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Date Posted: 19:48:20 03/05/01 Mon
Author: Andrea E.
Subject: Repost: Another Second Chance--Parts 8-13 (Continued)
In reply to: Andrea E 's message, "Repost: Another Second Chance--Parts 8-13" on 19:47:12 03/05/01 Mon



Mike flopped down in his desk chair the next morning, exhausted but happy. He and Carrie had kept each other
awake a better part of the night, and their goodbye kiss that morning had taken the better part of an hour. Mike
grinned, reaching for the stack of mail at the corner of his desk. He slid open his desk drawer, reaching in for his letter
opener. We're acting just like newlyweds. His smile grew as his eyes fell on the little black box nestled in a corner of
the drawer. Carrie would be coming in after she ran a few errands. He quickly shook the thought of proposing now
out of his head. She deserves better than that, he reprimanded himself. His smile returned. But there's nothing that
says I can't do it tonight. He continued to thumb happily through the envelopes, making special plans for that
evening in his head as he went, almost flipping right past the plain white envelope towards the bottom of the stack.

Mike's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he plucked it from the pile, tossing the rest of the mail onto his desk. He
flipped it over, becoming even more confused when he found no address or name. He slit it open, pulling out a folded
white sheet of paper. He laid the envelope and the opener down,unfolding the page---then felt his heart still in his
chest.

LeAVe TowN oR Pay ThE pRIcE

The garish letters, cut from a magazine and pasted onto the page were uneven, but their meaning was very clear. Mike
stared at the paper in shock. "This has got to be some sort of sick joke," he thought aloud. But if it isn't...

His head jerked up as a slightly disheveled, wind-blown Carrie walked in. Mike instantly jumped out of his chair,
crossing in front of the desk. "Good grief, talk about crazy drivers. I swear, this town is full of 'em. I almost got
schmucked by some lunatic when I was crossing the street out in front of the hospital." She dusted a smudge of dirt
off her jacket sleeve. "They should limit who they give out a driver's license to these days."

"My God..." Mike mumbled under his breath. He yanked Carrie into his arms, holding her tightly. "Are you okay? Are
you sure you're all right?"

Carrie's smile faded, a look of confusion in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine." She pulled back from his embrace, concern
etched on her features at the troubled, almost frightened look on his face. "Mike, what is it? You look worried. Are
you okay?"

Mike nodded, flashing her uneasy smile before he pulled her into his arms again. "You're okay, and I'm not going to
let anything bad happen to you. You're safe. That's all that matters." He stroked a hand over her hair, nearly crushing
her into his arms, pressing his cheek against her hair. "That's all that matters."


End Part 11

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another Second Chance- Part 12

Mike stared down at the latest of the "anonymous" letters he'd recieved. After he'd recieved the first one, Mike had
almost feared the thought of looking through his mail for the next few days. He'd foolishly let himself believe it was just
a hoax when over a week had gone by without the appearance of another letter. He had let himself go on as if things
were normal, acting as though nothing was out of place, everything as it should be. Then that day, the next bomb had
hit.

i'M sTiLL WaTchInG YOu

After that, the letters had started appearing on a random, but continuous basis. Each one left Mike more unsettled,
angry and frightened for Carrie than the next, and had him waking up each night in a cold sweat to find Carrie sleeping
peacefully beside him, and each night he had pulled her close and held her more desperately than the one before.

That was before he had moved out. Now he woke up clutching only the pillow next to him--and felt the threatening
images of his nightmares take on the frightening nemesis of reality. He had slowly pulled away, in some small hope that
it would be enough to make the letters stop. But it hadn't.

Mike let the old letter drop back into the drawer, his eyes falling once again on the newest of his "deliveries"--and felt
his blood run cold.

yOU CAn't pROtEcT HeR

His jaw tightened, and he threw the letter in amongst the others, shoving the drawer shut with a slam. He leaned his
elbows on his desk, steepling his fingers in thought. The letter before this one had given explicit instructions, when and
where, for Mike to end everything. Mike's jaw set with a sudden determination. He had to it---now.

Mike snatched up his phone and quickly punched in her number. "You and I need to talk."

