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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello!

Here's chapter 25. Enjoy and as always, thanks for the reviews! You guys rock! :O)
25



Nightmares or Reality?




“Who’s my baby bear?” She asked as she held him in her arms and twirled him around in circles in the kitchen.



“I am mommy!”



Jackie smiled and kissed her baby’s chin, right under his neck which was his prime ticklish spot. He laughed and laughed as she did it. Secretly he didn’t want her to stop, not ever.



“Hello everyone!” Both Jackie and Nick turned to the sound of Kevin’s voice as he walked in with a card board box from Jackie’s favorite bakery. They were standing there for awhile just watching, while the first feelings of jealousy built up inside of her.



Nick wanted to be put down and ran over to his big brother as he was scooped into his arms. Jackie made her way past her oldest son and towards Howie as she grabbed him into a big hug. “Hey Mrs. Richardson…” He said as he kissed her cheek.



“Howard, how many times have I told you to call me Jackie or Mama R. You are my adopted son after all.” She paused then and walked over to their other guest. Once Kevin saw this he put Nicky on the floor and started the introductions. “Oh mom, this is Ariana. She works at the office. She saved our butts the other day.”



Ariana smiled and blushed slightly. “I didn’t do anything really.” She answered modestly, looking over at Nicky as he hid behind his brother’s leg, every once in awhile peering out from behind it and smiling wide.



“Nonsense sweetheart, if my son said you saved the day, then you must have saved the day. I hope you like Spaghetti and meatballs?”



“I love them.”



Jackie grabbed Ariana into a hug and then kissed her cheek, “I’m happy to hear that.” She had said as once again she glanced down at the tiny blonde of the family.



“Hello.” The secretary said, peering past Kevin’s leg.



Kevin gave the child a slight push so this way he was no longer in hiding, “Say hello Nicky…he’s kind of shy.”



She nodded and winked at the little boy, “I am too…” she admitted as she pat her leg, hoping the child would walk over to her. He was so small and perfect, just like this family seemed to be.

“How old are you?” She asked the child who had made his way over to Howie.



“He’s 4 aren’t you Nicky?” D answered as he handed Nick a stuffed animal that was on the floor… She could tell Howie had a thing for her. She’d have to remember to use that for later. The little boy took the toy that Howie offered him and then turned his attention back towards Ariana.



“I’m 4.” He said proudly. That’s when she knew she had to have him.




“Honey? Are you okay, you seem distracted?” Ariana looked over at her husband and smiled. He had such a genuine smile. It was one of the traits in him that she found attractive.



“I was just remembering the first time I ever went over to the Richardson place. Do you remember that?” Now she turned on her side, making her breast fall slightly out of the covers. She enjoyed the way her husband took notice of it, but yet pretended not to see.



“Of course I do. I think that’s when I figured out I had the hots for you.”



“That long ago and it took you forever to ask me out on a date.”



“I know, I’m shy and besides…I thought you were taken.”



She smiled at that, wanting to tell him that she was taken and still is by the same man. The real love of her life, but maybe she’d have her chance to tell him that one day. She really wanted to, more than anything else. Tell Howie all about her deceit and take in the look on his face as he found out.



“I’m glad things turned out the way they did though, aren’t you?” She asked him as she brushed her leg against his.



“Of course…I wouldn’t have it any other way.”



‘Oh yes you would…’ she thought to herself, but that thought was soon halted when a loud crash was heard coming from downstairs.



Suddenly she was filled with a mix of adrenaline and fear. She loved that combination best. Howie jumped to his feet and grabbed his gun, “Stay here.” He whispered as he slowly walked out of the bedroom.



She sat up in bed and pulled her nightgown up, making sure her breasts were no longer exposed as she sat and waited for her husband to tell her what was going on, one way or the other.





~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*



AJ watched as his little brother stirred in his bed. He decided to sleep in the room with Nicky for the night. After they brought him in and up the steps, he just looked so bad that there was no way he was going to let the kid be alone.



Kevin made a joke about AJ being as soft as they come, but you could also tell that if AJ didn’t spend the night in there, Kevin would have. So he decided to beat his big brother to the punch, grab his stuff and sleep on the floor, guarding Nick’s bed as if he were a watch dog.



He did that a lot after they got him back from being abducted. He had spent a lot of nights sleeping on the floor of his little brother’s room, so afraid that if he let the kid out of his sight, he would forever disappear again. He had felt solely responsible for all the hell Nicky had been put through, not only Nicky but his mother and the rest of his family as well. If only he hadn’t been so weak and been able to fight back.



