Romance In France

Chapter 10 - Chapter 11

Chapter 10

"OH MY GOD!" Becky screamed again. There they were: 'N Sync; her boyfriend, his friends, and her friends. Why didn't I see the resemblance before? Am I that stupid? She thought angrily. Wait, it's not my fault. He should have told me.

"I'm leaving," Becky said under her breath. She left her seat, fuming about the lack of communication in her and Lance's relationship, and started to walk up the cement stairs in the isle.

Lance looked down to Becky's seat to see it vacated. His eyes traveled up the isle and he saw her trooping up the stairs with balled fists at her sides. Oh no. She's leaving. If I let her go I'll probably lose her forever, Lance thought. He covered his mic with both hands and poked Justin indiscreetly in the back. He turned around with an annoyed look on his face. "Justin. Look." Lance pointed to the retreating figure of his girlfriend.

Justin gave him a look of disbelieving. "Oh, man better go catch her. The first song is for her. Uh, we'll try to cover for ya, but—"

"Ok. Wish me luck." Lance took a flying leap off the stage, and landed just in front of the first row. He turned his hands-free microphone to the back of his head and ran to catch up to Becky as security guards tried to hold the crowds back.

I can't believe he didn't tell me. The others told their girlfriends. That's what they were hiding from me, Becky fumed as she kept walking. Unexpectedly, she felt a large hand on her shoulder. She whipped around to face Lance. Avoiding looking straight into his eyes, she stared at the dirty cement stairs.

"What do you want?" She asked coldly.

Lance grimaced at her tone. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I just wanted this to be a surprise for you. Is it?" He asked eagerly while trying to look into her eyes.

Becky looked up angrily. "You think? No, this happens to me every day. My boyfriend shows up on stage with my best friends, and tells me he's in 'N Sync. Nope, I'm not surprised a bit," She said, her answer dripping in sarcasm. She started storming up the stairs again. Lance stood in front of her, barring her path.

"Don't go. I really did want to tell you, but I thought this would be more fun. The look on your face was priceless. A true Kodak moment." She blushed happily.

"I'm still not happy with what you did, but I forgive you. But from now on, we have to be totally and completely honest with each other," Becky yelled. The crowd was getting anxious. They wanted the show to start. But the kids closest to us were yelling for them to shut up because they wanted to see what was happening.

Lance looked at his girlfriend sweetly. "Ok. I think I have to go now. The first song is for you. Oh, and by the way, I'm here for you."

"I know." He swept her up into his arms like a baby and gave her a melodramatic kiss. The crowd cheered wildly, mostly because their favorite pop star was going back to the stage. He carried Becky back to her seat and climbed clumsily back onto the stage.

Justin sighed in relief as the others just smiled at their friend. "See what you get if you try to leave during one of our concerts?" Joey yelled to the crowd. There was a commotion as mass numbers of fans tried to leave.

Justin and Joey looked at each other helplessly. "Hey, hey! We didn't mean it that way!" Justin said.

JC shook his head in pity. "Well, let's get started with our concert. These four lovely ladies up here are our girlfriends. Yes, we are all dating, so you fans in the balcony can put away your phone number signs! They are up here to sing the first song with us. It's about staying true to your heart and putting the past behind you. I'm not going to say my name, because all of you know what it is," He said as the familiar music started. The fans all roared in approval.

"And this song is dedicated to a special someone in the audience today. I think she knows who she is," Lance added. He looked at Becky with those green eyes and she melted. Then they started.

But that wasn't all the surprises the evening had to offer. After the song, the girls climbed off the stage, and back into their seats with the aid of the security guards.

Becky smiled mellowly at Trisha. "How did you manage to hide this from me? I'm the biggest snoop in the world?" she asked during a break in the music.

Trish shrugged her shoulders. "I have no clue. We were just lucky I guess. How did you not realize that they were 'N Sync?" she countered.

