Hannah walked into St. Bernadette's with her head held high for the first time in ages. She was beyond exhausted from her visit with the last specialist and really he had nothing new to offer her. She had told Chris and his parents that wanted to take a break from all this doctor hopping for a while as it was wearing on her and wasn't showing any signs of improvement or finding a solution. She thanked her in laws for all of their help but they understood and agreed with her decision though it didn't make them feel any better. They had left the other two with heavy hearts; the truth was staring them all in the face; money couldn't buy health or a cure that hadn't been made.

Looking around the inside parameter of the building with its tall ceilings, stained glass windows, and the wooden paneling that included the heavy stairs; brought a lot of memories back to her childhood. The smell was still the same as well. Hannah closed her eyes and took a long deep breath just as someone asked her:

"Good afternoon, may I help you?"

Hannah's eyes popped open and she stood looking at a young lady with glasses who was staring at her and smiling. Hannah smiled back and nodded:

"I would very much like to see Sister Grace. Is she available?"

"Do you have an appointment?" The young woman continued to smile pleasantly.

"No, I don't but if she isn't too busy, can you just please tell her that Hannah Peters is here?" Hannah said hopefully as the smiling young woman nodded and disappeared around the corner. Hannah didn't even have time to sit down in the lobby and get herself settled before the young woman reappeared with a smile and beckoned her to follow.

As Hannah walked the long hallways and looked at all of the art and scripture on the walls, it brought more memories than Hannah knew what to do with. Most were happy ones and some were sad. But she wouldn't trade a moment of her time there as a child for anything. St. Bernadette's was her sanctuary, her home, her inner, and outer security blanket. It is why she had come there when she was losing all hope of the future to get some form of reassurance from the only place and the only woman who could give that to her.

That same woman was standing at her office window looking out into the garden where some of the girls living there now were playing and others sitting under a tree and doing their school work. She turned as Hannah entered and nodded at the young woman to close the door behind her as she left. Hannah's eyes shined just a little as her smile grew wide when she took in Sister Grace. The woman's kind blue eyes never changed, it never seemed that she aged at all.

Sister Grace was wearing a formal habit that one would see nuns wear and she felt most comfortable in it. Her hair was originally dark brown but now it was snow white though one couldn't see it anymore as it was hidden under her habit. Still she looked and even smelled the same to Hannah as the latter came over to hug her. Sister Grace was no fool. She knew this wasn't a social visit or Hannah would have called her first. So as soon as the greetings were over, Sister Grace asked Hannah to sit down and tell her what was going on.

To Sister Grace, Hannah was always a special blessing; the daughter she never had. So to have her come now and spill this horrid tale of illness and losing hope was heart wrenching. Hannah had to use tissues during her story as she recounted the dreadful Christmas Eve and her so-called friend's reactions, how the doctors didn't know anything and those that did, she couldn't go to because it required travel that she was just not in sufficient enough shape to make. The exhaustion was killing her, literally and she felt that her organs would shut down at any moment. She was just too young to die.

Sister Grace listened to all of this patiently though emotionally. As a servant of God there wasn't much she could do but pray. Their Christian faith taught them that they would be tested in their lives and this was Hannah's test. Sister Grace had all the faith in the world that Hannah would somehow beat this thing. As for her friends and their reactions:

"My darling child, when it comes to an illness very few professionals understand, regular people will not always be so understanding. As it is frequently the case, people who are happy and involved with themselves and their own lives, can't see past the end of their own noses at what is going on around them. A lot of times it sadly takes a tragedy within their own lives to make them wake up to what is going around them and with those they claim to love." Hannah nodded.

Though Sister Grace was very intertwined with their religion; that didn't stop her from being realistic and smart about life as a whole. She knew how fickle and cruel people could be towards others and she never minced words. Even though Hannah was going through this hard time, she was brought up tough and could face the challenges, all she had to do was believe in herself. The rest would come from within.

