I have added some profanity to this chapter, considering the nature of its topic. I usually do not advocate such language, but in this instance and considering the way certain TMNT's have been portrayed in the movies, it is only done to maintain continuity within the character. Probably, I have neglected this aspect of their development in previous chapters. However I feel it unnecessary to overstate the obvious. If used too much, certain 'words' lose their impact – and their creative substance.

Enjoy… :0)

*******

Gabby had finished her third cup of tea and was then polishing off the last crumb of her second scone when she stated happily, "These are easy to eat, considering how I was feeling earlier!" She seemed very content for the moment.

"The tea is the reason. I would have some the moment you wake up in the morning and continue until you've had three cups of it before getting out of bed. Maybe your aunt could have it ready for you? It's better fresh than made the night before, though! I'll put together a week's supply of the herbs and directions. You can come for more when you start to run out! My contribution for a healthy mom!" Cassandra smiled.

Gabby was sitting there in the little living room, distant in thought. She didn't look at her, but she asked her friend, her voice soft but fearful, "What if they come looking for me here, Cassandra?"

"You'll go home with them. I can't pretend you're not here. I had an advantage last night with my theater makeup still on. But, if I try to lie to them now, they'll figure it out soon enough. I cannot afford to jeopardize my reputation or integrity. I can tell them you came to my shop after they left last night; I can do that much. But, nothing more. "

"But, what do I tell them? I can't let them know I'm pregnant with Jason's baby. They'll kill him - and maybe me, too!" Gabby started to cry again. She curled up on the sofa in a fetal position as she wept, completely overwhelmed with what she had done. "What about the knife? They'll know it's from the house…they'll know you've seen it and then I'll have to explain and....." Her run-on sentences were a tell tale sign she was losing control.

Cassandra sighed and sat down next to her. Gabby put her head on Cassandra's lap. The woman stroked the girl's auburn hair comfortingly, not sure what to tell her.

"I'm overwhelmed, too, dear. But, there is an adage that I remember someone telling me - the truth will always find you out. If you face it with courage and own up to it before starting a lie, the road - however rocky it seems at first - will smooth out in the long run. Start lying right away and it can only get rougher. Tell them the truth. That's the best decision you can make."

"But, then if they approach Jason, he'll sue!" Gabby complained between sobs.

"If you're carrying his child, they can countersue that he raped you. That's a much bigger penalty than just breaking someone's nose! You could then have a viable reason for doing so, claiming - and rightly so - that you had successfully deflected his advances the first time. The argument for you was that afterwards, Jason intimidated you by threatening litigation if you didn't cooperate. From my understanding of how the law works, the tables have turned in your favor. Though for a price, I'm afraid."

"I'll have to have medical proof that the baby is his, though, right?" Gabby asked nervously.

"Yes, and it would also mean a day or two in court - unless he's smart and dismisses early on any thought of getting his lawyers involved. I'm sure your father and uncles will have a word or two to persuade him "Cassandra smiled down at Gabby.

Gabby looked up at Cassandra and smiled back. She had calmed down considerably, just listening to her friend's kind advice. Gabby stared at her for a moment and then said wistfully, "You know something, Cassandra, if I were to decide on having a mother, I think you would make a good one."

Cassandra took in a quick gulp of air and then smiled, gently telling Gabby, "If there was a need for me to have a daughter, I wouldn't mind claiming you." and affectionately tapped the girl's nose with her index finger.

*****

"Where the hell could she have gone to?" Don fumed. "Why would she just up and leave like that and how did she get out off the property in the first place!" He and his brothers, with Seth intow, stormed down the steps to the gymnasium to fetch their equipment. There was no telling if they would need armament, but they were going prepared, just in case.

"She's smart, Don. Probably figured out how to manually open the front gate." Raph offered.

"Why would she leave? What was going on with her?" Seth asked as he followed Raph close behind down to the exercise room.

