Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 12:54:34 GMT
From: "aann74@juno.com" <aann74@juno.com>
Subject: Missing You, Missing Me Final Chapter

The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. and Jasmine's eyes slowly fluttered open as
she stumbled for the snooze button. Successful, she rolled onto her back
and stretched, flinging out an arm as she reached for April. Finding the
bed empty, she propped herself up on her forearms and looked around the
room. She spotted April sitting in the couch, fully dressed, in front of a
low burning fire; just enough to take the chill out of the room.

April stared blindly into the fire, lost in thought. Out of the corner of
her eye, she saw Jasmine walk around the end of the couch. She watched her
as she sank down beside her on the couch, curling her legs under her.
Jasmine snuggled into the crock of April's arm and tilted her head back,
nervousness creeping in when the serious expression on April's face didn't
change.

"Penny for your thoughts, cher."

April sighed and rested her forehead against Jasmine's, just enjoying the
feel of her in her arms, saying nothing.

"Are you worried about tonight?"

"Um hum."

Jasmine leaned back so she could see April's face. "What's the matter,
April? I thought we had everything planned out."

"Um hum." April wanted to just treasure this moment, sitting here holding
Jasmine in her arms; wanted to hold on just a little longer.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Jasmine's impatience, and
worry, won out.

"April, talk to me," Jasmine pleaded.

April pulled her head back. It was now or never. "Angel, please don't be
mad at me, but we can't go as a couple tonight. In fact, you can't even
acknowledge that you know me at all."

Jasmine just stared at her for a few minutes, eyes blinking, before she
found her voice. "What? Why? Honey, I don't understand."

April sucked in a breath. "I've been up all night thinking."

"Didn't you go to bed last night?"

"No. Now hold on, angel, hear me out. I've been thinking. I'm afraid Lonna
won't take the bait tonight, at least not from John, like we originally
planned. I think Lonna's too sharp for that. I've got a backup plan that
I've been thinking through all night, but it won't work if I walk in there
tonight with you. The minute I do, the whole room will know exactly who I
am."

"April, they already do."

"No, they don't. They know of me, but nobody's met me yet. They're going to
be looking for whomever you walk in with, and I want you to walk in with
your uncle and Mama, and stick to them like glue tonight. No matter what
you see, what you hear, do NOT acknowledge me. Just act like I'm just
another face in the crowd." April gave Jasmine a long look. "Can you do
that for me, angel?"

Jasmine nodded.

April planted a kiss to her forehead. "Just trust me, Jasmine. I know
you're confused; that none of this makes sense to you, but it's our only
chance. If Jade doesn't walk out of there with us tonight, we might never
get her back, and I, for one, can't live with that."

"April..."

She laid a finger to Jasmine's lips. "Shush baby. I know, I know." She
forced herself to pry herself away from Jasmine and stood up. "Now, you
have to go to work, and I've got some errands to run. We won't see each
other again until the party." April walked around the back of the couch,
heading for the closet to get her costume for tonight. She hesitated for a
minute, a few feet away from the couch, then turned around and walked
back. Leaning over the back of the couch, she buried a hand in Jasmine's
hair, angling her head up, and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. "After
tonight, angel, it'll be you and me, together forever. We'll be a family,
with Jade and John right beside us. Whatever happens tonight, remember
that." April sauntered off to the closet, grabbed her Zorro costume, and
strode out the bedroom door; she had too many appointments and not enough
time.

##

At 8:00 p.m., Halloween night, a black stretch limo pulled up in front of
The Magnolia, one of New Orleans oldest, most prestigious, country
clubs. The driver parked, leapt out, and opened the back door. Two women
emerged; the first was dressed in a pin stripe suit complete with vest, a
black pair of men's dress shoes, a red handkerchief tucked into the front
breast pocket of the suite, and a black fedora. Stepping out, she turned
back towards the limo and reached out a hand. Those standing nearby only
saw one slim, bronze hand as it accepted the first woman's.

