Love Conquers All
by Dani
CHAPTER FIFTY ONE
"I didn't see anything, Ricardo. All I saw was
my baby's empty crib." Meg began crying harder.
"It's alright, Meg. We're going to find him. I
promise you, sweetheart. I'm not letting him go," Ben
assured her.
"Meg, we're going to do everything we can to find
him. I've got a team on it as we speak. I just have
to finish asking these questions," Ricardo said as he
flipped a page in his notebook. "Do you have any idea
who could have done this? Is there anyone who has
something against either of you?"
"Ricardo, I think it was my brother, Derek," Ben
suggested, not wanting to admit that his own family -
by blood only - would be willing to hurt him like
that.
"You think he took the baby?" Ricardo asked.
"Yes, I do. He's the only person that has
something against me that would do anything as drastic
as taking a baby."
"Alright. We'll consider him our number one
suspect untill we come up wth something else," Ricardo
said and closed his notebook. "I'll leave a few of
the guys here with you in case something happens."
"No, I don't think that will be such a good idea,
Ricardo. If Derek's realizes that there's any threat
to him, he'll never return the baby." He heard Meg
sniff a little louder at the sound of those words. "I
didn't mean that, I just meant that it could be more
difficult to get in touch with him if there are police
officers here at the house. Ricardo, you know how
Derek has been the last two times. Police involvement
just complicates things."
"Ben, I understand what you're saying but I think
that we need someone here to - "
"Ricardo, I'm trying to tell you that Derek is
not an ordinary criminal and he's not going to play by
the rules. I - "
"Ben, if we don't have someone here, we could
miss something about your son. If someone's not here,
you may never see him again - "
Meg stood quickly. "Stop it! Stop it, both of
you! I don't care what you do or what you think about
this. I want SOMEONE to do SOMETHING to find my
baby!" she yelled through tears. "You shouldn't be
wasting time arguing over who's going to stay where.
You should be out there finding my son. I want him
back... Here... In my arms..." she said and sat
wearily back into her chair.
Ben walked over to her and rubbed her shoulders.
"Meg, I want our son back, too," he whispered. "We're
going to find him, Meg. If it's the last thing I do,
I'm going to find our son." His voice cracked. "I've
got to find him."
"Maybe you're right, Ben. I've got a tap on your
phones, so I won't leave any officers here. But I
want you to call me before you do anything stupid,"
Ricardo added quickly.
"Right, Ricardo," Ben said, still trying to
comfort Meg.
Soon Ben and Meg were alone in the empty house.
Meg remained in the nursery while Ben ventured
downstairs for coffee. She cuddled the baby's
blanket, still fresh with his scent.
When Ben returned to the nursery, he found Meg by
the crib. He walked over and placed his arm around
her, hugging her tightly. "Meg, let's go to our room.
You need some rest."
"No, Ben, I don't need rest. I need my baby."
"We'll find him, Meg. I told you that. I
promise you that we'll find him."
"Ben, it's my fault. It's my fault that Jacob's
gone," she cried.
Ben turned Meg around and lifted her chin so that
their eyes met. "Meg, this is NOT your fault. Jacob
is not gone because of you."
"Yes he is, Ben. When I tucked him in, something
just didn't feel right. I didn't want to leave him,
but I did. I left him, Ben, and now he's gone..."
The tears began to flow freely again.
Ben took her close to him. "Meg, Meg," he
repeated as he stroked her hair gently. "I love you,
honey. It's not your fault. It's going to be
alright. We'll find him, okay? I promise." He
lifted her chin again and their eyes met. "Have I
ever broken a promise to you?"
She shook her head.
"And I'm not going to start now. We'll find him,
Meg. We will..."
RING!! RING!!
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
RING!! RING!!
Ben rushed to the telephone when he heard the
first ring. Meg rushed to his side as he picked up
the reciever.
"Hello?"
"Hello, brother dear. Nice to talk to you
again," Derek's voice answered.
"Derek, what have you done with my son?!" Ben
demanded.
"Well, Benjamin, that's only for me to know right
now."
"Derek, whatever it is you want, I'll give it to
you. No amount of money is too much. All I'm asking
is that you return my son and leave my family alone."
"It's not that easy, Ben. I don't only want your
money; I want it all. It's my turn to have the
perfect life and your turn to sweat it out a little,"
Derek responded.
"I can't believe you... No, wait just a minute.
I CAN believe you. It's just enough for me to believe
what a bloody idiot you are!"
"Ben, Ben. You don't want to upset me now, do
you?" Derek replied calmly.
"Derek, just tell me what it's going to take to
get my son back," Ben said angrily.
"Well, I want your life, Ben, but I'm going to
have to settle for money. I'm sure you've already
involved the police, and I don't really feel like
taking care of them. This brat of yours is pretty
annoying."
