Chapter 7-

Charity's vision

A month had passsed and summer began. Christine found herself staying busy. She had become friends with Charity, and had kept her mind off of Fox, and in fact hadn't seen him since that night. Her mind often wandered to the look on his face when she said that he was too good for her. And one day, she had told Charity what she had said, and Charity just laughed. But she shrugged it off because she didn't have to deal with it, he was out of her life. And she was moving on with her life, making it better. And she didn't have to tell some guy who "felt a connection" everything about her. She only told her good friend Charity little things. Nothing too exciting. She was more intrigued by Charity's life.

On one of the warmest days in Harmony, Charity and Christine decided to go to the pool and hang out. Juice in one hand and her walkman in the other, Christine felt content, happy with herself. Unlike how she had felt recently. She had settled into her blissful peace when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up into the face of Danielle, someone she had seen at her house, supposedly her cousins friend. "Yes?"

Danielle looked perfect in her bikini, hair perfect, nails perfect, and the fake tan. She put her hands on her hips, and blurted out. "Where is Fox?"

Christine raised her sunglasses off her face, "How the hell would I know, I haven't talked to him in a month."

Danielle laughed, "Figures, he wouldn't be too interested in you that long. You were just another girl."

"Blah blah, I don't care. Just go away. I was trying to relax."

""You have a lot of nerve." Danielle said sternly. "Come to this town, think you can take away anyones man!"

Christine started laughing and atttempted to calm herself, but couldn't. After many attempts she blurted out, "Who's man?"

Danielle looked around and saw Charity coming and for some reason waited for her to come and sit down. "Hey Charity, how are you?"

Charity raised an eyebrow and then looked at Christine with a questioning look. All Christine could do was shrug, one that told Charity she didn't know what was going on. Charity squinted against the sun and managed to reply, "What do you want Danielle?"

Danielle stepped back shocked, "Do you expect me to want something?" She saw the look on Charity's face. "Anyways...I was just telling Christine that she seems to be wanting to take everyone's man."

Christine tried to fight the giggles again, while Charity just had a smug look on her face. "You have got to be kidding me! Ohh...have you been feeling threatened?"

Danielle pointed to Christine, "Of that? Puhlease! No, but I have been noticing how she looks at....Miguel."

Christine just about choked on her lemonade. "What the hell are you talking about? Miguel and I are friends." She looked at Charity, "You know I would never do that, I respect you."

Charity looked back and forth between the two. Then her senses came to. "Danielle, would you please leave? I am so digusted with you. You have the nerve to make something up like that?!?"

Christine felt a wave of relief go through her, she knew Charity could tell when someone is lying. And she didn't want to make her mad, she had heard stories. "You wanna go Charity?"

Charity nodded and grabbed their things. "Let's go. See ya Danielle."

Danielle stood there with a horrified look on her face. Christine walked by her and just smiled, and then Danielle grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear. "You stay away from Fox, or you will pay. Don't wanna die young do you?"

They drove through town, Christine just stared out the window. Danielle's words running through her head, shivering her to the bone. "I cannot believe she threatened me...Fox and I aren't together, and never will be. What is her problem?"

Charity just kept driving, trying to get rid of the images racing through her head. All she could see was Fox, Danielle, and Christine. And sometimes she could see Beth in the midst of all of it. She felt like she had to stop her car to calm down. She turned into a parking lot and stopped the car. And turned and looked at Christine. "You need to be careful. "

After they had gone to dinner Charity needed to stop my Miguel's house to drop off something for him and had asked Christine if she wanted to go. She didn't think much of it when she said that she would, so they headed off towards his house. As they drove neither of them said much to eachother, Charity kept her eyes on the road and Christine kept trying to figure out what Charity meant when she had told her to be careful. Christine looked over at Charity, "What did you mean by being careful? Is something going to happen?"

Charity sighed, "I don't have any clear images, but just be careful." All she could think of was the images running through her head. Christine screaming as someone attacked her. Fox sitting in a hospital room getting bad news, and Beth on the phone with Christine's mother. But Beth looked happy, which made Charity hope the news was good. Otherwise Beth was going to be involved with Danielle and her attack of Christine. And then a clearer scene came into her mind.

~~CHARITY SAW CHRISTINE SITTING IN A CHAIR NEXT TO A HOSPITAL BED. FLOWERS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND SHE COULD SEE SEVERAL CARDS LYING AROUND THAT SAID CONGRATULATIONS ON THEM. SHE SAW TEDDY BEARS AND BABY CLOTHES LYING AROUND. CHARITY SMILED WHEN SHE REALIZED CHRISTINE MUST HAVE JUST HAD A BABY, BUT SHE WAS MORE INTENT ON FIGURING OUT WHY CHRISTINE LOOKED UNHAPPY.

