It had been a week since the funeral, and Howie was beginning to worry. The day of the funeral Noelle refused to go, saying only that it was just too hard to see Nick like that. When Howie returned home he’d found that she’d locked herself in a spare bedroom, and that’s where she remained.

He tried everything, but could never get her to open the door. He’d leave her meals sitting on a tray outside the door, and when he’d come back to check later the food would be there, barely touched, but touched none the less.

At the end of his rope, Howie did the only thing he could think of that might help. He called in reinforcements.

The phone rang twice before a southern accent answered.

“Hello?”

“Brian, its me. I need you, you and Leigh. I can’t… I just can’t…” Howie’s voice trailed off as the tears began to fall.

“What’s up? What’s wrong?”

Howie took a deep breath to calm him. After he regained a bit of his composure, he managed to get out one sentence. “It’s Noelle.”

“Ok, don’t worry. We’re on our way. It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.” Brian heard a sniffle and then a click.

Howie walked out onto the back deck and flopped down on a lounge chair by the pool. There his emotions caught up with him, and the tears began to flow freely down his face.

Noelle watched from the window, and it was breaking her heart to see the pain she was causing him, but she couldn’t face him yet. Every word, every face, every song, everything brought back memories of Nick and she felt wrong for thinking of him when she was suppose to be a happy newlywed. Howie deserved more, and she just couldn’t give him that right now.

She walked over and lay down on the bed. She covered her eyes with her arm and willed sleep to overcome her. Finally her wish was granted, letting her slip into a fitful sleep filled with nightmares and regrets.

She could see Nick sitting on the end of the bed, just watching her. She tried to reach him but it was as if the further she reached the further away he seemed.

“Nick?”

“Hello Noelle.” He smiled that half grin, and leaned back on the bed propping himself up with his elbows.

“What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.” Noelle sat up straighter in the bed and pulled the comforter up to cover herself.

“I had to see you, to make sure you were happy. But honestly, you don’t look that happy to me.” Nick let his gaze trail over her body. She was pale, a bit thinner than he remembered, and her eyes were puffy from crying.

“Oh Nick, I… I never wanted anything like this to happen. You hurt me, and I wanted you to hurt too, but I never wanted you de…. gone. Why would you do something like that?” A single tear trickled down her face.

Nick moved closer to her and reached out his hand to wipe it away. “I want you to be happy, and so I removed myself from the equation.”

“But Nick, that doesn’t erase the memories. Just because you’re not here physically doesn’t mean your not here. You’re everywhere. Everything I look at reminds me of you. Why do think I locked myself in this room?”

Nick glanced around, his face lighting up with recognition. “The Christmas party?”

Noelle nodded, and her eyes twinkled as a small grin formed. “I had come in here to find my coat because I was ready to go and you weren’t getting the hint. I was searching through the coats when I felt these strong arms wrap around me. I turned around, and there you were smiling like a Cheshire cat. You leaned in and kissed me, and my knees went weak.”

Nick smiled. “I remember. I scooped you up, laid you on this bed, and locked the door. Then I just sat down on the bed and looked at you. You looked so beautiful. You had that red velvet dress on, that one that wrapped around and tied. And the way your hair fanned out over the pillows. All I wanted was to touch you.”

Noelle gently ran her fingers over the floral pattern of the comforter, as if touching it would bring her back to that night. “You made love to me on this bed. Then we curled up in each others arms, forgetting where we were.”

Remembering the next moment Nick laughed. “Yeah until Kevin came looking for his coat. We were running around the room trying to gather our clothes and get dressed, the whole time with him banging on the door. When we finally opened the door everyone was standing out there.”

“Yeah,” giggled Noelle, “we knew we were busted. Kevin just rolled his eyes and pushed past us. I remember you laced your fingers through mine and just led me down the hall and out the front door, leaving everyone standing there watching us. They never let us live that down.”

Nick just chuckled. He glanced around the room again, and then back at Noelle. She had tears running down her face.

“You see Nick, you’ll never be gone, and I’ll always hurt, now more than ever. Before the memories hurt, but I could get past them. Now when I remember us, I remember that you’re gone and that I had something to do with that.”

Nick just stared at her. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How could you think any of this was your fault? I’m the only one to blame. I hurt you. I lied to you. I destroyed us. None of that was you. Nothing you did effected any of this.”

“That’s not true.” Noelle rolled over turning her back to Nick.

“Name one thing in this whole situation that was you. One thing.”

Noelle glanced back over her shoulder and barely above a whisper said, “The gun.”

Noelle sat up quickly and looked around the room. It had been a dream, but it had seemed so real. She could still feel his presence. She could still smell him. All of this proved to be too much, and the sobs began to wrack her petite frame.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been crying, but she knew that no more tears would come. It was as if she’d cried out all her emotions, and now she just lay there staring at the painting on the wall. That is until she heard a knock at the door.

“Noelle, its Leighanne. Can I come in?”

As if driven by some force, or the need to talk to someone, she got up and opened the door, allowing Leighanne to step inside before locking the door again.

Leighanne brought with her a tray with hot tea and sandwiches, which Noelle motioned to her to sit on the nightstand. Leighanne watched Noelle very carefully, trying to judge her emotional state by her movements, but she just seemed like an empty shell. Her eyes were red and puffy, but there was no sadness there, just a blank stare.

Noelle crawled back under the covers, and then waited for the inevitable.

“Noelle you can’t stay locked up in here. Its not healthy. You’re not eating enough, you don’t look like you’ve been sleeping much, and Howie’s worried sick. I mean…” Leighanne was pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed, letting her eyes follow the pattern of the oriental rug on the floor.

“I know.”

Leighanne stopped pacing and looked up at Noelle. “I’m sorry. What?”

“I know I can’t stay in here. I know its time for me to face everything. I just don’t know how.”

“One day at a time. No one expects anymore than that from you. Nick was a huge part of your life, and no one expects you to forget that.”

Noelle looked at Leighanne and shook her head.

“What? What is it Noelle?”

“Nick wasn’t a huge part of my life. He IS a huge part of my life.”

Leighanne mentally kicked herself. “Of course he is. And it will get easier with time. The pain will lessen as time goes on.”

“No it won’t. He will always be a huge part of my life. There’s no way around it. He will be there every day when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep.”

Taking a deep breath, Leighanne sat at the foot of the bed and looked Noelle in the eyes. “ I know it seems that way now, but…”

Noelle began shaking her head fiercely, tears forming in her eyes again. “You don’t get it. I’ll never be free. He will never gone.” Instinctively she wrapped her arms around her stomach in a protective manner.

“Oh sweetheart, its ok. Its going to be fine.” Leighanne wrapped Noelle in a warm embrace, and rocked her gently.

The waiting had to be the worst part. Howie desperately wanted to know what was going on in that room, but Brian had insisted that they go to the kitchen for some coffee.

Coffee was the last thing Howie wanted, but he knew Brian was right. Standing outside that door was not going to make it open. So finally he resigned his position at the door and headed to the kitchen.

For half an hour Howie just stared at his coffee cup, every once in a while taking a small sip. Brian watched him, trying to figure out exactly how to ask the question he’d wanted to ask for the last eight months. Finally he decided to skip all the formalities and just ask.

“Uh, Howie, I need to know something. I mean it sorta took all of us by surprise, but we accepted it because Nick seemed to accept it, but how did you and Noelle get to be you and Noelle? All we knew was that she and Nick fought and next thing we know you and Noelle are living together.”

Howie took a deep breath and settled further down into his seat. He’d been waiting for someone to ask this question. He should have known it would be Brian. He was always watching out for Nick.

