Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. It's very much appreciated. Here's an update (Two chapters) for tonight!

Where Troubles Melt

Chapter 25

Joe opened his eyes slowly some time later. As soon as he did, the memories of what had occurred came rushing back to him, causing him to squeeze his eyes tightly shut to block out the pain. Vanessa- how could he leave her to die? What type of person was he? These thoughts flittered across his mind as he struggled to make sense of what was happening.

Again, he slowly opened his eyes, and was surprised to see that the handcuffs which were once on him had been removed. He stretched his arms out in front of him and noticed the deep red indentations where the handcuffs had dug into his skin. Although his body was aching, he was immeasurably glad to be free.

Looking around slowly, though, any momentary relief that Joe felt quickly left. He couldn't say for certain, but he was fairly sure he was in a vault of some kind. Although the room was brightly lit, there were no windows. Shelving stood empty. He could only imagine what lay in store for him.

As Joe weakly stood up, he was again overwhelmed by his decision. Where was Vanessa? Had he really just given up the girl he loved so easily? Where was Frank? Was he okay? The last time Joe had seen his brother, he looked like he had been beaten pretty badly. Then there was Chet, and Iola. And what about…

"Callie!" Joe gasped, remembering at the moment WHY he had made the particular decision he had. Looking over, he saw Callie lying crumpled in a corner, struggling to sit up. She was trembling badly.

Joe rushed over to her side, and kneeled down next to her. Gently, he caught her arms, and watched as she inadvertently flinched, not quite aware of what was going on.

"N…no," she mumbled, writhing to get free of Joe's arms.

"Callie! Cal, it's me. You're okay. Shh." Joe tightened his grip on Callie, and he could feel her shaking.

Finally Callie calmed down, seeming to snap back to reality. "Joe?" she whispered, looking up at him.

Nodding, he hugged her tightly, trying to ignore the deep bruises to her neck that were all too obvious. "Can you breathe okay?" he asked her, softly.

Callie slowly let go and weakly nodded. "I… I think so," she said meekly. However, as she tried to sit up, a burning sensation ripped through her side, and she moaned, grabbing onto her left side. "Ow," she whimpered softly, leaning against Joe for support.

"What is it? Are you okay?" Joe asked, concerned.

"Yeah," she managed. "Just probably some bruised ribs. That guy was squeezing me really tightly." She shuddered at the memory, and Joe squeezed her hand for support.

"I know," was all he could manage, the same image haunting him.

"W… where's Frank? And the others? What happened?" Callie was still trying to get her bearings.

Joe sighed, feeling the tightness in his chest return as he thought of Vanessa. Slowly, he filled Callie in on what he could remember, and watched her eyes grow wide in terror.

"W… why, Joe? Why did you pick me? I don't understand." Slowly she tried to stand up, but found herself soon doubled over in pain, clutching her side again. "Oh, man," she gasped, trying to fight back the pain, "I think I'm losing it."

Joe grabbed Callie, and pulled her down again next to him, seeing how pale she was. He tried not to panic, though he felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. "Oh, Callie," he managed to get out, "You might not be losing it. Please try to hang in there. You can't lose it, Cal. That's why I chose you. Lie down."

Callie looked at Joe, perplexed. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she managed, weakly. Despite her pain and the terrible predicament they were in, Joe was acting strangely, even for him.

"Don't try to talk," Joe said quietly to her, unable to fathom the thought that Callie might lose the baby after all of this. He gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "Look. We're in some sort of vault. We have to get out of here. Because in vaults…" He paused, not sure of how much he should tell Callie.

"In vaults," she finished for him, "You very quickly run out of air. I know."

The calmness in her voice surprised him. Turning to him, he noticed the resolve on her pretty face, despite her pain and what she'd just been through. "You may also notice that there's a video camera facing us, next to the television screen," she added, nodding in the direction of it. Sure enough, as Joe looked into the upper corner of the vault, he saw it. He was surprised that Callie would notice that.

"Okay. Good call," he said.

"Joe," she said to him, leaning back against the wall. "I wasn't here when you were. I left and went to bed the night you were taken, remember? When I woke up, you were all gone. I saw the notepaper, map, and computer, and since I had suggested that you look for hidden messages, it wasn't hard for me to figure out the clues. Who… are these guys, though?"

Joe filled her in on what she had missed, and found himself yet again developing a new respect for Callie. She was a lot smarter and had a lot more courage than he'd ever realized. "How'd you end up here, then?" he finished.

Callie sighed, the pain subsiding a bit. "I discovered the clues, and called your dad immediately. I was about to call the local police when I was hit from behind. That's the last thing I remember. I must have come some distance, as you did. After all, we're in Kansas now."

"You called dad?" Joe asked, excited.

Callie smiled softly. "Yeah. He said he'd contact the people who need to know immediately. I think we're going to be found, Joe. Everything should be okay." She gave him a small wink.

"Callie, you're the best!" he exclaimed happily, impulsively hugging her. He pulled back at once when he heard her cry out in pain, clutching her side. He saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh, Callie, I'm sorry!" Joe exclaimed. "Try to hang in there, and I'll get you to a hospital as soon as I can."

Callie wiped back the tears that had instantly sprung to her eyes, and sat back, slowly. "I don't need a hospital," she replied. "Trust me—I've seen enough of those." She smiled weakly.

