Robert's last court hearing in April shortly after his plane accident, when his rehab sentence had officially ended, hadn't drawn as much media attention as word of his custody modification. It had been the focus of entertainment news for almost two weeks. But, all hell really broke loose on Friday when news of Liam's adoption was released. Media outlets were going crazy trying to get direct statements from Robert and Calista, and if they couldn't they were making things up.

On Saturday, they all left on a non-stop flight to New York where they had a three hour stopover before continuing on to London. They deplaned with Calista holding Indio's hand and Robert carrying Liam, who was sound asleep against his shoulder. Reporters stopped them every 10-15 feet, but they managed to sidestep most of them.

"Robert," one reporter asked, "Less than three months ago, you were single, still in rehab, with only supervised visits with your son. How does it feel to now be done with rehab, have shared custody .. and be married with two children and another on the way?

"Oh," Robert looked around him surprised and said dryly, "when did all that happen?" Then, putting his finger to his mouth, said, "Shh. My son's sleeping. Catch me later."

As they walked toward their gate, he leaned in and whispered to Calista, "What the hell are these guys gonna do when we've become just another boring Hollywood couple?"

She rolled her eyes, "Like that'll ever happen. As long as you're breathing, Robert, you'll be news."

They finally boarded their London flight and surprisingly, Liam fell right to sleep again, as did Indio, and they were on their way.

Calista had bought a house right outside London well over a year and a half ago when she and Robert were first thinking of co-starring in the play. But, Robert's legal problems, and then the foot and mouth disease, had caused the producers to delay the opening and finally cancel the play altogether until a later, undetermined, date. She'd never seen the house, just pictures. But, it turned out to be a beautiful, quaint English Tudor which had been furnished surprisingly well by the decorator she'd hired. It was warm and inviting, with four bedrooms and a lovely private back yard. She and Robert were both very impressed. They decided the fourth bedroom should serve as the Nanny's room for right now and later be converted into a nursery.

The baby had been kicking for weeks before they'd left California and, at 5-1/2 months, was now practically turning somersaults. Calista never stopped marveling at the feeling of life growing inside her and Robert never complained when she woke him in the middle of the night to experience it with her. Actually, he loved the fact that she wanted him to be as much a part of it as she was. He'd even cried during her ultrasound when they found out it was a girl.

While getting ready for bed their first night in London, Calista was surveying herself in the mirror, "Am I showing a lot?"

"A lot of what?" he asked, giving her a silly grin.

"Ha ha. You know what I mean. Is it really noticeable? Do you think I can get away with it?"

"Calista, you're almost six months along," he pointed out matter-of-fact.

"Oh, shit! You don't think they'll cancel the play again?" she asked, worried.

"Funny face, wardrobe will find a way to camouflage it, believe me. Now, let's get some sleep," he said, patting her side of the bed. "We've got a very long day tomorrow."

They had rehearsals in London for another week before the play opened on June 6. Opening night was a fantastic success. The reviews, as well as those that followed day after day heralded them as brilliant and spellbinding, never failing to mention that their chemistry lit up the stage.

They had only one bad experience during the play's entire 10 week run. It happened one night about three weeks into the play. They'd been on their way to a late night after theater dinner when Robert was accosted by a man, an American, wanting to befriend him by giving him some cocaine. The guy had long dirty blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, angry blue eyes, an extremely pock marked face, and really bad breath. He kept trying to shove a small packet in Robert's jacket pocket, "Come on, man. Try it. It's good shit."

Robert pushed his hands away and looked around him, scared shitless, expecting the police to pounce on him any minute. Just being seen in this man's presence was a violation of his probation and could send him to prison for more than four years. "Hey, buddy," Robert had told him, as calmly as possible, "I don't do that anymore, so, just be a prince and go away, okay."

The man got nasty and continued to argue with Robert, who kept asking him nicely to leave. Suddenly, the guy had grabbed hold of Robert's jacket and threatened him.

"Look, jerk," Robert had said, trying to sound in control, "I've tried to be nice, but that's obviously a language you don't understand. In case you haven't noticed, I'm with my wife here, and we're on our way to dinner. So, fuck off!"

