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CHAPTER 11

Larisa paced back and forth in her sister's kitchen as she talked on the phone with Taj. She made sure to speak in a low voice just in case Desiree happened to awaken from her nap on the couch. By the time that Larisa called Taj, he had already known about Piper's arrest from watching the news and was on his way out of the door, heading to the police station. She filled him in on Piper's version of what happened at her home and they both agreed that the woman was innocent. Though she obviously detested Richard Love, she did not have it in her to murder him in cold blood. Now all they had to do was prove that to the police.

"So I'll meet you at the police station in a little while," Larisa said to Taj, getting ready to end the call. She nodded as he said something. "You bet we are. I don't want Piper to spend anymore time in jail for this then she has to. Enough of her life has already been wasted." As Larisa made a U-turn to pace back towards the entrance to the kitchen, she suddenly came to an abrupt stop as she noticed her sister standing there with a confused expression. "Hey Taj…I have to go. Desiree just woke up…Okay, see you then." Pressing a button to end the call, Larisa looked at Desiree. She was getting ready to say something when the younger woman cut her off.

"Why is Piper in jail?"

Larisa placed the phone down on the kitchen table before she motioned her sister to take a seat. Walking over, Desiree pulled out one of the chairs and sat down as she watched her sibling closely, wondering what was going on. Larisa took a seat next to Desiree, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She had no idea how the other woman would react to what she was about to divulge.

"The police think that she is responsible for Father's death, but she's not and Taj and I plan on proving that," Larisa explained quickly.

Desiree's confused expression changed into one of anger. "What do you mean by responsible?" she inquired slowly.

Larisa suddenly desired to be anywhere but here. "She was arrested because it's suspected that she might have killed him."

The strawberry-blonde stared at her sister silently for a few moments. Larisa resisted the urge to fidget in her chair as Desiree unexpectedly picked up the phone. Standing up, she threw the object and watched as it flew towards the wall, making impact with it before hitting the floor. "That bitch!" She stormed out of the kitchen leaving a shocked Larisa behind. Never had she heard her sister speaking with such venom in her voice. Never had she witnessed Desiree give such an outburst.

Getting up from the chair, Larisa walked out of the kitchen to find her sister standing at a window looking out. Hearing her footsteps, Desiree looked towards Larisa, shaking her head. "You said that he committed suicide," she said, her voice shaking with anger.

"He did," the dark-haired woman replied quietly. "I know he did."

"Then why has Piper been arrested? Explain that to me Larisa."

"Because she was there when it happened and it appears that she did, but both Taj and I know she didn't. Piper would never go that far."

Desiree shook her head. "You should have seen her this morning. She found out some information concerning Dad and was intending to use it against him. I asked her not to, but she wouldn't listen. She was so cold and callous about it all. I now know that I never really knew her. She played me and now she's doing the same thing to you and Taj."

"That's not true Desiree," Larisa replied in a quiet voice. "She's innocent. I know she is. And I intend on making everyone realize that."

Desiree said something but her sister could not make out what it was so she asked her to repeat it. "I said," the strawberry-blonde started in a louder tone of voice, "get out of my home. You're not welcome here any longer," her voice shook as her eyes filled with tears again. "If you and Taj want to play detective's then fine. But you're wasting your time because that…woman killed my father. Just as sure as you are that she's innocent, I'm sure that's guilty." Desiree took a deep breath as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Now you have to go."

"Desi…you shouldn't be alone-"

"I said leave. I want to be alone."

She turned back towards the window as though to dismiss her sister. Sighing softly, Larisa headed towards the front door. Opening it, she glanced back towards Desiree, saying, "I can't go home…I don't want to be there. So if you need…want to get in touch with me I'll be staying at the Ashton Inn." She waited for some type of response but there wasn't one. Shaking her head sadly, Larisa walked out, softly closing the door behind her.

Hearing the door close, Desiree collapsed to the floor as the tears came. Her body shook as she wrapped her arms around her bent legs, burying her face against her knees. More than anything she wished that this was all a horrible nightmare that she would soon awaken from.

"Why?" she cried as she rocked back and forth. "Oh, God why?"

*****

Pulling into the parking space, Larisa got out of her car and looked around for Taj's vehicle. She found it with him leaning against it. The Jamaican man did not see her, since he was facing the other way. Walking over she called out his name and Taj looked towards where the voice had come from. Not saying anything, he walked towards Larisa, wrapping his arms around her. She wrapped her own arms around the man as she swallowed, a lump forming in her throat. She fought the tears that were threatening to come. This was not the time to break down.

The two stood embraced for a moment or two before Larisa pulled back, attempting to give Taj a smile. "Thanks. I needed that."

Taj tenderly smiled at the woman as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She in turn put one around his waist. "How is Desi doing?" he asked as they begin to walk towards the police station.

"Not good as to be expected. She's been through a lot lately," Larisa gave a momentary pause. "I told her that Piper was arrested. Desiree thinks that she's guilty. And since you and I don't, that puts us on her you know what list. I was asked to leave…well told really."

Taj squeezed her gently. "I'm sorry Risa. Like you said, she's been through a lot lately. It has to be getting to her. It'll be all right."

Reaching the police station, Taj opened the door and waited for his companion to enter before going in himself. They asked to speak with Piper and were escorted by a police officer towards a door, which had to be unlocked. Following the man, down a short hall they soon reached Piper's cell. She was lying on a small cot looking up at the ceiling. Seeing them, she quickly arose from the cot and walked over to the bars, wrapping her hands around them.

"Hey…it's good to see some familiar faces." She smiled faintly, as did Taj and Larisa. The police officer left, but an on duty guard was in the background, reclined in a chair.

"It's good to see you too hon," Larisa said as she noticed the cast on Piper's forearm, covering all of her hand except for her fingers and thumb. "Is your wrist broken?"

Piper glanced at the cast on her left arm. "Yeah, I fractured it when I tried to break my fall. They ran me by a hospital before we came here." She was afraid to ask but she had to know. "Did you speak with Desiree?"

Larisa nodded mutely.

"What did she say?"

When Larisa did not say anything, Piper turned to Taj with a questioning look. Clearing his throat, Taj uttered, "At this point Pippy, she has it in her head that you killed him. She doesn't believe that it was a suicide. But try not to worry, because we're going to make her see differently."

Piper gave a slight nod. "I don't blame her," she said softly. "If I were her, I'd probably think I was guilty too."

Slipping a hand through the bars, Larisa squeezed Piper's shoulder quickly before letting go. "Well we're going to prove that you're not."

"How are you gonna do that? All of the evidence points to me." She counted the evidence on her fingers. "My fingerprints are on the gun. I have gunpowder on my hands. I have a motive for wanting him dead. I was the only one there when it happened. There isn't a suicide note, and even if there was a suicide note that still doesn't mean that I didn't kill him. He could have come back to your house planning on committing suicide but I turned it into a homicide." Piper glanced at them both. "Guys, I don't mean to be cynical but it appears that I'm pretty much screwed," she paused. "So I ask you again. How are you gonna prove that I'm innocent?"

Larisa and Taj shared a look before turning back to Piper. "You want the truth?" Larisa asked.

The blue-eyed woman nodded. "That's what I prefer."

"We don't have a damn clue." If the situation had not been so dire, Piper could have laughed at the admission. "But I assure you, you won't be in here much longer. We'll think of something."

*****
Tapping his fingers on the Walkman, seventeen-year-old Dennis Farrow listened to the music blasting from his earphones. His head moved back and forth, as he looked around. He had never been in a morgue before. His father had worked here for nearly five years now, but Dennis never visited until today. Well he did not have much of a choice. His mother wasn't home and his father had to work, therefore not having the time to take Dennis home.

For the past two hours, the teenager had been sitting in the lobby watching as people went in and out. He could identify those that had come to view a body by the expression on their faces. They all wore the same exact one. Fear. In all of his years, Dennis had never seen a real body except for on television and some part of him was curious. He kept glancing towards the door where people disappeared through.

While he sat, Dennis wondered how long his father was going to ground him this time. The reason he was at the morgue and not at school, which was where he was supposed to be now, was because the teenager had been caught selling drugs on campus during break that morning. He had been expelled from school and had to go to court. Dennis did not understand why everyone was getting so bent out of shape. All he had was some marijuana. The teenager did not really care about getting expelled. It was like being on vacation.

As side A of the tape in his Walkman finished playing, Dennis was about to turn it over when he changed his mind. Removing his earphones, the teenager placed the Walkman on the chair next to him. Not seeing anyone, he got up and walked towards the door he had been eyeing for the last couple of hours. Opening it, he strolled inside, looking from side to side, not spying anyone. Dennis saw three doors and chose one of them. Opening the door, he found himself in a brightly-lit room that had rows of square silver colored doors on one of the walls. From watching television, the young man knew those were the freezers for the bodies.

What really caught his attention though was the body bag lying on an examination table. It was the only one out. Looking around again, Dennis saw no one and hurried fully into the room, making sure to shut the door behind him. Slowly he walked towards the bag as though the person inside would wake up if he or she heard the teenager. On reaching the bag, Dennis spied the zipper. With a shaky hand, he pulled the zipper half way down before he looked at the face of the person inside.

Dennis' brow crinkled as he studied the man. For some reason, he looked familiar, but Dennis knew that he did not know him personally. The teenager wracked his brain until a name finally popped in his head. This was Richard Love. He was the judge who had been on the news lately because his daughter was taken hostage. Dennis stared at the hole in his head, wondering who shot him. Looking around again, the teenager still did not see anyone before he looked back at the corpse. If they had not removed his clothing yet, then he must still have his wallet. That is unless his death was due to a robbery. Not feeling so much as an ounce of guilt, Dennis snaked a hand into the man's jacket pocket, grasping something. It wasn't a wallet though. Pulling the object out, the teenager studied what was a small tape recorder. As a door on the far right was pushed open, Dennis hurriedly slipped the tape recorder into a pocket of his baggy jeans.

His father glared at him. "What are you doing back here Dennis?"

Crap. "Sorry Dad. I was looking for the bathroom and I got lost."

