Trigger The Years Past - 17. Chapter 17: The Phone Guy

"Rayne, we're going to have to open the window for some good lighting so we can film it." Mysti looked at her sister. "So, you're just...like going to have to get over it."

Rayne flipped through channels on the television and then looked over at Mysti. "Do your consultation in your room. Honestly, I don't know why you didn't do it at his house, it's better than this dump."

"Because, we don't want to sit on the bed. Rayne, please?" Mysti crossed her arms.

Rayne rolled her eyes and took in a deep breath and looked at Mysti, annoyed. "Go outside on the porch, the weather is beautiful."

"Fine, whatever." Mysti looked at Miracle and Gavin. "Lets just go out here." She walked back outside.

"And close the damn door!" Rayne yelled.

Gavin made sure to close the door behind them, leaving Rayne in what darkness she could manage. He looked around. "Okay, how are we setting up?"

"Brilliant Rayne, two chairs." Mysti looked over at Miracle. "Where will Gavin sit? If he goes on the steps, he will be at a low angle. If we sit on the steps, we're going to be to close to each other and it will look odd."

Miracle grinned. "I never took you for a perfectionist."

"I'm not, I just want it to look right." Mysti frowned and looked around.

"Guys, I brought a tripod. It bends out tall, I wasn't sure what the situation would be. I can just set it up and then hit record and sit on the steps, let you two do your thing." Gavin spoke up.

Miracle looked at Gavin. "That works."

"Okay, but we need to position everything so you don't see the back of anyones head the whole time." She walked over to the chairs and pulled them away from the wall and moved to sit them side ways on the narrow porch, putting them side by side and then distancing them appropriately. "Okay, now it's like an interview angle."

Gavin set up the tripod at one side of the porch at a good distance, not to far, the porch wouldn't allow it, but not to close either. He then mounted the camera and looked at them. "Ready."

Miracle and Mysti nodded and they walked over and sat down in the two chairs that were almost directly facing the camera, but Mysti angled them ever so slightly so that she and Miracle could better look at each other.

Gavin then gave a nod. "Recording."

Mysti opened her notebook and flipped to a blank page, a pen in her hand. "Okay, so, I guess what I would ask, in regards to trying to find out what you might want for a tattoo, I guess I would ask you to tell me some things that you feel really symbolizes your life. Don't complicate it, just keep it simple."

"Well, I always had this thing, a feeling, an image or...just a thought...about fingerprints. Like how you leave them behind, like a memory, but they are invisible and no one will ever know, the print of the memory will be there, a physical piece...but it won't matter." Miracle said.

"That's interesting." Mysti looked down, writing in her notebook. "A tattoo fingerprint, I've never heard of it being done before, but that right there, it already gives a possible idea."

Miracle lightly laughed. "Tattooing a fingerprint on myself? I don't know, I mean I carry memories with me in my head, so it's not like I need them on me, it's just the concept of no one else knowing...things happen and you live life, but not everyone knows, and then you move on and the things you do, you wonder, or rather, you know that they won't be important to anyone who comes thereafter."

"Like...if you met the love of your life in a park, and you leave, no one that goes there will know that such a great event happened right where they are?" Mysti looked up.

"Yeah, or then there is the concept that I could be the fingerprint, that I could be, right now..and then everyone could move on, and I could get left in the past..."

"Like a fingerprint?" Mysti nodded.

"Yeah, and it won't matter. And then all the other people around me, they won't know who I am, what I've done...or been through, I'm just a face in the crowd, if they bother to even notice me at all." Miracle nodded.

"So that's the concept of the fingerprint." Mysti wrote more stuff down. "That's pretty deep, you know." She looked up. "You should come to one of my groups one day, it's sort of a new age, spiritual type thing, not religious, but...I think that would be something they would really be interested in."

"Is that where you get the...dream catcher?" Miracle asked, speaking in code about the drug.

Mysti looked up and grinned, catching on. "Yes." She laughed. "So, is there anything else?" She looked up at Miracle, intrigued.

"Then there's the empty hallway and the large windows, it's a cloudy day...so there is like a grayish blue glow, cold and barren, a school hallway. And it's empty, it's just you there, it's like time stopped, maybe like a picture, no one else is there, no one is in it, they all moved on and you got left behind."

Mysti nodded. "Follows the same theme." She looked at Miracle and bit the top of her pen. "Abandonment is a big issue for you, I think you're afraid...or at least you were, I won't assume your feelings now, but I think you might of felt like you were going to be forgotten, left as a memory, as if there was no future for you unless people saw you, saw the fingerprint, realized and remembered."

