As soon as Jocelyn had called into Jonathan and Jennifer, who were making love in their closet, they'd quickly gotten dressed and raced to the girls' bedroom.
Indeed, Fiona was gone and Jennifer was sure she stopped breathing, how could she lose her baby all over again? Jonathan wasn't sure if he was supposed to be furious or upset but he knew that he had to stay together for Jennifer.
Jonathan also noticed that after Jocelyn had told them about Fiona leaving, she'd hadn't said anything else and she looked ashamed.
"Why would she just leave in the middle of the night?" Jennifer asked almost pleadingly
"Jocelyn?" Jonathan asked, his voice sharp
"We heard you and Mom arguing and I sort of said that Fiona didn't belong here, that you were fighting because of her," Jocelyn's voice trailed off.
Jennifer got very angry and stormed past Jocelyn but not before stopping in front of her, "How could you be so cruel to your sister"
"She's not my sister!" Jocelyn barely got the words out before Jennifer slapped her without even thinking and when she realized what she'd done, Jennifer instantly felt awful
"Baby, I'm so sorry" She grabbed Jocelyn in a hug but Jocelyn pushed her away and ran to the Garden, where she went when she was upset.
"You didn't have to hit her!" Jonathan was turning his fury to Jennifer
"I didn't mean to, it just happened, I'm so sorry" She slid down the wall and began to sob.
"I'm going to go after our daughter then call the police," Jonathan stepped over her and left the room.
"What did I do? What did I do?" Jennifer muttered to herself
Just then Jack started to cry from his room, asking for his mommy.
Jennifer picked herself off the floor and wiped her eyes, at least she could be a good Mommy to one of her children.
Outside Jonathan searched for Jocelyn and nearly gave up until he saw the light in her old tree house, the one place he should have known, even when she was a little girl, she always went to her tree house.
Climbing the ladder, he forgot about the loose fourth rung and nearly fell off, "Jocelyn" He called, "Jocelyn, Help Daddy!" She peeked her head out of the tree house door and gasped.
"Oh Daddy!" She leaned over and using all her strength, pulled him up
"This place is a fire hazard; I'm surprised your mother hasn't had this place torn down."
"I'm surprised she isn't planning on giving it to Fiona," Jocelyn said bitterly, Jonathan could see the hand mark on her face.
"Jocelyn, I know you are upset about Fiona, but you are just as much our daughter as she is. Why won't you at least get to know her? Are you afraid we won't love you as much as we love her,"
The tears in Jocelyn's eyes told him so.
"We love you just as much as we love Jack, you are our daughter, this is just like if we had another baby except she's older and doesn't have to be potty-trained." Jonathan though he detected a small smile on her face but wasn't sure. "Jocelyn, I know this is a lot to ask but I think if you give Fiona a chance, you might learn to love her as a sister."
Jocelyn was every bit as stubborn as her father and when she didn't answer, Jonathan sighed, "Jocelyn Mae, you don't know how lucky you are, when I was your age in Mission Hill, I'd have given anything for a sibling, for a family. When I was a kid, I imagined what it would be like to come home after school, my mom in the kitchen and Dad fixing something in the garage, a house full of laughter but instead I had a cot and a shelf, more often I would go out the window and just stare at the buildings in San Francisco, thinking about a time when I would have my own business and my own family and Here I am, Jocelyn I'm living my dream and that dream involves Fiona, She's just as much a part of me as you, Mom and Jack."
Jocelyn sighed, Daddy was right and it wasn't fair that Fiona would have to go through the same struggles as Daddy, Fiona deserved to grow up with all the same privileges that she and Jack were given.
But that didn't mean she couldn't be angry at her mother for slapping her, it was the only time her mother had hit her but Jocelyn could see her point, if it were Jack who'd run away, Jennifer would move heaven and earth to get him back.
