Paul wandered back from the pool, tipsy and chuckling at the images, he had just beheld. In Monique dragging Eric into the pool, the prankster had received his own comeuppance. Ace fully deserved what he had received, and yet the possible ruffled feathers had been effectively soothed. Leaving Paul free to continue where he had left off in this episode.

Unable and unwilling to rid himself of the smile, he felt it wash over him with a pleasant wave of happiness. Happiness he had not allowed himself to feel for a long time, it was safe and comfortable. Inviting even. He was in love, and he was feeling terrific! The cause of his happiness awaited him patiently, and his face could light up at the sound of her voice greeting him as he came through the front door. Wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe, Trynia moved over to him and they embraced.

Leaning down he grabbed her knees and boosted her into his arms, robe and all. She gasped with delighted surprise as Paul carried her back into the bedroom effortlessly, his mahogany eyes filled with dark deep desire. Strange how they could have a piercing stare one moment, then soften to irresistible wells the next.

A sharp electronic trill made Gene aware of himself and his separation from sleep. Worse yet, it crept like a beacon through the haze of his slumber. Grumbling Gene fumbled and became aware of his position when he smacked his wrist against the headboard of his own bed. He blinked and noticed the crack of light painfully spewing between two closed curtains. Why was it so hard to move, he wondered? Next he was aware of the woman in his arms, and had enough presence of mind to remember it was Terri. Especially by her gracefully curving abdomen jutting from under her sizable soft breasts.

As he moved, he felt a spike of pain erupt behind his temples. As if someone had driven an icepick through his head diagonally. Wrapping his hand around the telephone he leaned up and repositioned Terri on his chest. She continued to sleep, shifting to lay on him with her breath softly fanning his neck.

"So, Gene in your condition last night, did you get lucky for New Year's, or was the zipper on your pants just too difficult to navigate?"

"Paul, My head is fucking pounding and you ask me that?" Gene yelled into the telephone.

"What?"

"I have to get my woman through school first," he answered.

"What the hell is this about marriage Paul?" Gene asked, totally puzzled.

"You tell ME, Gene. It appears you were the damn town crier last night," Paul said.

"Frankly yes... now what other choice things did I do?" Gene relented. "Oh shit... Paul... this is not funny! if this is your way of getting me back..."

"Well, first off, you just about climbed into bed with Trynia and I. You threw her a Kiss condom and just about freaked her out. We kicked you out once, and you just kept coming back."

"A KISS KONDOM? Are you serious?" Gene asked, hand to his pounding head. This seemed like some sick joke. "Where the hell did I have one of those?"

"THEN, you must have decided to move on to other victims and APPARENTLY you chose to announce our marriage prematurely."

"Apparently, you made yourself matchmaker and from what I heard from Eric, you were just about to make yourself an honorary rabbi and marry us in your backyard."

"Me marry you guys? I did study theology... but this is ridiculous!" Gene groaned audibly, rubbing his head

"Actually, it gets better. It took the whole friggin' party to get you upstairs, then you just about jumped poor Terri. Ace got thrown in the pool. Monique too."

"And check your body for bruises. I'm sure there are SEVERAL, from what I've heard of your furniture dodging skills."

"Paul... are you just pulling this out of your wazoo or what?"

Gene glanced down at the woman curled up in his arms, and whispered, "She's fast asleep Paul... And considering if what you say is true... I dare not wake her to find out..."

"But seriously, though, Gene, I have to tell you, I am so damn happy, none of it matters. I feel like I finally have this off my shoulders."

"Well I'm glad someone feels damn happy. I feel like shit," said Gene.

"Well FINALLY you figured that out!" Gene laughed. "What took you so long Einstein? Oh my head... it hurts...."

"I'm not letting this one go, Gene. We're going to be together, no matter what." Paul added, determination in his voice. "And your head hurts because you FINALLY joined the rest of society and put some booze away."

"What society... they can have it!!!" Gene snapped. "If this is what it feels like the morning after I'd rather be tied down and gang banged by a horde of playboy bunnies! At least that would be infinitely more fun!"

"Well, that's a valid point," Paul agreed.

"At least I'd REMEMBER IT!" Gene added with conviction.

"Or as my pre-Trynia self might have said, "YEAHHHHHHHHH!" Paul whooped into the phone.

"Damn it, Stanley, do NOT do your war cry in my ear!" Gene growled, wincing till he realized just what Paul had just said. "Excuse me you're pre... WHAT?"

"I'm a new man, Gene. No more women for me."

"I'm not hearing this!" Gene shook his head.

"Mark it on your calendar. This Love Gun is RETIRED."

"Paul Stanley goes exclusive? Now that's news... are you sure you're Paul? And not some damn prankster?"

"Gene. I HATE to brag, but well, if you had the night I had last night....let's just say, remind the maids to wash the sheets in here." Paul said, and laughed happily.

"And Gene, this may be jumping the proverbial Love Gun, but I'm asking your right here and now. When I make Trynia an honorable woman, will you do me the repeat honor of being my best man?"

"I will. Without a doubt, I will." Paul assured him. "Gene, if your head can handle it, let me ask you a question."

"Uh okay... but no more war cries!"

"How do I go about this again? The Linda situation got so incredibly bloody, I just don't want to go through that again."

"Have her sign a prenup." Gene said automatically, pragmatic side surfacing from the haze of dull pain pounding its way through his brain. "Oh shit I... wait... I dont' wanna sound insensitive..."

"Do I trust her? I want to trust her. Gene, it would break her heart if I asked her to sign a prenup," Paul protested.

"Trust her. For now... don't come on so strong..." Gene answered, rubbing the accumulation of stubble on his cheeks. "Especially, if you haven't popped the question..."

"Well then... keep it a girlfriend/boyfriend for awhile."

"Gene, I need to think this through because if and when it happens we have to deal with it..... Awhile I mean..."

"Good philosophy, Paul. I can see you've been paying attention to me FINALLY."

"I'm thinking maybe when I might do, is have her sign a prenup, with the understanding that in 10 years, I have the option to rip it up," Paul mused.

"Hell, Gene, my parents are the happiest people I know. What if my dad had asked mom for a prenup? Would she have slammed the door in his face? He never had the money we've got, but still...." Paul pointed out, doubt surfacing in his voice now. "What if Trynia walks?"

"I know Stanley, I'm just not wanting for you to get screwed," Gene sighed. "It's your call. Just don't let money screw you out of a good woman. Be up front and honest with her, but don't scare her away..."

"Tryn's practical.. Maybe if I approach the subject, she'll join in. And tell me what she wants."

