I can't believe it! It's finally over! It's actually kind of sad...there may or may not be a sequel; I haven't actually decided yet. You see, I'm scared that a second story with the Skylers may not be as good as the first...but, if I come up with something (and people actually want me to write a sequel), maybe I will. As for the shocking conclusion, it's actually quite shocking (LOL), although a lot of it's been foreshadowed in other chapters. I must say, this must be the scariest fic I've ever written in my entire life. Especially the end with Ray-if you thought he was scary before, wait until you read this! I think I've been reading too much of John Donne's later poetry (for any of those people have read John Donne, they may see the strange similarities between his Holy Sonnets and the really frightening speech that Ray gives...) Anyway, this is the end, Chapter 7, Ray's big finale! Oh, yeah, the small epilogue at the end is a special bonus treat! And if anyone is curious, the song that's playing in the background is called "I love you" and it's sung by Celine Dion. I guess that's all I have to say...just be prepared! It's all really disturbing! And I said it before, and I'll say it again! Don't take this too seriously! It's supposed to be FUNNY! Sure, Ray Skyler is a terrifying individual, but that's only for comedic purposes! So enjoy the black, sadistic humor of the Skylers as the story comes to its big finale! Here it is! The end of all ends! The conclusion of all conclusions! The FINALE of all finales: Chapter 7, "Ray's Finale" and an epilogue to boot! I hope you all enjoy!

Since about noon, Jamie found himself alone in the hanger. Not a soul could be seen whether it be from the Blitz team, Fluegel team, or Skyler team. Now the sun had finished setting and still no one had returned from wherever they had gone. Jamie sighed, sitting in the living room and anxiously shaking his leg, impatiently waiting for someone to come back.

At half past six, Bit entered the living room, slowly plodding in, a distraught look of puzzlement on his pale face. Jamie, in an anxious surprise, jumped to his feet.

"Bit!" he exclaimed and then questioned in concern, "Where have you been?!"

"In the desert…since noon…" Bit answered in a distant voice.

"Since noon?!" Jamie was shocked. "But - but why?!"

"Something very strange happened…" he explained, voice trailing off as he sat down on the couch. Jamie hastily sat beside him.

'Well, what is it? What happened?" Jamie continued to interrogate. Bit continued to look out blankly into empty space. Jamie gave him a shake. "Will you snap out of it, Bit?!"

"Huh?" Bit blinked a few times and shook his head, returning to his senses. "Oh, hey, Jamie. Sorry about that."

"It's all right," Jamie quickly forgave him. "Now tell me what you were doing in the desert for the last six and a half hours."

"Well, it's really confusing," Bit began, scratching the back of his head. "The first hour I experienced the most traumatizing experience of my life. The other five and a half I spent trying to figure out what the heck really happened in the first one."

"Well…what DID happen in the first one?" Jamie inquired.

"Uh…Kylie came…stuff happened…she got pissed off…Mikey came…he tried to kill her…the poison kicked in…Kylie tried to kill me…the police came…they shot her…both Mikey and Kylie were taken away in an ambulance to the hospital…and, uh, yeah. That pretty much sums it up," he concluded with a decisive nod. Jamie frowned. "I'd go into more detail, but I'm trying to block the painful memory from my mind."

"Oh," Jamie said simply, looking away. "That makes sense." He then turned back to Bit. "But, hey! Wait a second! How'd the police know to come?" Bit's face became perplexed.

"That's what I'd like to know," he said, leaning back in his seat. "The police woman said some mysterious girl called them about it."

"Some mysterious girl…?"

"I'm free, I'm free," Brad's voice came chiming in and both Jamie and Bit turned to see Brad come waltzing in - literally - dancing and singing with a blissful grin on his face. Needless to say, Jamie and bit were shocked. Never had either seen Brad so happy before, especially over the last three days, nor had they ever seen him express his joy so elaborately. Both Bit and Jamie rose, mouths gaping open and stunned eyes wide.

"Brad…?" Jamie dared to ask. Brad turned to them with a giddy laugh.

"I'm free!" he exclaimed. "Oh! I love you guys!" He gave them each a hug as he said this and Jamie and Bit were even more disturbed.