“Well, it all started the night that Nick broke up with her. I got a phone call that night from Nick. I could tell he was crying, even though he was trying to hide it. He told me about the fight and how she’d stormed out upset. He was worried about her and he wanted me to go look for her.

“See, he was sure that she was down by the lake downtown, you know the one just east of the club. So I went down there, and sure enough there she sat at the amphitheater, just staring out over the lake. Tears were slowly rolling down her cheeks. There was such an eerie beauty to it, the way the moon illuminated her pale face.

“I whispered her name and she didn’t seem startled. She just slowly turned around and faced me. We stood there for what seemed like forever, but couldn’t have been more than just a few minutes. Finally she just walked towards my car, and I followed her. We got in and I drove to my house.”

Brian just sat there with his mouth slightly agape. There had to be more to this story than that.

“That’s it? You found her, drove her to your home, and… and… and what Howie? She just decided that you were the one she was meant to be with, screw Nick?”

The tone in Brian’s voice made Howie cringe slightly. He knew it would be hard for everyone to understand, but it was said and done now. There was no way to change any of it.

“No Brian, it was nothing like that. After Nick just threw her away like that she was devastated. She stayed here, in that same spare room, and just as she was coming to terms with what had happened the bomb was dropped on her. She had no idea about the girl and the baby until she read it in the newspaper. Do you know how hard that was on her?

“After that she couldn’t stand the thought of Nick. She asked to stay here until she could get on her feet and get her own place, and of course I said yes. It was strictly platonic until about a week after the baby news.”

Howie picked up his coffee cup and motioned to Brian’s. Brian nodded and Howie went over to the counter to top off their now luke warm coffee. Howie brought the cups back and sat them on the table. He folded his right leg under him as he sat down, and then took a sip of his coffee.

He looked at Brian and said, “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I took advantage of her in her time of need, but you couldn’t be more wrong. It was her who took the situation further.

“I woke up one night to find her sneaking in my room. I asked her what was wrong, thinking she’d had a bad dream or something spooked her, but she just laid a finger over my lips and told me to be quiet. I knew what she was doing, and I knew I should have stopped her, but I couldn’t. There was just something about the way she looked at me.

“We made love for hours, and then she fell asleep in my arms. She slept the entire night, which was the first time she’d done that since she’d moved in here. The next day she said that she felt so safe with me that she didn’t want to leave, and I told her she didn’t have to.

“Looking at it now, I know she married me for the safety and security. She knows I’ll never hurt her. Unfortunately, I married her for love. I love that woman more than anything, and I’m just a safety net for her, keeping the big, bad world at bay.”

A tear slipped down Howie’s cheek, and he brushed it away quickly, but not before Brian saw it.

Brian took a deep breath, and let out a heavy sigh. Just as he was about to say something else to Howie he saw Leighanne appear in the doorway.
     Howie followed Brian’s gaze, and as soon as he saw Leighanne he stood. Leighanne put her hand up and shook her head.

“She’s not ready to come out yet. She’s resting. I got her to eat a little bit though. I think I’ll have better luck tomorrow.”

Brian just nodded and said, “Well we should get going. We need to get a hotel room before they all get booked up.”

“Nonsense.”

Brian and Leighanne both looked at Howie.

“I mean, there is plenty of room here. There’s no need for you to get a hotel room. Stay here. I think it might be better that way, just in case.”

Leighanne saw the look in Howie’s eyes, so she simply nodded her head.

After getting their luggage in and getting settled in their room, Leighanne sat on the bed and watched as Brian set about the room putting things in their place.

“What?”

Leighanne just smiled. “I’m just thinking of how great we have it. I mean, doesn’t all this make you realize that?”

Brian walked over and sat down next to his wife. “I do have the most amazing wife in the world.”

Leighanne giggled, and Brian leaned in placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

“Come on, let’s get to bed. It’s been a long day.”

Noelle waited until well after three am. She wanted to make sure everyone was asleep. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

A groggy voice answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Jenn? Its Noelle. I’m headed your way.”

“Wait. What? Why?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll explain when I get there.”

Jenn rolled over and looked at the clock. 3:19am.

“Geez Elle, its almost three thirty. Is it so important that you couldn’t wait until in the morning?”

“Yes Jenn. I want to get out of here before anyone sees me.”

“Wait why?” Before Jenn could get an answer she heard the phone click.

Noelle slowly opened the door, careful not to make a sound. She walked down the hall, through the kitchen, and over to the front door. She turned off the alarm, as quietly as possible, and headed out the door. She could see the taxi she had called waiting by the curb.

As she walked down the drive she glanced back one more time. Her heart was breaking all over again.

“Maybe one day you’ll understand.”

Leighanne woke up to see the sun shining through the pale blue sheers on the window, illuminating the room in a soft glow. She rolled over to see Brian still peacefully sleeping, so she got up and began to get ready for the day.

Once she was dressed, she walked over to the bed and dropped a small kiss on Brian’s forehead before heading out into the hall. She was thinking to herself how today would be much better, and that hopefully Noelle would come to her senses and out of that room when she heard a crash downstairs.

She ran down the stairs, and as she rounded the corner she stopped. Noelle’s breakfast tray was scattered all over the hall. She walked slowly towards the room where the door stood wide open, but it was not at all what she expected to see when she got there.

Howie was standing by the bed, which had been neatly made, and he held a small piece of paper in his hand. Leighanne approached him slowly, and just as she reached the bed he whispered, “She’s gone.”

“What?”

Howie handed her the paper, and on it were two little words. I’m sorry.

As the plane landed Noelle breathed a sigh of relief. She’d made it. She was as far from Orlando and their home as she could be. San Francisco, and Jenn. Jenn would know what to do.

She’d met Jenn in college. They had been assigned as roommates, and were different as night and day. Noelle was the artsy type, majoring in Music, where Jenn was the intellectual type, majoring in Veterinary medicine. However they became inseparable, and still to this day Noelle thought of Jenn as the sister she’d never had.

Thinking about it, it was probably the best place she could go. The only person she’d ever introduced Jenn to was Nick.

Thinking of Nick her eyes began to sting with tears, and she stood up quickly grabbed her carry-on from the overhead compartment. She had to get out of this plane, which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller by the second.

Once she got into the terminal she stopped, took a deep breath, adjusted her carry-on on her shoulder, and headed towards baggage claim.

She was thankful for the fact that the airport wasn’t too crowded. It was a Wednesday morning, so there were a few business commuters, but no real tourist traffic. It made finding her luggage much easier.

Within twenty minutes of landing she was out at the curb, flagging down a taxi. After the driver helped her load her bags into the trunk, she gave him the address and settled in for the ride.

Brian sat at the kitchen table watching Leighanne pace back and forth waiting for Howie to reappear. He’d disappeared upstairs over an hour ago, and had yet to be heard from.

“Leigh, just sit down. Everything will be fine. I’m sure she’ll be back soon, and then they’ll work everything out.”

Leighanne sighed and dropped herself down into a chair. She crossed her arms on the table, then laid her head on them and began to cry.

As soon as Brian saw this he realized that things were not going to be as easy as he had hoped. He moved around to her side of the table and pulled her out of her seat, wrapping her in a comforting hug.

“He’s going to need help, Brian. You have no idea what he’s going to have to face.”

Howie had been in the hall listening to the conversation, and decided this was as good a time as any to make his entrance.

“What am I going to go through?”

Jenn was sitting on her balcony sipping her morning coffee and reading the paper when she saw a taxi approaching. She folded the paper, laid it down on the table, and stood up to get a better vantagepoint.

As soon as she saw Noelle step out of the cab she knew that something was seriously wrong. First of all she never really thought Noelle was going to fly across the country, but there she stood looking as though she hadn’t slept in days. Second, Noelle looked frail, and she’d always been the strong one.

