A Fresh Start

by nyccountry

A story of drama and second chances

242. A Fresh Start Chapter 242

A Fresh Start

Chapter Two Hundred Forty Two

Richard comes out of the bathroom the next morning. "In other news, Springfield is looking for their next mayor and in a less than surprising move, the newly revived former Prince and President of San Cristobel has put himself in the race. What is surprising is that he settled for the office of Mayor instead of state representative seat or senatorial seat."

"Well, ain't that a fine how do you do?" Richard says, as Cassie comes out of the closet."

"What and where did you hear that phrase?" She asks, walking over to him.

"On WSPR is covering the mayoral race and it seems that it's not surprising that I'm running for office, but that I'm only running for mayor instead of for state representative or senator."

"Well, it is rather natural course for you to take?"

"That's not why I ran for mayor." He says, looking at her.

"I know that. But politics and being involved in politics is as natural to you as Jeffrey being a government agent. Those roles fit both of you. That's all I'm saying."

"I'm sorry. It just irritated me they made it sound like I settled for the mayor's office and not that I truly want to help Springfield."

She walks over to him and slips her arms around him. "You've got to remember that they don't know you, not yet. And what they do know, comes from being on the outside looking in."

"They don't see or know me well enough to know that I'm not settling for the mayor's office."

"Exactly." She says, leaning up to kiss him. "Now where did you hear "well ain't that a fine how do you do." She asks, looking up.

"From Reva." He says, leaning over to kiss her quickly before he releases her.

"You heard that from Reva."

"Yes, she used to say it when she was living at the palace in San Cristobel, especially when something happened that she didn't see coming and it usually had a negative effect on whatever is going on."

"I don't think this will be negative. Kevin might say it is, but the report is only pointing out the fact that some might say you're vastly overqualified for this office."

"But I'm not. While San Cristobel is set up as a democracy, it was different than the US system, basically because I was prince. Even if the people and parliament approved something, I could over-ride it and that was the final decision, unlike the US system. Your president can veto something." He looks at her and she nods that he's correct. "Your president will send it back to your congress and they have the ability to over-turn that veto."

"They do, but usually they don't have the votes to do it. It's rare that a presidential veto is over-ruled."

"It's still an option for the US Congress. San Cristobel's Parliament didn't have that option. He also called me newly revived."

"Did he really?" She asks with a smile.

"Cassie, he makes me sound like I've got one foot in the grave."

"Well, that's got to be better than actually being in the grave like you were…." He grabs her and pulls her to him

"I can't believe you said that." He says, holding her close.

"Mom." Rj says, walking into their room. "Mom, are we riding the bus?" He asks, looking up.

Richard releases her as she turns around. "First, you need to knock before you walk in here and second, I'm taking you to school."

"I'll take them."

"I can…."
"You're not even dressed yet. I'm going into City Hall before I meet with Kevin about last night's fund raiser and plan the next event. So…." He leans over to kiss her. "…I'll take them to school." He says, stepping back and releasing her.

"Alright." She says, turning to Rj. She hugs him and then follows them out of the bedroom, hugging Will before they walk downstairs to leave. She follows them to the door and watches them leave before she closes the door. She's on her way back upstairs when the phone rings. Walking into the living room, she picks up the phone from the desk. She answers the call as she walks towards the stairs. "Hello, Winslow residence."

"Cass." James says, leaning back in his chair.

"Dad, hi." She says, walking down the hallway to their room.

"How are you?"

"I'm great, what about you?"

"I'm good."

"And Olivia?"

"We're dating a little bit and taking it slow. She's settling in to the project and being over here. She keeps up with what's going on from the internet. That's how we found out that Richard's running for public office."

"Yes, he made the official announcement last weekend."

"How do you feel about this?"

"I support anything that he wants to do."

"It's putting you back in the public eye."

"Olivia has been talking to you. This is different than the press we got in San Cristobel. He's running for mayor not the US presidency, which he couldn't do, by the way." She says, sitting down on their bed.

"I'm sure you'll have a fair amount of press coverage and I remember how the press followed you and him while you were in France."

"It's different and we're different. I'm okay with being the wife of the mayor."

"Being a bit over-confident."

"No, just thinking positively."

"Is this going to affect the baby?"

"No, he's insisting that I have limited involvement in the campaign, only doing what's necessary. He's not letting me be overly involved."

"So everything else is okay?"

"It's great. What about you, besides Olivia?"

"I'm fine. JR is looking for Sarah."

"Still?"

"We have an idea where she's at. When she came back to London, she went to an old acquaintance of hers. We believe that she's staying with him. That's not confirmed, but all indications are that she's cut all ties with me and the company."

"Dad, I'm sorry. You don't deserve to lose your daughter because….
"You're my daughter too. Sarah may eventually accept that I love both of you, but until she does, she's cut ties with us."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm fine with Liv and JR."

"Now we're down to nicknames." She says, with a smiles.

"You don't have a nickname for Richard."

"Yes." She says, as in the background she hears someone say "Sir, you must leave for the theatre". "You need to go."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to check in and see about you and the family."

"We're all fine. We'll talk more later." She says, as he stands up.

"Yes, I love you"

"I love you too. Go get Olivia and enjoy the theatre."

"I will." He says smiling. They hang up and she goes to get ready for her day.

Lying on her back, Sam turns her head. Jeffrey's beside her and still asleep. She didn't sleep well the night before because of Jeremiah. She pushes the covers back gently. She slips out of bed and walks quietly into the closet. Walking over to some of the boxes that wasn't unpacked when she moved from DC. After the third box, she found what she was looking for. Rolling to his side, Jeffrey wakes up expecting to see Sam beside him. He calls out. "Sam."

"I'm right here." She says, walking out of the closet.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanted to find something." She says, walking back over to the bed.

"Are you okay?" He asks, sitting up as she sits down on her side of the bed.

"I'm fine. I wanted to find something." She says, moving over to him.

He puts his pillow against the headboard and leans back before he asks, pointing to the tape in her hand. "What's that?"

"This is the tape of my father talking about getting rid of our mother."

"The one you secretly recorded."

"Yes, the one where he planned to have her arrested for sexually abusing all of us. Jeremiah's never heard this tape, even Megan's never heard this. I kept it with a close friend after I left. I'm sure my father tried to get it back, but he never found it. After he died, it didn't matter anymore. I kept it packed away until now." Sam says, looking at the tape.

"What are you thinking?" Jeffrey asks, watching her. She looks up and then back at the tape. "You have something in mind."

"Maybe it's time Jeremiah learns what kind of man our father was and what he was capable of."

"Do you think it's going to change anything?"

"I don't know. But I think he needs to hear this."

"You want me to take you out there."

"I would've gone by myself but…."

"Yes, that would've gotten you into serious trouble, not only from me but from Frank and the protection detail."

"Would it be too much for you to take me out there?"

"No, but maybe we should let someone know where we're going before we take off without the protection detail."

"I'll send a text to Julien when we get on the road. What about the protection detail?"