The floor was so uncomfortable he decided to move closer to the desk and prop himself up with his pillow sitting up where he had a perfect view of the baby of the family. Nick was moaning in his sleep, so AJ was about to go tap him on the shoulder when suddenly, the blonde sat upright.



“Mom!” He said in an urgent tone, holding his hand on his heart.



“Nicky…” AJ whispered as he made his way over to his brother.



“Mom!” He said again, searching the room for the person who was talking to him. When his eyes rested on AJ, he let out a sigh, “AJ, is that you?”



“Yeah buddy…it’s me.” He said gently sitting down on the bed next to his brother.



Nick looked disoriented, “Where am I? Why are you here?”



“Shhh…” AJ lightly tapped Nick’s back, “You’re in your room and you had a nightmare I think.”



“My room? I thought I was camping.”



“You came home. Kevin said you passed out, remember?”



Nick slowly nodded as he recalled what had happened. He hated waking up unsure of his surroundings. He could swear that just for a second his mother had been in the room with him. That thought had him look around once again. “What are you looking for buddy?”



“I just thought that…”



“What?”



He was embarrassed, so he hung his head down. “I thought mom was in here.”



AJ nodded in understanding, “You called out to her in your sleep. Were you dreaming about mom?”



“She was in the living room telling me that stupid revolving door story again.” AJ laughed as did Nick. Both small laughs, reflective and longing.



“And then what happened?” AJ moved to the other end of Nick’s bed and stretched himself out while putting on the night light. A move which made both boys scrunch their noses as they adjusted to the light.



Nick sighed as he tried to remember, “I was sitting on her lap, I think I was small…and everyone was there with me. We were all listening and laughing…even dad.”



“Dad was there?” Nick nodded at his brother.



He wished that he had been able to see his parents both together and happy. For as long as he had been alive they had both taken turns living in past tense. Except for a few days before his mother’s death, he really had never known what it’s like to have two parents.



“He was laughing too...everyone was so happy.”



“That sounds like a nice dream.” AJ said and Nick would have to agree except with what came next. This part he couldn’t tell his brother.



They were all sitting and laughing in the living room when the doorbell rang. Kevin got up to answer it and there was Ariana and Howie. When Nick saw her he tensed up. She had fangs that only he could see. She smiled wide to show two layers of razor sharp teeth and no one seemed to notice.



She walked over to him and grabbed him into a hug, a hug he tried his best to break free from. “Stop squirming little guy….don’t you know you’re meant to be with me?”



In a panic, he had called to his mother who quickly ran to help. That’s when Ariana dropped the little boy and took his mother instead, running out the door with her too fast for anyone to even notice. While he screamed and cried for his mother, he looked over at his family who didn’t even care. They were still laughing about the story his mother had told. Even though she was now gone.



“It wasn’t a nice dream.” He admitted, pulling the covers up closer to his chest as he bent his knees and sat up, leaning his back against the headboard.



“Have you been having nightmares again Nicky?”



He didn’t want to tell AJ that yes he had and that they were coming more and more frequently so he looked over at his brother and shook his head.



“You sure?”



“Yeah….I just…I don’t know…”



“I’ve been thinking a lot about mom too lately.” AJ confessed. This had Nick look up and over at his firefighting brother.



“Really?”



“Yeah, you know with getting married and everything. I can’t help but think how much she would have loved seeing it all. I wish she was here.”



It’s like those words gave Nick permission to feel sad. “I wish she was here too…”



“What happened while you were camping? Why did you pass out?”



Nick felt his brother’s hand on his leg and when he looked at AJ, he was met with a stare. It’s like he knew something was going on. “I don’t know…I mean I don’t remember.”



“Really?”



“Yeah.”



“Kevin said you couldn’t breathe.”



“Yeah, I guess I was having trouble breathing.”



“Did it happen all of the sudden?”



“You know, I just don’t feel like talking about this AJ.”



AJ looked at his brother suspiciously; he could tell that Nick was keeping something from him. He just had no clue what or why. “Can I ask you another question?”



Nick sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He looked so tired and stressed out. Nothing like how a kid his age should look. “Yeah, I guess…”



AJ moved to his side and grabbed at the papers he had gotten from Nick’s desk earlier that day. “What are these all about?” He asked, handing them to the blonde who suddenly looked terrified.



“Where did you get these?” He asked as his voice escalated slightly.



“They were by your computer.”



“Why were you going through my things?”



“Nick, relax…it was just a question.” But the blonde wasn’t going to relax and instantly, AJ felt bad for bringing the subject up. He should have let the kid rest for a little bit first and then brought it up a few days from now. He watched as Nick leafed through all of the papers with his face growing more and more anxious as he did.



