The Petrie Family Chronicles

by MissPhoenixGirl92

Prequel to the Team Legacy Saga. Elena Petrie, the illegitimate daughter of Faye Petrie and Sylvester Alamain, leaves home to go to California on the ultimate adventure of a lifetime. Follow Elena as she embarks on love, marriage and motherhood and experiences the trials, tribulations and joys of life.

19. Breaking The Chains Of Bondage

Author's Note:

Hey, guys; so I finally managed to complete yet another chapter for this story. It's been a long time coming but I'm so excited at the fact that now I'm one step closer to finally, finally finishing this fanfic. Sorry it took so damn long though, but better late than never I guess. But anyways, originally this chapter was going to be called "Moscow Has Fallen" because I was going to add in a scene involving Russia at some point but then I decided to scrap some plot points that I was going to include and it just didn't fit anymore. Then while I was writing up the final scenes for this chapter, the title just came to me and I thought it was fitting because of the prevailing theme of several of the characters breaking free and walking away from various situations that had been holding them back for so long.

So after this chapter, we are finally leaving the 80s behind and we will be heading into the 90s, but don't get too comfortable, because like I said, there's only one chapter left of this story, (well... two if you count the epilogue). And with the epilogue, there are going to be multiple time jumps in numerous scenes depicting many characters at various points in their lives.

WARNING: This chapter will be depicting various themes of serious medical illness such as cancer, infertility, and implied mentions of child molestation and abuse as well as one scene of implied sexual assault.

Chapter 19 - Breaking The Chains Of Bondage

JUNE 1985

THE BUCHANAN RESIDENCE

CHELSEA, LONDON, ENGLAND

It had now been six months since Harold and Ramona had gotten married and they had moved into a two bedroom flat in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Chelsea. Even though Harold was allowed to have primary custody of his young son Robert, he was ordered to share joint custody with his ex-wife Bonnie on the grounds that she continued to stay on her daily medical regimen for her ongoing mental illness, which exasperated him to no end.

Harold then got up from his bed and walked over to the bathroom door before knocking on it.

"Hello? Honey? Are you all right in there?" he asked in a worried voice. "Honey?"

After several minutes of silence, the door finally opened and Ramona appeared in a pink floral robe with a very uncomfortable and perturbed look on her face.

"Sorry, Harold; just feeling constipated again," she frowned.

"No change?" Harold raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he entered the bathroom with his new wife.

"No, and it's really strange too. I just feel so tired and bloated and I've been weighing myself for the last several weeks but for some reason I just keep losing weight," Ramona replied. "It just doesn't make any sense."

"Well, maybe you should go see a doctor and see what's going on," Harold suggested.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to make an appointment as soon as possible," Ramona concurred.

"Dad! Hurry up; we're going to be late!" a voice interjected and Harold and Ramona turned around to see a young boy darting into the room while wearing a blue polo shirt, a pair of grey trousers and a pair of white sneakers. He also had short black hair, dark azure eyes like his father and a cherubic and round face with a short and stocky build.

"Dad!" Robert whined, stomping his foot impatiently.

"We'll be right there, sweetheart; just give us a minute, okay?" Ramona reassured him calmly as she walked over to her stepson and stroked his hair lovingly.

"Okay, Ramona," Robert nodded cheerfully before he turned around and dashed out of the room.

"I really wish that we didn't have to bring Robert over to his mother's house for the whole summer," Harold grumbled as he sauntered over to the sink and began brushing his teeth.

"I know but we have to do what the judge says; it's not like we have a choice," Ramona reminded him pointedly as she also began brushing her teeth.

"I understand that love, but you know that I cannot trust that woman as far as I can throw her," Harold retorted as he rinsed out his mouth thoroughly while spitting out water into the sink. "What if she decides to get off her medication? What if she ends up having another one of her manic episodes? I don't want Robert to end up in harm's way. And I definitely don't want him to be exposed to his mother's vicious dark side."

Ramona then rinsed out her mouth before she dried her face and turned around to face her husband.

"Honey, don't you remember that we're a family now? We're not going to allow Bonnie to drive a wedge between us. We are going to do what is best for Robert and we're going to give him everything that he needs right here," she declared in a determined voice as she wrapped her arms around him tenderly.

"I don't know what I have done to deserve a woman like you," Harold beamed proudly at her as he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her.

"DAD! RAMONA! WE GOT TO GO NOW!" Robert screamed, interrupting their kiss.

"Well, we better get going then," Ramona chuckled as she and Harold pulled apart and they walked out of the bathroom as they prepared to get dressed and leave for the day.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Several months passed and Ramona went to see numerous doctors all over London as she sought to figure out what was wrong with her. However, no one was able to tell her what exactly was ailing her and even a couple of doctors suggested that maybe she had a lingering flu or perhaps she should add more fiber to her diet. Finally she decided to ask a former colleague at Stanford if perhaps she could arrange an appointment with a doctor there.

It was early December as Ramona arrived at the doctor's office in the morning and was able to meet with one of the available doctors there.

"Hello, ma'am, how can I help you today?" the doctor asked as he and Ramona shook hands and Ramona sat down in a metal chair in front of him.

"Yes, well I have been having some strange symptoms lately. I have been having some bloating, cramping and abdominal pain and I also have some serious problems with constipation," Ramona explained.

"Okay, so... have you been taking some fiber or something to help with that?" the doctor continued his question while scribbling down some notes.

"Yes!" Ramona exclaimed in an annoyed and irate voice. "I have been doing everything that I can to alleviate my symptoms. I've been eating raisins and taking all kinds of supplements. But nothing seems to be working. And despite of the fact that I have a very healthy appetite and I eat well, I seem to keep losing weight! You got to help me here!"

"All right then; I guess we're going to have to run some tests just to make sure that we rule some things out," the doctor murmured as he continued to jot down more notes. "I just need to ask you a few more questions."

"Go right ahead," Ramona sighed deeply, shrugging.

"How is your menstrual cycle? Have you been having issues with them lately?" the doctor inquired.

"Well, I've always been pretty irregular but lately when I've been having my periods, my flow has been getting heavier and heavier," Ramona mused.

The doctor then glanced at his notes once more before turning to face Ramona.

"I'm going to recommend a sonogram and a special blood test called a CA-125 just to see if there aren't any potential issues with your reproductive system."

"Really?" Ramona gawked at him in surprise.

"I'll see you in a few weeks to discuss the results," the doctor added curtly as he gestured towards the door. "Have a nice day, ma'am."

Ramona just nodded sadly with a dissatisfied and terse frown as she walked out of the office.

A few weeks later, Ramona was back at the doctor's office as he was looking over her results on his desk. After several minutes of silence, he looked up to face her with a somber and grim frown.

"I have the results here with me and unfortunately I have some bad news for you. Mrs. Buchanan, there is no easy way to say this – you have ovarian cancer."

Ramona froze in shock and disbelief as she was completely rendered speechless and she struggled to process what she had just heard.

"I-I... I have cancer... What the hell do you mean I have cancer?!" she balked.

"Your blood test shows that you have elevated levels of this protein called CA-125 in your blood and you also have a massive tumor in one of your ovaries. You are going to have to undergo surgery as soon as possible to remove the tumor and as soon as the procedure is done, you're also going to have to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation for at least the next 10 months. Now depending on the amount of damage that the tumor has done to your ovary, there is a good possibility that we may have to remove it."

"R-Remove it? Is it really that necessary, doctor? Do you really have to go to that kind of extreme?" Ramona stammered with a pang of cold dread and terror in her heart.

"Hopefully it won't have to come to that. We won't know for sure what our course of action will be until we actually do the surgery. We will do everything that we possibly can to preserve your ovary, especially since you are still a very young woman," the doctor answered.

"How long then?" Ramona swallowed hard as she looked right at him, her face trembling. "How long do I have left to live?"

"Well, the good news is that the cancer is still in its early stages so there's still a very good chance of you pulling through and recovering from this illness. However, even if you do finish your treatment, you will still need to have the CA-125 test done every six months or so for the next three years just to make sure that you are truly out of the woods," the doctor answered.

"All right then," Ramona nodded as she got up to leave. "Just let me know when I need to have all of this done so that I can be ready for what's next."

"Good," the doctor nodded as he got up and walked over to her as he prepared to escort her out. "I'm sorry that I couldn't have better news for you."

"So am I," Ramona sighed as her face suddenly changed into a more steely and determined expression and she stood more upright. "But I'm not going to give up without a fight. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that I survive and win this battle so that I can be the mother and wife that Harold and Robert desperately need."

A little over an hour later, Ramona finally arrived home from the doctor's office as she walked into the living room and noticed a small red light blinking from an answering machine that was situated on the counter next to the T.V. She then walked over to the answering machine and pressed the play button as she prepared to hear the messages.

"One unread message," a female voice intoned before a loud, short beep rang in the air.

After a brief moment Ramona was stunned and taken aback to hear Rebecca's sobbing and hysterical voice blaring through the machine as she slurred her message in a drunken voice.

"Hey, Ramona; it's me, Rebecca. I don't know if you can hear me. You're probably busy doing important doctor stuff anyway. Listen, I... I don't know what the hell I'm doing with my life. I feel like I'm going absolutely nowhere... You have this wonderful, amazing career as a doctor in London and you're married with a kid..."

"And me? Well, you know that sexy Iranian chick that I've been seeing for the last couple of years now? Well she's decided to break things off with me all of a sudden because she's decided that she wants a man and a family. And what do I get, huh? What the hell do I get? Am I nothing but a good time? Is that all I am now?"

"Some pump and dump for stupid bi-curious bitches that wanted to try the old lesbian lifestyle for themselves and then when they get tired of it, they just move on to someone better. Someone that can provide the very thing that I never can. I suppose this is what I deserve, huh? For living a sinful and degenerate lifestyle? For going against God's will and not being the good Irish Catholic girl that I'm supposed to be? Huh? Is that what I deserve? To be a miserable, spiteful, washed up, pathetic old bitch who does n..."

Ramona then quickly clicked off the answering machine as she face-palmed her face slowly while letting out a sad and pitiful sigh.

"Oh, Rebecca..." she muttered underneath her breath.

Just then the door opened and Harold and Robert entered the house as they were all smiles.

"Hey, honey, we're home!" Harold announced as Robert walked over to the sofa to put his backpack down.

He then noticed the disconcerted look on his wife's face and was immediately worried.

"Ramona? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Ramona sighed and nodded as she looked right at her husband, dreading what she was going to have to say.

"We need to talk about something important."

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Several more weeks passed and Ramona was sitting in the dining room with Horatio, Elena, and Harold while Gregory and Henrietta were sitting in the living room watching television with Robert.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about this," Ramona groaned as she was burying her face in her hands. "I'm in the middle of my residency. I can't just stop and drop everything because I have cancer."

"Well, all you need to focus on right now is your health. Your career isn't really that important right now," Elena assured her empathetically.

"I know, Mama, but I still want to complete my residency so that I can officially become a doctor," Ramona replied, hanging her head sadly. "Not only that, but the doctor also said that there was a good chance that I might have to have one of my ovaries removed. I don't want that to happen; I still want to have a baby sometime in the future. How can I possibly do that with only one remaining ovary?"

"Well kid, it's better to get whatever is ailing you out of you than to end up dead and six feet under," Horatio advised her sternly.

"But what if I end up sterile and barren because of the surgery? What if I won't be able to have children?!" Ramona protested frantically.

"Even if you do, sweetheart, that still won't mean that you won't get to have kids in other ways. Your father and I can give you the money that you need to adopt a child if you want," Elena interjected as she held her hand gingerly.

"Yeah, it isn't necessarily the end of the world," Horatio retorted encouragingly. "No matter if you have a biological child or not, that kid will be very lucky to have you as a mother."

"I suppose you're right, Daddy," Ramona sighed as she glanced down at the table, still not sure.

Meanwhile, as the adults continued to discuss Ramona's situation, Robert glanced over his shoulder towards the dining room curiously as he tried to make out what they were saying.

"Hey, Grandma, Grandpa, what are they talking about over there?" he asked.

"None of your beeswax, that's what's, son," Gregory snapped at him brusquely.

"Don't pay any mind to them, sweetheart; there's nothing for you to worry about," Henrietta reassured him gently as she patted him on the back and turned her attention back to the television.

"Okay," Robert nodded.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

FEBRUARY 22ND, 1986

STANFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

A few weeks later, it was finally time for Ramona to have her surgery as she flew in to California about two days before to relax and rest up before the big operation. Then once she was finally admitted, she changed into a hospital gown before she was hooked up to an IV and heart monitor and she was wheeled into the operation room.

Ramona soon found herself lying on a hospital bed surrounded by several doctors as a nurse placed a plastic mask over her face.

"Now in just a few minutes you're going to go to sleep and when you wake up, the operation will be over before you know it," one of the doctors informed her.

Ramona nodded and then began saying a silent prayer to herself as she gradually fell unconscious and went to sleep.

A few hours later, Ramona woke up in the recovery room as she saw her parents and her step-grandmother sitting next to her.

"Hello, honey; how do you feel?" Elena greeted her with a smile.

"Fine," Ramona smiled as she sat up in her bed. "Just a little groggy and tired."

"Good news," the doctor announced as he walked into the room. "We were to get most of the cancer out and the damage that was done to your affected ovary was pretty minimal, so we were able to repair it."

"You see, honey? I knew everything was going to work out!" Elena cheered ecstatically at the news as she grinned at her daughter.

"Now all that is left is the chemotherapy and radiation plus the CA-125 blood tests and you should be good to go," the doctor added.

"So where can I go to have the treatment done?" Ramona asked quizzically.

"Well, you can choose to have the treatment right here in Stanford or you can go have it done over there at one of the hospitals in London. But if I were you, I would at least have the chemotherapy and radiation done here and maybe later on you can have the blood tests done in England," the doctor answered briskly.

"But if I stay here, that means that I'm going to be away from Robert and Harold for the next ten months," Ramona frowned anxiously. "And I'm going to have to put off my residency for the time being, which means it's probably going to take me a little longer than I want to become a doctor."

"Well, do you honestly have a choice then?" Horatio scoffed abrasively while throwing up his hands dismissively.

"Horatio!" Elena scolded him sternly. "Let her decide what she wants to do."

"She's right, you know," Karissa retorted coolly with a pointed glare. "It's her choice and we all must respect it."

"All right then," Ramona exhaled sharply as she took in a deep breath and turned to face the doctor. "I'll do it. I'm going to stay here for the next ten months so I can get my cancer treatment. I'm also going to let my supervisor at Charing Cross know that I'm taking a temporary leave of absence."