Miracle nodded. "Yeah, that's how I felt."

Mysti smiled sympathetically. "Well a window tattoo would be silly, so would a hallway." She laughed, hoping to cheer Miracle up. "Move on?"

"Well, I guess the most symbolic thing of all is being set free, from outer wars that I fought off and on for most of my life. I've had my innocence taken away, my sense of reality twisted, I've been hunted, and then after all of it, the love of my life kills himself believing that I had to lose the last thing I had left to truly be free."

Mysti kept writing. "Do you feel set free?"

Miracle sighed. "It's hard to say, part of me, for the longest time, well that part of me felt like we could of made everything work, all the trouble was gone, it was finally over, and then..he took our chance before we even got to really taste it. Then again, I just wonder if he wanted me to be free from my past entirely, or if maybe he felt like he was tainted or bad or..part of it all, whatever it was, he just seemed to think that he had to go too, that it was the only way to have true finality, a true end, for a new start."

Mysti stared at Miracle with a look of deep thought on her face. "Do you really feel, I mean deep down, that you've had a new start? Like have surpassed the grieving process?"

Miracle looked up. "I don't know, why?"

"Well, I was thinking of the tattoo...'Rebirth' just the word. But if you don't feel like that has truly happened, definitely not."

"I would really have to think about that." Miracle slowly nodded.

Mysti flipped her notebook shut and Gavin stopped filming. "Well, I enjoyed this, Miracle. I would really love to talk more, and you should come to the group with me, at least one time. You're a deep person, not many are like that, and if they are, they want to hide it and they do it well."

Miracle smiled and nodded as he stood up. "Yeah, that would be cool. I'm glad we got this chance to hang out."

Mysti reached into her pocket and pulled out her lighter and handed it over. "It flames multi colors at once, don't worry, I got another. Maybe we can go to the shop where I got it, they have all sorts of cool things."

Miracle took the lighter and smiled. "Thanks." He looked up and nodded. "M and M day." He grinned.

Mysti laughed. "Funny." She then moved around and headed into the house.

Kevin walked over to the door, annoyed by the persistent knocking on the door. "Alright, okay, I'm coming." He took a bite of his apple and opened the door.

Cheston grinned. "Well, Kevin Collins...nice to see you around here."

Kevin grinned. "Your the phone guy."

"Yeah, the phone guy." Cheston's smile started to fade only slightly at the thought. "Can I come in? I kind of needed to deliver some news before...a frantic friend shocks Miracle to bad."

Kevin looked confused, but he stepped aside anyway and let Cheston in, pushing the door shut. "Might of already happened. Miracle left with Gavin to go see...uh...Mysti." He followed Cheston into the living room.

"So he's getting close to Mysti? Good, he'll need a new friend." Cheston turned around. "All of Lacey's documents have vanished, her nursing credentials, citizenship papers, everything. I mean they can't find anything anywhere, even her own copies are missing, someone went into her house and got them, and apparently worked real hard to erase every trace there could be, from her school, to the hospital, just everything, it's all gone. Shes getting deported back to Australia."

Kevin stared at Cheston and then shook his head. "Wow...you really handle a break up bad, especially for the relationship to not even be real."

Cheston turned towards Kevin. "It became real to me, whether anyone wants to believe it or not. That's actually why I'm here. I'm concerned that...Miracle's files might just...up and vanish, then he could get deported."

Kevin broke out into a grin. "Miracle was adopted by an FBI agent who was transferred to an American agency, he was brought here by an FBI agent, so I highly doubt he has anything to worry about, plus...he was born in California. Yeah, he told me about the trip to the cabin, told me that he wished it had been me instead. So, technically, that makes him American born, if anything, he was in Australia illegally, unless they made it legal after they saved him, even so, it wouldn't discount his born citizenship here."

"Football star catches the technicality." Cheston grinned. "Can't blame a guy for trying to put the fear in your heart, I bet I would of scared Miracle."

"I doubt it, not with that recording he has about what you did." Kevin shook his head, his grin remaining. "If I were you, I'd find a way for Lacey's papers to be miraculously found."

"How can I do that, when I'm not the one that made them disappear?" Cheston shrugged.

The door to the garage was closed and Miracle rushed through the foyer. "You won't believe what happened to Lacey!" He rounded the corner into the living room and saw Kevin and Cheston.