"She was just - feeling ill, s'all. Listless, too....." Raph explained. His face became clouded, as if remembering something. Then, he suddenly looked back at his nephew and quickly took him by his shirt collar and shoved him up against the equipment wall, "Okay, it's now coming back to me. It's been a few years, but I remember too well your mother's bout with morning sickness. Between her ranting and the heaving, she was a piece of work for about three months! I want the truth, Seth..." Raph started shouting.

Don stopped in his tracks and watched the confrontation. Leo and Mike were just coming down the steps, but when they saw Raph grab Seth, they stopped their decent.

"WHAT?" Seth asked in surprise, clearly alarmed that his uncle was close to clobbering him.

"DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT HAVE - MORE THAN A KISS WITH MY DAUGHTER DOWN HERE THAT DAY?!!" Raph yelled.

"ARE YOU NUTS? NO … NO WAY. IT WAS JUST A KISS..!" Seth replied back forcefully. Then, he finally figured out what Raph was eluding to, "Ah, man, you don't think she's..... That can't be?! I swear to you, I did nothing to dishonor her. On my tail I swear!!" he exclaimed.

"You'd better be right about that, Seth, cuz if you're lying to me, I'll yank that tail clear off of you!" Raph seethed. He looked over at Mike and commented, "Bet you dimes to nickels, your wife and daughter know a whole lot more than we do! Go up and find out!"

Mike then turned around and stormed up the steps, yelling, 'RAHAB, SWEETHEART, I WANT A WORD WITH YOU!"

As Mike shot up the stairs, Don looked back at the weapons area and noticed that one piece of equipment was missing. His heart sank as he realized that Gabby had taken it. For what, he didn't have a clue. But considering the possibilities for why she was so ill, his imagination was terrifying him.

"Yes, she's pregnant. She confirmed it using that home pregnancy test I bought a while back. Gaele had her do it Thursday night." Rahab replied to Mike's forceful inquiry.

The only time Mike could intimidate Rahab into telling him things she'd rather not have him know was when he went ninja on her. Nothing physical, but his entire composure meant business and she never failed to comply. She knew when to hold back - but, just as wisely knew when to own up. Her husband did not give her a chance to decide which way to go.

"So, when were you and Gaele going to tell the rest of us, huh?!" he complained, "When the kid popped out?!" His voice raised just a little and it caused Rahab to go wide-eyed for just an instant.

"No, just when we could get her to tell us who the father was." she replied quickly and quietly.

They were up in their bedroom. Mike fell across the bed on his back as he mulled over the news. Having retrieved the needed information, he relaxed. "So, where'd she go? Why would she leave if she was feeling so ill? Unless she was faking it?" He turned towards his wife. That had his anger turned towards Gabby, now.

"No, she was ill. But, Gaele said..." Rahab started, but Mike shot out of the room in a flash.

"Never mind telling me what Gaele said, she's going to tell me face to face!" Mike called back as he ran down the hallway.

"Daddy, she made me promise!" Gaele exclaimed. "She was going to say something this weekend to all of you. That was her promise to me if I kept my part of it. She's really scared!"

Mike was pacing Gaele's bedroom, not at all happy that he had missed the clues. That all of his brothers had missed the indicators that something more serious than the flu or an infection was the cause of Gabby's illness. "Okay, I can understand all of that. But, who's the father, Gaele? Did she tell you?"

Gaele was silent. She didn't want to say anything because she feared her father and uncles' reaction. She said instead, "I want you to promise me not to go ninja on this one!" Gaele looked at her father as he paced in front of her and she knew he was deliberately ignoring her.

She said more emphatically, "DADDY! Promise me!"

Mike stopped and turned back towards his daughter. He worked the inside of his cheek as he mulled over her request. Then, nodding, he answered her, "Okay, I won't. I'll include the others in that, too! Who is it, Gaele?"

