Disclaimer: Not mine, though the cute kid and kitten are. All characters belong to Shaftesbury, CBC, whomever. I'm just borrowing for a bit.
Spoilers: References to past seasons as well as events in Season 8.
Summary: The wrath of a man scorned can be deadly.
Revenge
From the shadows he watched. He watched them both. Their every move. Their every breath.
"William, we're going to be late!" Doctor Julia Ogden chuckled to herself. Usually it was he waiting on her but this time the detective had found himself lost in yet another invention of his.
Balancing some wires and putty, he sheepishly smiled at his wife. "Sorry. It'll only be another minute or two. You can go ahead if you would like."
She stood in the doorway of his makeshift invention room in their suite and shook her head. William Murdoch was nothing if not a man of his word but she was certain it would be far longer than a minute or two. "If you're sure. I hate to keep Emily waiting by herself."
He walked over and gave Julia a gentle kiss. "I'm sure. I'll see you soon."
An unnerving shiver rattled Doctor Emily Grace despite the summer heat as she stood outside of the theatre waiting for Julia and William. Julia and Emily had gone from mentor/student to the closest of friends with ease. While she liked and admired the stoic detective, it still confused her how two people so opposite were so perfect for each other.
"Emily!"
She turned to find her friend sans husband. "Where's Detective Murdoch?"
"William," Julia corrected. "We're outside work."
Emily smiled. "I just cannot bring myself to use his given name."
Julia laughed. "He got tied up with one of his inventions."
With a raised eyebrow, Emily couldn't help herself. "Tied up? What kind of invention is it, Julia?"
She couldn't help blushing. "Not that kind! He insisted we go on without him."
"A girls night out it is then."
Patience. Patience was something he learned he needed to execute the perfect plan. Tonight, it seemed, his patience was about to pay off.
The two women were laughing as they walked out of the theatre. The play had been beyond their expectations and they had enjoyed a much needed, relaxing evening.
"You're really going to make him feel guilty for this, aren't you?" Emily asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"Of course. It turned out to be a wonderful evening but I am not about to admit that to William." Most women would have been furious that their husband had not shown up as he had promised but Julia and William had a more modern, equal marriage. However, that did not mean she wouldn't have a bit of fun making him feel a little badly about forgetting.
"There's an evil streak in you I never want to be on the wrong side of, Julia."
She wrapped her arm around Emily's as they strolled along the sidewalk. "You never would be." She looked around and found everything to be closed. With a sigh, she commented, "It would be nice if one day people could go out to eat after a play instead of before."
"Next you'll want breakfast food served at dinner hours!"
She looked at Emily. "Hmm, now that you mention it…"
"You're such a rebel," Emily teased as they continued down the now deserted street towards Emily's place.
"How are things going with Lillian?" Julia asked.
Emily remained quiet so Julia stopped walking.
"Emily?"
"I… I don't know. I'm beginning to think it's not for me." She took a deep breath then continued. "Julia, I honestly had never even thought of being with a… well… I probably never would have if the Inspector hadn't made a comment a while back that made me feel like he was admonishing me as if I was his child."
Julia took hold of Emily's hands. "Emily." But for the first time in a long time, she found herself at a loss for words.
"It's alright. Circumstances were such that…" She shrugged. "I don't regret anything except hurting George."
"As you shouldn't. I suppose some of the fault is mine. If I had followed my heart and married William from the beginning instead of Darcy then…"
"Lesley!"
"Yeah, then he wouldn't have…"
Emily's eyes were wide. "No. Lesley! He's coming across the street!"
Julia turned around and froze.
"Ladies," he smirked. "Such a lovely evening for a walk. Mind of I join you?"
"Yes, we do," Julia hissed back then stopped when she saw the slightest reflection of light on metal.
He aimed the gun at them beneath his coat. "I didn't really mean there was an option, Dr. Ogden or, should I say, Mrs. Murdoch?" He indicated to them to continue walking. "My brother never would have left two, defenseless women to their own devices on the dangerous streets of Toronto after dark. Shame on that detective of yours."
Julia would have shown him just how defenseless she was but she would not put Emily in danger, not when he had a gun.
"What do you want, Lesley?" Julia demanded as she looked for any opportunity to escape.
"What do you think I want? You both ruined my career, my life." He jabbed the gun into Julia's back. "You killed my brother." He then turned the gun on Emily, "And you rejected me. No woman rejects me."
