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.

43. Chapter 43 Mania Meltdown

Chapter 43

Mania Meltdown

Later that morning, at Chase's home. He wakes to the sound of a vacuum cleaner. He knew his housekeeper didn't clean this early since she knew his schedule sometimes better than he. Getting out of bed he pads downstairs in his neon shirt and Nike shorts that Angel had bought him and sees Amy cleaning like a mad woman. "I do have a woman, I pay to do just that, is there a problem sweetheart, did she miss something?" Amy says no and asks him to have a seat and adds please to warm her tone. "Have I done something unbeknownst to me to irritate you?" Amy says no her parents are coming down for a visit, and she guessed she was just nervous. Chase wondered why after all this time had her parents that abandoned her in her time of extreme need were now so available. "That's fascinating, when are they to arrive?" She says they are to be here by noon today. "Did you inform me of this before, or is this your first time telling me?"

"Chase, this is a rare treat for me, my parents haven't been here in 15 years and when they said they wanted to meet the new man in my life, I couldn't say no." Nikki walked in the living room and says her room is clean. "Thank you dear. Isn't this exciting, you get to meet your grandparents for the first time and not just over the phone." Nikki looks at Chase and asks did he need any help at the Rebuilding Grandville office today. Chase shakes his head and says afraid not and called her kiddo but his voice sounded different. Her mom jumped back in the conversation and says "Honey, it's going to be great. My mom is over the moon about you, and has never met you. She is excited about meeting Chase as well. Now go on up and brush your hair."

Nikki slouched, sighed, and turned to go back up to her room here in Chase's home. Her mom told her to not slouch and use to the balustrade properly. Oh, boy her mom had gone all beauty queen coach on her again. Even when her grandparents were on the phone, or on video chat, her mom's wording changed so much. Yes, her mom had been Little Miss D.C. and Homecoming Queen but that was over 17 years ago, Nikki was a female jock, she could care less about tea parties with judges, and going to huge parties, unless they were like the parties she had been to with Janet, Angel, and Chase's family. They were rich, and didn't act like they were all that, they wore cute clothing, and acted human, they spoke like people, not like they studied a million different ways to say something. Nikki had heard the stories from her dad, how when her mom almost lost her that her parents told her maybe it was god's will and had not even flown out to check on their own daughter. Nikki was born 10 whole weeks too early and almost died, and her grandmother told her mother in front of her dad that her life ending, would have been God forgiving her for her sins. That she wasn't meant to have a child with a mechanic. She was better than that. Her mom had a child that her parents didn't approve of, and that child was Nikki. How her mother could be so excited about this pair of religious nut jobs, Nikki would never know. They saw how sad her mom was after her dad died and even though Nikki begged not to go to the funeral her mom understood, or at least she'd said she did. When Nikki saw her mom again, she made it a point to give her lots of hugs. Her grandparents were mean to her mom most of the time. It wasn't until her mom got the huge restaurant she ran now, that her mother even started calling her. Nikki wondered if maybe her grandparents just wanted free food or something. Maybe a giant order of her mom's pizza burgers and she could be rid of her parents for another lifetime.

Downstairs, Amy moves back to dusting. Chase walks over and tells her that the hand crafted wooden cabinet was clean. Amy says he is right, and excuses herself to go get changed and suggested he do the same unless he wanted to meet her parents looking like a… "Watch it, my daughter bought me this workout outfit, but yes I'll come change if it will make you happy."

Angel sits in the waiting room she'd called Sally. Sally walked in with Cassandra behind her. Angel knew that Sally and Cassandra sometimes went to an all-night diner when Cass couldn't sleep. They all had their own shit to deal with. They asked was Josh out of surgery yet. Angel shakes her head no. Joshua had to have his appendix taken out, since because of the blunt trauma to his abdomen, his appendix inflamed and would have burst if left untreated. At first, they just took an x-ray they were about to release him, until he puked and passed out. That's when Middlebrooks got here and ordered a different scan and found the issue. Cass tries for levity accusing Angel of pounding on her baby brother. Angel knew it was a thing Cass had started instead of going nuts, and being a bitch, she tried to be funny, which most of the time failed, like now, Angel grabs her hair tie and played with it, to give her hands something to do, as she tried to keep talking in a calm tone. Calm wasn't one of her moods right now. Try pissed off, try scared out of her fucking mind, those fit more closely. Joshua hadn't told the staff that it was Luke. She felt trapped in her own fucking head.

Luke walked to the hospital early this morning. Turning on his medical updates on his iPad he sees that his mother had come for a visit after he left yesterday, and she'd been treated by Middlebrooks. He hated feeling left in the dark. He would soon welcome that feeling as he searched for today's caseload and found Joshua's name. Scanning his patient's record for updates, he sees that Joshua was in OR3 undergoing an appendectomy. The system had not called him. Joshua was his patient. He then sees that Joshua had a request for network change of doctors pending. Reading the case file that brought his soon to be brother in law here today, he paused as he read. An appendectomy was a common procedure, but not when it was because of acute appendicitis due to blunt trauma to the abdomen. "Fuck" Luke swears under his breath as he closes his eyes, he then reopens them to finish reading. The symptoms were said by the patient to have begun two days ago, when he and a friend were sparring, and he'd let his guard down. So, Joshua hadn't named him, he felt a small amount of relief. Sophie would be going to work by now. He needed to talk to her. Had she known? Was that why she'd sent his number to her answering service? He dials her number as he steps off the elevator on the OR floor. It went through, but Sophie just told him she had a meeting but would call him back later, then she was gone. He sees Sandra walk out of OR3. "Dr. Middlebrooks, may I have a word with you please?" Sandra stops in her tracks and turns to him saying of course. "You have been here since 2:15 this morning how heavy is your work load? Have you taken a break? You could have called me."

Sandra turned around, Luke had been a real bear this last couple of days, that was one Sheldon she did not wish to cross right now. Luke stops her outside of Joshua Davenport's OR. When he asked was her load heavy and had she taken her break yet. She did not need to be shut down for 90 minutes or longer. "Dr. Sheldon, I have a post-surgery consult with the family, and one more patient to see and release, then I will take my mandatory." He asked why she neglected to tell him his mother was here yesterday or that his patient was here right now. Sandra adored the matriarch of the Sheldon family, always had. Mrs. Ella Matenopoulos-Sheldon had stated that she had fallen in her home, and tried to catch herself. Sandra didn't know what to believe. Seeing the facial bruising, she could suspect all she wanted, but she had no way of knowing what really happened. Also, she didn't see a simple fall causing that much damage. Ella wasn't a frail woman. Joshua was a puzzle of his own. He had facial bruising, and someone that he was sparring with hit him hard enough to land him here. Just then the cosmos worked in her favor, as Luke gets a call. Then the cosmos turned on her, as she realized someone was asking him about his mother's condition. "Dr. Sheldon I really need to get this meeting over with, then I will come to your office." He nods and walks away from her. Sandra had heard Joshua's story and that along with his change of network doctor request, and appointment for later today in her office really sent up red flags in her head. The only reason he was in the hospital now was because per his and Angela's triage statement, the pain got worse, and he could barely stay conscious, that along with the vomiting and high fever, moved up his timeline. Ella was her patient, Joshua wasn't her patient yet, Sandra had lots of questions but no one to really ask them to. A true consult with her boss, she didn't think would go over well right now.

Angel and Cass started talking about whether to pull the original video package. Cass wanted to post it on the website and Angel wanted to run that by their legal team. "Cassandra, Deon was in that video." Cassandra said that is what editing software was for. The door opened and that ended the conversation as Middlebrooks walked out and asked them into her office. Angel pops up along with Sally and Cassandra.

Middlebrooks closed the door behind the three women, and skirted her desk. "He is in recovery right now. We used the less evasive tactic of laparoscopy. You know how he responds to anesthetic drugs, so right now he's lethargic but that will pass soon. He is no longer complaining of discomfort. His temp has returned to his normal range. Where 98.6 is normal baseline, Joshua's normal temp is right around 99.0." Angel asked could she see him. Sally asked how long he would be hospitalized. "To Angela, Yes, you may see him. To Mrs. Davenport, within 12 hours of surgery he may get up and move about we'd prefer he do so. We want to keep him for a full 24 hours for observation purposes." Angel asked how long will it take him to recover, "He will be able to return to normal activities in two to three weeks. His recovery may be on the lower end of recovery time since we caught it before a full rupture could occur." Angela thanks her and asked where his room was. Sandra showed the three to Joshua's recovery room, this time Angela went in first. Sandra remembered how Angela felt when she agreed to come second when Joshua was in the hospital after his abduction. Sandra was proud of Angela as her therapy client. Sally and Cassandra waited out in the recovery waiting room. After leaving them she discharged her other patient, took herself offline, and then stood outside of Luke's office gearing up for whatever was to come out of this conversation. She knocks on the door and he answered with a gruff "come in". Opening the door his phone rang, and he took the call. He looks at his screen and says for her to come back after her break was over. "Yes, doctor" Sandra walked back out of his office and leaned against the door. Hopefully whoever was on the other end of that phone, would improve his mood.

Over at Ivey Enterprises, Sophie finished her first round of meetings which started super early this morning. She looked at Luke's schedule he'd called her in the middle of a meeting with a major bank that wanted to be a part of one of her store chain's credit services. She called him and he answered on the first ring. "If you are busy, I could call you back." He says not necessary. She then hears him tell someone to come back after their break, and what sounded like Sandra in the background answering with yes doctor, she sounded stressed. He says he wanted to first apologize for his behavior, and that he really didn't think he hit Joshua that hard, and he was just glad they had got him in time to be treated. He says he wouldn't be sparring with any more people anytime soon. "Wait, what the hell are you talking about? Angel didn't even tell me she was leaving, Paula told me they went to the hospital. Hell, I thought for sure they would be back at the house by now." Luke tells her what he could gather about this morning's events. "Wow." Luke says what did that mean. "It means wow, I can't believe this fucked up shit right before their performance. Manaia season do not treat them right, last year Angel was beat up by her nut bag of an ex band member, and this year Joshua is beat up by his doctor." That rose a question in her legal brain. "If you don't know, you may want to find out. Did Joshua mention your name at all?"

Luke leans back in his seat and looks at the ceiling as he answers with the same confusion in his tone as when he read the triage report. "No, he says he and a friend were sparring and he let down his guard. I still can't even believe that happened." Sophie says well it did, he lost his fucking mind on a part of her family, over some dumb ass in his bloodline, that she had already handled. Luke sits up. "You're right, I'm beyond sorry Sophie. I can't change what happened, but it won't happen again. It just can't," Sophie agrees because if there was a next time, she wouldn't be able to forgive him. "My actions could have ended so much in my life over Russo, Joshua held my whole career in his hands, and didn't tank my ass. I'm taking this as my second chance. I want to make this up to the both of you." They talk for a few more minutes and agree to meet after she got off work. Luke closes the call and pulled up his program and grants Joshua's request for a doctor change. It was the absolute least he could do. Pulling his phone, he texted Sandra on her personal phone.

L Sheldon Jr.: Sandra will you please return to my office, I have coffee.

Sandra M: I'm sure you do. On my way.

Luke sat back in his seat. Alienating his top staff was a bad professional move that he wanted to correct quickly. With his wedding and vacation for his honeymoon fast approaching, having his second in command's morale high would give him the necessary head space he would need to be gone so long. Rubbing both hands over his face he pulled at his growing beard. He would have to clean that up before his dinner with Sophie. A little facial hair she was fine with, this Dr. Lumberjack look he seemed to be rocking after just three days of not shaving, would not do. Sandra knocked on his door. "Come in." They talk and he asks her was there anything she wanted to talk about. As she took her second cup of coffee she clammed up. "What?" When she started speaking he could hardly breathe, his mother came in for a broken wrist and had bruising on her face, as if that wasn't bad enough, Russo had called him asking about his sister just this morning. Sandra mentioned the marks on his father's hands and Luke was out of his seat yelling "What are saying? Are you trying to ask me if I think my father hit my mother?" Sandra drew back on herself and away from him. Lowering his tone, he says opening his hands "You've known my father longer than even I have; do you honestly think he'd do that? Did you ask him if he needed to be treated? You know instead of asking you, I'm telling you, my father did not, nor would he ever, hit my mother. That's all I got, oh and I gave you Joshua Davenport he requested a change of doctor, and I just granted it. How is he anyway?" Sandra's eyes widen then narrow.

