"Little A, come on now sweetie. We're supposed to go the batting cages with Ritchie, remember?"
"No! I wanna see Daddy!"
"But hon, your daddy isn't feeling well. C'mon now. We can't be here."
"But...?" Adam Jr. looked up in confusion, wanting to know why seeing his father wasn't an option.
"Now c'mon A, do what your momma says." Krystal said trying to coax Little A into listening to Babe, when to her surprise she felt herself get shoved from behind.
"What in the..."
"Oh sorry, didn't see you there." Adam said with a smirk.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Krystal sputtered as Babe looked on angrily.
"Grandpa!"
"Hey sport, you still want to visit your dad?"
"Yeah!"
"I thought so. Come on." Adam said smugly as he picked up his grandson and took him down the hallway to J.R's room, leaving Krystal and Babe to angrily chase him down.
"Whoa, where's the fire, ladies?" Dixie asked innocently as Babe and Krystal looked back at her completely dumbfounded.
"D...Dixie?"
"In the flesh."
"But...but how? I...I thought that you..."
"Died? Funny. Had I stuck around a little longer I could've said the same about you." Dixie said with a smirk directed at Babe.
"I..I couldn't believe it when I saw it in the papers yesterday. But, here ya are!"
"Yes, Krystal. Here I am. And I couldn't have timed it better if I tried."
"Yeah, it's good J.R has you back now."
"Isn't it? I mean besides the fact I was robbed of a year I could've spent with him and my grandson, sometimes even grown men still need their mothers to protect them now and then, look out for their best interests and such. Of course you'd know that Babe, having a son of your own and all."
"Right." Babe said warily, realizing at that moment Dixie was probably aware of the entire scenario with J.R. Babe also assumed since they'd taken that unexpected detour from the park, where she and Ritchie were planning to meet up and explain things to Krystal, that her mother was clueless as to the real situation.
"So, you understand the need to defend your child at all costs."
"Absolutely."
"Good, then you'll probably understand why I'm about to do this!" Dixie said vindictively as she proceeded to slap Babe across the face.
"What in the..." Krystal said angrily trying to slap Dixie herself before Adam came up behind her and held her back.
"Why Adam, I'm touched!" Dixie said genuinely surprised at Adam's behavior.
"Adam Chandler get away from me this minute!"
"Gladly." Adam said as he released Krystal, who then rushed to Babe's side completely in shock.
"Will someone mind telling me what the hell is going on here? Adam? What has gotten into you?" Krystal asked completely apalled.
"What's gotten into me? The destruction that you and your daughter have caused my family, that's what! The fact that my son is lying in a hospital bed again because of your daughter! That's what's gotten into me!"
"Alright, can someone stop screaming long enough to give me the details? Why is J.R being in the hospital reason for my daughter and I being manhandled and smacked around?" Krystal asked angrily.
"Funny, I thought Dixie was doing you a courtesy, slapping some much needed sense into your daughter." Adam said.
"Well, as needed as it was, I doubt it'll do any good. It certainly didn't put a certain stack of custody papers out of commission did it?" Dixie said bitterly to Babe as she looked in J.R's room and saw him playing happily with Little A.
"How could you possibly do this?" Dixie choked out on the verge of tears.
"How can you live with yourself? Dragging an innocent boy from his father who loves him more than anything?"
"I don't know Dixie. How did you do it way back when?" Babe snapped, getting dagger eyes from Dixie.
"Don't you even go there..." Dixie threatened.
"Oh why shouldn't I?"
"Because you're not one to talk, missy." Adam chimed in much to everyone's surprise.
"Not when it comes to a past you weren't a part of in any way, shape, or form."
"But..."
"I'm well aware Dixie and I have had many battles and have quite an ugly history when it comes to our son. But we both know quite well neither of us are saints and we don't try to pass ourselves off as such. Unlike some people."
"Wait a minute, what's all this custody talk? Babe? What's going on?"
"Guess the sacred Carey women bond isn't all it's cracked up to be, is it?"
"Apparently not." Adam smirked.
"I always assumed the mother of the bride would be the first to hear the joyous news." Dixie said holding up Babe's ring finger.
"Like this mother daughter duo would do anything by the book." Adam scoffed.
"Babe? Did you?"
