Amelia and Annabell's Journey - Chapter Seventy Nine

After riding for hours, Amelia and Annabell stopped to rest. Amelia made a fire out of some tree limbs laid nearby while Annabell unloaded some horses' stuff.

The two laid out some old blankets and curled up to get some rest on the ground near the fire. They had Annabell's dog to keep watch while they slept. Bell would alarm them if anyone was to approach them while they slept.

Exhausted from the past few days of being in the dungeon to riding through the night, Amelia and Annabell quickly fell asleep and didn't stir until the daylight approached.

Knowing that it was harmful to stay in the sunlight for any length of time, Amelia prepared the horse for the rest of the journey. She checked the horse's hooves to make sure that the long riding wasn't harming the horse.

While Amelia packed up everything, Annabell roasted something to eat over the fire, while Bell watched every move of her food on the stick, hoping that something would fall off so she could get it.

"Daylight is approaching, and we must find shelter before the sun rises to its strongest," Amelia told her daughter.

"Why do we have to leave Arthur behind and flee from the castle?" Annabell asked. This she didn't know how to quite answer, for she feared telling Annabell how her grandmother truly was. "We have to leave because she thinks I killed your father. It's her grief of her son that she acts this way," Amelia explained.

Annabell ran into her mother's arms, "She's a hateful woman, she hates me and you, she has never been nice to me other than when you or daddy was around. She would tell me terrible things that would make me cry," Annabell cried out.

"I never knew this. Why didn't you tell your father or me?" Amelia asked. "I didn't want her to be mad at me or you and daddy," she replied. "I will keep us safe, I will get your brother back, and all things will be good once again," she promised her daughter.

Amelia was ready to head out now that the moon was high in the sky, and they were not too far from reaching the cabin that she sought. It would only take them a few hours to reach it.

They finally arrived at the cabin that set alone in a wooded area. No other houses were even close to it. Secluded just like Amelia wanted. It hadn't changed since the last time she saw it many years ago.

 Amelia checks to make sure that it was safe. She took Annabell in and showed her around. "This will be your room. I'll help you get it all cleaned up tomorrow when we are more rested," she told Annabell that jumped up on the bed looking around curiously.

Annabell changed into her nightclothes and climbed into bed. She fell asleep fast with the comfort of not having to sleep on the ground. Bell, her dog, slept on the floor by the bed.

Amelia started a fire in the dark, cold rock fireplace that stood in the living room. She sat down to warm herself by the fire as all the old memories of this cottage held with her. She remembered the first day she woke to find she was no longer in the dungeon and how James won her heart.

The next day when Annabell awoke, Amelia had her new clothes to wear. "Why do I have to wear these clothes? My dress is much prettier?" she asked Amelia. "We have to be careful not to draw attention to ourselves, for I fear we are not safe from the queen," she responded. "Ok, I will get used to it, but my hair looks horrible," she added with a sigh.

Nothing more was said as Annabell jumped onto the floor to play with Bell. They rolled around on the floor, playing tug a war.

"I hope that one day we will not have to hide and that we can be reunited with your brother," she told Annabell. "I would rather be here instead of living with that queen that I thought was my grandmother. I'm much happier here, but I do miss my brother. I just hope she's not mean to him," she told her mom. "She will treat him nice. She will treat him like she did your father. She needs an heir to the throne, and that she has in Arthur. So, for now, we are safe from her wrath as long as we are not discovered. So we need to be careful to not let anyone know we are here," she told Annabell.

Dream Realm, Chapter Ten - Hard Decision

Nick walked over to meet his daughter for the first time. He reached down  and picked up the the tiny baby that laid in the incubator, the baby smiled up at Nick when he reached down to pick her up. He held her up, and all he could see was Jessica in her little tiny face.

Jessica walked over to Nick holding her daughter, she desperatly wanted to swaddle the baby up. With a pitiful look on her face, "What will we name her?" she asked. "I don't know, I'll let you name her," he told her as he handed the baby over to Jessica.  

Jessica held her tiny daughter in her arms for the first time.  "I think you look like a Karissa, oh how I wished that my mom and dad could see you," she told her daughter.

Jessica stared down at her daughter now drifting off to sleep. Then Jessica's joy turned to saddness. She felt a tiny tear run down her face as she pictured her taking her first steps, her first words. Knowing that she would never be able to hold her again in her arms. She didn't want to think about what all she was going to miss out on.

Jessica walked outside to gather her thoughts. She had to be alone, away from everyone that she knew was going to rip her apart. She didn't know when they would be taking her but she knew it would be soon.

Nick knew how upset Jessica was, he could feel what she was feeling. He walked over to Karissa and tucked her in. Dreading what he knew he had to do. He loved Jessica and wanted them all in his life, but knew it was impossible at the moment.

As soon as Jessica seen Nick come into the room she collapsed to the floor in dread to the news he was going to tell her. "Please, No!" Jessica began to beg. Tears began to run down her face and she tried to catch her breath. 

"You know I have to, I don't want to," Nick began. "I have to do this or they will send for her by someone else, and you will never see her again," he added.

Nick walked away from the table and sat down in the floor beside Jessica. He pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "I will reunite all of us again, I know I can do this, I just need some more time," he tried to reasure her.

"Please don't take her, isn't there another way. I can't live without you and her in my life," she tried to plead once again. "It will be ok, I promise. She will be with me, I won't let her out of my site, and Lisa will help me with her," he told her as he tried to keep her calm. 

Lisa knew that she was going to have to take on the task of helping Nick raise this child that she knew she would never be able to have. She kinda resented this baby, but melted when she held Karissa.

Lisa knew she had to gather all the baby's stuff up to help with the transition of Lisa getting over her loss. She packed the things up and placed them on the ship and prepared for the back to Lunar, their home planet.  

Just when Nick thought things were ok, Jessica lost it when Lisa came out of the nursery with Karissa."No, shes mine! You can't take her." she screamed. Nick grabbed Jessica to stop her from taking the baby from Lisa. "Stop! Please, I will be back soon, I will not let her out of my sight. She will be with me the whole time, I promise" Nick told her.

Tears began to run down her cheeks as she began to sob again. As soon as Lisa was out of sight with Karissa he let Jessica go. "Please don't make this hard, Jessica, this is already breaking my heart in more ways than I can even tell you," he told her as helped her off the floor.

The time had come for everyone but Jessica to leave. Nick held Jessica in his arms as she sobbed with weak knees almost falling to the ground. "I will try to reunite us as a family, I will come back for you," Nick told Jessica. Jessica steped away as she watched Nick go into the ship. It lifted and was out of site within seconds.

Jessica stood all alone in her baby's room that use to have a cradle and toys.

She slid down to the floor and pulled the a stuffed animal that was left behind. She set sobbing in the room until she couldn't cry anymore. She was filled with a deep whole in her chest that once was filled with happiness.