{Author's note: Thanks for all of the positive feedback! The story is fully written...I just need to divide it all up into chapters and post it. Anyway, I hope that you're all enjoying it so far.}
"A concealed weapon?" David said in disbelief, "Anna, there must have been a glitch or something. Neither Leo nor I would ever..."
"Um, David," Leo said, reaching into his coat, "I wouldn't say anything more if I was you."
Both David and Anna stared in disbelief as Leo removed a pistol from the inside of his coat. Peacefully, he offered it over to Anna, who inspected it carefully.
"Leo." David whispered shocked.
"It's legal." Leo explained, looking at the suspicious Anna, "I have the paperwork back at the loft to prove it."
"Run it by later." Anna instructed, handing the gun back, "I won't take it from you, as I see why you feel the need to carry one."
The chief of police paused, before looking at Leo skeptically.
"You didn't fire it at all yesterday, did you?"
"No." Leo assured, offering the gun back, "You can check if you'd like."
"It's fine." Anna dismissed, "There's been no other reported sightings of your mother. It's almost as if she's disappeared!"
"Keeping a low profile after doing something trivial." Leo said, shaking his head, "Classic Vanessa!"
"Hmm." Anna said, as her pager went off, "You two do know the way out of here?"
"The legal way, or one of the illegal ones?" David asked with a smile.
"Cute." Anna remarked, before leaving them. David simply stared disapprovingly at his younger brother, who was putting the gun back inside his coat.
"What?" Leo asked innocently, noticing David's look.
"You could have mentioned that you were packing." David replied as the two began to walk out.
"Must have slipped my mind." Leo said with a shrug.
"Yeah right, little bro." David said, "So, how long have you had that?"
"A little bit before I came back to Pine Valley." Leo informed as the two entered the parking lot, "I mean, if Mother and her gang are after me, I've got to protect Greenlee, right?"
"I suppose." David agreed, as he got in the driver's seat of his car.
"Speaking of Greenlee," Leo remembered, getting into the passenger's seat, "You know this Carlos guy she's been seeing, right?"
"Yeah." David said, curious as to where Leo was going with this.
"He's really my bodyguard." Leo enlightened, "I sent him over here to keep an eye on things for me until I could return."
"Why are you telling me this?" David wondered.
"Just letting you know that someone else has our back if need be." Leo shrugged.
"Got it." David remarked, as he pulled out of the parking lot.
--------------------------------------------------------------
After stopping briefly to tell Maggie about the run-in with Vanessa, Leo had convinced David to stop by Fusion, so that he could check in on Greenlee. When Leo first walked in the office, she was alone and too busy in her work to notice him. Smiling mischievously, he silently crept up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Working hard, or hardly working?" Leo asked, as Greenlee jumped.
"Leo!" Greenlee exclaimed, turning around in her chair and playfully smacking him, "You scared the daylights out of me!"
"Yeah?" Leo said with a shrug, "Well, that was the idea."
"What are you doing here?" Greenlee wondered, "Where's David?"
"Out trying to find a parking spot." Leo explained before stealing a kiss, "We're here because I just had to see you. How are things in the exciting world of Fusion Cosmetics?"
"Good." Greenlee replied, as David appeared in the doorway, "Hi David!"
"Hey." David said with a nod.
"So," Greenlee asked, "how are Trey and Maggie?"
"They're both fine." David assured, "However, your husband nearly gave me a heart attack."
"What did you do now?" Greenlee asked, looking up at Leo.
"Nothing." Leo lied, looking at David.
"There's the problem, Leo." David identified, waving his finger, "You seem to think bringing a concealed gun into the state pen is all right."
"You have a gun?" Greenlee asked, looking curiously at Leo.
"For our protection." Leo admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, "You know, in case my psychotic mother comes after us again."
"If that happens," Greenlee said with a smile, "can I be the one to fire it?"
"Well, that's certainly morbid." Leo commented as his cell phone went off, "Excuse me…Hello?"
