Chapter 10

Sarah was happy for one moment of having Monica to be her official mother, however something terribly went wrong. One moment she was happy and sitting next to her feeling warm and comforted, the next instant she is taken away by the officer of the court. Sarah was perched up on a chair and fidgeting with her blouse button. Sarah looks out the window hoping for a miracle that her father and Monica could figure this out and make the adoption legal. The voice behind made her lose focus from the sky and turns to the voice, "Sarah Griffin is it?" Sarah looks at the officer and nods to his question.

The man looks back at her giving her a bottle of Minute Maid apple juice as he sat down beside the judge's desk. "I've worked with your father a few times. I knew him since he became a young rookie back in the day."

Sarah doesn't want to make small talk and took a sip of the apple juice, "Am I in trouble is that why I'm in this room?"

"No you are not in trouble." The officer smiles to her, but the child didn't look to be in a joyful mood.

"Did Monica do something wrong with filling out the adoption forms?" Sarah asks again.

The officer looked into Sarah's blue eyes, as he told her what he knew, "All I know is that the reason the adoption was postpone because something came up. Not that your stepmom or Roan's new wife did something wrong, just sometimes things get misinterpreted. Don't worry Sarah everything will be just fine."

"Can I see my dad or Monica now?" Sarah asks wanting to get out of this so called judge's chamber that felt more like dungeon chamber of doom than anything, and go back to her family.

"I wish I could Sarah, I really wish I could, but until the judge says otherwise you are going to have to stay with me." The officer said with a sympatric smile. "How about some checkers to play or a game of cards?"

Sarah looks up at the officer, "Do you guys have a chess board?"

"You know how to play Chess?" The officer arches an eyebrow.

"My dad taught me. Yeah..So do you want to play?" Sarah smiles

"Sure….just got to warn you I am a master at chess." The officer bragged.

"Really….we'll see about that." Sarah challenges the officer to a game of chess.

…..

Crystal glares over at her ex-husband and hi s new wife. The eyes she gave to Monica was a threat and it made Monica feel uncomfortable to be around her in the same room. She turns her focus back to the judge who was looking over the papers.

"Miss Burston are you certain you want to do this?" The judge asks.

"Yes your honor, I came back to Gracie for one purpose and that purpose is to get my daughter back one way or another." Crystal stated.

Griffin stood up, ready to burst out of rage at his ex-wife's claim on their daughter. Monica senses his anger as she gave him a glance saying keep clam you are going to make matters worse. The judge looks back to Monica and Griffin then to Crystal, "There is nothing I could do here, however I would suggest a family court to settle out this fuse between your battles for this child. For right now the child stays with Roan Griffin and Monica Griffin." The judge hits the mallet on the blunt palette to dismiss this case. She gave a sympatric look to Monica saying how sorry she is.

Griffin walks out of the court room with ferry. Monica walks pass Crystal not making eye contact where she will get Sarah. Just before she moves to the front Crystal stops her, "I will see you later. I will win Sarah back. She misses me, she needs her mother, and not you."

Crystal slowly turns away from her but Monica stops her, "Crystal…you think you are doing this for her, but what you are really doing is pulling your daughter farther away from you. Your right she does need a mother but not this way. Sarah needs a mother to love her, and to be there for her."

"Oh and I suppose a stepmother like you could ever compare to me. You never given birth to her Monica, you haven't brought her into this world, and raised since she was an infant. Well I have. And she loves me." Crystal gave a smirk on her face, as Gloria came from behind Crystal and steps in between her assignment and Monica.

"Crystal…that's enough. You done what you need to do, now just go. Please." Gloria begged.

Crystal looks into Gloria's eyes and then to Monica's, "Cross me again like that Monica, and you will be sorry." Crystal turns on her heals and marches out the doors.

Gloria turns to Monica, "I'm sorry Monica…really I am."

"That's okay….you just here to protect me that's all." Monica sounded relief.

