. She was WRONG. wrongwrongwrongwrong.

"I always knew you were evil. You used to come home with Caitlin after school. She pitied you, she told me that. That's why she let you come near. She never even liked you. You were rotten even then! I could tell you would be trouble when you grew older. If only I'd known how much trouble you would cause everyone I care about. You.....YOU ARE EVIL, ANNIE! I hate you. I..." She was so hysterical. I couldn't believe that I had done that to her. A.J., who had disappeared for the past few minutes, came back then. He took one look at Olivia and whispered something to her. She took Trey and went upstairs, glancing back at me. I could see the hatred in her eyes. When she was safely up the stairs, A.J. walked over to the door and opened it, gesturing me out.

"I think it would be best if you left. Now." I nodded mutely, heading out. When I was out the door he spoke again. "Don't bother comeing back for your stuff. You can call and tell me what hotel you'll be at. I'll have someone take it out to you." He closed the door in my face, and I just broke down on the doorstep, tears running down my face. After crying for a few minutes, I had to leave. Even being near that house....I could feel now how much I DIDN'T belong there. I didn't see how I had ever stayed there with so much of the negative energy focused solely on me.

I ran then. I have no idea where I was going or how I would know when I got there, but I took off down the beach and just ran for all I was worth. Which, according to the apt description I had just gotten of me, wasn't very much at all. I ran until my feet ached, until my lungs seared I was completely out of breath and then I collapsed on the sandy shoreline. Not bothering to see where my little excursian had taken me, I just fell, my head resting on my knees and the rain I hadn't realized had began to pour fell on my bent head, soaking me. I stayed there, balled up in the middle of a raging storm still crying my eyes out, until I felt a strong, warm hand on my shoulder.

"Annie?" A soft, familiar voice said. "Is that you? What's wrong?"

I felt him wrap his arms around me, pull me up. It felt like I was watching from outside my body. He was trying to shield me from the rain. Then he took off the jacket he was wearing and wrapped it around my shoulders. I was soft and warm inside and I could smell the musky cologne he wore. I was standing now, leaning against him for support and walking somewhere. Soon I found out where. He led me to his car and half sat, half pushed me in the passenger side doorway.

"I thought that was you. I saw you sitting out there in the rain from the road. What the hell were you doing out there? You could have died from pnumonia or something!" His words were harsh, but his tone was far from it. If anything, he sounded worried. Ha! Like he would have a reason to be worried about me.

"Where are we going?" Those were the first words I had said since Olivia chewed me out. I figurded out later that I had been running and crying out there for over an hour. By then night had fallen. I hadn't even noticed.

"I guess we're going back to my place." He said. I could tell he hadn't even thought of where he was taking me." Unless you're still staying at Gregory's?"

"No." I whispered. Soon we had arrived. My rescuer took me up to his 'place', and set me on the couch. Actually, I had about recovered by that time and I pretty much set myself on the couch.

"Cole." He turned at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?" he said to me.

"Why are you doing this to?" I asked him.

"Doing what?" He seemed confused.

"Being nice to me." On the beach, I had realized what I had spent so much time trying to convince myself wasn't true actually was. Every word Olivia had screamed at me, every accusation, was the truth. I was ebil, rotten, horrible. So why had Cole brought me to stay with him? Couldn't he see what I was?

"Annie." He had that same gentle tone he had used earlier in the car. "Annie, you have no where to go. You have no where to stay, and I guess I owe it to you to take you in."

"Owe it to me?" Cole Deschanel didn't owe anythign to me. I probably owed him something if anything.

"For helping me save Caitlin and Trey, and for going along with my plan to make Olivia confess. I couldn't have done to without you." He said to me.

"But we didn't get Olivia to confess, and you almost didn't save Caitlin and Trey. In fact, you almost lost them because of me."

"Thats not true, Annie. You helped me a lot. And not getting Olivia doesn't matter, because we did get Gregory. We caught the killer and saved Cailtin." He walked over to me, ahnding me a cup of somthing warm, and sat down next to me. "You never told me why you were sitting on the beach in a rainstorm."

"I...." I had no answer. Why had I been there? I was confused myself, how could I explain it to him? I guess he sensed that, because he unterrupted.