"Yes. But be careful," Gene cautioned. "With Terri... I let her know she always had a place with me. That I gave what I did because I wanted to... not because I was trying to impress her..."

"Gene, let me ask you this. Do you ever feel like you want to shower Terri with things because she came from a background like ours?"

"Yes. And you're asking me this obvious question because...." Gene wondered irritably.

"Because I can't help it. Like the car. I think maybe she was shocked a bit, like I was trying to control her somehow. I never meant it like that."

"Unfortunately pal, that's how some women see it," Gene sighed. "They can't accept something for what it is... a gift."

"I sure hate to get the Sugar Daddy label, but hell, Gene, I want her to have everything."

"Me too Paul. I want Terri to have everything she deserves," Gene admitted. "And it's because I see someone who has dreams like I did, and you did... and I have what can help her make them come true... but she has to ask for my help sometimes..."

"So you do get it, Gene..."

"Definitely. Why I remember the time I told 2 friends to look at scripts she had... and to talk to her at my birthday party...."

"That's a great thing you did there." Paul interjected.

"Well she didn't see it at the time," Gene sighed. "She thought I was meddling in her life and dreams... she hated me for that for a time..."

"This may come as a shock, but sometimes you can be a bit bullish, Gene," Paul told him.

"I know that Paul," Gene grumbled.

"Not everyone is as "in your face" as you are," Paul said, his grin apparent over the phone.

"Well the thing is that I did it out of love," Gene coughed. "As cheesy as it sounds.... I only wanted what I thought was best for her, but I had to learn to back off."

"Yeah, you did," Paul agreed.

"Yeah, yeah. But when she wanted to go, I hated the thought of her leaving me," Gene recounted. "But I didn't stop her from getting that job... even though I knew that I might lose her..."

"Kind of like this grad school thing, then," Paul observed, glad Gene knew the score. "Part of me wants her to finish and be happy and successful... The other part would be happy as hell if she quit, followed me around and we grew old together."

"It almost KILLED me Paul," Gene snapped. "But I loved her and had to let her go..."

"See, I don't know if I could do that, Gene. I don't know if I could be happy for her if she left me for a year for school." Paul complained.

"She came back to me... where she belonged," Gene said. "Well... she didn't leave me for a year... she missed me too much. But it might as well have been a whole damn year. And anyway, what is this crap about her leaving you for a year?"

"Gene, get real. She goes away to school, and I'm either on tour or something else... where she'll forget all about me!"

"Don't make it easy for her to forget you," said Gene practically.

"Is it selfish of me to want the woman I love by my side, all the time? I can give her everything she would ever want. I could build her a damn chemistry lab all her own in our house in Beverly," Paul asked, frustration present in his voice. "I'm just afraid that won't be enough for her."

It was amazing how Paul was faced with the same dilemma he had faced, and yet Gene wondered if his own experience would be helpful. Considering how different both men were in their needs. Still, out of his own sense of protectiveness Gene drew upon his own considerable experience when he answered, "Look, I gave Terri a place to write in my home. I knew that she was sick of chemistry and really wanted to be an author. Chemistry was just a means to that end. But in knowing that I had to show her that there were other careers she could do... Wait... why dont you ask Trynia why she wants to be a chemist Paul."

"Excuse me?" Paul asked.

"Well, is it what she wants to do the rest of her life, or is it just a way of making ends meet?

Paul sighed deeply, "I know. I pray all the time that she'll decide that school isn't as good a place as my nice warm bed."

"Paul, it's not just that... what is her dream? Is Chemistry a means to it, like being a taxidriver was for you while we were making it big?"

"Well she's in school for it Gene. I'd think it's something she wants a career out of..."

"Oh, like a teacher was for me?" Gene clarified. "But it could be a false start. A direction she shouldn't go in if she has the wrong motivations? I became a teacher because I liked an audience, not because I was wanting to impart knowledge. Maybe she's becoming a chemist for the wrong reasons... and it's your job to point out alternatives..."

"She could do whatever she wants in our house. OUR house. Good grief, Gene, I've flipped," Paul laughed. "Heck, I'll go in the lab and blow up stuff with her."

"Oh God Paul, we have pyrotechnicians for that stuff!" Gene groaned. "But that's a new tune Paul... you wanting to share your place with a woman..."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? I guess I'm just thinking thoughts I'd never thought I'd think again, after Linda. I will tell you, having her not being pregnant sure makes it easier though."

"Since you're on that kick, Paul, why don't you go stay with her and see her world for a time?" Gene suggested. "See what she likes about school... I did that with Terri... when she moved... I went to visit her..."

"Me? In COLLEGE?" Paul cried.

"Well, I mean stay with her in her apartment," Gene said. "Say you're her boyfriend and you're visiting her..."

"But Gene..."

"Remember what it was like to live as she does... and maybe you'll find out why you love her. Damn did I just say that? How damn CHEESY!"

"Wait a minute, Gene! You're suggesting a diet of Ramen's Pride noodles and an apartment with no heat? I think I've DONE that before, if I'm not mistaken."

"Well... hmmm I see your point..." Gene muttered.

"Just add the egg crates and I'm 19 again," Paul quipped. "HAHAHAH!"

"Damn... and the taxi stand outside the studio!" Gene reminded him. "And you rushing out between rehearsals to take your damn fares!"

"Maybe you've got a point, though, Geno. Maybe I'm asking her too much to give up. I mean, I AM asking her to totally enter my world and leave hers entirely behind."

"Yeah Paul," Gene said. "I mean you are asking her to go from rags to riches. Some people can't handle it. What you gotta do is get her used to money and the good life. That it's not a sin to be rich or to have a rich boyfriend. That's what it took with Terri. She thought I was rubbing my money in her face, when I was freely giving what I chose to give. Look, why not make a compromise."

"Yeah... but how?" Paul asked. "She's not Terri."

"Yeah Paul I know. The difference between Trynia and Terri is that Terri needed a job and was at a point in her life where she could leave it all behind for something better. Trynia is still in school."

"I know. Brother, what am I going to do?"

"Well... I can't answer that for you Stanley... I wish I could make it easy..." Gene sighed sympathetically.

"Here's what I WANT to do. I want us to get a place outside of New York within driving distance of the theater and her school. We'll be there for several months. Within that time, maybe she would clean up her affairs at Villa and get things ready to transfer. When I move back to LA, I want to take her back with me for good."

"That sounds like a good, plan, Stan," said Gene. "But where are you gonna find a place for that, since she's in Philly..."

"I'm soon to be 50, Gene. I can't wait around for my love who's across the country finishing her studies."

"No you can't," Gene nodded, stroking Terri's hair thoughtfully. "And if she wants to be with you she has to make sacrifices too."