The music had started again, and this time blue and green lights lit up the stage. "I think it was my blondeness," Becky replied, smiling.

* * *

The rest of the concert went normally…except the end. When it came time for the last song, the men gave another surprise. An extra microphone and stand were brought to the middle of the stage by one of the stagehands. Then Justin, JC, Joey, and Chris cleared off to one side of the stage, leaving Lance in the middle.

"Oh no," Becky moaned, and she slid down in her seat.

"We have another surprise for you tonight. For the last song, I would like to invite my girlfriend up here to sing with me. She has an amazing voice, as you all will see if she agrees," Lance stated into the microphone. His cordless mic had suddenly disappeared. He motioned for Becky to climb up onto the stage. The crowd applauded and cheered in response.

When Becky didn't move Trisha and Ashley got up and literally lifted their best friend onto the stage, much to the disapproval of Becky. She stood up and brushed her pants off to applause. Lance walked over to her and put an arm around her waist. "Lance! Why did you do this?" She hissed into his ear with a fake smile plastered onto her face.

Lance's smile was genuine. "I knew you liked to sing, so I just thought..." He trailed off helplessly.

Becky couldn't help put laugh. "Well, grr," She replied. She stuck out her tongue as she took the cordless microphone from her boyfriend's hands.

Lance then turned his attention to the crowded auditorium, which was growing restless from the lack action. "You may not recognize the song, but I know my girlfriend will. And all of you listen to the lyrics, and think about that special someone in your life," He yelled to the audience. As soon as the music started, Becky knew it was a song that was little known, yet held an awesomely powerful message. She knew the words by heart, but was so nervous, because she had never sang in front of that many people before.

Lance noticed Becky's fear and smiled lovingly. "It's going to be ok. Just sing," Lance whispered into her ear so the microphones wouldn't pick it up. Becky smiled and started.

The song was a duet and the couple split the parts perfectly and seamlessly, as if it was rehearsed a million times. They finished to tremulous applause. Becky's face was shining as brightly as the sun. lance was staring at his girlfriend. Feeling his eyes upon her, she smiled at him. He pulled her face to his in a passionate embrace. The volume of the crowd's response seemed to increase, if that was even possible. The rest of the guys came back on the stage and said good night to the fans. Then Ashley, Trisha, Jamy, and Nikkie traveled backstage and started congratulating each other on a good performance.

Trisha put an arm around Becky's shoulders and smiled widely. "You were great, B! That was great, especially for an on-the-spot performance! You weren't even sweating! I mean you were, but it was because of those hot stagelights—" Trish was interrupted.

"Ok, Tish, we get the point!" Ashley exclaimed pointedly. The group cleared the hallway and went to the dressing rooms. The girls were talking to each other about how well the concert went when Becky suddenly stopped talking. The look on her face mirrored what she was thinking at the moment: fear.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Lance asked, rubbing her back worriedly. "Do you feel alright?"

Becky scrunched up her face in question and worry. "Was that concert televised?"

Lance imitated her face unintentionally. "No, but with you guys and the news of our new girlfriends, it'll be on the news. Why?"

Becky's eyes widened and she brushed the wet strands of hair off her sweaty forehead. "Oh crap. Trisha, do you think…?" She implied slowly.

Trisha caught on to her friend and shook her head vigorously. "No way, Becky. Never in a million years would Bridget see that," she confirmed definitely.

Becky shook her head in short strokes and rubbed her arms to rid herself of the sudden cold that plagued her body. "But I'm not so sure..."

* * *

In the U.S., in a state called Illinois, in a small town called Winfield, a small TV was tuned into the local news station. A small red-haired, blue-eyed woman was watching the small TV. The Hollywood news came on, and the woman's eyes widened as she recognized the people on her broken TV set. "Holy crap! Is that who I think it is?" The woman, who went by the name of Bridget, yelled at the TV. She threw her empty beer can aside. "That's Becky Bonarek! From school! What the hell is she doing on stage with 'N Sync? And how did you become Lance's girlfriend? Is she trying to be better than me again?" She questioned aloud. A look of resolution shone clear on her homely face. "Well, she ain't gonna. I'm going to get her this time for sure. You mark my words! I'll get her!" And with that, Bridget sat back down to devise a plan to take care of her old 'friend'.