“You didn’t tell anybody about this did you AJ? Please tell me you didn’t.”



“Relax buddy…” He said placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder who then flinched at the gesture. “I didn’t tell a soul.”



“Good.” Nick seemed to relax a little bit after hearing that, which only further peeked AJ’s curiosity



“Why do you have Ariana’s name on that paper Nicky?”



Nick took the papers, wadded them into a ball and threw them in the garbage can. “I can’t tell you that.”



“What’s going on? Nick…you can tell me.”



Nick looked up and although he wanted nothing more than to do just that, he was too afraid to, “I wish I could…but I just can’t.”



“It’s okay if you have a crush on her…”



“I don’t.” He said so quickly with so much certainty in his voice, AJ completely believed him.



“Then what…”



“AJ…” Now the teenager sounded as if he was going to cry. “Please drop it.”



“You sound scared Nicky….what’s scaring you?” AJ felt unsettled by the behavior of the youngest in the family. The fact that he seemed almost terrified at the mention of Howie’s wife’s name really bothered him.



“I can’t talk about it…just forget you saw that, okay?” Now there were tears coming from Nick’s eyes as he wiped at them ferociously as if they were mosquitoes biting at his cheeks.



AJ moved in to hug his brother close, wishing there was a way he could comfort him, but he knew the kid so well, he was sure that he couldn’t. “Okay…no problem kiddo…but please talk to me when you feel ready.”



Nick nodded knowing that it would never happen. He loved his brother so much; he would never be able to tell him the truth, that someone they knew had killed their mother. And not even just a casual acquaintance; it was someone who they considered family. A sobering thought occurred to him right then and there. What if Howie was in on it too? What if he had helped his wife kill their mother?



More tears fell as he processed that thought. He had no idea what to do about any of this. He felt so helpless. He knew he had to do something though. There was no way he was going to let her get away with it. No way!



“Nicky…” AJ whispered pulling away from his little brother and once again taking a seat across from him on the bed.



“Yeah?”



“Maybe you should try to get some more sleep.”



“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”



“I am…I’m always right.” Nick laughed and that made AJ happy.



“In your mind anyway.” The teenager said as he laid himself down on his pillow.



“I love you kiddo.”



Nick smiled, he knew that was coming. “I love you too.”



“I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, so go to sleep, okay?” As much as Nick wanted to believe him, he knew that was an impossibility. No one could protect him any longer.



“Thanks AJ.” He closed his eyes, while his mind worked a mile a minute, coming up with different ideas of what he would do about this situation.



When AJ saw his brother’s eyes finally close and heard the first faint snores, he walked over to the garbage can and pulled the balled up papers out. Carefully smoothing them open and once again placing them in his own pocket. If Nicky wasn’t going to tell him what was going on, maybe someone else would.





~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*




Howie moved quickly and lightly down the steps, his gun still in its holster but just within reach. There was someone definitely trying to get into his house. He was certain when he got down the steps and saw the outline of a male figure walking right outside of the window.



He removed his gun from the holster and walked closer to the edge of the window to see if he could get a better look. From his vantage point, he was able to see that the crash he heard came from shards if glass now lying on his kitchen floor. The assailant wanted in and that was enough for Howie to go for his phone.



As he moved to pick it up, another explosion of glass came through the living room this time. This person wasn’t methodical but more angry and irrational, he thought as he dialed 911. He was still talking to the 911 operator when the kid managed to throw himself through the window.



Howie figured out it was a teenager just based on hearing the boy’s voice. He had been talking to himself and cursing under his breath. He was also clearly under the influence of something whether it be drugs or alcohol.



Once the boy was in, Howie told the operator to hold on and raised his gun at the boy, turning on the light as he did. “Hold it right there.” He said training the gun right onto Charlie’s chest.



He was certain that the kid would have crapped his pants when he saw the gun, but instead the boy just laughed, “Go ahead…I have nothing left to lose!” He said as he continued walking towards the agent with a baseball bat in his hands.



“I said freeze!” He said more forcefully this time, “I’ll shoot I mean it!” Howie recognized this kid but he couldn’t quite remember from where.



“Make me!” The boy laughed once more. It was the kind of laugh that sent chills down Howie’s spine. He had been all too familiar with laughs like that. They were usually heard coming from totally insane people who couldn’t care less if they lived or died.



“Howie…what’s going on down there?”



“Ariana…go back inside and lock the door!” He ordered his wife, hoping that she would obey. When he heard her close the door and lock it his attention went once more to the boy.