His father looked at him with a disbelieving expression. "Go sit down Dennis. You're not supposed to be in here. My shift is almost done."


The teenager nodded. "All right." He started to walk towards the door but then turned back towards his father. "Hey Dad, who killed Richard Love?" He got a surprised look. "Hey, I watch the news. I keep up with what happens. So, who killed him? I bet it was Piper Redding. I think if anyone would wanna kill him it would be her."

"As a matter of fact she was arrested. It's possible that she did. Now go back to the front. And don't move again. I mean it Dennis."

The teenager put his hands up. "All right, all right. I'm going." Turning around he walked out of the room and headed towards his chair. Sitting down, he took the tape recorder out of his pocket and pressed a button to rewind it.

"I wonder what we have here," he said out loud. Minutes later the tape reached the beginning and Dennis inserted his earphones into the tiny hole located on the tape recorder before putting them on. Pressing play, he listened intently. There was silence so far except for faint footsteps. He then heard a male voice.

"Hello Redding." Dennis noticed the voice as that of the judge.

"I'm pleased that you decided to stay here while Larisa took my son and wife to the airport. I think we need to have a little chat. What do you think?"

The teenager listened up to the point of a loud gunshot. Pressing the stop button, the young man took off his earphones as he thought over what he had just heard. Piper Redding was innocent. The judge must have recorded the whole conversation so people would know the truth about what happened. Dennis saw two options. He could take this tape to the police and become a true hero or he could use it to his advantage and make some money. The teenager grinned. Talk about a no-brainer.

*****
Desiree drained another glass of whiskey just as the phone began to ring. She started not to answer it but then figured the call might be important. Getting up, she searched around the living room for the phone before remembering where she had left it. Drunkenly, she moved into the kitchen and picked up the phone from the floor, amazed that it still worked. Pressing the talk button, she said hello.

"Hello, Desiree is that you?"

The strawberry-blonde nodded, but then remembered that the person on the other end of the line could not see it. "Yes…it is. If this is a reporter, I'm not in…intewested in talking," the young woman slurred.

Micaela closed her eyes shortly as she listened to Desiree speak. It was clear that she was inebriated. "No, Desiree I'm not a reporter. Perhaps you'll remember me from last night at the bar. I took you home. My name is Micaela Chavez."

Desiree nodded again as she shuffled towards the kitchen table, having a seat in one of the chairs. "I remember you. Did you leave somethin' here?"

"No, I called to offer my condolences about your father," Micaela softly stated. "I'm so sorry to hear what happened. I know that this must be a difficult time for you and your loved ones. I know you don't know me from Adam, but if there is anything that I can do please don't hesitate to let me know. Why don't I give you my phone number?"

"Thank you Micaela, but I'm gonna be just fine. I need to go now."

"Wait. Please don't hang up yet. May I have your sister's phone number or is she there with you now?" Micaela had a feeling that Desiree was all alone since she was drinking so heavily.

"She's not here. We had a disagweement earlier and she had to leave. You can reach her at the," Desiree had to think for a moment, "Ashton Inn."

"Thank you Desiree. So does that mean you're there by yourself?"

"Yep. I like it like that." The young woman rested her forehead on the cool table as she began to feel sick to her stomach. "Listen, I weally need to go now. Thanks for calling Micaela."

"Okay. I'll let you go. Take care of yourself now. Goodbye." The Latina ended the call as she sat in thought for a few minutes. She came to a couple of decisions as she dialed information to get the number for the Ashton Inn. Dialing the number for the hotel, Micaela waited for someone to pick it up. On the second ring someone did. "Hello. May I have Larisa Love's room?" Moments later she was connected to Larisa's room as she listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Larisa, hello. I'm glad I was able to track you down. This is Micaela Chavez. We met last night. I uh…kicked you in the nose."

Like I could ever forget you, Larisa thought extremely surprised that her caller was Micaela. She sat down on the queen-sized bed, her knees suddenly feeling a tad weak. She must have called Desiree. "Yes, my nose and I remember. A mighty fine kick it was." Larisa emitted a short chuckle. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good. How are you? I'm sorry to hear about your father."

"Oh, I'm hanging in there." She smiled, though Micaela could not see it. "Desiree must have informed you of my whereabouts."


"Yes, she did. She also said that the two of you had a disagreement. I know that it's none of my business, but what could have happened? You and she should be together during this time."

"I agree, but my sister is upset with me. In a nutshell, I believe that Piper is innocent whereas she doesn't. So since I don't agree with her, she doesn't want anything to do with me right now. I had planned on staying at her apartment so she won't be alone and neither will I, but that's not about to happen. How did she sound to you?"

Drunk. "She said that she wanted to be alone. That she liked it like that, but I didn't believe her."

Larisa sighed into the phone. "I'd go over there, but I know Desiree wouldn't let me in."

It was time to execute one of her decisions. "Well why don't you come over here? My apartment isn't that grand, but I have room for you."

Yes, yes, yes! "Micaela, I couldn't impose on you like that. Thank you anyway though."

"It's not an imposition. I want you to come."

Yes, I'd like you to do that too, Larisa thought, an image forming in her mind. She then shook her head. Wait, what am I thinking? This is not the time. And I don't even know this woman. She could be some kind of psycho. Larisa shook her head again. Nah, what psycho would escort a tipsy woman home and then wait until other's arrived there before she left?

"Larisa?" Micaela wondered if she had hung up.

"Oh, sorry! Spaced out for a moment." She paused. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. There is no reason for you to be paying to stay in a hotel when you could just bunk with me. I could really use the company myself. Now do you have a piece of paper and a pen? I'll give you my address."

"Just a second." Opening the drawer of the nightstand next to her bed, Larisa removed a thin tablet and a pen, both with the hotel's logo on them. She began to write down Micaela's address as the woman dictated it to her. "Okay, I've got it. What time should I come over?"

"Anytime that you want sweetie. If you can be here in ten minutes then that's great."

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"Not really. I just ate a bagel," Micaela replied.

"Well that's not a proper meal. I'll bring something. What's your favorite type of food?"

"Chinese."

"That sounds yummy," Larisa said as her stomach growled. She had not eaten a thing all day. "What dishes do you like?"

"Anything but pot stickers."

Larisa laughed. "I don't much care for those either." She glanced at her watch. It was nearly six-thirty. "Okay, I'll be there in a little bit. Thank you for having me."

Micaela warmly smiled into the phone. "It is my pleasure. I'll see you in a bit."

*****

As she lay curled up in her bed, Desiree groaned as she heard the doorbell ring. She attempted to ignore the caller, but they were persistent, ringing the bell a few more times. Giving in, the young woman threw back the covers and on shaky legs made her way to the door.

"Hi there," Micaela said in a cheery voice as Desiree opened the door. She held two small white bags in her hand and the strawberry-blonde could smell the rich aroma emanating from them.

"Hello." Desiree cocked her head to the side. "Are you an angel?"

The Latin woman chuckled. "No, sweetie. I'm far from it. May I come in?"

Though she wanted to say no because she was not in the mood for visitors, Desiree had a feeling that Micaela would not take no for an answer, so she merely stepped out of the way. The other woman walked in and headed straight for the couch. Taking a seat, she put her bags on the coffee table as Desiree closed and locked the door. She then walked over to the couch as well, and took a seat next to Micaela.

Smiling at Desiree, Micaela opened the bags. Out of one of the bags came two sixteen ounce styrofoam cups with coffee in them. She asked Desiree what she liked in her coffee if anything, as she reached into the other bag and took out packets of raw sugar, Sweet n' Low, a pint of milk, cream, and a couple of stirrers.

"I like a little milk and sugar." Desiree sat back on the couch and closed her eyes, her head spinning.

Removing the top from one of the cups, Micaela poured in some milk along with a packet of sugar. Picking up one of the red skinny little straws, she mixed the contents of the cup together before replacing the top and pulling back the tab where you sip. Looking back at Desiree, she raised the cup until it was just under the younger woman's nose. Micaela began to move it back and forth as the aroma wafted up. Desiree opened her eyes and took the cup.

"Thank you," she said as she held the cup between her hands, the warmth from it seeping into her palms.

"You're welcome," Micaela replied as she picked up her own cup and pulled back the tab, taking a sip. "Drink up."

Doing as she was told, Desiree lifted the cup to her lips and took a few small sips. "That's good coffee," she said. The other woman nodded in agreement.

Curling one leg underneath her, Micaela sat back on the couch facing Desiree. "So what do you think drinking is going to solve?"

The strawberry-blonde looked at her. She was not in the mood to be lectured. Especially by someone she didn't even know. "Pardon me?"

"I asked what you thought drinking would solve?"

"What business is it of yours?"

Micaela shrugged. "None, but since you helped me I intend on returning the favor. You stopped me from making a very stupid mistake last night and I want to stop you before you become what I once was."

"What were you?"

"An alcoholic," Micaela quietly replied. "Well I am an alcoholic…I always will be, but at least now I have it under control."

Desiree shook her head. "I don't have a drinking problem. You saw me drunk last night and I assume you know that I've been drinking this evening but that doesn't make me a candidate for being an alcoholic."

The Latina nodded. "Maybe you're right. All I know is picking up that bottle won't solve your problems. It won't make them go away. All you're doing is masking them for a while." Raising her cup, she took another sip before going on, "I drank because I was abused. Mentally and physically by a man that I thought loved me."

"I'm so sorry," Desiree said sincerely.

"It took me five years, but I finally got help for my problem and I've been sober ever since."

"What happened last night?"

Micaela did not say anything right away. "I was planning on killing myself. The gun was in my car waiting for me as I sat there reviewing my life and feeling sorry for myself. I don't know what got into me. That was not only stupid but also selfish. I have responsibilities." She looked at Desiree who was listening intently. "You made me realize that I had to keep living, that I wanted to live."

There was silence between the two women before Micaela finally spoke up saying, "Desiree, now is the time that you and your sister should be there for each other. Please don't push her away."

"Did she send you here to speak with me?"

Micaela shook her head. "No, she doesn't know I'm here. I invited her to stay with me so she wouldn't have to be alone in that hotel room. Why don't come home with me and talk to her?"