On the other side of town from St. Bernadette's, a formidable building stood in downtown Dallas. This was the home of the Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA field office of Texas. Most of this main office was empty except for a few agents still working on cases. At the end of the hallway, a sizable office with a big wooden open door presented a grand view of the city. Behind the desk, sat Special Agent Allen Roberts and he was going through a large file on a Mexican kingpin that was supplying the state and most importantly, the city of Dallas with large quantities of Methamphetamine or Crystal Meth as it was known. It of course had other names on the street like Ice and Crank.

The Dallas DEA had been trying to build a solid case against the drug lords in Dallas so that they could bring down the kingpin himself though he was proving to be an elusive enigma that was both nameless and faceless. Allen sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. He then swiveled in his chair and looked out the window. As he became lost in thought, he remembered the haunting image of the woman in the elevator at the doctor's office with her husband and whom he presumed to be her in-laws. He heard her husband call her Hannah so at least he knew her first name. Something about the light going out in her eyes reminded him of his own past.

Allen Christian Roberts was born in Oakland, California; considered to be the mecca for gangs, violence, and drugs. He was the oldest of three boys to Henrietta and Shakim Roberts. His father was gunned down when Allen was just a boy due to his involvement with gangs and drugs. Shakim was a Crip and they were at constant war with the Bloods amongst other gangs. Allen and his younger brothers were privy to everything that was going on and once their father was murdered, their mother had had enough. Allen himself came very close to following in his father's footsteps but it was his mother's influence and the fact that he now had to be the man of the house that ultimately set him up for a future of success. His younger brothers were Richard and Henry. Henry being the youngest was very rebellious and it was hard to keep him in one place and on the right track.

Allen, now being the man of the house, picked up his grades in school so that by the time it was time to take his SAT's and apply to college, his GPA was near a 4.0. He passed the SAT's with flying colors and got into his first choice college on a full scholarship; Georgetown University in Washington DC. He decided to study criminal justice and when he graduated Magna Cum Laude 4 years later, he was quickly recruited by the DEA. It was his father's addiction to crystal meth that got him killed and Allen was on a mission to get that drug and others out of the country. He worked in DC for about 5 years before being transferred as a senior special agent to the Dallas office.

He liked it better than DC because it was closer to California where his mom and youngest brother still lived. They had moved away from Oakland to Modesto when Allen's middle brother Richard following in his role models' and older brother's footsteps of getting out of the so called 'ghetto' life, got his act together in high school and with a similar GPA and as class valedictorian, got into University of Chicago pre-med. Richard had always wanted to become a doctor and now he was on his way.

Sadly, Henry wouldn't be a success story like his older siblings. Two years after Richard left the house to move to Chicago and a year after Allen was transferred to Dallas, Henry was gunned down in a drive by shooting. Turned out that he had followed in his father's footsteps instead thinking it was an easier way out. Henry was dyslexic and school was really hard for him. When the going got tough, he just quit. So instead of celebrating Richard's graduation and acceptance into U of C's medical school, the brothers made a somber trip to Modesto to be by their mother's side as their brother was laid to rest. Henrietta had buried Shakim in Modesto as well because his grandparents were originally from there and it only made sense to keep the family together even in death.

When Allen had arrived at his mother's new residence and he first looked at her, though she was slightly thinner and cried a lot; the biggest difference was that that spark of life had gone out in her eye. Losing Henry was something she considered one of her greatest failures even though he made his own choices and she did have two very successful and happy sons. As she said many times over that day and since:

"No parent should ever bury their child."

And she was right. And with that Allen was brought back to the present and why he had thought of his past in the first place. The spark that had disappeared from his mother's eyes was the same spark that was missing from that woman Hannah he saw. He couldn't imagine what she could have lost but whatever it was was substantial enough to turn a lovely being into an entranced zombie. He shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and decided to head home as he had been up for nearly 36 hours straight and needed to get some sleep. Thankfully he was off the clock the next day and could get some shut eye so that when he came back to work the day after that, he could take a look at the case with fresh eyes.

