"Ricky! Ricky, come on…get up!" Gabi called out to her fifteen-year-old son, who was stubbornly refusing to get out of bed, not in the least prompted by the visit from his practically never seen uncle. "Don't you want to see your Uncle Antonio?"

"No!" He answered decidedly and pulled a pillow over his head.

"C'mon, kiddo, rise and shine. And don't talk back to your mother unless you want me to whoop your-

"Ricardo!" Gabi gave a warning. Sometime he was worse than the children were, but he had a way with them, that was for sure. Ricky got out of bed at his father's command.

"Sorry! Now, as hot as you look in that nightie, why don't you go get dressed? I don't wanna be late for T's arrival." Ricardo ordered Gabi, and she stepped into the room they shared. My God…how am I going to do this?…she thought to herself. How was she going to do this? It had been ten years since she had seen Antonio Torres. After his transfer out of the country, Antonio hadn't been too eager to visit Sunset Beach, and he had done a good job of avoiding it. He had been home less than half a dozen times in the last decade, and even less the decade before that, and almost every one of those times Gabi had found a way to be out of town when he was there. But this time…there was no way. He was going to be here in half an hour and there was no way that Gabi was going to get out of this…she would have to do it. Face her worst fear…and hope that old emotions didn't get out of control.
 

Antonio buckled his seat belt as the plane headed down towards the ground. His stomach was one huge knot, he was so nervous. Not about seeing his family, he would enjoy that. It had been almost three years since his last visit to Sunset Beach, but he knew this time that Gabi would be there. She had never been there before when he visited, they had agreed that it would be too awkward but this time she was going to be there. Will she be as beautiful as she used to be? Antonio wondered, his mind involuntarily dredging up images from the past. Of course she will. He answered himself. She'll probably be even more beautiful, and even more in love with Ricardo than ever. They had two children now…or was it three? Three…yes, there was another little one, only seven or eight years old. Angel…she was the oldest. Looked just like Ricardo, or at least she had last time Antonio had visited. And the boy…Ricky, who looked a lot like Gabi but acted like Ricardo. And the little one, Antonio didn't remember much about her. She had been practically a baby last time Antonio had seen her. What was her name? Oh yeah, he remembered, Grace…

"It is now safe to unload the plane." A stewardess announced and Antonio stood, grabbing the only bag he had brought with him from the overhead compartment. He had packed lightly because he wasn't planning on staying long. Not long at all, if he could help it…
 
 
 

Gabi stood nervously in front of the plane. The three children were shifting around impatiently, and Gabi reached out to grab her youngest girl's hand before she ran off. "Grace, stay by me. Don't get lost!" She had a horrible habit of wandering away in crowded areas.

"Mom, when is he gonna get here? I want to go back home…I have a date to get ready for tonight!" Angel whined impatiently, the seventeen-year-old was in a very rebellious stage and constantly complained. It was beginning to grate on Gabi's nerves.

"It's only ten AM. You'll be home in plenty time." Gabi said. "Anyway, there's his plane. Isn't it, Ricardo?" She asked, and he nodded taking off for the gate. "Ric-!" She started to say wait, but he was already gone. As excited about his brother's arrival as a child on Christmas day. He had been anxiously awaiting this visit for months, ever since Antonio had called to say that he would be coming for a couple of days.

"Momma, I'm gonna go with him." Ricky said and took off, despite Gabi's shouts not to run off. And, just as she knew would happen, Angel took off after her father and brother.

"Momma!! I wanna go, too!" Grace cried out, but her mothers grip on her hand prevented her from leaving.

"We'll go, I'm just not going to let you run off." She said and started walking towards the gate, at a very slow pace. She was almost there when she saw him…
 
 

Antonio stepped into the brightly lit airport and looked around, searching the crowd for the familiar face of his brother. And he did find a familiar face…but it wasn't Ricardo. It was her. God, she was still just as beautiful. Walking towards him holding the hand of a child, one that he could easily imagine was his…images of a future that could have been his flooded his thoughts…

"T! Hey, bro, over here!" Ricardo called out and Antonio managed to tear his eyes away from her.

"Ricardo, hey!" He called out and walked towards his older brother. "Been a long time, how are you?"

"Not bad, not too bad…come here, give your old brother a hug! Meet the kids, say hey to Gab…Gabi, come on! He won't bite. T, man, it's so good to see ya! It has been a while, too long…come on, why'd ya stay gone so long? Mama, Maria, me, Gab, everyone's missed ya! We're so glad you're here, T." Ricardo said happily, embracing Antonio as the rest of the family watched the reunion from aside.

"Yeah…I've missed everyone." Antonio said, stepping away. Somehow his eyes found there way to Gabi again. "Hey…" He half whispered as he stared. She was so beautiful…a little older than the last time, a little wiser, too, but still just as breath taking.

