I looked at the doctor, and I said, 'Take them now.' Tonight on 20/20 ` her family curse has become her crusade. I'd never, kind of, forgive myself if I had this knowledge, and I didn't act upon it. She's had the same surgery as Angelina Jolie and is warning others about the killer gene. Then she kidnaped her kids and went to extreme lengths to hide them. How strange is it to see your... your son disguised as a little girl? 20/20 travels the world for the truth. One of the hottest leads yet that Maria might be sending emails from right here in Paris. And we get the 'behind the scenes' word from the cast of Revenge. Most people drop like flies on our show. Like, we kind of, like, hold on to each other. Kia ora. I'm Sonya Wilson. The BRCA gene mutation was made famous by Angelina Jolie when she had her breasts removed last year. Now, both men and women can carry the mutated gene, which significantly increases the risk of prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. It gets passed down through the family line, as it has with a family that we're about to meet tonight. Here's Erin Conroy with a young woman who's coming face-to-face with her family curse. DREAMY MUSIC For the women in my family who carry the BRCA gene, all of them have had cancer. She calls it the family curse. All down to one mutated gene. I'd never kind of forgive myself if I had this knowledge, I knew my family history, I knew what it could do to me, and I didn't act upon it. It's a cancer curse that this young woman is on a mission to fight. But how much does she know of her own family history right here in NZ? We've been able to track down some of your family members > Would you be prepared to talk to them? > Krystal Barter is a cancer activist, but she's come to NZ for a very personal reason. Hello. Her nan is sick. Time is precious. She's here as a special surprise. So we are going to pop in the car, and we're going to Nan's and surprise her. Despite living on different sides of the Tasman, Krystal's Kiwi connection is strong. Her mum, grandmother and husband are all NZers. I think she's gonna cry. I think she's gonna cry. I think you'll cry. (CHUCKLES) So you were born in Australia, but you've certainly got Kiwi connections. My mum and my... my nan and my husband say, 'You're 50-50.' But it's not just NZ that these women have in common. they all share another link too ` breast cancer. My great-grandma Annie was 68 when she died. My nan was diagnosed at 44, and my mum was 36. That's the gene that's been passed on to me. So it has never skipped a generation. Take a look back in Krystal's family line, and the genetic link is unmistakable. Many in her family, both men and women, share the BRCA gene mutation. The BRCA gene is a cancer-fighting gene. When it's mutated, it doesn't work, significantly increasing the chances of prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. Mum! Got a present for you. A nice man? A nice man? ALL CHUCKLE Krystal's grandmother, Val, beat cancer in her 40s. But now it's back, this time on her tongue. Oh my God. Oh my God. (CHUCKLES) Oh, Nan. Aw, this wasn't supposed to happen. Aw, this wasn't supposed to happen. I know. I wouldn't leave you. Aw, this wasn't supposed to happen. I know. I wouldn't leave you. Don't worry about it. We've always been together, and we'll get through this one too. Val is facing yet another major surgery to fight cancer. READS: 'Hi, I love my Nanny more than anything else.' After being diagnosed with breast cancer in her 40s, she had a mastectomy. That's the other one. That's the other one. Oh, goodness. Her daughter Julie's diagnosis came in her 30s, and she too had the life-saving surgery. And Krystal was just 25 when both her breasts were removed. I would lie saying that it was an easy decision, because it's not natural for any 25-year-old woman to wake up one day and say, 'Right I'm going to have my breasts removed today.' Five years ago, Krystal was offered a genetic test to see if she carried the mutated BRCA gene. There was a 50% chance it'd been passed down to her. It had. I looked at the doctor and I said, 'Take them now.' With 65% chance of developing breast cancer, Krystal chose preventative surgery. I'm feel lousy day to day. It's the second day after my operation. It's a long process. I had to have my breasts removed. Day five. So I still... had my dressings changed today. Had to have them slowly expanded. Then, after three months, have another surgery to have implants put in, um, and then they didn't. One twisted and flicked and went under my arm after a few months. So I had to go back and get another set put in, and I got bigger this time, and they're really good. Do your breasts look normal? They've got no nipples. That kind of... I don't know if your viewers would wanna know, but my nipples were just` they'd been` breastfed two hungry boys. so I was kind of over them, to tell you the truth. And I actually like them better than the ones