Taylor turned hopefully to Lt. Baker.

"Tell us, do you finally know where Brooke hides herself with Jack?"

"Well, we've received a very promising lead. Over the last few days we contacted some agencies and people who offer vacation rentals. Now we've been contacted by a ranger from the 'Joshua Tree National park'. He rents out some cabins. About two weeks ago a woman rented a wooden cabin from him and she also had a baby with her. She registered under a different name, but he is positive Miss Logan fits the description. So it is highly possible that she is hiding there in that cabin with Jack. After all, it would be a perfect shelter, the national park is very remote and the risk of being discovered is extremely low. Furthermore, the ranger has noticed this woman keeps herself very distant, hardly ever goes outside the door and when she meets him, she seems to really hide the child from him. He's never really gotten to see the face."

"That's Brooke, one hundred percent!" it blurted out Thomas.

"What are you going to do now?" wanted Eric to know.

"I've already sent some colleagues ahead and chartered a helicopter. I will fly to the national park and if this lady is indeed Miss Logan, we will arrest her immediately." Ridge didn't hesitate for a second.

"I'll come with you! I'm sure I can influence Brooke not to resist or come up with any other stupid ideas. Besides, Jack should be safe as soon as possible. No offense to you, Lt. Baker, but a bunch of cops probably scares him even more, don't you think?"

"All right!" Lt. Baker nodded at Ridge. "Indeed, that might not be a bad idea at all!"

"I'm coming too!" declared Taylor firmly, but Ridge held her back.

"No, you should stay here!"

"But Ridge... "

"Taylor, no one knows how Brooke reacts when she realizes she's busted, and if she sees you, she might go all the more crazy, and then it might get dangerous for Jack!"

"Ridge, this woman has my baby boy with her, I'm not going to sit here and wait patiently! I'm coming with you!"

"Taylor, please trust me! If this woman is indeed Brooke, I promise you, I will bring Jack home safe and sound. You have my word on it!" Felicia stepped up and took Taylor in her arms.

"Ridge is right! This thing could get really dangerous depending on how Brooke acts and we have to think about Jack first, if anyone can get through to her and make sure nothing happens to Jack, it's Ridge." Everyone else in the room nodded in agreement. Finally, Taylor relented.

"Okay, if you say so!" Ridge gave her another hug.

"I promise I'll call you as soon as I have Jack safely in my arms. Everything is going to be fine!" Lt. Baker and Ridge left the house. Everyone else sat back down, they could only pray that everything would turn out their way. Phoebe called Thomas and Steffy, who were both home resting. Eric contacted Katie and Donna to update them.

Ridge and Lt. Baker hurried to the airfield, where the helicopter and several other police officers were already waiting for them. During the flight, Ridge was stressed out. He fervently hoped that the trail would lead to Brooke and Jack and that he would be able to bring his son home today. At the same time, he was very worried about whether everything would go well. He suspected once Brooke realized her plan had been busted, she would react rather violently. Surely she wouldn't give Jack up so easily after everything she had done to get him. He dreaded meeting Brooke, suddenly she was like a stranger to him, he didn't even know how to face her. He felt an endless rage for her, he would love to pounce on her to shake and rattle her, but he knew he had to face her calmly and deliberately. His first priority was Jack; he couldn't let anything happen to him. He tried to come up with a plan on how to proceed. Lt. Baker glanced over at Ridge. Based on his experience, he knew what thoughts were on Ridge's mind right now.

"Don't worry Mr. Forrester. I have a very well trained team with me. We have plenty of experience with situations like this and we know exactly what we're doing. Just follow our instructions and no harm will come to your son." Ridge nodded nervously at him.

As Ridge approached the national park, everyone in the Bel Air mansion waited anxiously. Steffy and Thomas appeared, immediately after Phoebe had notified them, they had been on their way. They received a detailed report of where Brooke might be staying with Jack.

"I really hope it's her and that this nightmare will finally be over!" said Steffy. She searched around the living room. "Where's Mom?" At her question, everyone looked around, puzzled, until Bridget chimed in.