"More should," Emily snarled before realizing she had said it aloud.
He grabbed her hair and snapped her head back. "You will regret it."
Julia grabbed his arm but he was too quick and backhanded her across the face leaving her with a bloody nose.
"Now, now, ladies. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." He shoved them in a waiting carriage and disappeared into the darkness.
William glanced at the mantel clock for the umpteenth time. It was nearly midnight and there was no word from Julia. He was sure she and Emily had just lost track of time but there was a part of him that wasn't so convinced. Tempted to go to Emily's to see if they were okay, he kept stopping himself. Julia could take care of herself. She was independent and smart. Yet, as the minutes ticked on, he could no longer stop himself. Grabbing his jacket he decided facing her annoyance was a far better option to something worse.
Slowly and painfully, Emily opened her eyes. She was blanketed by cold. In the distance she thought she heard someone screaming but her head was in such a fog she could not be sure. She tried to push herself up into a sitting position but her body had other idea so she resigned herself to remain lying on the dirt floor.
"Julia?" she managed to whisper. Fear coursed through her veins upon receiving no response and, as her head cleared a bit, she realized the screams were very real and the voice too familiar. "Julia!" Forcing herself up from the floor and, ignoring the throbbing in her head, Emily ran to the locked door. "Julia!"
Moments later all was silent. Shaking, she kept trying the doorknob to no avail. She hadn't even realized she was crying until she felt the warm tears fall upon her hand.
"I advise you to step back, Dr. Grace," Lesley Garland warned as he unlocked the metal door and pushed it open.
Emily felt nauseous when he walked in dragging a barely conscious Julia behind him. "Why are you doing this?"
He dropped Julia and turned to her, his eyes piercing her with hate. "You know why. You will both pay." With that he slammed and locked the door behind him as he left.
Emily ran over and knelt beside Julia. "Julia?" she whispered. "Please, say something."
She merely moaned.
With what little light there was in their prison, Emily did her best to evaluate the situation. She ripped off a part of her bustle to use as bandages for the worst of the numerous cuts but there was nothing she could do for the pain. She helped Julia up to a sitting position against the wall and leaned against her both for warmth and support.
"I'm sorry," Julia said.
"Sorry? For what? You didn't do anything."
"You shouldn't be part of this. I'm the one he hates."
"You're forgetting I rejected him. Obviously something his ego can't deal with."
"Men." Julia tried to laugh but it was too painful. "Emily, if you get a chance, get out."
She sighed. "I've been trying to figure out how we can escape."
"No, I mean, you get out. Leave me."
"That will never happen."
"Emily."
"Julia."
Julia managed a small smile. "You can be rather stubborn."
"I learned from the best," was her response. "How are you feeling?"
"I'll survive."
Murdoch found himself banging on the front door of Inspector Brackenreids house at half past midnight. He had found no one at Emily's place and even woke Lillian up in hopes maybe they had gone there. They had not and he had left her as worried as he was.
He heard a very angry "bloody hell" as the Inspector unlocked the door.
"Murdoch? What in God's name…"
William uncharacteristically pushed past him without an invitation. "They're missing."
"What? Who?"
He looked at his boss. "Julia and Dr. Grace."
Despite his anger at being woken up in the middle of the night, one look at Murdoch's face was enough to instill a bit of fear in himself. "Maybe they went to get a drink?"
"Sir, it's twelve thirty. We were all going to the theatre but I told Julia I'd meet up with them later. I lost track of time and next thing I knew it was nearly eleven. I already went to Dr. Grace's and no one is there. Something is wrong. I know it."
Brackenreid sighed.
"Thomas, is everything alright?" His wife asked walking into the living room. "Detective Murdoch!"
The Inspector looked at his wife. "Dr. Ogden and Dr. Grace are missing."
He never knew how nice revenge could feel. He hadn't planned on beating her so much so soon but he had never imagined physically hurting someone would be such a rush, especially when that person had wronged him and his brother. But he would not kill her. Not yet. He wanted to watch her suffer. Suffer through the physical pain as well as the emotional pain when he unleashed his anger on the one who had left him.
The entire force at Station House 4 turned out for the search for the missing doctors. Even their rival, Station House 5, offered assistance.
William was barely keeping it together, feeling helpless, stopping strangers on the mostly deserted street near the theatre asking if they'd seen either women.
