Chapter 7

"Stephanie have you lost whatever senses that you had?" Rachel exclaimed as she paced the hotel room.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, completely lost. She looked to Robbie questioningly, but he looked just as lost as she did.

Robbie looked between the two women, he could sense that Rachel was about to blow her top, and unfortunately Ann and Johnny were both in her room discussing the show.

"What am I talking about!" Rachel nearly yelled. "You nearly told the girl what was going on with us. Telling her our families don't exactly talk to us." She trailed off throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.

"Oh." Stephanie said slowly. "I'm sorry Rach, really. But she didn't think anything about it after you gave the line about 'camp'."

"But I shouldn't have needed to give that line. God Steph, are you trying to get us caught?"

All the color drained from Stephanie's face as she thought about that possibility. "We.. We really couldn't get caught could we?" she asked, her voice trembling from fear.

Robbie sighed and gave his girlfriend a look. Now you've done it. They didn't need her going back into her mind with a show that night.

Rachel turned and looked at her friend and her anger deflated immediately. She didn't even need the look from Robbie to know she had been an idiot. "No Steph, we won't." she said walking over to the taller girl and pulling her in her arms.

"We can't get caught." Stephanie said softly. "I'll never go back Rach, I'll never go back to that bastard." She whispered.

Rachel looked over Stephanie's head to Robbie. He sighed softly, they both knew that she meant it, all of them did. But of the group, only two of them were willing to go to the extreme to keep from returning. They both knew that if they were caught, Stephanie and Ann would kill themselves before returning.

"What happened?"

Rachel looked up to find Ann and Johnny at the door, Ann looking at them with a sad smile. She knew what was going on.

Ann turned towards Johnny and silenced him from asking more. Slowly she walked across the room and took Rachel's spot on the couch. Nodding slightly towards Rachel she turned and focused completely on the terrified woman.

Rachel and Robbie walked towards the door and each grabbed one of Johnny's arms, pulling him through the door and shutting it behind them. Johnny started to go back towards the door, but Rachel grabbed his arm and shook her head. He sighed but sat down by the door to wait.

"So, what happened?" he asked after a moment.

Rachel sighed then began to tell them both everything.

:-:-:

Ann held the older girl as she cried. She didn't know what had brought this on, but she knew that there was nothing she could do until Stephanie had gotten through the well of tears they all had built up during the years in the 'camp'.

"I told them."

Ann looked down at her when she heard the whisper. "What did you tell them?" she asked confused.

"I told Rach and Robbie that I would never go back if we were caught."

Ann sighed softly. "I think they already knew that luv, I think only Johnny is denying that you and I will do what we have to in order to stay free."

"I don't think they believe us though." Stephanie whispered.

"No, I think they believe that we will try, but I don't think they believe we will succeed. But it's better that way." She replied sitting back with a smile.

"How?" Stephanie asked slowly, sometimes she thought that Ann was hiding something from them.

"How is it better?" she asked before smiling softly. "Then they won't stop us."

"How would we even do it? Can we really take our own lives?" Stephanie asked softly

"I've never been afraid of death, I got over that growing up in Angel Grove with Rita and Zedd. The only thing that I'm afraid of is going back there. I'd marry Zedd first." she trailed off, the last part a whisper so low that Stephanie couldn't make out what she said.

"I know. We will never go back."

"Never."

"Lets make a pact. We'll do whatever we can to avoid going back, but if it comes down to it."

"We'll do anything." Ann agreed softly.

"Anything." She agreed wrapping her pinky around Ann's.

"We better get going. Knowing Johnny he is sitting outside that door waiting for us." Ann said as she stood up, then helped the taller girl to her feet.

"Luckily we talk so quietly that they couldn't hear us if they wanted to." Stephanie replied with a smile.

"Luckily. Come on, we have a show to get ready for." She continued as she opened the door.

"That we do." Johnny replied as they walked into the larger room.

"All right, ladies to my room, guys go back to Robbie's." Ann said with a smile.

"See you in an hour." Johnny replied with a smile.

"Or two." Robbie continued under his breath, before jumping as Stephanie smacked him over the back of his head.

"Thank you." Rachel and Ann said in unison to her.

"No problem, one of those pluses to being the only one tall enough to do that to them, I get to beat up on him three times as much." She replied with a smile.

Johnny shook his head then pulled Robbie back to the room before there were anymore fights. "Catch you later." He called over his shoulder.

Ann smiled then the three went to her room to get ready.