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.

47. Chapter 47 Loved Ones

Chapter 47

Loved Ones

In Chicago, the next morning Angel wakes in an empty bed. She lay there looking up at the ceiling of the home her dad had let them use for their getaway. When they'd returned last night from dinner they'd skinny dipped in the indoor pool. That had led to lots of playful sexual fun. Color flashed into her cheeks with just the thought of Joshua and her very amorous games they'd created. He'd said he was going to take a jog this morning before they had to leave the peaceful tranquility of being by the lake. Stretching and heading for the shower she glimpsed her reflection. Wow, she really needed to meet up with her hairdresser, her stage look was a bit darker than her lighter natural red roots. The Personal Touch insignia that was chosen for this leg of their tour matched the dark auburn of her professionally darkened hair perfectly. She'd debated with going with black, but she looked weird when she tried on the black wig that was around her length. As the photographer assigned to making their promo video and overseeing their social image Cass had taken a picture of her in the store and said she already looked pale and there would be a lot more than one camera flash and some store lighting on the WWE main stage at Access, but it was Angel's choice. Angel took off the wing and said ghostly or sick was not the look she was going for.

Joshua comes into the bedroom and she asked him how was his run. "Other than when I stopped running and about froze my ass off. It was great. It looked nice out, so I thought maybe I didn't need the jacket, I was wrong. On the way back, I got about 5 blocks away and Andrew drove me back." Angel says this is Chicago a very nice part of it, but still Chicago in winter. "Very true babe." After they shower, have breakfast and get dressed the closer they came to the airstrip the quieter he became. Angel was checking their LEGNA band page they had scheduled promo video to shoot this afternoon when they got back. What she saw on a post that popped up while she was waiting to enter the LEGNA Band's section drained the color from her face. With all the teams in place, someone had got close enough to take a clear picture of their baby. She knew they would be home soon but the next 2 hours was going feel like an eternity. She sent a text to Sophie though she wasn't in the photo, Jonathon-Chase is with her. Joshua asked what was wrong. Angel shows him her phone. "I just texted Sophie, I'm waiting for a reply hopefully she will before we take off. Who would be that close? Chase, Bobby, and Harold have vetted the teams many times I don't know what we can do short of not taking him in public at all." Joshua says let him see the article. Angel hands it to him she was so done with her phone right now. Sophie didn't text she called and let them know that Ivey legal group was trying to get the name of the supposed family member that gave permission. "When did you see it?" Sophie says this morning and that is why she was now working from home. "Do you think it could be one of the team?" Sophie says doubtful. After the conversation she closes the call, and the pilot says they were ready for takeoff.

Joshua put her phone in airplane mode and looked at the photo. It was a clear picture of his son in his stroller. From the blurring in the background, he was near Grandville South downtown, which meant it could have been taken when Sophie went to work. Or hell she could have gone shopping. There was no telling when the picture was taken other than it was taken yesterday. That was for sure because JC was wearing an outfit that Sophie had showed them a day ago. Sally's rant about how shitty of a dad he was though it hadn't been far from his mind came back with a blazing clarity. Angel says that since Sally and Mike were going to be watching JC for ACCESS and Mania it was going to be a long tour with the thought that someone was out there taking pictures of their son. "No, we can just bring him with us," Angel says they had talked this all out just this month after he got out of the hospital. "Things change, and so do people." He hadn't meant it to sound so bad-tempered.

Angel put her hand on his heated cheek and considered the crystalline blue fire of his angry stare as she asked him "What or who changed?"

Joshua looked at his wife's confusion. It was time to tell her on a sigh, he says "Babe, before we came to Chicago, the reason that Sophie is watching JC is because Sally is still pissed at me, because Brad picked me as his med liaison, and because he passed on her taking him back to the house with him and letting her drive him nuts. So, she figured she would wait until the day of our honeymoon to change her mind. She really let me have it she just kept going, according to her I'm a shitty neglectful father that pawns his infant son off on people all the time. She said she wasn't going to be a daycare or crutch for me anymore and that I should spend more time being a father than playing with my little band, and working the club before my son grows up wondering why I don't love him enough to be around him."

Angel says "That is bullshit, all of it, I can count on one hand the times that we have asked Sally and Mike to watch him, but I don't have enough fingers or toes to count the times that they have come by and asked us to watch their grandbaby. That is so fucked up. If it was such a chore to watch him why the hell do, they ask? What the hell do they expect you to do, if not be what you are, a great band lead and club owner?"

He shrugs and says "The other morning out on the patio, I tried to think of anything that I do that isn't related to the club or music. I came up with squat. The only place that I'm even remotely good at being a nine to five guy is the club. I've written more songs during our hiatus than I have in years."

Angel saw what this latest mind fuck from his parents was doing to him and it pissed her off on multiple levels. Some of them were her recognized transference because sadly enough she knew exactly what he was feeling, from the countless times that Sophia tried to convivence her that her career was just a hobby. Angel says "Joshua you are an entertainer, you have been on stage in some form or fashion since junior high school, to give you a glimpse of what it would be like to do what they think they want you to do, would be like when I disbanded. For 8 of the nine years that I lead Angelic Impression, my mother wanted me to quit because to her I was just making noise as a hobby. When I did disband, though it wasn't for her, it didn't make her happy either. I felt lost. You may say that's me, but Josh, think of the feelings you felt when you thought you were losing your sound. That numbing uneasiness is what you would have to fight through every day. Music gives us both an outlet, it makes us happy, it's profitable because we are good at it. So why would you try to do something that would suck the fire that is your talent out of you, just because they suddenly think your career is nothing more than something to be swapped out for something that doesn't fit you?"

Joshua sighs and says "It's not them both, dad still wanted to come that day, but with mom losing her shit like that, I just didn't want to send JC anywhere near her. Though she has never done anything to him. I want to keep it that way. Don't get me wrong I love Sally, but I love Jonathan-Chase and you more. Do I believe that she would hurt him? My heart and my head are at odds. I've experienced Sally's anger full throttle and when she was yelling at me it pulled me right back to that day at the hospital, only this time she wasn't accentuating each word with a physical blow. I promised you, that I would not restart any of the toxic cycles that we had to endure as children with our child. I meant it before he was born, and I mean it now. It might tear me up for a bit but I will not go back to being the kid I was in here," he points to his temple "scared that one of my parents are going to lose their shit and go too far." Joshua's eyes narrow with memory as he continues. "It was close to my 14th birthday, a whole year after Cass and Brad tried to toss my ass out the window. Sally got hurt at her job at the school. When she started getting up and moving around. Sally asked me if I wanted a party. I told her no. She started crying and screaming in Spanish at me, I got freaked out, ran out the back door and hopped the fence. Mike was pissed, or at least I thought he was, I see now that he was scared because I'd been gone so long. He threatened to send me back to the state. The next day Sally dropped 30 invites into my backpack and said pass them out. Back then you were my only friend, the guys thought I was a nut because I started fighting back no matter how many it was, I may have got my ass kicked, but at least I didn't let them chase me home anymore. Most girls at that school didn't want anything to do with the hood trash as was my nickname. Sally got pissed that only you, Sophie, and Luke showed up to my party. I told her I didn't have 30 friends, and thanked her for letting you guys come over, she called me a smart ass and told me that I had ruined yet another one of my birthdays." His hurt disbelief, even in memory was written all over his face. "I couldn't believe she'd said that, and told her so. She started crying when Mike came in the house that night. I ran to my room, I just knew that him walking in and seeing her crying was going to get taken the wrong way, and he was going to send my ass back. Sally calmed down and it was that night I knew the steps to our dance, don't say anything that might piss her off or upset her, or she'd have me sent away. When it was just me," he shrugs "I'd just let her blow up at me, I mean I was used to it. Anything was better than being beat on, I could deal, and she would go long stretches with being normal. At 18, I had space and time to think shit through. For as many times as she threatened to send me packing, after I turned 21 and they moved, it got harder and harder for me to visit them. She would call me a few days before a major holiday, and I would feel conflicted enough to go. Her pattern changes last year shook and scared the fuck out of me, the escalation from yelling to hitting was what threw me the most because before last year she'd never physically raised a hand to me. It's not just me anymore. The not knowing if she'll transfer any of her misplaced anger with that same speed onto you or our son, I don't want to take that gamble. I'm so fucking tired of every time she has a problem with her real children she takes it out on me. I don't get it. She saved my life, took me in, and when she was normal it was fine. It took four years for her to flip out the first time. I don't know what to do, there is part of me telling me to cut her off, but there is a part of me that that feels that I still owe her, because without her there may not have been a Joshua Davenport, I don't think I would have survived the next round with Brenda and James. Hell, I nearly didn't survive that one."

Angel lightly smoothed her hand over his that was closed around the armrest in a fist. Relaxing his grip, he held her hand. As Angel listened, some of what he'd just said clicked in why she was experiencing so much transference. She wasn't physically abused, but there were parallels. Within one of her own early sessions with Middlebrooks about triggers, when it came to the fear and attachment to a parent that didn't physically abuse you but made you feel less important or like in her case, like the one who was regarded as a disgrace to the family, was just as harmful especially in adolescents. Middlebrooks called her own relationship with her mother a disorganized attachment. Joshua with Sally was even more so, because he had experienced physical abuse, and later would form an attachment to the woman that saved him. He'd said it before, at least Sally wasn't pounding on him. Sally's threat to send him back and his fight to remain, was what forged the attachment and made it disorganized or unbalanced. She asked was that Sally that kept sending him messages. He shakes his head and says not all of them were Sally, that most of them were Alex wanting to meet and marking all his damn messages urgent. Up until yesterday morning on the patio, Angel had not seen any of the effects all of this was having on her lover. Joshua asked her what he should do about the Sally thing. "I don't know. I won't normalize her mistreatment of you just because it wasn't physical."

