Chapter VI: Snum-slumber Parties

When Shawn Michaels came to, he was alone in a barely lit room. There was cold concrete below him and he stayed lying down, hoping the coolness would ease the throbbing in his head. He found he was bound but not gagged as tried to move his limbs. Hoping against hope, he tried with all his might to pull out of the zip ties that held his arms and legs. He only succeeded in digging the plastic into his flesh but tried harder again. When the blood slowly ran down his fingers, he finally ceased, realizing it was pointless. His anger over the previous night was the only thing keeping the pain from registering in his brain.

Stephanie had been having trouble sleeping lately and had refused any medication for fear of it interfering with conception or harming the baby if she already was pregnant. Shawn finally convinced her to consult a pharmacist since she refused to see a physician about it, more or less denying that she was dealing with another bout of insomnia. The sleeplessness came and went during stressful periods and this was one of them, according to her. But he reminded her that the less sleep she got, the more stressful she got, and the more it could hinder their plans. That got her attention.

Last night was the first night she had taken sleeping pills in several years and it knocked her out like a light…enough to keep her from hearing the break-in and the subsequent struggle. Shawn had heard a thumping on the first floor in the middle of the night and slipped out of bed to check, wishing they had a cat or dog on which to blame noises. At the foot of the stairs, he realized that the sound had immediately stopped when his feet touched the landing. Creeping down to the bottom step, he strained to hear anything else and considered going back upstairs since the security company hadn't called to report any change in the system. As he turned to go, the blow across his back knocked him to the stairs. Hearing that the strike aimed for his head had missed, the attacker reared back for another but Shawn slipped down the steps, tripping up the man, who then fell forward on him. Unable to see in the darkness, the wrestler struggled with the body on him and found his way out from under the abductor. Shawn was about to pin him but his attacker swung out again and, this time, caught him in the head.

The headache had finally subsided when the man who put him there appeared. Shawn tried to find words but the red anger clouding his eyes sent him into a silent rage. He had to focus on what his abductor held out in front of him to see. It was a cellphone, which began to ring. Shawn saw his wife's number appear and struggled once again against the ties but they cut deep enough to hurt and he relaxed against them.

"As you can see, she's just fine."

"And you won't be when I get loose," Shawn seethed.

"That's something I'd like to see," he replied above the phone's incessant ringing.

"How'd you do any of this without Steph knowing?"

"Because I'm that damn good," he said with a laugh. "That damn good, get it?" ?" Shawn only glared at him, at lost for what to say. He didn't know this man and sure as hell didn't know why he was here or why the idiot was stealing his most hated enemy's line. The idiot, as Shawn had deemed him,glanced at the phone as it stopped ringing for the second time. "I don't plan on hurting her or you…or the Nashes." When Michaels' eyes widened, the man laughed again. "As long as your wife and Therese do exactly as I say, I won't hurt you, Stephanie, your best friend, or his children." Shawn didn't notice that Therese had been left out of the equation. The phone started ringing for the third time and he held it out for Shawn to see again. "That may be the last time you have anything to do with your wife for awhile." His attacker rose from his squatted position and exited the room, turning off his phone as he went and ignoring the obscenities Shawn was yelling at him.

"Sharon, Kevin's aunt, you've met her before right?" Therese asked as she punched the new code into the keypad in her foyer. Instead of reminding her how much time she and Mrs. Johnson had spent readying the Nashes' home for Therese and her early arrival, Stephanie nodded and she continued, "She's fixing us supper tonight. We'll go over there as soon as I check the messages and whenever you're ready." There was only one message on the answering machine and it was a request from Pendleton to call him. "This is Nash. Whatcha got for me?"

"The number is registered to a pre-paid cellphone bought in Berry Hill, Tennessee," Aaron stated.

"Where?"

"Just outside of Nashville."

"Don't you have to have a name to get those kinds of phones?" Therese asked as Stephanie maneuvered around to face her, the look on the brunette's face questioning.

"Yeah but it won't do us any good. An address isn't required and the guy signed with the name 'John Smith,'" Pendleton answered.

"You're kidding me? That's like the most generic name in creation."

"I know," Aaron sighed.

"I've got another number for you. Stephanie got the same kind of call," Therese added and gave him the number from the call.

"You won't believe this," he laughed. "The guy must have bought two pre-paid cellphones and that's the other one."

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"You didn't give me a chance, trigger."

"Sorry," Therese muttered.

"What are you going do now?"

"I'm gonna have supper with my children. After that," she sighed and rubbed her forehead, "I don't know."

"As soon as I can tomorrow, I'll see what I can do about getting anymore info on this John Smith, okay?" Aaron replied as soothingly as possible.