"We'll go to Company for breakfast and then slip out." He says, looking at her with a smile."

"What are you smiling about?"

"This reminds me of Germany."

"We slipped past the East German guards into West Germany and didn't trip one alarm." She says, looking at him.

"It took us three days to work that out."

"Slipping past a protection detail should be much easier."

"If it is, what does that say about the protection detail?"

"They're police officers not trained in espionage and covert ops." She says, smiling. He leans in and kisses her. Moving away from him, she looks at him and asks. "Do you want the shower first?"

"I have a suggestion." He says, pushing the covers back.

"What's that?"

"We take one together."

"And mix Russia and Germany together."

"It'll be one of the few times they've agreed with each other." He says, leaning over to kiss her as she laughs. They both get out of bed and he follows her into the shower.

Josh walks into Lewis the next morning. Wanda's at her desk when he walks in. "Good Morning, Josh." She says.

"Wanda, how are you?"

"Good, did you need your cup of coffee?"

"Thanks. Is Billy in?"

"I haven't seen him."
"When he comes in, let him know that I want to see him." Josh says, before he turns for his office.

"Yes sir."

He walks into his office. Sitting down at his computer, he turns it on as he picks up the folder on his desk. An hour later, Billy taps on his open door. Looking up, he says. "Come in."

"Wanda said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes, have you seen or talked to Jeffrey?"

"No. I haven't talk to him in a few days, why?"

"I was at Company last night getting dinner for Reva and me. Anyway, he called Buzz for an order for him and Sam."

"Okay." Billy says, walking in and sitting down across him.

"Frank activated his protection detail yesterday."

"His protective detail, I didn't realize he had one. Why did Frank activate the detail?"

"Buzz asked me to take their order to them and I asked him what was going on, apparently Sam's having some problems with her brother."

"Her brother, he was at their wedding. He tried to force her to leave before the wedding and he absolutely humiliated her at the reception."

"What happened?"

"Before the wedding, I believe he was upset that they were being married by Father Ray. From the impression I got he is a very closed minded person about race and he was incredibly insensitive to Sam when he found out that she was pregnant before they married. He embarrassed her in front of the entire group at the reception and that's when Jeffrey had him escorted from party."

"If they knew he was going to behave that way, why did they invite him?"

"I'm pretty sure they didn't."

"Whatever the reason he was at their wedding it doesn't really matter. He's staying around here somewhere and he's causing trouble for Sam and Jeffrey and since he's our brother, she's our sister so I told them to let us know if we could be of any assistance."

"I'm a little surprised to hear you say that, happy, but still surprised. I didn't think you're relationship with Jeffrey had gone that far."

"I know I've been a real ass about this, but my problem with Jeffrey isn't so much about him, but that again I have to face the fact that my father didn't love my mother enough to remain faithful to her. But Jeffrey is HB's son. You can see it in some of the things he does."

"Yes you can, and I believe HB loved all of the women in his life, including Ms. Martha, my mother and Jeffrey's mother. He couldn't keep to one lady." Billy says with a smile. "Something Jeffrey has mastered a whole lot better than either one of us."

"Maybe he's been able to do that because he wasn't raised with the influence of HB." Josh says, as Billy nods.

"So, what are we going to do? And what trouble exactly is her brother trying to start with her?"

"We don't have any specific plans unless Jeffrey needs us. And it all has something to do with a patient that Sam treated a couple weeks ago. Her mother brought her to Sam's clinic, pretending to be the girls nurse from school. While Sam was examining her, a man came into the clinic demanding that Sam turn the girl over to him. Sam denied the request because the girl was obviously injured. When Sam refused to return the girl, the guy refused to leave and Frank was brought in. The man was arrested as was the woman."

"Why was the woman arrested? She's the nurse from the girl's school, she had every right and…."
"The woman wasn't the nurse from the girl school. She was the girl's mother and she had kept the girl past the time she was supposes to according to the custody agreement between her and the girl's father. An apparently all three of them are a part of this religious sect that Sam was once a part of, but no longer is. And apparently she hasn't been for some time and that is part of the reason that her brother is demanding that any means be used to bring her back to the fold thus also harming Jeffrey, if he tried to stop them. And so Frank activated Jeffrey's protection detail until it's all settled."

"It sounds like Jeffrey's got it all in hand."

"He does, but I wanted you to know what's going on and that he might need us."

"I'll be ready." Billy says, standing up.

"So, what's on your agenda today?"

"I'm meeting with a couple new clients."

"What about Jeffrey's loft?"

"Turned the keys over to Ava yesterday morning so I'm sure they've already moved in" He says, turning to leave.

"Hey another thing, we need to do lunch. We need to discuss Lewis Oil and Lewis Construction and what we're going to do with both of them."

"Alright, let me look at my calendar. I'll send you a message when I get to my desk." He says, reaching for the door knob.

"That's fine." Josh says, as Billy opens the door and walks out.

An hour later, Jeffrey reaches around and pulls her back against him. He lays his hands on her belly. She lays hers on top of his as she lays her head back against his shoulder. "Whatever happens with Jeremiah, remember that it will not affect us or our family. We have each other now and we will both love our child, like you wanted your parents to love you, your brother and your sister." He lightly kisses the side of her neck.

"I know. But I can't help hoping that he'll really listen and realize what exactly was going on during that conversation." She turns in his arms and for a moment she lays her head against his chest before she looks up. "But I'm also afraid that he'll outright dismiss it or excuse it away, even accuse me of setting it all up."

"He may do that. You will have to accept it and I can't tell you how you're going to do that, but we will be there with you, all of us." He says, leaning over to kiss her. "Are you ready to get out of here?" He asks, brushing her hair off her shoulder.

"Yes, let's take this to him and I hope he listens to this." She says, stepping back as he reaches to turn the water off.

Opening the door to the shower, he reaches for a towel. Handing it to her, he grabs another one. They both dry off before he opens the door to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, both are dressed and leaving for Laurel Falls. Jeffrey turns the heat up on high as they are leaving. "I think by the end of next week we may have our first snow for the winter." He says, as he drives through town.

"I hope not." She says, huddling in her coat. "You know I've never liked the cold."

"Yes, I do." He says, reaching for her hand.

It takes another hour for them to reach Laurel Falls and then another twenty minutes finding out where Jeremiah's house was. When Jeffrey pulls up, he turns the car off and then turns to her. "We don't have to go in there."

"No, he needs to know the truth about what he's protecting." Sam says, reaching for the door.

"Wait, I'll come around." He says, opening his door as he unbuckles his seatbelt. Getting out, he closes the door as she reaches across for his keys. Pulling them out of the ignition as he walks around to her side of the car, he opens her door and helps her out. Taking the keys as she closes her door, he pushes the button to lock the car as he puts his arm around her and they walk up to the front door.

Jeffrey rings the doorbell. Five minutes later, they hear someone unlocking the door. As Jeremiah opens the door he demands. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes, we do." Sam says, as he stares at her. "Can we come in?"

"How did you find me? How did you know...? What do you want?" He demands.

