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Date Posted: 19:27:29 03/05/01 Mon
Author: Vick
Subject: Repost: One Step at a Time, parts 1-5

Setting: After Roman’s return to Salem. However, LA never happened.

One Step at a Time, part 1

She sat, looking out the window, wishing the day were over. The drizzling rain outside matched her internal tears.
Physically, she had cried all she could. In fact, for three days straight she’d been crying, yelling, fighting everyone and
everything in sight. But now, she just wanted the day to be over. She was physically and emotionally drained. And
while most of her anger had ceased, certain people brought up unsolved rage.

Austin, for having to comfort Sami because she had once again schemed good enough to have him believing she was
a changed person.

Sami, for all the obvious reasons.

Marlena, for trying to treat her like a child by not telling her all the details.

Anna, for not being the mother she should have been and for thinking that, with all that had happened, she could just
waltz into her life and pick up were they left off all those years ago.

Mike, for doing everything possible yet not doing enough.

Roman, for leaving her, again

With the thought of her father, a single tear slid down her cheek. Life just wasn’t fair. Only months earlier, had her
father reentered her life. It had been a miracle. For years, the Bradys had believed that Roman was dead, killed on a
dangerous assignment with the ISA. Then suddenly, Kristin had brought him home. Although skeptical at first,
everyone had been elated to finally have Roman home. There was only one problem: Roman was very ill. And so the
cycle had begun. Austin comforted Sami. Marlena only told her that he was sick, not that he was dying. Anna
returned to Salem. Mike became Roman’s personal physician. But in the end, Roman had died. And today, Carrie
would bury her father.

**

Everyone had already arrived at the service when Carrie finally showed up. She slipped into the back pew, unnoticed
by all, except one. She could feel a set of eyes piercing her body, searching for her heart and her soul. Slowly,
Carried turned her head and found herself staring into a familiar sea of blue. The hurt was still too fresh, though, and
her gaze slowly returned to her hands.

Mike closed his eyes in a mixture of emotions. He has mad at himself for letting down the entire Brady clan, especially
Carrie, annoyed at Austin for reaching out for his girlfriend’s sister, and frustrated at Carrie because she wouldn’t let
Mike comfort her. Everyone told him to give her time, but he couldn’t stand by and let her go through this alone. He
had to think of something, someway to break down the wall she had put up. Mike’s thoughts were interrupted by the
sound of Doug’s voice as he started to sing.

This is not at all how we thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you, we had so many dreams
And now you’re gone away and left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say and nothing we can do
Can take away the pain, the pain of losing you

Carrie’s eyes remained transfixed on her hands, but her ears heard the sweet sound of Doug’s voice. Each word that
he sang split her heart further in two. Each word that he sang cried her pain. With a tremble in her lips and tears in her
eyes, she looked up toward heaven and silently prayed to her father.

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
‘Cause we know our goodbye is not the end
And we can grieve with hope
‘Cause we believe with hope
There’s a place by God’s grace
There’s a place where we’ll see your face
We’ll see your face again

Mike listened to the words and knew that they were speaking to Carrie, his angel, his Princess. A tear escaped from
his eye. If only he knew how to help her. If only she would let him help her.

And never have I known anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more the wisdom of God’s plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father’s smile and say well done
And I imagine you where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
‘Cause now you’re home and now you’re free

As Carrie’s prayer concluded, she glanced in Mike’s direction. She was startled to see how weary he looked. Then
she saw a single tear drop from his cheek to the back of his hand. Mike didn’t move, except to close his eyes.
Carrie’s heart sank further, if that were at all possible, as she realized how much she needed her friend right now and
how much she must have hurt him every time she yelled at him, pushed him away, blamed him for her father’s death.

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
‘Cause we know our goodbye is not the end
And we can grieve with hope
‘Cause we believe with hope
There’s a place by God’s grace
There’s a place where we’ll see your face
We’ll see your face again

Mike opened his eyes with a start, as if he had been hit by lightning. He looked straight ahead, fearing that the
connection he had just felt was imaginary. But a sense of relief flooded his heart as he felt her hand on his.

