Disclaimer- you know it.

A/N: This is dedicated to Margaret! This one shot follows Helen from the time she gets de-Burged, up to my most recent update. Enjoy!

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Helen POV

I kept my head down all the way back home. How dare that ungrateful little wench do this to me?! On such an important day, no less! Why me? Why did I have a daughter who was such a little ungrateful whore that she couldn't appreciate everything I did and sacrificed for her? Mary Vincenzo's daughter never did this to her! But, no, I had to end up with that little slut who, in my opinion, never should have been born to begin with.

What her father saw in her, I never understood, but he always refused to ship her off to an orphanage where she belonged, with all the other unwanted, unloved children.

When I got home, I was sure to keep my eyes firmly on the ground. I didn't want to see all the neighbors pointing and speaking in hushed tones that they thought I couldn't hear. I sighed in relief as I closed the door and locked it.

Sanctuary.

I went straight to the kitchen and pulled out the bottle I had hidden behind the rice in the pantry. Unscrewing the lid, I took a decent swig, welcoming the fiery burn in my throat, feeling stress melt away. Taking my bottle with me, I went to the laundry room and switched on my iron- I needed to relieve some stress.

While I was waiting for the iron to heat up to its maximum temperature, I went to the living room in search of Frank. Trepidation built up in me; had he heard what had happened? Did he know about Jason and me? Or even worse, about Anthony and I?

He sat in his usual spot, reading the paper. He seemed no more antagonized than usual, so I breathed a sigh a relief, daring to hope that Frank was as lost in la-la-land as he seemed to be.

What a long day. I needed a (few) extra shots.

S&R#THE NEXT DAY#S&R

I woke up with a massive headache, and the knowledge that something was very, very wrong. Frank's side of the bed was made, and our closet doors were partially open, revealing it to be half empty.

We had been robbed!

"Frank!" I screamed. "Get here, quick, we've been robbed!"

My husband casually sauntered in, looking at me with obvious, heart-wrenching disdain.

"Do you think they only stole my clothes?" he asked sarcastically. "Get a grip, Helen."

He walked back out and I realized that yes, all his stuff was missing from our room.

He found out!

"Frank," I yelled after him, terrified. It would completely decimate my already tattered reputation if he left me now! "We can work this out, I'm so sorry! They never meant anything; you're the one that I love!"

"That's enough, Helen!" he snapped. "I've heard enough out of you. I can't believe you ever thought you would get away with this! You took it too far, Helen, Jesus! Look at what you're becoming! I can't stand o even be in the same district as you."

"I was lonely!" I shrieked pitifully. "You were away so much, and since you retired from the military, you were always so withdrawn! I had needs! Why me? Jessica Barstow's husband never treats her as badly as you treat me!"

"Treat you badly?" he shouted, rounding on me. I took a shocked step back; never, in so many years of marriage, NEVER, has Frank raised his voice at me. "Am I abusing you, Helen? Am I telling you that you're a worthless waste of space? Am I trying to force you to do things you don't want to do? Have I ever raised a hand to you in the name of teaching you a lesson?!"

"You emotionally neglect me, Frank!" I wailed. "But its okay, I can forgive! I can be the better person! We can work this out, Frank, you can't leave me! Anthony and Jason, they were just Goddamned mistakes!"

"Christ, you still think this is about your torrid affairs, Helen?" he scoffed. "You're not even in the right ballpark! I've known about Jason for months now, and I always suspected you and Anthony!"

"Then what's this about, Honey?" I whimpered, confused. "Is it my cooking? My ironing? I can fix this!"

"No you can't, Helen!" he yelled. "Jesus Christ, this is about our daughter, Helen! My pumpkin! How in name of God did you think that would be okay? Why would you do that, huh? Why would you hurt our baby girl like that?"

"She is a disgrace," I snarled venomously. "That stupid slut has brought nothing but shame to this household and now she's destroying our marriage! She is nothing but…"

"Don't you DARE!" Frank boomed dangerously. "Don't you DARE, EVER call my baby girl that again! She is special, and beautiful and loving and caring. God, Helen, how do you see any of those things? All I see when I look at her is a beautiful, spunky, loving girl with a heart made purely of gold. What has warped your outlook so viciously that you could even begin to fathom my Stephanie to be anything like that?"

"She's got you around her little finger!" I screeched. "You're the wrong one here, Frank! I am trying to fix her!"

"There is nothing to be fixed!"

"She's a worthless little whore who…"

"Helen!" A sharp voice bit out from behind me. I turned around to see my mother, holding a suitcase and looking more formidable than I've seen her in all my years of living. Frank took her suitcase from her, and while she smiled at him, she simply returned to glaring at me.

"Mother!" I cried. "You can't leave me too!"

"Hush up!" she commanded. "Now you listen to me, I don't know who this is you've become, Helen, but let's get this straight; you are not my daughter. The daughter I know and love, died the second I found out what you've been doing to Stephanie." Worse than Frank's shouting, my mother's voice was calm, even and icy. I stood, shell-shocked. "My baby granddaughter is the single biggest blessing in mine, and so many other peoples' lives. If anyone here should be called a disgrace, it should be you! I have never so much as laid a finger to you, and yet you allowed your little girl to be beaten to a pulp by some man because he was your man-whore's son? Hear me well, Helen. Do not talk to me. Do not associate with me. Until you apologize to Stephanie, and until she forgives you, you are dead to me. Are we clear?"

I was unable to form any response. She came closer and all I wanted to do was beg her to stay; what would it look like if my mother disowned me now? Total ruination!

"One more thing," she said quietly in my ear. "You come near my baby again, with intent to harm her, and I will not hesitate to defend her. Like I said, you are no longer any daughter of mine."

She walked out, and through my numb stupor, I heard the car pull out of the driveway. Working on autopilot, I went to the kitchen and pulled out my bottle.

I knew how to fix this.

S&R#THREE DAYS LATER#S&R

Lying on the bed, I felt like Death warmed over. I vaguely heard the door open and I struggled to stand.

"Frank?" I slurred, my voice barely above a whisper. "Mother?"

There was silence and I made my way drunkenly to the stairs. I was at the top of the stairs when I heard a scream.

"RANGER! Ranger, the last threat is to MA and Angie, it's something at their school! You have to get to them NOW!"

That slut! She had the nerve to come back here! I was going to teach her a lesson once and for all!

A resounding BOOM.

The earth shattering beneath me.

Heat.

Intense heat.

Pain.

Scream.

The heat is engulfing me.

Searing, white hot.

And then…

…darkness.

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A/N: There goes the wicked witch of the west! Watch Te amo for another update sometime soon. Please keep reviewing, they keep me motivated! -JazMitch