Family Bonds: Book 2 of Sista

by Blackstar1979

Family Bonds the sequel to Sista. The the Superstars and Sistas have been through a lot that have carved out bonds where there were none. Will the past rip apart the bonds that have been forged or make them stronger? Reviews are welcomed as always.

25. Chapter 25 Happy Fing New Year

Chapter 25

Happy F...ing New Year

Logan sat in his hospital room, his mother came in, and his dad got her to at least wait until noon he was up for release in about an hour. Yeah he felt like shit but the passing out and slurring had dissipated. Penelope Connor walked in he greets her. She walks over to his bed and hugs him. She starts talking about him moving back home. A conversation that wasn't new. His answer would have to remain the same, as it always was though. "Mom I can't, I appreciate the offer but I just can't." She asked him what he was going to do about Megan. That was the question he hated the answer but knew that he wouldn't be able to get over her actions. He didn't trust her anymore. Not to not go off her meds like this again. She could have fucked him up more than she did? His father had let him see the recording and Butch was right, there was not a once of remorse for her actions in her face. She dragged him up the stairs and locked him there and left him not even knowing or caring if he was seriously hurt or not. Kevin had come about an hour ago to check on him, and let him know that his wife accused him of messing up her face because of his stress level. Logan admitted to slamming her into the wall but said he didn't hit her. His father cut in and told Kevin that he'd pinned her wrists and was only 6 inches from the wall when he pushed her back to prevent her from hitting him again. Logan told Kevin and his father where and why Megan got the facial by fists. His mother asked would he at the very least come home for tonight. "I'm going to get my son then we can come for the night. Megan is in for the next couple of days, but I just can't go back home everything is just too raw, too fresh." He moved around trying to take some of the pressure off the rug burn Megan caused on his lower back and the back of his legs dragging his heavy ass up the stairs. That and sitting slumped on the hard surface had his muscles screaming along with the pain in his head. His own wife had opened him up good fashion. Once the swelling had gone down in his head they gave him some med to deal with the pain. He wasn't cleared to drive he would have to go to his regular doctor and after another head x-ray he would be cleared to operate a motor vehicle but he would keep that to himself. His mother asked where was Short Stuff, saying she would take him to go get her grandson. "He's at his cousin's home being cared for by a family friend. In fact I need to contact her anyway." Minutes after he was released headed to Grandville South in the passenger seat of his mother's car he called Candy.

Candy sat on the back patio of Ivey Mansion and watched Glenny, Nikki, and Janet swing on the playground in the backyard. Sophie walks out and they talk about the events of last night. "I'm just glad she didn't show up or I would have defense necklaced her ass. It doesn't have an extra crispy bitch setting, but it has put down a man that outweighs Megan by a good hundred pounds." Sophie says maybe they should get Angel one. "Angel doesn't want one until JC is born, I told her its easy unclip, and press, but she read up on them, and it does emit a pulse, and effects of long term exposure hasn't been listed yet. Though I think she still really is leaning towards learning to shoot." Candy's phone rings looking at the screen she cautiously answers even though this was Logan's work phone seeing Logan's name run across her screen still took her back to lastnight when she could have been ambushed by Megan to get Glenny. "Logan? Hey no um everything is fine. I just wanted to make sure it was you." Candy smiles as he says he understood and said she was a real hero last night, and thanked her immensely for not handing Glenny off last night. "I don't know about hero status, but I saw her beating on my door, and just came back up to Joshua and Angel's place. That's when the text messages started up again, a little after I had already peeped that she was driving your truck. Besides you knowing which home I was talking about if you were that wigged about me not opening the door you would have called and said something, not just leave me a string of texts that were out of whack with your personality. I don't think you've ever just let Glenny go to your truck by himself since it's so high, even on Angel's cul-de-sac for Christmas you picked him up, and put him in the truck. Let me say this to you Logan Connor there is no way I let him just wonder out there alone at night or Day. Just like you gave him to me car seat and safe that's how I return him unless YOU come to the door. Oh I think that can be arranged hold on so I don't deafen you" Pressing mute she yells for Glenny to come talk to his Logan. Sophie cringes and sticks her finger in her ear. Janet grabbed the swing and made it stop, the minute it did, Glenny got down and ran to the back patio. He couldn't run up the stairs but that odd way kids climb large steps was done in quick fashion with Janet behind him. The determined look on his face as he squeezed the railing with each step up was like watching a mountain climber. The first time Candy had witnessed this struggle she'd ran and picked him up, he'd begged her not to fall him almost in tears. Deon told her to let him climb the stairs on his own. At first Candy thought Deon was being a butt, when Janet said the same thing she let him climb. Un-muting the call she hands Glenny her phone. He walked over to the chair that was his size, and sat down with the phone that took up his hand and the side of his face. His mannerisms were stunningly like Logan's. A smile crossed her face as he put ankle to knee just how Logan sat.

Logan spoke to his son and just let Glenny talk. Hearing his little boy talk to him did something no medicine could. The reassurance that his son was safe sent a wave of warmth through him that he didn't realize he was missing. When Glenny told him about how his stuffed crocodile didn't eat the bad guy in his dream. Logan knew that meant that he was having the same night terror that had got a hold of him in the past.

Glenny looked to make sure Candy didn't hear him, and turned back to put the phone out in front of him so he could see his uncle's picture. Holding it with both hands his Logan's picture came up. "I see you. Can you see me? You in the phone, Janet showed me how to see you. Logan I woke Rosa, but her not mad at me, her was crying cause…cause her was scared. But her sleep more when her mom come. Logan can I come over there." Glenny missed his Uncle Logan. His Uncle Logan was big enough to get the bad guys that his crocodile didn't eat. "Maybe he was full I don't know. He had bite Deon when Deon tried to eat my French fry." His uncle asked him to give Candy the phone so he could tell her to not let Deon eat up his food. Glenny didn't want to get Deon in trouble nor did he want to get off the phone. Then Logan would go away again. "He didn't take it my stuffed crocodile bite him chomp."

Logan asked "Are you ready to come home, it sounded like you were having a fun time except with the men your stuffed crocodile didn't eat in your dream." Glenny said he had more fun with his Logan and his stuffed crocodile missed him. "Well I missed both of you guys too. You more though. Hey little man, give Candy the phone so I can tell her I'm on my way okay." He said okay. Candy soon gets back on the phone and he tells her "I just got released and I'm on my way to pick him up."

Later that day Paula and Mark return to the hospital since Joshua was going to be flitting around the city today with going to see his sister and the Davenport party. Candy, Sophie, and Luke would be gone too she didn't want to leave her girl at the house too long with just Janet and the twins, Nikki was going with Chase to see her mother. Chase had come this morning and told Nikki that he'd arranged for her to see her mom for New Years. Nikki was super excited that she not only was getting to see her mom but she had a stay pass, and she could stay until noon of tomorrow if she liked. She was also getting to fly for the very first time. Paula's phone rang it was the hospital, she stops in the hall they hadn't even reached the elevators. Mark stands with her as she answers. It was Diamond the nurse telling her that Tracy was awake. Paula breathes a sigh of relief and said she was here at the hospital and would be coming right up. "She's awake"

Tracy lay in the hospital bed talking to her boy. She had been floating but kept hearing what sounded like her son calling out to her. The nurse said she flinched when he first called out to her. The more he said the more she responded. Opening her eyes, she thought she was still dreaming until he called out to her like he had been doing until the first time her phone died. Paula walks in her room. The nurse excused herself and her and Paula and Mark went back out in the hall. As her boss reentered the room her son told her he still loved her. "I love you to Anthony." He asked to please be called Tony. "Ok Tony it is." She knew why he didn't like his given name, and she couldn't blame him. Tony told Tracy something she couldn't wrap her mind around after she spoke about the operation and how she was going to help him.

His mom was in the hospital so he didn't want to upset her, but she asked. "I'm good mom." When she asked what he meant it came out. "Almost 8 months ago my adoptive mom reached out to my case manager Megan. I thought you was mad at me over what happened with dad and me because Mrs. Connor told us that you were dodging her attempts at contact, but that she would keep trying. Yesterday when she gave me your number and you wouldn't pick up, I thought that maybe you were still mad at me. Megan said you would be mad at her that she gave me your number." His mom says she was never mad at him. Tony had to get this out. "I kept getting sicker and sicker. So my adoptive father got typed and luckily was a match. He said it was a just in case kind of thing, meaning just in case you didn't respond. The third time I was put in the hospital, was really bad, they did the surgery and my body didn't reject the new kidney how they feared it might, that was 5 months ago." It was then time for his mom to shock him. She said she didn't know that Megan was his case manager, and she hadn't got any calls about him. His mom asked did Megan know that he had got the surgery and how successful it was. "Yeah that's when she admitted that you were dodging her calls and suggested plan b which was using my adoptive father. "So Mrs. Connor really didn't tell you any of this until two days ago?" His mom said she didn't know he'd even been adopted until two days ago. She then thanked him for calling and speaking to her even when she couldn't respond. "When the nurse picked up your phone and told me to talk to you, I didn't know what to say, but when she told me that you needed me. I just did like you did after Dad tried to you know. You kept talking to me, I could hear you and stuff, but I couldn't respond for a long time. Then I woke up and you were there. I don't know why you still have a Texas number Are you really in Mississippi?" His mom makes his day and says she was about 2 hours out of Houston. Tony heard his phone beeping at him. "My phone is low on battery can I please call you back once it charges?" His mom tells him he could call her anytime he wanted to. He says "ditto, this is my cellphone number I was calling from and my adoptive parents are cool with us talking. Hey, mom, when I was calling you I was looking up at our moon. Bye mom for now."

