Jesse turned up on Krystal's doorstep with a big bunch of flowers, trying to make up for the argument at the funeral.

"I'm not interested." said Krystal as she turned on her heel and marched back into the house.

As she hadn't slammed the door in his face Jesse assumed that meant she didn't mean what she said and wanted him to follow.

"Krissy, please don't be like this." he begged, skirting the Christmas tree in the lounge as he chased after her. "It was important to keep Erica and Bianca a secret until we were sure!"

Krystal turned and stared at him. Jesse stared back with his best puppy dog eyes.

Krystal shook her head as her anger subsided, because she wasn't really mad at him.

"Do you know the worst part?" she said. "The worst part is when I told Marissa I don't think she believed me."

"I'm sorry." said Jesse holding out the flowers again.

This time she smiled and took them.

"They're beautiful." she said, "I'll go put them in some water."

Just them the sound of Dolly Parton's Nine to Five blurted out.

"That's my cell." said Krystal apologetically as she handed back the flowers and grabbed her handbag from the side. "I'm expecting a call from Opal."

Krystal moved by the window to answer the call. The voice at the other end of the line was tinny and so full of static she could hardly hear.

"Hello…Hello…" Krystal called, but she couldn't understand the reply. It didn't sound like Opal. "I'm sorry this is such a bad line, I can't hear you. Can you speak up?"

She was about to hang up but then she finally caught something she recognised in the voice.

"It…B…ca…K..stal…p…ease…t's Bianca! W…eed…y…elp."

"Bianca!" She exclaimed. "Bianca is that really you?"

Krystal turned to Jesse in alarm. He was already hurrying to her, gesturing for her to pass the phone.

"Bianca can you hear me?" asked Jesse as soon as he had the cell to his ear. "Can you tell me where you are?"

"Jesse!…es…hear you. I don't…ow… I am. It's… pital."

"Can you say that again?" Jesse asked. At the same time he was pointing to Krystal to bring over the house phone.

"I… a…ospital of s…kind."

"A hospital?"

"…es, a hos... …al."

Krystal brought back the phone, but she was full of questions of her own.

"Are they alright? Are they hurt?" she asked but Jesse waved for silence, he was trying to listen to Bianca.

"Are David and Erica there?" Jesse asked.

There was a long moment of static before he caught the rest of Bianca's words

"…operate on me. Now…o…mom."

"Say again?" Jesse asked.

"David…n…c… …on mom."

Jesse caught the words 'David' and 'mom' which would mean that Erica and David were wherever Bianca was too. Now he had the house phone he handed the cell back to Krystal.

"Talk to her." he said. "And don't let her hang up!" He was already dialling his on the other phone.

"Brot. This is urgent. I need a trace on the following number…"

Krystal stepped away to block his voice as she tried to hear Bianca's voice over the bad line.

"Bianca, it's Krystal. Jesse is calling for back up. Tell me have they hurt you?"

Her question was met by a hiss of static.

"Bianca… Bianca… Are you there?"

"…omeone's coming!" Bianca whispered down the line.

"Don't hang up" Krystal exclaimed, "Jesse's trying to trace the call!"

"They'll … … … … …ave to hide."

"But don't hang up or we'll never find you! Bianca… Bianca… BIANCA!"

From the other end of the line there was a thump and a clump and a rattle and then everything got very muffled.

"Bianca?" Krystal whispered concern.

"What happened?" Jesse asked, noting the concern on Krystal's face.

Krystal lowered the phone.

"She said someone was coming and now she's gone."

"What?" exclaimed Jesse.

He took the phone from Krystal and, covering the speaker, held it to his ear.

"The line is still open." he said. He handed the house phone over. "Check with Brot how they are doing with the trace."

"But she's not there." said Krystal.

"No," said Jesse, "But I can hear voices. Something is going on there, wherever there is?"

…

When Bianca got through to Krystal she was astounded that Jesse was already there with her. Krystal was the first person she could think of, who had a direct line to the Chief of Police. She tried to explain her situation to them but she wasn't sure how much of it was getting through, the line was terrible.

Then she heard the footsteps coming and her brief moment of hope was turned back to fear. Krystal kept calling down the phone not to hang up but what could she do? The guards were bound to notice a phone off the hook. In a fit of desperation she shoved the whole phone, handset and all, into a desk drawer and hoped it wouldn't be discovered before Jesse finished his trace. Her imaginary companion was gesturing to a door in the corner; Bianca bolted to it as fast as her leg would allow. She surged through and closed the door just as three men entered behind her.

That is when Bianca realised she had trapped herself in a stationary cupboard.

…