Chapter 28

"Seems your parents want something to drop the charges." Jon told them.

"Well that's a good thing isn't it? We had talked about getting them to drop the charges." Graham said still watching Dorothea. Something isn't right here, Dorothea is looking really guilty and Jon is looking like he knows something I don't.

"Depends on if you think blackmail is a good thing." Jon turned his attention from Dorothea to Graham.

"Blackmail, is this a joke? My parents aren't like that Jon, trust me." Graham was shocked. To bad Dorothea didn't, now I see why he keeps looking at her.

"Oh I don' think a quarter of a million dollars is a joke, do you Dot?" Jon asked her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Jon, and I don't like your tone of voice. I have nothing to do with them asking for money. I don't have to stand here and be abused like this. Come on Graham." She got up and headed toward the door.

Graham caught her hand and stopped her. Turning back to Jon he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I," He didn't know what to say, the shock that his parents or even his new wife would do this behind his back.

"If we can all sit down," Hank got into the fray. He turned to Jon, the look he gave him was to calm down. "I have the papers set up."

Once they all sat back down he passed out the papers.

"Jon will have checks drawn up in the parents name. It will be paid out in three portions so that it will not hurt them tax wise. You," Turning to Dorothea, "Will sign over total custody to Jon for the minor children Stephanie Rose, Jesse James, Jacob Hurley and Romeo Jon, you will continue to receive your alimony until the end of the year and then it will halt. You will have limited visitation to the said minor children and it will be in a controlled area, which will not be in the same household with the elder grandparents."

Graham looked over the papers in his hands. Reaching for the pen he quickly signed and handed the pen to Dorothea. "Sign it."

It was the first time Jon had actually seen Dorothea accept defeat. Signing the papers she handed them to Hank getting up she walked out of the room, head held high.

Jon sank down in the chair he had been holding in a death grip until they had signed the papers.

"That was too easy." He sighed as he sat down. "Waiting on the fall out."

Jon's phone beeped, taking it out he read the message. "Fall out. That's Graham, he wants your number."

"Tell him I don"t handle divorce settlements." Hank snorted.

December Chapter

Romeo walked between Richie and Alexis as they walked along the busy streets of SoHo.

"Daddy comin’ home tomorrow, Brothers and Sisters too." Romeo sing songed the words as he walked along. People passing them just had to smile at him.

"He has his daddy's voice," Alexis laughed.

"Too bad he doesn't have his writing ability," Richie added.

"Hey he's just getting started," Alexis admonished Richie.

"Yeah I know, " Richie smiled at Alexis. "So you're the one who got our song finished."

"I don't know about that, he had most of it written when he got up there," she told him as they got to the door of the pizza place.

Once they were at the table, Richie pulled out a hand full of quarters for Romeo to go play the games so he could talk to Alexis more. Once he was gone out of ear shot, Alexis leaned close to Richie so he could hear her over the jukebox playing.

"When he and Dotty got divorced she took him through the ringer. They had no pre-nup so she came out rolling in dough." The waitress brought over their drinks. Waiting till she left, Richie looked over at Romeo, he was jumping around playing the game.

"I was out on a book signing when I heard several people in line talking about it. That was the biggest news of the month." She sipped her soda.

"Put Kidd in a depression for about that long too. Little man over there cried and clung to him when they were leaving. Bout killed Kidd, of course Dotty had to pull this off while we were in town so he Had to be there while they were moving out." Richie made a face, turning he smiled as Romeo came running back to the table. "Out of coinage little man?"

"Nope, still got some. I'm good on these. Daddy brings us here when we come to see him." He took a swallow of his drink and ran back to the games.

"My Ava was the same way when she was his age." He smiled and it lit up his face. "Never stopping, always moving. That's why we put her in soccer." He sighed and looked back at Alexis. "When Dotty got married again, Romeo had an instant dislike to Graham’s parents. The only way for them to get their honeymoon, was for Kidd to take him. You know the rest."

The waitress brought the pizza and Romeo joined them at the table. They laughed and ate, then Romeo dragged Alexis to the games and tried to teach her to play. Soon word got out that Richie Sambora was in the place and they had to leave through the kitchen.

Walking back to the penthouse they laughed about their escape. "We didn't bring home left overs!" Romeo tugged on Richie's hand. "I promised Snowball some pizza bones."

Alexis looked down at Romeo puzzled. "Pizza Bones, I didn't know pizza's had bones."

"You have lived a sheltered life. Pizza bones are the back of the pizza, regular people call it the edge crust." Richie laughed.

As the trio were having fun Back in Philly, Jon walked in as Dorothea and Graham were being seated.

"Okay Jonny what was so damn important that I had to rush over here?" She asked sarcastically. "You have the kids what more do you want, blood?"

"The only people I see out for blood are Grahams parents, or is it you Dotty?" He knew she hated when he called her Dotty. [i] Hell even the fans that hate her call her Dotty. [/i].

"My parents, Jon why do you think my parents are out for blood?" Graham was shocked. [i]When we'd left the detention center things seemed to be okay. Even when I had gotten home Dorothea had seemed different, then the call came. [/i] "I don't understand.”

"When the we got back to the hotel the desk clerk handed me an envelope." Jon walked around the room talking.

"So you got an envelope." Dorothea said with the roll of her eyes. “What’s so special about that?”

"Look familiar Dotty?" He held the envelope up. "Your parents want something in return for dropping the charges."

"I don't know what you're talking about Jon, when I got back from the center I was getting ready to talk to them when we got your call." Graham started to reach for the envelope but the lawyer snatched it out of his reach.

"You might want to ask your wife," Jon sneered.

"What’s he talking about Doro?" Graham looked down at Dorothea curiously.

"I have no idea what he's talking about Graham. I was packing and getting all the stuff ready to bring over here." She glanced up at Jon and tried herself to remain calm. Glancing back at Graham she forced confused look on her face. She needed to look like the innocent here and she knew if she kept looking at Jon’s stink eye she’d probably end up doing or saying something wrong.

Graham looked from Dorothea to Jon.