"I want to talk to you. Can we come in?"

"You can, but he stays…."

"He comes in with me Jeremiah." Sam says, moving closer to Jeffrey.

"He's a…."
"He's my husband. I don't want to argue with you on your front porch so can we please come in? What I have to say won't take long and then we'll leave."

He looks at them both and then steps back. Closing the door behind them, he leads them into the living room. "Have you come to ask my forgiveness for…?"

"You are exactly…." She pauses and then takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to fight with you about our father, or what he was or did. It's time you knew the truth about him and that is why I'm here. It's the only reason I'm here." She says, walking over to one of the chairs. Jeffrey follows her, helping her with her coat before he sits down beside her, taking her hand.

"I know the truth." Jeremiah replies, following her and sitting down across from them.

"No, you know what he told you and I know he came up with some story to tell everyone as to why I left. How he was the one that demanded that I leave because I was not fit to be living in his home a backslidden sinner. Is that how he explained it to you?"

"What he said was the truth?"

"No, what he told you was a story Jeremiah, to cover up once again, his lies and manipulations. Our mother did not leave us because she didn't care about us. She was going to take us with her, but we weren't there that day and he came home before we got back. And once he realized that she had left, there was no way that he was going to allow us to leave either. He wasn't going to be disgraced like that. She knew that, but she had faith that once the courts know everything, the judge would see that we were better off with her. What she didn't realize was the he had the judge in his pocket. He had been for years and years and would be to this day, if they both were still alive."

"This is not true and I will not stand here and let you disparage our father with your lies and hate."

"I do hate our father. I hate what he did to our family. I hate what he's done to you. I hate that he lied and manipulated everyone to keep our mother away from us and I hate that she had to come crawling back to you, begging for forgiveness and help when she was dying and I truly hate that you allowed her to die."

"It was God's will that she die."

"No, it wasn't. You let her die as sure as I'm sitting here with you, saying this."

"I gave her a home."

"You gave her a prison. You allowed her to stay with you, not because she was your mother and you loved her, but because it was the only thing you could do to save face. It couldn't be said that you turned your back on your own mother, especially when you were preaching that it was our duty to take care of those that can't take care of themselves."

"You don't know what was going on when she came back. You were off with him, living in sin and…."

"I know what was going on. I checked in, with her and Gran. The only reason she was ever there is because you're exactly like our father and Gran wasn't up to taking care of her. You are a self-righteous, self-centered, egotistical, pompous man." She takes a deep breath. "This is not the reason I came here."

"Then why did you come here?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"I came to play you this." She says, reaching into her purse and pulling out the tape player.

"What is that?"

"This is the truth about our father. This is the reason I left."

"You left…." She interrupts him by pushing play. He's quiet as they listen to how their father plotted to send their mother to jail for a crime she never committed. When it was finished, she turns the tape off. "Where did you get that?"

"I recorded it from outside his office. I never told him I had it until he caught me with her right after my eighteenth birthday. He was set to severely punish me that day, but hearing that stopped him. I told him if he ever did anything else towards me or our mother, that I would take that tape and go directly to the police. You and Meagan were still young enough that he wasn't going to chance losing his control of you so he let me go. That's the man you honor. That's the man you've become."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jeremiah demands.

"It means that we know about the orders to kidnap her at any cost, including killing me." Jeffrey says, as Jeremiah looks at him.

"I was asking her."

"And I'm answering you. We know that you ordered her kidnapping by any means necessary, including harming anyone in the way. I've got one question though."

"What's that?"

"Aren't you tired of all this?"

"I'm not the one that started this."

"No, you're not the one that started this, but it can end." Sam says, putting the tape player back in her purse. "Just admit that he was wrong. Admit that you're wrong. Wrong to make these people move all the way up here for what, to hurt me. Without Arianna coming to my clinic, I would've never known you were here unless by chance we ran into each other. Admit that you are wrong to punish that girl, for doing nothing more than talking to a boy in her class. She was only talking to him."

"And do you remember what "only talking" to a man did to Meg? She slept with…."

"That man raped and took advantage of a young girl. And our father turned his back on his daughter when he should've been so pissed off that he wanted the man dead. Megan believed in someone that took advantage of her innocence."

"You will not accept that we're all responsible for our actions."

"I accept that readily. What I don't accept is honoring a man that had no honor and terrorizing innocent people because they did something that doesn't suit your sense of right and wrong." She looks at him. "I know coming here was likely a large waste of time. But you need to know the truth about what happened between our father and Momma and you need to know the type of man you've put your faith in." She says, moving to get up. Jeffrey helps her up and then he helps her with her coat.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. I've accomplished what I set out to do. You know the truth, now it's time for us to leave."

"Who said that I would allow either of you to leave?" Jeremiah asks, standing up.

"You're not stupid enough to hold the Mayor Springfield, hostage. And because it will only add to the trouble you're already in." Sam says, adjusting her coat before she looks at him. "Think about what I said."

"I don't need to think about it. I know the truth."

"You do now." Sam says, walking over to the door with Jeremiah following them.

"This changes nothing, Sam. I have no proof that, that tape is authentic."

"Deny it if you want, Jeremiah. It's the truth." She says, as Jeffrey opens the door. They walk out with Jeremiah standing in the doorway watching them. When they get back to Springfield, Julien and a couple of guards are waiting for them. Jeffrey pulls into the garage. Turning the car off, Sam looks at him and says. "I think we're in trouble.

"I got you back, Darlin." He says, with a smile before he opens his door.

She grabs the keys again before she opens her door and gets out. He's waiting for her as she comes around his car. "You know you're really getting forgetful in your old age." She says, handing him the keys.

"Thank you." He says, taking the keys as they walk out of the garage, closing the door behind them. They walk towards the house. Julien and the guard are still waiting for them as they walk up. "Good morning." He says, walking up to the door.

"Sir, how can we protect you if you ditch us and then leave?" One of the guards asks.

Jeffrey opens the door for Sam, and they follow them into the house. He helps Sam with her coat before he takes off his own. "We had something we needed to do and we didn't need any of you with us. So." He says, turning to Sam. "Why don't you go upstairs and sleep for a while. I'm sure Leah can handle the patients today."

"Alright." She was going to argue but when she looks up and sees his expression it changes her mind. Turning she walks towards the stairs while Jeffrey watches her.

He turns around when she's upstairs. "Gentlemen." He says.

"Sir, the point of the protection…."

"Officer, I know the point of my protection detail. I've served on many in my career. My wife needed to take care of some personal business. I went with her to provide her protection. We didn't need you. And now I'm beginning to understand her frustration with me." Jeffrey says, walking into the living room. He opens a window slightly before he starts making coffee.

"So, where did you go Sir?" Julien asks.

"We went to see her brother. Were you asking to see if I would tell you the truth, Agent Parker?" Jeffrey asks. "Have either of you eaten?" He asks, they both shake their head. "By the way, I made the surveillance vehicle the moment I pulled up in front of Jeremiah's house." He says, as he starts making breakfast.