Ben could hear the faint cry of his son in the
background. "Derek, what are you doing to him?! If
you so much as ruffle his hair, I'll kill you!"
"Calm down, Benny Boy. Just listen to me. I
want a quarter of a million dollars from you.
Tomorrow night. And, until then, I'll be keeping an
eye on you so don't try anything stupid. No cops.
Just you. I'll call tomorrw with the details.
Goodbye."
"Derek?! Derek?!" Ben yelled into the phone to
no avail. He had already hung up.
Meg was crying again. "Ben, what did he say?
What does he want?" she asked.
"Well, he WANTS everything, but he's settling for
a quarter of a million."
"Ben, how are you supposed to come up with that
kind of money?"
"I don't know, Meg. I'll think of something."
"Ben, is the baby alright?" she asked, almost
afraid to hear the answer.
"I heard him... Crying..." Ben was almost in
tears himself. "He should be fine, Meg. Derek is
nearly heartless, but I think he has enough of a heart
not to hurt Jacob."
"Oh, God, Ben. I'm scared," Meg cried.
Ben took her into his arms and held her tightly.
"So am I, Meg. So am I..."
CHAPTER FIFTY THREE
"I can't stand this waiting," Meg whispered as
she sat beside the telephone, waiting very impatiently
for it to ring.
"I know, Meg. It's hard, but we can do this.
Jacob's going to be fine and so are we. Everything's
going to be alright. I promise..." Ben tried to
reassure her.
"Ben, I know that you mean well when you say
those things, but how can you make a promise like
that? God knows what Derek has in mind for our son
and us." Meg began crying, yet again.
"Hey..." Ben took her in his arms and held her.
"Meg, I just know that Derek couldn't hurt a child.
Even that demented brother of mine has enough of a
heart to care for a child - at least enough not to
hurt him... Jacob's going to be fine. Don't worry,"
he whispered. Ben knew he shouldn't have given that
advice considering he was worried out of his mind.
"I've got the money and Derek should be calling at any
time. It's going to be fine."
RING!! RING!!
"See, what did I tell you? That's got to be
Derek... Hello?"
"Hello, brother dear. It's me again..."
"Derek... Is Jacob alright? Are you taking care
of him?"
"Don't you worry about that little brat. He's
fine."
"He is NOT a brat, and he'd BETTER be fine..."
Alright, I've got the money. Now what?"
"You've got the money? Good, good."
"Okay, Derek. Tell me where to go, what to do."
"Bring the money to 1573 Dock Street. Bring your
little wife, too - but no cops."
Ben wrote down the address on a sheet of paper.
"Derek, why do we have to bring Meg into this? She
hasn't done a thing to you."
"Oh, Benjamin, if you only knew... I want BOTH
of you there, with the money, at midnight tonight. No
cops. That's very important, Ben. If I see one
uniform there, I'll shoot first and ask questions
later. Come to think of it, I probably won't even ask
questions," he laughed.
"Yeah, Derek, I understand. We'll be there and
Jacob had better be there, too, ready to come home."
"He'll be there. Let me worry about that little
detail, Ben. I'll see you at midnight."
CLICK!
"Ben, what did he say? Is Jacob alright?" Meg
asked urgently.
"Derek said that he's fine. I'm sure he's
alright, Meg," Ben assured her.
"Thank God... What are we supposed to do now?"
she asked.
"Well, he wants both of us to meet him at
midnight here." He showed her the address.
"Is he bringing Jacob?"
"He said that he'll be there. I swear, if our
little boy isn't there, I'll kill that - "
"Ben, calm down," Meg interrupted. "I need you
to stay in control. I can't, so you can't go crazy on
me now."
"I'm sorry, darling. I'm just upset."
"I know. It's alright. We're both upset - and
worried."
"We'll take care of it tonight, though. At
midnight..."
CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR
"This is it. 1573 Dock Street," Ben commented as
they looked at the abandoned warehouse.
"He has my baby in this filthy building?" Meg
uttered under her breath. "What an idiot."
They walked up to the door, hand in hand, and Ben
tried to open it. He pushed for a few minutes and it
finally opened. Ben led Meg inside where they saw
nothing but old boxes and lots of dirt.
"This place is horrible. I can't believe he'd
bring a baby to this place."
"Believe it, Meg," Derek said as he walked from
behind the boxes holding a bundle.
"Oh my God. Give me that baby, Derek," Ben
demanded.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Benjamin. Let's not rush
things. We've got some business to take care of
before I return this." He held up the baby.
"Alright, let's just get it over with so we can
take our child home. Here's the money." Ben held up
a briefcase. "A quarter of a million dollars, Derek.
