Title: Karma, Fate or One Soul in two Hearts Part FOUR (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three)
Sequel to: Karma, Fate or the Universes Cruel Sense of Humour and Karma, Fate or Two Souls that Belong Together
Word Count: 8725
Rating: NC17 overall
Summary: Disaster strikes the happy family... but who exactly is to blame?


As John Paul’s car rounded the corner into his street his breath caught in his throat, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as he flinched involuntarily, making the car swerve and narrowly miss hitting another vehicle that was parked by the curb.

In the driveway of the home John Paul shared with Craig and the child he had begun to think of as “theirs” John Paul could see a police car. The sight was terrifying and brought back images of his last encounter with the police, the day he had nearly lost Craig forever.

John Paul had barely applied the breaks and killed the engine before he jumped from the car and raced into the house, neither knowing nor caring if his vehicle was properly parked or locked.

“Craig!” John Paul shouted as he raced into the living room, his heart racing with panic until he spotted the dark haired man seated on the sofa, the small figure of the apricot Siamese held tightly against his chest.

The initial relief at seeing Craig safe and well was lost the moment the man turned his dark eyes to his boyfriend.

Craig’s deep chocolate pools were haunted in a way John Paul had never seen before, not even when Debbie had been lost to them. Craig’s face was damp with recently shed tears, which began to flow again at the sight of John Paul, his whole body shaking as he tightened his hold on Kai, making the cat squirm uncomfortably.

“Craig… Craig what’s happened?” John Paul asked, almost afraid to hear the answer, as he sat beside his lover and took the man’s hands in his own, much to the relief of Kai who quickly leapt to the floor and shot into the kitchen to inspect the contents of his bowl. “Craig what…” A sudden thought came to John Paul and as much as he didn’t want to voice it he couldn’t think of anything else that would make Craig look so distraught. “Is it Joshua? What’s happened?”

“I tried to call you,” Craig said in a small monotone voice, “Where were you?”

“I… I was out at a meeting… I turned my mobile off… oh god Craig I’m so sorry I forgot to turn it back on… If I’d known… I’m so sorry… Please Craig… tell me what’s happened…”

“I needed you here…”

“Mr McQueen?”

John Paul turned towards the sound of his name, noticing, for the first time, the fair-haired police officer standing in the corner of the room.

“You are John Paul McQueen?” The officer asked, stepping forward as he read the man’s name from his notebook.

“Yes, yes I am… what’s happened, please tell me what’s going on…”

The officer smiled sympathetically. On the whole he loved his job, seeing justice put into action gave him a great sense of satisfaction, but seeing the victims of crime, the pain etched on the faces of the people who would often never fully recover always tugged at his heart and being the bearer of bad news was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. Quite frankly he would rather have to face down a hardened criminal.

“I’m afraid that your… nephew?” The officer paused for a second at the uncertainty over his choice of word but the blonde man seemed not to notice so he continued. “I’m sorry to tell you that Joshua was taken from the house some time this afternoon…”

“Taken? Taken where?” John Paul asked, not comprehending the words.

“We don’t know Mr McQueen…”

“You mean he’s been… what… kidnapped?” The idea seemed ridiculous; they weren’t a wealthy family, why would anyone take Joshua?

“Abducted, yes,” The officer replied, his eyes filled with sympathy.

“But why… how… Craig was here… and Lamia… where’s Lamia?”

”She’s in the kitchen, she’s obviously very shaken.”

“But I… I don’t understand… Lamia was looking after Joshua… how could anyone…”

“I’m sorry Mr McQueen,” Lamia’s voice was soft and low as she stood in the doorway. Her dark eyes seemed magnified behind the thickness of her glasses, making the unshed tears shimmer brightly and her normally pale skin was almost ashen as she let her gaze fall to the floor. “I just thought I was helping…”

“What do you mean? What happened?” John Paul asked, surprised at how small the tall woman suddenly looked, and how afraid.

“You’ve both been so busy lately, and Mr Dean was so tired… I checked on him and he was fast asleep… and so was Joshua so I thought… I just wanted to help…”

“Lamia what?”

“Joshua was so peaceful so I didn’t think it would hurt if I nipped out for a few minutes… I was only gone a short time I promise… but you needed some groceries and… and I was only trying to help… When I got back I went right upstairs to check on him and… and… I was sure I closed the door when I went out… I was sure I did…”

Lamia burst into a flood of fresh tears, a small dark haired female police officer slipping a comforting arm around the nanny’s shoulders. “I just wanted to help…” Lamia repeated between sobs as the officer led her back into the kitchen.

“Mr McQueen,” the male officer said, pulling John Paul’s attention back to him. “Can you think of anyone you know who would wish to take the child? Anyone with access to your home? Anyone with a grudge?”

“Simon!” Craig said suddenly, his eyes wide with shocked realisation.

“What?” John Paul said with a shake of his head.

“It’s obvious,” Craig insisted. “Come on John Paul… who else would? You know what he was like before…”

“And Simon is?” the officer asked.

“John Paul’s ex…” Craig replied with a sense of renewed hope. It was Simon that had taken the child, Joshua would soon be recovered and then the nutter could finally be locked up for good. “He’s obsessed with us… well with John Paul… Find him… he lives in Manchester… he did not long ago… I’m telling you it was Simon!”