that I had before. It was from her hospital bed that Krystal decided women just like her needed more information about the BRCA gene. Pink Hope gives much-needed support and information to high-risk women. So she started a charity called Pink Hope, and her family's story is told in a recently released book. But when the Hollywood A-lister Angelina Jolie had the same surgery as Krystal, her cause was suddenly making international headlines. All it took was the most famous woman in the world to carry the same gene and to have the same surgery that people, kind of, didn't say, 'BRCA what?' They were, like, 'Oh, BRCA. The same gene that Angelina's got.' And I'm, like, 'Yes, that's it.' And she just changed the world for families like mine in that one moment. Fish and chips. Fish and chips. Can't you smell it? Fish and chips. Can't you smell it? It smells so good. Tonight, it's a Kiwi tradition for Krystal. And we'll have some chips for five people, please. And we'll have some chips for five people, please. Fish and chips. Oh, it's been a long time since I've done this. Three generations all affected by the BRCA gene, but as for the next generation, Krystal's own kids. it's not yet known whether they too will carry the mutated gene. Cheers. Cheers. Lovely to have you here. They'll take the test when they're will old enough to decide. If they don't carry the gene, it stops in its tracks, just like it has for Krystal's brother. About a year ago, my brother had his genetic test, and he came back negative. So he doesn't carry it, and therefore his baby girl won't carry the gene. Absolutely. So it's pretty amazing to hold her and to feel that it's ended with her on his side of the family. Krystal can trace the gene through at least five generations, but she's lost touch with her distant relatives. Has BRCA affected their lives? Do they even know about the gene? We did some investigating, and what we found was surprising. Now, we've been able to track down some of your family members. > Would you be prepared to talk to them? Yeah, absolutely, cos it's so easy to lose touch with extended family and, yeah, I've never met them before. We've arranged a meeting for Krystal and her distant Kiwi cousins. How you feeling? How you feeling? Got big goosebumps. (CHUCKLES) Even though they've never met, they're connected by blood. Blood that may contain the faulty gene. Hi. Hi. Hi, Krystal. Hello. Hello. It's lovely to meet you. Hello. It's lovely to meet you. You too. Hi. Hi. Hello. Oh, I wish my nan and mum were here. She's meeting her third cousin, Nikki, and her mum, Debbie. I'd love to sit down and, kind of, hear a bit about you guys. Once they get talking, the family link is clear. Do you, kind of, know about your family history of breast and ovarian cancer? Or it's never really been openly discussed, really? Well, it wasn't openly discussed with me. I wasn't actually told my mum was sick when I was young. She died of cancer at 41, when I was 14 years old. And` And` Was it breast or ovarian? > And` Was it breast or ovarian? > Breast. Yeah. And then her oldest sister, Auntie Margaret, died within a year or two years in my memory. Meeting them both and hearing their story, and it felt like my life in reverse. And it was really surreal. Despite Debbie's mum and aunts dying of cancer, she's chosen not to get tested. You don't think you'll ever have testing or...? You don't think you'll ever have testing or...? I chose not to know. Yeah, I just` that's how I work. I'm... you know? That's so interesting because I've been the total opposite. And you might not have those genes. And you might not have those genes. I don't know. I don't know. In my head, I don't want to get the results because I know what I think, and I don't want it to be... and I don't want it to be... ...the case? > and I don't want it to be... ...the case? > Um. Yeah, yeah. The girls share lunch and their stories. Krystal opens up about her own battle with the gene. So, gosh, about five years ago, I had a preventative double mastectomy at 25. It wasn't until I had my breast removed that I was, like, the first` the first dream that I had was growing old. Oh wow. Oh wow. I just felt like I'd never get there. Yeah, I felt like that for a very long time. And I did, and I will, and I'm having my ovaries removed, kind of, in the next few months. And then I get on with my life. Cos you might not carry it. Do you understand that? And you're the first person that I've spoken to that` that knows that they carry it, and you look completely sane. and you look completely sane. Yeah, I'm fine. I thought it just might break me, but I don't think it will. (CHUCKLES) So, hearing all of this, Debbie, has it made you think a little bit differently about finding out? Absolutely. Absolutely. Really? > Absolutely. Really? > Aw... You got to do it for your kids, don't you? Krystal's story has now touched one more family ` her own. How was that for you? A bit of a