"Hello, Antonio." She replied and for a few seconds as their eyes locked, the rest of the world seemed to just fade away leaving the two of them alone…Gabi wanted nothing more than to lose herself in those dark, warm eyes that were so familiar, yet held a completely unexperienced pleasure in them.  Her soul was on fire as he probed her heart with those eyes…she didn't want to be any other place than right there with him.

"Hey, T…meet the kids! It's been so long, I betcha hardly remember 'em, huh?" Ricardo joked, ripping Antonio and Gabi away from their dream world and back into reality. "This gorgeous girl is Angel, this is Ricky, and this little imp Gab's got is Grace." Angel did look like Ricardo, Ricky was an exact double for his father, but the youngest one…she was all Gabi. There was hardly a touch of Ricardo to be found anywhere on her. From the build that could be labeled nothing but tiny to the big dark eyes, there was no mistaking whose daughter she was.

"Hey…nice to see you again. You've all gotten so…big…" Antonio finished lamely, and received two mumbles hello's from the older children.

"Hi Uncle Antonio…I'm Grace! And I am not a imp like Daddy said. I don't think I've ever seen you before. Momma says I have but I don't remember it. Do you?" She asked with a wide, sincere smile. Antonio immediately felt a connection to the child. She was so warm, so open…so like Gabi…

"Yeah, I do remember it, Grace, but you were really little. Just a baby. I'm not surprised that you don't remember it. But do you know what?" He asked, and she shook her head. "I do remember that you were a very pretty little baby. And you're a very beautiful little girl now…just like you're mom."

"Really? Thanks!" Grace said as Gabi looked in awe at her brother-in-law. Grace began to walk back to her mother, then turned and spoke again to Antonio. "I like you, Uncle Antonio! Momma said I would, but Ricky said you were a stuffy old boring priest…you're not though!"

"Hey-" Ricky spoke up in his defense, afraid he would be scolded. He was right.

"Ricky-" Gabi began to say, but Antonio interrupted her.

"No, Gabi, it's okay. I'm sorry that you think that, Ricky, but I'm glad that someone likes me." He grinned down at Grace. "I guess I know who'll I'll be teaching to surf now. I'm sure that you wouldn't want to learn from a stuffy old boring priest, anyway would you Ricky?"

Ricardo had informed Antonio a few weeks ago that Ricky wanted to learn how to surf, and Antonio had told Ricardo that he would show the boy the basics if he was in town long enough to.

"Hey-I didn't mean that, the kid's just a brat, she's lying. So…you can surf?" Ricky asked, now a little more interested in his uncle.

Gabi couldn't help but smile at how good Antonio was with the children. Soon, she was sure, he would have Angel adoring him, too. He was a natural with kids…he would have been such a terrific father…

A FEW HOURS LATER

"Your room's right down the hall, the guest room. Gabi had it all cleaned yesterday so you should find it in good shape. I hope she did a good job! She's not the best at all the housekeeping stuff, she hires someone to come in a few days a week…here it is." Ricardo showed Antonio where he would be staying for the next few days. When he had arrived, Antonio had assumed that he would be staying at his mothers, as he usually did, but Ricardo had had other plans. Plans that involved Antonio staying under the same roof that Gabi was…sure to prove a problem.

"Thanks, Ricardo…this is great. Just great…I really appreciate this. I could have stayed with Mama, though…"

"No, no wouldn't hear of it! Come on, T, it's been what? 2, 3 years? We gotta catch up, man." Ricardo glanced down at his watch. "But, uh, not right now. I told 'em down at the station I'd be in around noon, so I'd better get down there. Have Gab fix you some lunch! She's great in the kitchen."

"Sure, I'll do that Ricardo. Thanks again for letting me stay here…I won't be in town long, though." Antonio said, wanting to stress that he was leaving as soon as possible, but Ricardo was already down the stairs leaving Antonio alone in the room that he would be inhabiting for the next few days, longer if Ricardo had a say in the matter.

He threw the duffel bag onto the bed and sank down next to it, covering his face with his hands. He would have rather been anywhere, doing anything than here doing…this. Pretending not to still be madly in love with Gabi was going to be so hard…it had been so long since he had seen her and all he wanted to do was hold her now and whisper those words in her ear…and make love to her. Make tender, passionate love to her all night long until the sun rose…but that was not going to happen. It wouldn't it couldn't. Gabi was married to Ricardo; they had a life and three beautiful children. He had a calling in the church. Their decisions had been made long, long ago…and it wasn't right to question those decisions.

"Antonio…" He heard her half sigh half whisper from the doorway. He looked up at Gabi to see her staring at him, tears unshed in her eyes. He could tell the moment their eyes met that the exact same thoughts were running through her mind. She walked over next to him and sat beside him, their gaze never leaving each other's.

