First off, thanks so much for all the reviews! I hope you like this chapter as well as the first! And I am trying hard to listen to you guys on this, so let me know what you think!

This chapter is bordering on being rated M so please read responsibly.

All mistakes are my own, but the characters are not!

Chapter 2

She took a deep breath as Jimmy parked the escalade and jumped out. She took her time walking up and pulled her keys out with shaky hands. She felt a chill when Jimmy stilled her hands and took the keys from her. Their eyes met as he opened the door, and it was then that she knew he didn't have any intention in fighting his feelings any longer.

As soon as they were inside, her back was against the door and his lips hungrily found hers. She tried to tell herself to resist but when she felt him start to pull back she found herself pulling him back down to her. All of her thoughts faded away as his hands slid down her sides. Then suddenly, he stopped. He looked at her shocked face and heard how rapid her breathing was. "What the hell, Jimmy?" she asked as she pushed him backwards.

"We uh…probably need to check this place out. Make sure everything is in place," he explained.

She rolled her eyes as she shoved past him, "Yea, next time don't start something you can't finish," she said half angry but mostly frustrated.

"Oh I fully intend on finishing it," he stated as he went towards the bedroom, checking every space on the way.

After going through Annie's place thoroughly, Jimmy was satisfied there was nothing out of place. When he came back to the living room he found Annie and 59, Annie's dog, on the couch. Annie was looking through the letters Diablo had sent his father.

"Find anything useful?" Jimmy asked as he sat down next to her.

She shook her head, "Not yet, but I've only read three. Here, make yourself useful," she said as she handed him a few letters."

After a few minutes Jimmy broke the silence, "I think this guy really wants his father's approval. He apologizes for everything…not visiting him in prison, not being there for him when he got locked up, not covering for him better. I think every woman he goes after, he does it for his father."

Annie nodded, "You may be onto something Jimmy. All of his victims are strong and independent, just like Juan Vasquez's mistress, who was a lawyer. All of his victims are around the same height and weight. Their looks vary somewhat, but most are attractive. How the hell did we miss this before?" Annie asked frustrated, running both hands through her hair.

"Hey look at this," he said as he pointed to a letter. "Says he has a girlfriend he's coming back for. Says he hasn't seen her in three years, but he's sure she will be happy to see him. He tells his father that he knows this is the woman that was meant for him because he has spent every night dreaming of her, that she has the most beautiful ice blue eyes that was ever known to man. And she is the strongest most persistent woman he has ever met…he's talking about you Annie," Jimmy said unnecessarily.

She grabbed the letter from him and reread what he had just told her. "Okay, now this is just getting ridiculous. Who does this guy think he is?" she said slamming the letter down on the table and standing up to pace her living room.

"Don't worry Annie, we're gonna get him, and he's not gonna have a chance to get near you," he said as he tried to calm her down.

She laughed sarcastically, "It's not me I'm worried about. How many more innocent women is he going to go after before he feels like he's made his point that we can't find him until he wants us to? He's good, too good Jimmy. He calculates his every move. There is no way to predict his next victim, and no way to track him," Annie finally sat down and put her head in her hands, "Why don't he just come after me if I'm who he really wants. Maybe I should bait him."

"Nooo, that's not going to happen. We will find another way," Jimmy said.

"Yea, well, I wish I knew another way…but I'm drawin a blank," she said leaning back.

"Come on, let's get some rest. We'll finish going through these in the morning with fresh eyes." Jimmy got up and took Annie's hand.

She let him pull her off the couch and lead her to the bedroom. He took her to the bed and let her sit down on the side. "You want me to take the couch?" he asked, not wanting to push her into something if she wasn't sure she wanted it.

She smiled half heartedly and shook her head. "You probably should…" she trailed off.

He returned her smile, "Just say the word, and I will leave you alone."

"Please don't," she said looking at him with sad eyes.

He had only seen her vulnerable side a few times in his life, and each and every time it rattled him. He knew this guy was starting to get to her, and he hated that. "Just don't think about it, put him out of your mind."

She shook her head, "How?"

Jimmy knew part of the reason Annie was having a hard time is because the last fugitive they were chasing had somehow broke into her apartment, drugged her dog, cuffed her to a pole, and stole her gun, badge, and escalade. Jimmy knew that had made her feel very insecure, even if she acted like it didn't. He crawled in bed behind her and began rubbing her shoulders, "I think I can help. Just try to relax."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He kneaded his fingers into her starting at her shoulders and moving down her back. She let her head fall forward as he started trailing kisses up the back of her neck. After she had had all she could take, she grabbed his hand and turned toward him, laying back and pulling him down on top of her. She kissed him hungrily, pulling at his shirt frantically.