"That is the only reason we didn't come in before you and Mrs. O'Neill had left?"

"What do you mean, come in?"

"The director ordered Mr. Whitmere's arrest. The agents were set to come in when you and your wife pulled up. They called us. That is how we knew where you were. They waited until you left before they arrested Mr. Whitmere. He's in custody now?" Agent Palmer says.

"What are the charges?" Jeffrey asks.

"They're minor ones, assault and terroristic threatening but the major ones include, bribery, tax evasion and conspiracy to kidnap."

"The kidnapping charge being the order to kidnap Sam." Jeffrey says, as he cooks his breakfast.

"Yes, most likely the assault and terroristic threatening will be plead out so that the agency will take over federal crimes. He'll likely go away for a very long time."

"Alright, I'll tell Sam as soon as she gets up." He turns to the SPD officers. "I'm releasing you from duty."

"Sir, Chief Cooper…."

"If he has a problem with it, have him call me. I can protect my wife and myself and Agent Parker will be staying until the trial."

"Yes sir." They reply, nodding before they leave.

"You don't mind staying." Jeffrey asks, looking at Julien.

"No sir." He replies.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"That's fine, Sir." He says, as Jeffrey cracks a couple of eggs.

Sam lies down on their bed, after taking her clothes off and slipping into one of Jeffrey's t-shirts. In a few weeks, she wouldn't be able to that she thought as she lays down. Rolling to her side, she lays her hand on her stomach. She feels a gentle push against her hand and she smiles. "I love you too little one. And I promise that once you are born, I will protect you from everything I can. I will love you and I will love your daddy for the rest of my life. What you need will always come before what I want. I promise you that, son." She says, gently rubbing her stomach. She feels another gentle push on her other side and she smiles. "Are you doing acrobats in there, little man?" She asks, still rubbing her stomach as she closes her eyes.

A couple hours after they returned from Laurel Falls, Sam wakes up when the phone rings. Sitting up, she looks around before pushing the covers back. Getting up, she walks downstairs. Jeffrey is on the phone. "She's sleeping right now." He says, as she walks up to him. "Reva, wait. She just woke up. Let me see if she wants to talk." He says, taking the phone down. "It's Reva, do you…?"

She reaches for the phone. "Hi, Reva."

"What's going on? Is everything alright? Why is Jeffrey home and why did Frank activate his protection detail?"

"Everything is fine, with all of us." She says, stretching as she walks over to the couch. Sitting down, she says. "The protection detail was activated because my brother made the mistake of threatening Jeffrey's life and ordering my kidnapping."

'What!"

"Nothing is going to happen to either of us. Jeffrey is here as are the SPD and Agent Parker. We're perfectly safe and I would assume that in the near future my brother will be in custody and facing federal charges on unrelated crimes. Everything is fine."

"Why didn't either of you say anything? We were just over there after Halloween. You saw us at the party."

"There wasn't anything to really tell you. Yes, Jeffrey thought that my brother would try to stop me from testifying…."
"Testifying, for what?"

"I had a patient come in to my clinic a few weeks ago. Her shoulder was severely injured. Her mother brought her into the clinic after she kept her past the time of return from visitation. Once everything was worked out, I treated the girl and she was placed in foster care but her mother was arrested for kidnapping. I volunteered to testify to the nature of the girl's injury, the reasons I believe that it happened and to put in a word for the mother."

"And how is your brother tied to this?"

"He resents me interfering in his business as he views it and he counts me as an outcast and sinner, unworthy of his forgiveness."

"Wait a minute, your brother wants to hurt you because you did your job and protected a young girl from being hurt and you're standing up from her mother because she did the same thing."

"Basically, yes. It's a very complicated situation."

"Why is Jeffrey home?"

"He went with me to confront my brother this morning and it's easier for him to be here than for us to move to a safe house."

"Why did you confront your brother?"

"I needed to clear the air about some things. It's likely not going to matter one way or the other, but he needed to know the truth even if he won't accept it." She says, sitting back. "So, what's going on?"

"I was calling to see if you could come to lunch with me and Cassie, so we can discuss Thanksgiving."

"Umm, I think I can. Let me ask Jeffrey." She says, looking at Jeffrey.

"Ask me what?"

"She wants me to come to lunch with her and Cassie to discuss Thanksgiving. We are going, aren't we?"

"We are if you want to. I meant to say something but…."

"It's fine. So can I go? Where are the officers?" She asks, looking around.

"I'll tell you when you get off the phone. But I don't see why you can't go. Julien will have to go with though."

"I figured that." She says, going back to Reva. "I'll be there. Where are we meeting?"

"Would you feel like meeting at Cross Creek?"

"That's fine. What time?"

"Cassie and I are at the Beacon, we'll finish up in about an hour. Can you meet us at Cross Creek by then?"

"Sure, I'll be there."

"Good, we'll see you then." She says. They hang up a few moments later.

"She wants me at Cross Creek in about an hour." Sam says, hanging up the phone.

"Alright." He says, sitting down beside her.

"So where are the SPD officers?"

"I deactivated them."

"Why?"

"We no longer need them."

"This morning didn't change anything, J. He'll still come after me to stop me from testifying…."

"He won't come after you."

"Of course he will. He didn't believe the tape. You heard him."

"Yes, I did. But he won't come after you because he was arrested shortly after we left him. How do you think the detail knew that we left without telling them? We slipped away before they knew and you didn't send the text to Julien either."

"I don't know. I just thought they came to the house and realized that we weren't there. How did they know?"

"They had agents stationed outside your brother's house when we arrived this morning. They were in the van parked two houses down on the right side of the street."

"I didn't notice them. Maybe I am losing my edge." She says, with a smile.

"You're not losing your edge. You were focused on something else and that's why you have a partner to back you up. Those agents went in after we left and arrested Jeremiah."

"What was he charged with?"

"He has several minor charges but the major ones include bribery, tax evasion and conspiracy to kidnap. The minor one will likely be pled out so the Feds can take the case."

"So it's over?"

"I'm not sure. He's locked up, but we still have to…."

"Consider his organization, so why did you release the protection detail?"

"You're right, we can protect each other and Julien is still here. I'm beginning to understand your frustration with me."

"About what?"

"My insisting that you have protection and that you weren't able to protect yourself if Jeremiah came after you. I felt the same frustration with the protection detail."

"Maybe I do need a little protection, since I completely missed that we were being watched when we went to see him."

"You're not off your game, darlin. You may have been distracted this morning, but I have faith that if Jeremiah had tried to do something, you would've come out on top." He says, leaning over and kissing her.

"You have faith that I would've come out on top. Are you sure about that?" She asks, sitting back.

"Yes." He says, kissing her again.

"I'm going to go get ready. Will you be okay here without Julien?"

"I'll be fine. I think we can relax a little bit, at least for right now with your brother locked up. He hasn't been arraigned so he's not seeing anyone and he likely won't contact anyone but his attorney. So go to lunch with Reva and Cassie, I'll be fine."

