Sean

"Thanks for meeting me."

"I brought you everything I had," James commented as we were seated at our table.

I looked through the contracts and we compared them to what he had.

"I don't have any of these Sean."

"Are you sure no one in your office forgot to put these in the file?"

"I'm positive."

"So what can I do?

"Don't sign them. I can't believe Michael would do this. I mean he's been upfront since the beginning."

"Exactly."

"Just looking at these contracts they literally would have you working for free."

"Not just that but products I would never endorse in a million years. How much longer before I renew my management agreement with him?"

"Six months."

"Can I break it? I mean I can't have him representing me."

"If you have proof that professional misconduct or intent to fraud maybe others, we can try to prosecute."

"I want him taken down. Will I be able to recoup any money or is there a way to make sure that he hasn't been nickel and diming me?"

"Looking at the other contracts, everything seems to be in order."

"I need them all to pay. Shae, Michael and this doctor are scamming me. I am trying to get Shae to confess that this pregnancy is fake and to turn on Michael and whoever else is in on this mess but she won't budge."

"Maybe Michael has something on her."

"They are making my life hell, I know that much."

"Understandable."

I gave him my notes and I could see his eyes widen.

"I want to go public James."

"As your attorney, I think you should offer an alternative."

"I'm listening."

"I say we hit where it hurts the most, his bank account."

"Okay."

"Looking at his profit statement, you are his biggest client. I can draw up some documents stating you want to term your agreement."

"You get them done, I will sign."

"I can go to the NFL, and the team's legal counsel and discuss alternative punishments or try to get him banned. If we do that, he would suffer greatly. All his other clients combined don't equal up to half of what he makes off of you."

I sat there pondering.

"If you could get a list of clients, then we might have something to really push the issue Sean."

"I have it."

"Really?"

"Don't ask. I can email it to you."

"This is off the record Sean. Maybe you can get everyone together and then expose him. Shae is low, but getting Michael will have a domino affect. Clients pull out and it leaves him with nothing. An agent without clients can never recover especially if you all desert him."

"Good plan."

The waitress brought out our food.

"We need to start on this as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I would like them out of my life by the time the regular season ends. At least that will give me enough time to convince the others."

"I will be on the look out for anything else that may come my way."

"Good, good."

"Also I brought a copy of your will. It's around the time we normally review it to see if you want to make any changes."

"Actually I do. Lizzy and I got married a few days ago."

James eyes got big. "Congratulates! I've seen the news especially about Aries. I saw the footage of him attacking Lizzy and he should have been in jail then."

"She wouldn't press charges."

"She should have. Do you know if they are going to convict him for his ex-fiancé' s accident?"

"I think they have enough evidence. He was trying to pin it on Lizzy."

"What?!"

I told him what happened.

"Sean, oh wow. Sasha Denson served on the federal sentencing committee in Washington, D.C. I've attended some of her forums and she's amazing. Good thing I'm contract law and I don't have to go up against her," he chuckled.

"She took over and from what I hear, she came in with guns blazing. Lizzy was in and out although it felt like forever to me."

"Well she's out, which is good. As soon as you get rid of Michael, then you're home free."

"Yeah. Lizzy wants to keep the marriage a secret for now, until Shae is out of the picture."

"I can understand that. Well the only thing I need is a copy of the marriage certificate so I can attach it to your will. She will get your entire estate including sub-companies that are not attached to your charitable endowments."

"Good. I will send you a copy when I get home."

We finished our lunch and chitchatted until we said our goodbyes. I felt somewhat better but I couldn't wait to expel the Shae and Michael disease. As I was getting in my car my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number so I let it go to voicemail.

I pulled into my driveway but didn't see any cars. When I left, Sam's car was parked by the door but it was gone. I parked and went in the house. It was quiet so I headed upstairs. When I got to the bedroom I could hear the shower going in the bathroom. By the time I got to the door she had turned it off.

"Lizzybear?" I knocked and opened the door.

"Hey." She sounded sad. She stepped out with a towel wrapped around herself. Her face was red and her hair was slicked to her head.

"You okay?"

She sat on the toilet. "My whole life has been a lie Sean."

"What happened?"

She put her face in her hands and started to cry. I walked over and pulled her in my arms.

"She kept this from me, my whole life."

"Who kept what from you?"

"My mother or who I thought was my mother."

I broke our embrace and looked at her.

"My aunt Elle is my mom and Sam..." she wiped her face, "Sam is my father." I eased back some more.

"He didn't know I was alive until recently."

"Here let's get you dressed and let's talk about it." I lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom where she sat on the bed. I grabbed a dress out the closet and a few things from the drawers that she had left from last time.

"Here let me take that wet towel off of you." She seemed to be in a daze so I dressed her. Drying her hair with the towel, I pinned it up with a clip. My heart went out to her and I wanted to make the hurt go away. Maybe she needed to just be alone with her thoughts for a moment so I pulled the covers back and tucked her in. Giving her a kiss on the forehead, I went to sit in the chair but she pulled me back.

"Can you just hold me, please?"

I slid in behind her pulling her back towards me.