"Alright Daddy, I'll try"
Jonathan kissed her head, "That's my girl, now let's get the hell out of here before this thing breaks underneath us,"
Upstairs, after singing Jack back to sleep and a quick puppet show with his snoopy doll, Jack had fallen back sleep, Jennifer couldn't help but stare at him while he slept, this must have been what Jonathan looked like as a baby, from the way he curled up to the way his hair fell across his face.
Something about Jack's baby face made her remember something that she'd put off. She quickly shut off his lamp and rushed to the library, searching for something she'd put on the shelf long ago.
It took a bit but she managed to find Jocelyn's baby book, because Jack was still a baby, his book was still in their room. She finally found it buried behind her own novels and sitting down in the overstuffed chair beside the shelves, she took a deep breath and opened the book.
Smiling, she looked at the first page, Jocelyn's baby picture that Max had taken but when she looked closely at the picture, she noticed something different about the baby.
Flipping quickly to another picture, taken the next morning, this time one she'd taken where Max was holding the baby up, she wondered why she'd hadn't seen it before.
But the baby from the first picture had a distinctive birth mark under her right eye while the baby from the second picture had no birth mark plus the first baby had dimple's while the second baby didn't.
Jennifer remembered right after Jocelyn was born and how she'd asked the nurse to hold the baby but the nurse had insisted they needed to take her to the nursery to run tests and when they brought the baby back, hours later after she had fall asleep, they had put the baby on her chest but she didn't feel a maternal bond.
Something had felt off and when she tried to explain it to the Nurse, the Nurse simply said that some mothers don't bond with their babies right away. Jennifer didn't think much of it especially since right after Jocelyn had been born, Max had come in and told her that Jonathan's plane had gone down.
Jennifer heard Jonathan come in with Jocelyn and up the stairs, they didn't see her sitting in the chair by the bookshelf and Jennifer didn't make her presence known until Jonathan kissed Jocelyn good night and he went into their bedroom calling for her.
She stood up slowly, knowing that this could very well end in one of them sleeping in the guest room.
When she got to their bedroom, Jonathan was on the phone with someone, describing Fiona and instructing them to call the moment they knew anything, she sat down the edge of the bed and waited for him to finish.
When he finally got off the phone, they didn't speak for several minutes and finally, she couldn't take the silence anymore, "I need you to put your anger aside for a minute and look at this, please" laying out the baby pictures side by side.
"It's pictures of Jocelyn," He barely looked down and started to stand up
"Look closer and tell me what you see," She pulled him back down and put the pictures in his hands.
"Son of a …How in the world?"
"It was the nurse, I thought it was strange when they took her for testing for so long, Jonathan what do we do now? We've lost our daughter twice," Jennifer wanted to cry
"No, we're going to find her, I promise," He took her hand, just as the phone rang and they both jumped.
She practically lunged across him and picked up the phone, It was Sister Annalise from Mission Street Orphanage, Apparently Fiona had hitchhiked from Beverly Hills to San Francisco and knocked on the door.
Jennifer thanked the Sister and Hung up the phone, "Fiona ran back to the orphanage."
"At least we know she's safe for tonight, tomorrow I'll go back to San Francisco and pick her up"
"No, Jonathan, we'll both go" She was firm on that.
"Before we go, you need to apologize to Jocelyn,"
"I know, I feel horrible" Jennifer hung her head and started to cry, "Am I horrible mother,"
"What, No! It was an accident," He lifted her chin and wiped her tears, "Darling, you are a wonderful mother, to all three of our children."
She leaned forward and kissed him, for some reason she missed him, there had been something distancing from each other, even their romp in the dressing room wasn't up to their usual style of lovemaking.
She remembered the First time they'd met, sitting at the bar in London and how he'd chatted her up, not knowing who she was, a reporter who'd chased him the length of London but as just another woman at a bar drowning her sorrows, he offered to show her parts of London that she'd never seen before and without even thinking, she followed him like a giddy teenager.
