It had been a long week since Kelly woke up in the hospital. She had spent the last week in physical therapy and reviewing Carl's files. Kelly had also worked very closely with Jonathan Taylor from Carl's office during the week so she would understand everything about the bill, (officially named S.620 Import/Export of profits from criminal activity), that Carl had sponsored and what was expected of her in Washington. Kelly had also requested Jonathan draft a bill supporting the Lost Angels home in LA, that Kelly had been helping to organize. Jonathan informed Kelly that the Senate had postponed Carl's bill for 2 weeks and that she would be sworn in the day before on the floor of the Senate. Sabrina had hung out with Kelly all week, keeping track of where the other Angels were and the containers. Charlie had also been running down information on Jerry Mancini from the shipment Jill had diverted. Sabrina had kept a close eye on Kelly, but Kelly had not broken down again and she had kept Sabrina at arm's length. Sabrina didn't want to push and felt like as long as Kelly wasn't shutting her out completely it would be okay, at least until Jill arrived from Europe and could help her talk to Kelly.
This evening all the Angels were scheduled to gather in person for the first time at Kelly's house to decide their next move. Jill and Kris had wrapped up their trip to Europe the day before and flew back to LA yesterday; Tiffany and Julie had hidden their load in east of LA and had arrived home this morning. Sabrina was at the bar making coffee and Kelly was sitting in her wheelchair looking at the ocean. Kelly hated being in the wheelchair, but it was one of the conditions for the doctor releasing her from the hospital and as much as she hated to admit it she could not walk across the room without getting tired. According to the doctor she was healing extremely well and had a good chance to make a full recovery over time. He had also warned her that if she over worked her muscles or did not take care of herself there could be permanent damage. Kelly looked over at Sabrina and wondered how her friend always seemed to have it together, with a smile Kelly rolled toward Sabrina thinking it was time to disturb her plans. Kelly knew sure that tonight she would have to confront her friends to keep them out of harms way and if she knew her friends, Sabrina and Jill had already worked out a plan to talk to her, maybe just one more laugh, one more joke before things became serious again. It would be good for her and it would make Sabrina think everything was ok, at least for a while.
"Hey, bartender! I need a drink." Kelly said as she rolled her wheel chair toward the bar.
Sabrina looked up at Kelly in surprise but after seeing the mischievous look on Kelly's face, she answered with a twinkle in her eye, immediately deciding to play along. In her best southern bell voice she said, "Why sugar, what can I help you with today?"
"A mimosa please honey. I have worked up a powerful thirst." Kelly said with a twinkle in her eye, imitating Sabrina's southern bell drawl.
"I am so sorry ma'am but we don't serve trees here," Sabrina managed to say with a straight face as she drew out each word.
"Look here little missy, I don't want a tree, I want a drink." Kelly said in her best blue blood southern voice, trying to keep from laughing.
"I am so sorry. The only mimosa I know about is the mimosa tree in my granny's backyard down in Alabama. What kind of mimosa are you talking about? If you insist, I'm sure I can cut a twig or two off the oak in the back yard for you." Sabrina continued the charade.
Kelly started laughing and Sabrina joined in wholeheartedly. It felt so good to laugh again.
When Kelly could finely breathe again she looked at Sabrina, "How do you come up with these things?"
Sabrina grinned as she tried to catch her breath, "Me? What about you? You started it. I just followed your lead." Sabrina sat down on the bar stool and looked over at Kelly and started laughing again. Kelly joined in and that is how Bosley and the rest of the angels found them.
"Hey, guys look, our patient must be doing pretty good." Bosley said to the other angels as he walked into the room and gave Kelly a kiss on the cheek.
"What's so funny?" Jill demanded as she squeezed Kelly's shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek and then looked at Sabrina, who had tears running down her face from laughing so hard.
"Looks like we missed a good joke." Tiffany noted as she also walked up to Kelly and gave her a quick hug.