"And I hate to push ahead to far, but I'd love more kids and that can't wait forever." Paul sighed.

"Yeah I hear you there..." Gene nodded, rubbing a hand over Terri's belly. "She's good with Shane right?"

"We've not really discussed that before, children that is," Paul said. "With Shane, she's great. Just like a second mom, and I can tell she really likes the idea of being that."

"Isn't' she Catholic?" Gene said. "They love having kids, or so I've heard..."

"Gene, that's as silly as saying Jews like you and me are neurotic whiners..." Paul groaned. "But back to what we were talking about... We'll have as many as she wants. I just hope I'm not forcing out of some business career into the mommy role, so that she resents me 15 years from now."

"Paul, you have to ask her that," Gene sighed. "But wait for the right time."

"You'll never believe what she asked me, Gene. She asked me what I would do if she was pregnant. Maybe it was the champagne messing with my head, but I swear I heard some longing in her voice."

"Hey, that's a good sign. I think she has the desire Paul. Considering how protective she was of Shane..." Gene said. "But you're jumping ahead again. "You have a lot to talk to her about man."

"You're right. I haven't even proposed yet. Kids are light years away from where we are right now."

"We do. You know what though, Gene?"

"What?" Gene asks, stroking Terri's hair softly.

"She could have messed with me. She could have set me up, Gene. If she didn't tell me about those pills, we would have had unprotected sex, and I'd never have known it."

"Well Terri told me all about that fiasco..."

"But she came clean," Paul said.

"It was an accident, wasn't it?" Gene asked.

"I love her, Gene. That's a reason why. She could have set me up, but she didn't, don't you see?"

"Yeah she came clean. She's a rare gem Paul."

"Hell, yeahhhhh." Paul agreed, voice rising in volume.

"Paul... my ears..." Gene groaned. "Remember some of us have close to zero tolerance for crap like alcohol?"

"Gene?"

"What, Paul?"

"All kidding aside, it feels good to talk to you like this again."

"Same here, Stanley."

"Like we used to."

"Where the hell have you been?" Gene laughed.

"Before....well.......the FORD incident." Paul laughed.

"Yeah..." Gene laughed himself. "Me and my dick thinking again..."

"Weird how things work out. I may have been meant for Terri, and you might have been meant for Tryn. Guess they worked out the way they should."

"Yes I agree. I'm most satisfied with my end of the deal," Gene smiles, stroking Terri's hair and bare shoulder.

"And me too. Your....uh....guest room sheets will be testimony to that, I'm afraid."

"Hell have you seen my pool table?" Gene grinned.

"Oh, shit, the pool table! I forgot about that. Gives me ideas, though."

"Good. I never bothered to change the felt. Too many good memories on that table."

"Tryn could well be a Pool Table Virgin."

"Do you have a pool table?" Gene asked.

"No, but I think you're twisting my arm."

"Well it's a sound investment..." Gene joked. "You already have the pool...And anyway, have you shown her the sauna yet? Yours or mine? Take your pick."

"Hmmm. I HAVEN'T shown her yours yet," Paul mused.

"Do you even HAVE one anymore?" Gene asked.

"It's there, but well....since I've not had a steady lady...." Paul sighed. "It's not like I ever went in there for any other reason."

"Well then here's your chance to dust the cobwebs off it, man!"

"I'll have to sell it to her. She did a fair amount of sweating last night, I have to proudly admit."

"She owns a copy of that video I bet..." Gene teased. "The infamous one I hear about from KISS legends..."

"Oh, God, NOT the video."

"Heheheheh." Gene teased him.

"Yeah, she does. One night she even asked me who the girl was."

"HAHAAH! BUSTED!" Gene smirked. "The chick who grabbed your balls man?"

"Excuse me Gene?" Paul asked.

"Never mind..." Gene grinned. "But back to what you were talking about..."

"I kept waiting for the inevitable questions from her....who is she and did you screw her?"

"Who, Julie?" Gene asked. "What did you tell her?"

"Well, I told her that Julie and I were acquaintances....well, sort of friends....but I think she probably figured it out."

"Yes... well I banged some girls from Runaway..." Gene reminisced. " And it wasn't the main star... or her sister... or even Kirstie Alley... that Canadian though... hmmm."

"Gene... work with me here!" Paul groaned.

"But I take it that's not what you're trying to talk about..." Gene observed.

"Not really Gene. Look, she did ask me if I slept with her afterwards. I just sort of made a joke about how no sleeping was involved, and she changed the subject."

"Well Paul, she's going to ask..."

"Tryn's not a big fan of hearing about my other women, I've got to tell you."

"Terri asks me often enough... but then again... she's not Trynia." Gene acknowledged.

"Somehow she pictures this plethora of 10,000 drop-dead women who have "I slept with Paul Stanley" tattooed on their ass".

"Well you haven't slept with 6000 like me Paulie," said Gene.

"You know how it was, better than anyone, Gene. It was available back then, and I'm did my share of indulging."

"I don't know how many claim I'm the father of their love child." Gene laughed.

"And I used protection."

"I think she feels threatened by it." Paul sighed.

"Well duh."

"She's not blond Paul..." Gene reminded him. "No wonder she feels threatened. She feels it's too good to be true."

"Gene, I'm the master of mess-ups. You know that. My love life is like a Three Stooges video. Sure, I've been with probably 2,000 more people than she has, but under the covers, that doesn't make her any worse than I am."

"Then tell her that, Paul." Gene insisted.

"I really wish she wouldn't feel that way." Paul groaned.

"Well you know what I told Terri?" Gene asked.

"I don't know. I guess I avoid bringing it up," Paul said.

"Well... hem... there was a time she said she actually forgot I had slept with close to 3000 women," Gene said carefully. "And I told her to try not to think about that or comparing herself to the lovers I've had before... I asked her to live in the now... with me..."

"You must have done some major song and dance on her, Gene. When I was with her, she about performed a Lorena Bobbit on me for sneaking with Linda behind her back. You've got the magic." Paul admitted.

"Well I was honest with her," Gene said. "She knew what she was getting into with me."

"I just think the world of Trynia, and just because she wasn't a supermodel in the 70's doesn't mean I don't love her to death."

"Paul, she was a little girl in the seventies!"

"I mean how old is that girl?"

"Umm...27?" Paul said carefully.

"Are you sure?"

"Well Terri's 30," Gene said. "That's only three years older then your woman. Just think Paul, both of our women were children when we were sewing our wilder oats..."

"Gene do you have to remind me?"

"Point is that despite the age difference, we're grown men, and they're grown women. That was the past... this is who we are now. And a lot smarter hopefully for our troubles."