And when he twirled her around that nightclub, she was positive that she had met the person she was supposed to be with for the rest of her life and when they went back to his hotel and he passed out from all the champagne, she put a blanket over him and left him, regretfully and when she went back to her hotel, she stayed up all night, too excited to sleep and waiting for the moment she could be with him.
It was another three days, after being chased and finally confessing that she was indeed that nosy reporter that he sent Max to a hotel, ordered strawberries and champagne and put a do not disturb sign on the door, she had to admit, that first time she was so nervous like she was a virgin all over again.
Jonathan must have sensed her nervousness because He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand, "We don't have to do this tonight, we have the rest of our lives to make love,"
"We do?" She giggled like a teenager
He reached down into his overnight bag and pulled out a box, "I was waiting to give this to you when we leave for home but I think now is the best time," he handed it to her.
She had to admit, this was a moment she'd been hoping for but something inside of her made her hesitate, they had barely known each other and he was proposing, she could feel her anxiety level go up.
"Well, are you going to open it," He was smiling so big, the one thing she didn't want to do was burst his bubble.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and opened the box, to find..
The most beautiful pair of diamond earrings she'd ever seen in her life and for some reason, she laughed hysterically until she had tears streaming down her face.
Jonathan wasn't sure what was so funny but he loved her laugh so much, he didn't mind and when she pulled him forward to kiss him, he practically crashed landed on top of her.
That proposal would come when she least expected, after a fight of all things and she'd told him that she was heading back to New York, he pulled the ring out of his pocket and said that if she married him, they could spend their whole lives fighting and making up.
From that first night in the hotel, to fighting and making up they had a connection that was deeper than just sex, when he kissed her or even held her hand, she felt like she could anything, be anything as long as he was with her.
"Darling," His voice broke into her thoughts, "Hey where'd you go?"
Smiling, "I'm here, I was just thinking,"
"About us?" Jonathan seemed to always read her mind
"Of course," She leaned forward and kissed him, but was surprised when he pulled back
"You need to apologize to Jocelyn before we get anywhere,"
"Darling, she's asleep," Jennifer was nervous, she didn't want to further upset their daughter.
"Knowing your daughter, she's up and awake, waiting for you" Jonathan went into the bathroom
Jennifer sat on the bed for a few more minutes, and went to Jocelyn's door, debating on whether or not to just walk in or knock.
Finally, she knocked and entered after hearing a quiet "Come In,"
Jocelyn was sitting on the window seat, staring out and a book on her lap.
"Baby, can you come here," Jennifer sat on the edge of the bed, "I know you are angry with me and you have every right to be,"
Jocelyn wiped the tears in her eyes, her mother had never even raised her voice at her and when her mom slapped her, it was so stunning she almost felt like she couldn't breathe.
She was afraid to look at her mother, but something made her turn her head and when she did, she saw the devastation in her mother's face and climbed off the window seat and into her mother's arms.
"Oh Jossie, I know you won't understand this until you are much older and have a child but mothers make mistakes, I made a mistake and I'm so sorry, I love you and Jack so much," She hugged her tight, "You are my Heart,"
Jocelyn cried.
"I know that it will take time for you to get used to Fiona, we all will but in Time, you'll learn to love her just like when Jack was born, remember"
Jocelyn nodded, she remembered how her parents had been trying for a second child but no success and then she came home from school one day, they were on the couch talking quietly and when she called to them, they jumped apart like two teenagers.
Jocelyn immediately thought something had happened or someone died, but then she saw that her mother looked like she was getting ready to burst, she thought maybe it was about the horse she'd been begging for her.
"Jocelyn," Daddy had said, "Come sit down beside us,"
She put her backpack down and sat on the chair that used to be Uncle Max's that Mom had said was ugly but it was too sentimental to throw away and that when she suggested to Daddy he put the chair in his office at Hart Towers, He nearly hit the ceiling.
