Chapter One
From Amelia's Notes:
We've been roaming around Europe for the past six months. Every time we settled somewhere, Frank would up and move us out of the blue even if someone didn't find us, which wasn't often. He said he wanted to keep ahead of Powers. Unfortunately, it has put a strain on all of us but much more on Nancy and Frank. The two have been constantly bickering and fighting since we left River Heights and I don't understand it. Plus it gets worse every time we move. At night though, one still remains awake while the other sleeps in order to be there for each other just in case of a nightmare, which still happen. I just don't understand it. But yet when they are out in public, their arguments and fights have become such a spectacle that we can't even remain out for long periods of time for fear that someone will find us more easily. Even the sessions I have with them to get rid of Leo's programming are not going the way I would like them to. Both of them still react to the programmed words and can still be controlled at certain times. Their constant fighting is starting to drive me nuts and I have no idea what I am going to do in order to stop it. I may have to get help on this one from someone neither one of them want to see, but I may have no choice. They've brought me to the brink of insanity! I wish they would get it through their heads that they need to work as a team not against each other. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"We can't keep doing this, Frank!" Nancy cried, shoving her clothes into her bag. Over the months they'd been in Europe, she learned not to unpack too much because they were constantly on the move. "I don't know how much longer I can go on!"
"Then leave!" Frank said, exasperated. "I don't like it anymore than you do but do you want to be caught?"
"By who?" Nancy yelled, stopping. She put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "This William Powers you keep professing is after us, though we haven't see him or any of his men since Geneva and London, or the US government? When we were in Berlin, it was the latter. We could have ended it there! Why didn't we?"
"Do you honestly think we would have been safe if we turned ourselves in?" Frank yelled back, dropping his shoes into the bag. "We probably would have been arrested!"
"Yeah, but we would've gone home! Don't you want to go home?"
"That's a stupid question, Nancy! Of course I want to go home but what about Powers?"
"When have we actually seen his men since we were in London? I know we were barely able to get out of there but now it seems like he's not interested in us anymore."
"We barely got out of there because you had to start up a fight with me in the middle of Piccadilly Circus! Nowadays, all they have to do is wait for us to blow up, mainly YOU! But knowing Powers, he's biding his time. The moment we let our guard down for real, he'll be there. Trust me."
"I have trusted you! For months! And I'm still waiting for this to end. When will it end?"
"Oh, my god!" screamed Amelia, stomping her foot angrily. "Just stop it, the both of you! You're acting like two toddlers fighting over a toy!"
Frank and Nancy turned toward her, embarrassed that their argument upset the older woman again. They knew she was right but neither one of them wanted to admit it.
"What is it going to take for the two of to just stop?" Amelia said. "Now, for the remainder of the time we have here, SHUT UP!"
The three finished packing silently and rushed out the door of their suite. Within moments they were checked out and in a taxi, heading toward the train station. Amelia sat between the two as they sulked, looking out their respective windows. The city of Prague flew by, Amelia regretting that she didn't get the chance to really see the sights. They were only there for two days before Frank got a bad feeling and wanted to leave.
They headed to France once again, having been there a few months before. Their travels took them through Germany, changing trains or driving through the countryside to make sure no one was following them. The constant moving about was taking a toll on all of them though they knew it was somewhat necessary. Amelia found a nice cottage to rent in the small village two hours from Paris. Once they were settled in, she made Frank and Nancy sit down and opened the floor for suggestions on how they can solve their issues.
"Nancy can start by not complaining every time we have to leave," Frank said, folding his arms across his chest.
"I do not!" cried Nancy. "Okay, then how about you stop telling me what to do or that we leave at the drop of a hat!"
"What am I supposed to do?" Frank said, glaring at her. "We talked about this. We don't know who to trust anymore."
"Oh, but you trust Kyla, is that it?" Nancy spat back. "You're constantly on the computer with her and sing her praises like she's the Queen of Sheba! You've never even met the girl!"
"Am I detecting a hint of jealousy, Nancy?" Frank smirked. "Kyla is a good friend. That's all. She listens to the stories I tell her though they've been stale lately since you have been driving me nuts!"
"Okay, enough!" Amelia yelled. "What is wrong with you two anyway? You seem to be able to calm each other down after a nightmare but when you're awake, you're constantly at each other's throats! It seems like you can't even stand each other. How is that?"
"Don't know. Don't care." Frank shrugged. Nancy stuck her nose in the air and huffed.
"You better start caring! It's tearing you apart and we need to figure out why. Nancy, why don't you and I go to Paris for some shopping and pampering? Maybe some time away from one another will help."
"Yeah, sure, fine, whatever," Nancy scoffed.
"And what am I supposed to do while she gets pampered?" Frank said, annoyed. "Sit here and twiddle my thumbs?"
"Figure it out, Frank," Nancy taunted and left the room.
