"Jude, it's been a long time I haven't seen you so..." Lana exclaimed beyond elated as her petite, smooth hands pawed Jude shoulders' fabric as the older woman wore a casual black dress with long sleeves and V neckline, a handful of centimetres over the knees, highlighting her still attractive curves for her midlife age, a thin black pantyhose, coating her long, surprsingly slender legs. Wore her long silky golden hair down as Lana was even more mesmerized. A subtle smile shaped in the corner of her lips. "so fresh and juvenile!" The young journalist continued as she didn't miss her chance to compliment the former nun.

"Thank you!" She expressed her gratitude humbly as Timothy and Frank didn't help as they watched the scenery from the kitchen, smiling broadly as their faces lit up.

"You haven't changed a lot, Lana Banana." Jude stated with mild irony as they didn't refrain themselves to cackle.

"I know. But it's unbelievable how you look now," Lana paused as her chocolate eyes wandered down from her shining stunning wavy golden hair to her slippered feet. Stare in awe glistened on her face that she gave to Jude. The young journalist has ideal, however, horrid and lucid flashbacks of them along. She remembered Mrs.Howard as the stern nun with the conservative Catholic attire and wimple that covered almost every inch of her misfortunate unexposed body and skin as her hands, face and neck made an exception. The habit and the wimple which used to be part of Jude's everyday outfit, rendered her to look older otherwise. Unlike now. When she looked so fresh, indisputably younger and more beautiful as she was dressed up in casual, ordinary clothes.

"You are so beautiful, Jude." Miss Winters furthered as the reporter's words melted the proud mother of three children's heart.

She just nod her head, acknowledging and accepting her kind words. 

***

"Do you want anything to drink, Lana?" Timothy asked the persistent, charismatic journalist with a warm smile as he sat beside Jude, wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I would like a coffee, please." Ms.Winters replied boldly.

Jude and Timothy sat next to one another as Frank sat on the left armchair whilst Lana sat on the right one as she held Agnes, the youngest child, in her amusingly warm, creamy arms. In the interim, Ellie and Tristan were playing hide and seek around the house especially on the first floor.

The little girl stared up at the young reporter with her huge hazel eyes as she wasn't feeling comfortable with her as much as with her parents at least.

Once Timothy heard Lana's coffee order, he got from the sofa as he excused himself, wandering out of the living room as he went to the kitchen, brewing some coffee for her.

Ms.Winters's chocolate eyes looked down at Agnes Jude as she couldn't help but smiling to her. When she beheld for first time Howards' children, she hardly believed they were Judy's infants as she noted something peculiarly overwhelming about them. They resembled so much their parents, possessing flawless and fascinating physical features, rendering their facial expressions of sadness, exasperation and sheer happiness.

Nevertheless, Lana commenced sensing razor-edged remorses that tormented her once she saw the former nun and the former priest's children. She pondered about her sole son she has. The child she threw away like a stray dog. Initially, attempting to abort it though the failure. Thereafter giving a birth to a healthy, marvelous baby son. Giving it for an adoption in St.Ursula almost four years ago. Plenty echoes of discords diffused in her absent-minded head as she thought about Johnny, her and Oliver's child.

"Johnny?" She thought to herself without peeling a word, a peccant echo ringing in her head its tune. Her heart ached when she started to think about Johnny, the only child she has even if it was unwanted.

In the meantime, the other two adults who were in the living room, recognized something weird, something out of control in Lana. As either she seemed to daydream or to overthink.

"Lana?" Frank evoked normally as he expected an action from the younger lady. Meanwhile, Lana's chocolate eyes met the former security guard's icy blue eyes. Her chocolate eyes were filled with grief and compulsive regret. "Is everything alright?" He kept on.