Meanwhile, Constable George Crabtree stuck by his friend's side putting on a brave face but inside he was just as scared. Despite all that had happened between him and Emily, he never stopped caring about her. He was about to suggest they go back to the station when he spotted a young child hiding in the shadows watching them.
Leaving the detective, Crabtree slowly approached the young girl. She couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old. "Hello," he softly said. "What's your name?"
She just looked at him with her big, green eyes then mumbled, "Sarah."
"Sarah, what are you doing out here so late?"
"They woke me," she barely whispered, still unsure of the man kneeling before her.
"Who?"
"The angry man and women."
Crabtree realized any kind of reaction from him might scare her so, with every ounce of control, he continued. "When did they wake you?"
"A while ago. Then all the police came out."
He studied her face and the corner she was hiding in and realized it was where she lived. By herself. His heart broke but, for the moment, he had to go on. "Can you describe the man and women?"
She nodded. "The women were pretty. They laughed a lot until he showed up."
He remained silent hoping she would continue on her own.
"The taller woman was dressed in a blue dress. Her hair was blonde."
His heart sank. He heard Murdoch approach and motioned for him to stay back. "And the other woman?" he coaxed.
"She was shorter, also very pretty. Her hair was dark. I've seen her before when they found a dead man down the street. She was with the police."
Crabtree covered his mouth with his hand to hide him biting his lip. She had seen Emily and Dr. Ogden.
Composing himself, he pointed to Murdoch. "Sarah, would you mind if my friend joins us? He's a detective and one of the women is his wife."
She looked at Murdoch then back to Crabtree and nodded.
He waved the detective over. "Sir, Sarah has seen Dr. Grace and Dr. Ogden. She said a man was with them."
Also realizing her situation, Murdoch remained calm and asked, "Can you describe the man they were with?"
She shook her head. "They weren't with him. He ran across the street to them. He hurt them."
Murdoch took a deep breath. "Did you see what he looked like?"
"He… he was angry. He had dark hair, but not as dark as yours. He was about as tall as the taller woman. I think they called him Wesley."
Both men looked at each other. Lesley Garland was back.
As much as it pained him to not jump on searching for Garland immediately, Murdoch knew Sarah was a priority at the moment. "Do you have any family I can take you to?"
Her deep, green eyes clouded over and filled with tears as she shook her head fiercely.
"Would you like to visit the station house?" he continued. "I can promise you a comfortable cot and food."
She starred up at Murdoch as if that was the first time in her life anyone had ever offered such comforts. "Can Molly come with me?"
"Of course. Where is she?"
She reached under the worn, dirty blanket and pulled out the tiniest grey kitten. "I promised to protect her." Sarah smiled as she pet the sleepy kitten.
"And we won't let you break that promise," Murdoch responded, fighting back tears.
He glanced at George and saw the younger man was struggling with the same. "George, can you see that Sarah and Molly are safe?"
"Yes, sir."
As the child gathered her few, precious possessions, Murdoch and Crabtree stood up.
"Sir, I need to be part of this," Crabtree said.
"I know. We'll get Sarah settled first. I honestly do not even know where to begin to look for Garland."
Julia had spent the better part of the last few hours drifting in and out of sleep while Emily had inspected every corner of their cell. Now, as Emily sat beside her friend once more, she wondered if this would truly be the end.
"You're not allowed to give up," Julia said, her voice stronger now.
"How did you do it?"
Confused, Julia asked, "Do what?"
"Survive being buried alive? How did you not give up hope?"
She smiled. "Because I knew William would never give up. Even though there didn't seem to be any chance of us sharing a life together at that time I knew he would still move heaven and earth to find me. He still will."
"I hope you're right."
Julia struggled to stand despite Emily's protests. "I'm not going to give up without a fight," she insisted as she, too, studied every inch of the room.
Both women felt a chill when the sound of a key in the lock filled the room.
Lesley stepped in with a plate of bread and one glass of water. He saw Julia standing and smirked. "Glad to see you are still with us. I can't have either of you dying just yet so here." He dropped the plate, scattering the pieces of bread and shoved the glass at Emily.
"Let her go, Lesley," Julia demanded. "She isn't the one who did you wrong."
"Au contraire, dear sister-in-law, she is the worst of the two of you." He glared at Emily. "But I have very special plans for you."
