AN: I owe so many apologies right now. OK, more like two. One, to anyone who is reading this. This chapter was supposed to be up a month and a half ago, and for its lateness my excuse is frail at best. Suffice it to say that school is kicking my ass, and I lost my disk with all of my stories on it- which majorly pissed me off. My second apology goes to Melissa (Exist2Inpire) because I feel horrible about my lack of reviews on her Zach story, which I really like. I think I'm like 10 chapters behind, but I will redeem myself on the rest of the chapters. *gets up, dusts of knees* End of grovel session :)

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Erika carried Mya into Mike's Milann's and stood on her tiptoes to look for Brock. She finally spotted him sitting at a booth in the back, and squeezed through the lunchtime crowd to get back there. She sat Mya down in the booster seat before scooting in next to her. She looked around before grinning at Brock. "This is still the same old Mike's."

He nodded. "Oh yeah. Great food, short wait, and no parking spots."

"Actually, I got lucky, I'm in the second row. I saw you in the last one though."

He smirked. "Wanna give me a lift?"

"No, you can walk."

"Gee thanks Erika."

"Your welcome." She briefly glanced at the menu in front of her before setting it back down. "I always got the same thing, I don't think that's going to change now." She looked down at Mya. "Do you know what you want sweetie?"

"Chicken nuggets." The waitress came up a moment later, and they all ordered. When she walked away Mya looked at Brock. "Daddy, I color?"

"Princess, I don't have anything like that with me." Mya's lower lip started to quiver.

"But I wanna color."

"Mya, I don't have any coloring books or crayons."

"I WANT TO COLOR!" Mya shouted, and the restauraunt grew quiet. Erika turned to the red faced little girl and spoke very quietly and calmly. Mya wrapped her arms around Erika's neck, and the two went outside, leaving Brock dumbfounded. They returned a few minutes later, with Erika now carrying a small bag on her shoulder. When they sat back down, Erika pulled a coloring book and crayons out of the bag and set them down in front of Mya, and waited until she was absorbed in it before talking to Brock.

"For some reason that stuff was still left in my bag. Good thing."

Brock looked annoyed. "You took her out before I could tell her that she isn't allowed to do that."

Erika blushed a little. "I told her on our way to the car. I'm sorry, I know I overstepped my bounds, I'm just used to doing it with my nieces and nephews." He shook his head.

"No, you didn't, as long as she was corrected, I don't mind. I don't think she got enough sleep."

"Which would explain the crankiness."

"It certainly would." The waitress brought the food over, and the table was quiet as they ate. An hour later they were pulling up in front of the mall, and Brock was clueless. "I have no idea what to get her Erika, so you had better have an idea."

Erika, who was again carrying Mya, just gave him a look. "Brock, you should know by now that I wouldn't let you go birthday shopping totally clueless. I've got some ideas floating around." Brock took Mya from Erika and followed her into the nearest store, not even realizing what it was.

"Good because...," he trailed off as he realized his surroundings. "What the hell am I doing in Victoria's Secret?"

Erika gave him an innocent grin. "You followed me. I'm getting her my present, I wouldn't even begin to imagine the embarrassment if you got her anything from here." Brock shook his head and stood by the entrance while Erika picked up a gift certificate. She came back a few minutes later and they went back out into the mall. "Let's think practically. She's 21, almost 22, she's living in her first apartment, she's a girly-girl. Got it!" Brock laughed because he could practically see the light bulb go off above her head.

"And what would 'it' be?"

"A survival kit."

He looked at her skeptically. "A survivor kit? What would she need with a pocket knife and a compass?"

"Not that kind of kit, Brock. I mean, you could throw that stuff in there, but it would be more of a fun, cutsey thing."

Brock shifted Mya's weight to his other side and rolled his eyes at Erika. "The kind of gift that she will know I did none of the work to get."

"Oh yes you will." Two hours, and several shopping bags later, they were back at Brock's getting ready for supper and Smackdown. Mya fell asleep right before the show started, and Brock and Erika were sitting in front of the TV with everything for Brandie's basket set out in front of them. "OK, let's put the 6 pack of macaroni and cheese in front of the pajamas, the camera and film together on that side, and the laundry soap way in the back. Put all the small stuff in front." Brock obeyed, putting the phone card, two gift cards, and several other trinkets in the front.

"Do you think we got enough?"

