Chapter 15: Face-to-Face

In a forestland in Mexico, Shan, in her new ride was on her way to get more information from Michael only surviving family member Constanzia "Connie" Corleone. Connie was the youngest child and only daughter of Don Vito Corleone and Carmela Corleone. She was the sister of Sonny, Fredo and Michael Corleone. She married Sonny's friend Carlo Rizzi. Carlo, who Puzo characterizes as "a punk sore at the world", periodically abuses and cheats on Connie. The night of their wedding turned out to be a harbinger of things to come; he gave Connie a black eye when she refused to give him a purse containing cash gifts from the wedding guests. She complains to her father, who refuses to help. Connie's family grows to resent Carlo and his mistreatment of Connie, especially her oldest brother Sonny. One day, when Sonny visits Connie, he found her in tears and a bruised face. Sonny chases and beats up Carlo in the street, threatening to kill Carlo if he hurts Connie again. Corleone rivals Emilio Barzini and Philip Tattaglia recruit Carlo to bring Sonny into the open. Carlo has a mistress call the house and a fight with Connie ensues that ends with Carlo again beating Connie. Connie calls the Corleone compound-asking Sonny for help. An enraged Sonny drives off alone to help Connie, leaving his bodyguards following in a separate car. At a tollbooth Sonny is shot and killed by Barzini's Tommy gun-wielding men. Michael returns from Sicily and takes Sonny's place as Vito's heir apparent. When Vito died, Michael becomes the new Don and avenges Sonny's murder by having the heads of the Five Families killed and Carlo garroted by Peter Clemenza. Connie flies into a rage when she finds out Carlo is dead and blames Michael, denouncing him in front of his wife Kay. Later on, Connie remarried, divorced, and had affairs. She remains bitter toward Michael and announces that she intends to marry Merle Johnson, which Michael disapproves of. But it didn't last long since Connie return for her mother's funeral, having forgiven Michael. Many years later Connie was very close to her nephew Vincent Mancini, Sonny's illegitimate son with Lucy Mancini. Connie encourages Michael to bring Vincent into the Corleone family and support him in his feud with Joey Zasa. When Michael suffers a diabetic stroke, and recuperates in the hospital Connie and Al Neri give Vincent the approval to kill Zasa. Connie travels with the Corleone family to Sicily. She tells Vincent to prepare a counterattack if Michael is killed. Connie encourages the aging Michael to name Vincent the new Don. She attends the opera, along with the entire Corleone family, in Palermo where her nephew Anthony performs. On discovering that her godfather Don Altobello has been behind the plot against their family, she kills him by giving him a gift of poisoned cannolis. Connie was last known crying when an assassin intending to kill Michael kills her niece Mary. After that tragic accident Connie changed paths to stay away from Michael.

Back to the story. Shan drove down a road until she arrived at a shack filled with women of different ages. Nothing more than under 40. When she parked her new blue car, and walked inside and saw Connie now an old lady and in a wheelchair. Like most men in a family, Michael had 3. But under certain circumstances he only has one now. Connie Corleone. After the death of Michael's children Connie became a pimp. She ran a brothel in Acuna, Mexico for over 20 years. Her army the Acuna Boys, made up of the fatherless offspring of her whores, ran Acuna. She ran the Acuna Boys. Now at the elder age, it would be this retired woman of leisure who could point Shan to Michael's direction. Shan walked up to Connie. Connie was reading a classic book so she didn't see her. Shan stopped at Connie's table. "Madam Constanzia Corleone?"

Connie turned her face away from her book and saw Shan. "Yes."

Shan asked, "May I join you?"

Connie said, "Only on the condition that you call me Connie."

Shan asked, "May I join you, Connie?"

Connie said, "Yes." She placed down the book as Shan sat down across from her at the table. "Americana?"

Shan answered, "Chinese though my English is excellent. But I can speak Spanish or Italian, if you prefer."

Connie said, "No, no, no, no. I prefer English. I haven't spoken it in a while, but I would relish the opportunity to converse with such a pretty companion as yourself."

Shan said, "It's my pleasure to be in the company of such a fine lady as yourself."

Connie said as she smoked, "I must warn you, young lady…I am susceptible to flattery. How may I be of service to you?"

Shan rest her arms on the table and asked, "Where's Michael?"