We have this hope as an anchor
‘Cause we believe that everything God promised us is true

Carrie took hold of Mike’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Even though her heart still ached, for the first time she knew
that one day it would heal. As long as she still had her best friend, she could do anything.

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
‘Cause we know our goodbye is not the end
And we can grieve with hope
‘Cause we believe with hope
There’s a place by God’s grace
There’s a place where we’ll see your face
We’ll see your face again

At the instant Carrie squeezed his hand, Mike knew what the next step was. In fact, tonight he would put his plan into
action.

We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold with hope
We let go with hope

*~*~* With Hope by Steven Curtis Chapman *~*~*

part 2

Mike folded the last of his shirts and placed it in his suitcase. He was about to shut the bag when his eyes glanced
toward his nightstand. As he picked up the picture, he let out a sigh.

“Oh, Carrie…will I ever be able to tell you?” His finger absentmindedly traced around Carrie’s face. Mike smiled
when he remembered the picture being taken. It was at one of the Brady/Horton picnics. Mike and Carrie had just
won the three-legged race and in a victory hug, with Mike’s back toward the camera, Alice had shot the picture.
Carrie had been so happy back then. Life was simple. Austin was not in the picture yet, Sami was a loving sister and
Roman was alive and well.

Mike set the picture in the suitcase and closed it. Within minutes, he was out the door and in his convertible. The car,
as if having a mind of it’s own, knew exactly where to go. Before Mike knew it, he had arrived at his destination.

As if in a trance, Mike slowly ascended the stairs and walked down the hallway. He barely had time to knock on the
door when it opened. The sight that stood before him took his breath away. The intense gaze was cut short, though,
as Carrie quickly closed the gap between them, embracing him in a strength-drawing hug. Mike closed his eyes and
breathed in her sweet scent.

“Sorry,” Carrie said as she broke the embrace.

“Carrie, you never have to apologize for needing a hug.” Mike took her hand as he spoke and kissed it.

Carrie smiled in reply. “You’re such a great friend, Mike. What would I ever do without you?”

“That, my dear Princess, is something you will never have to worry about.” Mike flashed a smile and then looked
around the room. Spotting the suitcase, Mike walked over to it. “Are you all ready to go?”

“Yeah. I’m definitely ready to go.” Carrie grabbed her jacket and purse and was out the door. Mike followed with
her bag and shut and locked the door for her.

**

No words had been exchanged for nearly an hour. Both Mike and Carrie were deep in their own thoughts.

Carrie let the wind blow through her hair. This was the first time in weeks that she had felt relaxed. And this trip was
exactly what she needed. There were too many bad memories in Salem and, although she knew she needed time to
heal, Carrie felt that Salem was not the place to start her road to recovery. She hadn’t even waited a second to
answer Mike when he had asked her to go away with him. He was going to LA for a meeting and could use the
company. She hadn’t told Marlena or Austin where she was going or who she was going with…only that she needed
to get away for a week to clear her head.

Although Mike’s eyes were focused on the road ahead of them, his mind was focused on the beautiful woman sitting
next to him. He had taken a huge chance in asking Carrie to go to this meeting with him and was pleasantly taken by
surprise when she said ‘yes’ without a moment’s hesitation. He knew, however, that they were going to LA as friends
and only friends. After all, he was her best friend and his job right now was to help her heal from the loss of her father.
For that matter, Mike didn’t know that there would ever be a time to tell her about his true feelings. Only in his
dreams would he allow himself to tell her that Austin was no good for her and that she deserved someone who truly
loved and cherished her. Only in his fantasies would he allow himself to tell her just how much he loved her and to act
on that love.

