Part 1

At the end of their week in NY, while V is packing her bags, Joannie sits down and says, "I'm not going back, Auntie V."

Vivian is stunned at first but decides to remain calm. "Oh really, so you found a job here. Honey that's wonderful."

"Well, it's not much--waitressing, but it'll be enough that I can share an apartment. I applied to NYU for next semester, but I'm just waitlisted. And there's some theatres doing auditions next week."

~Tom is going to kill me.~ "Do you have a place to stay already?"

"The couple that owns the restaurant said I could stay in the back room a few days until I get settled."

"I see you've been planning it out."

"Well, not really. I saw the waitressing ad in the paper, and I started thinking. I didn't do anything else until I had a job. I mean, I know Dad won't support me once I move here."

"Honey, you know how I feel about this kind of thing. I'll back you up, but are you aware of the flak that will come from Sacramento. Your Dad will hit the roof and your sisters I'm sure they'll miss you on girls night out."

"Dad's got enough of his own problems right now," Joannie says, "and yeah, my sisters will miss me and I'll miss them, but it's time some of us moved on and out."
"Ok," V says. "But I think we'd better call home and let your father know."

"Maybe we ought to wait a little. Like a year or two?" Joannie says hopefully.

"Joannie." V dials home and Nancy picks up the phone.

"Hi Auntie V what time should we expect you two?" Nancy asks.

"Hi sweetie is your Dad home?"

"No."

"Is Abby home?"

"No."

"What time will they be in?"

"Not for awhile."

Vivian cringes. ~I'll have to tell him in person now.~ "Hold on a sec." She covers the mouthpiece and turns to Joannie. "Your father and Abby aren't home right now. Did you want to talk to Nancy?"

Joannie shakes her head no.

"Tell them I'll be there before dinner." V says to Nancy, talks awhile and then hangs up.

"She would have wormed it out of me," Joannie says when V hangs the phone up, "and then she would have told Dad."

"Well your Dad is going to find out sooner or later."

"I choose later."
Vivian chuckles. "That's what I figured don't worry I'll take care of everything."

Later in Sacramento. Vivian gently tells Tom and Abby where Joannie is and why.

Abby looks from Tom to Vivian and back again. ~I knew she'd been unhappy lately. I didn't realize it was this bad. This is worse than when Elizabeth ran away from home.~
"V, you just left her there?" Tom yells.

"Tom she knows what she's doing!!" V yells back.

"Sure, she does." Tom says and goes to the phone book and calls the airline  for the next flight out. "Abby. Do you want to come along?"

"Tom she's well over 18." V continues.

"V, I know how old she is." Tom says. "Going on a trip is one thing but staying there without really thinking about it is another. She is acting like a 12 year old running away from home."

"She told me all her plans. She didn't do this on a whim."
"Tom, don't you think you ought to talk to Joannie before you fly clear across the country?" Abby asks.

"Why and have her hang up on me? You know how she has been the last few months. So will you come or not?" Tom hopes she decides to.

"You don't know that she'll hang up. And you do have to respect her right to make decisions you don't approve of."

Tom ignores her and continues making plans for the NY trip.

Nancy slips out of the house when the arguing starts and goes to the park. ~How can she do this? Does girls night out mean nothing to her. I guess it's the heck with the little people now.~ She starts crying and after she's all cried out she goes home and carefully enters wondering if the shouting has stopped yet. Of course it hasn't. ~No wonder Joannie left this place isn't a home anymore all Dad knows how to do is yell.~ She tries to find sanctuary in the house but doesn't find any. So she goes upstairs puts on the headphones and loses herself in Rock N Roll.

"If you go to NY without even calling," Abby says, "you'll probably just reinforce her determination to stay there."

"OK, fine. I'll play along with you two. Vivian do you have her number?"

"Before I give you her number I want you to promise me that you won't yell at her."

Tom rolls his eyes. "I promise I won't yell."

V gives him the number.

Tom dials the number.

"Lee Wong's Chinese Palace," a woman answers the phone.

"Is Joannie Bradford there?" Tom asks.

"No, I'm sorry, she isn't right now. May I take a message?"

"Yes, will you please have her call her father?"