The man had then gotten right up in his face and said, "You little shit! You think you're so high and mighty. Well, you're nuthin' but a little shit! You'll be back begging me for it. You haven't seen the last of me."

Robert started to panic, "Yeah, well till then, read my lips, FUCK OFF!"

The guy grabbed Robert's jacket again and pushed him backward, hard, almost causing him to fall. He then turned and walked away, but not before giving Robert the finger. A photographer happened to be standing nearby and Robert knew that the next day he would once again be in the news.

"You all right?" Calista had been very concerned, since the incident obviously had a very unsettling affect on Robert.

He'd looked at her apologetically, "Yeah," he'd laughed nervously, visibly shaken. "Sorry, baby."

"Do you know that guy?" she'd asked.

"No. ...at least, I don't think so ...." Shaking his head, he added, "But, who knows, I was always so stoned in the past, I could've partied with half the Cuban army without remembering it." Anxiously, he asked, "You okay, babe?"

"Oh, yeah," she shrugged, "It's you I'm worried about."

"Don't worry, it's over," he assured her.

Then she laughed suddenly, "Whoa ... your daughter just kicked that guy's ass all the way to Picadilly Circus."

"That's my girl," he grinned, trying to lighten the situation. Raising his eyebrows, he added innocently, "while you sleep, I secretly give her Karate lessons.''

She gave him a cute sneer. "You still wanna go to dinner or should we just go home?"

"Hey, I'm not gonna let some stupid prick ruin our evening. Let's go to dinner." After ordering, Robert called Warren and his probation officer and told them what had happened, and also told them about the photographer. He then called his publicist to alert him that a photo was likely to hit the cover of every sleazy tabloid in England and the U.S. the next day, and advised him to have a press release ready.

Calista looked at him thoughtfully, "Ya know, maybe it wasn't just a coincidence that photographer just happened to be standing a few feet away when that happened, what'ya think?"

"Meaning .. ?"

"Well, think about it," she said.

"You think it was a set up?" Robert asked.

"Could be." she nodded.

"But, why?"

"Jealousy, envy, who knows?" she replied. "Maybe the guy wanted his 15 minutes. Or, maybe the photographer was broke and just needed the money. With that guy trying to shove that package into your pocket, it wouldn't have surprised me if a policeman had been hiding around the corner."

Robert shrugged. "Well, hopefully, that's the end of it. I'd sure like to know who the hell that guy was, though." Suddenly, his eyes grew big. He started patting his chest and sides and then urgently began digging into all of his pockets. "JESUS CHRIST!" he yelled as he pulled out two - one ounce packets of cocaine from his inside jacket pocket. He palmed the packets and looked around flustered, hoping he hadn't drawn too much attention. He leaned over the table and whispered, "What the fuck am I gonna do now?"

Without a moment's hestitation, Calista pried his hand open and snatched the packets before he could object. She emptied the contents of both into her cup of tea. Dropping her napkin on the floor, she bent down to pick it up, casually sticking the wrapper papers in her shoe. Then, nonchalantly, she tipped over her tea and called the waiter. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said innocently, "how clumsy of me." He consoled her as he cleaned up the mess and told her it happened all the time. "Could I trouble you for another cup of tea?" she asked sweetly. The waiter politely obliged.

Robert surveyed her intently, "Well, this is just great! Although you've just impressed the hell out of me, possession's a felony, you know. Now, I've made you an accessory."

"To what?" she asked. "Foiled extortion? Those bastards!"

They hadn't seen the two gentlemen enter the restaurant but suddenly they were at the side of their table.

"Mr. Downey?" one of the gentlemen said.

"Yes?"

"I'm Lieutenant Harwell and this is Sergeant Fellowes. Would you mind stepping outside with us please?"

Robert silently prayed that there weren't any other packets he hadn't found. "What's this about?" he asked calmly.

"Hopefully nothing," Lt. Harwell said, "we've had a tip about some narcotics and we just need to clear it up, that's all. It would be much less distracting if we go outside."

