Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update, this was yet another chapter I was unhappy with...but I actually think it turned out pretty good...this one switches P.O.V's but it is marked, so you'll know when it switches, also, italics are thoughts. ususal disclaimers apply...hope you enjoy! we've reached the 100 markon reviews! thanks so much to all of you who've reviewed, and for those of you who dont review, please review if you can, I really like finding out what people think!

Chapter 24: Telepathy

Madi's P.O.V

I was thirsty, so thirsty.

I snuck out of my bedroom, and took slow, quiet steps into the hall, checking to see if he was still up.

Walking down the stairs, all I saw was blood, bright red.

Covering her.

She wasn't moving.

"Mommy? Mommy, what's wrong?"

"Its okay baby, Mommy's fine."

She wasn't.

"I need you to go upstairs now honey."

Her voice was weak.

Barely a whisper.

"Can you do that for Mommy?"

"But I don't want to leave you Mommy."

"Go upstairs sweetie, hurry, before daddy sees you."

"But I'm thirsty Mommy. I want a drink."

I whined.

"You can get a drink upstairs, baby. Just do as Mommy says."

She was pleading now.

"I wuv you Mommy."

"I wuv you too, munchkin. Hurry now."

I didn't hurry fast enough though.

He caught me.

Ray's P.O.V

I jolted awake, immediately realizing why. Throwing the comforter and sheets back, I jumped out of bed, awakening Abby in the process,

"Ray, what's going on?" she asked groggily.

I didn't reply, just quickly dialed Nick's house, not caring that it was 2 o'clock in the morning.

Leslie answered,

"Hello?"

"Les, its Ray-"

She abruptly cut me off,

"She had another dream, she's pretty shaken up, Nick's with her now. I'll go give her the phone."

"Ray?" Madi answered.

"Hey sweetie, are you okay?"

"I guess." She said shakily.

"Do you want me to come over?"

"No, I'll be okay. I've got Nick, Les, and JT. You need to stay with Abby."

"Are you sure?" I pressed.

"She needs you more than you know."

"Jesus Madi, you sound like a frigging 50 year old." I said, chuckling, "Watch Dr. Phil much?"

She giggled, which is what I was hoping for, and immediately shot back,

"Well if I'm a 50 year old that makes you a 60 year old. And ew, he's creepy."

"Ha-ha, very funny Mads." I said sarcastically. "Are you sure you don't want me to come over?"

"Yes Ray, I'm positive, just stay with Abby."

"Alright, call me if you need anything. I love you."

"Ok, I will. I love you too Ray. Night."

"Night."

Madi's P.O.V

"You okay Madison Claire Gardens?" Nick asked, using my pet name, as he sat on the edge of my, well, Leslie's, bed.

"Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Alright then, I'm gonna go to bed now."

I could feel the panic rising in the back of my throat.

"Don't leave me! I don't want to be alone…" I cried, grabbing his arm.

"OK, hey its ok, I'm not gonna leave you. I promise." He said, stretching out next to me. He pulled me close, arms wrapped around my waist. I squirmed, and he released me. I rolled over so I was facing him, wrapped my arm around his waist, my head on his chest, snuggling closer than most consider 'just friends.' One arm wrapped around my waist, he rubbed my back in slow circles.

"Thank you."

Ray's P.O.V

"Ray what happened?"

I paced the room thinking back to the first time this had happened.

"Ray, are you gonna talk to me?" Abby's exasperated voice rang out from across the room.

"Sorry, Abs, I was thinking about something Madi just said."

"It's okay. Just tell me what happened. And stop pacing, you're making me dizzy."

"Sorry."

"And quit saying sorry."

"Demanding aren't we?" I teased.

"Cocky aren't we?" she retorted.

"Touché."

"Now, will you answer my damn question!"

"Meow!" she glared at me, I held my hands up in a peace like gesture, "Okay, okay. Madi has always been, and probably always will be one of my best friends. We can read each other like a book. For some strange reason, I always know when she has a nightmare. If I'm asleep I wake up, when I'm working I get shaky. It's been this way as long as I can remember. It's like some weird connection kind of thing."

"That's really weird, it sounds almost like telepathy, except for the fact I don't really believe in that kind of stuff."

"Hm…I never really thought of it that way."

"So I take it that's what just happened."

"Yeah, hopefully that's the only one tonight." I said, before getting lost in my thoughts again.

'I wonder what Madi meant by Abby needs me more than I know. She obviously knows whatever it is that Abby isn't telling me. And I know for a fact there's no use trying to get Madi to tell me.'

I sighed deeply, lacing my fingers through my hair.

'Maybe it has something to do with her seeing Greg today. Might as well give it a try.'

"Abby, do you think Greg is going to call Richard? Is that what you're so worried about?"

"Honestly? I don't know if he will or not. But I do know it's a strong possibility that he might. Greg was always the 'accomplice' whenever Richard did anything. Adrian, the youngest, was always the one to help me. He wasn't anything like the oafish brutes his older brothers were. Hell, he smuggled me out of Minnesota. We still keep in touch. He might know where Richard is. But I wouldn't be surprised if Richard makes an appearance in the next few days. That's how he works."

"Were you gonna tell me about Greg, or were you just planning on not telling me at all?" I asked.

"Do you know how much I wanted to tell you when it happened?"

"If you wanted to tell me so bad, why didn't you tell me when it happened?"

"Don't you think you have enough to worry about right now with Madi, Chris, and everything else that's been going on lately? I didn't want you to worry about something as small and trivial as seeing my ex-brother-in-law."

"Well, judging by what you just hinted at about said brother-in-law, I don't think it's something as little as you seem to want me to think. And besides, didn't I tell you that you're way more important than Chris?"

"Yes, you did, but God, you'd just had this altercation with said person, and you were majorly pissed. I knew if I told you, you'd beat the shit out of him right there with everyone on the diner as witnesses and you'd most likely be spending the night in jail. And then I'd be all alone." She finished almost mournfully.

"Well, you've got a point there, but you could've told me at the hospital."
"You were busy getting Madi discharged."

I decided to change the topic,

"So what took you and Nick so long to come back from getting the sodas today; which if I may point out, you didn't even bring back."

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