"Take the time to enjoy the solitude," Amelia suggested calmly. "Isn't that what you want anyway? Peace? Go walk around the town and enjoy it. You two need time away from each other and I need my sanity. We'll be back in a few days."
From Amelia's Notes:
Hope. That's all I have at the moment. Since I'm taking Nancy to Paris, maybe when we get back, it will be a better time for them. I called my 'friend' who said he'd take a day or two to get to where we are. Just pray that Frank behaves himself until then. The friend will just watch to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble while we're gone. The last thing I want is for Frank to find him.
"We're leaving, Frank," Amelia stated, shuffling Nancy to the door. "Please be careful and stay out of trouble till we get back."
"I will, 'Mom,'" Frank mumbled sarcastically from the couch. He was sprawled across the piece of furniture, flipping channels on the TV. Once the door was closed, Frank breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard for him to be the only guy in the house with two women. Too much estrogen in his opinion especially since he grew up in a house with only one female, his mother. "Good riddance. Peace and quiet, finally."
He couldn't understand why Nancy was always trying to pick a fight with him but yet for some reason, she still trusts him enough to continue sticking around. Granted, Frank was quite tired of the moving about all the time but his paranoia grew since Geneva. He still didn't understand how Powers and his men were able to catch up to them in the first place. Though him and Nancy tried to take every precaution, it was almost as if they were waiting for them but then again it could have had something to do with the original transfer of money that James did. Frank felt sick to his stomach thinking of the man. If it weren't for James, they wouldn't be in the mess that they were in. His obsession with Carson Drew was obnoxious to a point but James' love for Kate, Nancy's mother, is what saved them all in the end. Frank knew that James didn't want any of it to happen but it did. Although James, kind of, sort of saved their lives in Chicago, Frank still couldn't bring himself forgive the man just yet. Even with the passing of the money over to Nancy. All Frank knew was that if he ever saw James again, he wouldn't be around long enough to be forgiven. Both him and Nancy would see to that.
Frank stared at the TV watching a French version of one of his favorite comedies. He knew the movie so well, he didn't need the translation and laughed at every joke that came on screen. It felt good for him to laugh but he also felt that he needed to sit down and talk to Nancy…without Amelia hovering. The doctor was a very confident woman and good at what she did but she guarded the two of them like a mother hen. It was almost suffocating for them both but the woman wanted to help. At first it seemed like a good idea but now he wasn't so sure. He knew their sessions with her were going nowhere and the fights seemed to be getting worse. Frank laughed at the thought that all the white hair that Amelia was getting came from their bickering all the time. Nancy seemed like she didn't want to go to Paris in the first place but she didn't say anything since Amelia insisted. Maybe she's thinking the same thing I am he thought.
He closed his eyes and tried to nap in peace but the nightmares came rushing in. Without Nancy being nearby, Frank couldn't get himself to calm down and he began screaming, waking himself up. To stay awake so the nightmares didn't come back, he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table.
"What am I going to do over the next few days?" he asked himself. "Can't sleep. Nothing to really watch on TV."
Frank sighed wishing he had a book to read but decided to get out the laptop and see if Kyla was available to talk. The young woman seemed to always be awake whenever he sent a message and he liked the conversations they had. She was a sweet girl but he always knew he just wanted to be friends with her.
-KYLA?
-WELL HEY THERE STRANGER. HOWS EVERYTHING?
-BORING AS OF NOW. DOC TOOK HER TO SHOPPING. I MAY NOT MISS THE ARGUMENTS BUT I MISS THE COMPANY. YOU?
-BUMMER. BEEN HAGGLED BY SOME FEDS LATELY. NOT AT HOME BUT ONLINE. GUESS OUR MAN IN CHICAGO DECIDED TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE CHAT ROOM WE USE. THEY SEEM VERY INTERESTED IN FINDING YOU TWO. PLUS SOME CHATTER ON THE NET FROM ANOTHER GROUP SEARCHING FOR YOU TOO.
-WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
-NOTHING REALLY. PUTTING OUT FEELERS TO SEE IF ANYONE KNEW WHERE YOU OR YOUR FRIEND WERE.
-GOOD LUCK ON THAT ONE. WEVE BEEN TRYING TO MOVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
-DOESNT THAT TAKE A TOLL THO?
-YEAH IT DOES BUT ITS NECESSARY TO STAY UNDER THE RADAR.
-WAIT A MINUTE.
-OK
-GET OFF THE NET NOW!
Frank immediately logged off the Internet and pulled the plug on the computer without turning it off first. He didn't know what happened but he also didn't like the way Kyla ended the conversation. Not really knowing what to do, Frank went and found one of the guns they got from the bank in Geneva, making sure it was loaded. He checked outside before making sure the house was closed up tight. He sent a message to Amelia but wasn't sure if she received it when she didn't respond back right away.
It was well into the night, when Frank finally fell into a dreamless sleep, so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open. He crashed right on the couch, the gun still in his hand and the TV still on. Frank never heard the window break in the house nor did he hear anything else until it was already too late.