Desiree shook her head before she took a sip from her cup of coffee before leaning over and setting it on the table. "No, I can't do that. I don't have anything to say to her. If she wants to believe that Piper didn't murder our father then it is her choice to do so, but I haven't a thing to say."

Micaela cocked her head to the side. "What makes you so sure that you're right and she's wrong?"

Letting out a ragged breath, the strawberry-blonde stood up and walked over to the front door. On opening it, she turned back to Micaela who was still reclined on the couch. "Thank you for coming by to check on me and for bringing the coffee, but I think that it's time you leave."

The older woman smiled, but there was no humor in it. Getting up, she walked towards the front door with her coffee in hand. She stopped next to Desiree. "You're awfully good at putting people out, aren't you?" Not waiting for an answer she took a slip of paper out of her pocket and pressed it into Desiree's hand. "That's my address and phone number in case you want to contact your sister. Take care sweetie." With that, Micaela walked out of the apartment, closing the door as she went.

*****
Arriving at apartment 2C, Larisa knocked on the door before she reached up to run a hand through her hair, smoothing it out. In her other hand, she held two heavy brown paper bags filled with various Chinese cuisine. Moments later she heard a tiny voice asking who it was and wondered if she had the wrong apartment. Deciding to take a chance, she gave her name and then heard the locks being turned before the door opened. Larisa had to look down to see who had let her in. She noticed a toddler dressed in pajamas that had Disney characters printed all over it. Oh, my. Micaela has a child.

The little boy smiled up at her, showing an adorable set of deep dimples in his cheeks. "Hi Ma'am. Mommy said you were gonna come stay with us." He stepped out of the way. "Please come in."

Smiling at his politeness, Larisa walked into the apartment before the toddler closed and locked the door. As he did so, a woman who Larisa guessed to be around twenty-five walked down the hallway towards them. She smiled at Larisa as she reached her, shaking the woman's hand. "Hello. You must be Larisa. I'm Carly the baby-sitter. Sorry I didn't hear you arrive. I was in the bathroom."

Larisa turned to the little boy and reached out a hand, gently ruffling his pile of dark brown ringlets. "That's all right. This fine gentleman did a terrific job." The toddler beamed up at her. Larisa winked at him before turning back to the baby-sitter. "So Micaela isn't here?"

Carly shook her head. "No, she said to tell you that she had to go see someone, but for you to make yourself at home and that she would be back shortly."

Larisa nodded. "Okay. May I put these in the kitchen?" She held up the bags for Carly to see. The other woman nodded as she motioned Larisa to follow her to the kitchen. The toddler followed along behind the women. Putting the bags on the kitchen cabinet, Larisa smiled down at the boy again. "What's your name?"

"It's Dante," he said, smiling. "Nice to meet you."

Larisa chuckled. "It's nice to meet you too Dante. That's a very nice name you have."

The little boy blushed. "Thank you Ma'am."

He was so adorable. "You can call me Larisa, 'kay?"

Dante nodded, smiling. "Okay Larisa. I like your name too."

Carly smiled at them both before she walked towards the toddler, picking him up in her arms. "Okay Danny Boy, it's time for bed now. Did you pick out the story you want me to read?"

Dante nodded, the curls on his head bouncing. "Yes Carly. I want Jack and the Beanstalk." Jack and the Beanstalk was the toddler's favorite story, and most of the time he chose to be read that one at bedtime.

"That was one of my favorite stories when I was a child Dante," Larisa said. "I loved it."

He smiled at her. "Would you like to read it now?"

The woman smiled back. "I'd enjoy that." She looked at the baby-sitter. "Carly, would it be all right with you if I put Dante to bed and read him the story?"

Carly nodded as she handed the small child over to Larisa. "No problem." She smiled. "He's all yours." She brushed the back of her hand against Dante's cheek. "Danny Boy, why don't you show your guest where your room is?"

Squiggling out of her arms, Dante placed his tiny hand around two of Larisa's fingers before leading her towards his room as he merrily talked all of the way. Soon, the little boy was tucked into his bed with Larisa sitting on the edge of it with a copy of Jack and the Beanstalk in her hand. Reaching out, she gently pushed a couple of errant curls off of the boy's forehead before she opened the book and began to read.

"Once upon a time there was a poor widow who lived with her son Jack in a little house. Their wealth consisted solely of a milking cow. When the cow had grown too old, the mother sent Jack to sell it. On his way to the market…"

Not too long later, Micaela entered the apartment. Seeing Carly on the couch in the living room, she smiled at the woman as she walked over to her. "Hey Carly. Did Larisa arrive yet?"

The baby-sitter nodded. "Yes. She's in Dante's room reading him a bedtime story." Carly grinned as she stood up, putting the strap of her purse on her shoulder. In a near whisper she said, "She's gorgeous."

"Who?" Micaela asked, knowing exactly whom Carly was referring to.

The other woman rolled her eyes. "That sweet thing in your son's room. If I were into women…" she trailed off still grinning.

Micaela playfully slapped her on the arm. "You're bad."

The baby-sitter chuckled as she headed for the front door, Micaela walking along with her. "Well you're too good. You've been abstinent at least since the day I met you and that was three years ago."

Micaela chuckled. "So?"

"So?" Carly opened the door. "I don't see how you've done it. I've watched you Mickey. All you do is go to work and then come home to spend time with your son and maybe work on your painting every few months. This is not what I would call a fulfilled life my friend. What you need to do is get out and meet people."

"Is that so?" Micaela said with an amused look upon her face. Carly was always trying to motivate her to get out and 'meet people.' "It's not like I'm a complete homebody. I've been out on a few dates."

"Five," the baby-sitter replied. "In three years you've been out on five dates and none of them ended in the sack."

Micaela laughed as she gently pushed Carly out of the door. "Okay Car, it's time for you to go home now."

Carly grinned. "Larisa…see if she's interested. I have a feeling she is. You see Mickey, I know people."

The other woman nodded, wearing that same amused expression. "Is that so? Goodnight Car."

The baby-sitter chuckled as she began to walk down the stairs. "Goodnight Mickey. See you manana. Same place, same time."

Chuckling, Micaela closed the door before walking down the hall to her son's room. Looking in, she leaned against the doorjamb as she watched Larisa finishing up Jack and the Beanstalk. A tender smile crossed her lips as she saw her child nice and cozy underneath the covers fast asleep with his teddy bear in his arms.

"The magical sound of the harp cured his mother's sadness and she was once again happy and cheerful. The hen kept on laying golden eggs. Jack's life had gone through a lot of changes since he had accepted the magic beans. But without his courage and his wit, he and his mother could never have found happiness." Larisa closed the book and put it on the nightstand before she leaned over and pressed her lips to Dante's forehead. "The end," she whispered before quietly arising from the bed and turning to head for the door. She stopped as she saw Micaela standing there watching her. She had a smile on her face so Larisa returned one. "Hello," she said quietly.

"Hello," Micaela mouthed back. She motioned Larisa to finish walking out of the room. After she did so, the Latina closed the door softly before she wrapped an arm around the other woman's waist, leading her towards the living room. "That was really sweet."

"What was?" Larisa was momentarily disoriented due to the arm that was suddenly around her waist. She found that she enjoyed it being there.

As the two women sat on the couch, Micaela kept her arm around Larisa replying, "You reading Dante his bedtime story," she smiled, "and for the kiss." She looked at the other woman. "You're really sweet."

Larisa swallowed with a bit of difficulty. It was not her imagination. There were actually butterflies in her stomach and her heartbeat had suddenly increased. Did Micaela have any idea what kind of effect she was having on her? Larisa suspected that the answer was no. Wrapping an arm around the Latina, she quietly thanked her.

Micaela winked at her. "Can I get you anything to drink?" She started to get up from the couch, stretching as she did so.

Larisa ran a hand through her hair as she asked, "You don't by any chance have scotch, do you? After today, I could really use one."

The other woman walked into the kitchen replying, "Sorry sweetie, but there isn't any alcohol in this house except for the kind you put on your body. I'm a recovering alcoholic."

Larisa arose from the couch, following Micaela into the kitchen, watching her removing two plates from one of the cabinets. "How long have you been sober?"

"Five years." Micaela took the plates along with silverware to the dining room table before entering the kitchen again and picking up the bags of Chinese food, taking them there as well.

The younger woman smiled as she took a seat at the oblong shaped glass table with Micaela sitting on her right. "That's wonderful."

"It was difficult, but something I had to do." Opening the bags, the Latina began removing the white cartons. "Mmm…these smell terrific. I haven't had Chinese in weeks."

As she was about to take another carton out of the bag, Larisa stopped her, by placing a hand over hers. When Micaela's warm, brown eyes made contact with her green, Larisa simply said in a silent tone of voice, "Thank you."

Smiling, Micaela arose from her chair before gently tugging the other woman out of hers. Not uttering a word, she embraced the younger woman as Larisa put her arms around her waist. Unbidden, tears sprang to Larisa's eyes. Soon her shoulder's shook as she began to cry, finally letting out the emotions that she had been holding in during the entire day. Micaela held her tighter, beginning to gently stroke up and down her back as her own eyes glistened. As Larisa's knees buckled, Micaela guided them to the floor, managing to keep the grieving woman in her embrace.

Burying her face against Micaela's shoulder, Larisa softly whispered as the tears continued to come, "I'm sorry Daddy. I'm so sorry."

Beginning to rock her, Micaela started rubbing the woman's back again as she whispered next to her. "It's gonna be all right sweetie. Everything is gonna be just fine." She tenderly kissed Larisa's cheek as she held her tighter.

*****

Sitting up, she sighed. It was no use. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not sleep. Piper looked around the darkened cell figuring that it must have been around ten or eleven o'clock at night. She glanced at the guard who was currently reading a magazine before she sat back on the bed with her back up against the wall. Her wrist was throbbing, she was tired though she could not sleep, and she missed Desiree terribly.

Looking across at the guard again, Piper wondered if she could make a phone call. Since she had been placed in here, Piper had not attempted to contact anyone, but weren't you entitled to one phone call? Arising from the cot, the dark-haired woman walked over to the bars, wrapping her hands around them as she studied the guard. What was his name again? Henry…Harold…oh, yes. She knew what it was now.