Connie smiled. "Ahh. You must be Beatrix." Shan nodded. She wasn't going to risk telling her, her real name. She might just warn Michael. "I can see the attraction. I remember when I was only 5 years old, he took me to the movies. It was a movie starring Lon Chaney. Phantom of the Opera, the 1929 revise version when it was released. And whenever he would appear on the screen, Michael would be enchanted by how the phantom would reach his goal without any remorse. And I knew from this very moment, my brother was a fool for women. He lost his first wife from a bomb, and he lost his second wife from stupidity." Shan smiled. Then Connie said, "You know…being a fool for such a man or in this case a woman such as yourself…is always the right thing to do. If we had met when I was back in business…you would have been my number one lady."

Shan said, "Well, I'm flattered."

Connie said, "You goddamn well better be." Then she saw Shan's car. "This…I heard you were driving a truck."

Shan said, "My Pussy Wagon died on me."

Connie shook her head. "The Pussy died. Hmm. Michael shot you in the head, no?"

Shan answered, "Yes."

"Hmm." said Connie. "I would have been much nicer. I would have just cut your face." Shan looked at him confused. "You must forgive me. Please…you have a drink with me." Then she called to one of her girls. "Clara!"

A skinny blonde left the bar. "Coming."

She walked up to the table and Shan saw what Connie meant. The woman's face was cut on her lips making it open and deformed. "Dos anejo." Connie handed the woman a handkerchief to wipe the drool.

The woman wipes away the drool and handed it back. "Gracias."

As the woman walked away and Connie asked, "What were we talking about?"

Shan said, "Michael. Where's Michael?"

Connie repeated the question. "Where's Michael. Michael is at the Villa Quatro, on the road to Salina. I will draw you a map. Michael is my brother. Do you know why I help you?"

Shan answered, "No."

Connie answered, "Because he would want me to."

Shan said, "Now, that I don't believe."

Connie asked, "How else is he ever going to see you again?"

Later that night, Shan arrived at the Villa Quatro. She walked up to the Villa, got the info from the front desk. She got her gun ready as she quietly walked to Michael's room. She opened it and walked in. So far no one was around. But when she arrived at the living room she leaned against the wall to the deck, got her gun ready and when she turned to the door way, she got the shock of her life. "Freeze mommy!" It was her daughter alive and well. She had long black hair in red ribbon braids, grey eyes, which she got from Shan's father, and had glasses on.

She and Michael were on the deck with toy guns and they were playing a game with Shan. "Bang, bang! Oh!" Now they're playing like Shan shot them and pretend dying. "Oh! She got us, Cereza. Mommy got us." Michael was on the ground but Cereza was dragging it.

"Oh, I'm dying! I'm dying! I'm dying!"

Michael said, "Fall down, sweetheart. Mommy shot us." Cereza went to the ground. Shan put down her arms, and started to cry on what she was watching. Now the game they were playing, but the little girl she thought she lost all those years ago. "But little did Quickdraw Kiddo know that Cereza was only playing possum, due to the fact she was impervious to bullets."

Cereza sat up a bit. "I am pervious to bullets, Mommy."

Michael said to her, "Hey, get back down there. You're playing possum." Michael turned to Shan. "So, as the smirking killer advanced on what she thought was a bullet-ridden corpse, that when little Cereza fired."

Cereza got up from the ground and picked up the toy gun. "Bang, bang!" Shan was in tears looking at her beautiful little girl that she was speechless.

Michael talked to Shan. "You're dead, Mommy. So, die."

Shan realized the game and grabbed her chest. "Oh!" She was speechless again.

Michael said, "Cereza."

As a tear fell from Shan's eye she said, "Oh! Cereza…" Then she started to play. "I should've known. You are the best." Then she went to the ground.

Cereza dropped the gun and ran to Shan shaking her. "Oh, Mommy. Don't die. I was just playing."

Shan smiled and opened her eye. She gently moved the stray hair away from Cereza's face. "I know." Then she sat up and hugged her.

Michael sat up and said, "I told her that you were asleep…but that one day you'd wake up and come back to her." Shan looked at him with hate. "And she asked me, 'If Mommy's been asleep since I was born, then how will she know what I look like?' To which I replied, 'Because Mommy's been dreaming of you'. That's what I said."

Cereza asked, "Did you dream of me? I dreamed of you."

Shan said, "Every single night, baby. Every single night."

Cereza said, "I waited a long time for you to wake up Mommy."

Then Shan broke the hug. "Now, let me look at you." As she looked at Cereza's face she smiled. "Oh. My, my, my, what a pretty little girl you are."

Cereza smiled. "You're pretty too, Mommy."