surprise, eh? Oh, so not what I expected on my way to go home. When Deb said that, more than likely, she will go and get the gene test, I just felt, 'My gosh.' Like, I've been spending my whole life, you know, scared of cancer. Now being able to turn it around and help people, what better way than helping my own family? What an amazing group of women, eh? Uh, Debbie tells us she has booked her genetic test as a result of that meeting with Krystal. Should she be found to carry the mutation, she can choose to monitor her health closely or have preventative surgery. Next up on 20/20 ` what lengths would you go to get your kids back? Two different fathers finding themselves in the middle of a real-life horror. For 18 months, both of them asking, where are their sons? Those boys? And will the mother who took them, the woman each of them was once married to, ever be found? What follows is the international hunt to find them, and we're there as this case breaks wide open. Welcome back. It's one woman, two ex-husbands and two children in a case that traverses the world. A social-network army is used to track a mother who has abducted her two children and fled their LA home. 20/20 is on the trail as she moves from country to country, with her two boys disguised as girls. OK. Once upon a time, there were... This is the story of two beautiful little boys, two brothers. Like so many children across America tonight, they are boys who try to push the limits at bedtime. This is Jerry. It's time to go to bed. It's time to go to bed. No, it's not. It's not time to go to bed. Yes, it is. It's almost 8.30. Well, guess what? Nope. And there's Sasha, laughing here as he jumps on the trampoline. But the laughter from both boys goes silent. They vanish. What follows is the international hunt to find them. We're there as this case breaks wide open. But to understand how and why they disappeared in the first place, you have to go back to the Hollywood hills, where scripts and screenplays are filled with fictional family drama. But right here in Los Angeles, two different fathers finding themselves in the middle of a real-life horror; for 18 months, both of them asking where are their sons, those boys? And will the mother who took them, the woman each of them were once married to, ever be found? Jerry is everything to me. Without him, I can't live, I can't breathe. Can you hear his voice still? Oh, of course. It's strange cos I feel like I'm with him all the time, except he's not here. I love this picture, and every night I see it before I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning. The last time Larry Hummel saw his son Sasha, he was just 3 years old. He always said, 'I wanna go on the purple dinosaur.' He wanted to dress up, so we got suits. When Bob Pfeifer last saw his son Jerry, he'd just turned 9. And this is not something you could have ever imagined, I'm sure, Bob. It tears at the core of everything that one stands for and... This LA story actually began 6000 miles away from California during a visit to Prague, when Bob Pfeifer meets a stunning young woman who had an American dream. Her name ` Maria Misejova. Oh, she was a beautiful girl ` very tall, athletic, blonde, blue eyes; beautiful girl. An accomplished runner, Bob said she tells him she's training to join the Olympic team from her native Slovakia and that she's planning for medical school. What did you see in her? What did you see in her? Innocence. I was living in Hollywood, a town filled with the disingenuous, and I thought I'd met an innocent person. And Bob, a Hollywood insider, is attractive to her too. A high-level record executive in the '90s, he then works in the booming video-game industry. But something is missing ` he is ready for a family, and so is she. So you married in July, and she was pregnant within a couple of months. Yes. Yes. And was there excitement? Yes. And was there excitement? I thought there was. Maria moved to Los Angeles, but the love story born in Prague begins to sour even before the baby arrives. It starts to fall apart? It starts to fall apart? Everything I thought she was, was false. In fact, Bob has already filed for divorce by the time their son, Jerry, is born. What would follow is a bruising battle over custody of their little boy, caught in the middle, watching it all unfold. Did they live happily ever after? And they lived... no so happily. Was it contentious? Was it contentious? It was contentious, but I was very much involved in my son's life. Bob's love life is unravelling, and it seems his professional life is too. He finds himself facing charges and pleading to a felony in a high-profile case ` the Pellicano wiretapping case. And when you look back on it, what do` what do you think? And when you look back on it, what do` what do you think? Regret. Pfeifer ends up helping the prosecution, and later, judges decide his past should not get in the way of custody of his little boy. (GIGGLES) And as it turned