Back at St. Bernadette's, Hannah was ready to leave. She had gotten her story out of her system and the needed support from Sister Grace. It was getting dark, the whole daylight savings thing was giving her a jet lag like feeling she didn't need on top of the exhaustion she already felt. She hugged the woman whom she considered her only real mother since the age of 5 and left with promises to call and/or come by soon. As she got into the car where Chris was patiently waiting, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The next few weeks passed without incident until one afternoon, Chris came home from work upset. He was dealing with a particularly difficult client overseas and didn't want to stay in the office anymore; he knew he could work from home just as well. Hannah was in bed reading a book on support systems when Chris entered the bedroom.

"You're still in bed?" He asked in a gruff tone as she looked up at him in surprise.

"Today isn't a good day, I'm beyond exhausted. I couldn't even make you dinner. I'm sorry honey." She said looking apologetic.

"You're beyond exhausted? From what? Doing nothing? All you do is lay in bed all day and read those stupid support group books. Like they are going to help us with anything."

"Actually, some of the advice that the others give aren't that worthless." Hannah replied ignoring the snide and mean remarks. She was starting to get used to them.

"Such as?" Chris asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Such as adoption. Since I can't have a baby the old fashioned way without possible irrevocable repercussions; why don't we adopt?" Hannah said brightly only to be shut down seconds later.

"Adopt? Adopt? Adoption is for people who can't have kids. We're perfectly normal. You can carry a child you just don't want to because some doctor put it into your ears that you will be worse off. We ARE NOT adopting! Do you hear me??" He was starting to yell as she looked at him in shock. She had never heard him so belligerent before, not even when he called her 'defective'.

"What the hell is wrong with you today? You come home and turn me into your personal punching bag! There is nothing wrong with adoption! I was adopted and it went wonderfully for me! We're helping children and perhaps with time we can have our own. Why are you being such an asshole?" By this time Hannah was on her feet and almost in Chris' face but he wasn't backing down.

"You weren't adopted, Hannah! You were orphaned and because your parents had brains, they provided for you otherwise you would've been on some doorstep of a church in a basket waiting for someone to take you in or on a missing milk carton somewhere! So don't give me that bull!"

Before Chris could say anything else, Hannah hauled off and slapped him in the face so hard that the sound reverberated throughout the house. Chris stood there stunned. She was seething and couldn't believe the horrible things he had just said to her. She grabbed her purse and jacket and ran out of the house without another word. She jumped into her car, still running high on the adrenaline that came from the fight. She had never hit anyone before in her life. But Chris had it coming.

She peeled out of the driveway, not knowing where she was going and just drove as far away from the house as she possibly could while Chris was still standing in the middle of their bedroom wondering what on earth just happened. He was pretty livid himself though he didn't know at whom or why. So he grabbed his own jacket, kicked a pair of shoes out of the way, and stormed out of the house himself.

Getting behind the wheel of his own car, he started it up and revved it extra hard because it always made him feel more like a man when his car growled. He took off and drove to his usual watering hole where he would drink his sorrows away. He sat on a bar stool and ordered a jack and coke on the rocks. He didn't notice when a striking blond sat next to him at the bar. He did do a double take though when he realized it was his next door neighbor Scarlett. She looked totally different; she wasn't wearing jeans and a t-shirt but a leather mini skirt, a red top that showed off her cleavage and make up. She looked like a totally different person.

"Scarlett?" Chris said in amazement as she smiled at him.

"Well hello there stranger. Fancy meeting you around these parts." She said in a velvety voice that would have had most men oozing off of their seats.

"I'd say. Where are the kids?" He asked carefully looking her over; she was looking very sexy. He had never seen her look remotely like that and he wasn't drunk yet either though getting there.

"Oh I have a baby sitter that comes on days I want some time to myself. You must know how that is." She said with a sly smile and a wink.

"Well we don't have any kids so that's not an option at the moment." Chris said.

"Where is Hannah by the way? You two seem to always be attached at the hip."

