Joe heard a loud ringing sound and sat up, looking around frantically, absolutely terrified. He threw up his arms defensively, knowing it wouldn’t provide any protection at all against the weapons the other prisoners had.

Realizing he could no longer see the men who had come to kill him, Joe was consumed by panic, when suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"NO!" he screamed, whirling to face the first attacker.

"Joe, what’s wrong?" Vanessa asked, her face white as a sheet.

Joe was breathing so hard and fast he couldn’t speak.

‘Vanessa? It was a dream! It was just a dream!’

Joe sank to his knees, flooded with relief. He still felt as if he were in that small prison cell, about to die, with no possible chance of escape.

"You better get over here, now!" He heard Vanessa’s voice and realized the loud ringing sound must have been the telephone. "Use your own key. Ok, bye." She said, ending the conversation.

Sitting on the floor, Joe turned and leaned back against the couch for support. Closing his eyes tightly, he tried to block out the horrifying images. He knew he was in his own apartment, but he somehow felt that if he opened his eyes, he would see the men and the weapons and it would all become real.

"Joe?" he heard Vanessa’s soft voice. "Are you ok, Baby?"

Joe didn’t dare speak, as he knew he would break down completely. Without opening his eyes, he held his arms out towards the sound of Vanessa’s voice. Seconds later he felt her arms around him, pulling him close. He laid his head on her shoulder, too afraid to even move.

"It’s ok, Baby." She said stroking his hair gently. "Frank is on his way. He’ll be here any minute."

‘Hurry up, Frank!’ Vanessa prayed. Whatever Joe had dreamt about this time, as he had napped on the couch, had been worse than anything that had come before. Vanessa knew her soothing words were not going to be enough this time. She wasn’t even sure if Frank’s presence would be what Joe needed. She could feel him shaking in her arms, barely able to breathe and knew he was scared to death.

Joe held Vanessa tightly, burying his face in her hair. ‘She’s real. Vanessa is real. It was just a dream. You’re still at home. The trial hasn’t even started yet.’

Joe heard the scraping sound of a key being inserted into a lock and flinched involuntarily.

"It’s ok. It’s ok." Vanessa said, rubbing his back. "It’s just Frank. You’re at home, Joe. You’re safe." Hearing the door open, Vanessa turned and looked just as Frank walked in. She had never seen so many emotions pass over his face so quickly.

Frank shut the door and leaned back against it, too shocked to move. The look of intense worry on Vanessa’s face told him things really were as bad as they appeared. She was sitting on the floor, holding on to Joe, it appeared, for dear life. Joe was trembling so badly Frank could see him shaking from where he stood half way across the room.

When Frank had called to let Joe know he had arrived home from Atlanta, Vanessa said Joe had just awakened from a nightmare and was upset. Frank told her he would be right over and prepared himself to try and reassure his younger brother; but he was not prepared for this. This was far more than just upset. Frank took a few deep breaths to calm himself and slowly walked towards them.

Kneeling on the floor next to Vanessa, Frank reached out for his brother. His hand barely brushed Joe’s shoulder but Joe nearly jumped out of his skin, frantically trying to pull away, yet hold onto Vanessa at the same time.

"It’s Frank!" Vanessa cried out. "Look at him, Joe. It’s Frank."

Frank recoiled in shock. Joe was afraid of him? What had he dreamt about that frightened him so badly he didn’t even trust Frank?

Vanessa shifted position a little and reached up, forcing Joe’s head off her shoulder.

"Look, Baby. Look at him." She said soothingly at the same time turning Joe’s head towards Frank.

‘Frank? It is Frank!’ Joe thought, letting the relief wash over him. He had been absolutely sure it was one of the prisoners who had somehow made their way into the apartment.

Joe looked his brother directly in the eyes, unblinking, but refused to let go of Vanessa. They were his lifelines right now and he needed them both. Vanessa was his reassurance that right now, in the present, he was still free. As long as he could hold on to her he knew he was safe, at least for the moment. Frank was his reassurance of freedom, and with it safety, for the future. Frank promised him, if Joe just had a little faith, Frank would find the evidence.

"Did you find anything?" Joe asked, his voice shaking so badly he almost didn’t recognize it.

For a split second, Frank actually considered lying to his brother. Staring into Joe’s blue eyes, he saw nothing but abject fear. The last thing Joe needed to hear right now was that Frank had come up empty in Atlanta.

"I’m sorry, little brother." Frank said quietly.

Joe closed his eyes and tears ran down his face. If Frank had said anything more, Joe didn’t hear it. He was back in that prison cell. The men were advancing on him. He could see the weapons they carried vividly. His back was against the wall and one thought ran through his mind over and over again…

"I’m going to die in prison." He whispered, pulling Vanessa as close as possible. She held him tighter and looked at Frank. She had never seen Joe like this and from the look on his face, neither had Frank.

‘He won’t have to worry about prison.’ Frank thought, watching his brother slowly fall apart. ‘He’ll never make it through the trial!’

"Joe," Frank said, trying to get his attention. Frank wanted so much to reach out and touch his brother, to comfort him, but based on his reaction just a moment ago, Frank had no idea what Joe would do if he tried. "Joe, listen to me. Please."

Slowly, Joe turned to face his brother, disappointment now mixed with the fear in his eyes.

‘He thinks I let him down.’ Frank thought, heartbroken, more for Joe than for himself.

"Atlanta was just the first lead. Not the only one. I still have more to follow up on." Frank said encouragingly, not wanting Joe to give up. "I told you I would find the evidence and I will."

"But you won’t find it in time." Joe shuddered. The dream was much too real for him to dismiss it so quickly.

Frank and Vanessa exchanged a worried glance. Joe had spoken in a way that sounded like he knew something they didn’t.

"Why do you say that?" Vanessa asked.

"That’s what happened. In the dream. It was so real. It was too real." Joe replied. The terror he felt knowing he was trapped about to die, with no chance of escape, came rushing back. "You found the evidence." He now looked at Frank. "But it was too late. They convicted me and I was already in prison. And that first night, they came." Joe’s voice caught in his throat. "All of them."

"All of who? Who came?" Frank asked, concerned. It was apparent Joe was terrified of something in this dream. Was he dreaming about prison? About the children he had seen being molested? Were the two now mingling together to drive Joe crazy even while he slept?

"Prisoners. All the men we helped put there. They came to my cell that night. With weapons. All of them had weapons." Joe felt himself starting to shake as the panic took over once again. He was now gripping Vanessa so tightly she almost winced. "There was no where to go. I couldn’t escape. I was trapped and I knew you weren’t coming for me. You couldn’t save me this time." Joe realized he was on the brink of falling apart.

‘No. Don’t let them win.’ Joe told himself. He did not want to break down out of fear caused by a dream, when he was still safe in his own home. He blinked a few times, trying to erase the images of the men and the weapons they carried. He concentrated on Vanessa holding him closely. Joe looked at his brother, reaching out for him. Frank grabbed his hand and held it tightly. Slowly, the panic started to dissipate; the dream finally starting to fade.