Slowly, a slim, gorgeous, raven-haired beauty emerged from the limo. People
stared as multiple layers of tiered fringe, which made up the red flapper's
dress, swayed with the woman's movements while the dressed hugged every
curve. It was held up by the thinnest pair of spaghetti straps and she wore
matching red gloves which ran up her arms, past her elbows, and ended
halfway up her upper arms. The headpiece was just a thin red band that
encircled her head, stretching across her forehead, and a little red
feather stuck up on one side, her hair hung straight and long down her
back. Her mascara was dark and thick, her lips ruby red, and the whole
costume was set off with a pair of red pumps with stiletto heels, adding at
least three inches to an already tall body.

The woman dressed as a 1920's gangster, went to great pains to make sure
everyone saw her and the incredible woman accompanying her. She barely
contained her smirk as she saw men staring, their eyes bulging out of their
heads, as they walked past them down the red carpet that snaked it's way
into the grand ballroom.

Inside, Lonna made a show of pulling out a chair for Jade. As she pushed it
in, she leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Oh look, darling! Your family is sitting at the very next table. How
convenient."

Jade tried not to wince, Lonna's voice both smug and condescending. She'd
already been given strict orders not to attempt to talk to her family; in
fact, Lonna wanted her to make a show of snubbing them. She'd threatened
retribution, once they got home tonight, if she didn't do exactly what she
was told, but it was killing her, sitting only a few feet away from
Jasmine, who looked amazing dressed as a Spanish Countess. Jade could see
her out of the corner of her eye, knew Lonna had seated her here just for
that purpose, and she wanted to cry as she fought the urge to run over and
hug her sister.

Their uncle sat to Jasmine's left, going the safe route with an old
fashioned Dracula costume, the same one he wore every year. Mama Dubois sat
on the other side of Jasmine. She wasn't really wearing a costume, just
decked out as if she was going to some swank jazz club. Jade continued to
scan the table, without actually looking at it, searching for April. No one
else at the table even remotely resembled her, and Jade felt a moment of
panic thinking April wasn't here, and wasn't coming. She had just been so
sure that April would use tonight's event to her advantage.

Lonna sat down beside her and gave the Dupree's table her most sincere
smile. Jade wondered if she realized how smug she looked. Knowing Lonna,
she did, and had done it on purpose. Jade had come to know Lonna well
enough to realize the woman's every move was thoroughly calculated; to her
advantage.

It was too painful to see her family and not be able to talk to them, so
she twisted a little in her chair, towards Lonna. This gave her back to her
family, which Lonna took as a public snub and grinned her approval, but
Jade had done it out of a sense of self-preservation. She had to survive
tonight's party, and silently prayed that April really would rescue
her. She just couldn't take living with Lonna, practically in captivity,
much longer.

Jasmine's eyes darted from Lonna's smarmy face to the back of her sister's
head. When Jade had walked in, it took everything she had not to jump up
and run over to her, but April's words from this morning kept ringing in
her head, `We'll be a family'. After tonight, they'll all be together, she
just had to keep calm and play along, just for this one night.

She felt Mama lay a reassuring hand on her arm. Jasmine covered it with her
own and turned towards her, returning the smile. On her other side, she
could hear Uncle John grinding his teeth together, the one sure sign that
told her that he was barely able to keep his temper in check. For some
reason, she found it more reassuring than Mama's efforts, and felt her
insides calm down a little. She started scanning the room for Zorro's. To
her dismay, there were quite a few of them tonight, more so than any other
past party, that she could remember. Jasmine shook her head at the odd
though. Lord, she was so nervous she had resorted to counting costumes!

Across the room, two particular Zorro's were whispering back and forth to
each other while they drifted around the buffet, trying to pretend they
didn't already know each other. A third stood somewhere in between, smiling
into her cup of punch as she listen to the other two trying to play super
spy. Bowing her head to take a sip, she whispered into the minuscule
microphone clipped inside the neck of her cape.

"Sit tight a little longer, John, maybe another half hour, twenty minutes,
then go over. I can see the bitch's smug smile clear over here, so she's
really enjoying the show at the moment. Let her eat it up a little longer
before you strike up a conversation."

