This is the next story in my series, as the title suggests, Sinbad will find out just how far Talia went to have him, Maeve will have to be strong for the both of them. Plunkett will return in this story to reveal a secret to Bryn about just how far he went to protect Rumina, who will find real love with Brad, the brother of the woman, they all despise. Carrie will have to deal with being pregnant with her rapist's baby, and his parents fighting for custody, she will need her parents and the rest of her family more than ever, she will also find a true friend who will be there for her. Callie will continue to be strong for her sister, start to get more serious about becoming a doctor and feel what being in love for the first time feels like with her boyfriend Martin. Rongar and Mary will get married, start a life together, and raise Lana whom they have now adopted. Doubar and Maggie will take in Janey and show her love for the first time in her life, and the three of them and Hope become a family. Serendib and Firouz will start to plan their wedding, Serendib will also find out about Jess, Firouz's late wife, and a very special tie she has to her.

---

Two months had passed since that horrible day when Carrie received the papers from Brandon's parents, demanding custody of her baby once it was born. Her parents called Don Richardson, the attorney who handled Maggie and Doubar's adoption of Hope to tell them what the chances were of them getting custody of the baby. After he talked to Janey, who agreed to testify about living with them and how horrible they were as parents, he told them they had no chance of being granted custody. Carrie was grateful to Janey, who apologized to Callie for hitting her in the nose the day of Brandon's trial. The two of them became her friend and vowed to help her in anyway possible, especially Carrie since Janey was her baby's aunt. Detective Reynolds tried to find her grandparents and they had passed away, leaving her with nowhere to go. Maggie and Doubar agreed to take her in, having her share the nursery with Hope, who grew very attached to Janey and was now three months old. Janey began to thrive under Maggie and Doubar's firm but loving care, and she wished they were her parent's.

Mary and Rongar's adoption of Lana went through about a month ago, and were ready for their wedding in a two weeks, it was hard to believe it was a week til Christmas. They had decorated their house and everything was perfect for the three of them and Camille. There was a living room, dining room, a huge kitchen, a playroom off of the side of the kitchen for Lana, and a bathroom on the first floor. On the second floor, there was three large bedrooms, a bathroom, a huge master suite for Rongar and Mary, with it's own bath. Rongar was staying at Sinbad's house with Mary, Camille and Lana staying at the their house and coming over every morning, so Mary could work and Camille could help with the babies. Rongar and Mary decided it was easier that way, until the wedding, since Lana needed a room of her own, and Mary and her grandmother more for right now.

Dermott and Bryn had a romantic night after Bryn's six week checkup, with Miranda staying with Maeve and Sinbad, and Rumina with her mom, so they could be alone. They were closer than ever and absolutely in love with their daughter, who was three months old now. Rumina was still doing better but she still had a lot of guility feelings about the things she had done, especially planning to kill Talia even though she was still alive. She was also getting closer to Brad but she wouldn't go out with him, she felt like she wasn't good enough for him. She was also helping Maggie with the babies, and they all adored her, especially Danny. He seemed to know when Rumina needed a hug and wanted to make her feel better. Maggie, who had her own experience with mental illness, became a friend to Rumina, and tried to be someone she could talk to when she felt she couldn't talk to her sister.

Callie was still sailing her boat on the weekends, when the weather permitted, with her dad going with her, like Maeve and Carrie had bonded over their creative talents, she and Sinbad bonded over their mutual love of the sea. She was working very hard on her schoolwork and had gotten her GPA up to a 3.8 average, especially on her science and anatomy classes. She was also turning to Brad as a mentor, to watch him with his patients and talk to him about his cases. She was good at the diagnosis part and the science but the part she wanted to do the most was help people, to save lives. She especially vowed to find a cure for cancer, so people would never again have to watch a family member slowly die the way her grandfather did. She knew deep inside her, the way Carrie was with her art, that medicine was her future. She was also falling in love with Martin, they were starting to get very close, but they had respect for her parents wishes. After what happened to Carrie, Callie told Martin that she was nowhere near ready for sex and he understood.