Shan laughed. Then Michael walked up to the 2. "Tell Mommy, what you said when I showed you her picture." Cereza got shy as Shan got nervous when Michael got closer. "Come on, shy girl. Come on. You know what you said." Still Cereza wouldn't. "Come on. Tell Mommy. It'll make her feel good. Come on."

Cereza said, "I said…I said, 'You're the most beautiful woman I ever saw in the whole wide world'." Shan smiled.

Michael said, "That's the truth. That's what she said."

After a while the 3 were in the kitchen and as Michael was making a sandwich. "Cereza, don't you think Mommy has the prettiest hair in the whole wide world?"

Cereza answered, "Yes, I do."

"Matter of fact, it's better than pretty. What's better then pretty?"

"Mmm…Gorgeous."

Michael said, "Very good. Gorgeous. Mommy is gorgeous." He looked at Shan as Shan looked at him. "Hmm. You know, sweetie, Mommy's kinda mad at Daddy."

Cereza asked, "Why, Daddy? Were you being a bad daddy?"

Michael replied, "I'm afraid I was. I was a real bad daddy. Our little girl learned about life and death the other day. Wanna tell Mommy about what happened to Emilio?"

Cereza said sadly, "I killed him."

Michael started to explain. "Emilio was her goldfish."

"Emilio was my goldfish."

"She came running into my room, holding the fish in her hand and crying, 'Daddy, Daddy. Emilio's dead'. And I said, 'Really? That's so sad. How did he die'? And what did you say?"

Cereza answered, "I stepped on him."

Michael said, "Actually, young lady, the words you so strategically used were, 'I accidentally stepped on him.' To which I queried, 'And just how did your foot accidentally find its way into Emilio's fishbowl?' And she said, 'No, no, no. Emilio was on the carpet when I stepped on him.' The plot thickens. 'And just how did Emilio get on the carpet?' And Mommy, you would've been so proud of her. She didn't lie. She said she took Emilio out of his bowl…and put him on the carpet. And what was Emilio doing on the carpet?"

Cereza said, "Flapping."

Michael said, "And then you stomped on him." Cereza nodded. "And when you lifted up your foot…what was Emilio doing then?"

Cereza answered, "Nothing."

"He stopped flapping, didn't he?" he asked. Cereza nodded. "She told me later…that the second she lifted up her foot…and saw Emilio not flapping, she knew what she had done. Is that no the perfect visual image of life and death? A fish flapping on the carpet, and not a fish flapping on the carpet. So powerful, even a 4-year-old with no concept of life or death…knew what it meant."

Later on, Michael tucked Cereza to bed. "You loved Emilio, didn't you?" Cereza nodded. "Well…I love Mommy, too. But I did to Mommy what you did to Emilio."

Cereza asked, "You stomped on Mommy?"

Michael answered, "Worse. I shot Mommy. Not pretend shooting like we were just doing. I shot her for real."

Cereza asked, "Why? Did you want to see what would happen?"

Michael replied, "No, I knew what would happen to Mommy if I shot her. What I didn't know was, when I shot Mommy, what would happen to me."

Cereza asked, "What happened?"

Michael answered, "I was very sad. And that's when I learned…some things, once you do, they can never be undone."

Cereza asked, "What happened to Mommy?"

Michael walked up to Shan who was at the doorway. "Why don't you ask Mommy?"

Cereza asked, "You OK, Mommy? Did it hurt?"

Shan smiled and walked over to the bed and lay down next to her. "No, sweetie. Doesn't hurt anymore."

Cereza asked, "Did it make you sick?"

Shan answered. "No. It made me sleep. That's why I haven't been with you, Cereza. I've been asleep."

Cereza asked, "But you're awake now Mommy, right?"

Shan smiled. "I'm wide awake pretty girl."

Michael asked, "Cereza, would you like Mommy to watch a video with you before sleepy time?"

Cereza answered, "Uh-huh. Mommy, do you wanna watch a video with me before sleepy time?"

Shan answered, "Oh, yeah! I would love to. Which one do you wanna watch?"

Cereza said, "Shogun Assassin."

Michael objected. "No Cereza. Shogun Assassin is too long."

Cereza shook her head and Shan said, "No, it's not."

Michael said, "Well, then, I'll leave you ladies to it." Then he shut the doors leaving them alone.

