RECKONING

A FAN FICTION BASED UPON THE HBO PRGRAM "THE SOPRANOS"

NOTE: I do not own "The Sopranos" or any of their characters, David Chase does. If he's looking in by any chance, I'd like to say to him:

1. If you think this stuff is any good, could I please be a writer, can I, can I, huh?

2. And…..PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!!! I IS PO!!!!!

AHEM

Now that this is out of my system……

CHAPTER 1

A DISCOVERY

The day began much as it always did for Tony Soprano, the "alleged" Mob boss of North Jersey: with a nice breakfast and a quick look-over at the Newark Ledger. It had all been pretty good these past months; after all the big boss of New York, John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni was in Riker's Island, having been busted in FBI sting operation in Brooklyn, bail had been denied. Poor John, Tony thought, If it'd been my lawyer, he'd be out on bail now.

"More coffee, Tony?"

Tony looked up to see his wife Carmela with a pot of coffee in her hand. Tony shook his head. "Nah, still tastes kind of funny."

AJ, Tony and Carm's son, came down, in a hurry as usual.

"Hey, sorry gotta run."

"What's your hurry, shithead? You gotta hot date?" Tony said in his slightly sardonic way.

"Mom!" AJ winced.

Carm shrugged. "Don't look at me. If you cleaned your room once in a while…."

AJ sighed. "I'm going over to Devin's after school – it's just to study, OK?"

Tony really grinned now. "Yeah…..I remember that type of studyin'. Yeah, go on, knock yourself out."

A car horn blared just outside. "That's my ride. Gotta go now" Tony gave Carm a perfunctory peck on the cheek and left.

It might have gone more or less normally there if Carm hadn't turned on the CBS Early Show and got this……

HARRY SMITH: Police in New Jersey are still speculating on the origin of human remains found in a remote wooded section of the state late last night. (CUT IN VIDEO OF POLICE INVESTIGATORS IN THE WOODS – THE VERY WOODS WHERE WE LAST SAW ADRIANA) A police source said that a skull and a hand bone, one with a ring still on its finger, were found. The New Jersey State Police have released this photo (WE SEE A PHOTO OF WHAT IS CLEARLY ADE'S ENGAGEMENT RING) of a ring found at the scene in hopes of identifying the remains. If you have any information, please contact the New Jersey State Police at this number on the screen (FLASH A 1-800-555-WHATEVER NUMBER ON THE SCREEN) as soon as possible.

At this point Carmela Soprano went into shock……