Chapter 11

The next night, the group of ten was lounging around Becky, Trisha, and Jamy's room, flipping through the channels on the TV. They had done nothing all that day, and were continuing with the trend. Joey, Nikkie, Chris, and Ashley were sitting at the table. Jamy and Justin were lying on one couch (Justin's feet were dangling off the edge of the armrest). Trisha and JC were on the other, holding hands and whispering in each other's ear. Becky and Lance were lying on the floor, Becky's head on Lance's stomach.

Justin was pretty much fed up with the constant, numbing boredom he was feeling. "Ok, what are we going to do now? Isn't there anything? Anything at all?" He asked, grasping for any possible idea to do in this large city. "The night's still young, guys! It's only ten o'clock! There's gotta be something to do in Paris!"

Jamy stroked her chin in thought. She thought back to her suitcases and what she had brought with her to Paris. Suddenly, a thought struck her mind. "Let's watch a movie!" Jamy cried as she ran into her room. Without waiting for an answer, she slung a suitcase onto her bed and rifled through till she found exactly what she was looking for.

"NO!" Trisha and Becky moaned loudly in unison. Both gave a sigh and Trisha slapped her forehead with her hand. Ashley gave them a weird look, but before she could say anything, a thought clicked into her head, and she remembered why Jamy's suggestion was a bad idea.

The guys plus Nikkie looked at the best friends in confusion. "What? What's wrong with movies?" Joey asked, grasping Nikkie's hand and squeezing it.

Becky groaned again as she strained her neck to try and see into Jamy's room. "She brings her movie collection with her everywhere!" She replied.

Chris narrowed his eyes, still not comprehending what they were getting at. "What's so bad about that?" He asked.

Trisha covered her face with her hands and mumbled, "Her movie collection is old western movies!"

Justin slapped his forehead; Joey pinched the bridge of his nose; Chris threw his head back and started mouthing words towards the ceiling; Lance just slumped his shoulders; JC shook his head sadly. But all the guys in unison said, "NO!"

Jamy suddenly came rushing into the room, proudly holding up two movie cases. She brandished them out in front of her at arm's length. "What do you want to watch first: 'How the West was Won', or 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'?" She inquired, not really giving them a chance to answer before popping 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' into the rented VCR.

Inspired by a sudden idea, Becky jumped up from the floor, accidentally elbowing Lance in the stomach. While he heaved in pain, she dashed into Jamy's room, grabbed a small packet from her open 'movie suitcase,' and ran back into the room. "I'm going to get the popcorn," She said. Becky was searching for any excuse to get out of watching the movie.

Lance leaped up from the floor in one movement and raised his hand. "I'll come!" Lance volunteered quickly. Becky smiled to herself. This would take longer that she thought. Becky went into the bathroom, Lance in tow. The bathroom came equipped with a microwave and coffee machine, which were tucked in a neat corner of the counter near the door. James slapped at the door, but neglected to close it.

"So, microwave or microwave?" Becky asked as she held up a bag and pointed to the microwave. Lance's laugh echoed through the small room as she opened a packet, studied the back for a moment, placed it in the microwave and pressed the on button. The light blinked on in the little compartment and the machine whirred quietly. When Becky went to turn around, she bumped headlong into Lance's chest.

He raised his eyebrows and showed a smirk on his chiseled face. "And where do you think you're going?" Lance asked as he slyly wrapped his arms around her waist.

Becky smiled up at him with a contented face. "Nowhere right now," She replied as she wrapped her own arms around his neck. It was the priceless serene moments like these that kept life interesting.