"Thanks," she replied and barely got the phone cut off before Stephanie was already asking about the call.

"We got anything?" the VP hopefully asked.

"Sorta. Talk on the way? I'm starving."

"Yeah, let's go."

Despite Dinah calling her "Aunt" Sharon, she was Kevin's aunt and had lived in Atlanta most of her life. She and her husband couldn't have children and they had adopted Lily and Dinah as if they were their own grandchildren and treated them as such. If the girls couldn't have their own grandparents, Sharon and Joe were the best alternative. They were the epitome of the stereotypical grandparents as well. Sharon was a boisterous, pudgy, gray-haired woman that always smelled like sugar cookies. Joe was skinnier but strong, smelling of his tobacco pipe, and always swung 'his girl' up into a hug when she came to visit.

Sharon had barely been able to hug Stephanie when she came in the door before Dinah had flung herself into the woman's arms. "Aunt Stephie! Aunt Stephie! Come see Lily. She's much bigger than when you were here the last time." The little brunette made for the playpen that the infant was sleeping in and almost toppled over inside trying to get to her.

"Hold on. I'm coming," Stephanie said, following after her. She stroked Dinah's hair and then squatted down beside her. "It looks like she's sleeping. Maybe we shouldn't bother her now. But, you're right, she has really grown. And you have too. In a couple of years, you'll be as tall as you're daddy."

"No, I won't," the little girl giggled and stuck her finger in her mouth.

"Are you hungry?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah," she excitedly answered and grabbed the woman's hand, tugging her into the kitchen.

Dinah insisted on sitting beside her other 'aunt' throughout the meal and Therese wondered about how messed up that child would be when she was old enough to exactly understand her relationship to the Michaelses and Johnsons. Joe teased her about him being replaced in her heart but the little girl insisted that she had enough room for all of them, even her smelly baby sister.

Therese and Stephanie began clearing away the dishes after supper and Sharon welcomed the help. Joe retired to the back porch to smoke his pipe and Dinah followed, having recently become fascinated with the phenomena of smoke. It was the opening for which Sharon had been looking. "Dinah said something about Kevin and Shawn being lost. What's that about?" she asked nonchalantly, as if asking about the weather.

Stephanie sent Therese a nervous glance but the blonde quickly covered. "She overheard us arguing and I told Kevin that he and Shawn could just get lost for all I care. I guess she thought that happened when she woke up and her father was gone."

Sharon looked over at Stephanie, the look on the older woman's face showing her concern about the next question she wanted to ask. Therese noticed and said, "That's why she's here. I need some company right now."

"I didn't know you were having problems," Sharon cooed. "Send him to me and I'll set him straight," she firmly stated and slapped a wooden ladle in her palm.

"I don't think I'll be needing a ladle," Therese replied.

"A frying pan is what really works the best," she responded with a half smile. "Just ask your Uncle Joe." Therese loved it when Sharon talked as if she had always been family but, right now, she was making up marital problems to cover for their crises. The blonde sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Do you need to talk, sugar? I'm here…oh, sorry, that's what this lovely lady is for." Sharon sucked in her breath and then added, "I'm sure she's not moving in, so you know you can come to me any time?" Therese nodded and hugged the grandmotherly woman.

The trio finished the dishes and Therese went to find her eldest daughter. "You ready to go home, baby?" she asked, inhaling the sweet scent of the pipe.

"But Aunt Sharon said we're having a snumber party."

Therese had to think about it a minute and then it registered what she was saying. "A slumber party, huh?"

"That's what I said."

"And who's idea was this?"

"Hers," the little girl truthfully answered. A silent Joe nodded in agreement. "I've never had a snum—slumber party."

"Well, you behave, okay?"

"Okay," Dinah replied and hugged her mother, who was holding her arms out.

Therese left the little brunette with her Uncle Joe, who wished her a good night, to collect Stephanie and be on their way. While she was on the porch, Lily had wakened and Stephanie was now feeding her, a glowing look on her face. She sent up a silent prayer over the child that her husband would come back safe and that they would have one of their own soon.

When the infant had finished, Therese reached to burp her but Stephanie waved her off and placed a washcloth over her shoulder. Her mother finally got to her after the long day, pressing a soft kiss to her tender head before passing her off to Sharon, who was insisting they be off to have some time for themselves for the evening.

Back at the Nash residence, the two women danced around each other to prepare for bed, although neither had plans for doing so. Therese was itching to get on the firm's network and do some research. Stephanie was completely lost as to what she should do now but she knew she couldn't sleep and really didn't want to in case something came up.

With nothing else to do, Therese hit the Internet and the firm's network. Stephanie paced through the office a couple of times before the blonde finally confronted her. "Can't sleep, huh?"