"I think she went to the kitchen earlier. I'm going to check on her." Bridget rose, followed by Felicia. Indeed, they found Taylor in the kitchen, busily chopping carrots.

"What are you doing?" asked Felicia, irritated.

"When Jack gets home, he's bound to be hungry. I'm making him his favorite pablum." Bridget and Felicia exchanged meaningful glances. Felicia pulled Bridget aside.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Concerned, they watched as Taylor eagerly continued to work the carrots with the knife.

"Well, at least it keeps her distracted and busy. Maybe it's good for her to do something. But someone should stay and keep an eye on her."

"Okay, I'll stay here!" While Bridget went back to the others, Felicia joined Taylor.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You can peel and cut the potatoes if you like."

While Taylor was busy with Jack's favorite meal, Ridge had arrived with Lt. Baker at the 'Joshua Tree National park'. First, they had a conversation with the ranger. Ridge showed him pictures of Brooke and Jack and the latter was now more than certain that the woman was indeed Brooke. He showed them the registration form and Ridge clearly recognized Brooke's handwriting. Lt. Baker explained his plan to him.

"We already have the entire area and especially the cabin widely surrounded. The best thing would be if you try to engage your ex-wife in a conversation. Don't give away that we're here. Pretend you found out her whereabouts by other means. If you can, try to lure her outside, away from the cabin and your son." Ridge nodded eagerly. Together they drove to the cabin, Ridge's heart pounded hard and fast. They walked the last bit, careful not to give themselves away first. Lt. Baker was now hiding as well, while Ridge went to the door and knocked.

Brooke was more than surprised to see Ridge. She suddenly became terribly nervous and began to stutter.

"Hi...what are you doing here...how did you find me?" Ridge mustered all his strength and beamed at Brooke.

"Hello Logan, how nice to see you again! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"How did you find me?" Brooke was torn, she was happy to see him again, but she was also scared.

"I used a private investigator." lied Ridge "Who led me to you. Come, let's go outside for a moment. There's so much I want to say, Logan." He led her by the arm away from the cabin. Brooke was still very unsure.

"Ridge, you have to believe me, I did all this for Jack, to make sure that he's fine! Our sweet little boy!" Ridge stroked her cheek.

"I know! I know Jack has always been fine with you. And now we can all start a new life together."

"Do you really mean that Ridge?" He broke away from her and took a few steps away. He spread his arms.

"Of course, just look around, the three of us, all alone here in this fantastic place!"

"Yeah, it's really beautiful here!" But suddenly a strange feeling came over Brooke. She turned around. Too late she realized that she was already surrounded by a crowd of policemen.

Now everything happened in a flash. Several police officers stepped forward and arrested Brooke before she could react, Lt. Baker advised her of her rights. Holding nothing back, Ridge stormed into the cabin. In one corner was a travel cot with Jack sitting in it.

"Oh my god Jack! There you are! Look who's here! Your daddy!" When Jack recognized his father, he started screaming and reached his arms out for him. Ridge picked him up, he was so happy to finally have his son back and that he seemed okay. "Hey my big boy, are you okay? You're back and soon we'll be going home. Everything will be okay!" He hugged the little one tightly, Jack still cried softly and clawed at his father. He didn't want to let him go at all. From outside, Ridge could hear Brooke yelling frantically. Lt. Baker now stepped into the cabin.

"Hey, there's our little man! Is everything all right with him?"

"As far as I can see, yes. He seems to be doing fine."

"That's the main issue, we've already taken Miss Logan to one of the vans. My colleagues will take her to the police station. A short time later, Ridge was back in the helicopter with his son on his lap. One of the police officers had given Jack a small teddy bear, which he was now clutching tightly. As the helicopter took off, Ridge suddenly thought of something.

"You know what we're going to do, Jack?" We're going to call your mom, because she's eagerly waiting for you at home!"

Inside the mansion they now all gathered in the living room. They sat there, silent and tense, staring at the phone as if spellbound. No one said a word.

Ring Ring. Startled, they all jumped up. Taylor shivered as she picked up the phone and answered.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, guess who's with me right now?"