CHRISTINE SAT IN THE CHAIR CRYING, ROCKING BACK AND FORTH, MUMBLING SOMETHING. "WHY ME? NOT AGAIN, HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN, I WAS SO CAREFUL." THEN THE DOOR OPENED, AND CHARITY COULDN'T TELL WHO CAME THROUGH THE DOOR, BUT HEARD THE TALKING. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAY AWAY, SO NOT ONLY DID I TAKE HIM FROM YOU, I TOOK HIS CHILD ALSO. WELL, NOT REALLY TOOK HUH? IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE IT? FUNNY HOW PEOPLE LET ME MAKE YOU TEA AND JUICE, AND EVEN YOUR MEALS. I COULD SLIP ANYTHING IN THERE HUH?"

CHRISTINE LOOKED UP, "I KNEW YOU WERE THE CAUSE OF THE BABY BEING SICK. NO ONE BELIEVED ME. I HAD THE BABY, AND THEN IT DIED, YOU'RE A HORRIBLE PERSON!"

CHARITY HEARD THE OTHER PERSON LAUGH, "WELL, IT DOESN'T MATTER, I WILL GET RID OF YOU AND NO ONE WILL SUSPECT. ALTHOUGH, WHEN I FIRST STARTED SLIPPING IN STUFF, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE PREGNANT, GUESS THAT WAS JUST AN ADDED BONUS. BUT HEY, YOU GET TO SEE YOUR BABY UP THERE!" SHE SAID POINTING UP.

"GO AHEAD, KILL ME, YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME, WHY NOT MY LIFE?"

CHARITY HEARD A GUNSHOT~

Charity snapped back into reality and realized she was parked in Miguel's driveway, and Christine was shuffling through her purse. "Want some gum?"

"No-oo thanks." Charity opened her door and ran up to the front door. Moments later she came back and popped her head in Christine's side of the window. "He is up at the Crane house. We'll walk."

Christine looked up frightened, "But Fox lives up there, I don't want to see him."

Charity forced a smile, her mind still on her daydream, or nightmare. "I doubt he is there, probably out on the boat or something. Don't worry, we will go get Miguel, and then leave."

They made there way down to the Crane grounds. Not saying anything to eachother. Christine's stomach was all in knots at the thought of having to deal with the arrogant Fox Crane. But part of her also missed that. Then her thoughts wandered to everything about him, the smile, the body, and the things he said. Her face grew red and didn't come back to reality until Charity gave her a nudge. "We're here."

Christine looked around, the Crane grounds were gorgeous in the light. She saw several people running around tending to the garden, pool, and everything else Crane.

Charity knocked and the door, and after talking to the maid found out Miguel was at the pool with Ethan and Gwen. They found the pool and everyone else, minus Fox. Which was a major relief for both Christine and Charity. Christine didn't want to have to see him, and Charity didn't want to fight to keep them apart so the images she had wouldn't come true.

After Miguel convinced Charity to stay for a bit, they all sat down near the pool and had some lemonade. An hour had passed and both of them were feeling comfortable, and Christine was even laughing and getting along with Ethan and Gwen.

"How is the unborn baby doing Gwen?" Christine asked. Which sent Gwen into a huge conversation on the baby kicking and making her go to the bathroom a lot. Christine acted as if she was listening to all of it, but couldn't keep her mind off of how close she would be to Fox if he were to come home. But wanted to kick herself for thinking such things.



After arriving two hours earlier, her and Charity decided that they needed to get going. They said there goodbyes and walked back towards Charity's car. "That was fun."

"Yeah, it was decent considering it was with Ethan and Gwen." Charity explained. Then went on to explain the whole situation with those two, but Christine's attention was focused on the oncoming car coming down the drive. The Jeep sped towards them , and stopped inches away from Charity's car.

"We should go."

"Yeah, I agree." Christine said, but didn't make it to the car fast enough. She had barely made it past the door of the Jeep when Fox stepped out, only wearing a pair of jeans and sandals. "Hi Fox." She mumbled.

Fox was shocked to see her there. But realized she must have just came to see Miguel with Charity. His eyes wandered up and down her body. She wore a light pink strapless dress with sandals, hugging her every curve. It was a great color against her pale skin, and she noticed him staring.

"Fox? You there?" she said with a smile.

"Yes, you just look....nice." Nice, that was it? That was all he could think of? "How have you been?"

She shifted her weight between each foot, she was nervous and didn't know why. "Good, I have been good. You?"

He nodded, "The same. Umm...just hanging out?"

She nodded, "We have to get going. I work early."

He nodded and they exchanged the "see you later" glance and walked there separate ways.

Fox held his phone in his hand, phonebook in the other. He wanted to call Christine, but was unsure by the way she acted if she would welcome a phonecall from him. She had been on his mind since there fight. Just something about her, and he couldnt quite figure it out. He put the phone number and was about to hit send, when his phone rang. He looked down and saw Danielle's number and rolled his eyes. He hit the answer button, "Hey...."