"We sure did. What's so funny?" Julie asked as she looked from Kelly to Sabrina, she squeezed Kelly's arm then moved over to the sofa.
"Well what ever it was I'm sorry I missed it." Kris said as she gave Kelly a hug and then met her eyes. "I'm just glad to see you smiling."
Sabrina had finally quit laughing and was trying to pour coffee for everyone. "Kelly just wanted a twig with her coffee, that's all." Everyone looked at Sabrina puzzled while Kelly just started laughing again.
"Okay guys enough with the inside jokes. What is so funny?" Jill said a little bit put off by being on the outside of the joke.
Tiffany looked over at Bosley and nodded her head toward Sabrina and Kelly's cups, "Maybe you need to check their cups Bos, I think they have been drinking something stronger than coffee."
Kris smiled at Tiffany, "I think we are going to have to ration their coffee from now on."
Kelly and Sabrina finally calmed down enough to tell the others what had happened and they were met with 5 sets of unbelieving eyes.
"Okay now I know you put something in your coffee," Jill said, "because that is so not funny."
Sabrina tried to look appropriately chastised as she looked at Jill, "I guess it is one of those things you had to be there to understand." Jill just looked at Sabrina in disbelief while Kelly looked over at Jill.
"Jill you would have had to be out on that limb with us or is it up in the tree with us?" Kelly said with a grin toward Sabrina as she rolled past Jill into the living room giggling. Everyone just grinned in amazement at Kelly laughing and then at Jill who stood there with her mouth open speechless. Kris thought the look on Jill's face was priceless, she had rarely seen her sister unable to make a come back. They each put their heads down to cover their grins as they moved into the living room after Kelly happy to see their friend laughing over something, even if it was totally ridiculous.
Finally everyone settled down in the living room as Bosley called Charlie.
"Good morning, Angels"
"Good morning Charlie" the angels answered.
"Let's get started. Tiffany, why don't you and Julie start by updating everyone on your trip to Mexico?"
Tiffany looked over at Julie; Julie nodded for her to go ahead, "Okay Charlie. We met with Mr. Bartone in Mazatlan and he was very smooth. He didn't admit he was involved in Carl's murder but he admitted to being very happy that Carl was gone and that Kelly had been hurt." Tiffany said this last part as she gave Kelly a sympathetic look. Kelly had her head down and looked like she was focusing on the carpet, but she did not respond to what Tiffany said.
"Charlie, to me he pretty much confessed to being involved. He just didn't say the words. He seemed awfully smug." Julie said as Tiffany nodded in agreement.
Julie threw a questioningly look at Tiffany who seemed to understand and nodded her head to continue. Julie surveyed the room as she continued, "He also said that his grievances was with Sabrina, Jill and Kelly. He offered me, Tiffany and Kris a chance to walk away without harm, but he plans to kill you three." Julie said as she looked at a sober Sabrina, Jill and Kelly.
Kris cleared her throat and everyone looked at her, "Karazana said the same thing to me in Brussels." Jill looked over at Kris only mildly surprised, she had worked most of it out for herself "You know you could have told me."
Kris shrugged her shoulders and looked first at Jill and then toward Sabrina and Kelly, "It wasn't important, I have no intention of quitting this case and I was going to talk to Tiffany and Julie about it later." Kris looked over at Jill, "You can't rid of me that easy."
"Well I have no intention of quitting either. No drug dealer is going to run me off," Julie said defiantly.
"That goes for me too." Tiffany added.
Jill, Kelly and Sabrina looked at each other wondering how they had started out trying to help people and wound up here.
Jill looked over at Kris and used her best big sister voice, "You were kidnapped once on my account, almost killed because of it. I won't let that happen again! You are off this case!"
Kris stood up ready to do battle herself, "Look big sister, I don't take orders from you. I can go where I want to go."