"Alright," She says, getting up. He helps her up and then settles back as she walks upstairs.

Richard comes out of the bathroom the next morning. "In other news, Springfield is looking for their next mayor and in a less than surprising move, the newly revived former Prince and President of San Cristobel has put himself in the race. What is surprising, is that he settled for the office of Mayor instead of state representative seat or senatorial seat."

"Well, ain't that a fine how do you do?" Richard says, as Cassie comes out of the closet."

"What and where did you hear that phrase?" She asks, walking over to him.

"On WSPR is covering the mayoral race and it seems that it's not surprising that I'm running for office, but that I'm only running for mayor instead of for state representative or senator."

"Well, it is rather natural course for you to take?"

"That's not why I ran for mayor." He says, looking at her.

"I know that. But politics and being involved in politics is as natural to you as Jeffrey being a government agent. Those roles fit both of you. That's all I'm saying."

"I'm sorry. It just irritated me they made it sound like I settled for the mayor's office and not that I truly want to help Springfield."

She walks over to him and slips her arms around him. "You've got to remember that they don't know you, not yet. And what they do know, comes from being on the outside looking in."

"They don't see or know me well enough to know that I'm not settling for the mayor's office."

"Exactly." She says, leaning up to kiss him. "Now where did you hear "well ain't that a fine how do you do." She asks, looking up.

"From Reva." He says, leaning over to kiss her quickly before he releases her.

"You heard that from Reva."

"Yes, she used to say it when she was living at the palace in San Cristobel, especially when something happened that she didn't see coming and it usually had a negative effect on whatever is going on."

"I don't think this will be negative. Kevin might say it is, but the report is only pointing out the fact that some might say you're vastly overqualified for this office."

"But I'm not. While San Cristobel is set up as a democracy, it was different than the US system, basically because I was prince. Even if the people and parliament approved something, I could over-ride it and that was the final decision, unlike the US system. Your president can veto something." He looks at her and she nods that he's correct. "Your president will send it back to your congress and they have the ability to over-turn that veto."

"They do, but usually they don't have the votes to do it. It's rare that a presidential veto is over-ruled."

"It's still an option for the US Congress. San Cristobel's Parliament didn't have that option. He also called me newly revived."

"Did he really?" She asks with a smile.

"Cassie, he makes me sound like I've got one foot in the grave."

"Well, that's got to be better than actually being in the grave like you were…." He grabs her and pulls her to him

"I can't believe you said that." He says, holding her close.

"Mom." Rj says, walking into their room. "Mom, are we riding the bus?" He asks, looking up.

Richard releases her as she turns around. "First, you need to knock before you walk in here and second, I'm taking you to school."

"I'll take them."

"I can…."
"You're not even dressed yet. I'm going into City Hall before I meet with Kevin about last night's fund raiser and plan the next event. So…." He leans over to kiss her. "…I'll take them to school." He says, stepping back and releasing her.

"Alright." She says, turning to Rj. She hugs him and then follows them out of the bedroom, hugging Will before they walk downstairs to leave. She follows them to the door and watches them leave before she closes the door. She's on her way back upstairs when the phone rings. Walking into the living room, she picks up the phone from the desk. She answers the call as she walks towards the stairs. "Hello, Winslow residence."

"Cass." James says, leaning back in his chair.

"Dad, hi." She says, walking down the hallway to their room.

"How are you?"

"I'm great, what about you?"

"I'm good."

"And Olivia?"

"We're dating a little bit and taking it slow. She's settling in to the project and being over here. She keeps up with what's going on from the internet. That's how we found out that Richard's running for public office."

"Yes, he made the official announcement last weekend."

"How do you feel about this?"

"I support anything that he wants to do."

"It's putting you back in the public eye."

"Olivia has been talking to you. This is different than the press we got in San Cristobel. He's running for mayor not the US presidency, which he couldn't do, by the way." She says, sitting down on their bed.

"I'm sure you'll have a fair amount of press coverage and I remember how the press followed you and him while you were in France."

"It's different and we're different. I'm okay with being the wife of the mayor."

"Being a bit over-confident."

"No, just thinking positively."

"Is this going to affect the baby?"

"No, he's insisting that I have limited involvement in the campaign, only doing what's necessary. He's not letting me be overly involved."

"So everything else is okay?"

"It's great. What about you, besides Olivia?"

"I'm fine. JR is looking for Sarah."

"Still?"

"We have an idea where she's at. When she came back to London, she went to an old acquaintance of hers. We believe that she's staying with him. That's not confirmed, but all indications are that she's cut all ties with me and the company."

"Dad, I'm sorry. You don't deserve to lose your daughter because….
"You're my daughter too. Sarah may eventually accept that I love both of you, but until she does, she's cut ties with us."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm fine with Liv and JR."

"Now we're down to nicknames." She says, with a smiles.

"You don't have a nickname for Richard."

"Yes." She says, as in the background she hears someone say "Sir, you must leave for the theatre". "You need to go."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to check in and see about you and the family."

"We're all fine. We'll talk more later." She says, as he stands up.

"Yes, I love you"

"I love you too. Go get Olivia and enjoy the theatre."

"I will." He says smiling. They hang up and she goes to get ready for her day.

Laying on her back, Sam turns her head. Jeffrey's beside her and still asleep. She didn't sleep well the night before because of Jeremiah. She pushes the covers back gently. She slips out of bed and walks quietly into the closet. Walking over to some of the boxes that wasn't unpacked when she moved from DC. After the third box, she found what she was looking for. Rolling to his side, Jeffrey wakes up expecting to see Sam beside him. He calls out. "Sam."

"I'm right here." She says, walking out of the closet.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanted to find something." She says, walking back over to the bed.

"Are you okay?" He asks, sitting up as she sits down on her side of the bed.

"I'm fine. I wanted to find something." She says, moving over to him.

He puts his pillow against the headboard and leans back before he asks, pointing to the tape in her hand. "What's that?"

"This is the tape of my father talking about getting rid of our mother."

"The one you secretly recorded."

"Yes, the one where he planned to have her arrested for sexually abusing all of us. Jeremiah's never heard this tape, even Megan's never heard this. I kept it with a close friend after I left. I'm sure my father tried to get it back, but he never found it. After he died, it didn't matter anymore. I kept it packed away until now." Sam says, looking at the tape.

"What are you thinking?" Jeffrey asks, watching her. She looks up and then back at the tape. "You have something in mind."

"Maybe it's time Jeremiah learns what kind of man our father was and what he was capable of."

"Do you think it's going to change anything?"

"I don't know. But I think he needs to hear this."

"You want me to take you out there."

"I would've gone by myself but…."

"Yes, that would've gotten you into serious trouble, not only from me but from Frank and the protection detail."

"Would it be too much for you to take me out there?"

"No, but maybe we should let someone know where we're going before we take off without the protection detail."

"I'll send a text to Julien when we get on the road. What about the protection detail?"

"We'll go to Company for breakfast and then slip out." He says, looking at her with a smile."

