She could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Her breathing was short. She could feel herself sliding down the wall as her legs gave up. She looked down in pain and saw the blood spilling from her chest and onto a puddle on the floor. She grabbed the left side of her chest please not the heart she thought.

"I missed your vital organs so you're going to be fine...for now. I shot you because I knew you were going to call the police and I just couldn't let you do that...not until I told you everything," Damion's voice sounded above her.

She looked up and made an attempt to speak - "Don't speak, it will just make it hurt more," he interrupted.

"Ok," he started. "Michael's not dead. I had some people kidnap him and keep him hostage but I ran out of money to pay them and they let him go. I thought ahead and put a tracking device under his skin when he was unconscious in case he ever got loose. He's on a plane on his way here. Son of a bitch really doesn't know when to stop huh?"

Tears rolled down Jolie's eyes in pain, relief, and anger...then she uttered an almost intelligible whisper. "W-why?"

"I did all of this because I love you Jolie." He put his gun on the kitchen counter and knelt down to be face level with her. "Don't you understand? I love you. I love you more than anybody on this earth. Michael ruined this for us! This," he said motioning to the house, "was supposed to be ours but Michael took that from us. He stole you from me and I needed to take you back. I made a mistake, yes, but I needed a second chance. Yes, it's true I escaped from prison but I did that for you. I came to your doorstep and you welcomed me in with open arms because you still love me. Yesterday when we went out, I was planning on putting something in your drink but I detested the idea because I wanted the first time we made love to be real for both of us, not just me and it was...but then you started thinking about Michael and our love was gone in a snap! You threw me out like...like I was trash.

"I knew I wouldn't have been able to keep up this charade because they would start to look for me sooner or later and they chose sooner of course. This isn't the way I wanted us to die but dying with you is what I always wanted...old or not."

Her eyes shot open. "D-die? What about my kids? You're going to take a mother from her own children?"

Damion smiled and grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Oh Jolie, Michael is on his way and he will take care of your children. Knowing him and his ability to steal women, he will remarry in no time."

He stood up and picked up his gun from the kitchen counter and reached over to the telephone and dialed 911.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"Yes, this is Damion Vascari, the escaped prisoner. I am at 634 Rodenwood Blvd. I am going to shoot myself and the love of my life. -"

"Help! Please Help me!" Jolie screamed.

"Who was that woman screaming?"

Damion hung up the phone. "Now why would you do that? Now they're going to think I murdered you or something."

Jolie hunched over and began to weep. She would never see Michael or her kids ever again and it's all because she a lunatic fell in love with her.

"Well, you have to go first so then I can shoot myself last," he said. He bent down and sat on the floor next to her hunched figure. By now she was too weak from blood loss and couldn't try to fight him even if she tried.

She felt the cold barrel of the gun against the side of her head. "On three...1...2..."

She closed her eyes and waited for him to say three...

"Three!"

*   *  *

The sound from the gun jolted her from her slumber making her sit up and scream bloody murder.

"Jolie! What's wrong?" Michael said as he got up and turned to her. "Is it the baby?"

Her breathing was heavy and she was drenched in sweat. "I-I'm alive?" she asked him.

"Yes, baby you are. What happened?"

She looked down and her protruding eight month baby bump was still there. "I'm still pregnant? You're alive?"

Michael was confused. "Yeah babe...you haven't given birth yet remember? I just came home and we threw a party earlier...it was a bad dream ok? Just a bad dream..." He wrapped his arms around her and laid her head on his chest and rocked her back and forth.

"Michael..."

"Yeah babe?"

"Please quit the military. I know you love helping people but I need you here with me. I'm sure the hospital will give you your job back...just please quit the military..."

"Okay sweetie, I'll do that," he replied.

"Thank you..." she looked up and kissed him on the lips.

Michael half smiled but still looked concerned for his wife. "Are you okay now?"

"No," she said, "my water just broke."

* * *

Michael grabbed their to-go bag for the hospital and quickly got the twins into the truck and helped Jolie get into the car.

When they got to the hospital the nurses immediately got her into a room. A nurse agreed to stay with the twins while Michael went into the labor room with Jolie. The contractions were hitting her with extreme waves of pain. She grabbed Michael's hand with every wave.

"Aaahhh! Michael I can't do it. It hurts so much. I don't remember it hurting this much."

Michael tilted her chin so she looked at him in the eyes. "Look at me Jolie, you can do this sweetie. I'm here with you."

"Mrs. Jackson you can push now," said the doctor.

Jolie let out a push and squeezed Michael's hand.

"Woah! Woah, stop pushing! The umbilical cord is around the baby's neck we're gonna have to do an emergency C-section. Mr. Jackson please wait in the waiting room while we get her prepped."

Michael's eyes widened "But I have to be with her!"

"Mr. Jackson if we don't get her to the OR right now, that baby could die and you cannot be in there with her."

"But -"

"Michael," Jolie whispered, "it's okay, go. I love you."

His eyes watered and told her he loved her back.

***

After about three hours in the OR Michael began to get worried. Nobody had come to give him and update on his wife and child's well-being. About 30 minutes later Michael saw the doctor that took his wife to the OR.

"Dr. Sanders, how's my wife?"

"Mr. Jackson," she started, "your wife was hemorrhaging uncontrollably on the table and...we couldn't save her. I'm so sorry..."

Michael couldn't believe his ears. It hit him like shock. He didn't know what to feel. Angry? Sad? Depressed? All of the above? The love of his life is no longer with him... He finally collapsed onto his knees and hunched over sobbing. Dr. Sanders knelt down with him and let him cry on his shoulder.

"Please tell me this is some sick joke..." he muttered.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Jackson..."

Michael braced himself, "My son? Did he make it?"

Dr. Sanders half smiled. "Yes, he is in the neonatal if you want to go see him. I can take you there."

When they arrived in the neonatal Dr. Sanders got the nurse to bring his baby to him.

He cradled his son in his arms and smiled. "Hey little buddy, I'm your dad."

"Do you know what you want to name him?"

"We agreed that we'd name our first son after me, Michael Joe."

"Alright, that sounds like a great name, I'll go get his birth certificate ready."

================3 years later================

Michael was trying to sleep one night. He hadn't been able to sleep that well since her death. He sold the Sycamore Valley Ranch land and got a great deal of money from it. He realized it was too big for them to live there anyway...especially with one of them gone. He ended up moving to another house closer to the school for the children and it was a bigger house with 4 bedrooms for everyone to have their own room also because the old one just reminded him too much of Jolie and it hurt him inside.

"Three years..." he said to himself while facing the empty side of the bed. "It seems like it was only yesterday we were having the twins. Can't believe their seven now and Michael's three. They look so much like you. God, I miss you...your side of the bed is so cold...I miss reaching over to you and holding you. I miss your voice too, the way you said my name and how it made me melt on the inside. I miss you kissing me in the morning when I didn't want to get up."

"I miss you too..." he looked up and there standing was Jolie!

"Jolie? Am I dreaming?"

"Michael, listen to me very closely because this is the only time I can make myself visible to you. Move on.-"

"But-"

"But nothing. Michael, those children need a mother and you need to be happy. I have watched you for the past three years become this secluded sad man and I can't bear it anymore. Move on and be happy...now scoot over," she said with a smile. She crawled into bed with him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you more."