Tracy put the phone down whispering he's okay. Paula walks over to the bed Mark had left out to call the others to tell them Tracy was awake. Paula knew he also left the room to give her alone time with her girl. "I'm glad your awake woman. I saw the video." Tracy starts to say something "No let me finish, after I saw the video I was coming back up there to offer you your days back. I really hope you weren't trying to take yourself out. Because that would piss me off more than you jumping the bar." Tracy looks at her tats, then back up at Paula after a brief pause, she explains what she was thinking and how her last memory was of heading out to drive while she was trashed but she must have not made it to her car. "Honey you collapsed up in your apartment. In a way it is good because you drank so much you wouldn't have survived if not treated soon." Paula recounts discovering Tracy on the floor barely breathing and how she'd coded soon after the med crew arrived. "I think I know why, but I have to ask why didn't you tell me what was going on, all of it." Tracy reveals her fear that since it involved Megan and her losing it and jumping the bar that Paula would get pissed and fire her and she just couldn't risk having to start over alone anymore, so she'd weighed revealing Megan's presence in the situation. Paula shakes her head and puts up a hand. "Tracy I felt horrible for coming down so hard on you considering my own trips over the bar. As for you feeling that I was going to fire you over Megan being in the bar. If you're going off our conversation after the baby shower, honey I was pissed not at you but at her for crashing my party and hurting my cousin. When I saw the video of Megan and what she said to you before you girls left she was dangling information about your son in front of you. You're a mom, of course you would want to know how your son is doing. The thing is if you had of told me everything Megan included, I probably would have been ready to go find her ass. I'm new to the parent routine, but Mark would have been bailing me out of jail, because just beating her ass after she pulled a stunt like that, would have been me taking it easy on her. When you are ready you can come back I lifted the forced vacation." Tracy looks shocked "Hell I'm thinking of giving you a raise, do you know how much restraint it has taken for me not to go upside her head. I wanted to punch in her face on many occasions. I'll have to show you the footage you leaped that bar and Megan's eyebrows went into her hairline. She didn't swing back until you had hit her a few times." Tracy smirks then something crosses her features. "What is it honey?"

Tracy says "She knew, she knew I can't believe Megan knew, she made it seem like she found out days ago. Megan knew for almost a year that Tony needed me, and she kept it to herself. I wonder if she would have ever told me, if she didn't want something in return from me. It disgusts me to think that she may have even not told me had his surgery failed and I lost him. I would have never known. She knew, what I went through, she knew all of it, and because what? She had nothing to gain from it almost a year ago she just made me out to look like I didn't care." Disbelief and hurt sent a message to her anger as Tracy's tone sharpened. "Hell she was Tony's God mother. She is his case manager. She tried her best to fuck both me and my son up. Paula I don't want her near my son anymore. I know he's not mine anymore. Megan abused her job title for the last time. With this most recent mind fuck she dealt me, she has given me a mission." Paula says Tracy is still Tony's mother no paper could take that blood tie away from her especially with the obvious support of his adoptive parents, not having a problem with her in his life. "I'm so thankful to that man, that went under the knife to save my son. The only truth that Megan spoke to me that night was that my son has a good family that adopted and cares for him, the rest of it was manipulation, games, and bullshit. All for me trying to talk some sense into her delusional ass. I was her friend, and she did this to me what if she's done this to some other parents? I want her not only away from my son. Since she likes to blame your cousin Angel for everything that Megan fucked up in Megan's life, now she will have me to blame legitimately. I aim to get her withdrawn from human services of any kind. I'm not going to be sneaky or any of that Megan underhanded shit, I want her to see the wall crashing and know that I'm the one pushing it over on her ass. I'm going to call her out on her shit. Then I'm going to call Sophie something has to be done."

"Well you will have to wait on calling Megan until she is released from the funny farm." Anger turned into confusion as Tracy mouthed "Funny Farm?" "Unless Logan gets her a really good lawyer after she's released from the psychiatric hold she's going to jail. Megan's mind took a wrong turn onto completely Bat Shit Ave." Paula tells Tracy what went down last night.

"I hope Logan is okay. At the very least physically. I know this has to be hard on him. He helps everyone deal with their shit. He helped me in the past, I have to call him." Paula says please do because Logan was worried about her. "Holy shit he knows about this?" Tracy asks looking down at one of the IVs in her arm. "I Figured Megan wouldn't have said anything, she's so good and leaving out shit." Sighing Tracy continues "There is no telling what she's told him everything is my fault of course."

Paula is about to speak when the phone rings in the room. Paula looks at the read out sees Logan's work number and hands the phone to Tracy. "Logan called you first. Mark and I have to get going. Like I said when you get out of here whenever you feel up to it, you can come back. I'm glad you and your son are okay. Since I don't plan on being back this way before midnight Happy New Year. Take care girlie." Tracy mouths thanks and happy New Year, waves, then puts the phone back to her ear and says her usual "Hey".

Joshua heads to The Davenport after checking on Cassandra she was getting stronger, she no longer winced before speaking or laughing. Middlebrooks had said she could be released as soon as tomorrow afternoon. Joshua wasn't blind Rapture had caught major feelings for his sister. Sally and Michael were going to visit her then they were heading home. As soon as his parents got there Joshua greeted them and said his goodbyes. Sally asked where he was going in such a hurry he told her the quick list and got gone. The time frame in his head was running behind schedule. He hadn't expected to get up so late, but he made a great effort to catch up. It was 6pm instead of 4. Pulling into the gated area. He jumps out and jogs in to The Davenport. Bradley was sitting on his desk when he rushed in with his clothes for tonight in hand, heading to his in office bathroom to change. Bradley talks to him about being named foreman for the Davenport expansion job. Joshua finished washing up and opened the door so Bradley could stop shouting. His brother asked had he heard a word he said. "Yeah you said Logan called, and made your day. You're going to the lead in the expansion project since Logan is taking some time off. Got It, and congrats bro, I really got to hustle. Are you going up to the hospital to relive Mom and dad?" Joshua jogs over to his desk and makes sure all the bands had signed in, and that Supervisor had kicked in. Candy had called him saying that her password didn't open the program. He fixed the glitch since she hadn't opened the club since becoming an owner she was logged in as an employee. He calls Candy and tells her problem fixed, and all the bands were signed in. a Knock sounds at his office door. Candy walks in hanging up her phone. "Great look go move your Skittle in to the private parking cage, I don't want anyone messing with your ride or waiting for you tonight. Bradley can you go out there with her?" Bradley says yeah and that he was heading up to the hospital to insist that their parents go home. "Thanks." Joshua went to check the bar to make sure everything was good on that end. He was running low on vodka according to his bartender. Joshua tosses his keys to Deon as Deon comes in apologizing for being late. "Don't make it a habit and we're cool. I need you to grab what he needs to restock. I got to go check with Vash about the sound." Joshua dashes back towards the stage and walking upstage right checking his cords and making sure everything was connected he's almost knocked off his feet from one of the weights from the curtains falling. To prevent himself from being knocked off stage, Joshua had luckily seen the thing coming and jumped out of the way. Glaring up at the catwalk he yells "What the FUCK?" After catching his breath, he jumps down off stage, and storms to the control room, his pulley system was digital. Bursting in to his control room ready to give Vash a piece of his mind he stops. Vash wasn't in the control room. He calls Vash "Are you here because I don't believe in fucking ghost?" Vash tells him that he was on his way one of his kids got sick and he and his wife were up all night. He asks Joshua what was wrong he wasn't scheduled until 8. "What's wrong is that I was almost got taken across the room with one of the stage weights? We had a group preform here three nights ago. Did you check the control room after they removed their props?" Vash says yes and tells Joshua to see if anyone went in to the control room or out on the wings because there shouldn't have been weight up there since the curtain was supposed to be down tonight serving as a backdrop. Joshua sits in the control room and pulls up Supervisor hits rewind and views the group setting up installing their pyro they didn't mess with the weights. During the show nothing looked out of place. The screen goes black on one of the camera angles. He gets up and walks to where that camera was it was back stage just beyond the curtain. Looking up he finds out why the camera still was black. Someone had wrapped his $25,000 camera, in black cloth. He climbs the ladder on to the wings and takes down the damn cloth. It was one of his I lead tee-shirts someone wrote Dancing fruit. So that the shirt read I lead = Dancing Fruit. He looks down and this is where the weight came from, there was a fly wire attached to the string someone had booby-trapped his stage. He calls Vash and tells him what he suspects. Vash tells him in that case please get back on the ground until they found if there was anything else. Joshua turns on his phone's flash light and looks down through the metal grating. He climbs down when he doesn't see anything else out of place.

Angel felt like cleaning today so she puts on some music and cleans up in the bedroom nothing to strenuous. Her dad was heading over with Gloria later tonight. Sophie stepped in and asked was she invited Angel turns around and Sophie's dress looked like she was going to the Oscars instead of an end of the year medical party. Sophie looked super glamorously sexy in her new black sparkling floor-length Alexandre Vauthier dress with side cutouts. "WOW. Um, are you trying to make your Fiancé pass out, or is this your secret weapon for not going because he won't let you out your room when he sees you?" Sophie smirks and says did Angel think it was too much. "Well no there will be plenty of doctors in the building, so if you give the older ones a heart attack, the younger ones if they can keep their minds on what they are doing, should be able to save them." Sophie says that's it she changing. "Sophie I'm kidding it looks great." They soon head downstairs Angel wanted to fix dinner. Frank rings Angel's shirt com since Sophie had nowhere to put hers on the dress. "Hi Frank a package for me, hmm I wonder who it's from? Um Okay well sign for it and bring it up." Sophie side eyes the shirt com, and asks who is sending what. "It's from a fan. Wow I haven't received physical fan mail in ages. Frank says the card says happy New Year to Personal Touch's Angel from a guy named Jimmy S."

"Oh god not another Jimmy so this must be someone local?" Angel says yes considering Joshua and her names are on the deed but the house is still listed under what used to be Chase's S & A real-estate Company. Frank walks in sets the gift box on the table in the Atrium and makes eye contact with Sophie. "Can I help you Frank?" he says no Ma'am and says he called before he delivered the package with permission from Mrs. Davenport. "Oh I know and thanks." He says she's welcome and walks back out of the house. Angel asks what that was about. "I got on his case about just bringing shit up without permission. Mom used to let him do the shit all the time. I don't give shit who he is or how long he been working here. He don't need to be just popping in here and putting stuff in the house."

Angel catches on that Sophie was talking about when Glenn sent her the roses with the stuffed animal and Frank put it in her bedroom. Angel rubs her arms she'd thought she was losing it because when she woke she smelled the scent of roses, which through her sessions with Middlebrooks, the doctor told her that it wasn't so much the scent of roses, it was a trigger of what the roses used to represent. Either way mental trigger or not Angel still couldn't deal with the smell. Joshua never bought the things and she was so glad. Angel walks over and picks up the box and shakes it. Taking the card, she opens the envelope, reads the card inside, and drops it. Putting her hand to her mouth. Sophie asks what was wrong. "I…I don't want to know what's in there." Stepping back from the box as if it would bite her, Angel turns to walk back in the kitchen. "I'm going to go and finish making dinner for my husband. That's what I'm going to do." The door buzzed and read off Jonathon's name he walks in and Angel's hold on herself slipped as she grabs her father and pushes the door closed. Gloria knocks on the door. Her father opens it asking what was wrong. Angel firms her mouth and says in a tight tone. "According to a letter I just received, someone has noticed my photos, and gave me advice. I'm going to go in the kitchen now and…" Jonathon asks to see the letter Sophie picks it up off the table reads the folded paper and hands it to Jonathon. Angel excuses herself walks in the kitchen she was angry not afraid someone had been prowling her social media and had the nerve to send her mail. She was going to have all her mail rerouted to her P.O. Box. She texted Joshua

Angel: Hey I know it's not time yet but happy New Year babe I love you

Joshua: Hey there babe I love you too I'll be home soon but Happy New Year

Angel: I got fan mail and I'm thinking of rerouting my Addy to my old P.O. Box

Joshua: Um ok fan mail as in someone mailed you something what was it?

