Lofters:

 

Mimi and Shawn go to therapy and make a go of it. They over come their issues but slowly start to realize that they are friends… best friends but not lovers. But they don’t do anything about it for a long while. It starts to be come apparent when they each flirt with others of the opposite sex, get wandering eyes and yet the other doesn’t really care.

 

Mimi takes something else away from their time at counseling and realizes she is interested in psychology. She goes back to school for it and also starts working part time at a children’s hospital. She interns with a child psychologist there.

Shawn goes back to school too and working for a charity he and his mom started under Zack’s name. The charities purpose is to help children, especially the poverty stricken ones, in the community get better education and access after school activities.

 

Belle and Philip also start getting better and working things out. After some time they realize they really do love each other and are a happy family. Belle decides to be a stay at home mom and Philip starts working for Titan. They are doing great. They both come to terms with the fact that neither really was the other’s ‘first love’ but that they do love each other.

 

Belle learns she and Philip are going to have another baby. On the same day Philip had taken Claire to work with him. He happens to overhear Ellen talking and figures out who she is. She sees him and sends her men after him with orders to kill. Her henchmen take off after him and they get into a car chase. Claire is in the back in her car seat asleep. Philip is panicked and tries reaching Belle or the police but his phone is dead. The henchmen run him off the road and he crashes. They leave the scene when they see the car explode. But what they didn’t see was Philip, badly injured escape from the car and risk his life to pull Claire out. He saves her and covers her from the explosion with his own body.

 

When the EMTs find them Claire is under Philip crying. They are rushed to the hospital. Belle and family arrive. Philip sees Belle one last time and is able to mutter “Claire?” She tells him she is fine… he saved her. He says, “I love you.” She asks who did this and he mutters, “L….” But then dies.

 

Belle is so devastated by her loss that she ends up miscarrying. This is the final straw to her mental state… she goes cationic. No one can reach her, she is finally moved to a mental hospital. Claire is placed in Shimi’s care since they are her godparents.

 

Mimi and Shawn take Claire to see Belle and Mimi notices that when Shawn talks Belle’s eyes soften. Mimi, who remember has been studying psychology figures that the only person who could reach Belle is Shawn. Later Mimi has a heart to heart with Shawn and tells him she thinks he is the only one who could help Belle. She tells him that she loves him but that they both know that their relationship is not “husband and wife”. They don’t divorce here but admit their change in relationship. They admit that they are friends but that neither is ‘in love’ with the other in the way that a married couple should be. Mimi tells Shawn that he has to save Belle. Shawn agrees to try and help Belle.

Shawn takes leave from his job at the charity and from school. Over the next few months Shawn spends every moment with Belle. He takes Claire with him and they play and talk with Belle even though she doesn’t respond at first.  Shawn one day brings in Claire and says, “Okay Claire… tell mommy the new thing you can say.” He whispers in her ear. Claire toddles over to Belle and says, “Love you mommy.” Belle sits still for a moment and at first we think nothing changed. Shawn looks disappointed having hoped that may have done it. He finally picks up Claire and says to her, “Its okay… Mommy loves you too.” He has his back to Belle and Claire gets agitated and says, “Mommy Mommy!” Shawn turns around to see Belle blinking and says with a horse voice of someone who’s not spoken in months, “I… love you, Claire.”

 

Meanwhile during these few months Mimi is still helping Shawn care for Claire at night but during the day she is busy with school and work. Mimi has bee worried about her job because the hospital she works at is run by a nonprofit organization and it is in danger of closing down due to lack of funds.

 

One day at work there is a commotion, and the receptionist goes to get Mimi saying a man apparently has come in with a child he found abandoned on the side of the highway! Mimi runs to the front and finds Rex standing there with a crying toddler in his arms. They are stunned to see each other but put it on hold to deal with the baby. Mimi takes the little boy to a room and has the receptionist call the police. She asks Rex why he didn’t call 911. He said he was coming back into town and saw the boy and he was only a block or two away from here and figured the best thing to do would be to get him some place safe first. Mimi checks the boy for injuries and can’t find any. She plays with him and gets him to smile and laugh. Rex observes impressed by her.

The police come and pick up the child and say that he fits the description of an Amber Alert issued earlier. That they think the kidnappers panicked and just dumped the boy. They tell Mimi and Rex that his parents are at the station and will be reunited with them shortly. Mimi and Rex are thrilled to hear it.

 

Later Rex and Mimi talk and catch up. Rex is surprised to find Mimi working there. She says despite what he may think and what mistakes she’s made in the past… she loves kids and loves helping them. That even though she can’t have kids of her own she feels… like a mother here and that she is helping people.

 

Rex learns that the clinic is in trouble and having been so impressed by Mimi’s change and dedication he decides to buy the clinic. He takes over as Director and thus is working with Mimi. The two become friends again and in time talk about what happened with them. Mimi apologizes to Rex for what she did. Rex apologizes for leaving her and not trying to work things out.

 

This scenario goes on for awhile and tension builds between Shawn and Belle as he helps her overcome her grief and Mimi and Rex as they slowly start to realize they still have feelings for each other.

 

Mimi and Rex are on the verge of having an affair but Mimi refuses until she and Shawn have worked out where they are going. Belle moves back into her parent’s house. Shawn and Belle also come close to an affair but neither can bring themselves to do it. Shawn refuses to hurt Mimi after how selfless she was to let him help Belle, and Belle is still struggling with her losing Philip. Shawn and Mimi’s relation starts to show strain too. They had moved from lovers to friends but now that they are both obviously in love with other people they start to be secretive and almost rude to each other. Finally they have a blow out conversation where they both admit they are in love with others. After this is admitted both of them smile and relax and apologize for their behavior.

Mimi and Shawn admit that they care for each other very much and that knowing that the other is in love makes them happy. They agree to divorce.

 

After their conversation both Mimi and Shawn take off to see the ones they love. Shawn walks in to wear Belle is and without a word kisses her. He tells her that he understands she is still grieving for Philip and will not rush her. But that he loves her, always has, always will, and that when she is ready… he will be waiting for her. Belle is stunned but smiles. Eventually they do get back together but it would be a slow build romance… what they SHOULD have gotten in the first place.

Mimi doesn’t initially tell Rex. She fears he will think she is just leaving Shawn for him. But Rex finds out fairly quickly on his own and asks Mimi why she didn’t tell him. She is truthful and tells him that she never stopped loving him but she and Shawn’s splitting up was not over Rex. She didn’t want him to think it was. Rex just nods and doesn’t say much. Mimi thinks that Rex isn’t really interested in her after all now that she is single again. But later on Rex surprises her with a romantic dinner at his place. These two also get a slow build romance.

 

In the end Rex and Mimi are a couple and Shawn and Belle are a couple.