Joshua gets defensive, pulls his hand away and says "It wasn't all the time. There were long stretches where she was just her, no lashing out or anything. She saved me from her own children by sending them away." Which was something Sally had always reminded him of as if he could forget. Angel said nothing just watched him, so he filled the silence. "She did so much good that I can never repay her for, but it's times like this that I just don't know what to do anymore." Angel then asked him had he ever shared this with a therapist? "I've never really spoke about her, or this in therapy because there was always something else more pressing," Angel suggested that maybe before he makes his final decision on what to do that he should at least talk it over with a professional and get some non-bias advice. She then changed the topic and they spoke of the upcoming performances at Access and Mania.

Hours earlier as the sun rose over Pyramid, Logan sat on the sofa he knew he'd have to head back to Grandville South to pick up Glenny in a few hours. He'd woke this morning in a strange bed with Mia. Last night they both had turned off all thought and just let their bodies take over. Her kiss in the elevator ignited his insatiable amount of sexual hunger. As soon as they'd entered her apartment she jumped into his arms and kissed him again. Within minutes they were in her bed. Logan wasn't a young fool, what they did was shut off their minds and fuck the shit out of each other. He hoped they had a future, but today they needed to talk and he knew that certain things he would not deal with again. He had to find out a few things before he let himself get into deep. Checking his phone, he had a missed call from his father. He dialed and got up walking to the patio window "Dad, oh you heard already? Well, I can guess who you heard that from, I wasn't drunk dad, I had Diet Coke, I'm finishing the Glenview project later today." His father said that Miller had him thinking the worse. So, Jeromy had called up his father last night as a fellow chief and spun it like he did him a solid. His father asked him what happened. Logan looked back to see if Mia's door was still closed, it was and he told his father what happened from start to finish.

Houston Chief Brian Butch Conner was beyond angry that the same man that rang his phone in the dead of night scaring the hell out of him and his wife would call at that hour saying it was about his son. Butch's heart had fallen into his socks until Miller spoke about how he'd just stopped and released Logan. When Butch regained his voice he'd thanked the fucker, and said he'd talk to the boy. When he called Logan and got no answer, it had unnerved him more than he would ever admit to his wife. To find out from Logan that Miller had him tailed from G South to Pyramid was bad, hearing that Miller drew down on his boy from the start of the stop, was worse, hearing his son's fear that if a local had not of showed up on the scene was too fucking far. "So, he had you get out of the truck and walk almost past his car?" Butch kept his voice calm but the fact that he could have been getting the call he fears the most, last night shook the old cop. Then Logan told him about the threat of it not being over. "Oh, it's over before this goes any further. I will be talking to the Commissioner and if that doesn't stop it, I'll talk to the Governor. Do you still have the panic feed?" Logan says yeah, he kept a copy but the threat may not be audible since he was over 20 feet away. "Logan, until I can get this mess squared way, keep your system on auto that way you won't have to activate it. I'm sorry this happened son, but know I will do all that is in my power to put a stop to it." Logan says he's sorry he missed his father's call he had thought of calling but figured he would wait until morning as to not scare them. "If anyone calls us late I would rather it be you, at least I know you're ok. Don't hesitate to call us son." They close their call and Butch sits in the silence of his office then calls Commissioner Alivia Kincaid.

Inside of Mia's bedroom, she wakes and smells Logan's scent which was a heady mixture of his after-shave and a smell that she couldn't place, it was just his scent. Last night had been a wild ride. She was so glad that Jerry had not hurt him and that he'd come here. Her earlier fear moved over, and her need to make the world stop, took over, as she'd kissed him. When she felt him put his hands on her face she was afraid that he would push her away, but that fear was vaporized with the speed of his tongue entering her mouth returning her kiss. When the elevator opened on her floor she pulled away just in case there was someone waiting on the other side. She'd jumped Logan as soon as her door was secured they both were almost completely nude by the time they got in her bedroom. She'd broken all her rules but at that moment she wanted to shut off her mind, and he'd been just the one to make that come true. As she gets up the familiar soreness was a reminder of how big he is. It also had been 6 and a half years since she'd had sex. The most amazing part for her was that even in their frenzy he'd given her numerous sheet clawing, shoulder biting, back clawing, orgasms before he let himself go. After they were both sated they fell asleep. Looking around her bedroom floor she didn't see his clothing had he left? Was her apartment unsecured all this time as she slept? Relief surged through her, as her answer was given to her in the form of Logan speaking to someone on his phone. She went in, used the bathroom, and took a quick shower. She knew they would have to talk, she just hoped that their talk did not end what they could have. As she exited her bedroom he must have finished his call because she'd gained his full attention, as she entered the living room. They both say, "We need to talk." He said ladies first. "I don't know where to start," Logan asked when she ran was it because she spotted her ex or was she running from him. "I didn't see Jerry until he stopped you." He asked then why she'd ran from him. Her mind wanted to deflect. "You want coffee?" He says no he just wants to know why she ran. Though her words weren't as clear and concise as her detailed work topic last night, she told him, walked him through from the anger she read in his body language and her fear of what would come next had she not deflected and started talking about work until his coloring went back to normal. Him pulling over to the side of the road, her answer that ran too close to what he'd said about not wanting her to meet his son. Him speeding up and how the simple act of him taking his keys and slamming the door at the gas station had set her into motion before she even knew she was running. "At first, I thought that the police were trying to figure out why I was walking in the bushes. Then I saw Jerry pull you over, and draw down on you. I was so afraid for you, and I'm thankful that the other officer showed up and stopped him from hurting you." Mia stood and says. "You may not need coffee right now, but I do." She walks into her kitchen leans on the counter, she hated that her words were halting. Repeating what was going through her mind last night made her sound irrational, but he wanted the truth. Sighing she grabs a cup of coffee, her machine was programmed for this timeframe every morning except for Sunday which was her only off day. Taking her cup back to the living room she once again sat across from him. The sun behind him outside her patio window gave him a halo effect. With his dark hair, naturally tanned skin, lean build, and deep blue eyes, he looked like an angel of the fallen variety.

Logan felt a mixture of hurt, frustration, and guilt, Mia had stammered the entire time she'd spoken. As she took a sip of coffee he began. "Mia, I want you to know, that yes, it's true, I got heated that you thought I was hiding my son because there was something wrong with him. I thought I had masked any outward irritation, but I guess I hadn't. I do have my reasons for moving with this amount of caution when it comes to him. One of them is I haven't dated someone that I didn't already know or at least l think I did in over 20 years. I don't know what is enough time and what isn't once again never had to make those type of decisions. Recently I let my son go to school and it didn't go so hot. Also, my wife's actions and how they opened my eyes about how fragile the psyche can be." She opens her mouth "I know you are not my wife. None of what I just said is your fault. We have only been going out for three weeks, and double dates, and flirting on the phone has been great. When you said sure I assumed you were agreeing to talk about something else. When I asked you were you ready to go home you zoned out I figured that maybe it was time to go. Then you started talking about your job. You, flipping out and running sent up a big warning flag for me, I'm glad you shared your thoughts with me, because when you flipped out and said what you said I assumed it was because you were pissed that I wasn't going to cave and let you meet my son. As for you thinking I would do something to you out of anger in the truck. Just like you're not my wife and I should not make you pay for the stuff that scared me about my wife and children. Honey, you must know that I'm not Jeromy. I don't hit or abuse women, in the event you attack me in anger I will restrain you. As for what you thought I would do while driving you home. I would never do anything that could take me away from my son. Getting arrested for domestic violence or crashing my work truck isn't in my best interest if I want to stay out of jail or hell because my family would kill me. I may be a little hurt and saddened that you were afraid of me, but I get it, you don't know me, and I don't really know you, this is new ground for the both of us. It's going to take some time to build on us, but I'm willing to invest it if you are." She says she's willing and will try to talk stuff through instead of assuming the worse. She then did something that she had stopped herself from doing because of its futility with Jeromy, she apologized for upsetting him. "Just like you said you don't know what my hot buttons are. I appreciate more, that you told me what was going through your mind when your actions no longer fit the Mia I know."

With Sally waking him this morning and showing him the newspaper that had a picture of his grandson he wanted to see the little guy. Michael drove to Ivey Mansion he sees Joshua's truck but that didn't mean his children were back. He is let on to the property as he entered the gate since Frank had to call up to the house someone was home. Pass keying himself into the house and hearing his name read over the system he walks through the atrium. Janet, Nikki, and Paula were pulling suitcases behind them. "Do you need a hand?" Paula says she thinks she has this but won't turn down help with others. He helps them put their luggage in the atrium. Janet and Nicole speak to him about going on a bus. "I remember fondly my first bus ride with my family," Janet asked was Joshua with them yet. Mike smiles "No my first Greyhound bus ride was quite a while before Joshua was even born. I hadn't even met my wife yet. In fact, I don't think your mom was even born." Mike says with a smirk. Paula says flattery will get him coffee. Nikki says but flirting will get him flattened. "I assure you, Nicole, I was not flirting, but if that coffee is still an offer I would love some," Paula tells him to follow her.

Mike follows her into the kitchen. Bradley who sat in the breakfast nook with Candy holding his grandson, looked behind Mike. Mike looks behind him, in case one of the girls were needing to get past him, seeing no one he looked back at his son. Paula hands him the mug he favored when he visited. "Thank you." She says he's welcome and excuses herself. Turning his attention back to Brad, Michael says "If you were looking for your mother, she is at a doctor's appointment. I had some time before I must go retrieve her, so I figured I would come visit Jonathon-Chase." Bradley asked was it anything serious. "When I returned home last night from my walk she was happy, not angry, not sad she was my Lulu. She will never admit it, but it seems she took your words to heart and is seeking therapeutic help." Michael puts his coffee down and asks to hold JC. As he held his grandson and put his finger in JC's field of vision he watches JC grab his finger. With a smile for his grandson, he speaks to his son and Candy about the article, pitching his voice high and low to make JC laugh. "Well, Grandpa just hopes whoever took one of JC's photos gets found out, yes he does." Michael's phone rings with a part of a recording Candy had done for Sally Lu. Michael hands his grandson to his oldest and answers in a normal tone of voice. "I'm on my way dear." After closing the call with his wife. He kisses JC on the forehead and says his goodbyes. As he walks through the living room, towards the atrium Angel proceeds his youngest into the house. Though Joshua tried to hide it, Michael saw the surprise and something darker enter his son's way to expressive eyes as he visually searched the room. Then it was gone and replaced with something he could only say he'd seen when Joshua was doing an interview the look itself gave nothing away. Sophie came from her office acknowledge his presence and welcomed Angel and Joshua home, she continues that Candy and Bradley are watching JC since she was getting a little too loud for her nephew in her office while talking to the idiots that kept trying to say that Joshua gave permission for the photo.

