-1Disclaimers- Read the first two and you get my drift.

A/N: Rewrote parts of it so that it was easier to understand and a bit longer. Hope you guys like it.

Finding What Has Been Lost

Chapter Three

Maureen is what you call the worst flyer in the world. Or so she thought, not that it really mattered to her. She downed the little bottle of Jack Daniels in one gulp, that her third one. She was starting to feel the current drinks mixing in with the bottle of wine she and Benny shared before she left for the airport. Poppin' her iPod in, leaning her seat back and the world became the lyrics that were bursting out of the ear phones. Currently that was Oh! Darling from Across the Universe: The Musical.

While the lyrics were saying one thing, her mind was on a other, her goddaughter, Daphne. It had been almost three years since she saw her and while the circumstances were different from then to now, still this trip, like the last one, was not going to be a happy one. Maureen closed her eyes and thought back three years ago,

Both Maureen and Daphne sat at the edges of the bathtub of the guestroom bathroom. Maureen sat perfectly still with her head hung, looking down at her hands, which were folded in a form of silent prayer. Daphne sat right next to her, her hands on either side of her, griping on the edges of the bathtub, her eyes looking down at her twitching foot nothing on her mind but her father.

The timer dinged and Maureen looked up, but Daphne became still, and kept her head down. Without saying a word Maureen laid one hand on Daphne's lap then, with the other, reached out for the test that was in front of them on the edge of the sink. In clear, digital words, it said 'Positive'. Maureen read it out loud. Daphne let her head fall in between her knees and started to rock back and forth, sobbing quietly.

Maureen laid her hand in the middle of Daphne's back as she turned to look at Collins, who was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He shifted on his feet, then turned and walked out of the room. Frowning Maureen knelt in front of Daphne and lifted her head. She wiped a the tears that lined her cheek and took her hands. "Listen Izzy," she said calling Daphne by the nickname that she had given. "everything's gonna be okay. I promise you that." Daphne lowered her eyes. "Hey! Eyes here." she snapped and pointed two fingers toward her own eyes. Daphne cracked a small smile. "Listen baby, we're gonna get through this. Just like everything else we've gotten through, this is just another reason to have to kick ass"

Daphne shook her head as she wiped her face from some more tears with the palm of her hand. "Papi is going to want me to get another abortion." She started to shake her head more violently. "Titi," she looked at Maureen, her bright green eyes, shining with tears. "I cannot go through that again. I am still dealing with the last time with David, I cannot do it again. What kind of person does that make me, if I do it twice?"

Maureen pulled Daphne down to the floor with her and held her in her arms until she stopped crying. "I'll talk to Collins about it Izzy."

After getting Daphne settled down, Maureen went to look for Collins, who, she found, in the attic. He was sitting on a warn, black leather, rocking chair that faced a window, who's view showed the several acre's of woods that Collins owned. Maureen approached the seat and the seat started to rock back and forth.

"Growing up, Daphne and Will were like fucking glue." he said as Maureen took a seat on the coffee table that was right next to the chair. "When she was a baby, after work, he would sit in this seat for hours after dinner, reading to her, singing to her, I would sit at the couch grading papers. I mean, hell, I didn't even hear her first words." he let out a dry laugh. "Not her first step, shit," he threw up his hands. "she had been dating her first boyfriend, for two weeks, before I found out."

"Collins," Maureen shook her head. " you can't think-"

"Oh come on, Mo. When Will died, poof two months later she's pregnant." he stood up and walked to the window. "She was fourteen." he took in the sight. "There were complications." he added quietly.

"Tom," she said, using his first name, only using it when she really wanted to get through to him. "no one is blaming you. Shit happens and you out of all people know that. Look, Daphne's no idiot and you are…were not a bad father."

"Maureen just look!" He turned to face Maureen and waved his hand toward the door. "Look! This is the second time that this has happened. You know that. The first time it was with David…ya know, Mimi's son." he let his arm fall. "I can't do this." he hung his head. "I can't make her get rid of it. I made her do it already. I won't ask her again to do it, but" he stopped "…I can't raise another child." He shifted on his feet "Mo, she's just a child, a baby herself." he put his hands in his pockets.

"What do you think Daphne's gonna be doing with the baby? Letting you raise it while she sits back and brushes her hair?" Maureen shook her head. "I know she's going to make a hell of a mother. She is going to need help. She's going to need you. Her Father. This is true, but that is not to say that you are going to play father again. You are gonna be more of a …Grandfather." Maureen rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "Don't you remember how you and Will used to sit around and talk about when Daphne has grandchildren, how you would be one of those really wrinkled black grandpa's with countless kids around you?" She watched Collins nod. "Well you have to start somewhere."

"Maureen," he sighed. "I have AIDS. The medication finally wore out. They give me two, three years tops."

Maureen took a deep breath then lowered her head. "Wow." she searched for the right words. "It's been what twenty years since you started taking that medication."

"Yeah."

"Did you tell Daphne yet?"

He shook his head. "I was going to tell her today, but it had not turned out the way that I planned."

Maureen slept the whole way, when she finally woke up, the seatbelt sigh came on and it was time to land in Santa Fe. She took off her earphones and put them in her purse under the seat in front of her. Gripping the arms rests on either side of her, she closed her eyes and went to her happy place, taking the steps that her therapist has told her. When she opened her eyes, she was happily on the ground and the plane was taxing.

The over head speakers allowed her to unbuckle and get ready to get out this death hole. Shouldering her oversized purse, she stood up and started to make her way out with the rest of the first class riders.

