Chapter Twenty - All Falls Down.

Opening Thoughts - I'm warning y'all Charity's character takes a farther turn down the completely OCC Passions' world I like to live in! ( Not that most would complain) Just wanted to inform.

Harmony, Maine.

Bianca distractedly made circles with her dingy wash cloth around her bar. Her brown eyes searched the empty club before resting at her watch, it was around 3:00 in the morning, the bar was cleaned at it was finally time for her to go home.

But to go home to what?

To call Charity? No, because Charity had left with no apparent signs of return. Speaking to Kay was no longer an option because lately her friend seemed to detach herself from their relationship and kept to her work and to her Crane.

Things weren't the same.

She'd admitted to that a long time ago that things I this club as well as things in her life weren't the same since Miguel got arrested for murder. Her boss.

Bianca had made some sort of efforts to visit Miguel but he'd no longer wanted any visitors, perhaps she might have been one of the few but she still believed that he was a good man and that this murder was a big mistake.

Just like he used to.

The crowd at the club wasn't as it used to be and day after day that past Bianca suddenly began to wonder why she woke each morning. Not a common thought for her but she couldn't help but, when she woke alone without the family she'd once prided on having. She felt like Paloma did: Alone and lost.

"I brought you some coffee," And somehow Bianca knew Douglas felt worse. "I thought you'd need some you've been working all night," She'd commented quietly , as he nodded stopping the barking he'd done over the phone before she walked in.

He'd been checking up on the new security he'd put on the Lopez - Fitzgerald Mansion keeping his promise to Miguel to keep Pilar and Paloma safe.

He murmured some sort of a thanks as he placed the mug beside him as he went back to the pile of papers that were all over Miguel's old desk. Never once giving Bianca a passing glance.

"I - never got the chance to tell you before," That was the other thing among many things that changed. Douglas never even muttered a word to her any more, never once trying to make her have any remote feeling for him. It was understandable, considering their situations and Bianca should have been happy, "I think it's really sweet what you're doing for Mrs. Lopez - Fitzgerald and Miguel's sister," But she kind of missed his aimlessly please for his affections … what was the saying you'll never miss the well until it's dry. And did she ever.

It seemed as if her shaky words had some sort of effect on him because for once in a long while, Douglas looked at her. His eyes spoke to her with news that he could no longer contain; Hopefully it was good.

Douglas' hands intermingled with each other as he nodded Bianca to his side. "If I told you this would you believe me?" He asked quietly his brown eyes deeply searching hers.

Bianca rose her brow, contemplating what this something might have been. " I, um - I guess so," She fumbled, " I guess it would kind of depend on what it is though?"

He gave another uncharacteristic nod, as he took out a picture. She surveyed it quietly with her lips tightly pursed as she glanced back at Douglas waiting for a reply.

"Douglas, I think it's time you go home." She sighed dejectedly looking at a normal picture of Miguel. "You've obviously been working too hard on trying to overturn, Miguel's case,"

"No I haven't Bianca," He roared in protest.

"Yes you have," Bianca protested growing impatient and angry within the conversation the only good it was doing was reminding her of all they'd lost.

"Look at the picture one more time Bianca," To entertain Douglas, she looked at it for a long while before looking back up at him. "What do you see?"

Quickly and assuredly as before she replied. "A picture of Miguel,"

"No."

"Doug who else could this be? I know you've been working hard but with some rest maybe -"

"It's Ricardo, Bianca." Douglas cut in standing behind her with a wry smile etched to his lips as he ran a nervous hand through his shortly cut hair.

She shook her head, because the chances of this being true were impossible. Yes, granted she'd never met Ricardo and she couldn't play on genetics but for the most part she knew they were cousins … but in this picture they looked more the part of twins than cousins … No? "What?"

"The video that's been put out at that old where house by the peer showed Miguel shooting Patrick, but what if it wasn't Miguel, Bianca? What if Ricardo was the one that did it?" Douglas knew there wasn't any what ifs in the matter, Ricardo did frame Miguel there was no other reason.