“Craig… it wasn’t Simon,” John Paul said quietly.

“He tried to kill me… you think he couldn’t do this?”

“It couldn’t have been…”

“Mr McQueen do you have reason to believe this man couldn’t have abducted the child?”

John Paul’s eyes flicked between the officer and his boyfriend nervously as he took a deep breath.

“Yeah,” John Paul replied, his eyes falling to his feet as he spoke. “Simon couldn’t have taken Joshua this afternoon… he was with me.”

“No,” Craig said in a quite whisper, his hands pulling back from John Paul’s touch in horror. “No… no he couldn’t have been…”

“I’m sorry Craig…”

“It’s not true… you wouldn’t…”

“I was just…”

“What?” Craig’s fear and hurt exploded in a blaze of anger, pure rage shining from his eyes as he got to his feet, leaning over the blonde man who looked back at him with guilt and apology on his face. “What John Paul? What the hell reason would you have to see that man again?”

“I… I’ve been trying to help him,” John Paul said quietly. He had always known that Craig would discover Simon’s presence in London eventually and that John Paul was still in touch with him, but he had wanted it to happen in his own time, not like this.

“Oh that’s all right then,” Craig spat bitterly. “My nephew is abducted and where are you? Screwing around with the man who tried to kill me…”

“Craig no, it’s… it’s not like that… we’re not… I’m not…”

“I don’t give a fuck what you’re doing,” Craig shouted. “I don’t care if you’re fucking him or nurse-maiding him… that bastard tried to kill me and you’ve been helping him out…”

“Craig stop it… listen to me,” John Paul said calmly, getting to his feet and gripping Craig’s shoulders firmly as he looked into his lovers furious eyes.

“My nephew is gone,” Craig snarled. “Joshua could be dead right now…”

“Don’t say that…”

“He could be dead and you were with Simon… there is nothing you can say that will make that all right…”

“Craig please…”

“Get the fuck away from me…” Craig growled, shrugging John Paul’s hands from his shoulders.

“Craig…”

“I said go,” Craig screamed, his anger boiling over as his fist collided with John Paul’s face, blood pouring from the blonde man’s mouth as he staggered back from the blow.

The police officer jumped forward, his original instincts not to get involved in a “domestic” being overruled at the sight of violence.

“Calm down,” the officer said to Craig, holding one hand out towards the man as he watched Craig’s chest rise and fall with angry breaths. “This isn’t going to get your nephew back.”

“Then tell him to leave,” Craig panted between gritted teeth.

“Mr McQueen?” the officer turned to John Paul, the man wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand.

“This is my home… I’m not going anywhere…”

“Please Mr McQueen… I think your partner just needs time to calm down…”

Craig’s fists were clenched at his sides, his face a picture of pure rage, but John Paul could see more, in the depths of Craig’s chocolate brown eyes John Paul could see such pain, pain he was unable to reach or heal no matter how much he wanted to.

“I’ll be upstairs,” John Paul said quietly. “I’m sorry Craig…”

Walking slowly upstairs John Paul passed by the master bedroom and instead headed for the nursery. It looked like it had that morning when he had said goodbye to Joshua.

The walls were a shade of pale blue with a bright shining rainbow painted above the white cot. A mobile of soft animals hung from the headboard of the cot, design to both entertain and soothe the baby to sleep. The small soft coverings of the bed were pushed back emphasising the absence of the child who should have been lying there sleeping.

Kneeling before the cot John Paul turned the switch that set the mobile in motion, a gentle nursery tune started to play as the stuffed animals swayed in their rotation. Resting his head against the cool railings of the cot John Paul wept, his body shaking with grief, fear and distress. The thought that someone had deliberately come into their home and taken the sleeping child both sickened and terrified him and he wanted nothing more than to hold onto Craig, to both give and receive the comfort that could only be gained from each other. For now that option was lost to him, but only for now, John Paul would make certain of that, somehow.

---

“Is it all right if I go home?” Lamia asked in a small voice, her eyes downcast and her hands curled around an empty coffee mug. “I don’t think there’s anything else I can do here…”

The female police officer smiled kindly at the obviously distraught nanny. “I think we’ve got everything we need from you for now but we might be in touch again if we need to clarify the details.”

“Is that likely?” Lamia asked in a concerned tone as her brow furrowed.

The officer squeezed Lamia’s shoulder gently; she had seen so many witnesses look at her with that same worry, as if their word was being doubted. “It’s just routine,” she reassured the woman. “Sometimes we need to follow up on witness statements but don’t worry… we will contact you if necessary.”

With a smile and a nod Lamia got to her feet. “The gentlemen have my number and address,” Lamia said gesturing into the living area. “I just hope they call soon to tell me Joshua is back home.”

“We will do our best to achieve that.”

“I know.”

Taking her jacket from the back of the kitchen chair Lamia slipped it over her arms, bending down to pet Kai as she moved to exit the kitchen.

The cat hissed and walked away stealthily, his tail swishing from side to side as Kai looked back over his shoulder coolly.

“He’s never taken to me,” Lamia said with an embarrassed smile.