Angel: I don't know what's in the box but the card inside the envelope said that he's watching me. The only pics I have posted that aren't set to family-only are promo and not in the house.

Joshua: (red faced emoticon) who is he? Is there a return address?

Angel: His name is Jimmy S and the address is probably a fake depending on what's in the box. I shook it and it's probably paper or some shit.

Joshua: Don't stress babe

Angel: Not stressing, I'm pissed and tired of people doing this shit. I just needed to talk to you. I'm fixing your favorite can't wait to see you tonight so we can bring in the New Year our first New Year together

Joshua: Yeah me too I'm glad you texted me.

Out in the atrium Jonathon reads the letter on the card that his girl had opened and discarded. It read in typed script

Dear Angel

I've seen all of your Social media photos, yes your wedding was beautiful I felt like I was there. Your holiday pics are beautiful. You're getting pretty big with that kid in you. My son he's one of your biggest fans. My advice is you need to get out of that house more you've been in there for two days straight. I loved watching you. You look so happy when you were buying shit at the mall with that cow and your little freaky blond keyboardist. I know you call yourself married and all, but my son is your boyfriend or he will be when that dancing fruit of yours steps aside. My son can be your "One and Only" like your cover song says. I know (Your Story) and I sent you a gift so you will think of my son instead of that dancing fruit you mistakenly married.

Love always your to-be father in law Jimmy S

Jonathon takes his utility knife out and uses the scissors to clip the string on the box. He cut the top of the box open and his gaze narrows as he looks at the top photo. A close up of Angel sitting in the Grandville mall's food court with Candy and Casandra. It was taken before Christmas. He takes the tip of the picture and pulls it aside. The next picture was on Angel's profile it was one of the professional shots of their wedding with her and Joshua standing at the altar both holding the unity candles. Anger spiked as Jonathon moved the picture and found an altered photo instead of Angel standing with his new son at the reception, someone thought it funny to crop out Joshua's face and replace it with an apple. The caption instead of reading Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Davenport it read Mr. and Mrs. Dancing Fruit. Something was tapped to the bottom of the box. Jonathon snips the tape and removes the blue memory stick. On the side it read (Someday we'll be Together). "The hell you will." Sophie asked what was going on and what was in the box. "Someone wants my girl's attention. These photos are to be kept I'm going to find this Jimmy S." Sophie takes the box and looks at the photos she asks Jonathon what's on the stick. "I don't know but I aim to find out. He's fucking with the wrong one, in so many ways he may have wanted mi girl's attention, but he's caught mine. No one fucks with my kin and talent and gets away with it." Jonathon sticks the memory card in his pocket telling Sophie that he will get to the root of this issue personally.

Mark and Paula return to the house. They step in the Atrium one look at Jonathon has Mark asking what's up. Gloria excuses herself. Paula goes upstairs to check on the twins, Janet was up there with them. Luke soon arrives and he and Sophie leave for the night. Chase calls Angel and tells her that Nikki and he had a safe flight and that they would be staying until noon on the first.

After making sure Candy got parked inside the cage Bradley heads up to the hospital, Sally still wanted to stay saying she didn't trust Rapture to stay with her girl. He knew his sister wanted her pseudo alone time with her guy. Rapture knew that he wasn't going to leave the room but at the very least since Bradley wasn't all that worried about Rap doing anything he would put in his earphones, and get caught up on the movies he'd downloaded on his phone. The guy must have it really bad for Cass, no normal guy that didn't really give a shit, would stay in the room with his mom in protect bulldog mode. She kept asking Rapture inappropriate questions until he answered her about the origin of his name to shut her up. Bradley had to cover a smirk as the guy spoke. Cass covers her face and tells Rapture he didn't have to answer that. "Nawl it's alright Cassy, ma'am my name was the product of my mother being a prostitute \ porn star her pimp/producer was my father his street name and the only name she knew him by was Rapture. Sloan is her last name they never married so she had a bastard and named him Rapture." Sally says nothing as she gets up kisses Cass on the head and leaves the room. Michael gets up kisses his daughter says his goodbyes. The minute the door closes Bradley howls with laughter saying that Rap had got their mom good with that one. "I don't follow" Bradley says come off it. Cassandra tells Bradley that Rap wasn't lying. Bradley almost chokes as he tries to say sorry no hard feelings. "Nah I'm used to it by now." Bradley walks over and sits in his chair put in his earbuds, and starts staring intently at his phone screen.

Chadwick had waited in Cass's bedroom until night fall. She loved this house even though she was put out, now she lived here again, probably felt like old times. Hearing a car door slam, then another close, he gets up out of his wife's bed and peeps out the window. Mom and Daddy, his plans were falling into place. "That's right old bitch, come on in and meet your fate. Then I'll be the person that is there in her time of sorrow. You and the old man let her move back in, and for a time I couldn't find her. Now she thinks she wants the biker, because you didn't convince her to wait until I got my head together. Amber was a temptress not a wife." He'd told his brother. Wendell what he wanted to hear but Chad had stabbed Amber to death and yeah she ran away with the help of him dumping her body in a pig farm, she was a dumb shit in life before pissing him off by threatening to leave him, and by now she would just be pig shit. The father wasn't going to be a problem. Chadwick had done his homework, there was an unexplained side effect from the father's recent surgery that happened according to the medical record his bro slipped him. Wendell must have guessed that Chadwick was going to involve the parents, the bitch was as healthy as a horse. The old man was recovering from some type of brain surgery, but when he went for his last checkup he revealed to a Doctor Lucas Sheldon Jr. symptoms of what is called sleep paralysis. His mind will be awake but his body will be asleep, he won't be able to even make himself blink. Daddy better hope he has one of his spells because if he so much as flinches Chadwick would have to kill him. All the reason to wish for the fucker's healthy sleep. If both them were dead Cassandra would need more than the biker or her big brother to lean on. His own breathing had picked up with just the thought of what he planned. He ducks back into Cassandra's room lays in the middle of her bed, and pleasures himself.

Sally was still angry that she'd been bested by Rapture. She kept going on and on about it Michael was tired of the shit. He turns to his wife, grabs her by her shirt pulling her to him, and kisses her deeply. Pulling away slowly he murmurs in Spanish "Now what were you saying my love?" She sighs with a smile and says not a thing, and asks him to kiss her again. "I have a surprise for you." He takes her hand and puts it on his chest then slowly lower until her hand rested on his hard length. "I say we celebrate this New Year's Eve. This time next year our grandson may be under foot, so while we have the house to ourselves let's enjoy each other's company in one of the ways that only we can." She removes her hand and asks him was he sure. The worry in her gaze punched him hard. Not even 1 year ago she would have asked this question. Looking into her deep brown eyes he notices the flecks of gold from her mixed heritage his beautiful wife. "My love I wouldn't suggest anything I didn't think I wasn't capable of." They walk up to their bedroom and Michael makes love to his wife, he loved to see her give way under him, all her fear washed away, he watches and feels her body react to him multiple times. As they both come down from the timeworn rollercoaster of bliss she whispers "I Love you lover mine Happy New Year." Somethings never changed he lay awake in the carnal warmth of his mating for as long as he could and soon slid into slumber.

Sally was so excited she never kissed and told but somethings never changed and she was glad. Michael made sure to give her more pleasure than she dared would have asked for. Her husband was back. He'd been so sick and now though he hid it well she knew that he wasn't 100%. But tonight he'd filled her and pushed all of her fears and worries aside. They never made love with the light off they always wanted to see their mate's pleasure along with feel it. She watches her mate sleep for a time and notices what she'd noticed last year. It was like a revelation. After seeing someone you love so long your mind's eye rarely lets you see what time has done. Michael getting sick was what lifted the veil from her mind's eye. His once blonde hair was pure white, his facial hair was also, but since he was picking up the massive weight he'd lost the structure of his features didn't change, just the definition of them. The doctor had agreed to a workout routine and Michael must have been following it by the letter, to pull off the moves he used tonight. She celebrated his birthdays but after tonight though she knew the truth no one would be able to convince her that she was 62 and that her mate was 70. She gets up goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Thinking of what her mate said about having a little one running about made her think of her own child, Cassandra was up at that hospital with that rough looking man. Bradley assured her that he never left the room when Rap was there at night. If what Rapture said about his name was true, then he wasn't good enough for her daughter. Sighing Sally felt a sting of sadness because she let her girl marry the deviant Chadwick. He'd had them all fooled he was cunning and a hometown boy. Glenview wasn't like Grandville it was smaller so small in fact the high school children were bussed into Grandville South. When they first moved into this house in the Pyramid area it was to give her youngest son the distance he would need to make a clean break from his birth parents, the Smyth's were their neighbors and that night she called the police on them after hearing screaming and her son's wail of pain, she knew that staying in Glenview wasn't going work. Coming here instead of moving into Grandville South was so their family could be close to town but not in town. Sally called her own mother and spoke to her for a time ending with a Happy New Year ma. ma. She figured she would check on her girls she called. Cassandra and speaks to her making sure not to mention Rapture in order not to upset her child. After a nice conversation with her girl she asks to speak to Bradley in part to know that he was still in the room since she'd heard Rapture in the background. She speaks to her oldest and whishes him a happy new year. Walking back upstairs to her room she calls her youngest son and got his voicemail. Leaving him a message she calls her newest child and Angela answers they speak for a time. Sally heard the relief in the girl's tone when she said she was just calling to wish her a happy new year. Finally, Sally gets into bed and that's when she noticed Mike looking at her through half lidded eyes. He sometimes fell asleep with his eyes open but unfocused, brushing his eyes closed so he could sleep peacefully, she leans over and kisses him, then turns over and falls asleep.

