Disclaimer: All of the people in this story are owned by Vince McMahon and the WWF, except for Melanie, Monica, Pastor Smith, Lenae, Sam, Danielle, and Ms. Moreland. Marissa is not mine, I've noticed her name in other stories, and have found out from a friend that she is indeed Shane's wife(in real life).
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7
Chapter 5: Is That Your Final Answer?
Nora looked at him, her mouth gaping open, "Are you serious?" she asked.
"Well, uh, yeah," Jeff replied with a slight frown.
She shook her head, "No, I don't think you are," she said fighting back tears. Nora murmured, "Excuse me," and fairly flew towards the rest rooms at the back of the plane. Jeff frowned. Angrily, he jumped up out of his seat. *What's the big idea, calling me a liar. Besides, what right does she have to tell me how I feel? I mean, she can't see inside my head,* he thought indignantly as he made his way to the back of the plane. He knocked softly on the bathroom door.
"Nora, come on out, I need to talk to you," he whispered.
"No, go away!" Several people turned around and stared at him, like he had committed bloody murder or something.
"Nora come on, people are staring at me," he hissed. *I don't care if they do stare at you,* Nora thought spitefully as she unlocked the bathroom door. Her fist shot out and Jeff flinched, expecting the impact any second, but none came. Instead, Nora grabbed him by the collar of his sweatshirt, practically yanking him through the doorway. Nora crossed her arms over her chest, "Okay, talk." He opened his mouth to speak, but Nora interrupted him. "You only asked me to marry you as an answer to Al's comment, a challenge, almost like a joke," Nora accused, a fresh bout of tears streaming down her cheeks. Jeff was going to apologize and explain, but now Jeff was angry.
"Darn it Nora, what right do you have to tell me how I feel, or for that matter what I'm thinking?!" he accused. "Okay then," Jeff said, a smile playing on his lips, "if I would have been serious, would you have said yes?"
Her heart aching, Nora replied softly, "Yes."
"That's what I was hoping your answer would be. If I had more room, I would kneel, but since these bathrooms are so tiny," he explained as he took her delicate hands in his.
"Wh, what are you doing?" Nora asked, uncertainty and confusion in her eyes.
"Nora, again I'm asking you, really and truly, would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" Jeff searched her face seriously, looking imploringly into her eyes.
"More than anything!" Nora answered breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled back a bit and peppered his face with kisses.
"Nora, honey, I've been thinking about marriage and us for quite a while now, and our talk earlier on the plane, cinched it," Jeff whispered into her hair, wrapping his arms around her waist. Suddenly, someone banged on the door, and yelled, "Hurry up in there, some of us have to use the restroom!" Embarrassed, Jeff and Nora pulled away from each other. Jeff opened the door first in case the guy turned out to be an irate moron.
The guy stepped back as he watched Jeff then Nora come out. He shook his head and muttered, "Kids these days." As Jeff and Nora came down the aisle, Al looked over at them curiously. *Good, they look happy and they're smiling at each other. Whew, I was afraid I wrecked their relationship or something,* he thought, relieved.
Chris Benoit glanced down at Melanie, nestled against him, asleep. He wondered if perhaps she wanted to pursue a relationship with him. After what happened Sunday, she seemed different somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on it, and she hadn't said anything. *Oh, well,* he thought, *no matter what happens I'll always be grateful for her friendship.* He was determined to be content with what he had, but he couldn't help but feel sad just the same. Chris stole a quick glance over at Matt and Amy, he knew Matt had been wanting to talk to Amy also, ever since her comment yesterday.
Matt looked down at Amy sleeping peacefully against his shoulder. He sighed, he didn't have the heart to wake her up. *I guess our talk we'll have to wait,* Matt thought resignedly.
Later that night:
Chris, Melanie, Andrew, Trish, Matt, Amy, Jeff, Nora, Steve, Debra, Shane, Marissa, Al, Moncia and Erin sat in the plush, vinyl seats talking about everything from their childhood memories to their recent wrestling matches.
Al looked at his watch, "Well, we have an early start tomorrow, so I'm headed off to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning," he said grinning cheekily.
"He's such a morning person," Amy said with a groan, "I don't know how he does it."
"It's because he gets a decent amount of sleep," Steve said as he stood up, "which Debra and I aren't going to get if we don't high tail it out of here. Goodnight y'all, see ya in the morning."
Amy looked at her watch, twelve midnight. "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize it was so late!" she exclaimed. "I have to get some sleep. Goodnight guys, goodnight Matt," she said, reserving a smile for him. Matt stood up quickly, as did the others. It was time they all turned in.
"I'll walk you over," Matt offered.
Amy linked her fingers through his, "Thanks." They walked out of the coffeehouse, which was on the hotel property. A soft breeze was blowing. Amy lifted her head and breathed the scent of wildflowers in. "It's so relaxing here, I wish everyday was like this."
"Amy, did you mean what you said yesterday, about having our children born in a hospital?" Matt asked quietly. Amy tensed up instantly, her heart pounding in her chest.
"You mean as far as having my children born in a hospital, well yeah," she said casually.
"That's not what I'm asking, you know what I mean Amy," Matt said softly.
"Yes, maybe someday," Amy said slowly. "I picture you in my future Matt, but I'm not sure about marriage, yet," she paused.
"Oh," he said quietly, trying desperately to hide his hurt and disappointment. *Oh great, she doesn't want to marry me!* he thought dismally. She glanced over at him as the smile fell off his face. The thought occurred to Amy, that perhaps he wanted to marry her *Oh no!* she thought frantically,
"Have you thought about marriage yet?" she asked non- chalantly.
"I'm not really worrying about it right now," Matt said casually, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Oh," she said lightly, doing her best to hide the surprise in her voice. Her heart felt heavy, *Okay so what's up with this? I'm not ready for marriage yet, but at the same time I'm hurt and disappointed that it hasn't even crossed his mind. I feel so unimportant though now, like I don't matter enough for him to propose to me.* Having no answer to her many thoughts, Amy let out a sigh of frustration. Tiredly, she closed her eyes for a second.
"You okay?" Matt asked in concern, glancing over at her sharply.
"I'm just tired that's all," she mumbled. Truthfully, she hadn't been feeling good all day, her head and feet felt like lead and she felt like she spent half the day sleeping. The last few minutes of conversation just added more tension to her already taut nerves. *Darn it, I shouldn't have even asked him about marriage, sometimes it's just better to let sleeping dogs lie,* Amy mentally chided herself. She stumbled against Matt.
"You sure your okay?" Matt asked again, putting an arm around her shoulders. She nodded yes, but he brought his hand around and rested it against her forehead.
"Your burning up!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, I just thought it was the weather," she said laughing shrilly. Hearing Amy's laugh, the others stopped talking and looked at Amy. Matt shook his head, "Come on," he said roughly. Sweeping her feet right out from under her, he picked her up. "Your delirious. I should have noticed you were sick earlier," Matt admonished himself. Matt felt her cool arms weakly drape around his neck.
He heard her mumble into his chest, "Not that I don't want to marry you, just afraid of marrying you."
"Oh, that makes me feel a whole lot better," he joked, as he hoisted her up higher in his arms.
Jeff and the others jogged over to him, "What's wrong? What happened to Amy?"
Matt frowned, "I'm not really sure, but I'm guessing it's a cold or the flu, something like that."
"We'll go get a doctor," Monica and Erin volunteered.
"Thanks," Matt said, as Monica and Erin jogged across the parking lot to the hotel.