“Cats can be funny like that,” the officer sympathised.


---


“Can I come in?” Craig asked as he stood in the doorway of the master bedroom. It had been over an hour since the police had finally gone, leaving Craig alone to worry, brood and finally realise that the thing he needed more than anything was the comfort of his boyfriend. His initial rage at discovering John Paul had been seeing Simon had faded, the loss of Joshua far overshadowing anything and everything else.

John Paul lifted his head from where he lay on the king sized bed, an angry purple bruise already showing around his mouth. “Are you sure you want to?”

“I shouldn’t have hit you… I’m sorry…”

Walking slowly into the bedroom Craig perched uncertainly on the edge of the bed, his hands gripped onto the mattress as he looked down at his feet.

“I should have told you about Simon,” John Paul replied, swinging his legs around until he was sat beside his lover.

“Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know… I… I didn’t want to argue… I just thought I could help him move on without it affecting us. Stupid I know…”

“Why would you even want to? After what he did… I don’t understand…”

“I… I guess I still feel guilty over what I did… if I’d handled things right at the start then maybe all the rest of it could have been avoided… I just… I wanted to help him get back to a normal life…”

“How… how have you been helping him?” Craig turned his face to John Paul, their eyes meeting in a share grief.

“He was having trouble getting a job… I helped him get an interview… and this afternoon we were going through what questions he could be asked… that’s why I know he couldn’t have…”

“Oh John Paul where is he?” Craig asked, his voice breaking as fresh tears poured over his cheeks and he fell into the open arms of his fiancé. “Where’s our little boy?”

“I don’t know…” John Paul replied, holding the dark haired man close, his chin resting on Craig’s head as they rocked together. “I really don’t know… I wish I did…”

“I want him home… please John Paul bring him home…”

John Paul closed his eyes tightly as his tears began to flow. He wanted so desperately to fulfil Craig’s request but how could he when he had no idea where the baby could be.


---


Hanging her coat up on the hook situated in her cramped dark hallway Lamia let out a small sigh. The day had been more stressful than she could ever have imagined and she was relieved to be home.

Lamia had grown fond of her two employers since she first set foot in their home, even if she did still feel somewhat uncertain about their personal relationship, and a part of her couldn’t help but agree with Frankie Osborne’s views of Joshua’s guardianship. Regardless of those feelings however, Lamia did not enjoy the suffering she saw in the two men at the loss of their young nephew, it was just a shame they had to suffer so much. Then again maybe it was what they deserved, her mother had always said that only those who truly deserved it were punished. Lamia could still hear her mother’s voice as she pushed her into the midnight dark closet, “If you weren’t such a bad little girl Lamia I wouldn’t have to punish you so much… you know you only get punished when you deserve it… You know no one likes little girls who cry for no reason.”

The four year old girl had huddle up in the dark, her tears running silently down her face, too afraid to cry out loud, the pain from her face where her mother had slapped her cancelling out the grazing on her knees that had originally sent her running to her mother for care.

As a very small girl Lamia Eliezer had learned that being silent meant she was a good girl, by the time she reached the age of six the little copper haired girl had almost forgotten how to cry but that didn’t stop her mother from leaving. Abandoning her in the empty house to be found a few weeks later by a neighbour when she had been spotted peering from a window. Lamia was half starved, dirty and scared but still she had been too afraid to cry out for help. Only naughty children cry.

Pushing open the door to her bedroom Lamia smiled. The room was sparsely decorated, simple pale pink walls and velvet pink curtains with plain white furniture and a single bed that was covered with a flowery patterned throw. But it was none of those things that Lamia saw when she entered the room; her entire attention was focussed on the small cot placed beside her bed and the baby boy who was beginning to stir within it.

“It’s OK Joshua,” Lamia said in a gentle voice as she leant over the cot. “Mummy is home now… everything is OK… I wont leave you again.”

Joshua stretched and grumbled in his cot as the mild sedatives that Lamia had mixed in with his early afternoon milk finally began to wear off. She hadn’t wanted to drug the child but there had been no other way. Not only did she need to be certain he would be still and quiet as she took him from the Dean/McQueen house in the large shopping bag, but she needed to know he would remain quiet while she left him in her flat alone to return to his guardian’s home and raise the alarm, thus removing her from suspicion.

Lifting the baby from his cot Lamia cradled him in her arms as she sat on the bed. His deep chocolate eyes fluttered open and he seemed to observe her with curiosity.

“Hello sleepy head,” Lamia said in a soft loving voice, rocking the baby back and forth in her arms. “Did you miss mummy? She didn’t want to leave you but she had to… we didn’t want people knowing you were here did we… they would have taken you away and I know you don’t want that… you want to be with mummy… just you and me Joshua… we’ll be together from now on… no one is ever going to come between us… and you’ll be a good boy wont you? A good quiet boy for mummy…”

Joshua’s small hands reached out to Lamia, his fingers catching on her thick black glasses and pulling them down to the tip of her nose, making the woman laugh and kiss the baby’s head affectionately.