The kid also seemed suddenly preoccupied with the sounds coming from upstairs so Howie used that as his chance, lunging at the boy and trying to knock the bat from his hands.



Both men went falling to the floor but unlike Howie anticipated, the boy never let go of the bat, instead he took it and swung at the agent’s head, missing by mere inches. The kid was a lot stronger than he had thought as once again he ducked from an oncoming blow just as the sounds of sirens heading towards the house were heard in the distance.



Howie made his move, he pushed the boy off of him and then tried to pin him down, but once again the teenager fought right back, kicking Howie in the crotch, making the man fall off of him long enough to take the bat and give him a whack on the side of the head.



He didn’t have time to shield himself from the blow that time as he fell over and covered his head expecting another hit to come. Howie felt himself losing consciousness as the kid kicked his side and ran out the front door.



Upstairs Ariana was unsure of what to do, secretly cussing her stupid boyfriend out for putting her in this position in the first place. She wasn’t even sure if this was the kid Jack had hired or if someone had just randomly picked their place to rob. When she moved to pick up the phone she was alarmed to hear someone already on the line.



“Howie are you there…answer me please!” The lady kept saying over and over again.



“This is his wife…I think he’s hurt…please have an ambulance sent over right away!” She said trying to sound as shaken up as possible.



She hung up on the 911 operator not really caring whether or not she stayed on the line. Briefly she thought about grabbing her own gun and heading down the steps, but what would her husband say? Over the years she made it no secret that she hated guns of any kind and protested to having them in the house, when secretly she was a pretty good marksman when she wanted to be. It was all part of the act.



When she saw the flashing lights outside of her house, she knew to leave her gun behind and just to stay upstairs. Play the innocent victimized wife, that’s what she did best. Although part of her wondered if the kid had really managed to kill her husband or worse yet, what if the kid was caught?



She hated herself for not acting sooner; making sure the kid made it out of the house before the cops arrived but now it was too late. She’d just have to sit and wait, hoping that everything continued to work in her favor.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~






“Aww sing us another song Nicky!!” Maria pleaded as she laughed and clapped at her desk.



He felt so special and famous, just like Batman. Everyone watching him and waiting for him to entertain them.



He looked over at the window where his brother was talking to some men, wanting him to come out and see what a great job he was doing. “Come on Nick…one more! Do you know the Macarena?” Maria asked tickling his belly.



When Nicky tilted his head and looked confused that brought out a chorus of ‘aww how cute’ from everyone. That’s when Ariana lifted him off of the desk and grabbed him into a hug. By then his brother came out of the room and Nick wanted nothing more than to be put down so he could run over to Kevin, but she would have none of that.



“I just want to keep him forever!” She said as she squeezed him a little too tightly.



Kevin just laughed but Nick felt uncomfortable. She wouldn’t let go of him and he began to panic. “I’ll be right back buddy.” His big brother said as he tousled the blonde’s hair. “Do you mind watching him for a few more minutes?”



“No not at all.” Ariana answered.



“My mom just kind of dumped him on me at the last minute.”



“Don’t you have a date?” Once again Nick tried to break free from her arms, but her grip was too tight.



“Yeah…she’ll just have to understand.”



“I can watch him if you’d like?”



Nick’s eyes grew wide, he didn’t want to stay with her. Even back then he sensed something off.



“No, that’s okay. If Lisa wants me she has to meet all my accessories.”



Ariana laughed as Kevin walked away. “Damn it!” Nicky looked over at the girl who had him in his arms. She seemed so mad. He didn’t like when people got mad. He wished his brother would come back. “Well, I guess we won’t be spending any time together tonight my cute little boy…but soon we will. Soon you’ll be with me all the time.”



He didn’t understand what the heck she was talking about and he really didn’t want to either. She went into her desk draw, “This will teach him…you want some candy?” She asked the eager blonde who grabbed the chocolate before she even had a chance to unwrap it.



“Thanks.” He said as he put it in his mouth. It had a metallic taste to it.



“We’re going to be taking care of Lisa soon enough.” She muttered under her breath and then smiled at the little boy. “That’s going to give you a bad tummy ache kiddo.”



That’s when his brother walked back into the room…




Nick once again sat upright, trying to calm himself down. He heard the sound of snoring coming from the floor and he was glad. “She poisoned me?” He said in a soft whisper.



But then his eyes grew wide when he realized that maybe she had something to do with his kidnapping. She did say she would have him soon enough. Was that a memory or just a dream?



“Oh my God.” He said, knowing any chance of sleep was now lost to him.