April heard John's whispered, "Ok," in her earpiece. Taking her time, she
turned away from the buffet table and started to meander towards the two
tables. "Pipe down," she ordered Trina and Sam as she walked past. The two
lovers' conversation was starting to increase in volume, and she was afraid
someone would soon notice their bickering and realize they were together.

They instantly shut up at her command and she shook her head,
chuckling. Nearing the tables where Lonna, Jade, and the rest of the
Duprees sat, she quickly grew serious as she concentrated on the business
at hand. She stopped at the table in front of Lonna and Jade's, at the
farthest end away from them, and struck up a conversation with the middle
aged couple occupying the chairs closet to her. She had no idea who they
were, but it didn't matter. This was the kind of event that was chocked
full of the upperly mobile types, who would rather die before they ignored
a stranger, just incase it was someone really important.

The wife was something of a chatterbox, which suited April's needs just
fine. This way, she could watch the tables she needed, without having to
put too much concentration into the conversation, just nod her head and
agree at all the key points. Minutes later, she watched John get up from
the table and walk towards Lonna. Glancing at her watch she noted that it
was exactly twenty minutes from when she last spoke to him. He must have
sat there and timed it.

As he came around the edge of the table, farthest from Jade and closer to
her, she watched Lonna stand up and intercept him. She was being careful
not to let John get too close to Jade, but thankfully they stood off to the
side just enough to not block her view of Jade. She glanced briefly at
Jasmine, watched for a moment, then tried not to smile when she realized
Jasmine was scrutinizing every person in the room dressed as Zorro. The
fact that Jasmine was looking for her gave her a warm feeling. Yeah, she
was really getting used to this partners thing.

She and John were wired with the same equipment, so she could easily hear
his conversation with Lonna. John was trying to play it casual, "Oh, Lonna,
nice to see you again. It's been so long. How are you?" He was doing a good
job of it. April almost couldn't tell that he was fighting the urge to
knock Lonna on her ass, and she knew John to be the last man on the planet
to ever hit a woman. Well, she was hoping one of them would get that treat
later tonight.

April nodded at the woman she was chatting with, noting that Lonna was
playing right along with John, but she could tell Lonna wasn't buying any
of it, not for a minute. This was what she had been afraid of. Lonna was
too sharp to fall for something so simple, but April hadn't realized it
until after the party invitation had already been mailed out. It was ok
though; this would work in their favor because now, Lonna would think this
was it. The Dupree's had played their hand, they failed, and she'd spend
the rest of the night smug and happy in the fact that they hadn't been able
to trick her into confessing anything. Actually, everything was working
amazingly well for such a last ditch, spur of the moment plan.

She heard John turning the conversation towards her relationship with Jade
and was now actively trying to trip Lonna up, trying to get her to admit
that she was blackmailing Jade and had set this whole thing up from day
one. April had to give him an A for effort, but could tell it wasn't
working. Lonna was easily deflecting his attempts, steering the
conversation away, onto other topics. April took that as her cue.

Saying goodbye to the couple she was chatting with, she walked past Lonna
and John to one of several mini bars that were scattered around the
room. She ordered a Jack with ginger ale for herself, and tequila with
orange juice. Staying close to the wall, she walked back towards Jade's
table; careful to make sure she was behind Lonna, who was facing John and
the rest of the ballroom. Lonna was too busy enjoying her little war of
words with John, to notice her as she slid into the chair beside Jade.

Jade glanced up as she felt someone beside her. She looked up just as a
woman in a Zorro outfit placed a mixed drink in front of her and slid into
the chair.

"You're way too beautiful to be sitting her all alone." April gave Jade her
best smile and she saw her eyes widen in recognition at the sound of her
voice.

"You've never seen me before," April whispered under her breath. Jade gave
her a small nod, moving her head just enough to acknowledge she heard her,
but not enough for anyone else to really notice.

"Thank you, for the drink. What is it?"

