[Updated the end of the last chapter to flow into this one. So go back and read if you haven't or read again.]

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day in southern California. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was a breezy 72 degrees. Perfect weather for lying out by the pool with a good book and perhaps a cocktail. But Melanie was in her cramped little bedroom, curled up on her tiny bed with the window curtains drawn shut. She hadn't intended on staying with Jenna in her apartment this long. But…

There was a knock on her bedroom door.

Melanie groaned. "I'm not hungry right now, Jenna. I can make something for myself later."

"I flew up here in combat boots and swamp snot under my fingernails so you better sure as hell open this door, Melanie Moretti!"

Melanie slowly got out of bed. Was that…she opened the door. "Victoria?"

"Yes, darling, who else but I to get you out of this funk?" Victoria smiled from ear to ear. It was nice seeing her best friend again.

"How did you know? And I'm not in a funk, by the way. Just a little out of sorts." Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Okay, a funk."

"Jenna sent me a text message but I didn't get it until earlier today when I finally got out of that mosquito nest." Victoria flopped onto the sofa. "Oh Melanie it was horribly exhilarating. Not counting Honor St. Raven, this may have been my best performance yet. I'm seeing gold and it's in the shape of an Emmy or," she gasped, "a People's Choice!"

"I think the People's Choice is glass or crystal or something."

"Well whatever."

Victoria continued telling Melanie tales of the swamp and how great she was and how everyone was so enamored by her. Apparently they had loved Edge of Tomorrow down there and she found a perfect opportunity to give away a few pairs of her Mrs. Lady Pants – autographed of course.

"Melanie, what is so bad that Jenna had to text me?" Victoria finally finished talking about herself to turn her attention to her friend.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know she did that."

"Well you must be in pretty bad shape for her to do it. So spill." Victoria laid back on the sofa and stretched out her tanned legs after pulling off her combat boots. "These are going in the Smithsonian for acting." Melanie just looked at her and waited for Victoria to settle down before starting her story.

Melanie took a deep breath. "I slept with Anders….twice. I think."

"You think? We're you drugged?"

"You can say that I was under the influence," Melanie said sheepishly. "But he said it was just a dinner to welcome me back to LA! I mean, Victoria, we drank…a lot in Cleveland so why would it be any worse here? I think I only had 3 glasses but maybe it was bottles. I don't know!" Melanie put her head in her hands.

"Three bottles! Certainly not."

"Who knows? I don't remember anything. I only remember leaving and enjoying talking to a familiar friend…"

"A familiar friend who became engaged to someone half your age…you're fake age…only days after your divorce."

"Yes, that familiar friend. Thanks for reminding me." Melanie rolled her eyes, "Anyway, we were talking about new beginnings and…and I guess things got out of hand. I woke up the next morning in his bed. I thought I was dreaming. It was so familiar and natural…that we did it again." Melanie groaned. She knew what she did was wrong. It left a bad taste in her mouth and sickening feeling in her stomach.

"So what is the problem, Melanie?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really? So you slept with Anders. Big deal. You slept with him hundreds of times before. It's not the end of the world."

"But I didn't want to go down that road again, Victoria." Melanie was up pacing now.

"Then don't. Tell him thanks for the lovely time and move on. This is it. This is life. It's the one you get so go and have a ball, Melanie." Victoria could tell her friend was conflicted. "This isn't the Melanie I knew in Cleveland."

Melanie stopped in her tracks and regarded what Victoria said. She was right. Victoria Chase made sense. This was her life to live…her one life to live.

"How could I have been so stupid to let Anders get to me again?"

"It happened and it'll probably happen again. Now," Victoria stood up with a purpose, "I need a hot bubble bath."

Melanie showed Victoria around the apartment so she would be comfortable with where things were then started to pick up and clean. She couldn't believe how far she had let herself fall over this…this non-issue. Thank goodness Victoria had showed up.

A few hours later Victoria and Melanie were seated on the outside patio of their favorite LA bistro when two young women, probably in their early 20s, politely interrupted them.

"Excuse us." They had a camera in hand.

"Why, yes, I don't mind if you take my picture." Victoria posed and flashed her $5000 whitened teeth.

"Oh sorry. I was just going to ask if you'd sit back so I could take a picture of Jennifer Love Hewitt at that table over there."

Victoria scowled but obliged. The girls got their photo and left.

"You know that Jennifer girl reminds me a lot of Emmy." Melanie could see the subtle resemblances between the two beautiful, young ladies.

Victoria turned to look. "Oh I don't know. My Emmy's breasts are bigger."

"Yeah, usually a boob job will do that."

The waiter brought their salads because that's what you eat in LA. They both picked around the 12 different kinds of lettuce but weren't happy. They looked up at each other at the same time.

"This definitely isn't Cleveland food."

They chatted and caught up and reminisced for a long time. Melanie was finally smiling and acting like the old Melanie. And Victoria was able to talk about herself to someone who would listen or at least pretend to listen.

"Have you heard from Joy? I tried Skyping her and calling but she hasn't returned my calls." Melanie knew it was unlike Joy to not be in contact.

"I tried a few times but I couldn't get much service in that damn swamp. Wait! Did you get the gift I sent?" Victoria just remembered the packages she had Claude send. Oh Claude, she wondered what he was up to.

Melanie reached into her purse. "Oh you mean this?" She pulled out a small wallet. "I didn't know how much I needed an alligator skinned wallet but it's…lovely. And thank you for the dime. I'll be sure to buy something frivolous." Melanie laughed at her own joke. "But, seriously, it is nice. Thank you. Is it handmade?" Melanie turned the rough skinned wallet in her hands.

