Trigger The Years Past - 23. Chapter 23: Schemes

Miracle got out of his car and moved over into the passenger seat of Cheston's car and shut the door.

"Why are we meeting in an alley?" Cheston looked at Miracle. "In fact, why are we meeting at all? I'm surprised, after all I've done."

"After all you've done?" Miracle grinned. "I'm a cement wall....and the cement wasn't even dry in that court room and you still didn't even dent me."

"You don't think so?" Cheston asked.

"Are you aware...that because of your personal ties, you kind of made yourself look bad too? I mean that recording was just as unflattering for you, bragging about how you were going to be Martin's defense attorney...and then you didn't even bother to erase the part where you dangled Melanie's death in Kevin's face." Miracle shook his head.

"It was part of my strategy." Cheston said.

"And the DA objected it. Killed your strategy quite quick. I mean, what were you doing? Trying to pin crimes on me right in the middle of someone else's trial? Really? You don't do that."

"Can you just tell me why we're here? Are you recording me?" Cheston looked at Miracle.

"Actually, no." Miracle looked over at him. "I came to tell you that...we can have everything we want now."

"Everything we want? Last I checked, what we wanted were entirely different things. What about Kevin? You didn't work so hard to get him back for nothing, did you?"

Miracle stared at the dashboard. "We had dinner with my parents the other night...and they made me realize a lot of things. I would have to make a lot of sacrifices for Kevin's life. I'll have to move to California, once season starts, he'll be traveling, I'll be alone...with a baby." Miracle's voice started to crack up. "He'll be off having after party games while I'm at home dealing with a screaming kid, thinking about what a mess I made of my life."

"So...you're changing your mind, about Kevin?"

Miracle looked up at Cheston. "Rayne has my baby, and she won't hurt it, there are contracts, if she does bad things that will hurt the baby, I don't fund the tattoo shop and they lose any hope of ever having one. She doesn't want the kid, she already terminated her parental rights, gave them entirely to me. So...we can have my baby, free and clear. But...you have to prove to me that you love me...Susan has to go out of your life, out of the law firm, just gone."

"So..I have to break it off with Susan...and fire her?" Cheston questioned.

Miracle nodded. "And move back into the house, never see her again...and if I ever find out that you do...that's it."

Cheston looked over at Miracle and then nodded. "Thing is...I can't stop being the defense attorney, I can't tell you why..."

"Shh..." Miracle brought a finger to Cheston's lips. "You already went through a majority of witnesses, it would look weird if you quit anyway, just slack off, hell I thought you were kind of slacking anyway."

"Maybe." Cheston looked down as Miracle's finger trailed down his chest.

"Give me some time to arrange for the house to be ready, we both have relationships to take care of..." Miracle forced a smile and then slid out of Cheston's car.

Cheston watched Miracle with wonder as he climbed back into his own car, and moments later drove off down the alley. "Huh...what a change of heart, but it's possible, I guess. A life with Kevin wouldn't be ideal, would it? No...Miracle needs far to much attention for that..."

Miracle walked into his room and shut the door and slid onto the bed, grabbing his lap top and he pulled it onto his lap. "Okay, if you're watching..." He paused. "I hope you don't watch private moments...but if you're watching now...I need some communication."

That was when a bald Britney Spears head suddenly popped up on the middle of his desk top, it looked more cartoonish than his last digitalized image. "I'm here, are we alone?"

Miracle rolled his eyes. "I actually like Britney, and her hair." He shook his head. "We're alone. And is there something I can call you besides top of the grapevine?"

The boy laughed. "Well, it's a joke to me. And you can call me Rumor, if you need some kind of reference. It's the same one I gave Rayne when I spoke to her."

"Why Rumor?" Miracle asked."And you talked to Rayne?"

"Rumor, because it's like the grapevine, ya know? You heard the rumor through the grapevine? And yeah I talked to her, she was surprised. Though the little bundle of joy shes carrying can greatly benefit to our plan, since Cheston does want your child so badly."

"That's what I needed to tell you, I used that as leverage to patch things up, but he's going to have to get Susan out of the picture, she will be a major annoyance otherwise." Miracle leaned back.

"Of course, and what do you plan to do about Kevin?"

"I don't know, I thought maybe I could tell him...though he probably will hate it."

"Or...since he's football star California, you can move your life with him there, create a double life until our plan is in motion, and when we're ready to fire the trigger, we will." Rumor suggested.

