Ch. 23

You don't have to do this

Babe had finally stopped crying, and was sleeping lightly. Paul and Amanda had stayed up all night, and now were sitting on the couch, watching TV. Babe woke up when she heard Paul say he had to go and run some errands, and he would be back later. Babe pretended like she was sleeping until Paul opened the door and sunlight seeped through. When she heard it close, she opened her eyes.

"Amanda, can I have a drink of water?" Babe asked.

Amanda gave her a dirty look and then got up and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and walked over to her. She placed the bottle to Babe's lips and let her drink.

When Amanda pulled the bottle away, Babe said, "So how did you get involved with a creep like Paul?"

Amanda placed the bottle to Babe's lips again but this time she spilled the cold water all over the front of her.

"Oops, did I do that?" Amanda asked and then said, "I love Paul, and at one time you did too."

"No, I never did. I got blackmailed into marrying him. I married him so he wouldn't hurt one of my closest friends." Babe paused, letting Amanda think about that one for a second, and then continued, "So where did you meet him?"

Amanda put the bottle down on the table next to Babe and sat in the chair, "I was at this one bar, and this one guy wouldn't leave me alone. Paul swept in and saved my ass. And from then on, we were together."

"So you came to Pine Valley with him as your boyfriend?"

"No, no. I met him while I was in Pine Valley. Around the time Jamie broke up with me."

"So you slept with another guy when you were with Paul?" Babe asked, thinking back to when she saw Amanda at the Pine Cone.

"He does it to me, I do it to him. It's our fun relationship."

"Amanda, it doesn't sound that fun." Babe said, and when she saw Amanda's smile fall, she knew what she could do, "It isn't that fun, is it? You want more from him and he won't give it. He wants to do whatever, right?" Babe asked.

For a moment Amanda hesitated, and then said, "Yeah, exactly. Did he do that to you?"

"He did whatever he wanted when he was with me, including sleeping with other girls." Babe left off the part about how it didn't bug her; it was how she got involved with JR. "It made me so mad." Babe said.

"Me too, He wants me to do all these things for him, and he won't do anything for me!" Amanda said.

"He has some nerve, we do whatever he wants but he still treats us like crap!" Babe said, seeing if Amanda would take the bait.

"Yeah!" Amanda said back, her voice rising.

Babe took her chance, "I know you don't like this plan. I saw the look on your face when Paul said he was gonna take my baby and kill me."

Amanda stopped and stood up, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Please Amanda; I know you don't want to do this. You don't have to do this. I know you are a good person, and after all the horrible things we have done to each other."

Amanda stopped and looked down at Babe, weighing her options.

"I'll tell the cops you and Paul didn't kidnap me, and that will give you enough time to get out of the country... and maybe make a baby of your own." Babe bargained.

Amanda, still looking unsure, starting reaching for Babe's restraints to loosen them.

"You bitch!" Paul roared, running into the warehouse.