"Brad - are you drunk?" Bit questioned.

"No!" he exclaimed and began to laugh - almost giggle - again. "I'm just free! Free, free, free, fee…" he started to sing again, dancing around the living room. Jamie and Bit, horribly frightened now, took hold of each others shoulders, clutching to each other for a sense of security.

"Okay, I'm really scared now," Bit admitted and Jamie nodded in agreement. Then Leena, Leon, Naomi, and Dr. Toros entered.

"Leena!" both boys exclaimed for she was the first to enter the room and they rushed to her.

"What's wrong with Brad?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah; he's acting really weird…" Bit added and all eyes turned to the joyously dancing Brad. Leena shrugged nonchalantly and then smirked.

"Let's just say that Ray Skyler's no longer a problem," she said deviously.

"WHAT?!" Both Bit and Jamie exclaimed in utter shock.

"It's true," Dr. Toros spoke up. "Ray's Skyler's gone."

"But - but how?" Jamie questioned. Leena's smirk widened and she snickered.

"Is HOW really important?" she began mischievously. "Don't worry about the details, Jamie; it's all been handled." She gave him a pat on the head and walked passed him. Jamie eyed her suspiciously, however. He went to question her further, but Bit cut in, face ecstatic.

"This is great!" he exclaimed, suddenly thrilled. "Because Kylie and Mikey are gone, too!" The rest, besides Jamie, turned to Bit in shock. Then, after a moment, everyone burst into chaotic cheers, laughing and singing and dancing with each other with wild joy. Jamie, however, frowned.

"There's still Dawn, you know," he informed them, although he could not be heard over their cheering. He sighed and folded his arms in an annoyed disappointment. "Wherever SHE is…" Dr. Toros now pulled out a bottle of champagne.

"Leon! Naomi! Stay for the night!" he called over the others. He the popped the cork, champagne shooting out. "It's time to celebrate!" A whooping applause sounded through the living room and the party began.



By eleven o'clock, the party died out and most of the Blitz team and the entire Fluegel team lay sprawled out on the living room floor. They had partied themselves to sleep, bottles in hand, leaving the living room a complete disaster, the lights off, food all over the floor, and heavy rock music still playing on the stereo system. What a jovial celebration it had been. Only Jamie had not participated in the festivities, having grown disgusted by the other's lack of seriousness and by the fact that they continued on ignoring him, and went to bed in his own room.

Brad was the only one awake. He sat on the living room couch, bottle in hand and a pensive look on his face. He took a gulp of champagne right from the bottle and then smiled. He couldn't help it as he thought of his new found freedom. He had never been so appreciative in his life. All his suffering, pain, and agony had been eradicated and he was satisfied. His smile widened and he took another gulp of champagne, thinking of this freedom and his new optimistic views on life.

Then there was a click - it came from the stereo system. And the rock music stopped; all was silent. Brad sat up straight.

"Hmm?" He listened - nothing. He then looked at the stereo - no one. Who had turned off the music? But it hadn't been turned off for another song came on - a slow, disturbing song with horrifying lyrics and Brad's face fell into panic. The song went as followed:

"I love you…please say you love me, too…these three words, they could change our lives forever…and I promise you that we will always be together…

"Until the end of time."

There was a knocking coming from Jamie's bedroom door. It was loud and forceful, but not frantic and frenzied in the slightest. Jamie stirred, turning over in his bed. He slowly awoke at the sound of the knocking.

"Who is it?" he called sleepily. Then he opened his eyes and the knocking ceased.

To Jamie's surprise there was no one at the door. It was just swung open, an empty dark hallway to be seen and nothing more. He sat up and stared at the door in perplexity.

"I could have sworn I heard knocking," he said aloud. But as he stared at the open door, he felt as if something was beckoning him. But where to? They was only one way to find out. Jamie narrowed his eyes in determination and flung his covers off of him. Then he rose and headed out the door to find out what was awaiting him beyond the endless void of darkness.

Brad panicked. Immediately, he rushed to the others and began waking the, shaking their shoulders and shouting urgently.

