Raymond threw the glass at the wall, resulting in it shattering. In his other hand was a piece of paper containing yet another report he hated reading. It contained the same information as the forty before it- his wife was missing with no way to trace her.

He couldn't understand how no-one could find her, and he was considering involving the authorities. However, he knew it would look bad, so he had to be strategic about the whole thing.

He also needed to make a pit-stop before heading to the person who would help him.

"Sir, is everything ok?" Yuna asked at the door.

"I'm going out," Raymond replied, storming past her.

She sighed and got around to cleaning up the shattered glass. She knew that he was worried about Astrid, and she couldn't blame him. She was just as worried about the woman she'd come to care greatly for.

She got downstairs and disposed of the glass pieces before her phone started ringing. She didn't know the number so she ignored it, except the person seemed to be persistent in trying to reach her.

"Hello? Who is this?" she asked once she'd picked up.

"I'm about to text you an address. Come to it tonight at seven," the person said.

"Astrid?" she asked, breathless. The phone went dead before her phone beeped with the text coming through.

She would just have to go to find out the truth.

CJ had just finished with a client when Cree walked into the salon. They shot each other a look, knowing what the other was thinking- they missed Astrid. They were beyond worried about her, especially since the last time they were with her, she'd just discovered that she was pregnant.

They didn't even know if it was true or not.

They had tried to reach her, but after a month of being unable to reach her, they came to the conclusion that she'd gone off the grid. What they weren't sure about was whether or not that was a good thing, especially since she claimed to be pregnant by a man whose name she didn't know.

"Have you tried her phone today?" Cree asked.

"You know I've stopped trying. This is Astrid. She'll call us when she resurfaces," CJ replied.

"Yeah, but I still feel like we shouldn't give up. She could be in real danger," Cree argued.

"I think we should trust that she isn't. She's smart Cree. She would never land herself in a situation she couldn't get out of," CJ countered.

Cree raised an eyebrow. "Except she's married to a mad man. What if he found out about her pregnancy?"

"He wouldn't just make her disappear. It would be too risky," CJ responded.

Scott walked into the salon and spotted the two women having a hushed conversation in the corner. He couldn't help but wonder what it was about, especially since he could see that it was getting heated. He instead went over to the couches and just sat, waiting for the right moment to do what he'd come to.

He was there under Thor's request.

"I'm just saying, Raymond is a mad man. Who knows where our friend is right now? Hell, who knows if she's alive or not?" Cree asked.

"Cree, let it go and just trust that she's ok," CJ said before Joe came rushing into the salon.

"Hey guys," he greeted.

"Hey. Why do you look so frantic?" Cree asked him.

"Uh, Raymond is here," he rushed out before the man walked in.

There was an aura about Raymond that just made people naturally turn to him in his presence. A few of the ladies in the salon shot him smiles, but he was more focused on the three people whispering amongst themselves in the corner.

Scott was intrigued at this point, especially since he was also aware of the shifted energy in the place. He watched on as Raymond stalked towards the friends until he was standing right behind Joe and the dark-haired woman.

"Excuse me," Raymond said, loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the salon.

"Yes?" CJ responded, appearing between Joe and Cree who still hadn't turned around.

"I'd like to speak to Cameron Jonson," Raymond requested.

"That's me," CJ responded as Cree and Joe finally turned to face him.

Realization dawned on Raymond's face. "And that makes you Joseph Sullivan and Cree Keller."

"And you're Raymond Watson. How can we help you?" Cree asked.

"You can tell me where my wife is," Raymond got to it.

"What? You mean not even you know where she is?" Joe asked disbelievingly.

"The three of you don't know where she is?" Raymond asked sceptically.

"We thought you knew," CJ said.

"I last saw her the night of the masquerade ball. I didn't even see her leave my side," Raymond argued.

"We last saw her that morning," Cree added.

Raymond scowled. "And she hasn't made any attempts to reach out to you?"