Calista and Robert exchanged a look. "Sure," he said, "no problem."

They both rose and followed the two men outside. Calista immediately saw the same photographer that had been lurking about earlier. He was about six feet away from them with his back slightly turned away from her. As Robert was emptying his pockets for the detectives, Calista inched her way over to the photographer without him seeing her and, when she was close enough, she pretended to trip. She bumped into him hard, knocking his camera to the ground.

"Shit, lady!" he yelled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she lied and then purposely stepped on the camera with the heel of her shoe, causing the back to spring open and the film to be exposed. She bent over and picked up the camera, "Uh oh. Darn. Looks like I've ruined your film. Here," she said digging into her purse and shoving a $10 bill in his hand, "the least I can do is reimburse you the cost." She gave him a look of pure innocence and batted her eyelashes.

The man's face turned almost black with anger. He snatched his camera out of her hands. "You didn't just ruin my film, lady, you destroyed my camera!"

"Oh, you're American. Well, then, tell ya what," she bargained, "why don't you give me your card, and I'll have a new camera sent to you straightaway." It was all she could do to keep from hitting him in the head with her purse.

He glared at her and said, "Bug off, bitch. I don't need your handouts."

She was seething as she watched him walk away and it took several minutes before she was calm enough to join Robert.

The detectives were apologizing to Robert for any inconvenience or embarrassment they'd caused him, stating that the call they'd received was probably from someone who had an axe to grind or just wanting publicity. They ended up telling him they were big fans and, rather, chagrined, asked for an autograph. Robert said, "Hey, it's cool," and graciously obliged.

After the detectives had gone, he turned and looked at Calista with astonishment. "You were totally awesome. I can't believe you did that."

Smugly, she blew on her fingers and rubbed them on her chest. "That's not all," she screwed up her mouth and said, "the idiot had his name labeled on his camera. Goldblum .. Roger. Ever heard of him?"

Robert thought about it and shook his head, "Nope. Not even a little bit."

"Hm. Well, I'm gonna find out who he is. Then, maybe we'll have a few of our people pay him and his people a visit," she said menacingly.

Looking at her adoringly, Robert laughed, "Why, Mrs. Downey, I think you enjoy this intrigue shit."

She raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Yeah? Well, maybe. Um .. actually," she giggled, "it was a damn rush."

"Well, Sherlock," he grinned, "you had enough excitement for one night? Ready to go home? I promise I'll go quietly ... but ..." he shrugged, "if you wanna use handcuffs ...."

"Handcuffs are for later," she smiled seductively.

Apparently, she hadn't ruined all of the photographer's film because, sure enough, the following morning headlines had read: ‘Has Robert Once again Fallen Down-ey?', ‘How Far Down-ey Is Downey?' ‘No Ups For Downey,' ‘Bobby Questions Bobby,' etc., etc. But, thankfully, the entire matter had been defused before anything got started because of the heads-up from Robert.

The rest of their time in London was wonderful. They spent as much time with Sting and Trudy as their respective schedules allowed, had a chance to see Elton during his London tour, and also made some other great friends. During late July, they learned they'd each been nominated for an Emmy (they high fived each other and bumped hips for luck). By the time the final curtain fell on August 14, they had mixed emotions. They were sad because they'd had a lot of fun and it was over, but they were also excited because they planned to spend a few weeks traveling before returning to the states.

Since Indio didn't have to be back until school started in early September, their extended stay in Europe had already been approved by Debbie. Robert and Calista knew that the entire countries of France and Italy were literally on ‘vacation' until after September 1, so most of their additional time was intended for relaxation and rejuvenation. A producer friend of Robert's had loaned them his house in Cassis, France for a few days, and some friends they'd met in London had given them the key to their little hillside villa in Riomaggore, Cinca Terra, Italy.