Yet still Bianca stood in disbelief sliding her form away from Douglas as she looked up at him. "Where did you get this?"

"In the office."

"You've met Ricardo before?"

Douglas hesitated as the memory of Miguel's darker doing's came to mind. "Yes," But he did meet Ricardo briefly he knew of the cousins resemblance but it wasn't as pungent as it was now. A person would have to truly observe the two to actually catch the strong resemblance but not now.

Bianca still remained adamant to her word, as great as this sounded it had to be too good to be true. "I still don't believe it."

"Look at the bottom of the picture. It was taken this year in November," Douglas said as she did so yet again, turning back to him horrified. "Somewhere on a remote island."

"Miguel was here in- in …" She closed her eyes taking a deep breath. "Miguel was with Charity in November."

"And he was also searching for more than his father," Douglas added.

"So … so why in the Hell didn't he take this information to the police?" Bianca shrieked.

Havana, Cuba.

1:00 AM.

"Because he hardly knows he didn't actually kill anyone." Ricardo snickered, as he told Rosco about his newest conquest.

They were underground in a small office sitting on opposing sides of a steel office table. They was a silver light beaming through the room, as Rosco laughed slightly, somewhat amazed of how Ricardo was able to pull the murder off so eloquently. For this whole time his cousin was in jail, for killing a cop and he actually went for it.

"Because he was brain washed…" Rosco continued.

"What a terrible waist of genetics, huh?" Ricardo continued estimating Rosco's emotions with his words at the thought of him having to be forced to do the things he did knowing full well of the prosperous outcome.

He shrugged slightly his honey eyes resting on the man. "The way you saw it I'd imagine it is." Rosco merely replied. "But that isn't what we're here for aren't we?"

Ricardo frowned slightly as he surveyed the room. "Just making small talk before killing time I guess," He said, feeling somewhat giddy at the thought that two of his biggest problems would be dead in a matter of moments.

"You still don't know if this chick Agent is going to be at the where house tonight, Hell, you don't even know if she's in Cuba so how do you expect to have her and Yiezmien killed today," Rosco commented.

That was true. It was a gamble suspecting that Charity would actually show up to the where house of if she'd even come, but a few days ago he'd gotten a lead over the phone form an affiliate insisting they'd seen a woman of Agent Standish's credentials wondering down the streets of Havana. It has to be her, Ricardo assured himself in thought as he focused on a sceptical Rosco once more.

"I've sent Yiezmien to the where house." He stood walking around the tightly confined room in study. Ricardo dismissed the thought of his plans going wrong but even so all would go well. "Did you do what we've talked about?" He asked vaguely.

He turned to Rosco who was tapping on his laptop keys pensively making sure his job was done correctly before he nodded. "Everything's been timed for two,"

Ricardo's lips curved upwards at the words. "Fast demise," He commented with a nod. "I like that."


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1:15 AM.

They walked through the darkened and dinged sewer of the where house building. A conceived putrid smell rezoning through the heated winds, the sight of it all before her made her stomach church as she treaded through the muddy water's the imperceptible beam of a flashlight swinging it's rays to and fro about her, as she turned.

"How much farther?" Damien said in a voice comparable to a whining moan. Turning Destiny and Charity's attention to the grown man who had suddenly converted squeamish at the thought of filth and otherliving things residing in the same sewer of which he dipped his shoes into. This was definitely not one of the finer part's of working for the officials.

The flashlight flickered once or twice before Charity finally dignified the answer. "We don't know Damien," She said in a grim tone . "We're kind oflost here," She grimaced slightly, softly brushing her nose to avoid the dead smell as she turned away from a definitely horrified Damien.

"W - What did you just say, Charity?" His dark brown eyes grew fiercely big in the blackness of it all. "Because I could have sworn that you just said that we were … lost!? And that couldn't be right? Because we've spent the last two hours in this … nasty assed sewer, being liable to any sort of disease in the book ; So please, tell me wearen't lost!"

