Lyde and Sandra arrived back at the estate and Sandra darted from the car up to her room, leaving Lyde in the dust. Lyde went into T'mana's room and saw Leo and T'mana cuddled closely on the couch as they watched The Princess Bride. T'mana frowned seeing Lyde.

"Hey." T'mana greeted. She was about to ask how Sandra was when Lyde spoke urgently.

"Something's wrong with Ms. Grey." Lyde said. "She said she wasn't feeling well, but I don't know…she ran up to her room." Lyde informed nervously. T'mana sat up suddenly and stood. She moved smoothly around the coffee table and went to exit the room.

"I'll see if she's okay." T'mana explained and looked back to Leo apologetically, but not halting her step. He nodded once and stopped the movie. She had been waiting for their arrival. Leo had told her what Raphael said on the phone.

"What happened?" Leo asked Lyde.

"Well, we got to the lair fine and Ms. Grey offered to help Don carry down the boxes with the wiring and stuff to fix up Metalhead." Leo nodded that he was following her. "They were gone awhile, so Raph went up to get a box to move things along. He didn't say anything was weird when he came down, but then Don came down alone and he looked…I don't know. Sad or something. He talked to me for a few minutes about what was in the box Raph brought down and how to set Metalhead up, then he went back up the stairs." Lyde hesitated.

"What then?" Leo asked.

"Then Ms. Grey came down the stairs like…I don't know. Like she was scared. But I've never known her to be scared before. Not ever. She was…she was shaking. But she said she didn't feel well and that she didn't think she could drive, so I took her back right away. We left the guys there."

Leo took all this in and went over the past few days in his mind.

"How was she with Don when she came down?" He asked.

"Um…Don was way behind her. Almost like he was trying to keep away and she didn't look at him at all." Lyde admitted almost apologetically. Leo sighed.

"Can you let T'mana know that I went to check on Don?"

"Sure." Lyde said. "Is there anything I can do?" Leo smiled kindly at her.

"Just pass that along to T'mana. Thanks."

T'mana knocked tentatively on Sandra's door.

"Sandra?" T'mana asked. "It's T. I'm alone. Can I please come in?" There was a moment's silence then a quick yes. T'mana stepped in slowly and saw Sandra pacing the room and wringing her hands. "What is it? Are you all right?" Sandra snapped her eyes to T'mana as if to check her sincerity. Her eyes softened at T'mana's earnest concern.

"No." Sandra whispered. "No, I'm not all right." She continued to pace. Her hands wrestled each other like snakes locked in furious battle. T'mana approached her and grabbed her hands firmly, stilling them and catching Sandra's attention.

"What is it?" T'mana asked again.

"Where are Leo and Mikey?" Sandra asked unexpectedly.

"Um…Mikey's patrolling or with O'Rourke and Leo's downstairs. We were watching a movie. Why?" Sandra ripped her hands from T'mana ferociously.

"They are not welcome here!" Sandra shouted. "They have to leave. Now!" Sandra barked the order, but T'mana could sense terror within her words.

"Why? Sandra, tell me what's going on!"

"Get them out of here." Sandra commanded coldly. "Or I will. And you won't like how I do it." T'mana's blood froze as she stared at her friend, shocked.

"Okay. Okay. Just give me a moment. Okay?" Sandra nodded and T'mana went to O'Rourke's room. She found them talking and laughing with each other.

"Oh, hey, T!" Mikey greeted with a big smile. "Patrol went nicely, thank you very much." He bowed from his sitting position. O'Rourke rolled her eyes.

"Um," T'mana began and both O'Rourke and Mikey lost their smiles.

"What is it, T'mana?" O'Rourke asked.

"Mikey…I'm really sorry." She began.

"Why?" Mikey asked, cautiously.

"You have to leave now. You and Leo have to go right away." T'mana looked behind her as if afraid of something.

"Why?" Mikey repeated. "What's up?"

"I'm not sure." T'mana admitted. "But Ms. Grey would like you both to leave. And I think for now that Raph and Don should probably stay away, too." Mikey stood.

