I am sorry for the updates coming slow but I seem to be having trouble uploading documents to be posted. So until I can figure out what's going on I guess updates will be coming slow once again. I'm sorry. If anyone else is having this kind of trouble please let me know. It would be helpful to know if its just me or others are having the same trouble.

Part 20B

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Ryan!?" Greenlee asked as she turned around to see Dixie, Anna, David, JR, Tad, Jamie, and Babe standing all over her apartment all starting to move to the bedroom.

Melissa turned her gaze toward the blonde standing by the door and glared at her. "You wanna bet?" Melissa asked as she stared at a woman she didn't know and saw others starting to come. Melissa's body tensed getting her ready for a fight she knew was coming and she was determined to win. "None of you are getting my daughter!" Melissa said as she stood her ground

The commotion had woken up both Kathleen and baby Anna. Kathleen had been listening to what everyone was saying and she had kept her eyes closed afraid to open her eyes but now that someone was threatening to take Anna she was up standing on her bed and rushing over to the crib, standing beside her older sister ready to protect her niece.

"No one taking her Mel...!" Kathleen said as she got into a fighting position she learned at Karate her eyes moving from face to face to see who was who and how tough it might be to get around them.

Dixie had refused to wait another minute after David told her where to find her daughter and that they had proof it was her. There was no way she was going to wait another second no matter how much Anna begged her to, just so she could tell everyone else involved about the truth. Dixie never gave her that chance and here they were. Anna didn't know why she listened to David and went to tell Dixie about Kathleen being Kate first, she should have gone to Maggie first and then to Kendall but she hadn't listened to herself and now here they were with Melissa ready to kill anyone that came near her or her cubs.

"Dixie..." Anna said trying to get past JR and Tad so she could get between Dixie and Melissa.

Dixie didn't even notice Anna had spoken because she had just heard her daughter's voice and was watching as her little girl was ready to defend herself against people that had to be at least 4 times her size. Dixie took a few steps forward and ended up standing right next to Ryan, who was brushing off his clothes, his eyes still on Melissa now sure the child in the crib, was hers and she wasn't letting anyone get near them.

"What the hell is going on?" Kendall asked as she stepped forward getting between Dixie and Melissa.

Kendall had no idea where Dixie was going with this but she knew deep inside that it had to be right if everyone was here and that it would end up crushing her sister and she couldn't have that. Melissa had already been through enough as did Kathleen; they didn't need any more trouble. They just needed peace and quiet and at least a five month period where their lives aren't turned upside down three times in a row.

"That's my daughter..." Dixie said her eyes still glued on Kate. "That's my Kate." Dixie whispered.

Kendall and Greenlee both looked at Dixie confused for a moment, both turning to everyone else and realize it might actually be true but even if it was this was definitely not the way to tell Kate or Melissa about this.

"Kate...who's Kate?" Kathleen asked as she looked up at Melissa and then at the woman standing in front of them.

"I don't know..." Melissa said as she picked up Anna and continued to glare at everyone she didn't know. "shh...baby its okay." Melissa whispered to Anna as she bounced her up and down.

Kathleen moved to stand beside Kendall. "You stay way from me and my sisters cause I'll...I'll..." Kathleen looked around and then grabbed a pillow off her bed and threw it behind her back ready to swing if anyone came up to Kendall. "...I'll hit ya...I swear!" Kathleen threatened.

Dixie watched this and covered her heart with her hands as she watched her little girl prepare to protect her sisters...wait sisters.

"Who are you're sisters?" Dixie asked.

"Dixie...come on this isn't the time for this. She deserves better then this!" Anna said as she got up to Dixie. "She deserves much better then this...especially since her sisters are here." Anna said as she looked at Kendall and then Melissa.

"No Anna...no...I can't. I need my daughter now...I need to hold her in my arms and know that she's safe with me!" Dixie said tears falling.

"Who's your daughter?" Greenlee asked all of a sudden as she stepped around Ryan, Tad and JR to get next to Kendall and Kathleen.

"She is...that's my sister." JR said pointing to Kathleen. "You can't tell us to wait...she's right there...you just can't tell us to go home and wait another day."

"Why not? You've waited all this time...what is a few more hours!?" Anna asked already knowing the answer to the question she just asked but she had to stall.

"Because that's another hour too long!" Tad said as he looked at Anna. "You of all people should..."

"I know that...I do Tad but think about what you're about to do! Just think about it!" Anna said pleadingly as she looked at old friends. "Please...she's a child and she's already lost both of her parents..." Anna saw Tad and Dixie about to say otherwise. "...parents she grew up knowing. Give her time...you NEED to give her time!" Anna said.

"Lissa...?" Kate asked scared as she stepped back toward her sister.

"Yes, Kat?" Melissa asked as she got in front of Kathleen already knowing which one of them the group wanted, and they'd get Kathleen only over her dead body.

"...you won't let them take me will you?" Kathleen asked as she hid behind Melissa tears falling. "I don't want to go with them...I want to stay with you!" Kathleen said loudly so all in the room could hear.

"I won't...I won't let them take you." Melissa said as she looked down at Kathleen and then stared at the adults with new conviction. Melissa turned toward the crib and placed Anna down, the infant sound asleep once again. Melissa then turned back to Kathleen and picked her up and stepped another step away from the group.

"Did you hear that...she doesn't want to go with you!" Melissa said as she made eye contact with all the new comers. "She's my sister...you hear me...my sister and I won't let you have her!" Melissa said as she took another step back...heading for the door that went to the bathroom that connected to the master bedroom which would get her out into either side of the hallway and she could get her and Kathleen out of there, with the knowledge that Anna would be safe until she could come back and get her.

