"What do you mean? Twisting the facts in her book?" Jude questioned sceptically, uncertain as she hasn't readen the young journalist's book, scratching her head nervously, glancing back at Frank, who fed Agnes as Ellie and Tristan have finished with their dinners, thereafter facing the wall as her hazel eyes scanned it. 

"Exactly. I don't want to spoil the book for you so much." Kit stated seriously. "Do you plan even to read it?" He furthered.

"Well, yes. My husband was in New York for her book and to speak to her in person." 

"Is he back at home?" 

"Not yet." Jude stuttered as she glimpsed out the window, watching the pouring yet rain as thousands of cascading down drops bathed the ground with dew. "I hope he is back as soon as possible." She continued modestly. Once Kit mentioned about her husband, it hit her like a lighting bolt, jolting her mind as she commenced to be concerned about him if he is going to make it to Boston back with the book and comes back at home safe and sound, alive yet. She missed him so much as she hasn't seen him for a half day. 

"Oh, I see. How are your family anyway?" All of a sudden, the younger man changed the topic as he didn't want to talk about Lana who disappointed him.

"It's excellent, thank you. How about you and Thomas and Julia?" Jude didn't know what to say about Lana as she heard Kit's side story about her, hence, not being sure what to think of the young journalist. Moreover, she yearned to hear her husband's version story about his meeting with Miss Winters.

"That's great! We are doing fine, thanks. Do you know it's such a pleasure to speak to a friend or a person who has children too?"

"Yes. I totally agree." Jude confirmed firmly as a grin lit up her face. "It has always been a wonder to me to have them, you know." She kept on blissfully.

In the interim, whilst Kit spoke on the earpiece as his speech sounded almost like gabbing, Jude beheld through the window Timothy's car in front of their property's iron fence as he got from his car, opening them, shortly after parking his car as he closed them, although immersed himself as his drenched clothes were his last hope to shield his skeleton from the pouring rain. He sped up with the red book to the veranda.

"Is there anything wrong, Judy?" Kit asked anxiously as their phone conversation became rather awkward.

"No, no. My husband is back. I think I should go." The former nun stammered.

"It's okay. Bye and send greetings to your family!"

"Bye and you too!"

Meanwhile Timothy entered in the house as he locked the door, kicking off his shoes, shouting:

"I am home."

Then Jude placed the earpiece back to the phone as she rushed to behold her husband, hours after his abstence was compensated with his arrival. 

"Darling, it's been hours since I was dying to see you." Jude exclaimed once when she jumped in his arms, dangled around her back as she clasped hers around his upper back, her chest pressed against his, absorbing and welling up warmth and potent love. 

"My love, my rare bird. I have missed you so much!" Timothy confessed beyond beatifically as Judy's chin rested on his broad shoulder, burrying her nose in the crook of his neck, smelling his insatiable masculine perfume's scent that dueled her nostrils. 

Shortly after breaking off the hug, they kissed deeply and sweetly, subsequently they smiled beyond euphorically to one another, taking sufficient time to admire one another's eyes as their locked in a long, profound, romantic gaze.

Whilst the married pair was in the hall, Frank turned to face Jude and Timothy as he couldn't help, however, be happy for them to see one another after apocalypstic hours of abscence. A smile waved up across his lips as he watched his old friends expressing their love. Nevertheless, he felt some kind of jealousy as he liked Jude since the beginning and having a potent, stable friendship. Years of loyalty, understanding, he felt something for Jude as he began to like her even more, due to her strong and refractory character she showed. Something he wouldn't neglect though he is a widower. He had feelings towards her more than a friend, although they were just friends and she liked another man, who initially he didn't like, sensing something leery behind his mask. On other hand, Frank didn't want to intervene in Jude's private life especially her love. 

"Mama said Lana Banana." Ellie exclaimed boldly as Frank turned to face the eldest twin who giggled to the middle aged man with an adorable smile. The little girl was beyond curious for who was actually the secretive woman for whom her mother talked about.

"Mommy can tell you more. She's just an old friend of your family." Frank ultimately comprehended what the little girl said as he pat her tiny shoulder, smiling broadly to her. He loved Howards' children like an uncle. 

"Hi Frank." Timothy snapped the former security guard's stare off Ellie as the older man faced the former priest who became indisputably close friends since Frank's rescue from Briarcliff's madness. In the meantime, Jude walked up to the children, crouching down to their level by fondling their wee, smooth heads with her fingers as she didn't want either of them vexed for lacking of affection and attention. 

"Oh hey Timothy. It's been a while we have seen each other." Frank said joyously. 

Timothy couldn't restrain but chuckling as Frank joined him.

Seconds later, Jude rose her body as she asked Timothy how his day passed in New York, besides expressing her concern over arriving at home in the evening. He told everything and brought Lana's book with her autograph on the first page as the both adults were astonished to beheld signed autograph inside the book. Whilst the adults spoke together, the twins didn't stop talking to her younger sibling about their parents, the book and Lana as they heard occasionally.

"Psst, Ellie and Tristy?" Agnes Jude whispered to her elder twins siblings with a grin across her tiny lips. 

The both twins eyed her younger sister.