Jennifer was nervous, when she was worried she often pushed her hair back and from the looks of it, she had pushed her hair back to the point where if she did it any harder, she wouldn't have any bangs left.
Jonathan cleared his throat, "You know how much we love you, and How we've wanted to have a second child, well Mommy went to the doctor's and guess what? She's going to have a baby!"
"Dad, I'm 12 why are you talking to me like I'm 5?" Jocelyn was surprised the way he announced this.
"Sorry," Jonathan adjusted his tone, "Aren't you more excited,"
Jennifer hadn't said anything.
"I'm excited, a bit disgusted but I guess it would be cool to have a little sister,"
"Disgusted?" Jonathan was surprised at her.
"Yah it's a little bit disturbing to know that my parents are having sex still," She laughed, Jonathan laughed too.
Jennifer suddenly stood up, "I don't think this very funny." And stomped up the stairs.
"This is only the beginning," Jonathan kissed Jocelyn and went after his wife.
Almost 7 months later, Jack Edward Hart had been born and Jocelyn had instantly fallen in love with him, it was impossible not to, he was hardly a crier, constantly smiled and learned to walk before he was a year old. Every day he would stand by the picture window and wait for her to come home and play with her.
"But that was different, Mom," Jocelyn protested.
"Because you had seven months to get ready for him and it's barely been two days, I know it's hard Baby but soon, it'll be like she's been a part of our lives all along."
"What if it doesn't?" Jocelyn asked quietly.
For the first time in her life, she didn't have an answer that would satisfy Jocelyn instead she kissed her and rocked her to bed like when she was a baby.
When Jocelyn finally fell asleep, Jennifer stood up, kissed her head and stood by the door, wondering if she was making a mistake about Fiona, that if Fiona was willing to walk away or rather run away, then maybe she didn't really want to be a part of their family.
Jennifer went back to their bedroom Where Jonathan had fallen asleep sitting up, reading, waiting for her.
She went to their closet, took out his favorite dress shirt and put it on, where she lacked in height, she made up for it with her long legs.
Jennifer left the bathroom after brushing out her hair and went to the side of their bed, clearing her throat, she tried to wake him up but he wasn't moving.
"Jonathan," She reached over and shook him,"Jonathan!"
His response to her was a snore.
"Jonathan, I'm naked!" She said, waiting for it smiling.
"What?!" He woke up startled, "What happened,"
Suppressing a smile, she climbed into bed, "Nothing Dear,"
"I thought I heard naked," Jonathan was a bit disappointed, she was wearing only his dress shirt but she didn't want to make love.
"Turn off the light," She turned her back on him, waiting for him to pounce.
Knowing that she's playing with him, Jonathan sighs dramatically, "I guess I'll go do some work then," Sitting and getting off the bed, he walked to the bed room door.
"Oh Darling?" She said to his back
"Yah?" He turned to see her remove the dress shirt and drop it off the bed.
"Enjoy your work," She smirked.
He practically ran across the bedroom and jumped on the bed.
She started laughing hysterically, "I thought you had to work,"
"Forget work," He laid down on top of her," This is my job right now"
She kissed his face, and ran her fingers through his hair, "Darling, there's one thing you forgot."
"I think we're a bit past the condom stage," He laughed.
Laughing, "No, you forgot the light"
THE NEXT DAY.
They both drove up to San Francisco early the next morning, figuring it would be best to leave Jocelyn home with Jack, that they could convince Fiona to come home without added worry if Jocelyn would start another fight with her.
Jennifer worried that they were making a mistake leaving Jocelyn home but Jonathan felt that they needed to just have some one-on-one time with Fiona, to get a sense if they were doing the right thing and maybe understand why she ran instead of coming to them.
The drive to San Francisco normally took three hours but at such an early hour and the fact Jonathan was anxious, the got there in less than two, a few times Jennifer wondered if He was anxious about Fiona or anxious about going back to the orphanage.
