~@~@ Finally Ch. 14

I disclaim

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Okay, I know it's been a awhile, but I'm back thanks to Thalia, so bear with me as I try to remember where I was going.

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Jason watched Mimi leave her office from his hiding place across the street, and groaned, he really didn't want to have to interrogate an old friend, but it was necessary. As it was all the information he had was just things he read in a file on the plane ride over, and he knew that as a reporter and a gossip Mimi could fill him in on the important things the report didn't say. " Hey Meems."

" Jason." She turns with a smile on her face, she had just been thinking of the man, when suddenly appeared." We must have some strange connection, because I was just thinking about you."

" Really, good thoughts I hope."

Mimi looked at him critically with her reporters eye, he was charm and confidence personified, but she could see the desperation in him, and immediately felt for him. " Of course, I was thinking how I should call and see how you're doing, you settling in okay?"

" Yeah, I'm okay." " Hey am I interrupting something?" He motioned toward her briefcase." You hot on the trail of a story?"

" No, I was actually off to lunch, would you like to join me?"

" I'd like that." Jason deftly removed the briefcase form her hands, before offering his arm.

" Great." She took his arm, and began dragging him across the street to the small dinner." We can catch up."

And sure enough twenty minutes later, they were Jason gave Mimi and comforting hand squeeze. " I'm sorry I heard you and Kevin had broken up, but that was about it." " I never figured…"

" That Kevin was gay, yeah I think it shocked everyone, I mean I heard rumors about Hawk, but seeing it with your own eyes is…" She shook her head, banishing the image. " Strange." " I laughed for about two hours, Kevin thought I was having a nervous break down, he called Jan over, and she was a still a just a med student, so she brought Brandon." " I thought it was the worst day of my life, but… I'm over it, you know what they say better to have loved and lost, then to…"

" Yada yada yada, that's just something they say to make us feel better, it doesn't feel true."

" Jason...uh…I shouldn't ask but are you okay being herein Salem with Chloe and Brady and everything?"

" Yeah, I uh… talked to her after wards and she made me understand, and it wasn't like I could see that she wasn't over him, but I hey I we had fun." " Besides it's not like I'm the first guy lose my heart to Chloe Lane, hey Philip survived, and I can too."

"Mimi rolled her eyes." Please Philip hardly survived, he became a womanizing playboy, until he was trapped by a barracuda, please have self respect then to end up like Philip."

" I thought Philip was married to Belle's older sister, I can't imagine anyone related to Belle, that's a barracuda."

" Sami Brady, is a complete genetic mystery, she has two great parents, great siblings, and really a great family, and yet she is…." " God I just don't think I would be completely honest with myself, or you unless I said she was devil's daughter." " No morals or conscience, or any trait you would associate with a Brady." " Hell on a bad day she resembles a DiMera."

" Wow, I didn't now, that's interesting."

 ~~

" John." Lucas jogged the few steps that separated him form his father-in-law, and nodded at assistant he was speaking too." Can I borrow you for a moment."

" Sure." John turned and gave the women next to him a small smile." I'll have Teri call you with the numbers, Gene." " Lucas, follow me." He walked down the halls of Basic Black with his head held high, walking the halls always made him feel proud. People hadn't thought twice about him, when he first opened the doors, just him and Brady; they thought he was trying to buy he was into the business and they he fall flat on his face, but he hadn't. He and his children had worked hard, and they were now no. 1 in Fashion, Victor was constantly dogging their heels, and every once in awhile out of the blue Red Wolf Industries would beat them out for an account, but he liked the competition. Especially that smile Mac had when she beat him it reminded him of when he first knew her, before Stefano manipulated her life. The final thought filled his heart with rag, and as he entered his office, he headed straight for the mini bar, by his desk, and reached for a small bottle of Smirnov's vodka.

" John you okay?" The younger man looked at the sight concerned, e never really seen John drink anything, but champagne, and him was drowning a bottle was strange and a little disconcerting.

" Sorry bad memories just blindsided me." He dropped the bottle in a nearby wastebasket, and took his seat motioning for his son-in-law to seat. " What's up?"

