Author: Summer [Indian Summer]

2.02- The Devil Lurks Behind the Cross

Date Published: 09.03.2004

Episode Guide- The Girardis day is interrupted by a bank robbery gone bad, and Kevin's caught in the crossfire. Helen connects with Mr. Price.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the creators of Joan of Arcadia, and all I own is my writing and original characters. Don't own Crossroads, ABC, or, well, anything else of value to you.

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"Guess what I have," Luke said as he rushed into the kitchen, throwing a few sheets of white paper on the table in front of Joan, Adam, and Grace.

Grace took a piece of paper and looked quickly at it before handing it to Adam. "Big deal. It's our schedules, not the winning lottery numbers."

Joan rolled her eyes. "To Luke it's the same thing." She shuffled through the papers to find her own and skimmed it quickly. "I got into the fashion design class," she said happily, setting her schedule back down.

Grace shot Joan a look of disgust. "Now all's right in the world."

"I don't think so," Adam said slowly, clearly not noticing Grace's sarcasm. "Lishack's teaching AP Physics."

Luke frowned, looking at his own schedule again. "So? What's wrong with that? She's a good teacher."

"I'm sure all the teenage boys love her," Grace muttered, shoving her schedule back to the middle of the table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke asked, his expression confused.

Grace shrugged. "Just that you aren't going to object to a teacher who'd give all the good little boys extra credit."

At Luke's questioning look, Joan laughed. "Luke, Lishack like, hits on you. I know you listen to her lectures, but do you really... listen?"

Luke's gaze flickered over Grace, but her eyes were set straight ahead. "That's not true. She's just excited about teaching."

"Excited," Grace said sarcastically, "Exactly."

Luke looked at Adam for help, but Adam just shrugged. "I don't know what to say. They're kinda right, yo."

Before Luke could protest, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Luke said quickly, eager to end this conversation.

As Luke left the room, Joan tried to catch Grace's gaze, but Grace carefully avoided her eyes.

"Joan!" she heard Luke call, "Some guy. For you."

Something in his tone made Joan jump up. "I'll, uh, be right back," she said, squeezing Adam's hand for good measure.

As she went to the door, she passed Luke, who was returning to the kitchen. "You have such… weird friends," he muttered, shaking his head.

Joan frowned, almost running to the door. She stopped cold at what she saw. "You've got to be kidding me," she said.

A boy with pale skin and hair dyed black stood at the door, wearing more makeup than Joan herself. "Hey Joan."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"

"Not much. Just follow the right path today. Do the things your mom asks you to. Be there when your brother tells you to. Listen to your father when he needs you."

Joan raised an eyebrow. "So you're basically just telling me to be a good girl? No real mission?"

"A mission's what you make of it, Joan."
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OPENING CREDITS

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You knew the summer was officially dead when you spent a Thursday afternoon willingly shopping for school supplies. Joan sighed as she, Adam, and Grace stopped their shopping cart in front of a display of writing utensils.

"I'm so bored," she complained, dramatically throwing back her head. "Why can't school just start already?"

"Girardi, don't say that," Grace complained, tossing a package of highlighters into the cart. "School's even worse. We could be sitting in Physics listening to Lishack explaining how force exerted creates a-"

"Okay, don't even finish that sentence. Oh, ew." Joan groaned. "You know, it's because of you I can't stop picturing Lishack and my brother…" Joan trailed off, whimpering.

"Just calling them like I see them," Grace told her, comparing two boxes of pencils. "What does high durability mean when it's describing a pencil?"

"Long lasting, yo," Adam answered, taking the Ticonderoga box from Grace's hand. "America's best pencil."

Joan rolled her eyes. "That's not what we were talking about. We were talking about me and how bored I am."

Grace snickered. "We got bored. And what do you want us to do about it? Dance for the little princess?"

"Knock it off, Grace." Joan shrugged. "We should go to one of the 2:00 movies. I want to see The Village."

Grace shook her head. "Nah. Didn't you hear about the mystery animal ploy? I can't sit through a movie with that kind of disgusting marketing."

"We could rent something," Joan said, pulling a package of ballpoint pens off the rack and tossing them into the cart.

"The anniversary edition of this movie I watched in my junior high art class was just-"

"No… Something fun, Adam."

"Something brainless and without a lot of subplots," Grace added, "My brain already feels like it's gonna explode."

"Crossroads it is," Joan said, grinning at Grace.

Grace groaned. "The actors have to be able to spell their own names."

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Kevin had just finished making himself a sandwich when two hands clamped down over his eyes.

"Guess who!" a distinctly female voice exclaimed.

"Well, God, I have no idea," Kevin said sarcastically, peeling the hands off his face, "Which of Joan's friends would be immature enough to play that game?"

Lila grinned. "What's up, Kevin?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I promised Joan I'd pick her up at Adam's later, and I have to run to the bank in a couple hours, and sadly, that will be the highlight of my day."

"Don't you have a friend you could call?" Lila asked, propping herself on the counter and making a grab for Kevin's sandwich.