The sun was rising on a new day and most of Toronto seemed oblivious to the torment Station House 4 was going through. Estimating the time the play ended to when Sarah had seen Lesley abduct the doctors, William concluded they had been in his grasp for nearly ten hours. Every worse case scenario ran through his mind. He knew the younger Garland brother was hell bent on revenge against Julia for the death of his brother as well as getting him fired to save Emily from prison. He also knew Garland could never handle rejection and that was the one thing Emily had done to him.
George stood in the doorway. "Sir, Sarah and Molly are settled in the empty office."
"Thank you, George."
The younger man stepped into Murdoch's office. "She truly could not remember anything more and I didn't feel right continuing to question her."
Murdoch's tired eyes looked up at him from his desk. "No, she's been through enough. You did the right thing." He picked up the old case file against Lesley Garland hoping for something, anything, that would clue him in as to where he might be.
"It's like he's a ghost," Brackenreid boomed as he walked in. "How could no one notice two women being abducted right off the streets?"
"Because he's smart, Sir," Murdoch offered. "He waited until they were alone and assumed there were no witnesses." He slammed the folder down on the desk causing the other two to jump at the rare show of emotion from the detective.
"Murdoch," Brackenreid began, "We'll find him."
Tears brimmed his eyes when he looked to the Inspector. "They could be dead and he long gone by now and we both know it."
"Do you really believe that?"
Pausing for a moment, Murdoch slowly shook his head. "No."
"Well then, it's daylight so let's get back out there and start from the beginning. Garland may be smart but even smart people make mistakes."
Murdoch had just finished questioning yet another stranger on the now lively streets when Lillian approached him. With a quick glance towards the Inspector, he gently took her arm and led her out of site. He and Julia were the only ones who knew of Emily's relationship with her and he did not wish to compromise that trust.
"Has there been any word?" she desperately asked.
"Not yet. We do know who took them but are still trying to figure out where."
"Who?"
He debated how much to tell her but the fact was she had as much right to know what was going on as he did. "He is someone from our past. He courted Dr. Grace for a short time and threatened Julia."
"But why? Why now?"
"That I do not know. Have you received any strange phone calls or been approached by anyone asking about Dr. Grace?"
Lillian thought for a moment. "I don't know if this is anything. A few days ago a man stopped my on the street. He asked me if I knew a Dr. Grace. Given our… situation… I felt it best to lie."
"Can you describe him?"
"A little taller than you. Dark hair. He was certainly polite and charming enough but…" She shrugged.
"That's him."
"Detective, I know you are doing everything you can and that you would be even if Dr. Ogden wasn't also involved but please, find them."
He nodded. "I will."
Emily knew Julia was putting up a strong front but noticed the small flinches of pain as she moved to pick up a piece of bread. Wanting to take her mind off the pain for a little bit she asked, "So you and Detective Murdoch are happy?"
Julia's eyes lit up the way they always did when it came to a certain detective. "We are. Very much so. He always finds small ways to surprise me, even if we are spending a lazy day at home."
Emily smiled. "I'm so happy you both found your way back to each other."
Noting a hint of sadness in her friend's voice, Julia asked, "Are you happy?"
"Lillian is wonderful. I adore her."
"But?"
Her eyes met Julia's. "I never stopped loving George. I know he's moved on and so much has happened and changed but the one thing I most regret was leaving him."
Julia felt for her friend. She'd been there. She left William. In her mind he deserved better. She'd moved on and married another but her heart never let her forget William. After years of ups and downs and pain, they had been fortunate to have a second chance at happiness together. She knew that didn't happen for most.
Brackenreid watched through the window of the office as his wife, Margaret, sat with Sarah and played with the kitten. In the midst of searching for his friends, he had also tried to find any relatives of the little girl. What he found made him sick. Her father had been hung after killing her mother, no known relatives and the system had abandoned her to the streets only a year earlier. When he had questioned further as to how such a thing could happen to a child the general responses were all the same. She was a girl, offered nothing to society and it happens.
In the past he had been disapproving of the movement to give women more rights, such as the right to vote. He was never one to embrace change but as he watched them he started to feel perhaps it was time for change.
"Sir!" Crabtree ran up to him breathless. "I think we have something!"
"What is it, Crabtree?"
"A possible sighting. I decided to check out the area by the docks that are full of abandoned buildings and someone swears they saw Doctor Grace and Doctor Ogden going into one of the buildings last night."
"Have you told Murdoch yet?"
The constable shook his head. "I haven't been able to find him."
