Chapter 1

"The fugitive is running in direction corner 21th Avenue," the voice spoke in her earpiece. "If you hurry, you'll catch him."

"Roger," the police officer said.

She lengthened his stride. Her beige trench coat was twirling around her like a cape. Her hair was flying around her head in a dark black cloud. She was currently running after a suspect in the streets of Seattle. The men had been caught selling stolen pieces of art in a storage shed and he made off. Turning in the 21st Avenue, she catches a look on her colleague in the unmarked vehicle on the other side of the street.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"Nothing, he must have found another way out," Peter Jackson replied.

"Shit !" Helena exclaimed.

She crossed the street and sat down next to her partner in the car.

"Don't worry, it can happen to anybody," Peter chuckled as he saw her defeated look.

"Yes, but that's not a reason for accepting losing a suspect," the black haired girl responded.

"Come on, you're only here like what, 9 months? Girl, your 25, they can't expect you to be perfectly prepared for the job. Let's get back to the office," the other one replied smiling. "The day's not over."

"Sure."

Helena was not the kind of person who abandoned so easily. She hated it to admit herself defeated. Being the last child of a brotherhood of 6 had made her get used to the constant pressure to be better than her older siblings. That, added to the fact that she was the only one of the Shepherd children not having followed medical studies. She was the little black swan of the family. Actually, she had started her studies at the Columbia University in the state of New York. But she broke the studies up in her third year of internship, after losing an important patient. That's one reason why she moved off from her family. The other one is that they didn't always accept other choices that she mad, like her new job or her boyfriend. For the entire family, being a cop wasn't the most gratifying job, maybe because the cops didn't attend to do anything as their father was murdered. And for what concerned her boyfriend, Ryan wasn't the kind of guy to be considered as a good guy. In fact, Helena had met him when he's arrested for dealing a few years ago. After he spent 6 months in jail, they decided to move in together. Since then, Helena never had spoken to any of her siblings anymore. Her brother had moved to New York with his wife years ago and he hadn't kept the contact. All her sisters were living at the four corners of the land with their families, exercising great jobs, the one the profession off psychiatrist, another one was a renown gynecologist, there also was a brilliant neurosurgeon in Los Angeles and the last one was an excellent pediatric doctor in Boston. All her siblings had a family, a good paying job and a wealthy life and Helena was jealous of that. She wished, she had a perfect life and the perfect family. But apparently, she wasn't meant to.


Later in the evening, Helena came back to her flat. Ryan was slumped on the couch in front of the TV, surrounded by a pile of empty cans beer and pizza papers. He was loudly shouting at the football players in the television.

"Hey you," Helena greeted him.

He didn't respond.

"How was your day? Have you send more job appliances ?" she continued.

A groan makes her understand that he hadn't.

"Did you at least go food shopping ?!" the woman added slightly pissed of.

This time Ryan stood up.

"Do you think I've nothing more important to do than go fill the fridge ?" he said slowly /walking/ toward her.

She crossed her arms over her chest, frowning her brows.

"What do you otherwise have to do? Is it so difficult for Mister to go the stairs down and to buy a few things at the street's end? I am the one who does everything in this damn house! I am the one with the job! What are you doing all day?!

"Shut up woman !" Ryan suddenly shouted making Helena startle.

He slowly approaches her, making her step back against the wall. She wasn't scared of him. With the time, she got used to his impulsive character. It became usual that he got annoyed for such little futile things as the household or the groceries. In the last few weeks, he got much more aggressive, probably because he lost his job in the little shop he was working in. Since then, he spent his entire day on the couch, doing nothing but watch TV, only getting out to buy some beer and pizza. He became much more violent with Helena. When he first raised the hand to her, Helena thought that it was just a rough period and that it would be over quickly. But when it never stopped, the woman had thought about leaving him.

"Don't talk to me like that," Helena said. "I am the one paying the rent for this flat. If I want I can kick you out."

"Oh, I don't think you are gonna make that," Ryan replied. "You know why because you love me."

Helena had her back against the wall and couldn't move. Ryan put his hand and each side of her face.

"I'm not scared of you Ryan," the woman said with a little shake in her voice.

A smirk appeared on Ryan's lips. He leans forward to her and tries to kiss her but she pushed him away.

"You think I am in the mood to kiss you, but you are dreaming my dear."

"You cant ward me off !" Ryan shouted. "I was sitting the entire day alone, I have needs."

And he threw his arms from behind around her and started to nibble her neck. Helena struggled to get free.

"Let me go!" she protests.

He violently slapped her sending her to the ground. He than smoothless grab her by the hair, raising her head. He crouch to be at her level.

