Note: I am so thankful for those of you reading and following. Thanks so much to those of you who took the time to leave comments. I love hearing your guesses and your feedback- they're very much appreciated. Thanks to TinDog, Jilsen, RedHardy, hlahabibty, SnowPrincess88, Caranath, Paulina Ann, ulstergirl, max2013, and merry!

The Secret Spaces

Chapter 4

Callie looked at her watch- 5:30. She was exhausted, having just finished her last day of work. In an hour and a half, Vanessa would be coming over to have dinner with her and Johnny before the big finale show at 9:00 that they would all be watching together. She hoped she could stay awake.

She opened the door to her home and chastised herself for not already having figured out what on earth she was going to make for dinner. To her surprise, as she entered the foyer, she was greeted by delicious scents emanating from the kitchen.

"Johnny?" she asked as she watched him come into the hallway with a big smile.

"Hey!" he answered. He immediately took her coat and gave her a hug. "How was your last day at work?"

She smiled back before answering. "It was exhausting. You made Steph's day by giving her the autographed picture. I told her you had mailed it to me, to protect your whereabouts, but still- she already put it up in her cubicle. I think you made her entire week."

Johnny blushed. "I still can't get used to this," he answered. Then, with a laugh, he added, "but if there are any nice guys you know who maybe want a picture- we can talk!"

Callie chuckled. "I'll let you know. What did you do? You didn't cook, did you? I was planning on preparing a nice big dinner tonight." She sat down on the couch, rubbing her aching back.

"You were not!" Johnny responded with a laugh. "You're so full of it. You had, like, frozen pizza in the freezer and random veggies and eggs in the fridge. What- is that some new way you New Yorkers eat pizza? Oh- and you had a lot of those dark chocolate and almond bars in the pantry. A LOT," he emphasized.

By now, Callie was laughing along with him. "Yeah, well- I'm pregnant. That's my craving. I think there are 10 bars there now."

"Ah- well, there may or may not be 7 left," he said innocently. "I may be pregnant, too. They're good."

Callie rubbed her eyes and smiled. "Okay. You got me. You look good for a pregnant person."

"I try," he said, and sat down next to her. "I made lasagna and meatballs. Plus, I made salad- quinoa and normal. It was fun- really- to be able to cook again, to go food shopping at ShopRite like a normal person. At least until tomorrow," he finished ruefully. "Then it's back to the city. At least I'll have my girls with me, though."

"Thanks, Johnny," she said softly. "I really appreciate you cooking. And I'm excited about tomorrow."

Johnny looked at her intensely, and she finally asked, "What?"

"Can I talk to you before Vanessa comes over? Now's as good a time as any, since I really doubt that Frank will be back before tomorrow." He reached out with his hand, which she took.

"Of course," she answered, concerned.

"First you go," he said with a gentle squeeze. "I could tell something was a little off yesterday with you. I'm always here to talk to- you know that."

"I'm fine," she said, meeting his eyes. "Really."

She saw the smile creep back to his handsome face. "Callie Marie Shaw Hardy, you are full of crap today," he said. "Since when do you lie? You have never had a problem telling me or anyone what you think, so I would appreciate it if you didn't start now."

Callie felt tears spring to her eyes and she pulled her hand back. "Maybe I don't want to talk about it," she said, fighting her emotions. "Maybe it's personal. And maybe I know you have a hundred things to think about right now- and so does my mom, and Laura, and Vanessa, and Joe-and so does my husband. I can handle my own issues, thank you."

Johnny didn't back down. "Yeah- we do," he countered. "And I'm glad at least now you're talking. Because my strong, sassy friend has been missing and I'm glad to see her back. Since when do you shut everyone out- especially your husband? Because I know if you're not talking to Frank, you're sure as hell not talking to me. And before you ask how I know that, I just DO. Because I know you and I love you and I want to help. And despite your own warped sense of reality, you come second to noone."

By now, tears were streaming from Callie's eyes."Stop," she said."Don't talk to me like that."

"Yes, I will talk to you like that. You know why, Cal? Because I CAN. You are the ONLY person who has ever been totally honest with me and the least I can do is return the favor. You're not some Stepford Wife who sits around and looks pretty and has no thoughts in your head. And I know- because I am surrounded by shallow people just like that every FREAKING day," he emphasized, "and I'm sick of it."

"This sounds like your issue more than mine," she refuted, still crying.