"You're her father? That's a great girl you have there, Mr. Bradford," the woman says. "She's out on an audition, but I'll have her call you back as soon as she gets in."

~Audition, that's great.~ "Thank you." He says and hangs up.

Several hours later Nancy takes off the headphones. ~Either the fighting has stopped or I've gone deaf.~ She goes downstairs and gets some food. "Hey." She says to Abby.

"Hi. The concert's over?" Abby asks.

"Huh? Oh the headphones. Yes it's over."

"Between the noise level upstairs and down I thought for sure someone would call the police."
"Yeah maybe Joannie has the right idea."

"What do you mean by that?" Abby asks defensively.

"Dad yells too much."

"It's just his way of showing that he cares."
"Yeah." She tries to manage a smile.

"Hey," Abby says. "You're really upset--because of your dad or because of Joannie?"
"She didn't even give us any warning Abby."

Abby thinks back to just before Joannie left. "I'm not so sure about that. Maybe we just weren't listening."

"Hard to listen when a person doesn't talk."

"You mean she isn't always like this?" Abby asks.

"No, it all started New Years Eve after I brought her home from the hospital."

"I think it might have started before that."
"When?"

"I don't remember Joannie ever being much different than she's been lately," Abby says.

"Abby if you think it's because of you...Joannie didn't stop associating with everyone till that night. If I hadn't of taken your car and gone to get her she'd still be here right now."

"I don't believe that. Joannie wouldn't run off just because you bailed her out of trouble, and even if she would, she wouldn't take so long to do it."
"Well if it's not my fault and it's not yours then whose fault is it?"

"Joannie's?"

Nancy ponders this. "But something must have set her off."

~Couldn't have been--nah, Elizabeth bought our story.~ Abby shrugs.

"There's something she might have found out but I don't see why that would cause it either."

"Something she might have found out?" Abby asks, her heart beating a little faster.

Nancy hands her a letter from that guy claiming to be her father. "I know it's not true, but he keeps insisting it is. Even if it were true I don't care. Dad's the one I love, not that dork."
~He wrote her? I've got to talk to Vivian.~ "Of course it's not true. How could you even think that it is?"

"I don't, I was just saying even if it was."

"Well, it's not," Abby says very forcefully.

Nancy flinches and then leaves the room.

Abby goes off in search of Vivian and/or Tom.

"What's wrong?" Vivian asks.

"Oh, everything," Abby says. "First Tom, then Joannie, and now..." she pulls Vivian close, "that man--Joan's--the man who thinks he's Nancy's father wrote her."

Vivian reads the letter over. "Is Nancy all right?"

"I think so. But I'm not sure she's completely dismissed the idea that that man may be telling the truth."

Vivian looks over Abby's shoulder. "Maybe we should have chose somewhere more private."

"Don't mind me I'm just going to my room." Nancy says and goes past them thinking that Abby is mad at her.

"Ok which one of us beats this jerk up and which one of us talks to her." Vivian asks.

"We've both tried talking to him. There's only one person involved who hasn't," Abby says.

"Tom has enough on his mind right now. Maybe it should wait."

"One of us is going to have to tell him, though. You do that and I'll go talk to Nancy--after all, he's already furious with you, so what's a little more flak, right?"

Vivian laughs. "Gee thanks." She goes searching for Tom.

Abby heads upstairs and knocks on Nancy's door.

"Come in." She says.

Abby walks into the room and closes the door behind her. "Hi."

"Hi." She says quietly.

"You OK?"

"Why did you get angry at me?" Nancy asks straight out.

"I'm not angry at you," Abby says. "I'm angry at the sick kind of person who would send you a letter like that, but not at you."

"Good." She sighs in relief. "But why won't he back off?"

"Back off?" Abby asks. "Has he contacted you before?"

"He sent me flowers in the hospital."

"You know, you can just ignore him--he's obviously got some issues. None of your concern, right?"

"Right, but I want him to stop."

"Once your father hears about this, I'm sure he'll make that man stop." ~I just hope Tom doesn't attempt murder.~

"Once he does hear I want to talk to him."

"I'll tell him, but right now may not be the best time to try to engage your father in rational discourse."

