Hi y'all! I'm SO sorry it took me so long to update!! Hope y'all haven't lost interest!

Here's two lovely (I hope) chapters for you lovely people! As a reward for your faithfulness to this story and your patiance in waiting for more chapters! Thanks a million, y'all! Luv you all!

Thank you to my wonderful reviewers on the last chapte;

chelsea: So Glad you loved it! Here's some more for ya! Hopefully you won't have to wait so long for more next time! Thanks for reading!

froggy2045: So glad you loved it too! lol! Yeah, it is good that he got it off his chest and that he'll be alright around her.

ChrissyD.: Guess you'll have to wait and find out, huh? ;-) But I totally know what you mean...

Sweet-Romantic: OMG!! I'm so flattered that I inspire you! Thank you! blushes Also, whew glad it was believable for you... I was afraid it would be a little "too much" but if you thought it was okay, I'll leave it! Thanks for reading! P.S. I always love you reviews! I look forward to them! Always encouraging, thanks:-)

Now don't get mad y'all other reviewers! I look forward to yours too and they're encouraging too! Thanks a million!!

Now, enough of my chit chat, read your chapters:-D

Chapter XV

I'm Back...

"So... what do you like to do besides walk around the beach?" Teresa asked Bradin with a laugh.

"Oh... um... I like-" Bradin stopped short and stared ahead, a look of fear swept across his face.

"What is it? What do you see?" Teresa's eyes searched the direction he was looking in trying to find what he was staring at.

"It's uh... uh, nothing," Bradin said but he still stared ahead.

Teresa looked again, all she saw was a woman strolling a baby, two teenage girls giggling together, a boy around their age and a man in his thirties. "Nothing? Right..." Teresa rolled her eyes, "What is it, Bradin?" No answer. "Bradin?" Teresa turned to find Bradin still staring in the same direction, he looked deathly scared. "Bradin? Bradin are you okay?" Teresa waved her hand in front of his eyes.

Bradin couldn't believe what he was seeing. How? Why? When? Questions raced through his head like lightning, he heard Teresa talking to him but not what she was saying, he stared at the thing he couldn't believe. Why the hell did this have to happen, couldn't he just move on with his life? Why was this man in Playa Linda, why the fuck was Jerry Brown in Playa Linda!? "Bradin? Bradin are you okay?" Teresa waved her hand in front of his face. "Huh? Oh um... yeah, I- I mean, yeah I'm fine... Bradin still stared ahead.

"What is it, what do you see!?" Teresa nearly screamed.

"Nothing, I uh... we better get home you know..." Bradin looked away but still kept one eye on Jerry, who was sitting at an outside table at a small restaurant about 40 feet in front of them.

"Why, it's only 1:30pm!" Teresa laughed, then sobered immediately as she noticed Bradin looking even more afraid, she looked back at the restaurant, the woman with the stroller was gone, so were the two girls, the only people there now were the man in his thirties, the boy around their age and a woman with a kid who looked to be around 3 years old. The woman started walking off and the boy left with her, leaving only the man- "Oh my God- You- he, who, is it..." she stammered looking from Bradin's scared face to the man, "Is that Jerry?" she said Jerry in such a way that you would have thought he were an extremely fatal disease. Bradin nodded ever so slightly and Teresa stifled a gasp, "What the hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know," Bradin sounded annoyed by the question.

"Sorry, of course you don't, I just- I mean I meant, oh forget it... what are you gonna do? Do you think he knows you live here?" Teresa thought that Bradin was shaking, but only slightly, and she was sure that, all too clear and haunting, memories of what Jerry had done to him were flying through his head right then. He was breathing heavily and without thinking that he might not want to be touched, especially right this second, Teresa put her arms around his waist and hugged him, "You're gonna be okay," she whispered into his ear. She could hear his heart racing and she felt him tense as she pulled him closer, "It's alright, you're gonna be okay," she said again before placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

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Bradin didn't know why he was here, and he hadn't wanted to sound so annoyed when he answered Teresa, but he was annoyed, and more than that, at Jerry having showed up in his new home, he was supposed to be able to move on and forget the bastard, not have him show up to remind him of what had been done to him only a short time ago. He felt Teresa wrap her arms around his waist, he felt like jumping away but he didn't run, he just stood there as she whispered, "You're gonna be okay," into his ear. He wanted to believe her but Jerry being here in Playa Linda was like living the whole hellish nightmare over again and being "okay" was something he didn't think possible as long as Jerry was here. Bradin tensed as Teresa moved one of her hands to the back of his head and pulled him closer to her, whispering, "It's alright, you're gonna be okay." He then felt her kiss his cheek softly. Did she just kiss me!? He thought excitedly. He relaxed slightly and put his arms around her waist leaning his chin against the top of her head, "I don't know about that..." he whispered back.

"Yes, you will be okay, don't worry, come on, we'll go back to your house if you want." Teresa felt so safe in his arms, even though he was the one that was scared and not her, she still felt a sense of security in his arms that she'd never felt before.

"Okay, but I still don't know about that," Bradin kept one arm around her waist as they turned to walk home. He looked back at the restaurant and saw Jerry still sitting there. He's gonna get you, you know he is, that's probably the only reason he's here is to do everything again! Bradin's mind screamed, "Ohhh, just shut up!!" he thought as he and Teresa walked towards his house, Just shut up.

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Anna Christie AKA SecondStarToTheRight15