She watched Noelle pay the taxi driver and head towards the building, so she stepped inside and began brewing another pot of coffee.

Jenn was standing at the door as Noelle stepped off the elevator. She embraced her warmly, and then waved her in.

As soon as the smell of the coffee hit Noelle’s nose the nausea was so overwhelming that she had to make a mad dash to the bathroom. Jenn was right on her heels, and then held her hair for her as what little she had in her stomach made its way out.

After things seemed to calm down with her stomach, Noelle lifted herself off the floor and sat on the edge of the bathtub. Jenn grabbed a wash cloth, wet it with cold water, and then held it to Noelle’s forehead.

“What’s going on Noelle? What’s wrong?”

Noelle took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “I think I’ve screwed up so bad this time that I can’t fix it.”

“You’re pregnant again, aren’t you?”

“Where the hell would she go? I’ve called everyone we know, but no one has heard from her. God, I don’t think I can take this.” Howie flopped down into the oversized chair in the living room, running his hands through his hair and sighing loudly.

Leighanne walked over and sat on the armrest of the chair, placing her hand on Howie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her. Brian is checking on a few things right now. We’ll get her back, I promise.”

“Don’t promise something you can’t guarantee.”

Leighanne was just about to respond when Brian walked into the room.

“Well, I think I may have a lead. I called some of the taxi companies and found one that said they had a pick up here last night around 3:30am.”

Howie’s head jerked up, and he looked at Brian, waiting for him to continue.

“The dispatcher said that the young lady asked to be taken to the airport, and was dropped off at the American Airlines curbside check in.”

Howie jumped up out of the chair, startling Leighanne. He grabbed his keys and began walking towards the front door, then stopped and glanced back at them.

“Well, come on. If my wife boarded a plane at that airport, someone is sure as hell going to tell me. We need to hurry before the people working the early morning shift get off.”

Leighanne grabbed her purse, rushed over to Brian, and laced her fingers through his as they followed Howie out the front door.

“Tell me what the hell is going on.” Jenn crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the couch, as if daring Noelle not to tell her.

Noelle looked up at Jenn, her eyes full of tears. They slowly began to cascade down her face, yet she made no move to wipe them away.

“I’m an awful person. I love Howie, but I’m not in love with Howie. And I married him, Jenn. I never meant for it to go that far. He protected me and took care of me, and I used him. Knowing he would never hurt me like Nick did was such a comforting thought that I let myself believe that would be enough for me to be happy, but its not.”

Jenn slid over and wrapped her arm around Noelle’s shoulders.

“Elle, you were hurt. You needed something. That doesn’t make you an awful person. And honestly, you need him now more than ever with everything going on and a baby on the way.”

Noelle began to shake. Tears began to stream faster down her cheeks, and she fought to control the sobs that were making it hard to breathe.

“I don’t know if I can do this. I’m so scared. I can’t lose this baby too.”

“You’re not going to lose this baby. Everything will be fine. We’ll find you the best doctor possible, and I know Howie will wait on you hand and foot. You won’t want or need for anything.” Jenn wrapped her other arm around Noelle hugging her gently, then brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face.

Noelle looked up at Jenn, and something about her eyes made Jenn’s stomach drop.

“I can’t go back to Howie. That wouldn’t be fair.”

“Not fair? Elle, why would you say that? You’re his wife and that’s his child. It’s his responsibility to help you.”

Noelle stood and walked to the window, glancing out over the bay. She saw her reflection in the window and reached up to brush the tears away as if just realizing they were there.

She stood there for a few minutes before glancing over her shoulder at Jenn still sitting on the couch watching her intently.

“Thats just it, Jenn. It’s not his child.”

The stares Howie and Brian were getting at the airport made Brian nervous, but Howie hadn’t noticed. He was on a mission.

They had been in such a rush to get there that they hadn’t taken time to call security, and Brian was beginning to wish they had. There were a few girls that seemed to be following them, keeping their distance but never losing site of them.

“Leigh, you go on with Howie.”

Leighanne looked at Brian like he was crazy. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to stop and talk to those girls. Look, I know what you’re thinking. Its crazy to do something like that with no security, especially alone, but we can’t risk them hearing Howie’s conversation. If they find out Noelle is missing, it’s only a matter of a couple of hours before the press gets it. He doesn’t need that right now.”

Leighanne sighed. She knew he was right, but she still hated it. She nodded in agreement, and Brian walked away in search of the girls.

Turning around Leighanne realized that Howie was way ahead of her, so she picked up speed hoping to reach him before he reached the ticket counter.

She caught up with him right as he was approaching the only person at the American Airlines counter.

“Excuse me miss, were you working early this morning?”

The young woman looked up and stood dumbfounded before shaking her head no.

Howie looked as if he had just had the wind knocked out of him. He turned to walk away until he heard her speak again.

“Um, if you want to wait a second, Jeff was working this morning, and he just left. I may be able to catch him.”

Howie turned back around and nodded, and the young woman walked away.

Leighanne took Howie’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. That’s when Howie realized Brian wasn’t there.

“Where’s Brian?”

“He stopped to talk to some fans that were following us. He didn’t want them close enough to hear what was going on. He didn’t want it to get back to the press.”

Howie nodded, and turned back to the counter just as the young woman walked out with a middle aged man.

“Yes sir, how can I help you?”

Howie pulled out his wallet, and took the most recent picture he had of Noelle out.

“I believe my wife may have gotten on a flight this morning. Can you tell me if you saw her?”

Jeff took the picture from Howie, but seemed hesitant to tell him anything.

“How do I know that this is your wife sir? You could be anyone, and I can’t just give that information out to anyone.”

The young woman behind the counter glanced at the picture, and then at Jeff.

“It’s his wife.”

“Do you know him?”

The young woman looked at Howie and smiled. “You could say that.”

Howie smiled at the girl, then looked at Jeff as he handed the picture back to him.

“She boarded a plane bound for San Francisco around 5:00am this morning.”

He stood silent for a moment. San Francisco? What would she be doing there?

He then thanked Jeff and turned to the young woman.

“I need a seat on your earliest flight to San Francisco.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Leighanne lay a credit card on the counter.

“Make that three.”

“I’m sorry, what? What are you saying Elle?”

Noelle turned around to face Jenn, crossing her arms and sitting down on the window seat in the process. She took a deep breath, and then looked at Jenn. Now was the time.

“I can’t lose this baby because this is the only part of Nick I have left.”

Jenn stared at Noelle, blinking a few times, and letting what she had just said sink in.

“I don’t understand. You and Nick haven’t been together for over 8 months. That’s impossible.”

“I haven’t told anyone else about this. Howie has no clue. He doesn’t know I’m pregnant, and I plan on keeping it that way. It would crush him if he found out.”

Jenn stood and walked over to the window seat, sitting next to Noelle. She took one of Noelle’s hands in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You have to tell me what happened. We’ll sort through this. How do you know this isn’t Howie’s child?”

“Because Howie and I are very careful, always,” she sighed deeply and looked at Jenn, “and Nick and I weren’t.”

Noelle began to tell Jenn what happened that night almost three months ago as her mind began replaying every detail of every moment.

Standing in front of the wooden double doors Noelle hoped she would never see again, she paused for a moment to soak everything in. It felt like coming home, and she hated that. She wanted to run, but she had a purpose to be there. Her brain kept telling her to get in and get out, it’s that easy, but her heart knew that wasn’t true.

Taking a deep breath to ease her nerves and help her courage, she raised her hand to ring the doorbell. She paused momentarily before pressing the small button.

She could here the chimes ring in the house, and only a moment later the door opened revealing a petite, middle-aged woman with an apron on and her hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

“Ms. Bartlett? What are you doing here? Excuse me, I mean, come in please.”