About an hour later, Cereza and Shan were watching the movie together. It was the first time ever, Shan gets to hold her baby girl. She never did prior to what happened in El Paso. If she could turn back time, she would've said no to Special Forces but at the same time, she would never have Cereza and Shan would go after Michael for a different reason other than Elle killing her beloved grandfather. But at that moment it didn't matter. All that it matter is Shan is with her daughter again and this time she's going to make sure she'll never lose her again and to finish the mission. It was her mess to clean up after all. When the movie was over, Cereza was fast asleep. Shan gently picked her up and tucked her into bed with her favorite doll and then Shan saw a picture of herself when she was younger on Cereza's nightstand. Thinking ahead of time Shan took off her necklace and placed it on the picture for Cereza. Then she got out of bed walked out and closed the door behind her so that Cereza wouldn't come out. As she walked down the steps to the living room she saw Michael looking at her Hattori Hanzo sword. "Quite a piece of work. Speaking of which, how is Hanzo-san?"

Shan said, "He's good."

Michael asked, "Has his sushi gotten any better?" Shan shook her head. She walked down the stairs. "You know, I couldn't believe it. you got him to make you a sword."

Shan said, "It was easy. I just dropped your name, Michael."

Michael chuckled. "That'd do it." Shan arrived and sat down on the couch. "I suppose the idea is we cross Hanzo swords. Am I right?" Shan saw Michael's sword on top of the TV. "Well, it just so happens this hacienda has its own private beach. And that private beach just so happens to look particularly beautiful bathed in moonlight. And there just so happens to be a full moon out tonight. So, swordfighter, if you want a swordfight, that's where I suggest. But if you wanna be old school about it…and you know I'm all about old school…" Shan giggled. "…then we could wait until dawn and slice each other up at sunrise like a couple of real-life honest…" Shan ran to the sword, but Michael shot the TV and Shan jumped back on the couch. "Now, if you don't settle down, I'm gonna have to put one in your kneecap. And I hear tell that's a very painful place to get shot in." Then he shot the fruit in front of her making a mess. He just laughed and waved his gun as he put it away. "I'm just fuckin' with you." Shan hates him more. "Now…when it comes to you…and us…I have a few unanswered questions. So, before this tale of bloody revenge reaches its climax, I'm gonna ask you some questions, and I want you to tell me the truth. However, therein lies a dilemma. Because when it comes to the subject of me, I believe you are truly and utterly incapable of telling the truth. Especially to me. And least of all, to yourself. And when it comes to the subject of me, I am truly and utterly incapable of believing anything you say." He walked behind the bar.

Shan asked, "How do you suppose we solve this dilemma?"

Michael said, "Well, it just so happens, I have a solution." He got a gun and shot her. "Gotcha."

But it wasn't a bullet. It was a giant needle with some green liquid. "What the fuck did you shoot me with?"

Michael replied, "My greatest invention. Or at least my favorite." Shan was about to remove it but Michael stopped her. "Don't touch it, or I'll stick another one right in your cheek." Shan left the needle alone. "What lies within that dart, just begging to course its way through your veins…is an incredibly potent and quite infallible truth serum. I call it 'The Undisputed Truth'. Twice as strong as sodium pentothal, with no druggie aftereffects. Except for a slight wave of euphoria. You feel it?"

Shan asked, "Euphoria? No."

Michael shrugged. "Too bad. As you know…I'm quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes." Shan started to sweat. "I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favorite superhero, Superman." He took a shot of booze from the bar. "Not a great comic book. Not particularly well drawn. But the mythology…The mythology is not only great, it's unique."

Shan started panting. "How long does this shit take to go into effect?" she asked.

Michael replied, "About 2 minutes. Just long enough for me to finish my point. Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with a big red S – that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears: the glasses, the business suit, that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak…he's unsure of himself…he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race. Sorta like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plimpton."

Shan said, "Ah-so. The point emerges."

Michael continued. "You would've worn the costume of Arlene Plimpton. But you were born Beatrix Kiddo. And every morning when you woke up, you'd still be Beatrix Kiddo." Then he remembered the needle. "Oh, you can…take the needle out."

Shan did. "Are you calling me a superhero?"

Mchael replied, "I'm calling you a killer. A natural born killer. You always have been, and you always will be. Moving to El Paso…working in a used record store…goin' to the movies with Tommy…clipping coupons. That's you…trying to disguise yourself as a worker bee. That's you tryin' to blend in with the hive. But you're not a worker bee. You're a renegade killer bee. And no matter how much beer you drank or barbecue you ate or how fat your ass got, nothing in the world would ever change that." Then he started the interrogation. "First question: Did you really think your life in El Paso was gonna work?"