out, beautiful Maria has blemishes too. Her friends say they see the wholesome, health-conscious mom. But others see a different side ` a woman who enjoys the Los Angeles nightlife, the company of wealthy men. There are questions about where she's getting her cash, a judge at one point saying she showed an appalling lack of credibility. There's at least two personalities. You have the wholefoods, bio, organic, cotton-only mother; and then you have the party, drugs, alcohol. So these were two very different images? So these were two very different images? That's her life. They finally settle on sharing custody of Jerry. Bob is tickled, and so is his boy. The tickle monster's coming! The tickle monster's coming! (GIGGLES) Maria, meanwhile, moves on with her life, meeting a new man, Larry Hummel, a Hollywood voice-over agent; and like Bob before him, falls head over heels for the stunning Slovakian. She liked the fact that I worked in entertainment. She liked the fact that I worked in entertainment. Do you remember proposing to her? It was on my birthday, and I said, 'The most joy that I could get for my birthday would be 'if you would marry me.' 'if you would marry me.' And she said? 'if you would marry me.' And she said? She said yes. She says a lot of other things too; for one, that her name is Maya ` no longer going by Maria. What did she tell you about her background, her life? She said that she was a medical student. She said her mother was a doctor in Prague. How much of that was true? How much of that was true? Very little of it. But you had no idea that you were married to a mystery woman? But you had no idea that you were married to a mystery woman? Correct. And just like Bob before him, now Larry and Maria are expecting a baby. And soon the birth of another nasty break-up too. She was very much about material things, and she had to have the best stroller, this $1200 stroller. It was hard to keep up with that. Maria leaves him, and Larry is crushed. You were having a hard time with the break-up? Oh, for sure. It took a toll on me psychologically. He says Maria tells him Sasha might not even be his son. The break-up, he admits, leads to a mental breakdown. He puts himself in the hospital. My belief is when you're depressed, you seek help. And I sought help. Maria is now living with the two boys ` Sasha from her second marriage, Jerry from her first. And Larry, so heartsick, reaches out to an unlikely ally ` the first husband, the first dad, Bob, who has heard it all before. They are now in this together. It was like having a mentor in the situation. And I said, 'You don't understand; you're at war.' She made some serious allegations about you. Mm-hm. Mm-hm. She said you were abusive. Mm-hm. She said you were abusive. Not true. Controlling. Controlling. Not true. Controlling. Not true. A drug addict. Not true. Not true. And then the custody battle. Not true. And then the custody battle. Yes. Now the sequel ` the second custody battle to come. Maria wants full custody of her youngest son, Sasha, but Larry wants Sasha too. And like the first husband, Larry, too, questions what he calls her mysterious income. The judges hear the allegations from both sides and in the end, still determine that both should take care of their son. You had Sasha during the week a couple of nights, you had him every other weekend? The proud dad taking this home video of his son on the drum set. (LAUGHS) But Larry has no idea how often he will soon be looking back at this video, the last one he would take of his boy Sasha. It is the summer of 2012. Maria has planned a summer vacation back to her native Slovakia with both of her boys. Did you know this family visit was coming, this trip back to Slovakia? Did you know this family visit was coming, this trip back to Slovakia? Yes, she had done it before. But on previous trips, Maria had always come back. Not this time ` flight 9683 landing in Los Angeles, and they're not on it. She was not on the plane she said she was gonna be on, and I just remember thinking, 'This isn't happening. this is so surreal.' A mother and her two boys gone. When we come back ` 20/20 on the international hunt for the fugitive mom, the addresses, the fugitive squad wants to find her. And the crucial clue from perfect strangers ` the video that's about to stun everyone. How she is disguising the boys, when we come back. Somewhere in Europe, a mother and her two sons on the run, and we're right there on the trail ` 20/20 following the leads, the tips two fathers are convinced will bring back their boys. Maria Pfeifer has taken her two sons on a summer vacation to her native Slovakia. Defying her two ex-husbands and the courts, she does not return, her last email to one of the dads sent just hours after they were supposed to land back in America, saying, 'I had to reschedule. The youngest boy was sick. Thank you for understanding.' She went dark on her phones, went dark on email. We couldn't