Francine and Sue Ellen spent much of the day at Nigel and Carla's house, waiting breathlessly for the call from Los Cactos that would hopefully inform them of the fates of Sue Ellen's parents. The call finally came at shortly after two in the afternoon. Carla had left to attend a computer training course, so Nigel answered the phone.

"Hi, Mr. Ratburn," came a girl's voice. "This is Odette Cooper. I have news."

Nigel motioned toward Sue Ellen and Francine, who were idly assembling a jigsaw puzzle. He pushed the speakerphone so that the two anxious girls could hear, and laid down the receiver.

"Is it good news or bad news?" he inquired.

"Bad news, I'm afraid," reported the voice of Odette.

Francine and Sue Ellen turned to each other. They knew their worst fears were about to be confirmed...yet how could they have hoped for any other outcome?

"We found April," Odette went on. "She's all right, but the federal authorities won't release her until they figure out how she got past the lab's security systems. She told us what happened, and we wrote it down. Here goes."

As the faraway swan girl spoke, Mr. Ratburn knelt and drew in Sue Ellen and Francine with his arms, cradling their heads on his chest.

"We were all tied up and blindfolded," Odette began. "Me, and Sue Ellen, and our parents. The man who kidnapped us was talking through a voice modifier. He said he would let Sue Ellen live, but only if Dad told her the truth about his work for the CIA. So he did. I almost died when I heard it. He was a CIA assassin. His job was to kill government leaders who posed a threat to the United States. I didn't want to believe it, but he swore it was the truth. Then he took Sue Ellen away. I'm happy to hear she's alive and well. But our parents weren't so lucky."

Mr. Ratburn's eyes grew misty as muffled sobs from Francine and Sue Ellen touched his heart.

"When he came back, I heard some silenced gunshots. I called out to my parents, but they didn't answer. The man told me he had carried out his orders, and he wasn't interested in killing little girls. I asked him to kill me too, because I didn't want to live without my parents. That's when he chloroformed me. I woke up in a dumpster, in a strange part of the city."

"They're dead," moaned Sue Ellen, her head heaving against Nigel's breast.

"I thought about going after the man who killed them, and getting revenge, but what was the point? He was probably getting revenge for someone Dad assassinated. The killing won't stop until one side chooses to stop it. Sue Ellen, Francine, I know you're reading this. Sue Ellen, our parents loved you very much. I hope I can get out of this holding cell soon, so I can see you again, so we can be sisters, or something. Francine, I'm sorry you had to be dragged into the affairs of the Armstrongs. At least you still have one family left." A second or two of silence was heard. "That's the end."

"Thank you, Odette," said Mr. Ratburn, his voice breaking.

"We'll see you when we get back," were Odette's last words before the call ended.

Pulling some Kleenexes from a box on the table, Mr. Ratburn did his best to wipe the tears from the girls' faces.

"I'm all alone now," Sue Ellen mourned.

"Not as long as I'm around," said Francine comfortingly.

"Carla and I won't abandon you," Nigel promised.

Francine grabbed a Kleenex and blew her nose for what she hoped would be the last time. "I'll go out and spread the word," she offered.

----

With his parents away at a PTA meeting, Arthur was once again tasked with caring for Grandpa Dave, as well as D.W. It was a tedious chore, made only slightly more tolerable by the Spooky Poo videos they had rented.

"I would've gotten away with it, if not for you meddling kids and your kangaroo," spat the villain.

D.W. was engrossed in it, and Grandpa Dave seemed to appreciate it for the sentimental value, but Arthur concluded that if he had seen one episode, he had seen them all. As he tried to come up with another way to pass the time, the doorbell rang. He opened the door to find Francine on the doorstep, her expression downcast.

"Come in, Francine."

The two seated themselves at opposite ends of the kitchen table. Arthur could tell from the girl's demeanor what message she had to bear.

"So Sue Ellen's an orphan."

Francine nodded weakly.

"I'm really sorry."

In the face of the situation, neither of them could think of anything meaningful to say.

Finally, Francine decided to say something meaningless.