"It's Jason. He's been taking advantage of that busted nose she gave him.....he manipulated her into complying, if only to keep him from suing you. What he told you about how Gabby broke his nose isn't the truth. He tried to get at her that day after having lunch and she was only defending herself. But, since you believed his story, he's threatened her that he'll take you and Don to court and make you lose everything on assault and battery charges as well as aiding and abetting! Since you didn't keep her away from the studio, he'll probably claim emotional injury, too."

Mike sat down on the bed and slumped. Then he hugged his daughter. "Can't believe she would agree to go along with him on this.....why? She could have come to us; Don has lawyers that can run circles around what Jason has. We have ways!!" Mike was on the edge of losing it emotionally, just thinking about what his niece had gone through. "Actually, we didn't even let her. We were so concerned about the clan we forgot to be concerned about her. STUPID! And I was the worse of the lot the way I treated her, too. Gad, what a jerk I am!" He felt his own tears well up as he thought of the suffering he had forced upon Gabby. "She probably hates me now more than before. I'm so incredibly anal!"

"Daddy, you didn't know. How could you? She did it for the family, Daddy! That's what she said. Couldn't bear to see any harm come to you, or Don, or any of us. Gabby has a lot more substance than I would have had, that's for sure. I would have ---- probably killed him!" Gaele answered quietly.

"Yeah, I think you would have!" her father looked over at her. "Well, we need to confer with your uncles on the best way to handle this. Confirmation of her pregnancy and who the father is will be necessary before we can proceed. I'll have to coerce Jason - if I don't kill him first - into giving a sample of his DNA, though. That shouldn't be too hard. I've been putting off making my crew get their physical for the insurance renewal - been too busy. Anyway, thanks for being straight with me! " Then Mike leaned in and kissed Gaele on the forehead.

Raph was now wrapped within the grip of all three of his brothers," I'LL KILL THE BASTARD!" he yelled. "I DON'T CARE IF THEY THROW ME IN JAIL AND TOSS THE KEYS INTO SAN FRAN BAY!!!"

"And what good will that do, Raph!" Don replied calmly as he felt his brother's rage in his grasp. "You'd be in prison for the rest of your life. No way could I help you on that one. Just calm down. We'll figure something out!"

Raph glared at all of them. "HE RAPED HER!" Then his attention went to Mike, "AND HE'S YOUR EMPLOYEE, MIKE! DON'T YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN EMPLOYEES?"

Mike was glad that between Leo and Don, Raph was well in hand. Despite his brother's many injuries, he had recovered better than Mike had his. There'd be no contest if Raph managed to get lose and decided to beat the tar out of him. It had been very long time since either of them had gone at it with each other and Mike was in no hurry to reminisce about such things! All he could do is put his hands up in defense and say, " Raph, Jason fooled me as much as he fooled the rest of us. Even Devon! I'm truly sorry, Bro!"

Leo added, "Don's right, Raph and so is Mike. As much as I'd like to help in that endeavor, we need to use the same tactics that Jason has used. We need to manipulate him to drop his threat against us and I wouldn't mind shipping him off to Japan as an encore! Their rules about these matters are a bit more traditional!"

*****

Before Mike had revealed who the father was, Seth had been sent upstairs and out of the way. The last thing they wanted him to hear was that his brother's best friend had been raping Gabby. Seth knew there was a possibility of her being pregnant, considering Raph's accusations earlier. But by whom had been a mystery. However, he was given strict orders not to say anything to Devon about this turn of events with Gabby's condition. Unfortunately that order only made Devon a suspect! Seth had all he could do to comply verbally with the request.

As he came up into the family room from the gym, he stormed out to the back patio. In a rare fit of anger, he took one of the lawn chairs and threw it into the pool. Then, feeling his rage mounting, he took off running towards the preserve, leaping over the redwood fence and disappearing into the forest. He needed to get away, far away, so he could collect his thoughts and his self control. He knew that if Devon had been there, they would have had their first row and there'd be no telling who would be left standing.