He took her hands, "Slow down, Boots," he urged. They had clawed at each other the night before, and this time Jimmy fully intended to slow down and enjoy every little detail about her.

"Jimmy, please…" she begged him. She needed this, to help her forget about everything else.

He could see the urgency in her eyes, "Look at me," he kissed her slowly, holding eye contact the whole time. She tried to close her eyes but he stopped until she opened them again. "Don't try and hide from me Annie," he slowly unbuttoned her shirt, running his hands up her bare skin.

She pulled his face back down to her, slowly this time. All of her other experiences with the opposite sex was frantic and rushed and very impersonal, but this was Jimmy, and he knew her well enough to know that what she wanted was a quick release, but what she needed was to feel him, body and soul. And he fully intended to give her what she needed.

They slowly stripped each other, exploring each other as they went. Annie was very shy at first, but Jimmy made her feel comfortable in a way she had never felt before. By the time both of them reached their release, it was the most powerful thing either of them had ever felt.

They fell asleep tangled up together. For a while they slept peacefully, but then Annie began to dream of what had happened three years earlier…

She was chasing Diablo through a deserted motel. She could hear Jimmy, Marco, and Daisy a few feet behind her. When she reached the top floor, she wasn't sure which way Diablo had went. "Jimmy, go left, I got right…Daisy and Marco, start checking rooms," she ordered, never pausing to look back.

She made it to the end of the hall and quickly took the stairs up to the roof. She opened the door and was partially blinded by the bright sun. She let her eyes adjust before sweeping the roof with her shotgun. She seen movement and yelled, "US Marshals, stop…" she trailed off as she headed for the movement. When she rounded the corner, she found Diablo with his hands in the air, and a sick smile on his face.

"Hello Annie Frost…I guess you finally caught up to me," he laughed.

"On your knees," Annie yelled as she kept her eyes trained on him.

"Make me," Diablo said, still smiling.

"I will shoot you," Annie promised.

"Really? An unarmed man? I'm pretty sure that's against the rules…" he trailed off as he heard the roof door open. They were around the corner so whoever was on the roof couldn't see them.

In the split second that Annie took her eyes off of Diablo to try and look around the corner, he was on her. "No…" she tried to scream but he covered her mouth with his hand. He straddled her, pressing his weight on her so that she couldn't move. She could feel his erection pressing on her, and kept trying to squirm out from under him.

"You know, it's really too bad we don't have more time. I would love to do you right, break you before the kill, but looks like I'm just going to have to settle for a quicky this time. He laughed as Annie's eyes widened. When he reached for her belt, she bit the hand that was covering her mouth, and he jerked it away just long enough for Annie to call out for help.

Diablo grabbed for his knife and switched it open quickly. Annie felt it slice through her skin just as she saw Jimmy come flying through the air, knocking Diablo off of her right before she blacked out.

"Annie…Annie, your dreaming," Jimmy said as he shook her.

She finally opened her eyes and sat up quickly, her hand flying up to her neck, and immediately, Jimmy understood. He seen the raw fear in her eyes and he pulled her to him. "It's okay, it was just a dream. I've got you."

Jimmy wrapped his arms around her until her fear was replaced with pure rage. Then she pushed away from him and stood to pace the room, grabbing her robe to cover herself. "Dammit, I hate this. I hate feeling like this. It's one thing for this son of a bitch to call me out, but now he's in my dreams. Why am I letting him get to me…letting him win?" She could feel tears of anger stinging her eyes. The dream had been so vivid that she could still feel Diablo on top of her, still feel his knife at her throat.

She stopped across the room with her back to him, and Jimmy knew she was remembering again. "Annie," he said but she didn't respond. He got up and walked to her, lightly touching her shoulder to try and pull her back to reality. She jumped and threw her hand up, as if to defend herself, accidentally catching Jimmy across the side of the face with her enclosed fist.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Jimmy…" she trailed off as she put her hand over her mouth, shocked at what she had done.

Jimmy rubbed his hand over his face, "Damn, you gotta a hell of a right back hand."

"Shit, are you okay?" she asked, taking his hand away and seeing the mark she had left.

"I think I'll live," he smiled. "Do you feel better now that you released some of that rage?"

She smiled, dropping her eyes to the floor, "I can't believe I hit you."

