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Reunited








By the time he heard someone approaching it was too late, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned so quickly he ended up back on the ground, inches away from his mother’s birth and death dates.



“I’m really sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you.” She said as she offered him a hand up.



Embarrassed Nick refused her help and stood up, “Who are you and what the hell do you want?”



“I…I knew this would be a bad idea…it’s just you looked so sad and…well I…” She had no idea what else to say so she turned to leave Nick alone with his mother.



“Wait…did you want something?”



She turned and slowly made her way back over as Nick continued to speak to her. “I’m sorry about that. You just caught me off guard.”



That made her smile, it seemed like a familiar smile to Nick, “Do I know you? I mean do we go to school together or something?”



She nodded, “Or something…you probably don’t remember me but we knew each other a very long time ago. My name’s Patricia, Patricia Nicosia.”



Instantly a smile spread across Nick’s face, “Oh my God…Patty, is that really you?”



She nodded, “I’m so relieved, I didn’t think you’d remember me.”



“How could I not remember you? God, you were my very first girlfriend…of course I remember you.” He walked over and gave the girl a warm hug. She looked very different from how Nick remembered her, just as he did most likely.



She was a bit chubby now with longish brown hair highlighted with streaks of pink but that smile was hers. He had seen it countless times when looking back over old pictures of when he was little. Patty had been such an important part of his life and just like his mother, on the very same day, they both seemed to disappear.



“Are you back in town now?”



She nodded at him as she pulled a small piece of her hair behind one ear. “Yeah, we moved back a few weeks ago. Mom missed this place.”

“That’s great…I mean…wow. I can’t believe it’s you. I never thought I’d ever see you again.”



“Same here, I have to admit, I’ve seen you here a few times but I never had the courage to approach you. I didn’t want it to be awkward.”



“Awkward? Why would it be awkward?” It was funny that the thought never occurred to Nick that this girl’s father was the one who kidnapped him and was the cause of so many of his nightmares. He never associated Patty with John, ever.



She looked down at the ground. “You know because of my dad.”



“Oh…Patty, I know you had nothing to do with that. Hell we were both kids.”



“I know, but still…”



“You look great.” He smiled at her and for the first time he felt this warm feeling of happiness creeping up inside of him. She accepted the compliment with a smile and a slight blush of the cheeks.



“You do too…well minus the bruise. Have you been fighting?”



He rolled his eyes, “Oh that, don’t worry about that.” And that’s when he remembered why he was at the graveyard in the first place. Suddenly that warm feeling was replaced by the more familiar sense of dread he tended to feel from day to day.



“You might want to get out of here; I’m meeting someone here any minute.”



“Seems like the graveyard is the big meeting place these days.” She laughed, looking at her watch.



“Why do you say that?”



“Because I’m meeting my boyfriend here.” When Nick heard that word his dread turned even more dismal.



“Oh, your boyfriend huh?”



“Yeah…seems there is something he really wanted me to see.”



“At the graveyard? Nice boyfriend.” She playfully punched Nick in the arm. It was as if no time had gone by between the two.



“Shut up…who are you meeting?” she asked as she once again looked at her watch.



“Some guy who wants to kick the crap out of me.”



“Oh no…” She let out a sigh an instantly they both figured it out just as Charlie stepped out from behind the trees.



“Why the hell are you talking to him?” The bully asked his girlfriend defensively.



“You’re dating him?” Nick asked shaking his head.



“Charlie tell me you are not here to beat Nick up.”



“I could tell you that but I’d be lying.” He said, putting his arm around Patty and glaring at Nick. “You know this jerk?” He continued.



“He’s not a jerk and yes I know him. He’s one of my oldest friends.”



Charlie rolled his eyes, “you’ve got to be kidding me.”



Now Patty took on a very serious tone, she pulled away from her boyfriend and crossed her arms in front of her, “I’m dead serious and if you lay one hand on him we are over!”



Nick couldn’t help but smile smugly even though the thought of a girl bailing him out of trouble was a bit much for him. Not just any girl, but his girl. He thought about Patty often, and did have fantasies about seeing her again and falling in love. He almost wanted to smack himself for thinking like that, but it was the truth. Patty was his first crush as AJ would call it.



Charlie looked annoyed and ready to smack his girlfriend, but after a few seconds of the two of them just glaring at each other he eventually smiled and let out a laugh, “Sure…whatever you say. I won’t touch your precious little friend okay? You happy?”



“Yes.”



“But times a wasting, since you won’t let me kick Richardson’s ass, I think you owe me big time.”



“I would have kicked your ass…just for the record.” Nick added which made Patty laugh but didn’t make her boyfriend very happy.



“Let’s get out of here then, this place gives me the creeps and so do you jerkass.” Charlie said, looking down at Nick’s mother’s grave and laughing.



Patty ignored that as did Nick, at least he tried to. “So, I’ll see you around okay? Don’t be a stranger.”