Devon had already gone down the hill to the studio before Gabby's absence had been noticed. All he knew at the time was that his sister had still been under the weather and would not be going into work that day. If he had known about her possible pregnancy, it would have been a done deal who the father was! With all the clues that Gabby had tried to give him about the way Jason had been treating her, Devon would have figured it out – and solve the problem for everyone. Then Don would have had to send him out of the country to keep Devon out of jail!

*****

They finally had Raph under control. He was still livid, but he realized the wisdom in taking things slow. All his years of going headlong into battle before having a strategy had taught him the importance of measuring his responses. Still, he couldn't help how he reacted to the news about Gabby being assaulted.

"Okay, we keep Seth and Devon in the dark about Jason for now!" Raph warned. "I know my son; he'll hunt that jerk down and do some serious damage!"

"Then, we find Gabby first?" Leo asked.

"Right." Mike suggested. " But we need to go easy on her, okay?!! Gaele said she's terrified. Probably about how we'll respond, given the way we've been treating her lately. "

"Then Jason?" Raph asked, brightening.

"Mike will handle that one, Raphael. You're too close to it right now." Don said.

"Aw, don't you trust me?" he glared mischievously.

All three of his brothers said a resounding "NO!"

"DAMN! And I was so looking forward to pounding that little twirp into the ground, too!" Raph complained.

*****



Gabby puttered around the shop, looking more intently at the player piano and the different rolls of music it provided. Then, she inspected the various music boxes and antique instruments.

"You ever learn to play an instrument, Gabby?" Cassandra asked as she prepared for the day's business.

"No, not really. I never had any interest. I enjoyed singing so much that the professor thought it enough."

"Hmmm... with your musical ability, I'm sure you could learn." Cassandra said.

"Maybe. I have a good memory and I do pick up on things pretty easily." the girl responded.

Cassandra saw Gabby finger the keys on the piano. "Why don't you try it? Here, if you can read music, maybe you can figure it out."

Sitting Gabby down in front of the instrument, she went over and grabbed some music from the storage box and then returned, placing a sheet on the piano's music support. Cassandra showed her that the left hand played the base cleft and the right hand played the treble cleft. She then put a music roll in the player that matched what was on the sheet.

"Follow along with the music as it plays and watch the keys and how they work together. That should give you a good indication of how to play!"

Then Cassandra went back to dusting things off. There was about an hour before the store opened. She still had to go through the cash register till and count the money from yesterday. Cassandra's rush out to the theater the night before didn't' afford the time to confirm her sales. She was behind schedule.

The music started up and filled the store with a rendition of Let Me Call You Sweetheart. It played completely through and then started up again. On its third time around, Cassandra walked over to where Gabby was sitting to put another roll in. But, to her amazement, she found that Gabby had stopped the player and was working the song herself. "You learned that fast!" she commented brightly.

"Yeah, it's not that hard, really! This is a nice song!" and she started to sing, following the words to the music. Her soprano voice was even and kept pace with the music she was playing. Gabby had a smile on her face as she performed for her friend.

Cassandra stopped her rush just to listen to this young woman sing.

When Gabby was done, Cassandra remarked, "I was right about one thing - you do have a nice voice! Too bad your family won't let you do it professionally, though." She grabbed another sheet of music, My Heart Will Go On, and replaced the first one with it. "Here, try this one."

Gabby read through the music first to understand its nuances. Then, she began to play. She decided to go for broke and sang along as well. Cassandra was moved by the inflections and tonal quality of the girl's voice, getting a bit misty-eyed at one point, but blinking back the tears. It was one of her favorites. When Gabby was done, Cassandra gently told her, "You play very well, but considering the restrictions you told me about, I think you need to stop singing! I enjoyed it very much, though. Thank you!" and she kissed the top of Gabby's head.

*****



"Okay, where would she have gone to?" Mike asked as he and his brothers drove into Carmel.

"The Musical Note!" Raph exclaimed. "That's the only store in this town she would feel comfortable visiting. If, that is, she's still in town!"

