A big thanks to all whom reviewed my first story. I'm hoping the changes made to its format made it easier reading.
It would make it easier for those who haven't read future imperfect to read it first as it follows on from that story.
Future tense.
Chapter 1.
Lt Steve Sloan sat on the deck to the beach house, trying hard to relax but not succeeding very well. Inside he could hear his father talking to Drs Amanda Livingston and Jessie Travis, telling them about the dream he had a few weeks before. Steve wasn't what you could call superstitious, but the entire experience had left him feeling un-nerved, from the accident on the PCH, which if his father hadn't been so concerned about him could have been easily involved in to meeting the new doctor at the hospital. Well meeting wasn't the word really considering the fact that he had knocked her over, sending files in all directions. And when his father had introduced her he thought for a minute that his heart would stop beating, shock! Shock was a mild way of putting it. It may have only been a dream, but he could still remember every minute of it. Relaxing back in the chair he closed his eyes a smile on his lips as he remembered.
"How you feeling?" Jessie asked.
"Fine," Steve said not opening his eyes, not wanting to surrender the images.
"Why don't I believe you," Steve gave a shrug. Jessie wasn't going to give up easily. "Kind of a creepy situation though," Steve opened one eye and gave him a look that spoke volumes, then closed it again.
"How are you going to handle the situation ?" It was Amanda who had spoken. She had just come on to the deck followed by his father. Steve looked up at the three of them eyes narrowing.
"Okay what do the three of you know that I don't ?"
"Well!" Jessie began nervously. He looked up at Mark for some support.
"She is attractive, and," Mark paused for a second. "Quite a few of the male staff have noticed," Steve eyes narrowed dangerously. " And they have asked her out,"
"But she always turns them down flat," Jessie finished.
Steve gave a small smile and closed his eyes again.
"I'll just have to see how much of the dream is true," Amanda and Jessie looked up at Mark hoping for some kind of explanation, but he looked as puzzled as they where.
Chapter 2.
Dr Rachel Warner stood on the stage just beginning second part of her act. The crowd was big tonight; a couple of parties by the look of it and things looked like it were going to get rowdy. It wouldn't be the first time that her skills had been called upon by the staff and she doubted that it would be the last. She had just started when she spotted a face that she thought she knew, she swallowed hard when she recognised him, it was Mark Sloan's son Steve.
To Steve the place was everything that he feared it would be, He had to resist the urge to go on the stage and carry her out of here. Though he had a job recognise her, she was heavily made up and dressed in a small top and what seamed to him to be a ludicrously short skirt. The waitress was wearing the same style so it must be some form of uniform. He stuck with orange juice and sat watching the crowd, like Rachel he could sense the build up of trouble.
It was half an hour later that trouble started, Rachel hoped it would just remain a fist fight, which was how it started but one young man produced a knife and lashed out a another, he fell to the floor, she jumped down off the stage and got to the his side. She quickly felt for a pulse, but there was not one there, quickly she pulled away his jacket that revealed that the stab wound had penetrated his heart and there was nothing that she could do. She then realised that the rest of the fight had died away around her. Looking up she found herself looking at Steve and shook her head.
"He's dead, there's nothing that I can do," Steve nodded.
Steve had assumed that the bouncers had relieved the man of the knife but he was wrong. It was a mistake that he swore to his self afterwards he would never make again. Looking up from where he was kneeling he started to reach into his pocket for his handcuffs. As he reached his jacket moved back revealing his police badge. The young assailant suddenly panicked, he reached forward and grabbed hold of Rachel pulling her to her feet. Steve swore when he saw that he still had the knife in hand, which he brought up and put it to her throat.
All Rachel could think was try and keep calm as she felt the blade against her throat. As she swallowed she felt the blade dig into her throat, she also knew that the blade whether the assailant knew it or not was right over the main artery, if the blade went any deeper she would be beyond help with in minutes.
Steve knew any attempt to pull his gun would result in the man panicking even more, as it was he could see a run of blood run down her neck.
"Get every one out now," He barked at the bouncers, the room emptied and Steve was left alone with Rachel and the young man.
"I want to get out of here now," He said panic evident in his voice and his grip on Rachel tightened.
"I know you do," Steve said calmly. His main interest was to stop him digging the knife any further into her throat.
His voice sounded calm, but he felt anything but. His father was far better at handling this kind of situation than he was.
"We know it was an accident," He continued. "But what you're doing now, is different," The young man looked down at the body that still lay on the floor.