Joshua says "That's a lie. We both signed the order Chase had drawn up shortly after JC was born." Sophie says she knows and that's why she is trying to get the supposed statement, so she could send it to an expert. Candy and Bradley walk into the living room with JC. Joshua walks over and takes his son. Michael excuses himself after asking to speak with Joshua later. "Later, is good dad, we got a lot to get done in a short time, but I'll give you a call later." Michael nods and leaves. Sophie gets another call and excuses herself. She can be heard laying into someone as she closes her home office door. Joshua speaks to and plays with JC. Candy mentions that they still had a video and teaser to shoot at LEGNA today. "I know, Jonathon called us almost immediately after we landed. I told him we needed to come home and get changed."

As Michael drove Sally back home, she asked lots of questions he just didn't have the answer to. "I don't know Sally Lu, I went to go see Jonathon-Chase, as for how Joshua looked, fine. Anything else you've asked I can't give you an answer. Anything more than a hello would have to wait he's busy." Sally asked did he really believe Joshua was just busy. "Sally Lu don't start this, he is band lead this year, that is a lot more responsibility than he had last year. He said he would call later, and he will." Sally says he still hasn't returned any of her calls and that worries her. "So how many calls did you answer on our honeymoon?" She blushes and says he had a point. Michael pats her thigh, and says "Give him some time Lulu, calling him repeatedly isn't going to make him answer." She says she guessed he's right. Michael changed the direction of the conversation and they speak about her first session. When Sally says she doesn't feel any different, Michael sighs and says "It's therapy, not a magic pill. I'm no expert but you can't expect everything to fall into place in one one-hour session." Though Michael had only been to family counseling for the events when Joshua was younger he knew it took time. It had taken Joshua nearly a month after his ordeal on his 13th birthday before he was able to come home. It had taken months to remove the haunted angry looks from his daughter Cassandra's eyes from her husband's abuse. Almost a full year of treatment and though Bradley no longer did drugs, his transition to being and staying sober wasn't an easy road.

Later after rehearsal and the video and teaser are finished, Angel and Joshua return to Angel's office where Bradley was watching JC. Cass comes in and says that the video and the teaser came out great. She helps Angel get the auburn wig off. Angel thanks her and says "I definitely have to get my hair done, this thing is hotter than hell, and the Mania main stage is going to be even hotter. I'd be a puddle on the floor by the second verse." They walk into the smaller room to find Bradley asleep with his hand through the bars of the crib resting on a sleeping JC's back. "I think our baby boy tuckered out his uncle."

Bradley woke to his brother and his sisters looking at him. Realizing he'd fallen asleep he moves his hand off JC slowly as to not wake him. As they move back out into Angel's office Bradley says. "Joshua, I checked with my lawyer about what you asked me, and I won't be able to watch JC in Vegas while you guys are on stage. I can't leave the state. Jazz's story has holes in it large enough to drive your truck through. A part of the state police tries to kill my ass, and yet in the D.A.'s eyes I'm still the bad guy." Joshua says that's really fucked up. "I'm sorry guys, but there is nothing I can do about it, I'm not trying to go to jail for breaking my…." Angel says that he misunderstood, Joshua chimes in, and says he just meant that it was messed up for the system to be treating him so shitty and that he'd never ask Bradley to jeopardize his freedom.

Candy walked in and asks Bradley was he ready to go. He says yeah. Down in the car on their way back to Ivey Mansion Bradley tells her that he won't be able to go Vegas and why. "That lying bitch is still walking around free and you can't leave the state, this shit is so unfair." That night after dinner Bradley sits on the bed watching her pack. They were leaving in two days to start Personal Touch's Access tour to WrestleMania. Her phone chimed at her and he wondered who would be texting her this late. When she checked the screen the color drains from her face, which with her newest Ombre Blonde and Teal touchup the loss of color just made her look sick. Bradley asked her what was wrong. She handed him her phone, walks across the room, and grabs her newest defense necklace. (a more powerful one, not bought by Deon) Seeing that it was fully charged she puts it in her purse.

Unknown sender: See you at Access if I don't you won't make it to the grandest stage of them all baby

Bradley watches her and says, "I don't think you can take that on the plane." Candy says they are flying private. He then read and re-read the words in her latest text. Remembering the gifts that showed up at the club addressed to her and the appointment card left on her car that was parked in a secure area. "Your fan club is back messing with you?"

She mumbles. "It's not funny." Bradley says he wasn't laughing. Some asshole is threatening her and that's no laughing matter. "I won't go through that again." She says more to herself than to him, as she throws more loads into her purse. Bradley asked her who did she think it was. "I think it's Roman. I'm sending this to my lawyer, in the morning." Candy went back to packing. Except for her band outfit, she takes all other rompers and dresses out of the suitcase. She walks to the closet and starts grabbing pants suits. The light conversation they'd been having before the text message had been ended by the dark memories of Roman's actions, which gave her two very harsh emotions at once anger and fear. Bradley gently takes an outfit out of her hands and hangs it back up, she hadn't noticed him move. He spoke, and she looked at him as if he'd just appeared.

Bradley saw that packing had become even more of her focus, where she was speaking she'd went quiet and that haunted look was back in her eyes as she moved frantically around the room. She takes all the dresses she, Angel, and Cassandra had gone and bought for the WWE formal galas out of her luggage. She then starts ripping pants outfits off the hanger, throwing them in the direction of her suitcases, mumbling to herself. He gets up and walks over taking one of the outfits out of her hand, and putting it back in the closet, before it joined the pile of pants laying on top of her suitcase or on the floor near it. "Stop. Talk to me. Every time you get something dealing with him or this trial, you shut yourself down, I mean you still move around, but it's like you climb inside yourself. Please talk to me." She says she's fine. Bradley spans his hand around the room at the destruction she caused in the last 10 minutes. "Don't lie to me, not you. This isn't fine." He'd bought her the new necklace since her old one was locked away in evidence for the Deon case. "I just watched you dump enough full load cartridges into your purse to nuke a town. Private flight or not, babe those things aren't supposed to touch." She says he should understand her wanting to be able to defend herself. "Defend yourself, yes but, I've seen what it can do in with one pack in 10 seconds. What did this dude do to you for you to pack enough loads to microwave him for 36 hours straight? Babe, you can't walk into those programs in jeans and a band tee." She says she just won't go to the programs. "I can't tell you what to do, but I don't want you alone in a casino, or in your hotel room while everyone else is away at these programs, not with me not able to be your side," Bradley remembers hearing what went on at Candy's place as he sat on the phone with his heart in his throat. Hell, Angel was there and was almost too late to stop it, Bradley would be over a thousand miles away. Her next words hit their mark, but before he could even say anything she was gone. The silence grew too loud in here, standing among the chaos of her frantic packing and unpacking. Bradley went to find her, only to see her leave the house.

The words were out before she could stop them, she was already emotionally raw after the message and his reminder that she would be alone in her hotel room pushed her over. "Thanks for the reminder that I'll be alone." Before he could say anything, she ran out of the bedroom. When he'd asked what Roman had done to her, on some level she wanted to tell him and on another, she feared the voice that said he'd throw it back in her face. Just like Deon did. The look on his face before she ran, wasn't anger she'd hurt him. She had to clear her head. She grabbed her keys and left the house. She soon finds herself at The Davenport. It was the only place she felt she could be and not have to think too much. Joshua was working tonight maybe she could talk to him.

Joshua had dropped off Angel and JC at home and come to the club to help Larry since Josh and the other owners would be away at Access and Mania for an entire weekend. The weekend was a heavy time to run any club, add live music and local talent as his dad would call them, and you spell out some high volume of customers. Not to mention that The Davenport and the Last Ride Grandville South were the only places allowed to show Mania within 150 miles. Speaking of the men he called father his family was full of surprises these days. He hadn't expected to see Michael when he came home. Joshua nor Angel expected Chase to call offering to watch JC while the band went to Nevada. That was a huge relief for them both. His office phone rings. "Davenport. Bradley slow down. What happened? I hadn't thought about the fact that she'll be alone. I'll see what I can do. I can't tell you that. I get you are concerned but Bradley there are layers to this shit. I thought she was at the house. No, you won't you aren't cleared to drive. I'm not rubbing shit in your face, you have one of you phase out's behind the wheel and then what?" Joshua didn't need Bradley trying to drive around looking for Candy knowing that he'd spaced out a few times since coming home. Joshua sees that Candy has logged into the parking system. "Hey, to at the very least put your mind at ease she's here, she just checked in to the system and parked. Oh, you bet your ass I'm going to talk to her."

Candy walks into her office and about jumps out of her skin when she sees Joshua sitting on the front of her desk. "You scared the living hell out of me. What are you doing in my office?" He says he wanted to talk to her, saw her log into her parking space this late at night, and figured she was coming to talk to him. He also tells her when they leave for Nevada, to please remember to lock her office. "I did lock my office you have a key, but I did need to speak to you." Candy finishes closing the door walks over and sits beside him. "I wasn't going to say anything because I have been handling it. I have been sending the shit to my lawyer and Angel helped at Mark's party." Joshua says he knew about the guy that came and asked for a meeting and how Andrew got rid of him. He then asked what other stuff has she been handling. She showed him the picture of the flowers with a note, that was sent last night when she was working the club. She knew Joshua was reading the note on the flowers that read, "you set the time or I do, your choice for now" because as his eyes moved across her screen, they darkened in anger. She then shows him the latest message. She talks to him about her and Bradley and how good they were until she flipped out on him for reminding her that she would be alone. She explains her reason for not telling him about Roman and Joshua stopped her.

