Not Again Rated PG

[Ella713]

Moonlight Fan Fiction
Not Again
Rated PG
By: Ella713


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

History repeats itself and for Mick it is all too familiar


Mick had a bad feeling when he woke up and when that happened he knew something was coming that he wouldn't like one bit. Rubbing his eyes, he decided to get up and start the day. Beth felt him stir and rolled over looking at the clock.
"4am? Really?" She said slowly closing her eyes to succumb to sleep again. Mick smiled at his wife's sleeping antics and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

He made it into the office by 5:30am and started to go through any voicemails that were left for him. He left early yesterday and he told their Receptionist Lori Barnes to forward all calls to his voicemail. He placed the phone on speaker and began to go through the messages. The first message was from a television reporter that he and Carl liked to work with, wanting an interview on the current success they had on helping the LAPD catch a bank robber who had robbed three banks in the area. The second call was........inappropriate. Mick usually received at least 2 a week, depending if he was on television or not. The third call made him stop and really listen.

"Mr. St. John! I need to speak with you right away!! My daughter has been kidnapped! The police have turned up nothing and its been 3 days already!! I need to come see you!"

Mick closed his eyes, hoping that nothing bad had happened to the woman's daughter. He hated cases like this, but knew he wouldn't turn it down. He left a message on Carl's voicemail, alerting him of the situation so he would know it was going to be all hands on deck today. In all his years he had only handled only 3 kidnapping cases......well, 4 cases if you included his wife's kidnapping when she was just a little girl, but Mick always tried to keep that particular memory out of his mind for obvious reasons, but more importantly he didn't want to think about Coraline and all the trouble she caused. So he got started on finishing up some paperwork for a case they had just closed, but that feeling he had woken up with remained with him until 8am exactly.

Stephanie Andrews was a very perky single mom who was devoted to her 6 year old daughter Alice. When her boyfriend Noah found out she was pregnant, he said he would stand with her no matter what her decision was but when he discovered that her decision was to keep the baby, he disappeared pretty quickly. But Stephanie didn't cry a single tear over the jerk. She was determined to raise her baby alone, vowing to never trust the words of a man again and she had done pretty well for herself. She graduated college and had a good job working for the City Of Los Angeles Transportation in the Accounting department. She had done such a good job that she could redesign her hours to fit in with her daughter's kindergarten schedule, but when she arrived at the school to pick up her daughter she saw a lot of police cars parked right out front. She ran over to find out what had happened when she saw her daughter's teacher in tears! While the children were playing outside after lunch, Alice had been snatched! The children who saw it happened were wailing trying to get their stories out to their parents and the police. Even with a solid description of the woman who had so brazenly walked onto school grounds and kidnapped a child, three days had passed and no one in Los Angeles had seen little Alice Andrews!

At 8am on the dot a woman came running into his office holding a photograph running straight into his arms.
"Please! Please help my find my daughter!" She cried as he felt her tears soak though his shirt and all he could think of was "Please not again".

[Ella713]

Mick stood frozen as the woman sobbed heavily. He slowly patted her back.
"I'm going to help you find your daughter" He said holding her apart from him. He took the photo from her hand and stared at the photo of the beautiful blonde child with one tooth missing grinning at wide smile. Her bright blue eyes alive with delight. Mick couldn't believe what he was seeing! It was Beth all over again. He held his breath as he looked at woman not wanting to see Beth's mother's face. The woman looked up at him with eyes blurry and red from crying too many tears to count. "What's your name?" He asked quietly as he saw Carl hurry towards them. "This is my partner Carl Davis. We're going to find your daughter"

Carl made coffee and brought her a cup of hot, strong, sweet coffee and told her to drink it. She slowly took a sip and seeing that it was exactly as she would make it herself, began the drink the coffee. She sat back a little calmer.
"Now tell us what happened?" Carl said with his notepad out ready to start taking notes.
"I took Alice, that's my daughter's name...I dropped her off at kindergarten this morning and I pick her up at 1pm and take her to my mother's until I leave work, but when I showed up at 1:00 the police were already there and they told me that Alice was taken from the playground in front of 25 other children!" She said beginning to cry again. "She was playing at the time with five other children who all told the exact same story. A woman with wild black hair walked up to them and picked Alice up and started to run off with her"
"And the kids gave the exact same story?" Mick asked. She nodded he head.
"Some said brown hair some said black hair but they all said she was scary looking. When she ran off with my daughter the children all started to scream loudly. The teacher was off to the side talking to another teacher at the time and had her back to the children". She said grabbing another tissue from the box Carl had sat in front of her.
"What's the teacher's name?" Mick asked.
"I don't know her first name but she's called Miss Clark". She said.
"And you said it's been three days? Has anyone called asking for a ransom?" Carl asked.
"No. Nothing" She said.
"What did the police say"
"They said that they were putting in an Amber alert along with a description that the sketch artist drew from the children and they were also sending it to the local television stations hoping to find someone who knew the woman. But its been three days!" She wailed. Carl looked at Mick. He knew that the odds of finding little Alice alive were getting less remote as time ticked by so they would have to move quickly.
"Do you have a copy of the sketch?" Mick asked. Stephanie nodded and pulled a copy of the drawing out of her handbag and slid in front of them. Carl noticed that Mick had his eyes shut tightly for moment and Carl knew why he did. This sounded like Beth's kidnapping from what they both told him.
Carl took the drawing and studied it. Letting out a sigh, he was glad that it wasn't Coraline trilogy. He slid it in front of Mick to view and saw that he too was relieved the drawing looked nothing like his ex-wife.
"Do you have someone to stay with you?" Mick asked.
"My parents and my sister drove down from Tahoe" She explained.
"Good. I want you to go back home and wait for our call" Mick said showing her out. Carl immediately called Logan.
"My man! What's going on?" Logan asked cheerfully
"Mick and I have a kidnapping case and I need you to find everything you can on Stephanie Andrews from Orange County. And Logan I mean everything! From the time she was born till now" He said.
"Give me an hour" Logan said realizing the seriousness of the situation and getting to work right away.
"Let's call Capt. Hernandez and see what they've gotten so far" Mick said pulling out his phone thinking they had to find this little girl as quickly as the could.

Captain Hernandez called them right back.
"I know the clock is ticking on this case but we don't have much to go on. We swept through the surrounding area asking everyone if they've seen a woman fitting that description in he area. We even told everyone to be on the lookout for Any brunette with a small blonde girl and bring them in for questioning" He said.
"Any chance the Dad could have a hand in this?" Carl asked.
"Well we certainly can't rule that out but the mother said the father took off as soon as she told him and she hasn't heard from him since. We're tracking down his family right now. She also said they met at City College and his name is Noah Hines. We're checking DMV records right now." He said.
"Mick and I are going to City College to ask around if you don't mind?" He said.
"Mind? When a child is snatched we need all the help we can get!" He said hanging up.

[Ella713]

Logan called as soon as they were heading out the door.
"Okay, here's what I have on your girl. Born and raised in Orange County. Father is a plumber and the mother is a nurse. She's an only child. Graduated from El Modena High School, enrolled in City College graduated with an Accounting Degree and started working for the city right away. She had one daughter 6 years ago, listed Noah Hines as the father on the birth certificate. Never pursued child support or anything. As far as I can find, Noah dropped out of her life when he heard she was going to have a kid, left California for Salt Lake City and has been there ever since. He's married to one Maria Hines nee' Lockhart. They wed four hears ago, he works for the Sheriff's Department. Had a few fights in his college days but that's about it. His wife comes from a well off family. She contracted ovarian cancer in her early 20's but survived the whole ordeal and works for a Barnes and Noble book store" Logan finished.
"Damn you're good!" Carl exclaimed.
"Why thank you" Logan said hanging up.
"Alright, you go to City College and I'll have pop over to Salt Lake City. We'll meet back here by lunchtime" Mick said and took off.

Carl dug out his old "dupe shield" and attached it to his belt as he headed for City College.
"Hello, I'm Detective Carl Davis and I need to speak with someone in Administration" He said, realizing that once you went through the Police Academy, you would always and forever sound exactly like a cop. In a few minutes a very pretty woman with sandy blonde hair motioned for his to come into her office.
"What can help you with Detective?" She said professionally. "My name is Mandy Novack"
"I want to look up a former student here by the name of Stephanie Andrews". He said. The woman looked up quickly.
"Steph? Why? What happened to her?" She asked in surprise.
"Her six year old daughter was kidnapped three days ago and we are checking into her past to see if anyone wanted to harm her in any way"
"Somebody took Alice?!!" She said standing up.
"You sounds like you have a close relationship with the victim"
"Yes. We are good friends and of course I'll help out in any way I can"
"Okay, tell me about her and Noah Hines. The little girl's father" Carl asked.
"We all thought they would get married for sure. I mean they were together the entire time until the final year of school and he took off when she told him she was pregnant, which was pretty shitty if you ask me" She said with a frown.
"Did he ever try and contact her?"
"Not that I know of. She never said he did"
"What were they like as a couple?"
"Oddly different but alike at the same time. They were both very driven in their studies and what they wanted to do with their lives. Stephanie had an ideal life growing up. Noah, well he had it pretty rough. His dad has been in prison since he was 15 I think. Tried to rob a bank and ended up shooting a clerk. His mom was drug addict who had multiple lovers who smacked him around quite bit, so he was determined to make it in life". She said.
"Other than you is there anyone else that she was tight with?"
"Not really, unless you want to add Maria, though no one's seen her since her attempted suicide".
"Who was she?"
"She was a kind of a rich girl. A little spoiled but nice enough. She had some kind of breakdown last year of college something that involved an ex boyfriend who broke up with her and she swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills. Lucky for her, her brother came home from college unexpectedly and found her passed out on the bathroom floor"
"Do you know Maria's last name?" Carl asked.
"Started with a L....." She said closing her eyes trying to remember. Carl looked at his notes.
"Lockhart?" He asked.
"That's it! Maria Lockhart. Her father owns a ton of car dealerships up and down the coast"
"Thank you very much for your help" Carl said standing up getting and taking his leave. He quickly pulled out his phone and rang Mick.
"Mick, you gotta hear this. Noah Hine's wife also went to City College and was friends with Stephanie
Andrews!"
"What!?" He said in surprise. "I'm at Noah's house right now, I'll call you when I'm done" He said hanging up and ringing the doorbell.