"I was gonna tell you everything Momma, I swear!"
"Actually Babe, I myself wouldn't be all too eager to spread the word if I'd just walked down the aisle with a legitimate psychopath." Dixie retorted.
"Well that certainly clears my conscience." Adam said breathing a sigh of relief.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dixie asked.
"As I recall you were prepared to invite everyone in Pine Valley and the entire town of Pigeon Hollow to our wedding back in the day. Guess I still haven't earned myself a stay at Oakhaven. "
"No but I'm sure Dr. Snow at Laurel Hill would've been happy to accomodate you Adam!"
"Touche." Adam chuckled.
"Now wait!!" Krystal yelled with frustration.
"Babe, did...did you elope with, Ritchie Novak?"
"Momma I..."
"Sugar what were you thinking?"
"Come on Babe, I believe we'd all like to know what made you think you could possibly do better then J.R."
"Oh, you mean better then the man who tried to kill her." Krystal retorted getting a rise out of Dixie.
"Excuse me? Are you refering to the man lying in a hospital bed at the moment because of your daughter?"
"A man who's currently in recovery in a hospital bed, a luxury Babe wouldn't have been lucky enough to get if J.R had had his way!"
"If he'd had his...you're unbelieveable, you know that?" Dixie said completely apalled. "We all know that Babe and J.R have put eachother through hell time and time again. But the one reason I've gotten past everything they've done to hurt one another through the years is they've always found a way to make it work for the sake of their son! Until now at least."
"Not that I'm intending on letting that fly. You can run off with that psychopath of your's wherever you please Babe. In fact I'm prepared to provide money, transportation, whatever it takes. So long as my grandson stays with his father where he belongs."
"Adam, you can throw all the money you want at me, but you won't bribe me into changing my mind. Little A is going to live with me and Ritchie and I'll fight J.R in court to the death to make sure of that." Babe said defensively.
"Oh you're definitely gonna have to fight to the death, Babe. Because over my dead body are you separating J.R and Little Adam again. And don't forget, I've beaten death twice now for the sake of my family and have no intention of changing my ways any time soon." Dixie said confidently.
"That goes double for me. You know how important family is to me and I refuse to allow any of my loved ones to be used by you or your mother ever again!"
"Used? You wanna talk about people being used?" Krystal said with a smirk.
"Dixie, since you and Adam are such good pals all of a sudden, it's no surprise he hasn't told you how he lied and pretended he knew where Kate was as bait to lure me back under his covers."
"Like you'd need any luring." Adam hissed only to turn to Dixie with nothing but remorse in his eyes.
"Adam? Did you, really? Did you use my daughter, my Kate's identity like that?" Dixie asked with a voice full of hurt, feeling as blind and ashamed as she did way back at Laurel Hill after she'd finally seen Adam's true colors.
Stunned, she picked up her bag and walked down to J.R's room only to see Adam following her.
"What do you want from me!" Dixie yelled.
"I..."
"For God's sake Adam! I gave you the benefit of the doubt about burning down my house! I sided with you against the Carey's! I thought for once we were on the same page, that you'd actually no, apparently I haven't learned a damn thing even after all these years!"
"Dixie..."
"What in the world is wrong with me? Is this a dream, a side effect from the meds I was on for a year? Did I time travel when I was in that coma? Am I eighteen years old again? Here I am, telling Tad off, trusting you? Believing in you? God, I'm just as naive as I was that night in the boathouse!"
"Dixie, if you'll just listen to me I..."
"What makes you think you can say anything to make this right! You used my missing little girl, my Kate's whereabouts and identity as a pawn in your twisted scheme to win back Krystal. Well good job Adam, you two officially deserve eachother."
"Krystal, as usual, has no idea what she's talking about. And if you'd kindly end the dramatics long enough I could explain."
"Oh this is gonna be good." Dixie said sarcastically before she saw a trace of sincerity in Adam's eyes.
"Dixie. Despite all the battles we've had over the years, and the way I treated you when you returned the last time..."
"You mean before or after you crated me off to Uzbechistan?"
"You have to understand, despite my resentment of Tad,and my feelings towards your actions, I did truly empathize with you once I learned what actually happened to Kate."
"Because of what happened with Colby."