"Excellent! We'll get everything started. I wish you the best, Mrs. Buchanan," the doctor clapped his hands enthusiastically as he turned around and went out the door.

"I'm starving, El; let's hit the cafeteria," Horatio urged her impatiently as he got up to leave.

"All right then; we'll be right back, Ramona. We just need to go downstairs and eat something," Elena informed her as she followed her husband out of the hospital room.

Then as soon as everyone was gone, Karissa scooted closer to Ramona's bedside so that she would be able to talk to her more privately.

"Hey, Nana, I'm so glad that you're here," Ramona smiled softly with a weary expression.

"Me too, darling," she replied as she leaned in closer to her while placing her hand on top of hers. "There is something that I need to discuss with you. Something that I should've mentioned to your mother a long time ago."

"What is it?" Ramona frowned with a puzzled and quizzical expression.

Karissa sighed sadly as she took a moment to ponder her words carefully before she spoke.

"I have reason to believe that you may have inherited a very rare genetic disorder that has been passed down through countless generations of your grandfather's maternal side of the family. People that have been afflicted with this condition display a wide array of symptoms, including varying degrees of mental illness, fertility problems and even certain types of cancer, including the cancer that you're suffering from right now."

"Oh my God, that's awful, Nana," Ramona gasped in horror.

"I also believe that your mother might have inherited this condition because of her own mental illness, and if I recall correctly, Sylvester's mother might have also been suffering from that very same kind of inexplicable madness," Karissa continued.

"What do you mean, Nana?" Ramona inquired curiously.

"It was a well known open secret within the kingdom that your great-grandmother Irene was emotionally and mentally unstable and was prone to violent and erratic fits of rage whenever she was in one of her peculiar moods," Karissa explained.

"She spent much of Sylvester's childhood in and out of mental asylums and also experienced severe paranoid hallucinations. Then one day she just completely lost it altogether and jumped off the balcony to her death. King Leopold was devastated by the loss and never fully recovered from the terrible tragedy."

"That's so awful, Nana," Ramona sympathized pithily.

"I know, darling," Karissa nodded with a sigh.

"So what do you think I should do? Should I go get myself and the rest of the family tested for this genetic condition?" Ramona asked anxiously.

"I think that would be a prudent and wise decision," Karissa concurred. "That way if you are aware that you have the disorder then you will be able to do everything that you possibly can minimize the effects of the condition."

"All right then; I'll ask everyone in the family to get themselves tested as soon as possible," Ramona declared with a nod.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A few days later, Ramona returned to London and to the safety of her London flat as she was happy and elated to be reunited with her loving and devoted husband. It was a quiet and calm evening as Robert was asleep in his bedroom while she and Harold were lying in bed together as they were getting ready to turn in for the night. However, Harold could tell that something was still bothering her.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" he asked as he turned over on his right side to look at her.

"Well, not really," Ramona sighed dejectedly as she just stared ahead at the ceiling. "I can't help but worry. I already got myself and everyone else except for my dad tested for this weird genetic disorder that my Nana told me about. What if I have it? What if my siblings have it? What if my mom has it? What will that mean for my nephews and nieces? What will that mean for me? For our future kids?"

"Well we don't need to worry about that right now. Whatever the results will be, we will cross that bridge when we get to it," Harold reassured her as he caressed her face tenderly. "Right now all you need to focus on is your health. That's what's important."

"Yeah, but even if I do survive this bout with cancer and we go on to have a child together, what kind of life is he or she going to have if I end up passing down this disorder to them?" Ramona interjected. "I don't want him or her to have to suffer the kind of utter hell that my mother went through when she was suffering from those unpredictable manic episodes for many years. That's not the kind of life that I want for our child."

"That is not up to us, sweetheart; that's up to God," Harold instructed her gently as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "Remember, He will never give us something that we cannot possibly handle. If it so happens that our child has inherited the same kind of mental illness that your mother had or that your great-grandmother might've had, then we are going to deal with it together as a family. Nothing is impossible as long as we have God in our lives."

"I'm sorry; you're right, honey," Ramona exhaled sharply as she snuggled closer to her husband. "I'm just scared, that's all. So much is happening all at once and I just don't know how I'm going to handle it all."

"It's all right, Ramona; there's no shame in being afraid," Harold reassured her gently as he kissed her on the head. "Just remember to put your trust and faith in God and everything will be all right. He will give you the courage and strength that you need."

"Okay, Harold," Ramona smiled as she let out a soft yawn.

"Good night, my love," Harold yawned back as he turned back on his left side and went to sleep.

"Night," Ramona whispered, not even looking back at her husband.

Then once she was sure that Harold was fast asleep, she rolled onto her belly and clasped her hands together as she began to pray softly.

"Lord, please give me the courage and strength that I need to face this battle and please give my child the courage and strength that she will also need to face all of the trials and challenges that she will be facing through all the days of her life."

She then muttered, "Amen" underneath her breath while crossing herself before she lay back down on her back and settled down to sleep.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Six months have passed and Ramona was now halfway into her cancer treatment as her condition was slowly but surely improving. Her luscious red hair had also completely fallen off but she wasn't too bothered by it; as a matter of fact, she had taken up a habit of wearing a variety of black wigs for fun. Despite of her illness, however, she was still determined to make it to her youngest nephew Timmy's christening in Los Angeles.

Ramona was sitting next to Donna and Anita in the right side of the pews while her parents, brother and husband were sitting right behind them. Janie was reading the Bible absentmindedly with a bored expression while Jimmy and Corey were crying, screaming and making a big fuss. D.J. and Robert were also running around the pews wildly while chasing each other in a game of tag.

"I'm going to get you, Deej!" Robert hollered as he raced after his friend.

"You can't catch me!" Robert laughed back excitedly.

"It's so nice to see Robert play with other kids his age," Ramona said with a bright smile as she watched the boys continue to pursue each other.

"Yeah, God knows that D.J. needs that," Anita sighed dejectedly with a morose frown.

"Why's that, Anita? Is D.J. not getting along with other kids in school?" Ramona frowned worriedly at her older sister.

"It's worse than that," Anita replied. "He's picking on them and tormenting them and he's getting into a lot of fights at school. I can't tell you how many times I have to come to the office to talk with the principal about his behavior."

"Well, maybe he just needs a little more attention at home," Ramona suggested.

"Yeah, and that's assuming I can even get Dylan to pry his focus away from his business deals for more than a few minutes at a time," Anita groaned in an exasperated and frustrated tone. "He's changed, Ramona. You have no idea. He's become very cold and distant and he doesn't really pay any attention to me or the kids anymore. He goes out a lot most nights and I never know exactly when he's going to come home. Sometimes he doesn't come home until maybe 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning and sometimes I don't see him at all for weeks at a time. There was one time where I didn't even see him for an entire month; he was out doing God knows what. For all I know he could be hooking up with a bunch of coked out whores from the Sunset Strip and getting high on all kinds of drugs."

"Oh my God, that's awful, Anita," Ramona commiserated with her sympathetically.

"Yeah, no kidding," Anita sighed irritably and then she leaned in closer to her so that no one would overhear what she had to say next.

"And please don't tell anyone else this, but Dylan has also signed me up to do a whole bunch of um well... adult films, if you catch my drift..."

"Oh wow..." Ramona's eyes widened in disbelief and astonishment with her jaw agape as she quickly realized what she meant.

"Yeah, apparently he owes some guy a whole bunch of money for some gambling debt or whatever and he decided that it was a good idea to have me star in those kinds of movies so that he would be able to pay off the debt that he owed. And I mean, well... it was kind of fun and exciting at first, especially with other women, but now... I can't help but feel so dirty and ashamed..." Anita continued in a hushed and quivering voice.

"I'm so sorry, Anita..." Ramona murmured sadly in a pitying voice.

"I know that it's wrong of me to put all of this crap on you and I know that this is the absolute last thing that you should be worrying about anyway especially with you being sick and all, but I just don't know who else to turn to," Anita pleaded desperately with her expression becoming more vulnerable and forlorn.

"Don't ever apologize for asking me for help, Anita," Ramona reassured her tenderly as she pulled her into a comforting hug. "You aren't an inconvenience to me at all. Never forget that."

"I'm so sorry, Ramona," Anita sniffled as tears began stinging her eyes and she buried her face on her shoulder while fighting the urge to cry. "I'm so sorry."

Then after a few minutes, she pulled away from Ramona while quickly wiping away the tears from her eyes before she turned her attention to Janie.

"Hey, what are you reading, kiddo?" she asked her curiously.

"I just want to see if there's any really messed up stuff like Grandma Betty keeps talking about," Janie answered nonchalantly as she kept on scanning the text expectantly.

Just then the church organ began to play as Anita snatched the Bible from her and slipped it back into the back pocket of the pew.

"Put that away, Janie; you need to look up and pay attention right now," she ordered.

"Kids, get back in your seats; the ceremony is about to start!" Ramona yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Coming, Auntie Ramona!" D.J. hollered.

"Coming, Ramona!" Robert shouted as he and D.J. quickly returned back to their designated seats.

Moments later, Raquel and Timothy entered the church as they walked down the aisle with little Timmy in Raquel's arms. They soon made it to the altar as the priest took the child from Raquel and cradled him in his arms.

"Dear Lord, may you allow this innocent child into your heavenly kingdom," the priest declared as he scooped up some water and sprinkled it on Timmy's forehead, causing him to squirm and whimper fearfully as some of the droplets ended up spraying and splashing on his face. "In the name of the Son, the Father and the Holy Spirit."

"Amen," the congregation responded as Timmy continued to cry and wail loudly.

"Hey, kiddo, it's okay. It's okay; it's over now," Timothy whispered as he tried to comfort his son.

The priest then placed Timmy back in his mother's arms as Raquel started to rock and shush him gently, prompting him to quiet down with soft murmurs and coos.

"You're such a good mom, Ray," Timothy smiled at his wife.

"Well, I think I'm finally getting the hang of it now," said Raquel, beaming down at her son proudly as he finally settled down to sleep.

"So I've been thinking..." Ramona mused as she was watching Raquel and Timothy with their son.

"What?" Harold raised his eyebrow quizzically.

"Well, I was wondering whether or not is now the right time for me to officially adopt Robert as my son," Ramona proposed hesitantly.

"Ramona, are you sure about that? I mean, it's not that I wouldn't want you to do that, but we don't even know what's going to happen several more months from now," Harold retorted uncertainly. "I mean, what if the treatment stops working and the cancer gets worse? I don't want Robert to get excited about the possibility of you becoming his mother for life only for you to die on him a year from now!"

"I know that, Harold, but I love him and he loves me and we've been getting along swimmingly for a while now. I've known this child for almost two years, so I don't see why we can't at least discuss the subject in the meantime," Ramona shot back irately.

"All right, let's just see what the doctor says at your next appointment when we get back to England and if things continue to improve, maybe we will approach the subject again at a later time," Harold held up his hands defensively as he was practically taken aback by his wife's unexpected temper. "And perhaps one day when you are well again, we can even talk about the possibility of having a little one of our very own."

"I'd like that," Ramona answered with a bright smile, practically giddy and excited at that very thought.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Another month passed and it was now mid-summer as Elena was busy watching a movie while knitting a brand new beanie hat for little Timmy. Just then, the phone rang and she put her knitting needles down while reaching over to pick it up and answer it.

"Hello?"

"Oh thank God you answered!" Carol yelled in a frightened and panicked voice.

"What's wrong, Carol? Did something else happen with the Millers?" Elena frowned worriedly.

"No, it's Arlene! She's in the hospital and she's badly hurt! Apparently she got beaten up by some john when she refused to pay him and she was left for dead in a back alley somewhere. If someone hadn't called for an ambulance and taken her to the hospital at that very moment..."

"I'll be right there; just stay put," Elena assured her as she quickly hung up and dashed out of the living room as she hopped into her car and drove off.

A little over an hour later, Elena finally arrived at Cedars Sinai as she met with Carol at the lobby.

"Oh Elena, I don't know what I'd do without you!" Carol sobbed as she threw her arms around her with a big hug.

Elena then pulled away from Carol and looked at her with a questioning and perplexed expression.

"So what happened? You said that Arlene got beaten up by some john?"

"Yes, and she's still in surgery. They don't know if she's going to make it but they are going to do all that they can," Carol replied. "Oh, dear God. I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't lose another child, Elena. I can't lose another child. Not after what happened to Dennis. Not after what happened..."

She then collapsed into Elena's arms and shrieked hysterically as she continued to sob and wail loudly. Elena just continued to console her old friend by holding her in a loving embrace, not knowing what else to do.

Then after what seemed like forever, a middle-aged doctor dressed in blue scrubs finally came out of the operation room and approached the women.

"Mrs. Banks?" he addressed her.

Carol turned around at the sound of his voice and broke away from Elena as she rushed over to him.

"How is she? Is she going to be all right?"

"The good news is that she's stable," the doctor nodded firmly. "It's going to be a very long road to recovery, but all signs indicate that she's going to pull through. You're a very lucky woman, ma'am."

"Thank you, doctor," Carol shook his hand in a relieved voice, feeling extremely grateful for the news. "Can I see her now?"

"She's in the recovery room," the doctor replied, gesturing to one of the rooms behind him. "She's resting for now, but you can still go in and see her if you want."

"Come on, Elena; I'm not going to waste another minute to see my little girl!" Carol roared determinedly as she and Elena quickly rushed in the direction of Arlene's hospital room.

Meanwhile, Arlene was lying in bed looking completely battered and disheveled with her face black and blue all over and her legs in a cast. Her right eye was also bruised and swollen shut and her jaw was shattered as she had numerous tubes hooked up all over the place with her stringy, thin and dry hair framing her face. She was groaning softly in pain and agony as she was desperately trying to get some sleep.

Moments later, Carol burst into the room as she raced over to her bedside and pulled her into an overjoyed hug.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, my little Arlene!" she sobbed as she grabbed her and hugged her inconsolably.

"I'm glad to see you too, Mom," Arlene replied in a gargling and muffled voice.

She then slowly turned her head to see Elena and she nearly fell over in shock with her good eye widening in surprise.

"Elena?" she mumbled softly.

"Hello, sweetheart," Elena greeted her with a compassionate and loving smile.

Arlene just lay back down on her bed and stared at her for a moment.

"I... I-I thought... I thought... you forgot... about me..."

"No, honey; I wouldn't forget you. I would never forget you, never," Elena shook her head vehemently as she leaned over to kiss her on the forehead.

Arlen just grimaced as she winced in pain at her touch.

"Sorry," Elena apologized upon noticing her reaction and stood back.

She and Carol then sat down as they looked at Arlene expectantly.

