Disclaimer: I wish I owned Mort, cause then I could bounce ideas (and other things) off of him…

AN: Okay, the story is officially ending in a couple chapters. It's sad, but true. Don't worry; there will be a new Secret Window story as soon as I can manage to organize it in my head. I hope I can count on people reading and reviewing it…I'll feel very sad if you don't (wink, wink). Oh, and I've never seen/read and don't own the story/musical Wicked, which is a story about the Wicked Witch in the Oz books. I only thought of it after learning that Cats wasn't playing Broadway anymore. Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Surprise Reunions:

Amber's POV:

We (meaning our lawyers, Mort and I) tried our best to think of ways to discredit my father's testimony, but there wasn't one. I couldn't think of anyone who had witnessed my childhood that I could still contact, primarily because I didn't know if they still lived anywhere near my old hometown anymore. Hell, I couldn't even remember their addresses if I tried! My friends and I had only known how to get there, not what the address was. Besides, I couldn't even give directions to anyone…I had a terrible sense of direction…ask Mort, he'll tell you. It's embarrassing, but true.

Two days into our recess from court, Melanie and Shannon had just gone home and Mort was napping in our room, with Elizabeth asleep in hers, when I decided to go online and see what was up with our writer-friends. Most of them were on the Internet, so I decided to burn some time and escape for a while. As I was typing in the name of an author, I had a name flash in front of my eyes.

Kari White.

Of course! Kari, my best friend, the one I'd told everything to! But was she still at her old home with her mother? She'd been putting herself through college, but she had to be done with it by now…it was over six years ago, after all. Oh, well, it couldn't hurt to look her up online; lots of information on people was on the Internet these days, so there was the chance I could find her. If she'd married, though, I was in serious trouble. Well, you never know unless you try.

I punched her name into the Google search engine and got hundreds of names. I sighed and punched in her name and my hometown, hoping to narrow the field a bit. I was ecstatic to find that only five sites came up, and I clicked the first one on the list. As I scanned the information, I realized that it couldn't be her. A female singer on Broadway with the same name as my best friend? Not likely…Kari had wanted to be a singer, but had changed her mind towards becoming a history teacher. Oh, there's a link to a picture…I clicked…and I gasped.

Oh, my God, it was her! My best friend was on Broadway!



Mort's POV
:

"Mort, for God's sake, wake up!"

He woke to his wife frantically shaking his shoulder. "Amber, what is it?" he groaned.

"Mort, I think I've found a way to help us win!"

That caught his attention. He sat up, blinking sleep out of his eyes. "What? How?" he demanded.

"Mort, you have connections on Broadway, right?" she asked, still gripping his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure I do," Mort replied, now extremely confused. "But what's that got to do with anything?"

"Just trust me when I say that we need to go see the latest production of Wicked on Broadway, and that we need back-stage passes," Amber said, her grip tightening on his shoulder. "You do trust me, right?"

Mort simply smiled at her; could the answer be anymore obvious? She smiled back and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before handing him the phone. He sighed, but accepted the device nonetheless. Amber quickly left the room as Mort punched in a number and waited for his friend to answer.

"Hey, Jerry, it's Mort," he said. "You remember that favor you owe me from Amber and me attending last year's Christmas gala?"



That night, Mort's POV
:

That night, the Rainey family attended a Broadway show for the first time as a family. Mort had taken Amber several times (as well as his cursed in-laws), but Elizabeth wasn't deemed old enough until recently. Besides, it was a good night to spend some time as a family. So, after dressing appropriately for the evening, the three of them took their seats in the front row, center, of the audience. Elizabeth was practically bouncing in her seat between her parents, but Amber did her best to calm her down before the show. When the curtain opened, Elizabeth was so captivated by the performance that she remained still for the entire evening.