Lance pulled her closer to him and asked, "And what do you think you're doing?"

"This," She whispered. Becky reached up and kissed him, slowly at first, then more forcefully. It turned into a full-fledged make-out session during the two-three minutes that the popcorn took to cook. Lance scooped her up and carried her to the closed lid of the toilet seat, on which she promptly sat, never breaking the seal their lips made. He moved on down to her neck, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses. Suddenly, their time was up; the timer on the microwave went off and a hiss of steam was heard from the bag inside.

Both stopped their actions and Becky banged her forehead into Lance's. "Dang," She muttered as she got up to get the popcorn bowl from under the sink.

Lance rested his hands on her waist and protest. "We don't have to stop," He reasoned, trying to pull Becky down.

The smell of popcorn had wafted into the other room and into waiting noses. JC and Justin's distinctive grunts were heard. "Yes, we do," She laughed, moving towards the sink again, this time successfully. She opened the microwave, pinched the bag between her index finger and thumb, and transferred it to the counter. Suddenly Lance snuck up behind her, wrapped his arms around her mid-section, and started gently sucking on her neck.

Becky let out a giggle despite her protesting mind. "Lance, come on. We have to get this popcorn ready. We've taken enough time as it is. Plus they'll be mad at us." Not that I care, anyway…

His lips stopped their escapade and he sighed in exasperation. "Oh, well. They can wait a little longer," He replied impatiently, closing the gap between their bodies. Becky giggled again.

The tantalizing smell of the fresh popcorn was still floating into the other room and driving the bored men and women crazy. "Hey! Hurry up! We're starving in here!" Joey yelled to the couple, trying to get some distraction from the horribly bad movie they were watching.

Becky raised an eyebrow at Lance. "No, they can't," She retorted. She snatched a large blue bowl from under the sink and dumped the still-steaming popcorn into it. Becky gave Lance one last lingering kiss and both returned to the other room hand in hand.

Trisha looked up from the window she was staring out of and took notice of Becky and Lance' ragged appearance as they walked gaily into the room. "Nice shade of lip-gloss, Lance. Where'd ya get it?" She whistled. Becky and Lance both blushed to a brilliant crimson while the pair wiped their mouths with their arms.

"Oops," Becky laughed blithely. Tony held out his arms, meaning to take the popcorn bowl, but instead getting an armful of Becky. He sighed as she smiled teasingly at him and got up, leaving the bowl in his lap.

"Score! Nice going, Scoop!" Justin exclaimed and raised his hand to high-five his friend. Lance looked at his male friend with a blank face and shook his head slightly. "Hey, man! Don't leave me hangin'!"

Becky playfully slapped Justin's muscular arm as sat down on the larger couch next to Ashley and Chris. "Hey, I'm not that easy!" She decreed, a note of suspected unjust in her voice.

Ashley raised her eyebrows at her best friend and bit her tongue. "Whatever, B. I think we'll just leave you two alone tonight," She replied, moving with Chris off the couch and onto the floor, allowing Lance to stretch out next to his girlfriend. Becky simply stuck out her tongue.

The next morning, Becky awoke to the sound of chatter coming from the other room. She stumbled clumsily out of bed and lurched to the door, her vision blurred because she hadn't put in her contacts yet. All she could see was a mesh of blurred colours: blue, red, green, black, pink, purple, and white, all blurred into one large rainbow that filled the room.

Becky stopped by what she assumed was the couch and leaned on it, not wanting to go any further. "Who are you people?" She asked as she squinted at them.

Justin raised his eyebrows in confusion. "We're your friends. Remember?" He answered in a voice that suggested that she was a three-year-old who couldn't comprehend such large speech. His voice met Faith's ear from somewhere to her left. That narrowed it down to the red, black, white, and pink colour masses.