His eyes narrowed on Cheston and he walked further into the room. "You did it!"

"I just got done telling Kevin, I didn't do it." Cheston shook his head. "Take me to Maury, get me a lie detector, I'll pass it." He started to laugh. "Really? I can't take the credit for making someones entire career and their citizenship disappear."

"Then you went to Martin." Miracle's eyes narrowed.

"Don't get any ideas, betraying me won't help him unless he plea deals, but then he's damning himself, and...it's not my fault that he's in the situation that he's in. He doesn't blame me for it." Cheston clasped his hands together.

Miracle shook his head. "I hate you, I should just take this recording and let them toss you right in the cage with him, I got everything I want out of you anyway."

"Careful, wouldn't be good if an athlete failed a drug test." Cheston looked at Kevin.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the heads up, I'll watch my drinks from now on."

"Be paranoid about it." Cheston grinned.

"You know what, I'm sending him to jail now." Miracle pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at Cheston. "You're going to jail." He mumbled.

"I wouldn't do that." Cheston shook his head. "Martin had people do a job, from jail, suppose he decides he wants you dead? You put me in jail, I won't be standing up and saying no."

Miracle looked up at Cheston. "Get out..." He pointed towards the foyer. "George! Get this man out of my house!"

"Kicking me out with my own door man." He laughed. "Don't worry, I know the way." Cheston then headed around the couple and off to leave the house.

"I just can't believe this happened to me." Lacey sat on one of the lounge chairs out by the pool.

"He's a evil bastard." Miracle sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "It's like it's all happening again, but instead of people dying, they are getting their lives ruined." He turned from where he was sitting on the other side of the lounge chair and rested his chin on Lacey's shoulder.

"Well, maybe not. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Lacey looked down. "It's just going to be sad, I don't really have anything there, or anyone. Just my parents."

"How long did they give you?" Miracle lifted his head and eased back.

"One month." Lacey said. "But, I figure, why wait? What can I do here in one month? Why drag it out? I'll just...go and get it over with." She turned and looked at Miracle.

"It's messed up, you have so many people that can stand up for you..."

"Gotta have the papers." Lacey shook her head. "Words mean nothing to people, not when they don't know you." She briefly grinned. "Kind of messed up, makes me wonder how any of us connect, we're all liars, guilty until we get to know each other and get proven innocent. I guess we all just take the risk."

"Yeah, and sometimes it can really mess us up." Miracle shifted over to the neighboring lounge chair and laid back, looking up at the stars.

When Miracle moved, Lacey laid back. "My flight leaves in the morning, I left my spare key on your counter, I just packed up my clothes, personal stuff, you know, whatever is left, go through, take anything you might want, any of you."

"I feel scared for you." Miracle spoke softly.

"Scared? Why?" Lacey asked, looking over at him.

"If it were me, being torn away from my life, being sent off alone." Miracle looked down. "I don't think I could handle that."

"Well, isn't that what will happen to you? I mean, you will have to move to California, your parents will be here, Mysti, Nik, Gavin...everyone will be left behind. Given, you will have Kevin with you." She took a deep breath. "When season starts though, he'll be traveling, balancing all that with classes, have to keep those grades up, then next year he will be off to the pros."

"I can handle it, I'm even going to give my parents this house, they deserve a nice house." Miracle said.

Lacey nodded. "You never had a hard time leaving anywhere, leaving Australia was easy."

"Life sucked there." Miracle said. "Not because of the location, just because...of the way it was."

"Yeah, and that's my point, I'll go back there and nothing will have changed. I'll go into my old room, put my clothes away, probably take a nap on into the night, then dinner will be ready...then I'll lay in bed and watch television." Lacey shook her head and sat up.

"I'm going to go, laying here and being all self pity isn't a great goodbye. Just...don't come to the airport, lets leave things here, yeah?"

Miracle sat up and he looked at Lacey and nodded. "Okay." He looked down and reached out, taking her hand and then a small smile appeared. "You can make something happen, I feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world saying it, but you made it successful here, no reason that you can't do it there."

"Dream big." Lacey smiled and then stood up and headed towards the glass doors and went into the house in order to leave.

Miracle watched her go inside and then looked over at the water in the pool. "Strike one...Now how do I strike back?" He questioned himself, sitting there thoughtfully.

"Cheston, is that you?" Susan walked into the living room from the kitchen and looked surprised to see Rayne standing there.