Hours later:
Amy sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. She felt firm hands holding her shoulders.
"Whoa, whoa, where do you think your going?" Matt chided her gently.
"To the bathroom, I gotta hurl!" she said weakly. Instantly, she felt Matt's hands release her shoulders. She staggered to the bathroom, not even having the strength to shut the door. Matt grimaced as he heard her throwing up. *Okay, that was a good reason to let her up,* Matt thought. After a few minutes, silence. Concerned, Matt tiptoed into the bathroom. Breathing heavily, Amy rested her head on the toilet, her long hair hanging over the porcelain sides.
"Here," Matt said gently, pulling her hair back from her face, "maybe this will help."
"You shouldn't have to see me like this," Amy rasped, her voice hoarse.
"Why not? Everyone gets sick," Matt said easily.
"Because, this is only supposed to happen to married couples," Amy said indignantly. Matt laughed. Without warning, she started heaving into the toilet again. Soberly, he pulled her hair back. A few minutes later, Matt helped her back into bed, tucking the covers around her.
"Get some sleep Amy, I'll be right here."
"Okay," she said, a smile curving her lips.
He thought back to her statement about marriage, when she was half out of it. *So, she's afraid of marriage huh. That's okay, I don't mind the wait,* he thought to himself with a smile.
The next morning Amy woke up, only to find Matt not there. *Where is he?* she thought frantically, *he promised me he'd be here.* Suddenly, a soft knock sounded at the door.
"Matt?" Amy called hopefully.
"Nope, it is I, Nora. Is it okay if I come in?"
"Um sure," Amy said, smoothing the covers out around her.
"How are you feeling?" Nora asked sympathetically.
"Other than a hard core case of the flu, pretty good," Amy said with a weak smile.
"So, have you seen Matt?" Amy asked non-chalantly.
Nora shook her head, "No, why is something wrong?" Nora asked inquisitively.
Amy sighed, "Matt and I were talking last night and he asked me about marriage. I think he wants to marry me, even though he denies it."
"What was your response?" Nora asked.
"Well, I told him I wasn't ready yet. At first he acted all excited about the prospect of us getting married, until I told him I wasn't ready. Then, when I asked him about marriage, Matt told me he hadn't really thought about it. I think I hurt his feelings Nora, but I hadn't meant to. Now, not only do I feel lousy about hurting him, it bothers me that perhaps he hasn't even thought about us getting married," Amy said in frustration.
"It sounds like your more afraid of marriage in general, than marriage to Matt," Nora gently tried to point out. Amy stared at her as if she had been hit over the head with a chair.
Amy smiled sheepishly, "I do think that sometime in the middle of my delirium last night, I told Matt it wasn't so much that I didn't want to marry him, that I was just afraid to marry him," Amy admitted.
Nora giggled, "Oh, I'm sure he must have loved that. Listen, if Matt really loves you, he'll wait for you. You know that right?"
Amy played with the comforter spread over her lap, "Yeah, I guess so. But, what if I never want to get married?" Amy asked fearfully.
"Hon, you're over thinking this okay, you and Matt just have to take things one step at a time. Just be open on the subject, as he should be with you."
Amy nodded thoughtfully, "Your right."
Just then the door opened and Matt walked in. Amy looked up in surprise at the tray of food he held in his hands.
"Feel better soon Amy," Nora said affectionately as she closed the door behind her.
"How do you feel?" Matt asked as he sat down in the chair beside her bed.
"A little shaky, but okay."
"Do you feel up to a little food?" Matt asked as he placed the tray, laden with toast and hot tea, over her lap.
"A little. Thanks for staying," Amy said with a small smile.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Matt said, smiling back.
Meanwhile, in the gym:
"Wow, it's really cool that this hotel actually has a gym on the premises!" Monica said in awe.
"Yeah, I know it is pretty cool," Erin replied as Monica landed another punch into his gloved hands. "Listen, can we stop for a minute? I want to talk to you," Erin asked, taking off his boxing gloves.
"Uh, sure," Monica replied uneasily as they went outside to sit on the cement steps.
"I'm sorry I blew up at you last week," Erin apologized.
"No, it's okay," Monica started to say, but Erin cut her off.
"No, no it's not. What I'm trying to say is, your past doesn't matter to me. It's what's going on in the here and now that matters. I like you Monica, would you like to go out with me?" he asked, his face searching hers.
"Yes," Monica said with a small smile, "but first there are a few things you need to know." She preceded to tell him her past: riddled with foster homes, abuse, and kidnappings.
When she was finished, Monica asked with a sly smile, "So you still want to go out with me?"
"Yes," Erin replied without hesitation.
Monica stared at him in shock. "Don't put yourself down so much Nikki," Erin said affectionately, using his nickname for her. "Actually, I would like to go out with you all the more, because you rose out of the ashes so to speak, and have started over again, trying to make a better life for yourself."
"Thank you," Monica said, tears in her eyes, "for accepting me."
"No problem," Erin said softly. Taking her chin in his hand, he lightly kissed her on the lips.
Later that night, at the auditorium:
Benoit was just buttoning up his shirt, when Melanie walked into the locker room.
"Chris told me I would find you here," Melanie said with a smile.
"You okay? Is something wrong?" Chris asked, worriedly.
"No silly," Melanie sighed, "you've been asking me that for the past week now. Believe me, when this baby is ready to come out and see the world, I'll let you know," Melanie reiterated.
"I kind of have a favor to ask you," she said swallowing nervously.
"Sure, shoot," Chris replied, eyeing her carefully.
"Does that offer for coffee still stand? Perhaps a movie afterward?"
Chris realizing how courageous yet difficult this decision must have been for her, handled the situation with kid gloves.
Chris's eyes sparkling, he said with a smile, "Sure, how does Spy Kids sound?"
"Sounds good," Melanie said, looping her arm through his.
Chris's heart filled up with joy and contentment as he watched her visibly relax.
*Well, you did very well with your words tonight Chris Benoit, more than you know. Knowing just how and what to say,* Melanie thought gratefully as he pushed open the exit door leading out into the cool, moonlit sky.
Afternoon, the next day,
Andrew and Trish were enjoying a nice afternoon hiking trip in the middle of nowhere, when his cell phone rang. He sighed, normally, he didn't keep his cell on when he was on a wilderness trek, but he wanted Sam to be able to reach him, in case anything came up.
"What news do you have?" Andrew asked, suddenly alert. Trish stopped and looked over at Andrew anxiously.
"I have some interesting news. First I have some background information on Lenae. She was born in Australia eight years ago."
"That's kind of odd though, her accent isn't that strong?" Andrew questioned.
"It may be because her living here has toned it down some. I think if she were back in Australia her accent would stronger. Anyway, her parents were killed some years ago, in an accident, but I don't know the details. Apparently, the only living relatives she had, didn't want her, so they shipped her to America."
*Poor little girl,* Andrew thought sadly.
"Here's the clincher," Sam said, bringing Andrew out of his thoughts, "Ms. Moreland has a criminal history of abuse on her record."
Andrew's fist clenched at his side, "How in the world could a woman like that be allowed to be in charge of an orphanage?!" Andrew asked, outraged.
"Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Many things slip through the cracks in the system, sadly enough, children are not excluded." Andrew could hear the helplessness in his voice. "There's something else too, both myself and Danielle went undercover on two separate days, pretending we were interested in adopting children. Ms. Moreland brought all the children out so I could look at them. The amount of children that were there was one less than the amount that Danielle had given me the day before. The children are disappearing. We suspect that it's a possibility the children are being sold- illegally."
