You Belong To Me

Chapter Thirteen

Belle awoke, still wrapped in Shawn's arms, as the sun had just begun to peek up at them from the other side of the island. She slowly eased her way out of his embrace and stood to stretch her sore limbs.

Shawn was rustled out of sleep by her movements and he stifled a yawn long enough to quietly mutter, "Good morning..."

Belle turned around and smiled sleepily at him. "Good morning to you..."

Shawn stood and brushed some dirt and leaves off of the back of his pants. He yawned again and stood next to Belle as she looked at the sun rising ahead of them. "What time is it?"

Belle glanced at her watch briefly and smirked, "So early that you don't even want to know."

"You're probably right. You think Phillip and Mimi are looking for us yet?"

Belle chuckled softly. "No way. Those two are notoriously late sleepers. They probably don't even know we're gone."

Belle smoothed her wrinkled clothes with her hands and started to head off to camp when Shawn's voice stopped her. "Belle... wait... About last night..."

She sighed softly and turned to face him. "Shawn... Don't... Please don't. We said we'd work it out later, and we will. Besides, I have to go wake up the others so we can get going."

Shawn nodded solemnly as Belle headed down the hill towards the makeshift campsite they had built the night before. When she reached the camp, Phillip and Mimi were already awake and were chatting together quietly.

"Wow... you two are up early. I'm amazed."

Mimi nodded. "Yeah, well this isn't exactly the Ritz or something. Not having fluffy pillows really prevents you from getting your recommended 8 hours of sleep."

Phillip was in complete agreement. "Not to mention all those spooky forest noises. Not that I was scared, of course, but Mimi over here must have seen the Blair Witch Project a few too many times."

"Yeah, well... I've had some bad camping experiences in the past."

Belle grinned and sat beside Mimi on the ground. "Yeah, I remember and some stories are better left untold at this point."

There was an awkward silence which Mimi broke with a question. "So, speaking of sleeping and stories better left untold... Where the heck were you and Shawn all night?"

"Up the hill a bit. Neither of us could sleep, so we stayed up for awhile and talked."

Phillip raised his eyebrows curiously. "Talked, huh? And, what did you two have to talk about?"

"Let's just say... I made a deal with Mimi, and I held up my end of the bargain... Now, it's her turn."

Mimi's mouth dropped in shock and Belle thought she would have to lift it up off the ground for her. "WHAT? You actually did it?"

Belle nodded and smiled weakly. "Yeah. It was easy... because he told me first."

Mimi clapped her hands together happily and smiled. "Oh Belle, that is SUCH good news. I mean... it is good news, isn't it?"

Belle shrugged and frowned slightly. "I don't know. We said we would wait to figure things out until after all of this is over. I don't know if it's good or not. But, I'm glad I got it off my chest. Now, it's your turn, Mimi."

"Uhm, right now?"

Belle chuckled and shook her head. "No, not right now... but soon. You promised, remember?"

Phillip waved a hand to interrupt. "Hold on. I know that you two are talking in code, and I can at least decipher the stuff about Belle and Shawn... But, what is it Mimi's turn for? I'm completely lost."

Belle grinned and winked at Mimi. "So is Mimi... She's totally lost in looo..."

Belle couldn't finish her sentence because Mimi threw one hand over her friend's mouth to silence her. Her entire face changed and she shot Belle a look of warning. "Don't you dare say that word, Isabella Black. I will kill you. And you know I will."

Belle laughed and nodded as Mimi moved her hand away. "Alright, alright... I won't say anything else about it. I swear."

Shawn moved into the clearing and looked at the group strangely. "Say anything else about what?"

Phillip shrugged in confusion. "Even if I knew, I probably couldn't explain it."

Shawn moved closer and threw a few yellowish scraps of cloth in front of his three friends, who all leaned forward to get a better view. "Well, try to explain this. I found these while I was going to the bathroom."

Belle lifted one scrap and examined it closer. "Looks like a bloody scrap of clothing."

Phillip poked at a few pieces and winced as he did. "Some of these look soaked. Whoever they belonged to... well this wasn't just a scratch."

Mimi felt her breath catch in her throat, and the others turned to look at her as she gasped. "Oh my God... Oh no..."

Belle put a hand on Mimi's arm and stared at her in confusion. "Meems... what is it?"

"This material. It belongs to Chloe."

Shawn kneeled on the ground to take another look at the scraps. "How do you know?"

