XXVII



"Mm," Belle said. "These cookies are yummy!" Belle chewed her cookie slowly making sure to savor the taste of each bite she took. She reached for the tall glass of milk Pilar poured for her. After taking a sip, she looked at Ethan Martin who began giggling.

"What's so funny?" Belle asked.

Fox looked at her and smiled. A white mustache was plastered on her upper lip. Belle's brow was furrowed in confusion. "What's so funny?" She repeated again.

"You've got a mustache." Fox smiled.

"Huh?" Belle asked.

Pilar and Stanley laughed. "Here," Stanley said as he bent down to wipe off the milk mustache on Belle's face.

"Oh." Belle began giggling. "Daddy?" Belle said as she took another bite of her cookie.

"Yeah?" Fox asked as he wiped the crumbs that stuck to the sides of Ethan Martin's lips.

"Can I live with you?" She asked.

"You want to live with me, hm?" Fox asked.

Belle nodded enthusiastically. "Please" Belle pleaded. "I don't want to live with Mommy anymore. She doesn't love me."

Fox contemplated Belle's request. After finding out that Angela was using drugs, Fox felt that he could not send Belle back to live with Angela. A child should not have to be exposed to that type of behavior. Since they had arrived at Pilar's, Fox thought about requesting sole custody of Belle. After all, he was more capable of taking care of her needs.

"I'll work out something," Fox told Belle as he playfully pinched her nose.

Belle cheered. "Yay!" She cried as she jumped up to hug Fox tightly. "Where's Theresa?" Belle asked.

"Theresa's on a trip, but she'll be back." Fox replied.

"Oh," Belle said disappointedly. "Is she gonna be gone for a long time?" Belle asked.

"No," Fox replied. "But you know, I think I should call her now."

"Oh! Can I talk to her please?" Belle asked.

"I'll let you talk to Theresa after I speak with her." Fox replied.

Belle smiled. "Okay," She said as she returned to munching on Pilar's delicious cookies.


Fox walked quickly to the living room and pulled out his cell. He dialed Theresa's number and waited to hear his wife's voice. When she answered, Fox could tell that she was on the verge of crying.

"Hello?" She asked shakily. Theresa's eyes were brimming with tears from the scene she witnessed. She sniffled and tried to regulate her voice.

"Theresa, honey, are you okay?" Fox asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Theresa said wiping away tears. "It's just that~"

"What is it?" Fox asked wishing he could wrap his arms around his wife.

"Justin~" Theresa managed to say before her voice broke.

"What about Justin?" Fox asked gently.

"He- he found his wife." Theresa said half laughing half crying. "She's alive." Theresa walked outside to get some air. A gentle breeze playfully tousled her hair.

"That's wonderful!" Fox thought relieved.

"It is," Theresa agreed. "You know, I really wish you were here with me." Theresa said as she hugged her arms closely against her chest.

"Me too." Fox said softly. "I miss you. I know you've been gone for a few hours, but it seems like a lifetime."

"Oh Fox," Theresa said smiling. "You're such a sweetheart."

"I'm your sweetheart." Fox replied softly as he settled onto the couch. He closed his eyes and treasured the sound of Theresa's voice. She sounded so near, but she was thousands of miles away. However, no amount of distance between them could ever change the way Fox and Theresa felt towards each other.

Theresa giggled. "Yes you are my sweetheart. You know, I really miss you and little Ethan. I can't wait to come back home."

"I can't wait either." Fox admitted.

"You know what's unbelievable? The town is spreading more rumors about me."

"You already know?" Fox asked with surprise in his voice.

Theresa frowned. "I found out as soon as I got to the airport. I can't believe they're starting again. Knowing the Harmony media, they're probably going to spread some rumors about you too. In any case, I'm going to get to the bottom of it when I get back to Harmony."

"I'll help you." Fox replied.

"Thank you," Theresa sighed. "Give Ethan Martin a kiss for me."

"I will. Before we hang up there's something we need to discuss."

"Oh?" Theresa asked intrigued.

"It's about Belle." Fox replied.

"What about her?" Theresa asked. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine~" Fox's voice trailed off. "She's fine as long as she stays with us."

"What do you mean?" Theresa asked.

"I mean that Belle should live with us." Fox replied. He anxiously awaited Theresa's response. She answered him immediately.

"I have to agree with you on that." Theresa replied. "I've thought that ever since I saw the way Angela treated her that day they visited. Let's adopt Belle." Theresa said.

"I'm so incredibly lucky to be married to you." Fox said tenderly.

Theresa laughed softly. "You are a lucky fella," She teased. "I love you Fox. I'll be home soon."

"Okay," Fox replied. "Talk to you later, gorgeous."

Theresa smiled. "Yeah," She replied. "Talk to you later, handsome."