Sandra stood. "Lucas, I think you need to take a mental health day." He gets in her face. Keeping her tone level as she would with a therapy patient she says "Please, Doctor Sheldon, hear me out. I don't mean just go to another hospital. Whatever is bothering you, it has you very emotional, and you are starting to come undone." She says as she points at the current miniscule distance between them. "You have changed moods 11 times, in the last 20 minutes. You have used counter- transference, where I am your adversary, which is just not the case. I don't know what happened, to answer your question, no I don't believe Dr. L. Sheldon Sr, your father, my former boss, would strike his wife. You asked about my notes, and I was explaining them to you. In the last two days, you have snapped at everyone that is employed at this site. Luke, I'm saying this as a doctor that watched your father 8 years ago, have a total melt down where you are standing right now. You need to calm down, before you stroke out. As for Joshua, that's fine he still maintains that he just wants to be under the same doctor as his wife, and child. If it is ok with you, it is ok with me. Your trying to hold the world on your shoulders, and I'm telling you, you can't be everything to everyone."

Luke backed off and sat on his desk. He'd been in her face for way too long. Though she still stood ramrod straight, he knew he'd at the very least surprised her in a negative way. Her eyes gave it away. Her voice changed to a lower even tone. "I thank you for your concern, I don't need a mental health day. Sandra, when I first began the process of becoming a doctor, I asked you for a service. You said anytime. I must ask you to treat this as you would any other session. The exclusion is that I turn off my phone and the recording in this room. If you're worried about your case load I can…" She tells him that she is free if he would sign her back in. "I don't understand. This would be a paid session just like the last time. Only my father won't be footing the bill." She informs him that the last session he had with her was arranged when she was on the clock. "Forgive me, it's been awhile since I have done anything like this." Turning off audio in his office, and setting his cyber code to away, he sits across from her. She asks him where he wanted to start. "I've had a lot of life transitions. I was dating last year, but it really didn't mean anything until I started seeing Sophie. Now I'm getting married in a short while. I wanted everything to be perfect. She said yes and two very powerful things run through me. Happiness and fear that I'm fucking this up. I know it is completely irrational for me to fear something that, I want so much. My mother's side of the family came in town and I saw a part of my family that could very well be a part of me. I'm not talking about the old bloodline nonsense but the other Social-environmental stuff I have witnessed. I'm judgmental in some social situations, I'm not rude as he is, or at the very least I hadn't been. I see how my family and myself treats him because of his ways. His name is Russo, he attacked Sophie and she defended her self." Sandra sat in the chair that sits across from him, crossed her legs, and asked him was that what upset him. That she defended her self? "No, I was pissed at myself, for not doing more. I sat in that limo and promised Sophie, that I would take no further action against him." Sandra asked did he. Luke sighs and leans back. "No. I did something worse. I let Russo get in my head. I had sparred with Joshua before and it calmed me down, it was kind of fun. So, two days ago, I challenged Joshua Davenport to a sparring match. It was going good. We had a set of rules. Sophie came down, and I bit off her head for standing there watching us. I think in some way I may have resented promising her that I would not defend her. Joshua came to her defense and the Russo conversation I had with my mother hours before, came over me and the next thing I knew, I was slamming in to Joshua, he was on the floor, and Sophie was screaming at me. I went to help him up, I felt horrible that I'd broken all of our rules in the blink of an eye. To find out today that my action caused even more damage than either of us knew, just makes it that much worse." Luke tells the rest of the story from his point a view and finishes with. "To quote Sophie, I really lost my shit. I fear losing her. As important as my profession is to me, that day I handed it to Joshua Davenport on a silver fucking platter. I could had have walked to this office for the very last time, and been walked right back out. I attacked not only my own friend, but my own patient and a part of my future family."

"Lucas, you up until very recently have never let yourself be this exposed. That is normal. It is what you do with those impulses that sets you apart from those that you do not wish to emulate. You say you are partially judgmental, it comes with the territory. You see thousands of things within people every day, that the normal person will never experience. I am going to recommend a few further sessions you hold anger until it is released in a negative way. You have avoided so many normal social situations, when something that directly impacts you. You are unequipped emotionally to handle it. It's isn't irrational that you fear failure in your relationship it is what you do with that fear that matters. My husband drove to Mexico the day before my wedding because he was afraid of failing me. He came back and we have been married for 20 years. Marriage is the most the dirtiest, hardest, most rewarding job there is. With impulse training, I think you would be a great husband to Sophie." They agree to have more sessions.

Up inside Mark's hotel room he wakes to the smell of sweat and roses, scrunching up his nose at the weird combination, he opens his eyes, what he sees makes him close them again. There was no fucking way his travel liaison was in his bed. He had some weird dream last night, but he hadn't drunk anything, the boys asked him if he wanted to hit the bars, and he declined. From the cotton taste filling his mouth, and the stopped up feeling in his nose if he didn't know better he'd done mushrooms. In his early twenties, he and Shawn did them. Back then, when he woke like this it was because he didn't get enough water in him before the ride was over. Fragmented memories latch on of him running in the street being chased by zombies. He opened his eyes, fuck she was still here, and laying on his arm. Moving his arm from under the woman's head she opened her eyes, took one look at him, and attempted to jump out of the bed clutching her clothes to her chest. Her leg got caught in the covers, and she face planted he carpeted floor with an oomph. "Why the fuck, are you in my room?" they both yelled in almost unison. "This my room little girl" Mark growls.

This was not happening, her husband was going to kill what was left of her, after the Deadman got done. Looking around this looked like her room. Getting to her feet. She holds her head, damn she had to stop acting like a teenager, she must have really been losing count on the amount of booze she was drinking. She was still fully clothed so at least she didn't think she had fucked them both. As she glances at him he must have been checking the same thing. He looked down at his clothing they were both still wearing their boots. A song from her youth about knocking boots, crossed her mind and she busted up laughing. It was the most horrible timing for her nervous laughter to rear its ugly head, but it was out now. He didn't see the humor in her private joke. He looked about to yell his head off. He opened his mouth and everything she had worked so hard to prove that she wasn't he accused her of being. A stupid fucking whore. He went on about how he knew from jump, this was a bad fucking idea. She'd dealt with the names and bullshit on her last job. She'd never crossed the line with them. She respected him, on some level he was someone else she did not want to disappoint. That was out the window he flung the word whore around so freely. Just like the rocker she'd worked for. Mark Callaway looked like her fucking father. Though with him shouting trash at her. Gone was the nervousness, anger crawled up her spine, and out of her mouth. "I'm not a whore of any kind, stupid or otherwise. Unless I have your manhood down my gullet, and a fist full of bills don't you EVER call me that again." She'd shocked them both into silence. Then came the massive pain of her forgotten hangover. She instantly felt like she had to barf. She runs into the bathroom and dry heaves. There wasn't anything left. Not food, and most likely her job had just flown from her mouth. As she walks out to get fired, she sees him try to get up upon seeing her reemerge from the bathroom. Mark goes to stand abruptly and crashes back to the bed in pain. "Oh shit, are you ok?" Mark waves her off and held both knees as he attempts to stand again. He asked had she got his pain med refilled. "Yeah hold on." She heads back through the bathroom and into her room where Nikki Bella, and Sasha Orton sat in her bed with smiles on their faces. Stacy froze. Mark asked what was wrong. "Um, I, nothing' She walks in her room and closes the door behind her. "Ladies, I think you have the wrong room."

Nikki giggles and tosses her hair as she says "Nope, I think we are in the right place. It's where you were not for most of the night. So, Stacy Bloke, did Taker, take you down to hell and resurrect you this morning?" Sasha laughs and adds or was Stacy to star stuck to capitalize? The little bitch got an attitude and accused them of setting her up. "Well duh, John said it would serve Mark right for what he did to the last girl. The girl just like you, that thought she was an honorary diva." Stacy told them she never claimed she was a diva and wouldn't want the job of dressing up in slut attire, smiling, and doing splits for a living. Nikki Bella ran up to Stacy and slapped her across the face, then followed it up with an upper cut to the bitch's chin knocking her flat on her back. Sasha stood back and laughed. Nikki Bella stood over her bent down and says. "Don't worry bitch, we took pictures of you and Taker all cozy in bed. Tell your boss unless he wants his business life and personal life to become public, he will talk Shane or Hunter into letting Sasha have a true chance at becoming a diva." Stacy tries to get up, Sasha stood on her hair. Stacy demands Sasha let's go of her hair. She then says Mark and she were fully clothed. "Look at this bitch. Under the covers, won't nobody know that, but you and Mark." Nikki Bella throws pictures on the downed Stacy, then her and Sasha run out of the hotel room.

Stacy remains on the floor, yep she was fired. Her career was over in such a bad way. Mark was going to be livid, or more so if that was even possible. Steph would see the pictures and fire her ass. She foolishly convinced her husband last week after her second awesome check, that they could afford a home instead of the rental they lived happily in. Once the pictures came out, her husband would divorce her. He wasn't happy that she got a ride home from Mark when they were close to her hometown. He had accused her of being a flirt. Mark's wife's ringtone hit her phone. "Call your husband, call your husband, call your husband." She cries at her ringing phone as tears of failure streamed down her cheeks onto the carpet.

What the hell was taking Stacy so long? Mark wondered as he stands and walks to the door. He heard voices. Then the door slam who was she in there with? He wrenched the door open and stopped as he sees her on the floor curled in a ball saying over an over call your husband as her phone rang. "I don't think it works that way." He must have startled her because she froze then quickly grabs a photograph that was lying beside her. Mark saw himself on another one by her foot and reaches down snagging it out of her reach, upon looking at it he wanted answers. "You mind on telling me what this about? First you were in my bed and now fucking pictures? Who was that in here a few minutes ago? Who are you working with since it isn't me? What were you hoping to gain from pictures like this? I told Stephanie this was a bad idea."

Sitting up Stacy looks up at Mark the whole story came out of her before she could make it sound better if that was possible. "Maybe your right, fuck yes your right." He asks what is she saying? When he asks her why she would organize this? "Mark I," he cuts her off and tells her to call him Mr. Callaway because if she thought she was going to do something big with this excuse for a try at fucking up his image. She was dead wrong. "I don't even remember getting in your bed." He says of course she don't "Do you remember me being there? I can assure you I do not go to bed wearing all of my clothing including foot wear." She tells him about walking down the hall when he first retuned to the tour and hearing John and Randy talk about him. Her phone rings again. They both ignore it. He asks her why this the first time she thought to tell him of someone plotting against him unless she was getting a piece. "Getting a piece of what exactly, the unemployment check I may draw? Mr. Callaway, you had been very firm on what we were and weren't to discuss. I thought maybe I had just seen a scene. If that was the case you would think, well, what you are thinking now, that I'm a fuck up, or a fan, or stalker. I was in the back watching you on the monitor last night, and I am the one that should have known my fucking place. Nikki Bella and Sasha Orton came by and asked if I wanted to hang out. I'd just had an argument with my husband and said sure. I do this thing where I count the amount of booze I drink and ask myself questions. When the answers get, weird I stop drinking. Last night, I felt like a teenager again. The girls asked me about my former clients and were hanging on my every word." Mark ask what the fuck did that have to do with her trying to do whatever she was doing taking pictures in his bed. "I should have told the divas no. I didn't." Mark maintains that she was petty in not telling him that she even suspected someone was plotting against him, and stayed quiet. Before she could defend herself, he cuts her off and says he no longer thought she was a whore. That relief was very short lived as he said she was even worse she was delusional. He then asked her what she wanted in exchange. "I don't want anything from you." His calm condescending tone alarmed her more than his yelling. She'd seen him move into this mind fuck mode before, and nothing good ever came from it. Mark says that's bullshit because no one would go to all this trouble for kicks. He tells her she is not his type. Then watches her face as if she was going to fall over now that he had exposed her secret, and crushed her little brain with his rejection. "Let me remind you for the millionth time, you are not my type. If you remember I told you, that you look like my dad. I know you don't see it, by looking at me but fuck, its true damn-it. My mother is black Pacific Islander and my father looks just like you only older. I don't have a daddy fetish. My husband is younger than I am by 6 years. I could give fuck all about you in the way you think I do." Grabbing her phone she shows him a picture that looked a lot like Jonathon, but with less grey, and more red in his beard. "Let me guess your Scottish?" Mark says no Irish American. "Close enough. I could give fuck all, that you are famous, the only reason I don't travel manage non-famous people is because there isn't enough money in it. The truth is I don't want anything from you, but, your coworkers do apparently." She touches her chin and winces where Nikki Bella hit her. "You blocking Sasha Orton from some showcase has pissed off her mate, and his best friend John Cena. They want you to work that "ring master magic" of yours, and get the Sasha cow on as a diva. Or their going to show those pictures."