"When you and Bradley first told me, you were together I was coming down off thinking something had happened to you. When he showed up at my back door he didn't come to fight, he was there to straighten me out, but that's what I took from that experience. I have been able to witness you two together. Candy whether you tell him or not. He's going to find out. No, I won't tell him it is not my place, but if you think that in that court case they are going to not say what Roman is accused of, your deluding yourself. Bradley was worried enough about you running off tonight, that he was about to try to drive around to find you." She says he can't drive yet because just this morning he phased out for like a full five minutes. She describes calling his name and him just staring around when he came out of it. "I told him how dumb it would be for him to try to drive around knowing that he zones out so hard right now. I told him where you were, that seemed to tamp down some of the anxiousness in his tone." She asks him point blank what she should do. "Me, I think you should tell him. Yeah, you took a chance while trying to decide if you were going to take Deon back and told him, but Bradley isn't Deon or Roman. With using that logic do you really think Bradley would have opened himself up and told you about Jazz? If Angel would have let Braden's shit and Glenn's shit taint how she treated me I don't think I would have been able to deal. I know most of what you told Deon, have for years, I know some of your triggers, and you know some of mine. We trust each other. I'm not a mind reader, I can't tell what Bradley's reaction will be, but I'm willing to bet that it won't be half as terrifying as you have played it over in your head to discourage yourself from telling him. As for you alone in a hotel room in Vegas, that's not going to happen. You will be rooming with Angel and me," Candy says she was not sleeping in the same room with them this was nothing like touring as D Lighting. Joshua's next words brooked no argument, "It won't be all of us in one room with two beds like it was when we started D Lightening. WWE put Angel and me in a two-bedroom suite, and since Chase has asked to keep JC here, and Bradley can't come, you are in the spare bedroom. I'm not taking no for answer. I don't know where that fucker is, and I won't have a repeat of last year."

Since it wasn't like she was putting anyone out or that she would be on a rollaway bed like when they traveled as Davenport Lighting. She hugged her best friend and thanked him. "You have taken a load off my mind thank you." He hugs her back and says that the price of her room would go back into what WWE was paying them to perform. "I hear a win, win. Sometimes talking to you, and this just sometimes, is better than my original plan of maybe talking to you and drinking until I had to ask you to drive me home. Wish me luck I have a conversation to finish." They leave her office and Joshua walks her to her car. "Thanks again bro," He says you bet and walked back into the club.

As Joshua moved back behind the bar, Larry greeted him by saying. "All the booze has been restocked, and you have a visitor." Joshua turns to look where he pointed the guy out. Seeing his boss's coloring rise Larry asks, "Davenport, you want him gone? I'll make him leave." Josh threw down the rag he'd been wiping down the bar with and walked towards the guy. Larry kept an eye on his boss and so did Andrew, who sat in his usual spot at the end of the bar nursing a soda, where he could see everything now that Joshua was on the main floor.

Alex sat in a booth and watched his son approach. "Well it seems that a few days away did you some good, you look good Boy."

Joshua invited Alex back to the conference room he wasn't going to his office but he wanted some privacy. He didn't need to be posted all over social media. He would not give Al his 15 minutes of fame by making reporters interested in who he is. They enter Alex sits, Joshua paces, and Andrew flips off the light in the booth behind the two-way mirror, he'd be watching, but not listening.

"If we are going to talk, you will call me Joshua. Or this shit is over before it starts."

"Okay Joshua, just know if it were up to me I wouldn't have named you Boy. Brenda had watched The Outsiders and thought it would be cute, you know instead of Pony Boy just Boy."

Joshua flipped him off and says "Fuck you, is that Outsider enough for you? I always thought it was because Brenda was so fucking baked on drugs all the time that maybe the doc said it's a boy and that was good enough for my name. Hell, with that logic, she would have been better off naming me John Doe, at least John is a fucking name. You've shown up at my house around me and my family, uninvited, don't ever do that shit again, and now you are in my club, what the fuck do you want?"

Alex chuckled but sobered quickly when he saw that Boy hadn't meant it as satire. "Brenda wasn't doing drugs when she was pregnant with you, with the second kid yeah she was baked the entire time." Taking a breath and using the name his kid had gone by for longer, he says. "Joshua, you asked what I want from you. I know I don't know the man you have become, but I want to get to know you. You're my son." Joshua tells him too late for that shit. Alex slams his fist on the table and yells "Why are you so pissed at me? I didn't do anything to you. I was a young punk that found out that my first-time getting laid, got me a kid."

Joshua turns around and stalks back to Alex "Why am I pissed at you? You said one thing right, you didn't do anything but not to me. You didn't do shit for me. You went on living your life. Selling drugs to the two people that were supposed to take care of me. You watched them for fucking years beat the holy fuck out of me. You were young when you found out you had a kid. You didn't give two shits about me. You looked right into my face and sat there while that fucker commenced to tuning me up in front of you."

Alex stands and says "Brenda cheated on me, and then ran off and married the bastard. What the hell was I supposed to do at 16, kidnap you, and take you where? Back to my mom's house? I sold drugs, that was my hustle because I dropped out in the 7th grade. I mean…."

"Save me the after school special. When I was ten that would have made you 26, the night before they put my ass in the hospital you came over and gave them lots of goodies. If you were so mad at her for cheating on you why did you take it out on me, because you doing nothing was taking it out on me." Alex said that James would have flipped if he had of found out. "Newsflash, he knew or at least thought he did," Alex says Josh gets his anger from him. "I'm nothing like you, because a man that wasn't even related to me and his wife did what you should have done as my father which was intervene. They heard me clear next door screaming and begging my parents to stop before I passed out. The Davenports, made it stop, by calling the police. Before that night, you were right there for most of it, and you sat in the chair by the door and watched. You aren't my father you were just a sperm donor there's the difference between us. I'm nothing like you. I would never sit and watch another man beat on my son. I'd go to jail or hell first."

"By 26 I was abusing my own drugs. I still loved a woman that cheated on me, and I still sold her drugs because it kept a roof over my head. I'm sorry. I was a coward. I still think in my heart, if I had told James that I was your father he would have killed you. As for calling the cops, I was selling drugs dude, wake up." Joshua throws a punch at him and screams James fucking tried to kill him and so did Brenda." Taking the punch square in his jaw, Alex pushed Joshua into the wall.

As Joshua charged at Alex and started beating on him. Alex dodges a punch to his gut and yelled: "Is this what it's going to take?" Alex was slower but heavier than his son, the kid was really letting him have it. In a last-ditch effort, he locked his arms around Boy and flipped him. Joshua caught air and landed hard on the large conference table. The guy that was trying to hold his son on the table told Alex to get the fuck out. Breathing heavy, Alex runs out of the office and out of the club.

Andrew comes running through the door from the first punch thrown, Davenport was quick. "Davenport stop man, stop." Joshua pushed Andrew out of his way and went for the man that was now trying to leave. The older guy flipped Davenport on to the table and that gave Andrew enough time to hold Davenport back before he ended up going to jail tonight. Andrew yells at the guy "Get the fuck out" the guy did the right thing and ran. "Davenport, the next time you push me out of the way, we are going to have problems." Andrew lets Joshua go once his team gives him an all clear that Alex was clear of the property. Davenport apologizes and walks out of the conference room and into his office.

Logan and Glenny had finished their dinner, as he was putting Glenny to bed about to read him a bedtime story his truck alarm went off. Row, started barking which made Glenny nervous because Row hardly ever barked about good things. Logan tells Glenny to stay in his room and not to come out, that he would come finish the bedtime story in a few minutes. Glenny says ok but doesn't lay back down. "Everything is ok buddy, ok?" Logan walks out of the room and says, "Row, Guard" then points to Glenny's door. The massive dog runs from the window that had drawn his attention and stands guard. Logan moves out of the way of the large window and turns on his home camera to see if he could see who was messing with his ride so close to his fucking home. The image pops up on his phone and he knew he'd seen the guy before but could not place him. When the truck voiceover activated from the guy pulling at the passenger door the guy speaks and says that when the alarm company notified him he'd be glad to answer the call. It was one of the cops that worked under Kevin. Logan called his uncle Homer. "Hey, I'm sending you a video it's happening in real time right outside my home. I know this guy is one of your state guys, only because he was one of the guys that showed up at the preschool and he was with Kev when he thought I was trying to attack him in front of his men on my worksite. I'd call the police, but this guy is the police."

Homer watches the feed on his computer. Is Short Stuff home with you?" Logan says yeah in his room with Row guarding his door. "Ok," Homer sighs "I'm on my way to your place. Don't go outside, if he's making that much noise he doesn't mind drawing you out of the house. I spoke to Butch, Logan, I had no idea that Jeromy… I just can't believe he is a part of this shit." Logan says he's kind of not thinking about Jerry right now as he is watching a state police officer try to get in his vehicle at his place at night. On Homer's screen, he routes Logan's signal to be answered by G South PD since it would be local to Logan's home. "Your system just pinged your local department. I cloaked it from the state, I don't need him coming to your door to, as he said to answer the call." Logan tells him that local just pulled up. "I see that I'm still on my way."

After the flashing lights from the two local cars fade from sight following the state car, Logan takes a deep breath. Checking his system and seeing no one, he goes out to see if his truck was damaged. Seeing the scratch marks, so the guy must have been out here trying to pick his passenger lock. The surprise would be on him because the passenger side had a keyhole true enough, but it wasn't an active entry port any longer. He'd changed that when he used to drive Janet around because he didn't want someone walking up messing with her while he ran in for gas. The only active key port was on the driver's side door. He re-enters his home and reset his alarms. After reading Glenny the promised 20-page bedtime story and watching his son drift off. Out in the hall, he gives Row a treat for guarding Glenny's door. Row, took the offered treat and went into Glenny's room and hopped up on the bed. The large dog curls around Glenny until his little master put a hand out of the covers and hugged his pet.