The moment she got out of the plane, she was hit with the Santa Fe heat and humidity. She looked around to see if Daphne was there and she was not there. She also noticed that there were no other people in the waiting area, outside of the passengers. "Excuse me." she tapped the person in front of her.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed as she jumped up and down. "Your Maureen Johnson! I LOVED you in Across the Universe: Musical! I went to New York and saw you in it twice! You were fucking amazingly beautiful in that!"

Maureen smiled and nodded. "Thanks. Hey I was wondering if you could tell me where we meet up with the people who's supposed to pick us up?"

"At the baggage claim."

"Thanks a lot." Maureen turned to walk away when the same girl tapped her shoulder.

"Hey I was wondering, can I have a pic?" she pulled out her phone. Even though she looked like shit, she smiled and responded with a 'sure' before leaning in and smiling with the girl.

"Thanks so much." She gave Maureen a quick hug and hopped off to where her friends were waiting for her.

"No problem." She dug into her purse and pulled out a Yankee's baseball hat and her oversized glasses.

When Maureen finally made it to the baggage claim, the last thing on her mind was her baggage. She searched the crowd of tears, hugs, handshakes, and people standing with name tags to look for a face she knew.

"AUNTIE!!" she heard someone yell and the next thing she knew a nineteen year old jumped and clung on to her from the front. After Maureen recovered she hugged the girl back, and held tight to her even though the girl unhooked her legs. "Girl I have missed you so much!"

"I have missed you hard core Aunt Maureen."

When they let go of each other, Maureen held Daphne at arms length and studied her up and down. "Have you been eating?" Daphne looked as though she had lost a mass amount of weight in a short period, her normally cream coffee complication was pale, and her green eyes had dark circles under them.

Daphne did not enjoy the look that Maureen was giving her. It was the same look that Roger had given her earlier that morning when they stopped for gas, and the same look that Jesse had been giving her for the past few weeks.

"Of course I have been eating." Daphne said defensively as she turned and pulled one of her curls behind her ear. "Have you met me?"

Maureen made a mental note to shove food down her throat the moment that she had the chance.

"So where's this boy toy of yours?" Maureen asked to change the subject as they both walked over to the conveyer belt that her suitcase would come out of.

"You mean Jesse?" Daphne smiled at his name. "He's good. He's in the car waiting for us to come out. I thought that you were going to bring baby Anthony, you know that Papi really wants to see him."

"I know. I was going to, but he got sick yesterday so Benny's staying with him."

"Ah, that sucks. I really wanted to see him."

Maureen sat her bag in between her legs and took off her sun glasses. "Yeah I know. Is Olivia with you?"

Daphne shook her head. "She's was with Jason last night. It was his weekend. Besides, I have been dealing with you and Mimi coming today, so he's going to have her for the rest of the day, but he's going to drop her off at Papi's house later on tonight."

"I can't wait to see her. I've got her so much stuff from Wicked and Across the Universe that I can't wait to give her."

"You do realize that you are spoiling her rotten, right?" Daphne said as she spotted Maureen's hot pink suitcase.

"But whats fun is having a famous aunt when she can't spoil her niece?"

"Great niece." Daphne corrected.

"Please don't say that," Maureen said as she approached the belt and pulled off her suitcase and pulled up. "it makes me feel old."

"Besides, you are suppose to be spoiling your 'niece' who is also your Goddaughter."

"Honey, you do realize that I have spent enough money on you." Maureen smiled back at Daphne while they were making their way out of the airport. "Now that you are old, you have been replaced by your daughter."

Daphne's mouth dropped as she followed Maureen out of the airport. "God I hate you."

"Only pure love would make you wait for me, even though my flight was a whole hour late." Daphne grimaced.

"Actually, I was happy that I found it was an hour late, because I was running late anyway."

When they walked outside to the Ten-Thirty Santa Fe sun, Maureen cursed. "Holy fuck. I left Toronto, it was snowing."

"Yeah, well, welcome to Santa Fe." Daphne looked around and spotted her Toyota Highlander down the road. "I'm down there." she pointed.

As they approached Maureen noticed that there was someone sitting in the back seat. Confused, she stood back as the hatch back was popped up and as the three toned blonde hair slid down in the seat. Maureen became queasy as the top of blonde head stopped moving. Slamming the hatch back down she turned around to face Daphne, who was ready to face Maureen. "You fuckin' lied to me."

Daphne held her hands up. "I knew if I told you, that you would not come."

"Daphne, he fuckin' hates me. You know that!" She turned to reopen the hatch back. "I'm going back. I'm not dealing with his shit."

Daphne threw her self in between the handle and Maureen. "Listen, it is a short ride home. I know you two can handle each other until then."

Maureen crossed her arms over her chest. "One crack and I swear I'm back to Toronto where I don't have to deal with his shit."

Maureen walked to the opposite end of where Roger was sitting and got in. Daphne sat in the passenger seat and closed door. Jesse looked over at Daphne and she motioned for him to drive. He knew that before long she was going to scream, whether it was going to be at Roger, Maureen, or him, he knew that she was going to break.

Everything was quiet while Jesse made his way though usual airport traffic, but like Roger, he could not keep his mouth shut. "Hey Mrs. Coffins."

"Hi." She crossed her legs away and angled her body so that her back was away from him.

"How's Adam?"

"Don't know. Haven't talked to Joanne since Will died."

Daphne hung her head. She didn't know why she thought that this was going to be easier then what it was really going to be.

"You would thin-"

On cue, Jesse turned on and up the radio. They were now drowned in Frank Sinatra's New York, New York.