"That's fine you can go wherever you want, just not on this case." Jill stood up across from Kris. "I won't have you, or anyone else hurt because someone is coming after me."
Sabrina moved in between the sisters, "Alright, hold it. Let's just calm down. Jill you know Kris is just worried about you and Kris you know Jill is just worried about you so let's calm down and talk this out."
"I've got a simple solution." Kelly said. She was still sitting in her wheel chair, her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes on the carpet. She looked up at the others, meeting Kris' eyes. "You are all fired."
"What!"
"Wait just a minute, you can't do that."
"Not a chance."
"WHHITT" Bosley's whistle momentarily stunned everyone into silence.
"This is not getting us any where. Charlie, what do you think?"
"Thank you Bosley. I think we all need to sit down and think about this." Kelly and Kris both started to interrupt, but Bosley held up his hand. Charlie continued, "If I understand correctly, if Kelly is willing to give up Carl's Senate seat and endorse the candidate backed by the men who had her husband killed. They will spare Kris, Tiffany and Julie. This all has to happen in 3 weeks. The first question is, Kelly, are you willing to do this? Are you willing to give into the men who killed Carl?" The whole room seemed to get quieter as everyone turned to look at Kelly. She had her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands as she studied the carpet intently. It seemed like an eternity before Kelly looked up; her eyes were like ice and seemed completely devoid of emotion. Sabrina shot a look at Jill, who nodded in understanding, they had seen this look before, Kelly was closing everyone out to go it on her own. "Yes Charlie. Yes, I can, if it means no one else dies." Everyone in the room sat quietly, too stunned to say anything, Kelly never quits, had Carl's murder finally broken her that she would let the bad guys win?
Charlie's voice broke into the silence, "Angel, are you sure? Why don't you think about it some more. You don't have to make a decision right now."
"Yes, Charlie. I do need to make this decision now. I need to get the people I love out of harm's way."
Sabrina took a deep breath and calmly tried to reason with Kelly, "Kel, I" she motioned to everyone else, "We, understand that and we appreciate how much you care about us, but we care about you too. We don't want you hurt either." Waving toward Kris, Tiffany and Julie, "Now I understand how you feel about them getting hurt and you see an out for them. Now I understand that, really I do." Sabrina looked over at Jill who understood what Sabrina was asking and nodded her head, "but Jill and I, we are in the same boat you are in. They are going after us three, so I don't see why you want to cut us out. We," Sabrina motions to Kelly, Jill and herself, "are in this together. They are after all of us." More forcefully Sabrina adds, "We have been in this together from the beginning, remember."
Kelly met Sabrina's eyes and then looked over at Jill, her dear, dear friends. They had given her so much. Sabrina noted the hesitation in her eyes. Kelly looked at Jill then back at Sabrina, with a voice that was a little shaky, "I understand that Sabrina and I appreciate it. I'm not trying to cut you out. I'm trying to be logical. Paolo is gone, he was the one who wanted you dead, if I offer to trade the containers we have for you and Jill, I think they will take it."
Jill jumped up from her seat and started pacing, "You are not going to give guns back to a killer. I will NOT have that on my conscious! And the person I have called a friend for all these years would not find that acceptable either." Jill finished with a challenging stance in front of Kelly.
Kelly looked up at Jill, her eyes darker and more determined than Jill could ever remember, "I do care and I will figure out a way to keep those guns off the street. Paolo said this group doesn't want me dead, they want me to suffer. Don't you see, if I can find a way out for any of you, I'm going to take it."
Kris gingerly and with a heavy heart walked over to the sit down on the couch in front of Kelly, "Kel, honey. I know, we know you have been through more than anyone should have to deal with in one life time, but you can't quit. These guys are not going to stop hurting people if you give into them."
Kelly looked up into Kris' eyes, "You and I know that for every criminal we put away another two criminals, step up in their place. Just look as these criminals, we have already put them away once. We are talking about me protecting my family, the people who mean the most to me. I failed with Carl; I won't put the rest of you in danger when I have another option."
