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Caitlin

I'm not sure what to think about the envelope that Michael received.  There is clearly something that concerns him about it, but he seems unwilling to talk about it.

Our evening passes quietly minus giving the girls a bath in which they saturate the entire bathroom with water and bubbles.

"Michael," I say as soon as they are asleep, "I think we need to talk."

A flash of panic flutters through his eyes again, but my boyfriend doesn't run this time.

"Yes, we do.  And please don't kill me, beautiful."

The envelope tells the entire story, along with the look on Michael's face.  Slowly, trying to take control of the emotions raging in me, I push the papers back in.

I take a deep breath.  "So, what are you planning to do?"

He stares at me with wide eyes.  "You're...you're not mad."

"Maybe a little bit, Michael, but that's because you should have told me about this sooner.  I didn't know you wanted to go to this university."

Flopping down on my bed, he sighs.  "It doesn't seem right though, Caitlin.  I get to go off to a college nearly eight hours away while you're stuck here with the girls.  If I'm lucky, I'll be able to come back weekends, but even that isn't guaranteed."

I lay down next to him and place my head on his shoulder.  "It's a full-ride scholarship.  For you to have gotten this opportunity, it's amazing.  We were struggling to find enough money to pay for the college here, and now you can go to the best university in the state for basically nothing."

"You've already given up your dreams, Caitlin, and I don't want this to cause problems later on.  I want to be here for the girls and you.  I don't want to be halfway across the state from you if you need something."

"Michael," I whisper, raising my head and looking into his eyes, "if this is what you want to do, then I'm not going to hold you back.  I'll love you even if you are four hours away, and I only see you on weekends."

A deep sigh escapes him, and gently, I press my lips to his.

"I trust you, handsome.  I knew you weren't going to be like your father, and you love the girls so much that I know that my beliefs were true.  I meant what I said.  If this is your dream, I will let you go and live it for yourself."

"Caitlin, there's more," he says, propping himself up on an elbow and reaching into his left pocket.  "This note came with the envelope."

You owe me one, Michael.
W.E.B.

I moan lightly.  "I thought we destroyed him.  I thought we had beat him."

Michael strokes my hair lightly as tears fill my eyes, both of us remembering that night and the deception.

"Oh, goodness.  Will it never end!  How can he still manipulate our lives?" I bury my face deep into my boyfriend's chest.  "If he can get to us, he can get to Leslie and our girls and Will and..."

"Shh, it'll all be okay, beautiful.  We'll talk to Will tomorrow and see if he has a clue what's going on.  But, are you positive you want me to go to the university?" He asks, holding me close and lightly swaying.

"Yes, I'm sure," I say in a fierce voice.  "We'll show that he doesn't have any control us anymore.  We can defeat whatever game he's playing with us."

"Yes, yes, we can.  Will knows him the best, and the four of us is stronger than just him."

With confidence racing through his voice and his arms wrapped around me, the tremors racing through me at the thought of Hit Rewind coming back to haunt us subsided.

Mr. Baker had seemed confident that Michael and I stayed together in every future, but I could only imagine what kind of revenge he was plotting now that we had destroy him.

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