"No, it's just me, Cousin. You can look disappointed now, I won't slit my wrist over it." She walked over and looked around. "God, I hate your house."

"Well, you grew up in it." Susan walked closer.

"Yeah, with your mom, this is her old furniture." Rayne shook her head. "So where's the boyfriend? He's the one that's loaded, right?"

Cheston walked inside. "Uh...I'm right here." He looked between Susan and Rayne as he shut the door. "What's going on?"

Rayne turned towards Cheston. "You both might want to sit down."

"I have dinner ready, I can make a third sitting, why don't you join us?" Susan asked.

"Do you want me to be anorexic in your bathroom tonight?" Rayne looked at Susan. "I'm not here to play house, I have business to discuss."

Cheston's eyebrows lifted and he walked over and sat on the couch and looked at Susan. "Why don't we just hear her out?"

Susan looked over at Cheston and sighed, sitting down. "What is it Rayne?"

"Well, I think I'm owed some money, and a big chunk of it too. You know, that Sterling guy would of really ruined your plans had I not ruined him first." Rayne said.

"Wait, what? Who's Sterling? Rayne what are you talking about?" Susan looked up at her.

"The guy that was crushing on Cheston's target, planned to go after him and totally complicate your man's whole scheme." Rayne looked at Cheston.

"She knew?" Cheston looked at Susan.

"She heard us talking on the phone, I've never lied to Rayne and I wasn't about to start, then you sent me a text of the picture of the guy you spotted out." Susan explained.

"Yep, and I'd seen him before, pictures of him and Lacey, I knew who he was. So I fucked Sterling up for you when I fucked up his eyebrow." Rayne crossed her arms. "So I want some money, and I hear you're the hot shot with a lot of it." She shot an icy gaze at Cheston.

"Well, then you haven't been keeping up to date, Miracle found out about everything, found a picture of Susan and I together, found doctors papers that stated I was infertile, he put all the pieces together, then tricked me into vocally admitting to it and recorded it, and he has since blackmailed me out of everything. Why do you think I'm living here right now?" Cheston asked.

A grin broke out of Rayne's face. "Of course, who would willingly live here?" She looked at her Cousin. "Except sweetie pie Susan."

"Rayne, please." Susan shook her head.

Cheston stared at Rayne and took a deep breath. "So, if you want cash, I suggest you go to Miracle, though messing up his friend, I doubt will make him very charitable."

Rayne's eyes sparked to life as a wicked grin appeared. "You think, attorney? Maybe not...but a few little text messages that he sent around, well...that will certainly get me some cash." She turned around and headed for the door.

"Rayne, wait!" Susan stood up. "You don't want to do this! You're messing in trouble!"

Rayne ignored Susan and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

"Text messages..." Cheston mumbled and looked over at the door, thoughtfully.

"The hell are you calling me for?" Miracle stood in the living room and grinned. "You want to know what my phone says when you call? Infertile Jerk." He softly laughed.

Cheston sighed, closing the door to the spare bed room. "Miracle, where is Kevin?"

"Why do you care? Why are you concerned? What business is it of yours anyway?" Miracle fell back onto the couch and placed his foot on the edge of the coffee table.

"I just need to know, I think you're in trouble."

"Oh, right, big evil Kevin." Miracle rolled his eyes. "He went to the gym and then he's bringing home some Chinese. Happy? Or do you want me to call some paparazzi's out here?" Miracle paused. "Though...I don't know if paparazzi's actually follow him yet, that might not come until the pros."

"Miracle, I'm being serious. What you did..."

Miracle heard a knock on the door. "Oops! I got company, thanks for the entertainment! Maybe if you try harder you'll put out some sperms real soon." He laughed and hung up and tossed his phone to the side.

"Miracle!" Cheston yelled and pulled his phone away, seeing the call disconnect.

Miracle walked over to his door and opened it, surprised to see Rayne standing on the other side. "Oh, hey. So you do get out? Sorry, don't mean that in a bad way, I just thought you never liked getting out."

Rayne grinned. "I don't like getting out much, but when I do, I make the most of it. Can I come in? The place on the outside...makes me want to die to see the inside!"

Miracle grinned and stepped aside. "Sure, come in. Yeah, it's a pretty awesome place."

"And big." Rayne walked in and looked around the foyer as Miracle shut the door and then she headed into the living room. "It's gorgeous."

"Thanks." Miracle smiled as he followed her. "So what brings you here?"