Michael lay in bed he could feel the bed shift could see his mate. At first these attacks of sleep paralysis scared him. Sheldon said they were temporary until the fluid that regulates natural REM sleep evened out. Since it is a natural occurrence found in the spinal fluid he didn't dare try to inject any manufactured drug to replace what was missing for fear of over loading his system and possibly putting him a coma. If Michael could remember this episode he would say something about it at his next appointment. His eyes were hurting but he couldn't move. When Sally brushed his eyes closed though he couldn't speak he thanked her in his mind. As he was drifting off he heard a sound and felt Sally nudge him he wanted to do as she requested and go check out what they both heard, but his body would not cooperate. He hoped she didn't take his continued even breathing as a ruse to avoid what he madly wanted to do. Hearing her sigh, and feeling the bed shift under him, as she gets up, he knew she thought him ignoring her. That was his fault he never told her of the side effect of the lifesaving surgery he'd undergone. For this he would remember not because of the episode itself, but because he'd left his mate in the dark and now, she believed him not willing to go and check out possible trouble. He tried to wake himself if this was partly sleep but her poking him did nothing his head lolled to the side and his eye lids rose slightly maybe he was waking up. His tongue rolls out of his slack mouth and he knew this was the worse episode and the longest he'd had. Sound faded his senses were fading the light in the hallway dimmed he could no longer feel the bed under him a usual hallucination took over which was a sign that sleep was near as sleep claimed his mind and sent him under. Images of his children and his perception of his image of his grandchild surged before his mind's eye.

"Mike did you hear that Mike wake up" not even a winced at her jabbing him. He would at least call her a fruit bat and turn over. Tonight he just laid there sleeping, Sally sighs and gets out of bed. Her mate must have really tuckered himself out. She heard the sound again it was near the kitchen. Had she locked the door? She checks the locks something was defiantly outside the backdoor. She opens it and an animal startled her as it freed itself from the trash can and ran for cover. Closing the door she leans on it breathing hard. Walking back upstairs she heard something. It came from her daughter's room. No one but her and Mike where home. Easing into Cassandra's room she walks in, the bed was messed up. This was not real she'd cleaned this room herself, so the house would be clean to bring in the New Year. Fear surged as the door closed behind her turning around she meets the crazed expression of Chadwick. Before she can scream for help he was upon her reaching for her neck. She tried to defend herself with a straight punch to his gut. He grunted but still advanced on her. Pushing her onto her daughter's bed. He spoke to her telling her to relax and it would be over soon. She tried in vain to choke out Mike's name, but all she could get out was a wheeze. Tears sprung to her eyes he was going to kill her here in her child's bed. His words sounded far away as her body bucked on its own accord, as if it were struck by lightning.

Chadwick lay on top of the bitch pressing his body into hers as she flailed and slapped at his hands closing off her air supply. He moved his finger lower and let her breathe he wanted her to suffer. The pain and fear in her eyes made him ease his grip. "Hey mom too bad you won't get to be at our second wedding, but it has to be this way. Cassandra will need me to take on the burden of her broken heart like no one can." She tries to buck him off her. Man this bitch was strong. This wasn't how he'd imagined this going. He tightens his grip her tan face was turning red heading to purple. She passed out her body started moving again he'd sent her ass into a seizer. He lets go and gets up watching the show. He waits to see if he'd have to finish her off. Lucky he had worn gloves. If she died now his fun would end to quickly man he liked controlling her. He starts slapping her face. Grabbing her hair, he pulls her into a sitting position. Her eyes flutter open and she gags and coughs weakly putting her hand to her throat. He gets in her face and says "Hey, it's okay I'll be right back don't go anywhere." He lets her fall back on the bed. Walking to the bathroom he leaves the door open so he could rest up for their final dance. He wondered if the old bitch had a policy. They were middleclass and old so they could have prepared for death. He walks back in the room and pulled her by the hair. She tries to push his hand away as she whispers that Cass will never love him. "She did once and she will again." She tried to call out to her husband. That's when Chad pushed her backwards, grabbed her neck he bore down watching as she fought weakly to remove his hand. She struggled but he rode the ride until her body stopped moving and her hands fall limply to her sides. "Just like in the moves Happy New Year Mom." He walks out and into her parent's room the old man slept. Getting and idea he walks over and stands over than man's body taking one of the pillows he puts it over the man's face with them both gone he had a better chance of not getting caught. Pressing down he leans over and whispers "goodnight daddy"

The old man's body jerks and then something Chad never expected happened he knew what he saw in his wife's room. The old bitch was dead so who answered the phone in the next room. He runs in and sees that she moved, not only that, she was whispering into the phone on her knees in the corner. He walks over and snatches the phone it snapped in his hand he drops the two halves of her old ass phone to the floor and screams. "You just couldn't die could you? You have to make me mad. All you bitchs, like to piss me off." Her eyes were glazed and teary. "Are you fucking crying you, think that's going to save you, ask your daughter I don't care about the water coming out of your face. Cry now." He kicks her in the stomach and she crumpled to the floor holding her midsection breathing heavy. "See now you are going to be all bruised and they will have to do a closed casket because, bitch you will die tonight, then I'm going back in there and finish off your old man. Who called you this late tonight and don't lie." More whimpering "You never did play fair always made my girl feel you hated her, but that gave me time to convince her to marry me, since she let me move in with her and Bradley." She slowly shakes her head no. he grabs her hair and nods her head yes. "Accept it, you threw her out into the wolf den of life before her time, and I was there to pick up the pieces, and tomorrow or whenever you and your man's bodies are discovered. I'll pick up the pieces and the next time I divorce your daughter I'll make money off her death. So who was it that called you?" He slaps her. "I asked you a question?" Getting on his knees he leans down and put his ear to her mouth. "Who?" her mouth moved but no sound escaped but a rasp. Rubbing her throat her answer of Mike came in a whisper as she reached away from him as if she were going to crawl away. "I was just in your room try again" He gets to his feet and picks her up drops her on Cassandra's bed. She reached towards the door mouthing help me. Chad looked over his shoulder no one was there. Looking back at the vehicle of his reunion with his wife he says "There's no help for the wicked" He laughs and grabs Cass's pillow and pins it over the old bitch's face. "I could try to strangle you again but this method will kill you for good this time." He leans down she grabs at him weakly trying to push him and the pillow off her face "Keep fighting me and I might have to try necrophilia, your struggle is getting me hard."

Suddenly Chadwick hears a roar of the bitch's name he turns around to knock out the old man. Before he can swing the old man stabbed him. He looks down in disbelief as he moves his hands to his chest. There was a decorative hilt of a knife sticking out of his shirt he watched as blood swelled. His blood clogged his own airway making him wheeze as blood ran from his mouth as he is pushed the floor. He lay on his back, his air was almost gone, he felt like he was drowning. Hearing the gurgling rasp his mouth was making as he tried to speak did nothing to help him not think this was it his final dance. At least he would take her with him. He reached for the woman's hand that lay hanging off the bed. The old man growls at him not to touch her. Their eyes meet, he'd never seen this guy so pissed his blue usually weary eyes were ice cold just like Chad's body he was freezing. Michael pushes the blade upward with his foot Chadwick's world fades to black.

Moments earlier Michael felt a presence and caught the voice of Chadwick telling him goodnight. Sally wasn't in the room with him she hadn't returned to bed by sheer will and fear he'd muscled his way to a sitting position. When he walked to the doorway he met his wife's frightened gaze. As the fucker kicked her she had reached toward him and he forced himself to go into his son's room and grab one of the daggers Joshua had left behind. When Michael returned and saw the man over his wife and heard his words he saw red. As quietly as he could he stole into the room he would only have one shot at the element of surprise he says Sally Lu on a growl his wife's attacker turns, and Michael plunged the dagger's blade into the man's chest so hard it wouldn't come out he pushed Chadwick Denton away from his wife to the floor. Michael didn't know or care if Chadwick survived but he had to get to his beloved. Stepping over the bloody man he moves the pillow and cradles his wife in his arms. Tears fell from his cheek onto her face. "Sally Lu please wake up. Please Oh god please wake up." Time stood still until she flinched then started coughing her lids fluttering. "Come on Sally Lu." In minutes knocking is heard, then beating, then a crash. The room is soon filled with police and med crews. They take her out of his arms and put her on the gurney. Michael is then pinned to the floor by the police. One tells him if he so much as flinched he'd blow the back of his head off. Michael lay as still as he could with his face pushed into the rug and his hands cuffed behind his back. The cocky new police officer read him his rights and asked him did he understand his rights. Michael's face is pulled out of the rug and he is forced to look at the officer visually cataloging the officer's name. He says the only thing that mattered to him right now. "Save her please." The officer put his baton under his chin and pushes up making it hard for Michael to breathe. He is asked does he understand his fucking rights. Michael felt himself fading and tries to say yes with no air. The baton is removed and Michael draws a heaping amount of breath. The cop slams his face back into the carpet so hard he sees stars then darkness as the outside world starts to fade away each sense decreasing in leaps and bounds.

Joshua walks towards the exit near his office as he rounds the corner he is struck in the face. He's then pinned to the wall breaking the hold, he swings back and connects with the sunglasses of one of the people that he'd been following. When he sees the face of his birth father he roars "YOU "and loses it, as he starts kicking, and punching, the man as hard as he could. Another man in sunglasses, and dark clothing jumps into the fray. He feels a prick and his limbs feel extra heavy. "People will" Joshua felt himself falling his father stood over him and starts kicking him, and calling him a disgrace and a dancing fruit. He tried to move to defend but couldn't. He felt himself being lifted and his old man called him dead weight. He is then tossed into his office. He tried to make himself sit up, get up, he had to get out of here. It was 11:00pm he'd promised Angel he wouldn't miss their first New Year. His vision was cloudy as fuck. What the hell was in that needle? Get up he yelled at himself. A tactic that used to work after fighting Bradley but this wasn't being pinned to the wall and overpowered, this involved some kind of drug. He then hears Patrick talking to him and feels his wallet, keys, and his phone being taken his blood brother was rolling his ass like a mugger. NO his mind screamed NO Please No. was what he managed to stutter out.

"Man you don't look so tough no more got to admit you got a mean right cross. I guess all big bros give their little bro lumps. Well not this time. Pap said we did shit all wrong me and ma. He was plenty pissed and I was plenty hurt when Angel left the way she did. She didn't even give me my picture with her. She just left me. So Pap says that the right way to make everyone happy is punch you back and make her pay us to get you back, because the other way you would have had to come up with the money." Boy Smyth, his big brother wasn't much bigger than him and laying sprawled like this made him look like a little kid. Patrick hears his Pap outside the door fighting he'd been sent in here to tie Boy up he had better get to it before his Pap knock a knot on his head. Boy was fighting the drug. "It is ok Boy I'll be gentle with her. This Plan of Pap's is golden. Pap hit me for failing him I won't fail no more." His big bro stuttered out No please No. "Don't I look just like you?" Boy strains to say something else. "Oh that's right I almost forgot I got to wear the I Lead jacket. Oh and here's my lick back." He punches his bro in the side of the head and Boy's hold on Sweet Lady Consciousness was lost. Patrick then hog ties his big bro like Pap taught him and put him in the closet with tape over his mouth until the party was through, then they could sneak back in and steal Boy. In the meantime, Patrick had an Idea that had nothing to do with his parents and everything to do with his future wife. He'd dyed his hair to look like Boy's and drew on that goatee thingy he had, and cut down and dyed his mustache now he looks down at the I Lead Jacket. His Pap had sent his future wife a gift. Patrick was humming with excitement as he climbed out of Boy's office window. "See you later Boy. After the party we can talk some more you'll have time until Angel pays us." His Pap could handle things while he went home to his wife. He ducked his head and walked to Boy's gate he put Boy's ID up to the gate's sensor and the thing opened. "HOT DAMN I'm GOOD" Patrick howled. One of Boy's band was running towards the truck yelling something at him. Patrick almost runs the fucker over and keeps going. Man this truck was plenty powerful he was sorry he had slashed the tires. Since he'd dated the agent he knew how to get up to the gate and Boy's vehicle was implanted with a censor on the front. Angel's was on the back.