locate them or find them. Authorities say what Maria has done is sadly growing increasingly common ` ...just this week, the state department revealing that last year more than 1000 children were taken this way. But this case is unique, not only because Maria has the two boys from two different dads, but she didn't return to her home country to simply resume her old life; she simply disappeared. Authorities are convinced this is a mother on the run. It's tragic enough to take a child away from one of the parents; it's another thing to live a fugitive life with a child. With Maria failing to return from that vacation as promised, the Los Angeles courts now award full custody of the boys to their fathers, and both men get to work. The world's too small a place. Everyone leaves a footprint. But the weeks quickly turn into months. Maria remains one step ahead, changing email addresses, eluding a bounty hunter hired by Larry to try to find the boys. It doesn't work. We didn't know what we were doing, and we just kind of threw a lot of money at it. The other dad, Bob, wants far more than a bounty hunter; he wants the law on his side. His friend Stacey Dutton helps him. He devoted every single waking moment to trying to get his kid back. He spends months pressing for criminal charges, meeting with the Los Angeles police and the DA, and he's about to turn to one more place. We had no money left, had no leads, so the idea came up to go public and use social media. so the idea came up to go public and use social media. To tell the world. He decides to build an army from the very kitchen where he used to make Jerry breakfast. Facebook, Twitter ` all of it to bring Jerry home. I helped him build the Facebook page and build little "Jerry's Army". We have 12,110 people on it. Emails begin pouring in, the mother no longer in Slovakia, but now hopscotching around Europe. She'd left possible traces in Prague, in Munich. Then the muscle behind the movement Bob is hoping for ` the LA DA pressing charges against Maria. He now knows if he finally gets a solid tip, he has the charges to go after her. She's charged now? She's charged now? She's charged now. She's charged now? She's charged now. I mean, this is a big deal. That's huge. I prayed for her for a year. Right around then, one of the hottest leads yet ` that Maria might be sending emails from right here in Paris. And that tip came in from one of her own friends in Los Angeles. And based on that new tip, Bob tells us that after all of these months, he can still hear his son's voice. He was about to use his own. He heads to Paris and without an appointment walks straight into the US embassy there, demanding a meeting with Special Agent Eugene Casey with the FBI. Agent Casey. Agent Casey. Hi. Had you ever seen a case like this before, a dad who shows up at the Paris embassy? Never. The agent is upfront about the years that often go by when children are stolen, taken overseas. When Bob asked you, 'What are the chances I'm gonna get my son back,' you had to be honest with him? I told Bob, 'She could have told them you're dead.' You warned Bob that these kids, their names could be different, their appearances could be different? their appearances could be different? Yes. But despite the odds, Agent Casey immediately begins chasing the leads from that dad ` tips from perfect strangers all over the world and that one clue that she could be emailing from Paris. So, you alert the fugitive squad to hunt down this Maria Pfeifer just outside Paris? That's correct. That's correct. And they were on their way? That's correct. And they were on their way? Yes. They find an address ` an apartment building with a Maria Pfeiffer living in it. Apartment 129. Maria Pfeifer. She points us to the next building over, where we find her name on the door. We ask neighbours if they'd ever seen that beautiful young mother and her two blond boys. Do you know her? Do you know her? No. Do you know her? No. No? Everyone telling us what they told investigators ` that it was the wrong Maria Pfeifer. The lead is a bust. Now back in California, Bob is back online. And what he does next changes everything ` concentrating on Maria's home country now, Slovakia, posting images of Maria and the boys everywhere. And literally posted on every Facebook page in the target area. Reporters in Slovakia get word of this and soon start asking the questions Bob's been asking for 17 months now. The headlines now everywhere, the blonde Maria and her boys missing for more than a year when suddenly, the biggest break in the case ` the fugitive mother and her boys spotted. Look at the video of Maria and her sons. She's right there in the orange shorts, out in the open at a resort in Slovakia. And what's most startling ` take a closer look at the boys. Both of them now have long hair; the youngest, Sasha, wearing pigtails ` complete strangers sending these clips in to Bob and to a Slovakian newspaper, Novy Cas, after