"You know what Trynia told me once? One of her brothers, her second oldest I think, took her to a meet and greet we were in when she was little," Paul told him. "He was a really big Ace fan..."

"Really?" Gene asked. "Terri's parents HATED KISS."

"Couldn't tell her mother, of course, but yeah, she was there. She even stood in line and met me."

"Wow..." Gene laughed. "How old was she?"

"I dunno... I think she was about seven... She just told me she remembered how tall I was and how I was dressed in this big puffy outfit".

"HAHAAH your fairy prince!" Gene guffawed.

"Yep. You should have seen her eyes when I pulled it out the other day," Paul sighed.

"Really?"

"Terri never saw us till last year..." Gene shook his head. "That night... hem... forget it... do tell.... What was her reaction?"

"Well, she laughed and said she remembered how big and cuddly I looked in it. She told me she wanted to ask me for a kiss, but was too shy," Paul chuckled. "See, even at 7, she couldn't resist me."

"Oh you lucky, lucky son of a bitch." Gene chuckled back. "Terri tells me she has seen me on television... When she was that age... and she was struck by my interview for that hype segment... She thought I was a monster... but she was floored when she heard how intelligent I sounded..."

"Oh man... she saw the man of 1000 faces was a human being, eh?"

"And she remembered FRESCA when it first came out!"

"Man, that's been awhile." Paul laughed.

"I'll say... she even remembered when it had the snowflake on the frickin can." Gene said proudly. "That's my girl... has a memory like me..."

"You're going to think this is corny as hell, but after she told me her 7 year old self had wanted to give me a kiss, I leaned over and kissed her. I told it was 19 years too late."

"Paul you are a hopeless romantic!"

"Yeah, I know. I just hope that I'm finally done."

"Hey you can be romantic without being hopeless..." Gene laughed. "Terri admitted that she was a little scared of what a Demon KISS would be like... but she was astounded with how romantic I could be..."

"That's what I'm counting on. My 50th looms, unfortunately. I don't want to be an old man chasing skirts."

"No you don't," Gene agreed. "Especially with guys like Brad Pitt, Anthony Keidis, and other young guys out there... So Paul... don't tell me next you worry about her chasing a younger man..."

"Ohh, never thought about that. Damn".

"Aww crap I didn't mean to... shit..." Gene scolded himself.

"Yeah, I probably should stick to one topic to worry to death about at a time." Paul sighed.

"Yeah it's easier that way," Gene nodded. "Or just be like me and don't give a crap about anything... except enjoying myself and what I love most... Living. And protecting what's mine."

"I have to admit, I'm enjoying life plenty right now. And now I think I'm going to go wake up my beautiful almost-fiancée and show how just how much."

"Good, you do that..." Gene laughed.

"Bye, Gene. Go take some aspirin!"

"Bye Paul... ooh I think I will... I feel like crap..." Gene groaned. "Is this what Ace and Petey felt like every morning after?"

"Yes. Can you believe that?" said Paul.

"Yeah... and they could still play... damn... I have new respect for them in a twisted sick way."

"Now I KNOW that Asti sh***t is going to your head."

"Well it's the best shtuff you told me," Gene said. "That's why I got it..."

"If you say ACK, I'm hanging up the damn phone"

"Ugh..." Gene groaned. "I am not that far gone..."

"Thank GOD. You DID do your share of drinking and stumbling last night. I was starting to panic" Paul teased.

"Thanks Paul..." Gene said. "I don't think I want to go through that again..."

"Gene, thanks to you too, man. I've missed you"

"I've missed you too Stanley." Gene said sincerely. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about a few days ago... I was really thinking with my dick then..."

"Nah, Gene, don't worry about it. You would think after 30 something years, I'd be used to you by now," Paul said dismissively.

"Well it's part of my job to keep surprising you, Paul," Gene laughed. "How can I not keep your life interesting? Especially when you're the man who wrote my signature song?"

"Yeah, well, someone's got to write the good stuff...." Paul joked back.

"Heheh right. And to think I thought you were full of yourself when I first met you..." Gene said.

"Hey, Gene, before you go..."

"Yeah?"

"You're.... Uh... not out of raincoats yet, are you?"

"Who me?" Gene laughed, as if the question were absurd.

"Stupid, stupid, You think I'd learn. If you happen to shuffle out this way, bring some and leave 'em for me. Don't fall in the damn pool, though."

"Paul, by the way I keep some in the guesthouse bathroom... Under the sink..."

"Well, NOW you tell me!"

"Yeah..." Gene laughed. "But then again I wasn't coherent last night...And Terri didn't ask me about them... After all it was she that gave Terri the raincoats right"

"I tell you what. You go back to sleep. I'm heading to the bathroom to retrieve my new toys."

"All right... and Paul... they are a rather interesting assortment for my hem... guests..."

"I think so," Paul laughed. "Somehow there was major girl talk going on last night. I don't think you and I will ever know the HALF of it"

"So don't be surprised if you find some... interesting ones..."

"Oh, shit. My face isn't on them anywhere, is it?"

"Nope..." Gene reassured him. "Just different flavors... and other options..."

"Thank God. I'd hate to think I've been entertaining the masses at your guesthouse in more ways than one."

"Well Paulie I wouldn't do THAT to you... I have NO idea where that KISS condom came from though that I threw you... do you?"

"Just PLEASE don't tell me it was meant for the Trynia/Paul/Gene party".

"Uh... no..." Gene said. "Say, Paul... did I pull it out of my wallet?"

"Yep. Has it been riding in there for awhile?"

"Yes... actually. Since our latest show."

"What? You have an emotional attachment to it?"

"I always put a KISS KONDOM in there to impress the encores..."

"I've got bad news. It was late and I was drunk and Trynia was laughing her ass off, and well, it's sort of in the trash can now...used."

"I don't want it back! Well there's PLENTY more where that came from, Paulie..."

"You're the man, Geno. You're the man." Paul laughed.

"Well I am glad it was so well received," Gene joined in.

"NOT to make bad puns, but let's say it did its receiving VERY well"

"Now I know you're Paul... only Paul would have made a dumb joke like that this early in the morning!"

Still laughing Paul said, "Talk to you later, Gene"

"Later Paul!"

Quietly as he could Paul clicked off the telephone and set it down. Tiptoeing into the kitchen, he set about making some coffee. It was around nine in the morning, still dim in the house because all the blinds were drawn. Glancing between two venetian blinds, he saw the waters of the pool gently lapping in the morning breeze, a few colorful beach balls and streamers floating lazily on the surface. All over he saw the disarray of patio furniture, and guessed the time Gene's maids would have cleaning up the mess of last night's bash. He smiled while he measured out the water and poured it into the top of the small machine. It was a matter of minutes before it would transform into the steamy black liquid he knew she loved so much. On some mornings Paul preferred tea for a gentler waking up, but on mornings like this, coffee was a necessity. Not that he needed it after the last 24 hours.