"Joshua Johnson, the only father I knew, was a soldier before I was born. He met Mary and they got married a few years later."

I stroked her hair.

"Elle looked up to her big brother Joshua and wanted to join the military like him. He was ticked off because he was scared she would get hurt. She didn't listen to him and joined anyway shortly after getting her Master's degree from Harvard in bioinformatics. From Sam, she was beautiful, witty and one of the best analytical thinkers slash problem solvers he ever knew. Her superiors were so impressed with her, she became a well trusted communications officer leading several operative teams until she became the top communication's linguist. Anyway, years later, Joshua got injured so he left the military with a honorable discharge. A few weeks later, Elle went to visit him on leave and they got into a huge argument where she broke ties with him. Sam thinks the argument stemmed from jealousy because of her rising career."

I could hear her sniffing so I rubbed her back.

"Two years later, Elle was recruited to become a double agent for the United States. She spoke six languages..., something I never knew."

She paused and took a deep breath.

"Anyway, during training as a secret agent, she met Sam. He was an instructor and two years her senior. To make a long story short, they became close."

She held on to my hand bringing it under her chin and remained quiet for a while. I didn't say anything just continued to hold her close.

"They continued to see each other and got married in a secret ceremony. Elle was sent on a mission to Thailand six months later to intercept some communications between communist insurgents. She ran a communications network between the U.S. and it's allies. Sam was sent to Lebanon after the U.S. Embassy was bombed by a Jihad Organization. During that time there was no communication between them, which seemed to have become the norm for the couple."

She mumbled something but I couldn't comprehend.

"Once Elle's mission was completed, she went to Lebanon looking for Sam. Needless to say, she found him and they thought they would have their happily ever after when they moved to Washington D.C. They lived there for only a few months as she went to work for the NSA and he worked for the FBI. He said they were happy going about their lives until she was sent to Libya."

She moved and now her back rested against my chest.

"Elle went there to intercept messages between some radical terrorists and the US Embassy. She found out she was pregnant weeks later and tried sending a message to Sam but he never got it as he had been sent away on another mission to South Korea."

I stared out my huge picturesque windows as the sunlight continued to shine through. My own thoughts had me thinking how I would have felt not being able to talk to Lizzy for a long time. Even now, I needed to see her beautiful face that brought a smile to mine, hear that voice that calmed me and that touch which brought me peace.

"Mary said, one day Joshua got a strange phone call where he hopped on a plane and took off not telling her where he was going. When he came back, he had me. He told Mary that Elle had given birth then died and that Sam had her ashes."

I felt her body vibrating and her deep breathing were signs she was crying.

"I'm so sorry Lizzy."

"So Joshua Johnson... brought me home to his lovely wife, Mary. Since she couldn't have any children they raised me as their very own."

"Joshua loved you," I said trying to calm her.

"Yeah from what Mary use to tell me."

"You were very young when he died, you wouldn't have understood."

"I still don't. Elle should have found a way to get in touch with Sam, my real father. Joshua should have told Sam, he had a child. They both denied me of that! Mary never said a word either. It wasn't until Sam lured her away and confronted her."

"When did he do that?"

She turned and faced me.

"Remember Mary went on that trip a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, I had called her trying to track you down."

"Well, Sam had gotten some intel recently about Elle. Since Joshua was dead he tracked Mary down."

"Wait, Elle is dead, right?"

"Not when I was born. Sam received a cryptic message she was in Libya days after I was born. When he went to search for her, he was told she died giving birth and that I had died too. He said that they had given him her ashes so he went to look for Joshua."

"Wait! He spoke to Joshua?"

"Yeah. I guess since he didn't approve of the marriage, he kept silent. He hated Sam with a passion. He told Mary that there was something sinister and evil about him and he didn't want him to find out about me. Joshua thought by keeping me from Sam, I was better off."

"Awe Lizzy."

"So Joshua had a friend doctor up my birth certificate making me his and Mary's child. That way, no one would ever find out the truth. Just too bad Joshua died shortly after I was legally their child. The worse part about that, is when Mary moved us to Mall City, she continued this lie."

"I would have never met you if she hadn't moved you to Mall City."

"True," she said kissing my hand.

"Anyway, Joshua acted surprise when Sam came questioning him and denied knowing about her being pregnant or dead."

I brushed her cheek.

"I feel like I'm in this dream Sean and any second I'm going to wake up."

"You said Sam got information about Elle months ago, what did he find out?"

Her tears were starting up again.

"Shh, it's going to be okay."

"After Sam received her ashes, he got them tested, but they weren't hers so he went searching for her. He said he searched for almost a year and found nothing. He even went to Joshua again and again but he wasn't any help. It was like she had disappeared from the face of the earth. He managed to get her listed as MIA, just in case she would turn up and be reported if ever found. He said every time a report came out, he would search or try to see if anyone she knew had any leads. Her name never appeared on any communications or active assignments either. After a while he figured maybe she was actually dead or the government had changed her name. It wasn't until a few months ago he received a military intelligence report about another case and he went to investigate it."

"Did he find something?" I asked.