"Well, it's impressive how you blackmailed Cheston out of all of this, I just came from Susan's house, that's how I found out." Rayne turned around. "But now...I think it's time I blackmailed you out of all of it."

Miracle stared at Rayne and grinned, a small laugh escaping. "Blackmail me? You're kidding, right?"

Rayne smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm not, and if you aren't careful, I could set that Martin guy free, and send you to prison so fast..." She stepped closer. "And with the way guys fuss over you, I could only imagine prison for you."

Miracle looked at her with a serious yet confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"You want to know who updated Issac's little application? You're looking at her." She pressed a hand against the door frame of the foyer. "I can access everything, the truth. It might look like Wayne texted you to come over and then Martin texted him when really it was your phone that remote accessed theirs. It all logs...only for the app moderators to access. Which, now that Issac's dead, what a shame, it leaves me as a moderator."

Miracle stared at her. "You knew Issac?"

"He was my baby brother. When your mom is a prostitute, hooking up with johns, your bound to have more than two kids. First me, then Mysti...and then we were left behind with Aunt Susan and her parents, the first time our mom went to rehab. Then she gets out, goes off and disappears, has Issac...then hooks up with the doctor and pops out Dayna. Well, of course the good doctor couldn't let his wife know that he knocked up a prostitute."

Miracle's eyes widened. "So what happened?"

"Well, he had no choice but to tell her. He couldn't just leave two babies somewhere. Oh I'm sure he could of just left Issac, but his wife left him so he tried to make it work with our mom, but he kept her in rehab like fifty percent of the time. By the time they were in middle school, he wanted to take Dayna and leave Issac, what he did with his daughter, what the fuck ever. We found out about them because our mom told Susan, being the oldest, I went and told them that I was going to take care of them, that I was just a girl from the streets."

Rayne continued on. "Dayna refused to go, so her dad left and just sent her money every month. I eventually told Issac the truth about me, neither of them had a clue about Mysti, and she was totally in the dark about all of it, still is. Now Issac is dead, Dayna lives with her dad, and our moms out of rehab, hooked up with a new doctor. What a pattern, right? And he goes along with her lie, that they were together the whole time and he fathered Mysti and I, and Issac and Dayna don't exist, at least to Mysti. None of us know who our fathers are, save for Dayna."

Miracle stared at Rayne. "Wow...that's a lot to take in. A lot for you to say...for being so quiet."

"I may be quiet, but I'm an angry person, understandably so, in my opinion. I loved Issac just as much as I love Mysti, I'm sorry if I resent Dayna for knowing her real father and having him actually give a damn about her." Rayne shook her head. "None of that matters though, not right now. The point is, you made the perfect plan because you used the perfect program, I taught Issac what he knew. Now I'm the only one standing in the way of your success or failure, I know that recorded logs exist with the true identities of the phones that use the app. Now you can either make me a good slice of a deal...or I can tear you down from the top of this castle."

Miracle stared at Rayne, taking everything she said very seriously. This would have pissed him off, being blackmailed again for one of his murders, if he weren't so shocked by everything he was being told. "Did Mysti tell you about the deal I talked to her about?"

"Oh, she did." Rayne nodded. "And it's a nice one, if you want to donate and simply call yourself an owner, if it makes you feel like you've done something productive, so long as we remain in full control." She crossed her arms. "But this is personal."

Miracle slowly nodded and looked up at Rayne. "So what do you want?"

Rayne grinned. "Well, originally I was after money, hardcore. I guess...twenty or thirty thousand will do, right now anyway. I want what Susan wants, what you took away from them."

Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "You want a baby?" He asked, skeptically.

"No, I want to be pregnant...and since you got blackmail on Cheston, make him decide...he wants your baby so bad...he leaves her for me. What you do with your kid after I'm done torturing my bitch of a cousin, is up to you."

Miracle sighed and looked away. "Seriously? Oh my god, I swear I think I'm not going to have to have a kid and then every time I turn around, something about me making a baby pops up." He looks at Rayne. "I mean, seriously? You can't think of a better way to get back at Susan? Honestly...it's Cheston that's more fascinated with my genes than her, I really don't think she cares if the baby comes from me or not."

Rayne stared at him. "Well, I think you should care...if you don't want to go to prison. Though, the thought of how brutal they would be on you...is kind of a turn on."

Miracle's eyes narrowed on Rayne. "Are you one of those people that Nik knows that goes to those dark parties?"

"Maybe." Rayne stepped closer. "I've told you what I want, so when are we doing this?"