[Ella713]

Mick held his breath for the door to be answered.
"Yes, may I help you?" Said a young woman in a uniform.
"Hello, My name is Mick St. John and I'm a Private Detective" He said showing her his I.D. "I need to speak with either Mr. or Mrs. Hines" He said. The woman looked at him suspiciously for a moment.
"They are not here". She said firmly
"I just have ask her a few questions it won't take long" He said, noticing that the woman's heartbeat started to race.
"I say they not here!" She said slamming the door in his face. Mick stood there for a moment longer trying to hear if anything was being said, but he heard nothing. He left the house and got into his car headed for the Sheriff's Department.

He appeared at the station and walked inside. A youngish man was at the desk and stood when he saw Mick approaching.
"May I help you" He asked.
"I need to speak with Sheriff Noah Hines" He asked politely The young man nodded and told Mick to take a seat. He didn't have to wait long before he saw Sheriff Hines standing in front of him.
"Hello, I'm Sheriff Hines. I was told you needed to speak with me" he said holding out his hand.
"Is there someplace we can speak privately?" Mick asked. Noah led him to an empty holding room and told him to take a seat.
"What do you need?" He asked.
"It's about Stephanie Andrews" Mick said. Noah looked taken aback.
"Stephanie? Wow. I haven't seen or spoken with her in years" He said.
"Her daughter Alice, your daughter was kidnapped three days ago" Mick said paying close attention to his expression. Mick could tell he was honestly surprised.
"I'm sorry to hear about that. I truly am, but......I'm sure you know that I ran out on her the moment she told me. A really shitty thing to do but I was young, not to mention I was from a very damaged background. There was no way I could trust myself with a baby" He said softly.
"So you really haven't been in contact with her at all? What about your wife Maria. I heard they were friends" Mick said. Noah stared at Mick in shock.
"My wife and Stephanie didn't know one another!" He said.
"My mistake. I thought you all went to school together?"
"No. My wife went to USC" He said.
"Well thank you for your help Sherriff" Mick said standing and offering the man his hand.
"I hope you find her........I really hope you do" He said sadly taking his leave.

Mick immediately called Carl.
"What did you find out?" Carl asked.
"I found out that his wife is a liar" Mick said hanging up
"What did she lie about?"
"Well I asked Noah if Maria had been in contact with Stephanie because they all went to school together and he said his wife didn't attend City College, even though administration told you they all had attended together, so why is she lying to her husband?"
"Time to dive into Maria's background" Carl said. Mick stayed close to the Sheriff's house looking to see if Maria would come out but nothing happened until he saw Noah pull into his driveway, then walk inside. Mick quickly got out of his car and began to walk towards the house. He peeked into a window and saw Noah take off his hat and hang it on hook by the door. A woman came out with a bright smile and kissed him passionately. Mick stared hard at the woman. Something was off about her. He focused on the two people and heard one distinct heartbeat which he was sure was Noah's, but he heard nothing from the woman.....although he did hear a faint heartbeat which was beating quite quickly....it could be hers he thought. After calling Beth to let her know where he was, he went back to his car and kept his eyes on the house.

After three hours Carl called Mick.
"Hey, I've got some information on Maria Lockhart. After her suicide attempt her father took her to some treatment facility in Lake Tahoe. She was there for about a year, and she did enrolled at USC studying for a degree in nursing. She graduated and was all set to start at Mercy General, then she met Noah who had just finished the Police Academy and was back in Los Angeles for a friend's funeral. They fell in love and she left with him to Salt Lake City....and get this. They've been trying for sometime to have a baby. I think it's her because the medical records that Logan pulled up read that he's got some strong swimmers. Her medical report is odd. Most reports have a lot of trivial information like blood pressure, weight, height, that sort of stuff, but she has none of that. It doesn't even state if she's barren. I mean they went to a fertility treatment center, they would definitely mark something like that down."
"So you're saying the only medical records you could get a hold of were for fertility treatments? What about the suicide? There has to be a record of that".
"Nothing. Maybe her family was able to take care of it themselves" Carl said, thinking he had known of a couple of people who had swallowed pills and didn't go to the hospital for it. "You know they have than stuff you drink and makes you throw up and get all that crap out of your body....ipecac."
"Maybe" Mick said.
"Do you think they have the little girl?"
"The husband definitely doesn't know and it sounded like he didn't want to have any children. He said his childhood was so damaged that he didn't trust himself with a child....but I'm going to stay here for a while longer and wait for them to go to sleep"
"Well good luck and Mick, be careful" Carl said not having a good feeling about this case.

When Mick saw all the lights turn off, he waited for 15 more minutes then made his way inside the home. He very quietly surveyed every room in the house and no little girl could be found. He would have to pick this back up later he thought to himself as he left the home and got into his car.

Maria's eyes popped open as she heard the voice speak to her.
"He has left, but you will have to be very careful tomorrow, Mick St. John is very very clever, so you must do exactly what I say". Marian nodded and fell back asleep.

[Ella713]

As soon as Noah left for work, Maria immediately rang an Uber to pick her up. It took 1 hour 45 minutes to reach the sprawling home. She looked under the mat, found the key and walked inside. She could hear the little girl crying softly as she slowly opened the door.
"I want my mommy!!" Alice wailed loudly.
"You must not fret. I won't hurt you. See I brought you some cupcakes!" She said opening up the box and showing her the brightly frosted cupcakes.
"I don't want it!! I want my mommy!!" She screamed.
"If you don't stop screaming right now, you will never see your mommy again!" Maria said sternly. Alice immediately stopped crying and reached for a cupcake. "Good girl. It's almost over" She said handing her a small plastic bottle of orange juice. "Now, you eat up and we'll watch cartoons okay?"
Alice slowly nodded her head as she slowly munched on the cupcake.

Mick made it back to the house around 11am and he saw a car pulling up to the house and Maria got out. He quickly jotted down the license plate number and called Logan.
"Hey Logan, I need you to run a plate for me. BRV125." He listened as Logan typed away on his computer.
"Okay, car belong to one Keith Cortez. Originally from New Mexico, has been in Los Angeles for 5 years and is currently employed by Uber" Logan said.
"Thanks Logan, you're a Godsend" Mick said.
"Well, you would know" He joked hanging up.

"Hey Carl, it's Mick. I would like you to go to Uber and talk to Keith Cortez. He just dropped Maria Lockhart off at her house. Find out where she was coming from"
"On my way!" Carl said grabbing his dupe shield and heading out.
It took Carl an hour to finally speak with Keith.
"I need to know exactly where Maria Lockhart was coming from today!" Carl said forcefully. Keith looked at Carl in surprise.
"Look, I don't know anything! I just picked the lady up in Burbank and drove her to Los Angeles" He said in a shaky voice.
"What was the address?" Carl said then called Mick back.
"Mick, I found the Uber driver and he said he picked Maria up from this address in Burbank..."
Mick froze with the phone still in his hand.
"Is it 9361 Farralone Avenue?" Mick asked.
"Yeah! How did you know?"
"That's Coraline's old address" He said hanging up the phone and immediately calling Josef. "Josef.....I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Coraline is back" He said.
"I'm sorry Mick, I think something's wrong with my phone because I could have sworn that you said Coraline is back" He joked.
"I did" Mick sighed.
"My office!" Josef screamed hanging up the phone. When Mick appeared in his office Josef stood up. "What the hell is going on?"
"Carl and I are working a child abduction case and the suspect was picked up at Coraline's old house in Burbank. I know you bought the house but do you have anyone staying there?" Mick asked. Josef immediately picked up his phone.
"Harold, I need you get to 9361 Farralone Avenue and see if anyone's been squatting there. If they are.....well, I trust you to handle it"
"Right away Mr. Kostan!" Harold replied and sped off.
"Let's find out what's been going on in Burbank" Josef said with a smirk.

Harold drove quickly to the address that Kostan had given him. His trained eyes did a quick scan of the perimeter before opening the door and going inside. He could tell right away that someone had been in the property. He quietly through every room then headed for the lower levels. Harold had never been to the property before but could tell at once that a woman had lived here, noting the feminine touches to the decor. He heard a low sniffle and walked towards a door in the very back of the house. He opened the door and peaked inside. He saw a little girl holding a pillow tightly in her arms and sobbing into it. She turned quickly when she saw the very large man enter the room.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to take you home" He said as quietly as his booming baritone could muster. She hesitate but soon made up her mind that this man could be trusted and jumped off the bed.
"Hurry before she comes back!" She whispered in a scared voice. Harold bent down and scooped the little girl up into his arms, taking off for his car. He secured her in then called Mr. Kostan.
"Sir, I found a little girl on the lower level of the property and will arrive shortly" Harold said.
"Good Job Harold. As quick as you can". Josef said. "The missing girl was at Coraline's old place. Harold is bringing back here"
"I don't understand. How did Maria even know about the house?" Mick asked more to himself than anyone else.
"You don't think Coraline has resurrected herself yet again like some mutated virus?" He said in a joking way, yet finding nothing about the situation amusing at all.
"Although I can think of absolutely no way she would be able to.......let's just say we shouldn't rule anything out"

In half an hour's time, Harold walked in with the scared little girl. Mick walked over to her.
"Hey. My name is Mick. Your mom hired me to find you. Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded her head and looked way up at Harold.
"Harry came and got me. And we had ice cream" She said with a smile.
"Harry?" Josef asked looking over at his driver and chuckling to himself.
"Well, let's get you back home to your mother" Mick said picking the girl up. "Thanks Josef" He said before leaving.

