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Jenn just stared o­n in shock as she watched the needle enter Brian's skin. It felt like her heart had stopped as she saw the
contents being emptied into him.

Brian's face immediately paled, but he had known that he did the right thing. Everything was beginning to blur as his body
tingled.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Kara yelled out. "Why did you inject him?!" She pushed Rick into the wall. "You did it o­n purpose, we
had a plan!"

"No, honestly. The dumbass sacrificed himself." Rick said as Kara pulled away from him.

They continued talking as Brian really began to feel the effects.

Brian slowly began to sink to the floor, with Jenn easing him down. "Brian...why...how..." Jenn tried to ask.

Brian took in a ragged breath as he began, "I...had...to...for you...for Nick...and for..." Brian just reached out and rubbed her
stomach.

"Oh Brian...." Jenn said placing her hand o­n top of his with tears shining in her eyes.

"I'm gonna...keep...you safe..." He said with tears flowing.

Jenn was about to say some thing back when she was roughly pulled to her feet. She let out a gasp, "Let go of me!!" She
yelled as she tried to fight Kara off of her.

"Shut up you little bitch! This is all your fault!" Kara hissed into her ear.

Jenn couldn't believe that she had said that, "I didn't, wouldn't ever do something like that. Your insane friend did it." She
spat back. She noticed that Rick was hoisting Brian's limp body roughly over his shoulder. She went to reach for him, but
was yanked back by Kara.

"If I had it my way, you would be in Brian's place. Consider yourself lucky for now, but not for long." Kara said as she led Jenn
back to her cell.

~*~*~*~*~


Jenn sat alone in her cell, holding the picture of Nick and Nicole in her hands.

“Oh, sweet Nickolas, if o­nly I could hold you again. I promise to remember everything…” She sniffed again, a habit she was
becoming accustomed to. Even if she escaped, she wasn’t familiar with these parts. She had o­nly been to Brian’s house o­
nce or twice since she had lost her memory, no way in hell she’d remember where that o­ne was.

And her house. Nick’s house. She didn’t even want to think about it. Everytime she did, there was that horrible image of a
blue lipped Nick sprawled out in the dining room floor or the horrible sounds she heard coming from the bathroom.

“J-Jenn..” She heard a hoarse, barely audible whisper and it saddened her to know that it was coming from Brian. Jenn
looked over to find his head peeking out of the curtains. Kara had closed them earlier, saying that Brian was too weak and it
would probably make him puke to see the girl who was ruining his life.

“Brian… sweetheart…” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “You should be lying down. You’re so weak. I- I don’t know what
they’ve done to you.”

“No…” He stopped as if he had to catch his breath. “Can you…come.. over here?”

“Bri, I think our doors are loc-” Jenn had now made her way over to the door and jiggled it to show him. Surprisingly though,
it came right open and before she could think of anything else to say. “Okay, so I was wrong.”

The dark haired woman crossed the small pathway between their rooms and walked into Brian’s, where he had lost his
gathered strength and sat crumpled o­n the floor.

“Bri!” Jenn placed her arms under his, helping him to stand and walk over to the bed that was possibly less comfortable
than her own.

“I’m sorry Jenn. I was o­nly…only…” He stopped as if trying to think what he was going to say. “I’m sorry.”

She watched as life drained in and out of his eyes. Her heart was sinking further and further and the tightness in her
stomach increasing rapidly. “Shh honey. It’s alright. You.. you saved my life.” The words made Jenn think. This man lay
before her eyes, o­ne of her best friends, dying because she was alive.

At least he seemed to be dying. Maybe not physically, but mentally, Brian Littrell was losing it.

And now, Jenn would have to return the favor. And it scared the hell out of her.

She laid down beside Brian, who had now closed his eyes, and stroked his hair which had dampened itself with sweat.

“No Brian, I’m sorry…” Jenn whispered before falling asleep curled up next to him.

Big Mistake.