"Bonjour, son." Guy's voice greeted.
"Hey, Dad." Leo replied, as Greenlee smiled at David, "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Guy assured, "I thought I would see how you were adjusting to living your normal life once more. How are things?"
"I kind of ran into my mother yesterday." Leo admitted.
"Vanessa?" Guy asked worriedly, "That is worse news than I could have anticipated! What happened?"
"Other than me getting a trashcan lid introduced to the back of my skull…" Leo started.
"What?" Guy exclaimed, "Are you okay, Leo?"
"I'm fine." Leo reassured, as Carlos walked in, "I was knocked out for awhile, but I'm fine now."
"Who is he talking to?" Carlos whispered to David.
"The Count." David replied, looking at Carlos, "I need to thank you for watching out for him in France..."
"Don't mention it, doc." Carlos assured, "It was my pleasure. Like I told du Pres, you let me know if you need my help."
"Will do, man." David agreed, shaking his hand.
"I can't understand her logic." Guy wondered, "Why would she do that to you?"
"Dad," Leo explained, "my mother often doesn't make much sense with her actions. I probably said something that set her off."
"But to harm her own child?" Guy replied, "Promise me that you will be careful, Leo. Now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you this quickly."
"Don't worry." Leo reassured, "I'll be extra careful."
"I trust that you will be." Guy said, "Anyway, I sent some things to you that should be arriving today. It's mainly stuff you left over here, but there are a few surprises in there as well."
After finishing up his conversation with Guy, Leo turned to Greenlee and David, who had walked over and joined the couple.
"How's Guy?" Greenlee asked.
"He's fine." Leo replied, as his cell phone went off again, "He must have forgotten something. Hello."
"Leo sweetheart." Vanessa said from the other line.
"Mother?" Leo asked, before David snatched the phone away.
"Vanessa." David greeted coldly as the stunned Leo put his hand down.
"Oh, David darling!" Vanessa said happily, "How are you?"
"Skip the small talk." David demanded as Leo restrained the irate Greenlee from grabbing the phone herself, "What in the hell do you want now?"
"I need to speak with Leo." Vanessa replied.
"No," David countered, shaking his head, "that's not an option. If you need to speak with one of your sons, speak with me."
"David," Leo interrupted, having overheard everything, "can we talk?"
"Can you hang on a moment?" David asked, before putting the phone to his shoulder, "I'm assuming you heard everything?"
"Yeah." Leo replied with a nod. He was still holding Greenlee back with one hand.
"So," David wondered, "what do you want to do about it, little bro? I'm pretty sure she's not going to take no for an answer."
"Ask her where and when she wants to meet." Leo instructed, "And make it perfectly clear that you're coming with me."
"Understood." David smiled, as he continued his conversation with Vanessa. Leo turned to the disapproving Greenlee.
"All right." Leo said, sitting in Greenlee's chair, "Give it to me."
"Give what to you?" Greenlee asked curiously.
"The million reasons why you think I shouldn't do this." Leo replied with a smile, "I know you have them."
"Wrong, Leo." Greenlee answered, "As much as I hate to say it, I think we need to do this."
"We?" Leo asked puzzled, "What's this we stuff?"
"You and me." Greenlee replied, gathering her things.
"Oh no." Leo answered, standing up, "You are not going with us."
"And why shouldn't I?" Greenlee wondered.
"Because as much as I would love to see you tear my mother a new one," Leo explained, "it's not safe for you to be there at all!"
"It's not safe for you either." Greenlee pointed out.
"I…" Leo started as David rejoined him.
"A bit of advice, little bro." David interrupted, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder, "You're not going to win this one, so give up."
"Don't tell me you think that she should go!" Leo said, rolling his eyes.
"I don't." David agreed with a smile, "But I don't see how we can stop her from going."
"Looks like you're outvoted." Greenlee pointed out with a victorious smile.
