Luca threw some cash at the cab driver and stumbled out. He stopped for a moment to take in the outlandish estate. He groaned in distaste at the overly large home. There was even a fountain in the middle of the oversized driveway.

"So Leonardo," He muttered as he stumbled up the steps; he tripped on a planter and nearly fell. "Stupid piece of-

"Who is out here?" Andre stepped outside, his face shocked when he took Luca in front of him.

"Just me, bro." Luca grinned, ruffling Andre's hair.

"Do you know what time it is?" Andre whispered harshly, "you reek like booze."

"But I'm here," Luca said casually. Would anyone give him a little credit tonight?

"You are." Andre softened at that, "you're here."

Andre reached out to hug him, and Luca instantly recoiled.

"Whoa, settle down; I'm not that drunk," Luca scoffed.

"Always an ass," Andre mumbled.

"We are going to stand outside all night... or?

"He just fell asleep," a look of concern shadowed his brother's face. "You're drunk."

"I won't wake up the old man," Luca spat out irritably," I have to piss, so move."

Andre reluctantly led him inside. He had to admit the inside wasn't as bad, not so overdone as the outside. It was so open, modern, almost bare, like his style, unlike the old man. The big windows were all the décor he would have gone for. The mountain views all around were amazing.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Right through there," Andre motioned to a door near the open kitchen. He ducked in to care of business. The bathroom was bright and way too white; it hurt his eyes. He glanced into the mirror. He was a mess. His messy thick brown hair was all over the place, and his eyes were red.

Luca stumbled back out and into the kitchen. It was also way too white and bright. He appreciated the open layout, though. It had every appliance one could want, though none of them were probably ever used. Andre already had a glass of water and some aspirin on the island. The island was a nice touch, he had to admit. It had a butcher block top and helped break up all the white. He allowed himself to take the aspirin as he faced Andre.

"It's not very dad, in here," Luca pointed out. "Our apartment in Sun City was so over the top."

"This was a farmhouse before," Andre told him, "They told him if he wanted his vision to destroy it and rebuild. He refused. He wanted to restore what was here. It took forever, but he got what he wanted."

Andre paused for a moment, and a wistful smile crossed his face. "He got sick by the time we got to the interior."

"Oh," Luca shrugged it off quickly; he wasn't interested in hearing endearing stories about the old man.

"Why'd you come?" Andre ignored his request.

"Just got to make sure the finances are in order, and then I'm out," Luca promised, "You'll hardly even know I was even here."

"You're here to make sure you get your cut?" Andre said, looking angry.

"Well, my trust fund isn't going to last forever," Luca drawled out in a cocky tone,

"No, you're lying. It was Kit. She got through to you," Andre said, crossing his arms with a smug, knowing look.

"Please." Luca scoffed, "But she is a hottie. I met her at the bar after her dad got me wasted."

"Leave her alone," Andre said firmly, "she is not going to be one of your conquests."

"We'll see about that," Luca said, his eyes glittering.

"She's not your kind of girl, Luca."

"What kind would that be?" Luca challenged.

"I think we both know your kind these days," Andre rolled his eyes. "Shallow, dumb, drunk..."

"...and here I was, afraid we didn't know each other anymore," Luca said with a little smirk.

"Well, that is not Kit." Andre said firmly, "But you know that already, don't you? She got through to you. No one else has been able to do that."

"She didn't get through to me," Luca spat mockingly.

"Right, you finally showed up right after she called you because..."

"I need the couch before I pass out on the counter," Luca ignored him and stumbled off to it.

**** 

Kit was exhausted when she got up the following day. Being woken up in the middle of the night two nights in a row had taken its toll on her. She chugged her coffee down on the way to the Donato's. She also felt apprehensive and nervous about Luca being there. She thought Luca would be attractive but wasn't expecting him to set off fire alarms. She didn't expect him to just show up like that, either. He surprised her, but she was still apprehensive.

She figured he would be sleeping most of the day away anyway. That should make this day easy to avoid him. He was very drunk last night and after a long drive, too. Stone's poison was no joke. It landed her ex in the hospital one night.

Andre was outside cleaning up one of the rose planters when she arrived.

"Luca is passed out on the couch," he informed her.

"Does your father know he's here?" Kit asked.

"No, I haven't told him yet," Andre said as they walked inside together. "He claims he's here to ensure he gets his cut."

"That's a lie," she scoffed, shaking her head.

As they stepped further in, she saw a shirtless Luca pass out on the couch. She did her best not to gawk at him.

"I'm shadowing Richard on a case today and won't be back until late. Can you handle this?" Andre motioned towards Luca.

"I'd like to know that too. Can you handle this?" Luca opened one eye and smirked, boasting his chest out.

"I'll be fine, Andre," she said, shooting a glare at Luca.