Mimi sighed sadly as she turned over a piece in her hand. "Because I was with her when she bought this skirt. We went shopping to get new clothes for her honeymoon, and I remember this skirt. Pale yellow, tiny flowers, something to wear over her swimsuit..."

Shawn leaned back and sat on the ground with a sigh. "So, now we know... one of them is hurt, right? Looks like they were using scraps from her skirt as bandages."

Belle threw the cloth she was holding back in the pile. "I knew it... I dreamt it. I dreamt that Chloe was fine, but she told me that something terrible had happened to Brady."

The four friends sat in silence for a moment, the weight of reality upon their shoulders. They knew that this was a possibility, but it had yet to hit them until now.

Phillip was the first to voice out loud what the others might have already been thinking. "So, riddle me this... If Brady or Chloe, either one, is injured... Why would they leave the beach and go into the woods? Wouldn't they just stay on the shore and try to signal for help? Why would they go where nobody could find them?"

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe... maybe whoever did this found out they were alive, wanted to make sure they never got found."

Belle closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "No, Shawn... don't say it."

"I'm not going to... But, we have to be realistic. We have no idea what we're going to find... That's even if we find anything at all. Either way, I think the danger factor just went up by about a 100 percent. These thieves could still be roaming this island looking for them. We have to be extremely careful."

Belle nodded and immediately stood up. "And, we have to get moving. If Brady has lost that much blood... we need to find him and get him to a hospital right away."

The rest of the group stood and started gathering their things together. Shawn walked towards Belle and tried to put comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will find them, Belle."

"I know, I know... It's just... Are we going to find them in time?"

Shawn hugged her briefly. "We're doing everything we can. I don't know what else to do to make this go faster."

"There's nothing we can do. Just pray, that's all." Belle turned to Mimi and Phillip who were taking some breakfast bars out of their bags so they could get a little energy before they headed off for another day of hiking. "You guys almost ready?"

Phillip nodded and handed her a breakfast bar. "Yeah, but I thought we need a little nutrition before we wear ourselves out too much."

Belle gladly grabbed the bar and nodded in agreement. "Good idea. I'm glad we packed enough of these to keep us going for awhile."

The four friends quickly stuffed themselves on nutrition bars and headed back to the trail for another long day of hiking.

***

(A few hours later...)

The small group had been hiking for what seemed like an eternity. Most of it was spent in silence, while each of them tried to spot signs of Brady and Chloe along the trail. Belle had also agreed to let Shawn have the map to the research center and lead the way for awhile.

Belle stopped walking long enough to shift her weight and spoke up. "Hey... Guys... I need to take a break... you know, go to the 'little girls' room and all that."

Shawn stopped and let his backpack fall to the ground. "No problem... Take Mimi with you."

"You know, Shawn... Contrary to popular belief, woman CAN go to the ladies room by themselves."

Shawn rolled his eyes and smirked. "Yes, I know this. But this isn't going to the ladies room out here. There's all kinds of things lurking in these woods, so I suggest that Mimi be your lookout for you."

Belle nodded slightly. "Alright then, Mimi... you're coming with me."

Mimi sighed and took off her backpack, leaving it with the boys as she followed Belle off into the woods. Belle found a tree that gave her just a tiny bit of privacy and Mimi walked to another tree a few feet away to wait for her to finish.

"So, Belle... Shawn said he still loves you?"

"Yup."

"And you still love him... so does that mean you're back together?"

Belle called from around the tree, "It's not that simple. There's still a lot of things that we need to talk about. And, I'm kind of afriad that maybe he only said it because of the extreme situation we're in."

Mimi scratched her nose and wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. "Huh? Why does it matter what situation he said it in. He said it, and you did too. That's all that counts."

"It does matter, Meems. There's a difference between loving someone and actually being able to have a relationship with them. I don't know which one we are yet."

Mimi took a few steps away from her tree and further from Belle. "Whatever... whatever. I think you're just fooling yourself."

Belle rolled her eyes in frustration and quickly zipped up her pants. She stepped around her tree and saw Mimi at the top of a small hill, her back facing Belle, with her arms crossed impatiently. Belle shouted towards her, "Alright, Meems... I'm done."

Mimi nodded and as she went to turn towards Belle, she felt one foot slip out from under her and she tumbled backwards off of the hill. From Belle's vantage point, she could hear Mimi's loud scream as she suddenly disappeared from the hillside.

Belle ran as fast as her tired legs could carry her and began screaming, "OH MY GOD! MIMI! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

When Belle reached the top of the hill she saw Mimi lying flat on her back in a ditch at the bottom of the short, but steep hill. "Mimi! Are you awake?"