"You mean on the black market?" Andrew asked incredulously.
"Yes, of course this is just a theory. Danielle an I are trying to dig up solid evidence to support our suspicions, but so far, all has been quiet."
"Thank you for the update Sam," Andrew said. Chewing on his bottom lip nervously, Andrew asked, "Lenae, she's okay right?"
"Yes. It's funny, she stands out from the other children somehow, I can't put my finger on it, maybe it's her white- blond hair or something in her personality."
Andrew agreed. "She's special," he said softly. Andrew clicked the phone shut.
"What did Sam say?" Trish asked anxiously.
Andrew frowned, "He's managed to dig up some interesting family history on Lenae, but he and Danielle suspect behind the scenes, that Ms. Moreland is running a money scheme, selling the kids on the black market."
"What!" Trish exclaimed in shock. Andrew continued to tell her the details of his conversation with Sam.
"He and Danielle have to be able to dig up solid evidence. She can't be allowed to keep harming children."
Andrew nodded his head in agreement, "I know," he said somberly.
"Hey, who's Danielle?" Trish asked.
"It's a not so long, but very interesting story," Andrew said, with a grin.
Five days later:
Monica was nervously pacing back and forth in the dressing room as Erin and Steve watched her curiously.
"Take a deep breath Monica, you'll do fine out there," Steve said calmly.
"Steve's right, in a matter of minutes you'll become Gina, the former martial arts trainer turned pro," Erin said with a grin.
"Yeah, right," Monica said sarcastically. "I don't know If can do this."
Hearing the doubt in her voice, Erin shoved her, "Alright, pretend your steamed at me, now come on!" Narrowing her eyes she charged at him, grabbed his arm and flipped him over.
"Ooh, I didn't think it was going to hurt that bad," Erin said with a moan. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm going to be easy on you," Monica said with a smirk. "Come on Steve, let's go," Monica replied, grabbing his kendo sticks.
"Remind me never to do that again," Erin said, as Steve could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Sure whatever you say O'Grady," Steve replied, barely managing to stifle a laugh.
Lillian Garcia had to practically yell into the microphone so she could be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Entering the ring are, Steve Blackman, Crash Holly, and introducing, Gina!" 'Gina' made her way into the ring first, took a bow, then promptly flipped herself over, landing solidly on her feet.
Michael Cole, the announcer, said, "This is interesting, not only is she a former martial arts trainer, but a trained gymnast as well. You know Tazz, she could give Steve a run for his money. I would like to see her in a match against Lita."
"A bra and panties match you mean," Tazz cracked with a smirk.
"Hey," Michael Cole said, in an attempt to defend himself, when suddenly Rob Van Damn raced out to the ring, and slid underneath the ropes. He grabbed Monica's feet and yanked her out of the ring. Struggling she reached up and raked him in the face. Howling in pain, he released her. Just in time for Test and Trish to race out to the ring. Trish grabbed Monica and was just about to do the bulldog on her when Monica elbowed her in the stomach, reversed the hold and put her in a headlock. Then she tagged Steve in. Trish was no match for Steve and knew it. Quickly, she ran to Andrew and tagged him in. Andrew was not faring too well against Steve's martial arts moves until he kicked him in the face with his boot. That sent Steve staggering. Erin clapped Steve on the back, blind tagging him, while Rob Van Damn climbed back in the ring. Several minutes later, a worn out Erin managed to hook Van Damn's leg for the pin, when suddenly, Trish ducked under the ropes and grabbed Erin by the hair, pulling him up off Van Damn's body.
"Hey!" Monica yelled. She rushed into the ring, grabbed Trish around the waist, and pulled herself backward. Doing a backbend, Monica forced Trish's head and shoulders against the mat. Trish kicked her legs wildly as the referee counted to three. Tiredly, Monica released Trish, slowly getting up. She heard, no felt a movement. Whipping around, Monica threw a sidekick Trish's way and intentionally missed, stopping her boot a mere inch from her face. The crowd gasped. Monica took the microphone from Lillian, "Try me again Trish and next time I'll strike my intended target," she warned threateningly. Slowly, Monica slid out of the ring followed by Erin and Steve.
"You did awesome out there!" Erin whispered into her ear encouragingly.
"Thanks," Monica said, her cheeks turning red.
When everyone got backstage, Trish laughed, "That last part we did sure had the audience spellbound, I'm inclined to think they are afraid of you now Monica. Or should I say 'Gina'."
Monica smiled wearily, "I'm just glad we practiced that move, because I didn't want to hit you. A move like that can break your jaw," she said frankly.
"Oh," the smile fell off Trish's face. Just then Lillian came backstage, Trish, Andrew, and Rob Van Damn disappeared, and the cameras started to roll.
"The audience was stunned by your performance out there Gina. What made you decide to quit teaching martial arts and become a professional wrestler?"
"Simple, I decided it would be more fun to fight against the students than to teach them," Monica said, not mincing words.
As soon as the cameras quit rolling and Lillian left, Monica sagged against the wall in relief.
Erin strode over to her, "Did you get hurt in the match?" he asked, concerned. "No, no, it's kind of like an adrenaline rush during the match, and now it's quickly fading," Monica said, grinning wryly.
"That happens every time for most of us," Steve said sympathetically.
"Once you change, how about we all go to the ice cream parlor across the street. I hear they serve triple scoops of cookie dough ice cream," Erin said, smiling.
9:30 p.m., in North Carolina:
Sighing, Danielle released her chestnut hair from the confines of her ponytail and reached over to grab a bite of her chicken salad sandwich. All of a sudden, she noticed three guys in dark suits with matching dark overcoats casually saunter up to the orphanage door. Danielle sat up straighter in her seat, and grabbed the binoculars. Ms. Moreland opened the door and ushered the men inside. Putting down the binoculars Danielle called Sam, "Sam, I think something is going down," she said excitedly, explaining to him what had just happened.
"Stay put and call the police, I'm on my way," he said urgently.
"But Sam"...
Sam cut her off, "No buts, stay put. You've done your part, I'll take care of the rest."
"Ohh," Danielle said in frustration, pushing the end button on her cell.
"Not this time buster," she said determinedly as she attached the miniature mike to the inside of her sweatshirt. Throwing open her car door, she quickly but quietly made her way to the house. Peeking inside the windows, Danielle heard nothing, then she heard voices from around back. A feeling deep down inside, told her she was swimming in dangerous waters, but if something happened to the children it would be her fault. She crouched down at the back corner on the side of the house. Danielle watched as Ms. Moreland and one of the guys in the dark suit dragged Lenae out the back door, one on either side of Lenae, grasping her arms tightly. Danielle realized with dread that Lenae was blindfolded and gagged. She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed 911. Looking up, fear tugging at her heart, she noticed that one of the men was missing.
"It seems we have a visitor," a voice said smoothly from above Danielle. *Uh oh,* were her last thoughts before the jerk grabbed Danielle roughly by the arm. As the thug pulled her up, her cell phone fell noiselessly to the ground. He shoved her ahead of him, until everyone could see her bathed in the pool of light from the back porch.
"Why, Ms. Whitehall what are you doing here?" Ms. Moreland asked in confusion.
"Who is she?" a cultured voice asked, stepping out of the shadows. Danielle narrowed her eyes at the tall, dark-haired man.
"She was here just a few days ago, she wanted to adopt one of the children," Ms. Moreland replied innocently.
