Wicked Witch

She had escaped from the mental hospital with a little help from her trusty sidekick, Ivan Marais. Now both of them were wearing a disguise. She had covered her bright-red hair with a long black wig. "Madame, what are we doing in Paris?" Ivan asked as he followed the woman he adored.

Ivan had a quirky little mustache and a bunch of makeup on his face which made him look about 70 years old. He was bent over slightly and walking with a cane. He had a difficult time keeping up with Ms. Alamain as she was a woman on a mission.

"I heard that my nephew Lawrence had another child with Carly - Katerina Von Leuschner or whatever you want to call her. Since they took my Nicky from me, it's only fair that I get to have that baby," replied the Wicked Witch. With all that black flowing hair, she really did look like a witch. All she needed was a broomstick she could ride off on.

"You want to kidnap... a baby?!" Ivan gasped.

"I've never had a daughter, Ivan, and as you know, I am well past child-bearing age. I want that baby!" she insisted.

"As you wish, Ms. Alamain," Ivan said with a sigh, because he knew that whatever Madame wanted, that's what Madame always got.

About an hour later, Ivan and Vivian arrived at Lawrence and Carly's home in Paris. They had sent in applications to be the nanny and the butler as Carly was about to return to her work at the hospital considering that Loren was a little bit older. The baby girl was now three months old. Nicholas had left boarding school and he was home in the evenings to spend time with his parents.

Carly answered the door when the strange pair arrived at the Alamain residence. "Hello, I am Helga, the new nanny...and this is Willie, your new butler. We sent in our applications and they were accepted," said Vivian, disguising her voice so Carly wouldn't be suspicious.

Carly raised one eyebrow as she regarded the new help as they entered the foyer. Had Lawrence really hired this woman and her friend? The poor man looked quite decrepit. How much work could he possibly do?

"I'm not sure. My husband isn't home presently and he usually takes care of the -."

"Where's the baby? I just love babies!" Vivian exclaimed as she ignored Carly's words of hesitation. Then "Helga" barged into the house, searching for the nursery.

Carly was feeling uneasy. Something just wasn't right about this, but she couldn't put her finger on why she felt so odd. She looked at "Willie," scrutinizing him for a moment, but he averted his gaze as though he were incredibly shy or frightened.

"Have you ever served as a butler before?" Carly asked.

"For many years," Ivan replied...and at least THAT wasn't a lie.

Carly followed an overly enthusiastic Helga as she was searching for the nursery. "A - ha! I found it!" said Vivian when she entered Loren's bedroom. The baby girl was lying in her crib, staring up at her mobile with her daddy's hazel-green eyes.

"Ohhh my gosh! She's sooo cute!" said Vivian as she reached for the tiny baby. She gathered little Loren up in her arms and held her against her bosoms.

"Don't put your hands on MY daughter!" Carly cried out. "I don't know you... and I am not even sure who you are and if my husband actually hired you!"

Vivian shrugged. "Maybe you should call your husband." She plopped her butt down in the wooden rocking chair as she was cuddling the precious baby. She was ignoring Carly and concentrating on the child she was plotting to kidnap.

Carly walked out in the hallway as she tried to reach Lawrence on her cell phone. Unfortunately, he was in a business meeting. "Come on, Lawrence. Pick up the phone," said Carly in frustration.

She then noticed out of the corner of her eye that "Willie," the new butler was cleaning the woodwork with a feather duster. He looked a lot more spry in that moment than he had upon her first inspection. What exactly was going on?!

Carly left an urgent message on Lawrence's cell phone. "Look, Lawrence, whenever you get this, you need to come home right away. Something is off here. I think that our daughter and I might be in danger. Just get here as soon as you can... and call the authorities."

Ivan was listening as Carly made the desperate call. He wanted to warn Ms. Alamain, but Carly stood between him and the nursery. Carly was about to go back in and demand that "Helga" hand over her baby girl at once, but what happened next was totally unexpected.

Nicky came home. In all the chaos, Carly had forgotten that it was time for her son to return home from school. The chauffeur had brought the boy home and Nicholas had let himself inside.

"Mom, I am home!" Nicky cried out.

Carly was startled and so was Vivian who was holding the baby. Carly inched her way closer to the nursery as she called back to Nicky, "I am in the nursery. You stay right there!"

When Ivan saw Nicholas, he hid behind a curtain, fearing that the boy would identify him. After all, Nicholas had grown up in the Alamain home under Vivian's care until Carly and Lawrence had taken him to Paris. Ivan had been employed as the butler for the Alamain's for many years.

In the meantime, Lawrence left his business meeting and received Carly's frantic message on his phone. He dropped everything and headed out of the office without a word of explanation to his staff. The fear in Carly's voice made him act quickly as he dialed the authorities on his way back to their home.

Nicholas was eager to see his mom and his baby sister. He didn't heed his mother's command to "stay right there." He was excited about his day at school and wanted to tell his mother about all he had learned. When Nicky got to Loren's bedroom, Carly was standing inside the nursery, glaring at "Helga."

"Put my daughter back in the crib. I am only going to tell you this once. If you don't do as I say, I will-," Carly threatened.

Nicholas interrupted his mother. "Aunt Viv, is that you?" he asked as he stared at the woman who had raised him during his younger years. "That IS you! How did you get here? And why are you wearing that crazy wig?!"

Carly's heart jumped in her chest. VIVIAN! The woman who had taken her firstborn child and claimed he had died at birth - the woman who had tried to ruin her life?! She was HERE? She escaped the mental hospital?! How was this possible?

"Come here, Nicky. Give your Auntie Viv a kiss!" Vivian exclaimed, reaching one arm out toward the boy while holding the baby girl in the other. "I have missed you so much, sweet boy!"