"That's okay, you don't have to tell me. Do you have a place to stay tonight?" He asked.

"I was going to sat at a hotel for a few days, until I get my money from Gregory. I guess I'll go to L.A. or somewhere after that." I actually hadn't given it much thought, but that seemed like a pretty nice plan, for the short run anyway.

"Why are you leaving Sunset Beach?" He asked, then said quickly."You don't have to say. Look, why don't you stay here tonight? A.J.'s staying with Olivia for a couple of days, there's a room open here." I had forgotten it was A.J.'s place too. And, of course, he was with his supremem leader, Olivia.

"Okay, thanks. " I was tired, and finding a room this lat eat night would be troublsome. Why not stay with Cole?

So I stayed in the Deschanel suite that night. I was so surprised that Cole was being nice and everything to me. I mean, no one has actually cared for me, like really cared when they didn't want something from me, in a long time. It felt kind of nice. I still had no idea why he was doing it though. Last week, he treated me like everything was all my fault. All he had been able to think of was his precious Caitlin and keeping her out of harm's way. So what had changed?

I woke up about 11:30 the next morning. Cole wasn't there, so I helped myself to the fridge and had a huge breakfast. Cole came back about an hour later and I could tell something was wrong with him. He was holding a stack of papers in his hand and they looked really official.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked him. I was in a much better mood than I had been last night. In fact, I had been trying to think of a way to help Cole. That was going to be the first thing I did to start my big makeover. I was going to become a new person. One that wasn't mean and vindictive. It would be hard to completely change my personality, but I could do it.

"Nothing." He stormed over to the table and threw down the papers. Then he went into his room and slammed the door. Of course, I just HAD to see what the papers. Were.

"Shit." I whispered when I saw what the papers were. No wonder Cole was so upset. These were divorce papers. Caitlin had already signed them and everything. I knew that Gregory had had some papers like these drawn up a while ago, but these weren't the same ones. They were dated yesterday! Man, she worked fast.

Cole came out of his room a few minutes later and picked up the papers. Then he set them back down again, looking at me. I got the feeling that he wanted to be alone.

"I'm going out for a walk okay?" I told him. Cole barely even looked up as I left. He just stood there staring at those divorce papers.

I decide to go for a walk on the beach. The warm sun is exactly what I need to relax me. It's just too bad I didn't bring a towel. A cold swim wouldn't feel to bad on a hot day like this, either. I slip off the sandals I was wearing and soak my feet in the water. Then I notice THEM.

Caitlin, Olivia, and that brat...I mean, that baby,Trey, were sitting on a beach blanket. Caitlin was laying out. I can't believe her! She's just broke Cole's heart and she's working on her tan! And come on, you'd think she'd be a little upset that her Daddy went to JAIL yesterday. I guess that's regular for her, though. She is a Richards. They can go through hell and back and not be fazed. At least, Gregory and Olivia can, and Cailtin is their daughter, right?

Then Cailtin gets up. She plays with Trey for a minute and then walks over....to me.I hadn't seen her notice me.

"What are you doing here,Annie?" She demands.

"Last time I checked it was a public beach. You can't kick me out of here." Okay, so my big personality change begins tomorrow.

"Are you following us?" Oh God, I can't believe she thinks I would go that low! I have better things to do than chase around my enemys.

"You are so pathetic. Of course I'm not following you." She starts to walk away, but something makes me call her back." Hey, Cailtin, why'd you do it?"

"Do what, Annie?" She sounds pissed. Big deal. She can get over it.

"Divorce Cole." She seems shocked that I know. So Cole didn't tell her we were temporary roomies. I guess I won't either. It might make him mad, and I would be homeless again.

"How- Well, its none of your business Annie!" She walks away and I let her go this time. I don't really care why she did it. It just makes me mad for some reason. It's like, Caitlin has so much and she's just trashing everything for no reason. If I had a man like Cole, then I wouldn't let him go for anything. But then again, I don't have a man like Cole, and I doubt I ever will.