***********************

Mike slowly paced the length of the park bench, stopping short in mid-pace as he spotted Carrie. Her shoulders were
visibly tensed, her expression unreadable as she came towards him. Her steps slowed as she came to a stop in front
of him. "Why couldn't we have just talked at the office? Why here?"

Mike paused a moment before answering. "Because...I didn't want us to be interrupted, and I needed you to hear me
out."

Mike turned his back to her, and Carrie watched in confusion. "Mike, I know something's not been right for these
past few weeks." She touched a hand to his back, and felt him tense. "But whatever it is, you can tell me. You know
that, don't you?" She turned him to face her and took his face in her hands. "Whatever this--thing-- is that is making
you pull away from me, we can get through it together..."

Carrie stopped short as Mike's hands encircled her wrists, pulling her hands away from his face, and he quickly
looked away. "No, we can't."

Carrie shook her head slowly. "I don't..I don't understand...."

"I'm leaving town." Mike quickly turned away, unable to look at her, knowing he couldn't bear to see the pain in her
eyes and not yank her into his arms.

Carrie's mouth dropped open as she stared at his back. Tears of utter disbelief clouded over her vision, everything
seeming to spin in a dizzying whirl around her as she struggled to find her voice. "Why?"

Mike's eyes squeezed shut in desperation, his hands fisting in his pockets as he fought to speak his next words. "I
realized I can't..."

"No," Carrie choked out, cutting him off, the tears falling unheeded down her cheeks. "You told me...you swore to
me you would never leave me again." She moved in front of him, forcing him to look at her. Mike's heart constricted
at the touch of her hands on his face. "Please, Mike...don't...."

Mike clenched his jaw at the sharp pang in his heart. "I have to go, " he whispered unsteadily, swallowing hard against
the tears of his own constricting his throat. "Goodbye, Carrie." He tore his hand free from her grasp, turning to go. He
kept walking, not allowing himself to look back. The numbness in him slowly faded, leaving only a sickening, empty,
dull ache in its wake.

**********

"Are you sure you want to stay out here all by yourself, Miss? This storm doesn't look liek it's gonna let up any time
soon." Carrie followed the man's gaze to the dark clouds looming above the ferry. "The electricity in the cabins can
really go haywire with weather like this."

Carrie took a deep breath, inhaling the freshness of the rain-soaked air. She could make out the dark silhouette of the
Horton cabin roof just beyond the trees. "I'm sure. I'll be fine, really, " she reassured him. "I just need some time to
myself."

The man nodded and offered a hand to help her off. Carrie pulled up the hood of her rain coat and hopped onto the
dock, watching the ferry until it disappeared over the water. She turned and head for the pathway leading to the
cabin.

**********

The storm had quickly picked up, sending a torrid downpour over the entire island. A low rumble of thunder sounded
in the distance, as though warning the people below the full brunt of the storm was still on its way.

A tall figure stood on the front porch of the darkened cabin. He moved away from the shelter of the porch, seemingly
uncaring as the rain soaked him instantly from head to foot. He reached up, raking his wet blond hair from his eyes,
letting out an impatient breath. The rustling of the trees behind him caught his attention, and his head whipped around.

Carrie pulled back the branches, her eyes darting around her, searching. Their eyes found each other at the same
moment, their gazes locked as they stared at each other for a long moment. A slow smile curved her lips as Carrie ran
from the trees into his arms. They melded against each other, a flash of lightening sending a seemingly solitary shadow
over the ground. Their lips somehow found each other, and they pulled each other tighter still, matching each other
touch for touch, kiss for kiss. Carrie's hands clutched fistfuls of his wet shirt against his back as he swept her up in his
arms and carried her inside.

~End Part 12

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another Second Chance~Part 13

The storm had subsided. A faint ray of moonlight weaved its way in from the cabin window, their wet clothes laying in
a hastily discarded heap in front of the unlit fireplace. Carrie shivered, instinctively moving closer against Mike, and his
arms tightened around her in response. Her fingertips brushed over his chin, then down his neck as she nestled into his
side, closer still.

Mike stroked a hand over her hair, gently sweeping it back from her face and touching his lips to her forehead.
Carrie's eyes drifted shut, her deep sigh skittering over Mike's chest. They settled into silence in the darkness, neither
sure of the right words to say. They both felt the uneasy tension slowly creep in, permeating the air and hanging heavy
over both of them. Mike could hear Carrie hesitate for a moment, her fingers splaying out over his shoulder before she
spoke. "Do you think they were watching us in the park?"

