"Did you get it?"

"Yeah. I got it...but I can't give it to you today."

"Why the hell not?" Vincent was staying at the Hilton as he wanted to be away from his house in the woods.

"Look, there's a lot of heat around me right now. If anyone sees me with you again...it's my ass on the line."

"Listen here Spencer, I need that file. You have twenty-four hours to get it to me."
"And if I don't?"

"Oh my...it appears the doctor finally grew a pair. Are you trying to defy me right now?"

There was a moment of silence on the other line before a low murmur, "No."

"I'm at the Hilton. Room 111. I expect you to deliver it within twenty-four hours." Vincent pulled out a cigarette and began to light it.

"I'm telling you I'm going to need more time than that."
"More time? And you call yourself a disciple?"

Dr. Spencer cleared his throat, "I'm just saying I need a little more time. If I go now...people might notice and I'll have to be the one answering a million questions."

Vincent blew a puff of smoke into the air before answering, "Twenty-four hours." He hung up the phone before Dr. Spencer could reply.

A knock on the door got his attention. "Vincent? I know you're in there. Open up!"

Vincent padded across the room in his bare feet before swinging the door open and scowling at his sister. "What do you want?"

"Vincent. I want to see Artie. I have a bad feeling," Wanda barged into the room where Vincent was standing.

"Wanda, I just left the kid off a few hours ago. Besides, I don't think you can claim having some kind of telepathic connection with him as you weren't ever there for him."

"Shut up Vincent. I'm serious. Take me to Artie's."

Vincent put his cigarette out and took a deep breath before agreeing to pacify his sister.

As they exited the hotel, Vincent could have sworn he saw Special Agent Sally Roux's black SUV. "This is going to be fun," he muttered to himself.

The drive to Artie's was quick and when they arrived, Wanda knocked repeatedly on the door. No one answered.

"It's already late afternoon, where could he possibly be?" Wanda asked.

Vincent shrugged, "He's not my kid."

Wanda knocked on the door again, but this time she also grabbed onto the door handle and jiggled it. The door was unlocked. She looked at Vincent in surprise as she opened the door to enter. She gasped.

"What the hell?" Vincent was behind her and could see the living room furniture was in disarray.

"Vincent," Wanda said his name out in fear.

"It's probably just from the search warrant. They always leave a mess."

Wanda stepped forward into the living room, "Artie?"

Zucchini, Artie's bird was making a lot of noise and flying against the thin caged bars that held him captive.

"Artie, where are you?" Wanda called out again into the small apartment. She found herself walking to the kitchen. Vincent stayed behind to tease Zucchini in its cage. He heard a blood curdling scream which caused him to roll his eyes.

"Is that really necessary Wanda?" He walked to the kitchen to see Wanda on the floor with a dead Artie in her arms. She was covered in blood.

"Well...I guess we should call the cops," Vincent said without any emotion in his voice. Wanda was sobbing and exclaiming what a horrible mother she had been to poor Artie. Vincent walked out of the kitchen and dialed 911. For a moment he had contemplated just telling Agent Roux who was probably still waiting outside in her SUV. Vincent thought it would be more fun to let her see the ambulance and police come. He smiled as the emergency operator came onto the line.

That Evening

"Joelynn, are you sure you don't want to stay at my place?" Jacob asked his best friend.

Joelynn smiled, "I'm sure. I know you and your mom are going through a lot right now."

Jacob had come over earlier to talk to Joelynn and help her wash her hair since her arm was out of commission and in a cast. He felt incredibly guilty about her being hurt during his and Edward's prank but she was still in the dark about his trickery and she had managed to get the officer that knew about it, to keep it under wraps. He eventually told her about his birth father and the two of them had cried about it together. Jacob cried for his mother that had to suffer the experience of being attacked and she cried for Jacob who obviously felt some sort of guilt and impotence at not being able to help his mother.

"Jacob...I have an idea."

Jacob was sitting on her hotel bed with his head against the headboard, "No...no more ideas from you. They always lead to bad things happening."

Joelynn laughed. "No, I have a good idea this time."

"I can't hear you," Jacob joked as he put a pillow over his head.

"Jacob Torres!" Joelynn mockingly chastised him.

Jacob looked up from the pillow and winked at Joelynn.

"Jacob...let's do something we haven't done in forever."
"What?"

"Slumber party!"

Jacob laughed. "We're too old for that."

"Okay...then movie marathon! Let's have a Ryan Gosling movie marathon night!"

Jacob was now interested. "Ryan Gosling?"

Joelynn was smiling at him. "You could spend the night here and we'll watch movies until we're ready to fall asleep."

Jacob smiled ruefully, "I'd love to Joelynn...but I don't think I should leave my mom alone."

"Oh come on Jacob. You need to relax. Call her. Ask her if it's okay. If she sounds okay then stay...if she doesn't...then go back home. Deal?"

