Written Sept. 19th - Dec. 23rd 08 (Parts 1 - 5)

A Moment in Time!!

Lily sighed as she waited for the elevator to arrive. It had been a long day with the photo shoot to launch the Holiday Campaign, so far she had managed to avoid running in to Cane. Lily looked down at her shoes as she continued to wait and saw some very familiar black leather shoes step beside hers...

She turned her head up and to the side and her gaze locked with Cane's. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself. I just finished looking at the proofs from today's shoot and you looked positively breathtaking."

Lily blushed and looked away. "Thank you," she replied softly. Just then the elevator chimed and after gesturing for Lily to go first they both stepped in and the doors closed behind them...

The silence surrounded them. Lily placed her back against one corner while Cane eyed her under his lashes from the other. They both longed to say so much to the other but where do you begin when the one you love most in this world stands so close yet so far from you...

Cane took a deep breath. "Lily I -" Just then the elevator lurched to a sudden stop and they were cast in to darkness.

With fear in her voice Lily said, "Cane?"

"I'm right here sweetheart," Cane said reaching for her in the darkness.

"What happened are we stuck?"

"I think the power went out." A moment later the emergency lights kicked on casting a soft glow upon them.

Lily blinked as her eyes refocused on a gaze that was only inches from hers. In the sudden darkness Lily had reached out for Cane and her hands were still on top of his arms where she could feel his muscles tensing under her touch. When she went to step back Cane stopped her by tightening his hold on her.

"Lily, please don't." Casting his gaze around the 8x10 dimly lit enclosure he continued, "we may only have seconds or minutes before the power comes back on. Please," he whispered again. "Just give us this moment, I have missed you so much. I feel like the very essence of me has disappeared since the moment you walked out of my life."

Lily swallowed hard but no longer tried to pull away. She realized that this was a very precious stolen moment in time - one that she would cherish later.

Cane watched closely as the emotions played across her expressive face and he knew the moment when she surrendered to this, to him...

His hand slowly glided up her back laying a blazing trail of heat where ever he touched. Up over her shoulder, his fingers scorched her neck as his large hand finally reached her jawline and he slid it along there cupping her face in his warm palm. Tilting her face up so that there wasn't anyway that she could avoid his gaze, both watched as their eyes changed to pools of molten chocolate...

Cane lowered his head towards her, stopping just before his lips could touch hers. Their eyes never leaving one another, their breath coming in short heated pants intermingled with one anothers. It was like they were literally taking each other in to the very depths of their souls...

Cane was waiting...

Lily knew that she had to make the last step - that it had to be her decision. She knew that she was powerless to resist, this was the other half to her soul standing before her. Lily took that last step and pressed her body flush against his, she was home...

God, Cane thought he was home. Energy and life flowed through him again. If just for this moment he was alive again...

He watched as Lily moistened her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, he followed its path and when it retreated, he followed the path with his own...

Lily slid her hands up and around Cane's neck, sliding her fingers in to his hair and holding on for all that she could.

Cane deepened the kiss, exploring every hidden recess of her mouth, memorizing her taste, her texture because he didn't know if or when he would ever get this chance again...

For every stroke of Cane's tongue, Lily met it with one of her own. She moaned, he groaned and tightened his grip on her. As he pressed her back against the elevator wall, the power suddenly returned and the elevator again began to move startling them apart...

Their breathing heavy, their lips swollen with passion they stared at one another but their gaze was broken as the doors began to open. Lily moved towards them and Cane grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Lily, wait." Cane's fingers entwined with hers.

Lily looked down at their joined fingers for just a moment before her sad gaze returned to his. "I can't. That was a precious moment in time that I will always cherish but you're still married to - to her and we can't change that." Tears shone in her eyes as she turned and stepped out of the elevator, their joined fingers sliding along one anothers until they finally fell away...

Cane watched her go with tears of his own...

Part Two!!

Each step that she took tore at Lily. It took her further and further away from Cane. Hastily she wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks. Stopping to lean against a wall out of sight to collect herself, a shudder ripped through her body causing Lily to wrap her arms around herself to keep from shaking. If she only knew...

At that very moment having watched the doors slide close cutting off his view of her retreating back, Cane fell against the elevator wall, hard. He wiped at the moisture at his eyes and as a shudder of his own rippled through his body he let out an anguished moan at the utter emptiness that once again consumed him...