Mia called Logan to tell him she'd made it home, she'd agreed to let him know when she got home with all that was going on. She worked until late at night some nights. "Hey, I'm glad you called. With the night I've had it's nice to hear some good news." She asked what was up he hardly texted her today. "Well, my cement mixer went out, I have three jobs running with finish dates that are quickly getting out my control. One of my jobs I must complete but I don't even want the fucking site anymore. To top off my day as I'm just chilling out with my son tonight decompressing, my truck alarm is set off by a state patrolman, yeah it is parked in my driveway. I don't know what he was doing, but if he was trying to stay out of sight while he talked shit to my audio system, the joke is on him because I guess Jerry didn't tell him that he'd still be in plain view on my truck camera." Mia suggests that she comes over and give him some stress relief. "Great idea but, no, my son is home. Anyway, you just drove 2 hours and worked a 13 hour you need sleep babe." She says she could get up before his son woke up. "Mia please don't," She says ok she then changes the subject and asked him how his friend was. "I don't know really since he left my house I've seen him but we haven't really talked." Homer texts him and says he's outside and to let him in. "Babe, I have to go my uncle is here. I'm glad you made it home safely and have a good night."

Logan checks the camera at his front door and sure enough, his uncle Homer was outside his door with a box in hand. It gave Logan a quick flashback of his uncle coming over with treats when he was a kid. Logan disables the alarm and opens the door. "Come on in. Like I told you on the phone the local showed up and the guy left." Homer handed him the box. Logan opened it, and just like when he was a small child his uncle Homer had brought him a treat. "Thanks, you want coffee or a beer?" Homer says he's off duty, so a beer would be great. Logan heads to the kitchen and grabs two beers.

Homer follows Logan into the kitchen "Logan, I'm going be straight with you. I found information about Mia's child. I know we spoke briefly, but Jerry and Mia's child was not stolen, he was sold by Mia's stepfather." Logan looks shocked and asked how did he find out. "I followed up with the Dallas detectives and followed the money. Levy Farrah's bank account boasted way more than he should have been making. The payments started shortly after his grandchild went missing. That, plus his half ass story just, sent up red flags for me, from the beginning. He did walk into the store that day. He didn't have a child with him. At the time his youngest was too young to talk to us on her own. I spoke to her and she was very adamant about not letting her father know that she had spoken to me. The guy had gambling debts up the ass. The problem is we don't know where the child is. We have computerized images of what the child should look like right now. So far Dallas PD has come up with some scary leads that thankfully weren't the child. Le Anna's story of how Levy left them shortly after Jeromy visited them rang a bell because that date was when the money started rolling in. At first, the buzz around the Dallas bullpen was that Levy had the child. Then he returned, I've spoken to Grey Kincaid you know he's Chief over there. He says that the child isn't in Dallas, which goes along with the information gleaned from the P.I. that Mia hired." Logan asked did the P.I. tell Mia that the child was sold. "No, I just found the money trail today. There is no way he has the intel yet. I figured you would want to let her know." Logan's gaze snapped to his.

Logan goggled at his uncle. "Are you insane? I can't tell her that."

Meanwhile, Luke sits in his office writing up his final draft of what went on in his office the day Dr. Ashely lost what was left of her mind. She really did try to get his patient arrested for breaking apart of his bond agreement via drug use. Luke had given Bradley's medical report to his lawyer. It was all Luke had. He had not been at the hospital when Bradley was first entered into the system. His phone rings, answering it he speaks with Joshua, which was a surprise. "Okay, well I'm not at Ivey Mansion right now I'm at my main office. Wait, who were you fighting, no don't tell me. Are you ok? Well, that's good. Yeah, I'm glad they didn't hit you in the face either. Any soreness in your abdomen? Ok, it sounds mostly surface. Joshua, let's keep the fighting to a minimum. If you start experiencing any more symptoms call Middlebrooks immediately. For right now go home, take a hot shower, and put on some of that cream." Luke gets off the phone and shakes his head.

Andrew drives Joshua home, Josh enters their bedroom. Stripping out of his clothes, he heads to the shower. Angel turns over and sits up when she sees the bruises on his back and arms. His knuckles were bruised as well. To top that off, he smelled of vodka. Angel knew something was wrong, from that alone. Josh didn't drink at work and yes, he may come in smelling like sweat and stage smoke but not like he'd dumped a bottle over his head. He must have thought her asleep, because he went straight into the shower as he disrobed. Angel gets up and walks into the bathroom. This was a sight she'd seen so many times when they were in school with the exception of he was nude. "Babe, what happened?" At first, he just shook his head. Then he told her. So, Alex had shown up and spoke to him at the club. "Holy cow, are you ok?" He says he's fine. They shower together, and she washes his back and puts some of the cream on his bruises, as once again he talks about what was said. She wasn't going to say it, but he said it for her, that he knew it was risky fighting this close to a show. "Well, it's not like you went to the club with the intention of him ambushing you with his presence and a sob story." He says he didn't know why he even agreed to talk to him. "I think it was more morbid curiosity than anything. From your description of your memories of him maybe you wanted to know how much of it was the truth."

Sighing he leans back on her as they sit in their bed, he meets her eyes in the mirror of her bureau and says "I guess I wanted something that really never existed and that is some kind of closure." Angel says she looked for something like that for years and no matter what anyone said it was never closed. "How did you, you get over it or get past it?"

"It is still there, but you, Sophie, and dad and everyone that isn't a toxic part of my past keep me level. I realized that I couldn't let that shit from my mom change who I am. I said before and I'll say it again. If she had lived." Angel shudders at the thought. "I would have stayed away from her. After that day I no longer wanted her validation. I felt so thoroughly misled that day when she supposedly needed me. That feeling of being needed after being cast aside for so long is what lead me to get up and run into her set up, I ran out the back door going to save mom, and she nearly got me killed. When she took herself out I felt guilty for feeling nothing. I was just glad that she hadn't taken my father with her. You guys helped me understand there was nothing I could have done to change any of it. I couldn't please her and after that day I didn't care too. There is nothing that man could have said that would take away your pain, nor is there anything he could say that would miraculously make it right. He doesn't know you, or your "Phoenix Story" Joshua smirked at her as she referenced one his first songs he wrote with Davenport Lighting. "But seriously babe, just like you said, the longer you try to recover the ashes of your past the longer you stay in the fire. You survived being Boy Smyth, and your Phoenix or rebirth into Joshua Davenport isn't just a name change on a piece of paper. Along the way had its bumps, and I won't ever say it was easy, but babe seeing what they are capable of just makes me glad that you got away from them. For two reasons one, the most basic is whether you would have survived, and two if you had I fear that their level of emotional, and social toxicity would have turned you into one of them. I honestly believe that Patrick is the blueprint of what could have been had you stayed."

She had a point. He was already mixing drinks before he learned to make Iced Tea, there is no telling all the crap he would've learned way too young. Joshua remembered Patrick's words and remembers when that was his speech pattern, and goal. He would've done almost anything to please momma and daddy. To this day he didn't call anyone momma or daddy. He remembered his secret wish of making momma and daddy proud of him. Joshua talks about the things that he never gave a lot of thought to, that he learned from Michael in so many ways. From his stance on how to treat women as equals, or how to treat family, to his work ethic, and so much more learned male social qualities. He may not have liked birthday parties but he knew how to throw one. To be as closed off and guarded as he was, to build a club rep off his father's name and keep it going, hearing Michael say "good job" was a huge boost. To go from a kid that was scared shitless to draw attention to himself, to being on stage and playing instruments that his mother Sally Lu encouraged him to learn because she knew it gave him a voice and path to let shit out. He'd turned that into a career in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Joshua lay down and Angel lays in his arms he says, "Bobby once said, that he has a lot of learned Ivey in him from Chase, I just now, get the full meaning behind those words, because thankfully I have a lot of learned Davenport in myself."

Inside Sophie's bedroom, she sits up on her laptop there was still a lot to do. Angel, Adina, and Mrs. Sheldon had been a huge help with the wedding planning and the parties. Angel and Adina knew where Luke was taking her for their honeymoon. Luke comes in from his shower and face plants his side of the bed. She just watched as he turned on his back and sprawled relaxed. When they first really slept together he'd been so, she wouldn't say he was stiff but he was very aware of every movement even in sleep. He'd once revealed that he never wanted to crowd or disturb her. He'd sleep with his arm over his eyes and the other at his side as if he wasn't sleeping in a king-sized bed with his at the time girlfriend more like he was sleeping on one of the ugly little cots in his office. After one of their disagreements and makeup sex he had gone back to what she called his sleep position, and it really bothered her. To the outside world or simply people that she didn't know she would admit she was a bit unapproachable but that was because she didn't like strangers touching her. Growing up with who, and how she had, made it very clear that some people didn't need to be anywhere near her and she was fine that. When she explained that night after their fight and makeup sex that he'd just did things to her body that no one else had and asked him why it was like he kept himself on his piece of the bed. That's when he revealed that part about not wanting to disturb her. They'd talked it through, and he had got that idea from his past. Before they started dating he'd recently come out of a bad break up with Gabriella she'd left non-visual but emotional stains on his trust. He admitted, it was hard for him to trust in the beginning almost as it was for her. Even with his horrible poker face, Sophie guessed that he just hid it well for a kind of emotional self-perseveration, the relaxed sleep thing was a big deal for him. She'd also turned down his first proposal which had probably put a doubt in his subconscious because he only stayed away back then when he was asleep. It hadn't fully hit her until a few months ago, that since they were engaged, and he believed in them that his sleep was more restorative because he felt more confrontable snuggled around her. Where months ago, he would go home for a few nights and come back looking more rested, now he slept with her and the rested look was even better. Yeah, he'd held her while awake, plenty of times. she wasn't one that needed constant contact with Luke she wanted it. With her past lovers it wasn't a big deal, with him it was, because this was not getting rebound dick. Luke was so much more, he was hers not a friend with benefits, or any other cute little title for couples that weren't committed couples. From the time they first started going together, he showed her the kind of man he is. Angel had her prince in, Blue Bolt Jeans and band tees and Paula had her prince in denim. Sophie had her king in male Prada and Egyptian cotton. Setting her laptop down she curls around her mate right on top of the covers kiss his body art he stirs but doesn't fully awaken, she lays her head on his chest and goes to sleep to the sounds of his light snoring and the smell of his shower gel mixed with the undertone of Luke's natural scent. In sleep, Luke put his hand on Sophie's back when he found his mate laying on his chest.

