The Sunny Chronicles II: Resurrections: Chapter Ten

"What?" exclaims Leo, mouth agape. "What do you mean she was David's daughter? How is that possible?"

"I told you, a lot has changed since you've been gone. David found out that a one-night stand he had in college resulted in a pregnancy that he never knew about, until recently. He wasn't the only one who was surprised by the news either. Babe and her mother had no idea he was the father until a fluke DNA test proved he was."

Leo runs a hand through his hair and breathes out a heavy sigh. "Well, this just got a lot more complicated than I was hoping for."

"No kidding," says Maggie. "Leo, if you run to David now with all this information …"

"But … he doesn't have to know what Frankie did," he points out.

"Um, yeah, he does," Maggie protests. "At least, he'll have to eventually. Greenlee's sister told me that the police think Babe might have jumped. Do you really want David to live the rest of his life thinking that his daughter committed suicide when she didn't?"

"Well, no … but …"

"Look, David gave Maria Grey the same drug Vanessa gave Frankie, she lost her memory too. But it came back all on it's own because of her love for Edmund. Couldn't we try some natural techniques to jog Frankie's memory? Before we take her to David?"

"Maria Grey is alive?"

"Yeah … You have a LOT to catch up on. We'll have time for that later," she promises. "Right now, we've got to come up with a new plan."

"That's not going to be easy," he tells her. "Even if we capture Frankie and manage to get her memory back, what good will that do us? It's only going to buy us time. My brother will still make Frankie's life a living hell when he finds out what she's done."

"Unless …" Maggie says, standing up. She begins pacing and biting a fingernail, a look of concentration on her face.

"Unless what?"

"Well, Vanessa is the one truly responsible for this entire mess, including Babe's murder," she says, thinking aloud.

"Babe," he says with a huff of laughter. "Who names their kid Babe anyway?"

"Leo, focus!" she demands, stopping in her tracks to face him. "Geez … sometimes you can be as bad as Bianca at paying attention."

"I'm sorry. It's just … what a crazy name. Did her mother name her after the big blue Ox?"

"You have no idea how ironic that really is," she tells him dryly. "Look, since this is all Vanessa's fault, she should be the one to take the blame. All we have to do is smoke her out of wherever she's hiding and lure her to Pine Valley. If she's brought out in the open, then David will go after her instead of my sister … I hope."

"Are you nuts?" he asks. "The whole reason I've been hiding all this time is so that Vanessa would not come to Pine Valley! If you bring her here, you'll risk Greenlee, Bianca, and yourself. Not to mention your sister."

"Not necessarily," she says. "We can protect them if we're careful about this, Leo. And, besides … don't you want this to be over? Finally? Whether David kills Vanessa or she goes to prison doesn't even matter. Either way, we all win. You get Greenlee back, I get my sister back, and Bianca is safe. We'll all be safer once we stop Vanessa … for good."

"I don't know, Mags. I still don't think it's a good idea."

"Greenlee's sister Sunny knows what's going on. She's the only one besides us that does," Maggie tells him. "When I can't glue myself to Bianca's side, she can. And, she can also watch Greenlee's back. We'll just have to be vigilant, and Vanessa will fall right in our hands."

"What makes you so sure Vanessa will even show up?" he questions. "She has henchmen everywhere. She'll just send one of them, rather than risking her own head."

"She doesn't even know that you're here," she points out. "Or that anyone knows Frankie is alive! But, she does know that Frankie's here, and that she came here to assassinate someone, right?"

"Right …"

"So, when Frankie doesn't come back for her next assignment …"

"… assuming she hasn't already left town," he reminds her.

"Right, assuming that," she agrees. "Won't she want to know where in the hell Frankie went?"

"Which means she'll have to check out the background on Frankie's latest victim …"

"Which means she'll find out that Babe Chandler was, in fact, her own granddaughter."

"… And, she might just think that her sneaky, diabolical son David found Frankie himself …"

"Which has got to bring her straight to David," Maggie finally concludes. "She won't be able to rest, thinking that David could be holding hostage the one person who knows all her dirty little secrets!"

"Especially when she knows that he has the brains to think up a potential cure for Frankie's lost memory," Leo goes on, finally seeming more excited about Maggie's new plan. "And, she wouldn't send henchmen for that job. Not when it comes to David. She'll want to handle it herself."

"Exactly."

"It's still risky," he adds with an eyebrow raise.

"But it's a risk we've got to take," she emphasizes. "For everyone's sake."

"So, where do we start?"

"Well, first we have to find Frankie and hide her somewhere. Otherwise, none of this will work."

He gives her a serious look. "Frankie's not easy to find. Trust me. The girl is slick."

"Fine. So this might take time," she agrees. "So be it. I've got all the time in the world."

"What about me?" he asks. "While we sit around and wait for Frankie to slip up and show herself, I've still got to hide myself. And, it's hard to hide a dead guy in this town."

"I think I know of the perfect place to stash you," she says thoughtfully. "But first, I need to check in with Sunny. Bianca must be a wreck right now, and she's probably wondering where I am."