Pray For Me

Lana Banana

"Lana Winters," She says down the line, furiously typing on her type write. Lana has been working on her script for her expose, Briarcliff Exposed, for the past three months, and she was nearly finished.

"Hello, Miss Lana Banana." Jude says softly. Lana and Jude were roughly the same age, and Lana understood that Jude was just playing her part of strict nun. She always went easy on Lana in private meetings. They had become quite close over the year Lana had been imprisoned at Briarcliff.

"Judy! My God!" She exclaims, resting her hand on her large baby bump. When Lana found out she was pregnant with the baby of Bloody Face, she was obviously less than thrilled. Over the course of her pregnancy, she had grown to love her unborn child, and was very excited to meet her baby.

"Hey, Lana. Where are you on your expose?"

"About done. Why?"

"I have a case load of evidence exposing Arden."

"Can you bring it to me?" Lana asks, scribbling notes on her original plot sheet.

"Yeah, tomorrow. Listen, the Monsignor had no idea about Arden until today. I told him and we fled Briarcliff this afternoon. Please, leave him out of it."

"Of course, Jude. I wont ruin your chances with your man." Lana had seen the way they looked at each other when they thought nobody was looking. It was not hard to tell the two were so blinded by their love for one another they couldn't even see it.

"Oh, Lana!" Jude scolds. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." Lana says goodbye and hangs up, smiling down at her bump.

"We're gonna do it, baby! We're gonna shut that hell hole down!"

Jude pulls up to Lana's office, Timothy and all their belongings in the back seat.

"Ready?" She asks, turning to him. He nods, clutching the briefcase with the life changing documents inside. They walk into the building and look on the board next to the elevators for Lana's suite number. They enter the elevator, and Timothy wraps his arms around Jude, kissing her temple lightly. Jude practically sprints into Lana's office, slamming the papers down on her desk. Jude lights a cigarette and shares it with Timothy as Lana looks through the papers with wide eyes.

"Jude, this is amazing. Thank you, for reaching out. Where are you two headed to now?"

"To resign from the church, then to California," Timothy says, blowing the cigarette smoke out before handing it to Jude. Lana knew they would end up together eventually. They were meant to be together.

"Oh, okay. So this is it for a while?" Lana's tone changes and she bites back her tears.

"I suppose so. Goodbye, Lana Banana," Jude smiles, hugging the other woman tightly before sniffling. The couple turns to leave, nearly reaching the door before Lana commands their attention once again.

"Hey, Jude!" Jude and Timothy turn around, smiling at Lana.

"Yeah?" She asks, holding tight to the material of Timothy's shirt.

"You'll call?"

"Of course!" Jude exclaims, waving at Lana.

"Okay, okay. Get out, before I cry," She chuckles, holding her belly while sitting at her desk. Jude and Timothy just laugh at each other and slowly make their way down to the elevators. Their short walk to the car is silent as Jude builds up the courage to ask him the question she's been dreading. Jude and Timothy lean against the car for a moment before she speaks up.

"Timothy?" Jude asks, searching his hazel eyes with her own light brown ones. He turns to look at her, leaning against the car door.

"Hmm?" He asks, smiling at her. She's being very serious, and he can tell something is wrong. He knew it was hard for Jude to suddenly drop the strict nun act after six years of keeping it up, but she had always been different around him. She was never this closed off. He realized it was because she is scared. "What is it, my rare bird?" He asks, cupping her face in his soft hands. Jude immediately got some sense of relief from the contact, but was still deeply worried about his response to the question she had yet to ask.

"Are you sure you want to leave the church? I mean, you could just transfer out to California, or even New York."

"Judy, I want to leave so I can be with you. I think I knew when I met you that you were special, rare. I was ready to quit the second you called out my name your first day. You, Jude, are the only reason I would ever leave the church. I've always wanted a family, but I pushed the thought aside because my faith always came first. When I met you, I questioned my faith for the first time in my entire life. I love you. I have loved you, long before either of us knew it," He says softly, still holding her face in his hands, softly stroking her cheek with his thumb. Jude's eyes water, but she fights hard against the sting in her throat.

"It's okay, my rare bird, let go." With Timothy's words, Jude begins to sob. Timothy opens the passenger door and guides Jude into the car. He takes the keys from her and positions himself behind the steering wheel. She clings tightly to him, and he comforts her, glad to finally have his feelings for her out in the open. Knowing she felt the same was all he ever wanted. If it weren't for Jude, Timothy would have completely forgotten about his fictional family. If it wasn't with Jude, he didn't want it. He knew that now. Any idea he had about his future, had to have Jude in it. She had saved him from madness. Briarcliff was driving him to the brink of insanity. Then God sent him an angel.

And to think he almost believed Arden about Jude going mad. He almost locked her up in that place, and that was something he didn't think he could ever forgive himself for.