"Hank?"

Taking his eyes away from the magazine, the guard looked at Piper. "Yes Miss?" he said in a deep voice.

"Please let's not be so formal. Call me Piper." She tried a smile out on him, somewhat surprised when Hank smiled back, his dark mustache twitching as he did so.

"Yes Piper?"

"I know it must be late, but I was wondering if I could make a call? There is someone that I must speak with. It's very important Hank," she finished wearing a pleading expression.

Mulling it over for a moment, the guard closed his magazine before placing it on the floor as he arose from the chair standing at his full height of nearly six and a half feet. Walking over to Piper's cell, the man took a small cellular phone out of his pocket before slipping it through the bars. "You can use my phone," he said. "Take your time. Let me know when you're done." Winking at her, or at least Piper thought he did, Hank returned to his chair. Picking up his magazine, the guard resumed his reading. Thanking him, Piper walked back to her cot. Having a seat, she stared at the tiny electronic device in her hand for a few minutes, trying to get up the courage to call. She knew the number by heart. Now all she had to do was press the correct buttons and then talk. That sounded simple enough.

Her palms beginning to sweat, Piper pushed the numbers, all the while wondering if this was an absurd idea. She concluded that it was, but this was something that she had to do. Putting the phone to her ear, Piper listened as it began to ring. Resisting the urge to pace, the woman sat back on the cot as she crossed one leg over the other. Just as she was about to hang up, she heard a soft voice answer.

Having to find her suddenly lost voice first, Piper said, "Hi Desiree. Please don't hang up. It's me."

There was silence on the other end but Piper was glad not to hear the click that signified that the phone call had been disconnected.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but please listen to me okay?" There still was no an answer so she went on, "I'm sorry about what happened today. I know that sounds pretty lame but I am. If I hadn't been so vindictive in the first place, none of this would have happened," stopping for a moment, Piper took a deep breath, her heart harshly pounding beneath her chest. "Your sister informed me that you think I'm guilty, and frankly I don't blame you. If I were you, I would think I was too," she paused, quickly running her tongue along suddenly dry lips, "but I swear to you, I swear Desiree that I didn't murder your father. He wanted me to kill him but I didn't. Not technically anyhow…my finger pressed the trigger but only because he manipulated it." Piper let out a loud breath. "I know that sounds totally stupid, which is why I'm probably going to prison for the rest of my life, but it's the truth. Sweetheart, I'll admit that I wanted your father to pay for what he did, but not like that. I would never go that far," she stopped as she listened to Desiree's soft breathing. Good. She was still there. "You don't have to believe me, but I sincerely wish that you would." Piper sighed. "I suppose that I never should have entered your life in the first place because ever since that first night, one terrible thing after another has happened to you and I can't apologize enough for that. But despite all of it I'm glad to have met you because you have brought so much joy to my life in the short time that we have been together," Piper halted, wondering if there would be any type of response. She was greeted with mere silence. "I guess I'll let you go now. I'm sorry to have called this late but I needed to speak to you. I…I love you Desiree."

She heard a click as the caller hung up. Tears rolling down her cheeks, Desiree turned off her phone before placing it on the nightstand. Curling up on her side in the bed, she began to cry again. At that moment, Tobias strutted into the bedroom. Jumping up on the bed next to his master, he nuzzled her neck as though to offer comfort. Wrapping an arm around his warm furry body, Desiree brought the cat closer, placing a kiss on the top of his head as the tears fell. It was starting to seem as though the tears would never cease to exist. She thought back over what Piper had just said. Though her story of what happened was not concrete, Desiree began to question whether she really did kill her father. She suddenly wanted to believe that Piper was not capable of cold-blooded murder. I love you Desiree. The strawberry-blonde closed her eyes as those words ran through her mind again and again. Did she really?

*****

After putting the dishes from breakfast in the dishwasher, Micaela leaned against the kitchen cabinet watching her son and Larisa as she sipped her second cup of coffee this morning. She smiled at the two of them as they conversed on how to build the house they were trying to make out of Dante's Legos. So far, they had a pool, a gate, and a blue front door. Micaela was amazed at how close they had become in such short a time. She could tell that her son absolutely adored Larisa and that the feeling was highly mutual.
Taking another sip from the cup of coffee, Micaela placed it on the cabinet before walking into the living room. Going past Larisa and Dante on the way to the front door, she reached down, gently ruffling her son's curly hair. The little boy smiled up at her before returning his attention to Larisa and the Legos.

Opening the front door, Micaela picked up the newspaper that she received on a daily basis. Closing the door, she read the headline. She was glad that she hadn't brought her coffee along with her when obtaining the newspaper, because she surely would have dropped it on the floor. Right there on the front page in bold letters was the words "Love's Lover Kills Judge at Her Request."

Brown eyes grew wide as saucers. "Oh, shi-"She glanced at her son who along with Larisa was now looking at her, "Shish kabob." That was a close one. Last thing Micaela wanted was for her son to hear her swearing. "Umm…Dante, why don't you go color Larisa a picture in your room okay? I need to speak with her for a bit."

Doing as his mother asked, Dante put down the lego he had in his hand and arose from the floor. He headed towards his room to color. After she heard the door close, Micaela walked over to the dining room table and took a seat with Larisa soon joining her. The other woman asked her what was wrong. Not answering, the Latina merely handed the newspaper to Larisa. Taking it, the younger woman spied the headline, her green eyes narrowing in anger.

"What the hell is this?" She did not wait for a reply as she started to read the article, her blood beginning to boil. Finishing, Larisa slapped the newspaper down on the dining room table. She sat there quietly for a moment before glancing back at the newspaper searching for the author of the article. Her eyes narrowed again as she found it. George Stanley. He was going to pay for this. Standing up, Larisa stormed towards the front door.

"Wait a sec!" Micaela hurried over to the door. "Where are you going?"

"To have a little chit chat with George Stanley," Larisa replied between clenched teeth.

"Who?"

Opening the door, Larisa explained, "The son of a bitch who wrote that piece of garbage. I'm going down to that newspaper and I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. And while I'm there I just might give the crack of his ass a piece of my foot!"

Placing her hand on the door, Micaela pushed it closed before the other woman could walk out. "Wait. If you must do this, then I'll go with you. Carly will be here soon to baby-sit. Can you just wait a few more minutes?"

"Don't you have to go to work?"

Micaela shrugged. "I'll call in sick. I never do, so I have plenty of sick leave. Besides, I could use a day off."

Larisa shook her head. "I don't want you to do that. I'll take care of this on my own." She attempted to open the door again, but the other woman pressed her hand against it again.

"The hell you will. The last thing we need is for you to end up being Piper's cellmate. I'm going with you whether you want my company or not. Got it?" Micaela gave Larisa the same look she sometimes had to give Dante when he got out of line. It worked like a charm.

*****

Desiree was just finishing getting dressed after having taken a long hot shower when she heard the doorbell ring. Buttoning up her shirt, she jaunted into the living room towards the front door. Opening it, she saw a young man around the age of seventeen or eighteen standing there dressed in a pair of baggy black jeans and an oversized blue sweatshirt. He smiled at her charmingly as he removed his sunshades, dropping them into his pants pocket.

"Hello," he said in a jovial tone of voice. "My name is Brian Walker. You must be Desiree Love."

Desiree nodded, wondering who he was. She had never heard of a Brian Walker. She would have thought that he was a journalist or in some profession like that but he seemed too young. Plus he did not dress the part. "Yes, I am. May I help you?"

"I think the real question is if I can help you?" He continued to smile. "And I do believe that I can."

The strawberry-blonde grew alarmed. Something in this teenager's smile seemed sinister. "I beg to differ with you Brian." Desiree started to close the door. "I'm sorry that I have to cut this so short but I must be going now."

Placing his foot in the door, the teenager stopped her from fully closing it. "Don't you want to know what I came here for?" He kept that same smile in place.

"Not really."

"Not really means some part of you does want to know." Brian nodded. "Good." Giving the door a small kick, he opened the door wide enough to walk into the apartment before he closed it, putting his back against it as Desiree took a couple of steps back, prepared to fight if need be. "Relax, I didn't come here to make any trouble. I just wanted to give you something that I think you might be interested in having."

"What's that?"

"A tape."

Desiree's brow crinkled in confusion. Who was he and what was he talking about? "What tape?"

Brian replied, "The tape that is going to set your friend free. Piper Redding is…or was your friend, right?"

Desiree shook her head. "I don't understand what you're talking about. How can this tape set her free?"

"Easy. If the police got a hold of the tape that I have in my possession, it would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Piper Redding is innocent. It would prove that she did not murder Judge Richard Love after all."

None of this made any sense. "How did such a tape get into your possession?"

"I found it."

"Where?"

"You see," Brian started, "my father works at the morgue and I happened to be there yesterday when Richard Love's body arrived. I wasn't supposed to be back there, but I sneaked in anyway because I was curious as to what a real body looks like. Well imagine my surprise when I see your father lying there. By the way, I'm deeply sorry for your loss," Brian added, not sounding the least bit sincere. "I happened to see something in his pocket and I took it out. It was a small tape recorder," the teenager paused for effect. "To get to the point, your father recorded the entire exchange between he and Piper Redding. I listened to it and she's innocent. He really did commit suicide. I think without this tape, she's going to get the death penalty or at least spend the rest of her life behind bars." The teenager looked at Desiree closely. She had gone pale. "Now is that what you want to happen?"

"How…how do I know that you're not lying?"

Brian shrugged. "You don't. But ask yourself. Why would I fabricate such a story as that?"

"Where is the tape? I'd like to listen to it."

The teenager shook his head. "No way. You scratch my back and then I'll scratch yours."

Desiree stared at him. A long list of unfavorable names to call him ran through her mind at that moment. "My father just died and you have the audacity to try to blackmail me?"

Brian nodded. "You hit the nail right on the head."

The strawberry-blonde added a few more names to her list. "What do you want?"

"I think ten-thousand dollars should cover it. If you don't have the money right now, I can wait a week or two. Piper can just sit in her cell for the time being." He smiled again and Desiree had the urge to smack it off. Hard. Extremely hard.