hearing about the mother on the run. And that's Sasha, to the left? And that's Sasha, to the left? That's Sasha in the pigtails, disguised as a girl, in the yellow shirt. in the yellow shirt. And Jerry's coming around right here, right? Jerry. Jerry's in the... with the long hair. How strange is it to see your son disguised as a little girl, halfway around the world? It's surreal. And just as Special Agent Casey had predicted to Bob before, another clue comes ` Maria has given the boys new names, the sources telling Bob that Jerry is no longer Jerry, now Milos. Sasha is now Elie. And to hide her movements, Maria is no longer using credit cards. She is using a lot of cash. She is using a lot of cash. Where's this cash coming from? That's the million-dollar question. If we could follow the cash, we would have her. Bob turns the stunning images over to the FBI. The international dragnet is now tightening, and one more crucial clue is about to emerge. I'm waiting right now for the word from law enforcement to get on a plane and go to Europe. You hope that call comes. You hope that call comes. I dream of and pray that call comes. When we come back ` they get the call, and both fathers cannot believe what they're hearing. What's happened with Maria? 20/20 is right there with the fathers for that race to the airport, their boys now within reach, but can they get to them in time? When we come back. It's less than a week before Christmas, but suddenly, two fathers get phone calls in Los Angeles. Hello? We're there as Larry reacts to the news. He's just learned that his ex-wife Maria is under arrest. Police have now taken the children from her. It's surreal. I mean, I don't even believe it's happening. You know? 20/20 following those leads across Europe, looking for the fugitive mother, the emails, the tips from strangers. Finally, that call those fathers have been waiting for. When the first of those calls came in at 3am, those dads told to rush to the airport, their destination ` right here in Geneva, Switzerland, one of the richest, most beautiful cities in the world. Maria had been spotted in one of the luxury hotels here. In fact, the tip came from a woman halfway around the world, who heard the story of the mother on the run; the woman emailing Bob from 6000 miles away, saying Maria had been living here in Geneva with the children and her mother, even putting the children in a school just over the border in France here. And one more familiar clue ` the woman saying the boys had been introduced to her as Milos and Elie; both dads left scrambling. I wanna make sure I got my passport. It's not gonna set in until I actually pick him up and hold him and give him a kiss. Larry races to the airport in Los Angeles. Geneva via Frankfurt. Already there ` Bob, who once fell in love with the same woman; now both of them so close to catching her. < Good luck, Bob. < Good luck, Bob. Bye. All of this moving at lightning speed, the fathers now rushing to get to Geneva before Maria can post bail and flee with the boys again. There are no promises. Just listen to Bob on the plane. He knows how much is at stake. We're gonna be really beat up, but I gotta be strong for Jerry and, uh, be strong. We arrive with Larry. His flight is first ` 2.30pm Geneva time. Phew! I'm just... You know, so many emotions are running through me. And we're waiting for my attorney to show up, Kelly Powers. Oh my God. What a day. What a day! OK, there's his pictures for his passport. His attorney there, warning him, she tells us there's still plenty that can go wrong. The mother might try to get an order from either the French court or the Swiss court to prevent Larry, you know, from taking the child home to California. Her words prophetic, because by the time Bob's flight arrives, just after 6pm, a stunning phone call to greet him. We're right there as Bob learns Maria has made bail. She's trying to get to the boys first. Maria's mother went to the school, and the principal called the police. And because the grandmother got to that school first, French authorities are now stepping in. The children will now stay in an orphanage, and all hopes of those boys returning to America with their fathers ` now in jeopardy. Jerry was free two hours ago, and now he's not. Bob rushes to talk to his French attorney, who actually saw his son Jerry before he was whisked away. We listen to her describe what Jerry looks like. He's very thin and, uh, with very long hair. Does he know I'm coming? Does he know I'm coming? Yes, uh, I said... to him you were coming, and he was surprised. And Bob's attorney says it seems Maria is still disguising her boys. She says even the French police at the school were confused. The policeman said, 'I take her under my protection.' And I said, 'No, it's a boy.' Both dads now know their boys are going to bed in that orphanage. So it sucks. It's a major hiccup. They are not letting anybody see them. There's no way a child is