"Get up! Get up!" he ordered as the others groaned groggily and slowly began to lift themselves from the floor. Brad grew frustrated by their laziness. "Will you get up?!"

"Jeez, Brad!" Leena now shouted angrily as she sat up. "What's your problem?! Can't you see we're trying to sleep?!"

"He's still alive," Brad whispered frantically. "My God, he's still alive!" The others were either half asleep or just too self-indulged to be bothered or to even fully comprehend what Brad was saying. Instead, they all started grumbling in confusion and annoyance.

"I'm going back to sleep," Leena declared as she went to lay back down on the floor.

"No! No, wait!" Brad pleaded. "Listen!"

All was silent. And then, the music came to their ears:

"I love you…please say you love me, too…these three words, they could change our lives forever…and I promise you that we will always be together…

"Until the end of time."

"SEE?!" Brad whispered, pointing to the stereo system. Leena scoffed as she shook her head.

"So what?" she questioned. "Someone put a sappy song on. Big deal."

"But -" Brad was interrupted by Bit, who yawned loudly and outstretched his arms to the ceiling.

"Yeah, Brad; Leena's right. It's just a stupid song." In his own frenzy, Brad ferociously took Bit by the arm and pulled him off the floor. "Hey! Brad!"

"Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights!" Brad commanded, throwing Bit toward the light switch. Bit was lucky to keep his balance.

"All right, all right," Bit grumbled and plodded over to the light. "Jeez!" He then switched on the light switch. The room remained dark. "Hmm?" Bit questioned in puzzlement. He switched it back and forth and still nothing happened. "Well, that's funny. The lights don't seem to be working…"

"And I'm PRETTY sure I paid the electric bill…" Dr. Toros added, putting a hand to his chin.

"Don't you see what this MEANS?!" Brad persisted anxiously. Everyone exchanged glances of bewilderment.

"No…" Bit answered for the rest of the group, much confusion in his eyes.

"That HE'S still alive!" Brad explained and then fearfully whispered, "Ray Skyler!" A moment of silence past over the others then, except for the music. Then, they burst into laughter. Brad grew defensive. "It's not funny!"

"Look, just because the lights are out and a sappy song's playing on the radio does NOT mean that Ray Skyler is still alive," Leena insisted through her snickers. "You're being paranoid."

"I am not!" Brad protested. "You don't know him like I know him! He doesn't just GO AWAY! He always finds SOME WAY to come back! Besides, what else could it mean, hmm?" Leena sighed.

"THAT…the lights are out and a sappy song's playing on the radio, perhaps?" she suggested mockingly and the rest laughed harder. Brad scowled and clenched his fists in anger. Leena then repeated, "I'm going back to sleep." She went to lay back down on the floor.

But at that moment, a low slurred tremor of a familiar voice came in over the music. Half singing, half speaking, it began to recite the lyrics of the terrifying song as the others slowly began to rise to their feet, a sickening horror filling their faces:

"I love you…please say you love me, too…these three words, they could change our lives forever…and I promise you that we will always be together…

"Until the end of time."

"It can't be," Naomi whispered in fright. "It COULDN'T be!" They all then turned and exclaimed together in utter shock:

"Ray Skyler!" He stood there, head lowered, eyes in shadow, and with a massive blood clot on the side of his head, blood matting his platinum blond hair and rotting on the side of his face. He looked deathly white.

"Brad," Ray spoke now, his voice shaking with an uncontrollable fury. Brad leaped back with a whimper.

"Ray?" he squeaked out nervously.

"How could you betray me like this?" Ray asked, lip quivering. Then his head snapped up. "How could you leave me in a ditch to die?!" Brad cringed at the sight of Ray's wrathful eyes.

"Uh…" he looked to the others for an answer.

"I told you we should have burned the body," Dr. Toros muttered. This was not the answer Brad wanted to hear. He looked to Leena for help. Leena, out to save her own skin, placed her hands on her hips indignantly.

"How could you do such a thing, Brad?" she questioned, feigning her own anger. "How could you do that to poor Ray after he's done so much for you?"

"Leena's absolutely right, Brad!" Dr. Toros joined in, equally eager to save his own hide as well. "Shame! Shame!"