Miracle took a deep breath, honestly feeling trapped this time, those text messages would damn him if the truth of where they originated from ever came out. "When do you want?"

"I don't want Mysti to know what's going on, she likes you, and I think you're a friend to her. So, I'll call you tomorrow with a meeting place. Write a check to me, thirty thousand. Then we'll discuss how this...baby thing is going to go."

"How it's going to go? You'd go to a clinic, the doctors would do the procedure." Miracle stared at her with a troubled expression.

Rayne grinned. "Of course, I was just thinking it'd be easier just to do it the old natural way!" She laughed. "Kidding...but we'll talk about it, tomorrow. And I promise, you work with me and...you will stay safe. I don't want to hurt you." She then walked around Miracle and headed out the door.

Miracle looked down, once the door shut with a soft thud, his eyes closed. "Well, if this just isn't fucked up, I'll be making Issac a deceased uncle." Miracle fell into the nearest chair, thinking about how twisted that was, among the entire thing.

Cheston watched from his car parked down the street, eyeing Rayne as she got into her car and pulled out of the drive way and took off. Once she was out of sight, he pulled up and turned into the drive way and parked. The car was shut off and he made his way up to the door and started to knock, but then he stopped and pressed the door bell instead.

The door bell, even as loud and grand as it was, he almost stayed stuck in his overwhelming thoughts. However the sound was still loud enough to draw his attention, if barely. He looked up. "The doors open." He said, knowing he hadn't locked it behind Rayne.

Cheston opened the door and walked inside and shut the door as he slowly walked around the foyer and peered into the living room. He didn't see Kevin, nor any Chinese food to chow down on. He did see Miracle though, sitting in that chair, looking so horribly defeated. "Miracle...what happened?"

Miracle didn't even bother to look up. "You know that program? Issac's app? It was originally just a number scrambler...then it was updated to remotely hack phones with a press of a button." He looked up at Cheston. "Rayne was the one that updated it, she could because...she is Issac's half sister. And as the moderator, she has logs of all the originating phones that used the program, the only proof of what I did with Wayne and Martin's phones..."

"Oh no...I had a bad feeling." Cheston walked closer and then kneeled down in front of Miracle. "What did she want?"

"I can't say." Miracle looked up at Cheston.

Cheston stared intensely into Miracle's eyes with so much concern and love and passion. "This is all my fault, if I had just left you alone...Martin would of never found you..."

Miracle stared into those eyes. "And I would of never found you." His hands moved to rest on Cheston's shoulders. "What reminded me of Jaemin...was your eyes, the most. He had this intensity, this way of communicating with just a look, you could feel what he wanted you to feel, if he wanted to comfort you, and for whatever reason, he couldn't say anything, he could just...look at you and his eyes said it all."

"The night that he died, like after everyone was dead, after I killed the guy trying to rape me, we looked at all the mess, the massacre. He went downstairs and sat in the door way and...I looked into his eyes, there was nothing, like he had died inside, like his life was gone before he really took it. I had cried myself to sleep...and then I woke up alone, before I found him, before he actually did it." Miracle explained.

"I'm so sorry." Cheston said, his gaze never breaking away from Miracles. "What are my eyes telling you?"

Miracle stared into Cheston's eyes as he sat there, thinking deeply. "That you're sorry...that...you love me...that despite how we treated each other, at least when it was just us...we were safe, because you'd never really hurt me."

"There is no where I would rather be than here, with you." Cheston eased up closer. "It breaks my heart...that you might not ever forgive me. I would do anything..."

Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and he drew his bottom lip in and shrugged, shaking his head. "So what am I suppose to do? Toss the towel in Kevin's face? Our feelings...they lived deep inside of us for all this time, even when I thought it had died, really they were just under lock and key...How can I look into both of your eyes, when you both love me so much, and break a heart?"

"That's a hard spot to be in, and I get this feeling...that you've been in this spot before. Actually, you were, with Kevin and Jaemin, that has to make it twice as bad, you made Kevin leave, chose Jaemin over Kevin...so you must wonder how you could do that to him again, if you could do that to him again." Cheston eased back.

"He took it so well the first time, if I did it again, he would be devastated, why did I come to him, open it all back up...just to do that? When really...I love him just as much, when really it's not about me loving him less, it's just about choosing." Miracle shook his head and closed his eyes. "And then you come here, on your knees, begging for my forgiveness, after what I did to you, caring so much about me, how could I just throw it back in your face, just to choose? Because...that's all it would be based on, a choice between two people that I love equally, it might as well be a flip of a coin."