"Okay, but I'll have a very short time to do it. Cheston only has to fire Susan from the law firm, which I imagine he will do that first and then...it'll lead in to the break up and that will lead into him moving back here from her house, a total chain reaction. Though, I'm sure he will give me time to deal with Kevin, so he'll probably wait for a clear."

"Good, then get moved to California with Kevin, your frequent trips back and forth can be explained by Rayne and the baby, all in all, it works out."

"And what about Maria? What do you expect us to do with her?" Miracle asked.

"Rayne said she would have Susan do something." Rumor paused. "Though, it would be beneficial for you both if Susan just flew the jet with Maria and crashed into the ocean." He began laughing.

"Like they wouldn't search for it and find it funny that Susan was flying it?"

"They still haven't found that damn plane from Malaysia." Rumor rolled Britney's digital eyes. "Kind of annoys me too. I mean, really, my theory was that hijackers flew it somewhere else...but they haven't even landed anywhere. So what? Some kind of conspiracy theory crap? Maybe a mystical triangle got them."

"Well, how do you think I should deal with Maria?" Miracle asked, he honestly didn't want to do anymore killing.

"Let Rayne deal with it, we'll see what she has in mind, though I did warn her, that baby is to be kept protected at all costs, it's the key to your marriage to Cheston, and your rights to his assets when he gets convicted."

"Okay." Miracle nodded.

"Have a wonderful day!" The Britney head then shrunk until it disappeared off the screen.

Rayne walked into the kitchen and stared at Susan, looking over at the high chair sitting in the corner. "Think I can have all the baby stuff you bought? That way I don't have to waste any money."

Susan stood at the oven, scrambling eggs and she took a deep breath, not letting Rayne hit a nerve. "Of course, why not?" She even brought herself to smile. "It shouldn't go to waste. And I'm not worried, I'll have a baby...and when I do, I can buy another one."

Rayne walked to the kitchen table and sat down, taking a puff on her E-Cig and she stared at Susan. "Do you think Martin is a dangerous man? I mean, what do you think of Cheston's parents? Miracle told me that Maria didn't even know about you."

Susan took the eggs off the burner and sat the frying pan on a cool burner and turned the previous burner off. She turned around and looked at Rayne. "I've never met them, doesn't surprise me if they don't know about me. Cheston made it clear that Martin was in shady business. If Maria chooses to be with a man like that, power to her."

"What do you think happened to his real father?" Rayne's eyes squinted. "What if he was offed like in those mob movies? Taken to an alley and made to get on his knees and got blown in the back of the head."

Susan's eyes shifted to the side. "I don't like to think about things like that."

"Yet Cheston is trying to free the man. Do you want him in your life?"

"He's pissed at Miracle, not at me, at least that is what Cheston explained, in short, his biological son died, he blames Miracle for it. So why should I have a reason to be scared?"

Rayne sat there thoughtfully while Susan turned and emptied the eggs into a large plate and put the frying pan into the sink only to grab a smaller one and she started cooking strips of bacon and small sausage links.

"Well, while it's sure to be safe, don't you want to take the opportunity to meet his mom?" Rayne asked.

Susan stopped what she was doing and turned around. "Why do you care? What are you up to, Rayne?"

Rayne sighed. "Okay, this is what I heard, Miracle is trying to use the baby to get Cheston back. I saw them in an alley together yesterday. Not that I give a damn about your relationship status...but I'm afraid your job might come at stake...and I just don't want you to have to take a mortgage or risk losing the house. I'm a bitch...but deep down you know I love you."

Susan's eyebrows lifted. "So, you want me to meet his mom, get in her graces, and hope that he doesn't fall for it, and that she can talk sense into him?"

"That was the idea." Rayne nodded. "Mysti and I grew up in this house, it would devastate her to lose it from the family..."

"Fine, I'll humor you." Susan held her hands up. "Just eat the breakfast I cooked while I go get ready." Susan walked out of the kitchen.

Rayne sighed and looked up at the ceiling as if she were going to thank the lord.

She grinned. "You really thought that? I'm just breathing in the air." She stood up and grabbed a fork from the drawer and started eating the eggs.

"Kevin, it's me." Miracle walked down the stairs with the phone to his ear.

