Hope you guys enjoy and will let me know what you think.

Chapter Six

As tired as she was, she couldn't sleep. The fear, the never ending questions…it was a recipe for insomnia. At least Elizabeth looked peaceful. She was snuggled into the large bed, dwarfed by the sheer size of it. It was probably the first time she had seen her sleep so deeply. It was breaking her heart thinking that she'd been scared for the last seven years. Elizabeth awoke when even Epiphany breathed deeply but she was sure she could dance a jog with a full band and the girl wouldn't budge.

Letting out another deep breath, Epiphany turned from the door and made her way downstairs. She could question her decisions until she was blue in the face, looking back didn't help anyone. This moment, and what came next was what mattered. Perhaps if she kept repeating that mantra, she'd one day believe it.

She had no sooner settled on the couch than there was a knock on the door. Thankfully, before she even contemplated moving her tired bones, the door opened and Francis poked his head in, "Mr. Morgan to see you."

"Sure, show him in. Thank you Francis."

"Not a problem Ms. J" He said as he opened the door wider.

"Mr. Morgan, is there something I can help you with?" Epiphany asked, watching as the young man practically scrubbed the skin from the back of his neck. He almost looked like a scolded child; all he was missing was digging the toe of his boot into the hardwood floor.

"Umm…I'm sorry to be bothering you but after I talked with Sonny, I just…I wanted to ask you a couple questions." He asked as he looked around the apartment, not seeing Elizabeth, he asked, "Is Elizabeth sleeping?"

"I don't mind. My mind has been racing. Regrets, questions, wondering about things…and yes, she is. Better than I think she ever has before. She is still tossing and turning but I think she's getting a decent sleep…why do you ask?"

"I didn't want to ask this in her presence, it isn't that I want to hide whatever this is, but I just thought speaking to you first would perhaps be…best." Jason said as he shrugged his shoulders. Still nervously scrubbing his hand against the back of his neck but at least his feet was planted firmly on the floor.

"Please, come, sit down. Whatever you have to ask, obviously has you bothered so out with it. I can't answer if you don't ask. Being straight forward is always the best bet."

"When Sonny did his background check, he found a lot of discrepancies. There is no record of Carolyn Webber ever giving birth. There are no adoption records, nothing. Sonny is discretely going to have blood taken from all the Webber's and see what he can find, but I am sure I don't have to tell you, this stinks. I haven't looked at the file yet but I am going to have to read it. I'd prefer to respect Elizabeth's privacy but not knowing what has happened leaves me open to something that can happen. I may not know her well but is my knowing going to be a problem for her; will it hinder my ability to protect her?" He damn near needed a drink; he didn't recall a single time he said more in one sitting.

Trying and failing to bite back her smile, Epiphany cleared her throat before she began. "I don't even know where to start with everything you said…could…do you think the Webber's kidnapped those children? And if they did, why didn't they treat Steven and Sarah the way they treated Elizabeth? What's the difference? Pardon my French but this is a clusterfuck from start to finish. What the hell do I tell that poor girl? She has been through so much, I don't want to put more on her than she can handle." Epiphany said, trying to hold back her tears, she was fighting an uphill battle and losing.

"The only way I can figure they are actually the Webber children, the wife was so prideful that they used a surrogate but honestly, I don't have the first clue. I guess as we gather more information, we'll be able to put the pieces together but as of right now, I'm just as lost."

"As for everything else you said, Elizabeth understands that you guys need to work with all the information, she wishes it wasn't necessary but she won't cause an issue when you do read about her past. I'll tell you know, don't eat beforehand. It is disturbing to say the least and no child should have ever had to endure what she did. I'm hoping the doctors here will be able to fix what is broken, so at least the physical reminders will be gone. She's strong; she has never let things take her too low. I'm not going to blow smoke up your ass and say she is all sunshine and roses but she has a good head on her shoulders and an amazing heart."

Jason really didn't know how to say what was on his mind, so he didn't say anything.

"As an example, about a year ago, we were staying in this apartment with this little ground floor patio. She had this cat, Cleo, short for Cleopatra…anyway, they spent most of their day on that patio, reading, painting…I come home from work, the cat is inside, voicing her complaints about being locked in, loudly and there is Elizabeth, sitting on the cement and a freaking Magpie, sitting on her shoulder, nibbling her cheek. Damn bird had blue paint on its toes, probably hoping on her paintings. I've never seen anything like it. When she heard me, she asked me to grab a hot dog for the silly bird…let's just say, they were friends from that day forward, until…some asshole, didn't like the bird and the mess it would make on their patios and balconies…killed the poor thing. Elizabeth cried for days, heartbroken that the world once again showed her, the small and helpless were always going to be a target. I don't understand why the bird adopted her but it did and even when that damn thing pooped on her leg, she'd just shrug and tell me, it's a wild bird, it's not like she's going to use a litter box."

"Where's her cat?" Jason asked.

"Oh, we were just waiting to get settled in, and then I was going to call the pet hotel she is…luxuriating at and see if they would ship her."

"If you give me the name of the place, I can send one of our junior guards and get her here that much faster. With a new place and all, she'd probably like her pet with her." Jason offered.

"That is a fantastic idea, you Mr. Morgan will make her day."

Blushing and trying to bring her attention away from him, Jason quickly moved towards the door, "I have some things I need to take care of but I promise, Cleo will be home before she knows it. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me."

"Thank you. It's nice to have some help looking out for that girl. It's a tough job, but I wouldn't change what I did all those years ago."

Jason smiled, waved and was out the door. No fuss, no muss… If her little Chickadee hadn't realized it yet, she probably would soon. Mr. Morgan wasn't acting like a guard…whatever was going on, it was a lot more than just protection. With that thought, even though she'd been given enough to think about, she allowed the happier thoughts to take her to bed. Tomorrow was another day, what would be would be. She was old enough to know, you don't go borrowing more stress and worries. You can be concerned for something but she refused to let every little thing get to her.

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So, the story about the Magpie...it's mine. I just had to memorialize that silly damn bird...She showed up one day and was happy to nibble my cheek, play with my hair, hide food in my pants and other places...For three or four months, I played and visited with my 'silly' bird. I'll give more instances about her in other chapters. Cleo is also my only surviving cat now. She's a funny one, almost 18 years old and still plays like she's a kitten, the apartment becomes the indy 500 during the midnight hours.