Lamia had craved a child of her own almost as soon as she could understand what that meant, her desire for an idealised family life making her rush into a marriage with the first man she ever slept with. Lamia’s dreams were shattered only two years later when the doctor gave her the devastating news that she would never be able to carry her own child to term. Later that same day Lamia had packed her clothes and left the man she never actually loved, neither telling him of her plans nor ever letting him know where she had gone or why. If she was unable to have a child then she had no use for a husband.

Twelve months later Lamia Eliezer had completed her childcare training and registered with her first nanny agency, being allowed to care for other people’s children both comforting and torturous. Each little girl and boy was a reminder of the child she could never have and yet she loved them all, the longing to be ‘mummy’ rather than just ‘nanny’ growing deeper with each new baby until it was all she could think of. But it wasn’t something she ever believed she would act on… until she did.


---


John Paul sighed, his head resting in his hands. The cup of coffee beside him had long since grown cold, untouched and unnoticed.

For four days Joshua had been missing and for four days his two guardians had suffered and waited and prayed but nothing had returned the boy they had grown to love unconditionally.

Each night the men had retired to their beds to sleep fitfully, if at all, true rest eluding them while the small cot in the nursery lay empty.

Twenty-four hours after Joshua’s abduction the police had arrived with news that had chilled the men to their core. Lamia Eliezer was missing, her flat empty and her mobile telephone number now disconnected; the conclusion was as clear as it was sickening.

The woman entrusted with the baby’s care was, more than likely, the very person responsible for taking him. The police had questioned many of the other families she had worked for, coming back with the same report time and time again, she was hardworking, conscientious and she cared for the children as if they were her own.

When Craig and John Paul first hired the nanny such a reference would have been a comfort, a glowing recommendation. ‘As if they were her own.’ Now those words held a different meaning. The woman who had cared for so many children as if they were her own had finally taken one for her own. But why him? Why Joshua?

That night John Paul had awoken from a restless sleep to find himself alone in the bed, Craig’s side was cold and empty, the man having vacated it some time earlier.

Padding silently from the room John Paul had known where to find his boyfriend but the sight still tore at his heart. Craig was shivering from the cold as he sat naked on the floor beside Joshua’s cot, his head resting on the side railing as silent tears coated his face, making it glisten in the moonlight. He was almost a beautiful image, his perfectly masculine form bare and vulnerable beside the empty cot but the pain etched across his face stole away all promise of beauty and replaced it with anguish.

“Craig… come back to bed…”

“Where is he?”

“They’ll find him…”

“What if they don’t?”

“They will…”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise…”

Pulling Craig to his feet and holding the shivering man close in his arms John Paul had silently prayed that his promise would not be broken. The thought was too terrifying to contemplate, the idea of never seeing Joshua again, never watching him grow or hear his first words or dress his grazed knees made John Paul shudder with fear.

“I promise,” he had said again, whispering his words into Craig’s hair. It had to be true, Joshua had to be found, any alternative could not be entertained.

“John Paul?” The sound of his name pulled John Paul from his thoughts, the canteen had been empty when he had entered it over an hour earlier and he had been completely oblivious to any of the other staff who had passed through.

John Paul hadn’t wanted to go into work that morning but Craig had insisted, there was nothing either of them could do at home and he believed that trying to cling onto some form of normality was important, although Craig had been unable to leave the house; he needed to be there when Joshua came home.

“Simon,” John Paul said as he lifted his gaze from the chipped blue laminate tabletop to meet the grey eyes of his ex-lover.

Simon was smartly dressed in a freshly pressed dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt and black tie, his shoes shone with a high polish and he slid onto the chair facing John Paul with an air of confidence.

“Oh today’s your interview…” John Paul said with a half smile as his brain finally accessed the information as to why his ex would suddenly be in his place of work.

“Yeah… half an hour…”

“Nervous?”

“A bit… OK a lot…”

“You’ll be fine,” John Paul said in a reassuring tone, reaching for his coffee and discovering it had grown cold and a murky looking skin was now coating its surface.

“I hope so… John Paul is everything all right? I must have said your name a dozen times before you seemed to notice.” Simon reached a hand across the table, his fingers stopping short of making contact with John Paul but the gesture not missed by either of them.

“Yeah I’m…” John Paul shrugged, not sure what to say or if he should say anything. Part of him was so desperate for a sympathetic ear, he had been trying to be strong for Craig and John Paul needed some support too but was Simon, his ex, the man who had tried to kill Craig, really the person to offer it?

“You can tell me,” Simon offered, his voice low and gentle, a reassuring and comforting tone that was familiar and transported John Paul back many years, back to when John Paul believed Simon was the man he could spend his life with. “Really… whatever it is… I am a good listener remember?”

“Yeah I remember,” John Paul said with a fond laugh.


---


Frankie Osborne had barely spoken a word since arriving at her youngest son’s home the day after her grandson had been abducted but her eyes had said it all. Their cold accusations cut into Craig every time he looked at his mother, at a time when he craved for her comfort and support he felt more removed from her than he had ever done in his life.

Walking into the living room Frankie handed Craig a coffee, casting a disapproving glance at Kai, before taking a seat facing her son as she sipped slowly at her own drink, mother and son continued their silent vigil, neither wanting to be away from the telephone for too long, just in case… it was always just in case.