"So what happened, sweetheart? Who did this to you?" Elena asked.

"Some asshole who tried to screw me over," Arlene explained in a raspy voice while narrowing her good eye, still wheezing and grunting in pain. "I agreed to pay him for an hour of sex but he barely lasted for 20. Poor bastard couldn't even get it up. So I decided to pay him half of what I had originally promised and he got angry at me and started demanding the full payment and I said no... So he decided to teach me a lesson by attacking me and beating me down to a bloody pulp. Next thing that I remember was waking up in some dark back alleyway and not knowing where I was or how I even got there."

"My God," Carol gasped in horror as she could scarcely believe what she was hearing. "My dear God, what happened to you, my sweet, beautiful child? How could you do this to yourself?"

"I don't want to do this anymore, Mom," Arlene mumbled almost in a half-whisper, her eyes glowering with determination and resolve.

"What? What's that you say, Arlene?" Carol asked as she tried to make out what she said.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Arlene reiterated, her voice growing stronger and clearer now. "I'm tired of being a worthless, drugged out whore constantly turning tricks in order to get her next fix. I want to get clean and sober and get my life back in order. I don't want to disappoint you or Daddy anymore. I also don't want to disappoint Dennis anymore either."

"Oh, honey," Carol sniffed as her eyes welled up with tears and she gingerly cradled her daughter's face. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say those words."

She then wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug.

"Never forget that your father and I are proud of you always. And so is your brother. He is looking down on you from Heaven and is watching over you."

"I know, Mom; I know," Arlene nodded as tears slowly rolled down her face and she hugged her mother back.

Then once Elena and Carol were finally able to leave the room, they left the hospital as they were heading for Carol's car.

"So how is everything going on with you and your family lately?" Carol asked as she and Elena approached her vehicle.

"Things with me and Horatio couldn't have possibly been better," Elena beamed happily. "I feel like we are finally at a place where we are truly connected and secure as husband and wife."

"I'm glad," Carol nodded. "I just hope that now that Arlene has agreed to enter rehab that things between me and Alan might finally start to take a turn for the better."

She then sighed and glanced over at Elena with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry to hear about Ramona by the way. Your daughter is in my prayers. How is she doing?"

"She's doing well so far, thank God; if things continue to improve for her then all she needs to do is continue to undergo a battery of tests for the next three years and then she will be declared to be in full remission," Elena answered.

"That's good," Carol nodded. "And I also hear that you have a brand new grandson?"

"Yes, isn't he wonderful?!" Elena gushed excitedly. "He is just the cutest thing! I was making a little beanie hat for him just now."

"So what's this about some genetic testing that I'm hearing?" Carol added with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you know... after Ramona got diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Karissa came up with this theory that she might have inherited this rare and unusual genetic condition that has been passed down through my father's side of the family through his maternal line. So I decided to have myself and all of the kids tested and turns out that Ramona and I have the genetic marker for the disorder," Elena explained.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. What are the symptoms exactly?" Carol asked curiously.

"Well, it can range from having various types of mental illnesses like bipolar and schizophrenia to having some issues with fertility and even having some types of cancer," Elena answered.

"Wow, sounds like you have it rough," Carol winced uncomfortably.

"No kidding. And lucky me I'm the nutcase of my family and my little girl is also the one that ends up with cancer," Elena laughed sardonically.

"So none of your other kids have the genetic marker for this disorder?" Carol inquired.

"Nope; their results all came out negative, thank God," Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Now I just got to worry about me and Ramona."

"I'm sure that she will be just fine, Elena," Carol reassured her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's a strong, determined, courageous woman just like you. She'll get through this just like she's gone through everything else in her life."

"I hope you're right, Carol," Elena sighed.

"Why don't I invite you to our place for dinner sometime this week and we can all get together and chat and have fun just like the good old days?" Carol suggested.

"Sounds perfect," Elena nodded approvingly as Carol opened the car door and prepared to get inside.

"See ya, Elena," she waved as she disappeared into the vehicle and closed the door before driving off.

Elena then watched her friend leave before she turned around and headed back to her car.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Several more months went by and it was now December as a massive flurry of snow descended upon London. It was late afternoon as Harold and Ramona were busy making the final preparations for Christmas dinner when suddenly they heard a knock on the door.

"Oh, Harold; they're here," Ramona squealed excitedly as she rushed over to the front door.

As soon as she opened it, she was surprised to see Gregory, Henrietta, Sylvie, her husband Harry and their four children entering the house.

"Gregory, Henrietta, Sylvie, Harry! So wonderful of you guys to come!" Ramona chimed happily.

"You look absolutely stupendous, my dear!" Henrietta exclaimed with a bright grin as she went over to hug her daughter-in-law.

Ramona then went over to hug and kiss Sylvie, who was a middle-aged Scottish woman with short, scruffy and straight dark black hair with dark azure eyes and a diminutive, petite and slender build.

"So wonderful to see you too, Sylvie."

"Likewise," Sylvie nodded in a thick Scottish accent.

Sylvie's husband Harry was a tall, stocky and muscular Scottish man with dark strawberry blonde balding sideburns, a long, haggard and staunched face, dark emerald eyes and a sharp, thin and angular nose. Their three daughters were named Rita, Sally and Jessica and their only son was none other than Harry Junior.

Rita was a tall, skinny and lanky strawberry blonde woman with freckles, an overbite and bright green eyes while Sally had a short, slender and thin build with long, straight and wavy dark raven hair, bright azure eyes and a thin, pointy and angular nose.

As for Jessica, she had short, wavy and straight auburn hair with dark green eyes and a slender, lean and thin build with large and round dimples. Harry Junior, on the other hand, was practically the very spitting image of his father with medium, straight and wavy strawberry blonde hair, a tall, stocky and muscular build and a handsome, youthful and dashing countenance.

"Junior, you're here!" Robert exclaimed as he bolted out of his room and went over to give his cousin a bear hug.

"Hello mate," Harry Junior smiled as he hugged him back. "Great to see ya."

"Hello, girls; hello Auntie Sylvie and Uncle Harry," Robert greeted his other cousins and his aunt and uncle as he also hugged them.

"Hello, son; Merry Christmas," Uncle Harry greeted him back with a hug.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Robert replied back with a smile.

"Everyone, please sit down and help yourselves to some snacks and refreshments," Ramona announced as she arrived with a tray of Christmas cookies and crackers and she set it down on the living room table, which was also filled with large liters of Pepsi, Sprite and Coca Cola and some mulled wine.

The guest then entered the living room and sat down together on the sofa and chairs as they began eating the treats and drinking their fill of soda and wine. Then just as they were finally getting settled in, there was another knock on the door.

"Oh, that must be Ralphie; I'll get it," Harold announced as he went over to answer the front door.

Then as soon as he opened it, he was greeted by a younger Scottish man with thin, short black hair, a broad, angular and staunched face, a long, pointy and prominent nose and a square jaw, dark azure eyes and a stocky, lean and tall build. He was accompanied by a younger woman with long, curly and wavy raven hair, an attractive, gorgeous and beautiful face with a charming smile, a medium, slender and thin build and bright green eyes.

"Hey big brother," Ralphie smirked as he entered the house and gave Harold a loving pat on the shoulder. "How's everything going?"

"Oh Ramona is doing very well and she's about to finish her last round of chemotherapy and radiation right after the holidays," Harold replied.

"Excellent! Well here's hoping that this will finally be the end of this horrible cancer business, yeah?" Ralphie chuckled good-naturedly.

"Yeah," Harold sighed, a part of him still nervous and worried about what the future could potentially hold.

"Anyways, before I forget, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend Gayle. Gayle, this is my big brother Harold," Ralphie added.

"How do you do, Harold?" Gayle replied as she shook his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Gayle," Harold answered with a polite nod as he shook her hand back.

"Come on, honey; let's find a place to sit down," Ralphie offered as he and Gayle soon headed to the living room.

It wasn't long before Ralphie and Gayle sat down in one of the sofa chairs as Harold and Ramona were sitting in another sofa chair across from them.

"So how long have you two been together now?" Harold asked as Ramona was taking a slow sip of mulled wine and he took a big swig of his Coca Cola.

"A little over a year now," Ralphie answered as he was munching on some crackers. "I tell ya, Howie, I think that she's the one. She's the one that I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with."

"Okay, little brother; I hope that for your sake that you're right this time," Harold chuckled sardonically as he took a bite of one of the Christmas cookies.

"No, I'm serious this time, man! She's the real deal! She's not like all of the other women that I've dated in the past!" Ralphie protested angrily, earning some roars and cackles from some of the family members.

"Yeah, whatever, Ralphie," Sylvie snickered with an eye roll.

Then as the evening continued to wear on, Harold, Harry and Ralphie decided to put on a pantomime show for the entire family as they made all sorts of funny faces and expressions. Ramona couldn't help but giggle and shriek in delight as she was thoroughly amused and tickled pink by the performance that the men were giving.

"Do it again, Daddy!" Sally crowed.

"Yeah, pretend to be a monkey this time!" Rita hollered.

Ralphie then started to jump and prance around while scratching his back and hooting and shrieking like a monkey, prompting the other two men to follow suit.

Then as soon as the show was over, Harold, Ramona and the rest of the family retired to the dining room as they proceeded to have Christmas turkey, pudding, mince pies and cabbage rolls. Robert and Junior were tearing off a piece of their rolls and chewing on it thoroughly as they secretly eavesdropped on the girls whispering and gossiping with each other in hushed and quiet tones.

Harold and Ramona just looked at each other with devoted affection in their eyes as Ramona laid her head on her husband's shoulder and nuzzled deeply against him.

Then as soon as dinner was over and cake was served, the Buchanans gathered around the Christmas tree as they proceeded to exchange all kinds of gifts with each other. Rita and her sisters were delighted to receive a golden bracelet, a silver heart-shaped necklace and a sweet smelling perfume while Harry Junior was ecstatic to get a Rubix cube. Gayle was also pleased to receive a special diamond lavaliere necklace from Ralphie and Gregory and Harold both received watches from their wives.

As for Robert, he got the most special present of all; the moment that he opened up his gift, he was surprised to uncover a Nintendo Entertainment System console.

"Oh, wow! I've been waiting to get this! Thanks, Dad! Thanks, Ramona!" he exclaimed happily as he hugged his parents.

"No problem, son," Harold smiled as he hugged him back.

"There's something else that we wanted to talk to you about," Ramona added.

"What is it?" Robert asked curiously.

Harold and Ramona exchanged a questioning glance at each other before they turned back to face Robert.

"We were wondering if maybe you'd like for me to adopt you so that we can make it official as a family," Ramona proposed.

"Really? You mean it?" Robert gaped in surprise and amazement as he couldn't believe his ears.

The rest of the Buchanan clan kept on exchanging quizzical and bemused glances at each other as they were also taken aback by the unexpected announcement.

Harold and Ramona just smiled and nodded with their faces beaming with pride and joy.

Robert could barely contain his excitement and happiness as he put his new console down and jumped into his stepmother's arms, hugging her tightly.

"Yes, yes! Of course I want you to adopt me! I'd like that very much!" he cried.

"Well, it's official then; he's ours," Harold chuckled as he pulled Ramona closer to him and kissed her on the head, prompting the two to look down at the young boy with deep love and affection.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A few weeks went by and it was early January as a young Scottish woman with medium, wavy and curly black hair with short bangs, dark hazel green eyes, and a tall, slender and statuesque build was sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette while taking a huge swig of beer. She was staring at a letter in her hands with narrowed, indignant eyes.

"Hey, love, what's eating ya?" a Scottish man hollered as he sauntered into the room and approached her. He had a tall, brawny and muscular build, a goatee, dark black eyes and a balding head.

"I can't believe that bastard ex-husband of mine had the nerve to do this to me!" Bonnie yelled shrilly as she practically crumpled the letter in her hand, seething. "He's filed a petition to have that harlot wife of his adopt my son, my boy! I'll be damned if I let that bitch take him away from me!"

"So what are you going to do about it?" the man inquired curiously as he sat down next to her.

Bonnie just stewed with an evil and malicious scowl on her face as she pondered on her next course of action.

"Well I'm going to fight back that's what. I'm going to file a lawsuit against that son of a bitch in order to stop the adoption process from going through, and if that doesn't work, well I'll use even more desperate measures."

"And what does that mean exactly?" the man asked.

"Oh, you'll see, darling; you'll see," Bonnie answered with an evil chuckle on her lips.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Three more months went by and things appeared to be finally looking up for the Buchanan family. Ramona was surprised and elated to learn that the chemotherapy and radiation sessions had indeed been successful and she was now officially in remission.

Now with her health crisis well behind her, she and Harold were looking forward to the rest of their lives together as they were eagerly moving ahead with their plans to have Ramona officially adopt Robert as her son as well as starting a family of their very own as soon as possible. Unfortunately, however, they were about to be blindsided by an unforeseen crisis neither of them ever saw coming.

It was still early afternoon as Ramona heard a knock on the front door and got up from her sofa as she went over to answer it. The moment that she opened the door, however, she was shocked to see a strange man in a suit and a tie standing before her.

"Can I help you, sir?" Ramona asked with an inquisitive expression.

"Is this the Buchanan residence?" the man asked in a neutral and emotionless voice.

"Yes, who's asking?" Ramona frowned quizzically.

"Ma'am, it's best if we come in," the man informed her.

Ramona nodded and gestured for him to enter the house before leading him into the living room.

"So who do I owe this pleasure of this surprise visit?" Ramona continued to question the man.

The man just sat down on the sofa and stared at the young redheaded woman with a calm and serious look on his face.

"Mrs. Buchanan, I am here on behalf of child protective services and we have reason to believe that there may be signs of abuse and neglect in your household," he explained.

"What? Abuse? Neglect? I don't understand... why would anyone think that I would do anything to Robert?!" Ramona exclaimed in a horrified and appalled voice.

"Ma'am, we just need to verify the veracity of this claim and if everything checks out, then rest assured you won't be hearing from us anymore," the man explained as more child protective service agents filed into the house and began inspecting every room of the house.

"All right, if you say so," Ramona sighed uncertainly.

"In the meantime, I need to ask you some questions," the man added, his expression unchanged. "Have you ever had any serious conflicts or issues with the minor child in question?"

"Oh no, not at all," Ramona shook her head. "At least not at all different from the usual conflicts that you have with an 11-year-old."

"Is the child well cared for, well fed, and given all of the love, attention and support that he needs?" the man continued his questioning.

"Of course! Robert knows that he always has a place here. I would never make him feel like an outsider that doesn't belong in his own family!" Ramona shot back indignantly.