"What are you smiling about?"

"This reminds me of Germany."

"We slipped past the East German guards into West Germany and didn't trip one alarm." She says, looking at him.

"It took us three days to work that out."

"Slipping past a protection detail should be much easier."

"If it is, what does that say about the protection detail?"

"They're police officers not trained in espionage and covert ops." She says, smiling. He leans in and kisses her. Moving away from him, she looks at him and asks. "Do you want the shower first?"

"I have a suggestion." He says, pushing the covers back.

"What's that?"

"We take one together."

"And mix Russia and Germany together."

"It'll be one of the few times they've agreed with each other." He says, leaning over to kiss her as she laughs. They both get out of bed and he follows her into the shower.

Josh walks into Lewis the next morning. Wanda's at her desk when he walks in. "Good Morning, Josh." She says.

"Wanda, how are you?"

"Good, did you need your cup of coffee?"

"Thanks. Is Billy in?"

"I haven't see him."
"When he comes in, let him know that I want to see him." Josh says, before he turns for his office.

"Yes sir."

He walks into his office. Sitting down at his computer, he turns it on as he picks up the folder on his desk. An hour later, Billy taps on his open door. Looking up, he says. "Come in."

"Wanda said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes, have you seen or talked to Jeffrey?"

"Not in a few days, why?"

"I was at Company last night getting dinner for Reva and me. Anyway, he called Buzz for an order for him and Sam."

"Okay." Billy says, walking in and sitting down across him.

"Frank activated his protection detail yesterday."

"His protective detail, I didn't realize he had one. Why did Frank activate the detail?"

"Buzz asked me to take their order to them and I asked him what was going on. Apparently Sam's having some problems with her brother."

"Her brother, he was at their wedding. He tried to force her to leave before the wedding and he absolutely humiliated her at the reception."

"What happened?"

"Before the wedding, I believe he was upset that they were being married by Father Ray. From the impression I got he's a very closed minded person about race and he was incredibly insensitive to Sam when he found out that she was pregnant before they married. He embarrassed her in front of the entire group at the reception and that's when Jeffrey had him escorted from party."

"If they knew he was going to behave that way, why did they invite him?"

"I'm pretty sure they didn't."

"Whatever the reason he was at their wedding it doesn't really matter. He's staying around here somewhere and he's causing trouble for Sam and Jeffrey and since he's our brother, she's our sister so I told them to let us know if we could be of any assistance."

"I'm a little surprised to hear you say that, happy, but still surprised. I didn't think you're relationship with Jeffrey had gone that far."

"I know I've been a real ass about this, but my problems with Jeffrey wasn't so much about him, but that again I have to face the fact that my father didn't love my mother enough to remain faithful to her. But Jeffrey is HB's son. You can see it in some of the things he does."

"Yes you can, and I believe HB loved all of the women in his life, including Ms. Martha, my mother and Jeffrey's mother. He couldn't keep to one lady." Billy says with a smile. "Something Jeffrey has mastered a whole lot better than either one of us."

"Maybe because he wasn't raised with the influence of HB." Josh says, as Billy nods.

"So, what are we going to do? And what trouble exactly is her brother trying to start with her?"

"We don't have any specific plans unless Jeffrey needs us. And it all has something to do with a patient that Sam treated a couple weeks ago. Her mother brought her to Sam's clinic, pretending to be the girls nurse from school. While Sam was examining her, a man came into the clinic demanding that Sam turn the girl over to him. Sam denied the request because the girl was obviously injured. When Sam refused to return the girl, the guy refused to leave and Frank was brought in. The man was arrested as was the woman."

"Why was the woman arrested? She's the nurse from the girl's school, she had every right and…."
"The woman wasn't the nurse from the girl school. She was the girl's mother and she had kept the girl past the time she was supposes to according to the custody agreement between her and the girl's father. An apparently all three of them are a part of this religious sect that Sam was once a part of, but no longer is. And apparently she hasn't been for some time and that is part of the reason that her brother is demanding that any means be used to bring her back to the fold thus also harming Jeffrey, if he tried to stop them. And so Frank activated Jeffrey's protection detail until it's all settled."

"It sounds like Jeffrey's got it all in hand."

"He does, but I wanted you to know what's going on and that he might need us."

"I'll be ready." Billy says, standing up.

"So, what's on your agenda today?"

"I'm meeting with a couple new clients."

"What about Jeffrey's loft?"

"Turned the keys over to Ava yesterday morning. I'm sure they've already moved in" He says, turning to leave.

"Hey another thing, we need to do lunch. We need to discuss Lewis Oil and Lewis Construction and what we're going to do with both of them."

"Alright, let me look at my calendar. I'll send you a message when I get to my desk." He says, reaching for the door knob.

"That's fine." Josh says, as Billy opens the door and walks out.

An hour later, Jeffrey reaches around and pulls her back against him. He lays his hands on her belly. She lays hers on top of his as she lays her head back against his shoulder. "Whatever happens with Jeremiah, remember that it will not affect us or our family. We have each other now and we will both love our child, like you wanted your parents to love you, your brother and your sister." He lightly kisses the side of her neck.

"I know. But I can't help hoping that he'll really listen and realize what exactly was going on during that conversation." She turns in his arms and for a moment she lays her head against his chest before she looks up. "But I'm also afraid that he'll outright dismiss it or excuse it away, even accuse me of setting it all up."

"He may do that. You will have to accept it and I can't tell you how you're going to do that, but we will be there with you, all of us." He says, leaning over to kiss her. "Are you ready to get out of here?" He asks, brushing her hair off her shoulder.

"Yes, let's take this to him and I hope he listens to this." She says, stepping back as he reaches to turn the water off.

Opening the door to the shower, he reaches for a towel. Handing it to her, he grabs another one. They both dry off before he opens the door to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, both are dressed and leaving for Laurel Falls. Jeffrey turns the heat up on high as they are leaving. "I think by the end of next week we may have our first snow for the winter." He says, as he drives through town.

"I hope not." She says, huddling in her coat. "You know I've never liked the cold."

"Yes, I do." He says, reaching for her hand.

It takes another hour for them to reach Laurel Falls and then another twenty minutes finding out where Jeremiah's house was. When Jeffrey pulls up, he turns the car off and then turns to her. "We don't have to go in there."

"No, he needs to know the truth about what he's protecting." Sam says, reaching for the door.

"Wait, I'll come around." He says, opening his door as he unbuckles his seatbelt. Getting out, he closes the door as she reaches across for his keys. Pulling them out of the ignition as he walks around to her side of the car. He opens her door and helps her out. Taking the keys as she closes her door. He pushes the button to lock the car as he puts his arm around her and they walk up to the front door.

Jeffrey rings the doorbell. Five minutes later, they hear someone unlocking the door. As Jeremiah opens the door he demands. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes, we do." Sam says, as he stares at her. "Can we come in?"

"How did you find me? How did you know...? What do you want?" He demands.

"I want to talk to you. Can we come in?"

"You can, but he stays…."