His reflexes still quick, Kevin easily avoided Lila's grasp. "No. Thanks for rubbing it in, Lila," he said jokingly.

"Aww. Poor baby. Then you can hang out with me."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "As much as that appeals to me-"

"Like you have so many better options. I'll even come to the bank with you. Because unfortunately, I have nothing to do either."

"A girl like you? I doubt that." Kevin frowned. "Did you come over looking for my sister?"

"Nah. She's out with Adam and Grace, shopping for school. Not exactly my scene."

Kevin laughed. "Did you even show up for school when you were 17?"

"Yes!" Lila bit her lip. "Well, no."

"Uh-huh."

Lila rolled her eyes. "It wasn't like that," she said, swinging her legs out and almost kicking him in the face. "I had a tutor because I was away so much. And I'll have you know that I got As in every single one of my classes. And I even tutored my tutor in some of the more… advanced classes."

Kevin nodded. "And what kind of classes were these?"

Lila pursed her lips. "My tutor's name was Rafe," she said slowly, a grin spreading across her face, "And let me just say he was more experienced in all aspects of life by the time I got through with him."

"I'll bet he was," Kevin responded, voice dripping with innuendo.
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For the first time in the past three months, the Arcadia P.D. had put the Raphael case on the backburner. In the past few days, there'd been eight burglaries, each intensifying in size.

"That was a Mason West," Toni said as she hung up the phone. "He just returned home to find his apartment ransacked."

Will swore under his breath. "What was missing?"

"He hasn't gone through everything yet. There's a squad car on the way now. But big things- like his TV and computer- were untouched. All he's noticed so far is an 18 karat white gold diamond engagement ring."

Will groaned. "Why would you leave that laying around?"

Toni raised an eyebrow. "He probably wasn't expecting his apartment to be broken into, Will. Not everyone's been hardened by years on the force."

"Yeah, I know. But still, it's commonsense…"

Toni bit her lip. "One more thing."

"What?"

"When he got home… he noticed that all his phones were missing."

Will sighed, recognizing the burglar's M.O. "Add his name to the list," he said, his tone defeated.
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COMMERCIAL BREAK
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Carl Rove had been hesitant to take painkillers for his back problems just earlier this week, due to everything he'd read about addiction, but now he couldn't be happier Adam had talked him into it.

"Grace, I haven't seen ya all summer! What have you been up to?" he asked, giving his son's closest friend a bear hug as she entered his house.

Grace extricated herself from Carl's arms as Joan looked on in amusement. "I was in California with my dad. At the beach house."

"Right," Carl nodded. "I forgot you guys had that. How was it?"

"The same," Grace shrugged. "Hell on earth."

Carl let out a hardy laugh, turning to Adam and Joan. "What are you guys doing back here, anyway? I thought you were going to be at the Girardis all day."

Joan smiled. "We were, originally. But my house is so boring, we thought we'd stop by here and hang out for a while."

"And of course, smoke pot and get drunk. Just cause a little trouble," Grace added, her expression serious.

Carl laughed. "That would be quite the headline, Grace. 'Daughters of Local Rabbi and Detective Caught High.'"

Adam smiled slightly, causing Carl's grin to spread. He could count on one hand the times he'd seen his son smile lately.

"You guys want anything for lunch? I'll order a pizza."

All three nodded as they disappeared into the living room. Carl watched them for a moment and shook his head. It was good to see his son acting normal again.

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Lila slapped her last two cards onto the right-hand pile quickly and clapped her hands together. "I win, I win!" she said gleefully, pushing the cards toward Kevin.

"You're like a two-year-old," Kevin complained, scooping up the cards. "And you haven't won yet," he added, his eyes on the smaller pile.

Lila sighed, taking the cards and shuffling them quickly. "I may as well have. You are no match for Lila Carson."

"I'm starting to remember why the last time I played this was in fifth grade," Kevin teased, shuffling his own cards.

"Whatever," Lila said, setting up her cards as if she were playing Solitaire.

Kevin laughed. "How old are you again?"

"Shut up." Lila looked up. "Spit's fun. And I rule at it."

Kevin set down his cards. "Fine, I forfeit. You win."

Lila grinned, dropping her own pile. "So what's up with Beth?" she asked out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm assuming you've talked to her since we randomly showed up at her fianc's."

"Oh, yeah. Well, she called off the wedding, told him she wasn't ready."

"Ooh, yay!"

Kevin raised his eyebrows. "They're still together though."

Lila shrugged. "That's okay. At least you don't have to feel guilty anymore."

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Helen folded the piece of white lined paper into thirds, her fingers pressing nervously on the creases.

School was scheduled to start in less than a week and she still hadn't learned anything definite about her job.

She carefully wrote the name of the addressee across the envelope and tucked the letter inside. She sealed it slowly, realizing the fate of her job could hang on her words.

She wasn't used to begging for anything, and she'd been unable to make herself call him. So instead, she'd written a letter to the one person who could help her save her job.

Ironically, it was the same person she'd tiptoed around every since she'd started teaching at Arcadia High.

