EIGHT MONTHS EARLIER

The snide laughter. The smell of stale beer. The sweaty body clinging to her. The gurgled sounds. The chocking.

No! Don't touch me!

Help!

Somebody help!

The scream died in Sarah's throat as she opened her eyes, panting heavily. Her face and body were drenched in sweat. Tears was in her eyes and had blurred her vision. She blinked rapidly and she saw that Devlin was beside her. He'd probably been trying to wake her. He looked concerned.

"Devlin." She whispered and without saying a word, he reached for her and she hugged him. He rubbed her back as she cried softly.

"The nightmares again?"

She nodded against his chest. "Ever since Dad reopened the case."

He drew back and used his thumb to wipe her eyes. "Well good news. Those fuckers will die and suffer painfully. I will cut off each and everyone's dicks and stuff it into their mouths while we watch them bleed to death."

"Fucking hell, Devlin!" Sarah cursed and stood. She wiped her face angrily. "You don't get it do you? You and Dad, so bent on revenge and justice to see that the damage has already been done! I will always be that twenty year old in college who was gang raped at a Halloween party. Nothing can salvage that. Nothing can bring back my dignity, not even..." she waved her hand, trying to find the word. "Dismemberment."

He looked at her, mouth slightly parted in surprise out her outburst. Then he nodded. "Okay, then. Death by firing it is. I'll shoot them."

"Devlin!"

"One shot. One clean shot. They won't even feel any pain. One second they'll be here and the next, they'll be playing poker with the Devil."

She heaved a long sigh. "I'm serious. This revenge you both are on for me will not change anything."

Devlin came to stand beside her. "Maybe not, but it'll surely help Art forgive himself."

Silence passed between them but they knew what was on each other's minds: how much Art was punishing himself for her rape. It made Sarah feel guilty. Most times, she wished she hadn't been raped, not because of herself but because of her dad.

"He's still beating himself up over letting seven years pass without justice being served to those bastards. This will help him forgive himself."

She sighed. "You're right. More than anything, I wish that for him. Peace."

The door opened and Art entered wearing only briefs. He looked ridiculously cute, with his big tummy and hairy chest. It had a sprinkle of grey. It made her endeared to him the more. He was not the tough-as-a-nail detective whom everyone feared. He was her dad and he was getting old, faster than she could keep up with.

"Is everything alright? I heard voices."

"It's nothing, Dad, go back to --"

"She had nightmares."

"Why thank you, Devlin." She snapped.

"I'll prepare warm milk. It'll help you relax."

"Dad, really I'm fine."

He placed one hand on the door handle. "Please, girl. Let me take care of my kid while I can. I could die tomorrow."

"You've been saying that for the past twenty years and yet here you still are. Too stubborn to die." They all laughed.

"I insist." Art said, and leaving no grounds for arguments, he left.

"Badgering old man." Sarah muttered.

"It in two days."

"What?"

"Our plan to take out those men. It's in two days."

She fell silent and sat on the bed. "I'm worried about Art." She said finally. She looked up. "And you. I'm scared for the both of you."

He waved her off. "We'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"What do you want, my blessings?"

"Keely's father is one of them."

Sarah laughed bitterly. "And so what? What do you want me to do? Take a DNA test and spare the one who turns out to be the father?"

He shrugged. "That could work."

"You're a beast you know that?"

He laughed. "I've been called worse."

Art entered. "Here it is." He said in a sing-song voice.

"Just go away. Both of you."

Art was stunned. "But I made warm milk."

"I don't want warm milk Dad! I want you! Alive. Shut up, both of you and get out." She said when they started to protest. "I don't want to see your faces until after your crazy revenge scheme is done."

~

Sarah quietly placed the book she'd been reading from on the bedside table and stood. She carefully covered Keely with her favorite Winnie the Pooh blanket and kissed her head.

"Goodnight my angel." She whispered as she switched off the bedside lamp. As she turned to leave, she almost gave a startled cry when she saw Devlin standing by the door. Angry, she marched towards him and took him by the shoulder, pushing him from the room. She shut the door with a gentle click and scowled at him.

"What the hell were you doing standing there?" She whispered ferociously.