"No, I have the money in the bank now. Will you take a check?"

"Sure," the teenager began. "Of course you won't get the tape until I take your check to the bank. I wouldn't want to have to come back here if it bounces." He winked at her.

Desiree bit her bottom lip hard to keep from saying anything negative. She started to walk towards the direction of her bedroom. "Please have a seat on the couch Brian. I'll be right back with my checkbook."

Nodding, the teenager strolled over to the couch taking a seat. He started to pick up a magazine laying on the coffeetable when his eyes zeroed in on a slip of paper. Micaela Chavez. Could it be her after all of this time? Glancing behind him, Brian grabbed the piece of paper and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans. This was his lucky day in more ways than one.

Desiree watched Brian as he sat on the couch with his back to her. She inched towards the couch holding an empty whiskey bottle in her hand. Gripping the neck of the bottle tightly, she made her way closer to him. Finally standing behind him, unbeknownst to the teenager, Desiree raised the bottle before striking down on the back of his head, successfully knocking him out and breaking the bottle in the process. She winced, hoping that she did not hit him hard enough to cause permanent damage.

Ten minutes later, the unconscious Brian was tied to a chair with a wide piece of duct tape over his mouth. Grabbing the phone, Desiree quickly dialed a number before pressing the phone to her ear. She started to pace back and forth as she listened to the phone ring. Come on. Pick up please.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Valerie?"

"Desiree?"

"Well now we know who each other is," Desiree said, nervously chuckling. "Is Taj home? It's very important that I speak with him."

"Sure, he's here. I'll get him. Hold on hon."

Desiree heard as the phone was put down. Moments later, Taj picked it up. "Desi! It's so good to hear your voice. How are you doing?"

"I…uh…well that's a little difficult to say. Um…I need to see you as soon as possible."

"What's the matter?" Taj's voice had grown worried.

"I think I might have evidence that Piper is innocent…" She began to tell him what Brian had said and what she had done to him.

"I'll be right there." That was the only thing he said before hanging up the phone.
Desiree resisted the urge to have a drink as she took a seat on the couch after cleaning up the glass, to wait for Taj's arrival. She occasionally glanced at Brian, who didn't move, his chin resting against his chest. A thought suddenly occurred to Desiree as she looked over at the small desk next to the front door. She remembered that she had deposited her mail there yesterday but had yet to open any of it. One of the envelopes was unmarked. Walking over to the desk, Desiree found the envelope, picking it up. It was thin except for a small bulge in the middle. It must have been another tape. Quickly opening the sealed envelope, Desiree had her thought confirmed. Inside lay a tiny tape designed for recording messages.

It was true. It had to be true. Piper was innocent. A wave of relief rolled over Desiree at the thought. Thank God, she was innocent after all. Taking the tape out of the envelope, the strawberry-blonde walked into her bedroom and searched for her tape recorder. Minutes later, she found it and slipped the tape into it before pressing the play button as she moved back into the living room to keep an eye on her captive. She heard her father's voice as he began to speak. Taking a seat on the couch, Desiree began to listen intently.

"Desiree, I know that you probably think of me as a coward. Believe me, I feel the same way about myself. I took the easy way out and I only hope that someday you, Larisa, Richie, and Sandra will find it in your hearts to forgive me. What I did was wrong. All of it. The affair, taking that money in exchange for giving Piper Redding a long sentence…all of it. I have done some things that I am truly ashamed of and I don't have it in me to face up to them. To show my face to the world and have those that once respected me to look down upon me. My job is to be fair, just, and honest and what it comes down to is that I'm nothing but a hypocritical coward. I'm sorry that I couldn't be more. You all deserve better than me. I love you Desiree, and I love Larisa though she can be sassy, my son, and wife. You all mean more to me than you'll ever know. I really am sorry for what I did.

Right now, I'm sitting in a coffee shop not far from your apartment complex. After I finish this tape, I'm going back to your sister's house where I know Piper Redding is. I have a few things I want to say to her and you'll all get to hear it because I'm going to be taping the whole thing so please make sure to get the tape recorder out of my pocket. I have a feeling that Redding will get blamed for this so that's why I'm recording it. Despite what she did to you, that woman has been through enough and putting my personal feelings aside, I don't want her to get in trouble for something that wasn't her fault. I took my life, not her.

I can't believe that I'm going to say this, but Desiree I want you to be happy. And though she isn't one of my favorite people, it seems to me that Piper Redding makes you happy. I may be old but I'm not blind. I know there is more to your relationship with her then meets the eye. You have a connection with her that reminds me of the one that I shared with your mother. So, if she is what you want, then please don't let her get away. You could do worse. I mean look at Alec (the judge chuckled). And tell your sister for me, that if she didn't have such a big mouth, perhaps she'd find a lady friend as well. Anyone would be lucky to have her. Either of you. Though it might have seemed as though I was trying to run your lives…and I suppose that I was, I'm very proud of you girls. Well I'll be going now. Again, I love all of you dearly. Please take care of yourself precious."

After she picked her jaw up from the floor, Desiree shook her head at what she had just heard. She desperately wished that her father had been there at this very moment, because she would have hugged him so very tightly. Raising a hand, she wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks as she felt a deep ache for her father. Oh, Dad I love you too. You're forgiven.

Rewinding the tape to the beginning, Desiree placed the recorder on the coffeetable before getting up. She started to pace again and continued to do so until she heard the doorbell ring. Almost running over, Desiree opened the door, delighted to see that it was Taj. She gently pulled him into the apartment before closing and locking the door behind him. She indicated the teenager tied to her kitchen chair.

"Nice work little one," Taj said, smiling like a proud father.

"Thank you," Desiree replied. "I know he's telling the truth now. The tape really does exist."

The Jamaican man looked at her. "Did you find it?"

She shook her head negatively. "No, but I found another tape that my dad left stuck in my mailbox yesterday just before he went back to Larisa's house. It was in an unmarked envelope, so I had no idea it was from him, otherwise I would have opened it yesterday. Anyway, on the tape he explains that he's going to record the whole conversation between he and Piper. He made the tape to prove that she wasn't guilty and that he committed suicide."

Without a word, Taj wrapped his arms around Desiree, bringing her close to him. She hugged him back as she fought the tears that were threatening to come again. "I'm sorry about what happened little one."

"Thank you Taj," she replied in a quiet voice. Giving the man a squeeze, Desiree disengaged herself from his embrace, asking what they were going to do now.

Taj glanced back at Brian. "When Sleeping Beauty wakes up, we'll ask him where he stashed the tape."

"And you think he'll just tell us?"

"No. That's why I brought an incentive."

Desiree did not get to inquire what that incentive was, because Brian chose that moment to start waking up. The pair looked at him as his head began to move slowly from side to side while he groaned. Taj took a few steps towards him as the teenager's eyes opened. Focusing them, he stared up at Taj. The Jamaican man waved as he gave a mock friendly smile. There was no response to either.

"Would you like for me to take that off?" Taj asked, pointing towards the duct tape covering the teenager's mouth. Brian nodded. "If I do, will you promise not to scream?" Taj was greeted with another nod. "Good." Getting a grip on an edge of the duct tape, Taj forcefully ripped the tape off, leaving the area around the boy's lips a bright pink. Not being able to help it, Brian yelped at the pain. "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" Taj asked, trying to hide a grin. The teenager gave him a dirty look. "What's your name?" The Jamaican man crossed his arms over his muscular chest.

"Brian. Brian Walker."

Taj nodded. "Okay Brian, Brian Walker…what's your real name?"

"That is my real name."

Taj looked behind him at Desiree. "Little one, maybe you should go in the kitchen while I speak with your visitor."

Desiree shook her head. "No thank you Taj. I'll just stay right here."

The Jamaican man nodded. "Okay. Suit yourself." Turning back to the teenager, he abruptly backslapped him across the face. Brian's head snapped to the side as another dirty look appeared on his face. "Care to tell me your name now?" The teenager muttered something. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

The teen looked up at him. "I…said…my…name…is…Dennis…Farrow."

Taj nodded. "Okay Dennis…where is the tape?"

"Where is my money?" He glanced at Desiree before returning his attention to Taj.

Not saying anything right away, Taj reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a revolver. Starting to whistle, the man slipped a hand into his pocket and removed a single bullet. Dennis watched, his eyes widening a bit. Opening the chamber, Taj slipped the bullet in before spinning the chamber and putting it back into place. He asked Dennis if he knew what Russian Roulette was. The teenager nodded, for the first time beginning to get nervous. He glanced at Desiree, who was looking on with a blank look on her face.

"I have a new version of Russian Roulette," Taj exclaimed in a calm tone of voice as he pressed the barrel of the gun against Dennis' crotch. The teenager swallowed with difficulty. "If you don't tell me where the tape is right now, I'm going to pull the trigger. For every time that you don't tell me, I'll pull the trigger. Now if you don't speak up, you might be asking me where your penis is instead of where your money is." The barrel pressed against the teenager's crotch more. "So where is it?" When Dennis did not say anything, Taj pulled the trigger and a clicking sound was heard. The teenager let out a relieved breath. "One down, five to go Dennis. You might as well tell me where it is, because penis or no penis you're not getting so much as a penny." When Dennis still declined to talk, Taj pulled the trigger again resulting in another clicking sound.

The teenager's heart was beating wildly after that. "Okay, okay! I'll tell you where it is. Just please get that thing off of me man!" He yelled, referring to the gun.

"I'll take it away after you tell me. And it better be the truth. You're not going anywhere until I hear that tape."

"It's right outside her door. Underneath the mat."

Hearing him, Desiree walked over to her door. Opening it, she leaned down and pulled up her welcome mat. Sure enough, there was a tiny tape cassette lying there. Picking it up, the young woman closed the door. Taj and Dennis watched as Desiree took the other tape out of her tape recorder before placing that one in. Walking over to them, she pressed the play button. All three listened to the tape.

"Hello Redding." There were the faint sounds of footsteps. "I'm pleased that you decided to stay here while Larisa took my son and wife to the airport. I think we need to have a little chat. What do you think?"