Carrie was about three months pregnant, and was still having very bad morning sickness, she knew she wanted this baby, despite what Brandon had did to her but she was so scared. Jeff Baker, Martin's cousin was becoming a good friend to her and being a shoulder to cry on, when it all got to be too much for her. He was the only male, other than her father, uncles, Rongar, Firouz, Brad and Martin that she let near her, she had her doubts that she would ever have a relationship with anybody when she was older. Her art and painting became a source of comfort for her, especially with Brandon's parents trying to take the baby away from her.

Sinbad and Maeve, the same day Carrie got those papers, called Don and were ready to fight for their daughter and grandchild, they were not going to let Bill and Jennifer near that baby. The next day, being that Carrie was still a minor, they filed a restraining order against them, saying they were not to go within 100 yards of her and told Max and his security team to keep an eye out for them, taking care to watch the perimiter of the estate. On weekends when he wasn't sailing with Callie, he was with Maeve, Carrie, Callie, Davy and Danny, doing things together as a family. The boys were now nine months old and starting to walk only when holding onto things, they had to put a gate at the top and bottom of the stairs to keep them from getting hurt. Danny was a sweet baby but very stubborn like his parents, sisters and brother, he also seemed to know when someone needed a hug to make them feel better. Davy was more stubborn than his brother, he also was more wild than Danny, and he was the leader of the two. Maeve and Sinbad both knew he was going to be the one who was going to make things very interesting as he grew older.

They all also had to deal with Jasmine's trial about a week into the new year and Talia's the week after that. Talia's was the one everybody wanted over with, especially Maeve and Sinbad. After all the pain she had caused them they wanted to see her in jail for the rest of her life, although from what the DA said, she might get the death penalty for the murder of the prisoner that had been killed when she escaped. Maeve didn't know how she felt about that, being that she was against the death penalty, even with all the things Talia had did to her family and other people, she didn't want to see her lose her life. She especially felt for the family of the prisoner who had been killed, because come to find out the woman had been framed and was truly innocent of any wrong doing.

---

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility

December 17, 2005

10:00 pm

Talia was lying in her cell, they had transferred her to Bedford Hills to wait for her trial, because they wanted her under better security than the local jail could provide. She hated Maeve for doing this to her, first the witch stole the man she loved and had the life with him that she wanted with him, all four of those children should have been hers. She had done some very bad things to be with him but she felt she was justified because she wanted Sinbad, no matter what she had to do to get him. She slowly fell asleep, a fitful sleep full of haunting images that tormented her. Dreams of a woman that had been her friend, that she had betrayed to get what she wanted.

Dream:

"Talia."

Talia heard a voice calling her in her sleep, the voice of Lea, her friend, who's life she had help take. The sound of her voice went through her like a cold wind and sent chills up her spine.

" Talia."

She tried to ignore Lea but she kept on calling her name, finally Lea got an irritated tone to her voice that let Talia know ignoring her wasn't going to be an option.

" Talia, I suggest you open your eyes and listen to what I am telling you because if you don't, you will regret it."

Talia opens her eyes and looks at the angelic face of her friend, not smiling the way you expect an angel would but with a frown on her lovely features. Talia stands up and faces her, trying to act like she's not scared, when she is so scared she can't see straight.

" What do you want?"

" I want to warn you about what is coming. Your fate is sealed, all of the things you have done that have been kept secret are about to catch up to you. You have a chance to make things easier for you in the afterlife if you confess to them now and not let them be found out on their own. Live the rest of your time on this world doing good things for others and being a better person. Have faith that the Lord can be your savior, and ask him to forgive you for the things you have done. Talia, you have to repent or you will regret it."

" Leave me alone, I could care less about who I hurt to get what I want. I don't believe you, nobody will ever find out what I did, I will get out of here and make Maeve pay for taking Sinbad from me and everybody else who hurt me."

" Even your own brother? It is only by a miracle he survived what you did to him."

