Jesenik-Observation Room

Theresa's hand flew to her mouth as she stared at the small figure on the monitor, but that was nothing compared to Gwen's reaction.

"Oh, Sarah!" her face crumpled as she began to sob and her shaking fingers touched the screen almost fearfully, staring hard at the flickering black and white images. "Sarah-is it really her? Please tell me, Kieran, please tell me it's her and she's ok!"

Kieran nodded, his own eyes emotional. "It's her, Gwen. Look at her. She's fine. See, she's playing."

"Oh, Sarah." Tears streamed down Gwen's face. "Where is she?"

"She's in another wing of the house, one floor above us." Kieran's voice was gentle.

"I want to go to her, right now!" Gwen moved towards the door but Kieran carefully pulled her back.

"I do too, Gwen, but we must be careful. I want to see if her nanny is asleep yet. If she's not, that cold bitch will raise the alarm before you ever get close to her. Just be patient for a few minutes, alright?" He pressed a few buttons, switching the view. "There she is." His face hardened as he stared at a stern faced woman, who was sitting in a chair a few feet away from Sarah. "Damn, she's still awake." As they watched, the woman put a hand on her head for a moment, looking disoriented. Her eyes opened and closed as she struggled to keep her head up. Kieran's face cleared. "Good-she ate the oatmeal. The drug is affecting her now-I give it fifteen minutes max before she's flat on the floor. Then we will go get Sarah and get out of here. I trust you two will be able to arrange our passage once we get to Prague."

"Yes, of course-" Theresa started to say but Gwen pushed her aside, and standing directly in front of Kieran, spoke.

"Enough stalling, enough polite talk. Who the hell is the monster who ripped my daughter out of my arms when she was minutes old? What have they done to her?"

Kieran sighed, looking reluctant to begin the tale, but when Gwen's eyes flashed angrily, he began to speak. "Have either of you ever heard of a French billionaire by the name of Claude Moreau?"

Theresa and Gwen exchanged quizzical looks, then shook their heads, and Kieran continued speaking.

"Moreau, like many excessively rich men, developed certain unsavory quirks, and depended on his money and power to avoid responsibility for his actions. That stopped working when he seduced and then discarded the teenage daughter of a high ranking French politician. Believe me, that's a very polite phrase for what he did to that poor girl. He was run out of France, and went into hiding. Ten years ago, he came here, to Jesenik. At first, the local people thought he was their savior. Jesenik has always been a desperately poor place, and Moreau swept in llike a fairy godparent, buying all the property, showering the townsfolks with cash and big promises. He bought all of the land that their houses stood on, but promised them that they would be allowed to stay, renting their homes from him at a low rent. It was all a lie. Moreau bought everything that these people depended on to live, the farmland, the grocery stores, the doctor's office, the school, then he showed just how he was going to use his power. If someone displeased him, they came home to find their doors boarded up, their livestock gone, every possession missing. The stores wouldn't sell to them. The doctor wouldn't treat them. The school turned away their children. When the people complained, the local authorities turned a deaf ear. Moreau was giving them a great deal of money to turn the other cheek. It got worse from there. Moreau started making his interest in some of the local girls known. He coerced families to send their daughters to work at this godforsaken manor he had built. The girls were subject to horrendous working conditions, little food, abuse by the guards, but that was nothing compared to the girls who were singled out for Moreau's special attentions."

Kieran turned to look Gwen and Theresa in the face, his eyes stark. "In ten years, Claude has had six wives. All local girls. Every single one of them is dead now, except one. She escaped, as far as we know."

A gasp escaped from Gwen. "Oh my God-he killed them all?"

Kieran sighed. "Two of them he did, through constant abuse. Two of them killed themselves to escape him. One of them died in childbirth, and her child with her. Claude had refused to let her be treated during her pregnancy, because he believed the child wasn't his. The last one stabbed him, and got away, unless she died somewhere in the woods, which is entirely possible. There was a massive blizzard at the time she left, but we never found her body. Sadly, the stab wound was minor, and that degenerate bastard lived." He looked at Gwen. "Now we get to you..and Ethan...and Sarah."

Gwen's face was a mask of horror. "What could we possibly have to do with a madman like that? My God, he sounds worse than Alistair, and I never thought such a thing was possible!"