With one last look at everyone Melissa ran to the door with speed someone her age dreamed of possessing. Kathleen was now on her back with her legs wrapped around her sister's waist, her arms around Melissa's neck and they crashed into the hallway wall and JR and David tried to get in their path but Melissa jumped on top of the couch before jumping off it and making a run for the front door of the apartment and making it out the door and into the stairwell with Tad, JR and David following her. Melissa had heard Dixie's screams for her to not take her daughter but she could heard Kathleen's pleading to not let them take her more clearly and she wasn't about to follow orders from a woman she didn't even know over her sister.

Kendall had wanted to run after her sister but she couldn't. Greenlee had promised to find Melissa and Kathleen and had run out of the room following behind Ryan and the rest of the group, leaving Anna and Kendall alone in the girl's room with a now screaming crying Anna Hart in the crib.

"What the hell just happened?!" Kendall asked as she glared at Anna.

"What just happened was a disaster!" Anna said shaking her head. "I swear to God...this time is the last time I EVER listen to David!" Anna said shaking her head and then quieted herself when she heard the baby's cries coming from the crib. "Is that Anna?" Anna asked as she looked up at Kendall.

Kendall picked her niece into her arms and bounced her up and down like she had seen Melissa do many times in the last two days and Anna soon quieted down but her tears continued to fall as if she knew something was wrong.

"Yes this is Anna..." Kendall said and then stopped talking. "...how did you know her name?" Kendall asked as she looked up.

"I know a lot more then just her name." Anna said as she looked at Kendall.

Kendall turned her head to the side as she looked at Anna. "Yeah...and how much more do you know?" Kendall said not believing that Anna could possibly know that Anna was her niece by blood and Erica's granddaughter.

"I know that not only is she you're sister's daughter but you are bioligicly her aunt." Anna said as she looked at Kendall and watched the shocked expression overtake the brunette's face.

"How did you..."

"I know a lot more then even you do." Anna said as she looked at Kendall.

"You know who Melissa's father is, don't you?" Kendall asked, that always seemed to be the one piece of information that she never was told, not even Melissa knew who her biological father was.

"I do..." Anna said as she looked at Kendall and then toward the door.

"Well...who is it?" Kendall asked.

"Jackson." Anna whispered as she looked down.

Kendall did a double take. "Jackson...as in my mothers Jackson?" Kendall asked as she looked at Anna.

"Yes...as in you're mother's Jackson." Anna said and watched Kendall try and take this in.

"Melissa's Greenlee's sister as well." Kendall stated as she looked down at Anna, "You hear that little one...Greenlee's your aunt too." Kendall said and then looked up at Anna. "How did you...how did you find out?" Kendall asked.

"I looked in the right places." Anna said as she looked at Kendall.

"Why would you know about Melissa and Kathleen if you were looking for Maggie's sister?" Kendall asked.

"It just so happens that our all time Dr. Madden switched the files, so Melissa's file was under your name, while Kate's was under Melissa's, and Melinda's, Maggie's sister, was under Kate's."

"Kathleen..." Kendall said.

"Excuse me?" Anna asked slightly confused.

"Kathleen...not Kate...Kathleen!" Kendall said as she looked at Anna. "As you just saw Kathleen wants noting to do with being Kate." Kendall stated as she looked at Anna before looking down at the now slumbering child in her arms.

"You're right...she doesn't seem to want anything to do with being Kate but that doesn't change the fact that she is." Anna stated.

"It changes everything." Kendall said as she looked at Anna. "Even if Madden tricked Dixie into giving up Kate it doesn't change the fact that she did give her up and that Kate was raised by someone else and that she doesn't want to be Kate, she wants to be who she was since she was handed to her mother...and I'm not talking about Dixie." Kendall said as she looked at Anna. "No matter what Dixie wants in the end if Kathleen wants to stay with Melissa I'll do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way." Kendall stated leaving no room for argument.

Anna nodded her head knowing Kendall was being very serious about this and as much as she'd like to think that maybe this all could have a happy ending she also had some more information in her hands that no one else knew, specifically Stuart and Maggie. It turned out that Melinda Turner, Maggie's sister and Stuart's daughter was kidnapped last week and hasn't been returned or found. Anna looked down...she had no idea how to tell anyone about this let alone Maggie and Stuart but she knew she had to...but she'd wait a few hours after all it was already close to midnight. The news about everything would just have to wait till then.

"Where would Melissa go?" Anna asked as she looked at Kendall.

Kendall looked up at Anna and then back down she had no idea where Melissa would go...she was new in town and didn't know her way around very well as far as she knew Melissa could be trying to get tickets back to Florida.

"I don't know." Kendall said as she looked back down at the angelic face deep in sleep with no real knowledge

---------------------------

Melissa pulled Kathleen closer to her, trying to supply her sister with her body heat. They had been hiding for almost two hours now and it was getting cold and they didn't have anything but the clothes they were wearing to keep them warmed. Melissa had been able to get away from the group that had chased her; it was rather easy...after all she was the star of the track team back at home. Even with Kathleen's extra weight she was able to stay ahead of them and lose them in the shadows. The shadows...jumping from shadow to shadow was something Melissa had mastered and had used to get away from her pursuers. Melissa stood up from her crouching position and slowly stepped out from behind the bushes and looked both ways before walking briskly across the street to the one house she knew she could go to if she needed anything.

As she passed by the front gate, having kicked the wooden gate open because she couldn't open it since she had full hands right now. As the gate slammed back into the lock it shook the wooden frame the held up the plastic mail box, an exact replica of the house. The mail box read 'Dr. Madden'

TBC...