I got back to the apartment about half an hour later. Cole was sitting on the couch staring at those papers with those big puppy dog eyes of his, just like he had been when I'd left. I wasn't sure exactly what to do or say. I'm not that well educated in being....what's the word...sensative. Rudeness has always work good enough in the past, but that's not the direction I'm aiming for now.

"How are you doing?" I say to him, kind of anxiously. And nervously.

"I can't believe she's doing this to me." He looks up at me, and I'm surprised at how...how devastated he is. I'm expecting the papers from Gregory soon and I know I won't be that hurt. Maybe angry, but not hurt. After all, I haven't exactly gotten what I wanted out of the marrige. I guess money AND love was a little too much to ask for. Cole started talking again."Do you know why she said she was doing it? Because I sent Gregory to jail. He killed Francesca! He deserved to go to jail. But she's mad at me becuase I'm the reason he's there."

I couldn't belive that. How stuck-up can that girl be! Cole did all of this for HER. And now she's pissed at him cause her precious Daddy won't be around to spoil her anymore.

"Well, that's completely not fair. She should be grateful that you kept her and Trey safe. She definitly shouldn't be divorcing you. She's going to regret it soon. Watch and see. She'll be begging tp have you back in a few days." I told him with more confidence that I felt. Seriously, I wasn't sure if that would happen. Caitlin did look really mad on the beach earlier, but I was willing to lie if made Cole feel better.

"Thanks, Annie. You know, I think the worst part of it will be that I don't get to see Trey anymore. I know he's not my son, but I love him like he is, and without Caitlin on my side,there's no way Olivia will let me see him." Oh, he was making me depressed, talking like that! Suddenly it hit me. I knew that Trey wasn't really Gregory's son, and with him safely tucked away in a jail cell, there was nothing stopping me from telling Cole that. I was sure that would cheer Cole up really fast. He would forget all about Caitlin then!

"She'll let you see him." I said excitedly. Cole looked at me like I was out of my mind. "She can't deny visitation rights to the kid's father, can she?"

Now he really thought I had lost it.

"What do you mean, Annie? I'm not Trey's father, Gregory is. You know that." He said to me in a slow voice, like he was talking to a child. Yeah, right. I knew a hell of a lot more that he did. I was Gregory's protoge. Sort of. Well, I did learn a lot from being married to him. But then again, those are probably the things I'll want to change about me first. Look where they got him!

"No, no. He had the paternity tests doctored to make it look like Trey is his when he's really yours, and Gregory knows it. You can have-" Cole cut me off before I could finish.

"Are you serious, Annie?" I nodded." Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?" He yelled at me.

"Do you know how much time I've thought about telling you? I couldn't. Gregory would have had me killed!" I tried to explain, but Cole wouldn't let me.

"How could you have let me suffer like that Annie? How could you have watched me lose my wife and my son and not say a word to me? If you had told me about this I would be with Cait and Trey right now instead of sitting here listening to YOU!" He stood up and stormed over to the door. Looking back at me, he said" Annie, I thought you were a good person undeneath that mean exterior. Now I can see that Caitlin and Olivia were right about you. You will never change. I was crazy to think I could help you out without you stabbing me in the back. You deserve Gregory, just like he deserves you."

He left then. He left me sitting there in his apartment. I couldn't even cry this time. I was too...numb. I couldn't believe this. I kind of knew that Cailtin and Olivia felt about me, the Drama Queen never was too good at disguising her feelings, but I thought maybe...I guess I thought that Cole liked me. I thought he was almost my freind. Or the closest thing to a friend I had. Except for Maria. Maria. Thats were I could go. Maria would be there for me. She would help me. I knew she would. Maria was my best friend. She would find a way to make me laugh about the whole damn situation. About my life.

" And I KNOW she won't yell at me." I said to myself as I went into the room I had slept in last night to get my bag.

"And if I go there, I'll get to spend some quality time with that little Ben clone." I kept up that terrible habbit I have of talking to myself as I headed for the Even's house. That bad habbit could really get me in trouble some day. That and those crazy little day dreams I have sometimes. Though I have to admit, the Jerry Springer one was hilarious. "I'll have-" I stopped myself. I had been about to say 'I'll have to work on that'. Out loud, of course. I made a point not to say anything as I made my way to see Maria.