Shan was about to lie but the chemical wouldn't let her. "No! But I would've had Cereza!"

Michael said, "Don't get me wrong. I think you would have been a wonderful mother. But you are a killer. All those people you killed to get to me…felt damn good, didn't they?"

Shan tried to shook her head but instead nodded. "Yes."

"Every single one of them?"

"Yes."

Michael then got serious. "That was the warm-up round. Now comes the $64, 000 question." He walked up and sat down on the couch across form her. "Why did you run away from me with my baby?"

Shan asked, "Do you remember the last assignment you sent me on?"

Michael said, "Of course. Lisa Wong."

Shan said, "The morning I left, I was sick. On the plane, I threw up. So, I started thinking: Maybe I was pregnant."

She remembered it just like it was yesterday. She was in a hotel room, in the bathroom, and had a pregnancy test to see if Shan was pregnant. "Easy to use. Remove the cap urinate on the absorbent end for 5 seconds." She got her watch to check the time. "Accurate result in only 90 seconds. You can read the results as soon as the line appears in the window." As she waited, she walked around the bathroom, cracked her toes, and checked herself in the mirror to see if she was showing yet. When time was up, she checked the stick, checked the box and got the shock of her life. "Fuck." What she didn't know…was that somewhere on her journey she had been spotted. With her in L.A., it didn't take Lisa Wong long to send an assassin of her own. The assassin walked up with a shotgun behind her and a gift in the front. She ran the doorbell. "Hello, can I help you?"

The lady said, "Hello, I'm Karen Kim. I'm the hospitality manager of the hotel. I have a welcome gift from the management."

Shan looked through the whole and dropped the test stick. "Oh, that nice. Um…Just leave it by the door." As Shan went down to pick up the stick, her door was blasted. The assassin walked in. Shan came from behind the bathroom door, and threw a knife at her. The assassin dodged it and shot again. Shan got behind the bed on the ground and got a gun herself. "You pretty good with that shotgun?"

The assassin said, "Not that I have to at this range, but I'm a fucking surgeon with this shotgun."

Shan said, "Well, guess what, bitch? I'm better then Annie Oakley. And I got you right in my sight."

The assassin said, "I could blow your fucking head off."

Shan said, "Not before I put one right between your eyes, so let's talk. Karen…I just found out…right now…not a moment before you blew a hole through the door…that I'm pregnant."

The assassin asked, "What is this?"

Shan said, "On the floor by the door…is a strip that says I'm pregnant."

"Bullshit."

Shan said, "Any other time you'd be 100% right." She sat up but remain behind the bed. "This time…you're 100% wrong. I'm the deadliest woman in the world. But right now, I'm just scared shitless for my baby. Please. Just look at the strip. Please." By this point, Shan was begging.

The assassin said, "Stay where you and don't move." She slowly walked back to the ground and picked up the stick. She looked at it and said, "I don't know what this fucking shit means."

Shan said, "The box with the directions – it's right there." She pointed to the box on the ground not far from where the assassin is.

The assassin walked over the box on her knees and started to read the directions. "Easy to use. Remove the cap and urinate on the absorbent end."

Shan said, "Blue means pregnant."

The assassin said, "I'll read it myself, thank you." She went back to reading the box and when she finished she said, "Oh, OK." She threw the box away and stood up. "Say I were to believe you, what then?"

Shan said, "Just go home. I'll do the same."

The assassin walked to the door, opened it, walk to the hallways as it slowly closed. When it did, the assassin lower the gun and said, "Congratulations." Then she ran off.

When the story was over, Michael was at the deck table drinking with his sword and Shan was at the doorway outside with her sword. "Before that strip turn blue…I was a woman, I was your woman. I was a killer who killed for you. Before that strip turned blue, I would've jumped a motorcycle onto a speeding train. For you. But once that strip tuned blue…I could no longer do any of those things. Not anymore. Because I was gonna be a mother. Can you understand that?"

Michael said, "Yes. But why didn't you…tell me then, instead of now?"

Shan answered, "Once you knew, you'd claim her. And I didn't want that."

Michael said, "Not your decision to make."

"Yes. But it's the right decision, and I made it for my daughter. She deserved to be born with a clean slate. But with you…she would've been born into a world she shouldn't have. I had to choose. I chose her. You know, 5 years ago, if I had to make a list of impossible things that could never happen, you performing a coup de grace on me by bustin a cap in my crown…would've been right at the stop of the list." She sat down across the table. "I'd have been wrong, wouldn't I?"