While Paul busied himself in the kitchen, Trynia turned over lazily. She had awakened earlier to the sound of Paul's voice on the telephone, and had not meant to eavesdrop. Yet, the excitement present in Paul's voice made it difficult to ignore. At the sound of the clanking in the kitchen she was tempted to rise, but decided it best to wait and see if he would bring her breakfast in bed, a pursuit Paul habitually enjoyed.

When the coffee had brewed, Paul loaded two mugs and the gleaming pot on a small tray and carried it painstakingly to the bedroom. He smiled warmly and set the tray down at the bedside table closest to Trynia. Hair splayed over the pillow, she was cocooned in the mess of sheets and comforter that lay askew of her shapely sheet draped form. On her side, she positioned herself, facing away from the door. Paul gently straddled Trynia, and lifted her hair from her neck. He deposited a soft kiss on the soft skin there, and smiled mischievously.

In a goofy voice, he began to sing his Folgers commercial. Under him, her body began to shiver, indicating her laughter as she awakened. Turning over under him she opened her eyes and smiled up into his gaze.

"The best part of waking up, is having Paulie in your cup." He finished the last line. Trynia burst out laughing, her shortsighted gaze twinkling with mirth.

"Paul, that's the most unique way for me to wake up!" she howled cheerfully, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Darling, I love you to pieces and we'll have a wonderful life, but tell me. Will I EVER sleep again?" Paul cooed leaned over to kiss her passionately, laying down on top of her.

Then he grinned and said, "No. MUCH more important things to do."

"I will make sure of it," she says slowly. "After all you can't spend all your life awake... unless you've been asleep... And if I'm only dreaming I don't want to wake up..."

"Perhaps you'll change your mind when you have a taste of this specially brewed Eisen Coffee. It's very exclusive, you know."

"Oh really? Is it good to the last drop?" Trynia grinned.

"Yes, and I won't just scoop it out for any girl, you know." Paul winked.

"That sounds perfectly naughty right now...." she winks at him, turning over on her back.

"SPEAKING of naughty, I hear you've been terribly bad here lately.... Getting innocent old me drunk last night!" he scolded her. "When my intentions were oh, so very honorable."

"How about you getting GENE drunk?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, sweetie, you KNOW I wouldn't have done such a thing if you hadn't have forced me first to imbibe in the bubbly. Now, the question remains. Since you've been so very, very naughty, what penance should be invoked?"

"Hmmm... Good question." Trynia pretended to ponder.

"And uh.... Make it good." Paul cautioned her.

"Hmmm how about I wait on your hand and foot while you eat breakfast?" she thought.

"Or else bathe your hot sweaty body from head to toe?"

"I'm thinking the latter. After that sweet offer, breakfast can WAIT," Paul grinned, reaching for something in the pocket of his boxer shorts.

"Hmm hmm," she laughed, as he moved off her and pulled the sheets aside.

Some time later, Paul stepped into the Jacuzzi with Trynia's help. She began to wet him down with a large sponge, dabbing it over his chest in the warm water. On the side of the tub she sat, rubbing shampoo through his hair. For a time she had joined him, letting him watch her rub the soap all over her own body, and rising it free with the pitcher of warm water. Then she would turn her attention back to sweetly cleaning him.

"Lover, you were a bad boy making yourself all hot and sweaty again... making me work extra hard to get you clean!" she scolded him, flicking suds at Paul.

"Wouldn't you know it," he laughed. "Speaking of hot and sweaty, Gene's got a sauna, you know."

"Hmmm. The sauna. I was just thinking about that," she laughed, and poured the water over his hair to rinse it.

"Really, baby?" Paul asked, with interest. "Would you like to take a tour?"

"Is like the one in your video?"

"And what video is that?" Paul teased, knowing which one it was.

"Well the one that was very steamy... with you and a certain blond. Uh... you never did tell me that girl's name..."

"Darling, we've been over this before. There's NO reason for you to get jealous of women I've met years and years," he said, rubbing her shoulder with the sponge.

"Did it start with j perhaps? Janet... Jenny... Janie... Julie perhaps?"

"What did you say?" Paul asked, his eyes widening with something that looked like shock.

"I'm just teasing Paul... it was a lucky guess..."

"Julie.... But...but.... How did you know?"

"A lot of girls back then had that name," Trynia continued softly, turning her attention to rising out of the bathtub. She stepped out, and grabbed a towel to dry herself off.

"Hmm," Paul muttered, fingering his chin. "Why are you asking me?"

"Especially blond girls... who were into the industry..."

"Maybe I mentioned once before. I don't remember, but I could have." Paul muttered, watching her turn her back and rub the towel through her soft hair.

"Perhaps... It's not important though..." she said dismisively, reaching for a bathrobe. Why was she suddenly asking this? Was it jealousy, Paul wondered? Alternatively, had she possibly heard some of his telephone conversation with Gene?

"No, it's not," Paul repeated, throat choking with something in anger. "The band got a nice video out of it, and she made her acting scale wages. That's about it".

"Just like Gene... and his foray into Hollywood?" Trynia asked.

"Wait a minute. You asking me if I slept with her?" Paul asked, staring at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable...

"I'm sorry... I didn't imply..." she stammered. "I was just saying that there is business and pleasure... and sometimes people play... Not that there would be much sleeping going on... We call it hooking up in college... no commitment..."

Paul raised an eyebrow, and fell into sudden silence. Trynia felt strange awkwardness flush over her, and cursed herself for running off at the mouth. Yet, jealousy plain and simple had invaded their precious love nest. Worse yet, she had let slip part of what Gene and Paul had discussed. He was even now starting to piece it together. Face flushing in shame, she held out a towel for him as he rose from the bath. Grasping it from her, he hitched it around his waist.

"For the record, MS. MERIN, we dated a few times, she was in a few videos. We were intimate. End of story." Paul said crisply. Trynia squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment, knowing she had hurt him.

Paul saw her crushed look out of the corner of his eyes, and turned around to rest a hand on her shoulder. He grabbed a fluffy bathrobe and draped it over her shoulders. Perhaps she was distancing herself, unsure of the feelings and the change in their relationship.

"I never brought her coffee in bed and I SURELY never serenaded her with a personal commercial rendition," Paul continued.

"Paul... I'm sorry... damn... sometimes I just run off at the damn mouth..." she apologized, throat choking with her anger at her intrusion into the past. Hugging herself, she strode away to the bathroom door.