The next month was a slow and brutal one for everyone. After the press conference Lori had forced Sara to go to the doctor.
The news that the doctor returned with was totally unexpected.

"You're pregnant!" The doctor had said happily. He was shocked when he realized that Sara was not crying tears of joy, but
instead tears of grief.

When she returned to Nick's house, with Lori at her side, she told everyone. They were all happy, but shocked. Sara's shock
had worn off a bit, as she began to realize that this is a good thing.

Nick was beginning to become very stressed. The police were beginning to slow down their search, and Nick was not too
happy over that. He hadn't been getting much sleep due to his constant search. Everyone was worried about him. AJ's house
was now nicknamed 'base camp' due to all of Nick’s collection of useless evidence and this being the place that Sara and
Nick were both staying now. After Sara found out about her pregnancy, she found it too hard to walk around her own house,
knowing Brian should be with her. It hadn’t hit her before then.

"Nick, I know you don't wanna listen to us, but you need to. It's been two months, and we have nothing." Kevin said, sitting
down in the den, trying to talk to his young friend.

"I have..." Nick began but was quickly cut off.

"Nothing, Nick. Don't say that you have something cause you don't!" Kevin kind of snapped at Nick, then calmed down a bit.
"My cousin is missing too, and I ..we, are all worried about your health. You need to take care of yourself, and be taking care
of your daughter. Lori shouldn't be the one taking care of your child."

"Kev, I really don't mind...." Lori began, but was also cut off by Kevin.

"It doesn’t matter if you don't mind. Nick should be taking care of her, and that is a fact." Kevin said sounding really
frustrated. Everyone could tell that Kevin was trying to do what was right, but it was just blowing right through Nick.

"Kevin, right now I don't need this from you. I am trying to find my wife and my best friend." Nicks face was beginning to turn
red. "Lori understands what’s going on and wants to help me. It seems as though everyone has stopped looking for them.
Brian needs to know that he is going to have a child, and I need to reunite my daughter with her mother. Don't you understand
this Kevin?" Nick said with tears streaking down his face.

"Nick, I fully understand, but I'm just looking out for your best interests. You need to grow up and face the world." Kevin said
sternly.


Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared from the other room. "Leave him alone Kevin!" Sara said. “I..I need Brian. And Nick
needs Jenn to feel complete with Nicole. Can’t you see that? It hurts him to see his little girl. That little girl that was
conceived out of love between him and his wife. It hurts him just as much…” Her eyes watered and her delicate hand fell
upon her small stomach. “..just as much as when this baby flutters around and…and…”

Sara’s eyes shut tight and she bit her bottom lip. Nick jumped up from his chair and across to the doorway where Brian’s
wife stood crying. She felt his warm hands rubbing her back and imagined her own husband’s touch.

“I understand it Sar. I do.” The blonde whispered through his own tears.

“I know Nicky. I know.” She sniffed. “Please, let’s find them.”

~*~*~

Jenn was disgusted and saddened by the happiness displayed across Brian’s face. Disgusted by the way Kara was messing
with his broken mind. Saddened because this wasn’t Brian at all. The Brian she knew wouldn’t be giving in to Kara, he would
be fighting to get out, fighting for his life and hers as well. Maybe hers even more.

But the drugs were slowly killing his intelligence of what was going on and it only further depressed Jenn when he would
gain his mind for a few days, only to lose it again. Those days that he was her Brian though, it made her want Nick even
more. She couldn’t win.

Rick and Kara, she supposed, had made a joint decision not to feed her too much until she gave in to their little game. Like
hell that was happening! So, while Brian got his regular meals (which weren’t a lot in itself), Jenn grew weaker and weaker
and, occasionally, feeling the need to give in. If not for herself, for the baby.

And these were the times, that Brian would still show that heart of gold no one could take away. Usually, if he could
remember, he would take half of his meals and pass them through the bars to Jenn.

“Jenn, please take this.” He would say as his thin hands would push it towards her.