"No, she hasn't. Have you tried getting people to find her?" CJ asked.

"It's like she never existed. No-one can find her. I've gone through five of the best security companies and eleven of the best PIs by now," Raymond informed.

"And none of them have found her?" Joe asked sceptically.

"Look, I'm just as confused. I'm on my way to calling in a favour from one of my higher up friends because nothing about this makes sense to me," Raymond explained.

"This is really strange," Cree commented.

Raymond sighed. "I hate to ask this, but I have to. Did she hint at perhaps seeing someone else?"

"No, she didn't. She seemed intent on making it work with you," CJ replied.

"Why do you ask?" Joe asked him.

"We fought the night I came back from the Bahamas, and an SUV pulled up with a man telling her to get into the car. She willingly went in and I've been curious about who he was since," Raymond informed.

"We know nothing. Like CJ said, all she could talk about was making it work with you, so we doubt it's an affair," Cree replied.

Even if she, CJ and Joe were thinking the same thing – perhaps Astrid was with the father of her baby after all.

"Alright thank you. Let me go ahead and call in that favour," Raymond told them.

"Keep us informed on any developments," Joe told him. He nodded before leaving.

"Guys, I'm not the only one thinking it right?" Cree said after a while.

"You mean that Miss Thang could possibly be with the owner of the SUV he just spoke about?" Joe asked.

"I'm not just thinking about that. Guys, this thing goes way back and I think we've been ignoring the facts here," CJ added.

"What do you mean?" Cree asked.

"Think about this carefully- Astrid is with the father of her child wherever she is, and she met him the night Raymond left for the Bahamas with Vienna. She disappeared on us and then she wouldn't tell us where she was. When we were in Palm Springs, she was acting weirdly when we were close to leaving, like she'd done something, or rather someone. The three of us have known this entire time that her wanting to give Raymond a second chance is bullshit, but with this development in place, it would make sense that she was doing it from a place of guilt," CJ explained.

"If any of that is true, then we need to find out who the father of her child is before Raymond finds her," Joe said, slightly panicked.

Scott finally found his opening as he stood up. "I might be able to help you with that."

"Who are you?" Cree asked him as she drank him in.

"I apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation, but it affects me in a way," Scott said.

"How so?" CJ asked.

"Wait a minute! Aren't you Scott Paul? Thor's best friend and right-hand man, right?" Joe asked him.

"And the man in charge of building your restaurant, yes. I'm here on his behalf," Scott replied.

"You just said our conversation affects you, but it had nothing to do with Joe's restaurant," Cree argued.

"I'm not here to discuss Joe's restaurant," Scott countered.

"You're not being very forthcoming," CJ commented.

"I apologize. I'm here to invite you to dinner tonight on behalf of Thor and Astrid," Scott informed.

"Thor and Astrid?" the three of them asked, eyes widened.

"The two of them will explain everything to you. I was just sent to invite you to the dinner," Scott said.

"Who will be at this dinner exactly?" Joe asked.

"Everyone important to the two of them," Scott replied.

"So, you'll be there?" Cree asked.

Scott chuckled. "I'm Thor's best friend, so yes."

"And our best friend is ok?" CJ questioned.

"She's happy," Scott confirmed.

"Then we'll be there without a doubt. We need some answers," Joe said.

"Great! I'll let them know," Scott said before leaving the details, as well as his numbers, with them.

"That man is so hot, it should be illegal," Cree commented, fanning herself.

"And I'm sure he didn't miss your drooling," CJ teased.

Cree shrugged. "Say whatever you want. I'm into him."

"Don't embarrass us," Joe warned.

"Nothing about what I have in mind is any kind of embarrassing," Cree replied.

"Eeuw," Joe and CJ said simultaneously, making Cree laugh.

Raymond arrived at his next destination, unsure of what his trip would bring. He wanted to be confident in that he would get the help he sought, but he couldn't be too sure, especially given who he was about to ask it from.