She nod her head, murmuring quietly as she gave him a reassured, serene smile. "Yes, everything is alright!" She pretended the things were alright though the remorse gnawed slowly her fragile, abstract soul as the sickening, mourning thought of leaving her son all alone in an orphanage didn't make her proud. It brang her an immense quantity of shame and guilt. The young reporter opted her best to conceal her regret over one of the worst decisions she have ever done in her entire life.

"Good." Frank responded simply.

Lana was surprised of Jude's amiable and hospitable demeanor since her arrival. She would expected the old nun's spirit to overtake the contemporary wed woman.

"Jude, you have such pretty children. But..." Lana paused as she glimpsed at the tall figure who held a clean white mug with the hot coffee approaching the company. "Thank you, Timothy!" She held the mug with hot coffee that the former priest handed her.

In the interim, Timothy sat alongside Jude as he nod his head after Lana expressed her gratitude. She cut herself off what she must say as it took her seconds to bring back the topic, prompting it.

"But I have never expected you to be their mother. It's mesmerizing." Miss Winters furthered as she stuttered, glancing down at the youngest Howard infant.

"I thought I won't have children for the rest of my life until the wonder happened." Judy said beyond euphoric as she was tremendously proud to talk about her almost impossible, lifeless wish to have them so tiny, so amorous. A smug smile developed on her lips, unable to hide her felicity and pride. She didn't want to tell her more about her pressumed inability to be fertile and her past as it saved her plenty and diversity troubles. Furthermore, since they haven't seen one another for years, it was particularly evident how much trust she has to the journalist.

"I am so proud of you two." Lana meant the Howards couple as she jubilated for their achievement, meanwhile sipping her warm coffe from the white mug.

***

"Frank?" Timothy called out his name as he turned to face the slightly older man.

"Yes, Tim?" He inquired.

"Would you go look after Tristan and Ellie by reading them a fairy tale?"

"Okey doke!"

Then the former security guard fled from the living room with Ellie and Tristan, guiding them upstairs upto their children room. In this time, in the living room were only Judy, Timothy, Lana and Agnes, in the reporter's arms yet. The little girl was strangely already asleep as she felt somewhat comfort with the stranger woman.

Lana ordered a couple of minutes ago that the Howards should abide in the room, as a result of in the offing, grave conversation.

"Judy and Timothy, we need to talk." The brunette declared as she sipped the last sip from the colder coffee as her smile vanished from nowhere.

"I visited Father McKenzie a week ago as I thought you were still locked in the institution but he told me exactly the opposite, besides he menanced me he will sue both of you for Jude's unsigned documents for her release."

The couple nod their heads as they listened carefully the ambitious reporter, without peeling a single word, subsequently interrupting her speech. 

"But do you know what am I planning to do for a couple of years even when you were still working in Briarcliff?" Lana inquired like a teacher as she expected from Jude and Timothy to guess her future plan with which she would save plenty of innocent souls and put behind the jail bars an evil-minded, vile, lunatic and manipulative priest who administrates the mental hospital, besides enjoys to torture thousands of wretched and innocent souls, watching them to suffer with a smug grin. 

The both former church faces swallowed a lump that formed in their throats as they pended for the answer as they are going to hear the worst or amidst the worst things. 

"I am going to expose Briarcliff with not only its atrocities behind its dull walls, moreover I will expose Father McKenzie's selfishness and true face in front of the society." She declared triumphantly as she felt immense hubris, enveloping her heart. "I will make him to pay for all price by adding as a piece of evidence what he had done as stole funded money, donated to the mental hospital."

As they listened to the sharp like bloody razors, vicious words of the young journalist, Timothy and Jude figured out that they weren't alone in their case against the young, haughty priest Father McKenzie. They were relieved they will combat against the harrowing gentleman. Three versus one. Plus Frank, hence, rendering it more challenging, grueling the case especially in Father McKenzie's favor. As he has some complains against the only twenty-five-year-old man, including the witnessed unfair treat towards patients, nuns, sanitarians and nurses, reckoning himself amid the violated, discriminated ones. 

To be continued...