"Wave your arms in the air." He waved them and the patch of red moved. "Thank you. So Justin's the Lady in Red. Ah, now, don't say anything. It's just a phrase. Since Red is Justin, then Pink must be Jamy. Whatcha doin', Jamy? Anyway, back to the search. Who's the green?" Becky asked as she made a move to sit down on what she thought to be an extension of the couch. Instead of landing on a soft cushion she collapsed onto the warm lap of a person.

"Who are you?" Becky questioned. Her face was a foot from the other's. When she recognized the eyes and facial features she back watered. "You're Lance. What's up? How's the weather?" She patted his leg before continuing. "Now, who is the blue ocean over there?"

"Excuse you? I'm not an ocean! I'm barely bigger than you!" Chris exclaimed, faux hurt exploding in his voice. He hugged his blue robe closer to his body and scooted three feet farther away from Becky.

She immediately recognized the voice and tone and smiled. "Oh, hey, Chris! What's up in da hood? Ha ha! Then the purple person might be...Joey?" Becky fished. She reached out to touch his head and fingered his distinguishable hair. "Oh yeah. Then the black blotch under the white thing is JC. Then, using my awesome power of deduction, the white thing must be Trish, because I can hear her giggling over my stupidness and my inability to discern you people," She concluded. She reached out again and slapped her friend, who only giggled harder.

"Why don't you go put your contacts in?" Lance suggested. He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the neck to persuade her.

Becky gave little whimper of protest. "Because I don't feel like it. But," She added with a resigned air, "if I must, I will…Daddy." She ran into the bathroom before Lance could catch her and hurriedly slapped her contacts into her eyes, not wanting to miss a minute of the banter that might be going on in the other room. When she entered the room again, they were all silent and looks of slight boredom were slathered on everyone's faces. The conversation was as follows:

"So, what are we going to do today?" JC asked Chris. Chris looked around the room as Becky sat back down on the couch, next to Lance this time.

"I don't know. What do you want to do, Justin?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do, Jamy?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do, JC?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do, Trish?"

I don't know. What do you want to do, Lance?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do, Chris?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do, Justin?"

Becky decided to stop their little roulette by saying, "Ok. We are not going to play this game all day. Anyway, I'm bored." There was silence for a few moments while Becky thought up things to do. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head and she exclaimed, "I have an idea! Let's go to the house and…rearrange the furniture!" The rest of her friends moaned. "Hey! I don't see you guys coming up with any better ideas! And by the way, I have something special planned for tonight. But that's only if all of you cooperate," She said mysteriously.

Trisha laughed dryly. "It's probably watching the paint dry," She mumbled. Becky threw a pillow at her. Just then Ashley and Nikkie abruptly entered the room balancing five small bags each. Ashley was doubled over and had two bags on her back, one resting on her head, and one in each hand. The whole room erupted with laughter as she rolled them off her back and onto the table with the greatest of ease. The group of friends then commenced in eating the food to their hearts content. When all stomachs were full and food eaten, they threw themselves about the room again.

Trisha sighed as she looked at her watch, which read ten thirty. "Well, I'm going to get dressed. If we are going someplace today, I don't want to look like I just got out of bed." She got up and walked to her room, but not before Becky called out a rude comment, then ran to her own room and locked her door.

Jamy sighed and laughed at the same time, which sounded almost like a choke. She made up her mind and laughed gaily. "Yeah, we better get ready too," Jamy said. At her words, everyone rose and started going their separate ways.

"We'll be back in an hour," Joey called from the hallway before he closed the door.

An hour later, all were dressed and ready to go. Trisha had on a pair of khaki shorts and a lavender tank top. Jamy was wearing a pair of Capris and a baby blue tank top. Ashley had on a light purple spaghetti strap shirt, a darker purple shrug over it, and a pair of shorts. Nikkie was wearing a plaid skirt that went down to her knees, and a white 3/4-sleeve top. Becky was wearing a pair of track pants and a pink baby t that said 'B mine.' They finally set off for the house but when they arrived, they discovered a large orange and white moving truck still parked in the driveway.