~*~




The detective whose name was Mark McCoy watched the reunion with a small smile forming on his lips. His partner Alexandria Gray walked up behind him quietly and tapped him on the shoulder. Alexandria was a petite brunette who was strong-willed and very stubborn. She never showed her emotions, for she felt that people would find that to be a sign of weakness. Alexandria grew up in a family of police officers. Because she was the youngest, and the only girl, Alexandria often found herself left out when her older brothers played around with each other. Alexandria felt that she had to prove that she could be one of the guys, so she intentionally beat up a boy that had picked on her in the third grade. Alexandria was ten at the time, and the boy she fought was thirteen. Alexandria managed to win the fight and since then, all the guys seemed to accept her as one of them. In fact, they all began calling her Alex.

Alex grew up a tomboy. She never was interested in dressing up, or even putting on makeup. Alex refused to go to dances. She even refused to go to her senior prom. The only time Alex forced herself to put on a dress was in her eldest brother Tom's wedding. Alex was asked to be one of the bridesmaids. Even though the thought of dressing up was repulsive to her, Alex did the deed for her brother.

Alex joined the force as soon as she graduated from college. Since then, Alex was a part of the investigation unit at the Chicago Police Department. Because she always had a tendency to mask her feelings, Alex never made any emotional attachments. She never knew love and because of that, she kept herself from heartbreak.

"McCoy." Alex said softly. "Station called. They want you back pronto."

Mark nodded. "You stayin' here?" He asked.

"I guess." Alex answered. "They might want to know more about our investigation. Especially the husband."

Mark nodded. "A woman came in with Hammond. I don't know where she went."

"Okay," Alex answered. "Go on before your ass gets busted for bein' late."

Alex stood at the doorway and watched Justin and Lindsay's emotional reunion. She felt indifferent towards the couple. It was as if her ability to feel any type of emotion was deadened. Perhaps it was due to her decision to refrain from any type of emotional attachment. Perhaps it was because she was afraid to feel anything.

~*~

"This isn't a dream," Justin said still in shock.

"No," Lindsay shook her head. "This is very real." She said as she sank back into her husband's embrace.

Justin pulled away and glanced at her wife's stomach. "Is the baby~"

"The baby's healthy." Lindsay interrupted quietly. "It's a boy."

"Is it~" Justin swallowed nervously. "Is it- mine?"

Lindsay smiled. "It's yours." She said quietly.

Justin felt lightheaded. He swayed slightly. Lindsay held onto him and looked at him with concerned eyes. "Are you all right?" She asked. When Justin said nothing, Lindsay led him towards the hospital bed. "Sit down," She instructed.

"The baby's~ ours?" Justin said in shock.

Lindsay nodded. "You remember that day I disappeared?"

Justin closed his eyes as he bent his head. "How could I ever forget?" He asked hoarsely. "That was the worst day of my life. That day I felt like my heart was ripped from my chest. My world felt empty without you. For eight months I felt lost."

Lindsay stroked Justin's cheek. "How do you feel now?"

"I feel relieved, elated, and thankful that I've finally found you. I~" Justin's voice broke as his eyes began filling with tears. "I thought~" Justin swallowed. "I thought that I would never get the chance to tell you that I love you. I thought that I would never get the chance to see your beautiful face, to hear your soothing voice, to hold you, to comfort you, and to make you happy."

Lindsay's lower lip began trembling as her husband spoke. "I thought the same thing." She whispered as she tried to wipe away Justin's tears. Justin was unable to ask his wife the one question that swam in his mind. He wanted to ask what had happened in those thirty two weeks he and Lindsay spent apart. He wanted to know the identity of the individual who took his wife away from him.

Lindsay leaned against Justin. "Hold me," She requested weakly as her tears began to soak part of Justin's shirt. He stroked her hair as she cried in his arms. "We were apart for thirty two weeks." He said with his voice full of his emotion. "It was exactly eight months, thirty two weeks, two-hundred twenty four days, five thousand seventy six hours, three hundred twenty-two thousand five hundred and sixty minutes, and~" Justin paused. "And an insanely large number of seconds. As time went on, I felt like you were drifting further away from me. Every minute you were gone~" Justin closed his eyes. "I couldn't bear the pain. I've experienced heartbreak before, but the pain that I felt that whole time we were apart~ it was unbearable. What happened Lindsay? Where have you been for the past eight months?"

Lindsay looked at her husband unable to speak without losing control of her voice. "Perhaps I can fill you in on the details." Alex said as she entered the room. "I'm detective Gray. I worked along with detective McCoy on the case."

"Please detective." Justin said. "Tell me what happened."

~*~


next: Lindsay's kidnappers are revealed, Theresa, Justin, and Lindsay return to a town of rumors, a newcomer visits Harmony, and Dylan finds a love interest.

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