A/N: Hey fans! I've updated this story yet again, and this chapter is definitely a doozy! A lot is going on here, so I apologize for any confusion! I'd like to thank CerebralPrincess, xoxo olivia, Esha Napoleon, DarkAngelElektra, RKOsgirl92, and BigRedMachineUK for your awesome reviews! Love you guys! OK, enough of this chit chat, read, review, and enjoy! :)

Chapter 12: Reclaiming What's Mine

Batista parallel parked his black SUV on the corner of Shunk and Lambert streets. The engine roared with thrust as he pressed an automatic button on his door to lower the windows. Though the air conditioner was kept to a minimum, the Animal wanted to breathe in the air from the outside. He looked over at his rearview mirror, adjusting his dark sunglasses. He tugged his black baseball cap down so that nobody would recognize him.

The restraining order prevented the young father from being in close contact with his daughters, but it didn't stop him from seeing them at a distance. This was a critical time in their lives where a parent should be present in their children's lives. After his meeting with the McMahon family, Batista kept calling his mother-in-law's house to speak to his girls, but he would always hit a roadblock. Once a person on the other line recognized his voice, he or she would immediately hang up. This frustrated him to no end. All he wanted to do was make sure his girls were alright. He never doubted that the Del Piero family wouldn't take good care of them, but he missed Carrie and Athena so much that he would lie wide awake at nights, thinking and daydreaming of a possible reunion with them. He also wondered if they missed him as much as he missed them. Or better yet, he thought about whether they would remember him.

With the birds chirping and the sun shining brightly on top of the roofs, Batista hoped he would get a chance a glimpse of his girls playing outside. The last thing he wanted to do was cause any more trouble.

Batista pulled the key out of the ignition and leaned back against the headrest, propping his massive elbow against the door. He veered to the right and saw the one thing that was very familiar from his vantage point. With the exception of the cars parked single filed along the narrow, one-way street, the front side of Batista's mother-in-law's brick home was clearly visible.

It had been many months since he visited his old neighborhood. Everything appeared the same on the outside. The row of big, tall trees lined up on the curb of each home, signs of "GO PHILLIES" and "GO FLYERS" were decorated on every other porch. At the Del Piero's front porch, there would usually be scores of potted plants. Maria loved flowers. She'd say that flowers always made the home a happy place.

But so much has changed.

Even though the family had most likely received dozens of flower arrangements from loved ones, it still didn't quell the drama and the sadness from inside the home. Months later, they were still mourning for Angie, at the same time, provoking the law to protect Carrie and Athena from their father.

Then there was Regina, who, from Batista's knowledge, was fighting for her own life. Was she still in the hospital? Is she able to walk?

As he continued to stare at the house, the widower found himself feeling sorry for Regina. She had just gotten promoted at her dream job when tragedy suddenly appeared at her doorstep. The poor girl had dealt with her fair share of tragedy during her lifetime. Batista wondered what would happen if he ever saw her again. What would he say? Would she accept his apologies? Would she forgive him? Would she retaliate? These questions and more kept circulating his mind.

Just then, the sound of young children laughing in the background broke Batista's train of thought. He looked over his dashboard to see where the source of the noise was coming from.

What he saw next made him smile from ear to ear. Batista's incognito look couldn't mask his excitement as it became so contagious that he had to get out of the car.

Wearing a light yellow dress and matching open-toe sandals, Carrie was a ray of sunshine as she laughed out loud with her little cousins. Her laughter evaporated when a loud, familiar voice called her name. The little girl immediately turned around.

"Carrie, you be good! No go in the street, OK?" a middle-aged woman, dressed in black, instructed the child in her signature, thick Italian accent. She stood at the porch's top step. "I watch you from inside."

"OK, Nonna!" the little girl yelled to her grandmother Maria as she ran to join the other kids. Maria nodded as she turned around and headed back inside.

Carrie was having a ball playing with her little cousins. Her joy and enthusiasm didn't dampened the fact that neither she had lost her mother months ago nor she was in the middle of a battle between her relatives and her father. To the little girl's advantage, she wasn't aware of the drama regarding her and her sister Athena's well-being and what would eventually follow.

She played a whole slew of games with her cousins, including hop-scotch, duck-duck-goose, and four-square. At times, Maria came outside to check on her grandchildren before returning to her housework. Several minutes passed before Carrie finally threw her hands up. All that running and jumping around made her sweat and very tired.

"I'm going to go sit down," she yelled to her cousins. As she climbed up the porch steps, two of her female cousins followed suit. Maria had provided little fruit juice boxes for the kids in case they became thirsty. Carrie and her cousins gulped their preferred flavors and relaxed. The drinks seemed to remedy their spirits, as two of the girls quickly stood up and started playing again.