"You simpleton," the leader said in disgust. "She's playing you for a sap! Check her wallet," he ordered, running a hand through his slicked-back hair.
"A ha! She's a detective boss," he said handing the card over to him.
"Ms. White eh, Danielle White."
I hate to dispose of such a pretty face but"... he had no time to say anything else because Danielle drew her foot back and kicked him in the crotch.
"Scum!" she spat out. Breathing heavily, he looked up at her, his eyes glittering. Then, without warning, he viciously slapped her across the face. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but she refused to let him see any weakness in her. Just then Lenae stepped on the toes of Ms. Moreland and the punk holding her. Howling in pain they released her.
"Get the little brat!" the leader hissed, his brown ponytail whipping around the side of his face.
"Run Lenae, run!" Danielle cried.
She took off around the side of the house only to run straight into- Sam. Quickly, he yanked off her blindfold and picked her up, "Relax, it's okay, I'm a friend," Sam said soothingly. He could feel her pounding heart slow down slightly.
"Lights out," a gruff voice said. As murky darkness closed in, the last thing he heard was a scream. He woke up to feel someone wrapping a bandage around his head. He struggled to sit up.
"Where are Danielle and Lenae?" Sam asked frantically.
"Just relax sir, you'll see Danielle in a minute." As soon as the medic finished wrapping up his head, he shrugged out of the woman's grasp and caught sight of Danielle sitting on a log across from him. His head aching, he slowly made his way over to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded silently. Bathed in the light of the moon, the bruise on her cheek caught his eye. "They hurt you," he said barely controlling the anger in his voice, as he gently ran his thumb across her bruise.
Almost as if she didn't hear him, she let out a strangled sob, "They hurt Lenae Sam, her ribs, face, arm. She's in so much pain, and it's all my fault! I should have listened to you, I'm sorry!"
Sam's eyes widened as he pulled her to his chest, "Shh, it's not your fault sweetie." He stroked her hair silently. Gently, he pushed her back from him, "Which hospital did they take her to?" Minutes later, Sam sped out of the parking lot, churning up a cloud of dust. An hour later after talking to the police and the doctor, he called Andrew with the news.
West Virginia:
Erin and Monica said goodnight to Steve as he made his way to the indoor swimming pool for some late night exercise. As Monica and Erin drew closer to the hotel entrance, they noticed Andrew and Trish, along with Amy, Nora and the Hardys. Monica noticed the look of horror and sadness that swept across Andrew's face as he held the cell phone to his ear.
"Andrew, what is it?" Trish asked, frightened for him, as she watched him grip the cell phone painfully, his knuckles turning white.
"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can," Andrew said quietly. Closing the phone, he felt numb with shock.
"Drew, what happened?" Trish asked fearfully.
"It's Lenae, she's been hurt. The doctors don't know if she'll pull through," he said flatly. Trish covered her hands to her mouth in a gasp. "Since this was our last night in West Virginia would you tell Vince we caught a red-eye flight to Raleigh?" Andrew requested as he looked around at the others. They all nodded silently, unsure of what to say.
"Andrew, is there anything we can do?" Nora asked sincerely.
"As a matter of fact there is. Sam asked if I knew anyone who was a good hacker. I told him I had a friend who knew it like the back of her hand," he said with a small smile.
Nora blushed, "Oh, I wouldn't say I'm that good."
"When the police arrested everyone, they found a financial record listed on Ms. Moreland's computer. They saved it to a floppy disk, and confiscated the information, but they have not been able to crack it yet. So, Sam was wondering if you could do it. He asked if he could download the financial info to you. I said yes and gave him your address. I hope you don't mind that I did that. Both the police and Sam think it's highly probable that since it's keeping track of finances, maybe it tells who the children are and where they have been sold to, not to mention giving the police all the information as to how much she has been making off the selling of children. If the police can find out where the children are now, they have a better chance of rescuing them from lives of slavery. Ms. Moreland has refused to reveal any information about the disk, but admitted that the thugs she has been selling the children to, the three men they caught, have in turn been selling the children to people only wanting to purchase 'slaves' not children," Andrew bit off.
"Oh my gosh!" Nora clapped her hand to her mouth. "The, they were coming for Lenae tonight weren't they?" Nora asked in horror.
Andrew nodded gravely, "If Sam and Danielle hadn't been there, the pieces of slime would have taken her. Well, now it's our turn," Andrew said, clenching his fists, his eyes glinting like small pieces of steel.
"I'll do my best Andrew," Nora said solemnly.
At twelve-thirty that night, Andrew and Trish left for Raleigh, North Carolina.
Three hours later:
A sleepy Jeff quietly knocked on Nora's hotel room door. He knocked again and the door creaked open slightly. His eyes widened as he saw Nora in her wine colored flannel pajamas, staring at the blue glare from her little lap top as she furiously typed away on the keyboard.
"Nora, I can hear you from across the hall."
"Oh, sorry," Nora said absent-mindedly, not turning her head to look at him.
"Nora, babe, you need to get some rest. You can work on this covertly tomorrow morning, on the plane."
"No, I can't. If I crack this code, maybe it will help save more children from situations like Lenae's or from a life of slavery. No, If I have to, I'll keep working on it until the sun comes up," she said fiercely. Sometimes Jeff was so laid back and quiet, that Nora half expected Jeff to just shrug his shoulders and let Nora do her own thing or else argue with her. He did neither.
Instead, he plopped down on the bed beside her and asked, "Okay, what can I do to help?"
Nora turned her head to look at him in surprise, "Coffee would be great thanks," she replied with a small smile. He watched dubiously as her fingers flew over the keyboard, her eyes fixated on the tiny screen. He didn't think the idea of coffee, her and the computer would be a good mix. As he got up, Nora turned around to look at him. *Golly, he came in here bare-chested. Of all things, I wasn't prepared for that,* she thought nervously. *It was either stare at the computer or stare at him. The last time he was bare chested, I only noticed it for a split second or two. We started to kiss, and then Jay and Adam came in, darn it,* she thought with a frown.
Shaking her head, in an effort to clear it, she tried another tactic for passwords, movie star names. *Dean Cain,* Nora thought, *he's handsome.* Her eyelids once again getting heavy, she typed in his name and it seemed to her the computer was taking forever to load. Jeff came in from the tiny kitchen just in time to see her slump forward. Quickly, Jeff put the steaming mug of coffee down and grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her back up in time, just before she hit the keyboard.
"Whoa, definitely bedtime for you, my favorite little hacker," he said affectionately, picking a half asleep Nora up in his arms.
"No," she struggled in his arms, "have to keep trying," Nora replied sleepily.
"Not tonight," he said. Bending down, he tenderly placed a feather-light kiss on her neck. Jeff put her down on the bed, and tucked the covers in snugly around her. He turned around and stared at the computer screen, "Nora," Jeff said, his mouth hanging open in shock, "you did it!"
Meanwhile:
Andrew sat in the plastic chair next to Lenae's hospital bed, silently staring at her unconscious, still form, holding her hand.
"Little one, you have to make it through, we need you, I need you," he said, practically begging Lenae. "Oh, Lord please let her live. We can't lose her, I can't lose her. Please don't let her life end this way," he prayed.
"Lenae, Trish and I want to adopt you. Trish wants to learn how to patch up your little Raggedy Ann dresses and I want to teach you how to fish. There is so much we can teach you, and I bet there is a whole lot you can teach us. Once Trish and I are married, we would love to have you be the first addition to our family, will you have us be an addition to yours?" he asked, the tears rolling down his cheeks now. He felt tiny fingers curl around his large hand, "Yes," Lenae whispered softly.