"Oh my God Ridge, is Jack really with you? How is he doing? Is he okay?" Immediately, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yes, he's fine. Everything went well and nothing happened to Jack!" With a wide smile, she turned to the others and nodded.

"It's alright! Jack is fine and he's safe!" Everyone cheered and fell into each other's arms in relief.

"Where are you guys?"

"We're already on our way back and will be landing soon. Wait a minute...Jack, do you want to talk to your mommy?" A short time later, Taylor heard the crowing and echoing of her son. More tears came.

"Hey Jack, it's Mommy. I love you so much, sweetheart!" She could barely speak because she was flooded with her emotions. Ridge spoke up again.

"We'll be there soon, so you can finally hold him again. I'll see you later!"

"Yeah, see you later!" After Taylor hung up, she let herself sink into the chair. She needed to calm her nerves first.

"What did Dad say?" asked Steffy impatiently.

"Not much, just that everything went well and nothing happened to Jack."

"Thank God!" breathed Stephanie in relief. Everyone rejoiced that the situation had turned out well and the horror was finally over.

"They'll be here soon!" Taylor jumped up and ran around nervously. She happened to pass the large mirror and stared at herself in it. "Oh my god! What do I look like? Jack's going to get frightened when he sees me!" Her hair was stringy and shaggy. Her face was pale, she had all red, puffy eyes from all the crying and deep dark black circles. Immediately she rushed upstairs. Thomas grinned.

"Well at least she noticed it herself, I didn't want to say it so directly!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Later, Taylor came back completely changed. She had showered and changed her clothes, she had fixed her hair and even put on some makeup. Now she looked like everyone knew her. Thomas whistled appreciatively. Taylor went to the door and peered outside.

"Still no sign of them! What's taking them so long?"

"They'll be here soon, I'm sure!" reassured Felicia.

"Right, they still have to drive here from the airfield!" added Bridget.

"I can't stand it anymore, I can't wait to finally have Jack back with me. This waiting is really unbearable!" Phoebe rushed to her mother and wrapped her in her arms.

"Come on, Mom! You were so brave, all these two weeks long now you'll get through these few minutes too."

"You're right!" Taylor hugged her daughter. But the rest of the wait seemed like an eternity to her. Every minute felt like an hour. Finally, after what seemed like an endless amount of time, they heard cars pulling up in the driveway. Now holding nothing back, Taylor stormed out of the house. Just then she saw Ridge getting out of one of the cars with Jack. Again her emotions got the better of her, but she tried to stay calm not to scare Jack. She ran toward the two of them. When Jack saw his mother, he started to kick and reached out his arms for her. Taylor wrapped him in a hug.

"Oh my God, Jack, there you are! My dear little boy, oh I missed you so much! But now you're back with me, I'll never let you go! I love you!" She hugged him close. It felt so good to hold him in her arms again, to be able to feel, sense and smell him. Tears of joy and relief were streaming down her face. She was relieved, happy, excited, all at once! Jack also seemed to be very happy to finally be back with his mom. He clawed firmly at her sweater and in her hair with his little hands and snuggled up close to her. Ridge embraced Taylor with Jack. It was a very touching moment for him as well. He was so glad that the whole story had ended well and Jack was finally back with them. Lt. Baker and his colleagues watched the scene proudly. These were the best moments in their job, when a case led to such a happy ending.

They all went into the house. As soon as Taylor walked into the living room with Jack, Thomas and the twins jumped out to meet her.

"My God Jack, there you are again." Everyone couldn't wait to greet Jack. But all this commotion seemed to visibly frighten him. He curled up even closer to his mother and buried his face in her chest. In order not to frighten him further, everyone moved back a bit. Eric turned to Lt. Baker and thanked him profusely for all he had done for Jack and the family. Then he asked about Brooke.

"We were able to arrest Miss Logan without any problems. She did not offer any direct resistance, however she was quite upset and distressed. We have taken her into custody and a judge will now decide what is going to happen with her. In my estimation, she may be sent to a psychiatric hospital." Lt. Baker and his colleagues said their goodbyes. Taylor and Ridge were fully busy with Jack. Eric's thoughts, meanwhile, continued to circle around Brooke.