"Fine." Leo consented with a sigh, "Let's get this over with."
To be continued..................
"A concealed weapon?" David said in disbelief, "Anna, there must have been a glitch or something. Neither Leo nor I would ever..."
"Um, David," Leo said, reaching into his coat, "I wouldn't say anything more if I was you."
Both David and Anna stared in disbelief as Leo removed a pistol from the inside of his coat. Peacefully, he offered it over to Anna, who inspected it carefully.
"Leo." David whispered shocked.
"It's legal." Leo explained, looking at the suspicious Anna, "I have the paperwork back at the loft to prove it."
"Run it by later." Anna instructed, handing the gun back, "I won't take it from you, as I see why you feel the need to carry one."
The chief of police paused, before looking at Leo skeptically.
"You didn't fire it at all yesterday, did you?"
"No." Leo assured, offering the gun back, "You can check if you'd like."
"It's fine." Anna dismissed, "There's been no other reported sightings of your mother. It's almost as if she's disappeared!"
"Keeping a low profile after doing something trivial." Leo said, shaking his head, "Classic Vanessa!"
"Hmm." Anna said, as her pager went off, "You two do know the way out of here?"
"The legal way, or one of the illegal ones?" David asked with a smile.
"Cute." Anna remarked, before leaving them. David simply stared disapprovingly at his younger brother, who was putting the gun back inside his coat.
"What?" Leo asked innocently, noticing David's look.
"You could have mentioned that you were packing." David replied as the two began to walk out.
"Must have slipped my mind." Leo said with a shrug.
"Yeah right, little bro." David said, "So, how long have you had that?"
"A little bit before I came back to Pine Valley." Leo informed as the two entered the parking lot, "I mean, if Mother and her gang are after me, I've got to protect Greenlee, right?"
"I suppose." David agreed, as he got in the driver's seat of his car.
"Speaking of Greenlee," Leo remembered, getting into the passenger's seat, "You know this Carlos guy she's been seeing, right?"
"Yeah." David said, curious as to where Leo was going with this.
"He's really my bodyguard." Leo enlightened, "I sent him over here to keep an eye on things for me until I could return."
"Why are you telling me this?" David wondered.
"Just letting you know that someone else has our back if need be." Leo shrugged.
"Got it." David remarked, as he pulled out of the parking lot.
--------------------------------------------------------------
After stopping briefly to tell Maggie about the run-in with Vanessa, Leo had convinced David to stop by Fusion, so that he could check in on Greenlee. When Leo first walked in the office, she was alone and too busy in her work to notice him. Smiling mischievously, he silently crept up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Working hard, or hardly working?" Leo asked, as Greenlee jumped.
"Leo!" Greenlee exclaimed, turning around in her chair and playfully smacking him, "You scared the daylights out of me!"
"Yeah?" Leo said with a shrug, "Well, that was the idea."
"What are you doing here?" Greenlee wondered, "Where's David?"
"Out trying to find a parking spot." Leo explained before stealing a kiss, "We're here because I just had to see you. How are things in the exciting world of Fusion Cosmetics?"
"Good." Greenlee replied, as David appeared in the doorway, "Hi David!"
"Hey." David said with a nod.
"So," Greenlee asked, "how are Trey and Maggie?"
"They're both fine." David assured, "However, your husband nearly gave me a heart attack."
"What did you do now?" Greenlee asked, looking up at Leo.
"Nothing." Leo lied, looking at David.
"There's the problem, Leo." David identified, waving his finger, "You seem to think bringing a concealed gun into the state pen is all right."
"You have a gun?" Greenlee asked, looking curiously at Leo.
"For our protection." Leo admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, "You know, in case my psychotic mother comes after us again."
"If that happens," Greenlee said with a smile, "can I be the one to fire it?"
"Well, that's certainly morbid." Leo commented as his cell phone went off, "Excuse me…Hello?"
"Bonjour, son." Guy's voice greeted.