The next morning Bradley sits on the back patio, he'd been angry and worried when Candy had run off last night. When she returned and told him what Roman did and other things he didn't want to think about. He now understood some of her nightmares more than he ever wanted to. Instead of the shit with Deon, her night terrors that had her pushing herself into the pillow begging for breath was her subconscious giving her a jolt from her and Roman's past. No wonder when he grabbed her hand the night at the cabin she'd clocked him one. Between Candy's dad, Roman and Deon throwing all of what she said back in her face he had a pretty good idea of why she waited to tell him. When she returned last night and told him, yeah, he got angry, but it wasn't at her. He was glad he was able to explain that to her. Bradley hated that she would be so far away from him. He wanted to rip Roman and Deon's faces off their bodies or just hit them until they stopped moving forever. Only those two still lived the first one that starred in her night terrors was already dead. Bradley held her when her story broke her into tears. Her story opened up why she'd tried to push him away first and some of the other things he'd noticed. Finding out that she tried to off herself in water was a nasty parallel they shared. No wonder Joshua went batshit when he thought of Bradley possibly messing her over. Or last night when Josh told him that he wouldn't tell her secret. No matter how much Josh knew Bradley now understood why he said it wasn't his story to tell. When Candy told Bradley that he couldn't understand how she'd spiraled to that point, and didn't expect him too, he unhid a part of his own past before he even recognized that his thoughts had formed words. He'd never told anyone about how hard his depression had once pushed him, until last night. Bradley never did find out who got his ass back to shore, all he remembered about his attempt was free falling off Grandville Bridge into Cherry Lake and waking up in his car soaked to the bone and cold as shit.

Logan video called him and asked had he been cleared to drive yet. Bradley clicked on the video and says, "I still have the trance-outs, but I'm going to Sheldon Medical today, so my doc can look at the stitches." Bradley points to the small white line in his hairline where Luke had to cut him open to relieve the pressure on his brain. "What's up with you? Did you get a chance to finish the Glenview project?" Logan tells him not to worry about that he and Charlie the assistant foremen had it almost done. Where Bradley once felt threatened by Charlie, Bradley was now just glad his friend and boss had good help in his absence. Logan asked could Bradley do him a huge solid. "Yeah, you know I'll do what I can," Logan asks could Glenny come up and hang with him for a time since he had to finish out the detective's home and where his interior decorator Peggy loved having Glenny her little helper around, he just didn't want his son anywhere near that house in any capacity. "I mean sure I can watch him, depending on how long you take I may have to have him come with me to Sheldon Med but they have a playroom. I know I have issues with working Ben's home, but they don't give you shit do they?" His friend must have forgotten he was on screen because Logan's face darkens in anger when he says no. Logan changes the subject and says he's on his way up. "Okay man."

Joshua gets up, and head downstairs. Seeing Bradley and Glenny on the back deck he joins them. Glenny looked up at Josh then looked at the back of his hands. As he and Bradley talk he walks over and asks Josh, "Josh, did you get your fingers stuck in the door too? My Brad got my finger out." Glenny holds up his pointer finger. "My daddy says to use the doorknob then the door thingy won't hug your fingers so tight. Who got yours out?" Josh says Andrew. "oh okay" Finding the guys talk not interesting Glenny asked. "Can I go play on the swing now? I won't get in JC's swing no more I am too big Janet says I'm not a baby and it's for babies." Josh says he can get on his swing. Glenny mountain climbed down the back stairs and ran for the playground.

Once Glenny is out of earshot Bradley looks at the scaring across his little brother's knuckles. "Mind on telling me whose you face you rearranged?" Joshua tells him and follows it up with why. " I mean I get it, but wow. Lucky you're not playing lead guitar and singing for the showcase. That shit looks like it would hurt to move your fingers that fast for a song as fast as "Out of Time" for an entire weekend." Joshua says it looks worse than it feels, but he was glad that Trevor and Connie would be playing lead and bass. "I know I'm the last person you thought you'd hear this from but bro you can't punch away your problems. He's not worth hurting yourself none of them are." Joshua changes the topic and asked did Candy tell him. "Yeah, she did" Joshua looks at him. "Before you go into your big brother best friend routine. We're good, man. I mean some of it I kind of suspected but didn't want to just assume. I want to turn Deon's face into meat for him throwing something so hard for her to say aloud back in her face. She asked me not to treat her like glass. I know what she means, but it's parts of what she said just makes me more aware of the shit I say and do." Joshua turns to him and tells him the best advice he could give him is to not go all weird on her. "I'm a lot of things, but weird isn't one of them."

Inside the house in the den, Angel, Sophie, Connie, and Candy get their hair done. Connie thanks Angel for inviting her to get her hair done by Angel's stylist. Angel tells her it helped them all because her stylist would rather be here than at her shop for some reason. Sophie says because the last time Angel was at the shop a new girl caught a fist to the face for aggressively pulling on Angel's hair. Connie asked was Angel banned from the location with mirth in her tone. Angel's stylist says no the girl they were talking about didn't even last long because not only did her attitude stink, but she kept trying to upcharge her bigger clients. Candy says "I went to your shop a few years back it was a treat for myself. Where my entire cut and color was 185 when you did it. The next time I came you were fully booked. From your description Angel, I think I had the girl you fought. She kept telling me I should go lighter. I told her that I could not pull off platinum blonde and she wig-checked me, you know how thin my hair was last year before Mania if I had a wig it would not have been thin. She charged me 400." Everyone looks at Candy like she had lost her mind. "I thought well it is G South. What made me mad was she got pissed and started yelling at everyone that was there that my broke ass shouldn't get my hair done professionally if I can't afford more than a 25 percent tip. I was so embarrassed that until last year I would just go to G North I knew the color wouldn't last as long but I had to do something." Angel's stylist says that is why the cow no longer works in her shop she knew something was up when Angel and Sophie stopped coming. She says with Angel's tour schedule she really didn't expect to keep her as a regular, but when Sophie canceled and stopped coming she got suspicious. Connie asked how the stylist missed the fight. The stylist says she'd been booked in LA with a few clients that were on set for a month, so when she came back she was losing clients and had no fricking clue why. The assistant finished Candy's Ombre color and cut and handed her a mirror. Candy pays and says "My style is back. I'm going to go see what our guys are up to." Sophie is next to finish and is about to pay when Angel tells the stylist she was paying for Sophie and herself. Sophie thanks her and says she has Angel next time. "This is a part of operation pamper the bride to be, don't worry about it." Connie gets her highlights she had been wanting and says she really liked the way it turned out. Angel says, "I'm glad, my girl is really good, she's tamed my hair for years." As Connie pays, and says she has to get going since her and Trevor's plane leaves today considering they were going to visit relatives and friends that live in Vegas before Access. Angel says "Well have fun, we will be there tomorrow morning, just meet us for the location photo shoot and rehearsal at the MGM Grand Arena tomorrow around 10:30 a.m. I know we haven't toured together yet, but Joshua does ask that if you drink, keep it to a minimum before the performances. This is WWE's second time calling on us, and we'd hate to leave a bad taste in their mouth for any future events."

Cassandra walks in and says. "It also looks really bad on camera if you're trashed," Connie says she really doesn't get trashed anymore ever since doing a header into an audience and ending up seven rows away from the stage because the crowd thought she wanted to go crowd surfing. Cass laughs and says, "I bet that sobered you up quickly. What about Trevor?" Connie says Trevor will have a beer but doesn't go wild with it. Angel says that is cool they wait until after they are done for the night. Cass says, "Yeah, because Joshua gets goofy. Have you seen him today? He blocked image and rushed me off the phone when I tried to chat him earlier." Angel says he was in the backyard with Bradley and Glenny. The minute Cass exits the house, Joshua crams his hands into his pockets. "Okay, I saw your hands. Want to tell me why you'll be wearing gloves on stage?" Bradley says to just leave it alone. Joshua tells her and then says he will be wearing gloves, but they go with the look. He says the other shit can be covered with that makeup. "What about the bruises on your tat?"

"I didn't get the tat for the fans, it can be covered." Joshua excuses himself and heads back up to his room to get dressed for an interview Cass was going to be doing before they left. He vid chats Angel and tells her he liked her hair. She suggests he come down for a trim. "No time babe, I have the thing with Cass soon. Has Connie left already Trevor was looking for her?" Angel says yeah, she's heading back to their place, so they can head out to catch their flight. Joshua soon comes down in his band outfit complete with gloves just in case Cass wanted pictures to go with the article. They do the interview on the back deck and when he posed for the first picture Glenny ran by him. They try again and got a few good photos of Joshua standing in front of their gazebo. He then asks Bradley was he ready to head to his appointment with Middlebrooks. Bradley tells him, yeah and Glenny, Bradley, and Joshua get in his truck. Someone calls Joshua's phone and he pulls it off his belt clip and hands it to Bradley asking who was it. Bradley says it was Gloria. "Send her to the Voicemail void I don't have time for her," Joshua catches Glenny's reflection in his rearview and changes what he was going to say. "I don't have time to deal with her stuff right now."