Gavin Price.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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"Your dad's so much cooler than mine," Joan told Adam, plopping down on his bed. "My dad would never let you in my room, but your dad's fine with both me and Grace hanging out here."

Adam shrugged. "'Cha. He knows nothing will happen. Plus, he doesn't see Grace as a girl."

"Thanks," Grace said sarcastically, picking up one of his wire sculptures.

"I just mean he's known you forever."

"Whatever." Grace gestured to the sculpture. "This new?"

"Yeah. I finished it a few nights ago."

"I like it," Grace said, turning it over in her hands and examining it for another moment before handing it to Joan. "What's it supposed to be?"

Adam shrugged. "Dunno. Just had inspiration, you know?"

"Mmm."

"It's really cool, Adam," Joan said, taking Adam's hand in hers. "I like everything you do though."

Grace let out a dry laugh. "Oh, can we please skip the nauseating couple stuff? This is why I don't hook up with anyone."

"'Cha," Adam said, casting a knowing look at Grace.

Grace frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? I don't."

"Nothing," he backed down quickly. "I didn't mean anything."

Joan, however, wasn't nearly as ready to let this go. "You know, you were all weird today when you found out Lishack was teaching AP Physics. And Luke's been all quiet lately. Did you do something to him?"

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Do something to him? God, no. Your brother's a freak, Joan."

Joan laughed, scrutinizing Grace closely. But before she could say something, the door swung open and Carl stood outside.

"Pizza's here, guys."

Adam nodded. "Thanks Dad."

"And Adam?"

"What?"

"Could you leave the door open when you've got girls in your room?"

His only response was laughter.

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Yellow tape surrounded West's whole apartment building when Will and Toni arrived. Will frowned, putting the car in park. "Did he say if his neighbors-"

"No," Toni said, glancing at the police tape. "For once I'm hoping it's an officer's inexperience that led to this massive use of tape."

Will nodded; the alternative was too bad to consider.

Detective Harry Reagan approached them as they got out of the car. "After West hung up with you, he checked his neighbor's apartment. Apparently they're all real friendly and he has their key. It's a wreck… and we know why the burglars didn't need West's electronics."

"Great." Will pulled out his notepad. "Who are the neighbors?"

Reagan cleared his throat. "You aren't gonna like this."

Will raised his gaze but said nothing.

"The Kelsons. Carter and Chelsea Kelson." When Will didn't seem to recognize the name, he added, "Of Kelson Cosmetics… We have a publicity nightmare at our fingertips."

"They have a place in Arcadia?" Toni asked.

Reagan nodded. "A vacation home, apparently."

Will nodded. "Great. So now what do we do?"

Reagan shrugged. "Hope we find the perp before the Kelsons find out about the robbery."

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"Seriously, I know you must have some feelings for Beth. I mean, you wouldn't have gone through all that trouble if you didn't care about her. Just admit it," Lila prodded.

Kevin shrugged. "It's in the past. I have regrets, sure. Everyone does."

Lila nodded. "Especially guys who cheated on their girlfriends, broke up with them at a huge party, and then treated them like trash even after they visited the guy in the hospital after the guy dumped them." She shot him a pointed look.

"There's nothing I can do about it now."

"That's a weak excuse," Lila responded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Even for you."

"What can I say?"

Lila pursed her lips, leaning toward him. "Know what I've noticed about you?" She didn't give him time to answer. "That you complain too much and you won't take the blame for any situations you've caused. You're 20 years old and you still act like a child."

"Don't hold back," Kevin said, a bit hurt.

Lila sighed. "I don't mean to sound mean. I just think you need a reality check, Kevin." She smiled. "I used to be like you. Then I grew up."

Kevin smirked. "You're younger than me."

Lila shrugged, echoing Kevin's words from a moment earlier. "What can I say?"
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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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"Why'd you want to come for this ride again?" Kevin asked Lila as she pulled into Adam's driveway.

"Because I don't have anything else to do. Plus, Adam's dad is a cool guy. I want to see how he's doing."

Kevin smirked. "Close with Adam's father, are you? What have you taught him?"

Lila rolled her eyes. "Shut up." She stepped out of the car and went around to the back, pulling out Kevin's wheelchair. "I control how and when you get out of my car, remember?" she teased as she pushed the chair back into position.

"Funny," Kevin said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Aren't I?" she asked as she opened his door and positioned his chair next to the seat.

"Hilarious," he continued as he scooted across his seat and into the chair. "This thing's hard to get out of, by the way."

"It's a Porsche," Lila explained, "and it wasn't meant to be accessible for an out of shape guy in a wheelchair."

"I'm not out of shape."

"Right," Lila said, already walking toward the Roves' front door.

"I'm not," he repeated lamely, moving back and shutting the passenger door.

By the time Kevin caught up with Lila, Carl Rove was at the front door. "Oh, Lila, it's great to see you again. I'm afraid you just missed them though," he was saying.

Kevin frowned. "What do you mean? Joan told me to pick her up here."