Scarlett said as she very slowly licked her lips and re-crossed her legs making sure he noticed each movement and did he ever. Though he thought she didn't notice, he had to rearrange himself in his pants. But Scarlett noticed every little detail, she knew the instant he became aroused and to hone in on that, she placed her hand on his calf as he swallowed hard. This was the most erotic conversation at a public place he had ever had and they weren't even doing anything.

They kept ordering drinks, though Scarlett made sure she drank very slowly and let Chris get imbibed until he was completely plastered enough to spill the beans on what was going on behind closed doors at his house. Hannah's illness, not wanting to have kids, adoption, no cure, his frustration, and so forth. Scarlett listened thoughtfully and nodded in all of the right places while adding an occasional 'Oh Chris, I feel so bad for you' or 'that is so unfair to you'. She made every comment seem like he was the victim and he ate it up. Finally, somebody who saw it from his side of things; Scarlett really understood him. As the sun started to set, Scarlett said to him:

"Listen Chris, if you ever need anything. To talk or just grab a beer at the bar, please don't hesitate to knock on my door or here's my number, just shoot me a text or call me and I'll totally be there for you." She said looking him deep into his eyes with their faces only inches apart as she scrolled down her cellphone number without even looking. She was a natural at this and had seen her opening for the ultimate prize. Now it was just a matter of time.

"Thank you Scarlett, your support means the world to me. I didn't think anyone would understand me especially not a woman. I finally feel like I'm not the bad guy anymore." Chris said burping over his alcohol. Scarlett smiled the most genuine smile she could manage not that he would notice if she turned into a chupacabra in front of him; he was wasted.

"Oh of course, sweetie. Listen, I came here in a cab and you're way too drunk to drive home, how about I drive us both since we live next door?" She offered pleasantly.

"Are you sure you can drive?" He asked her as he paid for both of their drinks and weaved out the door with her helping him.

"Oh of course, I'm totally sober. Come on; let's get you in the car." She said as he gave her the keys.

Scarlett helped him into the passenger seat and closed the door than she got into the driver's seat and looked over at Chris who was in and out of consciousness. He'd have one hell of a hangover the next day. She sat behind the wheel and got a feel for the luxurious car; she would love to own it one day. The smell of leather was intoxicating. She turned on the ignition and revved it a bit as Chris smiled from the passenger seat. The car purred like a kitten as Scarlett took off toward their street. It took her ten minutes to get there and she helped Chris out of the car and up to his front door.

She opened the door and led him inside; though she had never been inside the Peters' home it was easy to see where the sofa was. She placed him on the couch and kissed him on the cheek as he fell asleep. She looked at him and with a big smile left the house locking the door behind her. She had locked the car before and left the keys lying right on his pants where his large erection was still making itself known through his pants. It was her signature calling card in case he forgot.

While Chris was at the bar getting drunk and playing victim to the succubus known as Scarlett, Hannah ended up at the SMU campus and went wondering around as the sun was setting. She knew the whole campus by heart and even knew where she could crash for the night in case she didn't want to go home which seemed increasingly likely at this point. She was still going over all of the things they had said to each other as she set on a bench near a dorm room and watched absentmindedly as students came and went. She didn't hear someone call her name until she felt a touch on her shoulder and she jumped in surprise.

"Hannah? I wasn't sure if it was you or not. I didn't mean to scare you." A woman with red hair said to her. For a moment, Hannah couldn't figure out who was talking to her but then she recognized her and jumped up with a gasp.

"Caddie? Caddie Hollingsworth is that you?" Hannah said breathlessly as Caddie smiled.

"Well of course it's me, who else would it be? How many other florescent red heads do you know? Wait, don't answer that." Caddie said as the two women laughed as they hugged.

"What are you doing here?" Hannah asked.

"Well there's an alum party off campus tonight and I wanted to go and see what it was all about. I haven't really been on the grid much since my divorce." Caddie replied as Hannah looked at her with startled eyes.