While the others stood there, confused, Becky walked up to the mover who looked like he was in charge and asked, "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be here yesterday?" For good measure, she plunked her hands on her hips.

The mover turned around and looked her over. "Are you Ms. Becky Bonarek?" Becky nodded. "Well, then, the answer to your question is yes, but we got delayed by a storm in Boston. Please accept our apologies. We will take an hundred dollars off the price," He bargained. Becky thought it over, nodded, and walked away slowly.

Storm my foot. Y'all probably were sitting on your butts, eating doughnuts, and reading inappropriate magazines while enjoying the finest weather Boston has seen in years, Becky secretly thought. She continued walking over to the others and explained the situation without any rude input of her own. Since there was nothing to do but wait around, Lance and Becky decided to go for a walk while JC and Trisha hung out in the cars and talked; Nikkie and Joey went to get some coffee; Justin and Jamy sat out back and talked; Ashley and Chris stayed and annoyed the movers.

Sitting outside under the gray clouds did not damped Trisha's high spirits. A lone bird sang through the open air, notes sweet and innocent, trilling a song only he and his partner new. A sudden gust of wind swept over her and brushed her hair away from her face, also rippling the sweet grasses around the house. She swung her feet back and forth under the car to an imaginary rhythm in her head. The couple was talking in the back of Becky's Explorer. The trunk door was popped, and they were sitting on the edge, just talking about life, what JC did when he was touring, and other general things that just popped into their heads. Trisha was truly happy at that moment. She had been thinking that quite a few times since JC and her got together, but it was true. She was happier than she ever was with any of her other boyfriends. JC seemed different to her. He cared about her interests even if he didn't share them. He was so sensitive to her feelings and never wanted to harm her in any way. And his eyes! She liked them best of all. She could drown in those two blue pools of color. They seemed so deep and filled with emotion that she felt she could read his mind.

"A penny for your thoughts, my dear? Well, I take that back. How about a dime?" He asked sweetly. Trisha smiled gently and stroked her hair.

"Ah, I'm just thinking randomly," She replied shortly. She laid her head upon JC's shoulder and sighed deeply. "It's so nice here. I wish we could stay in this moment together forever," She dreamed wistfully. Josh smiled devilishly as he reached behind him into a back pocket of his khaki pants.

"We can, Trish. Here, look me in the face." She lifted her head, and he turned it so they were side to side. He then pointed to a random point in the sky. "Look there." He gave her a glance out of the corner of his eye before whipping the camera out from behind his back and snapping a picture of their faces. Trisha screamed in surprise then slapped him playfully. He laughed blithely and put an arm around her. "Gotcha, Tish." She laughed shortly, then sighed resignedly and sat back to enjoy the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Joey and Nikkie were strolling down the streets of Paris, having no destination in mind. Nikkie occasionally stopped to glance in a window of a shop and comment on its contents. They were happy just to enjoy each other's company. Joey, who usually thought himself a player, was pleased just to be with one woman. He had never known anyone like Nikkie. She had morals, respectable goals and dreams…things his other 'ladies' hadn't. They finally came upon the coffee shop where they had met. After a meaningful glance, they entered and stood before the ordering board. Joey slipped his arm around her waist and she mirrored his actions. "Hey, Joe? What you wanna get?" She asked, looking up into his scruffy face.

Joey smiled down upon his girlfriend and turned his body to face hers. "I want a little bit of sugar!" He responded slyly and pulled her even closer with a jerk of his arm.

Nikkie grinned inwardly at his guy-ish comment. "I thought you'd never ask," She replied and kissed him deeply.