A long pause held in the air before Mike answered. "I don't know."

A wane smile flickered across her lips. "Well, if they did see us put on that scene, they probably believed it." She
laughed weakly. "Heck, if I didn't know better, I probably would've believed it myself."

Mike felt a chill run through him at the thought. Had they been watching? He had no idea. So often he'd wondered
that before. He'd become all together too accustomed to monitoring his life for an unseen and unwanted audience, and
that realization made him hate this situation he'd dragged them both into even more.

Carrie rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, listening to the gentle thud of his
heart against her ear. She traced her fingers over his ribcage, staring thoughtfully into the darkness of the room. She
lifted her head, questioning, unhesitant green eyes going to his. "Do you regret telling me about the letters?"

Mike looked away and shook his head, opening his mouth to automatically answer. His eyes returned to Carrie's, and
Mike stopped, staring straight into her eyes for a long, silent moment. "No," he answered simply. Carrie's eyebrows
raised in slight surprise, and Mike grinned lightly. "That's not to say I didn't consider it, mind you." His face went
serious. "But when that third letter arrived, I knew that you not knowing would put you in more danger than if you did
know. By not knowing, you would've been walking around without having any idea of what this guy is capable of.
This way, you at least have some idea of what we're up against."

Carrie readjusted, rolling onto her stomach, letting her eyes adjust to find his in the darkness. "Mike, I didn't want to
admit this before, but...that whole scene we created in the park...the letters...all of it..." She shook her head. "I didn't
want to let it, but....the whole thing...the thought of someone watching our every move..."

He hugged her close. "I know," he whispered. "It scares me, too." Mike stroked the backs of his fingers over her
cheek, his features going stony under her fingertips, the imprint of that final delivery searing deeper into his memory...

yOu CAn't pRoTECt hER....

Mike's heartbeat began an unsteady rythm under her fingers. "Hey..." She touched a hand to his cheek. "You're
thinking about that last letter they sent you, aren't you?" He inhaled sharply, his jaw clenching tightly in response. His
gaze dropped away from hers, staring into the darkness of the room in a stony silence. "Hey...look at me..." She
cupped his jaw, gently urging his gaze to hers. "You don't have to be a tough guy for me, remember?" A soft smile
curved her lips. "I'm a pretty tough little cookie myself, Doctor, and you and I can handle anything they wanna throw
at us." Mike saw her smile widen triumphantly as she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. She sighed and slid her
arms around his neck. "Yep, we're one heck of a team, you and me, handsome... a regular Bonnie and Clyde, Butch
and Sundance..."

"Lucy and Ethel..." Mike finished with a grin, capturing Carrie's laughter against his lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. He
pulled back, cradling her face in his hands, carressing his thumbs over her cheeks. His smile slowly faded, the laughter
in his eyes becoming a determined glitter as they met hers. "I won't let them do this. We won't. I'm not going to lose
you."

Carrie stared straight into his eyes. "No, you're not," she said simply. "And I'm not losing you, either. Not now, not
ever."

Mike's eyes softened as he reached for her, enveloping her in his arms and bringing her mouth to his. Carrie sighed,
sliding her arms around him as the kiss slowly began to build, and they clutched each other closer. Carrie tore her
mouth away from his, resting her forehead against his until her breathing had slowed. "It's going to be light soon. We
should probably be leav..."

Mike interrupted her, bringing a hand to her lips, silently replacing it with the touch of his mouth against her own. His
hands sunk deep into her hair, his gentle, tender touch matching with the warm passionate demands of his mouth
locked with hers, her skin heating under his touch. "We have a few more hours before the sun comes up..." His breath
warmed circles against her throat, her lips parting with a silent moan as his mouth found hers again. "Stay with
me...just a little while longer..."

Carrie's arms slipped around his back, cradling him against her as he rocked her gently in his arms. Her breath caught
as his fingertips grazed in a slow descent down her spine. Mike kissed her again, deeper, turning her in his arms and
pulling her against him. Carrie moaned softly, feeling herself slowly begin to sink into the forgetful warmth of his
embrace. Her arms wrapped tightly around the strength of his shoulders, his name slipping past her lips under a
whispered breath. "Mike..."