"Oh, hey, whats up? Thanks for calling, gives me a reason to take a break." Kevin sat up on the bench from where he had been lifting weights.

"Well, I decided that I want to go ahead and move to California. I mean, why wait until the season starts? We should go ahead and do it, get settled in, I can get used to your condo...and I have the money to travel back and forth to deal with things regarding Rayne, and to visit my parents, plus I only have two laser treatments left, one that I'm actually getting today."

Kevin's eyebrows lifted. "Wow, kind of a rash decision."

"I know, but I just want to go ahead and do it. I loved your condo, and...I miss being able to go out on your yacht...like we used to do, can't exactly do that here." Miracle looked around. "So what do you say? You can go ahead and leave tonight, and I'll have Cody and Barry help me pack everything, and I'll come in with all of our stuff."

Kevin sat there, quiet for several seconds. "Miracle...is there some reason that you're trying to rush me away?"

Miracle cringed. "No, it's just with the trial, I just want to be gone and..." He sighed. "I feel like if one of us is there, then we're half way...and that would make me feel so much better. So...could you please just go, tonight?"

Kevin nodded. "I guess, this seems weird...but then I guess I should remember that about you." He laughed.

Miracle leaned his forehead against the wall and shut his eyes tight, tears falling. "Yeah, that's me...weird." He opened his eyes. "So I'll see you in California?"

"See you there...and I love you."

Miracle looked down. "I love you too." He hung up and looked around. "Now how quick can I convince Cheston to fucking marry me without him getting suspicious?" He looked up and found Barry at the bottom of the stairs.

"Miracle? What are you doing?" He finished making his way down the steps. "Sending Kevin away? Marrying Cheston? What the hell? You are screwing yourself up!"

He stared at Barry and walked over to him. "I need you to keep all of this secret. I swear to you...my whole heart is with Kevin, I'm doing this...because I have to, and hopefully...it will be short lived. Can you understand that? It's nothing that I want to do."

Barry stared at Miracle. "And what do I get for keeping it secret?" He asked.

Miracle stared at him. "Don't do that to me."

Barry grinned. "I wouldn't, sick joke. You're to much like Cody...and I am so protective of him...so how could I not be to you?"

"Cody is a much better person than me...and there are a lot of differences, trust me." He leaned up and wrapped his arms around Barry and took a deep breath.

Barry hugged Miracle and held him close. "You're not bad." He eased back and kissed at Miracle's jawline. "Just...whatever you got planned, make sure it goes off."

Miracle looked up at him, not seeming to mind the affection and he nodded. "Okay." He turned and walked off into the living room and looked at his phone, almost forgetting what he was about to do.

He went through his phone and hit Cheston's name and brought his phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Cheston answered.

"It's me, can you talk?"

"Yeah, I'm just in my office, going over papers." Cheston leaned back in his desk chair. "Whats going on?"

"Well, I was wondering about our broken engagement. Did you want to pretend it didn't get broken or do you want to repair it? And if it's the former, do you want a fast wedding or...I mean, how do you want to do this?" Miracle looked around.

"Well, I still have the ring, I'm more than willing to put it back on you, Miracle. And I'd love to pretend it was never broken." He smiled a little. "I think you caught me in a rather sad moment though. That or...just all this work is depressing me. I guess we can get married as soon as possible, have our marriage, eventually have our baby...and our perfect life."

Miracle nodded. "I'm sorry that you're sad. Well, just give me a little more time to deal with Kevin, as I'm sure you need more time to deal with Susan, maybe we can give it a week or so..."

Cheston nodded. "Sounds like enough time. We'll clear out and pave our way."

"Okay, well I'll let you go."

"See you later." Cheston hung up.

Miracle pulled the phone away and sighed. "Okay, so far so good. Now if things are going just as smoothly for Rayne..." He mumbled.

Rayne sat in the passenger seat of Susan's car, a light brown broad brim raffia hat on top of her head and a matching trench coat on, buttoned down the front and tied with the matching tie attached to it.

"Why are you wearing that?" Susan asked.

"Just because, now listen." She looked at Susan. "You're going to go in there and tell her that you're pregnant with Cheston's baby. Yes...we know, he's infertile, it's a miracle. Well, when you go in the bathroom, you're going to start having horrible stomach cramps and we are going to rush you to the hospital."

Susan's mouth fell open. "I am not going here to scam this woman!"