"No way, dudette. You forget that Stockman's still-"

"I'm not asking, Mikey." T'mana said quietly. "You have to leave now. I don't know what happened, but something did and you all need to stay away for now. It's very important." She grabbed his arm. "Come with me, we'll tell Leo now, okay?" She pleaded with Mikey to be cooperative. Mikey took in T'mana's stance and the fear in her eyes. He knew at once this was bad news and decided to listen to her. He would figure something out with his brother's regarding Stockman.

"Okay, okay." Mikey allowed. "Just give me a sec, okay?"

"Only one." T'mana granted. Mikey went back to O'Rourke.

"Well," He said. "To be continued, huh?" O'Rourke looked at him with worried eyes, but didn't know what to say. "Keep up on your rehab and you'll do great. Okay, beautiful?" O'Rourke took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"Be safe." She commanded with urgency.

"You know it." He flashed his boyish smile. Then he rushed in and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "See ya!" He darted for the door before she could yell at him and he was also afraid to see her face. If it was nervous or disgusted, he didn't want to know. And if she was smiling, it would hurt too much to leave. T'mana looked sorrowfully at O'Rourke's concerned expression and followed Mikey downstairs.

"Can I talk to Ms. Grey?" Mikey asked. "I mean she-"

"No." T'mana said firmly, brooking no argument. "Not a good idea. I'll try to figure this out, okay?" Mikey frowned.

"What, is she like our enemy now?" Mikey asked, stunned. T'mana pursed her lips, uncertain how to reply. "Oh, man." Mikey whispered, disappointed. T'mana walked into her room to find only Lyde. Lyde stood upon T'mana's entrance.

"Where's Leo?" T'mana asked, her eyes searching the room.

"He wanted me to tell you he went to check on Don. He said he'd be back as soon as he could." T'mana's heart broke. She wouldn't even get to say it in person to him. She put a hand to her face in despair and turned away from Lyde. "He said he'd be right back." Lyde insisted, unsure of T'mana's distress. T'mana let slip a short sob, before she forced it back down.

"No he won't." Mikey explained. "Apparently we're being evicted."

"What?" Lyde was very confused.

"I don't know what happened, but we have to leave and we can't come back according to T'mana." Lyde looked to T'mana for confirmation, but all she could do was nod.

"Oh." Lyde said softly. She was feeling similarly to T'mana. She wouldn't get to see Raph in person.

"Can you do me a solid?" Mikey asked Lyde.

"What?"

"Can you make sure O'Rourke doesn't get all down on herself? She thinks she'll never walk again or somethin' stupid like that."

"Sure." Lyde said firmly. "I'm sure this'll blow over." She tried to comfort. Mikey smiled sadly.

"Don't hold your breath, dudette." He said. "But don't worry. We're used to it." He shrugged, then walked over to T'mana. "I'll explain to him, okay?" He pulled T'mana into a hug to let her know he didn't blame her for the situation. She hugged him back tightly, trying to apologize with her embrace. He pulled away and patted her shoulder. "Well…take care, ladies." He gave them a little salute and then walked out the door to leave.

T'mana collected herself and then went back up to Sandra's room. But Sandra wasn't there. She called out for her with no response. She went back down the stairs and called out again. Sandra opened the door; she was in the surveillance room. She eyed T'mana calculatingly.

"I saw Mikey leave. What about Leo? He needs to go too."

"He left when I came up to see you." T'mana said wearily. "He wanted to check on Don. He's not here."

"You're sure?" T'mana nodded that she was.

"What is this, Sandra?" T'mana was angry. "I owe them my life and you're making me treat them like garbage! I won't even be able to explain this to Leo face to face. He'll have to hear it from Mikey! He doesn't deserve that! What the hell is going on?" T'mana's anguish dripped from her lips and her eyes.

"How well do you really know them, T? I mean really know them? I don't think they're what you think they are. I've seen this before. Trust me. It's better this way." Sandra's voice had a manic tonality.