"Well, they decided to go back to your house."

"How were they getting there?"

Carl frowned, clearly not having thought about it. "I'm not sure."

"Ergh, oh well." Kevin turned to Lila. "Want to just go to the bank now?"

She shrugged. "Why not."

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"I hope he's still here," Joan said nervously as she opened the door. "I completely forgot he was supposed to pick us up until you said that. God's going to be so mad." She froze, turning to her friends to see their reactions. "I meant 'God, he's going to be so mad.'"

Grace shot her a look. "He'll get over it."

"You don't know Kevin that well," Joan laughed.

"Nobody can stay mad at you, Jane. Take it from me," Adam murmured.

Joan offered Adam a small smile. "I guess."

Grace smirked. "And what's the worst that can happen? Kevin wastes fifty cents on gas?"

"Gas is expensive, yo," Adam responded.

Joan was quiet. What was the worst thing that could happened? She'd never disobeyed God before. But then again, nothing had come of her 'befriend Iris' mission, aside from self humiliation. "I guess you have a point," she said slowly, raising her gaze to Grace's.

"Of course I do," Grace said, walking through the door. "Why else would I have opened my mouth if my contribution didn't have a point?" she said, shooting a pointed look over her shoulder at Joan as she entered the house.

Joan groaned. As Adam tried to enter the house, she grabbed his arm. "Wait a minute."

Adam frowned. "Why?"

"Because. Give her two minutes and she'll disappear. She's so with Luke."

"So?"

Joan's eyes widened. "What do you mean, so? Did she tell you she was? Why didn't you tell me?"

Adam shook his head. "Nah, it's Grace. Like she said, she doesn't talk if there isn't a point. I just know."

"How?"

"I've known Grace my whole life," Adam shrugged. "You learn to pick up on things when you're friends with someone who won't tell you herself."

"Oh, Joan, you're home. Good. I need you to do me a favor."

Helen's words effectively ended their conversation. "What do you need?"

Helen held out a letter. "Could you drop this off at the school for me?"

"When?"

"Well, now." Helen sighed. "I need to make sure he gets it today."

Joan frowned. "Eww, Mom. You want me to actually talk to Mr. Price? Before we have to go back to school? When I don't need to? Can't you do it yourself?" she asked, grabbing Adam's hand and brushing past her mother.

Helen sighed. "Apparently."
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When Luke's door swung open, he jumped back, surprised by the sudden noise. As he recovered his breath, he glanced up and found Grace standing at his door, smirking.

"Wimp."

Luke swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat. "What are you doing here?"

"Going to the bathroom," she answered, stepping into his room and closing the door behind her.

"Huh? It's down the hall."

Grace turned her eyes upward in apparent frustration. "That's what I'm going to tell your sister I was doing."

"Um, okay," Luke said, thoroughly confused. He wrung his hands together nervously, meeting her gaze. "How was your day?"

Grace heaved a sigh. "You really suck at this, you know that?"

Luke shook his head, not understanding. "At what?"

Grace walked over to him and, catching him off guard, pushed him backward onto his bed. "At this," she said, lowering herself to him and bringing her lips to his.

"Oh," Luke murmured, wrapping his arms around her back. "I guess I need a teacher," he said, returning her kiss.
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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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"I told you she'd disappear," Joan said triumphantly, entering the kitchen with Adam.

Adam frowned. "It's been two minutes, Jane. She might be in the bathroom or something."

Joan sat down at the table. "Yeah, maybe," she said, although it was obvious she didn't believe it. "I still think it's more likely-"

Joan was interrupted by the telephone ringing. "Could you answer that?" she asked Adam, as he was standing next to it.

Adam shrugged, picking up he phone. "Hello?" His face twisted in confusion as he listened to the voice. "Uh, let me get Jane."

"Who is it?" Joan asked, standing up and walking over to Adam.

"I don't know. Some girl. I think she was telling me a riddle."

Joan took the phone from Adam, her brow wrinkled. "Hi?"

"Joan. I was hoping you'd pick up. You know, it's rude to have your guests answer the phone."

"Who is this?"

"I think you already know."

Joan sighed. "What are you doing calling my house?"

"You didn't listen to me."

"Yeah, free will, remember?" Joan lowered her voice, hissing, "The thing you invented, remember?"

"Of course. It was one of my proudest moments. But I wish you hadn't chosen this time to ignore me."

Joan looked quickly at Adam, who had turned his full attention to the dripping faucet. "Why not? It's not like anything came of the last thing you asked me to do."

"Plenty came from it, Joan. But you don't always see the results of your actions. Look at what happened with Ramsey. Did you see the results?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly. No buts."

"So did you just call to yell at me?"

"For the most part. And Joan? Be strong for your mother."

"What?"

There was a click as God disconnected. "My God, I can't believe her," she ranted to Adam, who was still staring at the faucet.

"Jane, look at this," Adam said, as if she hadn't even spoken, "The water looks really cool when it hits the sink."

Joan just stared at him.

Adam blinked. "What?"