"You want her help to keep your man, don't you?" Rayne tilted her head back so that she could see Susan.

"Okay, so when we get to the hospital, what happens?" Susan asked.

"You tell them you're pregnant and that you're having stomach cramps and you just go to the back, I'll keep her out in the waiting room. The doctors will find out different, we know, the home pregnancy kits aren't always accurate, so it was wrong, big deal, by that point, it won't matter, trust me."

Susan shook her head. "I better not regret this."

"Susan..." Rayne looked at her. "I can be a noble person. Who was the one that stepped up and went out and took care of Issac and Dayna when they needed someone, when that son of a bitch was going to leave Issac with nothing? I gave up my teenage years to take care of them. So could you trust me?"

Susan sighed and nodded. "You did that, voluntarily too."

"Yes, I did." She waved to the right. "There's the hotel."

Susan turned in and found a close parking space and got out of the car with Rayne and walked inside with her. "Do you know the room?" She asked.

"Yes, Miracle told me which one it was." Rayne said as she headed to the elevator and pressed the button, keeping her head low. Once the elevator chimed, she followed Susan in and pressed the button for the right floor.

"This sure is a nice hotel." Susan commented.

"It's what luxury will pay for." Rayne tapped her foot and soon they reached the right floor and she waved Susan on as she headed down the hall and stopped at the room number and quickly knocked on the door. "Take the lead." She mumbled.

"This was your idea." Susan mumbled just seconds before Maria opened the door.

"Hi, can I help you?" Maria smiled.

"Yes, Maria? I'm Susan, your sons girlfriend." She stuck a hand out.

Maria's smile faded a little and she reached out and shook Susan's hand. "Oh yes...what a mess he's made of your life too, I'd imagine." She turned around. "Come in." She walked away from the door.

Susan walked in as Rayne followed and shut the door. "Well, things are rather settled." Susan sat on the edge of the bed. "I actually have news, it's rather shocking, I'm still trying to take it in myself."

"News?" Maria looked at Susan.

"Well...despite Cheston's condition, I guess everyone has a chance, right?" She looked at Maria with an awkward half smile. "I...am pregnant with his child."

Rayne grinned. "Isn't that just amazing?!"

Maria's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "You are?" She shook her head. "I can't believe it." She sat down and smiled. "I'm going to be a grandmother."

Susan felt like such a bitch for going through with this. "I'm sorry, I need your bathroom." She stood up and ran for the bathroom and shut the door and waited.

Rayne watched Susan and then looked at Maria. "Cheston doesn't even know yet, she wants to tell him in person. So lets just keep this our little secret."

"Ow!" Susan screamed.

Maria suddenly got up and pushed Rayne out of the way. "Susan?!"

"It's stomach pains!" She cried out and screamed. "It hurts!"

Rayne's eyes widened. "We should get her to the hospital, this is delicate enough as it is." She walked over to the bathroom. "Susie! Come out! We're going to get you to the hospital!"

Rayne, Susan and Maria rushed into the hospital and over to the front desk. "It's my Cousin! Her stomach is cramping!"

"My baby!" Susan screamed and looked up at them. "It's hurting! Someone has to help my baby!"

The woman at the desk nodded. "Hold on!" She quickly picked up the phone and made a quick call and within seconds, a male nurse rushed out with a wheel chair and helped Susan into it.

"Can I go with her?!" Maria cried.

"No!" Rayne shook her head and wrapped her arms around Maria. "You should stay here, it'll just upset you." She watched the man roll Susan into the back and sighed. "Lets go find the snack room and grab a couple of drinks."

Maria cried and nodded as she walked along with Rayne and they left the waiting area, heading down the hall.

Dizon headed out of the locker room, wearing his blue scrubs and a white doctors coat over them and he wore a surgical mask over his face and a cap on his head and latex gloves on his hands, walking down the hall, he took a card key and slid it through a slot and gained access to a door. Once the light switched from red to green, he opened the door and headed inside, shutting the door behind him. He turned around and started looking at all the medications in the medical stock room.

Rayne headed into the snack room with Maria. "Just sit over there. I like here better, more quiet."

"Yes, but how will the doctor know where we are?!" Maria spoke, alarmed as she walked over and sat down in one of the few chairs in the small room.

"The front desk people heard us when I said we were going to the snack room." Rayne dug a few dollars out of her back pocket. "Do you want anything, a drink? A snack?" She started straightening a bill out.