"Don't worry about it," he said as he smiled back. "Annie," he said on a more serious note, "are you okay? You know, everyone would understand if you needed some distance from this case. It may not be such a bad idea…"

"Come on Jimmy," she put her hand up to quiet him, "you know me better than that. I'm fine, I just…had a bad dream. It…shook me a little but I'm fine now."

"Whatever you say…but do me a favor Annie…don't try and be the tough cop here. We're not at work, it's just you and me…and everyone has a breaking point. You don't have to be strong all the time. Let me be here for you," Jimmy told her sincerely.

Annie rolled her eyes, "I'm fine Jimmy, really. It's not that big of a deal, I lost focus for a second on that rooftop, and I paid for it. It was my fault, I should have never taken my eyes off of him and he would be in jail now where he belongs. But instead, he's killing more innocent women. It could have been a lot worse for me that day, but thanks to you it wasn't."

"Annie, him getting away was not your fault. Any one of us could have been in the same situation as you that day, and we would have probably done the same damn thing. You can't blame the death of his victims on yourself. We are going to get him. He will mess up, and when he does, his ass is ours," Jimmy said as he took her hand and led her back the bed. "Now, let's try and get some rest. We gotta be up in a couple hours."

She nodded, squeezing his hand. She laid down beside him and let her head fall into the crook of his arm, and draped her hand over his chest, "Thank you," she said softly.

"For what?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

"Being here," she told him as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you for letting me," he held her close, feeling her breath on his skin. After he knew she was asleep and didn't show any signs of a nightmare, he let his own eyes drift shut. He couldn't help thinking about how right she felt in his arms. He kissed her forehead one last time before letting sleep claim him.

The alarm sounded early the next morning, and Jimmy woke up to find himself alone in the bed. He pulled on his boxers and headed into the living room to find Annie sitting on the couch going through more of the Diablo letters. She looked up when she heard him, and a look of shock immediately covered her face.

"What?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

She put the papers down and walked over to him. She reached up and lightly touched the purplish bruise on his cheek and he pulled back slightly. "I didn't think I hit you that hard…" she trailed off.

"Hmm, it was a pretty good lick," he said as he rubbed his own hand over it.

She took a deep breath, "I'm so sorry," she said, looking at him very apologetically.

He smiled, "It's okay. I'll just tell everyone I got into a bar fight…that always makes for a great story."

"Yea, I can't wait to hear what the other guy looks like," she laughed.

"So, you find anything else in the letters?" Jimmy asked, walking over to the couch.

"I don't really know. He keeps telling his father he has big plans for when he's back in town, but he never says anything about what they are. It's the same thing that Vasquez's prison buddy said," she said looking up at Jimmy.

He took the letter she was currently reading, "You know, it's possible Vasquez didn't keep all the letters. If there was anything incriminating it one, he probably got rid of it before anyone else had a chance to see it"

Annie shook her head, "I doubt Diablo wouldn't be stupid enough to write anything incriminating. If he wanted his father to know anything that important, he would have told him in person. I just wish there was some way to get Vasquez to talk."

"Yea, that's not likely. He's willing to give up the rest of his life to protect his son from getting caught. He's not gonna talk to us, but maybe he will say something to his buddy. It seems like he is pretty proud of his son's work. Maybe he will start bragging and let something slip," Jimmy suggested.

Annie looked at him doubtfully while gathering the letters and putting them back into the folder. She would make copies of them and put together a folder for each member of the team when she got to the office. Maybe someone would see something that she didn't. She knew it was unlikely, but none the less, everyone had to be updated and she really didn't feel like doing it in person.

They both took a shower and got dressed for work, stopping for a quick bite of breakfast on their way. They walked in together and immediately Marco noticed Jimmy's bruised jaw.

"Man, what the hell happened to you? Natalie finally get enough and kick your ass?" Marco asked jokingly.

At the mention of Natalie, Annie froze and looked at Jimmy, shaking her head. She rolled her eyes and retreated quickly to the lounge. Jimmy smiled at Marco, trying to play it off without anyone noticing Annie's change in demeanor, "I ran into a door," he said as he turned and followed Annie, leaving Marco very confused.

Jimmy found her pouring coffee. "What was that all about?"

She looked at him hatefully, "I can't believe myself. How could I forget about Natalie? I got so caught up I didn't even think about her, but you, you should have known better! Have you even spoken to her in the last few days, or you letting her think you guys are just on another cooling off period until you figure out how this thing between us is going to work? Hell, all of your stuff is probably still at her place. How could I have been so stupid?" she said throwing her hands in the air.