"Tequila and orange juice. You know, if you drink enough of those, they
start to taste like Tootsie Rolls."

Jade laughed and April smiled, putting on the charm, which really wasn't
all that hard. If Jasmine really hadn't been interested in her, she
probably would have stayed with Jade. The two of them had always found it
so easy, and fun, to flirt with each other, so this would be cake.

Jade sipped her drink and studied April, looking her over as if she was a
new, interesting prospect. "Mmmm. This is really good." Jade took another
sip. "I have to tell you, I'm not here alone."

April made a show of looking around at all the empty seats at the table,
then turned back to Jade and then arched a brow. "Who are you with? The
Invisible Man?" she quipped.

Jade laughed and waved a hand towards Lonna. "No. And I'm with a woman."

"Well," April drawled, "that answers that question."

"Which was?"

"Wither or not you're into women. Walking over here, I was praying pretty
hard, hoping you wouldn't turn out to be straight."

"What if I was?"

April gave her a wicked grin. "I'd work it like a tent evangelist and try
like hell to cure you."

Jade's burst of laughter had Lonna whipping around. "Who the hell are you?"
she snapped.

"The woman taking your neglected date for a dance." April stared Lonna down
as she grabbed Jade's hand and lead her towards the dance floor, mentally
taking a snap shot of Lonna's shocked face as she took off with her
date. That would be a Kodak moment to treasure.

They reached the dance floor just as the band struck up a nice slow
song. She turned around to face Jade and pulled her into her arms. The two
of them glided around the floor in silence.

"Lonna's madder than a wet hen," Jade whispered in her ear. "You better
damn well know what you're doing, April, or I'm going to pay for it later."

April tighten her hold on Jade, the thought of Lonna hurting her making her
stomach clench. "Just play along, act like you're enjoying all of the
attention, and I promise, you're walking out of here with me before the
night's over."

The conviction in April's voice strengthened her own resolve, and Jade let
herself enjoy the feel of being in the arms of someone who cared for
her. Seconds later, she felt April's hand slide down, dangerously close to
cupping her ass. She glanced back at Lonna as they turned, saw the rage on
her face, and sent up a silent prayer.

The song ended a few minutes later and Jade started to step away, but April
pulled her right back into her arms for another dance, the band switching
to some Latin music. Expertly, she spun Jade around the floor, people
stepping back out of their way. An audience was gathering to watch them and
April was trying hard not to check for Lonna's reaction. This worked only
if Lonna thought she wasn't paying her any mind, acted as if she didn't
even exist.

The song ended and the crowd began to applaud as April dipped Jade one last
time. Swinging Jade back up, onto her feet, she bowed to the crowd, and
then led Jade to the mini-bar farthest from Lonna. She ordered two drinks
and turned her attention to Jade.

"Ready?"

Jade narrowed her eyes. "For what?"

"Well, darling, the show, of course," April answered with a smile.

It was the wicked gleam in April's eyes that was making Jade nervous, or
excited, she wasn't sure which. The thought of getting away from Lonna, for
good, was a joyous thought, but the consequences if April's plan, whatever
it was, failed, was something she didn't want to linger on. Her smile faded
and she grew solemn as she stared down at her drink.

"April..."

April cut her off. "No, Jade, there's only one way this will end. You,
Jasmine, and I are walking out of here together. Then we'll go home, sit on
the porch and have a few shots of tequila. From now on, we're family, and
we stay together." Jade's fear wasn't lost on her, and she could tell her
words didn't go far in the way of reassuring her. Leaning over, she pressed
a kiss to her temple and, grabbing her hand, walked with her towards a
deserted table.

"Now, we're going to sit here and talk, share a few laughs, just
relax. When I think Lonna's good and mad, we'll go back over and finish
this." April laid a hand against Jade's cheek, cupping her face and guiding
her head up so she could look her in the eye.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Jade whispered.

"Do you want to go home?"

"Yes," Jade answered vehemently.