It took several days to close up the house, pack, and take care of some last minute details. Then, they flew to Paris where they stayed several days before renting a car and driving to Cassis on the French Riviera. The boys were surprisingly well behaved and having a great time. It was wonderful having Maria along to chase after them - it gave Robert and Calista a chance to really enjoy themselves. They spent about four days in Cassis and then drove down to Antibes where they found suitable lodgings for another couple of days. From Antibes, they made several side trips into Nice and Cannes. On their way to the Italian Riveria they stopped in Monaco just for a day of sightseeing. From there they drove into Italy. They passed by Piza, and took some telecopic photos of the leaning tower from afar. They continued onward to the breathtaking beauty of Cinca Terra, made up of five picturesque villages built into the hillside, directly opposite the Mediterranian Sea.

"All right," Calista said the minute they arrived at the Riomaggore villa, "I'm not leaving. This place is just too beautiful."

Robert lovingly reminded her that she'd said the same thing about Barbados.

They loved the Cinca Terra area so much they stayed almost eight days, actually managing to have five days to themselves before reporters got wind of where they were. Then, before they knew it, time had inched into the first week of September and they reluctantly made their way to Rome and the flight home.

By then, Calista was into her ninth month and the airline refused to let her board until she produced a letter from her doctor confirming that the baby wasn't due until the middle or latter part of September. The producers and directors of the upcoming movie had pushed filming back to mid-October to accommodate the birth, and they'd been more than gracious about the children and Maria joining them on location.

Debbie and Victor were back from tour and met them in New York. Indio had become so enmeshed in Robert and Calista's household that he whined and didn't want to go home with Debbie. Calista took him for a brief walk and when they returned, he was okay. Robert looked at her with raised eyebrows, impressed, but said nothing.

Liam, who had been holding onto Robert's leg, started making his way toward the other end of the terminal. "Whoa, buddy," Robert said as he chased after him, "wrong direction." He swooped him up and returned to the group. He and Calista both shared goodbye hugs and kisses with Indio.

Liam began crying and stretched his arms out reaching for Indio, almost falling out of Robert's arms. "Wan inny," he cried, "my inny ... my inny." Indio came back and gave him a hug and said, "Don't be such a baby. I'll see you back home in a few days." This did nothing to satisfy Liam and he continued to cry big tears and squirm in Robert's arms as they all watched Debbie, Victor and Indio make their way to their gate at the far end of the terminal. Indio turned several times, waving goodbye.

Robert stood staring after them.

"You miss him already, don't you?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Me, too. The only thing better than having one Robert to love is having two."

He looked at her and smiled, "And I've got you and Liam. That makes it a hellava lot easier."

Back home, Robert's agent had left numerous messages telling Robert he was going crazy with all the job offers pouring in. Movie and recording offers needed responses, and NBC wanted Robert to star in his own TV series. CBS and ABC were beside themselves wanting to beat NBC to the punch and sign him to several already established, popular shows. Leno, Letterman, and Larry King were anxious to nab him for guest appearances. Pat O'Brien had called, wondering if he and Calista would be open to a full 30 minute in-depth interview. And, hundreds of magazines, smaller TV affiliates and radio stations were begging for interviews, quotes, statements, anything. But, Robert had learned in rehab that a rapid downfall was possible if he once again over extended himself. So, he was determined to take on only what he could realistically handle, and then only if it was something worthwhile.

On Calista's side, the TV and movie offers weren't as plentiful but all were of the highest quality and profile. And magazines, newspapers, TV and radio shows all over the world were clamoring for some inside information about her pregnancy, their marriage, and the adoption. Several very reputable magazines were even offering seven figures for an exclusive after the birth of the baby.

Regarding his and her career choices, Robert had learned to talk everything over with Calista, because she had an uncanny knack for sifting through the mediocre and getting to the meat. Also, he had the utmost respect for her intelligence and, when it came to intuitiveness, he trusted her implicitly.

While Calista finished unpacking, Robert gave Liam a bath and got him ready for bed. He was reading him a story when Calista came in and joined them. They both kissed him goodnight and headed for their room.

Sitting at her dressing table, Calista called her agent and agreed to several ‘high end' interviews. She then spoke with her publicist and authorized him to release a general statement to the press about the impending birth. She also gave him the name of Roger Goldblum and asked if he would check him out, discreetly.