"Whoa Annie, slow down. First of all, most of my stuff is in the bunks. I still have a few things at her place, but that's just because I haven't had time to pick them up yet. And no, I haven't talked to her in a few days, but I'm pretty sure after the last fight we had that she knows I'm done. I told her I would never be able to please her and that I was done trying. I told her that she needed to go find someone that would fit her mold because I was never going to change. I haven't heard from her since," Jimmy finished.

She shook her head, "That's the same fight ya'll have had how many times before?"

Jimmy looked her in the eyes, "This time I meant every word of it."

"Yea well, you need to make sure she knows that," Annie said, turning back to the coffee pot.

"Annie…" he started to object but she threw her hand up to stop him, "Jimmy, this is not up for negotiation."

"Annie, what are you so afraid of?" Jimmy asked quietly as he came towards her.

She shook her head and pointed at him, "Don't try and turn this around on me. I'm not the one who jumps right out of one long term relationship and into someone else's bed."

"No you prefer to do it the other way around huh…" Jimmy spat back.

She looked at him enraged, "What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"Annie I saw you leave the hospital with Ben Crowley a couple weeks ago," Jimmy told her.

She glared at him, "Oh and just because you seen me get in his car automatically means that I jumped in bed with him?"

"Tell me you didn't…tell me he dropped you off and nothing happened…tell me Annie," he waited for her response, but she just continued to glare at him. "Well?"

"Fuck you Jimmy," she said shoving her way past him and heading for her desk.

"Annie, you don't just get to walk away from this," Jimmy said to her before she got far away.

"Watch me," she replied without turning around.

Daisy, Marco, and Luke watched the fight between Annie and Jimmy from a distance. "What do you think it's about this time?" Luke asked.

"Who knows, they looked fine when they came in," Daisy said.

"Yea, it was almost like Annie got all pissed off when I asked Jimmy about that bruise he's wearing this morning. You know, I did mention Natalie, and that's when Annie stalked off," Marco added.

"Weird," Daisy said more to herself than the others.

A little while later Annie was still working at her desk. She was trying to calm down before she had another encounter with Jimmy, who she hadn't seen in a while. She wondered what he was doing, but then pushed the thought out of her mind as she tried to concentrate on her computer screen.

"So, what's wrong with you and Jimmy?" Daisy asked quietly as she pulled a chair up beside Annie's desk.

"He's just being an ass," Annie said, then shook her head, "Forget I said that. We'll be fine. Just a minor disagreement." She decided it would be best to keep her and Jimmy's private life out of the office.

Daisy nodded, "About the case? I see Diablo is after you," Daisy said holding up the updated file with a copy of the two notes to Annie and the letters to Diablo's father in it.

"Yea, could be he just want's our full attention. Nothing is ever as it seems with this guy, so I'm still trying to figure everything out," Annie said.

"So, let me guess…Jimmy is getting way to protective? Why is it that just because we are women, they all act like we can't take care of ourselves without their help?" Daisy ranted.

Just then Jimmy walked back in with a box full of stuff and headed towards the bunks. "So that's where he's been," she said to herself. She noticed the confused look on Daisy's face. "I'm sorry Daisy, what were you saying?"

Daisy shook her head, "Nothing…have you found anything new on Diablo?"

"Nothing. It would help if I knew what to look for. I'm just banging my head right now though," Annie said frustrated.

"Guess we're just gonna have to wait on him to make a move," Daisy stated.

"Yea, and that's not sittin to well with me," Annie stretched her arms behind her head.

"What's up?" Jimmy asked as he walked up behind them.

Annie didn't speak, which caused Daisy to raise her eyebrows, "Nothing much…just talking about the lack of progress we're having on the Diablo case," Daisy told him.

"Yea, looks like we're at a dead end until he decides to come out of hiding again, and there's no telling where, or when that's going to happen," Jimmy said staring directly at Annie.

Annie got up hastily from her desk and walked to the bathroom. She really didn't need to go, but she needed some space from Jimmy, and she doubted he would follow her into the women's bathroom. She took her time washing her hands. She was fighting the urge to punch a hole through one of the bathroom stall doors.

Just then Daisy walked in looking concerned, especially when she seen Annie pacing the bathroom floor. "Hey, are you sure you're okay?"

Annie stopped pacing and half smiled, nodding her head, "Yea Daisy, I'm fine."

Daisy looked unconvinced, "You know, you're more than welcome to stay at my place until we catch this guy."

"Thanks Daisy, but that won't be necessary. There's no way I'm letting this guy run me out of my home," Annie told her.