"You can't push me back indefinitely."

Ryan pushes her back and she fell with the face on the corner of the coffee table. When she bounced back, her face was covered in blood that leak out of her brow line and her she had a bad cut on her lip.

"You deserve that," Ryan stated.

And he let himself fall back on the couch, switching off the TV. Helena stood in the middle of the room, still in a state of shock. How could he dare treat her like that? She could let him continue to deal with her like that. It was not the first time that he was getting violent but now, she had decided that it would be the last time. Helena headed for her room, grabbing a bag on the way. She put a few changes out of her dresser, as well as a few personal items and stuffed them in her bag. She also took some liquid and important papers before putting on her jacket and her shoes and heading back to the living room.

"Where do you think you are going ?" Ryan said as he saw her.

"I'm leaving," she said opening the house door.

Ryan stood up, but before he could have reached her, she was gone. Helena run down the steps worried that he could decide to follow her. When she arrived at the fresh air, she let out a sigh. It took her nearly six months to get away from him. She digs into her bag to find her car keys but not successfully. In her hurry, she must have forgotten the keys upstairs. Helena slowly turned to look up at the flat windows. The reflection of the TV still glow. Ryan was still up there. There was no way she was risking to get back up. She seeks in her pocket around to find her train pass. Without looking back, she moved toward the closest underground station and jumped on the first train with no clue where she was heading to. The ream was nearly empty, with the exception of a lonely homeless and a stylish dressed old couple who was sending her weird looks. One must say that she wasn't looking very well. With her swollen lip and her bloody forehead, she must look like a wounded animal. When the glances became too annoying, Helena decided to get out. She doesn't remind herself when she was here for the last time. Everything looks so unknown. Helena headed to an open bar. The last few clients were either half drunk or not paying attention to her. She took a seat at the bar. The bartender, a big and huge man, gave her an apologetic look.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked kindly.

"Where is the bathroom please?" Helena asked quietly.

The bartender pointed at the left side of the countertop.

"Thanks," she acknowledged.

Once in the closed room, she washed her face with cold water. The cut on her lip was nearly closed but her lip was still swollen. The wound on her forehead, however, doesn't look so good. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but she may need some stitches. She pulls up her messy hair into a high ponytail and changed her shirt that was blood stained. She then looked for her mobile phone but after not finding it, she assumed it must have stayed at the flat. Sighing with despair, she gets back to the main room. At the bar, the bartender was busily talking with a young woman with long chestnut hair and bright eyes that must be a few years older than her. She sat down on a high chair a few seats away.

"Do you want to drink something?" the bartender asked her.

"Yes, a tequila please," the black haired answered. "And…," she started.

"Joe," the bartender continued.

"Ok then, Jo. Can I have some ice from my head?" she asked pointing at her wound.

"Sure," Joe replied. "But wouldn't it be better if you go to the hospital and get yourself some stitches?"

Helena thought about that proposition. Going to the hospital would mean that she would be registered and that will lead Ryan to her. And over that, she hated hospitals.

"No, I think I'll be ok."

"Ok, but let at least my friend over there examine you," Joe replied pointing at the girl he was talking to. "She is a surgeon and maybe she can do something."

Helena sighed.

"Ok," she gives up.

"Meredith," he called. "Need your help over here."

The woman gets closer. Joe walked away to another client.

"Oh my god, what happens to you?" she asked worriedly.

"I...fell in the stairs," Helena replied not sure if she was sounding convincing.

"Let me give a look," the called Meredith told her. "Uhmm, it's clean, but it's still open, maybe it's really better if I get you to the hospital."

Helena seemed embarrassed.

"The thing is… ok, maybe I didn't fall down the stairs and I just have flown from my abusive and violent boyfriend who is currently squatting my flat," she said. "And the reason why I don't want to get to the hospital is that I'll be registered and that he would find me after that."

Meredith remained silent for a moment before pushing her glass of tequila toward Helena.

"Drink, you need it more than me."

Helena gave her a sad smile before swallowing the burning liquid down.

"Now, what suggest is that you come with me, I'll bring you to my house, where I can put a plaster on your wound, you'll sleep their and tomorrow, we'll get to the hospital and check you in as a Jane Doe."

"You would bring a complete stranger to your house in the middle of the night?" Helena asked astounded.

"I'm used to came to the assistance of people who needs help," Meredith replied. "Professional deformation I guess."

The black haired thought a moment about it before saying:

"Ok, let's go then."

They both paid their consumption to Jo before leaving the bar. Once they were in Meredith's car, the brown-haired asked.

"By the way, I don't even know your name."

"Helena," the dark-haired replied. "Helena Shepherd."