After leaving Joshua's room, Cassandra and Sally pick up Candy on their way to go pick up Bradley from jail. They pull up and Candy was the first out of Rapture's truck. Bradley and his attorney were sitting outside the state jail talking. Bradley saw Candy jump from the truck Cass drove, and stands to greet her. Candy crashed into him and he hugged her tightly with his face in her hair. Drawing back, she asked if she'd hurt him as she runs her finger over his busted lip, and over the scar that starts at the bridge of his nose and goes up almost into his hairline. "No, it looks worse that it is." He turns to Derrick Spencer and says "Thanks again man." His attorney tells him his court date and leaves. Candy asked him how did all this happen? Sally and Cassandra walk up and he hugs them as well. Sally suggest they go get food and away from this place. "Sounds good to me." Bradley says as he gets in behind Cass while Candy sits next to him. After a good meal at a local diner, Sally asked him about his car. That part was fuzzy about the day's events. Bradley walks backwards facing the females that mattered to him, as they all walked back to the truck. "I don't know. It wasn't on the list of my things, and there is no impound slip, so my guess is that Logan or a part of my team has it."

Inside the truck, Cassandra looks at her brother that had been doing so well with the staying clean thing. She had to know was there any truth to his charges. No one simply forgot if the cops took your ride or not. Meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror she asked "Hey Brad, umm, is there anything you want to tell us. I mean you are out of there for now." Her mother told her to stop it. "No mom, the last time I stopped asking he ended up attacking you and hurting daddy there is no telling what he would do now."

Candy took his hand he relaxed his hand and says in a calm tone. "Cass, I was jumped on my work site and got this facial by fist from some cops." Cass asked was he resisting arrest. "They weren't trying to arrest me, I don't know what it was about. I went to work, had my lunch, and called my girl. I come back to the site to finish up a house, and I get taken to the ground by four cops, one of them kept kicking me in my fucking head the money shot was the one he landed to my nose, I saw it coming and couldn't do shit to deflect it. Turned out my lights quick. I got stiches in my hairline if you need further proof. The only thing in my system right now is some mild pain med from when I woke in the med center. Lucky for me the cop was tipped off that his boss was watching us, or I would have got messed up again in the integration room. He'd promised that much as he was walking me into the building." Cass says she's sorry she just thought that maybe he'd fell off the wagon. Bradley didn't say anything else until they got back to Ivey Mansion. "So, if that's what you think is going on. I'm gonna hate to know what Joshua and Angel thinks." They tell him Joshua was in the hospital and Angel was up there with him. "What, since when? What happened?" Cass tells him what the doctor said. "Joshua don't drop his guard that easy." Cass and Sally asked did Bradley know who Joshua was sparring with, they include that Joshua never named the person. Thinking of how nuts his family got, Bradley stops himself from starting something. He'd be talking to his little brother soon though. Why would he let the good doctor kick his ass like that, then let him get away with it, like it didn't even happen?

Back in Florida, Mark storms back into his own hotel room. "Where the fuck is my phone?" This shit isn't happening. It was 4 in the afternoon, which meant that he not only had missed Paula's calls, but he'd missed both of Janet's calls by now. He didn't even remember talking to Paula on her way home from the bar last night. After tearing his hotel room to shreds, he remerged in the doorway of Stacy's room. "Give me your phone. I didn't want to call her on your phone but I can't wait any longer." Stacy shows him the video of him swinging at cars. Mark takes the phone from her hands and sits where he stood, watching himself point his phone at passing cars yelling lineage from his older scripts. If this was out there, he was bound to have more than Paula and Janet calling his phone right now. Stopping the video, he stares at who was in the street with him. Dean Ambrose, was this pay back for him beating the shit out of Dean's friend Roman at Angel's wedding?

Back in Grandville South, Sophie pulls into the garage she wasn't driving her sports car tonight and had assured Luke that he wasn't either they would be taking Ivey Transit, though she didn't expect any she got no argument from him. Heading into the house, she stops at what seems to be the tail end of a very heated one way conversation Paula was having. Sophie sees JC playing with his mobile. Katie Jade was baby talking his ear off but just like his dad JC was in his own world. Sophie remembers when Joshua would come over and the closer it got to Angel and his high school graduation when Angel would leave the room to go do something for Sophia who loved interrupting their visit because she didn't like the local boy. He surely didn't have enough money for her mother's liking. Like without her dad's money, Sophia would have had any more than the Davenports did. Joshua was always really animated until Angel would leave the room and something in him would go quiet. She'd called him Space Cadet. Back then Sophie didn't get why he kept coming over. After their last talent show. They would date different people and never even claim they were dating each other they were just friends. Though Angel went to prom with one of the GSSEC's sons as her only way of getting there, Angel's pictures for prom the, ones that got published weren't with her and the child of their mother's friend. They were with her and Joshua outside, or on the stage, or under the massive Ivey Suites Clock. Coming back to the present, Sophie picks up JC. Paula turns around and the look on her face Sophie probably didn't want to know but she asked any way. "Paula what's going on?" Paula says she's been trying to call Mark for hours and he won't answer. "I mean he is working, maybe he had a signing." Paula says no because she had been calling his travel girl as well and getting no answer. Paula then asks Sophie if she thought Mark was up to something. "What a surprise for you, not that I know of, but it's not like he tells me everything." Paula says though he sounded normal last night before he got off the phone with her she'd seen some video on social media that had Mark running in the street. Paula gets a text tone. Sophie motions that she is taking JC with her. Paula nods and opens her phone. Before Sophie could get out of the den good. Paula lost it.

Nikki Bella: I'm sorry girl you deserved to know what went down last night. I never would have thought that he would cheat on you.

Paula and Nikki Bella didn't have any beef. They weren't friends, but they were at the very least nice to each other. Last year when Nikki would have a break down because John would piss her off about not marrying her, or when the talent director cut her match for last year's mania. Paula was there for the girl all the way up until Mark's match since she wanted to see her man do his thing and Angel and Joshua's band do his intro. Paula re read the text as she typed a reply.

Paula Callaway: Nikki, if this is a joke it isn't funny. Have you seen Mark this afternoon? He isn't answering my calls and neither is Stacy Bloke. I'm really worried about him did, you see the video some fan posted of him running in the street?

Nikki Bella: I wish I was kidding (Tap to enlarge photo)

Paula taps the pic icon and it gets larger. She nearly drops her phone. As if seeing the video that had her calling Mark in the first place of him running into a street acting weird wasn't enough. He and his travel whore were all snuggled up in bed together under the fucking covers. She'd dealt with thinking Mark wanted his ex, last year, amid Janet being kidnapped and escaping, and Racheal stealing his phone. They talked and he told her how the trick was played. Mark said so many times after their talk on the balcony outside the room they usually took here, that she was his only living lover. He said it at their wedding, and when the girls were brought home safe, He said it recently at their anniversary, and so many times after that, and she fucking believed him. This wasn't a call from an ex that could be manipulated, this wasn't a voice clip, no this was a time stamped photo of her husband and his travel manager in bed together all snuggled under the fucking covers. Paula saw that his tattoo sleeved arm was on the outside of the covers wrapped around the bundled whore's middle. He held Stacy like he held her, near his heart as he would say. Paula didn't know why it hurt and shocked her so much that Mark still wore his wedding ring in the photo. "No need to take off your ring I guess, the hussy already knows you're married." She says to the image that was ripping her heart a new one.

Sophie spoke up. She didn't need Paula losing more of her mind. Something about this smelled rotten. Sophie had seen Mark more and more as he set up more business deals. She knew something that Mark wasn't ready to announce to the world, or his family yet. What she knew and this behavior just didn't match. Some one that was building what he was gearing up for, wouldn't be interested in cheating on his wife or disrupting the balance in this way. To her knowledge, Mark didn't believe in the double life shit that most of the superstars on his level played around with. If you told her that HHH, Stephine's husband, was into dating outside his marriage she could see that a lot more than she could her client and friend. Paula didn't see how hard Mark took her kidnapping from Angel's wedding, He was zombie, praying, putty until they found her. Hell, he'd arranged for Paula to adopt Janet even before he got attacked by Carla at Glenn's place. After that attack, he'd been real busy setting things in motion that she was not at liberty to discuss. Sophie had been in the legal business for a time and contract law was her baby. She'd represented scum that made way more than Mark, but Mark was different from most of her other clients. Where top CEOs often set aside an account for their side chicks. There was no side chick fund on Mark's account. Mark surprised her in good ways, and breathed life back into her own beliefs about true love not just being a business partnership. She would believe he was innocent until he told her himself that he wasn't. Paula pulls up the video of Mark running in and out of moving cars, pointing his phone at them and yelling crazy shit. Paula then shows her a photo. "Ok so the video of him wigging out in the middle of the street was posted 39 minutes before that photo was taken." Paula asks what she thinks is going on. "I think we should try to get in touch with Mark and fast. He is all about keeping his private business private, and I don't see him running into the street acting nuts as just him in a drunken good mood." Sophie stops the video at a point where Mark is looking at a car with his phone raised like a magic wand. "That's out of character even if he was drunk. I've seen Mark drunk off his ass, you have too. When he hits his limit, he is usually sitting in the corner watching everyone else move around. If you piss him off, he is more liable to take a swing at you not gesture at you like he's onstage in character."

Paula admits "I've seen him trashed a few times in the two decades I've known him. If you piss off drunken Mark, you piss off Mark not The Undertaker. He makes that face on stage, not when he is really pissed off." She says pointing at the video.

Sophie says "Exactly. Paula, I know this looks bad. Maybe this video and this photo are somehow connected. Who has an axe to grind with him?" Paula sat down from pacing and says she didn't think anyone this year. "Think about this, I've dealt with corporate client cheaters before. Mark don't give me that vibe. He kind of gives me the same vibe I get from working with Jonathon. They aren't for doing double duty in the relationship department. Mark hasn't called you, if he was really doing something underhanded, he's not dumb, he would have called you or answered, just to throw you off. We need to find him." Sophie calls Mark his phone goes straight to voice mail. "What's the other number you were talking about?' Sophie dials the travel manager. She knew the woman was married she wondered if she would do this. Sophie had only briefly met Stacy Bloke. But even Sophie didn't see the middle-class woman, throwing a 600 thousand a year gig out the window for a chance at a blackmail attempt that if he didn't cave, would lead to her being professionally ruined. Something about the fact that Mark's phone went straight to voice mail with her call made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. If any of that shit was true, there was no need for Mark to hide from her she was employed by him, all he would have to say is that he didn't want what he said to be repeated. Paula's phone rings with a general ringtone, she answered and Sophie knew who was on the other end instantly as Paula teared up asking questions.