Daisy nodded understandingly, "I hear you. I'm just saying, if you need a friend…" she trailed off.

Annie smiled again, looking down at the floor, "Thanks Daisy."

They walked out of the bathroom to find Jimmy waiting. Annie rolled her eyes and headed for the conference room. She knew Jimmy would follow her and hoped that no one else would notice. She had a feeling they were about to have it out and the last thing they needed was an audience.

"Okay, what the hell is your problem?" Jimmy asked as he shut the door to the conference room a little to hard.

"My problem? Really? You jump to conclusions about Ben Crowley and make me feel like I've done something wrong, and then YOU want to know what MY problem is? You've got some nerve," she hissed.

"So that's what this is all about? Ben Crowley?" he paused, pacing around the table. "Okay, this has gotten way out of hand. I'm sorry for that comment I made earlier…I had no right. I just…you make me crazy Annie. You accuse me of cheating on Natalie with you. You act like I'm using you for a rebound girl…"

"Maybe you are…" she trailed off as she turned around to hide the tears that were stinging her eyes.

He walked up behind her and spoke softly, "Come on Boots, you know me better than that." He touched her shoulder lightly but she pulled away.

"Do I?" she said, not turning around.

"I got the rest of my stuff from Natalie's. I talked to her. She agrees that things have been over between us for a while now and we were both just putting off the inevitable. And Annie, I'm not on the rebound. You have to trust me here…" Jimmy said running his hand over his face.

Annie finally turned around, "Yea, well…it's not like you have a great track record."

It was a low blow, but she was right. What she didn't get is that he didn't see her the same as any of the other women he had been with. "Annie, your right. I'm sorry. But your not just another woman to me. I can't explain it, but it's different. You're different. I would never hurt you. What can I do to make you see that?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. But I need some space. I can't do this right now."

She started past him but he stopped her by taking her hand, "Okay, but promise me something…" he looked her in the eyes, "If you wont let me stay with you, please call someone to. I know you can handle yourself, but if something happened to you, I could never forgive myself."

She nodded slightly, then pulled her hand away and walked out. She found Daisy at her desk. "Hey, if it's still okay, I may take you up on your offer…just for tonight."

Daisy could see that Annie was upset, "Yea sure…let me just get my things, and we'll go grab a bite before we go home."

"Thanks, I'll wait in my car." Annie said as she made her way out. She didn't really want to stay with Daisy, but she knew if she went home Jimmy would probably show up there, and she just wasn't ready to deal with him right now.

Annie and Daisy made their way to Daisy's apartment after grabbing some food from a little café around the corner from the office. They made small talk, but Daisy didn't push to know what was wrong, and Annie was glad for that. She knew Daisy would ask sooner or later, and she wasn't sure what to tell her.

After watching a couple cheap reality tv shows, Daisy muted the television and turned to face Annie. "Okay girl, spill. What is going on? And don't give me any bullshit about the case. I know you better than that."

Annie pressed her lips together and shook her head, "Daisy, I can't. It's nothing, really."

"Oh it's something, and I'm not asking as a coworker…I'm asking as a friend. Annie, I saw how upset you were today. What happened?" Daisy said.

"I just…let things get out of hand with Jimmy. We got in another fight, and I knew if I went home he would show up. He doesn't think I should stay by myself until Diablo is caught." Annie said, telling her part of the truth.

Daisy raised her eyebrows, "Sounds like he's being a little overprotective."

Annie smiled, "Yea, tell be about it."

Daisy was sure that wasn't the whole story, but decided to drop it for now. After they watched a little more television, they decided to turn in. It had been a pretty unproductive day, but Annie was exhausted. She laid down on the couch with the blankets and pillow Daisy had provided and fell asleep quickly.

At a little after two in the morning Annie's cell rang. "Annie Frost," she said sleepily.

"Yea, this is the warden at Huntsville. Juan Vasquez was broke out of prison…I thought you should know since you are after his son…we suspect that's who helped get him out."

Annie sat up, now wide awake, "What the hell happened?"

"He faked a heart attack, and on the way to the hospital the ambulance was hijacked. It was found a few miles away, both EMTs and prison guards had their throats slit." the warden told her.

"Okay, we will be right there. Keep the scene secure," Annie told him as she headed in to wake Daisy up, hitting the speed dial button for Jimmy as soon as she hung up with the warden.

Well, there is chapter two…sorry it took so long to update! I went back and forth on this chapter all week, so I hope you guys like it! I promise to update as quickly as I can, so in the meantime, leave a review!

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