"Then stop worrying and ride with it, baby. I know you know how to do
that." April's grin was wicked and she felt relief flood through her when
Jade returned the grin with a sheepish one of her own.

"Jasmine's not too happy." Jade nodded towards Jasmine's table. Following
her gaze, April's eyes quickly found Jasmine and could tell she was
fighting to control her temper and tried not to stare at the two of them,
sitting cozily at a corner table. Jasmine's gaze flicked to them and their
eyes locked for a split second. It was just enough for April to hear her
own breath quicken, feel her heart speed up. She cared for Jade, a great
deal, but there was only one woman who made her go from 0 to 60 with just a
look.

"Jasmine will make me pay for this later," she thought, and then smiled as
memories of their lovemaking played through her mind.

"Penny for your thoughts, cher," Jade quietly asked. April looked over to
find deep blue eyes watching her every move. Jade was so beautiful, it was
hard to imagine that she'd been so lonely that she'd fallen in with a viper
like Lonna.

"What in heaven's name where you doing with this bitch in the first place?
Don't tell me women weren't lined up at your door to go out with you?"

Jade smiled weakly and went back to staring into her glass, "sad and
lonely" written all over her face. "They weren't, lined up at my door, that
is. Jasmine and I, our family, have quite a reputation in this town, and a
scandalous past that every single soul knows about. Women are either afraid
that we're both a mental and emotional mess, because of our parents, and
don't want to get tangled up in all that, or their afraid of our money, or
interested in us just because of it."

Jade inhaled deeply, slowly exhaled, and then looked up to face April. "I
guess that's why we fought over you. For the first time, there was this
beautiful woman who wasn't afraid of us, or interested in cashing in on the
Dupree name. Yes, I seduced you when you first came here. I thought it
would be a fun, and convenient, way to keep tabs on you and the progress of
your investigation. I was so use to all of my relationships being just
about sex; I didn't expect..." her voice trailed off. April waited a few
moments, but she didn't continue.

She chuckled. "I sure as hell didn't expect you and your sister, either,
but here we are. And I think the real reason there isn't a line at your
door is because you and Jasmine are intimidating as hell. Both wild,
fiercely independent, and tempers that should require you both to wear
warning labels." April laughed at her own comment, saw Jade's face
transform into a genuine smile, and continued. "I mean, face it Jade, you
two are a hell of a hand full. I think most women around here just didn't
think they could hold on for the ride. They were probably afraid you'd
trample them, and you would have, both of you would have, have even, I'll
bet."

April leaned towards Jade. Anyone watching would probably think she was
asking about to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. "I'll let you in on a
little secret, my friend," she patted Jade on the knee under the table,
"I'm not that strong. Matter of fact, you and your sister scare the hell
out of me, every single day." She sat back in her chair. "No, honey, I'm
with you two because I'm too crazy, or maybe too stupid, there's a thin
line between the two, to know when to run like hell."

Jade burst out laughing and several heads swiveled their way, but neither
one of them noticed. They talked a little longer and April soaked up every
minute. She started envisioning what it would be like, once Jade was back
home, the three of them hanging out, shopping together, sharing their lives
together, and it made her smile. For the first time in a very long time,
she had a family again.

She glanced over at Lonna's table and decided it was time to wrap things
up. Tucking her Hallmark images into the back of her mind, she stood up and
offered Jade her hand.

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Jade looked up into April's dark brown eyes, her smiling face, and felt
momentarily jealous of her sister's good luck. Then again, maybe she was
lucky too, in a different kind of way. Returning April's smile, she
accepted her hand and stood, then let April guide her back to the table she
was sharing earlier with Lonna.

As they neared the table, April could tell Lonna was spoiling for a
fight. They were inches from the table when Lonna stood up, grabbed Jade's
arm and pushed her into a chair, then turned on April.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself," she snarled, "because it's over. If we
weren't in public, I'd stomp you into the ground."

April just smiled and casually reached out to smooth the lapels of Lonna's
suite. "Relax, lady. No need to get your panties in a bunch." She
considered Lonna for a minute. "Well, maybe there is, because the lady is
leaving with me. You obviously are too stupid to know what to do with her,
or she wouldn't have been so eager for my attention."