"Coffee, black." Maria nodded to the coffee machine.

"Might be a while. These machines and money." Rayne slid her dollar into the soda machine and it spit it right back out. She sighed. "Here we go." She snatched it out and pressed it against the machine and rubbed her hand over it.

Dizon searched over the bottles until he found a bottle of potassium chloride. He grabbed the bottle and then grabbed a syringe and tore the wrapper free and tossed it into the trash. He stuck the syringe into the top of the bottle and started to pull up on the top of the syringe, the suction causing it to fill with the drug. Once it was full, he returned the bottle to where it was and held it up, squirting the syringe just a little bit to make sure it ejected.

Susan laid down on a bed after the nurse got her out of the wheel chair. She laid there breathing heavily.

"A doctor will be in here with you shortly, just try to relax, that is the best thing that you can do right now." He said.

Susan held her hands on her stomach and cringed as she nodded. "I'll try."

The nurse nodded and turned around and wheeled the chair out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"What in the hell are you up to Rayne?" Susan whispered and looked around. "Was this the big plan? Get Maria to think shes going to have a grand kid, and then...come find that the home pregnancy kit was wrong, I was to stupid to actually get tested by a doctor, disappoint her, and...just ruin another persons life?"

Miracle walked down stairs when Cody opened the door and Nik was standing there.

"Nik, what are you doing here?" Miracle said as he reached the bottom of the steps.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Cody, uh...but this is kind of private. Not to sound like a high society prick, I definitely come from the gutters."

Cody grinned. "Rent a suit with a bounced check, pretend for a day." He joked and walked over to Miracle. "Will...you have some time for me, later?" He asked, speaking in a low tone.

Miracle looked over at Cody. "Yeah, I guess, depends on whats going on. Why?"

Cody sighed. "I just...want to be close to you, that's all."

Miracle nodded. "I promise, some time." He nodded and leaned forward and hugged Cody. "You're trembling."

Cody nodded. "It's withdrawals...but I'll be okay. And...it's just that I want to be with you, close to you."

Miracle smiled and pulled back. "You will be, in the mean time, go in my room, enjoy my tub and...watch some television, try to relax."

Cody nodded and headed around Miracle and up the stairs.

Miracle sighed and walked over to Nik. "Sorry, he's kind of like me, maybe a little more needy than me..."

"Maybe to much." Nik watched Cody. "There's the puppy that's dirty and comes to your door step from the rain...the one you want to help by taking to a shelter, then there's...the puppy you just want to save and take into your home."

Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "Huh? Did you just compare us to puppies? And did you just call him dirty?"

Nik sighed and looked down, shaking his head. "I just mean that, I don't know what it is, there is something about your neediness that's attractive and...his...that's just...sad."

"Because I have the tragic past? Because, despite that, our personalities are different?"

Nik looked at Miracle. "You're needy without screaming needy, you need to be saved...yet you won't cry for the help, not entirely. You're fiesty...you have your weak moments but then you have those strong moments, but not strong enough to ward off the allure that you need someone even stronger to enhance that, to compliment it."

Miracle lifted his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side. "Okay, maybe. Just don't talk about him like that. So he's not like me, at least I can be strong for someone myself, what are the odds? So why are you here?"

"I've come...to get you and Cheston married before the awful news befalls him." Nik grinned.

"Awful news?" Miracle asked. "Is it what Rayne is doing? I'm not sure what Rayne is doing, just that shes supposed to do something to take care of Maria so..." Miracle trailed off. "Oh...shes taking care of Maria..."

"Yeah...and you two need to be married before the tragedy hits him and he goes into shock and grieve mode, otherwise between that and the trial, you will have a mess and you need to secure your place for the inheritence." Nik nodded.

"Well, how are you going to get us married?"

"In the car." Nik grabbed Miracle by the hand and yanked him out. Miracle grabbed the door and pulled it shut as he headed down the steps and along the walk way to Nik's car.

"Shouldn't we take mine? He's going to wonder what's up if we go in yours." Miracle frowned.

"I'm not going." Nik opened his car door and leaned in and grabbed two little vials of white powder and turned to Miracle. "It's a mix of cocaine and XTC. Slip it in his drink, give it a little mix and all inhibitions will go down. Then get him to that quickie chapel."

