Disclaimer: I do not own AHS.

A/N: Thanks guys for the positive reviews. Super glad you guys are ok with DJ being around for a while longer! I didn't realize how in depth I would make his childhood and how many things would happen with the custody battles and all, but I'm pretty happy with the way its turning out.
I decided to work on this chapter and make it a happy one because to be honest with you all, writing chapter 2 of Its a Wonderful Life kind of depressed me. It was just so depressing having to write those scenes, but anyways, a happy chapter since it's the weekend and college has yet to kill me this semester!

…

CH 26- The Little Lamb

…

Lana's eyes swarmed with tears. She couldn't believe she was finally seeing him for the first time in four months. Johnny giggled and pulled away, running back to the table where he was playing. He beckoned Lana to follow him and she did.

"Mama, Mama!" He giggled as she knelt down next to him, extremely excited to be seeing her. He had been wondering why she had been gone for so long.

"What do we have here?" She asked, looking at his blocks. "Are these yours?"

"Yeah." Johnny smiled and grabbed one.

Lana laughed. "Yeah? They're yours?" She wrapped her arms around his midriff, almost at tears that he had said something other than the word "no". He was growing up so fast and she couldn't believe it.

Johnny looked well. He was nicely dressed in a navy blue sweater with a little white polo underneath, and some tan corduroy pants with a small pair of oxfords that must have been pretty expensive. He also looked well fed, not that Lana didn't feed him properly, because she did, but because by the looks of him, her parents were too. His hair had been brushed in to a comb oer.

"Yeah." He repeated.

Lana laughed again and kissed his cheek, keeping her lips there for a moment, not wanting to end the moment. Margo stood close, watching her sister interact with her son. And what she saw was not the sight of an abusive mother. The look in Lana's eyes, the tears and the smile on her face, it was pure joy. It was not the face of a mother who did not miss her son. It was clear Lana adored the boy and Margo felt her heart break at the thought that he had been so cruelly ripped from her. It was obvious too that the boy loved Lana. Margo had never seen him so happy in the time she knew him. He didn't smile so brightly when he was with his grandparents, only with his mother.

Lana caressed his hair, "What are you doing?" She asked Johnny.

Johnny mumbled words that sounded similar to "playing".

"Playing? Are you having fun?"

He nodded and handed Lana a block. He was quite the giddy little thing. Lana took the block and put it on top of another. Johnny squealed and gave her another; she took it and did the same until they had made a small tower which Johnny knocked down right after.

"Oh, no!" Lana laughed.

"Oh, no!" Johnny repeated her words.

Johnny babbled as he continued to rebuild his blocks. Margo walked off to the woman in charge who was leaning over two other children, about a year older than Johnny, helping them with their toys. This caught Lana's eyes and she watched as Margo spoke to the woman. The woman nodded and smiled and shook her hand. When Margo returned to Lana, Lana became alarmed but the smile on Margo's face settled her fears.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

Lana smiled.

…

They made their way through the park. Lana carried Johnny in her arms, wanting to hold him for every minute she could. Margo explained that their parents had put her on the emergency contact list for Johnny's day care so she was able to pick him up and take him home. Lana was very grateful for the opportunity to see her son.

She talked to him and asked him various questions and couldn't help but to laugh when he answered in baby babbles mixed with actual words. Johnny had seemed to learn a lot while with his grandparents but he still had a lot of his old habits, which Lana was glad for. She didn't want him to change completely but was pleased to see that he was still the same happy little boy.

When they reached the playground, Lana set Johnny down. Johnny instantly reached for her hand and led her to the swings.

"Okay, okay, little boy, whatever you say."

"Did he always boss you around like this?" Margo followed after them with an amused smile.

"Oh, you have no idea." Lana picked Johnny up and sat him on the baby swing. He giggled and waited for Lana to push him.

"You have no idea how much I missed him." Lana commenced to push him softly.

Margo crossed her arms and gave her younger sister a soft, sympathetic look. "I can't imagine the hell they put you through by taking him away. I'm really sorry, Lana…"

"Its not your fault." Lana tried not to get teary eyed for Johnny's sake. She smiled for him when he turned around to look at her to make sure she was still there. "You didn't know what was happening."

"I wish I had been at the trial to help you. Maybe I could have done something."

"Hey, maybe at the retrial? My lawyer says there's a great chance we can get one."

"Oh yeah?" Margo perked up.

"Yes."

"I'd definitely be willing to help you this time around. I won't let Mom and Dad get away with it again."

Lana smiled at her sister. "Thanks, Margo."

Margo wrapped an arm around Lana's shoulders. "That's what sisters are for."

…

Lana and Margo spent the better part of the afternoon pushing Johnny on the swing. He was completely overjoyed and when he grew tired of swinging, he ran around the playground. Lana was amazed at how confident his running was, he no longer seemed wobbly or toppled over at the slightest wrong step. He was definitely growing and it saddened her because she knew that she had missed so much in those four months. She had to win him back because she didn't want the next time she saw him to be when he was ready to start school. She wanted to be there for every single moment, every milestone.

Lana and Margo sat on the bench at the edge of the playground facing the grass where Johnny sat on his blanket playing with his toys. He looked up and smiled at Lana, "Mama!" He called to her.

