"Arg, nothing to do!" Bridget whined as the final days of summer rapidly melted away like an ice pop in the swealtering heat. She plopped restlessly on the sofa, glancing around at her silent home.

"You can do the laundry, clean the bathroom, mop the floor and the one million other things I have to do before work," Carmen suggested as she hustled through room and room alike.

"Maybe I'll watch TV with Jared," Bridget laughed as she walked to Jared, picking the big boy from his playpen and switching on Disney. "Look, Jared, it's 'Boy Meets World'." Jared gurgled as if he understood what Bridget said.

"Is that the show with Shawn on it?" Carmen piped in, carrying a laundry basket into the living room.

"Yeah," Bridget informed her, resting Jared on her lap as she tied up her short hair.

"Oh," Carmen swooned as she picked up Jared's baby blanket from the abyss of his playpen, "If I only was a few years younger..."

"Like 20," Bridget told her with a sly grin.

"Smart-ass," Carmen joked with a smile as she continued on her schedual.

About half way through the episode, the door was being beaten by the hand of a strong individual. "Coming," Bridget shouted, placing Jared back into the cage and jogging to the door. Opening the door was about the longest 2 seconds of Bridget's life, and the most life threatening. Standing before her was Bryant, looking fresh as a daisy. His eyes were glazed with senority as he stared her down.

Bridget couldn't think, couldn't move. Second became minuetes as Bryant engulfed her in his arms tenderly while entered the house. "How are ya, Ridgey?" He asked.

She stood there dumfounded. "OK," she finally squeaked.

"I've been in Texas with my uncle. I needed to clear my head. I think we need to discuss some things," Bryant prompted her, his cold eyes forcing hers to shy away.

"Nothing is going to be discussed," she strongly replied, cautiously shuffling to Jared's playpen.

"Honey," Carmen called from the bathroom, "Who's at the door?" Carmen tiredly strolled in to see a big man hovering over Bridget. "What..."

Bryant, in a state of uncertainty, clutched Bridget's neck in his right arm and pulled out a .22 mm gun from the depths of his jeans. He rammed it into the left side of Bridget's cranium. Bridget gasped and froze up again in terror. "Hey, Mrs. Kepler," Bryant greeted, a sadistic smile returning to his babyfied face. With Bridget struggling under his arm, he shook her straight and continued with, "I don't think we've formerally met. I'm Bryant..."

"I know...who you are," Carmen replied stunned, letting the laundry basket slip from her grasp as it plummeted to the floor. "Please, let her go..."

"No," Bryant bellowed, chain-reacting Bridget's waterworks to flow from her eyes. "We're going to go for a little ride. YOU...are going to come here..." Carmen didn't move a muscle. "NOW!" he yelled, tightening his grip on Bridget's fragile neck.

"OK, OK!" Carmen yelled back in despiration. She walked up to this cold-blooded beast.

"Sit next to the baby," he instructed, pointing the gun at an innocent Jared.

"NO!" Bridget screeched, reaching for the gun. Bryant smiled as Carmen squatted next to Jared's playpen. "Now...Bridget and I are going to go for a ride. You are going to SIT there..." The phone started to blare through the apartment. Bridget started to bawl louder, but was silenced with the pressure of Bryant's arm. He listened to the phone message intensively the machine kicked on.

"Hey Bridget, it's Frankie," Frankie's voice filled the room with a glimmer of hope. "I guess you're out. You left your baby blue shirt at the house this weekend...I know it's your fav. I'll come over and drop it on your porch now cause I have to talk to Sasha. I'll see you soon...I love you." *Click*

Instead of Bryant's usual volcanic responses in the heat of jealousy, he just smiled. "I think we should go now," Bryant suggested, pulling Bridget out of the room.

"Mom," Bridget whispered. Her face was beginning to turn an eerie red as Bryant threw her into the front seat of a rented light blue Ford Accord.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down and keep shut," Bryant threatened her as Carmen bolted out of the door as fast as the shock wore off. Too late, Bryant was already half way down the road with Bridget's hope of a normal life.