There was a think thoughtful silence as the sound of shoes delving into the sticky mud under need the aqueous lining, making a dissatisfying sound that ripped through a still brought a sigh to Destiny's voice, and a wry smile to Charity's lips finding solstice in the humour of it all.

Destiny was half sympathized the man at this point, for being so afraid and half repelled him for being such a shitless wimp in the situation, "We're not lost, Damien." It was pathetic to watch and even worse to listen to.

"Thank God." He gasped almost falling out of air as he continued to circulate light around. "You know some people, should know when and where a joke like that is appropriate." Damien spewed towards Charity.

She turned to the comment the flash of the light glooming in her eyes. "And some people, should grow some balls. Enough balls mind you to realize that some sewer water won't kill him." Charityretorted, lowly.

"Listen you two," Destiny finally hissed. "We have a limited amount of time before all the employees file into this building." She declared making a turn down another dark path. "Now I don't know about you, but I think us coming in late won't do much for the element of surprise deal we were going for. And I'll be damned if I let you two ruin it, so … Shut Up!" She shrieked in the silence, before stopping completely.

The sound of squishing ceased as all three stood in the likely stillness. "Jesus! Now we're really lost." Damien cried, cursing as he stopped hard down into the water flinging the flashlight about.

Destiny turned to Damien with a short smile confusing the man on no ends as to how she could smile at a time like this one. She walked up to him grabbing the flashlight and radiating it towards a long stair case. "No actually, we're here."

The silence dominated once more, in a certain awe of completion as Charity spoke up. "I want you two to wait for me outside the quarters."

Both looked at each other then at Charity before expressing their words on no consent . They couldn't very well leave Charity alone in a building full of people who wanted her dead, that topped the list of all illogical.

"Destiny you know you're way back out, right?" Charity questioned dismissing the protest.

The woman eyes her momentarily before answering. "Yes, but -"

"Follow that and I'll meet you back their," Charity cut off.

"No, Charity, we aren't going to leave you here. You need back up in there if anything," Damien chimed..

Charity shook her head fervently not sure if either of her partners truly understood how much she needed to do this. "Like Destiny said everyone while be in that building in a short while, I need the back up to hold everyone back until then."

Instinctively, "Ricardo's not in there, you know." Damien caught on to the reason of things. "If he knows you're here … if he knows how vitalyou are he isn't going to do the job himself,"

As much as he didn't like the idea he went against his gut feeling told himself that she would be alright, but just in case something went wrong. " We're sending in other police officer's as soon as we get out,"

"That way if anything happens you'll still have someone on the inside." Destiny added. "No other way you're getting in otherwise."

Charity mounted the brass stair case, putting one foot on the foot wedge then the next afterwards the next before finally answering the proposition. "Fine,"

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1:50 AM.

Charity rose the barrier that separated her from the main floors. Lifting herself, with a grunt, from the banister until she met a solid ground and she landed upon a trashed floors in the dark.

She stood on her feet dusting soot off of herself while sticking to her primary positions that found themselves in the middle of what appeared to be a big packing room. As she observed she couldn't help but thinking of Patrick, his lifeless body laying on these same floors … Miguel standing over him with the gun, his eyes full of a crazed satisfaction … the same sudden moonlight blasting through the windows giving the place a white light.

Her thoughts were abruptly shaken by the fountain lights being flickered on. Charity searched the room once more all her senses heightened with the thought of another being in the room with her as she saw the space to be completely abandoned.

"Who's here?" She bellowed into the hush her questioned not being answered as she began to walk about the room. The lights flashed off again, and Charity screamed when the strong jolt of a wood table being thrown against her pinned her the wall.

She pursed her lips lightly suppressing another sound as she glanced down at her stomach and the table that had restrained her. The lights coming back on revelling a woman standing at the end of the hallway holding what looked to be like a mallet.Oh my God, it couldn't have been … but it was, Yiezmien.