While that was going on, Jamy and Justin were sitting outside on a black, wrought-iron bench that must have been there forever behind the house. The couple was just talking. Usually Jamy would have been unexplainably bored 'just talking,' but not with Justin. He made the conversation interesting by throwing in little comments here and there that just weren't expected. Jamy was going on about a book she had picked up and read recently. It wasn't a classic, romance, or even important; but somehow, it captured her adventure like nothing had before.

"Where did you get that book?" Justin interjected suddenly.

Jamy scrunched her brow and raised an eyebrow in perplexity. "A little French place at the Riviera. Why? What does it matter?"

Justin sighed happily. "Oh, good. Never trust those big commercial chains. All they want is your money. They never care to stop and check how the consumer is feeling and what they want."

Jamy laughed. "You're strange, Justin," She commented and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed as she added, "but I still like ya."

Inside the house, Ashley and Chris were traipsing around raising hell for the poor movers. It was all in good clean fun, and most of the movers understood and weren't saying anything. The only one who was against their harmless fun and games was the guy in charge, for he kept yelling for the pair to stop, and exclaiming that they were acting like children.

At that last comment, Chris could no longer bite his tongue, and despite the imploring eyes of his young girlfriend yelled, "Thank you! I know I'm a kid to you! I'm only, what, about twenty-five thousand years younger than you!" The In Charge finally got fed up and started chasing them around the house, yelling and screaming demands for them to get out, flailing his clipboard about in the air. Ashley and Chris finally lost him at the South Tower, and they slowly and cautiously made their way to the West Tower, being careful not to give away their position, for the man was still on the prowl for the two 'children'. Ashley sat down on the plush window seat and Chris sat next to her. Both were breathless after running around the large house as if they were five again. "We are too old for that, Chris," She informed him, still trying to catch her breath. Chris laughed through his gasps for breath.

"Are you kidding? That was nothing! Well, I guess I am in better shape than you; when we're touring, I have to run around large stadiums to annoy everyone."

Ashley laughed amiably. "You know, you're a kid in man's body," She commented, giving him a sideways glance.

Chris cocked his head to one side. "Oh really? Would a kid be able to do this?" He asked cockily. He then kissed her slowly and passionately. When he pulled away, a smile lit up his face.

Ashley kept her eyes closed after he pulled away. She opened them and replied, "Probably not."

At the same time as the two devil children were on the warpath, Lance and Becky were strolling along a narrow dirt path that ran through the forest holding hands. The tops of the trees swayed with occasional gusts of wind and the whispers that were produced seemed almost ghostly. Birds sang their sweet songs to the couple while they flew from tree to tree. The grove seemed darker than usual because of the cloud cover, but it only gave a feeling of mystery and enchantment to the woods. The darkness beyond the path appeared to be hiding some well-kept secret that no one had discovered in centuries. The whole forest and its animals were assumedly keeping a tryst with past couples who had strolled down the same path.

Lance and Becky knew nothing of this. They were only concerned with matters that dealt with each other. Underbrush snatched at their legs while they talked about unimportant matters that were only of consequence to the two of them. He began to talk about what he and his friends did in the off time when Becky shushed him with a raise of her small hand. They had come upon a softly babbling brook. Pure water rushed and tumbled over the smooth brown rocks that were protruding out of the streambed bottom. The trees surrounding the small oasis were the greenest of greens, the water the clearest of clears, and the dirt was the blackest of blacks. Becky had stopped their progression onto the flood plain because there was a deer on the other side of the brook taking a drink. She pulled him back among the trees and silently pointed out what she saw.

"There is a doe over there," She explained, and Lance followed her finger and looked to where she was pointing. The brown doe, her head bowed, was lapping up the water from the brook with a long pink tongue. Lance was surprised. Didn't she see them there? He had been talking so loudly that he thought Jamy and Justin back at the house could hear their private conversation. But the brown doe chose to ignore them, obviously. She kept on drinking to her heart's content, devoid of knowledge that there was a couple watching her beyond the trees.

"What should we do?" Lance asked, not taking his eyes off the deer. The path continued on the other side of the brook and the flood plain wasn't large enough and solid enough to support two grown people walking side by side.