At 4:30 Mark calls Paula from his hotel room phone, it was suggested by Stacy. Sitting on the bed he waited for his wife to answer the phone. Hearing the distress in her voice as she said hello made him want to find who was behind those pictures and that fucking video. Or whatever caused him to lose his mind last night into this morning. More questions he had no answers for. "Hey Paula, listen to me. I swear that nothing happened between me and Mrs. Bloke. We woke this afternoon fully clothed including foot wear. I know what it looked like. I'm sorry this is happening but I will get to the bottom of this. What I remember, I thought I was dreaming about Nina, dragons, and zombies. No, I know, it makes no sense to me either darlin." Paula asked him what he actively remembered after they got off the phone last night. "I remember almost falling asleep in the car on the way to the hotel. After talking to you is when everything gets fuzzy." Paula asked since he was dreaming of Nina was it possible that he had sex with Stacy with the belief that she was Nina. "No, I know I didn't have any kind of that action because my hips, or my back, don't hurt, and like I said before Nin vanishes, or the hospital scene replays when I hold her hand and watch her die again, if I try to reconnect with her in that way. I also woke fully clothed. I don't even remember getting under the covers. Someone was in here with us to take that picture. I think they took my phone, or maybe I lost it while I was in traffic." Paula tells him about Nikki Bella sending her the picture. "Hold on darlin" Mark gets up and knocks on the adjoining door of his suite Stacy comes to the door. "Call your husband, if you haven't already, Nikki moved up the timetable and sent one of those pictures to Paula." Mark returns to the bed picks up the headset and speaks to his only living lover.

In Grandville South, three hours into their visit, and Chase was ready for Amy's parents to go back to wince they came, and stay there. Alice was a former clothing model. Her husband Victor was an electrician. It took a lot to get Chase angry enough to involve himself in someone else's parental relationship. He'd been no saint. He knew everyone had their own ways of parenting. Hearing Alice speak to Amy in such a condescending tone pissed him off as it did when Sophia spoke to his Angel. Back then he'd kept his tongue still, he was a step parent, though he'd adopted Angel, Sophia always reminded him of his place. He dealt with it by throwing himself into his work. He would later take his girls on business trips to give his wife a break from parenthood. Coming home and finding Angel locked in the cellar had changed his mind about going on longer trips. What she'd told him about being grounded because of the GSSEC's meeting in his home, he'd asked Sophia and she'd lied. After finding his daughter on the roof, not even a full week later, after his heart climbed out of his socks, he started then taking a more active role in keeping his girls out of Sophia's way when her gathering were to meet. Coming back the present. He notices that everyone except Alice and himself was out on the patio. His housekeeper was grilling steaks tonight. He gets a call and takes it as he excuses himself. Alice didn't leave the room. Sighing he walks out of his own den and connects his call. It was his cousin. A smile lights his face it was such a rare treat for the Barnett family to visit. "Well, I guess congratulations are in order. When will you be coming out? Oh, I think something can be arranged." His Aunts, Uncles, and cousins on his mother's side hadn't seen him since he visited New York, to celebrate his birthday 10 years ago. The year before Angel left for college. Where his father didn't have siblings, his mother was second oldest of 7 children. After Sophia died last year his aunt sent him her condolences. Some of the Barnett family even made it to the funeral but left the church and did not go to the burial. Now his youngest aunt and niece was going to be flying out to Texas for a business trip and wanted to visit him and finally meet his children.

Chase reenters the den and Alice was still sitting in the same spot. "Is there something you wish to say since it is apparent you have waited for my return?" Alice crosses and uncrosses her legs looking at him under her bangs. She was in her mid-50s and dressed like she was trying desperately to reclaim her glamorous youth. If he had not known better, he would have thought her apart of the GSSEC. Trying to remove the instant prejudice he had against people that dressed and acted like the social elite of this area, he straightened his tie and walked away from her, to his bar, remembering his manners, he offers her a drink. She accepts the glass pinching the stem between her thumb and middle finger. She asks him did he notice the age difference between him and her daughter. Meeting her eyes over the rim of his tumbler before taking a sip he says. "It isn't a problem for Amy and it isn't a problem for me; where are you, going with this?" He then takes his sip. She asked why he seemed so defensive, and wouldn't he be interested if an older man was interested in his Angela Rosa or Sophie Elaine. It really bothered Chase more than it should, he supposed, when someone who had not personally met his children called them by name as if they did. In that respect, he hated the media and the fact that his life was spread across most larger chain news outlets. Amy comes in and asks how her mother wanted her steak prepared. He takes another drink and tries to think of a tasteful way to end this conversation. After Amy's mother answers her the woman focuses back on him. "I never tried to dictate my children's relationships. It isn't a very good practice. I have found if you interject your rule over what isn't your business, you usually push your children in to a corner where they make decisions based purely on your behavior. Whether it is to please you or displease you. I'd rather my children date who they want, and not based if they stay or go on me or my views of their relationship."

Alice puts down her glass with a slight clank on the glass table. "If you are implying that Amy stayed with that low life because of me, you are wrong. It seems you not getting involved doesn't always work either. I've followed your adopted daughter's story. All of that could have been avoided, if only you, her father, had of stepped in and threatened to take away what was keeping her in New York. You let her and her sister leave the nest too soon."

"You read some hot sheets, and build your own perception about what I could have, and should have done. At the end of the bumps in the road of my children's relationships when they needed me, I could be there for them. I did not demand or try to control them financially. Which let me just make clear, both of my daughters and my son had all paid scholarships to some of the best higher education institutions in this country and abroad, so me threatening to make their life harder though it was never a thought to me to do so, I had little to nothing to do with their education journey. They maintained jobs before and during college. You are sitting here in my home trying to pick a fight with me about parenting is not a wise decision." Alice asked and why was that. "Both of our approaches has their up and downs, but at the end of the day me keeping the lines of communication open gave my children the option to receive help when needed. You shut your own daughter and a child out of your life simply because you didn't approve of her mate." Alice says he was wrong, she had offered that Amy could come back anytime she wanted. "Was that before or after the first time she landed in the hospital due to physical abuse while pregnant with your granddaughter?" Alice says she told Amy that she always had choices and if she wanted help in getting rid of Nicolás's child they would be happy to take her back in and even pay for the procedure. Anger rose Chase's tone. "So, the only way you would let your child return or even speak to her, was if she agreed to murder who would become the only person that kept her alive, through giving her someone that she places higher than her in importance, during her marriage and after, and that is her daughter unlike her parents were there for her, your grandchild. If it wasn't for Nicole, Amy would be dead by now." Alice's mouth hung open. Chase excused himself and walked out onto the patio. His housekeeper asked did he wish another drink. "No, I think this has loosened my tongue a bit much." Chase hadn't a plan to have words with Alice but Nicole was a blessing not a curse in Amy's life. For that woman to stand there and say the same nonsense that came from his own wife's lips, granted for different stupid reasons, his mouth opened and he couldn't stop himself. Amy walked over as Alice came outside and asked him so if Nikki was so important when was he going to adopt her or was she worth it. "That is up to Amy, and none of your business." Alice says if something happened to Amy while he sat on his hands, Nicole would just be another homeless poor girl on the streets of his city. Nikki looked at him then ran in the house. Chase says "I would never let that happen." Alice went to head back into the house after her "You've surely done, and said enough, Excuse me." Chase yells "Nicole." as he walked briskly back in the house to hear the front door slam. "Fuck" Chase calls Bobby and asked him to keep an eye on Nicole. Bobby says she looked upset. Chase says he knows and to just make sure she stays safe. Bobby says will do. "Thanks son" Bobby soon calls back and says she's up at Ivey Mansion. "Good, I'll let her mother know." Amy ran in the house her eyes wide and tear-filled. Asking where Nikki is since she'd seen her running from the block. Hugging her to him Chase rubs her back and says "She is safely up at the mansion. Are you going to be ok you're still trembling?"

Amy looks up at Chase and says, "It wasn't fair of my mother to even bring that up. I know we never spoke about that. That's why as of now if something does happen to me, before Nikki is old enough to take care of herself, Candy would take care of her." Chase brushed his thumb under her eye, catching tears that she hadn't even realized had fallen. They hadn't even revisited the marriage conversation, and she wanted him to know that she in no way had her mother ask him that. She says as much. Chase kissed her, then whispers that whenever she wished to start a dialog about them as a family he was open to it, and reminded her that the pace of their relationship was their mutual decision. He also says that just because they had slowed down didn't mean he'd ever taken his proposal to marry her out of the equation, and if she and Nicole would agree he would adopt her. "I think if we did get married I'd want us to go to some of the couple's sessions." She was thankful that he'd agreed to go back to his Starting Over courses, Dr. Lena for the rehab place referred her to a Starting Over program at first, she had said she didn't need such a course, until Chase asked her was her chemically induced addiction to sleeping med getting worse not a part of her want to fill the empty parts of her? The program helped different issues for surviving spouses in many ways. For Chase, it looked as though it helped him see that his worth in other people's life isn't just his net worth. The program she was in helped stop her from thinking that everything Chase did for her was because he wanted to recreate the good parts of his dead wife. He helped with that because he stopped treating her as someone to be fixed and started treating her as someone he wanted to be with. It helped them both for him to see her doing what attracted him to her, which was making her own place in the world. He'd even taken his name off the restaurant, and she paid him for the land, that was all he would allow saying that building was his gift to her. He got a chance to see her at her worse, but also at her best. The restaurant was doing well thanks to training by the manager Sophie suggested. Her catering business continued to thrive. She was also happy she got to see more sides of his personality as well. No matter how removed he tried to appear from the empire he built and retired from, he would always be Chase Ivey the rich man as he once called himself, but he was also so much more than that. He let her see inside him, the devoted and protective family man, the driven and caring entrepreneur, the ambitious businessman, and her favorite side the playful, sometimes corny goofball that only she and a handful of people got a chance to see.

Up at Ivey Mansion, Nikki comes running into the atrium after her name was announced through the system, and what door she entered through. Sophie comes out of her home office and asks her what was wrong. "I just had... had to get out of there." Sophie looks alarmed and asked what happened. "My grandparents are making Chase mad and they keep throwing me in the conversation. They are going to make him hate both of us my mom and me." Sophie says her dad couldn't be that easily lead by a perfect stranger to dislike either of them. Nikki told her what her grandmother said to Chase. And how all her grandfather did was nod and agree. "I love you guys, I don't want them to split my mom and Chase up. Everyone is back to being nice to each other. I don't want that to go away, because it may never come back. You guys are talking to Chase, and even inviting my mom to stuff. She no longer says your name like you're going to jump out of somewhere, and treat her like the last boss in a video game. I wish my grandparents would have stayed wherever they were the past 15 years. Sophie, I know Candy is my program big sister, but if my grandmother doesn't chase, Chase away. Your dad, and my mom, could get married one day, you know what that would mean?" Sophie says what. "It would mean that I would gain two of the coolest sisters a girl could have."

"Ok now that you've buttered me up, what do you want?" Sophie says with a smile. Nikki asks could she stay here until her grandparents leave. She even promises to not talk to or hang with Janet since she was still grounded. "Well, only if it is ok with your mom." before Nikki could say she was sure her mom would understand Sophie calls Amy. "Hey, I don't know if you know, but Nikki is here, and since there seems to be verbal warzone going on over there, holy crap by the way, at my dad's place." Sophie could hear her father in the background and though he wasn't screaming he wasn't whispering either. "Nikki asked could she sit this visit out? Ok, she's upset about what was said, but she'll be fine. I have imported chocolate candy, that's always helped Angel and I get through family drama. It's a wonder we don't both weight a ton. Huh oh, never mind, just thinking out loud. Hey, Amy, remember if things start getting to you, don't wait until you hit bottom your counselor is on call. Ok, be careful, and goodbye." Sophie had enough on her plate without witnessing an Amy meltdown. Turning back to Nicole who had perched herself on the edge of her chair. 'Your mother said you can stay." Nikki jumps up and hugs Sophie. "Ok let go, you're squeezing the air out of me." Nikki lets go and says sorry.