"How can you say that?" T'mana demanded. "After everything you've seen? After everything they've done for us?"

"Actually, everything they've done only happened because of them." Sandra pointed out.

"That's not true! Stockman-"

"I bet Stockman is innocent! I bet it's all a game! They're playing us, T! Don't you see that?" Sandra shook her head with disgust. T'mana's hand went to her shoulder unconsciously as she hugged herself with worry. "And we fell for it. I mean think about it. They just happen to be there on the night you happen to witness a shooting? The gunman happened to herd you right into them? They've been working you from day one because they knew you worked for my company."

"No." T'mana denied fervently. "I was a peon when that happened. I didn't have access to you. How could they have possibly guessed that you would promote me months later? Are you listening to yourself?" Sandra turned on her.

"Are you with them?" She demanded.

"Sandra! There is no 'them'! There is 'us'! We're all together in this!"

"No, T! No!" She put her hand on T'mana's face as if trying to comfort a child. "You don't understand." She said softly. "But I've seen…I saw it…" She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I know what they're doing and I'll be damned if I let it happen." T'mana decided to stop fighting since it wasn't getting her anywhere.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"I don't know." Sandra said. "But it'll have to be quick. They'll want to retaliate now that they know that I know." Sandra put her hand to her mouth and was biting her nails. It was as if Sandra had lost her mind. T'mana noticed that she kept touching her neck nervously as if looking for a necklace that used to hang there.

"I've never seen you like this." T'mana said quietly. "I don't understand. Everything was fine when you left. How could things change so quickly?"

"Just be glad they did." Sandra said cryptically. She flipped several switches on the surveillance terminal. "You are not to call them. None of you are. Do you understand?"

"Sandra…"

"T'mana, please." Sandra begged, frightening T'mana far more than anything Sandra had yet said. "You must promise me. I just want us all safe. You have to believe me." T'mana hesitated, but took in Sandra's earnest and fearful face.

"I believe you." T'mana murmured. Sandra sighed and hugged T'mana tightly.

"Thank you, T. I promise you, this will make sense. I just need you to trust me, okay?"

"Okay." T'mana agreed. Sandra held out her hand.

"Your cell phone, please." Sandra asked.

"What? I said I wouldn't call, Sandra."

"I know…please, T."

"I can't…" T'mana protested. "My mom…the doctors only have my cell. Please Sandra."

"I'll let you know if there are any important calls, T. I would never do anything to put you or your mother in danger. It isn't you that I don't trust. They'll call you and try to win you over. You don't understand how their minds work." She held out her hand again. T'mana didn't have another excuse at the ready, so she handed her phone over. She knew her mother had a cell, but she hoped that Sandra didn't know that. Sandra leaned in and hugged T'mana again. T'mana returned it out of fear and was grateful when Sandra walked out of the room. She followed her and watched as Sandra took Lyde's cell. Sandra went towards Mrs. Callahan's room.

"She's sleeping." T'mana called out. "Please wait? Ina slept poorly so she needs her rest." Sandra hesitated, then nodded. She left. No doubt to get O'Rourke's cell. T'mana looked to Lyde.

"Can you look out? Let me know if she comes back?" Lyde nodded slowly. "Thank you, Lyde." Lyde nodded again and moved to the door. T'mana went into her mother's room. Mrs. Callahan was twisting in her sleep. T'mana grabbed her mother's cell after finding it in her purse and slipped it into her bra. "Ina?" T'mana whispered, putting her hands gently on her mother's shoulders. "Ina?" Her mother woke, startled and it took a moment for Mrs. Callahan to recognize her daughter.

"Cante?" She asked. "I had a terrible dream. I saw a group of turtles across a great water. I called to them and they tried to swim, but the water grew and the turtles could not swim closer. A great darkness fell and I could not reach you, Cante. The darkness pulled me away and you were left crying on the banks alone." She sat up and swept her daughter into her arms. "Wakan sicu." She whispered darkly. T'mana pulled away and looked at her mother.