"I just want to make sure that he knows that I love him."

"I think he knows that."

"I want to tell him anyway."

"I'll tell him. Assuming he lets anyone get a word in edgewise during his rant."

"Maybe we should hold off on telling him until he works things out with Joannie."

"I already sent your aunt in to talk to him," Abby says.

Nancy cringes. "Hey Abby I have more than one set of headphones."

"No that's OK. I'll just go bury my head under a pillow."

"Or we can escape and go get ice cream."

"I think I'd better stick around to help get the casualties to the hospital," Abby declines.

"Does Joannie have an address or phone number?"

"Vivian's not giving it out until your father calms down, she said. Might take a century or two."

"Abby I may never see my sister again."

"Oh, come on. I've heard about how long it lasts when a Bradford runs away from home. She'll be back, and sooner than you'd think."

"But she didn't runaway. She's an adult and just decided to strike out on her own."

"You really believe that?"

Nancy shakes her head. "No, and I don't know whether to be angry or worried."

"How about dealing with one crisis at a time?" Abby stands and opens the door a little. "I don't hear any yelling. I don't know if that's good or bad."

"Ok, and if there's no yelling let's take it as a good sign."

"Either that or it's already too late to call for an ambulance."

"Yikes."

Tom just looks at the letter. "V, what am I going to tell Nancy?"

"The truth."

"V, you don't know the whole truth." Tom tells her.

"Oh?" Vivian says curiously.

Tom repeats to her what he told Abby.

After V recovers from the shock. "Don't tell Nancy that. In fact don't even tell her about what Joan did. Let her think this guy is just some idiot with a few screws loose."

"No, I won't." Tom says. "But I am going to go down there and he is going to wish he never messed with my daughter." He vows.

"Don't throw your back out."

Tom leaves in search of Abby. "Abby!" he calls

"I guess she told him." Nancy says to Abby.

"I guess so." She leans out into the hall. "I'm up in Nancy's room," she calls out.

Tom walks in the room. "Nancy, you don't have to worry. I am going to take care of Robert Conner."

"Dad be careful. Maybe you shouldn't confront him at all."

"Tom, you don't have to confront every nut we come across," Abby says, trying to maintain the bluff they've started on.

"This nut I do." he says

"No you don't." Nancy protests.

"I'll be OK. Nancy, but are you alright?" he asks concerned.

"Over this, yes, I just want him to leave us alone."

"Tom..." Abby warns.
"It'll be OK." Tom says and then remembers about Joannie. "Oh great, I have one guy stalking Nancy and another daughter who has run away. I don't know what I should deal with first."

"Tom, could I talk to you?" Abby says.

Tom steps out in the hallway.

"Our room," Abby says, reluctant to talk where they might be interrupted.

Tom follows her to their room. "What is it?"

"How do you plan to handle this man?" Abby worries. "It's your word against his, and he's the one with street thugs."

"Talk to him and if that doesn't work I'll get a restraining order." He says not really thinking clearly.

"A restraining order?" Abby says. "Against a man in jail?"

"To get him to stop sending Nancy letters and flowers."

"So he'll have one of his 'employees' send them. If you make a big deal of it, the kids will start wondering why."

"I can't just ignore it, it is obviously upsetting Nancy."

"She's also upset that Joannie moved so far away without even saying goodbye. You can deal with your past or you can deal with your daughter--your choice."

Tom thinks about it. "My daughters are more important." He says looking at his watch. "Why doesn't she call me?"

"Maybe the audition went well?" Abby speculates.

Tom starts pacing. "If she doesn't call tonight, I am on the first plane tomorrow."

Abby starts to argue but then thinks better of it. After a half hour of watching Tom pace, she suggest he try the restaurant again.

Tom dials the number. "Hello, is Joannie Bradford back yet?"

"No. Wait--she just walked in. One minute."

A few seconds later Joannie comes on the line. "Dad, if you're just going to yell, don't."

~Do not yell.~ "Hello Joannie. How are you?" he asks trying to keep his temper in check.

"I'm OK. I think the audition went well," Joannie says, avoiding what she knows her father must want to talk about.

"Joannie, I have to say I am very upset with you." He says quietly.

