Recovering
By Evilevergreen

Summary: Who would have thought, after everything they had been through together, that trying to remember each other would be their greatest challenge?

Posted: July 11, 2004

Chapter One:

Hoagie Gilligan and the kids he used to call his friends were no longer Kids Next Door agents. They had been decommissioned over five years ago. But there was one piece of that forgotten history that Hoagie seemed to remember, but he knew nothing more than her face. A face that haunted his dreams, but he thought her so beautiful, he didn't mind dreaming of her nightly.

Then while in his first semester of his sophomore year in high school, he could have sworn that he literally saw the girl of his dreams. He was at his locker getting his books for his next few classes when the guy who owned the locker beside him pointed out the new girl to him.

Hoagie turned his head to see her and when he did, his mouth fell open at the sight of her. He about passed out when he realized that she was looking his way. She gave him a shy smile before she lowered her head and passed by him. The way she had looked at him had made Hoagie's heart melt at that very moment.

He had introduced himself to her that same day during lunch. He honestly didn't mean to, but his feet had carried him over to her before he had a conscience thought about it. But it all worked out for him in the end, because they had started dating a few weeks later. And Hoagie was beyond happy, because he finally had a name to go with the face of his dream girl, and her name was Abigail Lincoln.

It had been almost three years since then as Hoagie climbed through Abby's window. He could have gone through the front door, it wasn't as if her parents were home, but something about coming through the window always felt so. . . familiar.

"Hi." Abby said almost breathlessly, while sitting on her bed. She wore a piece of sheer blue lingerie, which complemented her milk chocolate skin very well. She smiled sweetly as she looked over at Hoagie. Puberty had treated him well over the last few years. He had grown tall and his body had slimmed down. It also didn't hurt that the two of them had picked up going to the gym together whenever they could. He had also let his auburn hair grow down to his shoulders, which he was now pushing out of his face with his hand.

Abby got up and greeted him near the window. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently kissed his lips, but something felt off, he was just standing there. "We need to talk," he sounded serious, which was rare.

Abby took a step back as she looked at him curiously. "About what?" she asked as she began to bite her lower lip. Could he know? she thought nervously.

"I need to know where you've been for the last three weeks," he demanded.

Abby took a moment before she did anything. She wasn't ready for a serious conversation, not tonight. So she reached for the top of Hoagie's jeans and gave him a seductive look as she unzipped them before slipping her hand inside so that she could massage his cock through the layer of fabric that made up his boxers. "I don't want to talk tonight, Hoagie." She coiled her other hand around his neck as she brought him closer to her. Soon her lips found his neck, which she began to suck and lick. "So just make love to me," she told him in a whisper as she brought her mouth up to his ear. "Make love to me, Hoagie." She continued with her kisses down his neck.

Hoagie's eyes closed as he felt his girlfriend's hand start to glide down his body and then up his shirt as she continued to massage his cock with the other. It had started to feel so good, and she hadn't touched him in so long, he had almost forgotten why he had been driving passed her house almost every night for the pass week. "No," he told her as he removed her hands for his body and held them at bay. "We need to talk. Now."

Abby gently pulled herself away from him, but then grabbed on to the bottom of his shirt. "Can't I just make love to my boyfriend tonight?" she pleaded.

"Not until you talk to me and tell me what's going on, Abby," he told her.

"Do you love me, Hoagie?" she asked.

"Don't ask me that, you know I do." He felt insulted by the question.

"Then you have to trust me," she stated.

"That's hard to do, when I haven't seen you in weeks. Especially when I can't reach you on your cell and you're never home."

Abby let go of his shirt and turned her back to him as she walked towards her dresser. "I just needed a little time to myself for a little while, that's all."

"I don't understand," he admitted. "This is our last summer together before we go off to college. Why do you need space now? I mean," he shrugged, "it's almost as if you're preparing yourself to get rid of me."

Abby didn't like the tone in his voice or his accusation. She turned around and leaned on her dresser as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you really trying to say, Hoagie?" She hissed.

"You want to know what I'm trying to say?" He marched over to her. "Fine." He stood before her and grabbed her wrist tightly, ripping her arms out of their cross. He then forced her arm around her back and in the process her nearly naked body pressed up against his own. "I want to know, who the hell you've been fucking!" he yelled at her.

FLASHBACK
Three Weeks Ago

Abby was in the drug store buying a few things that she needed as she tried avoiding going down aisle six. She sighed heavily, knowing she didn't really have a choice as she finally made herself walk down the aisle. She soon found herself looking at several types of pregnancy test. I can't be pregnant, she thought as she picked up a box. Hoagie and I have always used protection. I mean, I'm only a few days late. She put the test back.

Shit! She thought again horrified, last month, we had just gotten caught up in the moment and I'm pretty sure we forgot. Dammit, why can't I remember if we did or not? She picked the box up again. You know what? I just don't want to think about this now. She concluded as she once again put the test back down. I think I need cookies-- No, no! She yelled in her head. That's something a pregnant girl would think. I'll get a magazine, yeah that's it, a magazine.

Abby started walking out of the aisle, but being so caught up with her own dilemma, she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going as she was heading towards the magazine section. So she was completely caught off guard when she ran into the hard body of someone and landed ungracefully on her butt. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" she snapped immediately.

"I'm sorry," the person said politely with an English accent. "Let me help you up." The person then held out his hand out for her to take.

Abby slide her hand into his. "No, I'm sorry, that was all me." She smiled. "I should have looked where I was going." As the man help her onto her feet, Abby couldn't help but stare at him. He wore dark, black shades that completely covered his eyes. His head was shaved and he wore a skin tight long sleeve shirt that outline every muscle in his arms, not to mention his chest and his stomach. But above that, there was something about his lips that drew her in; for some strange reason, they seemed familiar to her. "Do I know you?" she asked once he had let go of her hand.

She saw him arch an eyebrow from behind his shades as he smiled. "Are you trying to pick me up in a drug store?" he asked playfully.

"No, it's just-" She figured it was no use. "I'm Abby," she introduced herself.

The man slightly shuttered at the name, but it went unnoticed by Abby. "I'm Nigel," he told her as he noticed that several of her things had fallen out of her basket. So being the gentleman that he was, he bent over to pick them up. As he placed the items back into her basket he purposely brushed his hand up against hers and secretly, through the cover of his shades, watched her face for a reaction. He didn't understand why the small smile that played on her lips excited him. Sure she was beautiful, but there was something more about her, something he couldn't quite place.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she stared into his shades wondering what color his eyes were.

"You're welcome," he replied. Then as if he had been reading her mind, he brought his hand up to his shades and lowered them a bit to reveal a pair of crystal blue orbs.

Abby's brown eyes stared into them before casting her eyes away. "Well, I should get going. Sorry again for running into you," she told him before heading to the cashier to pay for her things.

She was soon at her car, which had been parked right outside the store. She was about to unlock her door when she felt a light touch on her arm.

Abby turned around to see Nigel. "Look, I don't know what has gotten into me, and I assure I don't do this often, but um- are you busy?" The first thing Abby thought about was her beloved Hoagie, but for some reason she couldn't stop her head from shaking no.

END OF FLASHBACK

Transmission Interrupted. . .