In the meantime, Carrie stayed back and watched her little cousins play in jubilant glee. Her sojourn at her grandmother's house provided an excellent way to reconnect with her Philly relatives, whom she'd rarely see since her home base was on Long Island. Carrie was having a ball in Philadelphia. She got to sightsee around the city from visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell to attending her first Phillies game. Her relatives tried hard to protect her from any drama, but it didn't replace the deep hole in her little heart that wished that she could share her joy with her mommy and daddy.

During the time of living with her grandmother, Carrie got to witness her aunts and uncles showering love to their offspring. Now that is not to say that she or Athena didn't get any love. But these days, life just wasn't fair, and she couldn't understand why. The more she saw delight in her cousins' face while they were with their parents, the more sad she became, the more she missed her parents.

"Come on, Carrie, let's play!" yelled one of her cousins.

But Carrie didn't listen. She sat on the step with her head bowed, thinking. Mommy was in Heaven, Daddy was away, and she was alone. Of course, she wasn't alone because baby Athena was in the same boat. But her little sister was still too young to understand anything. Carrie especially missed her father, with whom she shared a tight bond. The little girl hadn't heard from him since the funeral. She remembered one of his last words to her:

I promise you I'll never leave you and your sister … You're all I got.

The inquisitive girl would bug her relatives on her father's whereabouts, but their response would be simply that Batista was too busy.

Was Batista breaking his promise? Did she do something wrong for him to do this? Didn't he love her anymore? The thought of her father not spending any time with her made the little girl cry.

Her cousins noticed Carrie's sad face and walked over to the front steps. "Carrie, what's wrong?" one of the kids asked. "Why aren't you playing with us?"

Carrie raised her little head, her eyes were rosey red as tears streamed down her face. "I miss my daddy," she cried out.

At first, the kids didn't say anything. They stood around her, watching Carrie sob. Then one of her cousins sat beside her and placed her arm around her. "Don't worry, Carrie," the cousin reassured. "You'll see him again."

But Carrie shook her head as she wiped her tears. "No I won't."

"Well, I heard Uncle Dave went to jail because he did something wrong," replied one of Carrie's boy cousins.

The group raised their eyes in shock at the little boy, wondering why he spilled the awful truth.

"That's not true!" Carrie shouted.

"Uh-huh," the boy answered back with defiance. "My daddy said that your daddy dropped-"

"That's enough!" yelled one of Carrie's girl cousins at the boy. She gave him the cold stare. She was the oldest of the group. "Now come on, everybody, we were having fun. Why should we spoil it? Let's play some more before Nonna calls us in for dinner." She motioned the gang to follow her on to the sidewalk. When she saw Carrie still sitting on the step, the eldest cousin sighed and walked over to the step again. "Carrie, aren't you coming?"

"Is it true my daddy's in jail?" the little girl asked.

The eldest cousin sat on the step again and placed her arm around Carrie, hoping to inject some comfort. She had been instructed by her parents not to utter the whole truth. It'd be too much for the little girl to handle, plus she was too young to understand. The cousin did her best to dance around the subject. "I really don't know." It was the best answer she could think of off the top of her head.

"Will I see him again?"

"You will," the eldest cousin smiled. She patted Carrie's shoulder. "Come on, let's go play jump rope before we go inside. OK?"

Finally, Carrie smiled and nodded her head. The two cousins stood up and walked hand in hand to join the others. A few minutes later, laughter and joy erupted again as the kids seemed to enjoy themselves again. Carrie wasn't very good at the concept of jumping over the rope, but she loved to soar from her feet. It would take time and practice before she master the rhythm, but at the moment she enjoyed swinging the colorful rope over her head. A great mimic, the little girl closed her eyes and at one point, jumped clockwise and counter-clockwise with the rope in hand.

When Carrie finally opened her eyes, she spotted the one thing that made all of her sadness rapidly disappear into thin air.

"DADDY!!" She cried out, her tone was infectiously excited. At the end of the street, Batista had watched his daughter play in jubilee and then cry in sadness. As soon as he heard Carrie cry, he desperately wanted to run and comfort her, telling her that everything would be OK, that he loved her very much, and that he never forgot her or her sister. Batista didn't think Carrie would notice his disguised presence, but deep down he was glad she did. This proved that their bond was still strong.

Before Carrie's playmates could say anything, the little girl had already dropped her jump rope and took off down the gravel sidewalk to her father. "DADDY!" she yelled again. Her face lit up with an inner radiance of joy. It was the quality that Batista loved so much about his daughter. Her little heart was racing as she longed for the moment that they would be reunited. Smiling, Batista took his sunglasses and ran toward his daughter. Right now, the restraining order didn't mean anything to him. His heart melted. He missed her so much. The young father squatted down and held out his hands as Carrie quickly closed the gap and wrapped her little arms tightly around his neck.