Kris looked into Kelly's eyes hoping to find something there, some hope that she was reaching her but the eyes looking back at her looked cold and determined. Kris slowly stood up, "Well, you and my sister can try to cut me out all you want, but I'm not quitting. I'm not a quitter." Kris finished with a challenge in her voice at the end. Kris looked over at Jill meeting her eyes with all the love and determination she had in her, "I don't quit on my family and I don't run when they are in danger." Jill looked at Kris for a long moment, then lowered her head and nodded, meeting Kris' eyes with a smile as she walked up to Kris and gave her a hug, "Your right little sister, I don't quit either and we don't run. Especially when family is involved."
Jill and Kris turned toward Kelly, a challenge in their eyes; Jill raised an eye brow toward Kelly, "What about you, Kel?" Everyone held their breath, wondering what Kelly would say.
Kelly looked between Jill and Kris, her heart so heavy with love and fear. Could she really risk losing someone else, was she destined to lose them now no matter what, were they better to go down together. She loved these people so much, but she couldn't lose anyone else, her plan would keep them all safe. Wouldn't it? Kelly summoned all her strength to shut off all her feelings. Kelly slowly stood up from her wheel chair and moved in front of the sisters. "It was my husband who was killed, I'm the one they want to hurt and I see a way to keep you all safe, so I don't see it as running or quitting. I'm protecting my family. I'm doing it alone."
Julie walked forward and issued a challenge, "How do you plan on stopping us? I'm not going back to Hawaii to lie on the beach while you put yourself out there to get yourself killed."
Kelly looked at Julie, "I will tell my security detail that you are not allowed into my home or near my office. If I have to I will accuse you of threats against a US Senator and have you held for questioning! Don't push me on this Julie."
The whole group just stared at Kelly, only Sabrina and Jill had ever seen this side of her before. Kris set down on the sofa looking confused and frustrated; she had never seen Kelly so determined or so angry. Maybe it was time to punt, Kris thought a new plan was in order, but she needed to calm everyone down.
Tiffany was taking her turn trying to convince Kelly, Julie was still looking on stunned, "Listen Kelly, we are a team. We will be fine as long as we stick together."
Julie was still stinging from Kelly's last comment and wanted to hit back, "So how did going it alone work for you last time?" Julie finished heatedly.
The room gasped, looking from Julie to Kelly. Kelly's head snapped up and her eyes bore into Julie, "Oh, the model is going to tell me how to do it." Kelly said sarcastically, regretting she needed to hurt Julie to get her to back off. She knew if she could get Julie mad and hurt enough she would storm off. Kelly just hoped she hadn't done any permanent damage to their friendship, even if she had, Julie would be alive. That was the important part.
Julie looked at Kelly in disbelief, Kelly had always been her biggest supporter, helping her learn and grow as a detective and as a person. Why was she being so mean now? Julie looked like she was going to cry and Kelly almost relented. Julie stood up looking at Kelly, "Fine you want to get yourself killed, you got it, but don't call me when you wind up in the hospital or worse." Julie finished as she stormed out of the room.
Tiffany looked at Kelly disappointed, "You didn't have to do that. She was willing to put her life on the line for you and you just knocked her down. I hope you are happy." Tiffany shot as she got up and went after Julie.
Kris looked after Tiffany, devastated at the turn of events. Kelly looked toward Kris waiting for her to say something.
Kris knew she wasn't going to change Kelly's mind and already too many hurtful things had been said they would have a hard time forgetting. Kris walked over to Kelly gave her a hug, "I love you Kelly." With that Kris turned and walked out of the room after Tiffany and Julie.
Kelly looked after Kris, not sure whether to be relieved or warily of Kris' departure. She now looked over at Bosley who was frowning at her. "Charlie, Bos, can we take this up later?"