"There's two. I have to be drugged? Why? If I drive like that, we'll wreck."

"Well, if you look straight, he's going to know something is up." Nik took a deep breath. "Use a cab, in fact, I'll drop you off, say your car broke down, I came and got you and dropped you off. Do your thing, get him good and ready, and then get a cab to the quickie chapel."

Miracle took the two vials and shook his head and stuck them in his pocket. "We better go before...the tragedy." Miracle walked over and climbed into the passenger side and got in, fastening his seat belt.

Nik laughed and hopped in and pulled out, driving off down the street. "Well, lets just say this is a big heist that we're all involved in, for once, it's not just you. So we'll have to take a blood oath after this one, to our graves..."

"Except Susan doesn't know, she is our weak link. I don't even know what Rayne has her doing." Miracle frowned.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it ties her to it just as much as any of us, so she won't tell a soul." Nik shook his head.

"Finally!" Rayne screamed as her dollar went in and she slammed her palm onto the mountain dew button and it came falling out. She reached down and grabbed it. That was when she looked over and saw a disguised Dizon lean around the corner. Her eyes widened and she walked over and sat her drink on the table and then she took a deep breath. "I'm going to the bathroom. Here's a dollar for your coffee." She handed Maria a dollar.

"Thanks." Maria took the dollar and got up and walked over to the coffee machine.

Rayne walked out of the refreshments room and grabbed Dizon by the arm and pulled him a little ways down the hall. "So how are we doing this?" She whispered and looked around. "Did you check for cameras?" She looked up, to see if any were watching them now.

"Of course, that is why I'm wearing this disguise." He whispered. "And there are cameras here."

"Well, quick, push me down and go after her, Martin's a mob guy, sure he has enemies." Rayne mumbled.

"Except we've been recorded standing here talking, doubt it picked up what we said...but clearly we're talking."

"Well, you could be pretending, like you're the hit man, trying to ID your target, so you're talking to me and...once you find out that Maria is in there, you shove me out and then go in and get her." Rayne whispered.

"Fine, deal with a punch." Dizon balled up a fist and punched Rayne across the face.

Rayne's eyes widened, not expecting that, her head jerked to the side and she yelled out as she stumbled and fell towards the floor, catching herself on her hand, letting all her weight fall onto that arm to break her fall, wanting to keep the baby safe. Damn Dizon sure didn't hold back.

Dizon didn't appear to give Rayne a second thought as he walked into the room just as Maria turned around and dropped her cup of coffee and he brought the syringe up and stabbed it into the side of her neck, pushing down as he injected the potassium chloride into her, every last drop. Once that was done, he pulled the syringe out and then ran out of the refreshment room, sticking the syringe into the pocket of his white doctors coat.

Rayne stood up and watched Dizon disappear into the stairwell, figuring he would catch the elevator on another floor and make his escape. "Burn the evidence when you're gone." She mumbled and rushed into the refreshment room. "Maria!"

Maria screamed as she fell to her knees and began to have a heart attack due to the effects of over dose of the drug.

"Someone help!" Unfortunately, it didn't go according to plan, now that she'd have to report a man that attacked her, they might question whether this heart attack was real or drug induced. Rayne ran towards Maria and lowered to her knees and wrapped her arms around the woman as she fell into her lap. "Help! Shes dying!"

The woman at the front desk and a couple of nurses ran down the hall and into the snack room.

"We need a stretcher ASAP!" One of the nurses screamed as another nurse ran to pass the message, screaming for help.

"Maria!" Rayne held onto the shaking woman who's eyes widened and then she stopped moving altogether. "Oh no..."

"Move!" The nurse said as he ran forward and kneeled down by Maria after Rayne stood up and backed away and he began performing CPR on the woman.

Two doctors soon rolled a stretcher into the room as a few more nurses came in. Rayne's eyes widened and she backed up into the corner as they all lifted Maria onto the stretcher and then raised it up and rolled her out of the room to get her to the back as quick as possible. Would the heiress live?

"Go." Nik said as his car was parked outside the law firm, having gone around the block and seen Cheston's car parked around back.

"He's in his office. What exactly are we supposed to drink?" Miracle looked at Nik.

Nik leaned down and pulled a bottle of champagne out of his floor board and grinned. "I thought ahead." He then grabbed a brown paper bag. "Be careful, the glasses are inside of it." He handed Miracle the items.

