"Sorry about the accommodations," Vanessa said apologetically, showing Kara into the room where she’d be staying. "We needed an office more than a second bedroom."

"Are you kidding?" Kara looked around the room, smiling. "Compared to the dump I call home this is the Taj Mahal."

"Let me give you the mini-tour," Vanessa said, motioning Kara to follow. After proudly showing off the cozy apartment, Vanessa ended the tour in the kitchen, noting the blinking red light on the answering machine. Leaning against the counter, Vanessa pressed a button and listened to the single message.

"Hi, Vanessa. This is Millie in Dr. Jackson’s office. Just wanted to remind you that you need to come in for your final blood test sometime in the next two weeks. Give us a call and we’ll schedule an appointment for you. Thanks."

"Blood test?" Kara repeated with a smile. "What, are you pregnant or something?" she joked.

‘Pregnant? If only…’ Vanessa thought sadly, staring at the machine. Kara’s comment had reminded her how much she and Joe hoped to be parents one day. ‘And we will be someday…if this one comes back negative too,’ she tried to reassure herself.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kara asked, confused at the fear and sadness that had suddenly appeared in Vanessa’s eyes.

"No, it’s okay," Vanessa said as she began to walk away.

"Van, what’s the matter? You can tell me," Kara prodded her, grabbing Vanessa’s arm as she passed by.

With a loud gasp, Vanessa pulled away and backed herself up against the counter, a look of utter terror on her face. She let out a soft whimper as Chris Taylor’s face flashed before her eyes. Within seconds, she felt her clothes being torn and a body pressing down on her as the flashback came out of nowhere.

"Van? Vanessa?" Kara asked, having no idea what was happening. Watching as her friend was overcome with fear, Kara approached, speaking in a soft gentle voice. "Whatever it is, you’re okay, Vanessa. Look at me, honey. You’re right here in your own apartment safe and sound." Kara continued murmuring soothing words of compassion until Vanessa seemed to come around and focus on her friend.

"Sorry," Vanessa mumbled, still trembling, desperately wishing Joe was there.

"It’s okay," Kara replied, getting a glass of water and offering it to her friend.

Vanessa gratefully accepted and took several mouthfuls. "Guess you want to know what that was all about, huh?" Vanessa asked, embarrassed.

"Only if you’re comfortable telling me," Kara answered diplomatically.

Vanessa stared at her friend, recalling the easy closeness they shared so many years ago. Thanks to the sensational article that had appeared in The Bayport Times the day after Joe’s arrest, virtually everyone in Bayport knew Vanessa had been raped. In fact, she couldn’t recall ever having to say the words aloud…until now. Looking at Kara, she swallowed hard and blurted it out before she lost her nerve. "I was raped."

"Wha…what?!" Kara said wide-eyed. "Oh, God, Van, I’m so sorry! I had no idea!"

"How would you?" Vanessa shrugged, studying the floor as the old feelings of guilt and shame came rushing back.

"When did it happen?" Kara asked gently.

"About a year ago," Vanessa replied, glancing at the calendar hanging on the wall. ‘Eleven months, two weeks, three days…’ she thought shifting her gaze to the clock, ‘…and twenty four minutes.’

"I’ve gotten a lot better…really…" Vanessa stammered, "but the flashbacks…sometimes they come out of nowhere…I don’t always know what’s going to trigger them…" her voice trailed off as tears burned her eyes. "God, Kara, I thought I was past this," she choked out, burying her face in her hands.

‘Guess that explains the change in her,’ Kara thought sadly, hoping her friend’s feisty personality would one day make a complete return. Stepping forward, Kara enveloped Vanessa in a comforting embrace, rubbing her back gently.

"Shhh…it’s all right, Van. It’s okay. I’m no expert but I think recovering from something like this is an ongoing process…one that takes a little longer than a year."