"He comes in with me Jeremiah." Sam says, moving closer to Jeffrey.

"He's a…."
"He's my husband. I don't want to argue with you on your front porch so can we please come in? What I have to say won't take long and then we'll leave."

He looks at them both and then steps back. Closing the door behind them, he leads them into the living room. "Have you come to ask my forgiveness for…?"

"You are exactly…." She pauses and then takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to fight with you about our father, or what he was or did. It's time you knew the truth about him and that is why I'm here. It's the only reason I'm here." She says, walking over to one of the chairs. Jeffrey follows her, helping her with her coat before he sits down beside her, taking her hand.

"I know the truth." Jeremiah replies, following her and sitting down across from them.

"No, you know what he told you and I know he came up with some story to tell everyone as to why I left. How he was the one that demanded that I leave because I was not fit to be living in his home a backslidden sinner. Is that how he explained it to you?"

"What he said was the truth?"

"No, what he told you was a story Jeremiah? To cover up once again, his lies and manipulations. Our mother did not leave us because she didn't care about us. She was going to take us with her, but we weren't there that day and he came home before we got back. And once he realized that she had left, there was no way that he was going to allow us to leave either. He wasn't going to be disgraced like that. She knew that, but she had faith that once the courts know everything, the judge would see that we were better off with her. What she didn't realize was the he had the judge in his pocket. He had been for years and years. And would be to this day, if they both were still alive."

"This is not true and I will not stand here and let you disparage our father with your lies and hate."

"I do hate our father. I hate what he did to our family. I hate what he's done to you. I hate that he lied and manipulated everyone to keep our mother away from us and I hate that she had to come crawling back to you, begging for forgiveness and help when she was dying and I truly hate that you allowed her to die."

"It was God's will that she die."

"No, it wasn't. You let her die as sure as I'm sitting here with you, saying this."

"I gave her a home."

"You gave her a prison. You allowed her to stay with you, not because she was your mother and you loved her, but because it was the only thing you could do to save face. It couldn't be said that you turned your back on your own mother, especially when you were preaching that it was our duty to take care of those that can't take care of themselves."

"You don't know what was going on when she came back. You were off with him, living in sin and…."

"I know what was going on. I checked in, with her and Gran. The only reason she was ever there is because you're exactly like our father and Gran wasn't up to taking care of her. You are a self-righteous, self-centered, egotistical, pompous man." She takes a deep breath. "This is not the reason I came here."

"Then why did you come here?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"I came to play you this." She says, reaching into her purse and pulling out the tape player.

"What is that?"

"This is the truth about our father. This is the reason I left."

"You left…." She interrupts him by pushing play. He's quiet as they listen to how their father plotted to send their mother to jail for a crime she never committed. When it was finished, she turns the tape off. "Where did you get that?"

"I recorded it from outside his office. I never told him I had it until he caught me with her right after my eighteenth birthday. He was set to severely punish me that day, but hearing that stopped him. I told him if he ever did anything else towards me or our mother, that I would take that tape and go directly to the police. You and Meagan were still young enough that he wasn't going to chance losing his control of you so he let me go. That's the man you honor. That's the man you've become."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jeremiah demands.

"It means that we know about the orders to kidnap her at any cost, including killing me." Jeffrey says, as Jeremiah looks at him.

"I was asking her."

"And I'm answering you. We know that you ordered her kidnapping by any means necessary, including harming anyone in the way. I've got one question though."

"What's that?"

"Aren't you tired of all this?"

"I'm not the one that started this."

"No, you're not the one that started this, but it can end." Sam says, putting the tape player back in her purse. "Just admit that he was wrong. Admit that you're wrong. Wrong to make these people move all the way up here for what, to hurt me. Without Arianna coming to my clinic, I would've never know you were here unless by chance we ran into each other. Admit that you are wrong to punish that girl, for doing nothing more than talking to a boy in her class. She was only talking to him."

"And do you remember what "only talking" to a man did to Meg? She slept with…."

"That man raped and took advantage of a young girl. And our father turned his back on his daughter when he should've been so pissed off that he wanted the man dead. Megan believed in someone that took advantage of her innocence."

"You will not accept that we're all responsible for our actions."

"I accept that readily. What I don't accept is honoring a man that had no honor and terrorizing innocent people because they did something that doesn't suit your sense of right and wrong." She looks at him. "I know coming here was likely a large waste of time. But you need to know the truth about what happened between our father and Momma and you need to know the type of man you've put your faith in." She says, moving to get up. Jeffrey helps her up and then he helps her with her coat.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. I've accomplished what I set out to do. You know the truth, now it's time for us to leave."

"Who said that I would allow either of you to leave?" Jeremiah asks, standing up.

"Because you're not stupid enough to hold the Mayor Springfield, hostage. And because it will only add to the trouble you're already in." Sam says, adjusting her coat before she looks at him. "Think about what I said."

"I don't need to think about it. I know the truth."

"You do now." Sam says, walking over to the door with Jeremiah following them.

"This changes nothing, Sam. I have no proof that, that tape is authentic."

"Deny it if you want, Jeremiah. It's the truth." She says, as Jeffrey opens the door. They walk out with Jeremiah standing in the doorway watching them. When they get back to Springfield, Julien and a couple of guards are waiting for them. Jeffrey pulls into the garage. Turning the car off, Sam looks at him and says. "I think we're in trouble.

"I got you back, Darlin." He says, with a smile before he opens his door.

She grabs the keys again before she opens her door and gets out. He waiting for her as she comes around his car. "You know you're really getting forgetful in your old age." She says, handing him the keys.

"Thank you." He says, taking the keys as they walk out of the garage, closing the door behind them. They walks towards the house. Julien and the guard are still waiting for them as they walk up. "Good morning." He says, walking up to the door.

"Sir, how can we protect you if you ditch us and then leave?" One of the guard asks.

Jeffrey opens the door for Sam, and they follow them into the house. He helps Sam with her coat before he takes off his own. "We had something we needed to do and we didn't need any of you with us. So." He says, turning to Sam. "Why don't you go upstairs and sleep for a while. I'm sure Leah can handle the patients today."

"Alright." She was going to argue but when she looks up and sees his expression it changes her mind. Turning she walks towards the stairs while Jeffrey watches her.

He turns around when she's upstairs. "Gentlemen." He says.

"Sir, the point of the protection…."

"Officer, I know the point of my protection detail. I've served on many in my career. My wife needed to take care of some personal business. I went with her to provide her protection. We didn't need you. And now I'm beginning to understand her frustration with me." Jeffrey says, walking into the living room. He opens a window slightly before he starts making coffee.

"So, where did you go Sir?" Julien asks.

"We went to see her brother. Were you asking to see if I would tell you the truth, Agent Parker?" Jeffrey asks. "Have either of you eaten?" He asks, they both shake their head. "By the way, I made the surveillance vehicle the moment I pulled up in front of Jeremiah's house." He says, as he starts making breakfast.

"That is the only reason we didn't come in before you and Mrs. O'Neill had left?"