“Mike…”

The sound of her voice broke his thoughts. He glanced over at her. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I got so mad at you.” She paused. Mike said nothing. “I just felt that I needed to blame someone for my
dad’s death, but I know it’s nobody’s fault…” her voice trailed off as she watched the passing scenery.

After a few moments of silence, Mike spoke. “I just wish there had been something more that I could have done.”

He felt her hand on his shoulder. “Mike, you did everything possible, and I know that. You are an excellent doctor
and I love you for trying so hard to save him.”

Mike’s heart leapt at hearing the word ‘love’, even though he knew it wasn’t the kind of love he felt for Carrie. He
reached up and took hold of her hand. “Thank you.”

Mike released his hold on Carrie’s hand, but hers remained clutched to Mike’s. He smiled and refolded his fingers
around her hand.

**

A few hours had passed when Mike pulled the car off the road and into the parking lot of motel. He looked over at
Carrie’s sleeping form and gently brushed a lock of hair of her forehead, causing her to stir.

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”

Carrie stretched in her seat before finally opening her eyes. She looked at Mike and grinned. “First I’m a Princess and
now I’m Sleeping Beauty?”

Mike returned the grin and with a nod toward the motel, replied, “Welcome to your castle.”

Carrie laughed. “Looks more like the dungeon to me.”

“Yeah, well it’s the only motel around for miles, so it will have to do.”

Carrie turned serious. “As long as I’m with you, it wouldn’t matter if it really were a dungeon.”

They walked into the motel’s front office, hand in hand. An older looking man looked up from the crossword puzzle
he was trying to work. “Hi. What can I do for ya?”

Mike took charge. “We need two…”

He was abruptly cut short. “We need one room, please.”

Mike looked at Carrie in astonishment. “Carrie…” he tried to speak again.

“Mike, it’s ridiculous for us to get two rooms. We’re adults and best friends. It’s not like anything’s going to happen.”

Mike looked at the man and shrugged his shoulders. “One room, then.”

The man smiled and proceeded to check them into a room. “Just sign here,” he pointed to the paper, “and here’s your
key.” Carrie grabbed the key.

“You two have a good night, now,” he said as Mike and Carrie walked out of the office. Mike glanced over his
shoulder at that remark in order to give the man a ‘mind your own business’ look, but was met instead by a smile and
a wink. Mike gave up and left the office, letting the door slam shut behind him.

part 3

Carrie grabbed her things and trotted off to the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a few minutes,” she told Mike over her
shoulder.

As soon as the door shut, Mike sank down on the bed. This is not going to work. There isn’t even a couch for me
to sleep on! I guess I’ll try to make the floor as comfortable as possible. Mike’s head was reeling with thoughts of
spending the night alone with Carrie. He frantically grabbed the extra blanket and a pillow and made a makeshift bed
on the floor, as far away from where Carrie would soon be sleeping as was physically possible. He was rummaging
through his bag for some sweat pants and a T-shirt when he heard the bathroom door open. As he looked up, Mike
had to quickly remind himself to shut his mouth.

“Bathroom’s all yours” Carrie said with a smile. Her smile faded when she saw Mike’s makeshift bed. “What’s this?”
she asked, gesturing toward the floor.

“My bed for the night.”

“Oh.”

Mike looked at her oddly before grabbing his things and heading for the bathroom.

The minute the door closed, Carrie picked up the blanket and pillow from the floor and placed them back on the bed.
Satisfied with her own handy work, she crawled into bed.

Carrie pretended to be reading her book when Mike returned from the bathroom.

“Carrie.”

“Hmm?” she asked, not looking up from her book.

“What did you do with my bed?”

Carrie set her book down on her lap and looked at the empty spot on the bed. Than looking up at Mike she
explained, “I didn’t do anything…your bed’s right here.”

Mike let out an audible sigh. “Carrie, we can’t share the bed.”

“And why not?”

Because I’m madly in love with you and if I sleep in the same bed with you I’m going to want to make love to
you. Mike shook his head. “We just can’t, that’s why.”