Vash was pissed he knew Josh was in a hurry but he honestly thought if he hadn't jumped out of the way his fucking Band Lead would run his ass over. He storms back into the club. The place was jumping and the band on stage was doing a Creed cover. He needed to go and if Joshua wasn't going to check on his mother Vash was. Sally had sounded really freaked out and said he tried to kill her and told Vash to call the cops. When he asked who, the line went dead. He called the police and was coming to first bitch Joshua out for ignoring his calls then tell him to go check on Sally. She didn't say that he was trying to kill them she say me, which said that Michael could have lost it. Vash doubted it, but just like she went off and beat on Joshua, he knew anything was possible. He called to tell her and his old boss happy New Year he thought of them as parents with an asterisk. Was it a full moon tonight everyone was losing their fucking minds? He would argue with himself on the way to the house. He knew Michael, but he could also say that before she used Joshua as a punching bag, he knew Sally. He calls Joshua's phone and voice mail picks up after three rings he'd ignored the fucking call again. "Look you little son of bitch the next time you try to roll over my ass we are going to have problems. Take that how you want to I'm not Deon I'll lay your ass out. Sally is in trouble of some kind since you are way too busy to check on her I guess it falls on me. Happy fucking New Year." Hanging up he marches down the hall and suddenly had an outlet for his rage. Some guy was beating on the new security guys he'd hired. Vash walked up and planted his fist in the guy's face so hard it knocked him cold. "You okay?" His security guard said yeah but that the boss was in there with the other guy. "No I just saw the boss as you call him drive out of here. He almost ran my ass o… shit" Vash stopped, cold dread sunk into his bones as he recognized the son of bitch that he'd laid out, it was Joshua's birth father. He grabbed the door of course it was locked. Kicking in his band lead's office door didn't give him the answers he wanted there was a struggle in here. Vash turns around looking at the mess.

Angel paced the living room back to the kitchen speaking to Paula the twins had the sniffles and her and Mark were up in the room with them. "Joshua said he would be here. He was going to set up then after the party got rolling he would be here. It's a ten-minute drive. Where is he?" The system announced him he was using his key "I'll call you back." Taking her ear buds out she throws her phone on the couch as she gets to the front door. It opens she tried to slam it closed but he pushed himself in making her fall backwards. "AHHHHHHHHH" Angel screams in pain and fear as she tries to crawl away but pain and terror wouldn't let her. It was Joshua's brother, his brother had his keys. "Where is he?" She cries. Sharp pain took her breath "Oh no not now." She pants. A wave of pain hit her so hard she lay flat on her back holding her stomach. He was talking to her but her mind was a complete mess. His drawl and his smell filled her ears and nose making her feel nauseous.

Patrick reaches for her and she pulled away. Covering her belly as best she could as tears ran down her cheeks. "All I want is a picture and the money but that can't wait." She asked did he? Then stops. "Did I what?" She asked where was her husband "I'm here see I look just like him I'm even wearing his jacket." That answer got him another scream but this one was for help. "Now hush up your going to upset our baby, and no one can hear you my date told me about this house and its secret." She begs him not to hurt her. "Haven't you been listening to me at all? You are the money. I can't hurt you too badly. Let me help you up you look like beached Whale laying there." Suddenly a sound like thunder came from out of nowhere and screaming is heard right before he looks up and is taken down hard.

Janet was coming down the center staircase when she heard Angel scream out in pain. She looks down into the atrium and Joshua was standing bent over her as she lay on the floor. He reached for her and she drew back away from him. When Angel said please don't hurt me Janet ran as quietly back up the stairs as she could, she had to get her uncle, her dad someone that could help. Why Angel was so afraid what had happened? She never looked like that with Josh. She opens her Uncle's door and bursts in. The room he was using was the closest to the middle staircase. He was taking off his shirt and the bathroom door was closed. He drops his head and is about to give her a talking to about bursting in. "Sorry but I...I didn't have time to call you. Angel and Joshua I don't know what's wrong but she's on the floor and he was just standing there. Please come she looks so afraid and she's never looks afraid of him. I think she's hur…" with the door open his head snaps up at Angel's cry of help. Janet jumped out of the way as her uncle runs from the room and down the stairs. Yelling something in the old Gallic tongue. That stream of words Janet knew wasn't taught in her class.

Jonathon charged down the stairs like a freight train and took his son off his feet with a running spear. Then it clicked what he was staring at and thankfully it wasn't Joshua, the jacket and the hair was what made Janet and he fall for this deception. From the top of the stairs you couldn't see the small height difference and he was standing in profile. The fucker hit him in his face and Jonathon started pounding on the fucker and slamming his head into the floor. He soon stops as his son's phone rings the fucker had his son's phone. It was the beginning of Vash's drum solo that gained him a place in Personal Touch. Not even a good pirate could have snatched this piece of musical gold. Looking over at his girl she lay curled in on herself as best as she could with tears in her eyes. "Mi baby girl, are you hurt?" he asks in Irish. She tries to say she's fine but it came out as a yes as tears continued to roll down her face. When she starts retching he knew something was very wrong. He slams the man into the floor and tells him to stay like a dog. Getting up he moves over to his girl. Cupping her face he asks what hurts.

Angel lays on the floor the pain was getting worse. Her father asked was she hurt she'd tried to say she was fine, but a wave of pain made her hiss out yes. Suddenly she felt sick, and starts retching which made the pain that much more intense. She hadn't ate because she was waiting on Joshua so nothing was coming up. They were going to eat and bring in the New Year together. Oh god where was Joshua? Sorrow and fear soaked her as Patrick's words hit her, he said she was the money. Her dad cups her face and says something she looks up, which did nothing for the pain in her head from falling. "My head, but stomach, it hurts…the worse. I'm scared father." Angel squeezes her eyes closed and clenched her teeth against a new stab of pain this time lower but just as intense if not more so. Her father demands in a stern tone that she breathe out. Her air whooshes out of her she hadn't noticed she was holding her breath. The pain came back, and she started retching again. Her father says he going to grab her a sofa cushion, and call for a med crew. She grabs his hand, and begs him "Please don't leave me in here with him." her voice cracks

Jonathon looks down at his girl and says "Angela mi dear child you're safe. I'm not going anywhere. I was aiming to make you more comfortable, tis all." He calls the number Luke have given them for his med crew. A voice answered where? "Ivey Mansion and please hurry." They ask the patient's name "Angela…Davenport." They say on their way and hang up. Saying his son's last name was tough on both of them seeing her sorrow and fear made him want to take away the pain and reassure her that Joshua was ok. The thing is, he didn't know what shape his son was in and wouldn't lie to his girl. This punk had overcame his son somehow. That Jonathon knew, only because the punk was here in this house, wearing his son's clothing driving his vehicle and had his fucking master key. What the hell did it take to keep the outside, outside, a fucking retinal scan?

Across town Vash watches the police take James Smyth into custody? The police were near because when his security chief called them it was like they were across the street or something. Then he thought they could have been since Joshua's cousin Mark had told him that cops would be watching the club for a guy that was running around robbing bars and clubs on the holidays. In theory if the club was worth its name that was a good time to strike but here that much attention would cause the marine to come out of the bartenders and even if he got one there were two bars. The ex-marines usually worked the outer bar the man and woman you couldn't tell that she was a sharpshooter until she drew down on your ass. Though they usually worked on different nights on big events they both took a bar. With the new ownership of The Davenport one of the owners were on the grounds most of the time. He kept walking back in Joshua's office the party was over after the last band played. Deon walks in and says what happened. Vash closes the door. "Joshua is missing, the new security guard said that the guy that just got taken overpowered him and dropped him in here to deal with the other guy. I came in here there was a fight in here, I just don't get how the fucker got Joshua pass me. All I saw was one shadow in his truck and yeah I thought it was him but." Deon walked to the window and said the window. "Yeah, but what I don't get is how he got Joshua out the damn window? What could he say to make Joshua follow his instruction on his own power?" Deon said maybe he said something about Angel. "Yeah but Angel is at home I don't see him just saying sure let's got to my place. Think about how long it took you to get a keycard. Deon agrees and says if he knocked him out the guy wasn't that much bigger than Joshua so it would be harder to get him up and out of the room unless they had a third person. "Wait a minute" Vash was guessing and pulling at straws then he remembered the system. Hoping that no one had got in here to fuck with the cameras he moves in a zigzag to Joshua's desk, the cameras followed him. He didn't have Joshua's code but he could pull it up under his name on his phone. When he watches the time frame he sees Joshua following the two guys that looked like the guys that set the stage, and slashed his tires. Seeing Joshua attacked he silently cheered when Joshua broke away from the wall and went bat shit. Vash held his phone closer to his face as if he thinking behind you, was going to change the outcome. The two guys had split up the shorter guy pulled a needle and jammed it in to Joshua's upper arm in seconds his band lead was flat on his back being kicked to shit. Watching until he sees himself come in the office Vash looks at the closet door. "Closet if this isn't looped in anyway. The guy went out the window but Joshua is in the Closet. They were coming back for him when the party ended." Deon moves to the closet and opens it and the only thing he could say was a whole lot of Holy Shit.

