~@~@ Finally Ch. 16

I disclaim

~~

Phillip stood and slapped his hands together, as his old friend walked in the solarium.  " Jase man glad you could make it."

The other man looked around noticing the change, the last time he had been here the room had been dark and stuffy, full of old statues, and dark brown furniture, but now the room looked light and airy. Instead of the old wood furniture there was one ivory couch and a large piano in the center. " Nice décor man, your Mom as great taste."

" Her, not even, she would go against my father's taste and change stuff." He shook his head and flashed those dimples. " No I did this, I figured since my Dad's not coming back, I might as well make it to my liking."

" So he's not coming back?"

" No he got too greedy, trying to one up Mac Red Wolf, his facing some major charges, Victor Kirakis is not the kind of man that goes to Prison." " Naw Dad has decided to extend his vacation overseas."

" I'm sorry to hear that Phil, I know how close to your parents you are."

Phillip let his eyes show his anger for mere seconds before the usual light replaced it. " Yeah, well we all have to pay the price for the choices and enemies we make, this is his."

Jason watched his friend closely, and felt a shiver go don his spine. He had spent years learning how not to be afraid, hell his boss was the mother of all things scary, Mac had told him stories that he thought destroyed all ability to fear in him. Until he saw the look of pure uninhibited evil pass through his eyes, then for no more then a second did he feel a cold fear sweep through him that caused him to as a silent prayer, before he put on his game face." Well, as long as you okay."

" Better then okay, things have been rocky." Phillip looked at the window, a small smile on his lips." But there turning around, besides I'm a Kirakis, I rise above the rest."

~~~

Shawn thanked the elderly priest again, the things he found out had merely been basic information but it was still helpful. He was still missing large piece of the puzzle, like how did Kristen DiMera end up here, and how did she get out.

Father Dermot had told everything that he knew. Which was that one night over a decade ago Kristen arrived on their doorstep with merely the clothes on her back, crazy out of her mind.  He said delusional, but it all meant the same thing, she rarely spoke and when she did it was either incoherent ramblings or pleas for her 'big brother', Peter. She gradually got worse and worse until letters and sometimes packages started arriving. The sender was unknown as were the contents, but the results were apparent.

Kristen started talking coherently and more often. She started talking about 'her baby' that was waiting for her to get better. But Kristen didn't have any children, at least none that were really hers.

Stopping just outside the monastery he pulled put his cell phone and looked toward his rented motorcycle. He checked the area, and frowned, he had the feeling he was being watched. The small monastery was hidden deep in the hills, over rough terrain, he had spent days watching it, searching for a patterns of visitors and found that there were basically none. So why were their tire treads, when he rode a motorcycle, and the deliveryman rode a horse and cart.

 The vibrations of his cell phone caught him off guard; he clicked on his phone with one hand, while the other moved toward his hostler, as he scanned the grounds. " Brady."

" It's O'Neil."

Even from way across the world, Shawn could hear the defeat in the older man voice, the sound caused a knot to form in his stomach." Mac?"

" Alive, but...Chloe lost… we all lost."

" What?!?!"

" Kristen had her day in court, Mac is now and forever Machiavelli DiMera."

Shawn tightened his grip on the gun. Kristen was dangerous, they didn't know anything about her, accept that she was sometimes unbalanced, and that she was a Dimera, neither thing instilled confidence that she wasn't up to no good. " How did that happen, Chloe had power of Attorney?"

" Kristen had a very convincing lawyer, he had the judge eating out his hand, made Tony looked like a wrongfully denied father, and the Red Wolfs looking like armed kidnappers." " What do you have?"

" Not much, I'm in Portugal, about two hours from the old estate that Stefano owned, At Our Lady Of Perpetual Mercy." " Kristen showed just appeared one night with no clothes or belongings, then disappeared another, she had no visitors, or now that they knew of she was crazy, they kept in her in a room in the basement, once she stopped going batty they only checked on her to give her, her meals. She didn't talk that often, and when she did it was about 'her baby'."

" A baby, Kristen didn't' have kids."

" Yeah I know, but I think we should check out where that kid Elvis is, see if we can find him, maybe threaten him a little."

" Alright I do what I can, but I need more on her. Monasteries aren't free like they used to be, people don't just get sanctuary they need money to survive just like everyone else, so someone was paying for her stay, Kristen is a left brain, and I need the other half."  

" I'm on it." Shawn continued to search the area, until his eye caught the glint of glass reflecting of the sun, and gave a feral grin.

~~~

The picture wouldn't change no matter how much she stared at it, Chloe knew that, but she stared at it anyway. It was the picture her daughter ha drawn for her Aunt Mac, but Mac would never see it.  Kristen plans didn't include let Mac ever see her goddaughter, no her plans included either death or world domination.  He looked around the house glad that Gabrielle was at her parents, and Brady was trying to regroup with John and the guys, she didn't think she could explain to anyone. Not the depression or the silence.

She had failed.

Mackenzie had saved her countless times, and when her friend needed her she failed, half the town had been counting on her to win, and when push came to shove she buckled under the pressure.

" Snap out it." Mac stood in front of her friend, and snapped her fingers, and gave a low but scary growl, when the woman didn't response." I'll don't do ell with maudlin people, Chloe."  She looked around the empty house, and groaned. " Come on, please pull it together." " All I got right now is Jason and Shawn, and you know I love my boys, but let's face it men are the less weaker sex in the brain department, so stop feeling sorry for yourself, and start solving the equation."

The phone began to ring, and both women looked toward the cordless on the kitchen wall. The ring stopped when the voice mail began, and Phillips' voice filled the room.

" Hey Chloe, It's me Philip." " I heard about what happened at the court house, and … I'm really sorry, I know how much Mac means to you." " I know this is hard, but I thought maybe I could help, get your mind off things, take the kids tot eh park." " Victor has done nothing but talk about Gaby nonstop since last week." " Please Chloe, I think we could both use the distractions."

" Twit." Mac said with disgust, glaring at the phone as f it had offended her.

Chloe however walked stride fully toward the kitchen counters and opened a drawn, puling out an envelope of photos. Flipping through them quickly until she came to one of her daughter, and her newest friend slash cousin. Belles words played in her head she examined the photo. Mimi had given an I.D. of the child Mac had saved; her reporter's eye had given a perfect description, a description that fit Victor Jr. to a T. Belle had even suggested Phillip as the driver, but it mad no sense Phillip had no real reason to hate Mac, she had treated him much better then she treated Victor.

Mac stepped closer and narrowed her eyes." Oh the wheels are turning."

Chloe's mind raced, Philip had no reason to go after Mac, none at all, except…

Except that even with his brother and father on the other side of the law, and a divorce going on, Philip was doing okay. Lucas had just told her that he was named CCEO of Titan in his father's absence; a company that he was supposes to share with his Kate's other kids, and Bo. Except that Bo, Billy, and Lucas didn't want the money, and Austin was unable to collect his share. All in all he was doing better then most, he was single, rich, and powerful. In a town like Salem, just becoming one of those things was enough to incite murder, all three at once was you could only get with a mass conspiracy or a deal with the devil. " Or a DiMera." Chloe said quietly the ramification of the statement just beginning to set it.

Mac face broke into a grin a mile wide. " That's my girl."

~~~

Coming soon:

Mac's time runs out.

Kirsten and John come face to face.