"Excellent," the man nodded. "And I assume that both of you are gainfully employed?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact my husband is at work right now and I'm usually doing my rounds as a resident doctor at Charing Cross Hospital but today just so happens to be my day off," Ramona replied earnestly.

"I see," the man mused as he was jotting down notes in his report.

"Everything checks out, sir!" one of the child protective services agents hollered as he re-entered the room. "There is absolutely nothing to suggest that anything untoward is happening here in this house."

"Good job, men," the man nodded as he turned to face Ramona with a smile. "Well that takes care of things. I hope that you continue to have a pleasant rest of the afternoon. Cheerio."

He then turned around and walked away as he and his fellow agents soon left the house. Then as soon as child protective services were gone, Harold stormed into the house with a baffled and flustered expression.

"What is the meaning of this? What are child protective services doing in our house?!" he demanded in an irate and outraged voice.

"Apparently somebody filed an anonymous report of child abuse and neglect and they had to come down here and question me while they checked the state of our house," Ramona explained.

"Damn it!" Harold let out a frustrated exhale as he started to pace around while continuing to seethe and sulk in anger and fury. "I should've known that Bonnie would have tried to do this! The nerve of that woman...!"

"You really believe that Bonnie is responsible for this?" Ramona gawked in amazement and disbelief.

"Damn right I do!" Harold snarled furiously. "And I'm not going to let her get away with it, I promise you! I'm going to make her pay for trying to destroy us, from trying to take my son away from me!"

"What are you going to do, Harold?" Ramona stammered in a nervous and uneasy voice, recoiling at the sight of his rage.

"Oh that's easy, darling," Harold smirked defiantly with a gleam of arrogance in his eyes. "I'm going to take her to court and I'm going to expose her for the vile and wretched bitch that she is."

TLSTLSTLSTLS

MAY 1987

CENTRAL LONDON COUNTY COURT

LONDON, ENGLAND

Another month rolled by and the day of the custody hearing finally arrived as Harold and Ramona found themselves facing off with Bonnie in court. Both parties were seated with their respective lawyers as they were waiting for the judge to arrive.

"Hear ye, hear ye, this court is now in session!" a loud, booming, male voice announced. "The judge will now be presiding over the custody matter regarding the minor child Robert Harold Buchanan. The biological mother, Miss Bonnie Thompson, has filed a lawsuit against Mr. and Mrs. Harold Buchanan in order to prevent them from allowing Mrs. Buchanan, who is the stepmother, to legally adopt her child. Miss Thompson, if you please."

"Thank you, sir," a short, skinny and lanky British man with oversized teeth, a long, pointy and arched nose and a balding head bowed as he approached the bench. "Miss Thompson has serious and grave concerns regarding the custody of her son. She asserts that her ex-husband is not only trying to use these legal proceedings against her but he is also trying to use her mental illness in order to cast serious doubt in her ability to be a good mother. She is also concerned that Mrs. Buchanan's recent bout with cancer might interfere with her ability to properly look after the child."

"Objection! That is nonsense!" a short and stout balding British man with a prominent nose yelled. "Even with Mrs. Buchanan having been occupied with her health difficulties that still doesn't necessarily mean that her husband isn't able to help her take proper care of his son."

"Also, lest not we forget that Mrs. Buchanan is only 29-years-old. How can we know for sure that she is even well-equipped and capable to deal with the full time responsibilities of looking after a boy that is not even her own flesh and blood?" Bonnie's lawyer argued.

"Again, objection, Your Honor! This is pure nonsense and balderdash!" Harold's lawyer shot back contemptuously. "Mrs. Buchanan has wholeheartedly accepted and embraced this child as her own and is completely devoted to his health and wellbeing. She is able and willing to provide for him the kind of stability and love that Miss Thompson clearly lacks."

"Oh, why don't you sod off!" Bonnie's lawyer sneered.

"Hey, that's enough!" the judge rebuked him sharply with a single hit of the gavel.

"And may I also remind you that Mrs. Buchanan has a very sordid and unsavory family history that she wouldn't dare want to be revealed public, including the fact that her own mother is a bipolar maniac high on drugs and drink and regularly has sex with her own stepmother?!" Bonnie's lawyer continued his speech, ignoring the judge's comment.

"Funny you should say that, good sir, because I would argue the very same thing about your client here!" Harold's lawyer shot back. "Your client is nothing but a licentious, salacious, promiscuous whore who regularly gets stoned and drunk on all kinds of narcotics and liquor and is too busy focusing on her flavor of the week to even pay any attention to her own son!"

"How the hell does he even know about that, Harold?" Ramona hissed at him in a mortified and appalled tone as Harold gestured for her to keep her voice down.

"And furthermore, may I add, your client was also the one that made a false report of child abuse against the Buchanans as a way to retaliate against her own husband for daring to even move in on her meal ticket!" Harold's lawyer continued on.

"And what the hell are you even suggesting?" Bonnie's lawyer sneered curtly.

"I am saying that your client is an emotionally unstable, mentally deranged narcissistic sociopath who has no care or concern about anyone or anything other than herself!" Harold's lawyer barked back.

"I've heard enough!" the judge declared after slamming down on his gavel. "Now, considering all of the evidence that has been presented to me thus far, I am inclined to rule in favor of Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan since there is no evidence of any wrongdoing on their part and they have clearly proven themselves to be nothing but loving, devoted and caring parents."

"Miss Thompson's behavior, on the other hand, has clearly demonstrated to me that she has greatly fallen short of that particular kind of criteria. Therefore, it is my recommendation that Miss Thompson's visitation privileges be suspended for at least a year and a half until such time that she can demonstrate to this court that she is capable of getting her act together and becoming the kind of mother that her son needs and deserves."

Upon hearing this, Bonnie's eyes narrowed into dark little slits as her body trembled violently with an enraged snarl.

"Oh fuck off, you wanker!" she yelled.

"Wow, what a real class act," Ramona muttered to her husband sarcastically with an eye roll.

"This court is hereby dismissed!" the judge announced as he once again slammed down the gavel.

Then once the crowd finally dispersed and were making their way out of the courtroom, Bonnie marched towards Ramona and Harold as they were making their way down the steps of the courthouse and grabbed her shoulder before making her turn around to face her.

"Don't you think that you've won just yet," she growled sinisterly. "I won't stand for this, I promise you."

"Look, I don't know how the hell you even found out about my mother and my Nana in the first place, but you better stay the hell away from me and my husband or you're going to get a lot more than you bargained for," Ramona snapped aggressively with an akimbo.

"Oh, is that a threat I hear, sweetheart? Believe me, there's a lot more where that came from, I assure you. But let me make one thing perfectly clear: you are never going to get your grubby, sneaky, filthy little hands on my boy, not as long as I still have life left within me," Bonnie shot back derisively, her eyes gleaming with malicious hate. "And I'd rather see you dead before I would ever consider letting a nasty, selfish and spoiled American girl like you be involved in his upbringing."

"That's quite enough, Bonnie!" Harold interjected as he got in between the two women and shielded Ramona from his ex-wife. "You've already said your piece; now leave us be."

"I don't think so, love," Bonnie chuckled evilly with a sadistic grin as she shoved Harold aside before grabbing Ramona and throwing her down the stairs.

Ramona then let out a terrified scream as she tumbled down the stairs and landed on the bottom, sprawled on her back.

"Ramona!" Harold yelled in a terrified voice as he rushed over to her side and cradled her gently.

Ramona was whimpering and gasping in pain as she was shaking and trembling while curled up into a little ball in her husband's arms.

"Help! Help! Somebody help! Call an ambulance!" Harold hollered desperately as he continued to watch his wife convulse and writhe helplessly in agony.

A short time later, Ramona was rushed to the hospital and was immediately treated by the medical staff. Afterwards, she was lying in bed in a groggy and half-conscious state. Harold was sitting next to his wife's bedside as he was keeping an eye on her. Just then a doctor entered the room and approached the couple. "Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan?"

"Yes, doctor?" Harold replied as he glanced over to look at him.

"Well, I have some good news; your wife wasn't too badly hurt and therefore she should make a full recovery in no time. However, I also have some unfortunate news – she was also three months pregnant."

"What? She was pregnant?" Harold balked incredulously, barely registering the words that he was hearing.

"I'm afraid so. It appears that the fall that she suffered was so catastrophic and devastating that it resulted in the death of the fetus. I'm so sorry," the doctor explained.

Ramona was breaking down into quiet sobs as she was completely heartbroken by the news. Harold then walked over to kiss her gently on the head while hugging her tenderly.

"And that's not all," the doctor continued. "The autopsy that was done on the deceased fetus indicated that it had severe genetic abnormalities. I can't be 100% certain, but it's more than likely that the chemotherapy and radiation treatment that you went through might have caused a lot of significant damage to your reproductive organs, including your ovaries, and therefore there is a great possibility that any child that you do manage to carry to term will be born with serious physical and/or mental disabilities. And that is assuming that you are able to do so at all."

"No, no, no..." Ramona shook her head vehemently with more distraught tears falling down her face. "No, no, no... that can't be true... That just can't possibly be true..."

"I would probably discuss this further with your primary care physician, but I would highly recommend you get a complete and total hysterectomy in order to decrease your chances of your cancer coming back with a vengeance," the doctor added. "I wish the two of you the best of luck."

He then turned around and walked out of the room without another word.

Ramona just kept on sobbing and wailing hysterically as she clung to her husband tightly, shattered and devastated beyond belief.

"I'm never going to be a mother, Harold," she wept. "I'm never going to have a baby of my own."

TLSTLSTLSTLS

JULY 1987

UBILAM, ALAMANIA

THE PEOPLE'S FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF ALAMANIA

It was about mid-afternoon as a group of landscapers and gardeners were busy tending to the royal garden. One of them happened to be standing next to a large tree as he was digging into the ground with a shovel. After several minutes, he noticed that he had uncovered something very unusual and he quickly stepped back in surprised astonishment with a blanched expression.

"Um, guys, I think I might have found a body!" he hollered as he was wildly gesturing and beckoning his coworkers to come over and they soon rushed over and converged around the open hole.

"Is that what I think it is?" one of the men gaped in horror and dismay as he peered down at the hole.

"Call the police! They need to see this!" the head landscaper yelled as another one of the men bolted straight back to the castle in order to find a phone and call the authorities.

A short time later, the police finally arrived on the castle grounds as a team of coroners carried a mysterious figure covered in a white sheet onto a stretcher and they loaded her into the back of a white van.

"Jesus Christ, how was there a dead body buried here on these grounds and no one even knew?" one of the police officers muttered while shaking his head.

"Someone knew all right," another one of the police officers retorted darkly as he shot a withering glare at him. "Whoever buried her here went to great lengths to make sure that she wasn't found for a long time. And that person might also be potentially responsible for her death."

"Well, we won't know for sure until we have an autopsy done. And who knows what is actually left of this woman's body after all this time?" one of the other police officers shrugged with a resigned sigh.

"Right," the police officer nodded.

He then made a loud, shrill whistle and gestured to his fellow officers.

"Let's go, let's go! Let's see what else we can uncover! Time's a wasting here!"

TLSTLSTLSTLS

The next day, the deputy medical examiner conducted a thorough autopsy on the body as he tried his best to determine the cause and manner of death. Even though the body had greatly deteriorated and withered away to the point where it was nothing more than a skeleton, there were still faint and thin strands of black hair and she was still wearing the very same clothes that she had on the night of her death.

Just then Karissa, Elena and Ivan burst into the room as they approached the medical examiner.

"Oh, good, you're here, Your Majesty," the medical examiner greeted Karissa with a slight bow and a nod.

"So is it true, doctor? You actually found a body buried in the royal garden?" Karissa said in a very shaky and distraught voice.

"I'm afraid so, ma'am," the medical examiner sighed sadly as he turned around to face the body.

"Now I'm afraid that the body has been too badly decomposed to make a proper identification, but I did find some items on her person that might make it easier."

He showed a plastic bag to Karissa that contained a ring and handed it over to her. Karissa then opened it up and took out the ring as she studied it closely and immediately realized what it was.

"My God... So that's... That's Philomena's ring. It says so right there," she murmured incredulously as she pointed at the written inscription of her name etched inside it.

The medical examiner then took the ring back from her and examined it more closely for a few moments before nodding.

"I suppose you're right," he said as he slipped the ring back into the plastic bag for safe keeping.

"So were you able to figure out how she died in the first place?" Elena asked anxiously.

"Actually yes; I was able to find some evidence of severe blunt trauma to her head based on the amount of damage that was inflicted on her skull," the medical examiner answered. "Based on my findings, I intend to rule that the cause of her death may have been the result of a homicide. Unfortunately, due to the deplorable condition of her body, I cannot say this for certain beyond a reasonable doubt."

"So we don't even have a case then," Elena shook her head sadly with a frustrated sigh. "Even if we can somehow prove that Leopold was responsible for her murder and he conspired with Vivian and Ivan to cover it up by having her buried in the royal garden, there is no guarantee that we could secure a conviction. He would more than likely be able to walk away scot free based on the flimsy circumstantial evidence alone."

"His Majesty wasn't just responsible for Queen Philomena's death," Ivan suddenly interjected, prompting both Karissa and Elena to pivot around to face him.

"What the hell do you mean, Ivan?" Karissa demanded with narrowed eyes. "What else has that wretched bastard son of mine done?"

Ivan hesitated for a moment with a nervous and flustered expression as he mentally prepared himself to tell the women what he knew.

"I am so sorry for not telling you this sooner, Your Highnesses, but it's time that I told the both of you the truth. I know who really killed His Majesty King Sylvester, and I regret to inform you that your children were the ones that are responsible and I was also the one that played a part in his demise."

Elena let out a quiet, stifled sob as tears filled her eyes and she was weeping while Karissa felt all of the color rapidly drain out of her face as her world slowly came to a stop.

"What did you say?" she growled with her face completely blanching with a livid expression as her eyes slowly darkened with a cold, insidious rage.

"Vivian and Leopold were the ones that killed your beloved husband and king and I was the one that helped them carry out their diabolical scheme. I only did it to win Madame's love..." Ivan insisted.

But before he could even finish saying his piece, Karissa quickly grabbed a scalpel from the autopsy table and charged at Ivan with a blood-curling, shrill scream before tackling him to the ground and pulling the knife on his throat.

"You worthless, cowardly, spineless traitor!" she yelled indignantly as she had him pinned on the ground while pressing the scalpel against his throat. "This family has done nothing but show their love and kindness to you and this is how you repay us?! I should kill you where you stand!"

"Karissa, no!" Elena cried, cowering in fear as she was appalled and dismayed by the horrific scene that was unfolding.