His dreams weren't dreams they were memories from back before Sally and Michael. Joshua's head rested on the door when it open his face hit the floor waking him from one nightmare and sending him into another. His body was screaming along with the twitches in his muscles. Every movement was agony. His damn feet were tied so far his heels were on his butt. His arms and wrist were bound behind his back. A 30 year old male should not be able to bend like this unless he did yoga for a living. He tried to lift his head but a muscle spasm took his breath and he stayed as still as he could. Hearing a voice he tries to turn his head for two reasons, one his nose was flat on the carpet making it hard for him to draw breath, and two it sounded like Deon. Turning his face to the side, he was staring at boots. Remembering boots like these kicking the shit out of him he closes his eyes. Forcing air in and out of his nose. A rough hand slaps his face and is followed by a voice. Vash was here so those had to be his shit kickers. The tape is pulled off of his mouth. Filling his lungs with air was more important than anything right now he had to get home. He couldn't afford for Patrick to go near his wife, he didn't know how much time had passed. "They have…my access." If his blood family hurt his Angel, he'd never forgive himself nor would either of his fathers. Oh god he had to get home. "Un-Tie ME" the words reverberated in his head this was the second time he'd been captured this time it wasn't by an impersonal worker. His fucking blood, some asshole that came out of the same bitch that birthed him, was infatuated with his mate. His truck would open the gate from 6 feet away. Hoping that Patrick couldn't get the gate here open he says as he feels Vash moving just out of his view. "My truck?" Vash crushed his hope with one word Gone. Vash tells him to stretch out, his feet were free. The rope no longer bit into his ankles, calves, and his thighs. Joshua gritted through the pain of moving and saw stars. He couldn't pass out he had to get home. With a growl he pushes his legs away from his bound hands. His vision blinked in and out like someone was playing with a light switch in his head. He must have passed out anyway because Vash was slapping him again. Deon said his hands were free. Joshua had forgot that Deon was here. Moving his arms from the straight back position felt like he was ripping himself in two. Gritting his teeth again. Vash tells him to let out his breath before he passed out again, and moved his arms out to his sides. Joshua screamed "AHHHHHH" panting he tries to get his breathing back under control. "Got to get home, he is heading to my home. Frank is off tonight. Not safe."

"Joshua you're pretty beat up, let me take you to the hospital." Joshua says on a stutter that he was fine. Anger sharpened Vash's tone as he said "Your medical degree is from where? You can hardly move without passing out?" Joshua tries to push himself off the floor in a push up style. Stuttering not safe. Just lifting his upper body made him shake and fall back down. He turns his head and asked Deon to help him up. Deon looks at Vash. Vash calls up to Ivey Mansion. The house's calls were routed through a live operator. Vash remembered calling Joshua there when he was just a teen. The shit you don't forget. The sequence of a 7 digit number you hadn't used in over 15 years. "Hello my name is Vashon Williams may I speak to Mrs. Angela Davenport please? Thank you." The woman put him on hold and says she will connect the call. When Angel came on the phone Vash didn't dare do what he was planning and that was to put her on speaker phone she sounded out of it and was having trouble of her own. Hearing a clatter he gets up and walks out in the hall putting his finger in his ear. She called out to her dad Vash hoped the old man was close it sounded like was like she was panting. He listens suddenly everyone is talking except his Band lead's wife. When he hears their producer say that his girl was in labor and unconscious. Cold fear hit Vash like a fist. He walked back in Joshua's office with the call still open. Joshua didn't look any better. He hadn't moved from the spot he fell from trying to force his body from the floor. Yeah he was going to get real far. Hoping that Angel's weak pleas for her dad weren't the last words he heard from her, he ends the call. Joshua kept passing out. It took harder slaps each time and Vash didn't want to hurt him or make anything worse. He calls for help.

Gloria walks down the center stairs holding the phone asking Angel did she want to speak to Vashon Williams, Angel says yes while doing a breathing exercise and Gloria bends down watching Jonathon beat on the man that from a far looked like Joshua, but upon closer inspection it wasn't Joshua at all. It was the man from the wedding reception. Angel takes the phone but before she puts it to her ear she asks Gloria to stop her father before he killed Joshua's brother, then they would never find Joshua. Gloria walks over and says "John STOP John you'll kill him. He's worth more alive he knows where Joshua is. John Please STOP" Jonathon says the man tried to hit him from behind. Seeing a flash of light from out the still open door Gloria says "The Med crew is here would you rather them take this piece of filth than your girl who is clearly in pain?" that did the trick but when he turned on her his hunter green gaze made even her step back. As he pushed passed her.

(Breathe in twice and release) "Vash. Hello? Not… good." (Breathe in twice and release) "In labor…going hospital." Oh god the retching was back with a fresh jab of pain in her chest. She heaved until nasty water came up this time filling her mouth and nose. Turning her head she lets it spill from her mouth onto the floor. The pain was making it hard to speak. (Breathe in twice and release) she choked on the shit in her nose it burned as it when down the back of her throat and made her heave again. (Pant, pant,) "Daddy" her chest hurt worse clutching her stomach and her chest the phone slides to the floor. She couldn't breathe out panic spiked and took her breath with it the room dimmed and faded to black.

Jonathon rushed past a stunned Gloria as he hears his girl call him she'd dropped the phone there was clear liquid running out her mouth, but she was unconscious. The med crew came in and went towards the fucker as Gloria said they would, he wasn't in the mood for a fucking lesson. Turning around he says to the med crew "She's in labor and unconscious he's drunk, get her. I'll deal with him." The med personnel captain looks at his girl and waves over his men. Asking why she was clutching her chest. "I don't bloody know. She called out to meh…" the rest of his speech is cut off by the man's confused blank gaze. Just as Jonathon is about to say something vile, Gloria said to him in Gallic. John Speak in English. He hadn't noticed his transition of wording. He points at the liquid the technicians were drawing out of his girl's mouth and nose. In English he probably sounded like a damn fool verbally stumbling all over himself. They put an oxygen mask on his girl. The Med caption asked one more question was he the father. "Yes" Gloria says no he glares at her until she quickly explains that the med captain was asking was he JC's father not Angel's. Jonathon drops his head staring at his girl "She's my daughter"

Sophie and Luke were driving to the hospital. This was his first day back he set the on call lock-out until today. Though a few days of his "vacation" had been spent behind the walls of his center he should have hit noon instead of lifting the lock when the first of year started. At midnight when everyone was raising their glass and singing, his pager came to life, and so did his phone. Sophie sat in the back of his Ivey Transit driven Lexus with her arms crossed until her phone rings she answers, listens, and says "Yes I give permission as her liaison." Her other line was ringing she presses send and is met with the same recording but for Joshua "Yes I give permission as his medical contact." Ending the call Sophie says "What the hell did I miss? Angel is in labor and heading from the house. I don't get why she isn't able to admit herself and Joshua is heading there from the Davenport not the house. Paula and Mark were supposed to be going back to the house because the twins and Janet are there. I hope they made it back before Angel was taken to the hospital." Sophie wanted to know what the hell was going on with her sister and her brother. Questions ran track in her head and none of the tracks lead to the answers of why. Why wasn't Joshua at the house when Angel needed him, what the hell had happened to him? Why was Angel not able to agree to treatment? Where was Joshua's other medical liaison other than Angel, where was Sally or Michael for that matter? As Medical contact Sophie could only agree to treatment she really didn't want to think about the decisions that didn't come with the title within the network. What if he needed service that she couldn't approve? Now sitting in the back seat of this car the air was making her chilly, or at least she would blame her drop in core temperature on the artificial air blowing in her face, not on the numbing fear that was setting up residence inside of her. She calls Paula "Hey are you at the house? You are? What happened? To both of them?" Paula said she just spoke to Angel and heard the system say that Joshua was in the house. "That's impossible because he was sent to Sheldon Medical Center from the Davenport. Angel was sent from the house." Paula recommends that she call Jonathon. That didn't fill Sophie with warmth. When Angel got married her name change pushed Chase and Jonathon back to medical contact, and Joshua and Sophie remained her sister's medical liaisons. If Jonathon was there the question that really needed answering was why Angel's condition of Labor warranted clearance from a medical Liaison and not a medical contact.

Luke noticed in the passing street lights that Sophie looked pissed off as she stabbed at her phone. He looked at his own as his Bluetooth headphone read off numbers and case files. Sally Lu Davenport and Michael Davenport were in the ER pending emergency admission. Scrolling down Sandra Middlebrooks sent him a message.

Sandra MD: Glad you're coming back tonight because Joshua Davenport isn't my patient but Angel is and from the report I just got from the Med crew tonight is going to be a long one, may need your advice and where to find your hidden stash of coffee.

Luaus MD: I coming but may have a wait time of about 30 minutes. Can you send me Joshua's triage report when it is complete? Why does Angel require Liaison Authorization? Sophie wants to know and so do I.

Sandra MD: That's what I wanted to consult you about. On her way here she had another of those seizers. I can't pin point why she is unconscious. I have her on intravenous pump but her body keeps rejecting it. Jonathon says she was retching now when the fluid comes up we suction it out. We may have to do a C-section with as weak as she is even if we can awaken her It's no guarantee that she'd be able to deliver naturally.

Lucas MD: Don't you think it is of greater risk if you operate while she is unconscious? With you having no definitive reason of why?

Sandra MD: Angel and the baby's oxygen levels are too low. Between suction I have her on oxygen trying to raise it to at least 85%. The reason for the higher Authorization is for the surgery. The baby's heartbeat is slowing.

Sophie looks at him and just as Luke about to say something she puts her finger up and answers her phone. "Hello, yes this Is Sophie Ivey. Where is your coordinator? I'm going to look it up. If I see that the list doesn't match you and Ace security will be in the fucking unemployment line." She pulls up the listing and Frank had requested a personal Night and it had been granted by the system. It still did nothing for the anger riding on her tongue. Armed with what went on at her home while she was dancing, and drinking, and teasing Luke about females checking him out, and grinning to herself when he'd pull her closer, and whisper shield me in her ear it was now a running joke between them. Sophie had been in a really bad trust place when she'd thought he'd just used her as a thirst bitch shield. Now she knew just how much he really loved her. While she was out in her new dress, her sister was being harassed by filth in their fucking house. Sophie checked the police report and it matched the report sent to her by the security team.

Candy walks to Joshua's office to put the night's earnings in the safe. Deon was cleaning up. "Whoa, don't tell you guys had another fight." He turns around and since he didn't have any new bruising and her knowing Joshua was a striker the look in Deon's eyes made her uneasy. "What's going on babe?" Deon asks her to please have a seat. "Uh oh something tells me this isn't going to be as magical when you said those words on Christmas morning. Let me do this and then please tell me what's going on." Candy puts the two bags in the safe.