"I know, but this really is best for everyone."

"Joannie, how can you say that? Abby and I were very upset that you left not to mention your brothers and sisters."

"I'm just on the other side of the country, not the other side of the world," Joannie says. "They'll forgive me. But meanwhile you've got a lot of stuff to deal with at home--watching Nancy, and Tommy and Elizabeth pulling stunts, and this whole thing with Abby. One less body at home will be a good thing."

"What whole thing with Abby?" Tom asks curiously

"Hmm?" Joannie asks, thrown of stride by Tom's picking up on what Joannie thinks is the least relevant issue. "Oh, you know, all this feeling guilty you've been doing. Can't be easy on poor Abby or on you."

"Joannie, would you mind telling me what you are talking about?"

"Dad, it's OK. You don't have to pretend with me. Besides, I really ought to be going; my shift starts soon."

"Pretend what?......" Tom asks baffled.

"Look, I have to go," Joannie repeats. "Love you."

"Wait...." Tom says

"So what did she say?" Abby asks.
"There is something more definitely going on here than what she is saying." Tom replies and tells her about the conversation that took place.

"You feeling guilty?" Abby repeats. "She wasn't even around while I was at the conference. What would she think you have to feel guilty about besides that?"

Tom shrugs and then says "Oh, no. You don't supposed Elizabeth said anything to her about our conversation, do you?"

"She wouldn't," is Abby's knee-jerk reaction. "She might have. So you think Elizabeth didn't buy our explanation?"

"There is one way to find out." Tom goes to the door and calls for Elizabeth.

"Yeah Dad." Elizabeth asks.

"Would you mind coming in here please?"

She walks in. "What's up?"

"Did you say anything to Joannie about what we talked about a few days ago regarding your misinterpretation of what you overheard Abby and I talking?"

~Uh oh.~ "Yes." She says in a whisper.

Tom looks to Abby for help.

Abby shrugs. ~I can't get you out of your own mistakes.~

Tom turns to Elizabeth. "This is very important, what did you say to her?" he asks calmly.

She tells them. "Joannie said that I was taking it the wrong way."

"Oh." Tom says

"I'm sorry."

"And just what was her interpretation?" Abby asks.

"Ask her."

"I'm asking what she told you. You're here, she's not."

"She said it was probably just a misunderstanding."

"Must have been some misunderstanding for her to leave home over. You did misunderstand us," Abby insists. "But I still want to know what Joannie's own special misunderstanding of it was."

"So Do I." Tom says.

"What makes you think she left home because of that?" Elizabeth asks.

When Tom doesn't respond Abby says, "Because she told your father things here would be easier without her around, and that he's got enough to deal with, feeling guilty and all."

"Oh no." Elizabeth sits down and tells them what she had told Joannie that day. What Grandpa Wells had said to her after Joan's funeral. "Joannie told me I was wrong and I assumed she didn't think anymore of it."

Abby takes a quick look at Tom. "Obviously she did. Do you have any idea what she thought the right idea was? Not that it was the right idea, mind you, but we can't straighten it all out and get her back here without knowing what it is she's misguided about."

"Abby she didn't tell me."

"Nothing? It's not that I really want to know, but if it'll make things all right for Joannie and get her back here..."

"If she confided in anyone it wasn't me."

Abby takes a good look at Elizabeth. "You know, maybe I'll just leave the two of you to talk about it," she says and hurries out of the room.

Nancy who had overheard most of it and was eavesdropping for the rest pretends to be just heading downstairs.

"Sorry your father and I ran out on you like that," Abby apologizes.

"It's ok." Nancy says. "I had makeup work to do anyway."

"You managed to get work down with the house falling down around us?"

"No but I tried."

Abby sits down on the bench outside her bedroom. "I feel like I'm waiting to be called into the principal's office."

"Why?"

Abby shakes her head, realizing that she's spoken aloud once and shouldn't anymore.

Nancy doesn't want to get into trouble for eavesdropping so she doesn't push the matter. "Hey Abby do you have Joannie's phone number and address yet?"

"Your father has it written down," she nods towards the bedroom, "in there. And Joannie said she was just going on shift and wouldn't be available for eight hours."
"I'll get it from him tomorrow if he's too busy right now."

