Rhea awoke to a warm arm draped over her waist and Eli's warm body next to hers. He had simply held her through the night and it had been wonderful. He hadn't seduced her as promised and she wasn't sure if she was glad or not. There were too many walls between them and making love would have only confused her more, and Eli had sensed that.

He must have felt her move because he pulled her closer, snuggling against her.

"I have to get up Eli." She wasn't sure what time it was but by the way the light was shining into the room it was already much later than the usual time that she started her day. She was thankful that it was Saturday so there was no need to rush to get Aion off to school.

She tried to pull away from him but he wouldn't let her go. "Eli," she begged. She didn't want to leave but she had to get everyone's breakfast.

"Stay here, let them all take care of themselves for a change," he muttered into her neck and she felt goosebumps cover her flesh. "Let's spend the day together, go somewhere where we can be by ourselves, the old church," he suggested.

Rhea really did sit up at that, moving to the edge of the bed and running her hands through her hair, trying to tidy it.

"I don't think that is a good idea Eli, it would only confuse things."

He sighed wearily as he sat up behind her. "How Sunny, how will it confuse things?"

She looked at him as he watched her, his face serious.

"It just will," she insisted. She still hadn't changed her mind about letting him go, she had to.

"That's no longer good enough, I need to know why, unless I know why and understand why you don't want me, I'm staying here indefinitely."

Her eyes grew wide in fear. "What do you mean, indefinitely?"

"I mean that this is an inn and I will make it my permanent residence so that I can stay here with you."

Rhea was completely shocked that he would even contemplate such a thing.

"I love you Sunny, I'm not going anywhere unless there is a very good reason, so out with it. If you want me gone now is the time."

"I don't want you gone!" she denied, jumping up from the bed. "I want you more than...it's just...I can't..." Her words were a confused as her thoughts.

He waited while she tired to sort them all out. She should tell him the truth, it was the only way to settle it once and for all. They could go back and forth with the 'I love yous' which were marvelous to hear, but they weren't solving anything. There was no future for them and the only way to prove that to him was to tell him the truth.

"I had to leave you that day," she whispered, realizing that it was going to be much harder to say than she ever thought possible.

"Why," he asked gently as he watched her move to look out the window.

"At the church you said that everyone wanted something from you, some were obvious but others were more cunning, do you remember that?"

He nodded, looking like he wanted to say something but he didn't, and she watched as his eyes grew wary.

"You said that you trusted me and that means a lot."

"Are you saying I shouldn't trust you?" His voice was rough as he choked out the words.

"No, you can trust me, I don't want you for any other reason other then you."

"Then I don't see a problem."

"You also said, by your own admission, that your own knee-jerk reaction when you saw me again had been to immediately distrust me, that if you weren't careful you would eventually distrust everyone." She looked over at him. "Do you remember that?"

"Yes," he had paled as his own words were thrown back at him, "but what does this have to do with our loving each other?"

"My family is broke Eli, this island, the restaurant, we are barely getting by, it's a challenge every month to pay the bills, the taxes alone are astronomical. I don't want you to hate me because you think that the only reason I'm with you is because I have no money, my family has no money. I did think about running away with you and leaving them all behind, but then I was afraid that you would think it was about the fame, that the reason that I had left them was so that I could be famous with you, and I didn't think that you would respect me if I left my family when they needed me most."

"So, what your saying is that I've shot myself in the foot with my own words?" He closed his eyes as he ran through it all in his mind. "I trust you Sunny, we'll make it work, I'll help you, how much do you need?"

"That's not what I want! That is exactly the opposite of what I want! I don't want your money, but I don't see how this won't come between us in the end, especially..."

"Especially?"

"My parents will have no trouble asking for you to support us, they will expect it. Just like they expect me to figure out a way to keep us going from month to month." She couldn't disguise the bitterness in her voice.

"All those problems that no one shares with you, it finally makes sense." He nodded as all of the pieces fell into place. Rhea looked over at him expecting to see anger or hurt in his eyes but she only saw love and admiration.

"Don't look at me like that Eli, don't you understand what I'm saying?"

He stood up and walked towards her, pulling her into his arms. "Yes, I understand, and I'll figure it all out, don't worry. The important thing is that we love each other and we can be together."

She pushed him away, angry that he was making it all seem so easy, so possible. "You haven't heard me!"

She watched his face grow hard. "I heard you Sunny, I heard every word. But you're not hearing me, I don't care!"

"You should!" she shouted. "Besides who's going to believe that you would love a girl like me!"

"Is that what this is really about, your fear that you can't measure up, that eventually I won't want you?"

She raced for the door and wrenched it open only to find a room full of people looking at the door she had just opened.

Everyone was there, Mason, Cassie, Otto, Phoebe, Lola, Red, Paxton, and to her horror Onyx. They were all watching her and they watched as she turned bright red and stormed across the kitchen towards the back staircase.

"Sunny!" he called and she stopped, not turning around. "You can run away, but this conversation isn't finished, not by a long shot."

The words sent her running up the steps two at a time, oblivious to the stunned looks that followed her.

"Lover's spat?" Mason asked, his timing impeccable as always. Eli glowered at Mason before storming out the backdoor.

Mason looked at everyone in the kitchen. "Mum's the word on the Sunny thing, we need to keep it secret for a little longer, until those two to work out their differences." Mason said, attempting to do damage control for his friend.

"Rhea is Sunny!" Phoebe hissed softly, getting the secret part of it at least.

"Yes, and she doesn't know anything about it!" Lola informed everyone. "She knows she's Sunny, but she doesn't have a clue that Eli plays the song for her at every concert."

"How does she not know?" Red asked, completely confused.

"Rhea, doesn't pay attention to that sort of stuff, she doesn't have time." Otto said frowning as so much started to make sense to him finally.

"I thought it was you," he said to Mason.

"Nope, it's always been Eli." Mason said, watching everyone trying to gauge their reactions.

"So, we need to keep the secret from her too?" Phoebe asked for clarification. "I can't believe that my sister is the famous Sunny! That she and Eli..."

Otto groaned as the truth of it sank in. "I'm the worst friend ever," he muttered and Lola patted him on the shoulder.

"I was confused too, but when I found out that Sunny worked for Eli and Victoria Hewitt it all made sense."

They all started to talk and Mason started to outline a plan and it would take all of them to pull off, it wouldn't be easy but with a little strategy and some time, hopefully, Sunny and Eli would get their happily ever after.

No one noticed that Onyx was silently watching as their plan took shape.