Soon, Mike was parking the sedan on Lincoln St, about two spaces up from the Musical Note, and then all four passengers all got out of the car. People stopped and stared, since it was highly unusual for all four turtles to be in town together at the same time.

"Maybe....only two of us, eh?" Mike suggested. So, Leo and Don decided they would do the honors, while Mike and Raph stayed put. Don felt that he and Leo would be the best bet in determining if Gabby was at Cassandra's shop since they initially had felt her presence there the night before.

Gabby was near the back of the store, looking through Cassandra's collection of sheet music. She casually looked up towards the front door, sensing customers approaching. But, instead she saw Don and Leo walking across the front window outside, heading towards the entrance. She gasped loudly and ran for the back of the store and through the curtained doorway. "They're here...!" she cried softly as she shot through and up the stairs.

Cassandra sighed, watching her friend rush through the curtains. It flailed lightly and waved with the rush, so she steadied the material so it wouldn't be too obvious. She wasn't going to lie to them and say Gabby wasn't there. But, she would give the girl time to collect herself so that her transition from Cassandra's care to theirs would be smooth.

"Gabby, remember I'm not going to hide you!" Cassandra said softly, "Please calm yourself and your resolve. You need to go with them! There isn't any other way out."

A moment later, Don and Leo came into the shop. Cassandra put on her best 'welcome' face. She smiled, remembering Don's pleasantries and his enjoyment of her performance the night before. "Back so soon?" she asked good-naturedly.

"Yes, we're looking for someone. Would Gabby have visited you last night?" Don was in no mood for chit chat. He had a no-nonsense expression that Cassandra decided not to challenge. Leo stood off to one side and looked around.

"She did. After you left, she came by." she answered. Cassandra saw Leo nod towards her.

"And..." Don's voice had an edge to it as he furrowed his brow seriously.

Cassandra saw it, so she fell into explaining, using the mildest but most confident voice she could muster, "She was extremely distraught and frightened.... so, I took her in. I did not have a way of getting in touch with you, but I figured come morning you would be looking for her. I've kept her safe and well fed. Except for a little stomach upset, she's been fine!"

Don seemed relieved and appeared grateful, relaxing just a bit. "Thank you! May we see her, then?" he asked politely.

Cassandra nodded, "Let me get her for you." and then she went to the back of the store and through the curtained doorway. She didn't come out right away, but Don and Leo could hear her trudge up the stairs. Soon, they heard muffled talk. They sharpened their hearing just a little.

"No!" Gabby whispered, "I just can't go out there. Cassandra, can't I stay here for the day?!" She was sitting on the edge of the bed she had slept in, shaking for all she was worth and close to crying. She held herself with both her arms in a hug, rocking nervously back and forth.

"Honey, you have to go out. There isn't any way they're going to let you stay here, okay? You need to go with them. If they didn't care about you, they wouldn't have been looking for you."

"But, they'll punish me!" Gabby went wide-eyed as she tried to muffle her wail. " What I was going to do, they'll punish me!" Tears now started to fall.

"Ah, Gabby. I don't think so. They're just concerned, that's all!" Cassandra implored as she went over to comfort her friend.

"I heard it in Don's voice - he's really mad!" Gabby moaned. She looked down at the floor and shuddered at the thought.

"Well, do you blame him? However, I can read people and he's more relieved that you're okay than anything else. Trust me. I've known ...well, just trust me!" Cassandra took Gabby's hand, but before she could lead her out of the bedroom, she felt a presence behind her. "Well, it seems you already have a visitor, Gabby!" and turned around to face Don. "She's all yours!" and left the room, walking back down the stairs.

Once she was in the store area of her shop, Cassandra went around to her desk where she conducted final sales and sat down on the chair. She sat back and tried to busy herself with receipts from the previous day's sales. However, Leo stood at the counter and watched her, his arms resting on the countertop.

"Is there something I can do for you?" she asked, smiling but annoyed that he would just stand there and stare.

