"Stay where you are Stan," Emily warned, backing away from him. Her heart had begun to race as soon as she saw him, and when she bumped into a car, it jumped speed even faster. All she heard was his sickeningly, smooth voice, speaking the words from the three previous nights. She knew it was irrational, but she would have sworn she could feel his presence wind around her being, and it made her want to vomit.
"Relax Emily, I won't hurt you," he seemed surprised by her obvious unease.
Emily pressed the panic button in once, twice, three quick times before allowing it to rest where it was in her jacket pocket and going for her gun. "You move, I pull the trigger."
"Whoa, jesus, look I don't know who screwed with you as a kid, but this is not the way to let a guy know you aren't interested." He actually had the nerve to look at her as if she were crazy.
"Really, I thought I made that pretty clear already, but you can't take a hint. Don't you move!" She hollered at him, as he shifted. All she heard was that voice, those words, and she wanted to pull that trigger.
"Christ, I won't move, just don't shoot! You really are insane!" He yelled back at her.
Emily stood shaking and watching him, her sweaty hands making it hard to grip the gun, and her trigger finger twitching nervously. He stared at her, hands in the air, anger in his eyes, not moving an inch. They began a staring contest then, every little twitch he made, natural or no, Emily's finger jumped ever so slightly closer to the trigger, moving from it's spot alongside her gun barrel.
"Come on, I just wanted to ask you out," he spoke to her in an almost soothing voice, trying to coax her to release her weapon.
"No."
"No what?" He asked exasperated.
"No, I'm not going out with you." She hadn't so much as blinked since she drew her weapon, and kept her angry gaze on him now.
"Yeah, I kind of figured a much. Listen, since we have that all cleared up, how about you let me go?" He asked, moving closer to her.
"Don't you move damn it!" Her finger finished it's migration to the trigger, while her thumb turned off the safety.
He backed up hands in the air, eyes almost wild with fear.
The cavalry chose that moment to finally arrive, half of HRT swarming in, very large weapons drawn on Stan. Emily's current protectors came up behind her, as two other HRT agent placed cuffs on Stan.
"Are you okay?" Agent Finnegan asked, taking in her defensive stance, position of her finger, and unsafteyed gun.
"Did he hurt you?" Agent Stalwart wondered, concern in his eyes.
"I didn't lay a hand on her!" Stan shouted angrily.
"Shut up dickwad! Henderson, Baily, Gains, Seeder, get him up to the CNU, the boss is going to want to see him." Finnegan shouted to them.
"Right, let's go, and you try to move, we'll enjoy filling you with bullets." This ass harassed one of their own, they wouldn't be taking it lightly. The four agents marched him to the elevator, getting in and ascending to the CNU.
The rest of the agents stayed behind, studying Emily who had yet to lower her gun. One put an arm gently on her shoulder, his fingertips barely touching at first and then easing down as he tested her comfort. Slowly he helped her ease her arm down, until she snapped out of whatever horrified daze she'd lapsed into. Her heart was still pounding, and she suddenly noticed her breathing was somewhat labored.
"Hey, hold up, what's this?" Duff asked looking out the window in Cheryl's office, watching four of his comrades walk a cuffed man into the CNU. His companions abruptly stopped their conversation, and gathered at the window, before walking out of the office.
"Boss, meet the infamous Stan. Found him in the basement, Agent Lehman hit her panic button." Agent Henderson announced.
"Good work guys," Frank praised him, as they all looked around for Emily.
"So where the hell is Emily?" Matt asked in a near panic. Was she hurt? Did he try to attack her?
"On her way up with her bodyguards. She's a little shaken, but otherwise fine."
"What was she doing down there alone?" Cheryl asked.
The HRT agents shrugged, they had thought she was in the CNU, until they got the panic button signal, and traced it.
"Did he touch her?" Matt asked, fury burning in his eyes, body tense, ready to pound Stan at the slightest provocation.
"Don't think so, she had her gun on him when we got there. Looked pretty freaked, but I don't think he got close enough to do anything."
"I didn't lay a hand on her! Crazy bitch pulled a friggin gun on me!" Stan yelled, defending himself and reminding them all of his presence.
"Hey!" Frank grabbed Stan and leaned close to his face, "watch what you say about her. There's a lot of guys here that'd love to tear your heart out."
Stan swallowed and became quiet, deciding it would be better not to tangle with HRT, and the very irate negotiator nearby.
Much like the four HRT agents had marched in with their catch, two more marched in, flanking Emily, who still looked shaken. She also looked like she was barely keeping herself from jumping out of her skin, almost claustrophobic between her two guards.
Matt practically ran up to her, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her after catching this expression that clearly suggested she was suffocating.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine." Her body, her tone, her jaw, everything about her was tense.
"What were you doing in that garage alone?" Cheryl demanded.
"I forgot some papers I need for class, I went to get them."
"How about explaining the alone part?" Cheryl was clearly not happy with Emily.
"I had the panic button, and we caught him, everything is fine." She clearly wasn't in the mood to argue.
"It might not have been. What if he attacked you? What if he tried to kill you?"
"Whoa, ladies you better not be talking about me. I don't kill people, I just wanted to ask her out." Stan's stressed voice was beginning to sound panicked.