"Exactly. I knew firsthand the hell you and Tad were going through. Luckily Colby found her way back to me, but in your case it was doubtful you'd ever have that opportunity with Kate. Also, I saw how devastated J.R was over losing his sister. When he thought she was dead he mourned for Kate the same way I'd mourned for Lottie."
"Oh, Adam." Dixie said sadly.
"And having, and losing, that everlasting connection between you and the love of your life is something I can relate to." Adam said referring to Krystal and the loss of Charlotte, not once but twice, when a DNA test indicated his Charlotte was actually the daughter of a man named Gus Kelly, who according to Winifred's guest list was a trucker who'd attended his and Krystal's party last Christmas.
"Adam I'm, I'm so sorry."
"No, enough. I don't want to dwell on that good for nothing slut anymore. In fact, I'm gonna prove her a good for nothing liar. Dixie. I do know the truth about Kate."
"I...What?" Dixie whispered as she felt her heart skip a beat and a rush of adrenaline surge through her the moment she heard her daughter's name.
"Krystal said I was lying when I said I knew Kate's whereabouts. I wasn't. I've known where your daughter has been for months and even tried to tell the truth."
"I...."
"At first both Tad and Krystal dismissed me, thinking I was merely yanking their chains and being cruel. Until one night I took Krystal aside and finally convinced her I had an actual lead on Kate. And she believed me. But instead of telling Tad, her husband at the time, her suspicions about this, or confronting me herself about Kate, she used our son to go in and spy on me. She sent J.R in to do her dirty work so she wouldn't have to deal with me herself, and all the while Tad was none the wiser."
"I...." Dixie stuttered, her mind racing as she faced Adam, trying to take in everything she'd just heard, before she heard Krystal and Babe barge through the door at the end of the hallway.
"There you are! Did you honestly think we were finished discussing this?" Krystal screeched.
"Apparently Krystal didn't think Kate was worth discussing with Tad. At the time, she probably didn't want any girl but her own precious sugardoll to get attention."
Adam said bitterly as Dixie's overwhelmed expression turned into one of downright rage.
As she heard the stomping of high heels, along with the familiar squeak of a pair of beat up old loafers coming up behind her, Dixie turned around and came face to face with the love of her life and the woman who'd monopolized his life for far too long already.
"No Krystal, I didn't think we were finished discussing things. In fact, we aren't even close!" Dixie said glaring at Krystal before she gave her an equally intense stinging slap across the face as she'd given Babe earlier on.
"Why you little..." Krystal growled as she lunged towards Dixie only to get pulled back by Babe who noticed a nurse glancing in their direction.
"Whoa! Hold on there!" Tad yelled completely stunned at Dixie's unruly behavior. But after pulling her aside only to see pure hatred in her eyes and tears running down her face he knew she had to have been provoked.
"Way to ruin a perfectly good show Martin." Adam scoffed.
"Never mind that, sweetheart what the hell has gotten into you!" Tad asked with concern as Dixie turned away looking ashamed.
"Don't think I'm gonna let you off that easily. I know exactly what it takes to earn an old fashioned slugging courtesy of Dixie Cooney and it's never something not serious. What happened here?"
"Tad I..." Dixie choked out before she was interrupted.
"I'll tell ya what happened, your ex wife deserves to be hauled off by security here! Coming after Babe and I like that for no reason whatsoever!"
"Krystal I highly doubt that. Now, does someone mind filling me in here?"
"Actually I think this should clear everything up for you, Tad." Julia said as she handed Tad the surveilance tapes.
"It's high time some were clued in." Joe said, his voice full of disappointment towards Krystal as he led Dixie and Tad down to the lounge to watch the tapes.
Dixie, not to her surprise, realized Babe and Ritchie were the ones who spiked J.R's vitals after presenting him with the custody papers.
And Tad was stunned as he watched Adam and Dixie's confrontation with Babe and Krystal, as well as Adam telling Dixie what he knew about Kate.
Then just as the tapes ended Krystal and Babe barged into the lounge only to see Tad and Dixie trying to comfort one another on the sofa, before the pair turned around, saw who'd interrupted them and proceeded to look on with fury and disbelief at the two blonde women standing guiltily at the door, both of whom knew their time residing in Pine Valley was oficially coming to an end.