Nick smiled back at her, “Well, now you know where to find me.” He motioned with his hand to the place where he was standing, his home away from home.



She nodded and then gave him a hug which didn’t last very long since Charlie pulled them apart within seconds. The couple turned to leave but not before Charlie had the chance to whisper, “Next time…” in Nick’s ear.



Nick didn’t care about that though. He was still floating high from seeing Patty again, so excited that he felt the need to tell somebody. He decided he’d try to track down AJ and tell him the good news.



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




Kevin watched amused as his little brother paced back and forth in front of him. Amused and aggravated at the same time, “AJ…what is your deal?”



Hearing his name made the man stop and finally sit down on the couch next to his brother, “I’m going to do it Kev.”



“Do what?”



“I think I’m going to ask Stacey to marry me.”



Kevin’s eyes grew wide, “What?”



“I am in love Kevin. I know she’s the one.”



“Aren’t you rushing into things?”



“We have been dating for awhile now Kevin.”



“Yeah…but still.”



AJ looked annoyed, “Do you disapprove?”



“No, I like Stacey a lot. She keeps you in line and lord knows that’s a hard thing to do but…I just want you to be sure that’s all.”



“I’m sure…at least I think I am.”



Kevin smiled at his baby brother, unsure of what to say. “Well, you do what you feel is best kiddo.”



AJ nodded, “Thanks.” He popped open a beer and took a swig, deciding to change the subject for the sake of his own sanity, “By the way, the last two fires we put out now have been turned over to your office. Are you aware of that?”



Kevin seemed surprised, “No, why?”



“Arson, both were deliberate starts in high end neighborhoods. I figured you would have that case.”



“No, I’m working on another one right now.”



“Oh, that’s right. The Anita case…how’s that going?”



“It’s not.”



“But you did see her at least?”



“Yes, I wish I had more to say about it, but I really don’t. We aren’t getting anywhere.”



There was an excited knock on AJ’s door to which he jumped when he heard. Kevin couldn’t help but laugh at that, “My… someone is jittery.”



“Shut up…who is it?”



“Nick!”



“It can’t be you…I’m not about to have sex!”



“AJ!” Kevin scolded.



“Well it’s true.” He answered, opening the door and letting his little brother in. “And what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to go straight home? Do you listen to dad at all? God, you’re worse than I am.”



“Guess who I just saw!” Nicky was so excited and happy that both brothers couldn’t help but grin.



“Who?”



“Patty! She’s back in town!” Nick in his excited state, didn’t even acknowledge Kevin’s presence.



“That’s great news.” Kevin decided to say and pat his baby brother on the head.



“Oh hey Kev.”



“Hey.”



“She looked great!” Nick once again focused his attention on AJ but Kevin quickly changed the subject.



“What happened to your face?”



AJ gave his little brother a sympathetic look, “So did you guys hit it off again or what?” He tried his best to change the subject back to Patty.



“AJ, the last time I saw her we were kids.”



“So?”



“Nick, what happened to your face? You never answered my question.”



“It’s nothing Kevin.”



“It’s not nothing…someone hurt you. Who?”



“Kev…relax, just let him tell us about Patty.” AJ said, hoping that his oldest brother would take the cue and drop the subject before the troubled teen retreated into his rebel self again. The fact that Nick was so happy about something seemed like such a huge deal.



Kevin seemed to take the hint and stopped his line of questioning and instead let Nick go on about his friend. He kind of hoped that Nicky would have never found out about Patty and Anita being back only because now they were once again being questioned by the FBI and now that Kevin was certain he was being lied to, it kind of made Anita more of a suspect than he wanted her to be. Still, it felt good to see his baby brother so happy about something. He wished he could make Nick that happy. In truth he was a little jealous that he chose AJ to share the news with.



“I don’t really have anything else to say, I mean we only spoke for a short time and then her boyfriend came and ruined everything.”



“Oh harsh, so she has a boyfriend?” Nick nodded and rolled his eyes.



“Yeah and he’s a real jerk too.” He said, stopping himself from pointing to his face because of Kevin being in the room.



“Well, I’m sure now that she knows you are here and has seen you, she’ll drop him in a minute.”



Once again Nick rolled his eyes at AJ, “Doubtful.”



“I’m glad you found her, you should invite her over here for dinner one night. I mean my place.” Kevin said winking at the baby of the family.



“Yeah, I bet she would like that.”



Kevin nodded and figured he would bring up what Howie mentioned, “How would you like to spend a weekend with Howie and Ariana?”



“Huh?” The blonde tilted his head slightly confused.



“Howie mentioned that he would love to have you for a weekend.”



“Oh…I don’t know…honestly Kev…his wife gives me the creeps.” That made AJ bust out laughing.



“That’s not nice Nick.”



“Well, sorry it’s true. There’s something about her I don’t like…but if you came along maybe?”