In return, Batista wrapped his massive arms around her and picked her up from off the ground. He twirled Carrie around a few times, laughing and just being happy. He planted small kisses on her cheeks and forehead. When he finally set her down, Batista lovingly gazed into his daughter's eyes, wiping away the tears from her face. He squatted down in front of her and held her hands.

"Daddy, you kept your promise," Carrie replied happily. "You came for me."

There were so many things he wanted to say to her in that moment, explain the reason for his absence, explain about the current situation, but he wanted to enjoy this precious moment, no matter how little it would be. Batista smiled as he hugged his little girl again. "I missed you. You don't know how much I miss you," his raspy voice choked with emotion. He ran his hands down Carrie's medium dark brown hair.

"I missed you too, Daddy," the little girl confided. "So does Athena."

"How are you two doing? Are you girls OK? Are they taking good care of you?" Batista asked, his face immediately grew with concern. But his worried expression quickly subsided when Carrie reassured him that she and Athena were alright. In fact, Carrie spilled all the adventures she experienced with the family.

Batista smiled, relieved that his daughters were doing well. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long before he would be able to take his girls home.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, sweetie," Batista's expression softened again.

"Don't leave me."

It killed Batista to pieces knowing that he would have to break his little girl's heart. He hated the fact that he would have to leave her alone again, but he had to comply with the law, even though at the current moment, he was already breaking the rules. If it were up to Batista, he would take his girls away with him in an instant. They deserved to be with their father. If he was going to get his girls back, he needed Carrie's full cooperation.

"Baby, I want you to listen to me very carefully," Batista instructed her, caressing her cheek. His voice became rough with feeling. "Even though you don't see me every day, I'm always going to be with you. Right now, you and Athena are going to stay with Nonna, but soon you'll be able to come home with me."

The little girl started to get fussy as tears rolled down her eyes. "Noooo, Daddy, I want to come with you now! Please don't leave me! Please! I miss you!"

"I miss you too! Believe me, I don't like this one bit. I hate being away from you and Athena," Batista looked over Carrie's shoulder, hoping no one would come out of the house. "Listen to me, honey!" He gently grabbed her shoulders. "There are some things that I need to take care of."

"What kinds of things?" Carrie inquired her father.

"Grown-up things. I'll tell you about that later. As soon as I'm done with that, I will come and get you and Athena. I promise you! For right now, you behave yourself for Nonna."

"Are you sure you'll come and get us?" Carrie's inquisitiveness took immediate control.

"Pinky swear," Batista held out his pinky and linked it with Carrie's. Despite his sorrow, he put up a brave front for his daughter as he hugged her tightly. "No matter what happens. Remember one thing, baby…" He whispered softly in her ear. "I love you very much. And you tell Athena that I love her too."

"I love you too, Daddy," Carrie answered softly. She rested her little head on her father's shoulder. Lulled by the security of her father, she held him tight, not wanting to let him go.

"CARRIE, GET BACK IN THE HOUSE NOW!" A man suddenly shouted from the top of his lungs. The young father and his daughter reluctantly broke their embrace and looked over at the front porch. Regina's brother Matt ran down the steps and sprinted toward their direction. "LET GO OF HER NOW!"

"Daddy, I'm scared," Carrie quivered softly. Still squatting, Batista gently took her hand and brought her back, pulling the little girl against his chest and wrapping his arms around her protectively. He leaned in a bit and gently kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, baby, I got you," he whispered in her ear, before turning his full attention to Matt.

Almost panting, Matt came to a full stop. "I said let her go!" He tried to break Batista's hold from Carrie. The little girl cried in discomfort. "NO!" she yelled. Unfortunately, Matt's action proved to be unsuccessful as Batista's grip was too strong.

Matt saw his niece's face was filled with fright. In his eyes, she was not safe in her father's arms. "Carrie, please go inside right now!" he ordered, but the little girl shook her head. "I want to stay with Daddy!"

"You heard her, Matt. She's been through enough already. Don't make her even more upset!" Batista spoke up, his tone was serious. "I won't let you hurt her."

"I'm the one that's hurting her?" Matt replied sarcastically as he pointed to the little girl. "It seems to me like all the blame is pointing directly at you. I am not even close to being finished with you yet."

Batista's features became emotionless. He could feel the anger boiling inside his nerves. Matt was doing a tremendous job of pushing him over the edge, but it wasn't going to work. Not this time.