"Shhh..."

The rest of Carrie's words stopped short on a surrendering breath. They melted into each other's arms, holding each
other with a quiet desperation, together silently willing the last few fading hours of the night to remain, to shelter them
against what they knew the coming days could bring.

"Don't think about any of it now," he whispered against her ear. "Just feel. Just feel..."

************

A strange yellow light filtered through the silence, soaking the stark white walls surrounding him every way
he turned in an inescapable maze with an uneasy, pale hue. Two small, slender hands emerged from the
darkness just beyond him, tugging Mike from his frozen state, leading him not so gently forward to a
shadowed, still figure lying in a motionless heap at his feet. The hands pushed at his shoulder again, turning
him to look. In spite of that, it seemed, his feet stayed rooted to the ground, as though they knew something
his mind was yet unable--or afraid--to acknowledge.

The blanket of darkness that held the figure at his feet slowly inched away--and Mike felt his heart scream out
in horror at its revelation. Carrie lay before him in a broken, crumpled tumble, a long trickle of blood running
from her mouth, a horrid wound seared garishly above her temple. The echo of the three words whispered
past his ear, unable to drown away the taunting, hollow, haunting laugh...

"You can't protect her...."

Mike bolted awake to find Carrie sleeping peacefully in his arms. Mike tenderly smoothed the tumbled strands of her
hair from her face, fearing this beautiful reprieve from his nightmares would vanish as she had from his dreams every
night they were apart. Carrie stirred slightly at the touch of his fingertips against her cheek, and Mike pulled his hand
back, watching until her expression softened back into sleep. She stirred again, nuzzling her face objectionally against
her shoulder as sleep quietly stole away with the first few streaks of dawn. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking the
sleep from them before moving to lift her head. Her eyes went to the faint beginnings of sunlight at the window.

"It's almost dawn," Mike said quietly. "We need to get going."

Carrie nodded and stumbled to her feet, gathering her clothes. Mike rose and pulled on his jeans, watching her in
silence as she dressed. She stepped into her shoes and shoved her arms into her rain jacket at the same time, heading
towards the door. Mike stepped up behind her, clicking open the lock and ramming his shoulder into the door before
pulling it open. He shrugged, giving Carrie a brief smile. "The lock sticks really bad after a heavy rain like this."

Carrie smiled slightly and nodded as they stared at each other in silence. She stepped forward into his arms, leaning
her forehead against his chest. Mike sighed, cradling her face in his palms and pressing a kiss against the top of her
head. "I'll leave as soon as it gets dark again, just to be safe. I warned the guy I might be renting it an extra day, just in
case." Carrie nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist. Mike crushed her against him, rocking her back and
forth, resting his cheek against her hair. "God, I don't want to let you go..."

Carrie lifted her face to his, melting against him as their mouths found each other again. Carrie reluctantly pulled her
lips away, hugging him tightly. "Just a little while longer, my love." She leaned back in his arms to look into his eyes.
"Just a little while longer...and then I'm never letting you go again. I love you..."

Carrie pulled him close one last time, then backed away, her fingers sliding from Mike's outstretched hand as she
hurriedly headed for the first ferry.

Mike watched until she disappeared from his sight. "I love you, too."

********************

Snip...snip...snap. That final snap was always the best part. Ragged magazine letters lay strewn all across the table.
They never really seemed to spell out something here, not yet. It always would come to mind when the timing was just
right.

No more to that one. The cut-up magazine dropped into the trash. On to the next one.

A young, beautiful blond model with a warm smile gazed up from the cover. She looked a lot like Carrie. She saw
Mike at the cabin. I know she did. She stayed the night with him... The model's smile seemed to alter her face, the
smile looking almost cruel. The scissors slashed through the model's throat, ripping off the top half of the cover and
sending her paper head floating to the floor. "Why, Carrie? Why did you do this?" A drop of blood splotched the
page, running down the front of one tapered index fingernail from a small diagonal cut across the knuckle.

"Mikey, I warned you." The voice floated in a sing-songy lilt, as though reprimanding a small child. "I warned you to
leave town or pay the price." The model's face smiled up from the floor. "Time to pay up."

~End Part 13~








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