"I think you've done plenty! Thanks for keeping Gabby safe!" he offered.

"I couldn't very well leave her outside, all things considered. It was late and that karaoke bar down the way attracts a lot of scum. I didn't think it would have been good to have her wandering the streets!" she said flatly. Cassandra went back to tallying up her totals.

"You're new here in Carmel, aren't you?" Leo asked.

"Moved out here about the second week in September. Why?" she asked.

"Just wondering. Seems Gabby has taken a liking to you!" he commented. Leo watched her intently, trying to read this polite and intriguing woman.

"She's a sweet girl. Very trusting if given a reason to. Somewhat naive, but exceptionally intelligent. Gabriella has a lot of potential!" Cassandra remarked as she finished her bookkeeping. She sat back in her chair and locked eyes with Leo, " The problem with potential that has grown past it's stage of influence is often we want to hurry it along, try to make up for lost time! But, it's like taking an 80 foot oak tree with roots that go down a hundred feet and then try to prune it back to the size of a bonsai! Won't work - not quickly, anyway!" She continued to look at Leo with a steely resolve. Cassandra was surprised, however, when he smiled at her.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more. An old friend of mine used to say almost the same exact thing! It's interesting that you would echo his analogy!" Leo said softly, narrowing his eyes in concentration.

"Humph, is that right?" Cassandra replied, somewhat amused. She then stood up and began to prepare her blank sales receipts for the day's business, trying to ignore Leo's continued study of her.

*****

Gabby stood as far away from Don as she could get. She was practically plastered up against the window and had a look of complete terror in her eyes.

Don sat down on the edge of the bed. "Sit down, Gabs." he implored gently. She did as she was told but she sat as far from her uncle as she could get on the bed.

"I'm not mad at you. But, I am concerned. You gave us all a scare this morning when you weren't in your bed. In fact, it appeared as if you had deliberately set it up to look like you were! Why?" he asked her.

Gabby was scared stiff. She knew she had deceived - again - and that had angered and disappointed Leo when it was about Seth's Bible. She could only guess that Don felt the same way about these matters. She couldn't answer him for no words could escape her constricted throat.

"Ah, Gabby, I'm not going to punish you, okay?" he scooted over to where his niece was. "I just want to understand you!"

The look he gave couldn't have been more compassionate. But his niece was so traumatized by her situation that it went unnoticed by her.

Gabby wanted to move further away but she would have fallen off the bed. She was stuck! Don's close proximity to her nearly made her head swim in anxiety.

As he took her trembling hands, he said, "All I want to know is why! That's it. What were you going to...." and then he saw the sheathed knife hooked to her belt. "Ah, I see." He looked at Gabby and then asked, " May I have that, please?"

Gabby's eyes went wide, realizing that, in her fright she had forgotten all about hiding the knife. She hesitantly unbuckled her belt and handed it to her uncle.

Don removed the mahogany holder from the belt and slipped the knife out of its holder. He inspected it carefully, as if he was trying to find something.

"You were planning on - what? Committing seppuku? Murder?" Don's expression turned more serious as he recognized a change in Gabby's pupils. Right on both guesses, he mused to himself. The last one didn't bother him as much as the first one. Both would have been disastrous, but he couldn't bear to lose Gabby. It would have been a terrible loss for the entire family. Killing Jason was a thought he had entertained himself when he first learned of what the young man had done to his niece. But, seeing Raph's reaction brought him back to earth. Intimidation was the only viable course outside of the courts.

"Your family would miss you terribly, Gabs. You know that, don't you? Seth would be beyond devastation - it would probably destroy him. He loves you very much – as do we all!" He paused a moment and then added, "He forced us to let him return all because you have been so sick. He's been very concerned for you, Gabby!"

Gabby fought back the tears and then felt that familiar rumbling in her stomach. She panicked. She needed to get to the bathroom, but she was afraid Don would misinterpret her quick departure. Finally, she blurted out, " I'm getting sick, I need the restroom fast!" She flew off the bed, out the door, and into the bathroom, slamming the door closed and then locking it before Don could reach her in time.