“Mike, you’re being ridiculous. We’re both adults and you need to get a good nights rest for the long drive tomorrow.
I rather doubt you’ll get that on the floor. End of discussion.” Carrie picked her book up and continued to read.

Mike threw his arms up in the air in defeat before climbing into bed next to Carrie. He quickly settled in with his back
to Carrie, taking up as little of the bed as physically possible.

Carrie looked over at him and chuckled to herself. She shut the light off and settled in for the night.

“Good night, Mike.”

“Good night, Carrie.”

It wasn’t long before they were both asleep.

**

At some point in the middle of the night, Carrie woke up. She glanced around the room, unaware of her surroundings.
Soon, her eyes fell upon Mike. She smiled, remembering their conversation about him sleeping in the same bed. His
position had shifted. He now lay on his back. Carrie propped herself up on her elbow and stared at Mike as he slept.
Oh Mike, if only you knew the real reason I came on this trip with you. But I have to keep reminding myself
that we’re just friends. Her thoughts were interrupted by a wicked grin. She carefully leaned over, her lips hovering
over Mike’s. “I love you,” she whispered before placing a gentle kiss on Mike’s lips. She looked once more at his
sleeping form before resting her head on his chest, her arm draped over his stomach. Instinctively, Mike’s arm
wrapped around Carrie. There they laid for the rest of the night, in each other’s arms where they both wanted to be.

**

Mike felt the warm body next to him as he began to awake. He immediately knew it was Carrie. Everything was
finally perfect. Mike opened his eyes and gazed at his sleeping Princess. While one arm was still holding her tight, his
free arm swept the stray stands of hair off her forehead. At the feel of his touch, she began to stir. Slowly, her eyes
opened and she was greeted with a warm smile.

“Good morning, Princess.”

“Hmm,” Carrie closed her eyes. “Morning Mike.”

With her eyes still closed, Mike took the opportunity to surprise her. Before Carrie knew it, his lips were pressed
against hers in sweet, yet passionate kiss. When Mike tried to end it, though, Carrie deepened the kiss and in one fell
swoop, she rolled on top of him. Mike let out a soft moan as he savored the feel of Carrie against him, the taste of her
lips on his and the smell of her perfume. If there was a heaven on earth, this was definitely it. Before he knew it, he felt
Carrie’s hands slip under his shirt. Electricity ripped through his body as he became her slave. As if in a tug of war,
Carrie struggled with Mike’s shirt, until finally, she managed to slip it over his head. He closed his eyes at the feel of
her lips against his bare chest. She continued her line of kisses lower and lower.

Suddenly, Mike grabbed Carrie and rolled her over. It was his turn to take control. In desperation, he found her lips
and kissed he like he’d never kissed anyone before. When breathing became a necessity, he moved from her lips to
her ear, pausing momentarily to whisper, “I love you” before continuing down her neck. His fingers fumbled with the
top button of her nightshirt. Once undone, he moved to the next, each time kissing her skin where it had once been
covered with cloth.

Mike could feel Carrie’s heart beating in synch with his. This was it…there was no going back. Soon, their hearts and
souls would truly be connected…forever.

**
Mike opened his eyes with a start. His heart was pounding and he was sweating. He tried to sit up, but was stopped
by a weight. He looked down and was surprised to see Carrie, sound asleep on his shoulder. Mike laid his head back
down on the pillow and let out a sigh. I’ve got to stop having these dreams, but how can I ever get you out of my
head…out of my heart. It’s just not possible.

Mike looked at Carrie once more before trying to remove his arm from under her. The movement, however, caused
her to stir.

“Hmmm…this is nice.” Carrie muttered.

She’s obviously thinking about Austin. Mike tried once more to repossess his arm, but Carrie wouldn’t budge. In
fact, her arm tightened its hold around Mike’s torso.

“Carrie….Carrie….” Mike said softly.

Carrie opened her eyes and found herself staring into a very muscular chest. She heard her name again and slyly
looked up at Mike.