"Darcy, one of Mac's men, faxed me the investigation file on Victor, he hand is all over this Insider Trading thing, he had meetings with the main agents on the case."

" Yeah, I suspected that." And fared it, until now he had thought that Victor and Mac's feud was kind of funny, The any event where they were present was sure to be fun, a look, a sneeze would cause the bickering that usually ended in death threats, and only once in violence, when Victor lapsed into Greek, and said something that caused Patrick to punch him. This however was vindictive, before their fights were centered solely on each other only occasionally veering off to pull in family members and friends, but by sicing the FEDS on her Victor, had simultaneously effected thousands of lives, something John knew Mac would never allow, and in her absence he wouldn't either." I never thought Victor, would do something like this."

" Yeah, it doesn't fit the man I know." Victor was vicious in business, but felt family was sacred, and ruining hundreds for a pity argument, was outrageous, and even with everything he done in the past he couldn't see the man he admired would sink so low. Lucas dropped the file on John's desk, and shook his head. " It's not hard evidence, but it's damming."    

John rubbed his chin, and nodded his head." Well, I think for the moment we should proceed as if he is behind it, I check over everything they have and then I'll have Patrick get to the right people." " For right now, I think we should neutralize him."

" Well, Philip tells me that the board is very concerned with what's being leaked to the press, he says they're looking to remove him as CEO." " I think right now Brady would be their ideal candidate, but…."

" But Brady wouldn't go near Titan, because Chloe's angry at Victor for going after Mac."

" Yeah… well there are some other candidates, none of them fans of Mac's." " It's amazing how many people she's managed to tick off in such a short life."

" What about Philip?"

Lucas looks confused." What about him?"

" Is he being considered for the position?"

" No, come on John, Philip's in charge of managing the view outside his window, he doesn't know how to run a company, he can barley run his life."

" True, but he'd be willing to take suggestions from others and he's on Mac's side, he's the lesser of the evils." " This is only temporary, or I hope it is, but for right now, I think its something we should look into."

~~

" DADDY." Chloe looked up from her magazine and watched her daughter throw herself into her fathers arm. " You're home, guess what I was playing at the park today, and we saw a butterfly, and I tried to catch it but it was fast." " So Mommy suggested I draw a picture of it, and I drew five, one for your office, one for Grandma and Grandpa, one for Nana and Poppy, one for the Mommy, and one but Big Mac, but Mommy says we have to wait o take it to Mac because we don't want monnup…monopoly her."

Brady carried the small child over to the couch and sat down." Yeah we wouldn't want to do that, but I know she'll appreciate, and I know appreciate it."

" Gabriela, why don't you go get the picture you made your daddy?" Once she heard the daughter hit stomp on the top stair, she looked over at her husbands." You're home early, what's up?"

" I just thought maybe I'd join you and Gaby at the hospital, maybe get some dinner afterward."

" We're not going to the hospital today."

Brady searched his wife's eyes. "Why?"

" Because you were right."

He shook his head, stood and moved to sit beside her, bending closer to hear her." What?"

Putting down her magazine she meets his eyes." You were right, Gabriela shouldn't see Mac like that, neither one of us should, and I shouldn't be trying to push you away." " I know that you care about her too, and that they are a bunch of people that care about her, but I just look at her, and I think back to when I woke up in the DiMera summer home." " I was so scared." She felt him tense beside, and took his hand; kissing it and making him meet her eyes. " It wasn't Stefano or Tony it was this feeling that I was all alone, and that I had nothing, and then Mac woke up, and it just changed."

" We're the complete opposite, but she understood the feeling and lessened it, and if she hadn't been there for me then I don't think I would have ever made it here on my own, and I can't…"

" I know, Diva I just need you to let me help you, we can save her together." He dropped to down to one knee in front of her." We're in this together, you and me, and together we can do this, we've been here before, you remember you and me some medical nuisance, and we be it, and we'll beat it now." " I'm not going to let anything happen to you or anyone you care about, I swear it."

~~~

Coming Soon:

Kristen and Chloe have their day in court.