"Yes, well, Alistair Crane comes into play here too, Gwen. You see, several years ago, Claude decided his lack of success with women was because they were all flawed. In his mind, his wives all came from inferior peasant stock, and that's why they always ended up disappointing him. He wanted to try an experiment. He wanted to know what would happen if he handpicked his next wife. Not only would she be of the perfect breeding, with the appropriate pedigree, but he would groom her, from her very birth. She would be trained all her life to please him in every single way. It would be her life's goal, her only desire. She would never know that there could be more to her life. And on her eighteenth birthday, she would be presented to him, the perfect gift. And yet, how would he obtain this perfect specimen? What person of class, breeding, and money, would be willing to arrange to transfer an innocent, newborn baby girl to such a vile, disgusting demon?"

"Alistair." Theresa's voice was a whisper. "Alistair arranged to sell Sarah to this Claude Moreau, didn't he?" She was more shocked, more horrified then she'd ever been in her life. "Oh my God. I knew he was awful-I knew he was a monster-but this? This is beyond evil...this is-"

Her words were cut off by Gwen, who had stood there, shaking, wanting to vomit as Kieran's words penetrated her brain. "My baby? Alistair stole my baby and sold her, for money, to that evil, foul...no, Kieran, please no, tell me it's not true! Oh my God, what has he done to my baby? What has he done to her?"

"Gwen, please, calm down. I know it's horrible, believe me. I have been desperate to get Sarah out of here since I first discovered her existence. But listen to me. Claude has not touched her. He has not even spoken to her. He has no interest in children whatsoever. Right now she's an experiment to him, and a rather boring one at that. It's when she gets older that the real danger begins. So far, she has been treated with what he thinks is kindness. She's watched constantly by an assortment of nannies who give her just enough affection so that she's not completely starved for it. She has toys to play with, and she's allowed to play outside for one hour every day. But she has no friends. She doesn't go to school, although she has tutors to teach her everything Claude thinks she should know, so that he may converse with her when she becomes of age. And she doesn't have her parents."

A single tear slipped down Kieran's cheek. "It's no kind of life for a child. I found this out four and a half years ago. I left Ireland as soon as I was old enough to pay my own way. I wanted to see the world, and I'd seen a great deal of it by the time I came here. I ended up in Jesenik because I'd been broke, working odd jobs in Prague when someone told me about an opportunity to work as a guard for this eccentric rich man. Turns out that's much too kind a word to describe him. Sarah's existence was a closely guarded secret, even in the manor, but her first nursemaid was a local girl, and a compassionate one. She loved Sarah, and thought Claude's plans for her were atrocious. The nursemaid, Marie, and I were rather...close." For a moment the wicked spark was back in his eyes.

"She told me about Sarah, and brought me to see her in secret. The minute I saw that beautiful baby girl, the minute her tiny fingers closed around mine, I knew I had to help her." He exhaled heavily, lost in his memories for a moment. "For the couple of years, I had no idea where she'd come from. So I worked very hard at making myself very valuable to Claude. I did things...horrible things. Things I will regret forever. I tried to help the villagers when I could, but I had to keep up the pretense of being Claude Moreau's most vicious lieutenant. If he'd ever had any idea that I even knew about Sarah, he wouldn't have hesitated to have me killed. When I gained his trust, I also gained access to his information. It took me a long time, but I finally figured out how to get into his private files. That's when I found out who Sarah was, and how I found out about you, Gwen. Since then, I have clipped every newspaper clipping I could about you and Ethan. I wanted to be able to tell Sarah about her parents."

"What?" Gwen stared at him in shock. "Sarah..she knows about us?"

Kieran nodded. "She does, Gwen, and she's very anxious to be reunited with you." He looked back at the monitor. "Look at that. The nanny has nodded off. It's time, Gwen. Let's go get your daughter."

Jesenik-The Village

Ethan lifted the young woman off her feet and carried her, hand still over her mouth, into a grove of trees, dumping her unceremoniously on the ground.

"Where are they?" His face was grim.

Rina jumped to her feet, brushing the dirt off her skirt and trying to hide her fright. "I am sorry-I don't know what you are meaning."
"

I think you know exactly what I mean. I saw your face in the cafe. You know something, and you're going to tell me, right now!"
"Ethan!" Luis, Paloma, Jared, and Fancy came running up behind him.

Paloma looked at the waitress's frightened face and then back to Ethan in shock. "What the hell are you doing, Ethan?"