Vanessa sniffled, nodding her head against Kara’s shoulder. "I know…but sometimes I just get so tired of hiding it from people. Everybody thinks I’m ‘better’ now and that I’ve forgotten about it…" her voice dropped to a whisper. "I’ll never forget…never…" she said fearfully.

Kara felt Vanessa start to pull away and quickly released her. Reaching out, Kara wiped a tear from her friend’s face and looked at her intently. "I may be out of line here but…Joe isn’t one of those people, is he?"

"What?!" Vanessa gasped loudly. "Oh, no! No! He would never think something like that! In fact, he’s the only reason I made it through those first few months without losing my mind…or killing myself," she finished in barely a whisper.

Absently wandering into the living room, Vanessa sat on the couch, a faraway look in her eyes. Kara followed carrying a box of tissues and sat down next to Vanessa, silently waiting for her friend to continue. Years might have passed, but their friendship was as strong as ever and she recognized the signs…Vanessa needed to talk; and needed someone who would listen without judging.

"Joe was absolutely amazing," Vanessa began recalling those first few weeks after she had been raped. Terrified, she had refused to leave the apartment or let Joe do so, except on rare occasions. "To this day, I don’t know why he didn’t just walk out on me. I was so angry and confused…and scared…I took everything out on him. Anger, rage, guilt, shame. He never had a moment’s peace," Vanessa sniffed, recalling the total stranger she had become.

"Every day was exactly the same – I would yell at him one minute, beg him to hold me the next, and then push him away two seconds later. I wouldn’t leave the apartment and forbade him to leave, too. I was terrified of being alone…I was so afraid he’d come after me again." Vanessa took the tissue Kara offered and dabbed at her eyes. "I was so ashamed I refused to see anyone but my Mom. I wouldn’t let any of our friends come visit. I cut him off from his family, all his friends… and yet every single night when we went to bed, he told me how much he loved me…how thankful he was I was still there with him…and here I was, treating him like dirt.

"I can’t tell you how much I hated myself. I kept thinking if I had just waited for Joe like we had agreed on that morning, it never would have happened. I was convinced it was all my fault." Vanessa turned tear-filled eyes on Kara. "I just felt so…filthy…like I’d never be clean again. I was convinced Joe would never want to touch me again…and scared he would try before I was ready."

"I bet that didn’t happen, did it?" Kara asked softly.

"No," Vanessa replied with a tiny smile. "He never brought it up. Not even once. Just waited until I told him I was ready."

"That’s easy to believe. Anyone can see how much he loves you."

"Yeah," Vanessa whispered, nodding. "I know I’m the luckiest woman in the world. He was so patient and kind and loving…even when I didn’t deserve it."

"You didn’t deserve what happened to you. Joe understood that and he didn’t blame you." Kara observed. "So…did they catch the guy?"

Vanessa hesitated, debating whether or not she should tell Kara the whole story and quickly decided against it. It was one thing to share her own fears and insecurities with her best friend; it was something else entirely to betray Joe’s trust and reveal the demons he still battled with on a regular basis.

"He’s dead," Vanessa replied quietly.

"At least he can’t hurt anyone else," Kara said, sensing the conversation was about to be closed for good.

"Never again," Vanessa whispered, as a look of immense sadness filled her eyes.

Unaware she had kept so much bottled up inside despite her therapy sessions and Joe’s unconditional love and endless support, Vanessa felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She reached out and hugged her friend tightly, thankful for the release. Remembering the promise she and Joe had made to each other on New Years Eve, she smiled, pushing all thoughts of Chris Taylor into the past where they belonged.

"Joe should be home soon," Vanessa announced glancing at her watch as she stood up. "How does pizza sound for dinner? Prito’s Restaurant makes the best in town."

"Sounds great," Kara replied, determined not to disrupt Joe and Vanessa’s life anymore than she already had.

"Pizza it is then. Joe would have pizza every day, for breakfast lunch and dinner," Vanessa said, laughing over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen and reached for the phone, "if he could get away with it."

