"This is going great! Better than I ever expected it to. But then again, it is me we're talking about here. Sometimes I surprise myself with my own brilliance."

"Don't you mean evilness?"

"Aw Felix, you're making me blush", Dan sneered. "Now as much as I love to hear your compliments, we have to hurry it up. I have to get back to the house to make sure my son and granddaughter are okay before my wife and I get on a plane and head back to North Carolina."

"Like you really give two shits about your son or granddaughter or anyone else for that matter. Man, you're ruining their lives."

"I am doing what's for their own good."

"Own good, huh? You sick fuck. Lying to Lucas? Setting all this stuff up? Keeping that baby away from her mother? Oh yeah, Dan, that's just what the doctor ordered."

"Spare me the melodrama", he shrugged. "That's life. Besides, even though I am the proud mastermind behind this all, I can't take credit for it all. Felix you are just as involved as I am."

"Yeah but not by choice. I'm sick of your little game, Dan. It isn't fun anymore, especially when people start getting hurt like this."

"What people? You mean your precious Brooke?"

"She doesn't deserve this."

"She'll live. And when it's over and she has nothing…no kid, no husband, no job, no friends and no money, then if you're still feeling charitable, well she's all yours."

"Whatever."

"Quit being so soft, will you? You act like we're committing murder. It's not like we're doing anything illegal."

"Illegal? Man, where do you want to start? Fraud, hindering an investigation, lying to police…"

"And don't forget the GHB…"

"Real funny, Dan. That shit was your idea not mine."

"Yeah but you're the one that gave it to her. Nice work, Felix. See that was the key. You had to slip the drug into her champagne to make the plan even more perfect. So she passes out for nearly 12 hours but to everyone else it just looks like she was having such a great time partying with you that she got too wasted to even care about her own kid. That'll look great in front of the judge. By the way, how much of that stuff did you give to her anyway? Enough to get a little post pass out nookie?" Dan laughed.

"Dude, you're sick. Of course I didn't do anything to her while she was passed out. Because of you I have hurt her enough. I could never take advantage of her that way."

"And the Oscar goes to…Felix Colwell for best performance illogical, whiny horse shit. Anyway. You know the plan. Kate gave me the decoy phone Brooke called her on this weekend and I will have it destroyed along with any record of its existence. Got to love this modern technology, huh? A separate phone linked to the same number of her regular phone. You made sure the calls made from Hong Kong and the plane cannot be traced?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now wait for a phone call from Michael Quirk. He is a very good attorney. He will meet you at the station and assist with Brooke and anything that comes up having to do with custody of Harmony."

"So what, you set all this up so Brooke will lose her kid, now you're hiring her a top notch lawyer to help her win custody? That doesn't make sense."

"Quirk is an excellent attorney and he owes me a favor or two. He is here to ensure that Brooke loses. Now all bases are covered so get going. You know what to do and you know all that depends on this."

"Fine", Felix sighed, shaking his head.

"Oh and Felix?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't get any ideas in your head about being the noble one and foiling all my hard work. Don't fuck with me, kid."

"What are you gonna do, Danny Boy? Kill me."

"Oh I'd never do that", Dan laughed. "The good news will be that you'd still be alive. The bad news will be that you just wished you were dead. Now run along, son."

He watched with glee as the younger man walked away with no choice but to continue with what had already been started. It made a huge grin spread across Dan's face, one that only grew even bigger when his own cell phone rang.

"Darling…"

"Dan, where are you?"

"In Connecticut taking care of some very important family business, shall we say."

"I need to see you. I've missed you."

"I miss you too, love. My heart aches for you every night. We will be together again soon. I give you my word."

"Okay."

"I love you, Dan."

"I love you, too", he said, hanging up.

-------

Brooke lay on the cold, hard bench trying her best to keep warm. She couldn't believe she had been in jail. Jail. J-A-I-L! A place where they sent murderers and thieves and rapists. A place where she had been treated like a common criminal. They had fingerprinted her and taken her mug shots and questioned her for hours. In all her life she had never been so angry or confused. How could she be accused of such a horrific act? Someone had to know the truth especially when they all knew her. Someone would come for her. Nathan and Haley or Jake and Peyton. Gordon! Gordon would never leave her to just rot in a jail cell. Someone would realize the truth. Her mother or Karen or Deb, hell even Dan. Lucas! Lucas would come through! They had been married for five years, together almost eleven. Through the good and bad times, he knew her inside out and he would be able to see through to the truth. He still loved her and he would always protect her. Lucas would come for her.

"Scott?" the big bellied guard called her name. "You made bail."

"Finally", she mumbled.

She was escorted out to a concerned Felix. She was glad to see him and the other gentleman standing beside him but where was everyone else? Peyton and Jake, Nathan and Haley, Gordon and Lucas and the others?

"You okay?" Felix asked, hugging her.

"I've been better. Um, did anyone else…"

"No", he said sadly.

"Fine", she replied, composing herself. "Who needs them? Just let me get my baby and…"

"Mrs. Scott, I am afraid that's not possible."

"Excuse me? And who are you?"

"Michael Quirk is the name. Attorney at law. Nice to meet you."

"I'm sure. Now what do you mean I can't get my daughter?"

"Ma'am, you are being charged with a very serious crime here. One count of felony child abandonment and one count of felony child endangerment. You will have a hearing next week and the judge then will determine if there will be a trial…"

"Hearing? Judge? Trial? What the hell are you talking about?"

"That's the criminal portion. Now onto civil matters…"

"Civil?"

"Yes. You can be pretty sure your husband will use this to his advantage in the divorce and maybe for custody proceedings."

"Custody? No…Luke would never do that."

"I'm just trying to prepare you."

"For?" Brooke asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

"The inevitable…the worst. You could lose your daughter."