“Good morning,” she said with a smile.

Mike was surprised that she didn’t seem shocked about waking up in his arms. He raised his eyebrows and replied,
“Good morning.”

Still not moving from his arms, she looked back to his chest. How am I going to get myself out of this one. I never
have been a good liar. She chuckled at that thought.

“What’s so funny?”

Carrie looked back at Mike. “I was just trying to come up with a logical story as to how I ended up over on your side
of the bed.”

Now it was Mike’s turn to laugh. “No story is needed. You probably just thought I was Austin.”

As Mike said those words, it took every ounce of him to speak without a tinge of jealousy in his voice or a look of
hurt in his eyes. Carrie bought it.

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” she said, quickly moving back to the other side of the bed.

A few minutes of silence passed. Carrie was trying desperately to fight back the tears in response to Mike’s comment
about Austin. Mike was puzzled by Carrie’s sudden withdrawal.

“I guess we better get moving. I won’t be long in the shower.” Mike grabbed his things and headed toward the
bathroom.

“You couldn’t be further from the truth, Mike. I knew it was you and not Austin. I wanted it to be you and not
Austin.” At that moment, Carrie heard the shower start up. Suddenly, she sat up with a new plan. “I just have to go
slowly with this.” She smiled and set to work on the next step.

part 4

The morning had been spent joking, laughing and singing along to the tunes on the radio. It was certainly a different
atmosphere than the ride the previous day. Mike did it because he was trying to push aside the ever growing feelings
he felt for Carrie. Waking up with her in his arms had certainly not helped his heart. In fact, it only made him desire
her even more. But the last thing he wanted was to jeopardize their friendship by revealing his true feelings for her, so
he kept the conversation light and the humor coming.

Carrie, on the other hand, laughed and joked with Mike in an attempt to not make him suspicious of her plans. For
some time, she had suspected that Mike might have feelings for her, but she would always tell herself that he was just
being friendly, trying to help with her father or make her feel better about Austin. When had it all changed? Carrie
couldn’t be certain. The only thing she did know was that she loved Mike and she was bound and determined to find
out if those feelings were mutual. And that meant taking things one step at a time. After all, she couldn’t just blurt out
her feelings and ask Mike if he felt the same way. No, she had a plan and that plan included playing detective.

Around noon, Mike found a little diner in a small town. Not knowing when the next town would come up, he decided
it was time for a lunch break.

“Danny’s Diner…huh. Reminds me of that new diner back in Salem.” Carrie said as she surveyed the surroundings.

“Oh yeah, I know the one you’re talking about…Dizzy’s Diner. We’ll have to check it out when we get back from
our trip.” Mike smiled at Carrie as she reached for his hand and took off in the direction of the front entrance.

Once inside, they were greeted by the waitress. Except for a man sitting off to one side, they were the only customers.
The waitress escorted them to a table near the window and left them to peruse the menu.

“Mmmm…I know what I’m having.”

“Me, too,” said Mike as he set the menu down.

Within a few minutes, the waitress came to take their order.

“I’ll have a hamburger with fries and a strawberry shake.” Carrie handed the waitress her menu.

Mike stared at Carrie and started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Carrie was puzzled.

Mike shook his head and then looked at the waitress. “I’ll have the same thing.”

As soon as the waitress left, Carrie playfully swatted Mike’s arm. “Copy-cat!”

“How was I supposed to know what you were going to order?” Mike couldn’t help but laugh. He knew they had a
lot in common, but to order the exact same thing…well, Mike knew it could only happen with his soul mate.

As things quieted down, Carrie looked out the window. She smiled to herself because she knew Mike was looking at
her. In Mike’s mind, he was doing much more than just looking…he was memorizing. It was something he did
whenever the situation presented itself. Her hair, in its golden brown hue, was pulled back in a pony tail with a few
tendrils following the curve of her face. Her eyes, in their green shade, sparkled today, something Mike had not seen
in weeks. Her lips, enhanced with mauve lipstick, were sensuous, and Mike longed to take them with his own. And
from as close as they sat to each other, Mike could smell her perfume. The light flowery fragrance intoxicated him
beyond belief. If only things were different…but that’s something Mike had to push out of his mind.