[Ella713]

Stephanie Andrews had taken a leave of absence because she couldn't will herself to her home. How could she focus on her job knowing that some maniac was doing heaven only knows to her daughter? She bowed her head and began to do something she hadn't done since grade school. She prayed. She looked up when she heard her doorbell ring and ran quickly to answer it. Standing in front of her was Mick St. John and his arms was her little girl!
"Alice!!!" She screamed as the little girl jumped into her arms. Stephanie hugged tightly and kissed her repeatedly. Mick watched the scene and felt himself tearing up so he turned to leave them this private moment. "Mr. St. John" Stephanie called out. "Thank you so much! I don't know how you found her, but thank you" She said with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You're welcome" Mick said noticing that news trucks were showing up and began setting up.
"Miss Andrews!" A reporter called out. "Do you know who took your daughter? Did you pay a ransom?" She said firing questions at her at a frantic pace. When Stephanie said nothing the reporter turned to Mick. "Mr. St. John, did you find the little girl?" She asked. Mick looked at Stephanie and Alice and saw how frightened they were becoming so he took care of the questions.
"Yes, I did, but you will have to speak with Captain Hernandez if you want specifics. I'm just glad I was able to help, but Miss Andrews and her daughter have been through a lot and what they really need is time to be together. I mean wouldn't you want the same thing if the situation were reversed? Leave them alone for now okay" He said gently. The reporter that Mick knew to be a cutthroat reporter looked at Mick and seeing the sincerity in his eyes nodded and told her cameraman to pack it up. And when they had driven away, Mick turned to face her.
"Go on in, lock the door and pull all your shades. I'll sit out front and make sure no one bothers you" He said. Stephanie gave him a weak smile as she ran into the house. In a matter of minutes more news trucks were headed down the street, but they all suddenly stopped and began to turn around.
"Thank you Josef" Mick said as he made his way to his car got in and waited. After an hour he called Beth.
"Hey Babe!"
"Hey yourself! Josef told me you found little Alice! Good job Mick!"
"Well actually it was Josef who was responsible for finding her, well, and Harold" He confessed.
"However it happened, well done Mick"
"Listen, I'm going to hang out in front of Miss Andrews house for a bit just to make sure they're alright. Could you bring me a meal. I think I'm going to be here for a while" He said. After jotting down the address Beth poured some blood into a flask and drove to meet Mick.

Beth got out and walked over to his car.
"Here you are! Direct service to you anywhere! Even Door Dash can't make that claim" She joked getting into his car. "So what are you waiting here for?"
"I'm not sure but something about this case was off from the beginning. In fact, I thought Coraline was back in the picture" He said. Beth stared at him for a brief moment.
"I can see that. Alice was around my age when I was abducted, I can see why that in itself would give you pause.....but it isn't Coraline....is it?" Beth asked slowly.
"No it's not. But I just don't understand why she was taken. I know who and I still...." He said but stopped when he saw someone approaching.....he heard Beth gasp and he turned in time to see Coraline walking up to Stephanie's door. He quickly jumped out of the car and quickly ran in front of her! The woman stopped and looked up at Mick.
"Mr. St. John, what are doing here?" Maria asked in surprise. Mick stared at the woman. He could have sworn he saw Coraline walking towards the house.
"I...uh I promised Miss Andrews I would keep the press away from her house" He said. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard Noah talking to someone about Stephanie's daughter being abducted and well, I just wanted to see if I could help in any way. We went to school together and it's been so long since I've seen her" She said.
"Your husband said you and Stephanie didn't know one another and you hadn't even attended the same college"
"Well, I'm sure you know about what happened to me there. It was just easier to not mention it at all to Noah. I'm sure you can understand that I'd rather not let my husband know I tried to kill myself over a boy" She said. Mick just nodded his head.
"But still, maybe you could visit another time. Stephanie just wants to be alone with her daughter for the time being" He said firmly.
"Of course....I should have thought of that. Where was she found?" She asked trying to sound innocent.
"Burbank" Was all Mick said. He saw her eyes flicker with recognition for a second and he knew she was the one who stolen Alice. But why?

[Ella713]

After Mick had seen Maria drive away he immediately called Carl.
"Maria did it! She was just here on the pretense of catching up with and old friend" He explained.
"She's got some balls on her. You want me to put some eyes on her?" He asked
"Yeah and I want those eyes to know everything, even the color of her underwear if necessary"
"Roger that. I got the perfect guy in mind" Carl said hanging up. Mick knocked on Stephanie's door to let her know he would be hanging around.
"Oh Mr. St. John! I didn't know you were still here" She said in a quite whisper. "Alice is sleeping".
"I just wanted you to know some things we found out. First, do you know who your ex Noah is married to?"
Stephanie stared at Mick in surprise.
"No...should I? Is Noah behind the kidnapping?" She whispered urgently.
"He's married to Maria Lockhart"
"Are you serious?!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah. He thinks you two don't know one another"
"Know one another? I wouldn't really say that because I don't think anyone really knew Maria other than she was loaded. All she talked about was the latest this or that, was constantly buying new clothes. Everyone kind of tolerated her because she usually paid the tab or something. One time she took 5 of us girls to Paris for Spring Break. We stayed in her parent's apartment or something." She said.
"Look, I think Maria is behind the kidnapping, but I just haven't figured out her motive, so I'm going to stay put and make sure she doesn't come back, so don't call the cops or anything about a car parked across the street from your place" He smiled.
"Thank you Mr. St. John for everything" She said softly as she closed the door.
"Now let's see what kind of game she's playing" He said as he moved his car and faded into the night.

By 2:30am he was going to call it quits, when he saw a woman in a long white gown slowly walk up to the house. She looked all around trying to see if someone was close. Mick saw her jump very delicately on the roof not making a single sound. Then he saw her look around again. It was Coraline!! He thought in shock! At first Mick thought that maybe he should just rush up and try to catch her, but decided against it. He pulled out his mobile and dialed Stephanie. He saw the light come on and knew she had just gotten up.
"Stephanie, It's Mick St. John! Go to your daughter's room now!" He said as he began to honk his horn loudly. The woman froze and saw that lights were turning on up and down the street. She jumped down and slowly began to walk away. Mick got out of his car and sped towards her and grabbed her from behind and turned her around. It was Coraline!
"Hi Mick" She said in her lazy voice.
"You're coming with the me!" He said and they were in Josef's penthouse. Josef was making himself a drink and knew Mick was behind him.
"Do you know what time it is?" Josef said facing him and seeing who he was with. "What the hell!" He screamed out his wings suddenly appearing. Coraline simply stared at him with a bored expression.
"Yeah I know all of you are angels. Are you trying to scare me of something?"
Brian and Gabriel suddenly appeared and looked at the situation unfolding in front of them.
"Why is she here?" Brian said coldly.
"Come on! I was just having a little bit of fun"
"Aren't there enough souls in hell for you to screw around with?" Mick asked.
"Not as much fun I'm afraid" She shrugged.
"I told you the last time, that if I ever saw you again I would end you" mick said through clenched teeth.
"And how's that been working for you?" She laughed.
"Coraline!!! What do you want?" Josef yelled.
"A truce. Lucifer has decided that life on earth is so much more exciting with me in it, I however don't feel that way. This little stunt was all his idea" She said rolling her eyes.
"Why should I believe you this time? This is a record I'm tired of hearing" Mick said making a promise to himself not to trust Coraline ever again at her word.
"Look, I know I've given you no reason to trust me, but Lucifer promised that I could come back if I agreed to torture you all. I don't have any other motive than being free from hell. Why do you think I made it so easy for you to figure out? Lucifer even broke his own rule about possessing people just to make you suffer". She said. Mick, Josef and Brian looked at each other trying to decide if they believed her or not.

Beth barged into Josef's Penthouse and marched directly up to Coraline and punched her so hard she fell into a nearby cabinet.
"You are not screwing with us again!!! Do you understand me? I'm sick to death of your lies and your games! Mick doesn't WANT you! Get over it!" She screamed. Coraline slowly got up and rubbed her cheek where a bruise was starting to appear.
"I'll let you have that one Beth because I deserve it, but if you do that again you won't like what happens to you" Coraline said calmly staring right at her, but seeing that Beth was no longer afraid. Beth started to to go over towards her again as Coraline's eyes widened in fear and before Beth could reach her Brian carefully took Beth away. When Beth saw she no longer at Josef's she turned to Brian in anger.
"Brian, you're my son and I love you but I will rip you apart if you don't take me back!" She yelled.
"As angry as you are, you must know that this isn't your fight" He said standing as still as a pillar.
"The hell it isn't!"
"Lucifer would destroy you and I think that would be Coraline's plan all along". Beth stared at him and knew he was right about......everything, but the hatred she had for that woman felt uncontrollable at times.
"Let Dad handle this". He said finally.
"Why does it appear that Coraline who has done nothing but cause pain and suffering gets to have her way?" Beth sighed.
"Trust me when I say Coraline has not had her way. She was in Hell and she certainly wasn't living it up there. Every second was excruciating for her in every way". Brian said.
"Are you feeling sorry for her as well?"
"No. I do believe that Coraline got exactly what she deserved, but I understand her desperation".
"To hell with her desperation! After everything she's put our family through, I don't understand why we're even attempting to "understand" her plight! She worked with Lucifer! The actual devil. She plotted with him, tried to destroy us all!" She said.
"Yes. All of us with exception to Dad" Brian said finally and with that statement, they both began to think that Coraline had a definite plan in mind. And that plan included Mick St. John.
After Coraline had left they all began to speak at once.
"Do you think we should let the Father know?" Gabriel asked although he knew that the Father knew already what Coraline and Lucifer were up to. Brian appeared and took a seat.
"Mom is calmed down...somewhat" He said.
"We need to keep her away from this whole thing, whatever it is" Gabriel said. "But..what the hell does she want now?"
"What she always wants. It always comes down to her stalker fascination with Mick St. John! Mick is like her own personal drug of choice. She can only go so long without trying to take another hit! And for all intents and purposes, she has no intention of leaving Mick alone" Josef said.