"Gabi…" He said her name softly, and the one word conveyed years of emotions that had been set aside. Reaching out with a hand that seemed to have a life of it's own, he caressed her face. A few more wrinkles than the last time, a few more lines of worry, not enough of laughter, but she was still the most beautiful woman that he had ever laid eyes on…

The tears that had been in her eyes began to spill over as he worshipped her with his hand and his loving gaze. Gabi studied her often gone but never forgotten lover's face, this being the first time she had been able to really look at him in quite a while. Gray streaked that thick, dark hair, worry creased the once smooth plains of his skin…but those eyes remained the same as they cherished her. "Antonio…oh Antonio…I lo-"

"Shhh, Gabi don't say it. Don't say anything you'll regret later…We both know, isn't that enough?" He said with the same wisdom he had always carried. "Saying it won't change anything, you know that. It'll just make it harder when I go."

"I know, Antonio…" She whispered, somehow melting into his arms. "I know…"

 "You should go, Gabi…before something happens." Antonio whispered, knowing his ability to resist the temptation of this forbidden fruit was wearing thin.

 "What if…what if I want it to happen, Antonio? I…love you," She said quickly before he could interrupt again, then continued. "And what if I want you to hold me and make love to me? "

"Gabi-" Antonio started to say, but she continued on still.

"What if I…get a divorce from Ricardo to be with you? Would you leave the priesthood? And marry me? We could be so good together Antonio, I love you so much."

 Every one of these thoughts, this scenario in a thousand different ways had run through his head every night for the past twenty years. And, in his dreams, every time he had agreed, and they had lived a fairy tale happily ever after ending, but there was no way this time that he could do that.

 "Gabi…I love you, too…you know that, right?" With tears that were now beginning to turn to ones of happiness, she nodded. "But I can't leave the priesthood and you can't divorce Ricardo. It's the same thing we decided on all those years ago…except now…now you have children. You are their mother and you can't, probably couldn't if you tried, leave them. And you can't take them away from their father either. Ricardo adores his family and it would break him to lose you. We share something special Gabi…but it's so special that no matter how it makes us feel, it would destroy so many lives. And we could not live with that, it would tear us apart. You understand, don't you Gabi?" But she didn't…

 Sobs trembled her shoulders as she jumped up from the bed and ran out of the room. Antonio felt awful; he wanted desperately to run after her and hold her and make her tears go away…but he couldn't. He couldn't. His brain, logic, every sensible bone in his body told him to leave her alone and she would recover faster. But, unfortunately, something stronger than logic was calling the shots.

 He found her a few minutes later curled up on her and Ricardo's bed. He stood in the doorway watching her until she noticed him standing her. Slowly, he walked over to her. She looked up at him, and their eyes met. Tears slightly blurred her vision but she could still clearly see the heartache and pain inside of him. It killed her to be the cause of that…but she also knew that he felt the same way. And he was right. They couldn't ever be together…

 "Gabi…I'm sorry." He said and leaned over to kiss her softly on the forehead. "You'll never know how sorry I am."

 And he walked away. "I do, Antonio…" She whispered after he had disappeared. Drying her tears, Gabi stood up. "I really do."
 
 

 "You're leaving." Gabi said, more of a statement than a question since it was obvious she was right. He was walking out the door with his bag slung over his shoulder. "But you've only been here for three days…Ricardo wanted you to stay…"

 "Yeah…well, I've got to get back. Tell Ricardo I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, and…uh, tell Ricky next time I'm in town we'll have those surfing lessons I promised him."

 "It's because of me, isn't it?" Gabi asked. "You're leaving because of me and what happened, aren't you?"

 "Yes, I am Gabi. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here…like this, with you." He said, knowing that there was no need to lie to her.

 "Everyone will hate to see you go so soon…why don't you stay with Carmen? Then you wouldn’t even have to leave." Gabi said, not wanting to be the cause of so much pain. She walked over to him and placed her hand on his arm. "Please…don't leave…"

 "I have to, Gabi. I'm sorry…please, do tell everyone I love them and I'll miss them. I'm gonna call Mama and Maria from the airport…they won't have a chance to stop me that way." He said and, unable to stop himself, reached over to push a loose tendril of hair behind her ear.

 "I wish you wouldn't…" She whispered, then seemed to regain some composure. "But, I know you have to. So…goodbye."

 And before he could make a move, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. He smiled a bittersweet smile and held her just as tightly. They parted after a moment, but didn't completely release each other, and before either had a chance to break away their lips met softly, a tender kiss. One full of regret and chances that had long ago been lost and good-byes.

 Tears shone in Gabi's eyes as they pulled away. Antonio began to say something but Gabi gently placed a finger on his lips to quiet him.

 "I love you, Antonio. Goodbye." She said then ran up the stairs and out of the room, leaving Antonio to show himself the way out.

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