Ethan turned to the rest of them, gritting his teeth in frustration that they had interrupted them. "Look, she knows something about Gwen and Theresa, alright? She overheard me talking about them in the cafe and you should have seen her face. She knows what happened to them."

Luis moved in front of Rina, looking at her closely. "Is that true? Do you know where my sister is?"

The word 'sister' hit Rina hard. It had been so much easier when she hadn't had to think of the three strangers as people, but now she had to face the realization that they were someone's sister, someone's daughter, maybe even someone's mother...and now they were probably dead. Because of her. She began to shake, standing there. Was she a monster too...just as bad as that hideous man that had taken her own sister from them?

Fancy watched the emotions on the young girl's face, feeling a sharp pang of pity for her. "You guys, look at her. She's scared to death. Stop crowding her like that, you're terrifying her!"

"I don't care if she's scared!" Ethan's hands clenched. "I think we've all figured out that something is wrong here. Something has happened to Theresa and Gwen and we don't have time to waste here!"

As he spoke, Rina struggled to bring her own emotions under control. There was only one thing she could do - one thing she had to do. She needed to open her mouth, and send these people the same way she'd sent the others. They would be gone, out of her way, Claude would be pleased, and no one would have to know...

The five of them watched as the waitress's face crumpled and she began to sob. "I cannot...I'm so sorry..I can't do it again..." Crying hysterically, she put her hands over her face. "I am sorry...I am so sorry...but you don't know what he would do to us. You don't know what we have suffered! That monster had my sister and I had no choice...no choice!"

Fancy put a sympathetic arm around the girl. "It's ok..it's ok. Whatever it is, you can tell us. We'll protect you, I promise."

"No!" Rina shook her head. "No one can protect us! You don't know what he would do to my family-please, don't make me tell you. They are all I have and they will be hurt-please, just go away! Just leave Jesenik and don't look back-please!"

Paloma stepped forward. "We can't leave! You say you want to protect your sister. Well, one of these people we are looking for is MY sister. Mine and his." She indicated Luis. "The other one is his wife." She pointed to Ethan. " They are our family. Isn't that important? What if it were yours-what would you do?"

Rina wiped her eyes. "It's too late." She whispered. "I am sorry. Your people - they are dead."

"What?" Ethan suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe-like a giant hand had come and cut off his oxygen supply, squeezing his chest.

"No!" Luis jumped forward and grabbed Rina, shaking her. "What are you saying?"

"I sent them to him!" Rina cried. "I sent them to a madman. He told me they wouldn't be heard from again. I-I-" She couldn't go on. Sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, she fell to the ground. "There." she pointed into the forest. "They went there. And if you go there, he'll kill you too."

The five of them stared at each other, each pair of eyes mirroring the shock of the next. Then Fancy got to her knees next to Rina. "OK, you need to tell us everything. Right now. And then..." she looked up at the rest of the group.

"Then we're going." Jared said, his voice rough with emotion. "And if what you say is true, I'm going to kill someone myself."

Jesenik-Moreau Manor

The Reunion

A strange numbness settled over Gwen as she followed Kieran and Theresa up the staircase and down another long, winding corridor. It was self protection, she supposed, because she still couldn't get over the feeling that if she pinched herself, she would wake up. Even after seeing Sarah on the monitor, it was still hard to believe. Her baby girl was alive-the child she thought she'd buried five years ago. How could she believe in such a miracle? It was almost too painful to think about it too long-all she could do was keep walking, keep breathing...waiting. Waiting for the dream to become a reality.

Kieran stopped suddenly before an expanse of empty wall. Theresa and Gwen looked at him, puzzled.

"Why are we stopping, Kieran?" Theresa whispered. "Do you hear something?"

"No." Kieran smiled. "We're here."

"What? It's just a wall!" Gwen looked at it, frustrated. She just wanted to hold her daughter, so badly she could almost scream with longing.