"Fine. I'll call her."

Jacob dialed and spoke with his mother briefly. He promised to call her throughout the night and she insisted that he spend some time with Joelynn.

As they waited for the pizza to arrive before their movie marathon, Joelynn asked Jacob if he had been seeing anyone.

"What do you mean?"

"You're always checking your phone for messages. Your mom doesn't text and I'm right here...so who's the guy?"

Jacob smiled, "His name's Edward and he's...he's not my guy. He's just a friend."

"For now," Joelynn wiggled her eyebrows causing Jacob to blush.

"He's really cute Joelynn. No he's not cute. He's hot. I mean really hot."

"Oooh now I want to see what he looks like. Pictures or he doesn't exist."

Jacob laughed, "You know I don't have a pic of him. Forget it...he must not exist."

"Really? Have I taught you nothing all these years? Rule number one...you take a picture of your potential love interest so your friends can judge and tell you if he's hot or not." Joelynn was obviously being sarcastic and Jacob missed this. The camaraderie the two of them always shared. It had been so long since they were able to just relax and joke around with one another. He purposely didn't bring up Eva because that topic just made the atmosphere stressed and serious. Jacob was more than willing to stick with fluffy conversation material.

"So why aren't you two dating yet?"

Jacob sighed, "I don't know. I like him. I'm attracted to him...but sometimes he's too intense."

"Sounds sexy," Joelynn giggled.

"Shut up Joelynn...I'm being serious. There are moments that I think he's someone I can really be myself with and then there are times when I think he's crazy."

"Well I don't know what to tell you. I can't get a date to save my life these days."

"And yet, you always have men around you," Jacob joked.

Joelynn sighed, "Yes, I'm always around men...like my gay best friend."

When the doorbell rang, Joelynn got up to get the pizza. Jacob checked his messages again, but there was nothing from Edward. He called his mom to make sure she would be okay alone tonight. He reminded her to lock the doors and not let anyone in. She chastised him and reminded him that she was the parent, not him.

"I love you mamá," Jacob whispered into the phone.

"I love you too hijo."

After Jacob disconnected the call, he couldn't help but feel a wave of uneasiness wash over him.

Meanwhile

Wanda was sitting in the hospital corridor, her hands and clothes were still bloody.

"Wanda let's go."

She paid no attention to her brother that had draped a trench coat over her.

"Wanda? Are you listening to me? Let's go."

Wanda didn't lift her head when she asked, "Tell me the truth. Was it you?"

"Was what me?"

"Did you kill my son?"

Vincent stood in silence before laughing, "Are you kidding me? Why would I kill your kid?"

"Because you're psychotic."

Vincent stopped laughing and his lips formed a straight line. "I'm what?"

"You're always hurting other people just for the fun of it. You used to do that when we were kids. Do you even care if Artie's dead?"

"Why should I care? He wasn't my child and I didn't have a relationship with him. If I'm being honest...no. I have no emotions about it. I don't understand why you're acting so affected by this. How much will your life really change now that Artie's out of it? It's not like you two spent a lot of time together."

Wanda stood up and slapped Vincent.

He tasted the blood in his mouth, "Bitch."

"You deserved that Vincent. You deserve so much worse than that."

"And who are you to judge me? You're just some prostitute that never took care of her son. The past few days, I've been the one feeding you, clothing, you, and keeping you off of the streets."

"My son is dead! You don't even care!" Wanda shouted.

"What do you want me to do Wanda? Pretend to feel emotions that I don't have?"

Wanda nodded as tears streamed down her face, "That's right. Please forgive me. I forgot. You don't ever feel anything."

Vincent cursed under his breath.

"Well now that I think of it...I'm wrong." Wanda looked at Vincent, cocking her head to one side, "The great Vincent McDaniels did feel something once for someone."

"Shut up Wanda."

"I wonder how you would feel if something happened to the person you cared about most in this world."

Wanda didn't get to continue speaking as she was quickly slammed against a wall by Vincent. "You even think about it and I'll rip your guts out Wanda. You know I'm capable of much worse."

Her expression of sorrow quickly turned into one of fear. "Let me go," she gasped.

He tightened his hold on her neck, "I'm serious Wanda. Don't try me."

Wanda nodded until he finally released his grip. She sank to the floor, coughing.

"Let's get the hell out of here. You got blood on my shirt and it stinks here." Vincent didn't wait for Wanda to respond but started walking towards the exit.

Wanda rubbed her neck and slowly got up as she followed Vincent out of the hospital, leaving her dead son's body behind.

Hours Later

The sound of the doorbell ringing so late at night startled Lupita Torres. She was trying to make chocolate cupcakes for Jacob to have the following day. They just needed to be frosted.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"I'm here to talk to you about your son Jacob," a woman's voice called out from outside.

Lupita immediately opened the door and her eyes widened in shock and recognition.

"Hi Lupita. Long time no see."