"I didn't mean to do it," He almost sobbed. "I only wanted to frighten him;" Steve slowly stood and carefully moved his hand forward.
"I know," He said gently. slowly he took a step forward. "Please give me the knife," He heard the sirens approaching outside. Rachel could feel the man shaking through the contact between them, but slowly the hand with the knife in it moved away from her throat and handed it over to Steve. He then let her go.
Steve quickly slipped the knife into a bag and had just cuffed him when uniformed officers came into the room. While they dealt with the young man he turned to Rachel one arm wrapped around her, he could feel her trembling underneath his arm.
"Do you have a changing room?" He asked quickly. She nodded.
"Kind of,"
"Good which way?" He asked quickly. She pointed towards a door at the back of the stage. He quickly guided her towards it.
Chapter 3.
By the time Steve got her into the room, shock had set in and she was shaking, He got her to sit down.
"This yours ?" He asked. Taking a coat down off a peg near the door. She nodded; carefully he wrapped it around her. "Do you have a change of clothes here?" She gave a slight smile.
"Do you really think I would wander around outside dressed like this?" She told him. Steve grinned at her.
At last she was beginning to feel more like herself, she turned to the mirror and started to remove her make-up being careful around the wound and ran her brush through her hair, then put it up into a pony tail. Steve left the room as she changed into a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She dabbed some water on the knife wound trying to clean it up a bit. Slipping her coat back around her she went outside and found Steve leaning against the wall taking to a couple of uniformed officers. He looked up at and smiled at her. Rachel decided at that point that the smile should be registered as a dangerous weapon. The smile faded slightly as he saw the wound on her neck. He pulled away from the wall and walked up to her.
"That needs looking at," He said.
"It'll be fine," She said lightly. Steve frowned lightly at her.
"Arguing with me over it?" She swallowed hard, trying very hard to ignore the feelings that were building up inside her.
"No," She said quickly. "I just didn't want all and sundry at the hospital to know what happened," Steve grinned at her.
"No need, dad will be able to take care of it," Somehow Rachel felt that she had been carefully manipulated.
"Out of the frying pan," She muttered.
"What was that?" Steve inquired lightly despite the fact that had heard what she had said, and had recognized the saying.
"Nothing," She answered quickly. He grinned at her and slipped his arm under hers and led out to the car park and to his truck.
Chapter 4.
"Dad!" Steve shouted out as he entered the beach house. Mark came forward and smiled when he saw his son with Rachel. The smile faded slightly when he saw the blood on Rachel's neck.
"What happened?" He asked concerned.
"There was a fight at the club," Steve said sombrely. "One was killed, then the assailant panicked," Mark could guess the rest.
"Come and sit down and let's take a look,"
Rachel sat down at the dinner table while Steve made them a hot drink. Mark fetched his bag and set about to clean the wound.
"Good job it didn't go any deeper," He said with concern. "A little close to the artery for comfort. It doesn't need any stitches;" He put a dressing on the cut. With a sigh he picked up his coffee off the table where Steve had put it. "I take it you couldn't do anything for the injured man?" Rachel shook her head. Finally able to relax a bit.
"The knife went into his heart," She sighed. "He would have been dead before he hit the floor;" Mark nodded his agreement and finished his drink,
"Well I'll let Steve look after you and I'll get to bed," Mark said. "I've got to be up for work in the morning," He stood and turned towards Rachel and almost grinned at the look of consternation on her face. "Your not in tomorrow are you?"
"No," She said.
"Goodnight then," Steve smiled at his father.
"Night dad,"
Steve picked up his drink.
"We'll go down stairs, so we don't disturb him," Rachel swallowed hard not able to see a way to refuse the invitation.
They sat on the sofa, Rachel looked around her.
"Its a lovely house," She said. She was trying not to think about how close he was to her.
"Its home," He said simply.
"I really ought to go," she said. Reaching forward and putting her empty cup on the coffee table in front of her. Steve leant towards her and placed his hand on her arm and slowly moving it up. She turned her head towards him her face just inches from his. "Steve I," Her words where cut off as he leant forward and kissed her. A kiss that took her breath away and slowly stripped all of her defences. "This is crazy," She moaned as his hands found their way under her shirt.
"Totally," Steve agreed against her cheek. Then kissing his way down her neck and back up to her mouth. "I've dreamt of doing this to you," He stood and pulled her up with him, then lifted her up into his arms. "And this time I'll not let you go,"
Rachel looked at him puzzled. "I'll explain later," He carried her to the bedroom and reached out with his foot and shut the door behind him.