[Ella713]

Mick closed his eyes briefly. He couldn't count the number of times Coraline had interrupted his life and he would have to double that amount to the number of times he had kicked himself for ever having a relationship with her in the first place. Was this all really about her wanting to escape hell or was there something else at play? He had to admit that she had made it extremely easy to connect the dots......maybe they could...." He began to think.
"Hell NO!" Josef yelled out, knowing at once what Mick was thinking. "I can't believe you're actually thinking of helping her! Don't fall for this Mick. Again!" He said.
"I know, I know....but"
"But nothing Mick! When someone shows you exactly who they are, believe them!"
"Dad, I think Josef is correct. We should leave Coraline to her own devices" Brian said firmly.

Coraline walked up to the Farmington estate which was still hers and walked inside. Louisa the head maid saw her enter and froze in shock.
"Uh...Mrs. Farmington! We had no idea you were to return!" She said looking all around to make sure the house was in tip top shape. While they didn't know if she would return or not, they had taken great pains to keep the home looking exactly as if Mr. Farmington were to arrive at any moment.
"Who all is still here?" Coraline asked.
"Myself, Rodriguez, Daniel, Cook, Nancy and James the Head Butler. Would you like for me to tend to the Master Suite?" She asked.
"Yes, please do. I'm going into the office to make a few phone calls" She said walking into her husband's office and closing the door behind her. Louisa immediately alerted staff that the mistress of the house had returned and they need to be ready for anything.

Noah had noticed that his wife wasn't back from wherever she was, but he wasn't worried. Maria had always been a very safe and loyal wife, but when he woke up early this morning and saw her asleep on the sofa he became suspicious. Was she cheating on him? He decided to hack into the GPS on her car and find out where she had been.
"Burbank? What the hell was she doing out there?" He asked himself. He had an officer look up all the information on the location.
"Sherriff, the location 9361 Farralone Avenue belongs to Kostan Industries. They purchased the property in 2010. Before it belonged to a Coraline Duvall. And before that It belonged to Virginia Hill. She was mobster Bugsy Segal's girlfriend" He said handing him the information. "Do you need anything else?"
"No. This is good. Thanks Jerry" He said grabbing his keys to check the place out.

The house was gorgeous but he could tell it had been vacant for quite a while, but the gate was open. Was someone staying there? According to what his deputy had found out, no one had been living there for a very long time. He slowly pulled into the driveway and was immediately met by two of the largest
men he had ever seen.
"You're on private property" One of them said walking towards his car.
"We had a tip that someone was squatting on the premises and I wanted to check it out" He lied.
"Someone had entered the property but they aren't here. We made a full sweep of the house".
"Was anything stolen or missing?" Noah asked.
"We found some empty containers in one of the rooms. We cleared it all out"
"Would you mind it I took a look at what was left?"
"The trash is right to the side. Help yourself" The larger of the two men said walking back towards the house. Pete got out of his cruiser and went through the trash can. He found a couple of orange juice bottles and a bag from Doughnut Man in Glendale. He went back to his cruiser and put on a pair of gloves and placed the items in a bag. He made his way back to the guys guarding the property.
"I'm going to take these items to the station and see if we can get some dna if that's okay?"
Harold nodded at the Sherriff because he knew that Josef would also want to know who had been here.
"Kostan speaking" Josef said picking up the phone.
"Sir, its Harold. We're still at the property but we had a visit from a Sherriff from Salt Lake City. He was asking questions about someone squatting on the property. We told him what we know and let him take the trash that was left behind. Just wanted to let you know".
"Thanks Harold" Josef said. Then he picked up the phone and called Logan.
"What can I do for you?" Logan asked.
"I need you to hack into the Sherriff's Department in Salt Lake City Utah. A Sherriff there is going to be submitting dna evidence he found in Burbank. I need to know what he found".
"You got it Josef, but you know its going to be a while? Maybe 2 weeks or so".
"Just get it to me as quickly as you can".

Maria woke up on her sofa with no recollection on how she got there. She stood up and saw that she was wearing the same clothes she had on the day before.
"Oh God, it's happening again" She said to herself sitting back down and crying. She heard her phone ringing and saw it was her husband. She turned off her phone and thought long and hard about what she must do.

[Ella713]

Maria had carefully packed up some belongings and left the letter where she was sure her husband would see it. Hearing the honk of the taxi she wiped away a tear and locked the door behind her.
When Noah had finally arrived back in Salt Lake City he knew it was too late to phone his wife who was probably worried sick about him, so he decided he would sneak in and crash on the sofa, but he knew he wouldn't sleep until Maria answered some questions. Like why was she in Burbank California and what was she doing there? As he carefully unlocked his door and quietly hung up his jacket and locked his gun up. He didn't hear anything so Maria was mostly likely fast asleep. He carefully took off his boots and laid down on the sofa thinking.......was Maria having an affair?

Coraline woke up in the grand master bedroom she had always loved. She sat up and took a deep breath. Coffee. Glorious coffee! She threw on her robe and made her way downstairs and found the dining room prepared for breakfast.
"Good morning Mrs. Farmington" Louisa said sliding a glass of blood towards her. Coraline smiled brightly.
"I think I'll have a small fruit salad and an espresso" She said. Louisa stared at her in surprise.
"Right away" She said quickly taking off for the kitchen to inform everyone that the Mrs. wanted actual food.
"What did she say exactly?" Cook asked in shock.
"She said she wanted a small fruit salad and an espresso. Right now Cook!" She said walking towards the coffee machine and preparing the espresso herself. Within moments she had a very hot foamy espresso. She sat in front of Coraline and waited for her to take a sip.
"I know you want to ask how this possible" Coraline said without turning around.
"It's not my place Mrs. Farmington" She said.
"Well, I don't think I could explain it to you even if I tried but in any case, you better do some shopping as I plan to make good use of this house" She said blowing on her coffee and taking a long sip.
"This is marvelous Louisa" She said waving her away.

Mick walked into his apartment and found Beth patiently waiting for him on the sofa.
"Have you all made a decision?" She asked.
"Yea....sort of"
"What the hell does that mean? Mick you know you can't trust a word that comes out of her mouth!" She yelled.
"I know and I don't trust her. That shipped sailed eons ago but while none of us trust her, we have to wait and see how this plays out. Coraline is an exceptional chess player and she's in this for the long haul. If we do something prematurely we may cause more harm. So, we're just going to play it cool but keep an eye on her. We have Alma, Bridgett and Gideon keeping a close eye on her. If she tries anything, we'll know". Mick explained.
"I'm sorry I yelled, it's just I can't deal with this woman anymore. She's hurt too many people"
"Yeah she has, but our situation has changed since her return and she can't fight us"
"But don't you guys have a code against killing?"
"We cannot kill humans. Coraline is at most a demon or she's just a damned soul trying to buy her way out of hell and I'm sorry but the ticket she purchased was one way. There's no coming back"

"Now that Dad's gone what are we really planning on doing?" Brian asked.
"We have to save Mick from himself first of all. Coraline knows what makes Mick feel sympathy for her. It's his goodness that keeps him from realizing that not everyone can be saved. And her sob story about wanting to get out of hell is just that. A sob story, nothing more. And since we can't convince Mick that Coraline can't be saved we're going to have to best her at her own game" Josef said and Brian could see the wheels turning in his mind.
"Don't you think we should let Dad handle this on his own?" Gabriel said always the peacemaker. Josef and Brian rolled their eyes together.
"No" They said simultaneously.
"Your father even before he reclaimed his place was still unbelievably good. He will always give someone a second chance or in the case of Coraline, a zillion chances to do the right thing" Josef said.
"You don't think he still loves her do you?" Gabriel asked thinking this for the first time.
"I don't think Mick ever truly loved Coraline. How could he? She took his life and lied to him repeatedly but when she kidnapped your mom, I think that's when he truly saw who Coraline was for the first time. A monster. Any feelings he had for her died the day he left her to burn. Trust me, Beth is the only woman who has his heart." Josef saw the look of relief wash over Gabriel's face.

Noah had been tempted to ring his wife but decided that it would be better if they talked together face to face. He pulled up to the house and saw that no lights were on and he was immediately on guard. Had something happened to his wife? He unsnapped his holster and quietly made his way to the door. He didn't hear anything which was odd because Maria loved music and he could always hear her favorite opera playing every time he opened the door. He opened the door and turned on the light. Everything was as he left it this morning, but Maria was no where to be found. He called out her name and searched every room. He was about to call his boss when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was an envelope with his name on it. He took a deep breath and plucked it from the side table by the door. He tore into it and stood there in shock. Maria had left him. He ran taking the stairs two at a time to their bedroom and stared in shock at the empty closet. His wife left him. She was having an affair he thought to himself sadly as he sat on the bed.