"Look at me." He whispered.

Miracle opened his eyes.

"I'm the one that messed up, I shouldn't be the one to put you in a spot to torture yourself, and I shouldn't make an innocent guy lose something that he probably deserves more than me." He looked down. "So...for now, things should stay as they are."

Miracle looked at Cheston. "Maybe...but then, I have a feeling that they won't stay like that long." He said, thinking about Rayne's demands, having a feeling of what Kevin would think of him having a baby.

Cheston gave Miracle a questioning look for only a second and then he sighed. "Well, for now. I just want to know that you're okay." He stood up and then slowly turned around and headed through the foyer and walked out the door, closing it ever so gently.

Miracle headed out to the drive way, fishing through his keys to find his car key when he looked up and saw Gavin's car swerving into the drive way only to come to an abrupt stop before the engine was killed. His eyebrows lifted when Gavin jumped out with a white envelope in his hand.

"Miracle, thank God I caught you!" Gavin ran up to him.

"Yeah, you just about missed me, I was going to...uh...meet someone. What's going on?" Miracle looked at the envelope.

"This came in the mail today, I got to it before my mom did." Gavin handed it over to Miracle.

He took the envelope from Gavin and looked at it, seeing Cody's name and that it was an address from Delaware. He then opened it, not needing to rip it since Gavin already opened it. He took the piece of paper out.

"Dear uncle Wayne." Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "I know it's been forever since I have written to you, things have been a mess, I have been a mess. I have been lost and I fell off the tracks. Something horrible has happened, I can't tell you what, not like this. The thing is, I need you to fly me out there, it is really important, I need money. Just please fly me out there, I really need you. From Cody." He looked up at Gavin.

"I don't know what's wrong, but obviously Wayne isn't here to fly him out here. So...I was wondering if you might consider...just so we could find out what is going on." Gavin looked at Miracle with a pleading expression.

Miracle folded the piece of paper and handed it back to Gavin. "I'll do it, but you will have to wait until I get back. I have a really important meeting, it shouldn't take long. And then...when I get back, we'll figure it out."

"What about Kevin?" Gavin asked, taking the piece of paper back.

"He flew to New York to visit his parents since he had some time off. I was going to go...I wanted to visit Jaemin's grave." Miracle frowned. "But then...something came up." He shook his head. "Just hang out, and...I'll be back soon."

"Okay." Gavin nodded and then walked towards the house, going in, and shutting the door behind him. He looked around and headed towards the living room to wait it out.

Miracle came back inside the house moments later and sighed. "Okay, this can't wait. I've wondered where the hell Cody went since the day he left." He looked at Gavin. "Get on your phone, reverse search that address, see if you can get a number."

Gavin looked up when Miracle came back in and so abruptly spoke with demands, but he understood the worry. He grabbed his phone and started searching for the number to the address.

Miracle took a deep breath. "While you do that...I'll handle my other business." Miracle then headed off into the foyer and up the stairs as he scrolled through his contacts and called Rayne, waiting for an answer.

"Why are you calling? You're supposed to be coming over." Rayne said as she answered the phone.

"Something big has come up."

"Something more important than your freedom?" Rayne asked.

"Can't we just push the meeting up for a few hours? Is it really that important that we meet immediately?" Miracle asked.

"Ugh, I guess not. I'll have to change the appointment." Rayne frowned.

"What appointment?"

"There is a contract, it terminates my parental rights once the baby is born. I want to make sure that you're secure legally, isn't that nice of me? I don't want anything to do with the brat once it's born, I just want to torture Susan, you know that. Anyway, we're supposed to go to this lawyer that I found and sign it and make it all legit. Then I had an appointment at the clinic today at noon to have the procedure done."

Miracle's eyes widened. "Today? You want to do it all today?"

"Why waste time? But fine, you can pick me up at two, we can meet the lawyer at two thirty and go to the clinic at three, I had asked if they had a later appointment, in case you messed around. So I'm going to get off here and snag that appointment at three." Rayne then hung up.

Miracle pulled the phone away, his eyes wide, yet a sigh escaped. "Unbelievable." He then headed back down the stairs and into the living room.

"Take care of things?" Gavin asked.

"Pushed them off...not for long, unfortunately." Miracle frowned. "Did you find the number?"

"Yeah...but I just wonder if calling it might endanger him. Maybe we should just send the money, find out the rest when he gets here." Gavin looked up.