"Hey, Dad." Leo replied, as Greenlee smiled at David, "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Guy assured, "I thought I would see how you were adjusting to living your normal life once more. How are things?"
"I kind of ran into my mother yesterday." Leo admitted.
"Vanessa?" Guy asked worriedly, "That is worse news than I could have anticipated! What happened?"
"Other than me getting a trashcan lid introduced to the back of my skull…" Leo started.
"What?" Guy exclaimed, "Are you okay, Leo?"
"I'm fine." Leo reassured, as Carlos walked in, "I was knocked out for awhile, but I'm fine now."
"Who is he talking to?" Carlos whispered to David.
"The Count." David replied, looking at Carlos, "I need to thank you for watching out for him in France..."
"Don't mention it, doc." Carlos assured, "It was my pleasure. Like I told du Pres, you let me know if you need my help."
"Will do, man." David agreed, shaking his hand.
"I can't understand her logic." Guy wondered, "Why would she do that to you?"
"Dad," Leo explained, "my mother often doesn't make much sense with her actions. I probably said something that set her off."
"But to harm her own child?" Guy replied, "Promise me that you will be careful, Leo. Now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you this quickly."
"Don't worry." Leo reassured, "I'll be extra careful."
"I trust that you will be." Guy said, "Anyway, I sent some things to you that should be arriving today. It's mainly stuff you left over here, but there are a few surprises in there as well."
After finishing up his conversation with Guy, Leo turned to Greenlee and David, who had walked over and joined the couple.
"How's Guy?" Greenlee asked.
"He's fine." Leo replied, as his cell phone went off again, "He must have forgotten something. Hello."
"Leo sweetheart." Vanessa said from the other line.
"Mother?" Leo asked, before David snatched the phone away.
"Vanessa." David greeted coldly as the stunned Leo put his hand down.
"Oh, David darling!" Vanessa said happily, "How are you?"
"Skip the small talk." David demanded as Leo restrained the irate Greenlee from grabbing the phone herself, "What in the hell do you want now?"
"I need to speak with Leo." Vanessa replied.
"No," David countered, shaking his head, "that's not an option. If you need to speak with one of your sons, speak with me."
"David," Leo interrupted, having overheard everything, "can we talk?"
"Can you hang on a moment?" David asked, before putting the phone to his shoulder, "I'm assuming you heard everything?"
"Yeah." Leo replied with a nod. He was still holding Greenlee back with one hand.
"So," David wondered, "what do you want to do about it, little bro? I'm pretty sure she's not going to take no for an answer."
"Ask her where and when she wants to meet." Leo instructed, "And make it perfectly clear that you're coming with me."
"Understood." David smiled, as he continued his conversation with Vanessa. Leo turned to the disapproving Greenlee.
"All right." Leo said, sitting in Greenlee's chair, "Give it to me."
"Give what to you?" Greenlee asked curiously.
"The million reasons why you think I shouldn't do this." Leo replied with a smile, "I know you have them."
"Wrong, Leo." Greenlee answered, "As much as I hate to say it, I think we need to do this."
"We?" Leo asked puzzled, "What's this we stuff?"
"You and me." Greenlee replied, gathering her things.
"Oh no." Leo answered, standing up, "You are not going with us."
"And why shouldn't I?" Greenlee wondered.
"Because as much as I would love to see you tear my mother a new one," Leo explained, "it's not safe for you to be there at all!"
"It's not safe for you either." Greenlee pointed out.
"I…" Leo started as David rejoined him.
"A bit of advice, little bro." David interrupted, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder, "You're not going to win this one, so give up."
"Don't tell me you think that she should go!" Leo said, rolling his eyes.
"I don't." David agreed with a smile, "But I don't see how we can stop her from going."
"Looks like you're outvoted." Greenlee pointed out with a victorious smile.
"Fine." Leo consented with a sigh, "Let's get this over with."
To be continued..................