happy in an orphanage, in a system like this, and I'm appalled that I wasn't able to protect my son. And they now learn that they must head to a French court 70 miles away; the hearing days from now. Court will be Monday, Thursday or Friday. And as Christmas Day approaches, both fathers with perhaps their one Christmas gift, Bob and Larry have learned that they can each have one hour with their son. It will be the first time they see them in 18 months. Cos he's in such horrible shape. He's bone thin, and the cops thought he was a girl. We're with Larry as he heads into a French toy store, armed with a list, but without the language. You know how to say 'puppets' in French? Puppets? Puppets? Puppets? Puppets? < MAN SPEAKS FRENCH Puppets? Puppets? < MAN SPEAKS FRENCH Yeah! Morning arrives. Days have passed since they arrived here in France thinking they were bringing their boys home ` instead preparing for that one-hour visit. And as we travel with them, Larry reveals to us he's still looking over his shoulder. Good morning. I'm terrified that Maria's gonna find out we're here and, uh, you know, she will stop at nothing to get the kids ` nothing. And Bob wonders what his 10-year-old son, Jerry, has been told about him, if he thought his father would ever come. I can't tell you how nervous or anxious I am to see what is up ` if he runs in my arms or he's freaked out and brainwashed. Finally, inside those grim walls, Father's Day comes early. We see the images of Bob and Jerry reuniting for the first time, Jerry's smile returning an instant. BOTH LAUGH He hugged me and he just said, 'I love you and I missed you.' And we just held each other. And you've been waiting for that moment? And you've been waiting for that moment? Yes, and he was happy. BOTH LAUGH It was just like... we'd never been apart. While, in another room, Sasha, just 4 years old, barely saying a word. He speaks little English any more, but Larry is determined to break through to his son. I was prepared almost for the worst, but I could tell he recognised me right away. He looked at me, I looked at him, he knew... I don't know if he knew I was his dad, but he knew I was someone he recognised. It goes by quickly. Their hour is up. The men return to their hotels, still waiting, still hoping. I'm just feeling overwhelmed right now. (SOBS) As the sun rises in France, the two fathers wait anxiously for the judge's decision in their hotel rooms. I've been holed up in a hotel for 36 hours because I'm deathly afraid of running into Maria. Then the decision comes. Not with any courtroom fanfare ` instead, in a fax. We're right there as Bob's attorney reads it. So, the fax just arrived,... and it says the, uh, it's released, and the judge said... Let's go. ...you have to give the child to Mr Pfeifer. It says the child has to be with the father. (SIGHS) An extraordinary moment, the judge making it clear these two boys, who had their mother their entire lives, will now go home without her. Larry and Bob now rush into the orphanage to take custody of their sons and take them back to America. Jerry, say goodbye. Bye. Bye. < Goodbye. You don't wanna stay here, do you? You don't wanna stay here, do you? No. I hate the children's home. I mean, it's the worst. I mean, it's not the worst, but, like, it's... not good. Who's that, Sasha? Who's that, Sasha? Darth Vader. Who's that, Sasha? Darth Vader. Darth Vader? That night, Larry and Sasha Skype with the grandparents waiting back in America. Sasha, are you upside down? Sasha, are you upside down? (GRIZZLES) Sasha, are you upside down? (GRIZZLES) Oh, I think he's had a long day. The next morning they're headed to the Paris airport ` their final leg home. Jerry wants to, uh, get home as soon as possible and... we're just exhausted. We got our passports. (CHUCKLES) We're going home. They arrive in Los Angeles, the fathers exhilarated and exhausted. We did it. We did it. Next up on 20/20 ` the stars of TV2's revenge talk about the show and their NZ connection. You used to live in Auckland, is that right? You used to live in Auckland, is that right? I didn't, but I worked there. Do you remember what the rest of the country calls Aucklanders? Do you remember what the rest of the country calls Aucklanders? Auckies? No... (CHUCKLES) Welcome back. Its third season now. It's been a TV2 hit, and no wonder. Salacious, seedy and a little sensational, the plot of Revenge studiously sticks to its name. Hannah Ockelford caught up with two of the show's stars in LA, Emily Van Camp and Gabriel Mann, and indulged them with a little Kiwi charm. (SIGHS) Feels like so much longer. Revenge is set amongst the glitz, the glamour and the wealth of the Hamptons. But, Gabriel, you used to live in Auckland? I didn't live there, but I worked there. Do you remember what the rest of the country calls Aucklanders? Do you remember what the rest of the country calls Aucklanders? Auckies? No... (CHUCKLES) Fafas? Oh...! Oh...! < Jafas. Oh...! < Jafas. Jafas. Ha