***************************************************************** "Dum dum de dum- Oh, Maria, hey!" I said as she answered the door.

"Annie, hi." She reached out and we hugged. "What's wrong? You look upset." Trust Maria to know exactly why I had come. She always had had a second sight when it came to people she cared about. She ALWAYS knew what was on my mind.

"Yeah, I've had a rough week." That was a downplay. This week had come straight from the 'most hellish week' record books.

"Oh, I bet you have. You poor thing, I heard about Gregory. You must be so devastated." She had a sympathetic look on her face. I usually hate sympathy, but with Maria, I knew it was real, and I appreciated it.

"Yeah, it's horrible. Not that anyone in his family actually cares what his WIFE thinks. They're all too worried about Olivia and Cailtin and that whole over-dramatized crowd." It felt good to complain to Maria. I know, the only times I see Maria are usually when I need someone to listen to me whine,but it feels good. Sometime, I'm going to come see her when nothings wrong.

"Well, if it helps, I care about you. The Richards' family doesn't know what its missing out on by not accepting you. Are you still staying at Gregory's house?" She asked me. i had been hoping she'd get to that.

"No.That witch Olivia threw me out. I have no where to stay. I'm going to get a hotel later." I told her.

"No, you most definitly are not. I am not going to let you stay in hotel all alone while you're going through this. Not when we have a guest room open here." She smiled at me.

"Don't you have to clear it with Ben?" I asked her. I mean, it isn't exactly her house anymore. Not since Dorothy from Kansas rode her broom into town.

"Oh, he won't mind. I doubt he'll even notice. He's been pretty preoccupied since Meg moved out." That surprised me. When had she slipped on her sparkly red shoes and went back to her little country home?

"Are you serious? Meg moved out?" Maria nodded. I could see the happiness in her eyes, even though, knowing Maria, I bet that she'd been pretending to be sorry about it for Ben's sake."Oh, Maria, thats amazing! You can finally have Ben back, just the way its supposed to be."

"The way its supposed to be, Annie?" The strong accent (I remember Maria used to call him 'English') invaded our convesation. I turned to look at Ben, who had slipped unnoticed, in the door behind me.

"Yes, the way its supposed to be. Come on, Ben. How many times does Fate have to force it in front of you? Just look at your relationship with Meg. If you were meant to be with her, then would you guys have had such a hard time being together. You went through a psycho-killer, for Gods sake. And the day you were supposed to marry Meg, who shows up at the wedding but Maria herself." I told him boldly. Probably not the smartest move since I was fixing to ask him if I could stay in his house, but I did it anyway.

"Derek is none of your damn business Annie, and Maria showing up at the wedding was most definitly NOT fate, it was your and Tim's doing." He told me, starting to sound really mad.

"Yeah, but we didn't make her come to Sunset Beach, did we? And what about Benji? He showed up the day you about to get a divorce from Maria, yet again postponing your and Meg's wedding. That was not the work on me, or Tim." Jeez, can someone not take a hint? He and Meg should have called it quits a long time ago. And of course, left him open for Maria.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway, Annie?" What was I supposed to say now? Luckily, Maria took over there.

"She's here to see me, Ben. She is my best friend." His face softened when Maria started talking. He nodded and went up the stairs. I wondered how she did that. She could just open her mouth and Ben almost always did what she said. He always had. Now, if she would just tell him to love her.

"Are you sure he's going to let me stay?" I asked her when Ben was out of hearing range,

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him." She didn't look so sure, but I trusted her. She was one of the few people I trusted.

"Thank you so much, Maria. I'm going to try and get my clothes and stuff from Gregory's house. I hate wearing the same outfit for 2 days in a row. I'll be back in a little while."

"Okay. I'll talk to Ben while you're gone.Maybe he'll have cooled off by then" She smiled at me again, and I walked out. Since I temporarily had no car, I decided to take the more scenic walk on the beach to get to the house.

I should have taken my walk yesterday, when I ran into Caitlin, as an omen. The first person I ran into was Cole. Lucky me. I decided to just walk by and pretend I hadn't seen him, but he grabbed my arm as I passed.