"WHAT?!" Brad questioned furiously. "You two were the ones who -"

"Now don't blame this on US, Brad," Leena interrupted. "We would NEVER do anything like that to RAY! We LOVE Ray!" She plastered a fake grin on her face and flashed it at Ray. Ray didn't seem all that impressed. In fact, he seemed to be growing more frustrated and Leena's smile quickly diminished. She then glanced at Bit. "Bit…?"

"Hey, don't look at me!" Bit exclaimed frantically. "I wasn't even there!"

"SILENCE!" Ray snapped and all was still. He then began to speak in a voice quivering with fury, his face twitching and his eyes bulging out as if he were ready to explode. "Now, tell me, Brad, how could you leave me in a ditch to die? HOW?!" He screamed the last word, foam flinging from his trembling lip and veins popping out of his ghastly white forehead.

"Uh…" Brad repeated again, but stared up at the ceiling this time rather than his disloyal friends.

"And after I told you that I loved you!" He let out a heart wrenching sob then that caused the others to wince. Brad continued to stare stupidly at the ceiling. Then, Ray lifted his head like a savage beast, eyeing Brad with a brutal glare. In a murderous voice, he flatly demanded, "TELL ME HOW."

"Uh…" Brad thought to apologize, but he wasn't really sorry that he had left Ray in a ditch to die. He was sorry, however, that Ray hadn't STAYED in the ditch and just died, but he guessed that that probably didn't count. Still, he supposed he could FAKE an apology, but that seemed almost as difficult as having to tell Ray that he loved him. He just couldn't bring himself to do it, so he continued to stare at the ceiling, a dumbfounded look on his face and shrugged. "…I don't know…" his voice trailed off weakly, unable to think of anything else to say. After all, he didn't think the truth would please Ray all that much, considering it involved him telling how much he hated him and then his inevitable death shortly afterwards. So Brad continued on foolishly, "It was an accident, I guess…" It sounded like a satisfactory enough explanation; at least it sort of resembled an apology, well, in Brad's mind, anyway. Ray, however, was far from satisfied. He growled fiercely and Brad cringed.

"Accident?" he questioned in rage. "ACCIDENT?!"
"Uh…I GUESS…" Brad answered and chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. But Ray was far from laughing; he was fuming. With a barbaric scream, he picked up the nearest bottle of champagne from the Blitz team's and the Fluegel team's celebration of, ironically, Ray's supposed demise, and thrusted it toward Brad. But Ray missed, purposely it seemed, the bottle whizzing past Brad by an inch at the most and then proceed to smash into the wall behind him with a loud crash that thundered in all their ears, the glass shattering to the floor. Brad nearly jumped out of his skin and his frightened eyes meeting with those of the insane Ray Skyler. All was silent.

"That was expensive champagne, you know," Dr. Toros commented in a resentful murmur as he gazed down at the champagne dripping down the wall with a frown.

For some reason, Dr. Toros's remark set Ray off the deep end - worse than he already was, anyway. With a fierce, savage growl that rivaled the growl of Michael Skyler, he snapped and lunged for them - not just one of them - not even two or three - but ALL of them. But he was fearless, even if it was six against one; he knew, with his massive size, he could perchance take all six of them out with a single swing of the fist if he wanted to. The six, unfortunately, knew this too and they feared - how they feared - standing there in a paralyzing fright, a startled scream of terror escaping each of their lips as Ray came for them, hands reaching out for them, fingers sharply curved as if ready to strangle them all.

However, when Ray's hands were only a foot away from Brad's throat, he halted in his stampede. His teeth were clenched and he breathed like a wild beast, snorting and heaving. His eyes were wide and psychotic. And then he twisted those very same wide and psychotic eyes to the left, towards…

Naomi Fluegel. They locked on to her as a hawk would lock onto his prey. And she, suddenly knowing that she was under his fierce glare, could no longer stay frightened, her own stubborn pride and her own bitter hatred of him taking hold over her. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed tightly together, but she said nothing.