She ignored Luca's comments and walked quickly to the kitchen to get breakfast made for Leo. She could hear Luca's footsteps behind her as Andre headed towards the door.

"What are you making?" Luca asked as he got far too close to her.

"Poached eggs and toast with some oranges," she said, "will you back up?"

"That's like hospital food," he scoffed and stayed put to her annoyance.

"It's healthy, and that's what he needs right now," Kit snapped irritably; the lack of sleep and his sheer presence was jarring.

"Relax, Cricket. It's just breakfast," he sounded taunting as he used her given name, and it irked her even more.

"It's Kit, not Cricket, and it's just Kit; stop calling me a candy bar," she turned as she scolded him, forgetting how close she was. Now their faces were almost touching. His curly little lips were smirking, and those piercing blue eyes were looking right through her.

"Okay, Kit," He leaned in closer, "does healthy matter at this point? He's dying."

His face remained cool and calm, as if saying his father was dying didn't mean what it meant. 

"Make him an omelet with; bacon, onions, and cheddar cheese," he suggested winking at her. "A splash of salsa on top, the mild stuff."

"Why don't you make that for him?" Kit suggested instead.

"Is this what we're going to do?" Luca asked. He still hasn't moved, and she felt her cheeks start to warm up.

"What?" Kit asked, narrowing her eyes.

"You're going to use my attraction towards you against me? Constantly try to guilt me into making up with my dad?"

"Please," she rolled her eyes at a loss for what to say; her whole body was hot. She needed space from him, like right away. She noticed a gap between his arm and his hip. She ducked down quickly and scurried past him, using her small stature to her advantage.

"You are a sneaky little Kit, Kat," he was laughing at her.

"I just told you not to call me that," she grumbled as she went towards the coffee machine.

"I don't take well to directions," he admitted.

"Why are you here, Luca?" she asked pointedly as she poured herself a nice full mug, "if not for Leo?"

"I need to wrap up the estate stuff, talk to his lawyers, plan the funeral, all the stuff the oldest son should do, not Andre." He said and then, without warning, snatched her coffee away.

"Hey!" she frowned and raised her eyebrows, "You're here for Andre?"

"It's easier for me. I'm detached." He said way too quickly. Meanwhile, he sipped on HER coffee while she glared at him. He walked over, grabbed another mug, poured it full, and handed it to her. She snatched it from him, as irritable as ever.

"I wouldn't need this if you would stop waking me up at three am," she muttered.

"Last night was your dad's fault," he said, holding up his hands.

"How can you be detached?" Kit asked as the image of Stone flashed through her head. "He's your father."

"It's better this way," he said, and his voice was tensing, as was his body.

"For you," she pointed out.

"Got to look out for number one," he strolled over to the island and took a seat.

"You're such a child," she muttered.

She went back to cooking; she changed her mind. She decided on scrambled eggs, not wanting to take his advice fully. She attempted to ignore his glare as she busied herself.

"I believe I am here taking responsibility for things," he said in a tense voice. "Do I get no appreciation for that?"

"Well yeah. I'm glad you're here, at least. But whatever grudge you're holding is not worth it. That's all I'm trying to say," she said, staring directly into his intense cobalt eyes.

"Don't start thinking you know me or something," he said as his jaw tightened, "I told you, I don't do guilt trips."

"That's a lie," Kit said haughtily. "Or else you wouldn't be here."

He stood back from her, his face twisting in anger.

"Is that what you think?" He hissed. "That you somehow 'guilt-ed' me into coming here?" He sneered, and he looked utterly pissed.

Kit wasn't sure what to say; she didn't want him to turn around and leave now to make his point. She stared at him and gulped at his intimating stare down.

"Well, get over yourself," he said in a low voice before walking away. He headed for the bathroom and let the door slam shut behind him.

"Sorry for thinking you might be human." She mumbled under her breath.

Kit took a deep breath; she might have pushed too hard, but sheesh! What a jerk.

She somehow calmed herself enough to finish fixing Leonardo's breakfast. She hurried up with it wanting to avoid Luca for the time being.

"Good morning, Kit." Leonardo greeted her cheerfully as she stepped in. "What smells so good?"

"It's real food," Kit laughed, bringing over the tray and setting it near him. Then she went to open the window. The bright sun and a happy Leo cheered the room, and her spirits up.

He was already digging in when she came back. She was happy to see him eating like this.

"I love eggs," he said; he took a break to take his medications. Then he returned to his breakfast and cleaned the whole plate.

"Now, this kind of food I have an appetite for still." He smiled. "My son used to make these omelets. My god, they were so good."

Kit was glad for half a second that Luca wasn't here to mock her for that one.

"He was a great cook," Leonardo continued staring off. Kit changed her mind about her previous thought. She wished Luca could hear his father talk about him.