"This is a disaster." Miracle pushed the passenger side door open.

"Well, you better hurry before the tragedy happens. Find a way to get his cell phone off." He grabbed a pair of wire cutters. "I'll cut the phone lines, then you can have your phone to call the cab."

"Lovely plan." Miracle walked around the car and headed for the front door of the law firm and knocked on it while watching Nik drive down the stretch of alley between the office and another building to destroy the telephone wires.

Cheston looked up, hearing a knock on the front door, wondering who it was. He got up and walked off into the lobby and unlocked the door. "Miracle?"

Miracle grinned and lifted the bottle of champagne and the two glasses, kicking the paper bag off down the sidewalk. "Thought we'd celebrate our...reunion a little early?"

Cheston's eyebrows lifted. "You did?"

"Well, I want my ring back, silly, right back where it's supposed to go. So, are you going to let me in?" Miracle grinned.

"Work or you..." Cheston grinned thoughtfully. "Most definitely you." He stepped aside and let Miracle in, closing the door and locking it behind him.

"Funny...law offices are peaceful at night...like sanctuaries." Miracle turned around.

"Why do you think I sometimes stayed at night?" He waved on and headed into his office where a dimly lit desk lamp lit the room. "It's like a safe haven." He sat down. "Let me just...clean up these files."

"You do that, I'll pour the drinks." Miracle grinned, such an easy and clear opening as he turned and sat the glasses on a table situated under the window.

Miracle poured the champagne into each glass and then looked over at Cheston, seeing him still busy at work, he quickly yanked out the vials. He opened the black caps and poured the powder from each bottle into each glass and used his finger to stir in the mixture as it quickly dissolved. He replaced the caps and stuffed the empty vials back into his pocket.

"And that's it..." Cheston shoved the last file into the filing cabinet and shut it, turning the key to lock it and he opened the drawer and tossed it inside.

"Perfect timing." Miracle turned around and walked over, sitting on the desk and handed Cheston his glass.

"Shouldn't of took you that long." Cheston grinned and took his glass. "Did you just stand there and wait for the perfect timing?"

"Guilty as charged." Miracle grinned and laughed. "Wait!" He stopped Cheston from taking a sip. "First...we need to toast to...the return of my ring...and the rebirth of our engagement." Miracle smiled and stuck out his hand.

"Of course!" Cheston sat his glass down and reached into his pocket. "I have a confession."

Miracle smiled. "What is it?"

"I've had it in my pocket...every single day."

"Even in court?" Miracle asked.

"Yeah." Cheston pulled it out and looked down at it. "When Susan wasn't there, which she never was, just the one day when she testified, every day after I walked out, I'd go to my car and...I would think...if only I had been better...maybe this could have been as special to you as that locket."

Miracle sat his glass down and for a moment, he felt a weakness, a sense of care that still remained when he thought they were really in love. "I just wish..." He shook his head.

"I know." Cheston looked up. "That I hadn't of been such a bastard."

Miracle smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter now. All that was because of Susan, now we have Rayne and..we can do whatever we want." He stuck his hand out. "So make it happen."

Cheston smiled and took Miracle's hand and slipped the ring back onto his finger. "I don't know, maybe I should just buy you a new one altogether, fresh start."

"No." Miracle shook his head and looked at the ring. "We're pretending the engagement never broke...so the ring has to stay." Miracle grabbed his glass and lifted it. "Cheers?"

Cheston grinned and grabbed his glass. "Cheers." He lightly clinked his glass with Miracle's and took a sip in unison with him.

"That's better." Miracle grinned and stared at him. "Maybe you should turn your phone off? I want tonight to be our night."

"Good idea." Cheston grabbed his cell phone off the desk and pressed the button and waved the screen to Miracle as it turned off. "No disruptions." He laid his phone down. "What about yours?"

"Kevin is gone." Miracle said.

"Gone? This early? How'd you do it? How'd he take it?" Cheston asked.

Miracle tilted his head and took another sip of his drink and shrugged. "I simply told him, yet again circumstances weren't right. I couldn't move to California, away from the new life that I built, it took me four years of...just...four years of ruins and now finally I have something and to pick up and build again, I couldn't do it, I did that to many times with Jaemin."

Cheston sipped his drink. "And?"