Now give me the baby."
"Not so fast, Ben. You're certainly in a rush,
aren't you? Now, we need to talk about a few things."
Jacob began crying loudly. Derek tried to quiet him,
but was unsuccessful. "I think this is all this brat
knows how to do. Come here, Meg. Shut him up," he
said angrily.
Meg rushed over and took the baby from Derek.
Jacob immediately stopped crying upon seeing his
mother's face. "There, there, Jacob. Mommy's here,
sweetie," she said as tears filled her eyes. Meg
began to walk back to Ben but was stopped by Derek.
"Wait just a minute. You're staying over here.
I don't want you trying to get away with this," he
said, referring to the baby.
"Derek, you've got your money and we've got our
son. Now leave us alone." Ben walked over and took
Meg's arm, beginning to lead her towards the exit.
"Hold it, Ben." Derek pulled out his gun and
pointed it towards the three of them. "Don't make me
do this," he added.
"Alright, Derek. Alright. What do you want
now?" Ben asked, frustrated. He stepped in front of
Meg and the baby.
"Well, you know that this money will take me a
long way, but, although I do have this, you still have
everything. You've got your home, your wife, and that
baby. It's just not fair, Ben, and I want more," he
smirked, still holding the gun.
"Derek, I don't know how you expect me to help
you with that. You're on your own."
"No, no, no. You CAN help me out with that.
You've got the perfect wife, right?"
"Of course, I do, but what has that got to do
with anything?"
"Well, Ben, you HAVE perfection and that's what I
WANT."
"I'm sorry, Derek, but you can't just take my
wife away from me."
"Maybe I can't willingly take your WIFE away from
you, but I can take your LIFE away..."
CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE
"And what is that supposed to mean, Derek?" Ben
asked after his demented brother's last comment.
"Exactly what I said. I may never be able to
have this delicious morsel..." He grazed his finger
under Meg's chin. "...but I can make sure that you
never have her again," he smirked.
"Derek, I will kill you before I EVER let you put
your hands on my wife again!" Ben yelled as Meg held
tighter onto Jacob.
"Oh, brother dear, I'd like to see you try," he
grinned. "Now, where should I begin..."
"You should begin with this - " Ben swiftly
grabbed Derek's arm and knocked the gun to the floor.
"Get out, Meg! Get help!" he yelled as he managed to
grab both Derek's wrists and throw him to the floor.
Meg rushed outside, pulled Ben's cell phone from
her purse, and dialed the police station.
"Oh, God, Ben. Please be careful," she pleaded
as she waited for an answer.
"SBPD," she heard through the receiver.
"Ricardo? This is Meg. We've found Jacob, but
Ben needs help. It's Derek..."
"Where are you, Meg?"
"Um, hold on. I've got the address." She
reached into her purse and finally found the slip of
paper. "1573 Dock Street. Ricardo, hurry. Ben's in
trouble," she urged.
"We'll be there ASAP. Keep tight, Meg, and watch
out for yourself."
CLICK!
Back inside, Ben and Derek were still struggling.
Control of the brawl went from brother to brother.
At the moment, Ben was in control.
"I'm not letting you ruin my life, Derek," he
screamed as he clutched Derek's throat.
"Ben, you always win. But not this time." Derek
pulled Ben's hand away from his throat.
Meg walked back inside the building to check up
on Ben. She couldn't very well help him with a baby
in her arms, but she had to know. She had to make
sure he was alright. She was surprised to see that
Derek was in control.
When Derek noticed her presence, he quickly
jumped up, grabbed her and Jacob and held them close.
Ben took that opportunity to seize control of the gun
and stood to face Derek and the two loves of his life.
"Well, well, well, Benny Boy. Looks like you
won't be taking me now. I think I've got the high
hand now," he smirked. "I mean, you wouldn't dare try
to shoot me while I'm holding the two most precious
things in your life, now would you?" he said
sarcastically.
"Derek, I already told you that I'm not letting
you win," Ben countered. "You're not going to hurt my
family."
"I don't know, Ben. I think - "
Derek was interrupted by the sound of sirens
growing closer and closer.
"I think it's time for this to end, Derek. Your
ride is here," Ben smiled, thankfully.
Derek released his grip on Meg and turned to the
door. He rushed outside as Meg rushed to Ben's
arms...
CHAPTER FIFTY SIX
Ben held tightly onto Meg as she cried into his
chest. "It's alright now, Meg. The police will take
care of him. Everything's fine," he said as he
stroked her hair.
The two were interrupted by Ricardo. Two other
officers led Derek in behind him.
"Alright, Derek. Get your hands off her!" he
yelled.
Ben looked at him in disbelief. "Ricardo, I'm
not Derek. That's Derek," he answered.