Moments later the two girls heard a key in the lock on the door indicating Joe had indeed arrived home. Kara watched as Vanessa broke into a huge smile and raced for the door.

‘She’s so excited you’d think they’d been separated for weeks,’ Kara thought. Pushing aside the tiniest twinge of envy, Kara was thrilled that Vanessa had found someone who so obviously adored her – and made her happy. ‘Especially after what she’s been through…’

Kara laughed softly as Vanessa practically threw herself on Joe the second he walked in the door. Recalling how they had acted the day before – holding hands, stealing kisses, maintaining some kind of physical contact with each other all the time – Kara discreetly walked down the hall to her makeshift bedroom, giving them a few moments alone.

"Mmmm…you smell good," Joe murmured, inhaling deeply as he held Vanessa close. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Vanessa smiled, pulling away from him slightly.

"What’s wrong?" Joe asked, immediately alarmed by Vanessa’s red-rimmed eyes. "Why were you crying?"

"Oh…I told Kara about the rape," she answered softly.

"Everything?" Joe asked a little warily.

"No. Just that I was raped and the guy is dead. I didn’t go into any details," Vanessa assured him. ‘Not about that part anyway.’

"Mind if I ask why you decided to tell her?" Joe wondered, absently playing with her hair. Even if Kara was an old friend, they hadn’t seen each other in six years and Joe didn’t think that was the kind of thing that would come up in casual conversation.

Vanessa sighed and looked at the answering machine. "There’s a message from Dr. Jackson’s office, reminding me I have to go in for my last blood test before the end of the month. Kara made a joke about it, I tried to brush it off, one thing led to another…" She looked at Joe uneasily. "I had a flashback."

"Are you okay now?" Joe asked, clearly worried about her.

"Fine. Honestly," Vanessa reassured him with a bright smile. "Kara was really great. We talked a little bit. I got some stuff out that I didn’t even know I was holding inside all this time."

Joe pulled Vanessa close to him and held her tightly. "I’m glad she was here, then," he said, grateful she didn’t have to endure it alone. Vanessa stood for several moments enjoying the security she always felt in his arms, before she slowly pulled away.

"So what’s for dinner?" Joe asked, following her into the kitchen.

"Pizza. I called Prito’s."

"Do I need to go pick it up?" Joe asked as Kara appeared in the entryway. "Hi, Kara."

"Hi," Kara replied smiling.

"Nope, they’re delivering," Vanessa answered Joe’s question as she pulled glasses and plates from the cupboard in preparation for dinner.

"Joe, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kara asked almost shyly.

"Sure." He led her into the living room and sat on the couch.

Sitting in the chair next to him, Kara looked at Joe nervously. "I…I wanted to thank you – for everything. Agreeing to help me; letting me stay here; buying my train ticket…" She listed everything Joe had done for her in less than twenty-four hours. "I’ll pay you back," she added quickly. "It…it just might take a while."

"It was a gift, no paybacks necessary," Joe waved his hand dismissively.

Kara stared at him for a moment and then reached out and squeezed his hand. "You are just as sweet as Vanessa said." She grinned as Joe blushed furiously. "I just want to make sure you know how grateful I really am. Vanessa told me about your dad and Mr. Galloway being old friends. I hope that’s not causing any friction between you two."

"Dad and I love friction," Joe cracked, hoping Kara wouldn’t realize her words struck so close to home. "We live for it."

"Well, thank you again. It’s been a long time since anyone actually cared about me," Kara said softly, brushing away a tear. "You have no idea what it means to know there are at least two people in the world who believe in me."

Joe’s eyes widened for a split second, just as the buzzer sounded announcing the pizza had arrived.

"Saved by the bell," he muttered under his breath, feeling a little guilty that Kara honestly thought he believed she was innocent.

"Yes?" Joe said, pressing a button and speaking into the intercom.

"Prito’s pizza," a familiar voice replied.

