"Oh....hey Brian," she said, obviously surprised to see him standing there.
"Hey...is Kate here?"
Casey looked back into the house and then back to him. "Well...she's here but...I don't think you should be here right now.
"Please Case....I just want to talk to her."
Casey looked into the house again. "Well...I guess. She's in her room. Up the stairs, to the left and first on the right." Brian nodded and started to walk past her but she grabbed his sleeve. He looked at her. "Brian don't do anything....just...use your head okay?"
He nodded, then leapt up the stairs two at a time. Her door was locked and he heard music coming from behind it. He recognized it. It was their CD, Millennium. He knocked softly.
"Come in, Case," she said, and he started to open the door but then stopped. "Case?"
"It's not Casey..." Brian said.
"There was a few minutes of slience and then Kate opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
"I know why you dumped me."
"I know she'd tell you. Case has the biggest mouth."
"It wasn't Casey."
"Sara? Sara told you?"
"After much persuading. Kate...I can't stop thinking about you. I ju - "
"You cared about me after I did that to you?"
Brian looked at Kate and she smiled. She then opened the door wider and he slid in. She shut and locked it behind him. He took a seat on the bed, and she sat on the floor next the the stereo.
"So you like our stuff?" He asked her, picking up the empty CD case from her bed.
"It was a way for you to be here even when I knew.....well thought...that I'd never see you again."
"What's your favorite track?"
"That's a tough one...probably 'Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely'. It's how I was feeling when you you weren't here."
"Funny. That's how I felt, too." He motioned for her to sit on the bed with him, and she did. "You know Sara showed me the note."
"What note?"
"See you Monday, signed Michael."
Kate looked away. "How did she get that?"
"I don't know. Kate, what are you doing Monday? Have you started a relationship with this man?"
Kate laughed. "That's the last thing I'd ever do." She suddenly got serious. "I'm going to him and he'll probably beat me or rape me."
Brian sat up a little taller. "Why would you ever do that?"
Kate brought her hands to her face. "He said he'd kill you. And I'd rather have him beat me a million times than have him hurt you."
Brian looked deep into her eyes. "You'd do that for....me?"
"I'd do it a million times over for you."
He raised a hand to her cheek and kissed her. She didn't stop him. After a minute he pulled away and she was crying. "Oh please don't cry," he whispered. He put his arm around her and brought her closer to him. "I'll never leave you alone again. He'll never touch you again. And if he does.... oh God Kate I love you so much."
She pulled her head up. "You love...me?"
He nodded. "More than anything."
"No one's ever told me that before."
"I'll tell you as much as you'll let me. I love you, Kate."
"And I love you, Brian." She kissed him again, and he pulled her closer to him as the CD played on.
It was late when Sara finally came home. Casey let her in and the two sat down for a cup of coffee in the living room. Well, Sara had coffee, but Casey stuck to water.
"Coffee stunts your growth," Casey explained. "Besides...why are you drinking coffee so late at night?"
"I can't sleep anyway...I have a lot on my mind. So it doesn't really make any difference." Sara took another sip.
"You know Brian came over."
"I knew."
"How?"
"We talked for a while on the beach, and I told him to go and see Kate."
"Well I guess you did."
"What do you mean?"
"He's still here."
Sara almost spit her coffee out. She swallowed quickly and turned to Casey. "Kate...our Kate? Did they....ya know...?"
"I think we're old enough to say the word, Sar. And I don't know if they did." Casey took a sip of her water. Then they heard footsteps down the stairs. They both turned to see Kate enter the living room.
"Hey Kate...." Sara said cautiously, as Kate sat down in the love seat. Sara and Casey stared at her, until she caught on and laughed.
"We didn't do anything, guys. He's too sweet....he knows all I'm going through so he stopped before anything happened."
Casey crossed her arms after placing her water down. "Why does she always get the good ones? It's not like she's pretty or anything."
"Gee thanks."
Brian chose that moment to appear at the bottom of the stairs. "You're right...she isn't pretty. She's beautiful." He crossed over to her, and she made room for him on the love seat. He kissed her on the cheek.
"See what I mean?" Casey said grumpily.
Kate smiled and leaned against Brian and closed her eyes. "So Sara...how's Howie doing?" Brian asked, suddenly bursting into laughter. He placed his arm around Kate.
Sara blushed a deep crimson, and Casey sat up. "What about Howie?" She asked Sara.
"I well...ya see...well actually..." Sara stuttered.
"She and Howie have a bit of a thing going on," Brian finished for her.
Casey gasped. "You and Howie? I never would have guessed."
Sara was about to answer her when a rock came crashing through the window. Casey dived behind the couch, Kate jumped up and screamed and Sara spilled her coffee all over herself.
"AHHHHHH!!" Sara yelled, jumping up and brushing herself off.
Brian walked over to the stone and picked it up. There was a piece of paper taped to it. He peeled it off and unfolded it.
Hi Brian, I can see you.
Brian threw the note back to the floor and ran for the door.
"Brian wait! Please don't go out there!!" Kate ran to him and grabbed his arm, but he shook her off and turned to her.
"Dial 555 - 0222. It's my bodyguard, Jimmy. Tell him what happened and he'll be over in five minutes." He ran outside and Kate backed against the wall and slid down it to a sitting position. Casey ran over to the phone and dialed the number. Kate couldn't here what she was saying because she was crying too loud.
When Casey hung up the phone she ran over to Kate and pulled her away from the door. The two knelt together in the hall, waiting for Brian to come back. Sara came back from the bathroom, where she had dowsed herself with cold water. She stayed standing, but held Kate's hand.
They waited.
When Brian hadn't come back in a few minutes, Kate started to get really worried. She pushed her face into her hands and cryed violently, fighting urges to throw up. Casey tried to comfort her, but she was nervous too, and she and Sara exchanged a look.
Just when Kate was ready to call 911, Brian burst in the door. Kate leapt up and flung herself in his arms. He turned to Sara.
"I circled the house twice...I didn't see anyone. Kate...did you call Jimmy?" He asked.
"I did," Casey answered, and he nodded.
"He'll be here soon," Brian said, and as if on cue, a big man burst through the door. Brian forced Kate out of his arms to Sara while he explained what had just happened.
"I'll do a perimeter check, then we'll bring all of you back to the house. I've already called the police," Jimmy said. He ran out the door.
Brian walked over to Kate again, and the two sat down on the couch together.
"Kate...we're gonna go to my place for a while, okay?"
Kate nodded.
"And nothing is going to happen to you. You're going to be with me." Kate nodded again, and Brian hugged her. He looked down to the floor and saw the piece of paper.
Hi Brian, I can see you.
Brian looked out the window, and wondered if he really could.