It would make it easier for those who haven't read future imperfect to read it first as it follows on from that story.
Future tense.
Chapter 1.
Lt Steve Sloan sat on the deck to the beach house, trying hard to relax but not succeeding very well. Inside he could hear his father talking to Drs Amanda Livingston and Jessie Travis, telling them about the dream he had a few weeks before. Steve wasn't what you could call superstitious, but the entire experience had left him feeling un-nerved, from the accident on the PCH, which if his father hadn't been so concerned about him could have been easily involved in to meeting the new doctor at the hospital. Well meeting wasn't the word really considering the fact that he had knocked her over, sending files in all directions. And when his father had introduced her he thought for a minute that his heart would stop beating, shock! Shock was a mild way of putting it. It may have only been a dream, but he could still remember every minute of it. Relaxing back in the chair he closed his eyes a smile on his lips as he remembered.
"How you feeling?" Jessie asked.
"Fine," Steve said not opening his eyes, not wanting to surrender the images.
"Why don't I believe you," Steve gave a shrug. Jessie wasn't going to give up easily. "Kind of a creepy situation though," Steve opened one eye and gave him a look that spoke volumes, then closed it again.
"How are you going to handle the situation ?" It was Amanda who had spoken. She had just come on to the deck followed by his father. Steve looked up at the three of them eyes narrowing.
"Okay what do the three of you know that I don't ?"
"Well!" Jessie began nervously. He looked up at Mark for some support.
"She is attractive, and," Mark paused for a second. "Quite a few of the male staff have noticed," Steve eyes narrowed dangerously. " And they have asked her out,"
"But she always turns them down flat," Jessie finished.
Steve gave a small smile and closed his eyes again.
"I'll just have to see how much of the dream is true," Amanda and Jessie looked up at Mark hoping for some kind of explanation, but he looked as puzzled as they where.
Chapter 2.
Dr Rachel Warner stood on the stage just beginning second part of her act. The crowd was big tonight; a couple of parties by the look of it and things looked like it were going to get rowdy. It wouldn't be the first time that her skills had been called upon by the staff and she doubted that it would be the last. She had just started when she spotted a face that she thought she knew, she swallowed hard when she recognised him, it was Mark Sloan's son Steve.
To Steve the place was everything that he feared it would be, He had to resist the urge to go on the stage and carry her out of here. Though he had a job recognise her, she was heavily made up and dressed in a small top and what seamed to him to be a ludicrously short skirt. The waitress was wearing the same style so it must be some form of uniform. He stuck with orange juice and sat watching the crowd, like Rachel he could sense the build up of trouble.
It was half an hour later that trouble started, Rachel hoped it would just remain a fist fight, which was how it started but one young man produced a knife and lashed out a another, he fell to the floor, she jumped down off the stage and got to the his side. She quickly felt for a pulse, but there was not one there, quickly she pulled away his jacket that revealed that the stab wound had penetrated his heart and there was nothing that she could do. She then realised that the rest of the fight had died away around her. Looking up she found herself looking at Steve and shook her head.
"He's dead, there's nothing that I can do," Steve nodded.
Steve had assumed that the bouncers had relieved the man of the knife but he was wrong. It was a mistake that he swore to his self afterwards he would never make again. Looking up from where he was kneeling he started to reach into his pocket for his handcuffs. As he reached his jacket moved back revealing his police badge. The young assailant suddenly panicked, he reached forward and grabbed hold of Rachel pulling her to her feet. Steve swore when he saw that he still had the knife in hand, which he brought up and put it to her throat.
All Rachel could think was try and keep calm as she felt the blade against her throat. As she swallowed she felt the blade dig into her throat, she also knew that the blade whether the assailant knew it or not was right over the main artery, if the blade went any deeper she would be beyond help with in minutes.
Steve knew any attempt to pull his gun would result in the man panicking even more, as it was he could see a run of blood run down her neck.
"Get every one out now," He barked at the bouncers, the room emptied and Steve was left alone with Rachel and the young man.
"I want to get out of here now," He said panic evident in his voice and his grip on Rachel tightened.
"I know you do," Steve said calmly. His main interest was to stop him digging the knife any further into her throat.
His voice sounded calm, but he felt anything but. His father was far better at handling this kind of situation than he was.
"We know it was an accident," He continued. "But what you're doing now, is different," The young man looked down at the body that still lay on the floor.