"Yes, Ina. Wakan sicu has sent the turtles away. My Wicasa Yata Pi Keya is gone." Mrs. Callahan looked distraught.

"How? What form has it taken?"

"My friend." T'mana whispered shakily. "Sandra Grey." T'mana stood. "You must sleep again. I told her you were sleeping. There is something I have to do, Ina. Toksha ake."

"Toksha ake." Mrs. Callahan returned solemnly, but dutifully lay back down with no intention to sleep.

Sandra took O'Rourke's phone without issue. O'Rourke knew how to handle an order, but she could tell that O'Rourke was very confused about the whole thing. Sandra went to her room to think about how to proceed. She tried not to let the terror well up inside her. She knew it was rising and it would eventually overflow like a dam blocking too much water, but she hoped that happened after she resolved this and made her people safe. She had only sat down for a moment when T'mana's cell phone rang. The caller ID read LEO TC. The TC stood for Turtle Chief, but Sandra would have no way of knowing this. She swallowed, took a breath and then answered the phone.

"T'mana is not available at the moment." Sandra began coldly.

"Ms. Grey." Leo greeted peaceably. So they were going to plead ignorance. "Is everything okay? Mikey said we're not to come back to the estate. Are you all right?"

"You are to stay away." Sandra confirmed. "I have all my security up so I will know the minute you step onto my property. You are not welcome here anymore. Any of you." She spat. Silence met her and she knew he was wondering how to proceed. Calculating his next move. "I warn you." She began again. "You will not like the action I take if I see any of you near the estate."

"Ms. Grey, is there someone there? Is someone making you say this?"

"No. You can thank Don for letting the cat out of the bag. I know what you're all about now. Don't even think of trying to convince me otherwise. I don't want to hear it. And I swear to fuck I will make you regret ever coming into my life if you so much as call again or step a toe onto my land." She hung up. Great. Things were escalating much quicker. She stood and paced her room. Her hands fingered her neck and a strangled sob escaped her throat. What would she do if they came? She knew in her heart that even after all of Jacques' training, she couldn't fight off one of them let alone all four. So she made some phone calls of her own.

Leo hung up the phone and turned to Don. Don was watching him, grey faced.

"What did she say?" He asked tiredly, believing he knew the answer.

"She said that we're not welcome anymore." Leo said. Don nodded. "Then she said if we come anywhere near her or her property…how did she say it? She swore to 'fuck she'll make us regret coming into her life if we so much as step a toe on her land or call again'." Leo said. Don's eyes went wide.

"Wow." Don said. "I didn't think…I…don't understand." He was shaking his head in disbelief.

"Tell me again what happened." Leo commanded, his arms folded.

"I told her…I just said that I wanted to protect her. That I would die to keep her safe, but I said I didn't expect anything in return. I didn't want her…I didn't want…this." He put his head in his hands.

"That doesn't explain this." Leo insisted. "What else happened?"

"I don't…nothing! I swear, Leo! I said that, then I left her alone for a moment. When I went back up there she was in a panic. I don't understand…" Don fell silent again. "I'm sorry. I don't know why…I thought we we're okay." Leo put a hand to his head. He was worried about T'mana. He didn't like that she was left alone unprotected while Stockman could still be plotting his revenge and that Sandra seemed to have gone off the deep end. Leo's phone rang and it was his generic ring tone, indicating that he didn't know the caller. He froze and looked at the caller ID. It wasn't a number he recognized. He remembered what had happened the last time they answered an unknown call, but it could be important. Leo's mind panicked as he imagined the Foot calling him to gloat about capturing her. He answered the phone.

"Who is this?" Leo demanded.

"Leo?"

"T'mana!" Leo exclaimed. "Are you okay? What's going on? I need to-"

"I don't have a lot of time." T'mana cut in.

"Go." Leo said. He noted that her voice was whispered. His heart beat in his chest. Was she going to tell him that she was captured and being held by Stockman?