"I think he is," Abby says. "Do you have any idea why Joannie would leave like that?"

"I wish I did know." Nancy says.

"Elizabeth, if you have anything that will help us bring Joannie home, I want to know." Tom says. "I promise you have full immunity from Tom Bradford's court."

"She thought you might feel guilty about remarrying."

"Is that how you all feel? That I feel guilty or should feel so?" Tom asks wanting to know what his family is thinking.

"I don't know about everyone else you'll have to ask them but I don't feel that way."

"OK, Elizabeth. You can go now." he says

~Nevermind if I might have more to say.~ "Thanks Dad." She tries to hide the sarcasm as she heads out.

"Elizabeth, wait." Tom says.

"What?" She turns around.

"Is there anything you feel like telling me?" he asks interested.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I said something to Joannie when I promised that I wouldn't say anything."

Tom goes and gives her a hug. "It's ok, I have a feeling Joannie left over more than what you said, so don't worry about it."

Elizabeth hugs him back. "Thanks Dad."

"No problem sweetheart." he says.

"But you're right I should go now. Thanks for seeing through my pouting."

Tom nods.

Elizabeth smiles and then ventures out into the hallway.

Abby stands up when Elizabeth emerges and tries to figure out, from the look on her step-daughter's face, what went on.

Elizabeth looks at Abby and at Nancy. "Do you two always hang out in the hallway?" She jokes.

"Well, I was thinking of taking Nancy out cruising for guys, but my car's only got two seats, and what if I found someone cute?" Abby jokes.

Nancy and Elizabeth laugh.

"Then it would be hit the pavement kid." Nancy jokes.

"Who could be cuter than me?" Tom asks lightly.

Abby pretends to consider this. "You, but with a mustache?"

"I tried that once, I looked like I had a pencil mark under my nose." he says sadly.

"That's OK. I think you're adorable just the way you are," Abby assures him.

"Aw, thank you." he said.

"Come on Elizabeth let's go raid the fridge." Nancy says. "I think they want to be alone."

"Ok." They go downstairs.

"So?" Abby asks Tom.

They go back into the room. He repeats to her what Elizabeth said. "What am I going to do?"

"About Joannie, about Nancy, or about what people in this family might think?" Abby asks. "Or is it true, a little bit?" she worries.

"No, of course not." he says adamantly. "I don't have regrets by marrying you. I just don't know how to handle this guy writing Nancy,  Elizabeth and Joannie."

"One problem at a time. Unless you're going to fly out to NY and drag Joannie back here kicking and screaming, you can't do anything for another," she looks at her watch, "7 and a half hours. What's with Elizabeth--is she still suspicious?"

"Who can tell?" he asks frustrated.

"You were just talking to her. Did she still seem suspicious or not?"

"No." he says "I don't think so anyway."

"OK, then, all that's left is Nancy and that man. And you know what I think about that topic."

"Leave it alone, right?" he asks.

"Leave the past in the past."

Tom sighs. "OK." he says. "Now what to do about Joannie; If I don't go to NY she will think I don't care and if I do go, she'll think I am meddling."

"If you go to NY she'll fight you every step of the way, but if you could find out why she went, maybe you could get her to come back."

"Wouldn't it be better talking to her face to face?"

"Are you sure she'd even speak to you if you went to NY without getting her approval?"

Tom shakes his head. "I was never good at being patient."

"I've noticed," Abby smiles.

"OK, I'll call her tomorrow and see if I can get her to talk to me." he says. "Are you going to try and talk to her?"

"From what you've said, I don't think she'd want me to, but if you think it would help..."

"We might be able to determine what type of mood she is in." Tom replies.

"Ok, I'll try, but after you talk to her," Abby says.

"I'll call her from the office in the morning." Tom replies.

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

"I have a feeling you're going to need it," Abby gloomily predicts.

"So am I."

"Cheer up," Abby kisses him. "She can't actually kill you all the way from NY."

Tom laughs.
Meanwhile downstairs the girls run into Susan.

"Hey Susan, are you ok?" Nancy asks as she sits down beside her.