At first she would resist, hoping that nourishment would gain Brian back the piece of mind he was slowing losing. But, it was
no use and, for the health of her baby, she would sadly place the food inside her mouth and force it down, hoping it would
stay there.

She hated Rick more and more everyday. He forced her to agree that he was her husband before he would give her the small
portion of food that she was allowed. Then, he would escort her every time she had to use to the bathroom or take a shower,
which was really the only place she went since she had been caught sleeping beside Brian a few weeks back.

Or was it months?

Jenn hated even more the way that Rick copied Nick. Everything she loved about her husband, Rick did and it scared Jenn. It
scared her that she and Nick would never be the same…IF they did see each other again. God, it hurt so bad.

Today, the brunette sat against the wall on her bed, watching Brian move slowly about his room. He was humming some
tune she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Yep, he was gone again. These were the times Jenn hated the most. When she was
alone.

Her hand traveled down and fell upon the growth of her stomach. It was this that kept her going. The last time Brian had been
in his right state of mind, they had a light discussion about the sex of the baby. Sometimes, she thought it kept Brian going
too. He still hadn’t been completely convinced that he hadn’t killed his wife and most of time, he would tell Jenn that he only
stayed alive to protect her and her baby. Then he would finish by saying ‘because he couldn’t protect his own.’

Tears slid down Jenn’s closed eyes as a pain stung her heart for her only friend here. The fact that he believed he was a
murderer sure wasn’t helping his sanity.

The woman must’ve fallen asleep because she awoke to the sound of Brian’s voice. But it was not something she wanted to
hear.

“Oh.. Sara..” Brian moaned, his nose nuzzling Kara’s ear in the room across from her own.

“Brian.. no..” Jenn spoke under her breath and sitting up on her knees, shocked that this was happening. “You can’t do this!”

Damn it, why couldn’t she speak any louder? In shock, maybe?

Then she heard him sing. For the first time in months, but she have rather not have heard it at all.

“Oh, you’re more than lover, there will never be another, to make me feel the way you do..” He started.

“BRIAN! STOP IT! That’s the song that you sing to Sara.. just.. stop dammit!” Jenn’s face contorted in sadness as fresh tears
burst out of her eyes. He couldn’t be doing this. She couldn’t be losing him.

“Oh…God..” Brian’s eyes locked with Jenn’s and it seemed that he was snapping in and out of it. Or was he? It was hard to
tell what he was thinking these days.
“Stay out of our business, Jennifer. My husband loves me. I don’t understand why you don’t love yours..” She shot an evil grin
at Jenn before standing to pull Brian’s curtains closed.

“NO!” Jenn rushed to the front of her cell with the bars in the grip. “Brian! Don’t give in to her, baby!” She turned around and
slid to floor, it was no use. She was no longer in control.

“Hello sweetheart, how are we feeling today? Maybe ready for a few… love bites?”

The voice was Rick’s and Jenn shivered at the sound. Even the baby jumped.

“Go ahead. Take me.”

It was the middle of the night, and Jenn couldn’t sleep. It felt like the baby was doing cartwheels in her ever growing
stomach. So she just laid there, thinking about Nick, and worrying about Brian. She had never envisioned that they would be
held captive for this long. It was closing in on three months and she was beginning to lose hope.

The lack of food was starting to effect her more and more each day. Brian had done so much to protect her, and she would
be forever grateful. She knew that their luck would be running out soon, and she didn’t want to wait around for that. She
looked over at his cell and was saddened. He looked so weak. Even two months after they injected him with whatever it was,
it was still adversely affecting him.

Jenn struggled out of her bed and walked over to the adjoining bars of hers and Brian’s room. She began to softly sing to
him, trying to soothe his troubled sleep. Soon he fell into a sound sleep and Jenn retracted her hand.

She stood back up and went to the door to her cell to look out into the hallway. When she reached the door, she was
shocked to find it swung open. Suddenly she knew what she had to do, get out.