The woman stepped aside and allowed Noelle to step into the foyer. She closed the door and walked around Noelle, motioning her towards the kitchen.

“Thank you Mrs. Bradshaw. I won’t keep you long.”

Noelle glanced around as she followed her, noticing that everything seemed to be the same. As she stepped into the kitchen the aroma of something cooking hit her nose. She began to feel panicked. Nick wasn’t supposed to be here.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was interrupting dinner. I’ll leave and come back another time.”

“Oh no, Ms. Bartlett, Mr. Carter will be home the next few weeks and asked me to fix some items that he could just warm up. I’m just finishing up a few things to put in the freezer.”

Noelle breathed a sigh of relief. Then she remembered why she was here.

“Mrs. Bradshaw, Nick called and left a message that he had a box of my stuff for me to come pick up. Do you know where it is?”

“Um, actually, I believe I saw it upstairs in the guest room.”

With a nod of thanks Noelle headed up the stairs slowly. The closer she got to the top of the stairs the more she began to shake. This was once her home, her life. Even the smell was the same, and it taunted her. Memories began to bombard her mind.

Once at the top of the stairs she began to move a bit faster. The guestroom was at the end of the hall on the left. She could do this. One foot in front of the other until she was there, but it didn’t quite work that way.

Half way down the hall, she froze. She couldn’t move a step further. As if by some force beyond her control she turned to her right and reached out, turning the doorknob. She stepped in and closed the door.

The smell of his cologne still hung in the air. There were random clothes strewn on the floor, typical when he was getting ready to go out. The bed was unmade, and one of the pillows had found its way onto the floor. One dresser drawer was left slightly open with a sock hanging out of it. On the nightstand there was a picture of Nick with his arms wrapped around her.

She walked over and picked it up. Ever so lightly she ran her fingertips over the cool glass as a single tear ran down her cheek. Noelle sat the picture down, and wiped the tear away

Just then she heard a cellphone ring. Looking around she saw Nick’s cellphone lying on the dresser. She stood still until it stopped ringing, then began to walk towards it stopping suddenly when it started ringing again.

She heard someone coming up the stairs, and she turned just in time to see the door fly open.

Blue eyes met brown and everything stopped.

The only sound Noelle could hear was her heart beating, and she could swear it was never that loud or that fast before. As much as she wanted to run, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his.

Nick took a step towards her, and instinctively she took a step back, bumping into the dresser. He stopped and stared at her, blinking a few times as if he didn’t believe she was there.

“Noelle?”

“Hello Nick.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to get my box.”

Nick wanted to slap himself. Of course she wasn’t there to see him. He’d totally forgotten the message he’d left a few days ago.

“It’s in the guest room. Want me to help you carry it out?”

Noelle just shrugged her shoulders, and began to walk out of the room finally regaining control of her legs. However, just as she got close to him he reached out and gently grabbed her arm.

“Noelle, you have to know how sorry I am. I still love you, and I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I’d give anything to take it back.”

She heard the quiver in his voice, and looked up to see tears flowing down his cheeks. Instinctively she reached up and wiped them away, letting her fingertips linger a bit longer than they should have.

Then, as if in slow motion, he lowered his head and gently brushed his lips against hers. When she didn’t move away he took that as a sign to continue and deepened the kiss, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue, exploring her mouth and her taste as if for the first time.

At that moment everything became a blur as if moving super fast and in slow motion all at the same time. He took her hand and led her to the bed, lifting her shirt over her head in the process. Dropping feathery kisses down her neck and over her collarbone, he heard her moan and thought he would lose it then and there.

She knew this was wrong, but it felt so incredibly perfect that she didn’t dare stop it. Her hands found the hem of his shirt and began lifting, until he reached behind him and quickly pulled it off, tossing it on the floor.

He stopped and let his gaze wander over her. She was more beautiful than he remembered, if that was even possible. There was something about her, a sort of sadness that just tugged at him. It was all because of him. Tonight he was determined to prove his love for her.

He cupped her face in his hands and ever so gently began to kiss her. As he broke away, she looked him in the eyes and said five words he never thought he’d hear again.

“Make love to me, Nick.”

“I woke up before him the next morning and I left. He tried calling me several times, but I would never answer. I guess he finally gave up. I didn’t see him again until the wedding.”

Jenn just looked at her, trying to take everything in.

“So he never knew?”

“No, he couldn’t have. I suspected it, but I didn’t find out for sure until after the wedding. God Jenn, I just feel so guilty. I should have at least told him that I thought I might be pregnant. Maybe it would have changed things.”

Noelle began to cry, and as much as she had cried today, she still needed the release.

Jenn grabbed a quilt and wrapped it around Noelle’s shoulders. As the tears streamed down her cheeks, Noelle turned and looked out the window at the bay in the distance.

“I should have told him, but instead I married one of his best friends knowing that I might be carrying his child. I wanted to hurt him like he’d hurt me, but once again I’m the only one hurting.”

“Oh Elle, I wish there was something I could do to make things right. We’ll figure everything out, I promise. For now though, why don’t you head back to my bedroom and take a nap. You have to be tired after traveling half the night. When you wake up your head will be clearer. We’ll run out for some lunch at the little café down the street, and we’ll talk.”

Noelle just nodded her head and she stood up and stretched. Then she headed down the hall and into the bedroom.

Jenn listened for the door to close, and as soon as she heard the knob click shut she made her way into the kitchen.

Standing perfectly still she listened for any type movement at all. Once she was sure it was safe she reached over and grabbed the cordless phone.

After four rings the voice mail picked up. She waited patiently until she heard the beep.

“I think you need to get over here as soon as possible.”

Standing in the middle of the airport, Howie glanced around. He didn’t even know where to begin looking, or who to talk to. He just knew that he had to find her, and fast. He turned to Brian standing next to him.

“What now? I mean, honestly, she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone here. She would just pick up her luggage and go. Plus, there has to be dozens of taxis making rounds out there, so the odds are not in our favor that we would find the one that gave her a ride if in fact she took a taxi at all.”

Brian nodded his head in agreement. They had to think of something fast. She had several hours on them, and the longer they stood there the farther away she could get. Then he had an idea.

“What about talking to security? There are cameras everywhere around here. Maybe they could check the footage of the American Airlines terminals and baggage claims to see if they see her. At least that might give us a little bit of help. You know, in case she was met by a friend… or something.”

Howie knew that Brian was trying to be diplomatic about it. What he was really trying to say was in case she met another man here, but Howie knew better than that. Noelle wasn’t that type, but she also wasn’t they type to jump a plane across the country either.

“Okay, lets start there. At least we would be doing something and not just standing here.”

As if on cue, Leighanne walked up with three steaming cups of coffee.

“Where to now, guys?”

Getting ready to lay down, Noelle glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Then she noticed the phone. Maybe she should call Howie. He was probably worried sick. She could at least call and tell him she was staying with a friend, minus a few details.

She reached over and picked up the receiver, but instead of a dial tone she heard the dialing of a number. She was just about to hang up when she heard it start ringing. Curiosity got the better of her, so she listened as the voicemail picked up.

She heard a guy’s voice that she didn’t recognize, and he didn’t identify himself just the number that had been reached. Then she heard the beep, and Jenn’s voice.

As soon as Jenn hung up Noelle placed the phone back into its cradle. Why was Jenn calling someone she didn’t know, and telling him to come immediately? Was Jenn on their side now? Her best friend was selling her out?

She had to get out of there and fast, but how? Then it came to her.

She opened the door and walked down the hall towards the kitchen. As she rounded the corner she saw Jenn leaning up against the counter sipping a cup of coffee. The sight of Noelle made Jenn jump.