"Yes, Agnes?" The both children asked in unison.

"Do you know who Lana Banana?"

Ellie and Tristan just shook reluctantly their heads as they didn't have any clue who was this lady as they have heard her name only, via their parents especially Jude. 

***

New York

The night's hours dawned as the moonlight bathed the tall, alluring New York facades and almost desolated streets. The slightly cloudy sky diminished the moon's opacity. 

Lana was in her small, nonetheless spacious, convenient apartment where she lived for years since she left Boston. She lived all alone. Without a lover. Nor a child by her side to teach and love. She had actually a child but she already gave it in an orphanage "St.Ursula". 

She was careless, adventorous, howsoever, selfish and craving for glory and fame woman with opulent of experience behind her career as a journalist and reporter. Neither she cared for children, nor for lovers. Lana was actually sharing a principle she devoted herself solemnly, firmly, without violating it. She hasn't got time for lovers, nor for children. That was her dogma. 

Miss Winters have never regretted her personal choice to give Johnny, her own son, to St.Ursula's orphanage, without figuring out and putting herself in his shoes what's the actual feeling of being nothing but a hopeless, unloved and isolated orphan, who played a role as an outsider not only in Lana's life, but also in the orphanage's atmosphere. In St.Ursula, every orphan was a neglected outsider with nothing left.

After she published formally her first best seller in the world "Maniac: One woman's story of survival", she gained significant fame, raising her on a pedestal as midst the shining stars of late 60s authors. Lana appreciated very much the drastic popularity of her book that earned in the past weeks as her career and fame mattered to her solely and mostly. Everything else in the life weren't regarded as remarkable priorities to her such as love, family, children, friends and lovers at all. They were oblivious to her. Like they never existed in this world. The fame and her ego were in the center of her world. 

In the meantime, she relaxed back on her wooden chair on her apartment's balcony, liting up her cigarette as she watched the aesthetically magnificent nocturnal view from high facade. She took a drag on her cigarette, emitting dim smoke around her as it diffused. She forced her plagued mind to escape from the conflict between her and Kit earlier today. On other hand, she recalled the brief conversation between her and Timothy as a small, smug smile curled up across her plump lips. Likewise Lana promised the former monsignor to pay a visit at their house so that to see the Howards in person and have a discussion with her former captivator and savior in the same time. 

***

Boston, MS

"Mama, we don't wanna sleep." Ellie whined as she wriggled in her mother's stronger hands who lifted up her small body, setting her in her new bed, as a result of her momentous growth in the past weeks and months. Tristan had a new bed with his slightly older twin unlike their youngest sibling Agnes, who slept in her bassinet yet. 

Tristan and Agnes started up at their mother as she opted to comfort her daughter to halt with her whining before bedtime. The three of them passed through the bathroom as they were bathed, afterward changed in new sheer clothes. All they wanted was their mother to read them a bedtime story. 

"Shu, shu, sweetheart, every child like you is like that. I used to be almost insomniac when I was at your age." The former nun stroke Ellie's head as she runned her elegant, fine fingers through the little girl's medium length flossy chestnut hair. 

"But Mommy. A bedtime story!" The eldest child's plea was evident as a dew of implored eyes gleamed its light towards the middle aged woman.

"Don't worry, dear Ellie! There is going to be a bedtime story." She walked up to every place where every child slept as she stroked their heads, reassuring them to not being rejected and shunned. 

"Mama?" Agnes squealed out loud.

"Yes, sweetie?" She walked up to the youngest child's cot with a busy hand that held children's book, wearing an angelic smile.

"Who is Lana?" 

"Oh, Lana Banana?" Mrs.Howard inquired as the child nod her head, whilst the twins paid utterly attention to their mother's words, at last receiving a response to their question. "She's Mommy's old friend. She's gonna visit us very soon." Jude furthered as she didn't want to descend in more details by mentioning the fact that she locked cluelessly Lana up once in Briarcliff. She thought they were way too young to hear such mortifying things and she didn't want to hurt her children.

"Is she a nice lady?" This time, Tristan questioned with immense curiosity, putting his thumb in his mouth uneasy, sucking it.

"Yes, she. Although I haven't seen her for ages." Mrs.Howard answered honestly as she recalled the memories she has with the young lesbian journalist.

***

As the couple had one more bedroom where Frank can spend his evenings and his lonely times by himself, located on the first floor, next to the kitchen, Timothy and Jude spent a sleepless night by reading along Lana's new book "Maniac" after they discussed the young journalist and New York, besides Judy has already readen a bedtime story for the children, lullabing them with her eloquent voice by the way she spells each word.

It was three in the morning as they spent approximately three hours in reading with little, exceptional breaks by cleaning themselves in the en-suite bathroom. 

Jude wore her satin black slip in her bed whilst Timothy had on himself his navy blue cotton pajamas. 

They have readen some lines of the book, mentioning their prior titles they used to wear Sister Jude and Monsignor Howard. They were rather indifferent and weren't offended at all, despite disbelieving some facts and recognizing something cynical in the book. For example, they doubted the fact that Johnny, Lana's single son, was murdered. They knew right away that he was sent in St.Ursula. 

To be continued...