After Tuesday night's taping of SmackDown, Mark flew via private jet to Vince's home to meet with his friend. Upon, exiting Vince's home Mark smiled a real smile for the first time since he woke this morning in hell. John Cena and his little girl Nikki Bella, Randy Orton, and his wife where in for a mind fuck of all mind fucks. Those four people's lives were fine, but after Mark gets down with the devil one last time, their lives will never be the same very soon. Vince found out what was in his system thanks to Sophie speaking to Vince and Mark doing his wellness test at Vince's home. One of the soon to be mine-fucked four had slipped mushrooms into his fucking food at the arena last night. It was going to be extremely difficult not to blow his own plans by just beating the life out of John and Randy, and letting Paula have a go at Nikki and Sasha but things were in motion, and he had agreed to do it. It was the only thing Vince asked. He calls Harold and asked him to meet him at his home. For the good of the plan there would be an announcement that due to him failing his wellness exam Mark would not be on the tour. He called Paula so she wouldn't think it was true and think the worse when he walked into Angel and Joshua's home tomorrow morning.

Harold was waiting on him when he got to his home. Mark opened the front door and controlled the surprise in his tone to see his brother in law sitting in his atrium. "Did I ever say, you were one very creepy dude Harry?" Harold says Mark might have mentioned it once or twice. "Well I stand by my word."

Harold gets to his feet and asks what he had been wanting to know since Mark called him. "I have a few questions since you were so damn cryptic on the phone. Is PJ in trouble?" Mark shakes his head and explains why he was talking in riddles as he shows Harold the video. "They did what? Fuck a mind fuck I can have them behind bars in less time. By drugging you, they played with your life, don't you get that? Not just your career, but if someone would have hit you or thought you were really going to shoot them, and shot you. Hell in a few of the frames you can't tell it's a cellphone you're holding. Though you are billed as The Dead Man there ain't no magical resurrection that would have put breath back in your fucking body." Mark says he is very aware of a lot of the could have scenarios but they didn't happen, and he was going to make sure his work mates paid a hefty price for fucking with him. "I'll do this, but I do want the son of bitch that provided the mushrooms. Mark, I'm telling you now, if they try anything else this deal is off, and I'll be serving up your pretty boy coworkers to a cell full of inmates." After they finish talking over strategy and how Harold was going to be involved Harold asks his brother in law. "So, you know the situation with my wife and kid. PJ already told me she told you. The original case I was out for is being wrapped up soon. I am thinking about filing for divorce and custody of Ian. I have had them both watched and I don't like what I have been seeing." Mark asked did Paula know that he was going to file. "Yes, and she said to try therapy. I would try marital counseling, but Natalie is pregnant, and there is no fucking way it's mine. Aside from how far along she is, and the fact that we weren't even in the same part of the country." Mark said maybe Harold got the dates wrong. "That would work, I know that it's not an exact science, but Mark, I can't have kids anymore. I've known for 3 years now, on one of my first missions as an Agent, I was exposed to a very dangerous chemical compound that someone was trying to smuggle into the country. The shit exploded, I nearly died, when I came to, I looked like a sunburnt Mr. Clean, I had to relearn how to fucking walk, and later found out that I'd became chemically sterilized. The only reason I can say anything about this now is because the case in its entirety is over. Look, I know Sophie does contract law, do you think she'd take my case? I did shit the right way, and get repaid in kind by being cheated on in my own fucking home." Mark showed Harold Sophie's page. Harold sighs "a simple hell no would have been just as effective, I'll see you later." Mark asked did he want a beer. "Nah, I got a few things to tie up before I'm off tonight you just happen to be close to where I need to be in a few hours. Call me if those dumb fucks try to move on you again, before your plan is fully hatched. I mean it Mark." Mark says will do and thanks him for coming out.

Mark closes the door and watches as his brother in law leaves. Harold had been a big help a lot this past year. Mark calls Sophie and asked her could she talk to Harold as a favor to him. She agrees but says what he knew would be her words with anything like this, she told him she wouldn't make any promises based on the limited information he'd given her. He thanks her for handling the Vince shit. She says it was what he paid her for and she is glad she could help put the sanity back into the situation. "Yeah, I am too. I'm calling you from my new phone because I just can't be without one. I called Janet and told her to stay off the hot sheets. Are you any closer to tracking down and shutting down that video?" Sophie says her legal tech team was working on it. "Thanks, I am talking to a few of the people I hired from Angel's tech friends to work some of their magic. After this all is done with, John and Randy will be lucky if they are able to send as much as an email. Ok no, I didn't say that and you didn't hear that." Mark chuckles they soon close the call.

Since Sophie could work her magic via teleconference with Mark's boss Vince, and keep Paula from killing him, she was feeling good as she went to prepare for her date or whatever it turned into with Luke. After her shower, she gets a call from her dad, she knew it was coming from hearing him blast out Amy's parents. "Hey, yeah she's fine now, she's not too hot on coming back over there right now. Yeah, Amy dropped off her school clothes for tomorrow. So, what happened?" Chase tells her what was said to him and how he blew his top. "Yikes, I would agree that you may have used a little transference there, but wow, she really said that?" Her dad then changes direction completely as he starts talk of having a formal dinner that would not only include Amy, Nikki and her parents but also, his children and their mates and a part of his mother's family. "Wait a minute, why haven't I met any of these people?" Chase says it's complicated. "No, this isn't social media. This is a whole part of my bloodline that I didn't even know still existed. I'm scared to ask, but whose idea was it for them to stay in the shadows?" Chase says it was a choice made a long time ago by them. "So why are they so interested in meeting the family now? What's in it for them?" Chase says in a defensive tone that the Barnett family never needed his money if that was what she was asking. "No dad, stop that, I'm just saying it's just weird that they would pick now to crash in to town like this. I hope they don't think they are staying here, that part of the family tradition Angel and I squashed last year." Sophie thinks to herself. We have enough uphill battles to climb with the Joshua and Luke shit. That's not even counting the Amy drama. Do we really need this right now? Chase says that the Barnett family would not want to stay at the mansion and had already booked rooms at Ivey Granville South Resort. They soon close their call as Luke's name is read through the system and the fact that he was entering through the front door.

Luke walked in and sees Sophie coming down the stairs. Though he'd sent the bateau neck mermaid lace backless evening dress to her, seeing her fill it out made him want to see her out of it like unwrapping a present. He walks closer and the smell of her Armani Si made him that much more want to cancel the car, pick her up and carry her back to her bedroom, and just make love to her. As they come together, in a hug he whispers, "You're killing me you know that?" She playfully pecks his cheek, and tells him down boy, he promised dinner and conversation. Feeling her lips on his skin, and hearing her sultry voice after not being with her made him twitch with restrained arousal. They'd spent longer than the 86.5 hours away from each other but, not under these circumstances since they became a couple. Even when they were at opposite sides of the country due to business, they at the very least had amazing video chat and phone sex. Going cold turkey, because of him acting like a fucking crazy person, dulled his arousal and made him sorry that he'd jeopardized this in the first place. He'd scared her and pissed her off enough for her put him out. Putting his hand at her bare back, he guides her outside. "Since I know you weren't up for me driving, our chariot awaits." He says as his driver opens the rear door of his metallic deep blue Charger. She looks at him for a full minute then says he remembered. This was the first car he'd taken her anywhere in. "Of course." As they are seated inside the vehicle, she asks where they were going. "Though I haven't provided you with an ample supply of good surprises here lately, I figured seafood, and good wine should come into this equation. You look great by the way."

"Thanks, and thanks for the dress, you didn't have to, but it's beautiful." Sophie had felt his arousal when he hugged her. She had handled her sexual craving in the shower so she wouldn't jump him the minute she saw him. They really did need to talk, and she didn't want to blur any lines. Him and that cologne she'd bought him for his birthday last year was driving her insides wild. Once again, she thinks to herself. "Yep, it should be a crime to look and smell that damn good." They pull in downtown Houston to a very popular high-end seafood restaurant.

After the appetizer had arrived, and they had a glass of wine. Luke stares at his plate, though there was nothing left but sauce. He hadn't known how hungry he was. Power bars and soup these past few days wasn't enough to dull his hunger they were just fuel to keep him going. She asked what was on his mind. Looking up into her light brown eyes he says. "I've thought this over on how to say millions of times, but I just have to say. Sophie, I'm sorry. For everything. I really lost it and I scared you, and pissed you off." Sophie agrees. Taking her hand across the table he says "There isn't enough words in the English language to tell you how much I regret my actions. I don't want to lose you because of my inability to handle social impulses well. So, I want to do something about it and that is I'm going to be taking some psychotherapeutic measures to help me better learn to handle or deal with social impulse control."

Sophie sits back, and withdraws her hand from his and says. "Luke, I agree that you should get help with your social impulses. I commend you for taking steps to correct this. I also think it would be good for me to come with you to some of them when you are ready." He lifts his head to say something. "I've listen to you, now please listen to me. This can't happen again." He says he knows "Do you? I don't think you do. You put a part of my family in the fucking hospital. My family isn't your punching bag. You ever do anything like that again, and all bets are off. Baby steps are fine, and I do appreciate that you are willing to get outside help." He says he understands and promises that he will not be sparring any more. He asks how Joshua is doing saying that once he granted the patient transfer his update window closes itself out. "As for how he is physically, Angel says he's doing much better than when he went in. Which since he went in half conscious among other things, anything is better that. I'm glad you granted the transfer." Luke says it was the least he could do. "true" he continues with it is good Joshua was getting better. "Yeah, it is I'm just glad Middlebrooks was able to find the problem and fix it in time." Luke picked up on the fact that she just said physically and asks how was Joshua other than physically. "Though Angel isn't saying your name with air quotes anymore via video chat, I'd imagine he's pretty pissed." Luke says that's understandable. Sophie wanted to change the direction of this talk. She'd said her peace and hoped she never had to say it again because she was totally honest with him, when she said if this ever happened again they would be done. "I'm glad you understand, but on to other topics, my father want us all to meet for a very formal dinner, while Amy's parents are in town. He hasn't set a date yet, but soon. Also, I will be meeting for the first time a part of the Barnett family." Luke wasn't shocked, he just said that it was about time. "About time for what exactly? What do you think their deal is since apparently, you weren't shocked to know they still exist? Have you met them?"

Their main course comes and the waiter leaves them alone after refilling their wine glasses. Luke says, "Only once in person at Nana's funeral. You may not remember but, you nor Angel could go to Nana's funeral." Sophie asked was it the Barnett family that disallowed them to come? "No, it was Sophia's demand that you both remain at home with her. Chase and Sophia fought for days and then Chase just kind of went silent on the matter." Sophie says that was around the time that she noticed her father took on the devil may care attitude that she had mentioned. "It's not that he didn't care." Sophie says she knows that now, but it was just the way she felt sometimes as a child. "To this day, I don't know what was said in their last fight. They were in my dad's den screaming at each other, you and Angel were both dropped off at my place via Frank after school, I knew something was up when my mother personally dropped all of us off at the mall. We were going to see "Zeus and Roxanne" but it sold out and we ended up seeing. "Jackie Chan's First Strike" Sophie said she remembered that since he and Angel kept talking to her in voice over and making faces at her. Luke chuckles at the memory then sobers just as quickly. "My parents, and I, sat with Chase and Bobby at the funeral. That's where I met the Barnett family. There's a picture that was in the New York Times. It's in black and white, but Sophia accused Chase of wanting to date my mother since she along with myself was standing with him in the photo, you can't see my dad or Bobby, because they were sitting in the limo behind us. Bobby was understandably upset, and my dad had sat with him to talk. Chase's retort was epic. He told Sophia that he hadn't posed for the picture, it just displayed the people that cared enough and could stand with him in his time of need. Sophia and my mother were never close, they ran in different circles, but of course, after that, Sophia spreading that lie among the GSSEC ended a few of my mother's acquaintanceships in town. Wow, that's around the time my dad started buying his island." They talk about them, and finish dinner. Luke invites Sophie back to his place she agrees they head out. Inside the car, Luke couldn't keep his hands and mouth off her not that he wanted to. Upon getting back to his condo they kiss all the way up to his front door. Once inside he loosens his tie and takes it off, she undoes his belt he says, "You have on too many clothes."

Sophie smiles up at him slides the fabric off her shoulders it hits the floor. She then says, "What clothes?" Soon they are both naked. Luke surprises her, as he picks her up, and carries her into his bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him. She'd thought he was going for another hug, but this was much better.