"But before I do, all I want to know is why? Why? Why did you betray your one true king and master by subjecting him to such a cruel and torturous death? Answer me, damn you!" Karissa added, glowering down at Ivan with a snarl.

"Simple; I was just simply minding my own business when I happened to walk by King Sylvester's office one day and I overheard a conversation that he was having with his lawyer," Ivan answered, trying not to lose his nerve as he was looking straight at Karissa with a cold shiver running down his spine.

"Apparently he wanted Mr. Talbot to pass a resolution where in the event Madame and her brother were to die without any living heirs that Mrs. Elena would then be able to ascend the throne in their place. I felt that it was my solemn duty to inform Master Leopold at once and so I did."

"However, Master Leopold was extremely furious at what he had learned and he was also worried that his father was plotting at that very moment to take away everything that he held dear, including his God-given birthright, and hand it all to his sister, the sister that he so hated and despised for so many years."

"But of course His Majesty only meant for the resolution to be a backup plan in case God forbid anything were to happen to Vivian and Leopold. But unfortunately Master Leopold didn't see it that way. As far as he was concerned, what his father did was an act of betrayal that he just couldn't forgive or tolerate and that the only way to resolve the matter was to ensure a very painful and slow demise for his father as a way to pay him back for everything that he had done to him."

"So my father died all because of some stupid birthright that he was going to let him keep anyway? My own brother wanted him to suffer through all of those months that he was just wasting away all because he and Vivian didn't want to share the throne with me?!" Elena exploded furiously as she could barely hold back her anger. "They hated me and their father that much that they didn't give a damn how much his death was going to hurt me, their mother and my children?!"

"Madame was also the one that came up with the whole plan to slowly poison His Majesty with arsenic by having me lace his very food and drink with the wretched poison and personally deliver them to him at his request," Ivan added with a nervous stammer, his eyes darting to and fro. "That's all I know, Madame Karissa, I promise you."

Karissa continued to stare at Ivan with pure hate and fury in her eyes as she mentally debated on whether or not she should slit her throat and watch him slowly bleed out to death right before her very eyes. However, she thought better of it as she slowly got up to her feet and walked back to Elena, still scowling with disgust and contempt.

"I won't stoop to your level," she growled in a menacing and cold voice. "I will not continue to perpetuate this cycle of violence. I choose to spare you for now. Get out of here before I change my mind."

Ivan quickly scrambled to his feet and bowed gratefully before he dashed out of the room in a panic.

Karissa then collapsed onto Elena and buried her face in her neck as she finally broke down into violent and distraught sobs.

"What have I done, Elena? What kind of horrible, vicious little monsters have I raised?" she wept as she embraced her tightly.

"This is not on you, Karissa; they were the ones that chose to go down this path. You have nothing to do with this," Elena reassured her calmly as she tried to soothe and comfort her.

"I should have been a better mother. I should have been a more loving and attentive mother to them," Karissa continued to sob desperately as more tears streamed down her face.

"No, Karissa; you have been nothing but the most loving and devoted mother to them," Elena shushed her gently with a tender nuzzle. "Look at how Cassie turned out and look at how I also turned out too."

"I know," Karissa nodded as she breathed deeply and tried desperately to wipe all of the tears off her face.

Elena just smiled at her and held her face while pressing her forehead against hers.

"Besides, Philomena needs a proper burial and we're the only ones that can give it to her now," she added.

"You're right," Karissa nodded as she broke away from Elena and walked over to the autopsy table where Philomena's body still lay. "I need to make funeral arrangements as soon as possible. She will be buried in the Alamain family plot. At least she will be in good company."

"Yeah," Elena nodded as she walked over to Karissa and stood next to her.

"And in the meantime I need to go to Washington and have a very important discussion with Jack on how we're going to get this bastard son of mine off the throne once and for all," Karissa added while still gazing at Philomena's body with a solemn and determined expression.

"You said it," Elena agreed. "It's time that we take back our kingdom from this power-hungry, malicious, evil tyrant. We might not be able to get justice for Philomena, but we might still be able to free our people from a dictator who has long overstayed his welcome on the throne."

"Yes, it's going to take some serious planning and legal maneuvering, which is why in the meantime I need you to return to America and focus on your family. When we're ready, I'll summon you back to Alamania and then we will strike," Karissa explained.

"All right, I won't let you down," Elena nodded.

Karissa just sighed and kept on staring at Philomena's body with a pensive and wistful look in her eyes.

"We cannot afford to have any kind of failure, no matter what. This may be our last chance to save our kingdom and I'm going to do everything in my power to succeed, even if it means that I have to die trying."

A few days later, Karissa and Elena were standing at Philomena's gravesite and the priest was reading off various passages from the Bible as the women looked on at the coffin sadly. Then as soon as the coffin was lowered into the ground and buried, Karissa and Elena lingered on for a little while longer to pay their respects.

"Goodbye, Philomena; I hope you and Daphne are reunited in Heaven," Elena whispered.

Karissa then placed a loving hand on Elena's shoulder as she gazed at her longingly.

"Would you mind staying here tonight? I could use the company," she asked.

"Of course, I'd love to," Elena smiled as she kissed her on the cheek.

Later on that night, as Karissa and Elena were lying in bed asleep with Karissa resting her head on Elena's back, Elena stirred and opened her eyes as she glanced over to see a strange apparition standing by the window. She was shocked to see Philomena gazing at her with a grateful smile as the moonlight illuminated her ghostly form.

"Thank you, Elena," was all she said before she vanished into thin air.

Elena then laid her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes as she once again settled down to sleep.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Another month passed and it was a quiet and peaceful night as everyone was fast asleep in their beds. Just then a group of men dressed in leather jackets, black pants and ski masks snuck into the house as they crept up the stairs and slunk towards Anita and Dylan's room. Then once they entered the room, one of the masked men brandished out a gun and pointed it right at Dylan's head.

"Wake up, motherfucker! I said wake up right this instant!" he roared as Anita started with a terrified scream and another one of the men grabbed her arm and started to drag her out of the room.

"Hey, where are you taking us?" Dylan demanded as the masked man also grabbed him and hauled him out of the room with Anita.

Then as soon as Dylan and Anita were taken downstairs with guns pressed against their temples, they were promptly escorted into the living room and made to sit down in opposite seats, with Anita sitting on the sofa and Dylan sitting in the sofa chair adjacent to her. One of the masked men then proceeded to tie and bond both of their wrists with rope and gag Anita with a handkerchief.

Another one of the masked men then marched up to Dylan while still pointing the gun at him, causing him to cower and recoil in fear.

"Where's my money, you asshole?"

"I'll get you your money, man! Just give me a couple more days!" Dylan whimpered fearfully, shaking.

"I'm not playing with you, asshole! You better give me my money right this instant or this bitch gets it!" the masked man demanded threateningly as one of his associates flings his arm around Anita's neck before pulling her closer to him and pressing the gun against her temple.

"Just do what he says, Dylan, for the love of God!" she begged as she was struggling against him.

"All right, all right; you want the money? I'll give you whatever you need! Just leave us alone!" Dylan exclaimed as he sprung up to his feet and dashed over to a large brown dresser table in front of him before pulling open a drawer and scooping up a bunch of 100s and 200s as he handed all of the money over to his captor.

"Here; this is all I have on me. Now just leave us alone, please!"

"I'll take it from here, sweetheart," a female voice interjected and Dylan and Anita were shocked and astounded to see Betty emerging down the stairs as she entered the living room with a neutral and calm face.

"Mom?" Dylan whispered with a surprised and disbelieving expression as he watched his mother hand over another large stack of dollar bills to another one of the masked men.

"Here is everything else that you are owed, gentlemen. Now please do me a favor and let my son go," she said.

"Mom, what is going on here?" Dylan questioned her suspiciously as one of the masked men untied him and led him straight to his mother. "Mom?"

"Dylan, I want you to head back upstairs to your room and I don't want you to come out until I say so," Betty informed him crisply.

"What? Mom, what are you saying? I'm not going to leave Anita here with these men..." Dylan protested.

"Just do exactly as I say, Dylan! I am your mother and you need to listen to me! You are to remain upstairs until I tell you otherwise. Is that clear? Besides..."

She then turned to face Anita with a cold and withering glare. "I need to teach this harlot a lesson."

"What?" Anita balked as she started looking around in a wide-eyed panic with some of the men now approaching her with menacing snarls. "Oh, no, no, no..."

"Take my son upstairs now," Betty ordered with a snap of her fingers and gesturing over to Dylan as two men marched over to Dylan and grabbed him by the arms before they proceeded to carry him up the stairs.

"Anita! Anita! Anita, no!" Dylan yelled as the men continued to carry up the stairs.

"Dylan!" Anita screamed back as she saw the men advance even closer to her.

"No, no, no... Please no... Please no... No, no, no..." she whimpered softly as Betty turned around and headed back upstairs with an evil and sadistic grin on her face.

Then before Betty disappeared into the darkness, Anita let out a terrified, blood-curling scream as the men descended upon her and proceeded to have their way with her.

Several hours later, in the pouring and thundering rain, a black vehicle stopped on a lonely dirt road in the middle of nowhere outside of town as the masked men disembarked from the car while carrying a naked and unconscious Anita. Then as they ventured deeper into the field, they dropped Anita on the ground abruptly like a bag of garbage while tossing a white towel on top of her.

"Well, that's done and taken care of," one of the masked men cackled evilly.

"Yeah, that payout was totally worth it," another one of the masked men smirked.

"That little rich bitch is never going to last a day out here," another one of the masked men declared haughtily.

"Yeah," the rest of the group chorused before they turned around and walked away as they headed back to their vehicle.

Then as soon as the car drove away, Anita continued to lay on her back motionless out in the middle of the field as the rain continued to cascade and fall down on her with peals of thunder crashing in the sky above. Then all of a sudden, she awoke with a start as she began to scream and wail at the top of her lungs.

The next morning, Horatio and Elena were eating breakfast at the kitchen table when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Huh... I wonder who that could be?" Elena muttered to herself as she got up from her seat and went over to answer the front door.

However, the moment that she opened it, she was surprised to see a half-naked Anita stumbling into the living room with the towel wrapped around her body as she fell to the ground and began crawling on her hands and knees.

"Anita? What on earth happened to you?" Elena gawked in a horrified and perturbed voice as she helped her daughter up to her feet and noticed that she was bleeding and bruised all over with distinct black ligature marks around her neck and her hair was also drenched and soaking wet.

"They raped me, Mom..." Anita stammered, her eyes glazed and out of focus as she was still shivering and shaking from the cold rain the night before. "Betty paid off a bunch of guys in ski masks to barge into the house last night to fake an elaborate robbery so that they can rape me."

"Oh my God..." Elena gasped in a petrified and shaken voice as she embraced her daughter tightly, stroking her hair. "Oh dear merciful God in heaven... my poor baby girl..."

She then whipped around in the direction of the kitchen to call for her husband.

"Horatio! Anita's badly hurt! We need to get to a hospital quick!"

"I'm on it!" Horatio yelled as he jumped out of his seat and raced out of the house before jumping into the car. "I'm going to go start the car while you bring her into the vehicle."

"Okay," Elena nodded resolutely as she cradled Anita in her arms and walked out of the house as she headed straight for the car. "Don't you worry, baby; we're going to get you some help. Just hang on."

A short time later, Horatio and Elena dashed into the hospital lobby while Elena was still carrying Anita in her arms, who was now starting to lose consciousness.

"Help! I need a doctor! My daughter has been attacked and raped last night!" Elena hollered.

"Hello, ma'am; do you need any help?" a nurse addressed her coolly as she walked over to her.

"My daughter needs help; she's been badly hurt," Elena pleaded fearfully.

"All right, ma'am; we're going to take her off your hands; you have nothing to worry about," the nurse reassured her as she and another nurse grabbed Anita and placed her on a stretcher.

Then in a matter of minutes, they whisked her away as they immediately rushed her to the emergency room.

"We need to stabilize her; her blood pressure's dropping!" one of the nurses hollered, causing a pang of fear to strike Elena's heart.

"It's going to be okay, El; she's a fighter. She's not going to give up that easily," Horatio reassured her calmly and Elena nodded while clutching her husband tightly.

It wasn't long before Horatio and Elena walked over to the lobby seats and sat there as they waited for news of their daughter's condition. Several hours went by and Elena glanced over at the clock patiently as she cuddled closer to Horatio, still filled with great fear and worry. Then after what seemed like an eternity, one of the doctors exited the emergency room and approached the couple.

"Mr. and Mrs. Petrie?" he addressed them.

"Yes, doctor?" Horatio answered as he and Elena got up to their feet.

"Is she going to be all right?" Elena importuned anxiously.

"Fortunately, she is indeed stable. It was touch and go for a little while and she lost quite a bit of blood. We also performed a rape kit on her and the test results show that she had indeed been sexually assaulted by multiple perpetrators," the doctor replied.

"So what's going to happen now?" Elena frowned quizzically.

"Well, we're going to keep her in the hospital for a few days just in case. In the meantime, you might want to file a police report on her behalf," the doctor suggested.

"Oh you better best believe your sweet ass that we're filing a complaint with the authorities," Horatio growled acerbically.

"Can we see her though?" Elena interjected.

"Right this way," the doctor sighed as he beckoned for the elderly couple to follow him.

Then as Horatio and Elena entered Anita's hospital room, they were shocked to see that there were several bruises on Anita's face and neck and she was also hooked up to numerous machines and tubes.

"Oh, honey," Elena cooed as she sauntered over to her daughter's bedside and sat down next to her. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through this."

"Mommy..." Anita whispered in a hoarse voice as she slowly opened her eyes.

"I'm here, sweetheart," Elena smiled with a relieved expression on her face. "You're safe here in the hospital with me and your father."

"What...?" Anita mumbled in a confused and dazed voice. "How did I get here?"

"Anita?" a male voice hollered as Horatio and Elena turned around to see Dylan bursting into the room and racing over to her bedside. "Oh thank God; I thought that you were dead."

"You left me, Dylan..." Anita whispered in a shaken and incredulous voice, her gaze wavering. "You left me to be violated and brutalized by those monsters and you did nothing to stop it."

"I didn't want to, babe, but I didn't have a choice; my mom was the one that had those goons of her drag me back upstairs," Dylan insisted.

Anita just responded with a sarcastic and humorless laugh.

"Oh really? You were too scared and spineless to stand up to your own mother? To fight for me, your wife and the mother of your children? How pathetic."

"What the hell was I supposed to do? Those guys were literally packing heat and they were going to blow my brains out! What if I had gotten killed?" Dylan protested angrily.

