The search for Bart had escalated to the surrounding area close to the Reese estate and extra protection had been added there to protect the family and friends and with the added pressure that Logan and Quinn's upcoming nuptials were rapidly approaching, Detective David Vega was working around the clock to bring the son of a bitch in. He knew in his gut Bart was nearby.
While Vega scoured the beach and neighboring houses for clues in hopes that someone had spotted a stranger in town recently , the whole household at the Reese's were in an uproar as they prepared for that evenings wedding rehearsal . Susanna and Frank along with Janna were holed up in the office in a free for all with Malcolm and Julia one last time before the rehearsal.
' I am aware you were trying to protect our kids , Malcolm, ' said Susanna, her yellow sundress grazing her ankles as she paced across the carpet ,' Frank and I do appreciate that but this all could have, might have been remedied had you allowed the police to broadcast Bart's escape on the television . He could have been captured and back in jail by now '
Malcolm gripped the crystal cut glass of scotch tightly in his hand.' I'm sorry but I thought we had dealt with this the other day. What matters is that Quinn and Logan will be married soon, Vega is a competent man, I've no doubt he will apprehend Bart by then '
Frank pushed at a stray brown hair that kept falling in his eyes then reached out to place a comforting hand on his wife's arm. It terrified them that Bart was still fixated on their daughter and it seemed most likely that he would continue to go after her.
'We don't know, we can't know that Bart won't try to prevent Quinn from marrying Logan either,' brought up Frank, his jaw set with tension,' it seems plausible given what has happened . Guards and police protection aside, I think we should be prepared as well ...'
Julia folded her hands together in a nervous manner then twisted her diamond ring before turning away from the mantle to stare at their guest and friends. This whole situation was unsettling but she didn't want to borrow trouble either.
'Just exactly what are you suggesting that we do, Frank? Arm ourselves with guns on the kids wedding day without blinking an eye?'
' Discreetly but I don't see why not ,' suggested Frank, calmly, ' I could easily rig up some rough zap watches for us all that would be just effective '
Malcolm calmly took another drink.' Now you are the ones overacting, Frank '
Janna held up a hand sending both men a hard look.' Enough! I could scry and that would pinpoint the general location of Bart should one of you convince the hunky detective that I am not just some kook but the real deal '
Malcolm let out an exasperated sigh at the woman's prattle. Lola's mother was lovely if not on the nutty side with all of her talk of such things as Gypsy magic and hocuses pocus. That was the last thing they needed to add into the mix here.
' Now had you done that days ago , Janna , there would be absolutely no need for us to be having this conversation because Bart would not be on the loose obviously '
'Go to hell, Malcolm, I only want to help '
'This bickering amongst us isn't productive,' replied Susanna, drawing up ranks beside her husband and Janna,' yes, we are on edge. However you may feel about Janna's abilities, Malcolm, Julia, I wholeheartedly support her efforts to help Quinn and Logan and if that means doing some scrying then I say please do …'
'What do you need, Janna? 'This came from Julia, wanting to help.
Julia pulled out a crystal on a chain that she used for scrying .' A map of Santa Barbara '
'I have one in my office,' said Julia, briskly,' Mal, why don't you come help me look for it '
Malcolm finished off his drink and rolled his eyes upwards but reluctantly followed his wife out of the office leaving the others to their own devices. He fixed her with an annoyed look.
'Chauncey could have brought them a damn map! I can't believe that you are going along with this bullshit, Julia! It's absurd to think some kooky woman with a crystal is going to tell us exactly the location of Bart or the police would have brought in a psychic ages ago '
Julia glowered at her husband.' Logan and Quinn's wedding rehearsal is five hours from now and her parents are basket cases worrying about her. Not to mention seeing her parents worked up is bound to frazzle Quinn even more so and work up Logan good and well to put a big damper on the night before their big day '
'Is that what you want your son to remember about the wedding rehearsal? Because I don't and if Janna Martinez waving a crystal over a map of our town will give the Penskys peace of mind then I will gladly bring them a map '
'Fine, dear,' Malcolm pressed a kiss on her cheek,' why don't I make another call to Detective Vega and see if he has any new leads '
He hoped like hell that Bart Emerson was already behind bars and out of their lives forever.
