Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 240,901 times)

[heroicmuse]

Week 444 - 3
“Harris Michaels?” Eric said, frowning. “I must have been in Colorado when you were with him, because that name doesn’t sound at all familiar.”

“I wish I could forget him myself, believe me.” Eve sighed. “You know how I had a, um… I suppose you former priest types would say a colorful past?”

Eric reached for her hand. “You know I don’t judge you for having been a prostitute. I understand that you were forced into it after escaping your latest abusive foster family. This Harris, was he a client?”

“Not exactly.” Eve sighed deeply. “There was a time where I tried to let go of all my anger toward Kim and be part of my father’s family. I really thought I could forget the past, be a big sister to Andrew and Jeannie, be the daughter Daddy and Kim wanted me to be. I tried to pretend I’d never slept with anyone for money, that I was a normal sixteen-year-old high school student. And then I ran across Harris Michaels.” Eve blinked back tears.

“What happened?” Eric asked softly.

“I’m going to need a glass of wine if I’m going to tell this story.” Eve jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Eric looked worried. He got up and followed her.

Eve had put her hands over her face. Her shoulders were shaking and she was crying silently.

“Eve, what…” Eric put his hand on her shoulder. “What did this Harris Michaels do to you?”

Eve sniffed, “He made me fall for him and it was all a joke, a cruel trick. He and his stupid friends thought it would be funny to make the whore think anyone would ever want her and then pull the rug out from under her. They had some bet, some stupid, childish, cruel bet about which one of them could trick the hooker into sleeping with them, and he won, or maybe he lost, I don’t know. All I know is, my little heart was so full when I thought a boy as handsome and popular as Harris wanted me. I thought my life was coming together, that I could be that sweet, kind person that Kimberly Donovan expected all her children to be and maybe she could love me like I was her own. And then when I learned the truth, it shattered me into a million pieces and I… I thought, there was no overcoming this, no getting past the things I used to do. So you know what I did? I ran home and took an entire bottle of pills, hoping to go to sleep and never wake up.”

“Oh, Eve.” Eric put his hands on Eve’s shoulders. “God must have been looking out for you, because you’re still here.”

“I never did understand how God could let me cross paths with such a monster.” Eve sighed deeply. “Oh, Harris said he didn’t mean it. He said it started out as a joke but then he grew to love me for real. But how could I believe that after everything that had happened? He followed me around for a while, trying to get me to give him a second chance, which I wasn’t about to do. And then he… he made a dramatic exit, I suppose. He left Salem. He wanted me to beg him to stay and I didn’t do any such thing so he vanished into thin air.”

“Until now. Why on Earth is that man bothering you when you’ve finally found the happiness you were searching for all your life?”

“Oh, I don’t know. He said something about how he was glad to see I’d finally found my way and that he hopes at long last I can forgive him. If he really is happy for me, why can’t he just stay away? I didn’t want to hear his name ever again after I learned how he betrayed me and now here he is again, all these years later.”

“I don’t know,” Eric said. “I suppose God has some reason for putting him back in your life.”

“Maybe,” Eve said. “Or maybe God wants me to correct the oversight of having left my PalPage account open enough for a scumbag like Harris Michaels to slip through the cracks.”

Eric hugged her, saying nothing.


Meanwhile, Jade was on the phone with someone. “I don’t want to go back to my dad’s. Because. You know how he is. Look, the fact that I think Ruby is better off behind bars than with him should tell you something. So please, can’t you take me in? You’ve wanted to come back to Salem for years. Now you have your excuse.”


John and Roman had sat down with Marlena on the living room couch.

“So,” Marlena said. “What is this big news that needed both my favorite men to tell? Or is this just your way of checking up on me now that I’m home from the hospital?”

“Of course we are,” Roman said, “but that’s only half the reason we’re here.”

“That’s a fact,” John agreed. “I talked to Orpheus earlier.”

“Oh.” Marlena’s voice hovered between question and statement.

“Yep,” Roman said. “John here convinced Orpheus to give up his vendetta in exchange for us helping him get his little girl back.”

“You can’t trust him to keep a promise like that,” Marlena said. “His psychological makeup is such that he is incapable of giving up the quest for revenge. I dare say it’s what’s been keeping him alive for the last four decades.”
“That’s what we figured too,” John said. “But we thought since you know him so well, you could help us come up with a game plan so that we can get Artemis back without giving him too much ammunition to use against us later.”