Lana looked up from the middle of her conversation with Margo to look at Johnny, "Yes, baby?" She asked him.

Johnny giggled and went back to his toys. He just wanted to make sure Lana was close by.

"So how's the new apartment looking?" Margo asked.

"Good." Lana said, "If everything goes well, I'll be able to move in shortly. Its right in the city, near where I work. Its perfect."

"That's great to hear."

Johnny walked over and handed Lana one of his toys. Lana took it. "It just kills me knowing I'll be moving in without him." She put a small smile on for Johnny. He turned away satisfied and returned to his blanket with the rest of his toys.

"Don't worry Lana, you'll have him back soon."

Lana sighed as she watched Johnny play with his toys.

"Does he look like him?" Lana turned to look at Margo. Her expression was unreadable. It was a mixture of both sadness and embarrassment. "If you don't mind me asking, that is." She said quickly after.

Lana gave a quick shake of the head. "I don't." She glanced up at Johnny. "And I won't lie to you, he does look like him…" Lana kept her eyes on Johnny, watching as he picked up a toy telephone and pressed the buttons. "When he frowns and pouts, he looks just like him. He has his smile too…"

Margo's heart broke at hearing this. She placed her hand over Lana's and gave it a light squeeze. "Hey, you gave birth to a beautiful boy, Lana. Mom brags about it all the time."

Lana chuckled and wiped the tear off her cheek. "She does?"

Margo nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure her friends in her book club are tired of hearing about it. She's hung up so many portraits of him around the house."

"Well, at least she's getting along with him. What about Daddy? How's he with him?"

"Oh, you know Daddy," Margo said as she too watched Johnny play, "He can be strict and withholding, but I'm pretty sure he treats Johnny way better than he treated us."

"He doesn't hit him, does he?" Lana turned to her sister with a tight frown. Just the thought of her father punishing her son made her blood boil.

"No. He doesn't. He just scolds him or will put him in time out."

Lana sighed. "I remember he gave me a spanking once when I was eight for spilling milk on Mom's new carpet. I couldn't sit for a week."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Johnny's broken plenty of Mom's porcelain figurines."

Lana laughed. "Has he now?"

Margo nodded. "Yup, he's even banned from the den."

The two sisters laughed, catching Johnny's attention. He placed his little hands upon the blanket and jumped up to his feet. He ran over to Lana, stopping right at her knees and placing his hand upon her lap. "Up!" he said.

Lana couldn't help but to smile. She plucked him up and sat him on her lap. Johnny snuggled against her.

"I missed you, little boy." Lana kissed the top of his head. "So much."

Johnny babbled something. Margo reached in to his diaper bag and gave him a zippy cup with juice inside. Johnny took it and drank from it, cradled in Lana's arms. Lana and Margo continued their conversation as Johnny slowly went to sleep in Lana's arms. Once he was fully asleep, Lana took the zippy cup and handed it to Margo.

"I don't want to let him go." She said knowing that she had to.

Margo saddened at this. "We can stay a little longer if you wish."

"No," Lana said looking down at her sweet boy, "Its better this way. I don't want him to see me go."

Margo nodded. "I understand."

She stood and grabbed Johnny's diaper bag. Lana stood too, the tears collecting in her brown eyes. The last time Johnny was taken from her, he had been ripped from her arms. Now, she was handing him over willingly but it was even harder.

"I'm sorry, baby." She whispered to him as she cradled him as if he were still but a few months old, "I wish I didn't but I have to. I'll see you again soon, okay?" She leaned in and kissed his forehead. "I love you so much, little boy." She leaned her forehead against his.

Johnny's little face frowned in his sleep and then relaxed once again, falling back into his dreams.

"Come on you." Margo whispered as Lana handed the sleeping boy to her.

And as soon as he was out of her arms, Lana felt helpless and empty. A swift panicky feeling instantly swarmed her but she forced herself to calm down. She trusted Margo and believed her when she told her she'd help her see Johnny again but they had to keep it a secret between the two of them. They didn't want to risk anything. So Lana stood by the bench, watching as her sister and her son walked off, disappearing down the walkway, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

…

Lana returned early to Barb's that night. She didn't feel like staying in the office, instead she retired to her room where she sat on the bed and took Johnny's moose into her hands. She wished she could have given it to him but she didn't know she'd be seeing him. That and her parents would have found out she saw him if they saw the moose. She didn't want to think about what they would do. They'd probably find a way to lock her up in an institution again.

However, Lana tried to remain hopeful. She knew Margo would be willing to help her get her son back. She just couldn't wait for the day in where she could take him home.

…

Lana was in her cubicle, trying to distract herself with a story about the modern woman at the end of the 60's when Lou called her to his office. Lana was a bit annoyed and could tell he was in a fuss about something. She stood to her feet and dragged herself to hi office. She knocked once.

"Winters, get in here!"

"You hollered?" Lana asked as she stepped inside but stopped when she saw McNeal sitting across the desk from Lou. "McNeal?" She was a bit surprised to see him there. He usually announced when he would be stopping by.

"Morning, Winters." He smiled at her.

Lana looked from McNeal to Lou. They both wore very concerting smiles. "What's going on?" She asked.

Lou looked to McNeal, "Why don't you tell her?"

McNeal stood and faced Lana. "Lana, we got a retrial."