A/N: When I started watching the series, I didn't like Mimi. I loved her by the end. However, Stanley seems like the type of guy who would have married his high school girlfriend and settled down right out of school. This is my take on that. Any suggestions/comments welcome!

Disclaimer: I own nothing or anyone you recognize. Just playing with them for awhile. No money to be made.

A/N: It never made sense to me that the clinic shelter would have been let go to ruin, they would have been using it during tornados, or would at least have to have it kept up to code for that reason, so I changed the reason the shelter was uninhabitable. Also, I know this chapter has teenagers dealing with adult problems, but this situation is dealt with by teenagers every day, sorry if it offends.

Emily was moving deliberately. Trying to put on a cheerful face for the two 'deputies' and not let on to Bonnie that anything was wrong. She would have never led them there if she had known before.

"Lillie?" she mouthed as soon as the men weren't looking. The last thing she wanted them to know was that there was another hostage around.

"Asleep." She signed then pointed toward Missy's and Stanley's bedroom.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. If Lillie would just stay asleep, she could get the men out of there without the little girl ever knowing about them or vice-versa. She had to get them out of that house. She had a feeling no matter what they had said, things were going to get very ugly when Stanley did get home from Earl's place.

"What are you two saying?" The taller one demanded.

"Oh, I was just asking where her brother is," Emily smiled.

"And?"

"The neighboring farm," she answered then turned to Bonnie. "Why don't we get started on making these officers something to eat?"

Bonnie knew something was wrong. She had known Emily her whole life and she knew she was being too cheerful and helpful. She followed Emily to the kitchen. Emily came up to her when she was scrambling eggs and signed that she wanted to try to separate the men. Just then the smaller man put his arms around them.

"Why don't you help me with the coffee?" he asked looking down at Bonnie with a look that said coffee wasn't exactly what he was looking for.

"I'll show you where it is," Emily turned to him with, she hoped, an adoring smile. It worked as he followed her away from Bonnie.

She sat down on the sofa, still acting as if this guy hung the moon when something caught her eye and her smile became genuine for just a moment. Of course Missy would have Grandpa's guns. It would be a miracle if they still fired, but maybe if she could fool the men into thinking they would fire, they wouldn't actually have to.

1993

"Mama, I need to talk to you," Missy said, shyly. She had waited all morning for the boys and Johnston to leave.

Gail stopped short, a sense of dread running up her back. Missy still called Johnston 'Daddy', the boys did too at times, you know, when no one was around to see them not being cool, but when one her kids called her 'Mama' she knew something was wrong. She looked up from her sewing project. "What is it, Kiddo?"

Missy looked at her feet, not wanting to meet Gail's gaze. "Mama, I'm.., I'm.., I'm sorry, and it's nothing." She turned and ran back upstairs.

Now Gail knew it was serious. When her kids said it was nothing, it usually involved bail money or the fire department. She followed Missy up to her room.

"Melissa, what is going on?" She asked going into her bedroom. Missy wasn't there. When she heard Missy, sick in the bathroom, all the pieces fell into place. She had spent the last 22 years as an OB nurse. She had seen every stage pregnancy there was and had been through it herself. "Oh, Lord, please no," she whispered a prayer.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" she asked when Missy opened the door.

Missy nodded.

"Oh, Missy." A million thoughts ran through Gail's mind, fiery words jumping to her tongue about responsibility and disappointment, but it was hard to yell at someone who looked so miserable. Instead she stepped forward and hugged her daughter tightly. "It'll be okay. You're not the first pregnant teenager and you won't be the last. We'll figure out what to do."

"Daddy's never going to speak to me again, is he?" she sobbed.

"Your daddy is a stubborn man, but even he isn't that stubborn," Gail said. "Now, don't cry, Sweetheart. It's not good for my grandchild."

1993

"Johnston, I have to tell you something and you just have to shut up and listen," Gail said when they were in bed that night.

"Oh, I don't want to know," Johnston groaned. Any conversation that started like that wasn't going to be a happy one.

"Well you have to know," Gail said. "Because I know and I don't want to know this one alone, but just remember I am only the messenger."

"Okay, I guess I want to know," he said.

"Missy's pregnant."

"What the hell did you just say?" His voice was too flat. She called it his 'Mayor Green' voice. The one he only used when he was trying not to blow his top at someone.

"Missy's pregnant," she repeated.

"Just how are you so calm about this?"

"Give me a few hours and not a whole hell of a lot choices and I can be fantastic about most anything," she answered. "Now, you need to take the next few hours and get okay about it too."

"Well, I can't," he said, getting up.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm either going to yell at Missy or shoot Stanley," he said. "I'll decide which while I'm putting on my pants."

"Sit down, Johnston," she said sternly. "Don't make me take your pants."

"I can still shoot Stanley without my pants," he snapped.

"Yes, but who would want to see that mug shot?" she asked, trying to calm him down.

He looked at her then laughed for a second and sat down on the bed beside her. "What are we going to do, Grandma?"

"Ugh, don't call me that," she replied before turning serious. "What can we do? It's not exactly something that can be undone. Missy said that Stanley wants to marry her."

"No."

That wasn't the response she expected. "No?"

"That would a stupid mistake. She is seventeen and still in high school. You don't fix one stupid mistake by making another one," he replied.

"I'm not sure I would call not making our grandchild a bastard would be a mistake," she said.

"Letting our teenage daughter get married and drop out of school would be," Johnston answered.

"Johnston, Missy made a mistake but she's not stupid. She's not going to run wild once she's out of our house. Why do you think she will drop out?" Gail asked.

"How many married teenage mothers did you graduate with?" he asked.

"Times have changed. She's not going to just give up and drop out because she's married. Believe it or not, just being married wasn't her end plan," she said.

"Yeah, but how many teen mothers do you know that went on to become doctors?" Johnston asked. "Especially when their marriages come with a four year old to raise as well?"

"None," she admitted. "But if anyone can do it, it's Missy. She inherited this crazy stubborn streak from somewhere. Why don't we all just sit down and talk about it before we make any rash decisions?"

"I don't really have a choice in this, do I?"

"No," Gail shook her head not sure if he meant the situation or the talk.

He kissed her forehead and the stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs to think," he replied.

"You have to go downstairs to think?"

"I have to go downstairs to get the whiskey," he replied.

"Just promise me you won't shoot Stanley," she replied, lying down.

"If I do, I'll borrow some pants," he replied, leaving the room.

Sept. 2006

Jake's heart pounded as he raced to Missy's farm. He had promised Missy he would take care of her family and was about to fail miserably. And fail Emily again, too.

He never thought, just sighted and fired when he saw the man raise a gun on Emily. He just managed to get her inside the storm shelter when the rain started.

"Lillie is still upstairs," Bonnie was saying trying to go into the house.

"I'll get her," Jake said. "You stay here. I'll be right back."

He knew the Richmond house as well as he knew his own, quickly going up through the pantry and out into the kitchen.

"Lillie?" he called out. "Don't be scared. It's just Uncle Jake. Did those loud noises scare you?" He followed her soft crying into the master bedroom. She was huddled under a blanket.

"I want Daddy," she said.

"He's not here. Come on, Honey, we have to get downstairs. There's a storm," he said. "Aunt Bonnie is down there already." He picked her up, blanket and all.

"Baby!" she cried, reaching for the bed.

Jake turned around and saw her doll still on the bed. "You want your baby?" He grabbed the doll. "Your Mommy was crazy about Baby dolls. I used to hide them to make her mad, but your Daddy would always give them back to her," he rambled on to keep her calm.

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