"Hey, Babe, what are you doing here?" Joe asked startled.

"Not happy to see me?" Vanessa parried.

"I’m always happy to see you." Joe pulled her close and punctuated it with a kiss.

"So aren’t you going to ask me in?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow. Joe had obviously been on his way out in a rather big hurry.

"Uh…Actually I was going somewhere." Joe said vaguely.

"To see Frank?"

"Not exactly." Joe replied, nervously.

"Then what…exactly…" Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Joe blocking his path.

Joe exhaled loudly. One look at Vanessa and he knew he couldn’t sweet talk his way around this. "I’m going back to Cape May. The Pine Barrens." He admitted.

"What?!" Vanessa cried out. "Why?"

"Nash has to be stopped. He tried to kill me. He tried to kill Frank. He did kill the baby… he has to be stopped, Van, and I’m going to do it." Joe said firmly.

"Joe, please." Vanessa begged, her eyes filling with tears immediately. "I almost lost you once because of him. Please, don’t go."

"I have to, Baby. Besides, I’m going back to the cabin where he first took Callie and me. I don’t expect to find him there. I’m just hoping to find some clue as to where he may have gone; where he might be now. I won’t be in any danger at all." Joe said reassuringly. "Trust me, I want back up – and a lot of it – the next time I run into him."

"Fine. Then I’m going with you." Vanessa said resolutely.

"No. Absolutely not." Joe shook his head adamantly.

"Why not? You just said you’re only going to look around. There’s no danger at all." She challenged him. "If that’s true, then there’s no reason I can’t go, too."

Joe stared at his girlfriend realizing he’d just dug himself into a hole. He really didn’t think there would be any danger, but he’d learned that Nash could turn up in the most unexpected places. There was a slight chance that he might actually run into Nash and he did not want Vanessa to be caught in the crossfire if that happened.

"Please, Joe." Vanessa begged, seeing Joe was about to deny her request. "I just want to be with you. You almost died the last time you met up with Nash. I…I’m afraid if I say goodbye now, if I let you go alone, I’ll…" She stopped, her voice breaking. "I’m afraid I’ll never see you alive again."

Joe felt a stab of pain at the tone in Vanessa’s voice. She was terrified if she let him out of her sight, the next time she saw him he’d be dead. And he found he could understand exactly how she felt. Still, Joe didn’t want to risk her being there on the off chance he encountered Nash. A tiny voice in the back of his mind told him not to let her come along, although this time he wasn’t quite sure if it was one of his never fail gut instincts, or just nervousness knowing his father would have a fit if he knew of Joe’s plans for the day.

"I promise, I’ll stay in the car. I won’t try and help. I’ll do whatever you ask." Vanessa pleaded. "Please let me come…" She moved a few steps closer, putting her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. "Please, Joe, don’t make me stay here and wonder whether you’re dead or alive. Please…"

The second Joe felt Vanessa’s touch, the last of his resolve slipped away. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair.

"You have to stay in the car." Joe said, his voice muffled.

"I will." She whispered.

"Doors locked."

"Okay."

Joe pulled away just enough to look in her eyes. "And if you even suspect I’m in trouble, I want you to get out of there as fast as possible."

"But…"

"No but’s, Vanessa. I do NOT want you caught in the middle if something happens. Nash put both me and Callie in the hospital. Frank is still there because of him. I don’t want you to be his next victim." Joe said, his voice shaking at the thought. "That’s the deal. Take it or leave it."

"I promise. If you get in trouble I’ll leave immediately and go get help." She promised, sealing it with a kiss.

"Okay." Joe gave her a smile, ignoring the little voice in his head, certain it was just nerves. "Let’s go."

*****

A few hours later, Joe turned off the engine and gazed at the cabin several yards away. Glancing at the rutted dirt road, he felt a chill run down his spine as his eyes glazed over. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of his memory…

The cabin started to come back into focus and Joe heard Vanessa’s voice.

"Joe? Are you all right?"

When she reached over and touched him Joe almost jumped out of his skin and flinched away from her. It took a moment for his racing heart to slow down and his breathing to start returning to normal as he realized his memory was beginning to return.

"Joe?" Vanessa repeated, her eyes filled with worry.

"I…I’m fine." Joe said, his voice a little unsteady. Taking a deep breath, he gave her a shaky smile. "Really, I’m okay. Now, when I get out lock the doors. Don’t get out of the car no matter what."

"Promise." Vanessa leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"And if I run into trouble…"

"I’ll go get help."

"That’s my girl." Joe replied, returning the kiss. "I love you, Baby." He said softly as he got out of the car.

"I love you, too." Vanessa replied, watching Joe slowly walk towards the cabin where all their nightmares had originated.

As Joe approached the structure, he found bits and pieces of his memory floating back to him…

Joe turned his head to the side. Callie was standing on the porch, her arms tied around the support pillar. She was looking out at him lying in the dirt road, tears streaming down her face. A jolt ran through him as he heard the sound of the truck’s engine followed by her piercing screams. His arms felt as if they were being ripped from his body.

Shaking his head to throw off the distressing images, Joe opened the door and stepped inside. Looking around, he knew his search wouldn’t take long. This had been a crime scene after all and the police had been through it with fine-toothed comb. Still, Joe had hoped they might have overlooked something – something he would find.

‘Wouldn’t be the first time.’ He thought hopefully.

After carefully searching every room including the basement, which brought another onslaught of painful memories, Joe concluded there was nothing in the cabin that could possibly lead him to Nash. Dejected, he made his way out of the cabin and started walking back to the car.

As he approached, Joe stared at Vanessa sitting in the passenger seat reading the book she had brought along, unaware he was watching her. As always, he was struck by how beautiful she was and wondered for the umpteenth time, why she even put up with him. No matter what happened, what kind of trouble he got into, she always stuck by him. Through thick and thin, whenever he was hurt or sick, for better or worse…Joe smiled to himself realizing how closely his thoughts paralleled marriage vows and that was when it hit him. She was the one. He was absolutely certain of it.

‘Guess I’ll have to do something about that when we get home…’ He thought, grinning.

As Joe picked up his pace and got closer to the car, something in the trees off to his right caught his eye. The sunlight was hitting something…something shiny…metal… Joe removed his sunglasses and squinted slightly, his breath catching in his throat as the object – and the person holding it - came into focus.

"No." He said out loud. "No!"

Breaking into a run, Joe began waving his arms, trying to get Vanessa’s attention. "Vanessa!" He screamed. "Get out! Get out now!" His heart pounding, Joe realized she couldn’t hear him. "VANESSA!! GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW!!"

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the silence of the woods, kicking up the dirt at Joe’s feet. Instinctively, he threw himself to the ground, rolling to the side of the dirt road, landing in the ditch running alongside it. As Joe raised his head to warn Vanessa again, he saw his worst nightmare come true. The nightmare that still haunted him to this day. Too far away to do anything, Joe heard another gunshot and watched helplessly as his car exploded and erupted in a ball of flames, taking Vanessa along with it.