"Bloody hell." With a quick glance back, his eyes meeting those of his wife, he gave a small nod and ran off with Crabtree.
William sat in the pew, eyes closed and hands red from grasping the rosary so hard. He had nowhere else to turn. He had tried everything yet every avenue led to a dead end. He was desperate for a miracle.
His priest stood silently in the back of the church watching him. No concoction of words could comfort and he knew that. Slowly he walked down the aisle and sat in the pew behind him. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"What is there to talk about? Julia and Emily may die, or already be dead, and there's not a thing I can do about it."
"It's not like you to give up. What happened to the William Murdoch who dug six feet down by hand to save the woman he loves? The one who was happy to marry outside the church if that was the only way you and Julia could be together? The man who never gave up on a future with her?"
"After Gillies buried her, but she was safe, I told her I had never felt so desperate in my life and never wanted to feel that way again. I lied. This is far worse."
Before his friend could respond, Brackenreid and Crabtree burst through the doors.
Murdoch jumped up and looked at them. No words were spoken as he ran off with them.
"Did you really think I would forgive and forget?" Lesley growled as he punched Julia in the stomach for the third time in his latest round of beating her.
She doubled over but he didn't stop. He grabbed her hair and forced her to stand up again. He took pride in his work. The bruises and blood covering her face. No one would want to look at her again, especially not her husband.
"My family disowned me," he hissed.
Despite her instinct to fight, as a psychologist she realized it would be best to remain quiet. Any words of any kind could push him fully over the edge. Instead, she feigned fainting.
He let her fall to the ground hard and gave her a good kick before dragging her back to the room.
As he stepped inside, he turned to Emily who, up to now, had been left alone. "You're next."
He reached for her arm but Julia managed to kick his leg, causing him to lose balance. "Run," she hoarsely screamed to Emily.
"I'm not leaving…"
Julia's eyes pleaded with her to go.
Her vision blurred through her tears but she realized her escaping might be the only hope Julia had of living through this. "I'll be back," she promised, just missing being grabbed by Lesley again.
She heard his footsteps as he ran after her but she couldn't look back. Her and Julia's lives depended on it. The warehouse was large and empty. She found one door but it was locked. Making her way to the main door, she tried but it was locked as well.
"There's nowhere to go, Emily," he voice taunted from the dark shadows.
Emily kept pulling at the door hoping but nothing. She went still when she felt his breath on her neck.
"I can't let you miss all the fun." Lesley grabbed her arm, turned her around and shoved her against the door, his hand sliding around her throat.
"Not this time," Julia said, using all her remaining strength to hit him in the head with a pipe before she collapsed to the floor.
Stunned, he turned and picked up the pipe. "I had so hoped to let you live long enough to watch dear Emily suffer but you give me no choice." He lifted the pipe above his head ready to deliver the final blow to Julia when a shot rang out and he fell on top of her.
Wide-eyed, Murdoch and Crabtree stared at the Inspector who lowered the gun.
"He was going to kill Dr. Ogden. It had to be done and this way there's no question of motive."
Murdoch ran over and shoved the body of Lesley Garland off of Julia. "Julia?"
Emily knelt beside them. "He's been beating her every few hours," she told Murdoch.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to squash the rage within. He took hold of his wife's limp and bruised hand. "Julia, please wake up."
Feeling for a pulse, Emily was relieved to find one, albeit a weak one. "She's alive."
Tears streamed down William's face. He couldn't lose her. He wouldn't.
Brackenreid had run out to flag down a carriage and returned with help. Placing a hand on Murdoch's shoulder, he said, "We need to get her to the hospital." The inspector then looked to Emily. "You should go too."
She shook her head. "I'm fine. He never touched me. I'll meet you there."
William carefully lifted his wife into his arms and carried her out to the waiting carriage with Brackenreid close behind leaving Emily alone with George.
Hesitantly, George gently touched her shoulder as her back was to him. "Emily?"
That was all it took. The hours of fear and frustration and years of regret surfaced and she fell into his arms in a tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she muttered into his shoulder.
George held her tightly. He wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. He was just relieved she was alive.
A week had passed since the horrific events and Julia was back home. The doctors had given her strict orders not to return to work for at least six weeks as she had numerous injuries including a concussion and two cracked ribs. They had made William promise to not let her ignore those orders.
With the window open, Julia rested on the couch while William brought her a cup of hot tea. She smiled at him as she took the tea but the smile didn't reach her eyes. No smile had since the abduction.