"Annie, I've been looking for you." Oh yeah! I get to be chewed out agian. Was I wearing a sign that said 'Yell at me, my self esteem isn't low enough yet' or something?

"What do you want, Cole?" I asked angrily. What had I done this time?

"I..uh...I just wanted to say....I'm sorry. For yelling at you yesterday. And thanks for telling me about Trey. I understand that you couldn't have said anything before because of Gregory, and I was wrong to blame you. I was just mad, and you were the only person around. Can you forgive me?" I could not believe this. Someone apoligizing to ME! I was shocked.

"I...yeah, I guess." He seemed relived. Like it mattered to him whether I was mad at him or not.

"Thats great. Um, do you want to keep staying at AJ's place? You're still welcome if you do." I wasn't sure what to say.

"Look, Maria invited me to stay with her, but if for some reason I can't, then I'll take you up on that, okay?" I was glad that he had asked, for some reason, but I couldn't give up a night with Maria. It would be just like it was when we were in college, staying up all night and gossiping.

"Great. Have you heard that latest in Gregory?" I hadn't, and I was kind of curious. Okay, I was REALLY curious.

"No, what have you heard?" I was dying to know. And I did have a right, the man is my husband.

"I just talked to AJ, I know everything. Why don't you meet me at the Shockwave for dinner in about an hour and I'll tell you everything, okay?"

"Sure, that'll be great. I have to pick up my stuff from the house, so an hour will be great." I couldn't believe my ears. Had Cole just asked me on a DATE? NO, I told myself. He just wanted to keep me filled in. Still, I wasn't convinced. The idea of a date, with Cole, seemed pretty appealing..... ***************************************************************** Okay, here I am. In front of the Richard's house. Who'll be there to kick me out this time? Olivia, AJ, Sean, Rose....they had all done it before. Gathering all my strenght, I walk up to the door and knock. It comes open easily, to my surprise. They hadn't locked me out. I pushed it open the rest of the way, letting myself in.

"Anyone home?" I yelled out.There was no answer."Guess not."

I climbed the staircase to the second floor and went into the room I had shared with Gregory. While I was packing, something caught my eye that I had never really noticed before. A picture of Caitlin and Olivia sitting on to his dresser. There were pictures of Caitlin all over the place, but I hadn't realized that there was still a picture of Olivia around. He had all the pictures of her taken down when they divorced. I'm not dumb, I know he still loves her. It was always her name he whispered when we were in bed together. He thought I didn't notice, but I did. And it hurt, but I got ever it. I got over him. Well, most of the way. I part of my heart still did ache when I saw that he had kept that picture. Part of me wished that Olivia would drop AJ and be with Gregory again. I know, that sounds crazy, since I did break them up, but I kind of feel a little bad for what I did to Olivia. Not much, just a little, and when she walks int othe room, it goes away. When I look at her and see how much she'd like to hurt me, I don't feel bad, but times like this, when I see what a big part of this family she is, and what a nonexistant part I am, I feel kind of sorry for her. But don't worry, I will NEVER let her find that out. That would make me seem a little too nice.

I finished packing and started to leave. I still had 20 mintues before I was supposed to meet Cole, but I didn't want to be late. I was really looking forward to spending time with Cole. If I didn't know myself better, I'd think I was starting to have a...crush...on Cole Deschanel. But, I did know myself, I knew that couldn't be happening...could it? I definitly do not want to start taking Caitlin's leftovers. Even if they have amazing dimples...

"Annie, I though I told you I would have your bags sent to you." Oh, great, Olivia's sidekick.

"I figured it would be easier to pick them up here. Is that okay?" I asked sarcastically.

"As long as your on your way out, its fine." He just walked away then. How rude can you get? I headed out, not wanting to run into someone and start something. I still had a few minutes before I was supposed to meet Cole, so I decided to drop my stuff off at Maria's.

When I got there, the door was open, just like at the Richard's had been. What, is no one afraid of burglars anymore? Everyone leaves their door open in this town. I was about to go in when I heard Maria and Ben talking. Since interrupting is rude I decided to wait outside, in hearing rage, until they were finished. I wouldn't want to be rude, right?