" I could care less if he dies, he betrayed me and became friends with my enemies, so if he loses his life, so be it."

Lea starts to shake her head, sadly, as if she knows she is fighting a losing battle. She looks at Talia with deep sadness in her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks.

" Okay, the truth about mine and Omar's death is about to come out, and I pray and hope you change your mind before it is all over. Goodbye Talia."

Lea disappears in a shimmering light, leaving Talia standing there alone in her cell, hardening her heart to Lea's warning.

End of Dream

Talia sits upright on her bunk, fighting to catch her breath, wondering if that was really a dream or if it was real. She lays back down and falls asleep, trying to come up with a way to get out of there to make her enemies pay for hurting her.

---

Plunkett was lying in his cell, asleep, and starts to dream of the angel, who had been visiting his dreams from the first moment Talia manipulated Rumina into helping her. She was the one who told him to wait to reveal what he knew about Talia, until the right time, and another secret that would set Rumina free to live her life and find love.

Dream:

Plunkett hears her lovely voice, calling out to him. He sits up on his bunk, and looks into her lovely green eyes, feeling the peace he feels whenever she comes to see him.

" Plunkett, it's time. It's time to tell everything you know but do me a favor, wait until the day after Christmas before you tell Bryn what you know. She is the one that will help you tell the right people, to help tell Rumina that she is not guilty of the crime she thinks she has comitted. I know what you did to keep her from causing Talia's death, you made a deal with two very bad people to keep her from getting in trouble."

" I couldn't let her do it, I wanted her to have a happy life once the truth come out. She deserves it, now that she is getting the help she needs. I have a question for you."

" Of course."

" Is Brad James a good man? Will he love her for her and cherish her everyday?"

" Yes, he is a good man, he is not his sister, he has a good and decent heart. He will love her and treat her as if she is the most precious thing in the world to him. He already loves her, he just won't admit it to himself and Rumina feels the same, she just thinks she doesn't deserve him."

" Well we have to change that, because she deserves to find love with a man who loves her and she loves in return. I always knew that wasn't me, I was just keeping her safe until the time came to get her help."

" Learning the truth about what you really did, will go a long way towards helping her. I will always be with you."

" Thank you, Lea. Is it time for you to have justice as well?"

" The truth is coming out soon, I just hope the people I care about can handle it."

End of Dream

Plunkett wakes up, looks around, smiling to himself, vowing to call Bryn tomorrow to set up a meeting the day after Christmas.

' Now is the time to make up for some of the pain I helped cause and put Talia where she really belongs, death row." he thinks to himself, as he falls back to sleep.

---

Sinbad and Maeve are lying in their bed asleep in each other's arms, her back into his chest, cuddling against the warmth of each other's bodies. Maeve starts to have a dream that makes her remember something she had forgotten, from a long time ago.

Dream:

Maeve looks up and sees Lea standing by her bed, smiling down at her. Maeve smiles at her, getting up from the bed, hugging Lea, then pulling away to look at her.

" I remember everything. I saw you when the girls where babies."

" I know, you were meant to forget until now. Something is going to happen soon, Sinbad is going to need you and your strength."

" What is going to happen? It's bad, isn't it, very bad."

" The whole truth about what happened to me is about to come out, and it will tear him apart when he finds out. I can't tell you what it is but it's bad."

" You mean Jared Hall murdering and raping you isn't the whole story?"

" No, I have made peace with him, he repented and made his peace with God before he was executed, it's why he did it that will tear Sinbad apart."

" Talia, she had something to do with this, didn't she?"

" You are a very smart woman, yes it has something to do with Talia. She is now going to pay for everything that she has done to hurt and use other people for her own means, with her life."

" I will be there for him, I love him, he and our children are my life. Can you tell me will Carrie be okay?"

" Carrie will be fine, she has a lot of people to help her through this and your grandchild will be okay. That baby is going to be just fine and Carrie will be a great mother, she has two wonderful women, you and Bryn, to help her."

" It's just she is so young, and has been through so much pain that she didn't deserve."