Kevin smiled, “Sure buddy…maybe.”



“So, what’s for dinner?”



Kevin and AJ looked at each other and shook their heads, “Don’t you think you should go home?”



“Dad won’t mind if I stayed here for dinner. Come on…please?”



“Damn it kid…okay fine. Kevin you can call dad and tell him okay?”



“Why me? He’s at your place not mine.”



“Come on…”



Kevin shook his head at AJ, “Fine…but then you’re paying.”



“Yes! Thanks…now where’s Brian?”



“Probably in his place…enjoying the peace and quiet.” Kevin added before picking up the phone and calling his father.





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




Brian sat in his car, quietly watching from a safe distance, waiting for any sign of Anita leaving her house. For some reason, the thought of her lying really stuck to the agent. He felt some kind of bond with the woman and the last thing he wanted was for her to be one of the ‘bad’ guys. If Kevin found out he was doing this, he would be reamed, but he just wanted to see for himself.



He had been sitting outside for the last hour or so, not any sign of life coming from the house. He at least thought he’d see Patty coming home from school. There was a car parked in the driveway otherwise, he would have gotten out and taken a closer look. The last thing he wanted was to be caught snooping around.



That’s when he saw a car slowly drive past his own. His instincts told him to duck down and he was glad, because the car stopped right next to his. Finally the car advanced slowly the rest of the way down the street and ended up pulling into Anita’s driveway.



Quickly Brian took out his binoculars to try to get a closer look as the man got out of his car. “Maybe she does have a lover.” He said to himself as he focused his attention on the license plate of the car. He jotted down the numbers and then once again looked at the man as he reached under the welcome mat and retrieved a key, letting himself inside.



“Seems like he’s pretty comfortable in that house…” He said to himself, feeling a small sense of relief that now he had someone else to direct this investigation towards. He’d run the plates and then have something to give to his brother.



The man looked vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn’t exactly place where he had seen the guy before. Maybe he was just someone from the old neighborhood, a person who still welcomed the Nicosia’s with open arms.



He picked up his phone and put in a call to the office, knowing it was late enough that no one he usually worked with was on shift.



“Hey this is Agent Richardson badge number 24335-771 I’d like you to run a license plate for me….the plate is J as in Jeff. 324…6…D as in David…F as in Fred. The plates are from in state. Thanks…”



He once again looked up to see if there was any more movement as he waited for the results.



“Yup I’m here…” He waited with a pad and paper but when he heard the results he sighed, “you’re sure?”



“Okay….thanks.” He said hanging up the phone. There staring up at him from the paper was Anita’s name. The car belonged to her.



Brian shook his head and rubbed at his temples. He felt one of those headaches coming on. The kind his brother frequently warned him about. He was so hoping he would have a new lead. This only made things even more suspect now for the Nicosia family.



“I need to figure out where I have seen that guy before…” he said to himself as he started his car and made his way back towards his place.



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




They walked for about five blocks before Patty would let her boyfriend wrap his arms around her, “Why are you so mad at me?” He asked when she finally gave in.



“Because I thought you were done with all that bully nonsense. I mean did you actually ask me to come to the graveyard so I could watch you beat someone up? Did you think that’s something I’d want to see?”



“Babe…relax…this kid, he gets under my skin. I wanted to show you what happens when people mess with me.”



“Well Charlie, I don’t care about that. I’m not into the bully side of you. Frankly I find it juvenile.”



“Oh do you?” He asked amused. “So what side of me are you into?”



She smiled and pulled him close, “You know the side that secretly sends me flowers and blows me kisses when no one is looking.”



“Yeah well that guy is a real pussy.”



She laughed at him, “And what do you have against Nick anyway?”



“He’s just annoying.”



She shook her head, “Well I like him.”



“Which now makes him suddenly ten times more annoying.” He added through gritted teeth.



“See? Now that’s the Charlie I love…”



“What the jealous one?”



“Maybe…where are we going anyway?” She asked when they suddenly stopped behind a building.



“Right here.” he said motioning for her to follow him through a basement window.



They jumped through the window which led into a laundry room. “Why are we here?”



“Because this is the start of our lives together baby.”



“What are you talking about?”



“I met a guy who is hooking me up with a lot of money. It’ll be enough for the two of us to run away and be together forever.”



“Money? For what?”



“I can’t say…but it’s about this place.”



“What about this place? Charlie, this isn’t illegal is it? Because you promised me…”



“Relax baby…it’s nothing. When the job is done we can run away like we always said we would.”



“But I’m only 15 Charlie.”



“So what?”



“My mother would die if I left her.”



“Then we’ll take her with us.” He said picking up his girlfriend and giving her a kiss in mid air.



They made out on top of a dryer, not realizing that a few floors up, the Richardsons were ordering pizza and talking about AJ and how he should propose to his girlfriend.

Thanks for reading guys! :O) You all rock my socks! lmao