"Well, I also told him I couldn't live with a baby while he's off traveling playing football, that I couldn't tolerate being alone, I told him I couldn't be the dark space living around his star..." Miracle sighed. "He was angry, wanted to know why I went and stirred everything back up again, he was furious."

"So what ultimately happened?" Cheston asked.

"I told him that he had every right to be mad, he cried his eyes out, said he wished I'd die so that he could look at me the way he looked at Melanie, so that he could say I went to sleep....and move on." Miracle looked up at Cheston. "Then he packed his things and he left, told me to forget I ever knew him."

Cheston let out a breath. "Wow...he wished you dead..." He leaned back and took a bigger sip of his drink and shook his head. "That's pretty twisted."

Miracle knew it was a twisted tale he told, and the big sip it caused Cheston to take, well that was a good reaction. He laughed and then took an equally big sip. "You want to see the funeral footage?"

"You have it?" Cheston asked.

"A clip, kind of to prove my point." Miracle pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his files until he found the video and then handed it over to Cheston.

Kevin stood at the alter and looked at everyone in the church. "This is the first time I've ever been really nervous, but I've found a lot of things have changed in me and I think Melanie is a part of that." He looked down at Melanie. "I came in here and I walked up to her and it looked like she was asleep, and for a few seconds, I pretended she was, because it was comforting, it meant she would wake up. It really almost does look like she is just sleeping." Kevin paused.

"I told her to have beautiful dreams." He looked back towards everyone. "Like we all do, I hope. The dreams we all have sometimes when we sleep, the ones that are beautiful, that we wake up from, the ones that inspire us and make us wonder if they mean something. But then...I stopped pretending and I knew she wasn't asleep..and she wasn't dreaming."

The clip ended there, it wasn't the whole thing, but it was what he took of it. He pulled the phone back and looked down at the screen.

Cheston sat there, appearing thoughtful. "That was really sad." He took another sip of his drink and looked at Miracle. "You know, I never saw him that passionate towards you."

Miracle looked up at Cheston. "I don't know how he was with her alone, but around others, he didn't like to be emotional or deep, he just liked to be the cool, fun, guy." Miracle shrugged.

"Yeah, but I mean, you told me you guys got together while he was grieving her and then he wishes you dead so that he can pretend you're asleep? Miracle...all the associations in that, I would find a little haunting." He tilted his head to the side. "Have Jaemin's video by any chance?"

Miracle looked up. "Sure, I copied it." He flipped through his files and found it and then handed his phone back to Cheston.

"This is my confession." Jaemin stared at his phone. "First..I killed Brad...and then I killed my sister, Melanie. More importantly, this message is for you, Miracle. You're not going to understand, but now I finally understand. I lived to see you close to free..but so long as you cling to me, you will never truly be free. The locket, the message that means so much to you. The dream that you thought would never come true? Well, I'll make it happen for you. I have to set you free...and maybe some time from now..you will be happy again, just like the day you were on the beach as a child. You have to let me go, you will never truly be free until..well, until the last thing you have left is gone."

Jaemin looked down, his eyes shut tight. "To start new, you have to lose everything. Maybe, I know, one day you will look back, you'll be in a good place...and you'll understand."

Miracle grabbed his phone when the video ended and exited from his files and shoved the phone into his pocket and took a sip of his drink and then grabbed the bottle, pouring more.

Cheston let Miracle take the phone and his eyebrows lifted and he looked up at Miracle. "Wow...he put a lot of faith in where you would end up."

"Yeah, especially since he decided he wasn't going to be here to take me there." Miracle reached over and poured some more champagne into Cheston's glass and sat the bottle down.

"He sounded hurt." Cheston grabbed his glass, already appearing dazed out as he took a larger sip. "Like...he had nothing more to give, just one last thing. Maybe he knew...if he lived, he was going to be messed up."

Miracle shook his head. "No, he didn't believe we could recreate our love...because I always say...nothing can be recreated. So...he thought I could find it somewhere else."

"If he even sounded half as passionate as Kevin in his video..."

"Jaemin was passionate, intense, fun, protective, deep...." Miracle grinned. "But now...is now and...you're going to be all of those things." Miracle waved his finger at Cheston and tilted his head back, downing his second glass in several gulps.

Cheston grinned. "That's all I ever wanted to be."

"Really?" Miracle leaned forward. "Then finish your glass...and lets go somewhere." Miracle grinned and pulled out his phone and started dialing a number.