"Tony?!" Joe asked shocked. Tony Prito, a childhood friend of the Hardy’s, was the manager of Prito’s restaurant and the owner’s son.

"Yeah, it’s me," Tony chuckled.

"So you’ve finally been demoted to delivery boy, huh?" Joe teased.

"Just buzz me in, Hardy. Your pizza is getting cold!"

Joe did as Tony requested and a moment later there was a knock on the door. Joe pulled it open and leaned against the doorframe grinning at Tony who stood holding two steaming hot pizza’s in his hands.

"Hey, Van, get the camera! I gotta get a picture of this!" Joe called out.

"You know one day that mouth is gonna get you in big trouble," Tony rolled his eyes, pushing past Joe.

"Tony?!" Vanessa exclaimed with a laugh. "Why are you delivering pizza? Did you get demoted or something?"

"You know, you two deserve each other," Tony said sarcastically. "It’s a good thing you found each other because no one else-" he stopped mid-sentence and stared at the raven-haired beauty who had just appeared behind Vanessa.

As Joe and Vanessa exchanged a bemused glance, Tony wordlessly shoved the pizza boxes into Joe’s hands and approached Kara.

"Hello. I’m Tony Prito. I don’t believe we’ve ever met," he said smoothly, extending his hand towards her. "I’m an old friend of Joe’s… Vanessa kind of inherited me when she hooked up with that joker." He smiled charmingly, jerking his head towards Joe but never taking his eyes off Kara.

"Nice to meet you, Tony Prito." Kara’s smile lit up her striking green eyes. "I’m Kara. Kara Lidster. I’m an old friend of Vanessa’s."

"See how much we have in common all ready?" Tony winked, moving a little closer to Kara, who laughed softly, enjoying Tony’s undivided attention.

"Should I get the fire extinguisher?" Joe murmured to Vanessa, mischievously. "I can feel the heat from those two all the way over here."

"Leave them alone," Vanessa batted him on the arm and then led him past the apparently star-struck couple and into the kitchen. "Tony, can you stay for a while or do you have to get back to work?" Vanessa called out over her shoulder, winking at Joe.

"I can stay," Tony replied quickly, his voice fading away slightly.

"And people call me a flirt," Joe said wryly, as he turned and saw Tony leading Kara to the loveseat. "I’ve got nothing on him!"

"You are a flirt. A notorious flirt," Vanessa confirmed, kissing him on the cheek. "You’re just a flirt who’s spoken for. Tony’s a free man since he and Debbie broke up last month."

"Free and on the prowl, apparently," Joe observed with a devilish grin as he added another place setting to the table.

Over the next three hours, the four young people chatted amiably. Joe and Tony related some of their more entertaining childhood exploits to Kara. She then turned the tables and revealed some of the ‘adventures’ she and Vanessa had shared growing up, leaving both Joe and Tony staring at Vanessa open-mouthed and in shock more than once.

"See, you’re not the only one who had an exciting childhood," Vanessa said mysteriously, leaning over to kiss Joe on the cheek. "Why don’t we get this cleaned up," she nudged Joe, indicating they should leave Tony and Kara alone again.

"Please, let me help," Kara immediately stood up and began gathering up the dirty plates.

"No, Joe and I will take care of it," Vanessa replied, shooing Kara away. "You and Tony go sit in the living room. We’ll be out in a few minutes."

"Playing matchmaker, are we?" Joe teased as he carried a pile of plates into the kitchen and began rinsing them in the sink.

"I didn’t have to do anything," Vanessa said defensively. "Sparks were flying left and right the second Tony laid eyes on her."

As she placed the glasses on the counter top, Vanessa turned to Joe and impulsively threw her arms around his neck.

"You were soooooo right. This is going to be our year," she said happily. "My blood test will come back negative, you’ll find out who framed Kara…who knows maybe some of our good luck will rub off on Tony and Kara…" she sighed. "For once Kara would have a really nice guy…"