"Sandra has flipped out. I'm not sure why. But she thinks you guys are the bad guys now. I don't understand it, but she really believes that keeping you away is the safe thing to do right now. She's scared, Leo. She's really scared and she won't explain it to me. I'm calling on my Mom's phone. She took mine."

"I know. I tried to call you and she answered. She wasn't happy to hear from me."

"No. Don't call again, okay? She made it sound like she would do something desperate if you threatened her or did something she would interpret as a threat. She made the offhand comment that maybe Stockman wasn't bad after all, that maybe you were playing us."

"What?" Leo shouted. His fury boiled. He could still smell T'mana's blood in his nostrils from when it had pumped onto the floor while he watched behind cage bars.

"I know. So please don't do anything to push her, okay? I'm safe and I need to know that you are, too." Leo closed his eyes. She was trying to protect him. That's what the purpose of her call was.

"T'mana." Leo whispered. "Stockman is still a problem. I don't like that you're not protected right now."

"I don't know what can be done about that." T'mana admitted. "But so far, there is no threat, so don't risk yourself when there isn't a need. Okay?" Leo was silent, his jaw grinding. "Leo, I need to hear you say it. Leo?"

"You call me the instant you think anything might be wrong. I mean it, T'mana."

"I promise." She said breathily. He sighed and she heard it over the phone. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"It's not you." Leo comforted.

"I have to go."

"Be safe, T'mana. I expect you to come back to me." She smiled at his words.

"I hope to exceed your expectations, Great Turtle Chief. Toksha ake." Leo heard the dial tone and knew she had disconnected.

"Well?" Raph asked. "What the fuck's goin' on?"

"She doesn't know. But Ms. Grey seems to think we're the bad guys." He looked over at Don. "That we are a threat to her and the girls. She thinks she's protecting them from us."

"What?" Raph barked. "Why? The fuck is her problem?" Mikey was frowning.

"Don't know." Leo said. "But T'mana had to use her mother's cell phone. Said that Ms. Grey confiscated hers. It's a safe bet that she took Lyde's and O'Rourke's as well, so don't call them. Ms. Grey threatened us and I believe she'll make good on her word for us to regret contacting her or the girls." Leo sighed. "T'mana said she's safe and she'll let us know if something happens. I don't know what to do in the meantime."

"But Stockman!" Raph sputtered. "They're sittin' ducks over there if the Foot decide to drop in!"

"I know." Leo agreed. "We'll have to find another way to help them." Leo said. "I just don't know how yet."

Sandra finished her calls and sat on the edge of her bed. She had called the bank and implemented the security measures she had in place on her accounts. If anything happens to her, the accounts will be frozen. If her body was discovered, all of her money was to go to a charity she could trust. She also arranged for certain information to be delivered to her Supreme Court judge friend in the event of her death. But these things wouldn't help her now. These things would only thwart her killer after she was dead.

She was shaking and her breath was hitched. She was angry with herself for letting her fear get such a hold of her.

"You are Sandra fucking Grey." She said through gritted teeth. "You always fucking win." But she couldn't convince herself. She also didn't want to admit that she was broken hearted. She was furious with herself for actually trusting Don. But she was also furious that Don couldn't be trusted. It had been so nice having him to speak with. She enjoyed his company, but to find out it was all a lie was beyond disappointing. It was shattering her. She could not believe she had been so foolish to fall for it. And fall for it again. She had not learned her lesson as well as she thought she had. He was smarter than her, just as David had been. David had almost defeated her. Had almost taken her out of this world. Yet she had learned nothing from it!

Her hand went to her throat again as she imagined David's fingers clamping down on her those few years ago. She could remember it in perfect detail as if it was happening at this very moment all over again. She could feel his fingers on her throat, smell his sour breath on her face as he pushed her against the wall and lifted her off her feet.

"No!" She shouted and stood up as if to clear away the image. She went to her desk and pulled out a gun. She made sure it was loaded and put it in her belt.

Two years ago…

"Dr. Grey?" Her lawyer stated over the phone.