"Darling," She took his free hand, "Please slow down, you are going to kill us both."
"Sorry, just a bit nervous," Jonathan squeezed her hand.
"I know you are; I am too but speeding down the 405 isn't going to get us there any faster."
He smiled and slowed down, just a bit.
When They finally got to the orphanage, it seemed like minutes later, they pulled up to the building, Jonathan stopped just outside the door.
"Darling," Jennifer was worried about him.
"I'm okay, I'm just ..remembering .."
Jonathan was three when he was brought to Mission street, he didn't know why and the Social Service worker wasn't saying much, just that his Mommy was very sick and couldn't take care of him, that this was just temporary.
But on some level Jonathan knew that this was permanent, that his mother wasn't sick, she'd died and not knowing who his father was, Jonathan had no relatives to care for him.
He remembered walking to the door, holding his beloved bunny and looking up at the church, where the giant sign announced "The Mission Street Orphanage, housing children since 1812," and a giant door opening, a Nun with a nice face kneeled down to his level and asked him his name, He mumbled quietly, Jon-a-Than.
She took his hand and brought him inside, he remembered the door slamming behind him.
"Darling," She took his arm,
"Right," He knocked on the door even though it had only been a few days since he'd been there to drop the check off, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.
The same nun that had brought him inside when he was three, answered the door.
"Charlie," She smiled,
"Sister Madeline, you remember my wife Jennifer," Jonathan swallowed quickly, and when Jennifer noticed the fear in his eyes, she understood.
"Yes Jennifer of course, come in, come in,"
They were brought into the Monsignor's office like two kids, who'd been caught making out and were about to get reamed out.
"Jonathan," Monsignor Samuels came in, holding a folder in his hand,
"Monsignor, how are you?" Jonathan couldn't believe that this was the same guy who used to make him clean graffiti off the walls after he'd come in from a night of running around San Francisco.
"I'm doing quite well, as I hear you've done quite well for yourself," Monsignor sat down behind the desk and opened the folder, "I see you are here about our Fiona,"
"Actually, sir and I say this with all due respect, she's our Fiona," Jonathan smiled.
"Yes of course, but we do feel responsible for her, we've had her since she was about two,"
Jennifer looked worried, "What happened when she came here,"
"Well, Fiona's mother was involved in a domestic situation and unfortunately was killed in a fire, when Fiona came to us after many weeks in the hospital recovering from her surgeries," He was startled when Jennifer gasped,
"Surgeries?" She hadn't noticed any scars but then again, it had only been a short time.
"Yes she sustained burns to her legs and arms,"
"Oh my god, Jonathan," She reached for his hand, he looked just as pale.
"Was the man who harmed our daughter charged," Jonathan asked after a bit
"No he committed suicide, just after setting the fire," Monsignor cleared his throat, "Now I know you've expressed interest in taking Fiona back to Beverly Hills but unfortunately after last night sudden appearance and Fiona's desire to remain here, I think we need to reconsider."
"I'm not leaving my child here," Jennifer was adamant, "It's bad enough to know that someone stole her from us and that she was hurt but I will not leave here knowing that a part of our family is missing, now I'm sorry that she and Jocelyn had a fight as sisters do but they will work it out, now please call whoever needs to be told to get Fiona and her things, we are leaving right now"
"Ma'am," Monsignor was trying to keep his voice in check," What happens If she runs away but this time, she goes somewhere else, I've seen it happen to one too many kids,"
Jennifer was a lioness protecting her cub, "I'm her mother, if anyone can stop her, I will,"
"Ma'am with all due respect, last night Fiona traveled over four hundred miles to get here and I do believe that she would do it again,"
Jonathan exhaled, "So what do we do?"
Jennifer couldn't believe Jonathan, and jumped up, pacing behind him.
"I think the decision has to be Fiona's."
"She's a child, she doesn't know what she wants," Jennifer was sure she was going to go out of her mind.