"Not that you aren't," Leonardo said, worried about her silence. "These eggs were delicious, dear. I didn't mean to make you feel underappreciated."

"No, I didn't, not at all," she soothed him. "I never could quite grasp the omelet. It always falls apart on me," she admitted.

He laughed. "I bet you could get farther than me at it."

"I'll try one tomorrow," she promised.

She spent most of the day up there, managing to avoid Luca. Whenever she did go down, she noticed the door to the study was shut. He must have been serious about wanting to make sure the estate was handled. It was nice for him to take those tasks away from Andre, notably the funeral planning. But she didn't understand how he could remain so detached.

Andre and Carly were downstairs when she headed down to start dinner. She decided to make spaghetti to feed everyone, and they all followed her into the kitchen.

"Is Luca around?" Kit asked Andre, she noticed the study was open again, but there was a black car out front with Sun City plates.

"He found a room to call him and holed himself up in it," Andre muttered, looking annoyed about it.

"Why come back only to act like a baby." Carly scoffed.

"What's all this?" Luca's voice interrupted their conversation as he strode into the kitchen. "Were you going to invite me to the party, Andre?"

"It's just dinner, Luca," Andre said with a sigh.

"That's right, Andre isn't allowed to have fun," Luca said pointedly. He walked up behind Kit and peered into the pan she was stirring. He needed to learn something about personal bubbles.

"I could show how to make this without the jar." He said in a softer voice. She felt a slight chill down her spine as his breath tickled her skin.

"Maybe some other time," she avoided turning around to look at his cocky smirk.

"Father sent me out fishing all day yesterday," Andre said smugly as he crossed his arms. "He has been insisting I have more fun."

"He's going senile already?" Luca asked.

Kit slammed the wooden spoon down on the counter.

"No, Luca!" She exclaimed, and her face flushed red, "he's realizing what is important in life. He's trying to make up for his mistakes and be a good dad. "

"He doesn't have enough time for that," Luca said, expressionless.

"That's just insane," Carly exclaimed. "How can you be so cold and callous? He's dying!"

"We're all dying." Luca shrugged.

"You know what I think?" Kit took a deep breath and turned. She stood and faced Luca bravely, staring into his eyes.

"Enlighten me," he quipped.

"I think you are afraid. You're a chicken," Kit said.

"Oh...I'm a chicken," He mocked her with a laugh.

"You are. You won't put the stupid past behind you and man up. You can't admit you wrong and do the right thing because you're scared too..." Kit finished with a smug look on her face.

"You have no clue what you are talking about," he lowered his voice, and his eyes lit up with anger. "I'm not scared. I'm pissed. You have no idea what happened between us."

"Does it matter now?" Kit challenged, "does it matter when there is so little time left?"

"Stop trying to make me care. I don't, and I won't." He said slowly, drawing every word out. "I am here to do what needs to be done, and then I'm out."

"You're a liar." She spat out, still holding eye contact with him. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"You know what, Miss Hart? Maybe you shouldn't forget you're just hired help around here," he snapped at her. She heard Andre groan and Carly gasp.

Kit didn't even realize she was doing it until she heard the loud smack of her palm connecting with his cheek. His face whipped to the side from the impact. His eyes were lit with rage, and his cheek was bright red.

He stood there holding his cheek for a moment and then just turned and left the house. He slammed the door hard when he left, and she jumped.

Kit felt dizzy as she heard his car start up and take off down the driveway.

"Kit, are you okay?" Carly said, holding her up as Kit leaned back against the counter. She let out a huge breath.

"I think so," Kit sighed; she let Carly help her over to the table and sat down. Andre went over to stir the sauce for her.

"I should go after him. He has no right to talk to you like that," Andre said as he glanced angrily at the door.

"It's okay, I defended myself," Kit said, numbly staring at her stinging hand.

"That you did." Andre agreed, looking impressed.

"I've never seen anyone get under your skin like that," Carly murmured.

"You don't think he's just going to leave now, do you?" Kit asked Andre, hoping she didn't screw this up for Leonardo.

"No, on the contrary, you seem to get to him," Andre told her, "I think you hit a nerve."

"Actually, it was a cheek, babe," Carly joked, "and she nailed it!"

"I can't believe I hit him," Kit breathed out, "I have never done that. I am not a violent person!"

"Seems like he gets to you, too," Carly said teasingly.

"If you mean he pisses me off, you got that right," Kit snapped quickly.

"Uh huh," Carly said with a little smirk.

"He's a total jerk," Kit got up and headed back to the stove.

She avoided Carly's knowing gaze as she got back to making dinner. Her best friend was so wrong anyway, Luca was an ass, and the only reason he was 'getting' to her was that she was so invested in Leo. It had nothing to do with him and his stupid blue eyes.

Not a thing.