Marlena’s phone rang. “Hold that thought,” she said. “It’s Shane, which means this might be news about Theresa.”

[André DiMera]

Glad Eve told Eric about the history between her and Harris.

Oh, the fact that Jade and Ruby’s last name is Michaels…sounds like they might be related to Harris. I’m guessing that’s who Jade was talking to.

Can’t wait to see the rest of this conversation. Shane will be wanting Marlena to help undo what was done to Theresa, I imagine.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

Did that story Eve told actually happen on air? It sounds familiar even though I don't think it was Harris.

[heroicmuse]

Jun 14, 2023 10:05:59 GMT -5 Kpatch said:

Did that story Eve told actually happen on air? It sounds familiar even though I don't think it was Harris.

It did. An article I read about Harris said it was him but I couldn't find any clips of the storyline on YouTube, sadly.

[heroicmuse]

Week 444 - 4
“Oh my,” Marlena said. “Yes, for right now if she is willing to take a sedative, give her one. I will be happy to see her as soon as you get back into Salem. Oh. Yes, we can arrange that as well.”

She sighed as she got off the phone. “I’m afraid I have to cut this short. I need to see a patient right away.”

“Hold on,” Roman said. “If that was my niece you were talking about, I think I have the right to know.”

Marlena sighed. “I can’t go into specifics. You know that. But I can tell you that Theresa is out of the clutches of Andre Dimera.”

“Thank God for that.” Roman frowned. “But where Dimera goes, his brainwashing buddy follows. Are you telling my that my niece…”

Marlena nodded. “It may not be as bad as it sounds. She knows her own name, she knows Abe. But she cowers in fear when she sees her father and she seems to believe that her family disowned her as punishment for a horrendous crime that never happened. And now, I have said too much, so please keep that to yourself while I set up a secure chat to see if I can undo any of the damage that Andre Dimera did to her.”



Rafe straightened his tie as he sat down in the grand jury witness chair after he’d been sworn in. It was just as Berger had described. There was no judge; just the prosecutor sitting at a table and a jury behind her that was twice as big as normal.

Unfortunately for him, the prosecutor who was handling this case was no other than Sloan Petersen. He should have known she would stand in for Trask at this sham of a grand jury hearing as well.

He stared at a spot over Sloan’s shoulder as she got up, not wanting to have to look her in the eye and see her stupid smirk.

“Before we begin,” Sloan said, “I want to remind you that you’re required to answer any question other than one you believe may incriminate you and that lying under oath is a crime. In addition, anything you say in this room may be used against you in a court of law in the future.”

“Readin’ me my rights, huh?” Rafe said, trying to keep his tone light. “I think the way I do it is better.”
“This isn’t funny,” Sloan warned him. “We’re here today because a citizen was shot in the leg during an arrest, and excessive violence by the police -- never mind trying to cover up what really happened to this poor man -- are issues that threaten the safety of every one of us. Now, do you understand the rules I’ve outlined to you?”

Rafe shifted in his seat. “Of course I do.” He let his breath out slowly, reminding himself to stay calm. It didn’t matter what this disgrace to the court thought; he needed to make a good impression on all 23 of those people sitting in that jury box.

“Good. Let’s begin.” Sloan crossed her arms. “You were present at the arrest of William Montague, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And that arrest took place at a cabin in the middle of the woods, did it not?”

“Yes.” So far, so good. But Rafe was sure Sloan had something up her sleeve, some way of discrediting him.

“Are you aware that the cabin in question belonged to Mr. Montague?”

“What difference does that make? He kidnapped a child, and that child was found naked in that cabin.”

“I remind you that you’re required to answer all questions. Did you or did you not realize that the cabin belonged to Mr. Montague?”

Rafe sighed. “No, I did not.”

“And so then, I presume you didn’t have a warrant to enter it?”

Rafe glared at her. “You used to be a defense attorney. I’m sure you know the rules around warrantless searches, and that when a child’s life is in danger - “

“You know, I could file a motion to hold you in contempt for your refusal to answer. It’s not enough for you to be here; you have to respond to the questions that I ask instead of going off on a tangent.”