*********************************Wedding Bells ********************************
Vince finished his prayers to Buddha, lowered his head, exhaled then jumped off of the floor in the room that he shared with Lola to watch his girlfriend, clad in a purple camisole top and a purple and gold sarong skirt, rifle through the closet and then finding nothing empty the contents of her sparkly make up bag on the bed, tossing assorted polishes and creams over the comforter. She picked up a chunky gold bangle then made a disgruntled sound of distress.
'Lo, did you lose something? I know that Chase has the rings so you couldn't have possibly misplaced them ….'
Lola stuck her tongue out at him then gnawed worriedly on her lower lip. ' I thought maybe I had brought along my lucky crystal that Grandma sent me ,' Lola pushed her dark hair off of her shoulders , her tone all serious ,' Mom's been on her best behavior so I didn't want to ask her if she had some with her …..'
Vince settled beside Lola on the bed and reached for her fingers.' Do you want to give said lucky crystal to Quinn for her something borrowed? '
' No but that's a good idea, Vince ,' admitted Lola , resolve expression on her face ,' I thought if I found my crystal I could maybe scry for Bart and then we could tell that Detective we saw him or something . Scrying has to be better than walking the beat or whatever it is that the cops are doing to find that sicko and we wouldn't have to say a thing to anyone.'
Lola didn't dabble in Gypsy magic often but they were getting down to the wire of her best friend's wedding, she felt like she had to do something to help. If they happened to find the location of Bart then gave it to the cops to nab him once and for all it would be the ultimate wedding gift. Much better than the deluxe blender that she had gotten them.
Vince smiled lovingly at her as he brushed lightly at a loose strand of hair.' That is very sweet of you, Lola, but I thought that all of your Gypsy items were in a box back home or did you pack them while I was waiting for you? '
Lola groaned.' I don't know! I thought I tossed it in but your probably right, Vince. Gah ! I knew I should have, I don't know, slapped Dana for Quinn or something equally good '
Vince chuckled then ducked to kiss her, deeply. 'As much fun as that would have been to witness, it's probably better that you didn't attack the stripper '
'You still pretty freaked out about Bart '
Lola leaned against him, the crystal momentarily forgotten.' Yes! Zo, Lisa, and I agreed that we'd be strong and not freak out in front of Quinn but God, it just takes me back to those days at PCA when none of us knew if we would be targeted next '
She shivered, slightly and Vince slid his arms around her. They were content just to sit together in comfortable silence the terrible events that had been Bart Emerson's reign of terror back in their boarding school days on both their minds. The random attacks, the rape of Stacey Dillsen, the murder, and then stalking Quinn had been too much back then and now that Bart had escaped, the fear tugged within both of them.
'I promise that I won't let anything happen to you, Lola '
'I know and I love you for it,' Lola heaved a determined sigh, pushed off from his chest,' however wallowing isn't part of the maid of honors duty. I know we were all going with Vaccaro's tonight for the obvious reasons but I thought of something fun for the rehearsal dinner, if we can pull it off '
Quinn and Logan's first official dinner date had been Vaccaro's , the couple always considered it their place, and of course, Logan had proposed to Quinn there so it had seemed natural for their rehearsal dinner to be at the fancy restaurant . Not to mention that Julia was the manager there and had taken care of all of the fine details and everything.
A mischievous grin spread across the actress's face, her brown eyes bright with delight, and she reached across Vince for her cell phone. Time to share the plan with Zoey .
'Quinn and Logan aren't full time fancy 24/7 and never have been,' declared Lola, without skipping a beat,' they need to relax and have fun tonight.'