Jenn swiftly moved over to Brian’s door, but found it was locked. She really didn’t want to leave without him, but she knew
that this might be their only chance. So she took one last look at him, and then turned to her left.

She began weaving her way through the hallways in the dark, hoping that she was going the right way. Suddenly the door
was right in front of her, and she ran right at it. She grabbed the handle and pulled on it, but it wouldn’t budge. “Damnit!” She
cursed to herself.

She began looking around the rest of the room and she spotted a window in the corner. Although she knew it would be a
tough fit due to the baby, she had to try. As soon as she pulled the window open an alarm went off, and put her in a panic.
Jenn quickly kicked the screen out and squeezed her way out of the window.

The outside air was cold, and it caused Jenn to shiver. Looking around she noticed the house was surrounded by trees.
From the house she saw lights turning on, and could hear Rick and Kara yelling. She ran straight ahead of her, and didn’t look
back.

Her bare feet ached as she stepped on god knows what, and the baby was moving around like crazy, causing her to stop.
“Hush little one, this is a good thing, I promise.” Jenn said as she placed a hand on her stomach. It seemed to calm the little
one enough for her to keep moving.

She heard the bad guys getting closer to her. She was beginning to doubt her idea to run. If they caught her then what would
happen to her. She pushed those ideas out of her mind as she pushed forward.

“There you are you little bitch!” She heard Rick yell out from behind her.

“Oh god, no!” Jenn yelled as she was pushed to the ground. She rolled onto her side so that she didn’t land on her stomach,
and braced herself for what was about to come.

“You stupid bitch, what did you think you were doing. Don’t you realize how much I love you. Why would you want to get away
from your husband?” Rick asked with his teeth gritted as he held her to the ground.

“You are not my husband!” Jenn spat back, after she said that she received a smack across the face.

“Yes I am!” He yelled at her as he smacked her again. “You WILL love me, and you will NEVER leave that house again!”

“There you are.” Kara said running up to them. “And just what did you think you were doing?”

“I don’t have to answer to either of you.” Jenn said struggling to get out of Ricks grasp.

“Oh, well we think differently.” Kara said as she kneeled down next to her face. She soothingly brushed the hair out of Jenn’
s eyes. The next thing Jenn saw was Kara’s fist coming at her face before she gave into the darkness.

~*~

Brian awoke feeling quite groggy with tiny beads of sweat forming on his forehead. That terrible nightmare again. He felt a
gentle fingertip running along his ear. His blue eyes blinked twice and met the seemingly nice brown ones that rested upon
him.

“Hi..” He whispered. He knew she wasn’t Sara. Sara was dead. He had killed her and sometimes, when he was alone, he
would cry out apologies to her. Somewhere, she was an angel.

But right now, Kara looked and sounded so much like his angel that he had a hard differentiating, remembering that his Sara
was gone. He even scolded himself for this too, that is, when could remember that she was gone and he was given the ability
to think straight.

Some days he hated Kara with every bone in his body. Those were his good days, Jenn had told him. Then there were days
when Sara came back to him. He had yet to figure out how that was happening, but she visited him more often these days.

Just like today.

“Hello my love…” She kissed his nose and he welcomed the scent of her hair into his nostrils. “How did you sleep?”

“Not.. Very well..” Brian responded, wrapping his fingers in the curls of her hair. It always curled up when she didn’t blow dry
it. Just like his.

“Aww, poor baby.” The woman pushed his hair away from his forehead and kissed his face gently.

FLASH!

“What the hell Sar..” Brian moved his head to see Rick at the foot of the bed with a camera in hand.

“Go on. I know two people who’re gonna love this!” Rick smirked evilly as Kara greedily climbed on top of Brian, straddling
him.

“No…no…” He found it harder for him to breathe.

“Oh come on baby…um, you’ll have them to look at when we’re old and gray together.” Kara lied. They had other plans for
these pictures.

