Six weeks later and Moss and Abby still haven't been found. Steven was crazy out of his mind with worry and he wasn't eating or sleeping, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
"You can't torture yourself like that!" Claire yelled, "you must eat something!"
"Claire is right!" Jeff added, "you will need all your strength once they return, so you can kill him when they are found!"
Claire threw her husband a murderous look, "do not encourage him to kill anyone!" Claire told him, "he is still her husband and he hasn't committed any crime!"
"She is sick and needs help!" Jeff pointed out, "and she wants to be with Steven, he is taken advantage of her sickness to steal her away!"
"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Alice asked Claire and Jeff, " I made beef stew and there's plenty to go around!"
"I'm not hungry, thank you, Claire was the first to respond, did Steven eat today?" When Alice shook her head, Claire quickly added, "ok me and Jeff will eat alongside Steven!"
Alice winked in understanding and walked to the kitchen to set the table. "Come on Steven get up, we don't want Alice to get mad at us if the food gets cold!"
They all sat around the kitchen table while Alice served them dinner and then poured the wine. "Alice aren't you going to join us?" Claire asked.
"Alice is family," Steven cut in and said, "she always sits and eats with us." Alice smiled and sat down, and they all ate in silence.
"You're a good cook Alice," Jeff's compliment pleased Alice who beamed with delight at his gracious words. "The stew is delicious!"
Everyone looked at Steven who just stared at his food, unable to enjoy the meal with the pain in his heart twisting and killing him with every second that went by.
"If anything happens to you, where would that leave your precious baby girl and Stephan?" Claire hated the choice of words that came out of her mouth, but Steven needed an eye opener, "Moss will take them and raise them, is that what you want?"
Slowly Steven grabbed his fork and started to eat his food, Claire was right, he thought, he had to maintain his health to be strong for his family.
"It's crazy that you had hired so many detectives and no one could find them!" Jeff said, "where could they be hiding?"
"She sick and doesn't realize what is happening, this is all Moss!" Steven spat, "and when I find him I will crucify him!"
***************
"Are you hungry?" Moss asked Abby, "as he placed a carton of milk on the table and sat down.
Abby shook her head sadly, "No thank you."
Pouring her and himself a glass of milk, he said, "I was thinking to walk on the beach this morning, the rain has stopped and the sun is out."
"That's fine." Abby answered, her eyes seemed far far away.
"You're going to get better I swear it." Moss told her, and pushed the glass of milk in front of her, "can you at least drink this?"
Abby reached for the glass and brought it to her lips, she took a sip and then placed the glass back on the table.
Moss released a harsh sigh, "I'm making hamburgers for lunch with French fries, would you like that?"
"That's fine." Abby looked drained.
Worried, Moss lifted himself to his feet and grabbed the milk carton and placed it back in the refrigerator. "Come on Abby let's go for a walk by Scusset beach."
Moss had brought Abby to his vacation house in Bourne, Barnstable county, a beautiful home near Cape Cod Bay, it was a place where no one could find them and he could have Abby all to himself.
*************
Bella cuddled her beautiful little girl in her arms and looked down at her adoringly. She named her darling girl Antonia which is the female version of Anthony. She looked so much like Anthony that Bella smothered her with love.
"Can I hold her?" Carol asked.
Bella handed her over to Carol and smiled, "I think she likes you look at the way her fingers wrap around yours." Bella pointed out.
"Everyone likes Carol," Jacob laughed.
"When are you two going to tie the knot?" Bella asked.
"We were thinking maybe of a winter wedding," Jacob said, "Carol loves Christmas."
"That's sounds like fun," Bella smiled, "by that time hopefully Abby and Steven should be back."
"I feel sorry for the way things turned out for Steven and I worry for him." Jacob said, "he sounded broken on the phone and I have to make a mental note to speak with Jeff and Claire, maybe they can keep an eye on him."
"Steven has a strong character and he will survive, I'm sure if it," Bella said, "I just hope they find Abby and that she will get better so they can be a family again.
***************
It was three in the morning and Steven was still awake, his mind was swirling with thoughts of Abby. Where was she, how could it be possible that the private detectives he hired couldn't find her? Steven wanted to call the police, but he knew they wouldn't help him because Moss and Abby are a married couple and he was the intruder.
He was sick to his stomach with worry, what if he convinced her to stay married to him, what if he touched her, Steven closed his eyes, the idea of Moss's hands on Abby killed him, and worse yet, she does not have her medication with her and what if she gets even sicker?
All these thoughts made him wild with worry, even the thought that his precious baby's girl was coming home in the morning could not ease him down. The poor baby wants it's mother's love and adoration like all baby's, what kind of a head start will his precious daughter get without Abby to hold her and nourish her.
He tossed and turned the rest of the night as every night, and when morning came he swiftly dressed and exited his room. The smell of bacon and eggs caught Steven's attention, as he walked inside the kitchen and found Alice cooking breakfast.
"Oh just in time," Alice smiled, "I've made a delicious breakfast."
"No thank you," Steven said, as he walked away.
"You would do well to eat something Steven, your baby daughter is depending on you to take care of her, and if you're not in good health to enjoy her homecoming then I'm going to leave here, I can't sit around and watch you destroy yourself!"
Steven released a harsh sigh and backtracked back into the kitchen, "Very well," Steven said, as he sat down at the table, "but I don't want much I'm not hungry."
Alice secretly smiled, she had no intention of ever leaving, but thought a little bit of a threat would help him understand that food is important to stay healthy and strong, she was very worried for him.