"Monica…..I didn't want to tell you….but Crystal Burston, your husband's ex-wife, is my assignment." Gloria confessed.

Monica's eyes went cold in that moment, "She's your what?"

"See I didn't want to tell you because I know how much this hurts you." Gloria stated.

"Gloria, She…She is the one that broke Griffin's heart as well as Sarah by leaving them….And now she pulls this by stopping me from being Sarah's mom. And now thanks to her there is going to be a custody battle between us and her for Sarah. And now you are going to take her side aren't you…." Monica broke in a shaken voice for the fear of her daughter's broken heart.

"Monica….angels don't take sides, you know that. I'm on God's side, and he sent me to help her. I know this hurts you….believe me it hurts me as well. But God has a plan and this is part of it. I got to go, but remember that Sarah loves you and nothing comes between a love that is shared between a mother and a child. Have faith in that okay." Gloria said giving Monica a squeeze to the hand for encouragement." Gloria looks into Monica's eyes, "For the record Monica…Sarah is your child, don't let Crystal take that away from you…Sarah loves you, you know that. Now go get your daughter so that you and your husband can go home and sort through this..okay."

Monica nods as she wipes a little bit of her tears from her eyes. She knows in her heart that she has to tell Sarah the truth way the adoption didn't went through. This was going to break her heart as well as her almost new daughter. She took a couple of deep breaths and follows a court police to the judge chambers to get Sarah.

…

Monica pauses at the door to find Sarah laughing. She softly knocks on the door, as the officer that took Sarah away from the court room open the door for her. Monica stares at him for thanking him for his word, and he silently nods to her. "Sarah, guess who is here?"

Sarah looks up from her game plan as a beam of happiness came over her face to see Monica, "Monica!" Sarah giggles as she rushes over to her, and embraces with a hug. Then Sarah turns to the police officer, "Oh and check mate, for you Mr. Barson. I just beat you yet again."

The police officer looks stunned as he glances at the game board then to his opponent. "Well, Mrs. Griffin, you got a talented chess player, she beats me at my own game."

Monica looks down at her child, and smiles, "She's one of a kind…she even beats me at it. Thank you so much for watching her."

"Oh don't be, her father was like a son of mine, and this little munchkin here, always has been his troubles."

Sarah looks at the officer, "I was not."

The officer just smiles, and then follows the two females out of the judge's chambers. "Just go to the right and out on the steps..Your husband should be there."

Monica nods her thanks to the officer as she leads Sarah to her father. Once they were outside she spots him by Kerry, and then shortly Griffin spots them and rushes over to her.

…..

Griffin paces back in forth outside of the court house trying to calm down from seeing her. He glances up and finds Kerry looking at him, "When the hell she came back?"

"I don't know Griff….I'm just as surprise as you are." Kerry said coming closer to her adopted brother. "Believe I'm just as pissed off as you are that she came back and ruin this day for Monica as well as your daughter."

"Kerry….I am behind pissed off. I'm so mad right now I can barely see straight. For 6 years….she had me….me to pick up this family that she had broken to pieces and now she wants to come back in Sarah's life after everything she put Sarah through….. I can't let her Kerry I just can't.." Griffin broke.

Kerry came to him and embraces him. Griffin felt so angry and hurt inside, he loses it and sobs hurt tears into his adopted sister. Kerry knows how much Griffin is hurting, and she too felt angry and hurt of her best friend's betrayal. Kerry gave her former best friend the deadliest stare, and told her to back off. "Griff…go to Monica and be with her and your daughter. They need you…Monica needs you."

"God what am I going to Sarah…" Griffin stated

"For right now nothing. You don't want to shatter your daughter's heart right now with this. You two just got married, make her believe in that wonderland, while your worlds are burning to hell." Kerry stated.

Griffin agrees with her. Right now having his daughter happy, makes his world happy even though right now it feels like it's breaking. Griffin gives Kerry a hug and kindly adds, "Thank for everything Kerry….I don't know what I will do without you or Chris."