Carl looked up and saw Mick walk into the office.
"Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you since yesterday?"
"Coraline is back" He said and watched Carl's eyes open wide.
"That chick just won't leave you be" He said shaking his head.
"You know what? I don't want to talk about her anymore. Whatever she's up to, she'll have to deal with it on her own. I'm done"
"I hope you mean it this time Mick, because she really seems to know how to get under your skin".
Mick nodded his head finally leaving Coraline to herself.
"What we got going on today?" He asked with a smile.
"Accountant at Fidelity Investments. Embezzlement. They want this guy caught pronto"
"That's exactly what we specialize in" Mick said with a smile.

Coraline met with Pastor Harmon Graves who was a very prominent preacher in Los Angeles. Maybe he could help her in her journey.
"I have to be honest with you Pastor. I wasn't a good person. I lied and cheated my way through life my entire life. It was after seeing your recent Harvest special that I saw how awful I was living" She said.
"Praise the Lord!" He said holding up his hands. "We would love for you to come to one of our services, see for yourself what we offer". He said brightly thinking that someone like Mrs. Farmington could really help his church expand.
"Thank you Pastor Harmon. I will definitely be there!" She said.

After three weeks, Noah had come to the conclusion that Maria had really left him for good. He had told his boss and everyone in the precinct was very supportive and had offered him help in any way they could. It was after turning down the third request of help finding him the perfect woman that he remembered the private detective who had come to speak with him. Mick St. John was his name if he remembered it correctly. He started to search for the man and found a website for his agency.
"MAC Investigations" He muttered to himself writing down the information. Then he asked his boss if he could have a few days off to deal with some things at home. Something told him that this detective would know exactly what happened to his wife. He booked his return flight and took off for Los Angeles. After a hectic landing at LAX, he rented a car and went in search of Mick St. John.
He pulled up to the luxurious Kostan Towers, parked his car in the garage and made his way to the Lobby.
"Hello. I'm here to see Mick St. John" He said showing the Security desk his badge.
"Walk straight ahead and speak with the receptionist." The guard said pointing to the offices on the other side of the desk. He walked into MAC Investigations and was greeted by a very pretty blonde woman.
"Welcome to Mac Investigations. How may we help?" She asked pleasantly.
"Hello, my name is Sherriff Noah Hines from Salt Lake City. I need to speak with Mick St. John regarding a case he's working". He said.
"Please have a seat and I will see if Mr. St. John is available" She said picking up the phone. Within seconds Mick came out of his office and was walking towards him.
"Sherriff Hines what brings you to Los Angeles?" Mick asked shaking his hand.
"Could we talk in private?" Noah said standing up.
"Sure" Mick said taking him to his office. After Noah sat down Mick offered him a cup of coffee then sat down behind his desk. "What can I do for you?"
"It's my wife Maria. Do you know where she is?". Mick looked at the Sherriff in shock.
"She's missing?" He asked anxiously.
"Well according to her note, she left me" He said taking the note from his pocket and sliding it across to him. "I think her leaving had something to do with your case. I heard on the news that Stephanie's daughter was found in Burbank and it turns out that my wife's GPS read that she also was in Burbank at this address.". Mick looked at the address. Damn it! It was Coraline's address. "You recognize the address? You have to tell me!" He yelled.
"This is where Alice was found" Mick said, understanding now what Coraline said about Lucifer breaking his rule about demon possession.
"So my wife did know Stephanie. She kidnapped Alice." He said more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah, I think so" Mick said nodding his head. Noah pulled an envelope out of his bag and handed over to Mick.
"When I found out that my wife's GPS showed this address in Burbank, I went there and spoke with some Security guys. They said they found evidence of someone squatting there and they had thrown all the stuff out, but they allowed me to take some of it with me. I had it tested for DNA and these are the results" He said.
"Do you know who's DNA it is?" Mick asked.
"I didn't open it. I don't want to know. But I thought you should have it" He said standing up. Mick quickly opened the envelope and viewed the contents. It was a match for Maria Hines. Noah looked at Mick's face and knew his wife had kidnapped Stephanie's daughter. His daughter. But why?
"Between you and me, I don't think your wife did this on her own. Someone made her do this"
"But why? That doesn't make any sense! Maria didn't even know Stephanie" He said in frustration trying to understand what was going on.
"Maria does know Stephanie. Your wife also went to City College. Her and Stephanie were roommates".
Noah's shoulders dropped.
"So she's a liar as well" He said.
"Look, what I was able to find out is that Maria had a hard time at City College. She fell in love with a guy who broke up with her and she tried to commit suicide. She probably didn't want you to find out what happened. So she lied. Don't be so hard one her. She was young. Not everyone deals with these things as well as others. Coming from her background with all that money and expectations, it was probably devastating to her"
"So you think someone blackmailed her into kidnapping the girl?"
"I wouldn't rule it out, but let me find your wife. I'll bring her back", Mick said. "Are you going to be in town for a few days?"
"I could hold off for a couple of more days. I need to find a hotel somewhere. Do you have any recommendations?" Noah asked.
"Actually you can stay here until we get this all settled" Mick replied stepping out of his office and motioning for Security to come into his office.
"This place is amazing, but I need something more akin to a Sherriff's salary"
"There's no charge. We keep a few studios available for clients who don't want to pay a kidney for a hotel room" Mick joked as he saw Rick approaching his office. "Rick, I need a key to a studio for Sherriff Hines. He's going to be helping me out with a case" He explained. Rick walked away and returned with key and a parking fob. "Thanks Rick. I'll show him up". Mick led him to the elevators and showed him where he would be staying. "If you need anything just call the security desk or call me" Mick said handing the Sherriff a business card.

[Ella713]

"Hey Logan I need another favor" Mick said.
"Congrats on finding the little girl Mick" Logan said knowing how close to home this case was hitting his friend.
"Thanks man. I need you to try and find the whereabouts of Maria Hines nee' Lockhart. She disappeared from Salt Lake City. Check everywhere. Hospitals, clergy and shelters. Also see if you can find a brother or any other family members"
"Alright, give me a few hours" Logan said hanging up.

Sherriff Hines stayed up all night in the luxurious studio, wondering why his wife would lie to him. And why she just couldn't tell him what happened. He felt like everything was his fault. He was the one who cheated on Stephanie with a girl he had no idea was her roommate. And he certainly didn't know that she tried to kill herself when he broke things off. He would have to make things right if it was last thing he did.

Two days later Logan and Lucky had found Maria and she was in Los Angeles.
"Mick, we found the woman you're looking for. Maria Lockhart has been checked into Wish Recovery. A very exclusive rehab for the uber rich".
"Rehab? I didn't have any record of her being an addict"
"Well she isn't. According to her files, she's there for a psychotic break from severe depression".
"I'm confused" Mick said thinking that nothing about this woman made any sense.
"Her family had her admitted after her suicide attempt. She's worked exclusively with Doctor Bryant that guy who's always on t.v. helping famous people with their imagined hang ups".
"I need to know what's in her chart"
"Way ahead of you Mick. Apparently she's hearing voices and ending up in places that she has no memory of going to. The good doctor has diagnosed her with Schizophrenia. She has requested that she be placed on lockdown. As in solitary. No one sees her but the doctor and medical staff".
"I'm going to have to pay her a super secret visit" Mick said heading out for the facility.
Mick parked down the street from plush structure and appeared inside what looked to be a welcoming center.
"Good heavens!! You scared me to death! I didn't see you standing there" A frightened nurse said to him placing her hand over her heart. "May I help you?"
"My name is Mick St. John and I'm here to ask about Maria Lockhart" Mick said focusing intently on the young nurse, speaking to her mind.
"Oh course. I'll let you right in" She said standing up and and swiping her card to open the doors. "She's right in the room to your left. Be careful she's not quite herself today" The nurse said going back to her station. Mick slowly opened the door and saw Maria staring out a window looking dazed and unaware of her surroundings.
"Maria" He said softly. Maria upon hearing her name slowly turned her head and stared at the handsome man.
"I.....know you" She slurred.
"Yeah you do. I'm Mick St. John. We talked a little while ago about your college roommate Stephanie Andrews"
"I took her daughter" She said nodding her head lightly
"I know. Did someone tell you to do it?"
"I didn't want to. I told them I didn't want to" She said as tear slid down her face. "You can't tell Noah. he's not supposed to know. It was only for a little while" She said. "They got inside me like they said they would. I went to church and told them to take them out of me, but they didn't believe me so I ran. Sometimes if you run really hard they leave your body". Mick stared at the woman. She was making no sense whatsoever.
"Did they take the little girl?" Mick asked.
"No! I told you already! I did it! I took the girl!" She screamed. Mick heard an alarm and sound of people running down the hall so he took off. "No!!! Don't leave! I have to tell you!! Come back!!" Mick heard her scream loudly down the hall. The nurses quickly sedated her and Mick knew he'd have to wait for more questioning.

Mick made it back to Kostan Towers and told Sherriff Hines what he had discovered.
"Is she crazy?" He asked sadly
"No. I don't think she is, but someone's been messing with her mind to make her think she's crazy and doing a very good job of it. She admits to the kidnapping of Alice but there's no real motive there. All she said was that they made her do it and she didn't want to".
"Who's doing this? And why target Maria?"
"Sherriff you're going to have to trust me. I will get to the bottom of this!" Mick said firmly.
"I have to get back to Salt Lake City, but keep me posted...please". He said desperately. At Mick's confirmation he went back up to the Studio to pack.