As the curtain came down for the final time that night, Mort escorted his family towards the backstage door. At the door, he flashed the passes that would get them to see the one person they needed to see the most. The guard at the door took a good look at the passes before he summoned an escort for them with his walkie-talkie. A few minutes later, the three of them were at the door of the starlet of that night's stage: Miss Kari White. Mort saw Amber slowly raise her hand to knock, but before she got the chance, the door was thrown open by the singer herself. The two long-time friends stared at each other for a long moment before one of them reacted.



Amber's POV
:

I couldn't help but stare. My best friend was standing in front of me in just as much surprise, and as I was slowly gathering the ability to speak to her, I was enveloped in one of Kari's famous bone-crushing hugs. The air was pushed out of my lungs, and my feet were lifted from the ground…did I mention that I couldn't breathe?

"Kari?" I gasped. "I…can't…breathe…"

I was quickly dropped back to the ground and hauled inside the dressing room, Mort (holding Elizabeth) following close behind. I was quickly pushed into a nearby chair while Kari took one across from me. Mort took a different seat at the other side of the room, and quickly placed Elizabeth in a comfortable position in his lap. I doubt that Kari even noticed Mort and Elizabeth, because she started talking as though they weren't even there.

"Oh, my God, Amber, where have you been!" she cried, gripping my hands. "When they couldn't find you, I almost lost my mind! And when your brother disappeared, I freaked out even more, and your parents wouldn't tell me anything! Where were you? Why didn't you try to call me!"

She asked all of this without even taking a breath, but I wasn't surprised; Kari had great lungs, which was probably why she was here and not finishing her degree in history. I gave her a small smile as I held her hands and started to explain myself to her. I told her of the whole kidnapping event, and how I had fallen for Mort and married him. Kari's eyes widened considerably throughout the whole story, but when I pointed towards my husband and daughter sitting on the other side of the room, her gaze softened. I then called Mort over and introduced my family to my best friend. Elizabeth connected with Kari immediately (like she always does with strangers), and was soon settled in the singer's lap.

"But I still don't understand why you never tried to contact me, Amber," she said, her eyes showing profound hurt at being left out of my life for so long.

However, I was extremely confused. "But I did write letters," I said. "I gave my parents letters to give to you when they got home. I had no idea whether you were still at home or not, but I figured that they would give the letter to your mom and that she would forward them to you."

It was true. The first couple years my parents had come to visit, I'd given them notes to give to Kari so that she wouldn't worry about me. Since I didn't want my parents to read the notes and get information from them, I never included anything except the phone number and address we had in NYC. After not getting a response, I figured that Kari had gotten mad at me and never wanted to talk to me again. I explained the situation to her, and she frowned.

"Well, I guess that explains why I never got them," Kari said, toying with Elizabeth's long, dark hair. "It could be that your parents either threw them out, or never bothered to try and deliver them at all."

"Makes sense to me," Mort replied, rolling his eyes.

"But what happened to you, Kari?" I asked, curious as to how she'd ended up here.

"Well, I was at my mom's house until last year, but then I went to one of those karaoke bars and got really hammered," Kari explained, turning a slight red. "I didn't know what I was doing, but I ended up onstage and sang a song that I don't remember singing. There happened to be a talent scout there that was so impressed with me that he brought me to New York City to sing here on Broadway."

My jaw dropped a bit before I started laughing. "Only you could sing perfectly while drunk," I joked. "Still, it looks like we both got what we wanted," I said, wiping tears of laughter out of my eyes.

"Too bad we're about to lose it," Mort said, putting his hand on mine to remind me of the reason we were here and the situation we were in.

"What do you mean?" Kari asked, looking down at a now-sleeping Elizabeth in her lap.

"Kari, my parents are trying to get Mort incarcerated and break up our family so they can get me back home with them," I softly answered.

Her jaw went slack. "What?" she gasped. "They can't do that, you're a grown woman! You're not a kid anymore, how could they do this?"