Sitting beside her, he put his arm around her shoulder as she leaned against him, slowly sipping the tea.
"I wish I could make it all go away," he softly said tangling his fingers in her loose hair. "I should have gone with you that night."
"William, he would have found a way to get to us. If not that night then another time."
"That may be so but…"
She looked up at him. "Blaming ourselves won't help anything. I could blame myself for bringing that family into our lives but it's the past. I don't want to live in the past. I want to live in the here and now and the future. With you."
He couldn't help but smile at her. "What can I do to help?"
"You are helping. Being here. Loving me. It won't happen overnight but I will be fine, William." This time when she smiled at him it did reach her eyes.
Taking the teacup from her, he placed it on the table then kissed her softly before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "I will always be here and will always love you."
Emily sat at the kitchen table in Lillian's house. Both women remained quiet for a moment.
"So this is it?" Lillian asked.
With a nod, Emily responded, "Yes. I'm sorry, Lillian. I thought maybe…"
Lillian reached across the table and took Emily's hands in her own. "Don't be sorry. I suppose I always suspected it was more of a curiosity than anything for you. And I've seen how much you and Constable Crabtree still care for each other, even if you two can't. Have you spoken with him since?"
"No. I don't know how to even start such a conversation. I hurt him deeply. But if there's still a chance I have to try."
Lillian smiled at Emily. "Yes, you do. And I would never hold you back from what, or who, you truly want. I will always love you, Emily."
Choking back tears, Emily smiled at her before leaving for good.
Margaret and Thomas Brackenreid looked out the window to the backyard where the kids were playing.
"I can't believe how protective the boys are of Sarah," Margaret told him.
They had brought Sarah and Molly, the kitten, to stay with them temporarily until a permanent and safe place could be found for her. Their sons had not questioned or fought them on it and had immediately made her feel at home. The kitten stayed in her bedroom to keep it safe.
"I've been thinking," Brackenreid began. "It might be nice for you to have another girl around the house seeing as you have to deal with us all the time."
Margaret turned to face her husband. "Thomas, what are you suggesting?"
"She has no one."
"And you think we should adopt her?"
"That's one of the many things I've been think about a lot this week, yes." He could not read the look on his wife's face and wasn't sure if he had suggested the wrong thing.
"What else have you been thinking about?"
His eyes fell upon the little girl holding her own with his two sons as they ran around playing pirates in the backyard.
"You know how I've admonished Dr. Ogden and Dr. Grace for their involvement with the women's rights movement?"
"Yes. And you know I support you."
His eyes met hers. "That's another thing I've been thinking about. Hearing people say that Sarah would never contribute to society because she's a girl and her being tossed into the streets. Margaret, what if we had had daughters instead of sons? What kind of world is that for a woman to live in? I've seen first hand women who have been beaten because the law allows it. Women who have been killed by abusive husbands and the law looks the other way because women belong to their husbands. I appreciate you supporting me as your husband but I don't want to be part of a world that treats my daughters or eventual granddaughters as second-class citizens. Objects to be owned. You should have a right to make your own choices, your own decisions not based on what your husband tells you."
"Are you saying you want me to join the fight?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I'm saying you can make your own choice. I'm saying I am going to."
"You'll be putting your job at risk!"
The inspector took his wife's hand in his. "You and she," he started, nodded out the window, "and Dr. Ogden and Dr. Grace and our future granddaughters are worth that risk."
Tears filled Margaret's eyes. "Yes."
"Yes?" He was truly confused.
"Yes, to your question about adopting Sarah and yes, I want to change the world with you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him then settled into his embrace as they watched their now three children play.
~~The End~~
Author's note: So, this was one of those stories where I had an idea, a plan but the characters said, um, no, we have other ideas. In no way, shape or form had I planned on Brackenreid doing a 180 on his views of equal rights. Sarah appeared out of nowhere and initially I had thought of Julia and William adopting her but it just didn't work out that way. I don't know that I'd say I jumped the shark on this, though. Social change happens when individuals have something happen to them that brings a cause home to them. I feel that is what happened with Brackenreid. In many societies, even first world Western cultures, women are still viewed as inferior to men, as objects. When we are told to watch what we wear instead of men being told not to rape there is a serious problem. I would imagine anyone with a heart would have a serious look at their opinions if they were told a girl would never contribute to society simply based on gender.