Lucy pulled up into the drive of the massive house in the Garden District. Her little beat up car had never looked as out of place as it did now. There were lights on in the house giving it the appearance of warmth, but she had her doubts that that's what she would find.

The slamming of her car door sound abnormally loud in the evening quiet, and giving a little shiver at the chill in the air, she headed towards the front steps of the house, but before she could get to the top the door opened and Eden flew out of it and threw herself into Lucy's arms.

Lucy couldn't help but smile, it was a very warm welcome, and any awkwardness there would have been was lost in Eden's chatter as she took her hand and led her into the house.

It was all marble and glass with a large chandelier in the open foyer and only a center table to greet visitors.

"Thank you for coming," Zelda greeted, talking over for her small daughter as she led the way into a formal living area that looked like something off the cover of a magazine. "Eden, sweetie, go play upstairs for a little while, I need to talk to Lucy for a few minutes."

Eden started to protest, and Zelda gave her a stern look. "We talked about this Eden. Lucy will come and see you before she leaves.

Lucy watched Eden leave the room with a dramatic pout then sitting on a small sofa when Zelda motioned that she should.

"Would you like something to drink or eat?" Zelda asked as an afterthought.

Lucy shook her head, only wanting to get to the point of why she was there.

Zelda gave a shaky sigh and sat across from her. "Zeb found the shooter."

Lucy jerked at the news, she hadn't known that he had shared that bit of information with Zelda so it was not what she expected to hear. "When? How?"

"Summer's boyfriend."

"He was the shooter?" Lucy asked, it took her by surprise, but it made sense, especially after the vision she saw. "Is Summer alright?"

Zelda nodded. "Thanks to you. Zebadiah had someone keeping an eye on her when her boyfriend lost his mind...but let me start at the beginning."

Zelda closed her eyes and organized her thoughts, looking for the best place to begin.

"After the storm Zebadiah went to Texas to take care of some business there. He needed Summer's help and he arranged for her to join him, but when she didn't make her flight he was concerned. It's not like Summer to just not do something. He had a bodyguard watching Summer and, after a little digging, he discovered that it had been a few days since anyone had heard from him.

"Zebadiah was irate that something that important had slipped through the cracks, but with the hurricane..." she shrugged. "Summer had gotten away thanks to the bodyguard's quick action, and she hid out in a hotel for a few days before she got the nerve to call me. Unfortunately, Gianna was with me when she called, and she overheard the call."

"What happened to the bodyguard?" Lucy asked, afraid to hear the answer, expecting the worst.

"He was hit over the head and stuffed in the trunk of his car. He spent over twenty-four hours in the trunk." Zelda stood up and started pacing, and Lucy guessed that the next part was the bad part.

"I went to pick up Summer from the hotel where she was hiding out after calling Zebadiah to let him know that she had called. He had a few of his security team go with me and Gianna insisted on going as well. When I arrived Summer was beside herself, she was convinced that the bodyguard was dead and it as all her fault. She proceeded to tell me and Gianna about how her boyfriend had lost his mind when he had heard that she was going to meet Zebadiah in Texas. He had threatened to kill Zebadiah and Summer, and admitted to already attempting too shoot him once but missing. He said he had followed her to Zebadiah's house in Belfort and had seen them together after the gala. Summer denied it, but he didn't believe her."

Zelda turned to look a Lucy. "I asked him who he was with and he said that it was you and that you had been shot that night. When Summer found out she was terribly upset."

Lucy nodded not sure what she should do or say.

"Gianna came up with a plan, she thought that Summer would be safe, and that her boyfriend might believe Summer more readily and be less of a threat if Zebadiah was suddenly engaged."

"And of course, she was willing to pretend." Lucy snorted, and Zelda blushed.

"It seems ridiculous now, but we were all so scared. Some of the threats her boyfriend made against her," Zelda shuddered. "It seemed logical at the time."

"When Zebadiah found out what we had done he went through the roof, and he was forced to return to sort out the mess that we had made trying to protect Summer. He laid into me and Gianna, primarily out of concern that you would find out about the fake engagement and believe it. Which you did. Now, in hindsight, I don't doubt it was Gianna's plan all along, to get rid of you."

"Zeb still could have found me, or called me and told me what was going on at any time," Lucy insisted.

"He wanted to, but I convinced him that it had already been done and it would be senseless to undo it, at least until the man was caught and locked up, and if Zebadiah tired to seek you out it might actually put you in danger. I also told him that a week more wouldn't matter, and that you probably hadn't even heard anything about it."

"When it was all done, and he did return and learned that you had heard about it he was angry at himself for listening to me. It's not something he does often, and he was reminded why." Zelda frowned.

"You know, the only other person to call him Zeb was our mother. He wouldn't allow anyone else too, but he lets you." Zelda sighed, sitting next to her on the sofa. "Many people think he's a cold man or harsh, but he really has a huge heart. Over the years I've watched and waited to see who he would give it to, or if he would give it to anyone at all. Part of me always thought he would settle for someone like Gianna."

Lucy attempted to take in all that Zelda had said, especially the part about Zeb giving his heart away, if he had given it to her, as Zelda had implied he had, he had never let her know about it.

Realizing this was her chance to ask her about her mother, she took a deep breath. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, I think I owe you that, at least." Zelda gave a self-mocking smile.

"Today, someone told me about your mother, could you tell me a little bit more?"

"Paisley?" Zelda asked.

Lucy nodded.

Zelda shrugged. "There's not much to tell, our mother's mother was Native American and African American and her father was Irish. She was beautiful and she married my father who adored her. The people in my father's world never accepted her, she was a bit of a social outcast. Thinking that she was hurting Zebadiah, me, and my father, she left and returned to her home town where she wasn't treated much better. I never had any interest in building a relationship with her, but she and Zebadiah were close, especially towards the end of her life."

Lucy had a feeling that there was much more to it, but Zelda either didn't know or didn't want to share so she didn't push.

"I begged Zebadiah to let me talk to you first so that you could see it was all my fault and none of it was his." Zelda stood, and having said her piece, her guilt was lessened.

The only problem was that Lucy didn't agree. It wasn't all her fault, she still felt that Zeb could have called her and told her, she wouldn't have shared the information, and it would have made little difference to the out come of the situation. Lucy sensed that there was something that Zelda didn't know about and the only person who did know was Zeb.

Zelda's phone rang, and she answered it, after a few short words she handed the phone to Lucy. "I'll go get Eden, you don't mind spending some time with her, do you?"

Lucy shook her head as she took the phone, knowing it was Zeb.

"Hello," she greeted, watching Zelda leave the room.

"Did what she say make a difference?" Zeb asked, his voice warming her like it always did.

"No."

She could hear the smile in his voice. "I would have been disappointed if it had. I have a feeling that I need to do a little explaining and groveling. Will you at least let me do that now?"

Lucy smiled. "I'll think about it and let you know."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I'm glad that Summer is safe, that you found the shooter, and that you're safe too," she said, and when he went to say something else she quickly told him goodbye and hung up. It would be too easy to forgive him, and she had a lot to think about before she did.