"We don't know, but they are," Mort said, squeezing my hand. "Would you be able to testify at the trial? It's a private one, so no one will know you did so." He smiled. "Hell, the press doesn't even know that I'm being charged, so you'll be safe enough. What do you say?"

Kari looked at me. "Do you even have to ask?"



Five Days Later, Amber's POV
:

I took a deep breath as we entered the courtroom. My nerves had been shot for the past several days, and Mort didn't look any better. Shannon and Melanie looked as cool and collected as ever, but I could tell that they were eager for the day to get started. I was thankful that Elizabeth wasn't here, because I had no idea how people would react to the new witness we were about to call in. As I took my traditional seat directly behind Mort, I noticed that my parents looked extremely pleased with themselves. Well, we'll just have to change that, won't we? I held my breath as the trial started and Shannon stood up.

"Your Honor, the defense would like to call Kari White to the stand," she declared, her face completely calm and businesslike.

I saw my best friend stand up and take her place at the stand. As she was sworn in, her eyes met mine, and she gave me a tiny smile. I didn't respond in any way, but I knew that she knew how much I appreciated what she was doing for me. Once sworn in, Kari took her seat on the stand, and the day really got started as Shannon took her position between the stand and the prosecution.

"Miss White, you are a long-time best friend of Mrs. Amber Rainey, is that correct?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, that's right," Kari replied.

"And how long have you been friends with Mrs. Rainey?"

"Since we were in preschool," Kari said, smiling a bit at Shannon.

"So you've been friends for practically your whole lives, is that right?" Shannon pressed.

"Well, yes."

"Miss White, do you know the Olson family that well?" questioned Shannon, taking a step closer to the stand.

"Objection; relevance, Your Honor?" protested Miss Kapusta as she stood up.

"I'm merely checking the credibility of Mr. Olson's testimony about Mrs. Rainey's past, Your Honor," Shannon stated.

Miss Perez stood up. "Your Honor, Miss McKnight is practically accusing my client of lying under oath!" she argued. "There is no reason to accuse them of such a heinous crime!"

"Mr. Olson is a parent who is willing to do anything to achieve getting his daughter back home with him," Shannon pointed out. "I am merely checking to be sure that his testimony is sound."

Judge Clark looked between the two parties. "I'm afraid I agree with Miss McKnight on the matter, Miss Perez, Miss Kapusta," she said. "The question still stands, and the prosecution may sit down." She turned towards Kari. "You may answer the question, Miss White."

Kari nodded and turned back to Shannon. "Yes, I know the family quite well," she said.

"I see," Shannon said. "How much time did you usually spend with the Olson family?"

"Oh, I'd go over for sleepovers once and a while, but Amber frequently asked me to stay for the afternoon, or even for dinner," Kari replied, leaning back in her chair.

"And how would you describe the family?"

Kari frowned. "Well, her mother always seemed like two different people," she said. "When I was around, she was always way to giggly and smiley, but when I wasn't in the room or was talking to Amber over the phone, I heard her yelling at everyone."

"So you wouldn't call life in the Olson home as happy and content as Mr. Olson would have us believe it to be?" Shannon asked, placing both hands behind her back.

"No, not at all," Kari answered. Shannon nodded and went to take her seat as Miss Perez stood up.

"So you've heard Mrs. Olson yelling things at her family," she declared. "What sort of things would she be yelling, if you heard her so clearly?"

"Well, I heard her yelling at Amber about how lazy she was, and how she never did anything around the house," Kari answered bluntly. "I once heard her tell her husband how Amber would never amount to anything in the world because she didn't work hard enough at school to maintain her grades."

Miss Perez looked skeptical. "But couldn't those remarks come from a person who's had a bad day and is simply trying to release some steam?" she asked.

"Only if every day was a bad day," Kari answered, frowning at the prosecution as I hid a chuckle.

"Please answer the question, Miss White, not give your own opinions," Miss Perez stated.