"You were supposed to fight for me! You were supposed to do everything in your power to save me! If you really loved me, you would have risked everything for me! Those bastards were more than willing to just dump me on that field and leave me there to die alone! What would have happened if I did die? I would be leaving our children without a mother!" Anita shouted irately.

"At least then they wouldn't have to deal with an ungrateful, selfish bitch like you that cares more about her precious career than her own family!" Dylan spat back bitterly with narrowed eyes.

Anita's face then darkened ominously as she looked right at Dylan and realized at that very moment that the man that she loved wasn't there anymore and the person now standing in front of her was nothing more than a stranger.

"All right then, in that case, I want a divorce. It's over, Dylan; we're finished here."

"What? What the hell do you mean we're done? We're not done until I say so!" Dylan demanded angrily as he stormed over to Anita and grabbed her arm roughly.

"You better get the hell away from her, you weasely son of a bitch or you're going to be sorry," Horatio growled as he marched over to Dylan and pulled him away from her daughter.

"Oh yeah? Well I'd like to see you try, old man," Dylan laughed derisively with a contemptuous sneer.

Horatio then delivered a massive sucker punch to Dylan's face, causing him to nearly stumble and fall to the ground with a surprised and astonished face.

"What the..." he muttered as he scrambled up to his feet while still gawking at the older man.

Then after he had a moment to regain his bearings, he turned his attention back to Anita.

"You're making a big mistake here, Anita. If you walk away from me, you will have absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing. I made you into the woman that you are now. Without me as your manager, how will you even continue on with your career? You are going to sacrifice everything that you've worked so hard to gain. Is that what you truly want?"

"Yeah, at least I'll be getting back my dignity, my self-worth, my pride, and my self-respect, and most importantly, my kids will be living in a loving and stable home where they will know that they will be safe. They deserve that much," Anita replied resolutely with a burning determination in her eyes.

"I will gladly throw everything away, even my whole career, if it means that my kids get to live happy, normal lives. I may not have been the best mother that I should've been for most of their childhood but that changes today. I'm going to ask for sole primary custody and I'm going to make sure that you will have limited supervised visitation, if even that."

Dylan's body trembled furiously as he stalked away from his wife and turned to face the doorway, barely able to contain his fury. "You'll be sorry, Anita," he said with his voice dropping to a more ominous and threatening tone. "You'll be sorry; I'll make sure that you'll live to regret this."

He then stormed out of the hospital room and was gone. Horatio and Elena let out their collective breath that they didn't even realize they have been holding as Elena turned her attention back to Anita.

"As soon as you get out of the hospital, I'll have you and the kids stay with us for a little while until you are able to get back on your feet again. I'll even help you pay for rehab," she proposed.

"Thank you, Mom," Anita smiled. "I'm sorry that I was so hard on you when I was a teenager many years ago."

"It's all right, darling; we're here for you now and that's all that matters," Elena reassured her daughter by cradling her face and smiling at her tenderly.

Anita just smiled back at her mother, feeling that for the first time in a very long time that things were about to finally turn a corner for her.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

MARCH 1988

THE PETRIE RESIDENCE

BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

6 P.M.

Several more months went by and it was now mid March as the weather was finally beginning to warm up and spring was beginning anew. Elena was standing in front of the open mailbox as she was taking a drag of her cigarette while removing all of the mail and sorting through it.

As she was beginning to walk back to the house, she was surprised to find an envelope containing a very familiar name on the top left hand corner.

Aurora? Elena raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she stepped back into the house and carried all of the mail into the kitchen.

"Hey, El; whatcha got there?" Horatio asked as he was sitting on the sofa and drinking some beer while Anita was cooking some dinner on the stove and the kids were laughing and goofing around with each other at the kitchen table.

"I don't know," Elena answered as she sat down next to her husband and pulled out the envelope with her sister's name on it. "I think I might have a letter from Aurora."

"Aurora? I thought that you guys haven't spoken to each other in years," Horatio retorted with a confused and puzzled expression.

"We haven't," Elena mused as she stared at the envelope pensively, her eyebrows still furrowing. "I wonder what's changed her mind now after all of these years. There's got to be a reason."

She set the rest of the mail down next to her and held the envelope in her hands before opening it up. Elena then pulled out a letter and tossed the envelope aside before she began to read it intently.

Dear sister, I hope that you can forgive me for not being in contact with you for all of these years. I know you still think that I'm upset with you after everything that's happened, but truthfully, I do miss you terribly. I hope that when you have the chance that you can come to London and see me for a while. It's high time for us to clear the air and reconcile our differences so that we can be sisters again, the way that we should've been all along.

I look forward to seeing you.

Your sister, Aurora.

"So what the hell does she want this time?" Horatio quipped.

"She wants me to come to London and see her so that we can try to hash out our grievances as sisters," Elena explained as she kept on studying the letter quizzically. "But I can't help but wonder if maybe there's a lot more that she just isn't telling me."

"Well, why don't you go over there and find out for yourself?" Horatio shrugged. "Maybe there's still a chance that you two can work things out."

"Yeah," Elena nodded as she looked over at Horatio. "At least with her I will still be able to have a sister in my life."

"Look, El, don't worry about me; I'll be fine. Besides, Anita and the kids will be here in the meantime and we're going to be spending plenty of time together while you're gone," Horatio reassured her good-naturedly.

"I know," Elena laughed as she leaned over to kiss Horatio. "I know you guys are going to have a wonderful time."

"You know it," Horatio laughed back as he returned her kiss.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A week later, Elena packed her things and boarded an early flight to London as she was looking forward to reuniting with her sister for the first time in decades. As soon as she landed, she hailed a cab and was driven to the address that she was given by her aunt Carrie. It was about an hour before she finally arrived at the flat as she got out of the vehicle with her luggage and headed for the front door. She then knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. After several minutes, the door opened and she was surprised to see a familiar elderly woman standing before her.

"About time you got here!" Carrie exclaimed with an excited grin as the two women hugged.

"Oh, Aunt Carrie, how I missed you!" Elena replied as she hugged her back with a smile.

"You look well," Carrie said with an approving smile as she beckoned for her to come inside. "Please, come in; come in."

Elena nodded as she followed her into the flat.

The minute that she got inside, however, she locked eyes with an elderly blonde woman who happened to be entering the living room at that exact moment; she had medium, straight and wavy hair with bangs, icy blue eyes, and a slender, lean and shapely build with a pronounced, angular and staunched face.

"Oh my, I forgot to introduce you both. Irene, this is my niece Elena. Elena, this is my girlfriend Irene Caldwell," Carrie laughed as she gestured over to Irene.

"It's so lovely to meet you, Elena. Carrie's talked so much about you over the years," Irene greeted her with a smile.

"Did she now?" Elena retorted with a knowing smirk.

But just as she was about to say anything further, she saw another woman enter the room with a little dark-haired raven girl, only this time she had short, straight and wavy black hair with bright green eyes. Elena froze in shock and amazement the minute that her eyes fell on her and the little girl.

"Ro?" she whispered.

"Lena?" Aurora whispered back with widened eyes.

"Aurora! It really is you!" Elena exclaimed in joy and relief as she rushed over to hug her.

Aurora then embraced the older redheaded woman as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I never thought that I would see you again," she wept.

"Neither did I," Elena smiled back as she gazed up at her happily. "I'm so sorry for all of the rotten things that I said to you all those years ago. I now realize that you were right about a lot of things. You were right about Lee... you were right about Vivian and Leopold... you were even right about me and Horatio..."

"So does that mean...?" Aurora gaped in amazement.

"Yes, Horatio and I have managed to patch things up after a while and now things couldn't possibly be better between us," Elena nodded with an ecstatic grin.

"I'm so glad to hear that, dear sister," Aurora smiled proudly. "I always believed in you and Horatio. But what exactly do you mean about Lee, Vivian and Ivan?"

"Well, Lee is kind of a long story I don't want to exactly get into right now anyway... as for Vivian and Leopold... you won't believe what I actually uncovered about my father's death..."

"Mommy, who are you talking to?" the little dark raven haired girl asked Aurora while tugging on her pants shyly.

Aurora then turned around to face her daughter while bending down to her face level.

"Well, darling, that is your auntie Lena. She's come here to see me because I haven't seen her in a very long time. Why don't you stay here and watch the telly with your Aunties Carrie and Irene while I go and have a little chat with my sister?"

"Okay, Mommy," the little girl nodded and she glanced over timidly at Elena. "Nice to meet you, Lena."

"Nice to meet you too, sweetheart," Elena smiled back.

"Now come along; you need to tell me everything that's happened with you lately," Aurora urged her as she led Elena straight into the kitchen.

A short time later, Elena and Aurora were sitting in the kitchen table having tea as Elena was sitting on her cup. Aurora was staring at her with a bewildered and flustered expression as she couldn't believe what her sister was telling her.

"So you're telling me that Vivian and Leopold were the ones that were really responsible for murdering your own father? And Ivan was the one that was facilitating the poisoning by delivering him the very food and drink that was tainted with the deadly arsenic?"

"I'm afraid so, Ro," Elena sighed while holding her head in her hands, staring at her cup.

"This is beyond maddening," Aurora shook her head in disgust as she kept on sipping on her tea. "I still can't believe you're even related to those people."

"Neither can I," Elena sighed as she ran her hands through her hair. "And right now Karissa is having meetings with the director of the IDA to try to come up with a plan to usurp my brother from the throne so that we can finally free our people from his tyrannical rule."

"Good luck with that," Aurora scoffed sardonically.

"So is that little girl your daughter?" Elena asked curiously, taking a slow drag of her cigarette.

"Yes she is," Aurora smiled at the mention of her child. "Evie is my little pride and joy. I'm all she has."

"So is her father even in the picture?" Elena raised a questioning eyebrow.

"No, he isn't," Aurora sighed, sipping on her tea slowly. "It was a very brief relationship and I knew that it wasn't going to last long. But at least he left behind a parting gift for me to remember him by."

"I also had a very brief relationship while I was still separated from Horatio that ended under very tragic circumstances and I haven't seen my daughter in ages," Elena replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you know where she is now?" Aurora asked.

"She's being raised by her adoptive parents as far as I still know," Elena answered briskly with a bit of distaste in her voice.

A brief silence fell between them as the two women continued to sip their tea while dwelling on their thoughts. Aurora then decided that now was the best time for her to say her piece before she completely lost her nerve.

"Lena, the reason why I summoned you here all the way to London was because there is something that I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Elena asked. "You can tell me, Aurora. You don't have to be afraid."

"All right," Aurora sighed deeply while preparing herself to tell the truth. "I'm going to preface this by saying that I got word a couple of weeks ago from our Aunt Leslie that the feds have finally arrested Liam. He's been charged with a large sundry of offences, including racketeering, money laundering, human trafficking, extortion, blackmail and even murder. And it appears that the government might even be using the new RICO law to prosecute him for his crimes."

"Wow, who would've thought that we would both live to see the day?" Elena gasped in amazement.

"And that's not all..." Aurora narrowed her eyes ominously. "He should also be charged with incestuous rape."

"What do you mean, Ro? I don't understand," Elena frowned in a baffled and confused voice. "What could you possibly be talking about?"

Aurora just stared blankly at Elena for several minutes as a part of her was frozen and paralyzed with fear but another part of her was determined to break the silence by revealing the one dark secret that had been haunting and tormenting her for so many years.

"You were right Lena... my father was a real no good bastard all along..."

"What do you mean by that, Aurora? Just tell me! I don't understand what on earth is going on here?!" Elena demanded.

"He raped me, Lena!" Aurora roared in a shrill and irate voice, her fists clenching and her eyes flashing with rage. "He's been raping and molesting me for years ever since I was a small child!"

"What?" Elena's jaw dropped as she felt all the air get sucked out of her body and she suddenly couldn't breathe or react.

"It all started happening right after Mama died and we all moved to Boston to get away from it all. At first it was just me and him and he would tell me that this was how daughters were supposed to love their fathers. Then as I got older he started passing me around to several of his friends," Aurora inhaled sharply as she took a slow sip of tea to calm down her shaky nerves.

"Even when I was 15 or 16-years-old he still expected me to service myself to his friends and colleagues as part of my job working at his nightclub besides singing for the audience. And even after I got married to Alvin, I was expected to offer myself to his friends and be available for them to use me in any way that they desired. But the worst was yet to come."

Aurora then took in a deep breath and exhaled sharply as she looked right at Elena.

"Then one night after I returned home from church and had a big argument with Papa, he flew into a violent, drunken rage and he proceeded to force himself on me. When he was finally done with me, I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could and had Aunt Leslie perform a rape kit on me."

"It was then that I realized that I had to disappear out of town and lay low somewhere, because if I were to tell anyone what Papa did to me, he would track me down and find me before having me killed and buried somewhere where no one would ever find me. And I didn't want that to happen."

"That's why I had to leave and move to London so that I would be somewhere safe where Papa won't be able to get to me. And that also meant that no one can ever know where I really was or who I really am. I don't know what I would've done if Aunt Carrie haven't offered me her place to stay in. She's been a godsend for all this time."

"Oh my God... Oh my God..." Elena whispered while shaking her head in disbelief as she grabbed Aurora and pulled her into a hug. "My poor, dear, sweet sister... I have no idea; I swear to God I had no idea. If I would have known..."

She then pulled away from her as she looked at her with determination in her eyes.

"You need to tell the authorities about what Papa did to you so that everyone would know what other rotten things he has done to the people that he supposedly loves and cherishes."

"What? Are you crazy? I can't do that, Lena!" Aurora balked. "Papa might be in jail now, but there's no guarantee that he may stay there long. Besides, if he even gets wind of the possibility that I might blab to the cops, he might just hire someone to dispose of me."

"Well, maybe you can ask the authorities to send you some protection detail in the meantime until it's time for you to testify. They can even have you as a surprise witness so no one will have to know who you really are," Elena suggested.

"Lena, I'm just not sure if this is really a good idea," Aurora frowned hesitantly.

"Ro, do you really want to deal with those horrific childhood memories for the rest of your life? Don't you want to break free from the traumatic pain that has been holding you back for so long? You can't allow your fear of Papa stop you from telling the truth about what really happened to you as a little girl," Elena groaned in frustration.

"Remember what Mama used to say... as long as we have faith in God, nothing is impossible. And you and I both know that God is on our side and he's going to protect us from our enemies, and that includes our father."

She sighed deeply and squeezed the bridge of her nose as she let out a slow exhale. "I have something that I need to say too. You're not the only person that Papa has tried to have his way with. He tried to rape me twice – once when I was still a little girl and Mama walked in on us before she gave him a good thrashing, and the other time when he held me hostage in an abandoned warehouse in New York many years ago and he tried to force himself on me and I desperately fought back."