Uncertain what had caused such a strange atmosphere in his home Kai nudged at Craig’s leg with his head, an action that would normally result in the man scooping the Siamese onto his lap but again, as he had been for the past few days, Craig was all but oblivious to the feline’s presence.

Kai mewed a quiet complaint before stalking away into the kitchen. He had thought that the small pink thing’s arrival had caused enough changes in the house, but his departure had proved to be much worse. Although the absence of the strange woman who had constantly cooed over the pink thing struck Kai as a good thing, there had been an unusual coolness about the woman that had made the felines hackles rise.

Craig sighed softly, Frankie’s stony silence had been impenetrable and Craig’s few attempts at conversation had been stilted and one sided until he fell back into silence.

And then it came. The words Craig had been anticipating, waiting for and dreading. Frankie was nothing if not predictable.

“This wouldn’t have happened if he’d been living with me.”

“It’s not like I wanted this to happen,” Craig said quietly, his gaze fixed on the surface of his drink.

“I was just saying,” Frankie replied, a bitter sniping quality to her voice, “Joshua would have been safe with me… I wouldn’t have needed outside help to look after him…”

“I could never have known this would happen mum…”

“But if he’d been living with me like he should be…”

“Well he wasn’t… Joshua lives here with me and John Paul… just like Debbie wanted it…”

“We’ll see.”

“What?”

“Do you really think I’m going to leave my grandson in your care after this?” Frankie snapped.

“I don’t think that’s your call…”

“It will be when I contest custody… who’s going to leave a baby in your care now? I knew I should have done something sooner…”

“You can’t do that mum…” Craig’s soft brown eyes shimmered with tears and his hands shook so violently that hot coffee spilt over the side of his cup, burning his hands, but Craig barely noticed.

“Watch me,” Frankie said getting to her feet and leaning over Craig with a cold stare, making him feel like a foolish, careless child. “If we ever get Joshua back I will do everything I can to make sure he’s safe…”

“He’s safe with me…”

“You let that woman take him!”

“I didn’t ‘let’ her… there was no way I could have known… she was a registered nanny, she worked for an agency… had references…”

“You let some crazy woman into your home and walk away with my grandson…”

“It wasn’t my fault…” Putting his drink on the floor Craig rose to his feet to look his mother squarely in the eye. “You cannot blame me for this… I did everything I could to take care of Joshua… me and John Paul did and we will again when he comes home…”

“You lost my grandson!” Without warning the palm of Frankie’s hand collided with Craig’s cheek, the sound of the slap reverberating through the room. Frankie shook with rage, her whole body trembling both at the loss of her grandson and the fact that she had just struck her son.

“It’s not my fault,” Craig said quietly, tears spilling from his eyes as he raised his hand to his stinging cheek. “Mum please… it’s not my fault…”

“Where is he Craig?” Frankie asked in a broken voice, suddenly grabbing her son so tightly that he could barely breathe. “Oh god Craig where is he?”


---


“I’m so sorry John Paul,” Simon said kindly when the blonde had finally finished talking. “I didn’t even know you were taking care of a baby and now for this to happen… I can’t imagine what you must be going through… if there’s anything I can do to help…”

“I don’t think anyone can help right now… it’s just a case of waiting… praying… hoping…” John Paul sighed, his heart as heavy as his downcast eyes. “If the police don’t find him… if they can’t track her down…”

“It’s best not to think like that,” Simon advised.

“I can’t help it… It’s killing me seeing Craig falling apart like this… blaming himself…”

“It’s hardly his fault…”

“I keep telling him that… but Craig was the one who picked the agency that woman worked for so now he blames himself…”

“There was no way he could have known… hell if the agency didn’t know…”

“Exactly… thanks Simon.”

“Anytime.” Simon smiled before looking at his watch, his expression changing to a nervous grimace. “Sorry John Paul it’s time I was…”

“Yeah, yeah course… you get off… and good luck…”

“I’ll need it…”

“You’ll be fine…”

“And so will that baby…” Squeezing his ex’s hand Simon got to his feet, the hard canteen chair scraping noisily against the cold tiled floor as it was pushed back.

“I hope you’re right,” John Paul said with another sigh.

“Lamia obviously has a few screws loose, but she cares for the baby… I’m sure she’ll look after him… if you need someone to talk to you know where I am.”

“Thanks Simon… good luck with the interview…”

John Paul felt slightly unburdened as Simon left the canteen, it had felt good to talk to someone removed from the situation and get an objective opinion. Just to be talking to someone who wasn’t wracked with grief and sharing the pain of loss.

Mulling over Simon’s words John Paul allowed himself a little hope, Simon was right, whatever she might be Lamia did care for Joshua, at least he would be being well looked after.

“Hang on… Simon…” John Paul said, his head snapping to the direction in which his ex had just departed, sure that he had never mentioned Lamia’s name.


---


“Joshua be quiet!” Lamia said in a stern voice leaning over the baby’s small cot, a scowl on her face as she looked at the child. Joshua had been fussing for days, almost from the moment she brought him home, and he had barely stopped crying for the past three hours. “You know all this noise makes mummy cross… you don’t want to be such a bad boy do you Joshua? You don’t want me to have to punish you…”

Reaching out his small chubby arms Joshua took a deep breath before letting out a piercing wail that seemed to rip through Lamia’s ears making her grind her teeth in frustration.