“But…Damn it! GET OFF ME!” It hit Brian faster than it usually did. This wasn’t his wife. This was that woman that manipulated
his mind and his heart every time she had the chance. He ran off his bed and to the door of his cell, reaching his hands
towards Jenn’s.

“Jenn…” She was curled up in the corner, crying as hard as she could, shaking with fright. “Sweetheart, what happened?”

Jenn’s head slowly raised. If anyone could help her, Brian would. Or, he would at least try.

Brian let out an audible gasp with the vision of his friend. Her face was black and blue with bruises, scratches and other
imperfections that he knew the two people behind him had caused. “Oh my god…baby..”

The pregnant girl made her way over as close as she could to Brian, taking his outstretched hand. “They took pictures of me
like this Bri. I think.. I think they’re gonna… do something bad with them.” Her head was pounding and she couldn’t really
remember what that ‘bad thing’ was.

“Oh Jenn..” He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb to comfort her, but in an instant, she jerked it away.

“Why couldn’t you have come back to me earlier, Brian? Why?” A sudden pang of anger shot through her and she didn’t
know where it had come from but she was pretty sure it wasn’t meant to be directed at Brian.

“I- I’m sorry Jenn. I…” His head dropped, but not before she could see the disappointment etched in his face. Disappointment
in himself. He failed at everything. There was only one last thing that he had to protect and that was his best friend’s wife.

“I’m sorry Brian. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“No Jenn…” He spoke quietly. “I’m sorry.” He took her open hand once again but never again would he have that feeling that
he was doing what he was supposed to. The weird thing was though, he felt he couldn’t control it anyway.

“Go ahead. Is this what you want?” Brian turned to face Rick and Kara who were immersed in their own argument. He
unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his thiness and the bones poking out. He began to cry. “IS IT?!”

Jenn couldn’t let him do this. Jiggling the lock of her cell, it came loose and she broke free. “Stop it..”

Before she could grab Brian though, his small body shook and he fell to the floor before her.

“Damn..”

Sara was sitting in Nicole’s nursery, just rocking the sweet angel. Lori had needed to run out to the store, and Sara had
offered to keep and eye o­n her.

Sara was so nervous about the arrival of her own. She just prayed that Brian would be back when that time came. She had
been debating about it for a while, but soon realized that Brian would be extremely happy.

'Oh Brian, I hope that you're safe.' She said to herself. Nicole started fussing a bit and Sara began to rock her softly. The door
to the nursery opened and in walked Nick.

"Hey Sar," He said as he approached her. "How's my angel doing?" Nick asked as he rubbed Nicole’s back. Ever since Kevin
had that talk with him, he had been spending most of his time with his daughter. Sure he was still looking for Jenn and Brian,
but he needed to put his daughter first.

"She's just a little cranky. But I'm sure a little bit of daddy love would make her happy." Sara said as she got out of the
rocking chair and placed Nicole in Nicks arms. "See, much better." Nicole had stopped fussing.

"The Carter charm works everytime." Nick said with a slight smile. It still hurt to look into his daughters eyes, for everytime
he saw Jenn in them. "You don't have to stay in here with her, I can sit in here with her for a while." Nick said to Sara who
was just standing against the wall.

"I kinda like it in here. The innocence helps me forget the pain we've been through." Sara wiped a solitary tear from her
cheek.

"Don't cry sweetie." Nick said as he put a now slumbering Nicole into her crib. He walked over to Sara and embraced her. "I
will bring him back for you, I promise. I know that he is taking care of Jenn for me, as I am taking care of you. It won't be long.
I will make sure that he is here for the birth of your baby, that I promise." Nick said as he pulled her away from him and
looked into her eyes.

"I know you will Nick, I know." Sara said as she leaned back into him. The front door opening separated them, and they
quietly made their way out of the nursery.

Lori and AJ walked in with plenty of shopping bags in hand. Sara quickly ran forward into the kitchen to help put up the food,
and Nick went and grabbed the mail from the mail box and closed the front door.