"Wow, Lena, you really are brave," Aurora gasped in awe.

"If you are going to testify, then so am I. Together we're going to expose our father for the disgusting, cruel and sick-minded bastard that he is and we are going to get justice for all of us – you, me, Ian and even Mama," Elena retorted.

"Well, if you put it that way..." Aurora mused while rubbing her chin. "If you are really that serious about testifying, then I'll make a call to the FBI as soon as possible and then I'll meet with them in a secure location and tell them everything I know. And then when Papa's trial starts up and it's time for me to testify, I'll fly in to Boston and tell the jury exactly what my father did to me."

"So am I, Ro," Elena declared proudly. "And together, the two of us are going to bring a swift end to our father's reign of terror once and for all so that he won't ever have a chance to hurt anyone else that we love ever again."

"You said it, sister," Aurora smirked, nodding in agreement.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A FEW WEEKS LATER...

JOHN JOSEPH MOAKLEY UNITED STATES COURT

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

It was half past noon as the entire courtroom was packed with spectators and witnesses and reporters and cameramen were swarming around the premises, eager to get a closer look at the defendant. Liam just sat in his seat with a stoic, reserved and blank expression while dressed in a fresh and crisp suit with his bright auburn hair now fading into dark streaks of gray and silver.

Meanwhile, Elena, Leslie, Carrie, Irene, and Frances were sitting in the gallery together as they looked on at the ongoing commotion with anxious dread.

"I hope everything works out all right," Frances sighed dejectedly.

"Me too," Elena nodded grimly. "I hope that I haven't made a big mistake telling Aurora to come back here to testify against her own father."

"You did the right thing, sweetheart," Carrie reassured her with a tender smile. "That son of a bitch needs to be held accountable for everything that he's ever done."

"I know," Elena lowered her head down ruefully. "I just don't want to have justice at the expense of my own sister's life."

"Do not be afraid, Lena; God is with you and Aurora," Frances said with a soft smile of her own. "Trust in His guidance."

"All rise," the bailiff announced as everyone in the courtroom rose to their feet. "This courtroom is now in session. The people will now be presenting their case against Liam Patrick O'Malley. How does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty, Your Honor," Liam's lawyer answered.

Elena and her relatives then sat at rapt attention as Liam's lawyer began his opening argument.

"Mr. O'Malley is a hard-working, law-abiding citizen who has devoted his entire life to bettering and improving the lives of his fellow Irishmen for years now. This is clearly a deliberate and concerted effort concocted by the government to persecute him for these so-called crimes that he clearly did not commit."

"This entire trial has been spearheaded by a power-hungry prosecutor who is only interested in furthering his political career and these supposed witnesses that they have recruited to testify against him are nothing more than greedy and amoral opportunists that are itching and yearning to get their 15 minutes of fame!"

"Do not let this defendant's defense team fool you, ladies and gentlemen," the prosecutor argued as he was pacing to and fro while addressing the jury directly. "Mr. O'Malley is a very crafty, arrogant and ruthless individual who for the last several decades has used his power and influence to control, manipulate and subjugate those that he considered inferior to him and keep them firmly in line. When he isn't able to use seduction or fear to get you to bend to his will, he will then use brute and violent force to get his way."

"If he felt that you were somehow standing in the way in getting what he really wanted or desired, he would use any means possible to dispose of you, even if it meant snuffing out your very life. And as we soon shall see with the upcoming testimony from our esteemed witnesses, not even his most nearest and dearest relatives are safe from his dark wrath."

Elena swallowed hard at the prosecutor's words as she suddenly developed a huge lump in her throat and she practically broke into a cold sweat.

Then after nearly two hours worth of testimonies, the prosecution was finally ready to call their star witness.

"We will now be calling our last witness... Miss Aurora Petrie," the prosecutor announced.

A dead and eerie silence soon fell over the room as Aurora emerged from the shadows while wearing a thick pair of sunglasses and wearing a large and black bouffant wig. She then approached the witness's stand and stood before it before placing her right hand on the Bible.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" the judge asked her.

"I do," Aurora answered.

"Now if you don't mind, please state your name for the court," the prosecutor addressed her.

"I am Aurora Petrie O'Malley and I am currently 50-years-old," Aurora answered.

"And Liam O'Malley is your biological father, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Aurora nodded.

"And your mother's name was also Faye Petrie, correct?" the prosecutor continued his line of questioning.

"Objection! Relevance?" Liam's lawyer protested loudly.

"I'm getting there, Your Honor; just give me a moment," the prosecutor shot back.

"All right then, but don't dilly-dally. We haven't gotten all day," the judge sighed reluctantly.

"All right then," the prosecutor nodded. "So you were born and raised in Ireland for most of your childhood. What happened to precipitate your sudden move to Boston?"

"My mother was murdered," Aurora replied in a somber and ominous voice.

She then raised her finger and pointed it right at Liam, her withering and cold glare permeating through her sunglasses.

"And he was the one that killed her."

"Let the record state that the witness for the prosecution identified the defendant as the one that was responsible for her mother's death," the prosecutor declared. "Now, tell me what happened to you shortly after you first moved to the United States."

"One night when I was sleeping, my father crept into my room without me knowing and the next thing I knew, I woke up to him staring at me with a blank expression while he was putting his fingers inside of me," Aurora replied and then immediately stepped back from the witness stand with a nauseous and disgusted look on her face as if she was going to throw up.

But then after a few minutes, she was able to compose herself as she took in a couple of deep, calming breaths and returned to the stand.

"So tell me what else happened to you," the prosecutor asked her.

"At first he just simply came into my room and got on my bed before fondling me while looking right at me with a perverse look of pleasure in his eyes. His face would say nothing but I would always remember that very look in his eyes, as if he reveled at the sight of me recoiling and cowering before him," Aurora continued. "Then as I got older, he made me touch his... you know... member, and then eventually it progressed to oral copulation."

Elena was then immediately overcome with a powerful and sudden wave of disgust and repulsion as she immediately bolted out of the gallery and raced over into one of the bathrooms out in the back near the main doors. Then as soon as she rushed into the bathroom, she barged into the stall and opened it before kneeling down before the toilet and vomiting profusely.

She then continued to retch and cough heavily while gasping and panting with a bewildered and petrified look on her face before she continued hurling into the toilet.

"Lena? Lena?" a female voice cried out and the stall door opened as a woman stood behind her. "Lena, are you all right? You scared the devil out of everyone."

"No I'm not," Elena shook her head vehemently as she slowly got up to her feet while still hunched over as she flushed the toilet.

Then as soon as she turned around to face the woman, she saw that it was none other than Frances.

"Lena, are you sure that you can handle this? I mean, if this whole thing is just simply too much for you..."

"No, I need to be there for my sister, no matter how thoroughly disgusted and perturbed I am by the whole thing. I'm not about to let her down," Elena shook her head, breathing and gasping heavily.

"Okay then; are you ready to go back into the courtroom?" Frances asked.

Elena nodded before she exited the bathroom stall and turned on the faucet as she thoroughly rinsed out her mouth. Then after she was done, she dried her mouth with a paper towel and tossed it into the garbage before following her aunt out of the bathroom.

Meanwhile, the trial was still going on as the prosecutor was continuing to question Aurora on the stand.

"So what really made you decide to leave Boston all of these years? What was the final turning point for you?"

"I had just returned from church only to find my father clearly intoxicated in the living room. He immediately demanded that I get him another pint of beer after throwing a bottle right at me and I told him that I wasn't his damn maid and that he could get it himself. He got really short with me and he started smacking me in the face very hard and knocked me straight into the ground. Then before I knew it, he had picked me up and had his hand around my throat as he started to choke me and strangle me."

"He told me that I needed to be taught a lesson and that I needed to show him some respect because he was my father and that he was the one who ran the whole town. I then told him that he was a lousy and horrible father who not only forced himself on me and sexually abused me for as long as I could remember but he also allowed his friends to have their way with me. I was there to be nothing more than a slave that was available to do whatever he wanted, and he knew it."

"It was then that I told him that Lena was right about him all along and that I should have cut ties with him a long time ago. I was just too blind to see it then because he was my father and there was a part of me that still wanted to see the very best in him. I only wished that I had listened."

She then lit up a cigarette and took a slow drag, pausing.

"And after my father called me a lousy, drunken whore who liked to get high on cocaine and sleep around with other women, I fired back by saying that was it because that she didn't want to spread her legs for him and had enough sense to not become another one of his many whores? Was it because she was strong and courageous enough to fight back with all her might when I was too weak and helpless to defend myself?"

She then took another drag of her cigarette and exhaled sharply as she looked right at Liam, laughing softly.

"You know, I think that was what really set him off that day. He hated my mother because he couldn't get over the fact that she loved another man more than she ever loved him and that she had a love child with him. However, there was another part of him that just couldn't get over her. And he figured that if he could somehow get his hands on Lena and make her submit to him, then maybe he might be able to have my mother in his arms once again. And every time she would reject him and fight back, he would get even more angry and frustrated and his obsession would escalate even more. I think that was the real reason why he raped me that night – because he hated the fact that I stood up to him and he wanted to punish me for my disobedience. And that was also the real reason why his obsession with Lena never faded away... because she reminded him so much of our mother."

"Lies! Lies, they're all lies, I tell you! She's lying! Everything that she is saying is nothing but a bunch of lies and falsehoods!" Liam suddenly exclaimed indignantly as he stood up and began screaming and yelling at Aurora with a crazed and manic expression on his face. "Tell that lying, nasty, wretched, filthy whore to shut her goddamn mouth!"

"Order! Order!" the judge cried, banging on his gavel. "That's enough! Counselor, I need you to control your client!"

"She's lying! You can't believe a damn thing she says! She's saying all kinds of stories just to besmirch my reputation and destroy everything that I have worked so hard to build! This bitch has no sense of loyalty, morality or honor, just like her whore mother!" Liam continued to holler loudly at the top of his lungs.

"Leave my mother out of this, you son of a bitch!" Elena shot back fiercely.

Liam then whipped around to face her as his eyes darkened even more with ominous fury and he was turning a very bright shade of red.

"Oh believe me, little princess, you are just like her! You fuck with every single thing that moves! You have no sense of honor, decency or shame! You make all of us good and decent Irish folk look very bad with your promiscuous and wanton ways! You are the very product of sin and no amount of holy water can cleanse the dark stain of evil and wickedness that dwells in your very soul!" Liam growled menacingly, his eyes narrowing with a dangerous, maniacal gleam.

"I hope that you burn in hell for all eternity, you sick, evil, twisted bastard, for not only murdering my mother in cold blood, but for also raping me and my sister!" Elena shot back angrily.

"I did no such thing! You're lying!" Liam roared.

"Well, how about that time when I was a little girl that you lured me into the barn because you said that you had a surprise waiting for me and then you pushed me down and tried to sexually assault me? And if my mother hadn't showed up to stop you when she did, you would have done to me what you did to Aurora! And then what about the time that you held me hostage in that warehouse and you attempted to force yourself on me? I still remember that incident clear as day!"

"Shut up! Shut up, you goddamn bitch! You're lying! Stop with the damn lies!" Liam screamed, shaking with rage as he was now rising from his desk.

"No! I'm not going to shut up now! I'm going to tell everyone and anyone who will listen what kind of monster you really are! And I will not stop until you are finally locked up in a cage just like the disgusting, worthless animal that you are!" Elena shot back defiantly, her body trembling with even more anger and determination.

Liam then let out a loud and resounding yell as he suddenly leaped out of his seat and charged right at Elena with the intent to kill her.

"I'm going to get you, you stupid bitch!"

But then just as he was about to lunge right at Elena to attack her, a couple of security officers intercepted him as they tackled him straight to the ground and restrained him. Liam struggled and fought to break free from their grip as he outstretched his arm right in Elena's direction.

"Let me at her! Let me at her, goddamn it!"

"That's enough! I'm calling a recess! This court is dismissed!" the judge yelled as he banged on his gavel rapidly and almost everyone dispersed from the courtroom as they left the building. Carrie, Aurora, Leslie, Irene, and Frances quickly escorted Elena out of the courtroom as they headed outside.

"You have some real guts provoking a madman like that," Carrie rebuked her sharply with an akimbo as they walked down the steps.

"Well, someone had to do it," Elena replied. "Might as well be me."

"You were really brave, Lena. Confronting Papa like that in open court? That took great courage," Aurora concurred.

"No, you're the real hero, Aurora," Elena shook her head wistfully. "You didn't have to come here to testify. You could have just simply stayed home in London, but instead you chose to come here and face your past head on."

"And I wouldn't have done it without you, sister," Aurora replied as she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You gave me the courage and the strength that I needed to let everyone what really happened to me so that I could finally get the justice that I deserved."

"You said it," Carrie nodded.

"Why don't you ladies come over to my place and I'll treat you all to a nice supper?" Leslie offered with an inviting smile of her own.

"Sounds lovely; let's go," Elena nodded approvingly as she and the other ladies continued to make their way down the stairs as they headed to the car.

A week later, Elena and her family were back in the courtroom as the jury had finished deliberations and were now ready to announce their verdict.

"On the charges of racketeering, money laundering, human trafficking, blackmail, extortion, witness tampering, first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, how do you find Mr. O'Malley?" the judge asked the forewoman.

"Guilty, Your Honor," the forewoman answered, not even looking up from her notes.

"And how do you find the defendant on the 15 charges of incestuous rape, aggravated sexual assault and battery and lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor?" the judge continued.

"Guilty," was all the forewoman said.

The courtroom then erupted into thunderous applause as everyone hugged and embraced each other. Elena and Aurora also hugged each other tightly, not believing what just happened.

"We did it, Ro. We did it; he's going away to prison forever," Elena whispered.

"I sure hope so," Aurora whispered back.

"Now for the time being, the sentencing phase will be delayed as the defendant is set to be extradited back to Ireland in order to be officially tried for the death of his wife Faye Petrie. Regardless of the outcome of that particular trial, he will still eventually be brought back here to serve out whatever sentence he is given. This court is hereby adjourned!"

Liam just glowered with an evil and cruel sneer at the women as the bailiff escorted him out of the courtroom and back to his prison cell. Elena let out a big sigh of relief as she turned her attention back to Aurora.

"Well, I'm glad that's over and done with. Ready to go back home?" Elena said.

"You know it, sister," Aurora beamed as she and the other women soon left the courthouse with triumphant smiles on their faces.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Three more months went by and it was now early June as Anita was throwing a massive party at Elena and Horatio's house to celebrate the finalization of her divorce. Several of the guests were eating all kinds of snacks, including cheese, crackers, ham and salami rolls on the living room table as they were sitting in the living room and chatting amongst themselves.

