"Oh God, I can't believe this is happening…" Gabi moaned as she pounded against the inside of the door. Antonio stood against the back wall of the small room, knowing what she was doing was pointless, but it seemed to be helping her vent some frustration, so he didn't stop her.  He was frustrated too…"Dammit Antonio…why won't this door open?"

"Gabi, it's locked. From the outside. And it won't be opening any time soon, not unless any of the nuns decide that they need to come open the supply closet at one AM." He said practically and calmly, something that was beginning to grate on Gabi's nerves. They had been shut up in here for almost an hour now.

"Antonio, isn't there something you can do? Dammit!" She cursed again as she banged her clenched fist against the thick, hard wood. "Ouch!" She shouted, drawing the hand back. She rubbed it gently and turned to slump with her back to the wall. She sunk to the floor in pure misery. Antonio, seeing her dismay at their anything but promising situation, sat down next to her.

"Come on, Gabi…don't look so down. Someone will be here in only...four hours? It's not that long. Is it really going to kill you to have to spend a few hours with me?" He said, trying not to look offended. Gabi saw the hurt he was trying to hide and knew she couldn't let him think that.

"Of course not, Antonio." She placed her hand softly on his arm. Actually, her fear of being alone with him was part of her agitation. She was afraid that being so close to him for an extended period of time would tear down all of the barriers she had been building, all of the shields so recently created to help her build strength against the unintentional, and completely unnerving effect he had on her. She was undeniably closer to spilling her soul with every second that passed between them.

"Well, that’s good." He stood up and began to look for a more comfortable place to sit. After searching, he found nothing. He returned to Gabi's side, where she had been watching him. "Well…"

"Well…" There was an awkward silence before they spoke again. "So…lets…talk."

"Talk? About what?" Antonio said, glancing curiously over at her.

"I…I don't know…" She said, meeting his eyes as the space between them somehow seemed to shrink. She cleared her throat and looked away. "Tell me about yourself. I don't really know much about you…I mean, before…you know…"

"Not really much to tell. I've lived in Sunset Beach my whole life…when Maria died I went to the priesthood. That’s pretty much been my life since…well, since you…" He said softly, knowing that she was sure to catch the tenderness in his voice though he tried to mask it.

"Oh…" Gabi said, at a loss for words. She didn't want him doing this; being so sweet and nice…and…so…so Antonio.

"What about you? Anything you want to tell me?" He said and she turned her head sharply, wondering if there was hidden innuendo in that comment. "About your life before Sunset Beach, I mean." He added, calming her worries.

"Uh…not really. I mean, you already know…" She dipped her head in shame. "What kind of person I was before I came here."

"Hey, Gabi, don't…that wasn't you, you know that…that wasn't the person you really are." He saw her sniffing back tears and couldn't stop himself from reaching over to wipe one away. "Gabi, listen to me… " He said, then paused. He didn't know what to tell her. "You're a good person, Gabi…you know that deep down."

"No, I'm not! I'm awful, just like Papa said…just like…" She stopped herself before she said something she would regret. Antonio, unable to see Gabi cry and not do anything about it, immediately reached over to take her in his arms. She collapsed against him in tears. Pulling her even closer, Antonio rocked her softly back and forth against him whispering soothing words of comfort in he ear as he reassured her that she was not what her father had led her to believe she was. He could see that all of the pain and insecurity that he, and everyone else, had believed Gabi was working through was still there, hidden just under the surface. He was surprised that he hadn't seen it before, he prided himself on knowing Gabi better than anyone else. After a moment, Gabi tore himself out of him arms and jumped up. She immediately regretted breaking down in front of Antonio, though she had to admit that if she were going to break down in front of anyone, she would prefer it be him. "I'm sorry…"

"Gabi, Gabi don't apologize…sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry for, nothing at all." He stood up beside her and placed his hands hesitantly on her shoulders. She felt tremors surge down her spine at the feel of his hands on her, and quickly moved away. She didn't want to get caught up in the moment; she couldn't lose herself to the sensations again. It would only seal the horrific fates of both of them. No, she wouldn't let herself. But she couldn't help but savor the way he left those tender endearments slip, the way he seemed to feel her pain no matter where she was, the way he always knew just what to do and say to make her feel so much better.

"If you say so." She agreed, for the sake of saving argument. Antonio could tell she didn't mean that but knew enough not to push the subject. "So…what time is it now?" She wasn't wearing a watch, but she knew he was.

"One thirty-two…" He answered. Still at least three and a half hours before anyone would come into this part of the mission, maybe longer.

"Only 1:32? God…we've been in here for over an hour…it feels like forever." She moaned and settled back down on the floor. Antonio sat next to her, suddenly feeling acutely inadequate.

"Too bad Ricardo isn't here…he could get us out in no time." Antonio said, looking around the room.

"What do you mean, Antonio?" Gabi asked vaguely, pretending to be engrossed in the ingredients of Mr. Clean.

"Ya know…just that…well, Ricardo can get out of any situation. He's just naturally like that. He got all of us out of that ship when the tidal wave hit, he got us out of the Liberty Corporation explosion…maybe it's part of being a policeman or something. Anyway, Ricardo would be able to just snap his fingers and get us out." Antonio said in a strange voice. Gabi turned to look at him and immediately was able to read his emotions like the open book that he was in front of her.

"Antonio…" Gabi said fondly as she put her hand on his arm. "Ricardo wouldn't have been able to do any better of a job getting us out than you have. The door is locked; he couldn't have done anything about it. In fact, I'm glad you're here and not Ricardo. He's so stubborn, he's probably have broken something trying to tear down the door! You're so calm, so level headed…much better to have around in an emergency than your brother." She said, soothing his ego with her adoring words. "I mean, there's no way he'd just sit back and wait…he doesn't have your patience." She smiled softly.