Robert, already in bed, left a message for his agent, telling him to send over some scripts to read during the month and a half before the movie started. Calista yelled out from the dressing room, "No gay scripts, okay? I'm tired of seeing your beautiful eyes and ... other yummy endowments ... wasted on other guys."

"Aaah, so you won't be jealous when I'm humping and slobbering all over some other babe?" he asked with a smirk.

Turning out the dressing room light, she was thoughtful as she slowly walked toward him. "Oh, yeah," she answered as she crawled into bed, "I forgot about your thing for leading ladies."

"But, you're the only one I married." he grinned.

"Yeah, well just in case, you'd better tell him to send over only gay scripts," she said laughing. Then, as she propped herself up with a bunch of pillows, she snarled, "Pass on Leno. He's an ass."

Shrugging, he said, "Okay," because he didn't care about Leno one way or the other. However, he did return Larry King's call and agreed to appear sometime during the next several weeks. Then, after checking with Calista, he also called Pat and told him they'd agree to an in-depth interview, so long as it was filmed at their house.

Exhausted, Robert yawned and laid his head on her stomach. He stretched and said, "God, it's good to be home." Just then he was kicked in the cheek. He laughed. "Uh oh, I don't think she likes sharing. Looks like I'm gonna have to fight my own daughter for your affection." Rubbing Calista's stomach, he asked, "Um .. do you think we're gonna have any time alone, just you and me, after the baby's born?"

She smiled down at him and stroked his hair. The thought of him needing her as much as the children hadn't been lost on her. "I hope so. Maria's youngest is married now and she's all alone, so she's okay with coming on as a full-time, live-in nanny. Not that I'm gonna let someone else raise our kids, but if she's here, it'll give us time to be together."

He pulled himself up so that his face was only an inch away from hers, and then he rubbed noses with her. "Of course, the kids have to be our first concern. But we have to make us a priority, too. Don't we?"

She kissed him long and hard. "We do," she answered, "and, we will. And, maybe ‘cause we know what can happen if we're not careful, it puts us ahead of the game. Ya think?"

"Let's just never forget it." he insisted. "And, if I ever don't remember, you have my permission to beat the shit out of me." He added, "Um .. and if you forget, do I have your permission to ....?"

"NO!" she said and they both laughed.

Then, bending down to kiss her stomach, he asked, "What're we gonna name her?" They'd had many discussions but could never agree.

"Well, for sure it won't be Reggae," Calista said.

"Hey, that's no worse than a couple of your choices .... Nastasia ... Yolanda?" he grimaced.

She pulled his hair.

"Ouch!"

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "How about a name that has some meaning for both us, you know, but at the same time not something that'll make her wanna hide under her desk at school."

He repositioned himself and laid back on his pillow. "Why don't we name her Allyson, after my sister, then we could call her Ally?" he grinned adorably.

"That's a little obvious, don't you think?" she said.

"No. I think it's cute." He started playing with words, "Okay then, let's see ... Cal, Ally, Ally, Cal. Cal...Ally .. Ca..Ally ... Caally. Hey, how about Cally? I like it. It's part you and part Ally, both of whom I adore. And .. clearly, without Ally, I wouldn't have you ... and .. uh .. vice versa." He looked up at her inquisitively. "What'ya think?"

"I dunno, you don't think it's kinda unconventional?" she questioned.

"Oh, yeah," he replied dryly, "hm, let's see ... Calista, Liam, Indio ... yep, those are all conventional names, all right."

She wrinkled her nose. "Okay, gimme some time. Just lemme think about it. It'd be nice if convention and reason could coincide, ya know?"

His eyes took on a devilish glint. Grinning, he reached up behind her neck and pulled her down to him for a kiss, raising up to meet her halfway. Sexily, he said, "Mm-mm, right now I'd like to ‘coincide' you."

"Vulgar ... and incorrigible," she smirked.

"Awright," he said, "that does it! Where the hell's the damn dictionary."