'I agree but what exactly do you have in mind? We should probably also speak to Julia seeing as she already reserved a private room and everything '
'I think we should all hang out by the pool instead,' declared Lola, as a text came through on her cell ,' I bet Kazu will deliver food to us if we call him now , Vince . It gives him plenty of time to get a cooking and we can just pay him extra for the delivery '
Lola looked expectantly at her boyfriend.' You want us to have sushi? For Quinn and Logan? I can see how ecstatic Chase and Zoey will be and I know the rest of us enjoy sushi and all but wouldn't ordering pizza be better for casual?"
'For your information, Logan once worked for Kazu a long time ago I have been told,' continued Lola, on a roll now. She thought back to the time after Mark had broken up with Quinn and she and Zoey had taken their friend to Sushi Rox to cheer Quinn up only to find Del Figgalo with his new girlfriend,' plus if it hadn't been for sushi, Quinn wouldn't have momentarily lost her mind which resulted in her and Logan locking lips and falling in love. Trust me '
Vince knew the couples story, could even grasp why Lola was so intent on throwing the rehearsal dinner back to the past in a sense, but he also didn't want to step on Logan's step-mothers toes either. It was a bit of a tricky plan but when did any of them not complicate things? Not to mention that he felt as if Lola needed to do this so he would support her.
' I'll go downstairs and speak with Julia ,' Vince pressed a kiss against the side of Lola's hair ,' you plan a menu and give Kazu a call to see if its plausible this late in the day , honey '
'Already on it,' beamed Lola, excitedly,' it'll be just like old days '
*****************************PCA****************************************
Meanwhile down the hall in the room belonging to Michael and Lisa, the dancer was finishing up some simple stretches then slid into a breathing exercise that would help her find her balance which had been thrown woefully off by the news that Bart Emerson was out of jail and back to terrorizing Quinn and Logan again . Her world had spun wildly out of control though the police were working overtime trying to apprehend the man.
She didn't know if she could be as strong or as resilient as Quinn was being about the whole incident, Lisa was quite shaken herself, and knew if it were her and Michael, she would have insisted on putting the wedding on hold temporarily.
Then again she and Michael weren't in the same stage of their relationship as Quinn and Logan were; marriage was quite a ways off for them. Still Lisa didn't want to put a damper on the rehearsal tonight so she was trying to work through her own worries as she certainly didn't want to poop the party as Michael might say.
' Chase and I made the rounds , we got nothing ' exclaimed Michael , falling backwards on the comfortable bed that they shared ,' Barrett and Matthews still got the detective thing down like Crockett and Tubbs '
Ignoring the numerous private bodyguards and cops surrounding the estate, Michael and Chase had decided to slip on the so called detective mojo from back in their high school days prompted by binge watching Simon and Simon and Miami Vice and check out the situation themselves . They had scoped the deal out once at PCA and maybe it would help give Logan some kind of peace of mind that they were looking out for him though they hadn't expected to one up the cops or anything either.
Lisa chuckled to herself and slid down beside him, aligning her body against his and cuddling close to him. She brushed her cheek against his and slid her leg between his, getting comfy.
Now this was everything! No more old friends from the past intruding on their happily ever after and nestled against the man she loved, Lisa could put Bart out of her mind.
'Glad to see your noisiness still comes in handy, Michael,' teased Lisa, placing a hand on the solid wall of his chest,' you and Chase didn't get the heave ho from the police on duty for interfering? '
Michael bristled slightly as he twined his fingers with hers.' Humph! Chase and I did a loop around this place cause wouldn't it stand to reason that that sick son of a bitch would want to get close to where Quinn and Logan are staying ? I mean this dude lived on campus and no one had a clue back then so it kind of stands to reason …..'