The judge laughed. "Well you've now screwed me over just like I did you, Redding. First you took my daughter as your hostage and then somehow managed to make a friend out of her. And then you make my wife leave me and my son now hates me too. I'm sure you told Desiree about my indiscretion as Larisa called it, so she most likely hates me as well. And you know what? I bet you let a lot of other people know too. Am I right?"

Though her voice was not on the tape, Piper must have nodded or something akin to that based on Richard's next words.

"I thought so. There goes my career down the drain. So, in a nutshell I have no family and no job…because of you. Did you tell anyone about the bribe? I know you must know about that too."

For the first time, Piper spoke up, "True, I know about it but I haven't told anyone."

"Why not? That'll be even more perfect. Then you could probably send me to prison. Wouldn't that be ironic?" Here Richard laughed again though it was void of any humor.

"So the way I figure it Redding…you should finish the job. I know you want your revenge on me…so take it." Richard must have given her the gun at this point. Here…finish me off Redding."

"I'm not going to shoot you."

"Why not? You've taken away all that I had to live for."

"It's not as though you didn't help to make that happen."

"Aim the gun at me and then put your finger on the trigger and pull it. It's as simple as that."

"I won't." Piper sounded resolute.

"What's the matter with you? Don't you want me dead? I ruined your life. Sent you to prison for what? Eight…nine years? You did time while I used that money to paint my house and purchase a new car. Surely, you want to kill me. There has to be some part of you that is screaming for you to pull that trigger. Come on Redding…kill me like you did your daddy."

"I refuse to take your life."

"Then give me the gun back."

"No, I don't think so."

"No, you don't think so?"

"That's what I said."

"Give me my gun now." At this point, there was a loud crashing sound as the two on the tape sounded as though they were scuffling. There was a short scream from Piper not long before she yelled at the judge.

"What the hell are you doing?!" There were more sounds of scuffling and low groaning.

"Don't…do…this."

"I'm sorry." The judge whispered this just before a gun was fired.

There was complete silence on the tape for a few seconds before Piper's voice was heard again in a near whisper. "Oh, God. Oh, dear God…" She groaned as it sounded as though she were struggling to do something. There were footsteps after this, so she must have been getting up.

Soon Piper could be heard talking to someone, though her voice was very faint. "I don't have to check…" Her voice grew clearer as she said, "Why don't I? Because his eyes are open! He's dead! This is a nightmare."

"Okay…No, I'll be waiting. I'm not going anywhere." There was a small beep which must have been the phone being turned off.

More silence before Piper sighed. "Why did you do that? Why did you have to do that?" It sounded like she had started to cry. "This is all my fault…all my fault."

There was silence after this until a knocked sounded at the door. Desiree and Taj discerned that it was the ambulance. The rest of the tape was hard to hear and soon the tape ran out. Desiree pressed the stop button as she resisted the urge to burst into tears. Never again did she want to listen to that tape. Reaching over, Taj gave her shoulder a light squeeze and she smiled at him gratefully.

"So can I go now?" Dennis asked impatiently, breaking the silence. There went the down payment for that car he wanted.

Taj looked at him shaking his head. "Nope. You're going to the police station with us so you can explain to them how you obtained this tape and then brought it over to Desiree. You're free to go after you do that. I never want to see your face again, you got it?" Taj gave the teenager a look that let Dennis know he was deadly serious. The youth merely nodded.

Taj turned his attention to Desiree. "Little one, we're ready to go when you are."

*****
The elevator doors opened and Larisa and Micaela stepped out of them. They looked around the busy office, both wondering which one of these people was the journalist they were searching for. As one young man walked passed them, Larisa stopped him, asking if he was George Stanley. By the look on her face, the man was thrilled to announce that he was not. Turning around, he pointed to the journalist's desk where George could be seen eating a donut as he worked. Thanking the young man, Larisa and Micaela headed towards the desk.

Arriving, Larisa leaned against the journalist's desk with the newspaper folded in her hand. She watched as George took another donut out of an almost empty pink box, having yet to see her, his eyes riveted to the computer screen. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that too many of those things can kill you?" Startled, the journalist's head snapped up as he looked at her. "Then again, so can people," she said in a dangerous tone of voice.

George closed his open mouth. "Um…aren't you Larisa Love?"

"The one and only. I have a bone to pick with you big boy." Opening the newspaper, she slammed it down on his desk, the title staring him in the face. "Tell me…do you always write this kind of filth? Mr. Stanley, you have the appropriate skills that are needed to work at a tabloid. What are you doing wasting your time here at a respectable newspaper?"

George put his donut back in the box, his appetite suddenly gone. "Ms. Love, my article is not filth. I have never written filth. I tell it like it is." He glanced at the gorgeous woman standing next to Larisa. She was glaring at him so he quickly looked elsewhere.

"You mean you tell it like you want it to be," Larisa retorted. "I cannot begin to tell you how very furious I was to read this." She stabbed a finger at the newspaper. "It's not true. You have it completely wrong and you will fix it in tomorrow's edition because you really don't want to tangle with me. At the risk of sounding clichéd, I can be your worse nightmare."

George cleared his throat. This woman sounded like she meant business. Okay, perhaps he went a little far with deeming them as lovers, but wasn't everything else correct? "Everything is wrong?"

"Yes!" Well except for the lovers' part, but that was none of the public's business. "For one thing my sister did not send you that email about our father having an affair. She also didn't have Piper kill our father. She would never do a thing like that. My sister is one of the most moralistic people that I know. And Piper did not kill our father. Yes, she was pissed with him and she had a right to be, but she would never go that far. She's innocent. He committed suicide."

"Then if he committed suicide why has she been arrested?"

I want to slap you so bad. "Because we don't have any evidence to exonerate her yet, but we'll get it." At that instant, her cell phone rang. Reaching into her pocket, Larisa took out the small phone, answering it. Her voice sounded irritated at the intrusion. "What?!" She heard who it was. "Oh, sorry Taj…No, I'm okay. What's up?" Her eyes widened as she listened to the man. "No way!" A triumphant smile appeared on her face, as Micaela and George looked at her, wondering what she had just been told. "That's terrific! I'll be right there…Okay see you soon." Ending the call, she dropped the phone back into her pocket before turning around and throwing her arms around Micaela as she squealed in glee. Laughing, the Latina hugged her, thrilled to see Larisa so obviously happy.

"What was that all about?" Micaela asked as Larisa took a step back.

"That was my friend Taj. They have a tape that should set Piper free. Apparently, a kid found it at the morgue yesterday…his dad works there and he brought it to Desiree this morning. On the tape is the whole exchange between my father and Piper."

Micaela appeared to be slightly confused. "You mean he recorded it?"

Larisa nodded. "Exactly! She didn't do it! I knew she didn't." The woman smiled and Micaela did as well.

"That's wonderful. So where are you going now?"

"The police station." Larisa turned back to George who had been listening to their conversation. He had yet to decide whether to be happy or not. On the one hand, he had another story, on the other, the article he wrote yesterday turned out to be mere fabrication. That was not good for a journalist.

"Well Mr. Stanley, I'm sure that you just heard me. Piper Redding is innocent. I want you to make sure that your reader's find that out pronto. If they don't, and you better make it good, you'll be slapped with a little thing I like to call a lawsuit. Are we clear?"

George nodded quickly. "I'm sorry for this." He pointed at his article. The journalist was truly ashamed of himself. Maybe he would just resign after writing this latest article. "You and your family have my condolences Ms. Love," the journalist stated earnestly.

Larisa nodded, knowing that he was truly sorry. "Thank you. Just get that taken care of."

"I will."

Larisa turned to Micaela. "You ready to roll?"

The Latina smiled. This fiery young woman was growing on her, and very quickly too. "Lead the way."

*****
As they drove up to the police station, Larisa and Micaela spied Taj, Desiree, and Piper coming out. Taj was between the two women with an arm wrapped around both of their shoulders. Piper smiled at him as he said something. Parking the car, Larisa cut the ignition before jumping out. She waved at the trio with a smile on her face. Walking towards them, she grinned at Piper. "Hey jailbird. How's it going?"

The blue-eyed woman stuck her tongue out at Larisa in response to the nickname. "It's going all right. I'm very happy to have my freedom back. You and Taj said it would happen and you were both right." She smiled.

"I'm always right," Larisa replied, grinning.

"And modest too," Taj added, chuckling.

Larisa winked at him. "That's me." She looked at her sister wondering if everything was all right between them now. "Hi Desi."

Desiree smiled as she walked over to her sister, wrapping her arms around the woman, assuring her that everything was fine. Larisa hugged her back tightly. "I love you sis." Desiree's eyebrows raised high. It wasn't very often that she heard those words out of her sister's mouth.

"I love you too Risa."

"This is truly a Kodak moment," Taj inserted, causing everyone to laugh.

Moving over to her, Larisa wrapped an arm around Micaela's waist. "Taj, I want you to meet my new friend here. Her name is Micaela."

Taj gave Micaela a welcoming smile as he shook her hand. He thought back to yesterday when Larisa gave him this woman's license plate in the hopes that he could locate where she lived using it. The Jamaican man started to mention it, but knew that he would most likely have to listen to Larisa's mouth later if he did. So instead he just said, "It's nice to meet you Micaela."

She smiled at him. "Likewise Taj."

"Say, why don't we all go get some breakfast. My treat," Taj offered.

"Well Micaela and I have already-"

"Oh! I need to check on him," Micaela said, interrupting Larisa. She glanced between Desiree and Piper. She could be wrong but there seemed to be an abundance of tension there. The Latina had an idea. Turning to Larisa, she asked the woman if she could use her phone. Taking her cell phone out of her pocket, she handed it to Micaela, with a questioning look upon her face. Micaela began to walk away with the phone in hand. About fifteen feet away she called Larisa over, exclaiming that she did not know how to work it.

Wearing a curious expression, Larisa walked over to her. She was about to show Micaela how to use the phone when the Latina began to speak in hush tones. "I think we should give Desiree and Piper a little time alone together if you know what I mean. They should go to breakfast together without the rest of us. Maybe then they'll began to talk and work through this so that they can mend their relationship."