He headed into the building, well aware of the attention on him from the female species. While he used to revel in it, with his wife missing, it just wasn't the same. He didn't get the same thrill from it like he used to.

And he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He arrived at the floor he intended to be at, and everyone was busily moving around. It was clear that they all knew what part to play in the bigger scheme of things, and he walked over to the PA's desk, where she was on the phone.

"Greetings Mr Watson. How may I help you?" she asked when she was done.

"Is he in?" he asked.

"He is, but he's incredibly busy today, and since you don't have an appointment, well I don't know if he can see you," she replied.

"Even just a ten-minute window? The matter I need to discuss with him is urgent," Raymond pressed.

"I really don't kn-"

"My wife is missing."

Compassion filled her eyes before she sighed. "Let me see what I can do."

"Thank you," he replied before she picked up the phone. She spoke for a few seconds before waiting for the response.

"You can go through Mr Watson. He's willing to see you," she told him.

"Thank you," he said before heading towards the office.

Duke got up as the door to his office opened. "Raymond, this is an unexpected visit."

"I know, and thanks for seeing me. I have a pressing matter at hand that I'd like to keep out of the tabloids," Raymond replied.

"Of course. What's going on?" Duke asked, indicating to the seat before him.

"Astrid is missing. I last saw her at Thor's birthday ball. I've looked into finding her through multiple agencies, but they all have nothing for me. The footage from that night at the hotel was tampered with, so I don't know who she left with," Raymond stated his case.

"Left with, or who took her?" Duke questioned.

"Either way, that's what I need to know and I need your help to do so. You can imagine why I don't want anyone knowing about her disappearance," Raymond replied.

Duke raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly would you have me do?"

"I don't know. Can't you call some of your military contacts or something? I'm willing to owe you a favour," Raymond bargained.

"And you're so sure that you have something that I want?" Duke asked.

"Maybe not now, but I could one day. Look, I just want my wife back safely without anyone finding out that she's gone to begin with. If you can help me, great. If not, I'll see myself out," Raymond said impatiently.

Duke sat across the man and really looked at him. The bags under his eyes were visible, and it was clear to him that he was genuinely looking for his wife. Duke found that he couldn't understand how he'd mistreated Astrid to begin with.

He sighed, leaning forward on his desk. "I'm not promising anything Raymond. I'll get in touch with some people and see what I can dig up. I sympathize with you, but I'm not a miracle worker."

"That's more than enough. Thank you," Raymond responded.

The man didn't stay long after that, and as soon as he'd left, Duke was on the phone with his wife to tell her what had just occurred. She immediately advised him to inform Thor about the new developments.

Astrid giggled as Thor continued to plant kisses across her stomach, talking to their babies. They'd just finished taking a shower and were planning their menu for the dinner when Thor's phone rang.

"Wentworth," he replied, his eyes glued to Astrid.

"Did you even look at the caller ID?" Duke asked him.

"Nope! How can I help you?" Thor questioned, smiling since Astrid was making funny faces at him.

"I've just had an interesting encounter with an unexpected visitor," Duke replied.

"Yeah, I'm not going to play the guessing game with you, so just spit it out," Thor said.

"Raymond just left my office a few minutes ago," Duke informed.

"Ok, and?" Thor asked.

"And he wants my help in tracking down his wife," Duke responded.

Thor frowned. "Why would he come to you of all people?"

"Apparently he's searched for her through multiple agencies and they're all coming up short. I'm assuming you're behind the missing hotel footage?" Duke questioned.

"I am, but I still don't understand why he would come to you with this," Thor argued.

"The man is desperate and he's willing to owe me a favour in exchange for my help with this. He wants me to use my contacts to find Astrid," Duke explained.

"Well fuck! Now what?" Thor asked.

"I have no idea. I'm just calling you because Margot told me to give you the heads up. You'll get back to me when you have a plan," Duke said before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Astrid questioned Thor when she noted the scowl on his face.