Hearing her surprised giggle, and then feeling her lay her head on his chest for the short trip into his bedroom, just fired up Luke more, if that was even possible. He lays her on his bed and moves off to his special doctor kinky drawer as she'd dubbed it. Pulling a few things and laying them to the side. He turns and asks her to close her eyes. She complies, he wanted to make her scream as she rode the cloud a of bliss and these past few days, he had lots of time to think on just how to do it. Though he would take pleasure from giving her pleasure, tonight was less about him, and more about pleasing the woman he loved. He puts a lacey blindfold on her. He then puts on music. She squirms on the bed. Moving back to her side he asks for her hand, she offers it he puts fluffy cuffs on her wrist then asks for the other hand she offers it. When she is handcuffed to his massive headboard he walks to the end of the bed, and kisses up her legs, to her wet center and slowly gives her a sheet clawing orgasm with his tongue. As she reclaims a normal breathing pattern he starts kissing up past her center and pays lots of attention to tasting her breast as he rubs his hands over her torso making it quiver. He loved hearing her moan. Moving up her body he finally reaches her lips after kissing her until they are both breathless, he unlock the cuffs. She pushes him backwards, he lands on his back between her legs. He looks up at his lover with a smirk as she is taking off the blindfold, saying her turn she paid him back in kind, he didn't even think of some of things she did to him. When he thought, he could not possibly take anymore, he grasps her waist panting with a massive amount of restraint, she rode him past his level of control while using one of his toys on him, and they both soon sored into bliss. Her with a scream, and him with guttural growl. After a shower that almost lead back to getting dirty again, they finally lay sated and soon fall asleep wrapped around each other.

Sally and Michael are heading towards Ivey Mansion to pick up JC, but when they called Candy to make sure he was ready Candy asked could she keep him since they weren't going to be at rehearsal for a few days. Sally called Angel and she said it was ok if it was ok with Sally. Sally says it would give her and Michael a chance to recharge. Angel informs her that she's on speaker phone and tells her to please go home and get some sleep. Sally says "Well, though I know you aren't leaving from up there without Joshua, you need sleep as well." Angel says there is a chair that unfolds for that. Joshua says he will make sure she at the very least sleeps. "Goodnight you two." Sally disconnects the call and speaks to Michael as he drives them home. A large vehicle behind them honks at them and just keeps honking. It disorients Michael so bad he drives pass the exit to Pyramid, Sally looks in the rearview mirror. A white truck larger than Joshua's was clearly following them making it no secret with all the noise it was making. "I'm calling the police. Take the next exit, I don't want to be on the highway with this nut following us." Sally calls the police and reports the unusual activity, and the fact that the vehicle had been following them honking now for at least 3 miles.

Michael sped up and took the next exit. The police are seen up ahead, Michael slows down not wanting to be pulled over, he'd had more than his share of public attention and didn't want anymore, if he could help it, he didn't want to stop until he got his wife and himself to safety. The truck pulls ahead of them and stops honking. The windows were tinted so heavily Michael could not see the driver. Keeping one eye on the road ahead, and one eye on the truck Michael slows down even slower. Hearing the fear in his mate's voice as she continues to speak to the dispatcher, made him speed up and turn onto the long road that would take them up towards Ivey Mansion. The truck suddenly slams on its breaks. Michael avoids crashing into the truck's rear end by swerving onto the shoulder of the two-lane road to avoid being rear-ended himself by the car behind him. The car that was behind him startles him as it hits its siren and lights, and takes off after the truck. When the traffic opens, Michael remerges into traffic. "I think it is time we head home, I don't know about you, but I have had enough excitement for a long while." Sally says that she was just glad JC wasn't in the car. Michael agrees and drives them home. Upon entering he makes sure to set the alarm. Tonight, unnerved him greatly more so than he even thought possible. Sally was about to hit send on a "we are home post" on her social media account that Janet Callaway had helped her set up. Michael snatches the phone from her hand surprising them both. The words were out before he could soften them. "Don't do that, what is wrong with you? Anyone can see that, and we have no idea why that fucker was following us or if he was caught." Sally speaks in a calming tone and says ok as she takes her phone back and deletes the post in front of him. She then says she will send out texts since she didn't want to wake and alarm anyone that may be sleeping, and asks him was that ok. "Yes, please do that instead." She complements his defensive driving tonight, and asks him was he going to be ok. "I'll be fine honey, I'm sorry for yelling, I guess it got to me more than I thought." She said that's why she was going to send out the message but she saw his point, that if someone that wished to mess with them saw it, they would indeed be inviting trouble.

After a few hours of playtime with JC, and much needed adult alone time with Candy, Bradley tells her he was heading to Logan's to see if he could find out what happen to his ride, and to clear up any confusion since right now he really didn't need to lose his job over this cooked up bullshit. Candy tells him to take her car and be careful. "Will do, you get some sleep my nephew doesn't sleep long." Now as Bradley sits in front of Logan's home he thinks on what to say. This was just so fucked up. Hell, he wasn't even doing drugs anymore and still getting pinned for drug charges. Dragging his hands through his hair he thought hard on if he should admit that he'd lost the car Logan had given him. If Logan didn't have it he was going to have to buy one since Logan had started given him lead jobs as a Foreman in other cities. Now with the legal fees, he needed his job more than ever.

He'd call his parents after a text he got, as he sat in Candy's car, his dad told him they were home safe after whoever tried and succeeded in gaining their attention on the highway. Hearing the anxiousness in his father's voice pissed Bradley off. There want's much he could do about it though. "dad if you or mom hear anything out of the norm don't hesitate to call me. I know you have a security system now but still, you hear something strange call me please. I'd rather come over there, and it be nothing than you or mom get hurt again." He soon closes the call with his dad and texts Logan. He's procrastinated too long as it is.

Brad D: Hey I need to talk to you. Is that ok?

Logan: Yeah are you okay?

Brad D: I'm outside.

Logan: Yeah I kind of figured, either that or Candy has taking up stalking me Just Kidding come on in man.

Bradley smirks at the message and goes to his friend's door. Logan opened the door and whistles low making a face. "What, you act like I was wining any beauty contest before now. I was jumped what happened to the side of your neck?" Logan tells him of how Kevin thought he was trying to beat his ass in front of his men. Logan chuckles and claps him on the back as he enters. Row comes bounding down the hall and skids to a stop on the hard wood floor in front of Bradley. Bradley puts his hand out and pets the dog's huge head, and says "It's still me boy." Row licks his hand and tries to jump up on him. Logan says Row bed and the dog leaves them alone, as he trots back towards Glenny's room. "if I didn't know any better I would think he got bigger."

Logan says "Yeah, he has. It is a good thing he is trained well, or he'd have to stay outside with me hoping he didn't eat the neighbors." Logan knew his friend hadn't sat out there for thirty minutes to come talk about the size of his dog. "You want a drink or anything?" Bradley asks for a beer. Logan moves into the kitchen with Bradley on his heels. "Let's go out on the patio Glenny is still awake If he sees or hears you, he'll never go to sleep." Bradley asks him about his car. As they exit the house with their beers Logan pops the top on his, and takes a long drink. "I had it towed back to your place since I didn't know how long they were going to keep you. Man, what the hell happened?" Bradley starts with he isn't using or selling drugs and that the charges no matter who said what he wasn't doing that shit. "Brad stop, I believe you, or I wouldn't have let you in. Who jumped you, was it a part of the crew?" Bradley says he wished it was that simple, and tells Logan what happened, or what he could remember of what happened. Logan asked a question he never thought he'd ask. "Did you know any of the cops?"

"No that's just the thing, until Tanner showed up at the medical center, I had not seen any of them." Logan looked relieved. "What am I missing Logan?" Logan tells Bradley about his talk with Kevin outside the jail just before they saw each other, when he was taken into the building. "Well I'm glad you didn't believe him. As for the fear, you saw. On the ride, there Tanner was bragging about how he was going to put my ass in a coma when he got me alone. Thankfully someone tipped him off that his boss was watching." Logan raises his beer saying well at the very least Kevin made it harder for Tanner to mistreat him. "Yeah, thanks for contacting mom and dad for me. Also, thanks for doing it in person, something is going on, tonight they were almost run off the road or aggressively followed by some nut and I just can't help but to believe it had something to do with what's going on with me." At Logan's look of alarm and confusion Bradley finishes his beer and shows Logan the text his mom had sent. After a while Logan goes in to check on Glenny. He then comes back to the door and says Glenny is finally asleep and ask his friend inside.

As they sit in the newly re-constructed den, Logan had thought about why Bradley would assume that even after all the measures he took to let the Davenport family know what was going on, why Bradley came here believing their friendship or even his job was in danger. Yeah, he had a few moments in the past of doubting his friend's sobriety but not recently. So, he asked. Bradley told him about Cassandra thinking he fell off the wagon and since she was once his stanch supporter he guessed it shook him more than he thought. "Well Bradley, I thought I made it very clear that it was bullshit." Logan describes his interaction with Michael, Sally, Cassandra, Joshua and even Angel. Bradley says he hoped that when Joshua and Angel returned to their home and saw him that they didn't feed into the shit like Cassandra had. "Where are they, did they finally go on their honeymoon?"

Bradley accepts another beer and tells Logan about Luke sparring with Joshua and how that landed his brother in the fucking hospital. "Wow. I mean I saw Joshua last night, and he looked kind of out of it, I thought maybe his schedule was catching up to him. Considering Joshua is Luke's best man, that is going to be one weird bachelor party. You would think Luke would be tired of seeing the Davenports in his medical center." Bradley flips Logan off. "Look you know I'm kidding, but seriously, what happens now that it's out?" Bradley tells his friend how it's not out, and what Joshua told the medical staff when asked what happened. He adds that he almost let the cat out of the bag for not knowing that Joshua hadn't even told Sally or Cassandra who he was sparring with. "I mean that is some crazy shit. Have you spoke to Joshua yet?" Bradley says no but he will when Joshua comes home. "Did they say when he was to get out?" Bradley looks at the time on his phone and says today. They talk for a few hours about work, and upping the security onsite. Bradley reminds him that it wasn't like it was a bunch of street thugs that jumped this shit off. Sitting here looking at what policemen, guys in a profession that Logan always had faith in because of his family's role in policing. Knowing that a few of the people that carried a badge just like his father, and most of his family had done this to his friend was beyond unsettling. Logan felt guilty for something he had no physical part in. "Look Bradley, until this whatever it is blows over, would you feel safer doing the Grandville South contract?" Bradley quietly reminded him of whose home they were working in Grandville South and why he wanted to do the one in Glenview in the first place. Logan was going to be spread thinner than a slice of cheese if he gave Bradley the Dallas project and took on the Glenview project as lead, along with the other sites he was managing. "Look, I don't know how to make this up to you." Logan starts naming off contracts that would put Bradley closer to his home, or here in Grandville South.

"Make it up to me?" Bradley mumbles in confusion then the lightbulb turns on in his head. "Conner, you didn't do shit to me. Correction, you gave me a chance to prove to you and myself that I could make a decent living even after fucking up much of my adult life, stop beating yourself up about something none of us saw coming, or could prevent. The reason I accepted the Glenview project was because you already don't get to be here a lot. No, I don't want the Grandville South Valentin house project. Yes, it is close to being done but man these are state cops, if they want me they can find me, point blank. Ben is a dirty state cop and I really don't want to be in his house. That's asking for trouble. You need me in Glenview or you'll never be home, and Glenny don't need you gone all night. No matter how good of a baby sitter Nikki is, you need to be home with your kid at night man." They talk and Logan stops losing his shit much to Bradley's relief. He didn't need to be a care case, he just wanted to do his job. After seeing that he was a little unsteady on his feet when he stood up. Bradley texts Candy and tells her that later today he needed her to go with him to pick up his ride and that he was not about drive right now since he had almost a full six pack of Logan's specially brewed beer and was clearly tipsy. Candy sends him back a sleepy emoticon and tells him goodnight. Within minutes of Logan leaving the room to go take a piss, Bradley falls asleep on his couch. Logan comes back, locks the doors, sets the alarm, and heads towards bed. As he is walking down the hall, he looks in on Glenny who is wrapped around Row. Taking the time to pull the covers back up on his son, Logan then goes to bed himself.