"HE just told me that YOU'RE Derek. Why
shouldn't I believe HIM?"
"Because HE is not ME, Ricardo. Put some
handcuffs on him or something before he gets away
again," Ben answered angrily.
"Ricardo, just handcuff him." Meg pointed at
Derek. "This is my husband. This is Ben. Don't you
think I'd know?" Meg questioned.
"I guess you're right, but he said - "
"Ricardo, I don't care what he said. This is my
Ben, and that is the demented maniac that stole our
son," Meg answered as she held tightly onto Jacob.
"Fine, fine. You two can take your son home, but
I need to speak to you about this mess later." He
turned to place the handcuffs on Derek.
"What do you think you're doing? I told you that
I'm not Derek! He is!" Derek screamed.
"Just shut up!" Ricardo countered. "You have the
right to remain silent..."
CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN
"Come on, Jacob. Come to Mommy," Meg urged as
she watched Ben helping him across the room. "You can
do it, sweetie. Come on."
"I can't believe we're teaching him to walk,
Meg," Ben commented as he and Jacob sat down on the
floor beside her. "He's growing up much too quickly,"
he continued as he released Jacob. Ben and Meg
watched as he struggled to stand on his own.
"I love you, Ben Evans," Meg whispered and kissed
Ben's cheek.
"I love you, too, Meg Evans," he replied and then
kissed her lips tenderly.
"Look at him, Ben. That's our son. Our little
boy. He's a year old now, and I still can't believe
that he's ours. It's unreal."
"I know." He paused for a moment, gazing at the
tiny likeness of him. "Thank you, Meg."
"For what? I didn't do anything," she answered,
confused.
"Oh, but you did, Meg. Do you remember when you
fled to Kansas and I followed you out there?"
"Are you joking, Ben? How could I forget?"
"Well, when I came, you didn't want a thing to do
with me. You could have pushed me away, Meg, never
telling me that you were pregnant. I may have never
met this little angel that I can now proudly call my
son."
"But I DID tell you about the baby, and you DID
meet this little angel..."
"And I thank you for THAT, Meg. For allowing me
to be a part of his life - and yours. And I thank you
for being a part of MY life. It's something that you
didn't have to do, but - "
"But I did, and here we are, watching our son
growing every day, and living our happy life as a
little family. And soon making the family even
bigger..." Meg smiled.
"Bigger?" Ben asked, wide eyed.
"Well, I guess we weren't exactly planning this
right now, but it seems that we're always coming up
with things that aren't planned..."
"Meg, are you telling me what I think you're
telling me?" Ben smiled.
"If you think I'm telling you that I'm pregnant,
then, yes. I am."
"Another baby? Oh, Meg, that's wonderful!" He
wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tenderly.
"I love you so much. I love you, Meg."
"I love you, too, Ben. More than you know..."
She sighed, relieved. "I'm glad you're happy about
this, Ben."
"Why wouldn't I be happy, Meg? Jacob's going to
have a little brother or sister. Hey, Jacob - " Ben
turned his head to look at Jacob and was surprised to
see him walking towards them.
"Ben, he's walking!" Meg exclaimed when she saw
the little boy stumbling towards them.
Jacob looked at his parents and began giggling.
He clumsily made his way into Ben's arms. Ben scooped
him up and kissed his cheek.
Meg clapped as she came over to him. "Good job,
sweetie!" she cried. "I'm so proud of you," she
continued and kissed his cheek.
"I'm proud of you, too, Jacob," Ben added. Ben
and Meg crowded around him, smothering him with hugs,
kisses, and congratulations. Soon Ben remembered what
he had been about to tell his son.
"Jacob," he said as he sat him on his knee.
"Mommy and Daddy have something to tell you," he
began. "You're going to be a big brother," he said
enthusistically.
Jacob looked up at him for a moment and must have
seen the happiness in his father's eyes. He must have
realized that there was something to be excited about,
because he was soon clapping his hands and laughing at
his parents.
"Oh, Ben, I'm so happy. I'm so glad I've got you
and our son and this new baby. I don't know what I
ever did to deserve you," Meg said sincerely.
"I don't know what I did to deserve YOU, Meg," he
replied, taking her in his arms while still holding
Jacob on his knee. "I've put you through so much and
you're still here. I'm surprised you haven't left."
"Well, I guess I must really love you, Ben
Evans." She kissed him softly.
"And I love you... I'm just sorry that I've put
you through so much. After the cave-in, and when you
left me, and Derek, I think any other couple would
have given up."
"But we're not just any other couple, Ben. This
is you and me, and we're meant to be together, even
after all that we've been through. I think it's only
made us stronger... I guess that love really does
conquer all..."
THE END
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