"What do you mean, come in?"

"The director ordered Mr. Whitmere's arrest. The agents were set to come in when you and your wife pulled up. They called us. That is how we knew where you were. They waited until you left before they arrested Mr. Whitmere. He's in custody now?" Agent Palmer says.

"What are the charges?" Jeffrey asks.

"The minor ones, assault and terroristic threating. The major ones, bribery, tax evasion, conspiracy to kidnap."

"The kidnapping charge being the order to kidnap Sam." Jeffrey says, as he cooks his breakfast.

"Yes, most likely the assault and terroristic threatening will be plead out so that the agency will take over federal crimes. He'll likely go away for a very long time."

"Alright, I'll tell Sam as soon as she gets up." He turns to the SPD officers. "I'm releasing you from duty."

"Sir, Chief Cooper…."

"If he has a problem with it, have him call me. I can protect my wife and myself and Agent Parker will be staying until the trial."

"Yes sir." They reply, nodding before they leave.

"You don't mind staying." Jeffrey asks, looking at Julien.

"No sir." He replies.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"That's fine, Sir." He says. As Jeffrey cracks a couple of eggs.

Sam laid down on their bed, after taking her clothes off and slipping into one of Jeffrey's t-shirts. In a few weeks, she wouldn't be able to that she thought as she lays down. Rolling to her side, she lays her hand on her stomach. She feels a gentle push against her hand and she smiles. "I love you too little one. And I promise that once you are born, I will protect you from everything I can. I will love you and I will love your daddy for the rest of my life. What you need will always come before what I want. I promise you that, son." She says, gently rubbing her stomach. She feels another gentle push on her other side and she smiles. "Are you doing acrobats in there, little man?" She asks, still rubbing her stomach as she closes her eyes.

A couple hours after they returned from Laurel Falls, Sam wakes up when the phone rings. Sitting up, she looks around before pushing the covers back. Getting up, she walks downstairs. Jeffrey is on the phone. "She's sleeping right now." He says, as she walks up to him. "Reva, wait. She just woke up. Let me see if she wants to talk." He says, taking the phone down. "It's Reva, do you…?"

She reaches for the phone. "Hi, Reva."

"What's going on? Is everything alright? Why is Jeffrey home and why did Frank activate his protection detail?"

"Everything is fine, with all of us." She says, stretching as she walks over to the couch. Sitting down, she says. "The protection detail was activated because my brother made the mistake of threatening Jeffrey's life and ordering my kidnapping."

'What!"

"Nothing is going to happen to either of us. Jeffrey is here as are the SPD and Agent Parker. We're perfectly safe and I would assume that in the near future my brother will be in custody and facing federal charges on unrelated crimes. Everything is fine."

"Why didn't either of you say anything? We were just over there after Halloween. You saw us at the party."

"There wasn't anything to really tell you. Yes, Jeffrey thought that my brother would try to stop me from testifying…."
"Testifying, for what?"

"I had a patient come in to my clinic a few weeks ago. Her shoulder was severely injured. Her mother brought her into the clinic after she kept her past the time of return from visitation. Once everything was worked out, I treated the girl and she was placed in foster care but her mother was arrested for kidnapping. I volunteered to testify to the nature of the girl's injury, the reasons I believe that it happened and to put in a word for the mother."

"And how is your brother tied to this?"

"He resents me interfering in his business as he views it and he counts me as an outcast and sinner, unworthy of his forgiveness."

"Wait a minute, your brother wants to hurt you because you did your job and protected a young girl from being hurt and you're standing up from her mother because she did the same thing."

"Basically, yes. It's a very complicated situation."

"Why is Jeffrey home?"

"He went with me to confront my brother this morning and it's easier for him to be here than for us to move to a safe house."

"Why did you confront your brother?"

"I needed to clear the air about some things. It's likely not going to matter one way or the other, but he needed to know the truth even if he won't accept it." She says, sitting back. "So, what's going on?"

"I was calling to see if you could come to lunch with me and Cassie, so we can discuss Thanksgiving."

"Umm, I think I can. Let me ask Jeffrey." She says, looking at Jeffrey.

"Ask me what?"

"She wants me to come to lunch with her and Cassie to discuss Thanksgiving. We are going, aren't we?"

"We are if you want to. I meant to say something but…."

"It's fine. So can I go? Where are the officers?" She asks, looking around.

"I'll tell you when you get off the phone. But I don't see why you can't go. Julien will have to go with though."

"I figured that." She says, going back to Reva. "I'll be there. Where are we meeting?"

"Would you feel like meeting at Cross Creek?"

"That's fine. What time?"

"Cassie and I are at the Beacon, we'll finish up in about an hour. Can you meet us at Cross Creek by then?"

"Sure, I'll be there."

"Good, we'll see you then." She says. They hang up a few moments later.

"She wants me at Cross Creek in about an hour." Sam says, hanging up the phone.

"Alright." He says, sitting down beside her.

"So where are the SPD officers?"

"I deactivated them."

"Why?"

"Because we no longer need them."

"This morning didn't change anything, J. He'll still come after me to stop me from testifying…."

"He won't come after you."

"Of course he will. He didn't believe the tape. You heard him."

"Yes, I did. But he won't come after you because he was arrested shortly after we left him. How do you think the detail knew that we left without telling them? We slipped away before they knew and you didn't send the text to Julien either."

"I don't know. I just thought they came to the house and realized that we weren't there. How did they know?"

"They had agents stationed outside your brother's house when we arrived this morning. They were in the van parked two houses down on the right side of the street."

"I didn't notice them. Maybe I am losing my edge." She says, with a smile.

"You're not losing your edge. You were focused on something else and that's why you have a partner to back you up. Those agents went in after we left and arrested Jeremiah."

"What was he charged with?"

"Bribery, tax evasion and conspiracy to kidnap, along with assault and terroristic threatening. Those will likely be plead out so the Feds can take the case."

"So it's over?"

"I'm not sure. He's locked up, but we still have to…."

"Consider his organization, so why did you release the protection detail?"

"Because you're right, we can protect each other and Julien is still here. I'm beginning to understand your frustration with me."

"About what?"

"My insisting that you have protection and that you weren't able to protect yourself if Jeremiah came after you. I felt the same frustration with the protection detail."

"Maybe I do need a little protection, since I completely missed that we were being watched when we went to see him."

"You're not off your game, darlin. You may have been distracted this morning, but I have faith that if Jeremiah had tried to do something, you would've come out on top." He says, leaning over and kissing her.

"You have faith that I would've come out on top. Are you sure about that?" She asks, sitting back.

"Yes." He says, kissing her again.

"I'm going to go get ready. Will you be okay here without Julien?"

"I'll be fine. I think we can relax a little bit, at least for right now with your brother locked up. He hasn't been arraigned so he's not seeing anyone and he likely won't contact anyone but his attorney. So go to lunch with Reva and Cassie, I'll be fine."

"Alright," She says, getting up. He helps her up and then settles back as she walks upstairs.