Rapture calls Cassandra to let her know he had today and the rest of the week off from school and wanted to spend it with her. "I'm glad you are off but it would have to be tonight, I have meetings up my ass today and one of them I'm not trying to make wait again, if I can land this project for LEGNA we'd really make even more noise in the industry." Rapture asks could she at the very least come pick him up. He then says never mind he'd find something else to do. "Something like what?" He says he gets it, she didn't have time, so he'd catch a cab and head back to their house and workout or something. "Look, how about I run up there and you have the Expedition back and just bring me back to work, that way you aren't catching cabs all over." He says fine and that he is ready when she is. She soon pulls up in front of the school her babe walks out and gets in. He looked just as yummy as ever, and had even picked up his sexy strut again. "Looking good babe. So, you never told me why you're off from the middle of the week to Monday. Not that I'm complaining."

"Well, I pissed off Mick. This week we are working on selling up an injury and he tells me I need to work on that acting part. I can do the fucking moves, I can follow the hell out of a script and make it my own, but Mick called me robotic saying I lacked facial /body expression. What pissed him off is that I got in his face and told him I wasn't an actor. He told me having linage skills, and a little wrestling ability, wasn't going to get me far if I didn't learn the art of the sell. I asked him wasn't wrestling the point of this place. That's when he benched my ass, and accused me of trying to run over him. I didn't touch him, I got in his way, and wouldn't move until I was done talking." Cassandra asks why he would do that. "I don't know." Rapture says looking out the window as they pull up to LEGNA. She asked him if maybe him watching all those old shows when he was in the hospital, made him feel too familiar with Mick's character which was done by Mick acting certain ways in front of the camera. "I don't think so." She asks would he have done that to Mark. His instant "Hell no" made him rethink what occurred. "Maybe your right, I fucked that up, shit." Cass kisses him, hands him his keys, tells him what time she gets off and gets out of the vehicle. After talking with his roommate Enzo via text message, Rapture felt like a real dumb ass. Enzo had drawn him a big picture of the events. He'd said Rapture went from being harassed and disrespected by the first Assistant director/ HR person to doing some of the same to the coolest one they had yet. Rapture texted Mick.

Rap Sloan: I'm sorry I shot off my mouth. After thinking about it. You were righter than I thought. It wasn't right of me to get in your face. It wasn't right for me to get mad at you for my own short comings. I fed into your on-camera persona (Imagine that) and got way to comfortable and unprofessional with you. I realize my mistake and it won't happen again. I'll work on the sell, while I'm out and hopefully you will still be willing to teach me. Since, as you said I couldn't sell up being hurt unless someone ripped off my arm and shoved it up my ass.

Mick Foley: lol I get it, it's not the first time but it had better be the last time for you. You watched my entire run as GM and watched my coworkers talk shit to me and thought you'd try it. Don't, it was acting which is something believe it or not you do need work on. You are fast and do a lot stuff that I can't do anymore, but what sets us apart, is I can make you believe you've mortally wounded me with a look and to get that look from you I'd have to really hurt you, that wouldn't be working safe, and you wouldn't last long in this business. See you on Monday.

Up at Ivey Mansion, Angel and Joshua head in and sit on the couch in the living room. They had been around people all night and day and when she'd asked him a few questions about Luke and why he didn't say anything he clammed up. Angel didn't want this to get any worse than it was. "Hey Joshua, can we talk about what went down?" He says there wasn't anything to talk about, that it was in the past and he'd like to leave it there. "Josh, it can't stay in the past." Joshua gets angry at her and asks her to just drop it. "No, I won't drop it, and here is why, in a few short days all of us are going to be at a formal dinner. He comes here and stays overnight just as you did before we got married, and making him feel un welcomed would not be fair because at the end of the day, he is going to be family, we have enough old age family crap going on, we don't need to start a new generation of family feud."

Joshua gets up and asks her "What do you want from me? I kept his name out of it. I'm not going to go grinning in his face like hi buddy how's life. I don't have to be at the dinner." Angel asks him so did that mean he was going to avoid all family functions, the guy that thanked her family for inviting him into the fold with open arms. "I'll ask again, what do you want from me?" Angel says she wasn't asking them to be bosom buddies just be cordial and asked could he at the very least do that. "If he can, I can but it wouldn't be for him, it would be for you." Angel says fair enough and leaves the room. Since physical activity was out on his first day back home, Joshua texts Angel.

Joshua: Hey babe, I need to get out of here and head to the club, I'm not going to do anything but the books ttyl

Angel: Fine, I'm going to go to the Baby Gap store and grab JC an outfit for Chase's dinner, just be careful and remember what Dr. Middlebrooks said no heavy lifting, or strenuous activity

Joshua: I won't, You guys be careful too

Joshua heads to The Davenport, as he walks in Larry asks him how was he and had he messed up the days. "No, you are fine. Angel would kill me if I worked the bar today. I'm just here to do the books and next week's schedule, no heavy lifting or unnecessary movement." Larry asked wasn't coming here via jumping in and out of his raised truck unnecessary movement, when he can do most of what he was talking about from home laying in his bed. Joshua says "Larry, you know me I'm hands on." Larry says uh huh, and moves back down the bar to take an order. Right as Joshua was heading down the hall to his office Rapture walks in and catches his attention by throwing a peanut from the bar at his head, which he dodges before he knew it was a peanut and winces. "Hey, come on, I just got out man."

Rapture pauses, makes a face, and then says, "Oh, you mean the hospital." Joshua asked did he even want to know what Rap thought he meant. "Maybe not. Cass says you were sparring with someone, and then they cleaned your clock is how you got put in the hospital. Fancy Feet, you can't go in trying to kick people into to next week just because you're pissed." Joshua invites him back into his office saying he didn't need his business all over the fucking bar. "Okay be right in there." Rapture grabs his huge plate of nachos, and his beer, and says "Lead the away." Upon entering the office Rap knew something is up when Josh shuts off the audio. "Look, if you pissed about the fancy feet comment I was mess…"

Josh closes the door and goes to sit on the edge of his desk facing Rapture. "No, that's not what happened. It's what I said, but it's not the whole story, and I need you to not let this slip to Cassandra. I was sparring with Luke and he just went bat shit on my ass. I get it that I did the same thing when sparring with you. But Rap to me it's kind of different. I was so caught off guard, that I didn't even brace for impact. One while I was in the center of the ring deflecting a punch, and the next thing I know. He slings my ass into the corner hard enough to knocked the wind out of me. Before I can catch my breath, or say anything, he rammed into me so hard I almost fucking passed out." Rapture mentions that since Joshua likes to trash talk maybe he went too far. "No, fuck that, I kept my mouth shut. When we started after setting ground rules which this facial was by his forehead mind you." Joshua points to his swollen bruised lip. "I hardly said two words to him. He was rude to Sophie and I told him that was uncalled for. That's all I said. Oh, and after he crashed into me like a steam roller. I told him to get out since even after the shit happened he still had the nerve to get loud with Sophie. He says some shit about it's not my call. I'm just glad he left because with how dizzy I was when I headed back down the stairs there wouldn't have been much in the way of me protecting her if he had of lost his damn mind again. With me and you it was different. After your take down we are still cool, because that was the end of it. To me whatever happened after he flung my ass in the ropes was over the top. Him running into me full speed should have never fucking happened."

"Joshua, I'm going to say this and don't get mad. You must settle this one way or another. You either forgive him for having an off day or you just distance yourself from a family that wants you around. My family not only isn't around, the only people that care about me with anything close to family is your sister and you guys. What I'm saying is bro, yes, it was fucked up, and with him being a doctor I'm sure it fucked with his head." Joshua says that was another layer to this he got put in the hospital by the person that saved his life.

"Yeah, I don't get that either. Why you let the good doctor beat your ass and get away with it, like that and don't give me that shit you told Luke's hospital staff." Says Bradley as he walks in without knocking. Bradley had a massive bruise on his nose that went up his forehead aside from that, he had a black eye and busted lip. Bradley looked at his brother and Rapture then drops eye contact. When Joshua asked who'd he let beat his face in like that. "State cops figured I would look better as a punching bag. Now, why the hell you are going around telling people you just dropped your guard with some friend while sparring?" Rapture says that Bradley wasn't helping. Joshua tells Bradley what happened. "The first time we sparred in your basement we beat the shit out of each other, but are better for it. I'm not telling you how to deal, but Joshua, if you could forgive me Cass and even mom after she lost her shit, you can forgive someone that didn't go into that situation with the intent to harm you. Face, it bro, we all have short fuses, do I think you should ever spar with him after this? No, and not because I don't think you could take him, but because even if you guys calmed down you might be the one to snap. You did with me, and I knew what was coming when you asked me down there. I really don't even think he'd take you up on the offer, and here is why, you said he freaked out in front of Sophie that's some powerful shit, knowing you terrified the shit out the one you love." The guys soon choose lighter topics Cass soon calls Rapture to come get her from work. Joshua and Bradley goes back to Ivey Mansion after Joshua has set the schedule for the following week.

Angel had just sat down from getting JC in the house when Joshua and Bradley came in she sprang to her feet and ran to meet them. "Joshua, I am so glad you guys are here." Angel then hugs them both. She takes great care not to not squeeze Joshua too hard. Joshua asks what was wrong. Rubbing her arms from the cold that had set up inside of her, Angel says "After you left, as you know I went to pick up baby clothes, and if the same truck that tried to run us off the road minutes ago, is the same that was following mom and dad we have a big problem." Joshua asks are they both ok and where is JC." Angel nods her head, as her speech picked up in speed. "He's upstairs, I finally just got him calmed down enough to sleep." Joshua asked about the truck that he got a text about from his mom. "It looked like Patrick's truck. It tapped my bumper, I'm just thankful I could keep us on the road. The STOP team chased it off after it came up alongside us and tried to bump us again. I know there are a lot of f-350 Heavy-dutys, but Josh, I swear that's the same truck that parked right next to me in the bank parking garage when…"

She didn't have to finish, he knew all too well how she knew what Patrick's truck looked like since that is what was used when Brenda and Patrick kidnapped her. "Stop, I know." Joshua pulls her to him hugging her. She didn't need his rage right now, right now, his wife needed to feel safe. She was still trembling. Her fight or flight response had ebbed and now she was coming apart. Bradley asked why she didn't call Joshua. She explains in a wavering tone that she dropped her phone when trying to get in the house with JC. Bradley walks outside to the cul-de-sac and retrieved her phone, saying it was laying by the tire of her truck. Janet and Paula walk in, Janet asked did Angel back into a phone pole or something.

Joshua looks up from where he and Angel had sat on the sofa. He says "Nah, she got in to a fender bender but everyone's ok."

Janet says ok and asks Paula could she please hang with Nikki since she is here. Paula tells her "Yes but you still can't go anywhere." Janet thanks her, pulls her phone, and dashes up the stairs. Janet closes what must be Nikki's door upstairs, Paula looks back at the scene before her. Angel looked shaken, Joshua and Bradley looked pissed off. "Okay, she upstairs now. What happened? Are you ok girl?" Angel says that he was out and following her. "Who? Somebody start talking now." Joshua moved so he was in Angel's direct line of sight and speaks to her in soft tones telling her that he wouldn't get that close again, and that she and JC would be fine. "What the hell are they talking about Bradley?"

Candy came out of her bedroom at the start of Bradley's retelling of what occurred. She moved over and sat next to Angel and went to hug her along with Joshua. Angel stiffened, looked at her and asked her not to touch her right now, and though she didn't have to, she added please. "Angel its fine, ok, I'm just here for you. it's going to be ok." Angel nodded and sank back into Joshua's embrace. It had been a long time since her girl's anxiety had been this bad. She'd been near Angel after the stuff with Joshua's birth mother and brother and saw her girl try to put on a brave face after the kidnapping, with Michael being hospitalized the next day, and that brought on another layer of panic seeing Bradley again, being there for Joshua whiles he waded through the crap between him and Bradley. She'd also saw that fucking home invasion video in the court case that sent Patrick to prison. Angel had told her the night terrors were getting better, this was bound to set that back. "Did you see him? I mean if he's on the run, that truck would be a dead giveaway one would think." Paula agrees.