Unnerved, Lisa bolted, upright.' Did you mention that to Detective Vega? "
'I am sure the man is aware, Vega isn't dumb,' went on Michael, his heart racing from the exhilaration of taking stock of the Reese property,' Bart was right under our noses at PCA back then and if he were really close , I mean, how else would he have known about the wedding or that Quinn and Logan were ordering flowers and such ? '
Lisa shivered and ran her hands over her face.' How can you be so calm? I just spent like twenty minutes finding my center and damn, it's disappeared again like poof! Maybe I need to go downstairs and finish decorating tables or something so I don't ruin the rehearsal tonight for Quinn and Logan '
Michael wrapped her in his embrace.' Bart is not going to hurt you, Lisa. I promise that I won't let him and you know I never break a promise '
Lisa kissed him, losing herself in him. She closed her eyes and just felt the heat, the warmth, and the love that surrounded her, clinging desperately to the one man that she loved more than anything. This whole thing was insane! God, she felt like a scared 16 years old again!
How Quinn must be doing since Bart was targeting her directly and with a wedding looming directly ahead for her? Lisa knew that she needed to get together and put it all aside to distract Quinn and just get back into wedding mode rather than throw cold water on it.
'I love you, Michael, 'Lisa kissed him again,' I know you would keep me safe and I hope I could hold my own too . It's all too surreal, our friends are counting on us to help them have the best damn wedding rehearsal of their lives tonight and I'm holed up in my room in a case of nerves.'
She shook out her shoulders.' At least you and Chase were being helpful,' said Lisa, chewing on the inside of her cheek and finding her reserve of energy. She needed to stop being a wimp and be the friend,' I'm going to splash some water on my face, pull on some clean shorts, grab the girls, and finish putting the final touches on the decorating for the reception before its time to clean up for the rehearsal . Maybe I can get some white wine spritzers for us '
'Quinn will love you for that '
' You do that and I'll check on Logan ,' decided Michael , tapping his chin ,' Now would be the time for him to do something stupid like tracking Bart down on his own – shit ! That is exactly what that jerk would do!'
'Michael?'
'Chase, we gotta find Logan!' shouted Michael, waving at Lisa as he raced at breakneck speed towards the other wing of the house where Chase and Zoey were staying,' Chase! Vince!'
**************************************PCA******************************
Zoey finished the last tuck in the dress that Quinn's mother would wear for the wedding wincing as she accidentally jabbed herself with the sewing needle. Lifting her finger up so as not to bleed on the delicate dress, she went to the drawer for a band aid as her husband barreled into their room, an anxious expression across his boy next door features.
'Is the coast clear here or did Mr. Reese's bodyguards kick you guys back here because you were getting in their way? '
Chase sent her a withering look as he tugged at his hair.' Michael and I didn't find anything weird or out of the ordinary,' answered a thoughtful Chase still in his own head,' except the guest house outside has the lights on but that could have been, you know, the housekeeper cleaning it and all. I mean, Mrs. Reese runs a tight ship here and all '
Zoey grew cold all of the sudden following his thoughts.' Chase, you can't mean ….i mean, surely that would be the first place the police would have looked at when Bart escaped. It would be incredibly risky!'
'I didn't say it, Michael wouldn't even look there but you have to admit, it's not completely ludicrous. Hell, Bart went to classes with us all and we didn't have a clue he was the stalker until it was too late,' Chase paced the carpet,' or have I just lost my mind? We should be doing something before our friend's wedding rehearsal ….i mean, we had your crazy Mom-zilla at ours and there was like a million wedding chores to do. That's how it should before a wedding '
' We are doing last minute things before the rehearsal , Lisa wants to double check on the decorations , and Lola is calling Sushi Rox to see about getting something light for tonight ,' explained Zoey , leaning around him for an easy kiss,' In this case, I think Quinn doesn't need her dad locking horns anymore with Logan's father today of all days .'
Chase straightened, giving his wife an absent squeeze around her waist before letting her go.
'It couldn't really be that simple. Could it? Bart being right under our noses and the police and none of us having a clue because it would be too obvious '
Fear spread across Zoey's pretty face then grew tense.' I should check on Quinn '
Suddenly it was if everything had fallen in place like some tableau of terror taking them back to prom night in the dorm at PCA which made their fears worse. They hadn't known what had happened to Quinn and Logan couldn't help, but now it was different.
