A/N: Ok! I got my reviews so here you are. Also, I have gotten 184 hits but only 11 reviews. What the heck people, what the heck. So, I made it extra long to make up for last time. Seriously sorry but my friend was accusing me of cutting because I asked him what happened to his arm. He said he fell in a thorn bush but come on. What makes scratches that deep besides… well, anyways. I am so… sorry about the wait but it makes reading this chappie all the better! I MUST STOP! Lire! Lire! (Read! Read!)

August 24th

Johnny's Apartment

Curled up in Johnny's arms thinking upon the arrival of the finger Velma had two days left to get the money. She now had it and was extremely nervous. How would Roxie feel towards her? How would she feel towards Roxie? Would Roxie even be alive and more importantly, whole? Velma slowly got up and stretched. She grabbed his robe that had been thrown over a chair and wandered into the kitchen. She blindly got a glass of water and sipped it slowly staring and the finger on the table on newspaper they had laid out yesterday. Then she thought randomly, what if it isn't even real? Maybe it was just a… prop. She poked it with her finger. Then, doing something she never thought she'd be able to do, picked up the "finger" and rinsed it off in the sink. She took it back to the table to examine it more closely. It looked like a finger but now there were little things that she started to notice. The blood was almost completely gone giving her an inside view of it. It had no bones. They were plastic. She poked it again and this time it felt different. It was just a different thing. It wasn't even real she thought joyfully.

"Johnny," Velma called softly into the bedroom after getting up, "Johnny wake up." He was still sound asleep so she went over to the bed and started massaging his shoulder and back. "Johnny!" She said a little louder, yet, he still continued to breathe evenly in and out. Starting to rub her way up and down his back she chanted, "Johnny, wake up, Johnny wake up, Johnny wake up, Johnny wake up." He finally started saying something. "What?" She asked in confusion.

"I said that feels good. A little farther down though." He groaned as she rubbed his lower back. "Now that feels great." He flipped over and looked at her. "What's up? I heard you calling my name about 10 minutes ago."

Velma must have looked shocked because he said, "Yes I've been up but it felt so good!" She laughed and hit his shoulder playfully.

"Damn you! I thought you were asleep! Anyways, I just realized something while in the kitchen. It's a fake finger!" She smiled down at him trying to rub the sleep from his face and neck. "Flip over again." She said and started rubbing his neck and shoulders.

"Is that so? How do you know?" Johnny muttered.

"I rinsed it off and realized there were no bones inside of it." Velma stated matter of factly. "Hey I have an idea! Why don't we take it to Mark and Corey and see if they know anything about it!"

"Ok." Johnny rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt.

"No fair! I have to zip up a dress!" Velma laughed.

"Then put it on and I'll zip it." He grinned at her and not knowing why.

Velma sighed a long suffering sigh and pulled off her robe, picked up the dress and slipped it on. "Zip me?"

"No problem." He zipped it about half way and then tickled her ribs. Velma laughed and said, "Is it stuck?" She asked between breaths.

"No, I just wanted to make you laugh." And finished pulling the zipper up.

"Well, it worked. Why did you want me to laugh?" She looked at him questioningly.

"You seemed like you haven't laughed in a while so I wanted to make you laugh." He shrugged.

"I see." She said slipping on the heels she had been wearing the past 3 days. "You know what I just realized? I have to give the kidnappers the money tomorrow! At exactly 8:00! Then I leave and at 8:30 I go back in and I should see Roxie. I hope I do. I miss her so much." Velma frowned. "Where do you think she is?" Johnny held the door for her as they descended the stairs to the ground level to get to Johnny's car. Brand new he mentioned earlier.

Theatre-Noon

"Mark? Corey? I know someone's in there!" Velma called. "I can hear you moving around." Indeed there were muffled thumps and a few gruff words that she couldn't make out.

"Coming!" She heard someone shout. She couldn't tell who said it though, because stifled to tell.

Finally the door opened and Mark stepped onto the front porch.

"Can I help you?" He asked. Then out stepped Mark who suddenly reminded her strongly of someone but just couldn't point out the name.

"Yes, we were just wondering if you know how and where these can be made." She pulled the finger out of her handbag and handed it to him.

"Sure. China, see here," he pointed to something in the finger but she decided not to get a closer look, "and I think this is a specialty. I've never seen one so well made. It looks almost life-like." He exclaimed.

"So its definitely not a real finger?" Johnny asked.

"No, I don't think so. I'm 80 sure. Where did you get this?" He questioned.

"Only 80? Why so little? Or much depending on how you look at it." Velma asked.

"Only 80 because it looks so life-like. Actually seeing the China thing I'm now 99.9 sure. No one is ever precisely sure of anything. Sorry, would you like to come in? Have a cup of coffee or something?" Mark asked smiling.

"Sure…"

"No thanks, we've got plans." Johnny interrupted. He glanced meaningfully at Velma who was confused until "the look". The look did not go unnoticed by Mark. He raised his brow and said, "Plans hmm? Yes. Ok. Well, we'll talk later Velma, yes? Also could I have your address Johnny? That way I can mail Velma the script."

"Why do you need my address?"

"Well, I think she'll be there a lot so I just figured…"

"That's fine." He wrote it down and included hers as well."

"Ready to go now?" Johnny asked.

She nodded and she and Johnny left him standing on the porch.

Johnny's Apartment

6:30

"The trash bag and money is all ready right?"

"Velma, no matter how many times you ask that, it will still be ready." Johnny answered candidly.

"I'm sorry it's just I'm really nervous. I can't believe that I'm doing this with out the authorities. Maybe we should let them know what's going to happen." Velma weakly smiled at him.

"NO!" Johnny yelped. "Uh, I mean, I don't want them getting more bold and actually sending a real finger. I'm just thinking of Roxie's safety here."

The doorbell rang and in through the door they could hear a faint and very weak sounding, "Guys its me… it's me…"

Velma went to open the door and onto her feet fell another box and yet another letter was taped to the door. There was also a tape recorder. This was about to get so much worse, Velma thought, her face draining for the second time in less than two weeks. How much worse can it get? After reading the note she realized just how much worse.