Rafe forced breath in and out of his nose, telling himself that Sloan was only making herself look bad, not him. But he couldn’t tell if the jurors thought so from a quick glance at their faces.

“So let’s try this one more time,” Sloan said. “Did you have a warrant to enter the premises?”

“No,” Rafe said flatly. “I did not.”
“I see. Now you can tell the jury why you were there.”

“Thank you.” Rafe did his best to keep the sarcastic tone out of his mouth. “Johnny Dimera had been reported missing and we knew that Montague had taken him. Montague was known to be a pedophile who targeted young boys online, and he had been grooming Johnny for several months, so we knew the boy was in extreme danger of being assaulted, possibly sodomized, and we didn’t know what Montague would do after he was done with him.”

“That’s terrible,” Sloan said. “But let’s back up. How did you know that Mr. Montague was at this cabin with Johnny Dimera?”

“Security footage showed that Johnny Dimera had gotten into a car with Mr. Montague and driven away. At the time, it was clear Johnny was intoxicated, most likely against his will.”

“That explains how you knew Mr. Montague had Johnny, but not how you knew where he had him. Unless… were you committing perjury a minute ago? DId you lie to me when you said you didn’t know the cabin belonged to Mr. Montague?”

“No.” Rafe sighed. “A private citizen gave me a tip.”

“Does this private citizen, who you mysteriously forgot to mention until I forced you to, have a name?”

Rafe could feel the sweat on his forehead. He was not looking good here. “Yes, she does,” he said, deliberately taking the question literally.

“She. Interesting. Now stop being cute and answer the real question. What is that name?”

“Kate Roberts.”

“Kate Roberts. Johnny Dimera’s grandmother, correct?”

Rafe sighed deeply. “Yes.”

“By the way, isn’t it true that you used to be married to Johnny’s mother?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“And you still consider him to be like a son?”

“Of course I do,” Rafe said. “That boy needs one, considering his is dead.”

“So,” Sloan said, pacing back and forth. “You and Johnny’s grandmother were in agreement that you needed to do whatever it took to take Montague down and get Johnny back safely. Including shooting him unnecessarily? Is that correct?”

Rafe wasn’t sure what the smartest thing to do was. If he admitted it, he could incriminate Kate, and possibly himself, even though he’d been inside and had done nothing wrong. If he pled the fifth, he would look bad to the jury. And if he asked to talk to his lawyer, he’d look even worse.

“I don’t know what she thinks,” he said slowly, trying to hedge his bets, “but I wanted to get Johnny back safely and the poor excuse for a human being that took him to get dragged away in handcuffs.” Rafe leaned back in his seat, hoping he’d said the right thing and that the jury believed him.

[André DiMera]

I really hope Marlena can help Theresa!

Ugh, Sloan! I think Rafe’s been doing pretty well so far, despite Sloan being annoying.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

You captured Sloan really well. Stand your ground, Rafe!

[heroicmuse]

Week 444 - 5

Mrs. MacGregor stared at Nan. "You're… You're her mother?" She leaned forward. "Do you have any idea how much pain you've caused her?"

Nan's eyes narrowed. "I guess you didn't hear me right the first time, so I'll say it again. She was stolen from me. I was told my baby was dead, and for 25 long years I mourned. I love my other children, don't get me wrong, but there was always this hole where Brianna belonged and around her birthday I would go to this dark place where all I could think of was what I lost. And all the time, she was alive and made to believe that her mother never wanted her. We were torn apart, both our lives ruined, and for what? Why?" Nan blinked hard.

"I'd like to know that too. Chanel has suffered so much. I don't know how much you know of her history and I can't violate her confidentiality to tell you, but I will say that girl has had too much happen that should not have."

"That makes two of us. Do you think she's ready to learn the truth about who I am to her?"

"I don't know. I know you took the time to come here and see her but I'd really like to talk to her first and get back to you."

"Of course," Nan said. "I just hope she understands that I did and do want and love her."

"I will do my best to pass that message along," Mrs. MacGregor promised. She stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“Of course,” Nan said. She got up slowly and shuffled out of the room.


Shawn said to Ruby, “SO that’s everything? You’re sure?”