Coraline looked at all the people sitting in front of her and marveled at how easy this all was. If she had known this earlier she would have chosen a different path altogether.
"Since the beginning men have done nothing but pushed us aside, twisted our words and persecuted us when all we wanted to do was heal and love all that God had created. Now sisters we have been reborn anew and the time to step into God's glory has begun!" Coraline said with her arms stretched wide.
"Amen!"
"In his name!" All the women replied as they bowed their heads to pray. Coraline looked over at the Pastor who watched her as she directed the small group of women to worship. His eyes lit up with greed. This woman had everything he needed. Money, power and influence. With her by his side, there was nothing he couldn't do.

[Ella713]

Beth was leaving A Summer Place the Battered Women's Shelter where she devoted a lot of her time these days, she froze in place when she saw the headline on the paper.
"Mrs. Madeline Farmington opens women's church in Beverly Hills"
She quickly paid the for the newspaper and shoved it into her purse while pulling out her phone.
"Josef, it's Beth. Do you have a free moment to see me this afternoon?" She asked.
"For you Beth, anything. How soon can you get here?"
"15 Minutes" She said hanging up and getting into her car.

When she walked into Josef's office he could tell from her expressions that this would be a serious conversation.
"Lay it on me" He said with a heavy sigh. Beth laid down the paper in her hands.
"What do you think of this?" She asked. She saw Josef's eyes open wide then narrow a bit.
"Is this for real?"
"That's what I was hoping you could tell me"
"I've never known Coraline to be religious in any way so I don't know what this is all about however, she has been in Hell and I mean the actual place and I'm guessing it wasn't to her liking". Josef said carefully. As an Angel he believed in redemption 100% but from Coraline?
"So you think she's for real turning over a new leaf?"
"I can't say for sure. Just from this short article she's shown to be very remorseful for everything she's done........but Coraline always was one hell of an actress. Let's keep an eye on her just to see if we can spot an angle" He said. "I'm going to hang on to this okay?"
"Keep me posted" Beth said as she walked out. Josef immediately called Brian to come into his office.
"Brian, Beth just brought this to my attention". He said sliding the paper over to Brian.
"I do not believe this" Brian said simply.
"I'm leaning towards agreeing with you. Yeah I get it, she had to endure the thralls of eternal damnation, but this kind of about-face is a tad too much. See if you can find out about this Pastor that's helping her". Josef said.

Brian went into his office and started to make phone calls. His first call was to Maryanne Barnes. She was a first rate investigator who had contacts all over the United States and abroad. Brian smiled when he heard her throaty laugh.
"I knew you were going ring me Brian!" She chuckled. "So the Vixen herself returns to California!"
"She has an ally it appears" Brian said calmly knowing Maryann would tell him all.
"Yeah, Pastor Harmon" She said with disgust.
"How bad is he?"
"On paper? Not bad at all. Doesn't enjoy and over the top lifestyle which is rare for evangelicals these days, but he is drunk on the power which is not rare for evangelicals. Rumor has it, he's trying to branch his way into television. He's been speaking with Joel Osteen quite a lot so he's definitely starting something big. He's been seen with some heavyweights in the blue blood circuit so him latching onto Vixen was a no brainer, but she does seem to be passionate about faith these days. She has made her way through most of the new money types. You know bored housewives looking for something to give their lives meaning so they don't have to deal with the guilt of being a trophy wife. Anyway, she purchased a medium sized venue for her own church. This Sunday will be their grand opening" She finished.
"What exactly does she preach?" Brian asked.
"Female empowerment. She's actually not going against any teachings in the actual bible, but focusing more on women in the bible and their roles in events"
"How do you know this?"
"I attended one of her mock services that she was holding at her estate. I had to see for myself what she was all about. You're not the only one curious. One of my contacts thought I should be made aware of what's going on".
"Maryanne, how many contacts do you have?" He asked in amazement. She smiled at his question.
"Enough that I know almost everything at all times...is that all?"
"Can you go to this church, as a personal favor to me?"
"I already have a couple of moles installed there"
"You are a wonder" Brian said hanging up. Then he picked up his phone. "Angela, can you come to my office".

Angela made her way to Brian's office quickly.
"What do you need?" She asked taking a seat across from him.
"Mick's ex wife is back" He said. Angela stared at him a few seconds before responding.
"I know there are many many details as to how this is possible, but for now what would you like me to do?"
"Well, believe it or not she has started her own church. A women's church. How would you feel about attending?"
"Is this a cult or an actual church?"
"It appears to be an actual functioning church, but don't drink anything?" He said with a smirk.
"Noted. Where is it located and what time should I show up?"
"2244 Benedict Canyon Dr. 11 am."
"I'll call you the moment its over". She said walking out finally feeling like she was actually a part of Team Vampire/Angel.

Angela was up early on Sunday. She got out of bed, showered and put on a pot of coffee. She was watching the news when Carl made his way to the kitchen.
"You're up early" He said reaching behind her to give her a hug.
"I'm going to a new church today" She said with a grin.
"What's wrong with your church?"
"Nothing. This is a new church that caters to women only. I'm curious. The bible is pretty Y chromosome filled and I just wanted to see what this church was all about" She explained.
"You want me to come with you?"
"Women only church" She said.
"What's it called?"
"I don't know. I just heard of it last week" She said hoping he would stop asking her questions about it.
"Who told you about it?" He asked thinking this whole things sounded fishy. Finally Angela gave up.
"Brian asked me to go to this church. Apparently Coraline has opened a church for women and he wants me to just attend one service and tell him what its like". She saw Carl's frown and sighed. She knew he was tell her not to go.
"Be careful. Coraline is not to be trusted under any circumstance. If something doesn't feel right, get the hell out of there, or contact me" He said. She smiled brightly wrapping her arms around him.
"Thank you so much!" She said kissing him deeply.
"Well get out of here before you start something that will keep you here for hours!" He joked.

It took Angela a little over a half hour to get to the church. It was in a secluded part of Beverly Hills but when she pulled up she knew she was the right place because she heard church organs. She quickly parked next to the rows and rows of BMW's and Porsche sports cars. She had worn her newest Versace day dress and walked in confidently. Every woman in the church turned to stare and after sizing her up to be of their station they smiled and welcomed her into their circle.
"Hello. I'm Katherine Beaumont." She said stretching out a bony hand covered with diamonds and sapphire rings.
"Angela Mason" She said taking the woman's hand and gripping it slightly.
"Are you part of Carrington Mason Shipping?" She asked gleefully.
"Yes" Angela whispered. "But I'm not supposed to talk about it" Katherine nodded her head in understanding.
"Your secret is safe with me. I know how trying the press and gossip mags can be. They never leave one alone. I mean how exciting is our lives?"
"I suppose they think of us jetting all around the world and buying whatever we want" Angela said sweetly.
"Well.....I suppose you're right about that, but its all so tedious when you really think about it" She said thinking that Angela didn't seem to be as frivolous as she first thought. "So how did you hear about this church?"
"I overheard two ladies talking about it. They said Madeline Farmington had opened it and well, I must say I was glad to hear of it. This really sounds like something that's needed in Beverly Hills"
"Yes! That's exactly how I felt" She said and was going to say more but a bell started to ring and everyone stood up. Coraline came up to the pulpit dressed in an beautiful ivory dress.
"please everyone sit down" She began. "Today we will be talking about the woman at the well. You've probably heard this telling of a woman who was married five times and was living with a sixth man. Some have even said she was immoral, but it says nothing in the bible about her being immoral. In the first century there were no women with power to marry as this story has been told. This woman was not a Kardashian who just picked any man she wanted. So why was she immoral?" She asked as all the women hung on her every word. "She's immoral because men painted her as immoral. And that is how all men want women to be seen. They control the narrative so they say whatever they want. This isn't of God! This isn't what God wanted for women! Men have destroyed us. They have destroyed us even in scripture!"
"Yes!!" One woman yelled loudly. Angela soaked in everything and watched Coraline's eyes light up as she saw the women would listen to her devoutly. This will definitely become a problem she thought to herself.

Mick went to Salt Lake City to let Sherriff Hines know where his wife was.
Sherriff Hines was stepping out of his office when he saw Mick St. John approaching his way.
"Mr. St. John. I'm guessing you have some news for me". He said sadly.
"Can we speak privately?" Mick asked. Sherriff Hines nodded and led him into his office. "I found your wife. She checked herself into a mental health facility in Los Angeles. Look, whoever preyed on your wife has really messed her up. She acknowledges that she took the little girl, but said that the voices kept telling her to do it to where she thought it was something she had to do even though she didn't want to." He explained.
"Who would do this to her?" He asked more to himself than to Mick.
"I think I know who's responsible but I need to work on the finding the proof I need to make sure they pay for this, but for now are their any facilities here in Salt Lake City that your wife could be moved to?"
"I can look into it.....do you think they'll come for Maria again?"
"I hope not but that's the more reason to bring her back here. "I'll need your authorization to move her" Mick said standing up. "I'll call you when I find out something concrete" He said as he left.
"What the hell is going on?" Noah said shaking his head.
Mick made a few phone calls while Sherriff Hines had arranged for his wife to be treated at an ultra exclusive and pricey facility in Salt Lake City all paid for by Josef Kostan. Mick went back to Los Angeles, gathered Maria's belongings and brought back to Utah. Mick got her all checked in and made sure that the facility understood that absolutely no one was allowed to see her other than himself and her husband. The Doctor that headed the center was a vampire who was beholden to Josef and saw to the security of Maria Hines as his first priority.