If you would like to use my story, please ask me first.
Please review, I love feedback! Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames please.
This story is based on the Bible scripture: 1st Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 7
Chapter 5: Is That Your Final Answer?
Nora looked at him, her mouth gaping open, "Are you serious?" she asked.
"Well, uh, yeah," Jeff replied with a slight frown.
She shook her head, "No, I don't think you are," she said fighting back tears. Nora murmured, "Excuse me," and fairly flew towards the rest rooms at the back of the plane. Jeff frowned. Angrily, he jumped up out of his seat. *What's the big idea, calling me a liar. Besides, what right does she have to tell me how I feel? I mean, she can't see inside my head,* he thought indignantly as he made his way to the back of the plane. He knocked softly on the bathroom door.
"Nora, come on out, I need to talk to you," he whispered.
"No, go away!" Several people turned around and stared at him, like he had committed bloody murder or something.
"Nora come on, people are staring at me," he hissed. *I don't care if they do stare at you,* Nora thought spitefully as she unlocked the bathroom door. Her fist shot out and Jeff flinched, expecting the impact any second, but none came. Instead, Nora grabbed him by the collar of his sweatshirt, practically yanking him through the doorway. Nora crossed her arms over her chest, "Okay, talk." He opened his mouth to speak, but Nora interrupted him. "You only asked me to marry you as an answer to Al's comment, a challenge, almost like a joke," Nora accused, a fresh bout of tears streaming down her cheeks. Jeff was going to apologize and explain, but now Jeff was angry.
"Darn it Nora, what right do you have to tell me how I feel, or for that matter what I'm thinking?!" he accused. "Okay then," Jeff said, a smile playing on his lips, "if I would have been serious, would you have said yes?"
Her heart aching, Nora replied softly, "Yes."
"That's what I was hoping your answer would be. If I had more room, I would kneel, but since these bathrooms are so tiny," he explained as he took her delicate hands in his.
"Wh, what are you doing?" Nora asked, uncertainty and confusion in her eyes.
"Nora, again I'm asking you, really and truly, would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" Jeff searched her face seriously, looking imploringly into her eyes.
"More than anything!" Nora answered breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled back a bit and peppered his face with kisses.
"Nora, honey, I've been thinking about marriage and us for quite a while now, and our talk earlier on the plane, cinched it," Jeff whispered into her hair, wrapping his arms around her waist. Suddenly, someone banged on the door, and yelled, "Hurry up in there, some of us have to use the restroom!" Embarrassed, Jeff and Nora pulled away from each other. Jeff opened the door first in case the guy turned out to be an irate moron.
The guy stepped back as he watched Jeff then Nora come out. He shook his head and muttered, "Kids these days." As Jeff and Nora came down the aisle, Al looked over at them curiously. *Good, they look happy and they're smiling at each other. Whew, I was afraid I wrecked their relationship or something,* he thought, relieved.
Chris Benoit glanced down at Melanie, nestled against him, asleep. He wondered if perhaps she wanted to pursue a relationship with him. After what happened Sunday, she seemed different somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on it, and she hadn't said anything. *Oh, well,* he thought, *no matter what happens I'll always be grateful for her friendship.* He was determined to be content with what he had, but he couldn't help but feel sad just the same. Chris stole a quick glance over at Matt and Amy, he knew Matt had been wanting to talk to Amy also, ever since her comment yesterday.
Matt looked down at Amy sleeping peacefully against his shoulder. He sighed, he didn't have the heart to wake her up. *I guess our talk we'll have to wait,* Matt thought resignedly.
Later that night:
Chris, Melanie, Andrew, Trish, Matt, Amy, Jeff, Nora, Steve, Debra, Shane, Marissa, Al, Moncia and Erin sat in the plush, vinyl seats talking about everything from their childhood memories to their recent wrestling matches.
Al looked at his watch, "Well, we have an early start tomorrow, so I'm headed off to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning," he said grinning cheekily.
"He's such a morning person," Amy said with a groan, "I don't know how he does it."
"It's because he gets a decent amount of sleep," Steve said as he stood up, "which Debra and I aren't going to get if we don't high tail it out of here. Goodnight y'all, see ya in the morning."
Amy looked at her watch, twelve midnight. "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize it was so late!" she exclaimed. "I have to get some sleep. Goodnight guys, goodnight Matt," she said, reserving a smile for him. Matt stood up quickly, as did the others. It was time they all turned in.
"I'll walk you over," Matt offered.
Amy linked her fingers through his, "Thanks." They walked out of the coffeehouse, which was on the hotel property. A soft breeze was blowing. Amy lifted her head and breathed the scent of wildflowers in. "It's so relaxing here, I wish everyday was like this."
"Amy, did you mean what you said yesterday, about having our children born in a hospital?" Matt asked quietly. Amy tensed up instantly, her heart pounding in her chest.
"You mean as far as having my children born in a hospital, well yeah," she said casually.
"That's not what I'm asking, you know what I mean Amy," Matt said softly.
"Yes, maybe someday," Amy said slowly. "I picture you in my future Matt, but I'm not sure about marriage, yet," she paused.
"Oh," he said quietly, trying desperately to hide his hurt and disappointment. *Oh great, she doesn't want to marry me!* he thought dismally. She glanced over at him as the smile fell off his face. The thought occurred to Amy, that perhaps he wanted to marry her *Oh no!* she thought frantically,
"Have you thought about marriage yet?" she asked non- chalantly.
"I'm not really worrying about it right now," Matt said casually, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Oh," she said lightly, doing her best to hide the surprise in her voice. Her heart felt heavy, *Okay so what's up with this? I'm not ready for marriage yet, but at the same time I'm hurt and disappointed that it hasn't even crossed his mind. I feel so unimportant though now, like I don't matter enough for him to propose to me.* Having no answer to her many thoughts, Amy let out a sigh of frustration. Tiredly, she closed her eyes for a second.
"You okay?" Matt asked in concern, glancing over at her sharply.
"I'm just tired that's all," she mumbled. Truthfully, she hadn't been feeling good all day, her head and feet felt like lead and she felt like she spent half the day sleeping. The last few minutes of conversation just added more tension to her already taut nerves. *Darn it, I shouldn't have even asked him about marriage, sometimes it's just better to let sleeping dogs lie,* Amy mentally chided herself. She stumbled against Matt.
"You sure your okay?" Matt asked again, putting an arm around her shoulders. She nodded yes, but he brought his hand around and rested it against her forehead.
"Your burning up!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, I just thought it was the weather," she said laughing shrilly. Hearing Amy's laugh, the others stopped talking and looked at Amy. Matt shook his head, "Come on," he said roughly. Sweeping her feet right out from under her, he picked her up. "Your delirious. I should have noticed you were sick earlier," Matt admonished himself. Matt felt her cool arms weakly drape around his neck.
He heard her mumble into his chest, "Not that I don't want to marry you, just afraid of marrying you."
"Oh, that makes me feel a whole lot better," he joked, as he hoisted her up higher in his arms.
Jeff and the others jogged over to him, "What's wrong? What happened to Amy?"
Matt frowned, "I'm not really sure, but I'm guessing it's a cold or the flu, something like that."
"We'll go get a doctor," Monica and Erin volunteered.
"Thanks," Matt said, as Monica and Erin jogged across the parking lot to the hotel.
Hours later:
Amy sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. She felt firm hands holding her shoulders.