"Angel, I think you need to take some time and think this out. Call me in the morning. Good night." Charlie said.
Bosley looked at Kelly, gave her a hug, "Honey, get some rest and remember we all love you and we are on the same side." Bosley gave Kelly a wink and then turned around and left.
Kelly took a breath to swallow the lump in her throat. She slowly turned to face her final and toughest challenge, Sabrina and Jill.
Sabrina had watched everything unfold trying to think of something that would break through Kelly's tough exterior. Jill was just fuming at Kelly.
"What was that Kelly? Hah, what was that? You dump on your friends, people you claim to love. You hurt their feelings and push them away. I know you are hurting, but don't push away the people who are on your side." Jill finished in frustration. Kelly listened in stone faced silence.
Sabrina looked at Kelly weighing her words carefully, "Kelly, do you remember back at the academy when Eddie showed up?"
Kelly looked up surprised, "That has nothing to do with this."
"Yes, it does. You are doing the same thing you did then. You are shutting us out just like before and the result is going to be the same someone gets hurt."
"That's not fair Sabrina. That was a long time ago."
"Might not be fair, but it is honest and it is truthful. More truthful than what you said to Julie."
Kelly winced, knowing Sabrina was telling the truth.
Jill walked up beside Sabrina, "Kel, you have to let people in, you let us in before and think about all the wonderful things that happened because you did let us in. Don't shut the door, now. Trust us Kel, I promise we won't let you down."
Kelly looked from Jill to Sabrina, remembering how terrified she had been when Eddie had shown up and how she had gone on a rampage that had almost gotten Sabrina killed. Was this the same thing? Was she doing more harm by keeping them at arm's length? She couldn't decide, why did life have to be so complicated? She sat down on the sofa and finally let the tears out. "Guys, I'm so sorry I just can't imagine losing any of you. I can't lose anyone else."
Sabrina and Jill sat down on either side of Kelly putting their arms around her, "We don't want to lose you either sweetie." Jill said, "but that is part of life. You understand that better than anyone else I know. Nothing in this life is permanent. We are stronger together."
Sabrina continued, "You can't protect everyone Kelly, you have to let us in, you have to let us help. Good or bad we are in this together. Through the tears and the smiles, that is what friends are for."
Kelly looked from one to the other wondering how lucky she was and how she had been blessed with such wonderful friends. "Oh guys, I'm so sorry." Kelly had trouble talking through her tears, "I never wanted to hurt any of you. I just wanted you safe. You understand, don't you?" she desperately looked from Sabrina to Jill needing to see their acceptance.
Sabrina smiled through her tears, "Yes, Kel, we understand. You were just trying to protect us."
Jill was smiling too as she hugged Kelly tears as rolling down her face, "We love you and we want to keep you safe too."
The three friends stayed like this for a few minutes, crying and hugging until Sabrina pulled back, "My eyes are going to be so puffy."
Jill giggled, "Mine too, I bet I look like a raccoon right now."
Kelly felt so exhausted, "I am so sorry guys, I have screwed everything up again."
"No, Kelly. We'll get through this, we will." Sabrina smiled at Kelly as she tucked a wayward strand of hair back behind Kelly's ear. "Why don't we just get some sleep tonight and then hit this fresh in the morning. Kelly nodded, resting her head on Sabrina's shoulder. Kelly looked over at Jill, "You want to spend the night?"
Jill nodded, "I'm beat that sounds like a good idea."
Suddenly Kelly thought about what she had said, "Oh no! Do you think Julie will ever forgive me?"
Sabrina looked at Kelly, "She will."
Kelly looked at Jill, Jill smiled mischievously, "She will, but I bet she will make you work for it."
Kelly nodded with a knowing smile, "You are right, I will be paying for this for a while."
Sabrina looked around, "That's tomorrow, lets' get some sleep so we can work on our plan tomorrow." Everyone nodded as they stood up and made their way up the stairs arm in arm.