"Don't really want to," the brunette anxiously sighed.

"If you don't sleep, you won't be any good for when there is something to do."

"I couldn't sleep if I wanted to."

"Come with me," Therese said and headed for her bathroom. She pulled out the medicine cabinet and handed Stephanie a bottle of sleeping pills.

Stephanie looked them over and then said, "You've not been taking these, have you?"

"Yeah, I'm still on a weird schedule and it lets me get some sleep when Kevin's home."

"You can't breastfeed and take these at the same time."

"Yeah, I know that," Therese replied wearily.

Stephanie stared at her a moment and then it hit. "Oh…why didn't you tell me?"

"I…don't know. I really didn't want to tell everyone that I can't be a real mother," the blonde replied, folding her arms over her chest as if to hide her inadequacy.

"But that's not true. You—"

"I've already had this talk with Kevin. I guess I haven't told you because I'm okay with it now."

Stephanie stood there for a moment and then looked back up at her friend, not truly believing Therese's excuse. "When did I get lumped into everyone?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I, just, well…"

"I was just teasing you. I've got some with me," Stephanie said and handed the bottle back to Therese. "Maybe you should take one."

"Nah, I've got things to do."

"If you don't sleep, you won't be any good when there really is something to do," Stephanie mocked.

"You're not gonna leave me alone until I do, right?"

"Exactly."

"I won't leave you alone until you take yours either."

"Fine," the shorter woman replied. "You first."

Therese rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen with the bottle in hand. While Stephanie was retrieving hers, Therese poured a glass of water and downed half of it as Stephanie came in. "I'll get you a glass," the blonde stated, wiping her mouth.

"I know where they are," Stephanie said, pouring her own cup. She popped a half of a pill, remembering how much it had knocked her out the previous night.

"I'm gonna get back on the network until the pill kicks in," Therese stated. "Why don't you go on to bed?"

A yawn surprised her and the brunette lumbered off with a nod. The older woman settled back at her computer as she heard Stephanie's feet pad down the stairs. The firm's network provided her absolutely nothing so far and there were a few more searches she wanted to perform. After that, she was going to find out everything she could possibly know about Berry Hill, Tennessee.

For Stephanie, the sleeping pill wasn't long in taking effect and she was soon in a deep sleep. However, not long before four in the morning, she jerked awake from a dream. At first, it was like she was wrapped in a warm cocoon, a soft, dreamy feel filling her entire body. She was stroking her large stomach, swollen with their first child, but then the labor pains started. As she pushed herself out of the cocoon in a state of panic, she found herself in a cemetery staring down into an open grave that held the body of her lifeless husband. She stumbled backwards to run away but fell and a griping pain seized her abdomen. Stephanie had shot bolt upright out of the bed and stumbled for the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.

Needing someone to talk to, she heaved herself up the steps despite her quick breaths from the dream. The light was on in Therese's office but she continued by until the blonde's form caught her eye. The agent was at her desk, the laptop open, and her hand snaked out to pick up the cup of coffee without her eyes leaving the screen. When she realized it was empty, she pushed herself up from the heavy leather chair and then noticed Stephanie standing in the doorway.

"Either you're losing your touch or you are completely absorbed in something. Oh, and, by the way," she casually began the next clause with the flip of hand, "I noticed you faked taking that pill."

"I knew you wouldn't go to bed if I didn't and there was nothing you could do to help me."

"Ah, so you were absorbed in something?"

"I was just combing the database's files one last time for anything that would help," the blonde replied as if she always did this at four in the morning.

"And?" Stephanie expectantly prodded.

"Absolutely nothing," Therese replied and the two women sighed in tandem.

"I guess you should probably be going to bed then."

"Well, I was just on my way to get more coffee…"

"I will dog you until you go to bed. Don't you have to be at work in five hours?"

A yawn caught Therese off-guard and her eyes watered from forcing herself to stay awake. "Yeah, I guess I better go."

"No faking it this time?"

"Only if you promise to tell me what brought you all the way up here," the blonde said, stroking the other woman's hair after noticing her swollen eyes.

"I don't wanna bother you now. I didn't know you were still up. You gotta get some sleep," Stephanie replied, changing her mind after thinking she would only be waking Therese up for a few minutes.

"When Dinah has a bad dream, she always hops in bed with me. Before she even gets done telling me about it, she's asleep."

"How did you know it was a nightmare?"

"I am a mom now. Come on, it's a huge bed. It swallows you whole. You'll love it."

It had a been a long time since Stephanie had slept in her mother's bed after a bad dream and the warm memory propelled her down the hall towards the master bedroom.

TBC…

Author's Notes: I know this was a slow chapter but stick around because we start pointing fingers in the next one.