As for Anita, she and Raquel were helping Elena make some shrimp and pasta for dinner in the kitchen, with Elena boiling some fresh pasta in one of the woks while Anita and Raquel were cooking shrimp in another big wok.

"Mmm... smells good, Mom," Raquel breathed in the aroma deeply as she watched the shrimp soak and boil in the broth.

"Yes it does," Elena nodded with a laugh as she was busy stirring the pasta thoroughly with a plastic spoon.

"I'm so glad that this divorce is finally over and done with," Anita grinned ecstatically.

"And I'm even more glad that you're finally away from those awful Millers," Elena retorted briskly.

"Yeah, too bad I'm going to have to share joint custody with that bastard ex-husband of mine until they're at least 18," Anita sighed bitterly.

"Man, I still don't understand what's up with that," Raquel shook her head with an incredulous scoff. "I mean, you literally told that judge everything about what happened to you the night that you were held at gunpoint, gang-raped by those thugs and left for dead out in a field and he still thought that it was a brilliant idea for you to share custody with that douchebag asshole."

"Well, can't say that I'm surprised," Anita shrugged resignedly. "I knew that it was a long shot that he was ever going to believe me in the first place. I should just consider myself grateful that I still get to be involved in my kids' lives. I mean, for all I know, he could have just as easily decided to hand over custody of my kids to Betty."

"Let's just be thankful that didn't happen then," Elena declared with a relieved sigh.

"You said it, Mom," Raquel concurred.

"So what are you going to do now that you are officially a single divorced mother?" Elena asked her eldest daughter.

"Well, for starters, I'm definitely putting my singing career on hold for the time being so that I can not only focus on my sobriety but also on raising my kids. In the meantime, I'm thinking about opening a fashion boutique of my own so that I can support myself and be more independent," Anita answered.

"Let me know if you need any help, darling," Elena offered.

"Thanks, Mom, but I think I got it covered. I'm actually looking at a nice apartment complex in Santa Monica, close to where Grandma Hannah used to live," Anita replied.

"That's nice, honey," Elena smiled sweetly at Anita. "Are you sure that you don't need any help at least starting up your own business?"

"I know what you're trying to do, Mom, and I appreciate you wanting to help, but I need to try to stand on my own two feet," Anita insisted.

"You know, you are really starting to sound a lot like your father just now," Elena chuckled wryly.

"Oh, do I, Mom?" Anita smirked with a knowing akimbo as Raquel couldn't help but laugh in amused mirth at their exchange.

"I think that I might know someone that might be willing to work with you, Anita," a female voice announced as the Petrie women spun around to see Carol approaching them.

"And just who might that be, Carol?" Elena retorted with a smirk.

"Well, as you know, my daughter Arlene has been clean and sober for about two years now and she has resumed her passion for styling hair. She has also informed me recently that she might even try her hand in fashion. So I was wondering if you might be willing to take her on," Carol explained.

"Sure why not? Maybe the two of us can motivate each other to remain sober together," Anita shrugged with a smile.

"Splendid!" Carol cheered as she gushed at Elena excitedly. "I cannot wait for our daughters to start working together. It's going to be marvelous!"

"Neither can I," Elena concurred.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

APRIL 9TH, 1989

BEVERLY HILTON HOTEL

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Another year and a half passed and it was now spring as Horatio and Elena were entering the lobby of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Horatio was dressed in a fancy suit and a bowtie with black dress shoes while Elena was wearing a cream colored dress with a white fur stole, a pair of white gloves, a diamond lavaliere and a pair of diamond earrings. Horatio had learned that he was invited to attend a very special gala on behalf of the city in Los Angeles in honor of all of the veterans that served in World War II. As soon as the couple showed their tickets and were allowed into the ballroom, they headed over to their designated table.

"Wow, this is a very fancy place," Elena murmured in awe as she was eyeing her surroundings and saw that the area was packed with hundreds of guests.

"You said it, El," Horatio concurred.

Then as soon as Elena and Horatio arrived at their table and sat down, they took their orders from a waiter and waited for the show to start. Then as soon as the couple was finally served their meals, the lights suddenly dimmed and a single spotlight was focused on the host of the event.

"Welcome everyone! I am so glad that you are able to join us this evening," he said. "We have organized this event here tonight to honor those that have dedicated their lives to military service and made great sacrifices so that we can continue to enjoy the freedoms that we so dearly love and cherish. Give everyone here a hand!"

The crowd then erupted into wild applause as Elena gazed at her husband with great pride and admiration and Horatio also smiled back at her.

"Well it's about time that I got some respect around here," he chimed briskly.

"You will always be my hero, Horatio," Elena beamed.

"And you will always be my little princess, Elena," Horatio replied lovingly as he nuzzled her tenderly.

Elena chuckled softly as the two shared a tender and sweet kiss.

Then as the evening continued to wear on, Horatio got up from his seat and went over to socialize and chat with some of the other veteran soldiers, leaving Elena to sit by herself. Elena then took out a cigarette holder from her purse and lit it up as she took a slow, pensive drag.

"Hey, you! You there!" a heavily accented female voice suddenly interjected and Elena whipped around to see an elderly Japanese woman approaching her while accompanied by a much younger man, who appeared to be in his late 30s.

She had long, straight and wavy jet black hair with streaks of gray and silver with heavyset, slanted dark brown eyes and a round, oval-shaped and pronounced face and she also had a diminutive, petite and slender build. The man, however, had a tall, stocky and athletic build with medium black hair, narrow, slanted dark hazel brown eyes, an oval-shaped, pronounced and staunched face with a thin, pointy and angular nose, and he also had a prominent, strong jaw. Even though he looked vastly different from her, Elena couldn't help but feel that there was something oddly and vaguely familiar about him.

"Hello, can I help you, ma'am?" Elena asked.

"You! You there! You Navy lieutenant commander's wife! I need to speak with your husband!" the Japanese woman demanded in broken English.

"I'm sorry; my husband is not with me right now. He's at another table talking with some of the other veterans," Elena apologized sheepishly.

"You there! I need to speak to your husband right now!" the Japanese woman demanded in an angrier and more forceful tone.

"Mama! Stop it! You're making a scene," the man admonished her sternly in an abashed tone before he turned to face Elena.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am. I know that you're really confused right now and that you have no idea who the hell we even are. But my mother was really hoping to see him here tonight because she has something really important to tell him."

"And what would that be?" Elena answered in a suspicious voice with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, babe, what's shaking?" Horatio greeted his wife with a smile as he suddenly returned to their table.

The moment that he laid eyes on the Japanese woman, however, he suddenly froze in shock and disbelief and he had no idea how to react.

"Horatio? Do you know this woman?" Elena asked in an even more confused voice as Horatio stared off into space.

In an instant, all of his memories came flooding back as he started to remember everything... his plane getting shot down and crashing onto the beach, him crawling out of the burning wreckage in a confused and stunned daze with blood pouring on his face, him waking up to a smiling and beaming kind Japanese woman in a strange rural village out in the middle of nowhere... him locking lips with the Japanese woman and falling into bed with her...

"It's you..." Horatio let out a shaky and incredulous breath as he continued gawking at the Japanese woman. "It's really you. How in the hell did you even find me?"

"Well, my mother told me all about you and I decided to hire a private investigator who tracked you down all the way out here," the man explained. "Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier... I am Izanagi Tanaka and my mother, as you may remember, is Himari..."

"Well, I'll be damned," Horatio chuckled as he reached over to shake his hand. "Pleased to meet you then."

"Same here, sir," Izanagi bowed politely while accepting his handshake. "Now, I understand that you have a wife and a family already, and I know that this is going to sound quite awkward already, but I have reason to believe that I may be your long lost son."

"Your long lost son?!" Horatio sputtered in disbelief as he nearly collapsed onto his chair, taken aback.

"Horatio, what on earth is he talking about?" Elena questioned him suspiciously.

"Oh boy... I think I know what's happening here... Um, listen Elena, there's something that I should have mentioned before. You see, this woman here was the one that saved my life after I crash landed on an Okinawan beach right near her village. And well, I was ever so grateful to her for nursing me back to health and to be honest, well, I was a young man, and she was a very attractive, pretty, young woman back then so... we did the deed and eventually I was rescued by the Coast Guard after a few months. It never even occurred to me that she could have been carrying my child and I really haven't thought of her since."

"Well, not long after you left, my mother realized that she was pregnant with me and she decided to raise me on her own, even though doing so would have meant bringing great shame and disgrace upon her family," Izanagi explained. "However, shortly after I was born, she met an older Japanese man and they relocated to Osaka, where I have spent the majority of my life. I also got married to my high school sweetheart and we have a daughter who is very much grown with a little one on the way. Want to see a picture of her?"

"Sure, why not?" Horatio shrugged.

Izanagi then dug into his pocket and took out his wallet before removing a picture and showing it to Horatio. Horatio then took it and examined at it for several minutes before a look of awe and astonishment washed over him. The picture showed a young Japanese woman appearing to be somewhere in her mid to late 20s with short and wavy black hair with bangs, dark black eyes, and a slender and thin figure with a yellow outfit and sporting a large belly.

"How about that?" Horatio chuckled. "So what's the girl's name?"

"Her name is Kira," Izanagi answered with a proud smile of his own. "And I cannot wait to meet my grandchild soon."

"We'd love to meet her someday, if that is all right with you," Elena offered.

"Of course, but in the meantime, I'd like to offer to take a DNA test myself so that I can know for sure that you are my biological father," Izanagi answered.

"Knock yourself out, kid; wouldn't hurt to be absolutely sure," Horatio said.

"And you are always welcome to come by for a visit," Elena added.

"Great! I can't wait to get to know all of you better," Izanagi beamed happily.

"Come on, Izzy; we gotta go. It's getting late," Himari grumbled irascibly.

"My apologies; we best be going," Izanagi clasped his hands together respectfully with a bow as he and his mother turned to walk away. "So long."

"Bye," Elena and Horatio waved goodbye as they watched the pair leave.

Then as soon as they were gone, Horatio turned to look at Elena with a quizzical expression.

"Jeez, I still can't believe this is even my own kid. He seems so well-mannered and polite."

"Well, I think most of them are," Elena replied with a smile. "We are talking about the Japanese, after all."

"This is going to be quite an interesting family reunion, that's for sure," Horatio muttered underneath his breath, still not believing what had just occurred.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Several more weeks went by and it wasn't long before Horatio received the DNA test results, and as it turned out, Izanagi was really indeed his son. Izanagi assured his newly found biological father that he will try to visit as often as possible and he would even send in pictures of his new grandchild when he or she was born. In the meantime, Liam's murder trial in Ireland came and went, and to Elena's great relief, the jury found him guilty of first degree murder and he was given a life sentence. He was then transported back to Boston where he received an additional sentence of 45 years to life for his numerous other crimes.

With Liam now rotting away in a prison cell, Elena felt that this was the best chance for her to confront him once and for all about everything that he had put her through so that perhaps finally she would be able to have some sense of closure.

It was still early afternoon when Elena entered the visitors' room and saw Liam sitting in a large rectangular table in heavy chains and shackles while accompanied by an armed guard. She then took in a deep breath before she continued to make her way towards the table and sat down in front of him.

"Hello, Lena; so what do I owe the pleasure for such a rare visit?" Liam greeted her with a sly and creepy smile.

However, Elena's expression remained unchanged as she stared at him with a stoic and reserved look on her face and her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm only here to say my piece and then I'll be on my way," Elena said in a very neutral and cool voice. "After today, you will never see me again, I promise you."

Liam said nothing but continued to stare at her with a lecherous and insidious grin. Elena inhaled sharply as she fought to maintain her composure and not let Liam's expression unsettle her.

"I know that you never gave a damn about me. You rejected me almost from the very moment that I came into this world. You did everything that you possibly could to ostracize and shun me so that you can show the world that I was someone who did not belong in your family. And yet no matter how much you tried to break me, I still kept on fighting. And you want to know why? Because I never gave up no matter what. I wasn't about to give someone like you the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart."

"And it's funny, because as much as you hated and despised my mother and wanted to see her dead for betraying you all of those years ago, you just couldn't help but remain obsessed with her. Why is that I wonder? Was it because she was the unattainable prize that you so desperately fought to obtain but couldn't have? Or was it simply because she was too good for a worthless, pathetic, weak man like you?"

Liam's face then suddenly changed as his body started to twitch and convulse uncontrollably with his eyes gleaming with bitter hate and his lips curling into a vicious snarl. He then gripped tightly on the edge of the table as he struggled to maintain his composure even as his rage was threatening to erupt from deep within him.

"And to think that I used to be afraid of you, to think that I used to cower in fear and terror whenever you came near me, but not anymore. You don't scare me, you son of a bitch; as a matter of fact, I haven't been afraid of you in a very long time. And when you decided that you couldn't have my mother even after she rejected you and you shot her dead in cold blood, you decided to pursue me... me, your own stepdaughter, the daughter that you were supposed to love and cherish. But instead I was just another whore for you to conquer and possess. And guess what? I will never let you have me, no matter how much you may desire it. My body is mine and mine alone, and I will give myself to anyone that I wish, and that person will never be you."

Liam's eyes then flashed with righteous indignation as he suddenly lunged violently at Elena with the intent to strangle her, prompting her to quickly back away; fortunately, however, he was restrained by the guard standing next to him as he struggled and thrashed violently to break free.

"BITCH!" he hissed with his face greatly distorted like a raging, feral beast. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU MISERABLE BITCH! I'M GOING TO SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL JUST LIKE YOUR WHORE MOTHER!"

"Oh, please; you're the one who is going to rot in hell for all eternity," Elena scoffed with a derisive laugh as she got up and turned to walk away. "Enjoy spending the rest of your life rotting in a cage like the animal you are."

Then just as she was about to leave the room, Liam decided to say one more thing to her.

"Do you want to know what was the very last thing that your mother said with her dying breath?"

Elena suddenly stopped in her tracks and froze as she slowly looked over her shoulder in his direction.

"What did she say?" she asked.

Liam just smiled evilly at her, satisfied that he had gotten her attention. "She actually told me that she would pray for me."

"Then that is what I'm going to do for you too," Elena suddenly declared, causing Liam to be taken aback by her unexpected reaction. "I'm going to ask God to have mercy on your soul, because you sure as hell are going to need it. Farewell."

She then turned her back on Liam and departed from the room, never to return again. And when she finally left the prison, she actually felt like for the first time in her entire life that a huge weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders and she was now truly at peace.