Chapter 21:

The baby clothes Salene had been holding dropped to the floor, forgotten. She stared at May with wide, shocked eyes. She moved her mouth as she tried to find her voice, but no sound would come out.

"Salene, please say something…Don't hate me." May pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Salene shook her head, whether in answer to May's question or to clear her mind, May couldn't tell.

"It just happened Sal, I don't know how. I didn't love him, I don't care for him. I care for you...This was all just a big mistake." May tried to explain.

"A mistake…" Sal had finally found her voice, "You call this a mistake. May, forgetting to put the coffee on in the morning is a mistake, sleeping with the enemy and having his baby is not a mistake, it's treason."

"No, Salene. Please don't say that…When I slept with him the Mallrats weren't my friends. They were all against me. Mega had made promises. He seemed so friendly, so genuine. I really thought that I could trust him. I was wrong, but I didn't find that out until later…until it was too late. And then when I found out I was pregnant I didn't want to believe it. I tried to end it, but I couldn't go through with it. And Lex was there, and he was willing…he's always willing…so I took advantage of him; I used him. It was an awful lie, Salene; a big lie. Do you know what it's been like living with it all these months?"

"No, I can't imagine what's it's been like. Because I've never lied like that…How could you, May? How could you lie to me…to us all these months?" Salene questioned loudly, looking more hurt and confused than angry. "How could you let us believe that Lex was the father? Poor Lex…May, he really cares about this baby. He wants to be a father. What are you going to do May?" Salene queried.

"I don't know." May wailed in reply.

"You'll have to tell them eventually." Salene reasoned. "You can't let Lex go on being a father to the man who murdered his wife…who had half the Mallrats deleted. Can you imagine what that would do to him if he found out later, and it wasn't you who told him? Mega's alive May. He's threatened the mall once already. He's going to come after us again. And all he has to do is count on his fingers to figure out that Ryan is his son."

"Stop…Stop…I already know all this. Don't think I haven't spent countless days and nights alone up here thinking about these things." May cried desperately.

"Well then why haven't you done something about it?" Salene yelled back at her.

"What Salene? What am I supposed to do…tell me…please…," May sobbed.

Salene took her by the shoulders and looked her square in the eye, "You tell the truth," she said calmly.

"No…" May whispered.

"Yes, right now." Salene stood up and held a hand out for May.

May stared at the hand as if it were a viper. Never had she imagined that Salene would have this reaction. She had envisioned hatred, silence, yelling and rejection. But the idea that Salene would want her to tell the truth to the others had never crossed her mind. She could not tell the others. They would throw her out…And then she would have no one…but the baby.

"Come on May, we're going downstairs to call a meeting." Salene said with an air of authority as she reached down and grabbed Mays arm to pull her to her feet.

"No!" May screamed at her and began to scramble away…a look of utter horror on her face.

As Salene began to move towards her, intent on getting her downstairs if she had to carry her, a loud explosion rocked the mall.

Shouts and screams wafted up from outside, footsteps raced down the hall towards the staircase. Salene could hear Jay and Ebony shouting orders to their troops above the din.

Her thoughts veered away from May's horrible truth, towards the baby and his safety. Sparing a glance towards her friend to make certain that she was ok, Salene raced towards the crib and grabbed the baby up. At that moment Jack burst through the door…

"Sal, May, are you alright?" Jack asked quickly.

"Yes, we're fine." Sal confirmed.

"Come downstairs. We're gathering in the basement to count heads and make sure that everyone's alright. Ebony and Jay are outside trying to get things under control. When things are safe they'll be in to give us instructions." Jack explained.

Alright. We're coming…thank you Jack." Sal said clutching the baby to her chest and grabbing at May's hand.

As they ran towards the basement, Salene observed that the lobby of the mall was filled with smoke and debris. The wing of the phoenix statue was laying in pieces on the floor and the air smelled strongly of sulfur.

They ran on, down into the basement, where the cell was that Mega had inhabited many months ago. The other mallrats were already gathered there, with the exception of Jay and Ebony, who were outside and Slade, who had not yet returned from Liberty. Gel was sobbing loudly on Amber's shoulder and her pink dressed was torn and stained…with blood…

"Amber, what's wrong. Is everyone alright." Salene asked, not taking her eyes from the distraught Gel.

"It's Sammy, Sal. He's gone." Amber answered softly.

"What do you mean gone? Do you mean that he's outside in the middle of all of the fighting." Salene asked.

Amber shook her head wearily. "No Sal…he's dead, he was in the lobby during the explosion."

A strangled sob escaped May's throat as the impact of Amber's words sunk in…Mega had attacked again. And this time he had managed to kill. And it was her fault…her fault he was alive…her fault Sammy was dead.

May turned and ran back up the stairs towards the lobby of the mall. Salene yelled after her. Amber ordered her to stop…to stay downstairs. Trudy put Brady down and raced up the stairs after her.

May made her way around the rubble towards the phoenix statue…there among the rubble she saw him.

"May…May…," Trudy called, "Where are you May?" Then she saw her. May sat on the floor with Sammy cradled in her arms, rocking back and forth and sobbing her heart out. His blood covered her hands and her chest, but she was oblivious to it all.

"May…" Trudy said softly and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go May. He's gone. You need to think about yourself. About your baby. Ryan needs his mother. Come on…come with me."

May looked up into Trudy's caring, sympathetic expression and unbidden, the words tumbled from her lips. "It's my fault…Mega's alive because of me. Sammy's dead because of me. Mega's Ryan's father, not Lex."

Trudy stumbled back for a moment, then regained her footing and her thoughts. "Shhh…May. It's alright." She said comfortingly.

"I'm so sorry, Trudy." May sobbed, "I'm so sorry."