Deon rubs the back of his neck and sits on the front of Joshua's desk. As his queen puts the club's earnings away when she turns back around feet from where his band lead had lain passed out and not from the 12oz. Zima he'd sipped on for 4 hours. She deserved to know because if she found out from anyone after she left this office Deon knew her reaction and didn't want to mess up the tentative foundation of their relationship. Even though their blood lines did not cross Joshua is her brother. "My queen" he puts his arms out to her she walked to him grabbing his hands looking up at him instead of hugging him. "Around 1:25 I came into the office and assisted Vash in a search and find for Joshua." Candy scrunches her face up and says that Joshua wouldn't have been here that late, he was heading home to spend New Year's with Angel. Deon swallowed hard she was making this more difficult. It was one thing to watch an evenly matched fight it was another to see someone you knew could fight, be rendered immobile with a drug and beaten by his own kin. Vash had let him see the video before it was transferred to the police. "Please my queen this isn't the easiest of topics for me because I don't wish to upset you but I won't lie to you or keep anything from you." He tells her all that he knows she stays firm with her tale of what Joshua may have planned but what didn't happen. "Candy?" Her mouth was firm, her eyes hard, as she snatches her hands out of his and screams at him asking why is he saying this shit? Dropping his hands to his sides and looking at the floor he looks back up into her eyes. "Ask yourself why I would make this up?" Deon puts his hands in his lap "Call Vash and ask him where he is right now, since you don't trust my word."

Candy shakes her head with her tight smile in place. Pointing her phone at Deon she says "I don't know what would make you say that about Joshua. But if you want to play this fine I'll call Vash." Deon wasn't angry he looked hurt. "Don't look at me like that." He shrugs, get up and grabs the broom sweeping glass into a dust pan. Looking away from him she looks at her phone she had 3 missed calls from the automated medical switchboard. "Oh No" She hits send the angry sweeping stops she meets Deon's eyes and says "It's not Vash" Deon says nothing Candy presses speakerphone. This is an automated message from Sheldon Medical Group, asking Candy R for permission concerning Joshua Davenport to be treated under the Medical Contact laws an answer is required. Before we can continue. Do you give permission? Are you there? The message repeated and ended with Sorry I didn't get that goodbye. She listened to her world slide out of place. Turning to Deon blinking double time to hold back tears she walks towards him. He put down the broom and hugs her to him she says into his silk shirt. "He's not at home with Angel is he?" Deon says softly No. She tried to pull away threatening to mess up his shirt. He keeps her still and says for her he'd make an exception. Hot tears soaked his front and he rubs his hands up and down her back. She speaks into his shirt "The hospital called me and I didn't hear the call. We have to go he could still be waiting to be treated we have to go. I have go." He says that's where she is wrong. Pushing away from him "I'm going. You come with or you can stay. I'm going." He calls her his queen and said he'd meant that they would go together instead of alone. "Really?" he says yes and brushes away a stream of her tears with his thumb. "We have to call Angel if Joshua never made it home she's got to be worried sick." Calling Angel's phone she is met with the voice of Jonathon. "It's about Joshua is Angel near her phone?" When Jonathon asks what about Joshua he sounded angry. Remembering her Producer's last misconception of her bro Candy was going to straighten this out now. "Mr. McBride Joshua didn't stand Angel up or nothing he was…attacked at the club and tied up in his office closet for at least an hour and a half. His attackers drugged him and beat on him, Deon saw the footage but it's now with the police. Joshua is in the hospital." Jonathon says that Angel is in the hospital. "Oh so I'm going to be a god mommy real soon? Huh? I'm on my way." Candy ends the call and briskly walks out of the office.

Deon takes longer strides to catch up with his queen. She was worried about Joshua he knew but Jonathon's reply to her lift in tone wasn't the look he would have expected. "Candy what's wrong? Is everything ok with Angel?" His queen shakes her head no saying nothing is ok and tells him what Jonathon told her. Deon takes her keys "I'll drive you." He knew how emotionally invested his woman was with the man she saw as her brother. The female she saw as her only female friend turned sister and her god child. The fact that Angel is in the hospital in labor but unconscious worried him too, but he didn't want Candy wrapping her car around a tree trying to get to them.

In Houston Logan sits on the back steps of his parents' home. When his mother invited him here she must have known, he would have never said yes if she told him that the whole Connor and Kinkaid clan would be here for a New Year's party. Glenny walks outside and sits next to him. Looking down at his son he says "hey sport are you ok?" He'd put Glenny to bed hours ago. It was 3 in the morning. Glenny laid his head on Logan's arm and asked him a question that gave him pause. "Um sure, I call you lots of names it's only fair. If not Uncle Logan what did you want to change my name to?"

Glenny sat up and looked up at his Logan. Janet, Nikki and he were talking in Janet's other room and he'd asked Janet can he call his Logan another name. Janet asked him if it was a silly name or a real name. His was a real name. "I want you name to be." He sticks his pointer finger on his chin and pulls at the skin there like his Logan dose but his Logan has hair on his chin, Glenny had did it with bubbles one time but he had no hair yet on his face. "I want ur name to be Daddy. Janet calls Uncle Mark daddy." His Logan messed up his hair he puts both hands up and swipes his hair out of his eyes.

Logan looks down at the little boy that stole a place in his heart as soon as he laid eyes on him. Logan remembers milestones like Glenny trying to run after Janet after first learning to walk unassisted, was as vivid as if it was yesterday. He didn't know if it was the right thing to say and he would never hold Glenny to it, but right now in this moment his son Glenn Dale Connor wanted to call him Daddy. He ruffles his son's hair and watches as Glenny tries to once again emulate him. "Yeah Sport, you can call me daddy." Glenny gets up and hugs him. The sliding door opens and his mother walks out and asked Glenny why he was up. Glenny didn't miss a beat as he said he was talking to his daddy. His mother's eyebrows disappeared into her hair line. She then asks Glenny didn't he want to be as tall as his daddy. Logan knew this line by heart Glenny stands up looks at him and then puts his little hand over his head and says taller.

Penelope smiles and says "Then you should get your rest." Glenny hugs her son and walks back into the house calling out to what had to be his stuffed toy. As they both watch Short stuff walk back into the den where he and Adam were sleeping tonight, she closes the sliding door, walks over and sits in the chair near her son. "Logan you've hardly been in the house." Her son puts his head down the light caught the bandage that was affixed there covering the stiches just above his nape. "Is your head bothering you?" He says yeah "Your release papers said you should eat something before taking the pain med." He says he wants to go home, that she should have warned him that everyone was going to be here. "You had no clue about the party?" He says he wouldn't have come if he had, because he just wasn't feeling the social role tonight. "You were sent the invite and…I'll see if Marcy is heading home." He thanks her. Another question had been riding her lips since Glenny spoke. "Short stuff knows you aren't his father, he was calling you his Logan or Uncle Logan did you ask him to call you daddy?"

Logan gets to his feet and tells his mother the line of logic Glenny had laid out. "I mean mom he's a smart kid he knows his dad, but for almost a year he's seen and interacted with me more than he saw or interacted with Glenn in the two and a half years he lived with his parents. I think Glenny is merely trying to put together a picture that makes sense in his head you know. I just didn't have it in me to tell him no, and why should I? For all practical purposes he is my son. Whether he keeps calling me daddy or not, I'm not forcing him to call me anything so it's a win... win. His mind can take a break on trying to piece all this together, and I get to hear my son call me daddy until he thinks up something else." After they talk a bit more his cousin was ready to go home. Logan picked up his sleeping son and rode home he couldn't wait to get cleared to drive his own fucking vehicle again. Walking into his home he put Glenny in his den on the couch. Walking back through the house there was a ticket for the delivery of his truck from Ivey towing on his front door knob. His mother had made him a plate to take with him but the thought of eating something before he cleaned up the house, and at the very least set the alarm made him nauseous. What alarm could one set to protect one's self from the one that was supposed to love you with all of them? He walks into his shower and turns two of the heads away from him so he wouldn't soak the bandage on his head. Putting on a pair of jogging pants and a band tee he ambles to the kitchen. Image after image assaults him complete with auditory illusions of Megan screaming that he wasn't leaving her. After he eats, he takes one of the pain meds and his work phone rings it was Tracy he greets her and they talk. At least some one was having a good time she'd spoke to her son again. As he spoke to her he cleaned and before he knew it the house was once again clean. The worse room was Glenny's bathroom. Walking in he wanted to rip his former prison to shreds, but Tracy reminded him that he wasn't home alone, and how he would look to his pint sized imitator taking a sledge hammer to a bath tub. Tracy must have heard him drop the screw driver because she asked what he was doing. "I'm taking the railings off the tub." She asked what about when Glenny wanted to get in and out of the thing. "They make hard plastic ones." Tracy says he sounded like he was preparing the house for Megan's return. "Funny, I got to go." After ending the call with Tracy Logan takes the metal rails off the tub and throws them in a pile on the floor, gets up, sends Sophie's answering service a message and goes to sleep in his den with his son.

Hours later Michael is released from the hospital into police custody, he'd suffered a mild concussion. Bradley comes out of a hallway he'd got lost coming back from his cigarette break, though he wasn't doing drugs anymore he sometimes needed a smoke. One wrong doorway and you were lost. He stops in his tracks not believing what he was seeing. Meeting his son's eyes Michael then lowers his gaze as he is pushed forward. They wouldn't tell him anything about his wife. The fat cop that bounced his face on the floor was taking him in, this unnerved him. Bradley asks the officer what was the charge? Meeting his son's angry glare Michael says "Sally is in this hospital she…"

Officer Tanner says to the guy "Not that it's any of your, never mind the charge is homicide and if the woman died he will be up for two counts." The younger man looked at the old guy in shock. "Yeah just looking at him you're surprised too huh?" The old guy goes to say something. Tanner didn't want to hear this old fucker say anything. "It's like you expect him to be bouncing grans on his knee not slaying people and choking out women." The younger guy says there has to be some mistake. "Nah dead is dead, and we even have the weapon they got it out of the guy. He pulls upward on the chain between Michael's cuffed hands the old man tenses and hisses in pain. "You trying to resist old man?" the old man shakes his head no. Officer Tanner pushed his charge forward and the old guy stumbled into the door frame. Pulling him backwards then pushing him out the door. "I'm telling you now if you try to break away from me again I'll make you sorry."

Bradley stood stunned watching his father walked to the door in handcuffs. He says to his father. "Don't say anything." the cop kept yanking and pulling on his dad, from the looks of his father's body language, you could tell he was already fighting a battle of not hitting the floor. His mom was here, his dad was being arrested by a cop that was clearly hurting him. Bradley pulled his phone and recorded them, until the guy pushed his father into a van that read State Police. He storms back down the hall, he needed answers and to try to get his dad out. He texts the only person that he knew, that may know a lawyer that could help.