"Come on, Carrie. Let's go!" In one instant, Matt yanked Carrie's arm away from Batista. The Animal tried to fight him off, but Matt managed to break the contact. The little girl screamed and cried at the top of her lungs as she was dragged away from her father. "DADDY! DADDY!" she cried out, her face was drenched in salty tears. She tried to pull herself away from her uncle and stretched her hand out to reach her father's. "DADDY, DON'T LEAVE ME! LET ME GO! PLEASE! DADDY!!" Matt eventually picked her up and handed her off to his wife. "Take her inside now!" he instructed her over his niece's cries.

Batista's heart crumpled into pieces as the distance between them grew farther apart. Carrie continued kicking and screaming in her aunt's arms. "I WANT MY DADDY!" He could her little arms reached out to him until she ultimately was carried inside the house. He tried run after his daughter, but Matt pushed him back.

"Get out of my way, Matt," Batista shoved him in return. He was getting angrier and angrier by the second.

"No I won't because you don't belong here. How many times do I have to tell you that you have no place in our family anymore?" Matt shouted.

"My girls are in there! They belong to me!" the young widower retorted back. "And I'm leaving here till I get them."

Matt chuckled. He brought his hands together in a slow, sarcastic applause. "Bravo! I'm thoroughly impressed by your determination..." He showed off a shallow smirk, which then ultimately returned to a serious expression. "…but it's not going to work with me. You see, in case you didn't know, we have a restraining order against you. And since you broke it … well that means there are going to be some consequences, but then again you are used to that sort of thing."

"I miss the hell out of them. You can't take my daughters away from me," Batista tried to stay strong, but his raspy voice displayed some emotion. He didn't care if he had to grovel in front of his brother-in-law. In the end, he wanted to reclaim what was his from the start – Carrie and Athena. "They're all I've got."

"You should have thought of that before you dropped my sister through a table!" Now Matt's voice was getting angry. "But no… you decided to celebrate my sister's life by getting drunk and pounding people. You get paid to do it every night anyway. So why not inflict it on the innocent people, right? He emphasized each point by pressing his index finger on Batista's chest.

"I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?"

"I want nothing from you. The family wants nothing to do with you," Matt raised his hands and shook his head. "You're nothing but a loser, Dave. Always have been, always will be. So why don't you go back to your precious mansion and your precious cars and your precious job and leave us the hell alone."

"Not without my girls!" Batista repeated himself, his voice belying only a hint of anger.

Matt chuckled again. "You don't get it, do you? You lost your girls the day you hurt my sister. You not only did that, but you also dishonored your late wife's memory," The brother-in-law was on a roll now, making hand gestures like any other Italian. "Now thanks to you, every anniversary of Angie's death, we are going to be constantly reminded of your despicable, selfish actions that day! After everything we did for you, you spat on my family when you hurt Regina. And that's something, you can never take back. So what's the one thing I'm going to take from you?" With that, Matt reached in his back pocket and pulled out a rectangular-shaped white envelope. He slammed it in Batista's hands.

Batista creased in his face with confusion as he opened the envelope and pulled out the packet. He skimmed the pages and couldn't believe what he discovered. His body began to tense as he looked up at Matt, who was smiling. He never felt more pissed off that he did at the moment.

"You're suing me for full custody?" The last thing he needed on his lap was another bombshell.

"Not just me, but the whole family," Matt replied confidently. "We are going to take the two things that mean the most to you. And when we win, we are going to watch you hurt. We are going to watch you suffer."

Batista's expression was tight with fury as he witnessed Matt laughing his head off. His breathing became more heavily as his anger started building up. Batista ground his teeth together furiously.

"You bastard…" With that, he dropped the documents on the ground and went after Matt. He shoved him to the ground and placed his hands around his brother-in-law's neck.

A scuffle broke out between the two men in front of the house.

Meanwhile, upstairs in her bedroom, Regina laid on her back wide awake. She couldn't drown out the commotion from downstairs – from the kids screaming that Uncle Dave had arrived to Carrie's deafening outburst as she was forcefully entered through the door.

She couldn't drown out the commotion from outside where two men seemed to be brawling with words. Regina pulled back the covers and gently pulled herself off the bed. She winced in pain as she limped towards the window, trying to will the lingering pain on her legs. She placed her hand on the wall for support.

Regina leaned against the window ledge and placed her hand on her ribs, where they were still very bruised. She looked down at the source of the commotion. There, she saw Dave and Matt fighting with one another again. Her younger brother, Nate, and a few other guys ran over and tried to break up the fight.

Tears streamed down her face, and she made no effort to wipe them away. It was no use anyway. Nothing much mattered anymore. She already lost her sister. Little by little, she lost one thing after another – her job, her self-esteem, her will to live, and possibly her family. The sting in her eyes reminded her that she was still alive. But she didn't care anymore. Everything around her was a blur. She felt alone.

Physically, Regina knew she was going to be fine. But after witnessing the fight from a distance, she felt that her life was over.