"Stupid Mr. Putnam," she groused, "and his stupid body-switching device. If not for him, I wouldn't have Sue Ellen's personality stuck in my head. I wouldn't be so affected by the loss of her parents. I wouldn't have fallen in love with you, and I wouldn't be angry at you for cheating on me."

Arthur felt too embarrassed to speak.

"Why did you do it?" Francine asked earnestly. "Wasn't I was good as Beat?"

It was the first time the girl had confronted him with such a question.

"I don't know," Arthur answered. "Maybe it was the early puberty thing she's going through. She was getting...cuter. Every time I looked at her, I was more attracted to her and less attracted to you."

"You should have told me instead of going behind my back," Francine scolded him. "That would have been easier."

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings," said Arthur. "But I guess I hurt them anyway. I'm sorry, Francine. I was stupid."

Francine smiled. Arthur cupped his hand on the table, and she curled up her fingers inside of it.

----

"Tell Sue Ellen she can come here and talk to me anytime she wants," Muffy instructed Francine as her friend departed from the Crosswire condominium.

She sat quietly in an easy chair for about ten minutes, pondering on the awful trials Sue Ellen had passed through, and had yet to face. Her reverie was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. From the number on the display, she surmised it was Angela.

"Hi, Muffy," said the rat woman on the other end of the line. "I have good news and bad news."

"The bad news can't be any worse than what Francine just told me," said Muffy. "Go ahead."

"The Oberlins are not going to adopt Graham," Angela told her. "That's good news for you, but bad news for me."

"I'm sure glad to hear it. What made them change their minds?"

"They didn't change their minds." Angela's tone grew serious. "I changed mine. I don't think they can be trusted."

Muffy held her breath, expecting a vindication of her suspicions.

"I got a letter today," Angela went on. "Social Services asked Mrs. Oberlin to provide them with a doctor's certificate proving that she can't have babies of her own. She gave them one, but it turned out to be a fake."

Muffy puzzled over what she had just been told. "Does that mean...does that mean she really can have babies?"

"I'm not sure," Angela replied. "But I don't think it's right to lie about something like that, when there are so many women who really can't give birth."

"It doesn't make sense," mused Muffy. "If she can have her own babies, she shouldn't need to adopt one."

"That's what I told her. She just hung up on me."

An insistent pounding was heard at the door. Mrs. Crosswire went to answer it, and Muffy noticed that C.V. was marching through the doorway--and he looked furious.

"Hold on, Angela." She laid the phone on the armrest and rose to receive the angry boy.

"I hate you, Muffy Crosswire!" C.V. bellowed. "Thanks to you, I don't get a baby brother!"

"It's not my fault," Muffy retorted. "Your mom lied about..."

"Silence!" C.V. cut her off. "You have incurred the just wrath of Captain Valiant, and now you will pay the price!"

Sensing a threat, Mrs. Crosswire stepped forward to shield her daughter. However, C.V. didn't attack. Not physically.

The fear returned. Muffy recognized it from the occasion when she had insulted him. She couldn't resist it. She was terrified of his piercing glare, terrified of her mother, terrified of the room, terrified of everything. Terror was overpowering her every thought and feeling. It dawned upon her that C.V. was somehow controlling her fear, ratcheting it up to unbearable levels.

She screamed. She screamed again. She couldn't stop herself from screaming.

"Muffy!" cried Mrs. Crosswire, catching her daughter as she sank to the floor, overwhelmed by hysteria. C.V. only stood motionlessly and stared at the girl with narrow eyes.

Muffy continued to scream as her mother held her and called to her. Then her screams grew shorter, and stopped. She breathed heavily. Her mouth gaped wide. Her unfocused eyes gazed into nothingness.

"Muffy! Muffy?"

The girl didn't respond to her mother's cries.

Mrs. Crosswire grabbed Muffy's cell phone and dialed 911. C.V., his fury spent, viewed with shame the state to which Muffy had been reduced. Looking down at his palms, he wondered how he, a defender of truth, justice, and freedom, could have allowed anger to overcome him in such a manner.

"I misused my powers again," he lamented.