"You might be right." Miracle nodded and then walked over to the couch and pulled his check book out from under the center cushion, along with a pen. He sat down and wrote a check out, making it to Cody and then ripped the check from the book and handed it over to Gavin.

"Mail that to him, with a letter to get a ticket, sign it as being from Wayne. I don't want him freaking out more, we just need to get him here."

Gavin took the check. "Hope he can't tell hand writing..."

Miracle stared at Gavin and then slowly shook his head. "I don't think he's that detail oriented...especially now."

Gavin nodded and stood up.

"Can I keep the letter?" Miracle asked.

"Uh...sure, but I'll need the envelope for the address."

"Fine." Miracle nodded.

Gavin handed the letter over. "Thanks, Miracle, for doing this." He smiled briefly and then headed out.

Miracle sat beside Rayne in the lawyers office and stared at the woman across from them.

"Okay." Emily laid out two contracts before them. "Basically, this contract explains that Rayne agrees to act as surrogate to your child and that upon birth, her legal rights as parent, any and all rights, are terminated. That means that you become sole parent, legal and otherwise, Miracle. The child will be yours, so if you both understand, just sign the papers, I'll provide copies and we will move on to the next contract."

"Wait..." Miracle spoke up. "What about drug use?"

"Oh please, Miracle, like I can't go sober for this? Just the revenge on Susan will be sweet enough for that. It says it in the contract."

"That's right." Emily nodded. "Any defects due to the surrogates purposeful behavior will be punishable by the termination of the second contract which pertains to your financial aid to the tattoo parlor, to which the funds for that, she used to start the procedures to become a surrogate to begin with. So, she needs your money, if she messes this child up intentionally..." Emily looked up. "You won't have to fund a penny to the business with her sister."

Miracle slowly nodded. "Okay, sounds full proof, I don't think she would want Mysti pissed at her. In fact, I doubt she even knows you took the money." He looked over at Rayne.

"She doesn't, so I wouldn't do anything to mess the child up, besides, whether you believe it or not, I like you, Miracle, even if I seem hateful most of the time." Rayne leaned forward and signed her original form of the contract.

Miracle sighed and leaned forward and signed his copy and laid the pen down and leaned back.

Emily smiled and took both copies and began running one through the copy machine and laid two more before them. "This is pertaining to the business. It basically states that should a healthy baby be delivered, and if there are no defects related to the surrogates intentional influences, such as drugs, alcohol, smoking, what have you, that you will fund the opening of the business, you will hold the title of owner, however they will have complete control and run of the shop, you will merely receive partial earnings which will be split between you three. In an estimate take three hundred dollars, you each get a hundred. Simple?"

Miracle nodded and leaned forward, signing the contract, as did Rayne, and they both sat back and watched Emily work on making the copies. Miracle crossed his arms and looked over at Rayne.

"What?" Rayne looked over at him. "See? I told you, I would make sure everything was fair, you aren't the one I want to cook in my cauldron."

Miracle couldn't help but to grin at her witchy reference and then looked up when Emily handed them copies of both contracts.

"I will keep the originals in my files, these are copies for you both to hold onto for your own records." Emily handed them out.

"I knew that was funny, you can't resist that." Rayne grinned and took her copies. "Thanks Emily." She stood up.

"Anytime Rayne, and tell your dad hello when you see him." Emily said.

Rayne stopped and her eyes narrowed for a second. "Sure thing..." She said calmly.

Miracle walked along side Rayne, catching her reaction and he frowned and followed her out of the office. "I'm sorry..." He followed her through the lobby and out into the parking lot.

Once outside and around to their cars, Rayne finally stopped and turned around. "It's the way our mom wants it. Just that every time someone mentions my dad, I wonder who he is or where he is, if he's some loser drunk, had to be to hire a hooker, or maybe he cleaned up his life and actually became something."

"I could of been like that when my dad disappeared, but I had few memories of him. I just...didn't think of him that much, seemed pointless." Miracle looked down. "Are you sure you want to make me a dad? I'm far from perfect."

Rayne looked up at Miracle. "But you know what messed up is, what better a parent to teach a child to stay away from messed up than a parent who actually knows what it is?" She smiled. "Lets go, that appointment is coming up, I'll bring you back for your car."

Miracle nodded. "Interesting outlook." He smiled briefly and then walked to the passenger side of Rayne's car and climbed in and settled himself, fastening his seatbelt just before she drove off.