It was really satisfying to watch Lonna's face turn beet red as she
glowered at her. "Why you little shit! Do you know whom you're dealing
with? I can ruin you with the snap of my fingers! Who the hell are you,
anyway?"

"Ruin me, huh? I find that extremely doubtful," April answered with a cocky
grin. She could tell Lonna wasn't use to anyone being insolent with her,
amused even, and April happily listened as Lonna started to sputter.

"You...You..."

"Bitch?" April helpfully offered. "Yeah, I get that a lot. So much so, it's
probably true. Looks like you met your match, sugar."

Lonna's eyes were beginning to go red with rage. If they weren't in the
middle of a party, she'd probably attack her.

April folded her arms across her chest, bent one arm at the elbow and
rested her chin in the palm so she could tap a finger against her
lips. "I'm curious though, who exactly YOU think you are, that you've got
the power to ruin me. Wait, let me guess, you're the DA's wife, right?"

She made a show of looking around the ballroom, found the DA and his wife
seated several tables away, and then she pointed to them. "No, that's not
right, because she's right there with her husband."

At this point, Lonna was vibrating with anger. "I'm the woman who can crush
Dupree Enterprises with a single phone call."

"Ewwwww. That's impressive, but I don't think there's anyone to answer that
call."

"What? You think I'm bluffing?"

"As a matter of fact..."

Lonna was now standing toe to toe with April, literally nose to nose. "One
phone call, and this little bitch you're so hot for, goes straight to jail
for embezzlement, and when they investigate, they'll find Dupree
Enterprises is wiped out; completely bankrupt."

Jasmine had been keenly watching the argument, listening in. When she heard
Lonna's last comment, though, her head snapped towards her uncle, but he
looked as surprised as she was.

April noticed Jasmine and John's reaction, which spoke volumes, and decided
she needed to bait Lonna a little longer. "Completely bankrupt?"

Lonna became smug, nodded in the affirmative. "You see, while Jade was
sitting here, leading you on, she had a hacker sneak into the company's
system and transfer their funds to her Swiss bank account."

"Hmmm. Well, seeing that you know so much about it, wouldn't that makes you
an accomplice?"

"Oh no. I'm the poor, duped girlfriend who just happened to stumble onto
Jade's scheme." Lonna laid a hand against her chest. "And as an upstanding
citizen, I quickly reported it to the authorities. Jade will be arrested
within the hour. In fact, they might mistake YOU for an accomplice."

"Bingo!" was all April could think. She raised her hand into the air and
seemed to wave someone over. All heads turned to face the same direction
she was looking in. Three men emerged from the kitchen area, two of them in
dark suits flanking a third man dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his face
sullen, hands cuffed in front of him.

As they approached, April watched all color drain from Lonna's face. She
turned to bolt, but April grabbed her arm and kicked a knee out from under
her. Lonna would have fell, but April yanked her back onto her feet and,
with a tight hold on one of Lonna's hands, pulled her to stand in front of
her while she twisted Lonna's arm behind her back, effectively holding her
in place.

The three men stepped up to them. "Lonna, I'd like you to meet Special
Agent Tom Lucas of the FBI. I'm not sure who his friend is, the other
suite, but I know I don't have to introduce you to Ralph here." April
nodded towards the man in handcuffs.

"In fact, I believe you two are old friends, of sorts. Well, you were,
anyway. I suppose that's all over now." April pressed up against Lonna's
back and spoke into her ear. "You see, Ralph and I spent the morning
together, discussing his outstanding warrants. Deep down, he's a really
swell guy, so I helped him out and hooked him up with Agent Lucas. See, Tom
and I go back a ways, and since he owed me a favor," April shot Tom a
smile, which he returned, "he was happy to drive down to Baton Rouge and
listen to Ralph's story."