As he was riffling through the mail he spotted o­ne letter for him, and o­ne for Sara. "Hey Sara, you got mail!" He yelled to her.
He set it down o­n the front table as he grabbed his letter and headed to the other room with it.

The fact that there was no return address struck him as funny, but he went ahead to open it.

"Thanks Nick!" Sara then yelled back to him as she grabbed her letter.

As Nick pulled the contents out his face turned white. Inside held pictures of his beloved. They were o­nly pictures of her
face, her bruised and bloodied face. Nick quickly dropped the pictures o­n the floor and ran to the bathroom.

He quickly emptied the contents of his stomach and tightly grasped the sides of the toilet bowl. The room was spinning and
he knew he was about to pass out.

As his body began to sink to the cold tile floor, his thoughts went to Sara. And as he began to succumb to the darkness, he
heard Sara’s terrified scream fill the house.

~*~


“Holy shit!” AJ yelled as he watched Sara hit the floor. He had run in front of Lori after he heard the scream, afraid someone
was attacking Brian’s wife. He arrived in the room just in time to see her skin turn a shade pasty white that he had never
even seen and to hear the thud o­n the floor. “Sara!”

Lori followed him over to the spot where their friend lay and watched as her boyfriend took her limp hand in his.

“W-what h-happened, do you t-think?” He asked, nervously.

Lori looked around for clues. They were scattered all around her and, taking the pictures in her hands, she almost joined
Nick in the bathroom. “Oh God…” She gasped, the feeling almost numbing.

“Fuck..” AJ mumbled as he saw the things Lori held in her shaking hands. Tears slid out of his brown eyes as he saw his
brother, so fragile, so lifeless looking. With another woman. He said nothing as he lifted Sara off of the floor and held her, not
even worrying enough to wake her up.

“You don’t think…” AJ’s girlfriend stopped and swallowed mid-sentence as she took off towards Nick’s room. “NICK!” She
called out.

That’s when Lori heard the sounds of sobs coming from his bathroom. “Damn, you too?” She mumbled under her breath as
she saw Nick, curled up in a ball in the corner, sobbing so hard that you could almost feel the floor shaking.

“Nicky…oh my god…I’m so sorry.” She walked over and sat with him o­n the floor, taking his head in her lap and pushing
blonde hair out of his eyes. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this. That you had to see it.”

“She..she…I…” He couldn’t speak. All he could do was breath out as more tears trickled down his face. If his wife looked like
she did, he could o­nly imagine Brian.

But he didn’t want to imagine either.

Lori closed her eyes as a few tears fell down her cheeks as well. She avoided the pictures of Jenn. She knew she wouldn’t
be able to take that o­ne.

“Hey..” She opened her eyes to find Kevin leaning against the doorframe, pictures of his cousin in hand. She took in his
appearance, noting that his eyes were rimmed with the brightest red, his face pale, and his lip stuck between his teeth. No
doubt he had seen Brian. Lori watched as he bent to pick up the pictures of Jenn. God, he had to be the strongest man she
knew.

Kevin bent down in front of Nick. “Hey man..” He whispered, rubbing Nick’s shoulder. The older man lost it as he saw the look
o­n Nick’s face and suddenly, a thousand images of Nick as a young boy flew in through an open window in his mind. “I’m so
sorry Nick.”

The two men embraced and Lori stood, thinking she should leave them alone. But it wasn’t long before a fragile looking Sara
and AJ came to join the rest of them. Sara and Nick flew towards each other like magnets and it was the first time that
everyone realized how real this was and how much it was tearing them up inside.

But this was the last straw and, after calling the police. o­ne by o­ne, Lori, Kevin and AJ joined Nick and Sara in the sad
embrace. They were all involved now.

And together, they would find a way to get Brian and Jenn back where they belonged. In the arms of the people that loved
them the most. All of them.