"You got divorced? What happened?"

"My husband cheated on me with a hooker and got me hooked on ice. I have been in and out of rehab a few times. It's a hard habit to beat." Hannah listened stunned.

"What's ice?" She asked naively.

"Oh ice is street for crystal meth. It's hardcore but only if you overuse it. If you do a certain amount you can still function, it gives you a massive adrenaline rush, and then you can just sleep it off." Caddie replied.

"What I wouldn't give for adrenaline and some sleep right now." Hannah said quietly.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Caddie asked surprised.

That is when Hannah came out with the whole story including the lunch with Julia, Lauren, and Shannon and the latest outburst from Chris. Caddie was speechless. She knew what the three bitches were capable of but Chris? Never in a million years. Granted the last time she had seen him was at his and Hannah's wedding but still. Who does or says that to their own ill wife? Then Hannah asked Caddie about Julia and the other two.

"When I lost touch with you, I was very sad but I had an inkling it had something to do with the girls. What happened if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh no not at all, Julia was the one who introduced my ex to the prostitute who turned out to be her sister. Julia is a vindictive bitch that if something isn't going well in her life she has to make others miserable. The three bitches as I called them were always out to make my life bad; if theirs were. As soon as they had good things happen to them, they would drop out of my life and just judge me. Finally, I had enough and walked away. Haven't regretted it for a second; I was always worried that they would irreparably hurt you some day and it looks like that's exactly what happened. But I knew how much you cared for them so I guess; you had to find out on your own what they were all really about. Gossip queens with a seriously nasty superiority complex."

Hannah nodded as she listened. It all made perfect sense now. Even their behavior towards her in college when she had thought she was holding her own. They had really treated her like a doormat. Jokes and things were always made at her expense and she thought they were just kidding but now looking at it through different eyes, she could tell what was really was going on. Julia, Lauren, and Shannon were never her friends; they were just jealous mean-spirited bitches who had nothing better to do with themselves then gossip about others and make them feel bad.

As they were talking and comparing notes so to speak, Caddie invited Hannah to the alum party saying that it will be a lot of fun and Hannah agreed; it wasn't like she was in a rush to get home to her jackass husband anyways. As they made their way to the building where the party was being held, Caddie told Hannah that there would be people that weren't associated with the university using drugs. Sure enough the first person they encountered was sitting on the floor in a trance like state looking like she belonged in the Manson Family. She had dirty blond hair and no makeup. Caddie took Hannah's hand and guided her away from the creepy scene on the floor.

"Let's go this way. Stay away from her; that's Shanel and she's a hardcore heroin addict and a prostitute. If her pimp knew she was here, it wouldn't end well."

"Why is she here anyways? She didn't go to the school?" Hannah looked surprised. For the first time she was getting a taste of the underbelly of the beast that was Dallas TX.

"Kids sell cheap heroin and she goes where the drugs are. When you're that addicted, you'll do anything for that next fix."

Caddie led the way to another room where a bunch of people were sitting around just drinking some beer and playing with a Wii. She took her backpack out from underneath a chair and took out some stuff out of it. She then looked at Hannah and took a deep breath.

"I know all about your illness and I have heard that when you need more energy, ice does help. If you're willing to try just once, I'll give you a very small dose and maybe you can sleep it off and feel a little stronger to deal with the next day. But it's up to you. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. If you don't want to, we can just grab some beer and see if we could beat these guys at this cheesy Wii." Caddie said with an unpretentious laugh.

Hannah thought about it for a long moment while looking at the clean syringe in Caddie's hand. She had it empty but had the drug nearby. Hannah thought about everything that she had been through in the last year. What did she really have to lose? She'd already lost everything. Though this was a drug and illegal, perhaps it would ultimately bring some good to her. She nodded at Caddie who quickly and expertly filled the syringe about 1/4th of the way with a clear liquid and told Hannah to sit down. Then finding a vein in Hannah's arm, she let the little needle pierce the skin.....