After a few moments Lily felt like she had collected herself enough to make her way home. Letting out a sigh she kept her head down in case she passed anyone so they wouldn't see her red rimmed eyes. It was because of that moments later she found her arms gripped by unfamiliar hands, stopping her in her tracks...

"Hey you should walk with your head up so as not to run into anyone."

Startled Lily began to apologize to the man she had almost run into. "I am so sorry I wasn't paying attention, if you'll -" She looked up at the man's face. "Billy? What - what are you doing here? I thought you were jetting off again from New York." Lily said as she tried to step out of Billy's grasp, he was in her personal space - space that had just been occupied by Cane and she wanted no one else in it.

Billy liked the feel of Lily in his arms but he didn't stop her when she tried to pull away. "Well Miss Lily Winters I thought it was high time that I met this brother of mine face to face and it wouldn't hurt for me to visit with the rest of my family since it has been a while since I have seen them. And I am sure that CC told them that she saw me in New York and I can't have them hanging me out to dry for not stopping in Genoa City before taking off again."

"Oh, well I am sure that your family will be very excited to see you and Cane... well Cane is a wonderful man who treasures family above all else. I am sure you will like him very much."

Billy crossed his arms as he looked down at Lily, taking in her shaken appearance and puffy eyes he said, "look CC told me about you and my brother."

"She did, did she." Lily said crossing her own arms defensively in front of her.

Billy raised a hand and said, "now don't get to upset with her she only told me that you had thought he was IT for you but that you had just broken up." Billy chuckled before he continued, "she actually thought that I could help cheer you up."

"Well thank you but that isn't necessary. Sorry to rush off but I really have to get home, I have some studying to do. It was great seeing you again." Lily stepped around him and continued on her way.

"It was better seeing you." Billy said as he watched her go. There was more to this story with Lily and his so called brother than he knew but he had every intention of finding out, in fact he thought he would just head on up to Cane's office right now...

Part Three!!

"Lily..." Breathing heaving and cupping her face, he didn't know how much longer he could keep his mouth from hers...

He felt her surrender then their mouths were fused together. Tasting, touching, stroking...

Cane mentally shook himself, jarring him away from that all to resent, intense memory. He started to shrug his jacket off when something fell from the pocket, bending over to pick it up he found himself starring at the one reason he and Lily couldn't be together. The ultrasound picture of the baby, his and Chloe's baby...

"Knock, knock."

Startled, Cane shoved the picture under some files on the corner of his desk as a tall, familiar looking young man stepped in to his office. Thanks to the photos he had seen around the mansion he would know this man anywhere...

"Billy!?" Cane exclaimed, his problems momentarily forgotten at the sight of seeing his younger brother for the first time. He came round the desk and strode towards him and warmly embraced his brother. In his enthusiasm he didn't notice that the embrace was returned rather stiffly.

"Easy, bro. That's a little tight."

Cane chuckled as he stepped back and said, "sorry. I'm still new to this family thing and I have never had a sibling - that I knew of before and I'm just a little excited to meet you face to face finally."

"Well, I suppose that is understandable." Billy said as he took in his older brother.

"Wow. I can't believe my little brother is standing in front of me. Please come in and sit down, I really can't wait to get to know you." Cane turned and headed back to his desk and sat down behind it.

Billy winced as he followed and said, "could we maybe lay off the 'little' brother part - just a bit?" Billy also took note of the casual yet authoritative way that Cane was sitting behind the CEO of Jabot's desk and he didn't like it, not one bit.

"Sure anything for you little - I mean Billy. Seriously, I can't wait to get to know you and for you to get to know me. Have you seen Mum and Grandmum yet?"

Billy shifted in the chair. "No actually, not yet I really wanted to meet you first. It's not everyday that you get to meet your older brother for the first time. I'll go see them when I leave here."

"I'll go with you then. I'm almost done here for the day anyways and besides that way we can all go out to dinner and celebrate your homecoming together."

"Let's just call it an extended visit, there is still to much of the world out there for me to see." Billy shifted in his seat again this time his leg hit some files on the edge of Cane's desk knocking them to the floor. "Oh, sorry about that," Billy said as he reached down to pick them up.