"No." Kieran shook his head. "It's not. Her rooms are disguised. But wait-as you know, Sarah is under constant surveillance. Moreau has his own monitors in his wing of the house. Luckily, the camera angle doesn't quite reach the doorway, so I can open it and not be seen. Sarah and I have a pre-arranged signal. When I am able to see her, I open her door and she shows no reaction, no nothing. She makes some reason to come towards the doorway...sometimes she throws a ball and then goes to get it, sometimes she pretends she is playing hide and seek with herself. She's a very intelligent girl. I'm telling you this because I need you to stay back, behind me, and remain absolutely silent. Sarah will come to us. Do you understand what I am saying?" He waited for their nods. "Good. As soon as she comes to me, we must hurry." Turning back towards the seemingly blank wall, he put his hands on it, seeming to know exactly where to press. Theresa and Gwen gasped as the wall slid back to reveal a door where it had previously been concealed. He gave them a warning look and put a finger to his lips, then slowly and oh so quietly, he unlocked the door.

At first Gwen and Theresa weren't able to see around him, and Gwen nearly screamed with frustration. But then, peering between Kieran and the doorway, she saw her...and the world stopped. She was so beautiful...Sarah looked very much like the photograph Theresa had done, except that her hair was golden brown instead of blond-Ethan's hair.

Sarah looked up at the sound of the door opening. Both Gwen and Theresa could see how carefully the child monitored her own reactions, being sure to not look up abruptly or seem surprised. Instead, she turned her head slowly, casually, and her eyes met Kieran's. He winked at her. She waited a moment and then slowly got off her bed, looking cautiously at her nanny, and then made her way to the door. Her face was blank, emotionless, and her steps slow-until she got out of camera range. Then a bright smile lit up the child's face and she flung herself into Kieran's arms.

"Kieran, Nanny fell asleep and she won't wake." she said in perfect but accented English. She didn't seem too bothered by her nanny's state, Theresa noticed with an amused smile.

"That's alright." Kieran whispered huskily. "Do you have Charlotte with you, Sarah?"

"Yes." she nodded, indicating the doll in her hands.

"Good." Kieran grinned at the girl as he hoisted her into his arms. "Because I am going to introduce you and Charlotte to someone very special." Carrying Sarah out of the room, he nudged Theresa and Gwen ahead of him back into the corridor. Sarah just now noticed the two women, and her eyes widened.

"Look, Sarah." Kieran turned towards Gwen, still holding the child. "This is your mommy. She came for you, just like I told you she would."

Sarah's eyes melt Gwen's and she studied her carefully, taking in every inch of her. Gwen couldn't move, couldn't breathe, terrified of shattering the moment. Then the little girl reached out her small hand and touched Gwen's face. "Hi Mommy. You look just like your pictures."

The dam broke and Gwen's heart cracked opened as she reached for her daughter. "Oh, Sarah!" she buried her face in her daughter's hair as she tried to muffle her sobs. "I have missed you so very, very much! I am so happy to have you back." She stroked her daughter's hair as happiness washed over her, the likes of which she'd never felt before. "Oh thank you God, for this miracle! Thank you so much!" Her eyes met Kieran's. "And thank you, Kieran. I could never repay you for what you've done for us in a million years. Thank God for you."

As Theresa watched the reunion of mother and child, her own eyes filled with tears that overflowed down her face. She gave a watery sniff, and Gwen looked over at her.

"And thank you too, Theresa. I couldn't have found her without you." Gwen's voice was quiet as she looked into the eyes of the woman who up until this moment, had been her worst enemy.

Theresa nodded, wiping her eyes and smiling, and Sarah turned to her. "Who are you?" she asked curiously. "Are you my mommy's friend?"

Theresa and Gwen both laughed shakily. Looking into the child's trusting eyes, Theresa couldn't bring herself to tell a blatant lie, so she dodged the question. "I'm YOUR friend, Sarah. My name is Theresa, and boy, am I happy to see you."

"Hello, Theresa." Sarah gave her a mischievous smile and then laid her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Alright, ladies. I wish we had more time to talk, but we must go. Sarah, you remembered that I told you someday I'd take you out of here, don't you?"

Sarah nodded, turning her lovely light green eyes to Kieran. "Yes. You said Mommy would come and she did. And you said I must be very quiet, and we would go far away. Can we go now, Kieran? I want to be with my mommy, and you, and Theresa too. I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Yes, sweetheart." Gwen hugged her daughter tightly, answering for Kieran. "We are going far away, all of us, right now." 'And heaven help the person who tries to stop us.' She whispered to herself as they began the long walk back down the corridor. 'Because I will take on an army if I have to in order to get my daughter out of this hellhole.'

Coming soon-Kieran, Gwen, Theresa, and Sarah try to escape the manor - but someone has other plans.