"I think I'm going to contact Donna and Katie to let them know Jack is back and Brooke has been arrested. Then I'm going to go to the police department and see what I can find out there." Bridget rose.

"I'm coming with you!" After the two left, the others gradually took their leave. They understood Jack now needed to recover from all the exertion and needed time with his parents and all the turmoil in the house was too much for him at the moment. Moreover, since the situation was finally resolved, they all felt the exhaustion and fatigue of the last few days. Taylor and Ridge sincerely thanked everyone for their support over the past few weeks. When they were finally alone with Jack, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"I still can't believe it, Jack is back and the whole nightmare is finally over!" Ridge put his arm around her.

"I promised you everything would be okay!" Taylor smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you for bringing Jack back, I'll never forget that! Never!"

"It was the least I could do for Jack." He took his son in his arms. "I swear to you, from today on, I will protect him and I will never let him down again. In the future I will listen to you and your instincts. You were right from the beginning not to trust Brooke, but now we don't have to worry about it anymore. Jack is back with us and Brooke will never get too close to him again, I will make sure of that!"

"I hope so, I never want to see that woman again and certainly not around Jack."

Later, they put Jack to bed together. They watched him as he lay peacefully in his crib sleeping, his dog and rubber duck beside him as usual. Taylor couldn't take her eyes off her son. She wanted most of all to never let go of him. But Ridge pulled her out of the nursery with him.

"You should lie down too, you look like you're in desperate need of some sleep."

"Thanks, very flattering! You don't look much better yourself!" Taylor offered Ridge to spend the night in the guest room. Already the last few days he had always retreated to the guest room to rest and after all the excitement of the day, she didn't want to put him through driving home yet. Ridge gratefully accepted her offer. But as he lay in bed, sleep just wouldn't come. He was still far too excited and tense. After a few hours of tossing and turning around in bed, he got up. He absolutely had to take another look at Jack. But he was not in his crib. At the first moment he got a terrible shock, until he noticed that Jack's cuddle blanket as well as his 'doggie' and his 'quakie' were missing too. That's when he guessed where he could find Jack. He tiptoed over to Taylor's bedroom. Sure enough, not only was his ex-wife lying there asleep, but next to her was his son. Ridge grinned to himself. He wasn't a bit surprised that Taylor wanted to have Jack with her that night. He was no different, after all. He moved to the other side of the bed and lay down next to Jack as well. Gently, he stroked his little hand. Before he knew it, sleep overwhelmed him.

Over the next few days, Taylor and Ridge had all their hands full with Jack. The kidnapping had clearly left a mark on their son. Jack seemed deeply traumatized. He didn't want to be separated from his parents for a moment. As soon as they turned their backs on him to leave the room, he started to scream and whimper. He was constantly clinging to their arms or hanging on to their legs. In addition, he slept very restlessly. Every night he woke up crying and it was only possible for him to fall asleep when he was lying in bed with one of them. To the rest of the family he still reacted very disturbed and anxious. He wouldn't let anyone else pick him up and if there were too many people in the room, he became quite intimidated and scared. Taylor and Ridge did their best to make Jack feel safe and secure again. They never took their eyes off him and were engaged with him around the clock. Jack enjoyed and needed the attention he got from both of them and when they were all three together, he seemed relaxed and content. To support Taylor, Ridge temporarily moved in with Jack and her. The entire family frowned at this. But both Taylor and Ridge repeatedly testified they were only doing this for Jack's sake. Furthermore, Ridge was working exclusively at home so he could always be available for Jack. The twins and Thomas supported their parents as much as they could. They did their errands for them so they didn't have to go to the public with Jack, because crowds of strangers were too scary for him at the moment. Thomas acted as his father's messenger, regularly delivering his mail and other important documents he needed for work. Neither of them had heard from Brooke since her arrest. Immediately the day after the rescue, they had taken all the necessary steps to protect Jack from Brooke in the future. They had obtained a restraining order against her, so she was not allowed to approach Jack or contact them in any way.