Cane had stood as well to come round and help when he saw the confused look on Billy's face as he starred at two items in his hands. The gorgeous proofs of Lily from the Holiday Campaign and the ultrasound picture.

Billy's glance raised to Cane's as he said, "man is this why you and Lily broke up? She's pregnant?"

The smile that had been on Cane's face since his brothers arrival vanished...

Part Four!!

Billy caught sight of the look on Cane's face and tried to back track upon his callous remark. "I mean there is no way that I would want to be saddled with a kid either but if I had knocked up someone as hot as Lily I might reconsider my bachelor ways."

Cane's face darkened further before he snatched the two items from Billy's hands. He cleared his throat trying to calm himself before he said, "Lily isn't pregnant. But that baby is the reason we broke up." Cane looked at the ultrasound a moment longer before he placed it in a nearby drawer but there was no missing the look of longing that passed over his features as he looked at Lily's proofs before carefully putting them back in the file folder.

"Oh," Billy said before it dawned on him. "Oooohhhh! Got it. It's not Lily's but it is yours. Tough break man."

"Yeah, well I never walk away from my responsibilities. Look, can we maybe save this conversation for another day? It's not exactly what I would have picked for the first conversation to have after meeting my brother face to face for the first time."

Billy placed a hand on the back of Cane's shoulder as they turned and headed out of the office. "You're right bro. This is a conversation we will save for another day after all brothers are supposed to be there for each other." Wow! Billy thought something major had gone down and he was determined to find out exactly what that was...

"Thanks. Let's go see Mum and Grandmum. They are going to be so happy to see you." And the two brothers left Jabot...

Meanwhile...

"Look I already gave you a hefty down payment to change that conception date... Don't threaten me... My husband is stinking rich, you stick with your end of the deal and I will make sure that you are handsomely rewarded... Whatever but you better not screw me over, we have a deal. Don't forget how much you owe in student loans and how I can make all of that go away... Yeah, well just don't forget." Chloe disconnected and threw her cell ruffly on to the couch.

"Damn it! It would be so much easier to keep my deception in check if people weren't so darn greedy." Chloe put her hand on her already rounded stomach and continued to herself, "no one can find out the truth about you little booger. It would cost us everything if they did..."

Meanwhile...

Lily had made it back to the campus house. She was so emotionally drained, all she wanted to do was to head upstairs, draw a bath and loose herself in the memory of what happened in the elevator. When she closed the door behind her she found Devon going over some work for his new course load.

Putting on a false expression of being ok she said to him in an overly bright tone, "hey stranger. I didn't expect you to be home."

Devon didn't glance up when he replied, "yeah well Roxanne is going out of town for the week to visit her folks so your stuck with me." It was then that he looked up and caught sight of Lily's pale complexion and slightly puffy eyes. He stood and walked towards her. "Lily..."

Lily held up a hand and said, "Devon please don't." She was quickly loosing the battle against the tears that she was so far managing to keep at bay - she just wanted to be alone so she could let it all out.

Devon persisted. "Lily, did Cane do something else to you cause I swear I'll -"

Saying his name was all it took for the floodgates to open and on a choked sob she said, "no. No, Cane did nothing wrong. It's just - it's just... Oh, Devon please can you just bite your tongue for a moment and just be here for me. Understand me or at least try." Lily said wiping uselessly at the tears that continued to fall.

Devon hurt to see Lily this way and he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. "Of course sis. Anything for you."

Lily let the tears fall, soaking Devon's sweater. "I just love Cane so much and I don't know how I am supposed to go forward without him by my side..."

"It's ok Lily. Your family is here for you and together we will figure it out..."

Part Five!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjtOav-GWak (a little music to listen to while you read)

It had been an exhausting day. Cane had just gotten back home after having dinner and conversation with his family and he was relieved to find that Chloe had already retired for the evening so he didn't have to deal with her on top of everything else. He decided on a hot shower before crawling in to bed where he listened to the radio as he fell asleep...

After crying her heart out on her brother's shoulder Lily was emotionally spent. Hoping that a hot bath would relax her enough to get some sleep she had soaked in the the tub for half an hour but it had only helped a little. Lily had a feeling that her sleep would be filled with dreams and not all of them good...

Cane tossed and turned as images filled his head from a blurry memory...

"Let's buy her a drink." Bas said leaning back in his chair.

"I'm sure Chloe has to be some where else," replied Cane.