"Get the FUCK away from my children!" Carly screamed. She wished she could get to Lawrence's gun, but it was locked in the safe in their bedroom. How in the world would she protect her offspring from this crazy woman?

"You're a bad lady. I know what you've done," said Nicholas as he frowned at his great-aunt. "You took me from my mom and dad."

"Don't believe the lies they told you about me. None of it's true. I loved you... and you and your little sister here; you're both going to come live with me," said Vivian as she looked down at the tiny baby.

"Over my dead body!" Carly hissed.

"That can be arranged!" Vivian said venomously. "Ivan! Get in here at once and dispose of Doctor Manning!"

"No one is hurting my mom...and you're NOT taking my baby sister!" Nicholas said in a fierce, little growl. He picked the pink ballerina lamp off of Loren's dresser and without any hesitation, he bashed Vivian over the head with it.

"I loved you, Aunt Viv... but you're a mean lady," said Nicky with tears in his eyes.

Carly reached out and caught the baby in her arms as Vivian dropped her and went crashing to the floor. A steady stream of blood poured out of the Vivian's head wound.

"Mom, what have I done?" Nicholas said as he hid his head against his mother's chest.

"Shhh... shhhh, Nicky. Take the baby," said Carly as she handed Loren gently over to her tearful brother.

Carly then bent down to check Vivian's injuries. Thankfully the horrid witch was out cold. Hopefully, she'd stay that way and they wouldn't have any fallout from her accomplice. "She's alive," Carly assured her son.

"Nicky, take your sister and hide in the bathroom. Go!" Carly commanded. Without argument, Nicholas obeyed his mother. Once her children were in a safe place, Carly looked down at Vivian in disgust.

"I cannot let you get away with this, Dr. Manning," said Ivan as he appeared in the doorway. "You've hurt Madame."

"The old witch deserved it!" Carly screamed. "She took my son... then she shows up and tries to kidnap my daughter. She belongs in the looney bin and you know it. I can't believe you agreed to help her with this outrageous scheme. You're better than that, Ivan. You KNOW you are."

"I am weak when it comes to Madame. I always have been," Ivan admitted. "I broke her out of the mental hospital, because the truth is I couldn't live without her. I- I love Madame."

"Then you're just as insane as she is!" Carly exclaimed. "You and Vivian are going to regret this stunt. Lawrence will be here soon... and he's bringing the authorities. You and Vivian will end up behind bars where you both belong."

As she spoke those words, Lawrence burst in, rushing through the house frantically as he was searching for his wife and children. What he found in the hallway stunned him.

"Ivan?" he gasped as he recognized his former servant behind all of the strange garb. "What - what are you doing here?!"

"I am not this Ivan person that you speak of," he denied. "I am Willie, your new butler."

Lawrence knew it was lies and he was sure Vivian was behind it. "Yeah right... if that is so, why are you cowering in fear of me?"

"Because, Sir... I suffer from xenophobia, fear of strangers. You are a stranger to me. I don't know you. I- I have never met you in my life."

Just then the authorities arrived. Carly told them what had happened and Vivian and her sidekick were swiftly arrested. They carried Vivian out on a stretcher as she started coming to. "Lawrence, how could you do this to me - your own aunt?"

"You're not my aunt. You're a witch, Vivian. I hope they lock you up for good this time... and throw away the key. You're not going to come between me and Katerina. Not ever. We are a family now, me, her, and our children. You may have caused a rift in our relationship long ago, but you never will again. Finally now, we are happy...and it's going to stay that way," Lawrence responded.

As Vivian and Ivan were taken away by the authorities, Lawrence held and soothed his wife. "I am sorry I wasn't here... and you had to go through that all alone," he said as he kissed her tenderly. "Are you, Nicky, and Loren okay?"

"We are all fine," Carly assured him. "It was Nicky who picked up the lamp and bashed Vivian over the head. He's one tough little boy."

"He's not so little anymore. Our son is becoming a man."

"Yes, as you and he keep reminding me," was Carly's response.

Nicholas stepped out of the bathroom, holding his tiny sister. "Did they take Aunt Viv away?" he asked as a lone tear streaked his cheek.

Carly went to her son and brushed away that tear as Lawrence reached for his daughter. "They did, Nicky... and I want you to know, you did nothing wrong. You were trying to protect me and your baby sister," Carly assured him.

"I know, Mom, because that is what grown men do - they protect the ones they love, like Dad always cares for and protects me, you, and my little sister."

"That's right, Son," said Lawrence as he spoke proudly of his son. "You're a fine young man. You looked after your mom and Loren when I wasn't here. Because of you, we'll all be safe tonight."

"Why did Aunt Viv have to be so horrible and mean? Why did she take me away from you when I was a baby? And why did she come here today to try to hurt us again?"

Lawrence let out a long sigh. "My aunt is not well. She did many horrible things to try to hurt your mother and keep us apart. But she's gone now," Lawrence assured. "She can't hurt any of us now. Not anymore."

"But why does she keep coming back? She looked like a witch when she was wearing that long dark wig. I thought she loved me... but now she just- just scares me."

Carly pulled Nicholas closer, kissing the top of his dark head. "Your dad and I love you so much, Nicky. She took you from us once and we'll NEVER let it happen again. That awful woman is out of our lives now...once and for all. We are safe ...we are all safe."

But over Nicky's head, Carly and Lawrence made eye contact. They were both shaken to the core by the events of this day. It was going to take a LONG time to feel entirely safe again. After all, Vivian had escaped a mental hospital and found her way to Paris. Would they ever be free of the wicked witch?