Mitchie felt the man's strong arms wind around her. Terror shot through her system. "NO!" she screamed, trying hard to get away.
Then, the voice she loved so much told her what she'd been hoping for, deep inside her mind.
"Mitchie!" Shane said frantically. "It's me! It's Shane! Calm down. It's me! I got you. I got you."
She gasped and instantly her tears started falling harder. "Sh…Shane?"
"It's me," he assured her. "I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you."
She started sobbing even harder. Shane pulled her closer to him. She turned around and threw her arms around him.
"Shane!" she sobbed. "Shane. Shane."
He held her closer still and kissed the top of her head.
Was she the one trembling, or was it Shane? Or both of them?
"Mitchie," Shane whispered. She looked up at him, sniffling.
Their lips met in half a second. They embraced desperately, trying to make sure that the moment was real, that neither of them was dreaming, or dead.
Shane stumbled back against a tree and slowly slid to the floor. Mitchie pulled away and collapsed on top of him and sobbed into his chest. He held her, stroking her hair.
"Oh, Shane!" she gasped. "I've missed you so much."
"Who did it?" Shane whispered. "Who took you?"
Mitchie shuddered violently. "Tommy. He did. He kidnapped me after I left the market."
"Did he do anything to you?" he asked, looking at her. "Did he hurt you?"
Mitchie froze. After a long moment, she whispered "I can't tell you. It's too…horrible." She hiccupped, a sob breaking out.
Shane tensed. His hands and teeth clenched. He instantly knew what he'd done.
His hand ran over Mitchie's stomach. He froze, as did Mitchie.
With a gasp, she pulled away to her feet. "Shane!" she gasped. "No! No I swear, it's yours. The baby is yours, I swear!"
Shane stood up and placed both hands on her shoulders. "I know," he whispered. "I know. I…found out after you…were taken."
She sniffed and leaned against him. "Oh, Shane," she whispered. "How did you find me?"
"Yes, Shane," a horribly familiar voice sneered. "How did you ever find our dear little Mitchie?"
They spun around, Mitchie going pale.
"Tommy," she gasped.
Sorry dudes, I gotta go update my other stories.