"Well, maybe it is," Johnny said calmly, though he had tears in his own eyes, and he stood up. "Callie, I have no one. May you never know what that's like. May you never know what it's like to come home and have no one to share your day with, no one who really wants to know how you are and how they can help. When my parents died in the accident in college, you- and Frank-were the only ones who got me through it. You helped me take care of everything when I had no idea what to do. Like you, I have no brothers or sisters. The difference is, I also had almost no one to rely on who didn't want something of me, even in college-until you came along. I have a lot of friends- yes- but I can't trust the new ones. YOU are my family, honey. And so is Frank, now. Through you, I met people who knew me before I was famous, and let me tell you- fame is a crazy thing. You don't know who is using you or who is genuine."

Callie stood slowly and faced him, heart aching. "I know, Johnny. I'm so sorry."

"It's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said evenly, meeting her eyes. "In the last two years, I signed a contract for the show- and know how much I make? $250,000 PER EPISODE. Plus residuals. It's obscene. I have contracts with Guess and Calvin Klein. Each one- 2.5 million. I don't even get to have fun shopping anymore. Know why? Because the irony is that when you don't have money and you need it, you can't get anything. But when you do have it, everyone gives you stuff for free. "Wear this", "wear that" that say. So I have all this money and literally nothing to do with it. I got a condo on the beach in Santa Monica and that damned surfboard I've wanted since college- that's it. So I made a decision. Stay here."

Callie watched, shocked, as he headed upstairs and she wiped back tears. She was physically and emotionally drained. Johnny was right; she hadn't been talking to anyone, and it was taking its toll on her. He was just the only person who had called her on it outright. She knew that Frank knew something was off, and that he hadn't brought it up to spare her. And now Johnny was unraveling, and that felt like her fault, too, as she was so wrapped up in her own insecurities and fears that she couldn't see what he was going through. She desperately wanted Frank, but he wasn't here. This was a mess.

Johnny came down the stairs and entered the room, a large envelope in his hand. "Sit down," he ushered her, gently, and took a moment to hand her a tissue and kiss the top of her head. "First, promise me this. If you won't talk to me, you'll talk to Frank. That's all I'm asking."

"Okay," she whispered. "I don't want to fight with you, John. I love you."

"I know," he sighed. "I don't want to fight with you, either." He handed her the envelope. "Don't even bother to open it. I'm giving you a gift."

"What?" she asked. "You already left about 10 gifts for the baby upstairs."

He smiled softly as she spoke. "Before you open them, know that I had one shirt personalized that says 'My Uncle Johnny loves me'. But feel free not to have the little guy or gal wear that one in front of his or her Uncle Joe."

Callie let out a small laugh. "That's probably a good idea. I also got two t-shirts already made for the baby, just so you know, that say "I love Uncle Johnny" and "I love Uncle Joe." Probably also a good idea to wear them separately."

"Cal," he said gently to her, "that envelope you're holding? Don't open it yet. Wait for Frank. You should probably see it together. Just know that you can't argue about it, and, unless I can adopt one day, that your kids are going to be the closest that I'll ever get to having kids and I will love them as my own. Kids are the most precious gifts ever-they'll always be someone to love you and remember you long after you're gone. So- no peeking and no arguing. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed as Johnny folded her into a tight hug.

"Come on," he said at last. "I act in a drama. I don't want or need any more drama in my real life! Let's set up for dinner before Vanessa gets here. We have a long night ahead of us. I wonder what'll happen to Detective Bryan Durant?" he teased. "I hope they let me live!"

With that lingering thought, he held Callie's hand as he lead her to the kitchen.

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"This is so damned frustrating!" Joe lamented, slamming his hand on the table.

"It is," Fenton agreed. "Even though we have every available resource at our fingertips, the scope is just too broad. It's almost as if we have to wait to see what the next move is, and whoever this is knows that we're waiting- and totally helpless to do anything about it." It was the end of another long day, and, once again, they had absolutely nothing to show for their efforts.

Frank was staring out the window, which Joe just noticed. "Earth to Frank! Any ideas over there, bro? I can practically see the smoke coming from the wheels turning in your head."

Frank looked up and shrugged. "I have nothing," he said at last. "I just don't know who "BD" and "AC" are, and I've been thinking about that. I think that maybe, instead of us all hanging out here and waiting, one of us should go back to Bayport and speak with Collig or revisit the specifics behind the Bayport Times classified system. Obviously, Bayport has something to do with this. I just don't know what- no murder was committed there. But it is…" he hesitated, thinking.

"It's woody," Joe finished. "Is that where you were going?"