[Ella713]

Carl and Angela met for drinks with Josef, Brian and Alma to discuss Coraline.
"You attended the service?" Brian asked.
"Yes and on the surface is does appear to be a legitimate church. Everyone there was female and loaded. I saw Ivy Davenport there as well as Catherine Meadows. So she's attracting the upper echelon of new money elites. The name of the church is Woman at the Well Church, based on a the parable Jesus told. She gave a very straightforward sermon, but there were definite undertones of the "men have ruined us since the beginning and it's time to take back our lives" sort of rhetoric and the women were eating it up. They hung on her every word" Angela explained. "But as I said it was very straightforward and true to the actual teachings of the Bible..........but....well I got the feeling that she's trying to start some sort of war of the sexes" She finished.
"Well that makes since. After a lifetime of being a courtesan for her brother's motley crew of freaks I'm sure she feels justified in her feelings, but if she's starting a war there will be consequences" Josef said but he noticed that Brian was staring into space. "Is something on your mind Brian?" He asked.
"I hate to even suggest this as I know it's going to upset mom to no end, but do you think...? He began to say.
"Beth's going to HATE that idea!" Josef said but also knowing that Mick was the only person who could tame Coraline. "So who's going to break the news to Beth?" Josef said looking all around.
"Gabriel" Carl and Brian said at the same time.
"Gabe it is" Josef said picking up his phone.

Mick stared at everyone as if he had awaken in the Twilight Zone.
"Dad, we know you have issues with this plan but we wouldn't even suggest such a thing if we had no other option" Brian said. Mick took a very deep breath.
"What makes you think Coraline would even believe me? She knows I love Beth and only Beth. She's not going to believe that I just woke up one day and needed my ex-wife in the life again". He said. "Not to mention what this would do to Beth".
"I know Mick. This situation sucks but we have to be proactive on this. We can't let her catch us off guard again". Josef replied. Mick groaned. He didn't like this at all.
"Guess I'll go talk to Beth" Mick said standing up.
"Gabe is already talking to her about it" Brian said.
"Is her talking to her or "talking to her?" He said using air quotations.
"Dad, you know Gabe would never do that to Mom. He's just explaining what needs to be done" he replied.
"Well, I have to go to Salt Lake City and see how the Sherriff and his wife are doing. Brian let Beth know I'll be back around dinner time" He said walking out of the apartment wondering how Beth would take this news.

"I don't like it, but if it has to be done it has to be done" Beth said quietly.
"Mom, I know this is hard, but dad is the only person that Coraline will listen to without suspicion so you have to make it believable. You can stay with Abigail and Zach until this is all over. They'll be waiting for you" He said standing up and giving her a big hug. "I love you Mom. Everything will work out well" He said. When Gabriel had closed the door Beth threw a vase across the room watching it smash into a thousand pieces, then she went upstairs and began to pack. She wrote a quick note to Mick, picked up her bags and headed for the garage. As she started up her car she began to pray.
"Please make this right Lord" She whispered as she drove away. Mick made it back to the apartment at 8:30pm, but first stopped into the office to speak with Carl.
"Anything happen today?" He asked.
"Not a single thing which is weird for Los Angeles. It's always calmest before the storm" Carl joked.
"Have you seen Beth today? I tried calling her a couple of times and she didn't answer"
"You do know you're talking about Beth right?" Carl said rolling his eyes.
"I forget sometimes" Mick chuckled and walked to the elevator bracing himself for whatever kind of mood she would be in. When he unlocked the apartment door he noticed that the lights were all off and he couldn't hear anything. He turned on the lights and looked at all the broken glass all over the floor.
"She's pissed" He said walking over to get the the broom, then he saw the note and he froze. He sat down on the sofa with the note in his hands not wanting to read it. Not wanting to know what she said.
"Please babe....don't leave me" He said sadly as he opened the folded sheet of paper.
"Mick, we always seem to find ourselves in this situation. So much that it's a part of us, a part of our marriage. Our own personal Ménage à trois with Coraline and I just can't handle this right now. I know that you have important issues you are dealing with regarding Coraline, but I simply cannot be a part of it this time. I will call you when I get settled, but know that I have always loved you.-Beth"
Mick sat on the sofa and had no idea how long it had been until Gabriel came in yelling his name. And while he heard him, he simply could not move from his spot.

Gabriel picked up the note Beth had left quickly read it and thought "Now it begins".

Coraline sat in her dining room eating the delicious red snapper that had been placed in front of her. She took a sip of her wine and smiled at the woman eating with her.
"So Susan, do you think you will be able to complete all the work that needs to be done?" Coraline asked.
"Yes and I do believe we will be ahead of schedule but I have to ask.......I have heard rumors of your past relationship with Mick St. John and well, there have been some indiscretions on your part. If this is about him in any way you will most likely lose everything you've worked for" She said.
"My life hasn't been about Mick in a very long time. What I do now, I do for God and woman kind" She said with a small smile.
"Alright then. So lets talk about opening services up to all women. It can't just be for the wealthy or that will give us a bad reputation". She said.
"I agree but it must be handled delicately. Maybe we can separate the services. Perhaps we could have our regular service on Saturday morning and the service for everyone else on Sunday"
"That could work" She said nodding her head.

Angela knew that Coraline was playing some kind of game because everything was picture perfect and very fast. While she knew that a conversion often times could happen instantaneously, she really doubted this was the case for Coraline......Brian said she didn't have to go back....but maybe she would attend one more service. And she should take someone with her this time she thought as she grabbed her phone.
"Hi Lisa, it's Angela. I'm about to do something really dangerous and thought you might be interested" She said.
"Angela, you had me at dangerous. What do you have in mind?"
"A church that I think may be a cult. Have you heard of Mick's ex wife Coraline before?"
"Yeah. She sounded like a real bitch!" Lisa said.
"Well she's back and she opened a women only church and rich women are definitely lining up for her"
"Wait a minute! I thought she was dead!"
"Apparently the woman has more than nine lives"
"I'll definitely go with you. I have to see this woman face to face!" Lisa said.
"Oh and Lisa.....you might want to come prepared"
"Always" Lisa said hanging up and making preparations. She went to her safe where she kept her Glock 17M 9mm handgun and started to fill her magazine with silver bullets.
"Prepared for what?" She heard Carl ask from behind her.
"I'm going back to the Woman at the Well church" She said.
"What the hell for? Look Ang I know you want to help but you're not trained and Coraline has been around for God knows how many years"
"Lisa is going with me. She's the one that's coming prepared". Carl sighed. Lisa going with her made him feel a lot better.
"Alright fine. But don't go anywhere without Daredevil understand!" He said firmly.
"I love it when you go all caveman on me" She chuckled.

Steve walked in a saw Lisa loading her Glock.
"Who pissed you off?"
"Coraline" She said. Steve stopped and stared at her.
"Mick's ex-wife? Didn't Josef kill her or something?"
"Apparently she's part zombie as well because she keeps returning from the grave but get this. She opened up a church. A church for women only. From what Angela told me she thinks its a cult."
"Does Mick know about this?"
"Angela didn't say, but he has to know if Angela's involved".
"Don't eat or drink anything".
"I was thinking the exact same thing" Lisa said placing her gun back into the safe.

[Ella713]

Carl went into the office and didn't see Mick which was odd because he usually got in before everyone.
"Lori, have you heard from Mick yet?" He asked their receptionist.
"Not yet. Do you want me to call him?"
"Nah, I'll go up and see what's keeping him. Hold down the fort for me" He said walking toward the elevators. When he made it to Mick apartment he saw that the door was slightly ajar. Immediately on guard he reached behind him and pulled his gun from his waistband. "Mick!! Are you in there?!" He called out. He kicked the door open and surveyed the scene. "Mick!! Talk to me man!!" He quickly sped through the entire apartment and Mick was nowhere to be found. He closed the door and went up to Alma's apartment and rang the doorbell repeatedly.
"You know just one ring is enough for me to answer the door" Alma said.
"Mick is gone. I went to his apartment and the door was open and no one's there's" He said.
"He's going to be fine" She said.
"Do you know what's going on? If you do you gotta tell me"
"Honestly Carl, I have no idea what's going on and I can't find out. I'm not privy to Angel business. That's just the way it is. They don't tell you anything until its over and even when its over you don't know the whole story". She said.
"But you'd know if something happened to him?"
"Yeah. And he's fine"
"Alright. I'll believe you, but can you at least tell me about Angela and Lisa?"
"Going to Coraline's church. Nothing's going to happen to them if that's what you mean but after this up coming Sunday they should both stay away from The Woman at the Well church". She said staring straight ahead.
"Why? What's going to happen?"
"I can't tell as of yet, but you should definitely keep them both away from that church afterwards" She said snapping out of it. "Carl, I'm sorry but there's someone I must talk to" She said shutting the door.
Carl knew who she was going to talking to. Emma.

