The Intruder
Summary: His presence in Brenda's life is persistent and unwelcome.
Author's Note: If you suffer from, or have suffered from, anxiety-related disorders or PTSD, this one may be worth skipping.
I have been on an extremely long hiatus. Yes, the WESR sequel is in the works, but real life has dealt me some serious blows over the last 12-18 months and I'm afraid writing has taken a back seat. This is me dipping my toe back into writing.
Phillip Stroh used to live in Brenda's guest room. Brenda invited him, and she was comfortable with him there. As far as house guests go he could have been worse; he was quiet and stayed where he was put. Fritz considered him unwelcome, and when he eventually kicked him out, Phillip moved into Brenda's office.
Occasionally Phillip visited Brenda's thoughts. His appearances started off fairly infrequent, and when he was asked to leave he moved on. As time went by, his visits to Brenda's mind became more frequent, but he still listened when Brenda told him it was time to go, leaving without a fuss.
The next time Phillip Stroh was in Brenda's house he forced his way into her kitchen. Uninvited, he invaded her personal space, violated the safe little sanctuary she had created for herself, and made sure his presence was felt long after his injured body had been removed by the paramedics.
That night, as he invaded her house he also established a more persistent presence her mind. He infiltrated her thoughts without her consent, and no longer left when he was asked. His presence was overwhelming, and he followed her wherever she went, whether she wanted him to or not. He tailed Brenda to work, to the store, down the street in broad daylight when she tried to go for a run. He was on the face of every stranger who came into her line of sight, in every footstep she heard, every movement someone made behind her back. He settled in her chest and her stomach, choking her and making it impossible to breathe. Old ladies, young boys, middle aged business people; he controlled them all, and every one of them became a potential threat. Nowhere was safe.
Phillip climbed into bed with Brenda and Fritz. He wedged himself between them, poking her constantly to keep her awake, taunting her. When sleepless nights caught up with her and she finally succumbed, exhausted, to the inevitability of sleep, he seized her and jolted her awake with nightmares so vivid she'd have sworn in court that they were real. She tossed and turned in sweat-stained sheets, wrestling with the intruder for control of her mind. He was stronger than Brenda.
Fritz noticed the new man in his wife's life. Of course he did, he was her husband. His presence in their bed was obvious, but when Fritz really looked, he saw Phillip Stroh was stalking Brenda during the day time as well. He made her jump when someone dropped a fork onto the wooden floor in their favourite cafe, he had her constantly looking over her shoulder while they shopped for new towels, and he followed her from room to room at home, making her double check every window and every door to ensure it was locked, insisting she keep the lights on. At first Fritz was patient and understanding, but it soon became apparent to him that Brenda needed to consider enlisting professional help to issue an eviction notice.
Brenda wanted to get him to leave on her own. She was a cop, she wasn't supposed to have this problem. When Fritz's insistence grew Brenda reluctantly agreed to speak to Dr. Chang. If nothing else, it would keep her husband quiet; the last thing Brenda needed was another man constantly harassing her.
The doctor's attempts to evict Stroh were met with resistance. Brenda's reticence didn't help matters; she felt ridiculous for not being able to handle it on her own, many people had been in far worse situations and coped, and the last thing she wanted to do was talk about what she perceived to be her greatest weakness. The therapist tried to explain to her that people who had a job like hers, where they were constantly exposed to trauma, or those who experienced the sudden death of a loved one, as she had with her Mama, were more likely to have an unwelcome visitor. It didn't make her feel any better, nor did it make him leave.
Fritz no longer wants to be the other man. When Brenda wakes up from another one of her vivid nightmares with her hands around his throat she knows that there is one too many people in their relationship. She leaves the following morning, taking a small suitcase and her new companion. They move into a hotel together while they're searching for an apartment of their own. He never sleeps, and he does his best to make sure Brenda doesn't either.