I hate this chapter...I couldn't think of anything...so here ya go...I did my best.

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Chapter 6

The next day at work, Joanne worked none stop. She normally didn't work as hard, but ever since Maureen told her that horror story, she needed something to occupy her mind, so she wouldn't go crazy and go after the man who caused Maureen harm as child.

Just as she was about to go on to the final phase of the case she was working on, there was a knock on her door.

"Ms. Jefferson?" Cindy the secretary called out, pulling Joanne from her work.

"Yes?" Joanne looked up.

"There is a man here to see you." Cindy said. "I told him you were busy, but he insists it's important."

Joanne sighed. "Send him in."

"Yes Ms. Jefferson."

A few minutes later, Joanne heard the door close, and felt a presence in the room.

"I'll be with you in a second." Joanne said with out looking up, and then made sure she saved her work.

"Okay." Joanne smiled. "What can I do for…" the lawyer's smile faded, and her sentence trailed when her eyes landed on Mr. Johnson causing anger to fill her body, "Get out!"

Mr. Johnson was applaud by the remark. "Excuse me?"

"Get out of my office right now." Joanne said firmly, but stayed quiet.

"Joanne, listen…I don't know what I've done, but I just wanted to talk with you." Mr. Johnson said in a pleading tone. "I seen Maureen the other day, but she ran off on me. I was wondering if we could maybe have dinner together so I could talk to her."

"No we can not have dinner." Joanne stated. "I am not letting you see Maureen again. I'm not even going to let you look at her again! You're so lucky I'm at work right now, because if I wasn't I swear to god I would-"

"Ah I see you heard the lie?" Mr. Johnson said with a nod, earning a confused look from Joanne. "The lie she tells everyone. How I took advantage of her as a kid…it's not true. You know how Maureen is…she's a drama queen. She was mad at me because I left her mother, so she made up a lie to keep me out of her life. That's why I came here…I want my daughter back…she needs to learn how to let go of the past and move on."

Joanne raised an eyebrow. "I'm supposed to believe you over my girlfriend? I have only met you once."

"It would be wise for you to believe me." Mr. Johnson said. "I would never do that to anyone…especially my own child. I do admit I wasn't the best father or husband for that matter. I used to cheat on her mother…and I would neglect Maureen from time to time. But I never did anything…abusive to her."

Joanne held her head in her hands. "Just get out." She said again.

"Joanne please." Mr. Johnson said. "All I want to do is talk to Maureen…"

"I don't want to deal with this right now. You have no right coming down to my work like this…so leave…now." Joanne said.

"Joanne…" Mr. Johnson said, his hands tightly griping Joanne's forearms. "I want my daughter back."

Joanne quickly pulled away and headed for the door and pulled it open. "Cindy please call security this man refuses to leave."

"Yes Ms. Jefferson." Cindy said and then went for the phone, but before she could pick it up, Mr. Johnson came out.

"Okay, okay…don't call security, I'll leave." He said. "Just please Joanne…think things over…how would you feel if you couldn't see your only child?"

Joanne just stared at the man, as he eyed her right back, until turning around to step onto the elevator.

Cindy looked up at Joanne with worry. "Are you alright?"

Joanne shook her head clear and nodded towards Cindy. "Yes…um…I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off. You're free to leave as well."

"Thank you Ms. Jefferson." Cindy said. "I hope you feel better…whatever is bothering you."

"Thank you." Joanne smiled and headed back towards her office to grab her things.

Joanne entered the apartment about a half hour later, her mind only now coming back to reality as she tried to sort out all the information she received in the past few days.

"Honeybear I'm home." Joanne called out, when she finally cleared her mind.

"Joanne?" Maureen called out with surprise.

Joanne entered the living room where Maureen was lounging on the couch. "Hey."

Maureen sat up and smiled. "You're home early."

Joanne nodded and greeted her lover with a quick kiss, and then sat on the couch.

Maureen immediately wrapped her arms around Joanne, her head resting on the lawyer's shoulder. Joanne pulled her a little closer, she was going to tell Maureen about her day, and how her dad made an appearance. She was going to tell Maureen that she doubted the story. She was even going to demand the truth out of her. But when she felt Maureen's body shake with sobs, and when she heard her lips let out a faint whimper, she threw all her doubt away. Maureen Johnson never cried, and when she did there was a reason, and that was the only reason Joanne needed to believe Maureen.

"Hey…" Joanne said and forced Maureen to look up at her. "I'm going to put him away."

"How?" Maureen cried. "It's been fifteen years."

Joanne kissed Maureen's pouting lips. "Don't worry, I'll figure it out."

"Thank you." Maureen whispered and snuggled into Joanne some more.

The next week Joanne worked hard, not only on the cases for her clients, but on Maureen's. Before she knew it, it was Friday. When she came home she expected to see Maureen up and ready to go out for the night, but to her surprise the diva was no where to be found.

"Honeybear?"

"In here." Maureen called from the bedroom.

Joanne shed her coat and shoes and headed for the room. She raised an eyebrow when she found Maureen watching TV under the covers.

"No Life Café tonight?" Joanne asked.

Maureen slowly shook her head. "I'm not up for it…"

Joanne was both relieved and concerned by this. Maureen hated staying home on Friday nights, but ever since her father showed up she cut down on her nights out, and hardly ever left the apartment.

"Can we just stay in for the night? I want to cuddle in bed and watch a movie." Maureen said almost in a whine.

"Sounds good to me." Joanne said as she changed into some more comfortable clothes. "Do you want to order out?"

"I'm not hungry." Maureen said.

"What did you eat today?"

Maureen just shrugged.

"Maureen you have to eat."

"I'm not hungry." Maureen whined. "I don't want to fight, can you please just come lay with me?"

Joanne huffed and climbed into bed. Maureen quickly made herself comfortable with Joanne, her body half on, half off the lawyer.

"I think you should talk to someone…" Joanne all of a sudden blurted.

"What?" Maureen asked while lifting her head off of Joanne's chest.

"About what happened to you. I don't like seeing you like this…I think if you talk to someone it will make you feel better." Joanne explained.

"I did…I talked to you. Now you're going to put him in jail, and once you do I'll be fine."

Joanne rolled her eyes. "If he goes to jail it won't change what he has done to you Maureen. This is a big deal, you can't keep it bottled inside of you forever…it's not healthy."

"Yes I can…I did it for fifteen years, I can do it again. I'd rather deal with it on my own than embarrass myself."

"It's not embarrassing Maureen…things like this happen…they happen everyday, you're not the only one…"

"I…I…" Maureen tried to control her tears, she hated crying but here she was once again unable to stop them. "I can't…I don't want to…"

Joanne's heart melted when Maureen started to cry, so she rocked her body back and forth and stroked her hair.