Part 517
"Becca? Becca, where are you?"
Becca slowly sat up, picking the bits of muddy earth from her gown. She looked around in confusion, hearing muffled voices coming from every which way. "I can’t do this," she sobbed. "I can’t run anymore, I can’t hide …I just can’t." Dropping her face into her hands she wept bitter tears, tears for the hopelessness that held her captive.
"I can help."
The soothing voice came from right above her.
"Take my hand," it said gently, and as she lifted her face, she saw a hand stretched out to her from beyond the mist.
"Nick?" she asked, daring to wish it so.
"Come," the voice said. "Take my hand, Becca."
"Oh Nick, you found me!" she cried out, taking the warm fingers in her own and pulling herself to her feet.
"Come, Becca, it’s time to go."
"Nick? Where are we going? Are we going home? Nick, where’s our baby?"
A breeze stirred the leaves on the trees and the fog began to clear. The strong hand led her toward the light, and she began to resist. As she stopped, the figure turned to her and smiled serenely.
"Andrew!" Becca began to struggle, to no avail. "Andrew, no, let me go!"
"Come with me, I’ll take you to him," he said soothingly.
"No! Andrew, no, let me go!"
"Come with me," he insisted.
Becca screamed, but no sound came forth. She resisted, but the figure that towered over her pulled her along behind him, uncaring that her gown was torn and tattered and her feet muddy and bleeding.
"I told you Becca, I told you I’d take you to him." Andrew smiled and pushed Becca through the trees into a clearing. "She’s home!" he said brightly as Becca stumbled forward into the arms of-
"LOU!"
Becca bolted upright in her bed, the sheets twisted damply around her thighs. The images from her nightmare still held her in their grip, and in a panic she looked for Nick and Garrett. The bedroom was empty and she tried to call out, but couldn’t seem to make a sound. Struggling to free herself from the tangled sheets, she all but fell onto the floor in her haste to escape.
"Nick, it’s not that we’re trying to make things difficult for Becca," Kevin said. "It’s just that-"
"Nick?" the bedroom door burst open and Becca stumbled through it, her face pale and her eyes wide.
"Becca?" Sarah was on her feet and moving toward her as Nick turned and caught her.
"Baby, what’s wrong?" Nick was scared shitless. The last time he’d seen Becca like this was that night in Toronto, on September 11th.
"I … I … couldn’t find you," she stuttered tearfully.
"Bec, I’m sorry, baby. We didn’t want to wake you so I brought GT out here."
Becca shook her head. "No, Nick, it was … it was a dream." She was shaking now, and even Kevin was getting worried.
"Bec, it’s okay," Nick said softly, trying his best to wipe away whatever it was that she was remembering.
"I couldn’t find you, but then you were there … only it wasn’t you. It was," she shivered violently, "it was Andrew. He took my hand and said … he said he’d take me to you, but he didn’t. He took … he t-took me to … to Lou!"
Nick couldn’t get close enough to her, he couldn’t hold her tight enough to take away the terrors that had held her captive. All he could do was look past her and cast a scathing look at Howie, Kevin and Sarah. "See?" he said accusingly. "NOW do you see what I mean? I will NOT put her through this and make her face him again."
"Face who?" Becca asked, lifting her tired, tear-streaked face to look up at Nick. "What’s going on?"
"Bec, we’re meeting with the attorneys later this morning…"
"I know that, Nick. What did you mean? Face ‘who’ again?"
"Lou."
"Nick?" Becca looked back at the others, and then up at him again, the sheer terror of her nightmare still a very real presence.
"No, Bec," Sarah said quickly. "It’s just the guys that are meeting with Lou." Sarah looked over at Howie and Kevin, visually daring them to contradict her. "You and I can do our sound checks while they lower the boom on the old guy."
"Sarah-" Howie began, but was cut off.
"D, there’s really no need for me to be there, or for Becca to be there. You all and the attorneys can handle it. Lou will know you mean business."
Howie sighed, knowing that Sarah was letting this all go for Becca’s sake. Once again, she was sacrificing her own needs and putting those of her friend first. He couldn’t say that he agreed with it, but he had to respect her decision. Becca had been a lot better, and this obviously wasn’t the normal run of the mill crisis. Besides, they needed Nick there and no one wanted Becca to have to be alone if they could help it.
"I think that’s a good idea," Kevin agreed, his eyes telling Sarah and Howie that everything would be all right. "There’s no need to have Becca there, or Sarah. It would only cause more tension and give Pearlman more ammunition."
Becca had wilted against Nick, and looked utterly exhausted.
Sarah watched them and asked Nick, "Did she sleep last night?"
"Not much. Bec, come on back to bed baby. You’ve got a big night ahead of you." He rubbed her back, knowing that her nerves about performing with him tonight would only be compounded by her lack of sleep.
"Come with me?" she asked in a small voice.
"Sure, baby. Go on. I’ll bring GT in, too. We can have a family snuggle." He smiled as she began to relax, and pushed her toward the bedroom.
After Becca left the room, Sarah handed the baby back to Nick. "Nicky, what else is going on?"
Nick sighed. "How do you do that?"
"Sister vibes. What’s wrong?"
"Last night … Sarah, I just feel really bad."
"About what?"
Nick looked over her head at Kevin and Howie and dropped his voice. This really wasn’t something he wanted to share with anyone else. "Bec wanted to … she wanted to make love last night and I turned her down," he said softly, dropping his gaze.
"Nick, it’s too soon."
"Nah, not that soon, but Sarah … it was for the wrong reasons. I know she was hurting because of all the Andrew stuff that had been stirred up and … Well, I just want it to be perfect when we finally get to be together again."
"It will be Nick." Sarah reached up to brush his hair way from his eyes and smiled in understanding. "You’ll be in New York and-" She stopped abruptly when she saw Nick wince. "What?"
"Bec has this whole scenario planned out in her mind, Sarah. She wants to go back out on the boat and …" he sighed as his voice trailed away.
"Oh no. Nick, she doesn’t realize that we won’t be back home yet?"
"I started to tell her, I really did, but she has her heart set on this. What am I gonna do? I can’t tell her now."
"No, not today, but you’ll think of something Nick. Wherever you are, you just have to make it extra special and a night she’ll always remember."
"Yeah, I know. I guess we just need to get through today first."
"Go hold Becca, Nick. You look like you could use some sleep too."
"Nah, I’m fine. I’m just gonna hang with her till she falls asleep again." Nick pulled her close with one arm and kissed her forehead. "Thanks sis."
"Any time, blondie," she grinned. "I do love you, you know."
Nick grinned back. "Yeah, I do know, but I promise not to tell." Adjusting Garrett on his shoulder, he went to join Becca.