"Read them bed time stories while you can. Soon they'll be so grown up and will want it no more."

"Lower your voice!" She pushed him further away and down to the sitting room. His movements were sloppy. He was drunk. "And why are you drunk? Aren't you supposed to watch the house because Art is out of town?"

"I'm not drunk. I only had one or two drinks."

"Yeah right."

"Why are we whispering?" He whispered.

Sarah, realizing they'd been whispering even when they were far away from Keely's room cleared her throat. "Go to your room. I don't have the strength to deal with a drunk brute."

"I'm not drunk and I'll prove it to you."

"How?"

"By actually getting drunk." He walked to the wet bar and took a whisky bottle. He wobbled a bit but managed to get two glasses. "Come, join me."

"No thank you. Turn off the lights when you're ready for bed." Then she groaned, realizing he would probably pass out in the sitting room. "You better not throw up on my rug!" She started for her bedroom.

"They're dead."

She stopped, turned and faced him. "Pardon?"

As Devlin poured the drink, some sloshed off because of his unsteady hand. Sarah, impatient, marched towards him and removed the drink from his hand as he was taking it towards his mouth.

"Give me!" He whined.

"Who are dead?"

"The rapists."

Shocked to the extent that she felt light headed, she sat. "I thought it was tomorrow."

"Somebody beat us to it." He hiccupped. "Somebody doesn't want them exposed." Suddenly he grabbed her hand. "I swear Sarah, we would never have killed them. Art was strongly against it. All he wanted was justice. Someone robbed him of it."

Sarah freed her hand from his grasp and picked the drink she'd taken from him. "Guess I need a drink after all." She drank it and held the empty glass out to him. "Refill."

Ten and then some drinks later, Sarah burst into tears. "She would never know her father."

"What?" Was Devlin's slurred reply.

Sarah stood. Her vision was blurred, her head was swarming with stars. She thought she had a chance of making things right for the sake of her daughter. She'd refused trying to find Keely's father because of her pride but yesterday, she'd made up her mind when Keely had asked why she couldn't call Devlin Daddy.

"Because he's not your daddy, honey."

"Then where is my daddy?"

She'd asked, teary eyed and innocent and Sarah realized she'd been selfish. Her rape had led to pregnancy. One of the men her father wanted to take revenge on was Keely's father, so yesterday, she had sworn to beg Art to spare them, have a DNA test as Devlin had suggested and give him the chance to meet his daughter. He was evil, but he deserved a chance. For Keely's sake. She'd have told Art yesterday but he'd gone out of town.

But fate was cruel. Fate had decided for her. More tears welled up in her eyes. "I failed Keely. I failed her."

"Don't cry. Here, bottoms up." He handed her his glass and she swallowed the drink in one swig. He raised the bottle for a refill and saw it was empty. He stood. "One minute. I need to get another bottle." He stood, stumbled and fell, taking Sarah down with him.

They fell in a way that Sarah was on top of Devlin. Drunk and lightheaded, they looked at each other and burst into laughter. They laughed so hard that they had no idea when their lips met.

~

PRESENT DAY.

"I'm sorry sir but you can't come in without an appoint --"

The secretary was dutifully ignored. Devlin was too angry to be civil. He burst into the office and met two startled men. Devlin faced the older of the two.

"Mr. Devlin. What a surprise --" he said warily.

"Get out."

"What?"

He looked at the younger man. "You. Out!"

The man, frightened, ran out. At the door, he collided with Pamela. With gurgled apologies, he fled.

Devlin turned to look at the doctor and took slow but purposeful steps towards him. The doctor stood from his chair and started to move away.

"Devlin, what are you doing?" This from Pamela.

"Dr. Monroe."

"Y-y-yes?"

"What did you do to me?"

The man screamed as Devlin grabbed by the lapels of his jacket and hurled him against the wall.

"What did you do to me?!" Devlin shouted.

"Devlin! Security men are here!"

"Stay out of this."

"Why should I?"

Three security men burst in. "Gentleman, stop what you're doing this instant." Said one of them, a gun aimed at him.

Devlin didn't budge. Dr. Monroe was already red faced and sweaty. It looked as though he would suffer a heart attack in seconds.