Paul saw he had to lighten the mood, and quickly. Not anything would spoil this morning, not even a misguided spat of jealousy!

"And I SURELY never took this towel and whacked her ass with it, like I am going to do to YOU right now!" Paul threatened playfully, grabbing a towel from the wall and twisting it between his two hands.

"What..." Trynia gasped, half turning at the sound of his voice. Paul laughed and let the towel crack through the air, narrowly missing her rear. Tension broke with the sound and she shrieked, running out of the bathroom. She dodged around furniture playfully as he darted after her, and finally cornered her in the bedroom.

"You've forced me into a drastic situation, baby," he pretended to look stern, closing in on her.

"Really?" she asked, backed up against the bed.

"Yeah... because you've brought up that video, you're going to have to be punished. And I think that it means you and I are going to reenact that, from memory... and you'd better get it right..."

He grabbed her hand and led her outside into the morning air, taking a towel in hand. Toward the pool he led her, till finally reaching their destination. Her heart pounded at the feel of his firm grasp on her hand, and the chill of the morning air bit against her bared skin.

"After you," he said, opening the door to Gene's sauna, large enough for perhaps five people to comfortably sit in. She inhaled the scent of wood mingling with hot steam, the warmth rising and steaming her vision.

In front of him he positioned her, and unfastened the robe's belt. Slowly she shucked it off her shoulders, and took the towel he wrapped around her chest and hitched securely. She choked when he began to push her down to a kneeling position opposite him. Grabbing her hips he pulled her to him till their fronts touched and she felt his body heat added to the inferno of the sauna.

Over her lips he traced his tongue, the kiss moving into something more. She arched her neck as she felt him licking a path down to her chest. Groaning and laughing she threw her head back and lost herself to the feeling. He gripped her ass through the towel, playfully pulling it up. She began to thrash about and Paul burst out laughing for a moment.

"What?" she asked.

"You are really cracking me up baby!" Paul laughed. She let her own tension release in her own laughter, leaning against him and rubbing him through his towel.

"I'm so damn nervous!" she guffawed, her laughter echoing in the sauna.

"We need some more steam in here," Paul purred, leaning down to grab a pitcher of water and dump it over the heating element. Sizzling the cloud rose and drifted across their field of vision like the smoke on his concert stage years ago. It obscured her field of view, and she for a moment lost sight of him, till she felt him grasp her and pull her close. A hand slipped her towel aside, and soft hair tickled her chest. She gasped at the feel of teeth clamping down on one erect nipple!

"Ow, you sneak!" she laughed.

"Isn't that what I was supposed to do?" he joked.

"I think..." she laughed, hugging him close.

"What else did I do?" he asked her, gripping her hands in his. He pulled her down onto the bench with him, and she pulled him down on top of her. Wrapping her legs around his waist he thrust his tongue into her mouth to form another passionate kiss. Pressed between his muscular body and the hot wood of the bench she moaned between the kiss. Instinctively she grabbed his towel and tugged it.

"Were you sure that was in the video?" Paul teased, leaning up from their kiss.

"Uh....Paul.....do you know that supposedly you can see....uh...some particular details of yours in that vid?"

"WHAT details baby?"

"I've heard that if you stop the tape at just the RIGHT moment...."

"What? What are you talking about?" Paul asked.

"Well.... there is that part where you're leaning up..."

"Ok...Yeah...."

"And she pulls at your towel, and for a moment the camera sees some rather interesting attributes of yours..."

"WHAT?" Paul cried, eyes widening in shock. "It was supposed to be....it was....."

"Well...." Trynia said sheepishly.

"That was NOT supposed to be...." Paul groaned, sitting up as if mortified.

"Maybe that's why they didn't' use it..."

"Damn!" Paul gritted, shaking his head. "Stupid... aww damn Gene told me that some fans had said they were circulating a copy but I had no idea!!!"

Shame flushed over Trynia again and she sat next to him, hugging her knees. It was one thing to drool over the video before she knew the man in it. Yet now, it felt like an invasion of privacy.

"Damn it Paul I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "Now I feel like I want to destroy every copy I made for people... including my own...

"Now, baby. It's not your fault." Paul assured her, leaning over and kissing her softly. "It's actually kind of funny. Kind of."

"I know... but I dubbed that at least 10 times for my KISSters!" Trynia despaired. "when I got a clean copy from another fan... In return for writing them a story about you..."

"Are you saying I now have an Internet harem who know me intimately? Oh Jeez." Paul groaned with a slight laugh.

"Yes," she admitted, hiding her head in her hands. "But they know NOTHING about you and me."

"Oh?"
"When people at school ask me who my boyfriend is I say Stanley Eisen."

"That's up to you, honey," Paul reassured her, rubbing her shoulders deliciously. "We're exclusive now. You know the papers are going to get hold of this, and the Internet rumors will be off the scale"

"I know... I just didn't want to be responsible for people learning your private life..." Trynia grumbled. "I know you HATE that... I dont' want to take what's happened between us and sell it to my friends... or the goddamned press..."

"Look, everything will work out. You're going to New York with me. You know how many Kiss fans will be at the show and will look up to see who's the lady in the upper balcony?"

"Oh Paul..." she laughed. "Imagine me in some damn fancy dress..."

"Or who's the lady leaving with me. I'm damn proud of you, Tryn. Let them contemplate our relationship on the net."

"Thank you... I just wouldn't want it to happen to me..." she said, turning to face him as she fingered his cheek. "I don't want them to have a piece of you... that's all... they have enough..."

"You do have to realize, before we go "public", there's two small issues to deal with......"

"Oh?"

"Yep. Your mom and my mom"

"Oh brother..." Trynia groaned, sinking into the seat.

"I've never met your mom, but I'm not too sure she'd enjoy seeing her baby girl on Entertainment Tonight without a LITTLE advance notice."

"Well I want you to meet my parents... oh and my sister is a huge Ace fan..." she laughed. "And my one brother... he still likes Gene..."

"Well, I'm looking forward to it. I'll have to polish up my answer though, when she looks me in the eye and asks me about some of my song lyrics."

"Hehehe."

"It makes it kind of a challenge to meet Ozzy and Harriet when their daughter has been spinning on her turn table for years, singing, "Put your hand in my pocket, grab onto my rocket".

"Well that was one of my faves.... but my favorite song for a long time was Great Expectations... and you know WHAT that's about..."

"Oh, yes I do."

"Not to mention Love Gun..."

"Missy, are you saying you want to know what my mouth can do?"

"Hmmm that was the general idea..." she winked at him through the steam.