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"You don't have to go," Luke insisted, tugging on Grace's arm as she started to get up. "Joan's clueless. She won't even notice you're missing for a few more minutes."

Grace shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "No. She's looking for something between us… What are you smiling at?"

"You said us."

Grace rolled her eyes, getting up and taking a step away from him. "No, I didn't."

Luke shrugged. "Okay."

Grace frowned. "I make out with you and I can't say 'us'?"

"You can," Luke said, still smiling.

"No I can't. Because you're clearly going to analyze it far too deeply, and-"

"Grace?"

She crossed her arms over her stomach, dropping her gaze. "What?"

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but shook his head instead. "You might want to flush the toilet. That way Joan can't argue-"

"I know," she said quickly and cleared her throat. "Are you going to be here the next time I… have to go to the bathroom?"

Luke met her gaze and nodded. "Probably."

"Good," she said, and as Luke watched her whole personality changed. He could see her defenses coming back up in her eyes, her body become more tense and her jaw set.

He watched her as she walked across the room and opened the door, shutting it quietly as she left. He was still thinking of how quickly she'd seemed to transform before his eyes when he heard the toilet flush. He shook his head, the smile returning. "I never asked for normal," he said quietly, getting up and walking over to his computer.

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The halls of Arcadia High were empty. As Helen walked toward the main office, the clacking of her shoes echoed down the hall.

Right before she was about to turn the corner, a yelling halted her mid-step.

"You never listen to me, Gavin! I can't keep doing this! She doesn't listen to a thing I say, and I think sending her away is just what she needs!"

Helen peeked around the corner to see Gavin Price and a blonde woman standing in the middle of the hall. The woman had her arms up in defeat, and Gavin was staring coldly at her, his own arms at his sides.

"She's my daughter, Tatiana. I can't just send her away," Gavin said, his words holding just as much feeling as Tatiana's but his voice much calmer. "She'd never forgive me."

Tatiana sighed loudly. "Gavin, she's a teenager. She already hates you. She's out of control!"

Gavin shook his head. "Tatiana, give me one more chance. I'll have her go to school here, where I can keep a close eye on her. I can't hurt her again, Tatiana. Not after everything that's happened," he pleaded, his voice breaking.

Tatiana shook her head. "Fine, Gavin. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep living there if she won't start treating me like a person, Gavin. If she doesn't start respecting me…" She trailed off, pausing long enough to gather enough courage to finish, "I'm going to leave."

Tatiana turned on her heel and walked away quickly, and started to run as she turned the corner. Helen flattened herself against the wall, wishing she'd arrived just a moment later.

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"So, Grace, where were you?" Joan asked as Grace entered the kitchen.

"I used the upstairs bathroom, and then I wasn't sure where you went," Grace answered smoothly, plopping into one of the kitchen chairs.

Joan narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you call out for me?"

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Not everyone finds screaming necessary, Girardi."

"Whatever." Joan sighed. "Have you seen Luke?"

"No."

Adam shot Joan a look, warning her not to push it.

Joan sighed. "Okay." She looked from Adam to Grace and back. "What do you guys want to do? Watch a movie?"

Adam shrugged. "What movie?"

Grace shook her head. "I don't feel like watching a movie. Isn't there anything else we can do here?"

"Hey, shut up," Joan said, swatting at Grace, "I mean, I haven't been past the kitchen of your house."

Grace shrugged. "I'm a private person."

Joan leaned forward. "Would you let Luke past the kitchen?" she teased.

"Oh yeah," Grace rolled her eyes, "All the way to my bedroom."

"Eww!" Joan cried, shaking her head, "I take it back. Get that thought out of my head."

Adam was laughing and Grace looked awfully proud of herself. "Uh, Jane? Maybe you should stop asking her these questions…"

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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Not sure how to approach Gavin Price after overhearing his outburst, Helen had opted to count to 100 before greeting him at his office door.

But now, as she stood in front of him and he stared at her, she wished she'd decided on 500 instead. "Hi," she said, but her voice was too cheerful even to her own ears.

Gavin stared at her a moment longer before gesturing to the inside of his office. "So, how much did you hear?" he asked as they walked inside.

Helen shrugged her shoulders slightly, lowering herself to the chair on the opposite side of his desk. "More than you would've liked me to, probably."

Gavin nodded. "I can't really deny that." He paused as he sat down and shuffled the papers on his desk. "That was my wife, Tatiana. She and my daughter… well, they don't really get along. At all."

"I didn't know you had a daughter. How old is she?"

He smiled, pulling out his wallet and opening it to a picture of a blonde teenage girl. He held it out to Helen. "That's Isabella. She's sixteen."

"She's beautiful." Helen bit her lip, unsure whether or not to continue this conversation. Gavin looked like he needed someone to talk to. "I take it Tatiana's not her mother."

Gavin laughed quietly, pocketing his wallet. "No. I met Tatiana during a vacation to Russia a few years ago."

"Where's Isabella's mother?"