ha! Awesome. And, Emily, I heard that the thing you most like about NZ is Australian. Uh, yes, yes. No, you didn't! Uh, yes, yes. No, you didn't! Oh! Yay. My favourite. You are awesome. Yay. My favourite. You are awesome. You have lifetime stock now. I go through this stuff like you could not even imagine. I should do an ad for pawpaw. You actually should do an ad for pawpaw. You should do a pawpaw campaign. Connections and bribes aside, Emily Van Camp stars as leading lady Emily Thorne, while Gabriel Mann plays Nolan Ross, the rich product of the dot-com era. I will be by your side until we have taken down everyone who wronged your father and me. Revenge is heating up in its third season. Are we going to move quite quickly back into your quest for revenge? Oh yeah. Um, well, actually, um, Jack, you know, we actually see the moment where they first see each other after she's revealed who she is to him in the first episode. A really intense, interesting scene. A really intense, interesting scene. I love that scene. In that moment, I saw the love that a child has for their father, and I understood... why you're doing what you're doing. I didn't know how I felt about you until this moment. I didn't know how I felt about you until this moment. (SIGHS) And I'm sorry. I just don't feel anything. He's gone dark about this whole thing. I mean, he's not happy, and he sort of pushes her into, um, into getting this done. He has such a strong moral compass, and he will not sit by and watch her do this for much longer. So he basically gives her a deadline and says, 'Get it done because I'm going to expose you.' Which is such, I think, a great dramatic device, because, I mean, there's enough drama to begin with in terms of everything and the way it's gonna play out. But to put, like, a ticking bomb on top of this whole thing and, like, really pressure her to have to get this done. Enough about the storyline. Let's get to the important bits. You've ended up in prison. What's the fashion like inside? You've ended up in prison. What's the fashion like inside? It's very orange. Um... And you will soon be too. And you will soon be too. No, this perfect, actually. Um... And you will soon be too. No, this perfect, actually. Um... Save some for me. No, you're gonna wait till after? Um, cos I just like to eat and be rude on camera. Um, you know, I think what's really interesting is season three picks up` there's a time jump, um, from where we left season two, and I think we really begin with the fallout of everything that's happened, and, I mean, we're not trying to wait to tell any of these stories. We jump right back in and start answering a lot of questions a lot of people have really fast. I had a feeling you'd be uncapping that red Sharpie now that Jack's set a deadline. So, who's next to get caught with red on their face? Nolan knows more than many people about Emily's past, and off-screen, maybe they're a part of each other's future. Are you as close, um, off-set as you are on set? We're completely different. I mean, The way that Nolan and Emily are close is different to the way that Emily and I are close. Yeah, I'm not going to his house, telling him what to do and choking him. Um, we've become incredibly close. We have found some wonderful friends on the show; like, more than any other job I've ever had, really. Yeah, same. Usually, people, after two years, reveal their true selves. So no one's done crazy town yet. I think we're good. I think we're in the clear. I think we're good. I think we're in the clear. I think that's really true. I mean, going into season three with a group of people. I mean, I know you've worked, sort of, that` is it three or four seasons? Four seasons. Four seasons. Yeah, she's done four seasons twice. But this is my first go around kind of doing multiple seasons of anything with any group of people. So the fact that... that we still have as much fun as we do and that we still love the sight of each other's faces in the morning and kind of, like, I don't know. Most people drop like flies on our show. So, like, we kind of hold on to each other. Are you guys safe? Are you safe? Are you guys safe? Are you safe? Well, maybe. Actually, I don't know if you're safe. I don't think Emily is safe. I think Emily might not be safe. It really is the beginning of the end of Emily Thorne as it seems. It's a flash forward of Emily. Um, I mean, she might not make it out of her own wedding, let me put it that way. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. GUNSHOTS I'm sorry. GUNSHOTS (GASPS) SPLASH! I'm sure she's safe. We'll see her again. Uh, now, if you want to see any of tonight's stories again, you can head to our website ` You can also email us at ` Or, of course, go to our Facebook page ` And let us know what you think of tonight's stories. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions over the past week. We love getting them. Keep them coming.