"Yeah. After investigating some terrorist group in Kabul, he found a list of American diplomats hidden away in a safe of an office building the group had been using as their headquarters. The list consisted of coordinates and initials. He contacted a friend, gave him the list and found out it was a list of contract military ops along with their last known location. There were a set of initials EJ."

"Ah sweetheart," I said wiping her tears.

"When Sam got the information, he started his search again. It lead him to Demba, a place in the Congo. After showing pictures of her, a business man she had worked with years ago confirmed he knew her as an interpreter named Natila Tillisi. He said she had been on the run as her cover had been blown. He wasn't sure where she was because she had been marked by an ISIS group."

"I'm confused Lizzy, sorry."

"Being marked meant she was a target."

"Oh sweetheart. You're right, this doesn't even seem real."

"I know. The trip part is Natila was the code name Sam had given Elle in training. He said she reminded him of a beautiful mini carnation that bloomed from one bud but grew into something larger thus the meaning of the name. Tillisi, was the last name of a famous Libyan linguist and translator that died right after she trained with him on her second mission. When he put the names together he was able to track her down."

She closed her eyes. This was probably going to be the worst part of this story.

"Working with the Congolese government, he was brought to a massive graveyard in Kikwit. Someone had marked a plot with a word which translated to Traitors. Inside the grave were six different sets of remains. They all had been either tortured or shot in the head. Sam had all the bodies exhumed and remains tested. The results turned up her entire team along with her remains. It was a positive ID. She had only died a year ago."

Her tears were breaking my heart.

"I'm hurt she gave me up, but someone killing her and just dumping her body like trash, is totally different."

"I'm so, so sorry Lizzy. Maybe it was best she gave you up. Could you imagine people coming to look for you, even with Sam in the FBI? I'm sure there could have been people looking for him too. To me, it seems you would have been in constant danger. Giving you up was the best thing she could have done. Joshua should have at least told Sam about you and maybe they could have come to an understanding. The way your mother died, no one deserves that."

She left the bed and began to paced. I had never seen her like this and I totally felt helpless for her.

"Did he find out who killed her?"

She nodded.

"Uhh, did he like... what's the word I'm looking for?"

"He tracked down the group responsible. He killed three of their hired assassins. That's all I know."

She continued to pace back and forth.

I swallowed hard. "Lizzy?"

She stopped for a moment and went back to pacing.

"Lizzy? Sweetheart." I got out the bed and pulled her in my arms.

"I know this is a lot to take in, hell its a lot for me to understand. The one thing I do know is that we are going to get through this together."

"So many lies Sean! Damn it! I want to hit something!"

"Look Lizzy, you have every right to be upset. Although we might not have had the best of life, if Mary would not have moved next door on Ardenwood, I would have never met you, my best friend."

I raised up her chin.

"I wouldn't have ever found my soulmate. We have been through a lot and will probably face many more challenges but you're a fighter and you never give up. That's what I admire about you. Yes, Joshua and Mary raised you but they have always dedicated themselves to you. Mary has been there all your life. She raised you without batting an eyelash even though she didn't give birth to you."

"So now you're taking her side?" She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at me.

"I'm sure being a spy was hard, she had to make a choice and she knew she could never raise you living that life."

"And Sam? For christsakes, he was her husband. They were married!"

"I can't speak for that. He was tricked too, Lizzy. I'm sure at one time she could have contacted him, found a way. Maybe she knew he couldn't have raised you either. Just knowing little things about him, he was probably involved in more dangerous things. You can't change the past but look, you know the truth now. It may take you a while to digest this and comprehend it all. I'm here along with Mary and now Sam. We will help you get through this."

"Yeah...whatever." She released herself from my embrace.

"Look I didn't like Sam when I first met him. Something seemed off about him and maybe it was jealousy on my part. I've always pictured myself as your Prince or the person that was put here to protect you. He comes in, taking charge and I'm left in the corner looking on. What I did realize, is that if I'm not around, he would be there to protect you. I never want you to feel alone even if something happens to me. Yeah, I thought he was arrogant, weird but now I understand why he reminds me of a hitman." I chuckled. She looked angrier.

I pulled her back in my arms. " Look at me." She finally did in her defiant way.

"I'm proud of the woman you are. You keep me in line. Just think your actually father walked you down the aisle. He even threatened me. FYI, he said that if I didn't do my husbandly duties to honor, cherish and protect you, he would kill me. I thought it was a joke, but it might have actually been my warning." She smirked.

"You do know I'm not going anywhere. I will be right here by your side. You want to kick his ass to the curve and wash your hands of him, then so be it. If you want a relationship with the man who is your real father, then I'm here too. It's up to you to decide. The one thing I can say, is that he will move mountains and do anything for you, just like I would. You have to admit it's really cool to have the guy around. He's handy in the time of need. Wish my daddy was a spy, I could have been McGyver, Jr."

She laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You think I should give him a chance as my father?" she asked as I lifted her up against the wall. I wiped the remainder of her tears from under her eyes.

"What would it hurt? I'm sure he's just as scared as you are. I mean finding out he has a grown, married daughter that's absolutely breathtaking and messy as hell, oh just wait until he gets to learn all about you."

"I'm not that bad."