"YOU," he snarled. "I almost forgot about YOU." She simply raised her chin in defiance. "YOU'RE the one!" His voice raised drastically as he spoke. She lifted her chin higher. Ray suddenly snapped back to Brad, violently grasping onto Brad's shoulders with tremendous force. Shaking him fiercely, he questioned, "How could you let her come between us?! HOW?!"

"Uh…" Brad began weakly. "These things happen…?"

"That's not a good enough answer!" Ray shouted, shaking him even more savagely than before. Then, he heaved his arms around Brad in a bone-cracking embrace and Brad let out a groan of pain through gritted teeth as the others cringed. "And after everything we shared!" Before Brad could ask Ray exactly what was it they "shared," Ray squeezed Brad tighter and Brad felt his body being crushed as he gasped for air. "But NO!" Ray suddenly declared, pushing Brad from him, although he kept a firm grip on his shoulders. "It's not her anymore! It's…it's YOU!" Brad blinked in confusion as Ray's sudden revelation came to his wide, psychotic eyes. "SHE hasn't tainted you; you ALLOWED her to taint you - to taint OUR love!" Brad cringed slightly, still rather puzzled. He still wasn't sure how Naomi had anything to do with his undying hatred towards Ray that had begun when he was a small child, long before he even met Naomi Fluegel. He also couldn't understand how he had "allowed' Naomi to "taint" what Ray thought to be as "their" love, considering Brad was pretty sure that "their love" was basically one-sided and that Ray's undying love for him was just as firm as his undying hatred for Ray. He was also sure that he never had any love for Ray to be tainted to begin with. Yet Ray, with his delusional fantasies, was very convinced of his new revelation with all its flaws, despite the fact that it merely confirmed his insanity further.

And Ray suddenly broke into a hysterical rage, ranting on the top of his lungs: "Don't you SEE?! You've ruined everything! EVERYTHING! You've ruined my life!"

"Funny; I thought it was the other way around," Brad muttered bitterly, but Ray was too involved in his ranting to hear Brad's snide comment and then shoved him against the wall, the others leaping back to give Ray room.

"I see now; I see," Ray continued on, quieter than before but still twitching. "Naomi Fluegel - she cannot be destroyed! She is the immortal evil of the universe - the source - and that - THAT can never be destroyed!" They all turned to Naomi then, all but Ray, to see what Ray saw in her - "the immortal evil" he spoke of; they couldn't. "But YOU!" Ray drilled the palms of his hands into Brad's shoulders, fiercely piercing him against the wall. "You CAN be destroyed!" His hands inched closer to Brad's throat. "Yes, you that has been tainted by the immortal evil - tainted by VILE BETRAYAL - can be destroyed and then your old self - your REAL self - the self that LOVES me - will return!" Brad was pretty sure that he never had a "self" that loved Ray and he also pretty sure that the "self" he was now was his ONLY "self," but he said nothing, allowing Ray to continue his ranting. "YES! I can free you of this immortal evil - free you from Naomi Fluegel! By destroying you, I'll really be purifying you!" And he began to cackle maniacally, as he threw his head back in hysterics. The rest exchanged glances of worry as they nervously watched Ray laughing, realizing that the already deranged Ray had cracked even further, the green veins on his white flesh bulging on the temples of his head due to his loud psychotic laugher. As his chuckling diminished, his eyes locked on to Brad's, leaning very close to him. He asked, "You do want to be purified, don't you?" Brad grimaced and shook his head slightly.

"Not really…" he answered truthfully, looking up at his old friend again - the ceiling.

"That's only because you don't know any better!" Ray exclaimed insistently.

"Sort of…" Brad mumbled, but Ray, as usual, paid no heed.

"Yes! That's what I'll do!" he declared more so to himself than anyone else. "I finally understand what I have to do!" His eyes looked hazy now, as if he were in a daydream rather than reality. With his left hand, he gripped onto Brad's throat and then raised his massive right arm, curling his large fingers into a rock, knuckles sharp and white. The first hung high above them both as if a hammer ready to swing down and crush brad's skull open.

Then Brad thought rather calmly: So this is the end. Well, at least it will be quick.