"Rupert." She greeted. "How did I do?"

"We won. He gets nothing in the divorce. He'll probably try again, but no one will touch it when they see who ruled the first time around. You're golden."

"That is excellent news, Rupert. I thank you for your services, but especially in this case. My…ex husband has certainly fought with more determination than he did for our marriage."

"Indeed, Dr. Grey. I must say he has proven to be…well…a rather different sort of character than we had believed."

"Well, you deserve a nice long vacation, Rupert. You should go to the Bahamas. On me." Rupert chuckled.

"Dr. Grey, I wouldn't know what to do with a beach. There are no outlets to charge my laptop." Sandra laughed with him.

"That's why they call it a vacation, Rupert. To get away from it all."

"I think you deserve one, Dr. Grey. You need to get away from it all. Take some time and forget all this nasty business." Sandra was silent for a long moment.

"Perhaps I will, Rupert. But you're certain that this is over?"

"Oh yes. He'll spend more money trying to locate a lawyer who would take this case than he could possibly win. It's over."

"Thank you again, Rupert. It'll show in the payment of your services." She hung up the phone before he could protest.

Several days passed without incident and Sandra built her life back. She had been heartbroken that her husband hadn't wanted to try to work things out peaceably. She still couldn't understand his need for a divorce. He said he just didn't love her anymore and that they needed to be apart now. The first time he had said it, she lost all breath in her body. He hadn't been cruel about it, more apologetic. This made her want to try to patch things up, so she tried to get him to go to couples therapy with her. But he wasn't interested. He said she was hanging on to something that no longer existed. A month later, he served her with divorce papers. He would ignore her calls and he always managed to be gone when she went to his office to speak to him. He fell off the face of the earth. So she felt she had no other course of action than to agree to divorce. She couldn't make him stay and she didn't want to. She wanted him to come back on his own and say he was sorry. That he still loved her and that this was all a mistake. But he didn't.

The next time she saw him, they were sandwiched by their lawyers and he had the audacity to demand millions of dollars of her earnings and bank accounts. Her jaw had practically dropped on the table at this, but had managed to utter a denial so that her lawyer could jump in to defend her. The divorce took months and he fought dirty. Bringing up personal weaknesses she had and hurtful situations. Things that someone who loved her would never have said or done. So she realized that somehow it had all become about the money and that David no longer saw her as a person. She was a dollar sign. So she broke out of her 'poor me' state and started to fight for herself. Her lawyer was pleased she had finally joined him and it seemed to have worked. Her lawyer had told her that her ex wasn't going to get a dime from her.

She wanted to be pleased. She wanted to feel like celebrating. But she didn't. It was a very hollow victory and it didn't answer the question that had been on her mind since all of this started: what was wrong with her? Why didn't David want her anymore? Had it always been about the money? She looked back and remembered how they met and his fluttering laughter and his joy at seeing her. She couldn't believe it had all been false. So she didn't know what she did wrong. But it didn't surprise her that she did do something wrong. She had always looked to her parents for advice and they were gone now. They left a hollow hole in her that she had tried to fill with David. So she must have mis-stepped somehow with him.

She worked late for several days until the weekend arrived. She spent all Saturday locked away. It was her first Saturday being legally single once again and she didn't want to see the world. She wanted to hide from it. Several friends tried to get her to come out, but she declined saying she was very tired and they would definitely go out another time. So no one was expecting her. She had drunk a whole bottle of wine herself and was lying on her couch feeling sorry for herself when she heard the door open. She sat up and blearily blinked her eyes.