Gavin sighed, suddenly becoming very serious. "I'm not sure. Actually, I don't know who her mother is. When I was a junior in college, I went to answer the door and found Isabella there. She was only a couple days old."

Helen tried to process everything she'd learned, and suddenly her whole opinion of Gavin Price changed. "So you raised her alone?"

Gavin nodded. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Tatiana is right. Isabella's gotten pretty out of control lately, but I can't send her to some boarding school. I'm all she has."

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"Why didn't you warn me the bank was going to be this crowded?" Kevin complained as he and Lila waited in line to speak to the teller.

"I did. Repeatedly," Lila said, standing on her tiptoes to look ahead of her. "But having an incompetent teller doesn't help anything," she added loudly.

Kevin squirmed as people turned to look at her. "Can you, uh, not talk so loud?" he asked as a man appeared behind them in line.

"They should give out numbers, like in a deli," the man said, taking Kevin by surprise.

"It would probably be more efficient," Kevin allowed, surprised the man had struck up a conversation.

The man sighed. "I was hoping I could get someone else to come here in my place, but there was no one around. I hate coming to this bank."

"Where do you work?"

"Well, the office is being rebuilt, so I temporarily have an office in Arcadia High School." The man extended his hand, which Kevin shook. "Robert Davidson, the Assistant Sup-"

"Superintendent of Arcadia High," Kevin finished, dropping the man's hand as if it were on fire. "I know who you are. I'm Kevin Girardi."

Understanding lit in the man's eyes as he registered the name, and Kevin looked away.

Lila glanced between the two, confusion evident in her expression. "I don't get it," she started, meeting Kevin's suddenly angry eyes, "How do you know him?"

Robert Davidson cleared his throat, looking at Lila. "Helen Girardi… who I'm guessing is this young man's mother… is an employee at Arcadia High School."

"And Mr. Davidson's responsible for her losing her job," Kevin finished, glaring at the man.

Lila bit her lip, suddenly uncomfortable standing between the two men. "Well, I'm Lila Carson," she introduced herself, offering the man a small smile, "And I'm sure you have a good reason for your decision, but right-"

Her words were cut off as the door was flung open and a man entered, a gun in his hand. As he pointed the gun at random people, Lila gulped. "Right now I think we have a bigger problem," she whispered shakily.

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Will's anger was white-hot, uncontainable, and loud. "What do you mean you didn't 'take it seriously?'" he fumed, glaring at a young officer. "I don't care if you've been on the job a day, a month, twenty years! Those aren't your calls to make!"

He'd disassociated from himself so much that he could barely feel Toni tugging on his sleeve, or hear her voice trying to calm him. To him, all that mattered was this uniform had received a very serious tip-off and chosen to ignore it. "Right now we have a bank robbery in progress, and you're telling me it all could've been avoided if you'd handed the damn phone over to someone with more experience? Goddamnit, Ryan!"

"Come on, Will. There's plenty of time for this later! Right now we have to get there, try to co-"

At Toni's words, Will realized she was right. He glared at the officer once more, even as Toni was dragging him out of the precinct and to their cruiser. He didn't understand why anyone would choose to rob this bank, especially in the middle of the afternoon. It was less than five minutes from the precinct.

"Get in," Toni was yelling, as she slipped into the driver's seat, already starting the engine. She turned to look at him. "Get in," she repeated loudly, staring at him.

Will nodded, jumping into the car. Before he'd even managed to get his door closed, Toni was pulling out of the station and had turned the sirens on.

His hand went to his gun as the city whizzed by him and he shook his head. "It's probably the same person," he shouted at Toni, thinking of the past robberies. They'd gotten bigger, and more violent. The next logical step was something like this.

Toni nodded, taking a sharp right. "We've got to be prepared, Will. We don't know what he'll do."
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COMMERCIAL BREAK
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"There's nothing on," Joan complained, tossing the remote back onto the table. "Unless you want to watch a soap."

Grace raised an eyebrow and shook her head in disgust. Adam merely shrugged.

Joan groaned in frustration, glancing at each of her friends. "There's nothing to do," she cried, letting her head fall back against the couch.

"Why don't we get out of here? We can go somewhere. Anywhere," Grace suggested, glancing at Joan. "You have the car, right?"

Joan shook her head. "The transmission's dead. And my mom took the only other-" She froze, an idea suddenly hitting her. "Kevin!" she said, grabbing her cell phone, "He can take us."

Grace gave Joan a look that was pretty easy to interpret. Why would Kevin take them anywhere after they'd disappeared on him?

"Well, we can at least try," Joan said quickly, already dialing his number.

"Right."

Joan brought the phone to her ear as it rang. "It's worth a shot," she told Grace, "Maybe he doesn't have anything else to do."

The phone clicked on and she frowned at the lack of a greeting. "God, I'm sorry. Can you be any ruder?"

"Joan," she heard Kevin say quietly, and something in his voice made her go still.

"Where are you?"

"The ban-"

Suddenly there was another voice on the line, one that was clearly not Kevin's. "Hello?"