Michael said, "I-I'm sorry. Was that a question? Of impossible things that could never happen – yes, in this instance you would've been wrong."

Shan asked, "Well?"

Michael said, "When you never came back, I naturally assumed Lisa Wong or somebody else, had killed you. Oh! And for the record…letting somebody think somebody they love is dead when they're not is quite cruel. I mourned you for 3 months. And in the 3rd month of mourning you…I tracked you down. I wasn't trying to track you down. I was trying to track down the fucking assholes I thought killed you. So, I find you…and what do I find? Not only are you not dead…you're getting married to some fucking jerk. And you're pregnant. I overreacted."

Shan made a face like 'Are you fucking kidding me?'. She leaned forward in disbelief. "You overreacted? Is that your explanation?"

Michael defended himself. "I didn't say I was gonna explain myself. I said I was gonna tell you the truth. But if that's too cryptic, let's get literal. I'm a killer. I'm a murdering bastard. You know that. And there are consequences…to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard. You experienced some of them. Was my reaction really that surprising?"

Shan answered, "Yes. It was. Could you do that you did? Of course, you could. But I never thought you would or could, do that to me."

Michael said, "I'm really sorry, Kiddo…but you thought wrong."

Shan got her sword ready. "You and I have unfinished business."

Michael said, "Baby…you ain't kiddin." Then the 2 fought sitting down. Michael drew his sword, tried to slice her. Shan fell back but used the sword to push her back up. She locked the attack, but then he swiped the sword away from her leaving only the sheathe. Michael was about to stab her, but she used her own sheathe to catch the sword and then used the Five-Point Palm - Exploding Heart Technique. When she was finished, he coughed up a bit of blood and stopped to breath. "Pai Mei taught you the Five-Point Palm - Exploding Heart Technique?"

Shan smiled tearfully. "Of course, he did. He is after all my grandfather."

Michael asked, "Grandfather?"

Shan said, "My real name is Shan Mao. I was approached by Special Forces to take you out. But I didn't count on falling in love with you and have a beautiful baby girl with you."

Michael asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Shan started to cry. "I don't know. Because I'm…a bad person."

Michael smiled. "No. You're not a bad person. You're a terrific person. You're my favorite person. But every once in a while…you can be a real cunt."

Shan laughed at that comment. "You said at the chapel you had a beautiful dream about me. What was it about?"

Michael said, "In the dream, I saw you and a lot of other people that I have never meet saving something more precious than I could ever give you. I even saw the 4 animals that were on your back. I didn't know what it meant but after that dream, I knew what it was. I guess I was hoping I was wrong. Whoever man that gets to be with you for the long hall is going to be one lucky son of a bitch."

Shan said, "I've been told that can never happen. That my fate is sealed."

Michael said, "You were born to change fates. Maybe it's best to change yours too." Michael wiped away the blood from his mouth. "How do I look?"

Shan grabbed his hand. "You look ready." Shan let go of his hand, Michael stood up, fixed his clothes and looked at her. Then he looked at the garden and did his very last steps. Once he took his 5th step, he stopped, and then fell to the ground never to wake up again. The Mafia was over. Shan cried a bit more, but then wiped her tears away.

Soon enough, Shan, with Cereza in her arms, was leaving the villa while members of Special Forces walked in to clean the mess and collect the body. The driver pulled up Shan's car and handed her the keys. Shan put Cereza in the car and once Shan was inside the car, she drove off. The next morning… Cereza was on the motel room bed, watching Saturday morning cartoons on T.V. In the bathroom, Shan was on the floor of the motel room bathroom, crying her eyes out. She shoves a towel in her mouth so Cereza won't hear her and a stuff lion in her arms. Nothing was wrong cause her face had tears are tears of joy. She can't believe this is even happening. Her daughter is alive. They're together. They get to begin again. She covers her mouth so Cereza won't hear her crying and get worried or confused. But as the deadliest woman on the planet, lies on the motel room bathroom floor, smile on her face, twinkle in her eyes, happier than she's ever been, she thinks one thought. Over and over again... "Thank you God…thank you god...thank you god...thank you god." She washes her face in the sink, when she's presentable, she walks out of the bathroom, jumps on the bed with her baby, hugs her from behind as the two watch Saturday morning cartoons.

The lioness has been reunited with her cub, and all is right in the jungle.