"Whoa, whoa, where do you think your going?" Matt chided her gently.
"To the bathroom, I gotta hurl!" she said weakly. Instantly, she felt Matt's hands release her shoulders. She staggered to the bathroom, not even having the strength to shut the door. Matt grimaced as he heard her throwing up. *Okay, that was a good reason to let her up,* Matt thought. After a few minutes, silence. Concerned, Matt tiptoed into the bathroom. Breathing heavily, Amy rested her head on the toilet, her long hair hanging over the porcelain sides.
"Here," Matt said gently, pulling her hair back from her face, "maybe this will help."
"You shouldn't have to see me like this," Amy rasped, her voice hoarse.
"Why not? Everyone gets sick," Matt said easily.
"Because, this is only supposed to happen to married couples," Amy said indignantly. Matt laughed. Without warning, she started heaving into the toilet again. Soberly, he pulled her hair back. A few minutes later, Matt helped her back into bed, tucking the covers around her.
"Get some sleep Amy, I'll be right here."
"Okay," she said, a smile curving her lips.
He thought back to her statement about marriage, when she was half out of it. *So, she's afraid of marriage huh. That's okay, I don't mind the wait,* he thought to himself with a smile.
The next morning Amy woke up, only to find Matt not there. *Where is he?* she thought frantically, *he promised me he'd be here.* Suddenly, a soft knock sounded at the door.
"Matt?" Amy called hopefully.
"Nope, it is I, Nora. Is it okay if I come in?"
"Um sure," Amy said, smoothing the covers out around her.
"How are you feeling?" Nora asked sympathetically.
"Other than a hard core case of the flu, pretty good," Amy said with a weak smile.
"So, have you seen Matt?" Amy asked non-chalantly.
Nora shook her head, "No, why is something wrong?" Nora asked inquisitively.
Amy sighed, "Matt and I were talking last night and he asked me about marriage. I think he wants to marry me, even though he denies it."
"What was your response?" Nora asked.
"Well, I told him I wasn't ready yet. At first he acted all excited about the prospect of us getting married, until I told him I wasn't ready. Then, when I asked him about marriage, Matt told me he hadn't really thought about it. I think I hurt his feelings Nora, but I hadn't meant to. Now, not only do I feel lousy about hurting him, it bothers me that perhaps he hasn't even thought about us getting married," Amy said in frustration.
"It sounds like your more afraid of marriage in general, than marriage to Matt," Nora gently tried to point out. Amy stared at her as if she had been hit over the head with a chair.
Amy smiled sheepishly, "I do think that sometime in the middle of my delirium last night, I told Matt it wasn't so much that I didn't want to marry him, that I was just afraid to marry him," Amy admitted.
Nora giggled, "Oh, I'm sure he must have loved that. Listen, if Matt really loves you, he'll wait for you. You know that right?"
Amy played with the comforter spread over her lap, "Yeah, I guess so. But, what if I never want to get married?" Amy asked fearfully.
"Hon, you're over thinking this okay, you and Matt just have to take things one step at a time. Just be open on the subject, as he should be with you."
Amy nodded thoughtfully, "Your right."
Just then the door opened and Matt walked in. Amy looked up in surprise at the tray of food he held in his hands.
"Feel better soon Amy," Nora said affectionately as she closed the door behind her.
"How do you feel?" Matt asked as he sat down in the chair beside her bed.
"A little shaky, but okay."
"Do you feel up to a little food?" Matt asked as he placed the tray, laden with toast and hot tea, over her lap.
"A little. Thanks for staying," Amy said with a small smile.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Matt said, smiling back.
Meanwhile, in the gym:
"Wow, it's really cool that this hotel actually has a gym on the premises!" Monica said in awe.
"Yeah, I know it is pretty cool," Erin replied as Monica landed another punch into his gloved hands. "Listen, can we stop for a minute? I want to talk to you," Erin asked, taking off his boxing gloves.
"Uh, sure," Monica replied uneasily as they went outside to sit on the cement steps.
"I'm sorry I blew up at you last week," Erin apologized.
"No, it's okay," Monica started to say, but Erin cut her off.
"No, no it's not. What I'm trying to say is, your past doesn't matter to me. It's what's going on in the here and now that matters. I like you Monica, would you like to go out with me?" he asked, his face searching hers.
"Yes," Monica said with a small smile, "but first there are a few things you need to know." She preceded to tell him her past: riddled with foster homes, abuse, and kidnappings.
When she was finished, Monica asked with a sly smile, "So you still want to go out with me?"
"Yes," Erin replied without hesitation.
Monica stared at him in shock. "Don't put yourself down so much Nikki," Erin said affectionately, using his nickname for her. "Actually, I would like to go out with you all the more, because you rose out of the ashes so to speak, and have started over again, trying to make a better life for yourself."
"Thank you," Monica said, tears in her eyes, "for accepting me."
"No problem," Erin said softly. Taking her chin in his hand, he lightly kissed her on the lips.
Later that night, at the auditorium:
Benoit was just buttoning up his shirt, when Melanie walked into the locker room.
"Chris told me I would find you here," Melanie said with a smile.
"You okay? Is something wrong?" Chris asked, worriedly.
"No silly," Melanie sighed, "you've been asking me that for the past week now. Believe me, when this baby is ready to come out and see the world, I'll let you know," Melanie reiterated.
"I kind of have a favor to ask you," she said swallowing nervously.
"Sure, shoot," Chris replied, eyeing her carefully.
"Does that offer for coffee still stand? Perhaps a movie afterward?"
Chris realizing how courageous yet difficult this decision must have been for her, handled the situation with kid gloves.
Chris's eyes sparkling, he said with a smile, "Sure, how does Spy Kids sound?"
"Sounds good," Melanie said, looping her arm through his.
Chris's heart filled up with joy and contentment as he watched her visibly relax.
*Well, you did very well with your words tonight Chris Benoit, more than you know. Knowing just how and what to say,* Melanie thought gratefully as he pushed open the exit door leading out into the cool, moonlit sky.
Afternoon, the next day,
Andrew and Trish were enjoying a nice afternoon hiking trip in the middle of nowhere, when his cell phone rang. He sighed, normally, he didn't keep his cell on when he was on a wilderness trek, but he wanted Sam to be able to reach him, in case anything came up.
"What news do you have?" Andrew asked, suddenly alert. Trish stopped and looked over at Andrew anxiously.
"I have some interesting news. First I have some background information on Lenae. She was born in Australia eight years ago."
"That's kind of odd though, her accent isn't that strong?" Andrew questioned.
"It may be because her living here has toned it down some. I think if she were back in Australia her accent would stronger. Anyway, her parents were killed some years ago, in an accident, but I don't know the details. Apparently, the only living relatives she had, didn't want her, so they shipped her to America."
*Poor little girl,* Andrew thought sadly.
"Here's the clincher," Sam said, bringing Andrew out of his thoughts, "Ms. Moreland has a criminal history of abuse on her record."
Andrew's fist clenched at his side, "How in the world could a woman like that be allowed to be in charge of an orphanage?!" Andrew asked, outraged.
"Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Many things slip through the cracks in the system, sadly enough, children are not excluded." Andrew could hear the helplessness in his voice. "There's something else too, both myself and Danielle went undercover on two separate days, pretending we were interested in adopting children. Ms. Moreland brought all the children out so I could look at them. The amount of children that were there was one less than the amount that Danielle had given me the day before. The children are disappearing. We suspect that it's a possibility the children are being sold- illegally."