"Yeah," Frank affirmed. "Although there are thousands of other places that are also woody. But the "BD" maybe means "Bayport" something? I don't know. It's a stretch."

"Maybe," Fenton said thoughtfully. "It's as good a guess as anything. Why don't you go?" Fenton continued, looking at Frank. "It's your idea, and I know you probably want to check on Callie. If nothing else happens, leave tomorrow. Joe and I will stay here until we get a lead. There's no sense at all in the three of us even attempting to narrow down 100- 200 towns and names. The FBI unit is on it already. I hate this waiting; it's the worst part of the job."

"Let's get dinner," Joe finally suggested. "Then we can watch the season finale of Criminal Hunters- it's on at 9:00. It's always kind of cool to see Johnny on tv."

"Sounds like a plan," Frank agreed.

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"What?!" Vanessa cried out at 11:00 p.m. "Oh my God! They can't leave it there!" she yelled at the screen.

Callie clutched at her necklace, eyes wide. "Wow," she said at last, finally releasing her breath.

Johnny was equally stunned. "On a bright note… I'm still alive. At least temporarily!"

"Johnny!" Vanessa lamented. "I can't believe this. The season can't end like that! You're captured, along with your best friend and the detective's wife? And she's pregnant?! I can't even handle that!"

"I'm more concerned that I'm in the hands of a serial killer who wants to get revenge on me just because I'm good at my job. Damned police," Johnny added with a smile. "Why can't they ever keep the bad guys in jail?"

Vanessa started to bite her nails, and Callie swatted her hand away. "Stop. It's a show! And look- Johnny's okay- he's right here."

"I hate that freaking guy. Anthony Charles?! He's evil," Vanessa said with a shudder.

Johnny started laughing. "Actually," he said,"his name is Justin Cormeir, and he's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet."

Vanessa wouldn't be swayed. "Well, who has the time to kill people in alphabetical order?! And why did it take your best friend so long to figure it out? And why are you trapped with the women now? I can't wait for next season!" Vanessa lamented.

"Me, either," Johnny says."I could see this going many different ways, and one of which is that I die, so I'm written out of my contract. Hmmm. Well, that probably won't happen- I just signed on for another two years. I'm kind of excited to go in tomorrow now and see what I'm doing!"

"I don't want you to die!" Vanessa pouted.

Johnny laughed and got up to stretch. He reached into his pocket for his phone, which was now buzzing. His face lit up. "That's my agent," he told them after a few minutes, having returned to the room he had left when he picked up. "Social media is going nuts. It looks like great buzz- the show just hit #1 in the ratings tonight!"

"I'm so happy for you!" Callie said, and stood on tiptoe next to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, I'm not!" Vanessa went on. "I'm emotionally invested in this. What could happen?"

Johnny squeezed Vanessa's shoulder. "Let's see," he said. "We could all die, but that seems unlikely. We might all escape- that's a distinct possibility. Maybe one or two of the girls will die, which I hope doesn't happen- they're nice people in real life. Maybe I'll rescue everyone or I'll get rescued by my buddy. Those are pretty much your choices."

"But you're trapped in that awful motel- The Woods. Even the name creeps me out," Vanessa sighed unhappily.

"Blame the writers," Johnny said with a wink. He looked at Callie. "You looked exhausted, sweetheart. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I'm glad you have a five bedroom house now. Van and I will go to bed soon and we'll wake you up early for the city. Night!" He gave her a playful push towards the stairs.

Callie smiled and yawned. "Night, guys," she said, pausing for a quick moment to give them both hugs. "See you tomorrow!"

As soon as she left the room, Vanessa grabbed Johnny's arm. "Can we go through the show again and you tell me the clues I missed?!" she begged.

Johnny rolled his eyes but chuckled anyway. He plopped on the couch. "Go ahead, Van," he said, watching as she happily chatted away, relieved and excited that the show was so engaging.

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Joe felt the color drain from his face as he finished viewing the end of the show. What the hell had he just watched?

Despite their assurances that they'd be up to watch the show, both Frank and his father had turned in early.

"Alphabetical killings? The Woods? Escaped killers and revenge?" he mutterered. "It couldn't be…" he thought.

But the feeling in his gut told him otherwise. Something was going on here. Tomorrow night, he would get back to Bayport and talk to Johnny. There was no way the girls knew about the case he was working on now. The idea of alphabetical murders wasn't totally unique, he knew. It could all be a weird coincidence.

Then again, he didn't believe in coincidences. He never had.