Ruby nodded. “Like I said, at least one guard, and I gave you ten names of prisoners. Now have I proven that I’m on the good guys’ side?”

“I’ll take this to the DA,” Shawn said, “and I’ll talk to the warden about getting you transferred. In the meantime, you’ll have to wait in solitary. It’s the safest place for you.”

“I understand,” Ruby said flatly.

Shawn knocked on the door. “We’re done in here. Take her back to her cell.”

The guard cuffed Ruby’s hands behind her back and dragged her away. Shawn went in the other direction, toward the warden’s office.

He didn’t see that the guard had a Fire Lion tattoo on his neck.


Kenneth and Hannah had gone into the kitchen, where they were eating extra candy while they talked.

“You really think your mom would give us a bridal shower when we’re not even planning on getting married?” Hannah asked.

“I dunno.” Kenneth sighed. “She gave me the ring and everything and said since I don’t want to live with you outside of marriage, there’s my solution. And it’s not that I don’t want to marry you, but it’s not the right time yet. I’m still in school and you’re first starting this new job. And anyway, when I do pop the question, I want it to be romantic, like I go all out to make you feel special cause I want you to know that I want to spend the rest of my life for you. I don’t want it to be like I’m trying to find a loophole to not being ready to live with you.”

“Me too.” Hannah patted his hand. “Besides, we’ve got things to work out. You need to talk to your therapist about your hang-ups when it comes to this stuff, and Lord knows I have a lot of issues to work out of my own, thanks to Marcel.” She sighed deeply. “I want us both in the right frame of m ind so we can be adults getting married and not end up tearing each other to little pieces.”

“Same,” Kenneth said. He took Hannah’s hand. “But what are we gonna do about my mom? Once she gets something in her head, there’s no stopping her, and she wants us married ASAP.” His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, frowning.

“Your mom?”

“Not exactly,” Kenneth said. “It’s my uncle but he says he and my mom need me to come home so they can talk to me about something.” He sighed. “Vicki’s not gonna like being pulled away from her friends, but it’s not like I can trust her to behave herself if I go.”

“I can keep an eye on her,” Julie said, coming in. “But only on one condition. Tell me what is it that you and my granddaughter have been holed up in here whispering about for the last half hour.”


In his cell, Andre was crouched down by the wall, using a toilet paper roll to amplify the sound since he didn’t have a glass.

“What are you doing?” Bart asked. “Practicing to be a statue? Is this part of our Great Escape?”

“Hush, Bart,” Andre hissed. “I am gathering some very important information.”

He put the roll to his ear and to the wall and heard, though it was muffled, footsteps going down the hall and voices whispering.

He heard Abe say to Theresa, “We’ve got Marlena on the phone for you. You remember who she is?”

Theresa answered, “Yes, but I don’t know whether she can help me. There’s no turning back from what I did.”

Andre jumped up and down, laughing to himself. Bart got a confused look on his face, then did the same thing.

Andre stopped. “Bart. Why are you doing that?”

“Because you were. I thought that you had a secret dance that would open a passageway out of the cell, and then I decided to use the old noggin.” Bart pointed to his head. “If you jumping up and down could help us escape, two of us doing it would make it happen twice as fast.”

Andre sighed. “If you weren’t so loyal, I’d leave you in this cell and let your stupidity be the ISA’s problem. That’s probably the fastest way to bring them down, actually. “

“Huh?” Bart said.

“Nothing,” Andre said. “Bart, I was not jumping up and down to open a secret passage, although that is quite an interesting idea I will have to put into practice sometime. I was doing it because I am happy. Overjoyed, really.”

“About what?”

“About the fact that our plan is working. They may have the body of Theresa Donovan, b ut they don’t have her mind, and if they want that changed… well, they’ll have to make certain concessions, won’t they?” He threw his head back and laughed evilly.

[André DiMera]

Glad Nan made it clear that she never intended to give Chanel up. Hopefully Mrs. MacGregor really will talk to Chanel.

I have a feeling this isn’t gonna go well for Ruby.

Glad Kenneth and Hannah are discussing this. Wonder what they’ll tell Julie.

Oh, Bart. I really hope André is wrong, and Marlena can help Theresa.

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?

[Kpatch]

I hope Mrs. Mcgregor doesn't twist the truth or tell it in a way that upsets Chanel more than necessary.

