Phoebe stayed late at the office more often than she cared to admit, but without the benefit of a flourishing social life, she had more time for the job that had brought her to Conlan's Glen. Tonight would be no different as she worked on the basis for her interview with Jamie Mason and his newfound position. It would be a good story...a great one even if she was allowed all-access to him in the next few weeks. She only had to convince Rick that holding off on any story on the Masons would pay off in the end.

A soft footstep in the hall made her look up briefly. She had thought she was alone in The Observer offices. The footsteps grew louder as they approached her door, stopping completely in front of it. There was a soft knock. Phoebe let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and went to the door, opening it carefully, lest it really was a ghost.

"Rick," she breathed as he stepped by her into the office. "What are you doing here so late?" She caught a whiff of alcohol on him as he passed her to throw himself on her couch.

"Didn't have anywhere to go," he shrugged, looking up at her. "I'm not bothering you am I?"

"Um...nooo." She hesitated at the door for a moment before returning to her desk. She hadn't known Rick for very long nor had she known Maura Conlan longer than a lunch hour, but she wasn't dumb. "Okay...so, last night you had a big date that you were late for. Today, you were cross and rude and impossible. Now, you're here after hours in my office...drunk. I'm gonna say...you blew it last night?"

"You see," Rick answered shaking his finger at her. "That's why I hired you. You're sharp!"

"Hmmm...Rick, let me get you some water."

"I'm fine. She hates me, Phoebe. I saw it in her eyes today. Couldn't even look at me. I mean, I don't even know what I did ten years ago...ten." He held up his hands, palms out, to her. "That many years ago...I pissed off Maura Conlan and I'll never know why. I probably looked at her wrong."

"I think it's probably more than that, Rick," Phoebe said trying to placate him just a little. Maybe what he needed was a more investigative approach to Maura. "When you and Maura were together, did she love you?" She asked handing him a glass of water.

"She said she did," he replied between drinks.  

"Okay. Now, I'm a woman and I can tell you for a fact that most women don't say 'I love you' unless they mean it. So something must have made her leave. Did you have an argument?"

"I don't remember. It was ten years ago, Phoebe. All I know is I blew it last night. She could barely look at me. I'm just going to have to accept that she doesn't need closure like I do." He set the glass on her desk and fell back on the couch, covering his eyes with his arm.

"Is closure really what you wanted, Rick?"

"No...I wanted a second chance," he mumbled.

"Maybe Maura doesn't need either," Phoebe went on thoughtfully. When she got no reply after a moment, she shook her head. "Great, passed out on my couch. I won't get anything done here."  

She left her jacket over Rick as he slept off whatever it was he had had far too much of that night and filled her briefcase with paperwork. He was going to be a nightmare tomorrow for sure, she thought wearily as she turned the light off behind her. Quite honestly, if he behaved like this when Maura knew him, she wasn't surprised that she had walked away. Not surprised at all.


Scene 2:

"What's the matter with him?" Jamie asked, his voice filled with worry. He took the steps to the attic playroom two at a time with Gwen following close behind. 

"I have no idea. He was out playing with Jump the last time I saw him and then Maggie came into my office and said he had locked himself in the attic and wouldn't come out!"  

"There has to be a reason he would lock himself in Mother. Chris doesn't do anything without a reason," Jamie told her as he reached the top of the stairs. He tried the doorknob without success before knocking gently. "Chris...it's Dad. Want to unlock the door and let me in?" No response. "Chris." His voice was firmer this time around with only a trace of worry. "Open the door right now." He heard the tumblers click and sighed.

"I told Maggie he was fine. Chris is a smart boy..." Jamie held up a hand to Gwen and waved her away.  

"Mother, I don't have time right now. Just wait for me downstairs." He pushed open the door without waiting for a response and walked into the dark room, turning on a lamp to see. "Chris? What's going on? You scared your grandmother half to death."

Chris lay on a bed in the corner of the room, his back turned to the wall. Whatever it was had upset him pretty bad. Chris had been doing great since he and Michaela had married last summer. Even with the birth of the baby, he was doing remarkably well. But locking himself in the attic for no apparent reason was unlike him.