"You might have to pamper me here a bit baby, " he purrs, "Kind of hard to get going when we've just been discussing your mom."

She tugged him down and positioned him to lay facedown on the bench of the sauna. Pulling off his towel she started to give him a backrub. Trynia leaned over, kissing his bare back and working to his ear. "Uh Paul... any tips dealing with Jewish parents... when you're a goy? And you're coming home with their little boy?"

"Hmm," Paul groaned. "Umm, first off, DON'T call her Mrs. Stanley.:

"Yeah... I gathered that."

"My dad, he'd laugh it off. Mom, on the other hand...." Paul muttered. "And she really hated when I changed it"

"That's not a good Jewish name... at least a last name... whereas it' your given name... Did she name you after a dead family member or something?"

"And she was even more hostile when Linda and I decided to give Shane the last name of Stanley."

"My mom wasn't nuts about Trynia..." she sighed. "Especially when I started signing my name on my papers with it..."

"I am, you know, the only son in the Eisen family. The end of the line. Doom and gloom. You can gather the lecture we got"

"Yeah... passing on the blood..." she laughed. "I get the same thing about passing on my good little catholic genes... but then again I have brothers and sisters..."

"Finally, Linda got a little pissed at her and said some things she shouldn't. It got all messy"

"I wanted to be known as Trynia... which is my nickname not my given baptismal or confirmation name..."

"I love Trynia." Paul purred.

"Thank you... my brothers came up with it... because Noel Maria Elizabeth was too hard to say... And Merin... that's a contraction of Merino... my dad's part Italian... but you were saying...."

"We talked about it and it would simplify matters on our end, Shane having the same last name as me. Hell, it was confusing enough with Linda refusing to let go of Purcell."

"I LIKE Eisen..." she purred gently into his ear.

"Well, IF we get to that point, I would maybe like to rectify the situation for mom's sake"

"Hmmm yes..." she purrs further, kissing his ear gently.

"It's a link to the past, you know. Linda was never a Kiss fan, so she doesn't understand. I was once quite a different person, you know"

"Only thing is there is this catholic thing..."

"Yes..."

"Of raising children the religion of the mom... but some people in my family have married Jews... and they let the children decide..."

"Oh?"

"Yes... raise them with both religions..." she told him. "And then when they are old enough let them decide..."

"I like that. That's what we tried to do with Shane."

"Hmm..." she pursed her lips in thought. "Or raise a girl Catholic and a son Jewish..."

"Linda was never much into religion, but at least Shane was aware of what he came from."

"A child needs religion... even if to instill moral values..." Trynia agreed.

"Mmm hmm, and I need those wonderful hands just a LITTLE lower...."

"Perhaps I should get rid of this towel..." she laughed.

"I think you should, baby..." he ordered. "Damn, I can't wait till you get back on those pills. I want to touch you with every inch of my skin..."

"Well I can't be on them forever..."

"No, of course not, hon. You'd want to stop about a year before the first baby comes."

"Definitely..." she nodded. "After all we can't have the Eisen legacy end with you can we?"

"Damn, girl, it must be post champagne syndrome. I haven't even gotten on my knees and you haven't even accepted yet. I'm already forcing kiddies on you."

"I don't mind forceful men..." she laughed. "As long s they know who's in charge..."

"Oh, you don't, do you?"

"Well... in small doses..."

"You keep massaging my back like that, and I'm be ramming through Gene's entire backup collection as well."

"Ramming, that sounds very nice right now..." she laughs, rubbing lower on his back. Playfully she tickled the backs of his thighs playfully.

"Well you know how I feel about forceful women... especially those who keep making me hot and sweaty... damn!"

"Oh knock it off!" she laughed, smacking his rear playfully.

"Ow!' Paul shouted playfully wincing. "Well you can't spank me if I'm sitting down can you?"

So saying he rolled over and sat up, causing her to leap to a standing position in the process.

"You naughty boy!" she cried, leaning over and attacking his exposed sides with her fingers. Paul howled with laughter as she tickled his sides.

Just then the door clicked open and Paul and Trynia panicked. Grabbing her he pulled her onto his lap to cover himself. The towel was well out of reach, but she still wore her robe.

Terri poked her head into the sauna and gasped, "Oh, God, you're in here? Uh.....sorry".,

"Damn, Terri, is it me or do you keep reappearing at the worst possible moments?" Paul half laughed, hugging Trynia close.

Terri bit her lip, standing in the doorway in her own red bathing suit and sarong, "If you're referring to the kitchen incident, it was NOT my fault. Gene made me come in and break up the brawl."

"Paul, relax!!! We are guests here remember," Trynia hushed him

"And NOW I am visiting because my previously intoxicated lover and father of my child has passed along an odd message that you two are getting married," Terri rested a hand on her hip. "And since you weren't in the guesthouse I started hunting you down to get some answers. And well, I'm just baffled as hell!"

"Uh... well..." Trynia says. "That's news to me..."

"Soooo, Gene made the whole thing up? Damn, that man!" Terri grumbled.

"Well, he was drunk right?" Trynia asked.

"I can absolutely, positively attest to that fact. I can safely say I've never had a 6 foot 4 inch man in my bed before, drooling champagne on my pillow and snoring like a lumberjack."

"Well then, sometimes people say weird stuff when they're drunk..." Trynia said.

"It's just strange. Gene SWORE you two were getting married." Terri shook her head, pulling the sauna door closed behind her. "Then on the phone this morning.....well......never mind."

"So Paul... shall you say something to set the record straight?" Trynia nudges him.

"Well... what can I say?" Paul asked, trying to look innocent.

"Look you guys. I don't mean to pry. It's just that Gene seems really convinced that you two are....well....heading down the aisle."

"Uh... Paul?" Trynia nudged him.

"Terri, look, Tryn and I had a big night last night," Paul sighed.

"So I see," Terri nodded. "Leaving condom wrappers all over the damn place! And the bed sheets!"

"Smart-ass. We got a chance to talk about some things that had been hanging unresolved for quite some time." Paul assured her.

"Well, unresolved good or unresolved bad?" Terri asks

"It's good. At least I think it is, isn't it, doll?" Paul asked, looking at Trynia

"Umm hmm," Trynia smiles, kissing Paul's neck softly.

"Well?" Terri asked, tapping her foot.

"Terri, Trynia and I are going to make a go of it. We're going to get a place together and see how things work out."

"Oh?" Terri asked raising an eyebrow. "Well then congratulations of some sort are in order... but what about marriage?"

"As far as marriage is concerned, we're taking that day by day. Who knows? I may drive her stark raving mad and she'll run screaming." Paul grinned, with a wink at Trynia.