Kerry smiles to her somewhat older brother, "I know. Now go." Griffin gave Kerry a kiss on the forehead and rushes to meet his wife and daughter.

Kerry turns and walks over to Crystal's white Nissan car, "Crystal.."

"Well if it is my backstabbing best friend who took Griffin side and not mine." Crystal spat back.

"Oh stop it! Stop with this playing the victim card. And I didn't take his side Crystal, you left. You left him and your daughter while you were out fooling around with Gary. I stayed up night after night trying to comfort your husband because he was going through hell after the way you betray him. I just came over here to tell you to back off from your former family. You are not the one that is hurting." Kerry said with an angry tone.

"Oh really? Do you know what Kerry…I had 2 fucking years with grief of my own stupidly for leaving them. And then watch my husband marrying another woman, and watch her become best friends with my former best friend, and then stopping her from taking the one thing that was the best thing in my life. So tell me Kerry…who here is the victim. Me or Monica." Crystal stated.

"To tell you the honest truth, your daughter is the victim. I can't let you destroy her life the way you destroy Griffin's. She is finally happy, and sorry if it hurts you as a mother, but you weren't there for her when she need you the most." Kerry said bagging her to drop the claim.

"I'm sorry too…sorry that you lost faith in me, and that you think I'm a bitch for doing that. But I'm telling you I'm not that person, and that I want a claim in Sarah's life too." Crystal slams the car door in Kerry's face as she drives off.

Kerry walks back to her own car, and in the driver's seat she weeps for the lost friendship she once shared between Crystal. Now she looks to her former best friend, and to her she seems more like a stranger than a close friend she once knew. And the custody battle of Sarah is killing her heart. After a moment or two of sobbing Kerry turns the key in the ignition and started the car.

…

Once Monica and Griffin arrive home and Sarah rushes up to her room to get out of her nice cloths Monica turns to Griffin. "Griff, we need to talk."

"If it's about telling Sarah that Crystal is back, you can forget it." Griffin walks over to the kitchen to pour some coffee.

"Roan..she has a right to know the truth about why I'm not her legal mother right now…" Monica presses on.

"Monica…" Griffin pulls back from the counter to look at her.

"We need to tell her…." Monica tries to make her point but Griffin steps in and stops her from speaking.

"Not right now…Monica we just got married and this is her first day back with us as a family. I'm not letting the news of my ex-wife returning back here, and ruining Sarah's happiness." Griffin stated.

Monica trying to keep so that Sarah will not hear their argument, "Griffin…we need to tell her. It's better to tell her the truth than having your ex-wife showing up at the door, and setting Sarah into shock or something."

Griffin looks to Monica, and knows that she is probably right, but he doesn't want to see his happy little girl go back into that mode again shortly after Crystal bailed on them. "I'm sorry Monica…but I don't agree with you…Just let her be happy. She needs to live in her happy wonderland." Griffin turns to look out the window.

Monica looks into her husband's hurting eyes before he turned away. Then she came to him and wrapping her arms around his waist, "I guess we are having our first marital argument." She said in a clam and soothing voice.

"I guess we are.." Griffin agrees with her and looks into Monica's soft brown eyes.

Monica gave him a little comforting smile, "Alright we will do it your way…but soon we got to tell her. She has the right to know the truth."

Griffin looks to her, and kisses her forehead, "thank you."

Monica looks into his hurting blue stare, "Don't thank me yet…I may not like this, but your right. Sarah deserves to be happy right now. And the last thing she needs is the two of us fighting."

A little smile came upon Griffin's face, "I love you.."

Monica looks back to him, and gently reaches up to stroke his hair, and then she pulls him to her lips and kisses him. After a brief moment of their lips crashing onto each other Monica pulls back, and even though she didn't physically say the words I love you back to him, Griffin knew that she told him that in her kiss as well as her eyes. Then in that moment Griffin heard his daughter coming down the stairs. Monica smiles to her husband, and laces her fingers with his and leads him into the living room with their daughter.