"Nothing's going on," Chris mumbled into the wall. Jamie pulled a chair close to the bed and sat leaning forward on his elbows.

"Well, your grandmother was certainly worried enough to call me at work. What's the matter? Miss Mom and Jesse?"

Chris rolled over and looked at Jamie, a queer expression on his face. "Y-yes," he said stumbling on the word. "I miss Mom. And Jesse. This house is too scary without them."

"You think Grandma Gwen's house is scary? Why?"

"It's too big. There's too much junk in it," Chris replied casting his eyes away. Jamie rumpled his hair and grinned.

"Well, I think I can help you there with both of your problems. First off, your mom and Jesse should be in town tomorrow. They had to drive because ladies who are about to have babies can't fly on planes." Chris frowned and opened his mouth to ask why but Jamie silenced him. "Another time, Chris. As for this house, we won't be here after Mom and Jess show up anyway. I've found us a house of our own to live in. It's quite a ways from here, but it is a lot smaller. Want to see it tonight after dinner?" Chris nodded gamely. "Good. Now Chris, when you're upset about something you have to tell someone. You can't lock yourself in a room and expect us to know you're upset. If something is bothering you, you've got to come talk to me. Or your mother, or grandmother. Okay? I promise I'll always be around for you. Is it a deal?"

"Okay, Dad," Chris replied sliding down from the bed and hugging him fiercely. "Can we go see the house now? I don't want to be here anymore." Jamie looked at him, puzzled but nodded his assent.

"I think that would be a good idea. you probably want me to buy you a burger at McDonald's too? Yeah I thought so. Come on then. Better get out before your grandmother thinks we've locked ourselves in here again." Jamie swung Chris up over his shoulder, making the boy squeal with delight. That was much better, he thought, climbing down the stairs. After everything Chris had been through with his natural mother, Jamie wanted nothing but happiness for his son for the rest of his life. He owed him that much after spending years in and out of the hospital just because Kerri wanted attention. Who would do that, he and Michaela had often asked each other. How could anyone make a child ill on purpose just to look good for the doctors? Thank goodness, there had been an end to it at last. Thank goodness, he thought again, we got her away from him before she killed him.


Scene 3:

Of course, she hadn't meant to talk to him, but there was something in the way he had looked at her that had made her heart break. She hadn't left him. Jamie and his whore had forced her hand in a custody battle. But she was his mother and she would win him back if it was the last thing she did. And that would make Jamie miserable. To have his own son turned against him. She could do it too. And she wanted to.

Kerri had seen Chris around town in the few days she had been here as well. Thank god for Society Pages, she had thought at the time, they always let you know right where to find anyone at any given time. And Conlan's Glen wasn't so far from Richmond that she couldn't scoot down and see for herself what Jamie thought he was doing coming back to Virginia. He was back in her territory again and this time she wouldn't lose their son to him.

She remembered the day of the custody battle all too well. They had had Chris in Colorado for nearly two months and had managed to get the trial held in their state rather than Virginia. That was what the Mason money could buy, she had realized bitterly. They had painted her as a dangerous woman, willing to hurt her own child rather than let Jamie near him. But that simply wasn't true. She had been overly cautious perhaps, but she had never willingly hurt Chris.

When the judge came back with his decision, her eyes came to rest on Michaela and the look of pure triumph on her face. She hated her. Why did she have everything Kerri had wanted for so long and had been denied? She had Jamie Mason, the one man Kerri would have willingly died for, she had a healthy son from another relationship and now she had Christopher. That day she had everything Kerri had wanted.

Without a second thought, Kerri had vowed to take away what Michaela loved so dearly. She would take her family. One by one, she would take away all the things that Michaela Mason held dear. First on that list was Christopher. Jamie had given her the best opportunity and didn't even know it. When they least expected it, she would come back and reclaim her son and make them all sorry they had deprived her of her own desires.
 

On the next Episode of Secret Horizons...

Episode 15