"Hello?" She called out. Silence met her and she paused and set the TV on mute. Nothing. She thought she had imagined it, so she lay back down on the couch. Someone pulling forcefully on her ponytail suddenly wrenched her from the couch. She landed roughly on her hip. She cried out and tried to stand up in order to fight, but her socks made her feet slip on the wooden floor, so she couldn't find purchase to stand. The stranger pulled again, dragging her across the floor. The wine was making the room spin, so she couldn't think clearly what to do except to make her hair stop pulling her. But the man had a death grip on her hair and he suddenly jerked her up and slammed her into wall. Her eyes burst white and she felt like she was floating by her neck. Her vision cleared in pieces and she saw a man in black with a mask. He was choking her and had her lifted off the ground; her feet kicked, but only beat weakly against his legs. She put her hands on his trying to pull them off a finger at a time, but failed. She realized that was futile and grabbed at the man's face. She pulled the mask off and was shocked to see that it was David and his face was full of a brutal fury that terrified her more than his choking hands did. She tried to poke his eyes, but he only slammed her against the wall again making her eyes white out again. It made her so dizzy, that her hands held his arms for support. He pushed against her, pinning her to the wall.

"Years wasted." He spat in her face. "I studied you, Dr. Grey, for weeks. I became what you wanted. What the great Dr. Grey wanted." At this he squeezed his hands tighter on her throat. "You were supposed to divorce and settle! That's what normal people do! A few million for each year with you, Dr. Grey. A fair amount!" He squeezed again. Sandra's eyes fluttered in panic and she was having trouble staying focused. "All wasted!" He shouted again. "Do you know what a miserable troll of a woman you are? Every day was a torture! Fucking you made me vomit! But I'll get my due. When you die, I know where you have your money going and I'll get it, Dr. fucking Grey. I'll fucking get it and you'll be gone. I win. Dr. Grey will lose and I will win." He grinned as he saw tears leak from her eyes. "Almost." He whispered, believing her death eminent. But Sandra realized he was closer now. Closer than he had been. She knew in the back of her mind that it was important somehow. Without thinking, she thrust out her fingers and went for his eyes. Immediately, he released his grip on her to block her hands and she dropped to the ground. She gasped and choked, but crawled away on her hands and knees. He dove after her and dragged her back by pulling on her kicking legs.

Then he was on top of her and he wrapped his arm around her throat and wrenched her upwards. She elbowed him, the new air she was breathing and her adrenaline sobered her quickly and she jabbed him roughly in the ribs. He released her again and she scrambled away, using her sliding socks to her advantage as she scooted across the floor. She ran into the kitchen and pulled a knife. He came into the doorway and grinned when he saw her. Then he launched himself at her so swiftly, he knocked her backwards into the stove. He grabbed her arm with the knife and made her drop it, then he turned on the burner that was beneath her.

She cried out in pain and thrashed against him as she felt her skin flaming underneath her. The fire caught her clothes and it moved to her hair. "Please!" She shrieked. She finally managed to kick him in the kidney and then she dropped to the floor and rolled. She put the fire out, but he had her again and pinned her down with his body. Once again he was choking her and he made sure to keep his face away from her. So she punched him in the crotch. It was so unexpected, he collapsed on top of her. She pushed him and punched him in the face then ran into another room. Her back still felt like it was on fire and the air cut her painfully. But she chose the room with purpose and got a syringe ready. She slid it up her sleeve and left the room trying to locate a phone. She felt him grab her hair again and she let him. He choked her from behind and she slipped the syringe out and plunged it into his thigh. He cried out, but did not let go. Instead, he tightened his hold on her and did not let go even as he collapsed behind her. He dragged her down and slammed her head into the corner of the coffee table. She was knocked unconscious.

When she woke, she was still on the floor with blood caked on her temple down her throat. She felt dizzy and nauseous. She stumbled over David's body and trembled in fear that he would wake and begin to choke her again. He didn't and she made a dive for the phone on the counter. She fell when the floor tilted under her, but she managed to dial the phone as she lay there. She called 911 and stated that her ex husband was trying to kill her. Minutes later the police came in and EMTs helped her up. Another EMT stated that David wasn't dead, but heavily sedated. Sandra allowed herself to pass out.

This time when she woke, she was in a hospital room with her lawyer looking on. He was an elderly man with a puff of cloud white hair that seemed to glow in the dark of the room.