"I told you falling in love with him was bad news, Charity." She said flatly. "But you never listened."

Her eyes fell towards Yiezmien, her mouth fighting to find words yet only recovering the pain. "You," She rasped, the fragment all that she could muster to say.

"Yes, Darling it's me." She answered sarcastically running her hands up and down the mallet. She loved the helplessness that played in Charity's eyes as she fell short for breath, perhaps the table lodged in her midriff would do the job of killing her far better than the mallet would, "You know Miguel still would have been mine if he hadn't of met you." She declared calmly walking towards her.

"He loved me." Yiezmien declared. "He always did and always will,"

"I was with him, when he got arrested. I was the one who stuck by him when he chose to involve himself with the Lopez line of con. Not you"

The room began to spin to her as her glance glared into Yiezmine's walking figure. "You … you be- tray- ed … h-im." She managed falling short of breath each time. Referring to the tape, Charity knew Yiezmien had something to do with that. "You ruined his life!" Charity managed in a roar that singed her body in pain.

"For his own good." The woman retorted an insane rage in her statements. "Don't you see, things would have been so much worse if I hadn't given the police the tape. He needed to see where he went wrong …we needed that for a better relationship."

Charity listened the woman babble, and the more convinced she was that the bitch was insane. She spoke of her and Miguel as if she hadn't been the whore of the situation sleeping with his cousin and outing him any chance she had gotten.She was the reason Miguel went to the jail the first time, let alone the second. He never betrayed her, Miguel left Yiezmien because she was then what sheis now … trouble.

"We could have been together," She whispered glaring at Charity. "Nothing would have changed if it wasn't for you!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as she sped towards her wielding the black mallet towards Charity, with another deepened breath Charity pushed the table away as Yiezmien was inches away the table knocking her down on impact as she slid away lightly clenching her stomach, the mallet falling out of her hands and away from her.

She glared at her for a moment panting on the floor as Charity limped to her side, she looked at her for a moment in her helplessness before kicking her fiercely. Kneeling down at eyes level, "Funny how your name never came up all the nights Miguel made slow passionate love to me," Her voice was barely audible her words in a tone only the two of them could her. Charity relished each and everyone of her true words as she stared back into Yiezmine's eyes. Yiezmien groaned as she attempted to lift herself lifted before Charity countered slapping her hard while falling again.

"You'd think it come up once or twice if he was so infatuated with you as you said right." Yiezmien stood her eyes flaming as she lunged Charity and returned the burn at the side of her face with a punch.

"You bitch," She screeched, as they rolled around the room each movement filled with punches and slaps that drew blood. "You'll never live to touch him again,"

Charity's mouth opened the cut on her lip stinging. At the words both woman heard the sound of a loud cracking noise that came from bellow them. A sound so profound it made them stop their actions to take notice of such.

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2:01 AM. - Outside.

It was if the building was sinking into the ground. The bottom half of it crumbling into pieces, taking all the other top floors along with it as the debris came briskly crashing down all around the space.

"CHARITY!?!" Damien bellowed as the dust covered him and all the other police officer's of Cuba. The building vanishing right before their eyes

Closing Thought - I wasn't all that impressed with the whole "Building Falling Down" scene and for that I'm truly sorry for those who are starring at the screen completely perturbed. For that reason, and also because our main 'Heroine' here Charity keeps on finding herself in all these do or die situations. I will say that this scene will play into the next and it's all part of the process of one good plan … keep that in mind ;).

Now you might of thought Charity going into the where house alone was stupid on her part considering, but I will vouch and say that that happening was Charity's way of meddling with what happened five years ago in the first chapter.

Which leads us to this! I know it must have been strange for Charity and the crew to go through all this to fight of Patrick's behalf and once Charity gets there she and Yiezmien ends up fighting over Miguel … (the mix of priorities are astounding) Don't worry that was planned and the 'Patrick' fight comes …