"Yeah, why?" Susan asks

"I was just wondering with your roommate leaving and everything."

"What are you talking about? Susan asks

Nancy cringes, she thought Susan had known. She gently tells her about Joannie.

"I can't believe it." Susan says shaking her head in disbelief "What is she thinking."

"That's the question on everyone's mind." Elizabeth says.

"Has anyone spoken to her?" asks Susan

"I think Dad did." Nancy says.

"I hope he tried to talk some sense into her." replies Susan

"Yeah so do I."

The next morning Nancy awakens before everyone else, locks the doors to Tom's study and makes a phone call.

"Hello." Paul Wells picks up the phone.

"Hello, how could you be so cruel. It was mean what you told Elizabeth after Mom's funeral. Completely uncalled for and completely untrue."

"Oh it's true all right, and I asked you not to call here."

"Tough, if ever you come to your senses and want to come see your Grandchildren. Stay away from me. I'll only talk to Grandma Wells." She hangs up on him and then heads for the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. And wonders when her Dad will awaken so she can get Joannie's phone number.

Elizabeth walks in having heard Nancy on the phone. "You heard us last night didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on Nancy I heard you on the phone."

"Oh that. Don't even worry about it. He's just a bitter old man. If you want to worry. Worry about Joannie." A few moments pass. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with him telling you something like that."

"I can handle it."

The telephone rings so Liz answers it. "Hello."

"May I please speak with Nancy?" a man asks.

"Sure." She hands Nancy the phone.

"Hello?"

"Nancy," the man says, "this is your father."

"No it isn't my father is home right now. Don't you have anything better to do than harass young women?"

"I'm not trying to harass you. I stayed away while your mother was alive--she asked me to, but now--it's time you knew who you really are."

Nancy hangs up the phone, and takes Sam out back.

Abby comes into the kitchen.

"Some guy called harassing Nancy." Elizabeth says.

"Some guy?" Abby repeats. ~One of Nancy's old drug connections? It couldn't be--could it?~ "She upstairs?"
"She's out back with Sam."
"OK, thanks." Abby pours an extra cup of coffee and goes outside with both of the cups. "Nancy? I brought you some coffee."

Nancy gratefully takes the coffee cup. "Thank you."

"I heard you got a phone call. Want to talk about it?"

Nancy sighs. "He's such a jerk Abby."

"Men can be that way. Which man, specifically?"

"The one who insists that I'm his daughter."

"He called here?" ~Tom is going to have to take care of it--unless V and I try again.~ "I'm sorry, Nancy."

Nancy shrugs it off and attempts a smile. "The heck with him."

"It's not him I'm worried about."

"Abby I'm ok really," she sighs again. "Ok I'm not ok. This guy has no right to do what he's doing."

"You're right, he doesn't. I'd say we should get a new, unlisted number, but that would drive Elizabeth crazy."

"Yeah." Nancy laughs and then sobers. "And what would Joannie think if she called here and got an operator saying that the number has been changed."

"That your father is even angrier at her than he is?" Abby guesses.

"He's not the only one a little angry at her."

"We can't decide her life for her."

"I know, but it doesn't feel right. I'm all for someone striking out on their own to make a life for themselves. But I don't think that's why she left."

"You're right, I don't think that's the reason, either. I just wish she'd tell someone what the reason is."

"Yeah and I hope she'll be ok."

"Joannie always seems to land on her feet," Abby says.

"And if she doesn't, she doesn't let anyone know about it."

Abby nods.

Nancy's stomach rumbles.

"Come on inside and have some breakfast."

"Breakfast sounds wonderful right now, come on Sam." They go back inside.

Abby goes looking for her sister-in-law.

She finds her in the living room. Vivian takes one look at her face and asks. "What's wrong?"

"Is Tom in his study or upstairs?"

"I think he's upstairs why?"

"Then let's go into his study."

They go into the study. Abby locks the doors and then tells Vivian about Nancy's phone call. "If Tom takes care of it, the kids will suspect there's more going on than there really is, but it has to stop."

Vivian is outraged. "Oh it'll stop all right."

"How are we going to stop him?"

Vivian ponders this. "We can try talking to the Warden."