"For love!" Ray cried as a brave knight of valor would, raising his fist higher in some sort of triumph. Brad closed his eyes tightly, awaiting his demise.

As Ray lowered his fist toward Brad's skull at rapid speed, Jamie's voice came into the room: "Hey, guys; what was all that noise…?"

Then a gun fired.

All stood shocked and silent as the shot echoed through the room and they watched Ray slump to the ground, blood pouring out of the left lower portion of his back. Ray Skyler had been shot.

Brad blinked his eyes open and stared down at the fallen Ray. He seemed to be alive, but barely, his breathing very strained.

And Jamie stood at the doorway, his eyes in a strange awe as they set on Dawn Skyler. In her hand she held a smoking gun.



Ray held onto Brad's hand tightly as he laid in a stretcher alongside a flashing ambulance car outside the Blitz team's home. The police had already arrived, as did the paramedics and had begun to clean up what was left of the infamous Skyler team.

"I'm sorry, Brad, I'm sorry," Ray uncontrollably sobbed, nearly crushing Brad's hand. Brad tried his best not to wince at the pain, and Leena, who stood beside him, patted him on the shoulder in sympathy. "I didn't mean to," Ray continued to apologize. "And Naomi - she isn't that bad a girl. Tell her I said that, won't you? Tell her for me, Brad."

"Don't worry; we will," Leena answered for Brad, although she had barely been paying attention to what Ray had been saying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Brad! I'm so sorry!" Ray wailed and then began to weep elaborately. Brad cringed, almost pitying the poor fool. Then, he forced himself to say the most difficult words he ever had to say in his life:

"It's…ALL RIGHT, Ray." And Ray's eyes, glossy with tears, suddenly gleamed, a glowing smile of joy spreading across his face.

"Thank you, Brad - thank you," he whispered as Brad frowned in dismay. But Ray, as usual, was oblivious to this dismay, lost in his peaceful delusions once more, and Brad decided that it was probably better that way. Ray gave one more squeeze of Brad's hand before releasing him, the paramedics pulling the stretched into the ambulance car. Ray called out: "Come and visit me at the hospital, won't you, Brad?"

"Yeah, whatever," Brad muttered heartlessly and rather unenthused, only half-listening to what Ray had asked. And then the paramedics closed the ambulance car doors, Ray disappearing behind them.

"So?" Leena asked.

"So," Brad flatly replied.

"No more Skylers."

"For now, anyway."

Leena shrugged then and turned away. "Well, I guess you can't win them all, can you? I suppose that we should just be glad that they ARE gone for now."

"For now," Brad repeated, folding his arms. Leena yawned and stretched her arms out.

"Well, I'm going to bed. This has been an exhausting three days, you know." She walked away casually, leaving Brad alone to watch the ambulance car drive off with Ray Skyler.

With all the commotion of the police and ambulance, it took Jamie awhile to find Dawn Skyler. But he finally did; she stood in the desert about half a mile away from the hanger, staring up at the night sky that hung over her as if she were awaiting for his arrival. And after a moment of staring at her, he spoke in a stunned voice:

"You planned this all, didn't you? You called the police on Kylie and Mikey. And then you're the one who knocked on my door tonight and led me to the living room - where you shot Ray."

"So you finally figured it all out." She lowered her eyes to his and smirked. "I told you I had a plan."

"But - but why?" he questioned in confusion.

"Why do you think? I saw an opportunity and I went for it. You all made the perfect distraction."

"You mean - you USED us?"

"Technically," Dawn answered matter-of-factly, although Jamie appeared angry by her callous attitude.

"But I thought you said we were allies!" Dawn shrugged.

"You really shouldn't be complaining. You only had to deal with my unnerving family for three days because of me 'using' you. Besides, I've had to deal with them for fourteen years; I think I have the right to use any means necessary to get rid of them." Jamie went to protest, but frowned, realizing she made a good point.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," he replied reluctantly. After a moment's pause, he then asked, "So now what?"

"Now?" Dawn shrugged again and looked once more toward the sky. "Now…I suppose I bask in my victory."

"But what about Ray and the others?" Jamie further questioned. "What'll happen to them now that it's all over?"

