Brenda placed her hands on Sonny's hand, which was still holding her chin up. They rested there for a moment as she lost herself in those eyes. She pulled herself away before she got too lost, if that's even possible she thought silently. She gently removed his hand and got up off the couch and started pacing the length of it in front of the coffee table.

Sonny watched her go back and forth three times before he even started to question her about her sudden movement. "Brenda…"

Brenda meanwhile had been trying to think about how she could tell him without causing an extreme reaction. She had been successful so far, by keeping her voice calm and her movements to a minimum she had managed to keep him calm enough to not invoke a temper flare up, which was something she didn't want or need to deal with right now. So far it had been easy, most of the story so far hadn't involved very much of her or the dangers, but it would any minute now. As soon as she opened her mouth about what had kept her on the run for about 20 years. There's no way out of this, just open your mouth and let the words pour out, she advised herself. You've been waiting forever to tell him and now you've turned into a scaredy cat. He might surprise you in his reaction; you haven't been around him in years. She stopped pacing, stopped in front of him, and stared down at him and he made movements to get up. "No stay sitting. This will be easier if you stay where you are." We don't need two strong willed people wandering around the room with tempers she thought. I always get angry and upset when I think about this, no doubt he will too. It will do you some good to finally say everything out loud.

"Okay," Sonny said cautiously as he sat back down, vowing that he was going to strangle whoever had invoked so much fear in her. He could see it in her eyes. Whatever her father's partners had wanted to do or had done to her had scared her enough to lose contact with everyone she loved and to stay away or on the run for 20 years. Whatever it was must be atrocious to think about, or she wouldn't hesitate so much in telling him.

He watched her pace back and forth one more time, stop suddenly, get her footing straight, and open her mouth to speak. He was on the edge of his seat waiting for her to say something, but she didn't. "Brenda…" he started again, but that must have been the straw that broke the camel's back because that started her outburst of nonsensical words. Nonsense only because he didn't want to comprehend them. She was right, the things were horrible. And when she was done she looked at him with peace and contentment in her eyes, which made him think that he had imagined every single word that had come out of her mouth, but he knew he hadn't. The rage and terror building up inside of him was eating away at him. He needed to do something with it, but he didn't know what.

****

After talking for a little while with Mike, Sara took her stuff and went upstairs. She picked the closest guest room to her parents as her own room. She knew she shouldn't unpack her stuff and put it away in the dresser and closet, but she couldn't help but make her self feel at home. Who cared if she might have to leave at a moment's notice, she could just throw everything back in the suitcase again, it really wasn't all that much stuff to begin with. When all her clothes and toiletries were put in order she took out three pictures and arranged them on her nightstand. One was of Grandma Jane, another of Sonny, Mike and her the on day Sonny left, and the last was of her, Jannie(her best friend), and Ronnie (her once boyfriend). She hid Ronnie's face behind the picture of Grandma Jane. She couldn't stand to look at him right now, but she didn't have the heart to cut him out of the picture either. Ronnie and Jannie; that was a whole other lifetime ago. One I left behind in Seattle, Sara thought to herself.