He heard her retch and leaned his head against the door, "We know that you're pregnant, Gabby!" he said as gently as he could. "We also know that it's because of Jason!"

He heard her start to cry.

"How...how did you find out??" she sobbed, sitting on the floor of the bathroom.

Her uncle replied on the other side of the closed door, "When you weren't in your room, we had a council in the gym. Raph figured it out and then he made Mike press Rahab into telling him."

"How'd she find.....oh.....I see.... from Gaele?" her sobs quieted as she started to piece things together. "She wasn't supposed to say anything." Gabby said softly, disappointed.

"She mentioned that to Rahab, but she was quite concerned for you when you weren't in your bed this morning. It's not a secret you can hide for very long! Besides, Rahab had it figured out as well. She's been pregnant four times, so she's pretty savvy about all of this. More so than the rest of us, it seems!" He felt terrible that he and his brothers were all fooled. "We thought maybe it was Seth, but Gaele corrected us on that. I'm sorry it wasn't; this would be easier on you I think!"

"Yep, sure would be!" Gabby commented. She did not want to come out, but there was nothing more for her to do in the bathroom. She opened the door and looked sheepishly at her uncle. "I'm so sorry!" she wailed. He took and embraced her and held her for the longest time. "I didn't know what else to do - he threatened me, threatened you and Mike. Just didn't know what to doooo...." and she wailed louder.

"What you did for the family was brave, Gabby. Not too many of us would sacrifice what you did." Don said as he stroked her head, "Though, I want you to realize that nothing and no one can hurt us! I didn't get where I am in this world by being a push-over!" He softly whispered against her ear, "Being ninja means more than just fighting or moving among shadows. It's knowing how the world works and working within those boundaries. We can push the boundaries around to suit our purpose, but the purpose has to be noble for us to do so. Believe me; Jason would never have succeeded in his threats against you or the family!"

Gabby held on to her uncle out of sheer desperation. She had stopped crying, but needed the secure comfort of his strength that his words were giving her. "But, you said when I hit him, he could have!" she challenged.

"Yes, that's true. And I guess we're at fault for not giving you time to explain. All I saw was a repeat of what your dad put us through years ago. I just didn't want the family to endure all of that again. It blinded me; all of us, really. I'm truly sorry, Gabby!" Don said. "But, in this situation, Jason doesn't have any leverage! He's basically a sinking ship."

Then, I didn't have to...." she started.

"What's done is done! I believe that whatever comes of this was planned from the very beginning. Maybe the child you are carrying will end up blessing the family in a way none of us would have foreseen! But either way, it is an innocent and we need to accept it - regardless of who the father is. We will shape and nurture it to be a far better person than Jason could ever be! It'll be a team effort – as it always is within the clan!"

"What's going to happen to him?" Gabby asked, still sheltered in her uncle's embrace. "What are you going to do about Jason?"

"We are going to test his DNA so we can have official medical proof that he is indeed the father. Mike is going to initiate a whole office physical next week, making it mandatory for everyone to get checked out. Along the way, Jason will donate blood and then we can proceed from there. That will mean a check-up for you on Monday. Rahab told us she's already scheduled one in San Fran for you!" Don explained.

Gabby then asked, "Then what?"

"Then we will give him three choices! Drop the threats against you and move out of the area; face rape charges and jail time; or wish he was never born!" and he chuckled over the last choice.

Gabby was concerned, "As much as I'd like to do the honors with the last one, you are kidding, aren't you?"

"Gabby, my dear," Don said as he pulled her away from him, looking deeply at her, "We have abilities beyond your limited knowledge of us that are far and above anything you could ever imagine. Believe me, if we had to go to 'door number three' with that young man, no one would be the wiser! No harm, remember? But, most certainly, he would never rest securely at night while wondering what went 'bump' in the dark!" Don smiled.