"Maria, you want me to let Annie stay here? Doesn't she have other friends to stay with?" Ben told Maria.

"Actually, no, she doesn't have any other friends." Ouch! That hurt. But i guess it was true. Maria was my only friend.

"What about Bette? Can't she stay with her?" He sounded desprate for an excuse. Did he hate me that much?

"Olivia is staying with Bette, and putting Olivia and Annie together is asking for trouble, you know that." Another point for Maria.

"I guess you're right. She can stay here, but not for long. I'm not sure how long I can put up with her." How ungrateful! After all, I am the person that introduced him to his wife. He could at least let me stay for a week or two.

"Thank you, Ben. This means a lot to me." Silence. Damn! What were they doing now? I decided it was time for my entrance. When I walked in, they were standing there, just looking at each other.

"Annie." Ben nodded at me and looked at Maria again, then he went upstairs. Maria had a dazed look on her face.

"Earth to Maria. What just happened here?" She looked at me like she was just noticing me and then slowly smiled.

"I just hugged Ben.Then I kissed him. And he kissed me back! Just for a second, but he defintly responded!" She sounded so happy. I hugged her as hard as I could.

"That is amazing. I told you it was just a matter of time before he came to his senses!" This was great, but I had to go. It was almost time for me to go to the Shockwave and meet Cole."We HAVE to talk about this, just as soon as I get back."

"Get back? Where are you going, you just got here?" She asked me.

" I came by to drop off my stuff. I have a da....a meeting with Cole. I'll be back soon, then we will dissect this from every possible aspect. I can't wait." I could tell she couldn't either. I ran out the door, not wanting to be late for my meeting with Cole. I couldn't wait to get there. For the dirt on Gregory, of course. That's the only reason I'm so excited. I think.

*****************************************************************

"Annie, hey." Cole came up behind me. I had just arrived at the Shockwave, and I was looking for him. He was right on time.

"Hey." I wasn't sure what else to say. For some reason, I felt exactly like a teenager on her first date.

"Why don't we get a table?" He said and led me to a table in the back corner of the room.

"So, whats going on with Gregory?" I decided to skip the smalltalk and get to the point. Directness (or as my Daddy used to say, rudeness) was one of my best qualities.

"The trial starts next week. He has the best lawyers there are, but I don't think that'll cut it this time. He's in over his head. He'll probably get life without parole." A part of me was saddened by that, And, of course, a part of me was joyously celebrating. What can I say? I have mixed emotions about my not-so-loving husband.

"Is that all you heard?" That didn't seem enough. Such a simple punishment for such a complicated crime. It didn't seem right.

"Yeah. AJ didn't really want to tell me much. He did say that Gregory was having the papers drawn up." At that point a waitress came over to take our order, so I didn't get to ask Cole what papers he was talking about until she had left. When she finally got the orders straight (I swear, the girls they hire are getting dumber and dumber. The perky blond that came to us, Amy, I think, couldn't get it right for anything) I questioned him.

"What kind of papers are you talking about?" I asked when Amy had gone.

"You mean the lawyer didn't call you?" Did he mean Gregory's lawyer?

"What lawyer?" Why would the lawyer be calling me? Other thatn the fact that I am his wife, of course. But I had figured that Olivia would find a way of jipping me out of what was rightfully mine. This time I didn't care. I was tired of dealing with the Richards family. When I first married Gregory, I thought it would be easy money, vut now I see what comes with that money. Lies, hurt, deciet, hate, and so many more horrible things. The money wasn't worth it, not even to me. (Believe me, I never thougth I'd hear myself say THAT! )

"The...the divorce lawyer. Gregory's having the divorce papers drawn up. The lawyer was supposed to get in touch with you today." He was looking at me sympathetically, like he expected me to be upset. But I wasn't. I wouldn't let myself be. This was what I wanted. To be rid of Gregory Richards once and for all.

Before I could tell Cole that, once again, we were interrupted by that annoying ex-girlfriend of Sean's. Does she know how to pick the worst moments or what? She got my order right, but totally screwed Cole's up. Of course, he's so nice, he wouldn't take it back. He just said something about then being busy anyway. Typical Cole.