"Yeah, I guess. This is the sort of thing you should have done as a housewarming gift, but it's still sweet."

"Hello, Erika, it was your idea."

"I know. Now be quiet, the show is on." He grabbed the remote from her outstretched hand and muted the tv.

"And you already know what's going to happen. We need to talk." Erika groaned, but said nothing else. "I need to know something, Erika. Do you plan to stay in Mya's life?"

She started to open her mouth, bu thought better of it. He was right in asking, and she knew it. "As much as I hate to admit it, you have every right to ask me that."

"Yeah, I do. My daughter is quite attatched to you, Erika." He took her hand and gave her a gentle smile. "And so am I."

"Brock, from the first moment I laid eyes on Mya I knew she would be a special presence in my life. I made a huge mistake when I left before, and it's not going to happen again, I promise you that." Brock's smile grew.

"Glad to hear it."

**********

They flew out for Michigan early the next morning. Brock had a couple of autograph signings that weekend, as well as house shows, in Grand Rapids and Detroit. Erika spent her time at the signing in Grand Rapids playing with Mya rather than paying attention to anything for her article. After the signing, they grabbed a quick meal and headed for the arena, where Erika interviewed nonstop, intent on finishing her article early and enjoying the rest of her time away from the confines of the paper's office. Later, back at the hotel, Erika was concentrating intently on her notes when Brock came in alone. "Hey, where's Mya?" Brock set down his room key and pulled out the chair next to her.

"I dropped her off with Kurt and Karen, we need to talk."

"Ooh, deja vu. Didn't we just have a talk last night." She gave a small laugh before going back to her papers. Brock took them out of his hand and got up, pulling her up beside him.

"I'm serious Rika. I want to know everything, and I want to know now." The color drained from Erika's face, but she tried to play it cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh I think you do."

Erika pulled her arm from Brock's grasp and sat down on her bed. "Where is this coming from?"

He sat down beside her and sighed. "I've just been thinking alot lately, and these are things I need to know. Will you please tell me?"

She looked at him for a long time before hesitantly nodding. "OK, Brock, I'll tell you. But you have to promise me something." He nodded. "No matter what I say, you can't get mad and freak out. If I'm going to talk about this, I need to get it out."

"I think I can handle that."

"OK. I think I can do this," she said more to herself than him. She looked up, took a deep breath, and launched into it. "It all started when Nic and I went to look at a house that Justin was interested in. He and I had been having problems for awhile, and I wasn't very comfortable alone with him, so I asked Nic to go with me." Realization dawned on Brock about some of Erika's problems, but he stayed silent. "It was your typical creepy movie house, set in the woods, and kind of rundown. We met him there, where he seemed to be okay. We walked around for awhile, but Nic started to feel a little uncomfortable"

"I imagine she would being eight months pregnant."

"So we stopped downstairs to rest, and when I turned to her to say something, Justin walked behind us and locked the door. After that, he grabbed my arm, forced me down in a chair, and tied my hands behind my back with duct tape. Nic tried backing away from him, but she tripped over something on the floor and fell." Brock started to interrupt, but the glazed look in Erika's eyes stopped him. It seemed as though she was talking more to herself than to him. "Justin told her that she had to listen to him, that he had been trying to get through to her for weeks, but she wasn't getting his point. He just kept saying that he was in love with her, that she should be marrying him, and having his baby, not yours. He stopped suddenly though and ran upstairs. The entire time he was in his trance I was trying to break free from the tape, and I finally did right after he left the room."

"Hence these scars," Brock said as he turned her wrists over.

"Hence these scars," she repeated bitterly about the ones that had gotten her nothing but odd looks since the scabs fell off. "Are you sure you want to hear more?"

"I need to, and I promised I would listen."

"I know you did, but I also know that I was losing myself in it, and I wanted to make sure it was alright to continue."

"Please." She stared at him for a moment after that quiet response, then nodded.