"It's pretty sad, actually. It seems he got seduced by this older woman,
who promised him the sun and moon, if he just did a few favors for her,
like siphon some funds from Dupree Enterprises and make it look like Jade
did the whole thing. Ralph's really, really good with computers, so it
wasn't all that hard, but he was really upset this morning when I told him
you really hate guys and planned on taking off with another woman, that
you've been fucking another woman this whole time, while you told him he
had to wait for it."

"Tusk, tusk, Lonna. Don't you know guys hate to be dumped for another
woman? Anyway, once I explained the situation, showed him photos of you
banging one of your waitresses behind the club the other night, he got kind
of vengeful. Of course, I was more than happy to help him with that and, as
a bonus, get him immunity for spilling his guts about your plan."

Jasmine rounded the table, fire in her eyes directed at April. "Why the
hell did you wait this long? We could have had this bitch arrested the
minute she got here."

April met Jasmine's glare. "Because. This way, we get a confession, of
sorts, and a guarantee that Lonna Tassin will never darken the Dupree's
doorstep ever again."

Agent Lucas pulled a small tape recorder out of his pocket and played back
the last few minutes of April and Lonna's conversation. "I think," he said,
"that the jury will be pretty interested in hearing Ms. Tassin explain how
she knew all about the depletion of Dupree Enterprise's funds. Which, by
the way, never actually occurred, since our friend here," Tom gave Ralph's
arm a little tug, "decided to come forward this morning."

April looked at Tom, who was standing directly in front of Lonna. "Want to
take this one off my hands too?"

"With pleasure." Tom stepped forwarded, walked behind Lonna, and promptly
cuffed her. He pushed her forward and all four of them, Tom with Lonna and
the other agent holding Ralph, began to walk away. Tom stopped and looked
back.

"Pleasure doing business with you, April, as always."

April smiled and waved as the FBI agent marched a very disgruntled Lonna
out the front door. She turned towards Jasmine, who was staring at her
sister. Jade was staring back, a death grip on the back of the chair she
was sitting in. Neither of them spoke, and John and Mama seemed reluctant
to step between them, or break the silence.

"Kiss and make up already," April said, her voice a mix of impatience and
amusement.

Suddenly, Jade launched herself out of the chair and straight into
Jasmine's open arms. The two sisters held on tight to each other,
crying. John rushed over and wrapped his arms around both of them. Mama
stood beside the table, wiping tears from her eyes with a linen napkin.

April stood back and watched, happy to see the Dupree family
reunited. Jasmine jerked away from her family and turned towards April.

"Don't you dare!"

"What?"

"The last time the three of us got caught up in a family moment, you
disappeared."

April walked towards Jasmine, pulling her hat and mask off as she
went. Once she was standing directly in front of Jasmine, she framed her
face with her hands and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Long minutes passed
as she dipped her tongue between Jasmine's soft lips, their tongues
tangling together. Finally, April pulled her head back and stared in
Jasmine's eyes.

"No such luck, this time. You're stuck with me, angel."

Jasmine threw her arms around April and hugged her for all she was
worth. April glanced up to see John and Jade grinning at them, arms wrapped
behind each other's backs.

"What?"

John spoke first. "Come on you two. Let's go home and celebrate." He
started to guide Jade away, but April untangled herself from Jasmine, yet
kept hold of one hand. She wrapped the other hand around Jade's arm and
gently pried her away from John.

"Sorry, John, but I made these two a promise." She captured Jade's hand in
hers and stood there, holding on to both sisters. She raised their hands to
her lips and kissed each one.

"I think I said something about the three of us walking out together."

Jade and Jasmine looked at each other, smiled, then they stepped forward
and, one standing on each side of April, wrapped an arm across her
back. April reached out both arms to encircle their waists and pull them
close against her.

"And you always keep your promises, don't you?" Jasmine asked, beaming at
her.

"You bet your Cajun ass I do." She smirked at Jasmine as she heard Jade
burst out laughing beside her, and felt her heart warm. She'd done it. She
fixed everything, and now she had her family back; a new family in a new
town, but it was all hers.