Bradley D: Joshua dad is being locked up and mom is in the hospital haven't found her yet. Call me ASAP

Vash sees Brad's message as he sits in the waiting room. He pulls his own phone, not wanting to respond as Joshua, and calls Bradley. Bradley picks up, and instantly knew something was up, because he asks what's wrong now. Vash tells him about Sally's call, Joshua's attack, and attempted kidnapping. "Bradley are you there? No this isn't the time to go off, this is the time to keep your head, the best you can. I don't know what you mother meant, all she was able to tell me is that someone was trying to kill her. Now that you say there was at least one other person in their home, in my mind, that assures me that Michael wasn't who she was talking about. If the cop did anything obvious while in this hospital there are cameras all over this place. Unless this officer Tanner can somehow get Sheldon to call the cops, that stream will be sent to wherever Doc Sheldon keeps his audio and video backups, until he dumps them personally. We need to get to the bottom of this and quick." Bradley asked what could he do right now. Vash knew Bradley with and without the drugs, Bradley without the drugs was a little better at keeping a rein on his natural hot head impulses. Vash didn't know how long that would last, so he tells Bradley to call the hospital and find the room his mom was in, or check on her condition and call him back. Bradley says yeah okay and hangs up. Vash had called and the hospital, the staff wouldn't tell him anything, he hoped Brad at least got some information. Officially he wasn't on Joshua's file either he was waiting when he saw Angel's sister walk pass the room, he gets up and follows her. As he is about to walk up and tap her on the shoulder, his hand is suddenly drawn behind his back, and he is met with an arm in the back of his head, as his chest is pushed into the wall. A man about Vash's height, pinned him up against the wall and was frisking him. A woman was speaking to him telling him that he was not to come in contact with Ms. Ivey. Looking down he saw she was holding a gun on him. "I work for her brother Joshua Davenport, my code is Vash 1229, and I was just trying to catch her attention. Take my wallet, my keycard is in there." Vash didn't want this getting any further out of control than it already was, Cynthia would lose it, if he got hurt tonight. He'd already pissed her off by having to head into the club on New Year's eve, and he wasn't up for being sent to jail, or becoming a patient, for merely trying to deliver information on New Year's day. Sophie E Ivey turns around and Vash says. "SOPHIE It's me Vashon Williams from the Davenport. I mean you no harm, I swear. I was trying to catch you before you left the area." He tells her all he knows in quick fashion, trying to not make any sudden movements. "Look I know everything is crazy right now, but I promise I was just trying to catch your attention. If you could please ask your guard not to shoot me, or break my arms, I've said all I wanted to…to you. "

Sophie was pissed, the fucking security was all action now, and no fucking brains. Where was this bunch, when the guy was driving up, and walking in her damn house terrorizing her sister? Even with the auto opener on Joshua's truck, no one looked at the driver, or saw a problem with a guy taller, and thinner, than Joshua walking up to the door, and into the house? Joy had sent her the missing footage that was sent to the police. Yeah the fucker was wearing Joshua's jacket, but she still knew that wasn't him. On the screen she'd seen Angel try to shut the door. She didn't want to think too hard of what if Jonathon wasn't there, and hadn't tackled the fucker. What the drummer said didn't sink in fully. Closing her eyes and shaking her head she says "I'm sorry, what?" the drummer repeats himself, his words coming faster "Let him go." The female guard asks was she sure? "I said let him go. If I have to repeat myself, so help me the next thing you will be guarding is a food pantry." The man and woman steps back and let's Joshua and Angel's business partner off the wall. They give him his wallet, he fumbles trying to put it back in his shirt pocket. She had saw Vash a few times outside of preforming with Personal Touch, he used to be Joshua's sound man, and was at Angel's wedding with his wife Cynthia, and his newborn twins. Vash never called her Sophie, he'd always called her Ms. Ivey, so the security must have really surprised and scared him. He bends down slowly as if at any minute the two guards are going to make him eat wall again, picks up his hat. "Look Vash I'm…" Vash kept his eyes down and at the female guard, as he slowly walks backwards a good 5 feet, turns, and walks into a men's single use restroom. Sighing Sophie eyes the woman and sees her put her gun away. "Ma'am you're dismissed." Great, so that's what had Vash still looking like a deer in the street with a truck coming. Sophie would have to talk to her dad, this was too much, if the team didn't get their act together, if not she was going to find one that could. The drummer had said Joshua was jumped by his father and brother, Sally was in the hospital and Michael was going to jail. Why the fuck would Michael and Bradley jump Joshua? Nothing made sense. She needed to talk to that drummer, but she had a feeling he wasn't coming out of there anytime soon.

Vash stood on the inside of the men's single use restroom door, taking deep breaths. He locked the door, he needed to pull himself together. Hell even when he was pulling double duty as security, and Michael's sound man, he never carried. Anger evened out Vashon's shaking. Who drew down on a person in a hospital? What the hell did the guy and gal think he was going to do? This was a way different team than the one that was covering them when Joshua was kidnapped. Hell he didn't know what that was about. The male guard had him, and he wasn't going anywhere, and had been cleared to move, but even when Sophie E Ivey was speaking to him, the female guard still had her gun pointed at him. He wanted to find out how Joshua was doing, if he had to, he'd just keep away from Ivey, that team was nuts, and he still wanted to have a heartbeat at the end of the night. Rubbing his shoulder, he thinks to himself, I'm getting to old for this shit. He unlocks the door and walks out and almost collides with Sophie. At the last possible second he stops, raising his hands palms out, looking for the female John Wayne, that was in this woman's employ. "Look Ms. Ivey I'm not following you. I was heading in there." Vash nods his head toward the waiting room, he was in before he saw her and almost got whacked. Just as Sophie is about to speak, Lucas walks out of the back and out into the hall. Forgetting all about Sophie and her death crew for a time, Vash turns on the doc and asks "How is he?"

Luke waves them into the side office near the public waiting room. He notes Vash standing as far away from Sophie as possible, in the 10 by 10 room. He meets Sophie's gaze then speaks mainly to her since he knew she was concerned about being contacted on Joshua's behalf. "He's lethargic, but awake." Turning to Vash "It was a good thing you got him here when you did. Joshua and drugs don't mesh well. Also who ever worked him over gave him some real bad shots to his ribs." Vash asks broken or cracked? "No, it's mostly bruising, if he was thinner and not in shape, the impact would have caused more damage." Sophie asked Vash why Michael and Bradley would be beating on her brother. Vash says Mike and Bradley weren't, the father and son duo he was talking about, he meant Joshua's birth father and his blood brother. Sophie says she didn't know where the father was, but the son was in jail. Vash says he's in jail too. Sophie turns back to Luke and says that the guy was a nurse in this area. "Considering Joshua can't take anything with that combination, we had to give him an antidote to drugs that are not manufactured by Sheldon Pharmacy. I also had Patrick's name ran from the report you gave the med crew Vash. He worked for Grandville Memorial North and wasn't fired after being arrested the first time. Joshua is going to be sore for a while. I've wrote him a script for an external application, but I am not giving him anything internal, until I have a few more blood tests to confirm that the drug combo has broken up and left his system. He's in 457 I have to get going, I'll talk to you later."

Vash walks out of the small room before Sophie stepped towards the door. He looks down the hall and then heads to the elevator. Sophie walks in and stands there looking up at the numbers, his gaze flitted between the numbers and her face. As the door opens on the 2nd floor and a woman gets off he moves over away from her. They were now alone in a glass elevator, facing the city. Vash looked down as the street got further and further away standing in a see through cell with a woman that could blink her fucking eye, and your existence could be snuffed before you even realized that you're dead. She couldn't pick another elevator in a bank of eight? Maybe he should get off and take the stairs, they weren't see through. As they get to 3 he steps toward the door pulling at his shirt collar. Sophie speaks to him turning her attention to him. When she says look at her he complies, and she hands him a card telling him to get Michael counsel as soon as possible. Taking the card the door signaled that they had reached the 4th floor, and she walks out. Not wanting to be a moving target he briskly walks out and as the metal door closes, he says to her holding up the card that read Strickland Law an Ivey Company "Thank you Ms. Ivey" as he heads into one of the sitting rooms with the Cell phone not crossed out, she thanks him for getting Joshua here in time. "I know he'd do the same for me in a heartbeat. I think of all them as my family." Vash makes his call to Bradley and then to Strickland Law on behalf of Bradley who said he wasn't the best to talk to anyone that mattered right now, and he didn't want to risk fucking anything up worse than it was already. Vash knew what that meant, Bradley was scared for his father, and so was Vash, but he would do all he could to help out the family that helped him through a lot of shit, until he met and married his second wife Cynthia. Thinking of his wife and the twins he calls his wife, and tells her what was going on, leaving out the security shit. "Yeah I'm going to see him and then I'm heading in. I know, and I'm sorry babe to make you worry. I'll make it up to you, and the twins I promise. No, I know better than that. I'll bring you chocolate and that scent you like. Honey I'm not making light of it, I just don't want you mad at me ya know. Like I said, I just want to see him for myself, then I'll be home, love you too." That was the difference between Cindy and his first wife. Cindy told him what pissed her off, and didn't make it a guessing game. He respected and loved that about her. He knew he still had a lot of growing to do, as far as relationships went, the fact that she wasn't always mad at him, also made him want to make it up to her. She knew how his mind worked, and she never let him isolate himself for too long. Within his first marriage, his wife would not tell him that he was on her shit list until her breaking point, which more often than not, included her doing stupid shit to him in his sleep. He started staying in his sound booth at the Davenport overnight after she'd poured grease on his face when he'd woke spluttering like an idiot, she'd said that was for her finding a woman's number in his phone two week prior to her deciding he was a greaser that deserved to have cold cooking grease poured in his face in his damn sleep. Debra didn't realize that he getting up taking a shower and walking out that morning to go to work, was the end of their marriage. He gave her the house, and for a time lived off Michael in a way, staying overnight in his booth. Sally was the one that came looking for Michael, and discovered Vash sleep on the floor under the microphone bay at 11 in the morning, on her lunch break. Once he told her what was going on, she told him he couldn't continue hiding from his wife. That night he went home and Debbie thought all was well. She asked who the female was that he stayed with, and was it the bitch in his phone, and fondly remembered the look on her face, when he told her that the woman in his phone was his boss's wife, and that he'd been to pissed to come home, and had been staying in his sound booth. After two weeks of camping out in his own home, and sleeping when she was away at work so he could get up that night and go to work, he moved his shit out to his current home, and sent her the divorce papers. It took 12 years for him to trust another female, and not wanting to risk another grease bath or something worse after Cindy and his first argument as man and wife, he'd went back to work and attempted to stay the night in his booth, swearing he'd deal with their conflict the next day. He smiles at the memory of his Cynthia walking to his booth In the middle of one of Joshua's sets. He'd never forget the moment when she made it known that she wasn't giving up on him or them that easy, and that they had a date.