Howie looked helpless to Sarah as she watched him shift uncomfortably on the log he was sitting on. She was as surprised as he was that Kristina came right out and said that she knew what he was up to. This definitely wasn’t the Kristina that she had grown up with. Again, how could she be after all that had happened? It wasn’t that Sarah didn’t like her friend’s new attitude, it was more that she was surprised by it at times.

"Maybe we should leave these two alone" Sarah said as she attempted to stand from the position she had been sitting in for the last hour.

"NO! I think you and Alex need to be here to hear what I have to say," Kristina said abruptly.

Turning where she could face Howie when necessary and yet still address Sarah and AJ, Kristina spoke softly, caressing Howie’s leg. "I know what you are trying to do and I appreciate it. But, last night when I was out walking on the beach, I thought long and hard about our situation."

Taking her hand in his, Howie asked, "What about it?"

"I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to shout from the mountaintop that I love you and that I’m going to be your wife. Stephen has taken too much away from us and it’s time WE stop him."

"Umm, I’m sorry to but in here, but how do you suppose that we do that?" Sarah asked.

"I think we should go public with all that has happened. Call MTV, a reputable magazine that will tell the truth or something like that. The police haven’t been able to do anything for me and maybe if we make our story known, they can circulate his picture and it will be harder for him to hide from the authorities."

"I don’t know, princess. That seems awful risky to me."

"It IS risky, ‘D’. But what choice do we really have? I can’t be your wife and hide inside the house all of the time looking over my shoulder. I want us to go places, experience LIFE together as a couple. Right now, we can’t even do that!"

"There’s got to be another way," AJ said, looking to Howie and shaking his head.

"I think she’s right" Sarah said as she stared directly into Howie’s eyes. "It’s time to stop running. ALL of us need to move on with our lives. He’s taken too much from each of us and it’s time to put a stop to it."

Kristina smiled at Sarah, thanking her silently.

"But, I have one condition" Sarah added.

"What’s that?"

"That you dedicate some time to my parents and explain how they raised good kids and have disowned Stephen for what he has done to you and our family. I think they've suffered enough over all of this too and maybe if the public sees that YOU support them, then maybe just maybe they won’t be frowned upon any longer."

Kristina moved to Sarah’s side and hugged her friend tightly. "You got it. I don’t want them to feel ashamed any longer. It wasn’t their fault."

Howie had stood up by this time and was staring blindly at the sand below, digging his toes in and out of the grainy soil. Kristina moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and staring defiantly into his eyes. "I need you to be behind me on this, ‘D’. We can only get through this if we are in agreement on this decision."

"It’s risky, Kris. I’m not sure I’m ready to put you in that kind of danger and risk losing you again."

"Listen to me, baby. I’m already in danger. You are in danger, my family AND yours is in danger just by us being together again. Not to mention Sarah and Alex. We have NOTHING to lose at this point; however, we have everything to gain. WE have the upper hand right now and I believe in my heart that we should take full advantage of the situation and surprise him."

AJ stood up as well, pulling Sarah to her feet, holding her hand. "I’m in agreement with Kris and Sarah on this one, ‘D’. I think she’s right. First off, he’s gonna be surprised as hell that she’s still alive and if he finds out when the rest of the world does, he can’t do much about it. His face will be all over the television, every police station in the country will know about him as well as our fans. You know they would turn him in if they thought it meant saving one of us."

Kristina murmured a silent ‘thank you’ to AJ as she turned back to face Howie, staring deeply into his soft dark eyes. "So, I guess the question now would be, are you ready to go public with our relationship?"

He hesitated, only briefly, before speaking softly. "I’ve NEVER had a problem with the world knowing how I feel about you Kristina. I love you and I don’t care who knows it. And maybe you are right about bringing it all out in the open, I just want one thing made clear if we decide to do this."

"What’s that?"

"You WILL have a bodyguard with you at ALL times. If you go to the gym, he goes, when you go to the club for rehearsals, he goes. Understood?"

"Yes sir" she said saluting him and laughing.

He smiled but spoke sternly nevertheless. "I’m serious, Kris. No funny business. If I find out that you slipped off and ditched your bodyguard, the wedding is off!"

"OUCH!" AJ exclaimed from behind. "That’s gotta hurt."

"Bite me, Bone!" Kris laughed, wrapping her arms around Howie’s waist lovingly.

Sarah smiled and said, "Nope, sorry! He’s forbidden to bite anyone but ME!"

Kristina rolled her eyes as Sarah and AJ kissed. Turning to Howie, she whispered, "I’ll do whatever you want, ‘D’. I promise."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead softly, pulling her closer to his chest and caressing her back. "I just don’t want to lose you again. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you!"

Sighing contentedly in his arms, she whispered, "You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going to let anything get in between us this time. I promise!"

Chapter 77       Index