Joan frowned, confused. "Hi. Can I speak to my brother?"

The man's answer was drowned out by Luke's footsteps, racing down the stairs. "Joan! Joan!" Luke shouted, running into the room, "Put on the news! Quick!"

But he'd already grabbed the remote and put the television on ABC.

"-of the police has changed this robbery into a hostage situation," the reporter was saying, situated safely behind her news desk. "We've got helicopter coverage of the bank…"

Joan gripped the phone tightly as an aerial image of Arcadia Savings Bank appeared on the television, telling red and blue lights surrounding it. She stared at the phone in horror, suddenly realizing what must've happened. "Kevin's there," she told Luke quietly, handing him the phone, "And there's someone who's definitely not Kevin on the phone."

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Kevin stared at the man in front of him, never having wished he could stand on his own two legs more. Maybe if he could walk he could do something, wrestle the man to the floor, emerge the hero.

He looked around at the people sitting on the floor around him. There were twenty-four people in all, including himself and the six bank employees. This wasn't going to end well, he could tell right now.

Lila had grabbed his hand at some point and he squeezed it tightly, hoping she could translate his message. Stay calm.

The man brought the phone back to his ear with a smile. "And who are you?" he asked Joan, and Lila's hand tightened in his own.

He wished Joan would just hang up. But as the man's eyes lit up he realized that she'd just provided him with the last piece of information she ever should've.

"Girardi?" he said, a smile forming on his face, "The cop's kid?

Kevin squeezed his eyes shut and Lila let out a small squeak as everyone in the room looked at him, the fear evident in their eyes.

The man dropped the phone to his side, not bothering to close it. "I just had a nice conversation with your brother," he said, bearing his yellow teeth as he smiled, "And it seems to be my lucky day." He turned to everyone else, waving the hand that still held the gun at them. "You can all go. I've got all the protection I need."

Kevin dropped Lila's hand quickly, trying to let her know it was okay to go. It was safer. But her eyes searched his a moment too long, and as she hesitated, Kevin's heart sank. She wasn't leaving.

The man turned his gaze on her and his eyes traveled up and down her body. "You don't have to go, beauty," he said, still leering at her, "I'm sure I can think of something to do with you."

Kevin watched as everyone walked cautiously to the door, and reaching it, ran to safety. He looked back at Lila, taking in her long, tanned legs, barely covered by her white miniskirt. Her lavender halter top showed even more skin, cut low in front and not quite reaching her skirt, leaving a couple inches of her midriff showing.

Kevin raised his gaze to the man, suddenly sick to his stomach as he caught the man's words.

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"Thank you for doing this for me," Helen said, standing up and excusing herself, "I really appreciate it."

Gavin nodded. "I'll talk to him and see what I can do. I can't promise you anything, but…"

"Thank you," Helen smiled, starting for the door.

The phone on Gavin Price's desk rang and Helen hurried from the room, already having intruded on her coworkers life enough for one day.

"Helen!" she heard him call, and halted in her steps.

She turned around and glanced at him. "What?"

"It's for you," he said, and as he held out the phone, Helen noticed the color had disappeared from his face.

She reached for the phone and instinctively knew it was her daughter. "Joan? What's wrong?"

Helen glanced at Gavin when her daughter wouldn't answer, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. "Joan?" she repeated.

"Mom," Joan said, and Helen realized her daughter was crying. "Something happened. Come home."

Helen's eyes widened. "Honey, what is it? What's going on? Are you sick again? Is Luke okay?"

"Kevin," Joan croaked, her voice breaking all over again, "He's at the bank."

Helen frowned. "What's going on, Joan?"

"Luke's on the phone with the guy, Mom. Put on a TV. There's-" Joan broke off again. "Mom, Kevin's a hostage."

Helen's knees gave out and she collapsed back into the chair. She allowed herself a moment and then leaned forward, her head swimming with thoughts. "There isn't a TV here, Joan. This is what I want you to do…"

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Grace and Adam had engaged in some kind of weird staring contest as the Girardis talked. Adam had moved from the couch to an armchair so Luke could sit down, and now Grace sat sandwiched between the two very nervous Girardis, her gaze boring into Adam's.

The world had spun out of control, and now Grace just listened like an outsider as her best friend and her- whatever Luke was- made the hardest phone calls of their lives.

"Daddy," she heard Joan saying, as if from a distance, "He's got Kevin," she said, her voice oddly babyish.

Luke, on the other hand, had lapsed into a strained silence, but his concentration seemed to be on hearing a pin drop on the other end of Joan's cell phone, his grasp on the phone so tight his knuckles had gone white.

Adam blinked, their unplanned staring contest ended, but there was nothing triumphant about the way Grace felt. In fact, she continued to stare at him as if nothing had happened.

"Luke's on the phone with him. He has Kevin's cell phone."

Grace felt Luke tense next to her, and she realized the robber must've come back to the phone. She tensed herself, uncomfortable between them, unsure what she should do.

"What's your name?" she heard Luke asking, his voice oddly hollow, "It's okay. I'm not on anyone's side."