“What are you doing up? I thought you were going to take a nap?”

“I was, but I realized that I forgot one of my medications back home. Do you think that you could possibly run to the drug store and pick up a refill for me? Oh, and some mint chocolate chip ice cream and a bag of crunchy cheetos?”

Jenn made a face and giggled.

“Boy, the cravings are already here huh? Sure, no problem. Um, this guy that I work with is suppose to come over, so if he comes could you just let him in?”

Noelle nodded. She had no intentions of being here that long, but she had to make it look like she did.

Jenn gathered her purse and keys and headed out the door. Noelle ran to the window, peaking from behind the curtain to make sure Jenn was gone. As soon as she was out of site Noelle grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She felt bad leaving the way she was, but she couldn’t encounter any problems now.

She watched for any sign of Jenn as she made her way out of the building. She knew that the closest drug store was a good 20 minutes away, and that she could be plenty far enough away by the time Jenn got back.

She headed across the street to a little shopping center. She should be able to get a cab rather quickly. Now all she needed was a destination.

Security was being completely unhelpful. The longer Howie stood there and argued with them, the farther away she got. He was about at his wits end when Brian came up with a suggestion.

“Look, I know you wanted to keep this to just us, but maybe you need to let management know. People are going to start spotting us, so it will be out there soon that we are here. Maybe they can use some of the legal guys to help pull some strings. If not then we’ll have to contact the police, and I know you don’t want to do that.”

Howie sighed. Brian was right. They needed reinforcements. They couldn’t do this on their own. They were getting nowhere. He’d worked to hard to protect her from Nick, and all the pain, to have her traipse around the country where anything could happen.

While the guys worried about security cameras and legal issues, Leighanne worried about Noelle, and the baby. Most of all she fought her conscience about telling Howie. He had a right to know, but she had no right to tell. It wasn’t her place.

Cradling a warm cup of coffee in her hands, she sat down and waited. There was nothing else she could do.

As soon as the cab pulled up, Noelle ducked out of the shadows and jumped in. She tossed her bag in the floorboard and glanced up at the rear view mirror, making eye contact with the driver.

“Take me to the closest mall please.”

Fifteen minutes later she paid the cab driver and made her way into the mall. She walked straight to the mall map and located the two stores she wanted to find.

After successfully finding everything she needed, and a few extra things, she headed back downstairs to a salon she passed on the way in. She was going to make it impossible to find her.

Two hours later they made their way into the security offices to view the tapes from that morning. Leighanne sat back and watched as they tirelessly poured over video after video, watching every person carefully. She was beginning to worry that they wouldn’t find anything when it happened.

“That’s her. There she is.” Brian jumped up out of his chair and pointed to the monitor. “See, there, coming out of that restroom. Now we need to find the tapes for that time and follow her movements.”

Howie sighed and turned to Brian. “You do realize how much time that’s going to take, right?”

“I know, but I don’t know any other way. If we can find footage of what cab or car she got into, we may have a viable lead. Other than that all it tells us is that she’s here, and we already knew that.”

Howie nodded, and they began to search through the tapes looking for the right time frame. This was going to take hours.

As Jenn rounded the corner, she noticed that the apartment door was slightly open. She walked quietly up to the door, slowly pushing it open. Nothing looked out of place. She made her way down the hall and into the bedroom. That’s where she saw him, standing at the window.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know. She was here when I left. She must have sensed that something was up.”

He turned and looked at her. “How did you get her here in the first place? The plan was to wait a month or so more before convincing her to visit.”

“It wasn’t me. She came on her own. She called last night and said she was coming out. We have a problem though.”

“What’s that?”

“She’s pregnant.”

He looked at Jenn for a sign that it was a joke or something. When he realized it wasn’t, he sat down on the end of the bed and ran his hands through his hair. “That’s going to make this much harder. No one can know, okay? You keep this information to yourself.”

“I understand, but she’s already paranoid that she’s going to lose the baby. Any stress could cause serious problems.”

He chuckled slightly and looked up at her. “Believe me, stress is the least of her worries.”

Noelle paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car. An attendant rushed to help her with her bags.

“What airline Miss?”

“ATA please.”

“Yes ma’am. Do you already have your flight info?”

“No I need to book a seat”

“Yes ma’am. Ticket counter it is.”

She followed the young man into the building, doing her best to stifle a giggle. Funny, she didn’t remember anyone falling over themselves to help her this morning when she was here. Then again, this morning no one could tell she was pregnant.

While at the mall she had purchased plenty of maternity clothes, but she had also slipped one of the belly pillows they give you to use while trying on clothes into her bag. With it on now she could easily pass for seven or eight months along.

That wasn’t the only precaution took though. While at the salon she had her long locks cut shoulder length and dyed blond, all while the stylist begged her not to. She also stopped at an eyeglass store and purchased a frame with non-prescription lenses. The girl at the counter was a bit confused as to why she would want glasses if she didn’t need them, but Noelle convinced her it was for a play she was in.

Now she was playing a part, and rather convincingly too it seemed. After getting a seat on the next plane out, which the clerk had upgraded to business class so she would be more “comfortable”, the attendant helped get her checked through security and her carryon luggage to her terminal. All that was left was to wait for the flight.

Howie and Brian were still pouring over tapes, so Leighanne decided to get another cup of coffee and stretch her legs.

When she made it to the food court the smell of cinnamon got her attention. What could a snack hurt? They’d be there for a while it seemed.

The line at Cinnabon had been short, probably because it was the middle of the day, but she was grateful nonetheless. She grabbed her coffee and cinnamon buns and headed back to the security office. Maybe they’d have had some luck.

She never once noticed the pregnant blond watching her intently from the terminal across the way.

Noelle took a deep breath. Leighanne. So they knew she was there, but they’d never spot her like this. At least she hoped they wouldn’t.

She began to feel nervous. What if they found her? She wasn’t ready to face them yet. She needed more time. Just as her nerves were about to get the better of her she heard them call her flight.

“All business class passengers for flight 4626 to Honolulu may now begin boarding. Once again, all business class passengers for flight 4626 to Honolulu may begin boarding.”

Noelle stood and grabbed her bag. She made her way over to the line. Her hands were shaking when she reached out to hand her boarding past to the girl behind the counter. The girl watched Noelle carefully.

“Nervous flyer?”

“Very. I won’t be comfortable until I’m in the air.”

The girl just grinned at Noelle and handed her pass back to her. Noelle made her way down to the plane and settled herself in. She tried to hold her hands still, but it was impossible. She was afraid that if she didn’t calm down she’d find herself losing what little lunch she was able to keep down.

Twenty minutes later she glanced out the window as the plane was taking off and breathed a sigh of relief. She was free, at least for now.

He watched her closely. Why would she pick Hawaii? He would have to keep close tabs on her. This made things even worse. The secrets Hawaii held could potentially make this whole thing blow up in everyone’s faces, and she’d suffer the worst.

Noelle stepped off the plane with a huge sigh of relief.  She’d made it.  Now she just needed to find a place to stay and lay low for a while, at least until she could figure out how to break the news to Howie.

She made her way through the terminal to the food court where she found a little shop that sold newspapers.  After making her purchase she found an empty table and sat down, flipping the paper open and finding the ads. 

There were plenty of ads for vacation rentals, and after circling a few that looked promising she found a phone and began to call.

He sat at a table close by and listened as she made her calls.  She was renting a place for the week.  Well, a week wasn’t so bad.  He hoped all this would be over by then, but if not, he hoped that she wouldn’t stumble across the truth.

He picked up his phone, dialing a number and placing the receiver to his ear.