"You mean on the black market?" Andrew asked incredulously.
"Yes, of course this is just a theory. Danielle an I are trying to dig up solid evidence to support our suspicions, but so far, all has been quiet."
"Thank you for the update Sam," Andrew said. Chewing on his bottom lip nervously, Andrew asked, "Lenae, she's okay right?"
"Yes. It's funny, she stands out from the other children somehow, I can't put my finger on it, maybe it's her white- blond hair or something in her personality."
Andrew agreed. "She's special," he said softly. Andrew clicked the phone shut.
"What did Sam say?" Trish asked anxiously.
Andrew frowned, "He's managed to dig up some interesting family history on Lenae, but he and Danielle suspect behind the scenes, that Ms. Moreland is running a money scheme, selling the kids on the black market."
"What!" Trish exclaimed in shock. Andrew continued to tell her the details of his conversation with Sam.
"He and Danielle have to be able to dig up solid evidence. She can't be allowed to keep harming children."
Andrew nodded his head in agreement, "I know," he said somberly.
"Hey, who's Danielle?" Trish asked.
"It's a not so long, but very interesting story," Andrew said, with a grin.
Five days later:
Monica was nervously pacing back and forth in the dressing room as Erin and Steve watched her curiously.
"Take a deep breath Monica, you'll do fine out there," Steve said calmly.
"Steve's right, in a matter of minutes you'll become Gina, the former martial arts trainer turned pro," Erin said with a grin.
"Yeah, right," Monica said sarcastically. "I don't know If can do this."
Hearing the doubt in her voice, Erin shoved her, "Alright, pretend your steamed at me, now come on!" Narrowing her eyes she charged at him, grabbed his arm and flipped him over.
"Ooh, I didn't think it was going to hurt that bad," Erin said with a moan. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm going to be easy on you," Monica said with a smirk. "Come on Steve, let's go," Monica replied, grabbing his kendo sticks.
"Remind me never to do that again," Erin said, as Steve could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Sure whatever you say O'Grady," Steve replied, barely managing to stifle a laugh.
Lillian Garcia had to practically yell into the microphone so she could be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Entering the ring are, Steve Blackman, Crash Holly, and introducing, Gina!" 'Gina' made her way into the ring first, took a bow, then promptly flipped herself over, landing solidly on her feet.
Michael Cole, the announcer, said, "This is interesting, not only is she a former martial arts trainer, but a trained gymnast as well. You know Tazz, she could give Steve a run for his money. I would like to see her in a match against Lita."
"A bra and panties match you mean," Tazz cracked with a smirk.
"Hey," Michael Cole said, in an attempt to defend himself, when suddenly Rob Van Damn raced out to the ring, and slid underneath the ropes. He grabbed Monica's feet and yanked her out of the ring. Struggling she reached up and raked him in the face. Howling in pain, he released her. Just in time for Test and Trish to race out to the ring. Trish grabbed Monica and was just about to do the bulldog on her when Monica elbowed her in the stomach, reversed the hold and put her in a headlock. Then she tagged Steve in. Trish was no match for Steve and knew it. Quickly, she ran to Andrew and tagged him in. Andrew was not faring too well against Steve's martial arts moves until he kicked him in the face with his boot. That sent Steve staggering. Erin clapped Steve on the back, blind tagging him, while Rob Van Damn climbed back in the ring. Several minutes later, a worn out Erin managed to hook Van Damn's leg for the pin, when suddenly, Trish ducked under the ropes and grabbed Erin by the hair, pulling him up off Van Damn's body.
"Hey!" Monica yelled. She rushed into the ring, grabbed Trish around the waist, and pulled herself backward. Doing a backbend, Monica forced Trish's head and shoulders against the mat. Trish kicked her legs wildly as the referee counted to three. Tiredly, Monica released Trish, slowly getting up. She heard, no felt a movement. Whipping around, Monica threw a sidekick Trish's way and intentionally missed, stopping her boot a mere inch from her face. The crowd gasped. Monica took the microphone from Lillian, "Try me again Trish and next time I'll strike my intended target," she warned threateningly. Slowly, Monica slid out of the ring followed by Erin and Steve.
"You did awesome out there!" Erin whispered into her ear encouragingly.
"Thanks," Monica said, her cheeks turning red.
When everyone got backstage, Trish laughed, "That last part we did sure had the audience spellbound, I'm inclined to think they are afraid of you now Monica. Or should I say 'Gina'."
Monica smiled wearily, "I'm just glad we practiced that move, because I didn't want to hit you. A move like that can break your jaw," she said frankly.
"Oh," the smile fell off Trish's face. Just then Lillian came backstage, Trish, Andrew, and Rob Van Damn disappeared, and the cameras started to roll.
"The audience was stunned by your performance out there Gina. What made you decide to quit teaching martial arts and become a professional wrestler?"
"Simple, I decided it would be more fun to fight against the students than to teach them," Monica said, not mincing words.
As soon as the cameras quit rolling and Lillian left, Monica sagged against the wall in relief.
Erin strode over to her, "Did you get hurt in the match?" he asked, concerned. "No, no, it's kind of like an adrenaline rush during the match, and now it's quickly fading," Monica said, grinning wryly.
"That happens every time for most of us," Steve said sympathetically.
"Once you change, how about we all go to the ice cream parlor across the street. I hear they serve triple scoops of cookie dough ice cream," Erin said, smiling.
9:30 p.m., in North Carolina:
Sighing, Danielle released her chestnut hair from the confines of her ponytail and reached over to grab a bite of her chicken salad sandwich. All of a sudden, she noticed three guys in dark suits with matching dark overcoats casually saunter up to the orphanage door. Danielle sat up straighter in her seat, and grabbed the binoculars. Ms. Moreland opened the door and ushered the men inside. Putting down the binoculars Danielle called Sam, "Sam, I think something is going down," she said excitedly, explaining to him what had just happened.
"Stay put and call the police, I'm on my way," he said urgently.
"But Sam"...
Sam cut her off, "No buts, stay put. You've done your part, I'll take care of the rest."
"Ohh," Danielle said in frustration, pushing the end button on her cell.
"Not this time buster," she said determinedly as she attached the miniature mike to the inside of her sweatshirt. Throwing open her car door, she quickly but quietly made her way to the house. Peeking inside the windows, Danielle heard nothing, then she heard voices from around back. A feeling deep down inside, told her she was swimming in dangerous waters, but if something happened to the children it would be her fault. She crouched down at the back corner on the side of the house. Danielle watched as Ms. Moreland and one of the guys in the dark suit dragged Lenae out the back door, one on either side of Lenae, grasping her arms tightly. Danielle realized with dread that Lenae was blindfolded and gagged. She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed 911. Looking up, fear tugging at her heart, she noticed that one of the men was missing.
"It seems we have a visitor," a voice said smoothly from above Danielle. *Uh oh,* were her last thoughts before the jerk grabbed Danielle roughly by the arm. As the thug pulled her up, her cell phone fell noiselessly to the ground. He shoved her ahead of him, until everyone could see her bathed in the pool of light from the back porch.
"Why, Ms. Whitehall what are you doing here?" Ms. Moreland asked in confusion.
"Who is she?" a cultured voice asked, stepping out of the shadows. Danielle narrowed her eyes at the tall, dark-haired man.
"She was here just a few days ago, she wanted to adopt one of the children," Ms. Moreland replied innocently.
"You simpleton," the leader said in disgust. "She's playing you for a sap! Check her wallet," he ordered, running a hand through his slicked-back hair.
