Sorry everyone for practically deserting this story. I just came across it right now and had this terrific storyline in my head. All thanks to Days of Our Lives (really, people, it's the best soap ever!!!!), I have a whole new direction where I'm gonna take this. Enjoyyyyyy

Chapter 21

"Hi, my name is Elle Woods and I needed to speak to Mrs. Abigail Perry, please?" Elle inquired.

"One moment," Mrs. Perry's assistant said.

Elle sighed. Finally, a voice came through. "Abigail Perry speaking."

"Uh, yes! Mrs. Perry, I'm Elle Woods and I-"

"Listen, Miss Woods, the trial was won fairly and I believe that my ex client deserved that girl, so-"

"No, no, that's not why I was calling," Elle said, panicking. "I was curious to know what the defense was against the things that Mr. DeMira was found guilty for. According to courtroom rules, there needs to be a believable defense, and I found none."

"Well, Miss Woods, Mr. DeMira had the advantage of proving that since no custody had been done, Mrs. Wyndham wasn't allowed to keep the girl away from her father," Mrs. Perry explained.

"But it wasn't Brooke's fault that Mr. DeMira had disappeared and hadn't come back! I'm sure she would've let him see his daughter if he came with no policemen or lawyers to forcefully take Bailey away," Elle explained.

"There's also the side of saying that maybe she wouldn't have. She could've been angry that he left her and refused to answer his calls, and no one knows if he's been to her house before and she wouldn't let him in. There are many possibilities, and I don't have the time to explain all of them," Mrs. Perry said, sounding a bit annoyed.

"I understand. I really do, but everything I've said against Mr. DeMira gave the judge every right to give Bailey to her mother. There was no reason to give her to the father. Doesn't anyone see that the child needs her mother, and not some person who claims to love her, just for the pride of having a child? I'm not saying this because Brooke's my client. I don't care for the money. I want to see Brooke having her daughter with her. Doesn't it pain anyone to see both the child and the mother in agony because both are out of each other's lives?" Elle inquired, saying everything from her heart.

"Miss Woods, no one in the law business cares about anyone's feelings. No lawyer has a soft spot for these kind of cases. That's why lawyers are hired to do these. No judge is going to agree with what you said, just because she thinks that it would be better for a child to be with her mother. It doesn't pain me, the judge, or anyone else, and it shouldn't pain you. Mrs. Wyndham has brought this all on herself from the beginning with the abortion she had. Everything happening now is her own fault," Mrs. Perry told Elle.

"What do you mean?" Elle asked, feeling confused.

"Miss Woods, my time is up. If you want details, ask Brooke Wyndham. I couldn't care less for that child, nor for anyone who cries for her now," Mrs. Perry informed. "I don't want to expect any of your calls anymore. We have no relationship through the case that just ended, and I don't expect to have one. Good day." And she hung up.

"Wait!" Elle exclaimed but knew Mrs. Perry was gone. "And I got nowhere with this call except learn that Brooke's to blame. But why? What has she done?" Elle wondered.

"Didn't I tell you not to come here again?" the voice said from the other side of the door.

"I know you're angry. I didn't come here to take Bailey by force. I just want to have a normal human talk with you," Elle said calmly.

"As long as the subject of Brooke having Bailey doesn't come up, then I guess you could come in."

"I won't even mention Bailey," Elle promised.

The door opened and Elle sighed of relief that it wasn't going as bad as she thought it would. "What," Todd demanded as both sat down.

"I came to ask you an important question. It's about Brooke," Elle started.

"Great," Todd said, rolling his eyes.

"Well...I talked to Abigail Perry...you know, your lawyer? Anyway, I talked to her and she said that the whole mess with Bailey is Brooke's fault. Mrs. Perry said that Brooke brought it all on herself when she had the abortion. Do you happen to know what your lawyer means?" Elle asked, persisting on the matter.

Todd didn't respond at first. Then, he replied to her, hesitating a lot. "First off, I will say that Mrs. Abigail Perry had no right to interfere in my and Brooke's personal lives. She hired a journalist to find out these things, but I threatened him and he laid off. Julie really was going to be born defected and all Brooke cared about was how she was never going to be able to run a fitness empire anymore. She didn't care the least bit about Julie. Don't believe a word she says about her pity towards the child."

"Then how come she is so upset and cries endlessly?" Elle inquired.

"Only after months after the incident, she began to realize what she had done. But she what she doesn't know will be kept that way, Mrs. Woods," Todd said with a sly smile.

Elle narrowed her eyes. "And what may that be?"

"Bailey may not belong to Brooke anymore, but Julie does."

"What do you mean? Julie is gone."

"Hah! That's what the entire world can think. Julie Harper DeMira is not dead. She wasn't aborted. Brooke thinks that. Did you seriously think that Brooke got an abortion without me knowing? Oh, I knew, and I was angry. I simply arranged that Julie's embryo be taken from Brooke and injected into Marie, my wife. Julie and Bailey are now only three weeks apart in age, and Julie is no perfectly well, with no defeat besides the fact that she is mute and doesn't talk," Todd explained with a smirk on his face.

Elle tried thinking what he was saying. Julie was alive! How insane these things could end up and how crazy people's ideas become! "Where is she?!" Elle cried out with a smile.

"No, no, no, Mrs. Woods, I have already told you more than anyone will ever know. You can never see nor know where Julie is and you cannot prove what I just told you. If Brooke ever ends up hearing of this, I assure you, Elle Woods, that you will never hold your child in your arms. Understood?" Todd threatened holding Elle's hand as she got up.

"Yes," Elle said weakly.

"Good. Good day," he said and locked the door as she left.

But Elle was bothered every much by this thought. Julie was alive, Brooke didn't know, she did and wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Oh, how could she keep this secret? Elle Woods was known for spilling secrets, unless they were under the bond of sisterhood.

"Hey, Viv, could you get me a coffee, if you want to? You don't have to," Elle said quickly, typing away on her keyboard.

For days, Elle kept searching for the name 'Julie Harper DeMira' online and in everything she could find, medical records, files, police reports, everything she had access to. But nothing about the little girl could be found. But Elle wasn't going to give up so easily. She needed to find Julie. For Brooke's sake.

"Sure thing, Elle," Vivian said with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you think that you shouldn't be at the computer for so long, Elle? You've been looking at that screen the entire time you come to work. What are you doing?"

"I can't tell you, Vivian, but I promise you that it'll be worthwhile. Forget the coffee. You're busy, so whatever. I don't need anything. Thanks anyway," Elle said with a wry smile.

"Ok, girl. Just don't over watch the screen, ok? You're due in two weeks. You shouldn't even be here anymore."

"Nonsense! I'm feeling perfectly fine and this is almost more important than Emma."

"Alright then. If you say so." Vivian then left. She refused to show that she was super worried about Elle and her obsessive behavior lately.

Elle, on the other hand, was desperate. She'd do anything to find the little girl. How was it fair that Brooke couldn't have either of her two daughters? But on the other hand, what if Todd was right? What if Brooke really didn't care about Julie the least bit and Brooke was nearly dying because of her sadness over losing Bailey. How did this all make sense?

No, Brooke was hiding a secret. Elle knew she was, or else Brooke wouldn't have been acting like this. Elle was no detective, but she was a lawyer, and a good lawyer noticed everything. And what Elle noticed was that none of this made sense whatsoever.