Angel shakes her head and says "All I saw while trying to stay on the road, was the front end of that massive truck. When … When it hit us, JC started crying, and I was trying to calm him. I should have just stayed home."

"No, you shouldn't have to. That fucking coward needs to stay in his place which is a fucking prison cell. Cause, if he hasn't learned from the beating Jonathon threw him he'll learn when cold steel slices through his fucking chest via me shooting his ass for terrorizing my fucking family." Bradley says.

Sophie walks in hears Bradley and says, "Wait, who is terrorizing who, and why?" Luke walks in behind her, sees Joshua, and turns back around. Sophie reaches back, grabs Luke's shirt, turns around and whispers something in his ear. Luke's eyes widened, then narrow when he looked down at her and mouths not fair. "That's the deal, you stay, or go, your call." Sophie turns back around and says, "So, don't everyone speak at once what the hell is going on now?"

Angel taps Joshua's arm he lets her go, she gets up and says. "I…I.. Just can't right now. I'm going up to lay down." Joshua says he'd come with her. She hugs Sophie, and nods at Luke, then heads up stairs. Joshua says hey to them and then passes in front of them as he follows Angel. When they enter their bedroom, Angel unclips her keys from her belt drops them, and her purse on the table, at the end of their bed, takes off her street clothes and climbs in bed, under her wrestling quilt. Joshua climbs in and talks with her. She says her taking JC to get clothes was just another form of retail therapy and god only knows what could have happened.

He pauses rubbing her back, and meets her eyes "No, let's get you off that train of thought. Babe, I know what did happen and right now that's is what is important. You made sure to get JC and yourself back here safely, that's what did happen. As for the retail therapy. You have been a shopaholic since you first got a credit card. Even if I hadn't of pissed you off, you would have still been at a store buying our son clothes for a dinner that doesn't have a date yet. You know why, because that's what my wife does." Angel says she wasn't pissed she just hoped he and Luke didn't add another layer of awkward to this already ill-timed event. She tells him about Chase texting her, officially inviting them, to the dinner and how he said that apart of his mother's side of the family was visiting. "Wow, it has been a while since you saw them I'm guessing." She says she may have met them but it was so long ago she doesn't even think Sophie was born yet. "So, this would have been at the start of your mom and Chase's marriage?" She nods and speaks about when she left the house, how she just wanted time to just shop, and spend time with their son. "How about this, I set some rehearsal time for us a week from now but next weekend before we hit the road to WrestleMania, I'm taking my wife on our honeymoon. If we keep putting it off, Sophie and Luke will be married before we even get to Chicago. Besides we will be flying in a private jet, so we won't even have to see another person unless it's to ask for a drink. The Chicago get away you picked, is very secure, and we will be staying in one of Chase's fully stocked homes on the lake. Just so you aren't constantly worried, Andrew is coming and bringing part of the team that we have met." Joshua already knew she was worried that his blood family would try to follow them, but when he thought about this trip, after waking up in recovery, he didn't want to wait any longer. This accident with Luke really taught him just how fragile and uncertain life really was, along with being pissed at Luke, this shit scared him more than he thought. It seemed one minute he was fine down in his gym sparring with a friend, that friend went bat shit crazy, and in two short days his world got turned on its ear again, when he went to the hospital, by the time Middlebrooks got back to the room, he was in bad shape, when she said what happened, and that he needed an emergency surgery, he was more afraid than he would ever admit. He'd texted Chase when he fully woke up in his hospital room after getting moved out of recovery, and Chase said his offer of his smaller private Boeing 757 wide-body jet airliner was still on the table, to take them anywhere they wanted to go. Joshua and Angel talk until she falls asleep. He couldn't sleep, so he got up and went into JC's room. JC was crawling or trying to. "Hey buddy" letting the crib railing down JC wobbled, rolled to him, laughing. Joshua sang his goodnight song. It had become their thing. As JC was drifting off after the 6th time of him singing the song he lays his son back in his crib, and whispers "Goodnight my Johnny-Chase" Joshua walks downstairs to find his brother in law and brother about to fight.

Downstairs upon hearing what went on, Sophie calls Bobby and tells him. Minutes later, Bobby and Joy comes through the door, and asks where was Angel and JC. Sophie says upstairs, and asks since the STOP team gave chase was the driver in custody yet.

Before Bobby can answer Bradley chimes in and says, "Yeah Field Commander, did your team catch the fuckers or did they drop the ball?"

Bobby turns from Sophie and says "Look Bradley, I know you're pissed don't think I'm not, but baiting me isn't the best thing to do right now, I'm not Joshua. I'll put your ass down. From the looks of you, someone has already beat me to it." Joy covers Bobby's mouth, and says enough and continues with Bradley wasn't who he is pissed at. Bobby looks down into the stern expression of his mate. Removing her hand from his mouth by tapping her wrist with his pointer finger. Bobby says "Joshua took a lot of shit off him, and I'm not the one. To answer your question, since I wasn't in the STOP team rotation that was following my sister I don't have that information yet. But you can bet your ass that I'll get it soon."

Bradley was gearing up to say something when Candy gets in his visual line and tells him "Stop, this pissing contest won't solve anything. He's not three people, he can't be a part of Chase, Sophie, Angel, and Joshua's close protection team at the same time, it's just not possible."

Joshua makes himself known by walking into the room. Bobby asks him was Angel still awake. "No, she was pretty zonked after she calmed down." Bobby gets a call says a few negatives and affirmatives. Seeing his brother in law look at him while speaking on his phone. Didn't deflate the thought that a part of his blood family had really tried to run his wife off the fucking road. Bobby gets off the phone and says that the driver of the truck was picked up for drunk driving. "Drunk driving my ass, maybe you didn't hear what Angel said." Joshua starts to say what had been told to Bobby by Sophie. Bobby stops him in midsentence, and tells him he knew what was said.

Everyone asks at the same time who was it. Bobby runs his hands through his hair and says "James Smyth, my guys flipped him over to state PD. He'll spend the night in the tank." Joshua asks why did the STOP team do that. "As you and Sophie know there must be at the very least 3 cars on all of you always, so with two of them giving chase, it was either do that and risk it being a trap, or call in whatever law enforcement was running the area. Tactically, I can't be mad at them for calling in state since they were on the highway. For now, if Angel doesn't have a problem with it, just until I can get James off the street for good. I'd prefer if Angel was driven by Andrew. He's better at defensive driving under pressure. Angel did great tonight, even my men were impressed, but I don't want to put her through that again if I can prevent it. With dad going to these mayoral campaign events I can't not be a part of his team, or I'd do it myself. Damon will follow you as lead car Josh. That will leave your team intact Sophie." Joy says what Candy said about him not being able to be everywhere at once.

Everyone starts to disperse after Bobby leaves, Joy was staying because the girls were going shopping tomorrow. Joshua wasn't worried since most of the team would be with them including Sophie's whole team. Luke had stayed quiet almost the entire time. Joshua had forgot Luke was here, until he asked to speak to him. Heading into his home office on the main floor he says "okay" Luke steps away from the interior wall of the atrium, where he'd been standing all this time, and followed him in.

Luke rubs a hand over his face and sighs. "There is no better way or easy way to say this. I seriously hurt you, and I'm not proud for what I did. Joshua I'm so sorry, I would say that you had quickly become one of my closest friends, but with the fact that the only other male that I let get close enough to me to call friend was Trent who lied to me the whole time, makes part of my former statement untrue. Joshua, you are or were depending on if I can ever reclaim your trust, my best male friend. I know I can't undo what I did to you, but if you can give me another chance I can show you better than I could ever tell you that it won't happen again."

Joshua grabs a bottled water from his desk drawer. "I get it, we all have dark places but Luke you totally slipped under my radar. By my own design, I don't have many friends. There's not a lot of people that I give a shit about enough to forgive. I wasn't going to ask, but I must know, what happened that I tripped your trigger so bad? What did I do, or say, that sent you over the top? I've been in the ring with people that I knew from jump they wanted a piece of my ass for their trophy case in competition, or whatever reason. I didn't get that vibe with you. I thought we were getting a good workout in. I kind of blame myself because I should have known that whatever you were pissed about the day before might not have ebbed totally. When you asked the next day, I said yes, and I called myself keeping my mouth shut, because the last time before this, you thought I was really giving you a hard time and I didn't want that confusion." Luke revealed that he'd noticed the quieter Joshua, and it made him think that maybe Joshua was holding back. Joshua glares at him and says "Holding back, are you fucking insane? We were sparring Luke, if it was more than that to you that's when you should have said something. I was keeping you out of my space, since I know that I'm reaction trained to some move sets, I avoided letting myself that close. I do that with everyone. I talk shit, I know that, with some more serious personalities it could mean more to you than it does to me. I get that so that is why after setting ground rules, I purposely didn't say shit to you this time around. So, was that your trigger? Me not calling you out for hitting harder than was needed. Or talking shit about you?" Luke says that it irritated him and made him think Joshua was going easy on him. Joshua looks away from Luke trying to contain the level of annoyance he was feeling right now. "Holding back, Going easy on you. It's wasn't a fight Luke. Or it's wasn't supposed to be." Luke says that came out wrong. "No, you meant what you said. So, what else was it that I did to make you want to turn a sparring match into an attack because I wasn't fighting you. I thought maybe it had something to do with Sophie. Since. After I spoke, your punches got harder, and then you snapped. Hell, I've snapped before, but the rest, after you flung my ass into the turn buckle, anything after that, I got to know what was going through your head when you crashed into me like that? I honestly thought you would hurt Sophie."

Joshua asked why Luke was so pissed and what did it have to do with Sophie. Luke told him about Russo, his pledge to not go after him for what he did to Sophie, and how that just made it worse. Joshua told him that he should have never got in the ring because with all the shit that was turning in Luke's head it was just a matter of time. "Joshua, none of what happened is on you. It's all on me, I admit that wholeheartedly. I asked you to spar with me, my self-control was already slippery I snapped and I hurt you. I know what I said and even though I felt you were taking it easy on me."

Joshua loses it and shouts "there you go with the taking it easy on you, it wasn't a fucking fight Luke. You could have killed me, don't you fucking get that?" Luke says yes and promised that nothing like that would ever happen again. Joshua got off his desk and walks into Luke's personal space not touching him, and says looking him dead in the eye. "The next time one of us takes a swing at each other, just so there won't be any confusion, you won't have to assume, or wonder if I'm taking it easy on you, or holding back, because it will be a fight. Whatever your social impulse control deal is, you need to get that shit under control before the wedding. If you ever lose your shit and hurt my sister. I may have to get in line, but I'll beat the holy fuck out of you, are we clear?" Joshua backs up and sits on his desk. Luke says yes and asks where this conversation left them. A smart retort was on the tip of Joshua's tongue, but he stopped it before he spoke. Taking a breath, he says "Though I meant what I said, I accept your apology and forgive you. I'll tell you now it's going to take some time to fully trust you again, but the important thing is that I realize though it's fucked up this shit happens, and like Bradley pointed out to me, you've done way more good to me and for me than you have ever did bad. I guess that's why this is really fucking with me, because I never thought you would hurt me. Hell, on the day of my abduction, you saved my life twice in the same day. All I ask is that you don't make me sorry for forgiving you. There are no two more strikes, this is it." Luke says he understands. Joshua says. "I hope so" they both leave the room. Joshua goes to bed and wraps his arms around Angel, she relaxes into his embrace and he falls asleep.

Luke walks into Sophie's room to find her sitting on her bed with her laptop working. She asks what happened. On a shaky breath, Luke says "He forgave me. He may not trust me right now but he forgave me." Sophie says baby steps. Rubbing a hand over his face Luke says "Yeah."

Author's Note: Thank you, to my beta team, and last but never least all my readers. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or anything you would like me to make clear, leave me a message or comment. It helps a great deal.: End Note