"Dr. Grey?" Rupert asked quietly.

"Ms. Grey." She whispered. "Please don't ever call me Dr. again." She couldn't shake the sound of his voice when David had said Dr. Grey over and over again with his hands on her throat. Before that, it had been his pet name for her. It was a sort of joke between them that had made her smile and now it made her ill. She had kept her maiden name. A concept that now seemed to foreshadow what her future was to be now.

"Are you all right?" Rupert asked.

"Where is he?" She whispered.

"He's in police custody Doc-Ms. Grey." The police found your surveillance footage and I also informed them that he was displeased with the outcome of your divorce settlement. Oh, Ms. Grey. I am so sorry."

"Don't be ridiculous." She snapped. "You didn't know." She paused. "Did you?"

"Of course not! We've known each other for years, Ms. Grey. You know I would never…that I could never-

"Of course." She interrupted. "I'm sorry. My pain medication is playing tricks with my emotions right now. I'm sorry." She paused. "I should have known." She hesitated as the memories flooded her. "How could I be married to him for two years and not know?" Tears fell down her cheeks.

"Well…I've managed to keep this out of the press. The hearing will be very hush hush, so you can get on with your life. I don't expect the trial to be difficult. We have him dead to rights on video. So you can deal with the press however you see fit on the matter. If you want to mention the trial or not is entirely up to you."

"Thank you, Rupert. This is to be kept silent. Put a cork on the press. They can know about the divorce and that is it."

"Understood, Ms. Grey. It will be done." He hesitated. "I'll go get the doctor and let him know you're awake. He'll want to check on you. It really is good to see you awake, Ms. Grey." He left her alone and she waited for the doctor to return. She hoped her burns weren't too bad, but she knew she had worse scars to deal with now.

Present Day

Don worked on Metalhead the entire night. He couldn't sleep so he didn't bother to try. He had berated himself for declaring himself to Sandra so boldly knowing that she was very temperamental and a bit emotionally unstable. He shouldered the blame for her terror and her reactions, which put them in danger. He began to work on Metalhead so they could strike back at Stockman. It seemed more imperative than it ever had now that they could not keep watch on the ladies.

It was 3:30 a.m. and Don had just reconfigured the wiring schematic using the new circuit board he lifted from the dump several days ago. He was now testing Metalhead's dexterity to see if it could work the device. The testing was not going well. Metalhead's fingers were working, but their dexterity was not as accurate as Don needed it to be. He couldn't control the fingers tightly enough to target a very specific point. There was a range and Don needed it to be narrowed down to a point instead of a range. It was proving very frustrating on top of everything else. But he did test the X-ray and that was working, so Metalhead was almost what they needed. He went back into the clean nest of wires and tried a different configuration, knowing that sleep would not come to him tonight.

Sandra had finally fallen asleep on her bed. The gun was still holstered poorly in her belt, but the safety was on. She finally had the calming thought that the next day after some rest would be clearer for her. She saw images of the trial with the prosecutor bringing forward all the binders filled with information about her into evidence. David had studied her to become her ideal mate so she would marry him. She saw the binders baggied and laid out on the table. She saw as they were handed to the judge and jury to peruse. There had been several items of evidence, but it was the binders that haunted her now as she saw Don's binder dancing in front of her. She saw Don being her ideal and the pleasant exchanges they had had this past week, but with a new evil glint in Don's eye that she had missed before. She saw him now, coming for her, his Bo staff raised to attack her for denying him as she had denied David. She heard the alarm as he brought his staff down with forceful fury and the sound of a gunshot split open her ears.

Sandra sat up and found that the alarms followed her from her nightmare. After a moment of keening her ears to listen, she heard a shrill scream and knew instinctively that the gunshot had been real, too. She pulled her gun out, took off the safety and wondered if she would have to shoot Don and if so, could she do it?

Lakota Translations:

Wakan sicu means evil spirit

Wicasa Yata Pi Keya means Turtle Chief

Toksha Ake means 'see you later' or 'we will meet again'