“We’re here.  She’s rented a place for a week.  I’ll keep an eye on her.  How are things in Florida?  You got everything we need yet?  Well, you call as soon as you get it.  And call Jenn.  Tell her to book a flight to come down in a few days.  I want her here in case something happens.  Look she’s heading out.  I’ve got to go.”

Howie stood suddenly, sending his chair crashing to the floor.

“That’s it!  We’ve been searching for hours.  We’re not going to find her without more help.”

Brian looked at Howie and sighed.  He was right, but who could they call.  Yes, they could call the police, but for some reason Howie was dead set against it.  Plus, it hadn’t been 24 hours since she had gone missing, so they wouldn’t touch it.  And was she missing?  She left on her own accord, although no one seemed to know why.

Then it hit him.  What had Leighanne said that morning?

"He’s going to need help, Brian.  You have no idea what he’s going to have to face.”

As if reading Brian’s thoughts, Leighanne turned to find him watching her intently.  His eyes felt like they were burning through her.  He knew she was hiding something from him.

Brian stood and stretched, then turned to Howie.

“I think I’m going to go get some more coffee.  I’ll be right back.”

Then he turned to Leighanne and motioned with his head for her to follow him.  As soon as they were out the door of the security office he placed his hand on her elbow, causing her to turn and look at him.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

Brian sighed and ran his through his tousled hair.

“You know something.  Why did she run?”

Finally the pressure was too much and a single tear found its way down her cheek.

“She’s scared, but I don’t know why she ran.  Brian, we have to find her.  She’s…  well, we just have to find her.”

Brian wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her close to him and rubbing her back comfortingly.

“Leigh,” he whispered, “you have to tell me what you know.  We need all the help we can get to find her.”

Leighanne looked up at her husband and nodded.

“I’ll tell you, but have to promise me that you won’t tell Howie.”

Brian began to protest, but Leighanne put her finger to his lips to silence him.

“It’s not our place to tell him, Brian.  Promise me.  I’m not sure it will help you find her, but I’ll tell you what I know.”

He nodded his head.  Keeping secrets from Howie right now didn’t seem the best way to go, but he had to hear what she knew.  Maybe it would help. 

“Um…”  Leighanne took a deep breath and then sighed.  “She’s pregnant, and she’s scare to tell Howie.”

Shocked, Brian took a step back and looked at his wife.

“Why would she be scared to tell Howie?  I know they just got married, but Howie loves kids.  He’d be ecstatic.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Why is that?”

A tear ran down Leighanne’s face again, and she brushed it away quickly.

Jenn hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. 

So it’s really going to happen this week huh? she thought to herself.  She wasn’t sure if she was glad this part was almost over, or dreading what would happen next, but she would be there through it all.  Noelle would need her.

Sitting down at her desk, she turned her computer on and began to search for a flight.  She’d fly out tomorrow.  Sure they’d said a few days, but she’d rather be early than too late.

The air in the bar was hazy, but he didn’t mind it.  He found solace in watching the tourist come in and out of his bar.  No worries, no cares.  They laughed and drank, never a second thought about life.  He use to be that way.

He made his way to the back and into his office.  He slumped down into his chair and took a look around. 

“So this is my life?  How did it get to this?”

He sighed and leaned back in this chair, flopping his arm over his eyes.

Noelle paid the cab driver then made her way up the path to the little cottage.  Just as she stepped onto the porch the front door opened.

“Ah, you must be Noelle.  Please, come in.”

It was an older lady, barely five-foot, but she had a spunk about her.  She walked Noelle through the cottage familiarizing her with everything.  As she handed her the key she motioned for Noelle to follow her into the kitchen.

“I’ve left a list of emergency numbers here by the phone just in case. My number is on the bottom of the list too in case you have any problems here.  Also, in this drawer are some take out menus.  Most of them will deliver here.”

Noelle just nodded, and the older lady grabbed her purse and headed for the door.  Just as she reached the door she turned to look at Noelle.  There was a slight frown on her face.  She watched Noelle for a moment, then nodded and left.

Noelle sat up and stretched a bit, then noticed that the room seemed darker. 

"Hmm… I must have dozed off.”

She walked over to the back door and glanced out the window.  The sun was almost gone, setting in a beautiful array of oranges, pinks and purples over the ocean.  She sighed at the sight before her.  She felt peaceful here.

It was then that her stomach growled loudly.  She giggled and placed her hand on her abdomen.

“Yes, ok, I hear you.  Maybe dinner would be a good idea.”

She walked into the kitchen and began to go through the menus in the drawer.  Maybe she’d actually get out and go to dinner.  With the make over she knew that she wouldn’t be spotted, and she hadn’t been able to go out to dinner in public for years without someone recognizing her.

“Ok little one, this place looks promising.  According to the map it’s not far from here.  The Local Bar.”  She giggled to herself and replied sarcastically, “What a unique name.”

She grabbed the house keys and headed out.  It was just a couple of blocks away, so she’d decided to walk and enjoy the evening.

When she got to the bar she smiled.  It was perfect.  There was a porch wrapping around the west side of the building peppered with tables.  The windows were open and music was filtering out into the dusk. 

She situated herself at a table overlooking the ocean.  Although the sun had set, the sky was still a blend of pinks and purples, and the breeze was warm and comforting.

“Can I get you something Miss?”

Noelle had been so lost in the view that she hadn’t noticed the young waitress approach the table. 

“Oh, um, yes.  A sweet tea and a club sandwich please.  Oh, and can you have them put some extra pickles on the side please?”

The waitress looked at Noelle’s pregnant figure and just grinned.

“Absolutely Miss.”  Then she disappeared back into the bar, leaving Noelle with the view and her thoughts.

Staring out over the water her thoughts once again drifted back to Nick.  Could she raise this child without him?  How would she explain why its father wasn’t around?  Should she tell Howie the truth?  There would be so many questions.  She wasn’t ready for any of it.

She glanced inside towards the bar and noticed a man behind the bar.  He was fairly good looking with brown hair and a goatee, and even though she knew she couldn’t know him there was something familiar about him.  She stared at him and suddenly felt at ease.

Just then she felt something and froze.  There it was again, a feeling in the pit of her stomach.  Not a pain, but almost a fluttering.  She placed a hand on her stomach and waited.  Again it came, very faint, but there.  It took her a minute to realize what it was, and she smiled.

Brian sat at the end of the bed watching Howie talk animatedly on the phone. They’d been in this hotel room for three days, and still nothing. The private investigator had followed a few leads, but had come up with nothing. Until now.

Brian could only hear one side of the call, but he was pretty sure that the PI had some new info. He sat quietly and listened until Howie hung up.

“So, what’s going on?”

Howie looked over at Brian and for the first time in days he had a smile on his face.

“He thinks he might have a real lead this time. Apparently she had a friend here in San Francisco that none of us knew about.”

“Really?”

“Well, maybe not all us. Apparently he spoke to her neighbor who said she saw a woman that looked like Noelle at this girl’s apartment a few days ago, but she had seen her there plenty of times before with a tall, blond, good-looking young man.”

Brian walked over to the kitchenette and poured a cup of coffee for himself. He looked at Howie and motioned to the pot, but Howie simply shook his head no. Walking slowly so as not to spill the coffee he made his way over to the table where Howie was sitting and took a seat across from him.

“So, this girl not only knew Noelle, but she also knew Nick.”

“It appears that way. The witness seems to be one of those nosy neighbors, an older lady with nothing better to do. She didn‘t know who Nick was, just a vague description.”

Brian took a sip of his coffee and thought for a moment before he asked the next question.

“Does he think this girl has something to do with her disappearance?”

“No. The older lady said that she showed up a few days ago, was here for a few hours, then the girl left and Noelle left not long afterwards with her bags. The lady said she seemed spooked, but she left alone. Then some guy showed up and waited inside the apartment until the girl got home. He left a few minutes later, and then the girl left early the next day with a bag and hasn’t been back since. The PI believes she may have caught a flight here.”