Just then Michael and Vince burst into the room together, out of breath and wild eyed.
'Has anyone seen Logan? We need to stop the dude before he goes looking for Bart all by himself and gets himself killed which Quinn would hurt us for letting that happen to the moron '
Zoey picked up her cell and stared at the three men.' I assume he is with Quinn '
Suddenly it was as if a light bulb came on above Vince's head and he smacked his forehead in disbelief at his denseness. The flowers that had been delivered for Quinn at the engagement party that he had tossed assuming they had been from Del Figgalo .
'Shit, shit, shit! The black roses for Quinn had to be from Bart! I didn't want to stress out Logan or Quinn more than they already were so I tossed them in the trash because I am a huge idiot '
'Vince, what are you talking about? 'Quinn stood in the open doorway of the guest room her gaze traveling to each of her friend with questions in her own eyes which were clouded with worry,' who got me flowers that you never bothered giving to me ? '
Vince gave a helpless shrug.' It was the day of your engagement party , Quinn, ' explained Vince, trying to see the delivery guy in his head ,' we were helping Logan at the club and some beach bum type delivered roses addressed to you . I thought it might have been something mean and spiteful your old boyfriend might do so I tossed them out '
Quinn shivered, slightly.' Now you think it might have been from Bart '
Coldness seeped through her body at that notion and wished Logan was here.' You need to tell that to the police, Vince, it might be an important seeing as the country club is nearby. They already believe Bart to be in close proximity to us as it is …..'
Zoey touched Quinn's arm.' The guys are going to call Detective Vega right this moment ,' reassured Zoey, sending them pointed looks that had all three men reaching for their phones ,' Did you need something , Quinn ?'
Quinn twisted her engagement ring nervously around her finger.' Yes, 'answered Quinn, smoothing her lips together in a thin line,' I'm feeling sort of anxious so I wanted to see if you and the girls wanted to hit the hot tub and share a bottle of wine '
'Perfect, 'declared Zoey, turning Quinn around and directing her down the hallway ,' Let's go grab Lisa and Lola and do that total girly relaxing pre-wedding ritual .'
'Good '
Chase poked his head from the doorway and hollered,' Quinn, where is Logan? '
'Oh Logan was feeling reckless so he went for a walk on the beach '
Once the women were out of earshot, Chase faced his friends with grim determination written all across his face as if lives were on the line, which it could very well be. They didn't know.
'Get Vega out here now '
'Where are we going, Chase? '
' To find Logan and drag his sorry butt back here so he can marry Quinn in the morning ,' stated Chase , grabbing a heavy silver candlestick from the dresser ,' let's go '
*****************************PCA**************************************************
The beach wasn't crowded as Logan strolled along the water's edge, hands tucked in the pockets of his linen pants , his thoughts swirling as he watched a gull swoop down touching the ocean and wished he had been able to talk Quinn into eloping rather than having an actual wedding tomorrow . There was a sort of ominous feeling surrounding them since Emerson hadn't been captured yet and Quinn's nerves were pretty rough which was saying a lot because she was a strong woman. He just wanted them to hurry up and get married.
Logan couldn't wait to put a ring on Quinn's finger and spend the rest of their lives together making each other happy. He wanted to give Quinn the moon and stars if he could though she would probably laugh and chuck it up to scientific stuff.
God, he loved that woman! Crazy, brilliant, sweet Quinn!
Lost in his head, Logan didn't pay any attention to how far down the beach he had wandered or that he no longer was alone. He checked his watch knowing he would have to go back and get changed for the whole rehearsal deal and wondering if his step-mom would be insulted if he wanted to wear jeans and a tee shirt .
Couldn't he save getting all monkey suited up for the actual wedding?
'Are you lost, brother? 'Bart couldn't have believed his luck when he had stepped out of the empty cabana to find Logan kicking up the sand so close to him. It was fate; it had to be his luck had finally turned,' or did you come to invite me to stand up for you when you wed dear, lovely Quinn? '
Logan turned slowly to face the familiar face of his old enemy, eyes darting around for a weapon, then settled back on his face. He wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp but he knew that he needed to be smart here.