"You know that woman ain't gonna leave Mick alone. She got that just got to have him disease. She be thinking about him right now and that ain't ever gonna stop. She really believes that Mick is her soul mate" Emma said. "And you should know that she's been made aware of Angela being in her church and she is getting ready to cause them harm. You should've called on me sooner!" Emma said in anger.
"Alright, alright! I'm lousy at my job, but you do know you can always call on me Emma" She said defensively.
"When them undead fall in love, nothing can keep them from it not even Hell itself. That woman was in Lucifer's fire pit but still all she thought of was Mick and this time she plans to do away with Beth once and for all"
"Beth has left" Alma said sadly.
"That woman knows exactly where she is" Emma said firmly.
"Well, where is she?.......Emma!" Alma called out but but sighed heavily when she realized that Emma was gone. She was going to need help. Serious help. She stood up and made her way to Gideon's.
"Hi Alma!" Lilith said with wide grin when she opened the door. At just 4 years old she looked to be about 12.
"I need to speak with your father. Is he around?"
"No. He went to pick up Beth"
"He knows where she is?"
"Of course he does. She's with Abigail and Zachary, but he knew she wasn't going to be safe there so he's bringing her to stay with us." She said excitedly.
"Good. Do you mind if I wait with you?"
"Do you like k-Pop?" Lilith asked tilting her head. This was Lilith's way of judging your worthiness. The last time she was over she had asked if she liked skateboarding.
"I love BTS does that count?"
Having given the right answer Alma was allowed entrance.
"What's your favorite song?". Alma was thinking hard on the last song she had heard by the group
"I think I like Dynamite the best" She said with her fingers crossed hoping she had got it correct.
"I like that one too!" She said finally granting Alma her sign that she was worthy that day. Alma sat down on the sofa.
"How did your dad know where Beth was?" She asked. Lilith shrugged her shoulder.
"He just does" She said going to the fridge to pour herself a drink. Gideon came in with Beth moments later.
"Beth! I'm so glad you're here!" Alma said jumping up from the sofa. "Emma told me that Coraline is desperate to have Mick back and she won't stop until you're out of the picture"
"This woman sounds stupid to me" Lilith said draining her glass of blood. "I mean she's the one who's responsible for putting Beth in Mick's path so she should be mad at herself" She said taking her glass to the sink and washing it out.

Susan Bellows didn't believe what Coraline said about Mick St. John not being the reason for her being in Los Angeles. In a way she couldn't blame her, the man was beyond beautiful but they had an opportunity to push women forward in a way the world hadn't seen since the Suffragette movement and she wasn't going to let that go because Coraline wanted to chase after a man who obviously didn't want her anymore. The church numbers had ballooned to over 175 members and Coraline wanted to toss that away because her pride is hurt! And someone had told her that the little girl who was kidnapped a while ago had been done because of Coraline and her devotion to Mick St. John! Maybe the Woman at the Well Church needed new direction she thought to herself angrily.
"You look unhappy about something" She heard Coraline say from behind her and it was last thing Susan heard as Coraline chopped off her head and smiled. Now she would take care of the policeman's wife. So easy it will be to blame the death on Susan who saw the wife as a spy. She changed out of her bloody clothes then sat and tried to come up with a way to enter Kostan Towers. It wouldn't be easy but then an idea came to her. A perfect plan that Mick would never see coming.

Coraline turned quickly. Someone was approaching. Damn! She thought. She wished she had her vamp abilities, but she could smell the cologne she had always loved that was unique to Mick and Mick alone.
"Coraline!!" She heard him yell out. She smoothed her skirt and opened the door walking out of her office.
"Mick! What are you doing here?" She said innocently with eyes wide.
"Beth is gone! Because of you!!" He raged walking towards her.
"I...I had nothing to do with......her death?" She asked in a confused tone.
"She left me! And it's all your fault!! Damn you!" He screamed.
"I'm sorry Mick. I truly am. For everything" She said sadly hating to see him in pain. He rushed towards her and grabbed her by the arms.
"What are you sorry for? Sorry for turning me? Sorry for dragging me back into your drama every chance you got? Sorry for kidnapping a little girl twice to get me back?"
Coraline stared as his beautiful face. Those full seductive lips. Those beautiful deep hazel eyes that she could lose herself in as she was doing right now. Mick still stared at her with hate in his eyes, but then she saw something she hadn't seen since he had left her long ago to burn. She saw desire in his eyes. He took a deep breath and pressed his lips to hers ravaging her lips savagely and getting his finger tangled in her raven locks, hating her for making him feel this way. Coraline threw her arms around his neck and swore to herself she would never let go. When she heard the moan escape his mouth she thought she had him but he pushed her away breathing heavily.
"No! This is wrong!" He said wiping her lipstick off his mouth.
"How is this wrong Mick?" She asked grabbing the small table from behind her to steady herself.
"I'm married!!" He yelled.
"Why did Beth leave Mick? You never told me why? Surely there has to be a reason"
"She's tired of me always coming to your rescue" He said softly.
"And why do you always come to my rescue Mick?" She asked preparing for the answer.
"I do it because you always need my help" He said trying to be casual about his answer.
"You could have sent your policeman friend or Josef even. But why do YOU always help?" She asked again.
"I help because there's a part of me that still loves you" He said finally getting out the words that he was too ashamed to admit that he was feeling. He saw her expression soften and slow smile form on her lips.
"I've never stopped loving you. After all these years, I never stopped. You are all I think about" She confessed.
"Were you going to kill Beth?" He asked point blank
"I don't want to talk about her any longer. Nothing else matters. It's just you and me Mick forever." She said walking back up to him.
"But you're mortal. You don't have forever anymore"
"Any time spent with you feels like forever to me. I won't feel cheated if I die. I'd give my life for you Mick. Don't you know this by now?" She said desperately.
"You didn't answer my question Coraline?" He said staring at her hard.
"Alright. Yes. I'd thought about it. I've always thought about it. Don't you see she was my rival. She was as a child and now as an adult.....but that doesn't matter anymore. She's gone and I'm right here in front of you Mick. I want to feel your hands on my body, I want you to take me" She said unzipping her skirt and letting it fall to her feet like a silky black puddle around her. Mick stared at her hungrily and wrapped his arms around her. She quivered in his arms when she felt his lips on her ear. Suddenly the door was kicked open and in front of them stood a large man with a gun pointed at Mick.
"Mick St. John! Die in hell" He roared pulling the trigger. Coraline stood directly in front of him as the bullet hit her in the stomach. She screamed loudly as she sank to the floor with Mick still holding onto her. He stared at her sadly as her life blood poured from her.
"You see Mick.........I really do love you" She said in a strained whisper. "B....but Lucifer wins again" She said as she cried thinking about where she was going again.
"You sacrificed your life for one of God's Angel's. You're going to see the Father Coraline. You are damned no longer" He said as she smiled and her head fell to the side.

Captain Hernandez pulled up to the scene personally after getting Mick's phone call. He and the Crime Scene team walked into the broken front doors of the church and saw Mick sitting in one of the pews with his head in his hands.
"What happened Mick?" The Captain asked.
"I came here to meet her and to say goodbye then someone kicked in the door and pointed his gun at me and said "Die in hell Mick St. John, then he fired. Cor..I mean Madeline stepped in front of me" He said as tears fell from his eyes.
"How did you know her?"
"Her husband Edward Farmington hired me a long while ago to stop her brother from harassing her. We always k...kept in touch"
"Can you describe the shooter?"
"He was huge. Much bigger than me but he had a ski mask on. I didn't see his face"
"Did Mrs. Farmington have any enemies that you knew of?"
"No" Mick said shaking his head.
"Okay Mick. Let the CSI team test you for residue okay?".
Mick nodded his head slowly and the techs came over to spray his hands.
This time Mick knew 100% that Coraline was dead. He felt like he couldn't speak and he also felt like something deep deep within him had been snatched with force from him. And he didn't know how to cope with it all.

[Ella713]

"Mick, you're going to have to snap out of this". Josef said a few days later. "I know what you're going through. When you lose your sire its like you were destroyed along with them".
"I know.....but seeing how I feel now, I should have known long ago that she was still around because every time we thought we'd gotten rid of her, I never felt like this" He explained.
"But think about where she is! Father said Coraline is happier than she's ever been, That's gotta count for something." Josef said then he shook his head. "I have to say Coraline is the last person I ever thought would be accepted into heaven. Just goes to show you how grace works because if she can make it to heaven.....there's hope for all mortals. Did you and Beth work things out?" He said taking a sip of his whiskey.
"Yeah. We talked for a long time about everything, my feelings for Coraline, what happened in the last minutes before her death and more importantly my feelings for my wife. It's like what Gabriel said. Before we were created he had already decided who would love us and I love Beth. Always have".
"Then things are as they should be. Oh! I forgot to mention that Gideon is going to have another baby"
"What? Sam's pregnant? So I guess she figured out how she felt about sex with a man after saying for years it would never happen" He chuckled.
"Come on! It's my son we're talking about" Josef said proudly, as his driver Harold walked in with some information for Josef. He seemed to be limping a bit.
"Are you okay Harold? Did you start a fight with a tank?" He grinned.
"Yeah something like that Mr. St. John" He said walking away. Mick stood frozen in place. He'd never really paid much attention to Harold's voice but he realized now why it stuck it with him. Mick looked at Josef suddenly and he knew. Harold was the man who kicked in the door at the church and shot Coraline!
"She passed her trial. Be happy for her" Josef said.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow" He said quietly shutting the door behind him as he took the elevator to the garage.
As he walked towards his car he saw a bright light then he smelled Coraline's perfume.
"Coraline" He whispered as he turned around when he realized that someone was behind him and saw it was Coraline in her heavenly form.
"I just wanted to thank you Mick. For every thing you've ever done for me"
"You wear heaven well" He joked looking at how she glowed with happiness "It looks good on you".
"It looks good on everyone" She said with chuckle as she leaned forward kissed his cheek and vanished from sight but he heard her say clearly "Go home to your wife".

So he quickly got into his car and when he opened up his apartment door he saw Beth crossed legged on the floor playing a board game with Lilith. They both jumped up and ran to give him a hug and for the first time in weeks he realized that whatever had been snatched from him had been returned to him tenfold!




The End