Larisa nodded, grinning. "I like the way that you think. Okay, how do we do this?"

"Just follow my lead," Micaela replied. "Now I want you to go back over to them while I pretend that I'm talking on the phone." She then pretended as though she was dialing a number before putting the phone to her ear. Following orders, Larisa jaunted back to where Taj, Desiree, and Piper were standing. Moments later, Micaela joined the small group. "Darn, I'm sorry. I can't go to breakfast with you all." She handed the cell phone back to Larisa. "My son isn't feeling well, so I should be going home." She looked at Larisa. "Sweetie, I know you probably want to spend time with your sister, so Taj, would you mind terribly taking me home? I'll be willing to pay you. I don't live far from here."

Before Taj could say anything, Larisa did. "Actually, I can't go either. I have a bar mitzvah that I'm catering to and I need to plan for that." She looked at Taj. "So how about this? You drop Micaela off and then take me to work. I'll even buy you an Egg McMuffin on the way. That way, if you take Micaela and I, then Piper and Desi can take my car. And then Desi could pick me up later."

Taj raised an eyebrow. Hmm. An Egg McMuffin or a stack of buttermilk pancakes at the IHOP. Who in their right mind would pick the former? Now he could have suggested that Larisa just take her own car and drive Micaela home before heading to work, while he, Piper and Desiree went to breakfast but Taj kept his mouth shut. He knew that they were up to something. Larisa and Micaela wanted Piper and Desiree to be alone. Well he thought that it was a grand idea, so Taj decided to go along with it.

"Throw in a hashbrowns and you've got a deal."

Larisa tucked her tongue against the inside of her cheek as she pretended to think before nodding. "You drive a hard bargain Mr. Potter, but it's a deal." She grinned at him and he grinned back. Fishing her keys out of her pocket, Larisa tossed them to Desiree. "Take care of my baby."

"Wait a minute," Desiree started, looking at her sister. "Why can't you just drop Micaela off in your car and then go to work while the rest of us go to breakfast?" Desiree had grown suspicious. This resembled a set up.

"That won't work because I just remembered that I have plans with Valerie. We're supposed to go shopping for plates."

Desiree arched an eyebrow. Was that the best he could do? "Plates?"

Taj nodded. "Yes, for the wedding. I can't believe it slipped my mind. She'd kill me if I were late." He glanced at his watch before looking at Micaela and Larisa. "Say ladies, we better get a move on. I have to be there by eleven -thirty." Snapping his fingers, he then took his wallet out of his back pocket. Extracting some money from it, he handed it to Desiree. "That's for breakfast. I know Piper doesn't have any money." He grinned at Piper receiving a smirk in return. "And I don't expect for you to pay. Plus, breakfast is supposed to be on me." When Desiree started to argue, trying to give the money back, Taj shook his head, not wanting to hear it. Finally, the young woman gave up as she pushed the money into her pocket, thanking him in the process. Piper did the same.

"You and Valerie made up?" Larisa asked, smiling. "Well that's terrific news."

Taj nodded with a smile on his face. "Yes, indeed. I called her up last night and explained everything to her. So we better get going." He turned to Desiree and Piper, hugging them both. "I'll talk with you lovely ladies later."

All three waved as they began to move away, heading towards Taj's car. Desiree and Piper stood there silently watching them until they got in the car and sped out of the parking lot. The strawberry-blonde then turned to Piper. "Well…I suppose we should go too. Where would you like to eat?"

"Anywhere," Piper replied, smiling down at the woman, glad to be alone with her now. "I don't mind where we eat." As long as I'm with you.

Desiree started towards her sister's car with Piper in tow. "I know a café near my apartment that we could go to. After that, we could go to my place and you can pick up your belongings. I packed them for you."

Piper nodded. So, she still wanted her to leave. "Okay."

Soon the two were headed down the street. Not being able to stand the silence between them, Piper asked if she could turn on the radio. When she received a nod, she reached over and switched it on. LeAnn Rimes was currently singing her song How Do I Live. Piper thought about changing the station, but decided against it. The song was appropriate. She listened as she stared out of the window at the passing objects and people.

And tell me now How do I live without you? I want to know, How do I breathe without you? If you ever go, How do I ever, ever survive? How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?

Without you, There'd be no sun in my sky, There would be no love in my life, There'd be no world left for me. And I, Baby I don't know what I would do, I'd be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave, Baby you would take away everything real in my life…

Looking around to Desiree, the blue-eyed woman studied her for a few moments, wishing that she could take Desiree in her arms and never let go. Piper had a feeling that whatever the two of them had shared was truly over now. She put the blame solely on herself. Why couldn't I have just left well enough alone? Feeling eyes upon her, Desiree glanced over to Piper. She smiled albeit it was a strained one.

Piper inwardly sighed. She doesn't even want to be around me. "Thank you," she said out loud, breaking the silence.

Stopping for a red light, Desiree looked at her again. "What did I do?"

"For bringing me the clothes." Piper indicated the blue jeans and sweater, which matched her eyes perfectly, that she was wearing.

"Oh, that." Desiree nodded. "That was Taj's idea. He figured that you didn't have anything to wear."

"Ah, well I'll have to thank him then." Piper tried to smile before returning her gaze to the passenger side window as the car began to move again. Was it just her imagination or was this situation becoming chillier as time progressed?

Soon Desiree turned into the small parking lot of a café. Since there were only three other cars, it was easy to find a parking space. In the hopes of making Desiree laugh, Piper jokingly inquired if the food here was bad. Getting out of the car, the strawberry-blonde let out a small chuckle as she explained that the food was terrific, but there were never many customers since this café was not well known.

When they walked up to the entrance to the restaurant, Piper sought to be a true gentlewoman as she pulled the door open for Desiree. Thanking her, the younger woman walked in, Piper following along behind her. Since the restaurant was far from being crowded, the two women were quickly shown to a table and presented with menus. After having decided what they wanted, they each ordered their meals, both choosing to have pancakes. As Desiree sipped from a cup of hot coffee, Piper stared out of the window their table was near.

"I'm sorry," Desiree suddenly stated, ending the heavy silence between them. Piper's eyes fell on her, but the dark-haired woman chose to keep her mouth shut. Desiree went on, "I'm sorry for not believing in your innocence. No matter what has happened between us, I think that you've always been honest with me, though every time something happens, I doubt you. And that's not right."

The dark-haired woman shook her head, not agreeing. "You were justified Desi. I don't blame you for not believing me. Back at the cabin and after what occurred yesterday, I looked guilty."

"But Taj and Larisa believed in you," Desiree replied softly as she looked down at her cup of coffee, feeling ashamed.

Piper softly smiled. "Well that's probably because they knew me way back when." Not being able to stop herself, Piper reached across the table and covered one of Desiree's hands with her own causing the younger woman to look up at her again. "Desi, don't beat yourself up about this. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I know I've disappointed you…more than once, and I'll never be able to forgive myself for that. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you baby," she softly finished.

Blinking away tears, Desiree gently removed her hand from under Piper's and placed it around the cup of coffee, bringing it to her lips and taking a sip. Placing the cup back on the table, Desiree waited until her heartbeat returned to its normal pace before looking at Piper again. The touch of her hand combined with the words she spoke affected Desiree more than she cared for them to. It was time for a subject change and the strawberry-blonde had something she needed to tell Piper about.

"Piper…there is something that I think you should know about."

"What's that?" Piper placed both of her hands in her lap, inwardly sighing again. Desiree could not even stand for her to touch her. She must have been disgusted. I really screwed up this time.

Lifting the coffee to her lips, Desiree took another sip before beginning. "It's about your mother."

A look of surprise appeared on the dark-haired woman's face. "What about her?"

"She didn't leave you," Desiree gently replied. "Not on purpose."

"What do you mean?" At that moment, the waitress brought their food over. After she left, Piper continued, "My mother killed herself while I was in prison. She even had a suicide note."

Desiree nodded. "Yes, she did have a suicide note but she was forced into writing it." At Piper's confused look she went on, "When I was at the cabin and your bro- Victor arrived, he told me that he went to see Marie and he made her write that suicide note and then he had her kill herself. He said that if she didn't do it that something would happen to you while you were in prison. She killed herself to protect you. I would have told you before, but I didn't know how to, but I finally decided that you have a right to know no matter how painful it may be," she paused gathering her thoughts. "In a way this might be better because you now know that Marie didn't leave you on her own." A tear fell down her cheek as she said in a faint voice, "She didn't do what my father did."

Piper closed her eyes momentarily, as Desiree's words sunk in. If Victor was not already dead, she would have tracked him down and ended his life slowly and very painfully. Piper felt her heart wrench. Her mother had been taken away from her and it hurt more than she could put into words. Marie was practically the last family member that she had left and if it were not for Victor, perhaps she would still be alive today.

Looking at Desiree, Piper noticed the sadness in her blue-green eyes. Her father had committed suicide, and had it not been for Piper's need for revenge, then the judge would still be alive as well. Sometimes people did not give thought to the consequences that their actions could bring about.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Piper said as she glanced down at her plate, failing to notice the delicious aroma. "I suddenly don't feel very hungry. What about you?"

Desiree shook her head. "Neither do I." She hated to waste the food though. "I'll get a doggy bag." Signaling the waitress, the strawberry-blonde asked for two doggy bags and the check. While they waited for both, Desiree finished the last of her coffee as Piper took a couple of sips from her glass of milk.

"Thank you," the dark-haired woman said. At Desiree's questioning look, she explained. "I mean thank you for telling me about my mother. I know that it must have been difficult for you to tell me the truth about what really happened."

Before Desiree could offer a reply, the waitress arrived with two Styrofoam square boxes and the check. Desiree and Piper began to transfer the food on their plates to the boxes. The dark-haired woman commented that it was an awful lot of food on the plates.
"I'll give Tobias my scrambled eggs," Desiree said as she closed her box and then fished in her pocket for the money Taj had given her earlier for breakfast. "I don't know about you, but I can't stand re-heated eggs."

Piper chuckled. "Furball eats scrambled eggs? No wonder he's so fat. Fat and spoiled."

