I know it's been months since I last updated, I've been really really busy! Thanks so much for waiting! Sorry it took so long, and please feel free to review!

~Nina Matthews~

Chapter 7: The Race for the Plane

Topanga stared out the taxi window, watching the rain fall from the heavens. Her thoughts were those of doubt, and she wondered if giving up on Corey was the right thing to do. He would come around, but then again, this wasn't some stupid fight, this was a child. The nightmare had become reality, Topanga thought, casting a look at the smirking blond next to her. Minkus is hitting on me and I agreed to go with him to see our child.

Thinking of the child made her feel guilty for being so relunctent to stay. She had to claim responsability for the act, Minkus had. This wasn't about four years ago, or Minkus or even Corey. The whole ordeal was about a little boy who had no place to call home because his mother had made the biggest mistake of her life. With that thought, Topanga turned from the window, and watched only the seat in front of her. The car changed lanes as the airport drew nearer.

"I do hope our flight isn't delayed," Minkus commented, smiling at Topanga. He reached for her hand and she drew back just as quickly. He sighed, and felt his triumph mood fade. In time she will warm to you, he thought to himself. Soon that petty marriage with Corey will end, the divorce would be clean. Topanga would need more comforting and Minkus was there to give it to her, just as he had before. Perhaps there would be more children in their future, all of them as beautiful and smart as their mother. Part on Minkus knew that Topanga would never be happy with him, even if they did marry and raise a family. She would always be a distant and cold creature, not the warm, genial woman he had fallen in love with. Only reuniting with Corey would fix that, he realized with pang of dispair. Could he really be as selfish as to keep her away from her love? Minkus pondered this only a shortwhile, and admired the beauty next to him while doing so. The answer was clear, of course he could. As long as he had Topanga, he had won, but the minute he let compassion do his thinking, Corey would once again be the victor.

****************************************************************************************************

Shawn stared out the window, glaring at his sallow reflection. He hoped that he was not too late, and also hoped he could legally kill the scheming blond who had done all this to Corey. What if Topanga was drugged, and she just thought that it was a natural thing? Being depressed was no reason to screw a Minkus. Come to think of it, Shawn thought with a smirk, there was no reason on earth to screw a Minkus. He almost said that outloud, but then he figured the rest of the crowded bus would think he was crazy.

The airport loomed closer, and Shawn began itching to get off. He shifted postions and looked around the rest of the bus. His fellow passengers were all blank faced, weary travelers, who had long since forgotten the passion of their youth. By the looks of the man closest to Shawn, a gray haired serious man with a heavy expression, many of them had felt no passion in their youth. "I'm going to kill you Minkus," vowed Shawn under his breath, as the bus pulled up to the first terminal. Shawn had no idea what plane company Minkus was taking, but he'd figure it out, there could only be a few flights to New York leaving on such a night. As he hopped out, the cold rain pelted him in the back. Gusts of wind blew it underneath the overhang, and Shawn cursed it, hoping against hope that it wouldn't ruin his infamous leather jacket. Ducking inside, Shawn set out on his search for the flight, heading towards the large monitors at the back of the room. Travelers rushed past him, and he found himself jolted in every direction imaginable. He cursed the travelers as well, as he struggled to see the screens. Everything was doing its best to keep him from reaching Minkus, but he would prove them all wrong. They had no idea who they were messing with.

*************************************************************************************************************

Corey and Angela waited outside the restuarant. "Where did they go?" Corey demanded of Angela, biting his lip hard.

"To the airport, I suppose. Minkus had their bags.." Angela started before she was interrupted by Corey.

"They didn't have any bags. Minkus had his bag, and Topanga had hers. Don't tell me about 'their' things." snapped Corey, glaring at Angela as if she had been the one to bring the bad news.

"Don't get mad at me!" Angela protested. "I'm not the one sleeping with Minkus, and I'm not the one who made all this happen."

"Don't blame Topanga! Can't you see, this is all my fault! She was the victim and that weasel took advantage of her. That man will never breathe again once I get a hold of him. He hailed a cab while he said this. Corey tried to ignore the worry in Angela's stare, it was unnerving him.

They climbed in, and Corey told him to go to the airport.

"Which terminal?" demanded the driver, not moving the steering wheel, but starting the timer that held the charges for the cab ride.

"The main terminal, it doesn't matter, just go!" yelled Corey. Angela laid a firm hand on his arm. Corey calmed a bit, and shook free of her restraint. He just stared ahead of him, his jaw twitching in anger.

Angela gave up on soothing him, he was past all reconciliation. Minkus was a dead man, and she hoped that Corey or Shawn would not find him yet, because there would be homicide if they did. She tried to clear her mind of the entire night, and focus on something less stressful. She kept seeing Topanga, but not as the sweet Topanga she was friends with, but the seductress who had been with Minkus. It pained Angela to think of her friend in such a light but she just couldn't get the image out of her head. Poor Corey, she thought, with a frown. This must be killing him.

It was killing him, Corey could feel his heart disintegrating as he sat there, as he was removed from Topanga for longer. He found it hard to forgive her, but he also found he couldn't leave her at the mercy of Minkus, no matter what had happened four years ago. She had grown from that experience, and it was so long ago. Four years ago he had never imagined that Topanga would sleep with someone, and that was one thing that didn't change. He still couldn't believe it. Perhaps it was his disbelief that drove him to stop her from leaving. It was all just some fancy lie to him, a big practical joke, a bad joke at that. Part of him knew that wasn't true, but the majority of him tried to believe it never happened. Looking out the window, Corey saw that the highway was crowded, and moving slowily.

"What's wrong?" he asked the driver.

"Part of the road is flooded, there's a detour. It'll be another half hour at least." the driver returned with a smirk. Clearly all the driver thought about was money.

"No, this is an emergency, we need to get to the airport as soon as possible." Corey demanded. The driver shrugged.

Corey had had it. Glancing around at the slow moving vehicles, he found that he had no choice but to go on foot. It was only another six miles until the airport.

"What are you doing?" Angela demanded as Corey opened the door.

"What does it look like, I'm going to save Topanga," the man responded and he hopped out, oblvious the cab driver's angry remarks. Dodging traffic until he reached the shoulder, Corey took off down the road, sprinting as hard as he could. The rain, the cold, and the wind did not stop him. All he felt was the burning desire to save the woman he loved from making the second biggest mistake of her life.

End of Chapter 7

~next update will be soon, I promise! So sorry for the delay!!~