“Joshua that is enough!” Lamia said angrily, reaching into the cot and covering the baby’s nose and mouth with one hand, silencing the child instantly as he struggled against the weight of her hand, fighting for breath.

The nanny held her hand firmly in place for a few seconds until Joshua’s struggles eased, lifting her fingers to finally allow the child to breathe.

“You know I don’t like doing that,” Lamia said, her voice suddenly soft and caring, “But you have to be a good boy… Mummies only love good quiet children…”

Scooping the baby into her arms Lamia smiled as his large brown eyes blinked at her, two deep chocolate pools with long soft lashes, just like his uncle. Lamia shook her head at the memory of her one time employer, dislodging the images of the distress in his eyes at the loss of his nephew. He didn’t deserve to have the baby; Lamia knew that, Steve had told her all about that Craig Dean and his immoral lover. Joshua was better where he was, with his new mummy, where he could be safe and loved. Not with those two men, Lamia had to protect Joshua from them; Steve had told her all about them and that was when she had known she had to save the baby.

---

The sun had been high in the sky that afternoon as Lamia had placed Joshua in his pushchair and headed out towards the local park. Despite being too young to run and play with the other children Lamia still knew that the baby enjoyed his outings with his nanny, watching the older children play and laugh as they sat together under the gently warming rays of the sun. A sense of peace had fallen over Lamia that afternoon, the likes of which she hadn’t known in a long time and she smiled as she rocked the pushchair gently, listening to Joshua coo and gurgle happily and the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees behind them cast a dappled effect over his smiling face.

“Cute baby.”

The man had seemed to appear from nowhere, almost as if he had been standing and waiting for Lamia, and he took a seat beside her on the bench with a warm friendly smile.

“Thank you,” Lamia replied proudly.

“Yours?”

Lamia’s smile faltered for a moment as a hint of sadness and regret passed over her face. “No,” she said with a melancholy smile. “No I’m just his nanny…”

“Oh, no just about it,” the man replied with a wide friendly grin that made Lamia smile back. “It’s obvious he adores you, I’m surprised his mother’s not jealous.”

“The poor little mite,” Lamia said as she reached over and stroked Joshua’s hair affectionately. “His mother died when he was only a few hours old…”

“So just you and his father then?”

“No his uncle actually…”

“And just the two of you?”

“His uncle and…”

“And?”

Lamia frowned for a moment, unsure why she was suddenly telling the stranger so much, but there was something about him, something in his eyes, deep and penetrating, that made her feel comfortable with him.

“His uncle and his uncle’s partner… another man!”

“Oh!” the stranger said with a knowing nod and a strange look of sympathy on his face.

“Do you think that’s wrong?” Lamia asked, biting her lip uncertainly. She hadn’t known what to expect when she first took the job with the two men, they seemed nice enough but she couldn’t help overhearing Frankie Dean’s objections and it did make her wonder.

“Well,” the man said, looking around before lowering his voice in a conspiratorial tone. “I know it’s very un-pc of me… but well… it’s not right is it? I mean it’s just not how it’s meant to be… what’s that poor kid gonna grow up thinking is normal? Is it… the baby… is it a boy?”

“Well yeah… yeah Joshua…”

“Nice name… poor Joshua… growing up seeing two men behaving like that… he doesn’t stand a chance really does he?” The man smiled sadly and reached out to squeeze Lamia’s hand. “It’s a pity you’re not his mother… a real pity… Joshua would be much better off with you…”

“You think?”

“Without question.”

They both looked at the child in silence for a few moments before the man stood up. “Anyway it was lovely to meet you… I’m S…Steve by the way…”

“Lamia.”

“Lovely to meet you Lamia… maybe I’ll see you here again… I come for a walk in this park most days…”

“I’d like that,” Lamia replied with a bright smile.

Lamia had watched as the man walked away, his words tumbling through her mind as she reached out to hold Joshua’s hand gently, worry etched across her face.

Simon grinned to himself as he left the park. It was going to be far easier than he had even dared hope. That woman was so obviously desperate for affection, and that look in her eyes when she admitted the baby wasn’t hers, the longing screamed out from her very soul.

“Oh dear sweet Lamia,” Simon laughed to himself, “Those nasty men shouldn’t be left in charge of a baby… we’re going to have to do something about that aren’t we? I’m sure together we’ll think of something to save poor little Joshua…”

Lamia had accidentally bumped into ‘Steve’ twice more before their meetings became planned, and each time he convinced her that little bit more that Joshua wasn’t safe where he was, and that she was the mother the baby truly deserved.

Cruellest of all Simon had sealed their plans with a gentle kiss, filled with promise and fake desire, convincing the woman that she not only had the right to claim the boy as her own but that the man she knew as Steve was falling in love with her, just as she had began to fall for him. Finally Lamia was going to get her family, the one she had longed for all her life.


---


“Answer your bloody phone damn you!” John Paul snarled into his mobile. If was the fifth time he had tried to contact Simon but each time, after only a few rings, his call had been diverted to voicemail. “Simon call me… as soon as you can… please… it’s important.” John Paul couldn’t shake the feeling that his ex was avoiding him, deliberately ignoring his calls, despite the logic that the man could still be in his interview or simply have forgotten to turn his phone back on after. But whatever the reason John Paul needed to talk to him. He needed answers.