Looking around, and realizing that they really had nowhere to go, Joe finally relaxed for a moment. "Yeah," he said to her, still eyeing the room for an escape route in case the air began to leave the vault. "I've heard." Trying to push back thoughts of Vanessa and Frank, as well as Iola and Chet, he asked Callie, "So- when's the big day?"

Callie met his eyes. "Um, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Yes, you are," Joe replied. "You'll make it there, I promise. We'll get you out of here."

"What?" Callie asked. "You mean surgery? That's next week."

Now Joe stared at her. "Surgery?!" he asked. "What do you need surgery for? Is there something wrong this early?"

"Huh?" Callie stammered. "The surgery will determine how early – or late- or what stage it's developed to."

"Well what stage could it have developed to?" Joe asked, totally confused. "It's only like a month or two, right?"

"What is? It could be recent, but it could have been going on for a long time. That's what I'm praying isn't the case. Maybe, then, I'll be okay."

"Callie," Joe said, "How on earth could you not know when it happened?"

Weakly, Callie stood up. Something was very wrong here. Joe stood beside her, matching her puzzled look with his own.

Dreading the answer, Callie decided to ask. "Joe, what are you TALKING about?"

Frustrated, Joe blurted out, "The BABY, Callie. What else would I be talking about?"

Callie looked at him blankly. "What baby?"

Joe sighed, not knowing why Callie was playing games. "The one you're pregnant with, Cal. My brother's. The same baby we've been talking about since graduation."

Callie started to laugh, slowly at first. Then, it grew, until she was roaring with laughter, at the same time clutching at her side, in obvious pain. Joe stared at her, not knowing what to do.

"What's so funny?!" he finally asked, outraged. "It's because of you that I let Vanessa be carried off with those…. Monsters…" His voice trailed off. He couldn't believe Callie had the nerve to laugh at a time like this.

When he looked at her again, he froze. Callie's laughter had turned into sobbing, as she buried her face in her hands. Joe noticed that she was shaking again, worse than before.

"Callie," he said unsure of himself. "Are you out of your mind? What's going on? What's the matter?"

Callie looked up at him, tears still in her eyes. "You chose to save me over Vanessa because of… because you thought I was pregnant?" she managed.

"You mean you're…" Joe couldn't finish.

"Joe," Callie finished, weak from exhaustion and pain. "That is the sweetest and most kind thing I've ever heard in my life. Thank you." She looked at the floor, and wiped tears from her eyes. "But no, honey. I'm not pregnant."

"B… but…" Joe stammered, unable to speak.

"Why? How did you get THAT idea?" Callie weakly asked.

"I heard Frank!"

"Frank thinks I'm pregnant?" Callie asked incredulously. "That's impossible! No, he doesn't!"

"W... What about the engagement? He was planning on buying a ring for you! That's why he was in the jewelry store that day!"

Callie stared at Joe, her soft brown eyes wide in confusion. "Oh, Joe," she responded. "There must be some sort of mix-up. Frank and I aren't getting married!" Her mind flashed back to a conversation she had with Frank in June, where he had been telling her he got her a really special present that he wanted to give her before college. That must be what Joe was talking about! Looking up at Joe, Callie continued. "Joe, I love your brother—very much. But I wouldn't MARRY him- not now. He wouldn't marry me, either. We're both too young. Maybe one day… but that might not happen anyway." Callie tried to shake off thoughts of her uncertain future.

Joe felt his face flush. "But how…"

Callie interrupted him. "Joe, you're making an awful lot of assumptions. You're assuming I would marry Frank, and he would marry me, based on a pregnancy. You're assuming that I was pregnant. You're even assuming that your brother and I are sleep…" Her voice fell as she realized what she had been about to say.

"Oh, man," Joe whispered. He looked at her. "You ARE, though. I mean, I guess. I mean… oh, I don't know. I really don't know what I know anymore."

Callie smiled softly at him. "Joe, what Frank and I do privately is our concern. I wouldn't tell you, even if you did ask. Frank is my very best friend, Joe. He knew all about what was happening with me, and he kept my confidence. I thought you knew. At least no one else does."

Joe blushed. Callie's eyes grew wide. "They do?! Joe Hardy, who else thinks I'm pregnant?" She was somewhere between amused and annoyed.

"Iola. and Vanessa," he answered, embarrassed. At Vanessa's name, Joe felt a tugging in his heart. "Oh, God," he said, shakily. "Then I turned Vanessa over- for no reason…."

At that moment, the screen next to the video camera flicked on. Joe and Callie looked up in horror as they saw split screen images. On one side, Frank and Chet were looking around in confusion in some sort of darkened room. Chet looked scared out of his mind, and Frank was looking around confused, still wiping blood from his face. Iola and Vanessa were on the other screen, against a wall. They were staring into a clock, which was ticking away. The caption on the screen read, "Minutes to Meltdown."

"No," Joe whispered, as Callie backed away from the screen in fear, eyes on her boyfriend. Joe could only assume that he was being watched, and taped as well. There it was – a final video farewell for their father.

Then, Joe felt it. Or didn't feel it, really. The slow hum of a ventilation shaft was no longer humming, and suddenly the sir felt a little stuffy. He realized at once what was happening.

"Callie," he said in horror, "We're running out of air."

Both fighting back dizziness, they looked around in desperation for something to save them. They saw nothing….