"Paul, the day you do that is the day I dye my hair chartreuse and join the b52s..." Trynia nudged him, settling onto his lap comfortably. "And sing LOVE SHACK..."

Terri broke in, "SPEAKING of Love Shack, damn, you guys!!"

"What do you think Gene left the condoms in here for?" Trynia laughs.

"And I thought GENE was the all-nighter," Terri teased.

Paul groaned, "Damn Terri. Tryn said that line to me once and I hated it as much then as I do now!"

Terri laughed back, "What can I say? You've got the million dollar ass, but I'm a Gene girl."

Paul groaned, "Damn it, Tryn. Sitting on me doesn't help! I KNEW she was coming in here so she could try staring at my ass."

"I was trying to hide your ass Paul... for all the good it does..." Trynia laughs

Terri sniffed, "Baby boy, I've SEEN that ass. And I STILL went Demon"

"Ouch," Trynia laughed, holding her sides because they ached so much.

"Yeah, you and every other red blooded female between the ages of 18 and 80," Paul shot back with a smile.

"What, staring at your ass or going Demon?" Trynia teased him.

"Now that I think about it, BOTH!" Paul shouted gleefully.

"Hmmm," Trynia laughed, and settled into his lap comfortably.

"But don't worry, sweetie. From now on, this ass is RETIRED, except for you."

"Isn't he sweet?" Trynia asked Terri, who watched them with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah according to you and 3 million paying concert goers." Terri needled. "By the way, you'll be needing these, won't you?"

She tossed a box of condoms at them, and Paul saw the brand name on them. He pretended to fall over dead, pulling Trynia with him on top of him.

"You slay me Terri! KISS KONDOMS?"

"Well Those might be the only ones left since you just about cleaned out Gene's supply!" she teased him.

"But Gene said there were more... I looked!" Paul protested.

"Well the other guys needed a few parachutes, so I took the liberty of breaking into Gene's secret stash... and well what can I say... they cleaned him out!!!" Terri announced.

"Bruce and Desiree, and Eric with Melissa," Trynia asked.

"And Ace and Peter," Terri added. "After all, Ace did bring Christy with him, didn't he?"

"Well yes... but where was she?" Trynia asked.

"On the internet telling her friends that they wouldn't' believe where she was," Terri smirked again. "Before Ace caught her and hammered some sense into her, emphasis on hammered!"

"So you came down into the bathroom to get some more?" he asked.

"Uh yeah..." she nodded. "But I couldn't let you guys be out in the cold. I imagine right now that if I go back there they'll be gone..."

"Speaking of gone..." Paul looked to Terri.

"I'll be gone..." Terri grinned. "That's my cue to exit..."

Paul groaned at the infamous orange box she had tossed there next to his towel, with the band picture on it. "I can't believe this! The next time Gene wants to put our name on something I'll be damn sure to ask what it is!"

"You guys are everywhere!" she grinned.

"And there's somewhere I really want to be now... if you get my meaning..."

"Mmm hmm," she grinned, pulling him down.

That next day she and Paul returned to their home. Trynia glanced around the whole place, still decorated for Christmas. Shane rushed up to Paul, his arms held out as he cried," Daddy! Welcome home!"

"Hey Monkey boy, did you have a good new years?" Paul asked, sweeping his son up and giving him a bear hug.

"I sure did! Aunt Shannon and I had a GREAT time," he nodded eagerly. "did you and Trynia have fun?"

Paul glanced at Trynia, smiling warmly as he extended his hand to her. "Well sweetheart, what do you say?"

"It was the best I've had in ages," she nodded, smiling at father and son. Paul gently set Shane down, and he turned to Trynia to give her a hug.

"So, what do you say to a day of fun?" Paul asked Trynia and Shane.

"I would say that would be great," she nodded. Shannon and Sophie came out to say hello.

"Well, I hear you guys have quite a time," Shannon laughed, referring to the telephone call Paul had given her before returning home. "Why didn't you tell me Gene got drunk?"

"say what?" Sophie asked.

"Shane, why don't you help Sophie make sure she and her mom have everything they brought?" Paul asked.

"Aw Dad why can't I hear about Uncle Gene?" Shane pouted.

"Because it's grown up talk," said Paul. "Now run along, kiddo..."

"Okay," Shane sighed. Sophie led him into the living room to pack up the toys she had brought to share with him.

"Hell if I had known it would be so exciting I would have stopped by instead of watching Toy Story 2 with the munchkins," Shannon laughed, hand on her hip. "I missed the fun..."

"You sure did," Trynia laughed. "And it was all Paul's fault..."

"Hey, I had to have him toast this New Years, remember sweetie?" Paul teased.

"What was this about your engagement?" Shannon asked.

"Uh well, news travels fast," Paul blushed. "Well, it's more of an exclusive relationship now... and I asked Trynia here to move in with me... when I take that Phantom part in NYC..."

"You really are going through with that?" Shannon asked. "Well congratulations!"

Sophie returned with a bag full of videotapes and her sleeping bag saying, "Mommy, I got it all... are we going home now?"

"Yes sweetie," Shannon nodded. "Say goodbye to Paul and Shane and Trynia while I get my stuff... and then we can go..."

"okay mommy," Sophie nodded. With a thumbs up to Trynia, Shannon moved upstairs to collect the rest of her things. Soon she and Sophie were gone, the house tidy after the slumber party.

"Were you a good boy?" Paul asked Shane, as they settled down in the living room.

"Yeah daddy, I listened to everything Aunt Shannon said," Shane nodded. "We had so much fun..."

"Good. Because there's something Trynia and I have to talk to you about, if that's okay?" Paul said, sitting him down.

"Okay," Shane nodded. "What's up Daddy?"

"well you know how Trynia and I are very close, right?"

"Yeah, special friends," Shane nodded.

"Well what if I told you that Daddy was going to move back east, to star in Phantom of the Opera again?"

"Are you gonna take Trynia with you?" Shane asked quickly. "And are you two gonna get married?"

"Whoa, slow down," Paul laughed.

"Uh well..." Trynia said slowly. "Last night your daddy told me he wants me to be with him... so that's why he decided that him and me... are going to get a house out East and I'm going back to school, and Daddy's going to play Phantom..."

"I hope you do get married," Shane nodded. "That would be so cool Daddy, and then you can give me another brother or sister maybe?"

"Well that will be up to Trynia and me," Paul said carefully. "But I thought she and I should let you know that we're going to be together... for a long time... before we made any more plans... because you're my son and I love you lots..."

"I hope you do get married," Shane nodded.

"Well it's a big decision," said Trynia. " but anything is possible."