"Ma'am, I think once you see, Fiona's been making her own decisions since she came here."
"Maybe she is a Hart after all," Jonathan caught Jennifer as she was pacing and pulled her back into the chair.
"Let's just talk to her and go from there," the Monsignor stood up and left the room.
Jennifer immediately turn to Jonathan, "Why are we even here if we are not bringing our daughter home,"
"Sweetheart, I just want to weigh our options and if this is really the best place for Fiona and where she wants to be then who are we to stand in her way?"
Jennifer sat down and wiped her eyes, "Because she is our daughter,"
The door swung open and the Monsignor led Fiona in, who did not look happy to see Jonathan and Jennifer, in fact she looked frightened.
Jennifer stood up and hugged her, "Are you alright," and ran her fingers through Fiona's red hair
"Yes," She said quietly.
"Fiona, why don't you sit down and talk to the Harts," Monsignor sat down again at his desk.
Fiona sat down reluctantly, she never figured when she took off last night that they would actually come back. Then again, she didn't realize that by coming back to Mission Street would be a dead giveaway, she knew she should have gone through West Hollywood to her Friend Roxy's apartment.
Jonathan was the first to speak up, "Why did you run away from us? You scared your mother and I to death,"
Fiona was stubborn, Jonathan had to give her that much, "Because Jocelyn is right, there is room for only one Hart Daughter and that role was taken, biology or not. I'm not going to be a substitute."
Jennifer sat back, defeated.
Jonathan fired back, "We've never asked you to be a substitute for Jocelyn, the only thing we've ever wanted was to know you, even if it's just temporary. Please, we won't force you to do anything you don't want to do but at least give us a chance. "
Fiona was silent for a few minutes, "Alright but Do I have to share a room with Jocelyn,"
Jennifer laughed, "No I think we have a room you can have,"
"Alright," Fiona wanted to be very clear, "But if this doesn't work, I want to finish out my years here."
Jonathan stuck his hand out, "Agreed," They shook.
"Fiona, why don't you take Mrs. Hart to gather your things," The Monsignor suggested which Fiona took the hint that the Monsignor wanted to speak with Jonathan. Alone.
Fiona stood up and left the room with Jennifer.
They walked down to the dormitory, where Jennifer's heart broke, inside this giant room where 20 single beds, next to the bed was a single shelf.
"You stay here?" Jennifer asked quietly
"Yep, that's my bed," Pointing to a bed in the corner.
"Where do you keep your clothes?" Jennifer wanted to cry.
"We have a communal closet," Fiona went to her bed and pulled out her travel bag, throwing in some items that were from her child hood and of course, her favorite stuffed animal, a worn Bunny rabbit she could never part with.
Jennifer sat down and looked around, the other girls had noticed Fiona come in with her but hadn't said anything, they all seem to be keeping to themselves and distancing away, knowing that Fiona doesn't do sentimental goodbyes.
"When we get home, we'll go shopping and buy you lots of dresses," Jennifer wanted to make up for the years Fiona went without certain items.
"Not really into dresses," Fiona knew that Jennifer was trying, "but maybe some new jeans, oh shoot, I need to go find Gloria, she owes me 20 bucks from last week's match"
"Last week's Match?" Jennifer was amused, she was just like her Daddy and Grandpa Max
"Yah the Lakers game, I'll be right back" Fiona left Jennifer and went to the common room to collect her money, on her way back and passing by the large window that overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge, she noticed a strange car across the street and a man staring at the building, talking into a phone. She thought nothing of it and when she came back to Jennifer, she found Jonathan with her.
"Are we ready to go," Jonathan asked.
"I guess so," Fiona was nervous.
Outside of Mission Street, the man on the phone spoke quickly.
"I'm sorry sir, I tried to get the girl but she's under lock and key,"
"Try harder, I want that girl brought to me now," the voice on the other end commanded.
"Yes, Mr. Edwards," The man hung up.