Her gaze flickered over Luke's face, and she realized why he was still on the line, why he hadn't hung up. It was the instincts of a policeman's son that kept him talking, that kept him trying to keep the man calm.

"Nothing's happened yet. You don't have to do anything. In fact, right now your charges aren't that serious… well, they're serious, but they aren't serious jail time. You said you never actually robbed the bank, right?"

Adam was still watching her, but suddenly everything she'd been worrying about earlier seemed so trivial. She threaded her fingers through Luke's and he glanced at her. He didn't smile, or even act as if he'd noticed the gesture, but he kept his gaze on her.

Suddenly Joan snapped her own phone shut and looked at Luke. "A cop's gonna come to get you. Don't hang up," she said quietly.

Luke nodded, but otherwise acted as if he hadn't heard her. He turned his attention back to the phone and spoke calmly. "You see, it's all right. Right now, as long as no one gets hurt, you can't be charged with any major felonies…" Luke trailed off, and a moment later, his eyes widened. "What do you mean you've got a girl there with you, too?"
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COMMERCIAL BREAK

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Will set his jaw as his gaze drifted to the bank's window, which had been covered by blinds. It had been a different situation before his daughter called, before he knew the identity of the remaining hostages.

He realized Toni was staring at him and met her gaze. She was quiet for a minute, but Will already knew what she was going to say.

"I think you should go home," she said finally, daring to meet his gaze.

Will shook his head. "My son-"

"Is in that building. As a hostage, Will. You can't look at this from an uninvolved angle. You can't…" She trailed off, biting her lip. "Will, you're too close to the situation. Go home."

Will's eyes widened. "Too close to the situation, Toni? Who are you? This is my son we're talking about! I'm not going to leave."

"Okay, then. Stay for a while. But go home when Luke does, even if Kevin's not out then."

"I'm not going to trade one son for the other."

Toni frowned. "I didn't say you were, Will. I just think-"

"Kevin's my son, Toni. I know you don't have kids, but that has to mean something to you. I can't just stand back and do nothing. I couldn't forgive myself if…" Will trailed off, but they both knew the end of that sentence. If something happened. If Kevin got hurt. If he died.

Toni sighed, glancing at the bank. "Fine. You stay, but you stay here. You don't negotiate, you don't enter that building, you don't-"

"You aren't my superior, Toni," he interrupted.

Toni sighed. "No. But I'm your partner."

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"Oh, God, Joan," Helen said, rushing into the house. "Are you okay?" she asked as she entered the living room, where her daughter sat, her head against Adam's shoulder.

Joan looked up and nodded slowly. "Yeah. A cop took Luke to the bank. Are we gonna-"

Helen shook her head quickly and sat down next to her daughter. "We don't want more people there. That won't help anyone."

Grace stood up suddenly and grabbed Adam's hand, dragging him behind her. "We'll leave so we aren't in your way," she said.

Helen forced a smile and shook her head. "No, you can stay. I'm sure Joan wants her friends here…"

Grace frowned but sat back down. Adam followed suit, squeezing in next to Grace.

Joan met Helen's gaze, her eyes watering. "I'm scared," she murmured, leaning in toward Helen.

Helen wrapped her daughter in her hands. "It's all gonna be all right," she said, the southern accent coming back to her voice like it always did when she was nervous.

Joan shook her head. "No, it's not. It's all my fault."

Helen frowned, running a hand through her daughter's hair in a soothing gesture.

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To think only an hour before, Kevin's biggest complaint had been a line that wouldn't move. He glanced down at Lila, who'd long since given up on talking the guy into releasing them.

She was kneeling on the floor, her head down. It made Kevin uncomfortable to see her this beaten, already positioned in some sort of executioner's pose.

He looked toward the bathroom, where their captor had disappeared a moment before.

Lila followed his gaze. "You can go, you know."

He could. He could risk flight, escape into safety, or die trying. But that would mean leaving Lila here and after she'd stayed behind with him, that wasn't an option.

His eyes fell on the column behind her, which until now, had only been used as a decorative piece. From his angle, he couldn't see her hands, but he'd watched the man hold them behind the column and handcuff them together.

"I'll be fine," Lila whispered, but the bathroom door was opening.

The man walked over to them slowly, his eyes on Kevin. "How long does this kind of thing usually last?" he asked nervously.

Kevin shrugged. "Ask my brother. He's a statistical genius."

The man nodded, bringing the phone back to his ear. "I wish he was here instead of you. I like him better anyway."

Lila shifted uncomfortably, and Kevin realized she must be kicking herself for wearing a skirt today.

The man watched her closely as she moved, her shirt tightening across her breasts as her arms strained behind her.

Kevin glared at the man, who knelt down next to Lila. "My name's Nate," he said, resting his hand on Lila's shoulder. "I think we can be friends, don't you?"

Lila smiled tightly, her gaze flickering over his hand. She met his gaze calmly. "Only if you unlock the handcuffs," she said, her voice cool.
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TO BE CONTINUED…
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