"No, I don't think so," my best friend replied.

"But people say things they don't mean when they're angry or having a bad day," Miss Perez pressed. "Don't you think Mrs. Olson was having a bad day whenever you showed up at their home? Surely you weren't there and didn't call every day." She smiled patronizingly.

"Actually, I called at least four times a week, and each time I heard her yelling at Amber or her brother," Kari answered. "So no, I don't think that she was simply having a 'bad day' during those times I called."

Miss Perez looked slightly upset by this, but quickly recovered her calm mask. Instead, she headed to the front of the prosecution's table and sat herself on the edge of it, still facing Kari in a somewhat laidback yet intimidating stance.

"Sometimes people have several bad days a week, Miss White," the prosecutor said. "I'm sure everyone's had them." She got up from the edge of the table and approached the stand. "So let me ask you this: did you ever see Mrs. Olson say something emotionally scaring to her children?"

"Yes, I have," Kari said, looking her directly in the eye.

Miss Perez and Miss Kapusta looked surprised at the answer, and Miss Kapusta stood up. "Approach, Your Honor!" she blurted.

The lawyers approached the stand. I never knew what was said, but Kari later told me that the prosecution had protested the use of her testimony as a means of discrediting my father's testimony, and that it held no validity. Shannon had apparently argued that Miss Perez had opened the door, and that the questioning could continue. All I knew was that the judge ruled in Shannon's favor, and the questioning was allowed to continue. Miss Perez declared that she had no more questions, and Melanie took her place in front of the stand.

"Where did this verbal abuse take place and what exactly was said?" Mel asked, crossing her arms.

"It happened on several occasions," Kari stated.

"Just give the one that stands out the most," Mel said, leaning back.

"That would be at our high school graduation," was Kari's answer. "We had just finished the ceremony and were getting ready to go out for our Senior Grad-Night Party. Amber and I were by the busses with a group of our friends, and I was around the side of the bus with the rest of the group, so she didn't see us, but we saw her. She told Amber that, if she knew what was good for her, she'd graduate from college the same way she did from high school, and that college graduation was expected of her." Kari shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Her mom also said that, if she didn't graduate from college, she'd be a huge disappointment and disgrace to the family."

"Thank you, Miss White," Melanie said, walking back to the defense's table. "Your Honor, if the prosecution wishes to further argue the issue, the defense is fully prepared to bring in the rest of the group of witnesses from that day in question to prove the lack of validity in Mr. Olson's testimony."

Judge Clark looked at the prosecution. "I don't think that will be necessary, Miss Black," she said. "Miss Kapusta, Miss Perez, if I were you, I'd try and strike a deal with the defense before it's too late." She picked up her gavel. "Court is dismissed so that the two parties may discuss the case privately." The sound of the gavel never sounded so good.



Mort's POV
:

Hearing the bang of the gavel was wonderful for everyone. Mort stood up and hugged his lovely wife as their lawyers went over to talk to the prosecution. As the two Rainey's hugged one another, Mort saw that the Olson's had turned pale and looked ill. Smirking, Mort pressed loving kisses to his wife's face and lips, savoring them as he never had before. As they finished one particularly long kiss, Mort felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Shannon grinning at him.

"The prosecution has agreed to a private settlement meeting tomorrow afternoon," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "We'll see the two of you there." She leaned forward so only her two clients could hear. "And if I were you, I'd bring Elizabeth with you…might pull some heartstrings." Giving them one last pat on the shoulder, she left them alone.

Mort turned towards his wife and grinned. "What do you say we go home and tell Lizzie the good news?" he whispered hotly into her ear. "And afterwards, I'll show you how much I love you."

Amber grinned up at him. "Sounds good to me," she replied, just as hotly before turning to race-walk for the door, Mort one step behind her.



AN
: Yay, the evil parents are defeated! Well, technically, not quite yet…they still have some stuff to work out with the Rainey's. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and review!