Just over a week after Jack's return, Eric appeared with them to address an issue that was very important to him.

"I came to talk to you about Brooke." Taylor rolled his eyes.

"I don't see what else there is to discuss regarding that woman. I don't want anything to do with her!" she said firmly. A judge had ordered that Brooke indeed should be committed to a psychiatric hospital for the time being. It turned out although she had acted in full consciousness and was responsible, at the same time there were clear signs of a mental disorder. Apparently, she had become so fixated on the idea Jack was supposed to be her son that she was no longer able to control her impulses and was willing to use any means. Her arrest had triggered a total meltdown in her. She had also been deprived of custody of Hope. Donna was now Hope's guardian.

"Why do you want to talk to us about Brooke?" asked Ridge, also slightly irritated.

"I know Brooke did something extremely horrible. She regrets what she did and she would like to talk to you and apologize in person for everything." Taylor snorted disdainfully.

"The last time she said that, she knocked me down afterwards!" Eric sighed; he had assumed pleading his case would not be easy.

"She's really not doing well. I think if we all work together, we're more likely to get her released healthy and get her life back on track." Taylor had to pull herself together not to explode.

"Why should I do anything good for this woman? She's made my life hell lately. She has tried everything to take Jack away from me and I will never forgive her for the kidnapping. That woman is the last point on my priority list right now! I don't give a damn how she's doing and if she's suffering, it serves her right!"

"Taylor, come on! Try to look at this from your professional point of view."

"No, Eric! Don't give me that 'you must be able to understand this as a psychiatrist' talk. In this case I am absolutely not objective, but simply Jack's mother and I really have enough to do with him! I can't take care of Brooke as well!"

"But Jack is back with you. He's fine and nothing happened to him."

"Nothing happened?! How can you say that? Jack is not well at all, he is severely traumatized! He doesn't sleep through the night anymore, he has nightmares, he immediately panics if Ridge and I are not with him for even a minute. We have to take care of him 24/7. He is afraid of other people and you know very well Jack was completely different before. We owe it all to Brooke and her stupid actions!" Ridge tried to smooth the waters between his father and Taylor.

"Dad I understand you're worried about Brooke and I think it's okay for you to care and stand by her. But please keep Taylor and me out of this. We don't want to have anything to do with Brooke for now, and we certainly don't want to see her or hear any excuses. We ask you to respect that." Eric was not quite satisfied with this answer.

"Think about the family! How is this supposed to go on in the future if no one talks to each other anymore!" Taylor was now finally losing her nerves.

"You should have asked Brooke that before she grabbed our son and took off into the wilderness with him. It's not our fault it's come to this, and speaking of family. Jack is your grandson and you should think of him first. I will do everything I can to protect him and if I have to then I'll file for sole custody and move to the end of the world with Jack!" Taylor had had enough, she didn't want to hear any more. She took Jack, who was playing on the floor and stormed out of the room with him. Ridge glared angrily at his father.

"Was that really necessary now?"

"Ridge, just understand me! I didn't mean to upset you or Taylor. I just thought we all need to make an effort to move on."

"Right, but that's no reason to jump all over us like that. I mean, it was just a week ago we got Jack back. Taylor and I have just started to recover and already you're asking us to act like nothing happened! I think you're forgetting Brooke is not the victim here! You really need to think about where your loyalties are." Ridge left his father alone. Taylor retreated to the nursery with Jack. On one hand, she could understand Eric and his efforts to keep the family together, but still, she felt abandoned and alone. Ridge came and sat with her. He put his arm around her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! It was just too heavy down there!"

"I'm really sorry! I think Dad doesn't see that he expects way too much from us. But you don't have to worry, I'll stand by your side. I see it the same way you do. For me Jack and his well-being is also the most important priority right now!"

"That's good to know, thanks. By the way, what I said earlier about sole custody...it really wasn't against you, I was just so angry! I would never take Jack away from you"

"It's okay!" He pulled her closer to him. "Maybe you have a free spot for me at the end of the world?!" Taylor laughed and nestled herself in him.