Carrie continued to look out the window, trying to decide how best to word her questions. It was time for the subtle
interrogation to start, but she was enjoying this time, knowing Mike was studying her. Finally, she turned back to
Mike.

Mike quickly looked down at his hands, blushing slightly. He hoped Carrie hadn’t caught him staring at her.

“Mike…”

He looked up at her. “Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

Mike could sense the seriousness in her voice and it concerned him. “Carrie, you know you can always ask me
anything. I’m always here for you.”

Carrie smiled knowing how true his statement was. “Okay…give me your honest opinion.”

Mike nodded, urging her to continue.

“What do you honestly think of Austin…I mean, really think about him.”

Mike was stunned. His head fired answers one after the other. Should I tell her what I really think or what she
wants to hear? She did say to be honest. But will I hurt her if I’m honest? After a few seconds, Mike spoke.

“Truthfully…I think Austin is a complete fool.” Mike gazed at Carrie, trying to interpret her reaction. She nodded, but
said nothing, so Mike continued. “I’m sure that he’s a good and decent guy, but he doesn’t treat you the way you
should be treated. Personally, I think you deserve better…much better.” Mike looked back down at his hands. You
deserve to be treated like a princess…like my Princess.

Carrie smiled when Mike wasn’t looking. Well, at least now I know what he really thinks about Austin. Time for
the next question.

“So, you think I should dump him?”

Again, Mike was stunned. Why is she asking me these questions? If she keeps it up, I’ll almost certainly reveal
my feelings for her. He thought long and hard before answering her.

“Well, I think that’s something only you can decide.” There, that’s a pretty non-revealing answer.

Figures…he’s being cautious. “What if I told you I was going to dump him? I mean, after all, he is paying more
attention to Sami than to me. In fact, I think he actually enjoys the time he spends with Sami. And you’re right, I do
deserve better than that.”

Mike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The woman that he loved for so long…the woman who had been
unavailable for so long…was considering breaking up with her boyfriend. Does this mean that there might be a
chance for us? Don’t get your hopes up, Horton…just because she won’t be with Austin anymore doesn’t
mean that she has feelings for ya.

Mike was about to say something when the waitress came to the table with their order. “Can I get you anything else?”

Mike looked at Carrie, who shook her head. “Nope, I think we’ve got everything. Thanks.”

**

No mention of Austin was made during the rest of the meal. After lunch, they headed to the car to continue their
journey. Once again, small talk and jokes took over the car’s atmosphere. Their previous conversation, however,
lingered in the back of their minds. Mike’s head was swamped with questions, answers, and crazy notions. If Carrie
really was going to break up with Austin, he knew she would need time to mend her heart before falling in love again.
But he planned to be there, as her best friend, though out the whole ordeal. And when the time proved to be right, he
would make his move. Mike smiled at the thought of one day seducing Carrie.

Carrie still wasn’t sure of Mike’s feelings toward her. He hadn’t given her the answers she’d hoped for. She’d be
taking a chance, but she decided that tonight she would step up the interrogation. If she was going to spend a whole
week alone with Mike, she wanted to make every minute count. Carrie smiled at the thought of seducing Mike right
here and now…well, at least tonight. Let the games begin!

part 5

It was just past eight when they decided to find a hotel for the night. Mike drove the car down the main road in the
moderately sized Utah town. It wasn’t long before a Days Inn was spotted. Before getting out of the car, Mike turned
to Carrie.

“Let’s get this straight before we go in. We’re getting two rooms.” Mike looked rather insistent.

Carrie sighed. “Mike, I don’t see why we need to waste the money on two rooms.”

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