"I'll have them institutionalized," she replied simply, turning her eyes back to Jamie. "I've already made the proper arrangements after my brothers are released from traction - Kylie, too."

"And you?"

"I'll, of course, inherit all the money mother and father left Ray as well as all the assets. After all, Ray won't need the money now that he's being committed to an asylum - neither will Mikey. And, as we both know, the Skyler family IS quite wealthy."

"And all of the wealth be yours now," Jamie replied with a bittersweet look in his eyes. Dawn sighed and shook her head.

"Like I told you before; it's all just business really," she indifferently remarked and then extended her hand to him. "Well, goodbye, Jamie. Perhaps, if things had been different - if we had met at another time or another place - perhaps you wouldn't have just been an instrument I used to eliminate my brothers and Kylie Atwater and gain a large sum of capital in the process. Perhaps - maybe - we could have been more - we could have been partners." They shook hands; it was a short, decisive hand shake and Dawn gave him a brief nod before turning away. She ran her hand through her blonde hair that looked white in the moonlight as it blew with the cool breeze of the night desert. Even with her back to him, Jamie found himself gazing at her with awestruck eyes; she truly was - for all her cruelty, greed, and apathy - a remarkable young girl.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you," she stated curtly as she began to walk away. "Maybe I'll take a risk and invest in you again one day." As she started to fade into the distance, Jamie realized there was one question he had forgotten to ask - one that still baffled him.

"Dawn!" he called out and she stopped in her step, though she didn't bother to turn back. "There's one thing I don't understand. I understand why you shot Ray and why you called the police on Kylie and Mikey - that was all part of your master plan - but why wake me up for tonight? You didn't need me there to shoot Ray."

Jamie could hear a soft chuckle come from Dawn then and she turned her head towards him. ON her face was a smile - not her usual wry smirk, but a great grin, wide with dignity, pride, and triumph. She casually replied, "Well, I couldn't have you miss the big finale, now could I have?" Yet their eyes met then, Dawn's eyes telling Jamie the real reason for her waking him up that night. She turned and left. And as she left, Jamie finally understood what Dawn had wanted him to see in her eyes and what she had wanted him to learn that night by seeing her shoot Ray Skyler:

Only a Skyler could defeat a Skyler.

EPILOGUE…

Mary Champ opened her eyes slightly that night, a stinging pain in her back causing her to awake. She could see her brother sleeping in the bed beside her, a dumb expression across his lazy face, bandages wrapped around his wounded head. And she was in a body cast; all but her head remained free of injury from Ray Skyler. The poor Champ siblings had been hospitalized since the evening before and that's where they laid now: in the hospital.

Mary sat up as best as she could, trying to adjust herself so that her back wouldn't be so uncomfortable. That's when she saw what seemed to be a horrible nightmare, perhaps some sort of hallucination caused by the pain killers she had been given. Yet, even in the dark of the hospital room, she knew what she saw was the truth. Her mouth hung open as if in a silent scream. Then she began to call out to her brother in a shrill, weak, and frightened whisper: "Harry! Harry!" and she tried to move her hand to him to tap him. But it was futile, her arm being heavily wrapped up in a thick cast. She whispered again, louder than before: "HARRY!"

"Harry stirred, slowly awaking from his deep slumber. "Mary…?" He slowly rose up from his bed. "Mary, what's wrong…?" But Mary could not answer, for fear seized her throat. All she could do was stare straight ahead with wide, horrified eyes, body trembling. And with all the strength she had in her arm, she raised it and pointed forward.

Harry's eyes looked forward and his face went pale with horror at the sight that had been laid before him, eyes widening and mouth dropping open. He pointed forward himself, body shaking in sheer fear. "It's - it's -" he stammered and Mary nodded hastily, understanding what he was trying to stay, and swallowed hard. She let out a pitiful whimper.

On the other side of their hospital room lay Kylie Atwater, Michael Skyler, and Ray Skyler, each sleeping peacefully in their own hospital beds. The screams of terror from Harry and Mary echoed through the halls of the hospital.

Then the old grandfather clock in the recreation room at the hospital chimed midnight, signifying the end of the third day.