"Are you okay, Annie?" I knew he was talking about what he had just told me. I couldn't help but think how unselfish he is. I mean, he just got dumped by a woman that I know he really loved, and he's thinking about ME, who doesn't even love the man divoring her.

"I'm fine. I knew this was comeing. It doesn't bother me." And the surprise was, it really didn't. I was a little depressed that I was losing something I had worked so hard to get, but that was all. "How about you? How are you doing?"

"Okay. I talked to Cait about Trey today. She didn't believe me, so they're doing another paternity test in the morning. I haven't told Olivia, I figures I'd let Caitlin do that." He still loved her, I could tell. Anger, directed toward Caitlin, washed over me. Who did Princess Caitlin think she was, to break Cole's heart because he did what was right and put her COLD BLOODED KILLER daddy behind bars, where he is supposed to be? Cole should be the last person she blamed. Her father should have been the first! Instead she sticks up for Gregory and throws Cole out of her life. I knew he had to be hurting. Hell, I was hurting for him. And I have no idea why.

We finished the rest of the meal with a lot of talk about nothing. He asked about Maria, I asked about his jewel thief past, and the time went by quickly. I was surprised to realize that this was the most fun I had had in a very long time. Not since Maria and I were close, before the accident.

Cole paid the fee (what a gentleman!) and we climbed into his car. He insisted on dropping me off at Maria's instead of letting me walk there. When we pulled up, I didn't get out right away.

"I had a lot of fun tonight,Annie." He told me in a soft voice that sent chills up my spine.

"So did I." He smiled that gorgues smile of his at me, and I knew I had to get out before I did something I would regret. "Bye."

"Bye" He called after me.

I went in and found that no one was in the living room. I heard voices comeing from the kitchen, and I quickly recignized that they were Maria and Ben. I decided not to interrupt (and not to listen in. I would get a play by plat from Maria later, anyway) and stayed outside. After a few minutes, I started walking along the beach. It got kind of chilly, so I pulled the jacket Cole had let me borrow-then I realized, he had let me borrow it and I had forgot to return it. I pulled it tight around my shoulders, and I could smell his cologne. It smelled very refreshing, and nice. I let my inagination wander. I could picture waking up to this cologne, and the man wearing it. He would be holding me, tightly, the way Gregory never had. He would lean in to kiss me, as I woke up beside him, his hand lightly resting on my shoulder...

I jumped. As I imagined that last part, I felt a hand on my shoulder. No wonder it had felt so real! Someone had ome up behind me.

"Annie?" It was the voice of my dreams. No, wait! It was Cole.

"Is that you, Cole?" It had grown dark a while ago, and I could only make out the outline of his muscular frame against the night sky and the crashing waves behind him.

"Yeah, it's me. What are you doing out here?" He asked me.

"Maria and Ben were talking when I went in the house and I didn't want to interrupt, so I came out here. What are you doing here?" I had just about shaken off the effects of my fantasy.

"I was looking for you. I forgot to get my jacket from you when I dropped you off." He explained. I wondered why he couldn't have just gotten it tomorrow.

"Oh, yeah." I shrugged the jacket off, glad that the scent still lingered.

"Thanks." He took it from me."Thats all I really wanted."

He said that, but he didn't move from where he stood. My heart started racing. Somehow, he seemed to stay absolutely still and yet bring himself closer to me. A lot closer. All of a sudden, his lips were dangerously near to mine. I could almost taste the passion his kiss, and I wanted it so badly, but I couldn't make a move closer. I was frozen where I stood. Then it happened.

The earth moved under my feet, fireworks went off, sparkes flew. Every cliche that I'd never thought was true came to life. The kiss that I was sharing with Cole was everything I'd never dreamt I would have. Cole's arms around my waist, holding me tight, and my fingers running through his hair our mouths pressed together. It seemed to last forever and yet it was gone too soon. Hours, or minutes, I seemed to lose track of time, passed before I felt his lips moving away from mine. They lingered there, barely touching mine, before he broke the kiss completely.

He backed away from me, a look of shock and passion that I knew was mirrored on my own face was spread along his face.

"I...I have to go." Then he turned and walked away, leaving me alone on the beach.

MORE SOON...

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