"A ha! She's a detective boss," he said handing the card over to him.
"Ms. White eh, Danielle White."
I hate to dispose of such a pretty face but"... he had no time to say anything else because Danielle drew her foot back and kicked him in the crotch.
"Scum!" she spat out. Breathing heavily, he looked up at her, his eyes glittering. Then, without warning, he viciously slapped her across the face. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but she refused to let him see any weakness in her. Just then Lenae stepped on the toes of Ms. Moreland and the punk holding her. Howling in pain they released her.
"Get the little brat!" the leader hissed, his brown ponytail whipping around the side of his face.
"Run Lenae, run!" Danielle cried.
She took off around the side of the house only to run straight into- Sam. Quickly, he yanked off her blindfold and picked her up, "Relax, it's okay, I'm a friend," Sam said soothingly. He could feel her pounding heart slow down slightly.
"Lights out," a gruff voice said. As murky darkness closed in, the last thing he heard was a scream. He woke up to feel someone wrapping a bandage around his head. He struggled to sit up.
"Where are Danielle and Lenae?" Sam asked frantically.
"Just relax sir, you'll see Danielle in a minute." As soon as the medic finished wrapping up his head, he shrugged out of the woman's grasp and caught sight of Danielle sitting on a log across from him. His head aching, he slowly made his way over to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded silently. Bathed in the light of the moon, the bruise on her cheek caught his eye. "They hurt you," he said barely controlling the anger in his voice, as he gently ran his thumb across her bruise.
Almost as if she didn't hear him, she let out a strangled sob, "They hurt Lenae Sam, her ribs, face, arm. She's in so much pain, and it's all my fault! I should have listened to you, I'm sorry!"
Sam's eyes widened as he pulled her to his chest, "Shh, it's not your fault sweetie." He stroked her hair silently. Gently, he pushed her back from him, "Which hospital did they take her to?" Minutes later, Sam sped out of the parking lot, churning up a cloud of dust. An hour later after talking to the police and the doctor, he called Andrew with the news.
West Virginia:
Erin and Monica said goodnight to Steve as he made his way to the indoor swimming pool for some late night exercise. As Monica and Erin drew closer to the hotel entrance, they noticed Andrew and Trish, along with Amy, Nora and the Hardys. Monica noticed the look of horror and sadness that swept across Andrew's face as he held the cell phone to his ear.
"Andrew, what is it?" Trish asked, frightened for him, as she watched him grip the cell phone painfully, his knuckles turning white.
"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can," Andrew said quietly. Closing the phone, he felt numb with shock.
"Drew, what happened?" Trish asked fearfully.
"It's Lenae, she's been hurt. The doctors don't know if she'll pull through," he said flatly. Trish covered her hands to her mouth in a gasp. "Since this was our last night in West Virginia would you tell Vince we caught a red-eye flight to Raleigh?" Andrew requested as he looked around at the others. They all nodded silently, unsure of what to say.
"Andrew, is there anything we can do?" Nora asked sincerely.
"As a matter of fact there is. Sam asked if I knew anyone who was a good hacker. I told him I had a friend who knew it like the back of her hand," he said with a small smile.
Nora blushed, "Oh, I wouldn't say I'm that good."
"When the police arrested everyone, they found a financial record listed on Ms. Moreland's computer. They saved it to a floppy disk, and confiscated the information, but they have not been able to crack it yet. So, Sam was wondering if you could do it. He asked if he could download the financial info to you. I said yes and gave him your address. I hope you don't mind that I did that. Both the police and Sam think it's highly probable that since it's keeping track of finances, maybe it tells who the children are and where they have been sold to, not to mention giving the police all the information as to how much she has been making off the selling of children. If the police can find out where the children are now, they have a better chance of rescuing them from lives of slavery. Ms. Moreland has refused to reveal any information about the disk, but admitted that the thugs she has been selling the children to, the three men they caught, have in turn been selling the children to people only wanting to purchase 'slaves' not children," Andrew bit off.
"Oh my gosh!" Nora clapped her hand to her mouth. "The, they were coming for Lenae tonight weren't they?" Nora asked in horror.
Andrew nodded gravely, "If Sam and Danielle hadn't been there, the pieces of slime would have taken her. Well, now it's our turn," Andrew said, clenching his fists, his eyes glinting like small pieces of steel.
"I'll do my best Andrew," Nora said solemnly.
At twelve-thirty that night, Andrew and Trish left for Raleigh, North Carolina.
Three hours later:
A sleepy Jeff quietly knocked on Nora's hotel room door. He knocked again and the door creaked open slightly. His eyes widened as he saw Nora in her wine colored flannel pajamas, staring at the blue glare from her little lap top as she furiously typed away on the keyboard.
"Nora, I can hear you from across the hall."
"Oh, sorry," Nora said absent-mindedly, not turning her head to look at him.
"Nora, babe, you need to get some rest. You can work on this covertly tomorrow morning, on the plane."
"No, I can't. If I crack this code, maybe it will help save more children from situations like Lenae's or from a life of slavery. No, If I have to, I'll keep working on it until the sun comes up," she said fiercely. Sometimes Jeff was so laid back and quiet, that Nora half expected Jeff to just shrug his shoulders and let Nora do her own thing or else argue with her. He did neither.
Instead, he plopped down on the bed beside her and asked, "Okay, what can I do to help?"
Nora turned her head to look at him in surprise, "Coffee would be great thanks," she replied with a small smile. He watched dubiously as her fingers flew over the keyboard, her eyes fixated on the tiny screen. He didn't think the idea of coffee, her and the computer would be a good mix. As he got up, Nora turned around to look at him. *Golly, he came in here bare-chested. Of all things, I wasn't prepared for that,* she thought nervously. *It was either stare at the computer or stare at him. The last time he was bare chested, I only noticed it for a split second or two. We started to kiss, and then Jay and Adam came in, darn it,* she thought with a frown.
Shaking her head, in an effort to clear it, she tried another tactic for passwords, movie star names. *Dean Cain,* Nora thought, *he's handsome.* Her eyelids once again getting heavy, she typed in his name and it seemed to her the computer was taking forever to load. Jeff came in from the tiny kitchen just in time to see her slump forward. Quickly, Jeff put the steaming mug of coffee down and grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her back up in time, just before she hit the keyboard.
"Whoa, definitely bedtime for you, my favorite little hacker," he said affectionately, picking a half asleep Nora up in his arms.
"No," she struggled in his arms, "have to keep trying," Nora replied sleepily.
"Not tonight," he said. Bending down, he tenderly placed a feather-light kiss on her neck. Jeff put her down on the bed, and tucked the covers in snugly around her. He turned around and stared at the computer screen, "Nora," Jeff said, his mouth hanging open in shock, "you did it!"
Meanwhile:
Andrew sat in the plastic chair next to Lenae's hospital bed, silently staring at her unconscious, still form, holding her hand.
"Little one, you have to make it through, we need you, I need you," he said, practically begging Lenae. "Oh, Lord please let her live. We can't lose her, I can't lose her. Please don't let her life end this way," he prayed.
"Lenae, Trish and I want to adopt you. Trish wants to learn how to patch up your little Raggedy Ann dresses and I want to teach you how to fish. There is so much we can teach you, and I bet there is a whole lot you can teach us. Once Trish and I are married, we would love to have you be the first addition to our family, will you have us be an addition to yours?" he asked, the tears rolling down his cheeks now. He felt tiny fingers curl around his large hand, "Yes," Lenae whispered softly.