"He might be forbidden to contact Nancy, but then he'll just start trying through his flunkies, like he did when he sent her flowers and tried to pay her hospital bill."

"I think we need to talk to a lawyer maybe there's a way that if he does that he will get extra jail time."

"Vivian, have you ever gotten prank phone calls?"

"Yes, who hasn't?"

"Did you go to a lawyer about them?"

"No, but this is different."

"You know that, I know that, and Tom knows that. But we don't want the kids to know that. I mean, V, what do you want me to do, say to the kids, 'Oh, yeah, your parents fooled around and cheated on each other, but that's OK, because your mom's not here anymore and your father's a dead man if he ever cheats on me'?"

"I can call up a few friends to see if they have some ideas, and maybe Tom will have some ideas."

"Right," Abby says. "I think Tom's idea is going down to that jail and beating the man senseless."

"And I don't blame him one bit."

Tom goes downstairs and tries to get in his study, but it is locked. "Hey, who is in there?"

"We are!! Just a minute!!" V says.

"Who are we?" Tom yells back.

"We’re going to have to tell him sooner or later," Abby sighs and goes to open the door. "Come in," she tells Tom. "We have to talk."

Tom looks at Abby and V and it only can mean one thing. "It's that guy again isn't it?"

Abby nods. "He called here."

"OK, enough is enough." he says angrily. "I am going to put an end to this today." Tom says ready to fight.

"What do you plan to do?" Abby asks.

"Go down there and settle this once and for all."

"That much I figured. How?"

"Tell him to stop it." not having a clue what to do.

"Tom you might want to calm down a little first." V says.

"I am calm." Tom yells

"Tom, you have more important things to do this morning," Abby reminds him.

"Oh great, now I am going to have to deal with two daughters problems today."

"So just deal with one."

"And what you two deal with the Nancy problem." He yells out of frustration.

"Why not?" V asks.
"How about you get Joannie back here and let her deal with it?" Abby tries to lighten the mood.

"Oh that's funny...HA HA." Tom says tho it isn't a bad idea to get Joannie back.

"Seriously, Tom," Abby says, "why not let us try again. You have enough to deal with, talking to Joannie."

"OK. I'll let you and V deal with it and I will deal with Joannie."

"And if any of us doesn't get anywhere, we just switch assignments."

"Sounds like a plan."

"You going to wait and call Joannie from the office?" Abby asks.

"Yeah." He says. "I better get going."

"I'll call you later to see how it went," Abby says.

Tom kisses her goodbye.

After Tom leaves Abby turns to Vivian. "Poor Donna..."

"Yeah really, maybe you and I should take her out to lunch sometime."

"Better yet, keep Tom out for a day and give Donna some peace and quiet."

"Even better, are you ready to go kick this guys tail?" Vivian tries to lighten the situation.

"If I had a clue how."

Vivian sighs and sits down defeated. "I wish I knew what to do. Heck I always know what to do, but this time..."

"Even your idea of a lawyer--I only know two. One I wouldn't call, and the other would just love to hear about this whole mess..."

"I'm still going to do that. All we can do is the best we can, but I still want to yell at him."

"If you yell as well as your brother does, I almost feel sorry for that man."

Vivian laughs. "Oh you haven't seen anything yet."

"Should I be afraid?"

"No but Robert Conner should be."

"I don't think that man is afraid of anything."

"I don't get it I showed him the picture why is he continuing this charade?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's lonely. Maybe he really did love Joan and this is how he's holding on to her."

"Yeah well he'd better leave her alone."

"And what army is going to convince him of that? Maybe we should just ship Nancy off to join Joannie until all this dies down."

"And if she doesn't want to go?"

"It was just a thought--it's not like Tom would let her, anyway."

Vivian nods.

Tom arrives at the office and yells for Donna.

"You bellowed, sir?"

"Yes, I bellowed," he repeats her. "Cup of Coffee and no interruptions this morning."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Donna mutters just loud enough to be heard.

"I did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed." he whines.

"You're right. Sounds more like you fell off it entirely."

Tom ignores her and calls NY.

Donna brings him his coffee and tries to eavesdrop on his conversation.
 

Part 2