"Yes, it's made by the people down there. I have them making me a pair of heels and boots. I got Elka a skunk-skinned hat. And apparently you're not supposed to give someone a wallet or coin purse or such without a coin in it. It's bad luck. I don't know if that's just Southern or what."

Melanie paid the tab and they decided to walk to an ice cream shop because that salad didn't do any good. The ice cream parlor was only a few blocks away.

"Can I help you?" The acne-prone teenaged boy asked them as they entered.

"Um…"Melanie perused the abundant choices before her. Victoria stood back and smirked knowing what was coming. "I'll have one scoop of Vanilla Bean in a cup." Melanie ordered.

Victoria shook her head and laughed. "Don't go too wild now."

"Oh alright. Add nuts on top, please." Melanie wasn't one to step out of her comfort zone much. "Wait. No, I'll have two scoops of mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone!" She was so proud of herself.

"Whoa! Easy there, tiger!" They both laughed. Victoria ordered the pina colada sorbet.

"Hey look, Joy would love this!" Victoria spotted a new flavor: strawberry margarita sorbet.

The attendant handed them their frozen treats which they took outside to eat at a small metal table.

"So you never said if you'd heard from Joy." Melanie said as she licked the dripping green ice cream from the cone.

"Oh no, I haven't. Let's call her now." Victoria took out her cell phone.

"Victoria! It's almost…"Melanie looked at her watch. "5 am in London."

"She won't mind. She's probably getting up anyway." Victoria pressed the speaker button and laid the phone on the table.

Melanie rolled her eyes waiting for Joy to answer and cuss them out.

Finally someone picked up.

"Victoria Chase, someone better be dead if you are ringing me at 5 frickin am in the morning." Joy answered in a deep, husky, sleep induced voice. Sleepy Joy was not a happy Joy.

"Well good morning to you too, Sunshine. Melanie and I were just sitting here having some ice cream and thinking about you."

"I hate both of you right now! I hope you know that." Joy was slowly waking up.

"Don't blame me. I tried to stop her." Melanie kept trailing after her dripping ice cream.

"What do you want?" Joy still wasn't pleased.

"We're just checking on you, darling. How have you been? Did you get my present?"

"Oh you mean the alligator skinned belt? Yes, I finally got it after customs almost arrested me for smuggling in dead animal skins. I finally convinced them that both I and that poor alligator were both legitimate."

"I miss our skype nights." Melanie interrupted.

"I'm sorry, I've been busy. And in related news, I've gotten a job at a flower shop so that I can find my stalker."

Victoria choked on her sorbet.

"Joy!" Melanie screeched.

"What do you mean by stalker?" Victoria was sitting up straight in her chair. She needed to know the details. Someone hurting Joy was unacceptable.

Joy sighed out loud. "Stalker as in someone stalking me. I have it under control. Someone has been sending me flowers with notes from a local flower shop. So I got a job there to see if I can get into their system to find the person sending them to me. So Double O Joy is on the case. But I haven't gotten one in a week so I'm not sure if they've gotten bored with me or what."

"Joy, are you enjoying this?" Melanie couldn't tell if Joy was frightened or amused.

"Kind of. There's this absolutely gorgeous man who works at the flower shop too. His name is Oliver and he's 33…"

"33? Joy, isn't that a little young even for you?" Victoria felt a dull pain in the pit of her stomach.

Melanie burst out laughing. "I can only imagine what Elka would say about this."

"Ewen is fine with my age."

Victoria cleared her throat. "And what age did you tell him?"

Joy's cell phone beeped indicating a text message came in. "Hold on. I'm getting a message."

They waited while Joy checked her phone. Melanie cleaned up the empty cup and crumpled napkins.

"Oh my god!" They heard Joy exclaim.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

Joy came back on the line. Her breathing was ragged. "I just…" she took a deep breath. "I just got a text message. It says…Your son has your beautiful eyes. And there's a picture of my son!"

"Owen?"

"Who did the message come from?" Melanie's heart was beating in her throat.

"I don't know but I can't let this continue if they are going start bringing my son into it!"

Joy explained to Melanie and Victoria that the police had been no help to her and that's why she had to find out who it was on her own. Her mother was constantly berating her about one thing or another and this mission, if that's what you wanted to call it, gave her an opportunity to get away from the clutches of Philippa. But it wasn't hard to hear the pain and frustration in Joy's voice. They finally let Joy go with the promise that she would contact one or both of them every day so they would know she's alright.

Victoria stared blankly into space. Her mind was turning. "Melanie."

"Victoria, you have that look." Melanie watched her friend closely.

"We let Joy leave here when we knew how distraught she was."

"But the INS was on her trail. She told us she had to fix this once and for all and you know when Joy wants something done she gets it done one way or the other." Melanie realized how true that statement was and realized the trouble Joy could get herself into.

"We can't let her go thru this alone. She's in a dangerous situation, not unlike the time Honor St. Raven was being held hostage by her brother who was actually her father."

Melanie rolled her eyes as Victoria continued. "We can rescue Joy!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's go to London and help Joy. We can't leave her alone in this crisis with that hellacious mother of hers." Victoria stood up, grabbed her purse and was hiking up the street before Melanie caught up to her.

"You mean, go to London? Right now?"

"Of course, my dear."

Many people like to picture a particular person or actor portraying characters. We've seen people guest start on Hot In Cleveland but some of the people in this story haven't been seen in person before. Who do you see playing the role of Jenna or Claude or anyone else? It's interesting to see what people like.