Mimi's eyes fluttered open and she moaned loudly in pain. "Yeah, but... I hit my head. Everything is kinda blurry."

"Oh Jesus, Mimi... don't move an inch. I'll be right down."

Mimi waved her hand groggily, "Don't worry, I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

Belle turned towards the trail and shouted at the top of her lungs, "SHAWN! PHILLIP! GET OVER HERE!"

Belle slowly eased herself into the ditch and kneeled at Mimi's side. "Meems, where does it hurt? Your back, your neck?"

Mimi shook her head slightly. "No, just my head. I think I hit it on that log. I don't know... it hurts."

Belle sighed deeply. "Oh geez... you could have been killed."

"Well, it's not like I meant to do it."

"I know... it's just... I don't know how much more of this we can take."

Mimi lifted her head a little and winced in pain. "Certainly not much more, that's for sure. A few more inches and I would have never gotten to tell Phillip that I love him."

Just as the last few words came out of her mouth, Phillip and Shawn came bounding down the hill and into the ditch. Both were out of breath and Phillip kneeled down on Mimi's other side while Shawn kneeled next to Belle.

Phillip looked at Belle curiously and asked, "What the hell happened to her?"

Mimi groaned in between them and interjected, "Hey, I can answer that... I'm not dead, you know."

"Sorry, Mimi... Can you sit up?"

Mimi pushed herself up with her hands and nodded slowly. "Apparently, yes... But, I can't really nod, because... OWW."

"Was it the ankle? The bad one?"

"Yup. Just kinda twisted out from under me, but that's not what's hurting."

"Well, your head is bleeding. You need first aid right now."

Shawn shook his head and sighed softly. "First Belle, now you... What's next?"

Belle snickered and nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking. But, this is much worse than my little tumble."

Shawn held onto Mimi's arm and motioned for Phillip to do the same. "Come on, Meems... we gotta get you up that hill."

The two young men slowly eased Mimi to her feet with minimal groaning on her part. Phillip held on to her tightly and smiled reassuringly. "Are you going to be able to walk?"

Mimi nodded confidently. "Oh yeah, I'm feeling much better already."

The trio took less than two steps forward when Mimi swayed dizzily and Phillip lunged to catch her with his free arm. "Geez, Mimi... Are you sure you're alright?"

Mimi laid her head on Phillip's chest and waved her hand. "Oh yeah, as soon as everything stops spinning... I'm good to go."

Phillip chuckled and stroked Mimi's hair gently. "Alright, just don't lose it again... please."

As soon as Mimi felt stable enough to walk again, Belle navigated the group to a less steep area of the hill and back to where their backpacks were. The guys eased Mimi on to an empty tree stump as Belle grabbed their first aid supplies and sat next to her to inspect the gash on the back of her head.

Mimi winced as Belle cleaned her cut. "How bad is it Belle?"

"Not bad at all. It's not deep, just a little messy. I can't see your brain, so that’s a good sign."

Phillip snorted loudly and Mimi pointed a warning finger at him. "Don't say a word about my brain not being visible, Phillip Kiriakis. It's not going to make me laugh."

Phillip shrugged innocently and winked at her. Belle rolled her eyes as she grabbed a thin strip of bandage to cover Mimi's head wound. "Well, I think you're pretty lucky, Meems."

"Lucky that I fell down a hill and busted my head open."

"No, lucky that it wasn't worse. Remember, a few more inches and it could have been a lot worse."

Shawn interjected quickly, "So... what do we do now?"

Mimi answered him quickly, "We keep moving. We've got somewhere else to be, remember?"

Shawn shook his head defiantly. "Mimi, you probably have a concussion. We can't put your health at risk right now."

"Shawn, I'm fine... I promise."

Phillip crossed his arms and interrupted them. "No way, Mimi. Head injuries aren't something you mess around with. Besides, I love you too much to let you get hurt more than you already are."

Mimi stood, this time without faltering, and growled at him. "Well, I don't want to get hurt either, but I'm certainly not going to sit around here by myself."

"Then I'll stay here with you..."

Mimi's voice rose as her anger did. "No, absolutely not. We are going. Both of us. That's final. Besides, we only have one map and one flare gun, we can't guarantee that they'll even be able to find us later on. We're going, Phillip."

Phillip threw his hands up in frustration. "Mimi, why do you have to be so damn frustrating? Can't you just let me win once in 16 years?"

"No, I can't. Especially when I am clearly right, and you are clearly wrong."

"Whatever... Let's see what Shawn and Belle have to say about it."