" No, she didn't deserve what was done to her but she has her parents, sister, brothers, aunts and uncles, and friends to get her through this and to make her stronger."

" Thank you, Lea."

Maeve hugs her again, then Lea disappears in a shimmering light.

Maeve wakes up, sitting up in bed, looking around the room, as if she is trying to figure out if her dream really happened. Sinbad wakes up and looks at her, concerned about her and wondering what is wrong.

" Maeve, what's wrong?"

" I had a strange dream, it felt like it really happened."

" What was it about?"

" I dreamed an angel came to me and gave me some advice about the future, telling me that if we stick together as a family we can get through anything."

" The angel was right, as long as I have you and our children, we can get through any tough time, I love you, so much."

" I love you, too, with my whole heart and soul."

She lays back down beside him, wrapping her arms around him, cuddling against him, laying her head on his chest, feeling his heart beat. She feels his arms wrap around her tightly, holding her warm body against his.

" Our soul, your are the other half of me, the time we were apart, it felt like the best part of me was ripped away." he says to her, wanting her to know just how much he loves her and how much she means to him.

" I know, me too. It is all in the past, we are back together and have four little angels that need us, and a grandchild on the way, that is definitely going to need us. Make me forget the world for awhile, make love to me."

She lifts her head up and looks deep into his eyes, and he sees the desire in the brown depths. He pulls her up to him and kisses her, tenderly, flipping her on her back, getting lost in her kiss.

They make love, slowly, as if they are savoring every move, touch, and kiss, wanting to feel the connection that they only have ever felt with each other. He pulled the blankets back over them, falling asleep, tangled in each others arms, not wanting to let each other go.

Sinbad as he, sleeps feels a peaceful feeling wash over him, and dreams of long lost friend, who should have never died.

Dream:

Sinbad looks up and sees Lea, looking down at him, with a sweet smile on her face. He gets up and hugs her, holding her, glad to see his old friend.

" Lea?" he asks, confused about what is going on.

" Yes, Sinbad it is me."

" What are you doing here?"

" I came to give you some advice that you are going to need to listen to."

" You are the angel Maeve dreamed about, aren't you?"

" Yes, I have been watching the both of you and your children from the moment you and Maeve met. I was there especially for those two little angels, who were separated by Talia's selfishness and greed. Something is going to happen and you are going to need Maeve, don't push her away, she is your strength, the one you were meant to be with."

"Lea..."

" Sinbad, you know in your heart that you and I, even if I had lived, were not meant to be. We were two best friends that came together and tried to make more of it than what it was. I know you were going to ask me to marry you but you were not going to give me your grandmother's ring, the one on Maeve's finger right now, you were going to buy one, that should tell you something. I felt it and knew it even before I died, I just didn't want to see Talia get her hooks into you. I knew how she felt about you, even then, she wanted your money so bad she couldn't stand it."

" I know, I think I knew all along, but I loved you enough to want to make a life with you, and raise a family."

" With none of the passion you have found with Maeve, you would have been half alive and so would I. I am happy for you, you have a wife you love with your whole heart, four beautiful children who are happy and healthy, and a grandchild on the way, who will, despite all of your fears, be okay, because this baby will have all of you to love her. Yes, she will be a granddaughter, you know, I think Lea would be a good name for a girl but then I am biased."

Sinbad starts to smile, he had missed her wonderful sense of humor, along with her sweet disposition, he looks at her, smiling at her little joke.

" I think I would be honored to name my grandchild after you but I think I am going to leave the name up to Carrie."

" As it should be, she is going to be a wonderful mother, and it is going to be okay. Just remember what I said, don't push your family away, no matter what happens, cherish them everyday of your life."

She kisses him on the cheek, and disappears from the room. Sinbad looks at the place where she was at and makes a vow to himself and her.

" I promise, Lea, I will love and cherish my wife and children, everyday of my life."

Sinbad wakes up and looks around the room, he sees Maeve cuddled up against him, and he wraps his arms around her, falling back to sleep, knowing that despite what happens, everything will be okay.