Gloria had tried to do what she was told by Alex. He called her this morning she felt dirty for even doing it, but he had information about her son. She calls Alex back "He won't answer my call. Please if you know which of my siblings had anything to do with my son please just tell me. Why is this so important to you? You found your son, have known where he is all this time. No, I no longer view our situation as the same, and before you start in on my mate he knew where his girl was and made efforts to remain in her life even from across the pond." Alex reveals that he'd spoke to Joshua at his club and it had almost cost him teeth. "You met with him why do you need me?" When he says he didn't get a chance to ask his son for what he'd pursued him for. All of Jonathon's' words came racing down on her in the form of an auditory illusion. "So the bonding story was a hoax all together? What is it you want from Joshua? If you want money Jonathon offered to pay you away." He tries to backtrack and say he really did try to bond with his son, but he needed stem cells from his grandson, so he could beat his illness. He had a rare form of a blood disease. "There is no way that Joshua is going to help you. The impression that I get is that he loathes you, and he's not too happy with me right now." Alex tells her to try or she will never find her son. A thought hit her, like a fist. "Is what you have contagious?" She thought of the fact that she rode in his car to the party. He'd also been inside Ivey Mansion and had just admitted to physically fighting Joshua. He asks why did she care if she didn't help him, he'd do more than infect her. Gloria hung up. The trepidation of what she'd possibly done by believing Alex's first story. As time went on he became more and more the stranger that Jonathon mentioned, she'd introduced Alex into the fold and if what he had was contagious she'd done worse than Glenn bringing a baby snatcher to a holiday party. She tries Joshua once again but this time she felt she had to warn him. She leaves him a message to call her back that it was an urgent matter of life and death. Jonathon must have pass keyed his way into her office, because when she turned he was standing just inside the door. "John?"

"Why are you calling my son, even after I have asked you to refrain from such an action?" When she speaks Alex's name irritation swarmed inside of Jonathon to the point he walked out of her office before she was done speaking. When he entered his office, his anger was at an all-time high. Sophie Ivey's words about Gloria's true agenda became more prominent in his mind. Just when he was ready to move on she brings that man's name back into their path along with his son. She knocked on his door he didn't have to guess, besides the fact that his receptionist outside his door had buzzed him minutes before the light knock. Since he wasn't one for making a spectacle of himself he let her in. Jonathon had been hard at work since their last talk, not only in seeing solely to Personal Touch and the other shared everyday dealings of a producer, he'd spoke to Chase Ivey and asked for help in finding Gloria's son. Chase had not liked the behaviors of Gloria that Sophie or hell even Joshua or Angel may have shared with him about Gloria bringing Alex as her plus one to his nephew's birthday party. On that front, the two men agreed. Now as Gloria stood in his office trying her best to convey why she was calling his son. Jonathon felt like a fool, he'd received information about her son and his whereabouts via Chase's private investigator, he'd gone into her office to surprise her with plane tickets and everything and to hear her leaving his son a message just infuriated him to no end.

Gloria finished speaking and there was so much Jonathan wanted to say that he had to get himself a drink to give himself time to put his thoughts into more than screaming at her. His marriage had left such a crater of doubt in his ability to trust that a woman would not string him along until she pulled a reveal that the fact that Gloria the second woman that he had given his heart to had just stood in front of him and told him how a man was going to help her or at least she thought so. Jonathan knew how the entire family felt about his mate now, and her calling to tell Joshua anything would not be received well. Taking a sip of the drink, he'd prepared he turns and says "It bothers me that you would continue contact with that man. How am I to trust you? I never wanted to be one that let my past interfere with my present, for a long time I had given up on romantically having a present, but the signs are there. You make this scum sound like he would really help you." She says she did not seek Alex out after their talk he called her at work. The blinding comparison of past and present was eating Jonathon alive. Yes, he'd been younger but just like he had not seen the end of his marriage coming, he did not want to see Alex coming to "save" his woman. Unlike Chase who believed Sophia's trickery to the point Chase felt he had to "save" Sophia from her scoundrel of a husband. The fact that Alex was toying with Gloria and more importantly she was falling for it gave him, even more, doubt to pick at for later. He would try to make her see reason. "Gloria, with what you have just said this man could be willingly infecting my kin. You should have told me first. I understand that you felt that marking the message urgent would get Joshua to listen. Joshua can be a real mule when he feels pushed. You should have contacted me first. You think Alex is going to care if you find your offspring or not, the man didn't care to protect his own." She asked was he referencing the fact that Joshua and Alex fought. "Fought? Fought when, where, more importantly, is Joshua ok?" She says Alex didn't go into detail, but it sounded like Joshua was not the one suffering. "I'm calling him right now." Jonathon calls, and Bradley answers and asks was it him because Gloria had been blowing up Josh's phone. "it is indeed I, how is he? I heard that there was a fight." Bradley must have put Joshua on speaker phone because he asked him to say hi to Glenny. Jonathon did so, then asked Josh to call him when he got a chance that there was some information he wished to share but not with everyone. Joshua tells him as for his question he's fine. "That's good to hear, son. I'll talk to you later."

Gloria had heard Jonathon and his words from before struck her just now. He asked for the second time in days how he was to trust her. The look in his eyes when she spoke Alex's name, his usually jade unguarded expression was guarded and dark hunter green when he spoke. "it was a knee-jerk reaction, but I should have told you. I'm sorry John." He lifts a folder and holds it out to her. Was he going to fire her? Had all her fears about the past couple of days been a picture of what was to come? Frigid dread stole her voice, as she slowly met his eyes, and reached for the folder.

As she grasps it, he doesn't let go. She then releases it with her hand hovering over his. As she is about to open her mouth. He tells her to have a seat. She sits in the chair in front of him with her hand still hovering over the manila folder in his outstretched hand. "I may be doing this for all the wrong reasons and only some of the right ones. I found your offspring. I was coming into your office to surprise you earlier. The reason I say it may be a bad reason is, where I wanted to do it before just as the right thing to do. Right now, though that is part of it, I don't need any bad luck for keeping it. I won't have you making a fool of me. I won't have you even entertaining the idea that Alex Knight is your "hero" that can and will reunite you with your boy. Even if he has any data it isn't as thorough as what I have here." He put the folder on his desk since she had put her hand back in her lap. She stared at the folder that now lay on his desk. "Your offspring's name is Asher McKinney." Shock and hurt stole over her face. She grabbed the folder and opened it. The photo dislodged from the paperclip that had held it in place and slid into her lap. As she picks up the photo she put her other hand on her chest as tears ran from her eyes. "He lives in Dublin and in that packet, is an airline ticket and rental for you. He will be expecting your visit."

Gloria puts the photo back in the folder and closes it. She didn't have to see anything else right now. Her own blooded sister her baby sister the one she had helped raise until her father remarried, had stolen her child. While she was forced to stay at the boarding school after giving birth her sister, her very own kin took her child. She had not believed that either of her siblings could hate her so much as to keep her Nigel away from her. She knew from the last name. Her little sister moved out and ran off to get married before Gloria would finally graduate, and be able to return home. What was worse was she had seen her son at her da's funeral. He would have been almost 4 and had not even known. The child she'd birthed had red hair, her beau that was Nigel's father had dark hair and with her strawberry blonde, her baby had a dusting of red hair. Justine her little sissy Justine, had told her that the child was her husband's son from a previous relationship she had like a fool believed the lying little whore that used to be her baby sister. Fury and hurt quake Gloria's entire body. The child she'd seen, his hair was so lightly colored that it looked white in coloring. Had she no mother's intuition, how could she not know her own son? Her brother must have known. They all must have, her da, her sister, and her step mum, no one ever told her. She wondered did Paradise know? She wondered what she had done to deserve such cruel a deception, she had not really killed her ma, The Wolf had, was she the only one that knew and believed it? Had her da really poisoned the entire Fenny family against her? "Will you come with me please?"

Jonathon sighs "I can't, I've booked Personal Touch and the band, Dying for Fire on tour after WrestleMania. DFF along with Austin Winkler will be opening for Personal Touch. I can't be across the pond with new talent out on the circuit. So, by your reaction, I take it that you know who his kidnapper was?" She burst into tears. The tears had been mostly unshed until now they had been silently escaping down her face here and there ever since she reopened the folder. She tells him who Justine McKinney is to her or who she used to be. "I spoke to the young man he was told that his birth mother was dead. He was lead, to believe, that his ma's name was Lorie Fenny, which he looked for, 7 years ago. I do hope your reunion is a pleasant one. He seemed to want to know you." She looks at the plane ticket and see's that it is a one way, she looked up at him with alarm in her gaze. Her next words were not what he was expecting. She asked was he firing her. "Not at all, I want you to stay at the Ireland office for now. I don't know what connections Alex has, to have gained the small information he has about you, and I don't want you in harm's way. You are to stay in the flat on the top floor of the LEGNA Ireland building, for now, he believes he can use you, I fear that when that usefulness is confirmed useless, he will try to hurt you. I don't know if he would, but I don't want to take that chance."

Relief and happiness swarmed her as she walks towards her mate, she wasn't fired, he was protecting her, he wasn't breaking up with her, he'd found her Nigel. "Thank you, John, thank you so much. I am so grateful that you even cared enough to search, this is by far the best gift any person has ever given me." She leans up and kisses him. He returned the kiss with a passion that she missed so much. She knew that he thought of his reason as a bad one, but she understood. He'd said before how some of the things that were happening with them though she didn't and would never leave him she saw how the echoes of behavior would give him doubt. She had lied to him through omission out of fear that he would leave her and had almost cost herself a relationship with the only man that had ever loved her this much. Though she hadn't wanted to ever cause him to doubt her she would work to regain all his trust and that of his kin. She'd missed the parallels that their situation would mirror his marriage. Just as he'd told her anything she wanted to know about him, he'd also recently showed her just how much he'd not only accepted but loved his kin. Time and truth had even given him an affinity for the other parts of his baby girl's family. If someone had said that John, Chase, and Sophie Ivey would be this close even a year ago, they would have been dead wrong. Gloria knew it would not be easy, but just as it had not taken minutes for John and her to get this far. She had no delusion that it would be mere moments for her lover and his kin to once again trust her.

Later that day after seeing Gloria off to the plane, Jonathon drove to the saving Grandville headquarters. He wanted to speak to Chase before speaking to his son. Robert greeted him at the entrance, he'd called ahead and asked for this brief meeting. By the end of their meeting, Jonathon was certain that he would not insight panic within his children. Chase made some very valid points, after hearing the recording of Gloria's side of the conversation. Alex never told Gloria that his condition was contagious that was her fear and Alex merely manipulated that fear to push his own agenda. It made sense Alex wasn't above it. Also, Chase mentioned that if Alex believed he was contagious his physical proximity to Joshua and fighting with him would run the risk of damaging the health of his target. The thought that another person wanted anything from his son or his grandson was infuriating. They both had reviewed the footage. He hated that he'd even reviewed the tape of Gloria's office. Her saying that Alex contacted her at work gave his trust in her a painful kick in the teeth. He'd meant his words to her that he would not allow her to make a fool of him. He'd received a message from who could only be The Wolf asking was she still his. Jonathon had sent back the word yes. He had to remember that they were being observed and that Chase's investigative team that he'd hired was watching The Wolf's Den. Robert and his team were watching the movement of the other mob family.