"Mister, let go and step back or we will --"

"Say one more word and I will snap his neck." Devlin said through gritted teeth.

Dr. Monroe made gurgled sounds of plea. "Stay away." He croaked.

"Devlin, please."

Reluctantly, Devlin released the doctor. As he did, the old man fell back on his seat, wheezing. The security men took steps towards Devlin but Dr. Monroe indicated that they leave.

"But sir --"

"I'm alright, just go! Forget this ever happened."

After they left and Dr. Monroe was calm, Pamela walked up to him, offering apologies.

"Don't apologize ma'am. I deserved it."

"You damn right did."

"What exactly is the problem?"

"Ask him!" Devlin shouted. "Ask that son of a bitch what he did to me!" He started to pace the office. "I came here as a twenty year old for a vasectomy. I had a vasectomy until recently, Pamela. How in the hell would Sarah be carrying my child? I barely even know her!"

"She might be lying."

"Sarah's not like that. She's not petty."

"For someone you barely know you defend her quite well."

"Fine, we bonded within those three years but I swear," he took her shoulders and shook it. "I swear there was no sexual energy around us. Our relationship was purely platonic. Do you believe me?"

Pamela didn't reply. She kept on giving the same look she'd been giving him since Sarah floated in, looking like a balloon. Mistrust.

"This is why I want to know what this quack did to my testis!"

"It was Robert."

"What?" Devlin and Pamela asked in unison.

"Your father, ma'am. He thought Mr. Gusev was too young to be cutting off his chances of having children and made me do a fake vasectomy."

Devlin laughed sardonically and then clapped. "Bravo. I recently found out you were quack, now I'm finding out you lie quite well. The surprises keep coming. What else are you going to say? That Rob pointed a gun to your head and made you swear never to breath a word of it to anyone?"

"Actually yes." The doctor said, straight faced.

"Bullshit!" Devlin shouted and both Pamela and the Doctor jumped, startled. "If it was true I should have gotten a lot of women pregnant by now."

"Vasectomy doesn't protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. I told you this myself. So you probably used protection."

"I probably didn't use protection most of the time because I haven't had a lot of lovers and so --"

"We don't care about your sex history." Pamela interjected.

"My love, he's lying."

"Someone is lying. But it's not him."

Devlin swore and raked his hand through his hair. "Then what did you do to me two weeks ago? I felt pain! I felt something happening down there."

"I did something that would convince you I was having the procedure. Generally, a vasectomy isn't painful." He paused. "I know Robert had no right but he was only being a father."

"I could have easily reversed it!"

"Reversal may be possible in some circumstances, but it's not always an option because it is more complicated than the initial procedure."

Pamela stood. "Dr. Monroe, my dad was wrong. So were you. If this gets out, it could put your licence to practice in jeopardy."

He lowered his head shamefully. "I know. But Rob asked as a father. I know this now. Those years ago, when he threatened me, I was enraged but I later understood him. That was why I still didn't say a word after his death because I felt I would be betraying him."

Devlin snorted.

"Thank you for your help. Devlin, let's go." Without a word, she turned and left. She didn't look back until she got to the car. He remembered how she'd run after him as he'd bolted from the house and into the car, heading for the hospital. She'd been so worried about what had gotten him so worked up that she'd gone with him, regardless of the destination.

On the drive back, they didn't exchange a word. He kept giving her worried glances but her eyes were fixed to the window. When they got to the house, Devlin cut the engine but neither made a move to open the door.

"Pamela."

She clasped her hands tight on her laps. "What is done is done. You have a child on the way. The last thing I want is to keep you away from him."

"It wasn't intentional."

"Regardless. The baby is yours. I will not let you reject him or her. Or them. It could be twins, you know." She chuckled humorlessly.

He reached for her. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I'm happy." She gave him a smile but it wasn't genuine. "I wanted a family. Guess I have one now."

She opened the door and stepped out. Devlin stepped out too. He stopped her before she could go into the house and took her in his arms. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tight.

She didn't hug him back.

~

Hi!!! Thank you sooooo much for reading! Is it too late to wish you a happy new month?

I am very sorry for the late update, I've been busy with school work. I'll do better, I promise. Thank you!