'Bart,' said Logan, coolly,' what the hell do you want? You're putting a hell of a crimp on my wedding festivities and that upsets Quinn which as you know just pisses me off '
Logan would get the upper hand here, if it killed him. He just needed to play it cool.
In a gesture oddly reminiscent of Logan, Bart dragged his hand through his bleached blonde hair and an unfamiliar look settled on his face. If there was madness there it didn't show.
This is what he had wanted for so long – face time with his little brother and now Logan was here. His reimagined plan didn't seem quite right now but maybe Logan would finally understand him. They could become family.
' I didn't mean to startle Quinn ,' said Bart , crossing his arms over his chest as if they were just shooting the breeze , as if he hadn't tried to hurt them all before , as if the three years was but a dream that never occurred ,' She's gotten more beautiful. You're a lucky man that a woman like Quinn wants to marry you, Logan '
'You can't have her, Bart,' replied Logan, grimly,' I won't allow you to lay a fucking hand on the woman I love. You got a bone to pick with me then here I am –we can settle things here once and all '
A touch of sadness mingled with the madness in Bart's face as he circled Logan as if this was a hunt. His own mother was long dead, Beverly had lied to him all of his life, and now his needs had shifted all of these weeks of being on the run. He needed Logan to understand him .
'I've changed since my incarceration, 'continued Bart, measuring Logan,' didn't you get my letters? I was confused at school, I didn't mean to hurt all of those girls or you're Quinn, but I didn't know any better. I don't want to become you anymore, I want for us to act like the brothers that we are, because we are family '
'Your off your nut by a mile and a fucking half, dude,' retorted Logan, 'we're not brothers '
'Lies ...all you've ever known are the lies Malcolm has told you but look at me, Logan? 'Bart jabbed a finger at his cheekbones,' we have the same chiseled good looks of the Reese men, because we are brothers. We are the same...look at what you've become? We were both the same until you had Quinn and...And I could learn to be like you '
'You're an even crazier son of a bitch than you were before …' said Logan, bending down for a piece of driftwood,' if I had a brother, he sure as hell wouldn't hurt people or the woman that I love '
'You still wonder if I am speaking the truth ...don't you? Dear old Dad wasn't always old faithful to your mother or mine ...'
Sirens cut through the sounds of the surf as Bart paused as if considering his neck move as Logan took advantage of the lapse to bring the board around catching Bart across the face sending him sprawling onto the sand. Logan hit the button on his watch that Quinn had fixed up for him alerting the police of his location then sprinted across the beach heading back towards his home and Quinn .
'That wasn't very brotherly 'Bart was up now, wiping the blood from a gash on his forehead,' you really shouldn't have done that. I tried to give you a chance, Logan '
'Give it up, Bart, the police are here! It's over!'
Growling like a feral dog, Bart lunged for Logan putting his hands around his neck to strangle him before a loud war cry sounded from all around him as Chase, Michael, and Vince attacked all at once . As Logan kicked Bart in the stomach as he struggled with him, Michael and Vince yanked Bart off of their friend as Chase lifted the ornate candlestick hitting Bart over the head, rendering him out cold.
'Stay down, Bart '
'Man, am I glad to see you guys,' coughed Logan as Detective Vega and his officers joined the melee on the beach,' Thanks for that, I owe you one '
Chase slapped him on the back as a wide grin crossed his face. 'Yeah you do but the PCA Detectives still got it '
'I think we'll take it from here,' said David as he read Bart his rights and handcuffed the man,' if you guys would just give one of my officers your statements, we'll get out of your hair and let you get back to that wedding '
'Logan, 'Then Quinn was rushing down the beach, throwing her arms around his neck and all was right in their world again,' you scared me to death! Are you alright? Oh Logan, don't you ever do that to me again or I'll kill you myself '
Logan drew her into a deliciously, sweet kiss.' Let's get married, Quinn '
.
