Chapter 8

"Why, Ms. Nelson, whatever are you talking about" Maggie smiled sweetly as she answered her. Vicki was not amused. Henry was trying to concentrate on driving and yet figure out what he would do if a fight ensued. I'm am so going vamp Mike out when I'm done...No, you're not..Henry looked in his rearview to see Maggie's eyes smiling at him. She had the ability to mind-speak. Henry was impressed. "Look, Maggie or whoever you are, this story or yours stinks." Maggie leaned into her and sounding much like Vicki said, "I'm telling you the truth and you really don't want to push me on this. You won't like me when I'm angry." Vicki snorted, "What do you do, turn green and bust out of your clothes?" The moment the last word was out of her mouth, Maggie grabbed her hand and Vicki had the most intense pain shoot up her arm. "Dammit! What IS that you keep doing to me? Who or what the hell are you?" Maggie shook her head, "Why are you so suspicious? Didn't you hear Henry say that we were being truthful? We were not going to involve you, just Mike, in the event it got messy, we thought we might need police on our side." Vicki was still rubbing her arm, "And that's another thing, I don't even know you two. What have I done to piss you off already? I mean, I'm good but I'm not that good." Maggie looked at Henry in the rearview again and nodded. You are going to have to tell her, he said. She's too much like me, she won't believe me. He said, Show her, like you showed me in the apartment.

Maggie reached for Vicki's hands, "No way, sister, no WAY you are touching me again." The "sister" comment made Maggie laugh so hard she was crying. "I'm glad you all find this very funny, but I don't." Henry took Vicki's hand and it was only then he noticed she was trembling. Vicki never trembled. "Vicki," he whispered, "you may not trust them, her, but you trust me." She nodded. "Then just take her hands, she won't hurt you this time, will you Maggie?" He arched one eyebrow at her and she nodded, "I promise, Vicki, I would never, ever hurt you and I'm sorry I did just now. That was childish. Please, trust me." Something in Maggie's eyes calmed Vicki, she didn't like these feelings she was having. "Before I take your hands, please let me say this first. What I am showing you are my memories and yours will come through too. Some, you may have no recollection of until right now. This is real, Vicki, it is a gift that I have always had. It became more controllable and more intense after I had Tori. I'm sorry in advance for hiding some things from you but I can see now that we are so much alike, it isn't going to work." Vicki hesitated, "Are you a witch or something?" Maggie shook her head and sighed, "No.." Henry finished, smiling wickedly, "She's a Presbytarian." That broke the ice a little and Vicki let Maggie carefully take her hands.

Vicki and Maggie were suddenly standing in front of a playground, children were running everywhere. Vicki recognized herself as a child and started to go to the child. Maggie held her hand firmly, "NO, we must not break the connection." Vicki understood. "Where are we?" she asked, whispering as if they could hear them. "We are in your memory, a fond memory. I'm letting you lead me for a moment so you will feel comfortable." While this was going on with the two women, Henry watched in amazement. The inside of his car was glowing as if two angels were sitting with him. They had their eyes closed and the most serene looks on their faces. "This is not a fond memory," Vicki stated numbly. Maggie knew immediately why she said it. Their father was pusing Vicki in a swing, the child that was Vicki was laughing hysterically everytime she came back to her father. Her father was smiling and saying, "No one will ever love you like daddy, Vicki-Bear." That was his nickname for her. "It's not a fond memory now, but it was then. Now it just hurts, doesn't it?" Vicki nodded, not able to find the words. Her left hand was balled into a fist and Maggie knew they needed to move on before she lost Vicki all together.

They moved onto other memories, mostly Vicki's but then, finally, they came to Maggie's. Maggie showed Vicki many good memories of her childhood with her mother. These seem to make Vicki smile and calm her. "The next thing I'm going to show you Vicki is going to be difficult. Before I do, let me say that not all men are the same. At some point in your life, you have to trust one, the right one and they WILL take care of you. Not run over you, not leave you, but accept you for who or what you are." Vick had a puzzled look on her face and then as she turned to the memory, she felt as though she were going to faint. There stood her father, in front of HER? no it was a younger Maggie. They were having a heated discussion. About what? At first Vicki couldn't hear then the words starting coming,"...thought you were satan's child. I'm sorry, isn't that enough?!" The young woman's eyes blazed with anger, "NO SORRY WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH!! Never come near me again, do you hear me, NEVER! I hate you, I hate you and what you did to us!" The man looked heartbroken but Vicki didn't care and she could have never in a million years been prepared for what he said next, "Fine, then I guess you won't care about the sister you have, Victoria Nelson." Vicki turned to Maggie with fire in her eyes and they were suddenly jerked backed into the car, because Henry had suddenly swerved, nearly having an accident. "Someone just tried to run us off of the road, Mike and Will were hit!"