Having gone through their conversation countless times in his head John Paul still had the worrying certainty that he had never once used Lamia’s name but rather had referred to the woman as ‘the nanny’. Of course he accepted the possibility that he was wrong, that stress and worry was clouding his judgement, but the idea that somehow Simon had been involved in Joshua’s abduction would not leave him and he couldn’t settle until he knew the truth.

Turning his mobile over in his hands John Paul once again considered a call to the police, but what evidence did he have? He didn’t want to risk having an innocent man accused of child abduction, and more importantly he didn’t want to see Craig’s hopes raised only for them to be cruelly dashed once more, he was suffering enough. He would wait until he had spoken to Simon, confronted him directly, then he would know for sure one way or the other.

Getting out of the car John Paul walked slowly to his front door. Arriving home from work used to be a moment of great joy, but lately there was no joy to be found, how could there be any peace or happiness in a household that was missing a child?

Dropping his keys into the bowl on the hall table John Paul pushed open the door to the living room, three faces turning to greet him as he stepped inside.

John Paul smiled at his fiancé; the man’s eyes were still filled with a sadly haunted look that John Paul knew would be there for as long as Joshua was missing. Kai was lying curled up on Craig’s lap, the man’s hand gently resting on his back, seeking comfort from his warm presence. The cat’s bright eyes looked at John Paul with disinterest for a moment before slowly drifting closed again.

Frankie looked at John Paul coldly, their relationship had thawed somewhat over the past months, and she had not even voiced any grave objections at their plans to marry, but all that had changed the moment Joshua was taken. The walls of ice had returned, higher than ever as Frankie sought someone to blame and as usual John Paul was there to bear the brunt of it.

“How you feeling?” John Paul asked softly as he sat beside his lover, his hand covering Craig’s and holding it tightly.

Craig just sighed and leaned his head to rest against John Paul’s shoulder, what use were words when nothing had changed?

“Craig… what’s that?” John Paul asked in concern as he noticed a red patch on Craig’s face, it looked almost as if he had been struck, and John Paul touched the mark tenderly.

Craig’s face turned towards his mother for a moment, the woman’s cheek flushing lightly before Craig looked back at John Paul. “It’s nothing,” he said with a small smile, “Don’t worry about it.”

Taking a deep breath John Paul summoned up all of his strength to remain calm. There was no doubting who had struck the man he loved and every inch of John Paul wanted to wring the woman’s neck until she apologised, but at the same time the look in Craig’s eyes told him to let it go. There had been enough heartache in the family and no one needed more.

Slipping an arm around Craig’s shoulders John Paul pulled the man close, both of them relishing he feeling of security that they could only ever find in each other, but John Paul could not help but cast an angry look towards Frankie and he gained some small satisfaction when the woman looked away with embarrassment.

“Why is there no news yet John Paul?” Craig asked sadly, his face half buried in the warm familiar scent of his boyfriend’s chest. “It’s been so long… how can nobody know where he is? I can’t stand this waiting… every knock at the door… every time the phone rings… someone must know something!”

“I know,” John Paul whispered soothingly, hoping with every fibre of his being that he wasn’t the someone who knew something and yet dreading the fact that he might well be that very person. “There will be…”

“But when?” Craig asked with frustration, pushing Kai to the floor as he got to his feet and began to pace the room, his hands clawing viscously at his own scalp angrily. “How long are we suppose to wait? Why aren’t they out there finding him.”

“Craig they are…” John Paul insisted, rising to his feet and pulling his lover close against him, wrapping his arms tightly around the trembling man. “They are… and they will find him…”

“And what if they don’t?” Craig said, his voice dropping to barely a whisper as he voiced the fears of his heart. “What if they never find him? It happens John Paul… we might not want to face it, but it happens… what if we never see Joshua again?”

Shrugging off John Paul’s arms Craig walked over to the antique mahogany sideboard, his fingers running over the highly polished surface until they came to rest on a pile of estate agent’s property details, the collection of Henley houses taunting the man with promises that he could feel slipping away. Was it really only a few weeks ago that the men had begun to discuss the idea of moving, relocating to a bigger house, somewhere that Joshua could grow up safe and happy? It felt like it was a different life belonging to different people.

“We will,” John Paul said calmly, his hand gripping tightly onto Craig’s. “We’ll see him soon and then we’ll go and see those houses… and… and everything will be how it should be…”

“But you can’t know that…” Craig laughed sadly. “No one knows where our boy is…”

John Paul swallowed hard. What if someone did know? What if he could end Craig’s heartache then and there?

“Craig… I….”

John Paul’s words stopped abruptly at the sound of a knock at the door, the two men staring at each other for an instant, a vague glimmer of hope flashing through the molten chocolate of Craig’s eyes.

“I’ll get it,” Craig said, his feet already having carried him half way to the door before anyone could reply.

With trembling hands Craig turned the latch of the front door, his heart pounding heavily with a desperate need for hope, that hope being instantly taken from him the second the door swung open.

“Wow Craig… you look dreadful!”