"Yeah…well…" He didn't know what to say, but the look on his face was enough. She smiled, feeling better now for some reason. She felt like she had a grip on the situation, that she could risk just a little bit more and still keep control. She moved closer to him, and it was almost a natural instinct that he wrap his arm around her shoulder and pull her in even closer.

Before Antonio knew it, he heard soft and steady breathing and looked down to see Gabi fast asleep leaning against his chest.  He felt so good in his arms; he loved the feel of her tiny body against his. His hands softly caressed her hair as she snuggled closer, turning so that her side was pressed against his chest and she fit perfectly in his embrace.

He held her and watched her sleep for a long time, until he found himself beginning to drift off, too. He was almost completely caught up in the warm oblivion of a peaceful slumber when he heard a soft voice whispering. He tilted his head a little and realized that it was Gabi. She was shifting restlessly on him and murmuring to herself. "Antonio…"

Warmth flooded his heart, as he was able to make out that it was his name she was whispering. "Antonio…" She said again, a little impatiently. He looked down to make sure that she wasn't really awake, but her eyes were tightly closed. "Can’t…tell…can't tell Antonio…"

Something inside of him froze. Couldn't tell him what? But soon enough, Gabi answered his unspoken question.

"Can't…Ricardo…knows…can't tell him…" Ricardo knows…Ricardo knows. The words echoed in his mind. Ricardo couldn't know, could he? There was no way…but…but that would explain so much. What Gabi had been keeping from him for so long, why she was so eager to avoid being alone with him…why Ricardo was acting so strange. He grabbed Gabi lightly by the shoulders and shook her, his anger almost at the point of boiling over. "Wha…Antonio…Antonio!" Gabi said momentarily bewildered; then it hit her. They were stuck in a closet together. "Oh…Antonio…I fell asleep? What time is it?"

"Gabi, why didn't you tell me Ricardo knew about us making love?" He said in a dangerously quiet voice. Gabi was too shocked to even lie about it, her usual response to anything of this nature.

"How did you find out?!?" She demanded and he was shocked. Somehow, he had expected her to have a logical, nice little excuse that he could buy into.

"God…Gabi…how could you? How could you lie to me like that? After everything we shared…after everything we meant- after everything I thought we meant to each other…you could still deceive me like this?" The disgusted look in his eye cut down to the very core of her soul. She couldn't believe this…his words were like knives piercing her soul.

"Antonio…let me explain, please, you don't understand…" She pleaded with him. He stopped and look down at her as she scrambled to her feet.

"Fine. Explain." He said, and she stumbled for the right words.

"Ricardo…he made me, he made me promise…I couldn't tell you that he knew. He said…he had to be able to trust me, our marriage wouldn't work unless I could like to you like I had to him…he made me Antonio…I'm so sorry…. Please forgive me…" Tears fell from her face and he ached to hold her, but the betrayal was so obvious and more than he could take.

"No." His dark eyes bored into hers.  "No, Gabi. You lied to me. I can't forgive that, not even of you."

"But Antonio…" Gabi stepped forward, close to him. He could smell the intoxicating scent of her perfume. "Antonio…" Her voice was seductively low as she reached out a hand to touch him. He jumped back a little and she winced, moving her hand down. "Antonio…I love you…please don't hate me…"

She looked so young and innocent and vulnerable as she spoke to him, he stepped forward. "Do you really mean that, Gabi? You still…you love me?"

"I've never stopped…" Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. She moved closer to him and touched him, her hand caressing his face as she brushed his lips with hers. She spoke slowly and deliberately "I…love…you…Antonio…Torres." Their lips met again and an explosion of sensations burst forth in him as he almost violently yanked her into his arms. Without a word of protest she fell into his arms. They lost themselves in the kiss until the jangling of a doorknob being opened jerked them back into reality.

"Oh my god…" Gabi said in a rushed whisper… she couldn't believe that of all the horrible jokes the fates had played on them, it had to do this. Of all the awful times that they could have been interrupted…

The door finally opened with a push from their unknown visitor, just as Gabi had pulled herself out of Antonio's arms. Sister Bertille smiled widely when she saw Antonio and Gabi. "Father! Oh, you must have been what Sister Margaret heard…she insisted that there was something locked in here…she thought it was a mouse… but it was you! And, Gabi…oh how long have you been locked in here?"

"A few hours…we accidentally closed the door when Gabi was helping me get some supplies. I forgot about the lock…but…uh, thanks for getting us out, Sister…" He said nervously. He could feel Gabi's anxiety to get out of here, and he had to agree. "I…I had better get Gabi home. Wouldn't want Ricardo to worry…"

"Oh, oh yes, of course…" The nun said in her sweetly bumbling way. "Of course, good night Father Antonio. Good night, Gabi."

"Good night, Sister…" They both said, walking out into the hallway, then turning awkwardly to each other. Antonio spoke first. "Do you want to…I don't know, talk? We can go in my office…"

She tenderly placed a finger on his lips to keep him from talking. "There are only two things I need to know, Antonio." She said. "Do you hate me?"

"I…I could never hate you, Gabi…" Antonio grudgingly admitted and Gabi smiled, knowing that that was at least half of the battle.

"The second thing is, do you love me enough to want to be with me?" Antonio was astonished by her question…and even more astonished by his answer.

"Yes." It was said before he even really thought about it. Only after pondering it for a moment did he realize that it was actually a very simple question…not nearly as complex as he had made it out to be. He loved Gabi; she loved him. That alone was enough to get them through all of the problems. As he looked into Gabi's bright eyes, he saw his future there.
 

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