The two turned to Shawn and Belle expectantly, waiting for a final verdict. Both paused hesitantly until Belle spoke up, "Well, I don't exactly approve of Mimi over-exerting herself right now... But, once she makes her mind up about something, she sticks to it. I don't think we can stop her..."

Shawn finished her sentence for her, "Yeah, not even if we tied her to the tree."

Mimi crossed her arms and nodded in victory. "Listen if it makes you feel better... I promise you that if I start to feel even the least bit icky, I will stop and rest. Okay?"

Phillip sighed in defeat and nodded. "Fine, Mimi... You win. You get your way… as always."

Mimi turned away and muttered under her breath, "Yeah, right... like Prince Phillip doesn't know anything about getting his way. Spoiled, rotten..." Mimi paused abruptly and turned back towards her friends. "Wait a minute... Phillip... did you just say that you loved me too much for me to get hurt?"

Belle giggled under her breath and spoke quietly to Shawn, "I was wondering if she would notice that."

Phillip answered her question without hesitation, "Yes, I did."

Mimi bit her lip nervously and continued, "So, you love me like you love Shawn and Belle, that's what you meant, right?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant... that I love you, Mimi Lockhart. I heard what you told Belle after you fell. And, I love you too, and I have for a long time now. I just never had the nerve to tell you before."

"Oh no, this is all wrong. It's just wrong."

"How's that?"

Mimi frowned slightly. "It's just... I was supposed to tell you that I'm in love with you. That was the deal I made with Belle. And, then you were supposed to reject me and tell me how you wouldn't want anything to get in the way of our friendship, and how you just didn't feel that way about me. I had it all planned out in my head, and now you've ruined it."

Phillip scrunched up his face in confusion. "What? Why is this a bad thing? And why in the world do you think I would reject you?"

"Because... You're you, and I'm just me. Crazy little Mimi who has been bugging you for your entire life, and who's always screwing things up. I didn't think you could ever fall for someone like that."

Phillip sighed and put his hands on her waist to pull her closer to him, staring deep into her eyes as he spoke. "Mimi... that's exactly why I fell in love with you in the first place. Sure, I guess I kind of thought of you as a pest for a while... but that's what makes you so lovable. You don't let people float through their lives, me especially. You've always been there to push me and pester me until I do the right thing. That's just one of the million reasons why I love you."

Mimi smiled bashfully and felt her cheeks blush red. "So, uhh... What are the other reasons?"

Phillip cleared his throat and motioned towards Belle and Shawn who were standing there staring in awe. "I don't know if this is the right time or place to go over all of them."

Shawn interrupted for a moment and pointed behind them. "You know... Belle and I can leave you two alone for a few minutes, if you want us to."

Mimi shook her head, "No, absolutely not. I want witnesses... that way he can never take it back."

Phillip pulled her closer and grazed her cheek with his hand. "Now, why would I do that?"

"Just making sure..."

Phillip smiled at her and leaned forward to meet her lips with his own. Shawn and Belle shifted their weight nervously and averted their eyes towards the ground. Moments later, Mimi broke away from his kiss and sighed deeply.

"Phillip... Wow..."

Phillip grinned proudly and nodded. "Well, you're pretty 'wow' yourself, Mimi. I just don't think enough people have told you how amazing you really are."

Mimi giggled like a teenage girl and held on to Phillip's hand tightly as she turned to face Belle and Shawn. "So... uhh... I guess we should be hitting the road... or the trail... or whatever."

Belle chuckled as she hefted her backpack on to her shoulders. "Geez, Mimi... this wasn't exactly a scene out of a romance novel. Can't you do anything without making it loud and awkward?"

Phillip and Mimi looked at each other and spoke in unison, "Nope."

Shawn laughed at his two friends and shook his head. "You two are definitely weird. But, we don't have time to stand around feeling mushy, so let's hit the trail Romeo and Juliet."

Phillip and Mimi nodded in agreement and grabbed their backpacks to start up the trail again. There was a weird silence as they walked until Mimi broke it by shouting at Shawn, "HEY! Romeo and Juliet? Couldn't you have picked something a little less tragic?"

Shawn rolled his eyes but did not turn to look at the new lovebirds. "Alright... Sonny and Cher it is!"

Belle held back her laughter long enough to shout out her own reply, "More like 'When Harry Met Sally' if you ask me..."

The group walked up the trail together, all with smiles on their face. Each of them grateful to have this brief moment of happiness break through the darkness that had seeped in over the past few days.

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