“What about Noelle? Does he think she caught a flight too? Just think, she could have been right here in the airport and we never knew. What does he suggest next?”

Howie looked at Brian and shrugged.

“He didn’t really say. He said he’d call back in a few hours. I guess we just wait.”

Brian let out a long sigh. Seems like they had been doing a lot of that lately.

Jenn made her way through the crowds at the airport. As much as she loved Hawaii, she definitely wasn’t looking forward to this trip.

She fished her cell phone out of her purse, turned it on, and dialed the familiar number.

“Yeah?” came the gruff voice after the second ring.

“I’m here. I decided to come early just in case.”

“Oh thank God!” The sudden outburst caught Jenn off guard.

“Dan, what’s wrong?”

“I need you here immediately. We have a potential problem. You’re going to have to make your presence known earlier than I’d hoped.”

A chill ran down Jenn’s spine. Something was seriously wrong here.

“Why? Has something happened to Elle?”

Dan let out a heavy sigh.

“Nope. She’s just decided to go out to dinner. A little place called ‘The Local Bar’.”

Jenn gasped and panic began to fill her.

“I’ll be right there.”

Noelle looked down at her plate and sighed. She’d finished off her entire meal and still felt fine. This relieved her to no end. She was worried that the stress was making the morning sickness worse, and that it would eventually cause a problem, but as of now she felt great.

She pulled some money out of her purse and laid it with the ticket on the table, placing the salt shaker on top of it to keep the wind from blowing it away. Then she stood up and stretched, deciding a walk down the beach would be heaven. It was almost completely dark now, but the moon was full and it cast enough light to see easily.

Slowly making her way down the beach towards her cottage she began to let her mind wander. She thought of a beautiful little boy with blond hair and blue eyes. She could just see him running in and out of the warm water, giggling, being chased by his father. His blond hair stuck to his head from the water and the sun glistening off his wet skin, he’d scoop the boy up and put him on his shoulders, then they would turn and wave at her.

She didn’t notice the tears slipping down her face, or the two sets of eyes watching her intently.

He had watched her through the open windows, the blond on the patio. He was sure he didn’t know her, but there was something so familiar about her that it made him long for home.

He took in a ragged breath, straightened his shoulders, and began to inventory the bar again. He would not think of home again. No matter how much he missed it, his family, his life… and her.

Dan glanced over at Jenn. She was watching Noelle so intently that he hoped he was doing the right thing by involving her in this. She wasn’t trained for this, but he hadn’t been the one to involve her in the first place. She had been drug into this long before he got there.

He was contemplating telling her to go home when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached into his jeans and pulled the phone out, sighing with relief when he saw the number on the screen.

“Yeah?”

“We’ve got it.”

“Everything?”

“Yep. We have all the sworn testimonies of the witnesses and they’ve all agreed to testify in court if needed. The DA is getting the warrant as we speak. We should have it in a few hours. Grab the girl and get back to the states. When this hit’s the air I don’t want her AWOL. Is Jenn there with you?”

Dan glanced over at her. They were walking down the beach, holding hands, playing the part so they could follow Noelle down the beach without being conspicuous.

“Yeah, she’s here. I’ll have her go over there tonight. Hopefully we can get a flight back tonight or tomorrow morning. You want us to fly into Florida?”

“No, go back to San Francisco. Mr. Dorough is still there trying to find her.”

“Got it. See ya soon.”

Dan flipped the phone shut and looked at Jenn.

“Looks like its time.”

Jenn’s eyes widened a bit and she nodded her head.

“This should be interesting.”

Noelle unlocked the door and stepped into the quiet little cottage. She looked around the room and sighed. Although she felt completely comfortable here, she was lonely. She absolutely hated being alone, but she’d done this to herself. If she had just had the nerve to tell Howie.

“He’s such a sweet and caring man, and he loves me. I’m sure he would understand. He may even be happy that a part of his best friend will live on.”

She giggled a little a shook her head.

“Dear lord, I’m talking to myself now. Am I crazy or what?”

Just then she felt a flutter, a slight movement, and reached under her shirt to pull out the pregnancy pillow she had put there as part of her disguise. She placed her open palm flat against her stomach to see if she could feel the baby, but it wasn’t strong enough yet.

She sighed and headed down the hall to the little bedroom. She glanced around at the pieces of white wicker furniture placed sparsely around the room. The comforter had big palm leaves all over it, and on the wall were the matching prints, two large palm leaves framed above the head board. Talking a deep breath she caught the scent of the salt water breeze blowing in through the open window and her mind began to replay a distant memory.

She glanced back over her shoulder through the open sliding glass doors to see Nick talking animatedly on the phone. He caught her watching and smirked, stopping her heart for a beat or two.

Turning her gaze back to the ocean she sighed. Could life get any better than this? They’d only been dating about six months, but so far everything was perfect. There was no other word for it. She couldn’t imagine being this happy with anyone else.

As his arms wrapped around her waist, she leaned back into his chest and smiled. He rested his chin on her head and she giggled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I’m just happy. This place is amazing. I never imagined it would be this beautiful. Thank you for bring me here.”

“Well, you said you’d never been to Hawaii, so I thought it would be the perfect place for some relaxation, among other things.”

She turned to glance up at him. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she giggled.

“Why Mr. Carter, are you trying to seduce me?”

“Is it working?”

“Depends on what your offering.”

“How about a week with me with no interruptions.”

Noelle glanced up at Nick squinting her eyes and cocking one eyebrow questioningly.

“No interruptions? I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Nick’s grin grew into a huge smile.

“Well Brian knows where I am in case of an emergency, but no one else has a clue. And just to be sure…”

As his voice trailed off she watched him reach into his pocket and pull out his cell phone. He looked at it for a second and then tossed it over her head and the balcony. They both watch as it sailed through the air and landed in the ocean below.

“Now, as I was saying, no interruptions.”

Noelle was brought out of her thoughts by someone knocking at the door. A bit hesitantly she made her way back down the hall and into the living room. She opened the door and was shocked at what she saw.

“Jenn, what are you doing here?”

She glanced from Jenn to the man standing behind her, and then back to Jenn.

“Elle, there is something I need to tell you. Can we come in?”

Noelle stood frozen for a moment, then moved out of the way to let Jenn and her companion in. She watched as they both sat down on the couch, looking at each other nervously, but Jenn wasn’t the first to speak.

“Mrs. Dorough we need to get you back to California. Its not safe for you here. We’ll explain on the way, but you have to understand that staying here is not an option.”

Noelle sighed. She should have known that Howie would figure out where she went and track her down. She was just surprised he didn’t come himself. Maybe he thought he’d scare her off.

“I know it was stupid of me to run off like I did, but I needed time to think. I’ll call Howie and tell him I’m ok. I’m just not ready to head back. I have things I need to work out.”

Jenn stood up and walked over to Noelle pulling her into a hug.

“Oh Elle, if it were only that simple. You have to come back with us. We want you to call Howie, but not yet. We want you to wait until we make back to California. We need everything to work out right.”

Noelle stepped back and looked at Jenn.

“What are you talking about? What has to work out? Aren’t you here because Howie sent you?”

Jenn just shook her head no and turned to look at Dan.

“Mrs. Dorough, I promise we will explain as much as we can on the way, but we need you in the air now. Jenn has to make a stop and then she’ll meet us at the airport.”.

Jenn looked at Dan, and then nodded. She knew what she had to do. She turned to look at Noelle once more, then hugged her again and headed out the door.

