Livy was doing her best to try to get Maria to eat the chicken nuggets on the plate in front of her when the doorbell rang. She looked at Raoul who motioned for her to take a break as he stepped in to try to convince Maria that she really did like chicken nuggets.

Livy wiped her hands before heading towards the front door. The bell rang a second time before she got to it and she threw open the door in time to see Landon turning to leave, and she wished that she had taken longer to answer the door than she had.

"Landon?" she asked, after letting go of the brief thought of shutting the door without acknowledging his presence.

He turned, surprised to see her, and he looked almost as if he wished she hadn't of opened the door too. "Livy, I thought no one was home."

"I was at the back of the house." She stood aside and motioned for him to enter. She couldn't send him away; her good manners wouldn't let her. "Come in."

He entered and waited for her to close the door before following her into the living room where she sat down and motioned for him to do the same but he only perched on the edge of a chair across from her.

She waited for him to speak first and the silence grew.

Livy was about to ask him why he had come when he cleared his throat.

"I'm very glad you quit Livy." He looked at his hands as he spoke and Livy did her best not to get her feelings hurt.

"I didn't agree with what they were doing, and I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"Who was doing what?" she asked, recovering from her hurt feelings rather quickly at his words.

"Hadley and Dr. Taft." Landon looked at her, his eyes huge with concern.

"How were they going to hurt me?" Livy was confused as she tried to think back on her time spent with the Science department. She didn't remember either one of them being anything but nice to her.

"Did you know that Hadley and Dr. Taft...have an arrangement?"

"An arrangement?" Livy asked, confused.

"It means they're having an affair Livy." Declan said from behind her as he entered the room.

Livy wasn't shocked by his sudden appearance, he was always arriving home when she least expected it. Sometimes it was to help with the children and other times it was to take her out, just the two of them. Now, instead of always being gone he was always around, and she loved it. She especially loved the kisses he would steal when she least expected it.

Livy looked at Landon for confirmation and he looked very anxious as he looked at Declan.

"Is that true?" Livy asked softly. She wasn't disappointed or even angry only confused, and her confusion must have shown because Landon continued.

"When you left, after your interview, Hadley told Dr. Taft who you were and how rich you were. She also explained that you were a 'soft touch' and he could probably get you to give him the money he needed for the following year if he played his cards right."

Declan's phone rang and he cursed under his breath as he looked at the screen. "I have to take this," he said as he crossed the hall and entered the study, closing the door behind him.

Livy looked back at Landon. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I wanted you to know the truth, and to know that I didn't want any part of it, and I still don't."

"Still don't? I don't work there anymore so I don't see how any of it matters."

"Dr. Taft doesn't give up that easily. Since he wasn't able to romance the money out of you he has plans to blackmail you and Brooks."

"With the information that Velma Branch gave them," Livy said, slumping into her seat and closing her eyes as all of it finally came together for her.

"Yes, the cult thing as well as the having to marry for your inheritance."

Livy looked long and hard at Landon, trying to figure out the answer to the next question before she asked it. "Why are you here? Why do you care? You stand to lose your job as well."

Landon nodded agreeing with that fact. "I like you Livy. You remind me of my kid sister, and I would hate to see someone trying to use her the way that they are using you."

Livy nodded as her mind quickly tried to come up with a plan to get them out of the mess she had landed them in.

"Can I ask you a personal question?' Landon asked, looking back over his shoulder at the still closed door to the study.

"Sure."

"Are you in trouble? Do you need help, is Brooks holding something over you?"

"No, Landon. I promise you he would never hurt me, in fact he does his best to take care of me, even though I continually let him down."

Landon shook his head. "A huge hurdle for someone like you and me is only a minor obstacle for someone like him. He only has to adjust a little to overcome the problem." He studied Livy as she looked at the study door. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

She blushed as she looked back at him startled. "Is it that obvious?" she whispered.

"Only slightly."

The door to the study opened and Declan emerged looking grim as he approached them.

"Tell me everything you know," he demanded of Landon.

Landon began with Velma's visit and then proceeded to tell them about Dr. Taft's and Hadley's plans. None of it sounded good.

"But what does Velma get from all of this? Why doesn't she just blackmail me herself?" Livy asked. "She wants the money just as much as Nelson and Hadley do."

"My guess is that she expects to be called in and questioned about it, and that is when she plans come to you with her request for money to stay silent," Declan said while he typed something into his phone as he addressed Landon. "Thank you for coming, but I really need to talk to Livy right now. Would you excuse us?"

Landon nodded as Livy took Declan's cue and headed to the door to see him out. "Thank you for the warning Landon. It means a lot." Livy held out her hand and he took it, giving it a squeeze.

"I wish you luck Livy. I hope you will be very happy once this has all passed."

Livy only nodded watching as he turned to leave. Taking a deep breath and squaring up her shoulders she turned to join Declan.

He was standing looking into the empty fireplace, his arms crossed, and a muscle in his jaw twitching. It was evident he was beyond angry.

"I can leave if you want me to." Livy offered to his tense back.

"No!" The word came out harsh and a tense silence fell between them.

At a loss, Livy stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what she should say or do next.

"The phone call I just took was from Rosa. She's wants to sign over her parental rights for money."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Maybe or maybe not. I have a call into my lawyer to figure out what the best course of action is. I only wish we had been able to talk to the judge that night at the party so I could get a read on her. It would make it easier to know if I should give her the money or hold firm and wait for her to screw up."

"I would hold firm. Judge Speros seemed like a very level-headed woman. We discussed the joys and hardships of raising children and she seemed to get it."

Declan turned to look at her. "When did you meet her?"

"At the party. Theodora made sure we were introduced."

"And you never thought to mention it?" He looked like thunder.

"No, your girlfriend was all up in my face and it upset me. Perhaps if I had known about her, then it wouldn't have."

He looked as if he wanted to shake her. "Tell me everything that happened."

Livy was silent as she tried to remember. "I was getting ready to tell Theodora all about the kids throwing up and she pulled the Speroses into the conversation. I told the story, omitting the part of you cleaning up vomit, I didn't think you would appreciate that, and they all laughed. Then the Speroses shared a few stories about their kids and we laughed again before they left. Then your girlfriend showed up." Livy watched Declan as he shook his head.

"Ask Theodora how she thought it went since you don't believe me," Livy said, hurt that he didn't believe her. She turned to leave and felt his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to relying on anyone but myself. If you say it went well then it must have. We'll let it ride. Maybe she'll get herself in enough trouble that we'll get the kids through the court system."

"Unless I've screwed it up," she whispered, doubting herself. If she had read Hadley and Nelson as incorrectly as she had, maybe she had read the judge incorrectly as well. "Please call Theodora, ask her what she thought too. I would hate to be wrong. I would hate to miss our only chance."

"Please trust me Livy, nothing you have done will hurt us, I promise. It was nice of Landon to come but it wasn't necessary."

"You knew about Hadley and Nelson?"

"I had a suspicion. I thought it was odd that she was with him that morning he came to offer you a ride."

"I'm sorry Declan." She felt like crying.

"Don't be, I can't win without you. I... and the children need you." He gave her a gentle kiss.

She only wished he needed her for more than just the children's sake. She wished he needed her like she needed him.