Bradley and Glenny waited on Logan who said after he was done with the detective's home that he would come get them since he knew that Joshua would be running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to tie up all loose ends before they left for Nevada. Logan pulled up and called his friend. They ride in a relaxed silence until Bradley looked in the review mirror. Logan looked at his review to see what had captured his friend's attention. "Is that one of yours via Joshua?" Bradley shook his head. All Logan knew was that it wasn't Kevin. That did not improve his level of anxiety. He pushed his truck a little faster. Another car tagged on to the one that was following them. Bradley takes a breath and says, "That's one of Bobby's cars." Bradley points out the tail of the car that was now following their tail.

Logan looks at the newer model Buick "How can you tell?" Bradley says it was the only Buick made in this year with an antenna. Logan cut his speed. He didn't need to be pulled over, but the impulse to kick his truck into the turbo, and hear the hum of it take him home was strong. He looks in the mirror but this time to check on his son. Glenny was watching something outside of his window. "What do you see squirt?"

Glenny watched as his toy was in the window of another car. "It's Chomp. That's mine." His Bradley looked and says that it wasn't the only crocodile toy. "He looks like Chomp." He missed his toy that could bite the bad guys. The car went away, and Glenny looked at his screen that was playing his music on it on the back of his daddy's seat. He stuck his little finger on the stop button. It really did look like Chomp. That made him sad. His Bradley put his hand back and took his and said he'd get him a new stuffed friend to chew up the bad guys and asked was it a deal. He shakes his head. "The bad people will take him too." Glenny could hardly wait to get home he wanted to hug Row, Row wouldn't let them take him, he really would bite the bad people.

Bradley mentions that they had lost their tail and now it was being trailed back down the hill by three cars that had to be the STOP team cars. Logan pulls into his backyard and the new privacy gates close automatically. "I see you put the gates up, are these the seven-footers you were talking about, or the six and a half?" Logan says the six and a half since they were on a hill he wanted it to be even all the way around. They head into the house as Row lunges out into the now-closed yard and Glenny runs after him. Logan steps in and grabs Glenny a water and asked Bradley did he want something to drink. Bradley asked Logan why he seemed to tense when the car started following him. Logan told him about Mia's ex the chief and the threat that it wasn't over. Bradley says it seemed the state police were all fucking crooked. Logan didn't disagree and tells Bradley about Kevin's visit. Bradley seemed relieved which was a shock to Logan. Bradley then revealed how he'd been thinking he was getting paranoid because he kept seeing Kevin in random places. Logan asked Bradley if he believed what Kevin told him about that night. "I don't know man. Kevin isn't good at blending in and him popping up near me was starting to make me think I was losing my mind there for a time. One second he is there and the next he'd vanish. At least my instincts about being followed were right. Jazz completely snowed me. It's been a long time since I've been conned that thoroughly. As for the Deon thing, Bobby said something to that effect and that's part of why he has part of his team on me. It's not Deon that I'm worried about but if he really has heavy hitters behind him that's not a plus for me. The good and bad thing is Candy will be out of the area, so if Deon get any funny ideas at least Candy won't be around, but that sword has a double edge because a guy from her past is going to be where they are going, and I can't even leave the state." Logan reminds him that Joshua wouldn't let anything happen to his friend. "Yeah, and Josh pointed out that it's not like what happened last year because they know who to be watching out for this time." Soon Logan takes Bradley back up the hill to Ivey Mansion so that he could spend the last few hours with Candy before she had to go to sleep and be out of state for a few days.

That night Chase and Amy come to retrieve Jonathon-Chase and his packed belongings. After many kisses and Angel and Joshua telling their son to be good for grandpa Chase. Smiling, Chase tells his children to have a safe trip. He sits on the back deck, and his lover and his grandson were now safe at his residence. After supper, Amy offers to put JC to bed in the guest bedroom and turn on the house monitoring system. She now walks out and sits in his lap. Placing a hand on her thigh, he smiles up at her. What she says takes him by surprise. She asked him did he want more children. He thought a lot about that, with everything that had gone on and the things that he'd done as a younger man. Some of the avenues he'd taken with Sophia to merely keep his children safe was a lot. Times were different so was he. He always asked himself ever since hearing Sophie tell Robert that his parenting style around the family was devil-may-care, what he could have done to banish that image in his children's eyes. Angel and Robert had said the same thing, not in so many words. Angel had once told Joshua that he was a fine businessman first and a family man second. Yes, she'd been angry at him, but he noticed that when she was angry is when he got her unfiltered or unpolitical response. In one of Robert's sessions as a child during the adoption process, the therapist had asked him to describe his foster father. Chase would never forget the first thing that few from Robert's mouth. "He saved me from my dad." When the doctor prompted him to go on Robert looked at him and shrugged and said, "He has a lot of stuff, and tells people what to do, a real important business guy." Chase remembered for that day he changed his work plan and took his son to a baseball game. He wanted Robert to have more than that to say about him. Then he soon would fall for and want to save what he thought was a beautiful woman with a child that was being mistreated by her husband. He'd kept his son's identity away from his wife. When he returned to Granville married, his mother was beside herself with anger and disappointment. It took a year for her to even consider coming to watch his newest adopted daughter graduate from preschool. Chase had been in a meeting out of town and had heard both sides of the fight that he believed to this day was the insanity tipping point of why his wife murdered his mother.

Amy watched her mate stare off into the middle distance. Putting her hand on his cheek, bringing him back to the here and now, she says, "Chase I wasn't asking because I'm pregnant or anything I guess I just have a little baby fever what with JC here with us." He says something that shocks her. He tells her that he felt that he left his children to raise themselves in many ways. "I don't believe that for a second, you're a great father."

"Maybe." He looks over at his lover. He remembered how his wife would see a baby and talk of wanting more children. Having a brief yearning after holding, seeing, or being around a baby is not what Chase would ever call a good reason to try to have a child. He wanted to know where his lover stood on the issue. "Beyond your mild case of baby fever, did you want more children?"

Amy gets up out of his lap and paces, her eyes change from wistful to sad in seconds as she says "Beyond baby fever, I guess not. Nicole was born 10 whole weeks too early and we both almost died." Images if her husband on the day he sent her into labor invades her. Nicolas had failed a drug test and lost yet another good auto job. She had got mad and told him that she could not save them this time, that since he'd already put her in the hospital once during this pregnancy that her last check had gone to pay for her medical bills and rent. When he got in her face and really started yelling he made her so nervous that she tried to run, he pushed her. He tried to catch her or at least he said he had. She hit their dresser and images of laying on their bedroom floor in pain were all she remembered before blacking out waking up in the hospital. With her husband being the only one there for her she was afraid to tell the authorities what really happened. He didn't hit her anymore until well after Nikki was a toddler. Chase captures her hand in his and stops her pacing. "I don't honestly want to take that gamble again. I'm just now able to give my child some semblance of a normal childhood. She's almost grown. Did you see how happy Nikki was when she left with Janet and her family she didn't look torn about leaving this time. For once I am finally being at the very least a mom to her."

The following day, Angel, Candy, Vash, Joshua, and part of their STOP team head out to get in the limo that would take them to Chase's private hanger. Their flight was uneventful, and Andrew made sure that their suites were secure before they went in. Since their schedule was filled for the entire weekend this was going to move quickly with little downtime. Candy could bring her defense necklace, just not all of her reloads. The pilot allowed her to bring two, not 20. Cassandra and her team merged with the WWE production team. Joshua hardly recognized her in the female WWE logoed attire. He would have missed her altogether if Angell had not of commented on how much weight she'd lost. When he as band lead had ordered the shirt and pants sets for the crew he'd ordered her a guy one just in case since WWE only went up to a 2x in their female production crew logoed attire. Joshua gives his sister a thumbs-up he'd seen her in their LEGNA gym and at Ivey Fitness. After their band promo pictures were completed, they took lunch in the catering area along with the WWE talent that had exhibits on the first day of Access. Mark, Janet, and Nikki came to join them. Dolph Ziggler walks over and greets the group. He suggests that he could open for them as a comic. Connie and Trevor wince at the thought of the act they saw with their long-time friends the night they arrived at the comedy club featuring the wrestler. Trevor says that he is sure that would be amusing but the show line up was preset. Dolph Ziggler asks had Trevor seen his act last night. Trevor winces and says yes. Dolph says "I'm funny as hell you just don't know talent when you see it." Trevor in his monotone bored voice asks was Mr. Ziggler trying to convince them or himself that he was amusing to more than himself, saying that the crowd was not very forgiving last night. Dolph always the male prima donna, storms away in a huff.

Later that day, on their exhibit stage Personal Touch first intentionally plays their teaser, then Joshua cues Trevor, and they perform the song "Out of Time" all the way through. After a great pop from the audience. At the end of the song Joshua cues for a soft stop, and introduces their members. Something he did a hundred times before. In the back of his head he just prayed this crew stuck, they sounded great together and without much fuss, they followed his lead well. He introduced Angel as "his" Frontwoman and winks at the audience, Angel takes a bow, when she stands back up, she raises her fist. He introed Candy as their blazing keyboardist, Candy played the top of the refrain quickly, then slows it down. He introduced Vash on drums, Vash brought the beat back and joined Candy. Joshua introduced Trevor who seemed to slide right into place as lead guitar and then introed Connie on bass who much like her husband completed the refrain. Joshua then cues for a stop, and the band takes a bow, and leave the exhibit stage. At the meet and greet Cass takes lots of pictures of the band with their fans. Finally, they are released for the day and head back to their hotel room to dress for one of the many galas scheduled.

Authors Note: Happy New Year to my readers old and new, and my beta team for keeping me on track.: EndNote