Placing a plate of three eggs, two slices of bacon, three sausages, and hash browns in front of Steven, she went back to the counter to collect the toast.
Steven stared at the food and tried not to allow his stomach to turn upside down. Food was the last thing he needed, he thought, "Join me!"
"Yes I was about to," she told him, and grabbed her plate and placed it on the table before she too sat down, "I will speak to you as a mother speaks to her son, because you are like a son to me Steven, what you are doing to yourself is not good, you should be eating and sleeping good so you can remain healthy and strong. Your family depends on you to keep them safe, and if you get sick they will be afraid. Stephan is old enough to understand that something is wrong and you need to stay strong for him!"
Nodding in agreement, Steven said, "Yes I know and I am doing the best I can." Steven said, "I will not stop until I have my family together again!"
"I am here for you Steven to help any way I can, bring the children home and I will take care of them."
Silence draped around them while they finished their breakfast and Alice was happy to see that Steven ate every last crumb on his plate. When the door bell rang, Steven sprang to his feet, "I'll get that." He said and swiftly went to answer the door.
Alice cleaned up the table and placed everything into the dishwasher and then turned around just in time to see an older gentleman following Steven into the kitchen. Alice blushed and straightened out her apron, the man was very handsome and she shyly and looked away.
"Alice." Steven said, "this is John, my personal chauffeur, John this is our housekeeper and nanny." He introduced them and then motioned for John to sit down at the table. "Alice come sit down with us."
Alice came to sit down at the table, but avoided looking at John who was staring at her with a smile on his face and a glint in his eyes, which didn't go unnoticed from Steven.
"John will be staying in one of the guest bedrooms during our stay in Massachusetts, and he will be coming back with us to California when we leave. His credentials have impressed me and I hired him on the spot!"
"Welcome to the family," Alice said, blushing like a school girl, and embarrassing herself.
"Thank you Alice." John smiled.
Steven did not miss the look between them and he held himself in check trying hard not to laugh his head off.
"John you will be entrusted to take my son back and forth to school and also you will be driving Alice wherever she needs to go, like to the grocery store, the bank, or maybe an outing with the children, and wherever else she needs to go."
John nodded and Alice asked him if he was hungry which he responded yes to, and she brought him a plate of eggs, sausage and bacon and placed it before him on the table.
She stole innocent quick glances at him while he ate and when Steven caught her and winked at her she jumped off her seat and disappeared into the other room:
**************
Steven went back into the master bedroom and the beautiful picture of Abby that hung on the wall had his heart beating against his chest. He had blown up the huge picture a few weeks ago and framed it, and hung it above his bed. She's so beautiful, he thought to himself, and pain speared through his heart.
"Where are you Abby!" He asked hoarsely, unable to tare his eyes away from her, "I can't do this without you my heart, come back to me!"
***************
"How long are we going to stay here Moss?" Abby asked, as she walked besides him on the sand barefooted.
"As long as we need to." He responded, as his eyes hazed with fear of that day they will have to return, "I thought you liked it here in Bourne."
"I do like it, it's really pretty here Moss, but I'm missing ...." Her voice tapered off, and her eyes wandered towards the Bay.
Moss's heart skipped a beat, was she starting to remember her children and the bastard, he thought, quickly grabbing her hand in his, he pulled her back towards their home, he was desperate to connect with her in bed again so she would think only of him.
Once they reached the house, Moss handed her a glass of water and gave her a pill and ordered her to take it. Then he steered her though the hallway and into the bedroom where he undressed her quickly and she slipped into bed.
Moss quickly took off his clothes and joined her in bed. Pulling her into his arms he held her close until the pill took effect and when he noticed her pupils getting larger, he climbed over her and made love to her.
Semi conscious, Abby tried to focus but could not, the man was doing things to her that felt good, and she moaned softly as she felt tremors going through her body, especially when he pounded inside of her hard and fast.
After ravishing her body, and satisfying his thirst for her, Moss lifted himself off the bed and went to clean himself up. He was so happy here in this vacation house and he wished he could stay her forever, he thought, where no one bothered them and they lived in peace.
"Moss?" She called out his name and Moss walked back to her side, "she lifted her hooded gaze up at him and asked, "why am I naked, where are my clothes?"
"You undressed and begged me to make love to you."
"I did?"
"Yes honey you did," he lied, "you said you want to make a baby with me."
"I did?"
"Yes my love," he slipped into the bed next to her, "want to try again?"
His fingers slipped between her thighs and she opened them wide for him and closed her eyes and moaned at his touch. "Steven?"
Moss froze.
"Steven make love to me!"
Moss guts twisted with hatred, but he wasn't about to pass up another chance to fuck her, so he pulled his fingers out of her and quickly climbed over her naked body and thrust deeply into her. He took advantage of her so many times these last six weeks hoping and praying she would get pregnant with his child so he could have a hold of her.
It didn't matter to him anymore that she thought he was Steven each time they made love, he wanted her so badly to get pregnant that if he had to drug her to get whatever wanted it was fine with him. He hated the person he had become, but he was desperate and felt like he had no other choice.
She had passed out even before he was able to release his seed inside of her, but he finished anyway and only then did he leave her bedside. Slipping back into his clothes, Moss walked out to the porch and sat down on the wicker chair.
His eyes looked out to shore and a peace settled over him. He wasn't happy taking advantage of her and he wished things could have been different, but he was dealt with this dire situation and he had to make the best of it.
Soon, he thought, when her belly would swell with his child, they would return and then Steven couldn't do a damn thing about it, Abby would be his to love and treasure and they would be rid of the bastard once and for all.