The woman smiled as she stepped into the house without being asked, her shining ebony hair had been cut into a neat bob that framed her features perfectly, her dark eyes sparkled brightly and a genuine smile danced over her soft pink lips. She was as beautiful as the day Craig met her, the day he married her, and yet her presence in his home was the last thing Craig wanted at that moment.

“Salome what are you doing here?” Craig asked as his ex wife ran her fingers through her hair, pausing for a moment as if startled by it’s shorter length, it was obviously a recent cut.

“Craig,” Salome cooed gently, “Anyone would think you’re not happy to see me…”

“Should I be?”

“Ah so cruel…”

“Sal really… this isn’t a good time…”

“In here are we?” Salome asked as she pushed open the door to the living room and stepped inside. Both Frankie and John Paul looked at the woman in surprise as she entered, neither having been able to anticipate she would be the visitor at the door.

“Everyone’s so serious,” Salome said with a bright smile. “Jeeze who died?”

“My sister,” Craig breathed coolly behind his ex wife, causing the woman to turn and face him, her face suddenly pale with shock and embarrassment.

“Tell me you’re kidding…”

“Do I look like someone who’s kidding?”

“Shit Craig… I’m sorry… honestly I had no idea… if I did I would never have…”

Salome turned around in the centre of the room, painfully aware of everybody’s eyes focussed on her.

“Oh Frankie,” Salome said, crouching down beside the woman’s chair. Despite her marred relationship with Craig Salome had always liked her mother in law and she was sorry to see the loss now obvious in the older woman’s eyes. “I am so sorry… I… I don’t know what to say… If anything happened to my…” Salome’s hand went instinctively to a locket around her throat and the image of her son that she kept inside. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through…”

“I’ll put the kettle on,” John Paul sighed; he had a feeling the woman wasn’t going to be leaving any time soon.


---

Salome sipped at her tea; her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she heard of the misfortunes that had befallen the Dean family. She may have grown to dislike, even despise, her ex husband but she was not a completely heartless woman and she still felt for their grief, the loss of Debbie was bad enough but then for her child to be taken in such a way, it was incomprehensible.

“I just wish somebody knew something, anything… no matter how small it might be, sometimes that’s all it takes isn’t it?” Frankie said with a desolate sigh.

John Paul shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, once again torn between the desire to say something and yet not wanting to raise false hopes.

Salome looked at the blonde man for a moment. She didn’t like him, there was no way she ever could, in truth she saw John Paul as one of the reasons her marriage failed, it was doomed from the start if her husband was in love with another man, with that man. John Paul seemed unable to meet her eye and Salome got the feeling he was hiding something but she wasn’t sure what. Maybe it was none of her business; she had her own life now and didn’t belong in Craig’s any more.

“Look I should go… I really am sorry for intruding like this… if I’d known…” Salome got to her feet with an apologetic smile.

“Why did you come here?” Craig asked, realising that she had never explained her sudden appearance at the door.

“It doesn’t matter… it was silly… thoughtless… just forget it.”

“No really Sal… I’d like to know… after all this time why just turn up?”

Salome’s cheeks flushed pinkly. Something that had amused her now seemed cruel and heartless.

“I… I was in the area,” she said with a shrug, “Fitting for my wedding dress…”

“And you thought you fancied a quick chat? Bit unlikely isn’t it...?” Craig pushed.

“I…” Salome shook her head and took a deep breath. “I got the decree absolute through the other day and I thought… well I thought since I was nearby…” Reaching into her handbag Salome pulled out a card and handed it to her ex husband. “I just thought it was funny… I’m sorry… if I’d known…”

Opening the card Craig let out a laugh. “Congratulations on your Divorce,” he read, the front of the card depicting a wedding cake smashed into pieces, with the small plastic groom lying on his side, decapitated.

“Like I said… I’m sorry…” Salome repeated, slowly retreating to the door.

“No you were right,” Craig replied, holding up the card. “It’s funny… a joke… just like our marriage… maybe we’ll both get it right next time eh?”

“Both?”

“Yeah… me and John Paul we’re gonna…” Turning to face his lover Craig realised that the plans for their wedding hadn’t so much as crossed his mind since Joshua’s abduction but now, thinking of it, he couldn’t help but allow himself a small smile, whatever else happened he still had the man he loved at his side. “We gonna make it official…”

“That’s…” Salome looked back and forth between the two men, her lips pursed in repulsion, “Yeah… well… I should go…”

“I’ll see you out,” John Paul said stepping forward, eager to see the woman out of his home. There was something about her so distasteful but also something in her eyes that seemed to suggest she could see something the grief-coated eyes of Craig and Frankie could not.

Opening the front door wide John Paul stepped back.

“Goodbye Salome,” he said coldly.

“You know something don’t you?” Salome said as she passed him by. “About the baby…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” John Paul snorted, his eyes darting away from the woman’s penetrating stare.

“You do… and you haven’t told them…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Course you don’t… but remember John Paul… he won’t forgive you if he finds out… whatever you’re hiding I hope it’s worth it.”

John Paul closed the door on the woman’s words but he could still hear them ringing inside his head.

“Oh god,” he said under his breath. “God please let me be wrong.”