[heroicmuse]

Thank you André DiMera, Kpatch, krw627, and sevenna92 for your comments this week.

Now that Theresa has been rescued, it's time to take the next step in her recovery. Read on for spoilers.

Coming Up on Breaking Ties...

Marlena talks to Theresa to find out what she believes happened, then gets to work hypnotizing her in the hopes that she can undo the brainwashing. The idea of hypnosis gives Theresa a near panic attack -- will Marlena be able to get around the defenses that Rolf has implanted? Later in the week, Andrew is upset to see what condition his sister is in, but look for him to get some support from Paul.

Meanwhile, Malcolm and Nan decide it's time to tell Kenneth the truth about his parentage, while Mrs. MacGregor interrupts Chanel and Jeremy during a close moment so that she can tell Chanel the truth about hers.

Finally, Sloan causes trouble for Rafe as the grand jury hearing continues, Nicole has a job for Alison, and Julie works on a surprise for Claire.

[André DiMera]

I really hope Marlena can help Theresa! Glad Paul is there for Andrew.

Both Chanel and Kenneth are gonna have some difficult conversations this week.

Not surprised that Sloan causes trouble. Wonder what Nicole has for Alison, and what Julie’s surprise for Claire is.

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

Kenneth is going to be thrown so far off balance when he learns the truth. I hope Chanel is relieved to learn what really happened.

[heroicmuse]

Week 445 - 1
Chanel took a sip of her soda. “I swear to God, if I read one more passage full of useless information that I have to answer comprehension questions on, my head’ll explode.”

“Sounds like you need a break,” Jeremy said. “Or, we could go on to math. No stupid questions about which words best describe this character, just cold, hard numbers.”

“You make it sound so sexy,” Chanel joked.

Jeremy looked her up and down. “I didn’t know you even knew the S word.”

“Oh, I do.” Chanel sighed. “I just don’t know what it’s like to do it with someone I actually care about.”

“Sorry.” Jeremy squeezed her hand. “I didn’t mean to hit a sore spot. Though I’d love to show you what it’s like to be loved… not now, of course, when we haven’t even had a real date.” He swallowed hard. “I’m not a total pig, I promise.”

“I didn’t think you were.” Chanel’s voice was soft. “I know guys like to get it on ASAP, but do you think we could maybe… take things slow? Like glacially slow?”

Jeremy had a flash of memory that he’d rather not have, of that awful night he’d attacked Stephanie in the hot tub. He let his breath out slowly. “I think that’s a good idea.” He flipped a page in his book. “So… math problems?”

“How about this one?” Chanel said. “If X is the how afraid you are you’ll get your heart broken and Y is how much you want to kiss someone, what’s the probability that you’ll actually do it?”

“That’s a little beyond the scope of this course,” Jeremy said. “The only way to answer that one is to experiment and see. I-if you want to.”

“That’s a part of the high school experience I never got to have,” Chanel said. She leaned forward to kiss Jeremy…

…but her phone rang, the loud tone completely ruining the moment.

“Damn it!” she said. “That’s Mrs. MacGregor over at the home.”

“You can’t wait a minute?”

Chanel shook her head slightly. “She has the keys to my freedom, literally. If I get in trouble over there the court can decide I’m violating my agreement and I’ll go right back to jail.”

Jeremy nodded. He let his breath out slowly and focused on the curve of Chanel’s fingers and on how her hand felt in his so that he didn’t lose his temper.

“What is it, Mrs. MacGregor?” Chanel said. She hung her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.” She took a deep breath. “Hello, Mrs. MacGregor. What’s going on? Do I have to come right now? All right, all right, I’m on my way. Sorry. Again. I’m coming home now.”

She hung up.

“You have to go?” Jeremy said.

Chanel nodded. “Mrs. MacGregor’s insisting. And she is in some mood. It was like I couldn’t say anything right and every other word out of her mouth was ‘do you need a punishment or are you going to be respectful?’”

“Sounds like my dad,” Jeremy said. “Here, let me help you pack up.”

“I need to rush,” Chanel said. “But would you mind meeting me here again tomorrow?”