Picking up an orange wedge laying on her plate, Desiree tossed it at the other woman. Piper was able to successfully dodge it as she continued to chuckle. Desiree joined in. "What did I tell you Piper? He's not fat just-"

The other woman nodded, a smile playing on her lips as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. He's just big-boned. You know, de Nile just ain't a river in Egypt, Desi."

Her ribbing earned her the flash of a tongue.

*****

He winced as he touched the bruise on his cheek. So he was unable to get ten thousand dollars, but Dennis was not going to let that continue to bother him. He had obtained something that was a complete surprise, so it wasn't a total waste of time. He picked up the piece of paper with Micaela Chavez's phone number and address on it. Dennis grinned, knowing that he was about to make someone a very happy camper. He thought back to when he was at the police station. He was waiting for the taxi he had called to pick him when he saw her drive up with Larisa Love. She looked as good as he remembered. Actually, Micaela looked even more beautiful. What a very small world it was after all.

Grinning, Dennis moved so that he was sitting on the side of his bed. Picking up the phone, he called a number that he had on speed dial. He immediately recognized the rich southern accent of the person who answered. "Hey Uncle Clint! How're you doing?"

"Denny?" Clint said in surprise. It had been a couple years since he had heard from his nephew. The boy's father did not want his son around the man and Clint's sister agreed with her husband wholeheartedly. "Hi there! I'm doing pretty good. How are things going with you? It's great to hear your voice."

"Oh, I can't complain. Listen, I have some information that I think you would wanna hear."

"What's that?"

"Remember Mickey?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "Of course I do. That ungrateful twit shot me twice in the chest and then left me for dead, stealing some of my money. How could I ever forget her?" Clint felt the anger rising at the thought of that woman.

"Well guess what uncle? I found her." The teenager grinned like the cat that ate the canary.

There was such a long pause, that Dennis started to think that his uncle might have fainted after hearing his good news. Finally, the man bewilderingly said, "Bull…"

Dennis' grinned widened. "No bull." He picked up the paper. "I'm looking at her address right now."

"Where is she? Are you sure it's her?" Three years ago Clint had looked for months but was not able to find any leads to where Micaela could have disappeared to.

"She's right here in Los Angeles, California. And yes, I'm sure it's her because I saw her. But don't worry 'cause she didn't see me. Though, she probably wouldn't recognize me anyway."


Dennis on the other hand could never forget her. He was fourteen years old the summer he went to visit his uncle. It was the last time he was permitted to go there. From the first moment he laid eyes on Micaela, he could not get his mind off of her. His uncle noticed the boy ogling his girlfriend and one night arranged for them to be "properly introduced." Dennis could not believe his luck. He was going to lose his virginity and to a woman who was a goddess. Micaela however, protested the whole time. In fact, Clint had to tie her up and stuff a gag in her mouth since she was squirming around on the bed and screaming so loud. Despite her unwillingness, Dennis had enjoyed himself thoroughly.

"Well," Clint grinned into the phone, "I guess I'll just have to pay my ex-lover a little visit soon."

*****

Desiree closed the door as she and Piper entered the apartment. Tossing her keys on the table next to the door, Desiree asked the other woman if she would like anything to drink. Wanting to prolong this for as long as was possible, Piper asked for a cup of hot chocolate. The strawberry-blonde indicated for her to have a seat on the couch as she walked into the kitchen to make the drink, a plastic bag in her hand containing their doggy bags from the cafe.

Plopping down on the couch, Piper stretched her long legs out before her. A moment later, she heard a soft meow and looked to her left where Tobias had jumped onto the arm of the couch. He was staring at her intently and Piper could swear he looked annoyed by her presence. She chuckled. "Don't worry furball. I'm not staying." Her chuckling ceased as she admitted that, a tinge of sadness in her voice. After the drink, she would have to go. The question that kept running through her mind was when would she be able to see Desiree again. Would she be able to see her again or was this it?

Piper looked at Tobias again. He was still staring at her, now with an 'unreadable' expression on his furry face. The woman shook her head as she arose from the couch. "Hey, furball would you like some eggs?" The cat meowed. "I'll take that as a yes." Piper headed towards the kitchen.

Standing at the entrance, she studied Desiree as she stood at the kitchen sink looking out of the window with a mug in her hand. She seemed to be daydreaming and did not notice as Piper walked towards her, standing directly behind her. The blue-eyed woman put her hands on Desiree's shoulders and the young woman still did not budge. Her eyes remained unblinking as she stared out of the window.

"Hey you," Piper said softly, close to Desiree's ear, "what are you thinking about?"

The strawberry-blonde accidentally dropped the mug into the sink when she felt Piper's warm breath against her ear. Placing her hands on the edge of the sink, she leaned back a little, drawing comfort from Piper's nearness. She quickly decided that she would just stand there for a few seconds and then move.

"Just…um…everything." Desiree rested the back of her head on Piper's chest as the woman gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"Everything, hmm?" Piper kissed the top of Desiree's head, taking in the scent of her hair. Her hands slid down the other woman's arms before she wrapped them around Desiree's waist.

Desiree nodded, beginning to feel a bit flushed. Piper's closeness was starting to have an effect on her and she knew that the smart thing to do would be to move. However, the strawberry-blonde stayed right where she was. She then felt Piper's soft warm lips on the side of her neck before the woman whispered in her ear. "I've missed you baby." She pulled Desiree back into her more as she kissed her neck again. "I've missed you so much."

Piper turned Desiree around and gazed into her eyes as she cupped her face between her hands. Desiree gazed back at her, knowing that she should stop this before it went any further, but it was as though Piper had put her under a spell that she just could not shake. Leaning down, Piper gently captured her lips with her own. Wrapping her arms around the taller woman's neck, Desiree kissed her back, increasing the pressure of their lips a bit. She softly moaned as Piper caressed her lips with the tip of her tongue. Wanting more, Desiree parted her lips causing Piper to enter her mouth, her tongue beginning to duel with Desiree's. The two women prolonged the kiss for as long as they could without breaking for air. When Piper started to kiss her again, Desiree gently pushed her away as she shook her head, her face completely red.

"I…can't," Desiree managed to say as she attempted to catch her breath. "We can't do this…not anymore."

Piper hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans. "By anymore do you mean never again?"

The younger woman nodded. "Yes."

"Why not?" I love you…I need you…I want you.

Desiree leaned against the sink with her arms crossed over her chest. "Because…"

Piper waited for her to go on but Desiree did not offer anything else. "Because what?" the dark-haired woman asked in a quiet voice.

"Because…I'm afraid of you," Desiree admitted, though her words could barely be heard she uttered them so softly. She saw the look of pain and hurt that crossed Piper's face before it vanished. "I'm sorry Piper, I just can't…I just can't give us another try because I'll constantly be worrying if you're going to pull something else in the future. Most of the time you can be so sweet and charming, and yet there are those occasions when I see another side of you that frightens me. Like yesterday morning, you scared me so badly. You had a right to be upset, but you were so cold and malicious. I don't want to see that side of you again."

Piper adamantly shook her head. "Baby you won't. I promise you that. I've learned my lesson and I will never behave that way again." She knew that she was begging, but Piper could not help herself. She wanted to be with this woman more than anything. She was one step away from collapsing to her knees and begging for another chance.

"I can't do it Piper." Desiree shrugged. "Call me a coward, but I really don't have the energy. I care about you…but I can't be with you."

"Give me a chance to prove myself." Piper felt as though she were hanging on to a rope for dear life, yet she sensed that it was about to unravel.

"You did what you had to do yesterday morning, and now I'm doing what I have to do. And that is let you go." Desiree felt a knot forming in her throat. She was desperately trying not to cry but was quickly losing the battle.

"What if I don't wanna be let go?"

"You don't have a choice in the matter Piper," Desiree replied in a near whisper.

Placing her hands on her hips, Piper slowly shook her head. "I think that you are making the biggest mistake of your life," she said in a quiet voice. When Desiree did not comment on her words, she went on, "Desi, you would be a fool to let me walk out of that door and out of your life because despite the ass that I have been, you and I should be together. I know in my heart," reaching up, Piper placed a hand over her chest, "that you and I were made for each other. My life was so barren and lonely before you entered it and made it so much better. You've made me happier in the short time that we have known one another, then all the positive moments in my life combined." Her eyes became glassy as the tears threatened to spill, "And now you want to throw it all away. I realize that I have to rebuild your trust in me…give me the chance to because I know that I can change for the better. With you by my side I can do anything."

Desiree did not trust herself to speak, so she merely shook her head. She could not take the chance of anything like this happening again. A relationship with Piper was not a risk that she was willing to take.

Piper nodded as she bit her lower lip. "So that's it, huh? You're just gonna give up on me…on something that had the potential to be so wonderful…so special. Well years from now you're going to look back on this and wish that you'd given me a chance to prove myself…my love to you. Whether you choose to believe it or not you're going to kick yourself for letting me walk out of that door and out of your life forever, because that is exactly what I'm going to do when my feet touch your threshold. I'm gone. Forever," Piper enunciated the syllables of the last word while wondering if her words were having their desired effect on the other woman. "I have caused you to feel more alive than you have ever felt in your entire life Desiree, and you can't deny that." Taking a step towards the strawberry-blonde, Piper looked her straight in the eyes. "Now tell me you want me to go. Tell me you want me out of your life and I'll leave. You won't ever have to see me again."

Desiree just stared at her not saying anything until she finally moved around the woman and briskly walked out of the kitchen on her way to the bedroom. When she came out of her bedroom moments later, she found Piper leaning against the wall next to the front door. Walking up to her, Desiree handed the woman a duffel bag explaining that her belongings were inside.

"I'm still waiting," Piper stated quietly already knowing what was about to happen.

Desiree swallowed, feeling a small lump in her throat. This was harder to do than she had ever dreamed it would be. "Go," she finally was able to whisper.

Opening the door, Piper walked out, not bothering to close it as she headed towards the elevator, tears falling down her face. After watching her walk down the hall for a few seconds, Desiree placed her hands on the door and pushed it closed gently, before she pressed her forehead to the door as she allowed the tears to come. Never before had she ever felt such anguish.

Concluded in Part 12.