"Raymond went to Duke about you. He's apparently given up on all the other agencies, so he's calling in a favour from Duke hoping that Duke will find you," he informed her.

"And?" she asked anxiously.

"He was calling to tell me to make a plan and then get back to him. I don't really know what to say to him," he admitted.

"We've lived in our bubble long enough Thor. We need to think of something, but like I said, perhaps we should include our friends in this. What did Scott say?" she asked.

"They'll be here," he replied, reading over the text from his best friend.

She knelt to massage his shoulders, noting the tension in him. "Everything is going to be ok."

"Is it? I'm worried Lise. I feel like there's only so much I can do to keep my contacts on our side," he said worriedly.

"Please don't stress about this, or at least not until after we've had the dinner. We're going to be fine and I trust you. If you stress, then I'm going to stress, and I don't think Dr Graham would be too happy to find out that you're stressing me out," she said lightly.

He turned to face her, smiling. "Is this you threatening me Mama Bear?"

"Me? Never!" she feigned innocence.

"Mhmm. I'll stop stressing about it for now, but we should probably get to cooking. We can't make our guests wait for dinner for too long," he pointed out.

"Alright. Are you going to help me?" she asked as she stood up.

He frowned. "You need my help?"

She glared at him. "I'm just going to casually cook for eleven people by myself."

"But I was planning on working while you cooked," he whined.

"I'm walking out of the room and trusting that you'll make a wise decision," she said before walking out.

He laughed to himself before following her out. He switched on the radio and played some light classical music while they prepared the food. Both of them were comfortable in each other's presence, both wishing of a life like this.

Thor found himself even more affectionate with her, doing little things like wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her belly, to kissing her and telling her how adorable she looked. There was just something about seeing her pregnant that cemented his feelings for her.

"Thor," she called after a while.

"Hmm?" he replied, looking up from the pot he was stirring.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly.

"What makes you think I'm not?" he countered.

"You're extra touchy and lovey dovey," she pointed out.

He sighed, switching off the stove. "I didn't think it was that obvious."

She cupped his cheek. "Talk to me."

"I know you say I shouldn't worry, but I do. I fall deeper for you the more time we spend together, and as much as I'm yet to categorize my feelings for you, I know for a fact that I can't lose you or our kids. You're my future Lise, but the reality of our situation is that Raymond is a dangerous obstacle in our happily ever after. I just, I'll feel more at ease when he's fully out of the picture," he explained before kissing her palm, while his other hand wiped away her tears.

"I love you," she whispered.

His eyes widened. "What?"

"You don't have to say it back. I know you're not there yet, but I can't deny what I feel for you. You and our kids are everything to me Thor, and maybe I'm just being naïve for believing that you'll always be able to protect us from everything that comes our way, but I will never regret this or how I feel about you. You've shown me more happiness in the past month alone than I've ever experienced my whole life. I thought I was in love with Raymond, but being with you has taught me the difference between loving someone and being in love with them. I loved Raymond, but I'm in love with you. I can't imagine a tomorrow without you, and I can only hope that I never have to."

He couldn't believe it. When it came to her, he'd never truly believed that she would ever love him. He'd always had this idea that they were broken souls, but he never truly imagined that she would get passed her walls and love him.

Especially someone like him.

"Say something," she whispered when he wasn't saying anything.

He pulled her in for a slow and sweet kiss. He couldn't say the words that she'd said to him, but he knew that what he felt for her was strong enough to reassure her of his position in their relationship, something he wanted to make sure she at least felt confident in.

Astrid could only feel relief flood her at his response. He wasn't saying the words, but she knew it in her heart that he didn't need to. She understood his fear more than anyone, but she found the reassurance she needed in his actions, and even more so in the words that he did say to her.

It was through him that she learned that love could be communicated in different ways without using the actual word.

"You'll always be safe with me Lise. I'll protect you for the rest of my life if that's what it comes down to," he said, breathless.

She smiled and pecked his lips. "I know. I have the utmost faith in you."