Jeremy struggled to hide his disappointment. It wasn’t Chanel’s fault that she was forced to leave without the kiss they were about to share. “Sure,” he said. “And maybe we can try that experiment again, huh?”

“I’d like that.” Chanel gave him a quick peck on t he cheek. “That’s only a down payment,” she said. “Promise.”

She grabbed her books and ran off. Jeremy sat watching her. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” he said to himself. “If I ever lose my temper and do to her like I did to Stephanie, I will never forgive myself.”


Rafe had been allowed a two-minute break to get water, but now the grand jury was back in session.

“What happened after you got the tip from Ms. Roberts?” Sloan asked. “Surely she didn’t just give it to you out of the goodness of her heart and trust that you’d return her grandson to her in one piece, did you?”

Rafe hesitated. He knew he couldn’t lie, but he wasn’t sure how much of the truth to give. “Sounds like you know her.”

“Sounds like you didn’t answer my question,” Sloan said.

“Fine. You want an answer, here it is. I knew that a standoff with a possibly armed pedophile was no place for civilians. But I also knew that neither Kate Roberts nor Sami Brady - “

“Sami Brady? So the boy’s mother was there too?”

“Aren’t I supposed to finish one question before I have to answer another?” Rafe crossed his arms.

Sloan raised her eyebrows. “You keep on giving me exactly what I need to have a federal judge hold you in contempt for the rest of the summer, if not your natural life. But luckily, I care more about the truth than I do about putting you behind bars for your inability to conduct yourself appropriately. So go ahead, finish what you were saying.”

“Thank you,” Rafe said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Neither of those women were going to listen, not when it was their child being held captive in that cabin. So they followed me, just like I expected, and I asked my partner, Agent Cooper, to keep an eye on them while I went into the place to rescue Johnny.”

“So you went into a dangerous situation without any backup? And you weren’t scared that you would get shot?”

“Of course I was scared. But I cared more about Johnny’s safety than anything else.”

“Right. You cared so much that you looked the other way when your friend Kate Roberts shot Mr. Montague in cold blood when he was unarmed and not threatening her.”

Rafe let his breath out slowly. “I told you, Kate Roberts did not shoot that piece of crap.”

“Then who did?” Sloan came up to the witness box, standing close enough to slap him. “By your own admission, you were in the cabin, right? And Cooper was the only other cop on the scene, and he already told us that he didn’t shoot Mr. Montague himself.”

“I don’t know,” Rafe said. Maybe other cops arrived, there was a lot of chaos.”

“Maybe. And maybe aliens beamed down from Mars for the sole purpose of shooting this suspect. Come on, Agent Hernandez. There are only two possibilities here. Either Kate Roberts shot that man or Sami Brady did. And you’re covering for one of them. I hope it’s worth the perjury charge, because it’s obvious you’re lying and I will be asking this grand jury to charge you with that as well as with covering up the commission of a crime.”

Rafe glared at her. “Come off your high horse, will you? Montague jumped out the cabin window when he heard me come in. He left Johnny lying there alone in a state… he was naked, all right, and so out of it from the drugs Montague gave him that he didn’t know what the hell was going on. So yeah, I don’t know who shot him. I assumed it was Cooper cause if it wasn’t, he would have made an arrest and let us sort this out at the police station. But I do know that the guy was a pervert and a sicko who deserved a hell of a lot worse than a shot in the leg meant only to bring him down so that he could be put in cuffs and thrown somewhere where he couldn’t hurt any more little boys. So as far as I’m concerned, whoever fired that shot did us all a favor and you look pretty stupid trying to prosecute me for not looking too hard at who it was.”

Sloan’s eyes narrowed, but she said, “This isn’t the debate club. This is a serious investigation into a serious matter. It sounds to me like you need to learn a lesson about respect.” She gestured toward the bailiff. “Do me a favor and call a judge. I want a contempt order against this witness.”

Rafe locked eyes with her, refusing to let her intimidate him, as the bailiff said, “There will be a 15 minute recess.”

[André DiMera]

I’m glad Jeremy realizes now how badly he treated Stephanie, and doesn’t want to do the same to Chanel. They’ll probably make a cute couple. Can’t wait for Chanel to talk to Mrs. MacGregor!

Sloan, go away! I really hope her contempt charge doesn’t get her anywhere.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!