Noelle looked at Dan and contemplated him for a minute. Did she trust him? Jenn certainly did, and she thought she could trust Jenn, but uncertainty in that was what landed her here.

Dan could tell she was wary, and he couldn’t blame her. It had to be scary having people track your every move. He always felt sorry for the people he had to protect.

Glancing once more towards the door where Jenn had just left, Noelle decided to ask Dan one question. His answer would determine if she left with him or not.

“I won’t leave with you until you answer one question. What is this really about? Its obvious that you aren’t working for Howie trying to find me, so make it a good answer. I won’t go with you unless I believe you.”

Dan watched her as her head slowly turned from the front door back to him. He knew he had one shot to make her understand she had to come with him. So he cut right to the chase.

“Nick Carter’s murder.”

Noelle gasped and looked at Dan more closely.

“Who are you? What do you want? A bit of fame? Everyone knows Nick killed himself. It was all over the news. He even left a note. This is unbelievable. How did you get Jenn involved in this?”

Noelle hadn’t noticed the tears begin to stream down her face, but Dan did. He knew this would happen. She didn’t need to get all worked up. He hadn’t really told her anything yet, and she was already distraught.

“Please listen to me Noelle. I work as a PI in Florida. I was hired by the DA there to get more information on this case. When I came on Jenn was already involved. The team they have working on this has finally gotten all the information they need to get a warrant issued. We need to get you back where we can keep you safe when everything starts to happen. Trust me when I say this, you are going to be completely safe.”

As she listened to the explanation, Noelle watched as he pulled out items to prove he was who he said he was. She looked closely at them, and then back at him. He seems sincere, and he had Jenn on his side. She couldn’t imagine Jenn would put her in harms way.

She nodded her head once.

“Lets go then. I want to hear more about this. You said a warrant is being issued. So that means you know who did this, right?”

Dan took in a deep breath and nodded.

“I’ll tell you more in the plane. We need to get back. They want you there before the arrest takes place. Its going to be very public and they want to make sure you are where they can keep you safe.”

Howie was still pacing back and forth in the hotel room waiting. Brian watched his friend. It was strange. He didn’t seem worried or concerned, he seemed mad. Brian was sure he was wrong. Howie had to be worried about Noelle. Maybe he was just frustrated with the PI.

As if on cue the cell phone on the table began to ring. Howie dashed across the room to pick it up.

“Anything?”

Brian listened to Howie’s side of the conversation. It seemed cryptic but apparently he was getting some information. A smile spread across Howie’s face and Brian began to feel a bit relieved.

Leighanne walked in the room as Howie was finishing up the phone call. Brian looked at her a gave her a small grin.

“Find anything?”

Leighanne just shook her head.

“No. I asked around at the different airline counters, but no one has seen anyone who looks like Noelle. I was hoping maybe…”

But she was cut off by Howie clicking the phone shut and letting out a loud yell.

“Thank God! That was the PI. He said he tracked her to Hawaii. She took a flight out earlier this afternoon from here. He said he was about to call me with the details when he found she had booked a flight back for tonight. She’ll be here in a few hours.”

Leighanne was so relieved that she collapsed down into the chair and let a few stray tears fall. She’d been scared that she’d never see Noelle again. Now she was coming back and everything would be ok. She could live happily ever after with Howie. She was convinced now after everything Howie had gone through to find her and make sure she was safe that he would accept that baby with open arms. It was Nick’s baby after all, not some stranger’s. It was his brother’s.

Jenn walked slowly up the steps of the small bar. The Local Bar. That name always made her laugh. It was so him.

She walked in the front door and glanced around the bar. The building was old, but he’d only owned it for the last three months. They’d helped him buy it under a false name. Just part of the charade.

The bartender nodded to her, and she made her way over to him.

“Is Nate in?”

“Uh, yeah, he’s back in his office. You need me to get him?”

“No, I’ll just step back there.”

The bartender nodded and Jenn made her way towards the back of the bar, and then down a small hall. The last door on the left said office and she knocked lightly on the door, nervous and excited at the same time.

Noelle sat in the waiting area watching all the people go by. So many people, here to enjoy the sun and sand. Not a care in the world, or using this as an escape from any they had.

She hadn’t been to Hawaii in over two years. She’d hoped to have enjoyed this little trip, but this obviously wasn’t the case. Something big was going down, and she wanted to know what it was.

Glancing to her right she saw Dan staring down the corridor watching the people. He was looking for someone. She assumed it was Jenn.

“Do you think something could have happened to her?”

Dan shook his head.

“No, she’s safe here. I just didn’t think it would take this long. I’m worried she may miss the flight. If she does, she’ll take a later flight. I just really wanted her with us, for your sake.”

“Are you ever going to tell me who did this? You don’t think I did this, do you?”

Dan whipped his head around to look at her.

“I know you didn’t do this. We’ve known who it was, but we had to get the proof. We had to have enough proof where the killer wouldn’t get away. I can’t tell you who it is right now, but I can tell you this. This person hired someone to kill Mr. Carter, so there was no direct evidence linking him to the murder. We had to find witnesses and other proof to provide.”

Noelle head began to spin. Someone had hired someone to murder Nick? Who would do such a thing?

He heard the knock and groaned. Couldn’t they take care of things for five minutes without his help?

“Come in.”

He was irritated with their lack of ability, but when he looked up and saw her standing there panic began to grip him.

“What are you doing here?”

She smiled and said the words he’d been waiting to hear.

“It’s happening.”

When they made the first call for the flight to begin boarding, Dan looked around the waiting area. He wouldn’t panic. If she missed the flight she’d just catch another one. He just really wanted her with Noelle when the arrest happened. It would make everything easier.

He motioned for Noelle to stand, and she shook her head.

“Lets wait. We’ve got time. Maybe she’ll show. We have until the final boarding call to load anyway. Lets just give her more time.”

So Dan sat waiting, staring down the corridor of people, scanning the crowds for any sign of her.

Fifteen minutes later and they were making the final boarding call. He sighed and stood up, helping Noelle up and grabbing their carry-on bags. As they stood at the ticket counter having their boarding passes checked, they heard a familiar voice behind them.

“Leaving without me?”

Noelle turned to see Jenn standing there smiling. She reached up and hugged her friend. In all this craziness she was glad to have her here.

“We didn’t think you would make it.”

Jenn just shook her head.

“And miss all the excitement? Not on your life.”

Leighanne and Brian sat watching Howie pace back and forth in the baggage claim. Damn security. He missed the days where you could meet the flight at the gate. Now he had to wait until she made it all the way through the airport before he could see her.

And what if she saw him first? Would she gets spooked and run again? He hoped not. Maybe luck would be on his side. If there was a large crowd coming into the baggage claim at the same time it would make it harder for her to spot him. He only needed enough time to get his hands on her. She would never get away again.

Dan glanced around the terminal and then over to Jenn. She nodded slightly, turning to look at Noelle.

“Hey Elle?”

Noelle glanced over to Jenn and noticed her hesitant nature.

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say that… well I’m glad I can be here for you through this. I’d feel horrible if I had to hear about this after the fact.”

“I’m glad you’re here too. You’re my best friend. This is just so much to take in. Murdered? My Nick? I can’t even imagine it. I can’t wait to watch this person go down.”

Noelle then realized what she’d said. Her Nick? He hadn’t been her Nick in a while, but just thinking of the situation gave her a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Regardless of what he did to her he certainly didn’t deserve to be murdered.

The remainder of the walk through the airport was spent in silence. There wasn’t really much to say. Most everything had been brought out in the open on the plane ride back, but they still hadn’t revealed who the murderer was. She would just have to wait.

As they headed toward the baggage claim Noelle’s steps faltered as she heard the whispered words come out of Dan’s mouth.

“Get ready. Here we go.”