"No, I don't." Chloe said, jumping in.

"What would you like?" Bas asked.

"Surprise me..."

"I don't think I have ever seen you this drunk before." Chloe said around the straw in her mouth.

Pointing his finger and beer bottle at her Cane replied, "who says I'm drunk?" ...

"You're just jealous," Cane said slurring his words even more.

"Sooooo... jealous," replied Chloe sarcastically...

"He's wasted. A little help please." Chloe said as she tried to support Cane's weight. "Just help me get him to my car," she said to Bas...

He wasn't quite sure how he got there but he found himself sitting in Chloe's car and mumbling to her, "Isn't Bas just great... Lily's coming home...You know there is someone out there for you..."

Now the next part he never remembered hearing before and it was almost like it was coming from a great distance away. His face twisted in his sleep as he strained to make out the words...

"It's a good thing I called the bartender after work and told him to give me virgin cocktails..."

Virgin cocktails? What the -? But his mind was already racing ahead and he didn't have time to dwell...

"Get off me. What are you doing? What are you doing?" A startled Cane demanded as he pushed a very naked Chloe off of him in disgust. "I don't remember leaving Indigo."

"Don't freak out but we were seriously drunk."

Panicked and searching for his clothes he exclaimed, "no, no, no, no... We didn't do this. No matter how messed up I was, we didn't do this..."

"Lily, I swear to you nothing happened. I swear to you." He reached for Lily but she wouldn't let him touch her in fact she told him to get out...

Cane's mind skipped through his racing thoughts settling once more on something else...

"You said 'I do' because the DNA test showed you were the father of this baby." Chloe said before handing Cane 'her rights as a mother'...

Lily stared at the test results dumbfounded. "You're not excluded! It says you're in the matching group?" Lily shoved the results back at him before getting up and storming out...

Meanwhile...

Lily slept fitfully, images of Cane were running through her head. Her mind was cruel and she couldn't get away from the images that floated in front of her closed lids...

Lily stared at the test results dumbfounded. "You're not excluded! It says you're in the matching group?"...

Something about that bothered Lily and she tossed in her sleep, her mind already on to something else...

"It should have been our baby." Cane said as he cast his eyes downward in shame.

"Yeah, I ah... I know." Lily replied softly.

"It's kind of crazy huh? How Chloe is Esther's daughter?"

"Yeah, this proves even more what a liar she is. Yeah, I don't know how but she definately scamed you that night."

"I shouldn't have let myself be so vunerable." Again the shame consumed him.

"I don't blame you for what happened. I blame that manipulative bitch!"

'"I've missed you," Cane said reaching for her.

Avoiding his grasp she replied, "no Cane. Please don't. It only makes it harder..."

"I'm sorry, I'm, sorry, I'm sorry," he said over and over. They walked towards the door where he tried once more. "Ummm... thank you for coming over. It means a lot to me."

Lily faced him in the doorway and said, "I meant every word."

"You always know what I need don't you." And just like that neither could resist as they were drawn together like magnents in a kiss so heated and so full of passion that if one of them didn't stop it, then it would never end...

Breathing hard, Lily pulled away. "Wait... we can't do this." Lily turned and fled. But she caught Cane's look of pain and devistation before she did.

It was that look that woke her...

Cane too jolted awake but to the sound of a beeping alarm clock...

Each others names were on their lips. Rubbing their heads each tried to recall their fading dreams in their lonely rooms. Somehow they both knew that it was extrememly important that they did, answers to questions were just under the surface but it was getting harder and harder to recall as each second past...

Cane barked out a reply to the tapping that was now at his door. Chloe opened it and stuck her head inside. "Hey did you know that you are a loud sleeper? I swear I could hear you talking all the way in the back of the house."

Cane rubbed a hand over his face. "Chloe, if the only reason you are bugging me before I even get out of bed is this? Well can you just save it for later?

"Geeze, you're obviously grumpy too."

"Chloe," Cane said with an angry warning in his tone.

"Actually no it's not the reason I knocked. I have another follow up visit at the doctors next week and I wanted to see if you would come."

"Just put it on the calender and I will do my best to be there."

"Well thanks for all your support." A reply dripping with sarcasm as she once again closed the door to his and Lil - to his room.

Something niggled at the back of his mind. Something that he needed to remember...