"I didn't mean to do it," He almost sobbed. "I only wanted to frighten him;" Steve slowly stood and carefully moved his hand forward.
"I know," He said gently. slowly he took a step forward. "Please give me the knife," He heard the sirens approaching outside. Rachel could feel the man shaking through the contact between them, but slowly the hand with the knife in it moved away from her throat and handed it over to Steve. He then let her go.
Steve quickly slipped the knife into a bag and had just cuffed him when uniformed officers came into the room. While they dealt with the young man he turned to Rachel one arm wrapped around her, he could feel her trembling underneath his arm.
"Do you have a changing room?" He asked quickly. She nodded.
"Kind of,"
"Good which way?" He asked quickly. She pointed towards a door at the back of the stage. He quickly guided her towards it.
Chapter 3.
By the time Steve got her into the room, shock had set in and she was shaking, He got her to sit down.
"This yours ?" He asked. Taking a coat down off a peg near the door. She nodded; carefully he wrapped it around her. "Do you have a change of clothes here?" She gave a slight smile.
"Do you really think I would wander around outside dressed like this?" She told him. Steve grinned at her.
At last she was beginning to feel more like herself, she turned to the mirror and started to remove her make-up being careful around the wound and ran her brush through her hair, then put it up into a pony tail. Steve left the room as she changed into a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She dabbed some water on the knife wound trying to clean it up a bit. Slipping her coat back around her she went outside and found Steve leaning against the wall taking to a couple of uniformed officers. He looked up at and smiled at her. Rachel decided at that point that the smile should be registered as a dangerous weapon. The smile faded slightly as he saw the wound on her neck. He pulled away from the wall and walked up to her.
"That needs looking at," He said.
"It'll be fine," She said lightly. Steve frowned lightly at her.
"Arguing with me over it?" She swallowed hard, trying very hard to ignore the feelings that were building up inside her.
"No," She said quickly. "I just didn't want all and sundry at the hospital to know what happened," Steve grinned at her.
"No need, dad will be able to take care of it," Somehow Rachel felt that she had been carefully manipulated.
"Out of the frying pan," She muttered.
"What was that?" Steve inquired lightly despite the fact that had heard what she had said, and had recognized the saying.
"Nothing," She answered quickly. He grinned at her and slipped his arm under hers and led out to the car park and to his truck.
Chapter 4.
"Dad!" Steve shouted out as he entered the beach house. Mark came forward and smiled when he saw his son with Rachel. The smile faded slightly when he saw the blood on Rachel's neck.
"What happened?" He asked concerned.
"There was a fight at the club," Steve said sombrely. "One was killed, then the assailant panicked," Mark could guess the rest.
"Come and sit down and let's take a look,"
Rachel sat down at the dinner table while Steve made them a hot drink. Mark fetched his bag and set about to clean the wound.
"Good job it didn't go any deeper," He said with concern. "A little close to the artery for comfort. It doesn't need any stitches;" He put a dressing on the cut. With a sigh he picked up his coffee off the table where Steve had put it. "I take it you couldn't do anything for the injured man?" Rachel shook her head. Finally able to relax a bit.
"The knife went into his heart," She sighed. "He would have been dead before he hit the floor;" Mark nodded his agreement and finished his drink,
"Well I'll let Steve look after you and I'll get to bed," Mark said. "I've got to be up for work in the morning," He stood and turned towards Rachel and almost grinned at the look of consternation on her face. "Your not in tomorrow are you?"
"No," She said.
"Goodnight then," Steve smiled at his father.
"Night dad,"
Steve picked up his drink.
"We'll go down stairs, so we don't disturb him," Rachel swallowed hard not able to see a way to refuse the invitation.
They sat on the sofa, Rachel looked around her.
"Its a lovely house," She said. She was trying not to think about how close he was to her.
"Its home," He said simply.
"I really ought to go," she said. Reaching forward and putting her empty cup on the coffee table in front of her. Steve leant towards her and placed his hand on her arm and slowly moving it up. She turned her head towards him her face just inches from his. "Steve I," Her words where cut off as he leant forward and kissed her. A kiss that took her breath away and slowly stripped all of her defences. "This is crazy," She moaned as his hands found their way under her shirt.
"Totally," Steve agreed against her cheek. Then kissing his way down her neck and back up to her mouth. "I've dreamt of doing this to you," He stood and pulled her up with him, then lifted her up into his arms. "And this time I'll not let you go,"
Rachel looked at him puzzled. "I'll explain later," He carried her to the bedroom and reached out with his foot and shut the door behind him.