Challenging: Day 6

Word Count: 36,011

Summary of Events:

Jennifer went to see a lawyer about getting a restraining order, legal separation, and divorce papers drawn up before going to the ladies' Bible study she ran and found everyone had gotten the preparations done for her. Nicholas went to his father and stepmother-in-law's to see if they'd tell him where Daniella and Dylan were and discovered that they were at his father-in-law's — he managed to make off with Dylan. Gabrielle picked up Jeremiah from school and ended up hearing some hurtful comments about Reid from fellow mothers; at home Jeremiah asked her about the comments before she was called by Reid's lawyer who arranged a meeting. Having received negative reports no matter where they looked for Dylan, the cops told Jennifer to go home, which she did reluctantly . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Opening the garage door, she gasped at the sight of a vehicle parked in the garage; and even more so when she recognized the vehicle as Nicholas' Lexus. She fumbled for her phone and dialled 911.

"The missing child, Dylan Boivin, I've found him, I'm positive I've found him!" Jennifer said as soon as the dispatcher came on. "He's at the Lakeside Dawn Vineyards and Winery!"

Without giving the dispatcher any time to ask her anything more, Jennifer hung up, shut off her car, got out, and ran into the house. Everything was darker in the house, the residual sunlight from the sunset wasn't enough to illuminate anything — not that it helped that the back of the house, which she wasn't close to, was west-facing.

She raced down the hallway and around to the stairhead. Hurriedly she ran up the stairs and threw open Dylan's bedroom door. She dropped to her knees in relief at the sight of her son sound asleep in his bed.

"Oh Dylan," she whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't believe it. She was so relieved. "Oh my baby."

At the sound of sirens wailing signalling the arrival of the police Jennifer got up and whirled around to meet them, freezing stiff at the sight of Nicholas in the doorway. His expression was blank; so blank it was eerie.

"Why did you have to do this?" Jennifer demanded.

"I ask the same question," Nicholas replied flatly.

"I didn't do anything!" Jennifer snapped.

"You put out an Amber Alert for him," Nicholas said. "You got everyone into an unnecessary panic. I am his father, he is my son, why should I be hunted down like a fugitive? I have every right to spend time with my son."

"You kidnapped him!" Jennifer screamed.

"You gave me no choice," Nicholas replied.

"You're the one who was fooling around with my sister!" Jennifer screamed.

"You wouldn't love me," Nicholas replied. "It all comes back to you."

"I don't know what kind of problem you had!" Jennifer screamed. "Everything was perfectly fine until all of the sudden you got this hare-brained idea that I didn't love you anymore! Now that hare-brained idea is true and you're trying to pretend it isn't! Are you opposite-man or something!?"

Flashlight-brandishing cops thundered up the stairs and seized hold of Nicholas. He didn't fight them. They started hauling him down the stairs and Jennifer stepped aside for a cop to come in and confirm that Dylan was there.

Jennifer stepped forward and looked down the stairs at him. She gazed down at Nicholas proudly, although the tears that started streaming down his face made it hard for her to keep up her resolve. It was his own fault, he was the one who'd gone and decided to be contrary all the time, not that she had the faintest idea why."