Becky thought for a moment. Back home in Illinois she had encountered deer frequently and never met a deer that wouldn't let her stroke it. "I want to see if I can pet it," She responded calmly.

Lance looked down at her sharply. "Isn't that dangerous? She could have rabies," Lance warned pointedly as she started over to it.

Becky stopped creeping closer and looked back. "Not if you're careful," She replied challengingly. Lance sat resignedly down on a rock to watch what he hoped would be an encounter of the safe kind. Becky reached the edge of the trees and found a rock to sit on. First she took off her shoes, then her socks, and she rolled up her pant legs to about her knees. She waded across the brook about half of the way across in a direct line to the doe. The deer looked up abruptly, glossy eyes shining like beacons of worry, and started to retreat slowly. Becky slowly reached into her pocket, and brought forth a few handfuls of grass she had picked before she emerged from the trees. She offered it to the doe and it crept over to her as slow as a snail. She took the grass into her mouth and chewed it slowly and cautiously. Becky then got close enough to it to reach out and pet it. The doe let her stroke it's back and neck. Lance sighed admiringly with no regard for how loud his voice was and the doe looked up sharply. It saw him between the trees and when Lance tried to advance toward in the same fashion the Becky had done, it was frightened and bounded away gracefully and noiselessly.

Becky sighed and hung her head in defeat. She turned around to face a bewildered Lance and tucked in a corner of her mouth. "Nice going, Scoop," She muttered, still standing in the brook. "You scared her off with your big ugly face. Nah, I'm just kidding. Or am I?"

Lance laughed at the face she made for the last sentence she spoke. "Oh well. Now I have you all to myself." He hurriedly threw his shoes and socks next to Becky's, rolled up his long shorts, and ran into the brook. While tumbling towards her decidedly ungracefully, he splashed his girlfriend with the biggest wave of water one can splash a person with in a brook. Becky just stood there and laughed blithely. Without notice Becky lunged at Lance spread-eagled and flattened James into the water.

"Ha, now you're more wet than I am," She proclaimed triumphantly when he emerged from under the water. She gave him a look that utterly expressed superiority and smugness.

Lance's deep laugh resounded throughout the forest. "Yes, yes, you won. Now, the winner gets this." Lance pulled her close and kissed her softly and gently with such subtle power behind it.

Becky grinned evilly after they pulled away from each other. "And losers get this!" She yelled as she dunked him back into the brook.

* * *

The light at the end of her cigarette burned brightly through the gloom of her room. "I have to get her. I have to get her. I have to get her back for stealing Chris," Bridget repeated determinedly over and over. She was sitting with a hunched back on the edge of her bed. The moonlight flowed through the open window and onto the quantities of aluminum alcohol bottles and cans. They were littered everywhere in the room: on the dresser, television stand, on the dusty bookcases, even on the pillows on her bed. Cigarette and marijuana butts were strewn on the floor like a second carpet. She was admittedly drunk and just the slightest bit high. She was still trying to figure out how to get back at Becky for what she was thought to have done to her eight or nine years in the past. Bridget had vowed that she would never forget the heartache and pain that Becky had caused her, no matter that the pain was inadvertently administered. She had to have her sweet revenge.

I have to kill her! Bridget thought with finality. She reached with a shaking hand towards the nightstand, knocked over the empty and half-empty bottles and let them crash to the floor, and picked up the blue telephone. After talking with a few connections and making a few travel arrangements, she had what she needed.

I have the passports, plane tickets, and extra money. I'm packed and ready to go. Now all I need is to know where she's staying…A few more calls and hush-hush talks, more information was produced. I'm leaving for France now. Knowing her, she'll be staying at a world-class hotel, or in the grandest, most expensive castle in the whole darn country. I don't care if I have to search every hotel and residential castle in France, just as long as I get my revenge!

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