"I walked over to Nic and helped her up as best I could. Justin came back in and looked pissed because neither one of us was where we should have been. He pulled a long knife out from behind his back and started coming towards us. I tried to get in front of him, but he just stuck his arm out and shoved me into the corner. It was like he was possessed. I lost consciousness for a few moments, and woke up to find Nic tied down on the bed with a gag in her mouth. I remember trying to pull myself up, but I didn't realize that when I fell I broke my wrist. I put pressure on it and screamed, which brought Justin running back downstairs. He started making a 'tsking' sound, and again shoved me back to the corner. He rolled up his sleeves and approached the bed, saying that he hoped to have more time to prepare, but my 'loud mouth' had ruined that part of his plan. Then...," she paused and cleared her throat, and Brock knew the worst was coming. "Then, he lifted her shirt and made a small cut along her belly button line. He started mumbling, almost incoherently, saying that your baby was nothing but poison in Nic's body, and that he would take care of it for her. Her screams were so loud as he cut her deeper, reached in, and pulled Mya out. He crudely cut the cord, threw a towel over her stomach, and hurried upstairs with Mya. I managed to work my way over to the bed. Nic had stopped screaming by this point, and said she wasn't feeling much pain. She grabbed my hand, and I just started crying. She had lost so much blood, and we both realized she wasn't going to make it. She made me promise to always be in Mya's life, and to stick by you because you weren't really the jerk I told her you were." Erika stopped again to wipe at the tears that were now running freely down her face. Brock handed her a kleenex, and she tried to finish. "She became so obsessed with making a plan to hurt Justin and to get Mya back safely, that she lost all of her remaining energy within minutes. The last thing she said was that I was to always make sure Mya would know how much she was loved." Erika's words were all jumbled at that point, and they were both crying. Brock enveloped her in his arms and just rocked her back and forth. After a long silence she pulled away. "I'm sorry, I really thought I could handle it."

"You're doing fine Rika. She...she died soon after that?"

Erika nodded. "Yes. I held her hand the entire time, and for a bit after. I had this weird thing with her not thinking she was alone. I was a bit messed up by this point. I don't know exactly what happened, but I remember wrapping some cloth around the knife, because Nic said something about not getting my prints on it, and I acted passed out when Justin came back in. I could hear Mya crying, so some of my worry subsided. He came up to the bed and leaned over Nic, softly kissing her forehead. I know I stabbed him, and jumped on him, though I'm not sure where the adrenaline came from. I pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called 911, shouted some descriptions of where we were, and tried desperatey to get upstairs. I pulled the door shut behind me, and pushed myself until I was upstairs. I found Mya in the kitchen, and sat down with her in the corner by the sink until the cops barged in. They took Mya from me and I passed out. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital, and you know it all from there." Erika finished her story with a sigh, and leaned back against the pillows. "That was completely draining." Brock simply kissed her forehead and got up.

"Thank you Erika. I need my daughter." Erika nodded, and he left. She completely understood why he needed Mya. Tonight had been the first time he really understood how close he came to losing her too. Erika rolled over, picked up her cell, and dialed Kurt's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Kurt."

"Hey Rika," he said softly, which told her that Brock was already there. "Are you okay?"

"I actually am, thanks. Is he still there?"

"No, they just left."

"Damn, what did he do open the door catch her and run?" Kurt chuckled.

"Yeah pretty much."

"Alright, thanks Kurt. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Night Rika. Love you."

"I love you too Kurt," she pushed end just as Brock and Mya came back in the room. "Hey there cutie, wanna watch a movie?"

"Which cutie?" Brock asked, and Erika grinned. Even though he had just heard a horrible story, he looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"The little one. You must be feeling okay."

"Yeah, I am." They settled in to watch the movie that Mya picked, but both Lesnars had concked out within the hour. Erika left the movie playing and went to rifle through her bag. She pulled out Nicole's journal and walked out to the balcony. She shut the door gently behind her and sat down in one of the wicker chairs.

"Okay," she said, to noone in particular. "Since this seems to be the night for confessions and the like, here comes one of my own. Nic, I know you can hear me wherever you are, so here goes. I saw Brock first. He was the guy I was so excited to see again at that first frat party, and when you walked in with him I was crushed. I never meant any of those bad things I said about him...well, I meant a few of them," she conceded with a wry smile. "Your mom gave me your journal, confident that I should read it, and that you wouldn't mind. So I'm going to read it, and then maybe I'll be able to tell you everything about how I felt." She stopped, feeling a bit embarassed that she was talking to the sky, and picked up the book. Two hours later she finished with a look of complete disbelief on her face. "She knew. Nicole knew it all."

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What did she know? Are Erika's feelings for Brock changing? What about his for her? Dum dum dum...lol. OK, was that chappie long enough to make up for my complete lack of updates lately? No? I didn't think so either, but it was worth a try. Let me know whatcha think :)

~Lisa