"Shut up." Cheryl told him before turning back to Emily.
"So?"
Emily stood silently, holding her ground, and blatantly defying Cheryl for the first time.
The SAC ran a hand through her hair, not sure how to handle the situation. Should she reprimand her for risking her own life, or continue to let her act borderline suicidal? She cupped her hands over her mouth in thought, before bringing them down and jumping back into her commander role.
"Frank, Binder, take this trash to Interrogation 3, Temple and Duff contact crime scene and coordinate with them in the garage." She turned to the four HRT agents, "I need two of you to stand outside the room while they question him, and two to go downstairs and find me an empty holding cell. Matt and Emily, my office. Thank you everyone."
She turned her heel and headed for her office, Matt and Emily behind her. Emily's HRT guards parked themselves at a cubicle, prepared to find a way to amuse themselves.
Once inside her office, Cheryl allowed her negotiators in before closing the door, lowering the blinds and resting against her desk, trying to think how best to address Emily without yelling.
"Okay, I don't know any other way to word this right now so, what the hell were you thinking?" She was very, very pissed.
"That I'd get my papers without all the hoopla." Sarcasm dripped from Emily's voice as she answered.
"Don't get sarcastic with me. You haven't forgotten that two HRT agents have been guarding you around the clock have you?" She tried to keep her voice calm and even.
"How could I?"
"Then maybe you've simply forgotten why they're there?"
"The phone calls in the middle of the night kind of prevent that."
"So then you're just suicidal?"
"What?" Now Emily was surprised. Did Cheryl really think that?
"I can't figure out why else you would go down to a dark, deserted parking lot alone, while there is a man stalking you. While he's become such a problem I have HRT following you around." Cheryl stood, arms crossed over her chest, silently waiting for a better explanation.
"I…I'm not suicidal." Emily looked at the floor, completely dropping her sarcastic attitude.
"Then what is going on with you?" Cheryl asked desperately.
"I can't live like this Cheryl. I can't keep jumping whenever my phone rings, and feeling my heart race every time I think I see him. I can't keep hearing him talk over and over again in my head, or I really will lose it!" She had started her diatribe quiet, but sounded almost hysterical by the end.
"Okay, calm down a minute. It's over, we got him, remember that. But Emily, I'm going to tell you this hoping I never have to put HRT on you again, but if I do, that means you're in danger. I don't care how close you feel you are to losing it, you DO NOT go ANYWHERE by yourself. Talk to someone if you need to, Matt, Lia, me, one of the Bureau's shrinks, I don't care. Just take care of yourself, alright?"
Emily just nodded, feeling slightly guilty now.
"Good then. I suppose I won't need to give you a throwaway cell tonight. Go home, you've been through a lot the last several days. And, you can leave without your detail, I know that's going to make you very happy."
"Thanks." Emily offered her a small smile, the first real one in days.
When Matt and Emily arrived home, twenty-minutes later, they both shed some of their clothes and fell into bed, curling together and passing out. They were too exhausted for anything else. Unfortunately, they only got to enjoy their slumber for a few hours, before Matt's cell began ringing at 3:30.
He woke up blinking in the bright light that served as a reminder that they came home early and passed out around noon. Adjusting himself enough so that he could reach his phone on the night stand, but not too much, so as not to wake Emily, he grabbed the device, reading the caller id.
"Flannery." He was relieved to see Cheryl's name flashing.
"Hey Matt, how's Emily?" He could almost picture his boss's brows furrowed in concentration and worry.
"Sleeping now. I think she's still a little shaken, but relieved."
"Good, that's good to hear." She paused in thought. "Matt I hate to do this, but I need you."
"Whoa, what? Can't Temple and Binder handle it? I don't think Emily's in any shape to think about a case right now." He couldn't believe Cheryl was even considering it.
"Uh no, you misunderstood. I don't have a case for you two. Karl the Ice Cream Man is back, but this time he's taken his business to Phoenix. I need you to help them get a five year-old boy back."
"How the hell did he get out of prison?" Matt was getting a bit loud, and could feel Emily begin to stir beside him. He reached his free hand up, and brushed some hair from her face, stroking the long locks, soothing her back into sleep.
"He was in psych. They evidently thought he'd gotten better."
"Idiots…uh, I don't really want to leave her right now Cheryl."
"I know, and I hate to ask you, but there's a scared little boy in Phoenix that's need you."
"I know, I know…alright, is Lia still in the office?" He rubbed a hand over his face, before letting it drift back to Emily.
"It's not even four Matt, what do you think?"
"Fine, book me a flight and transfer me to her." He wasn't happy about this, but knew that frightened little boy was in more peril than Emily at the moment.
"Thanks Matt. I'll let Phoenix know you're on your way." She told him before hitting the transfer button and typing in Lia's extension.
"Mathers."
"Hey Lia, it's Matt. Did you have plans tonight?" He eased himself out of the bed, holding the phone with his neck so that he could maneuver Emily to the bed without waking her. Closing the door most of the way, he headed to his kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water.
"Uh, no not really. Why?" Lia was confused. Coming from any other guy, she would have considered that fishing for a date.
"Good. I have to go to Phoenix tonight to assist in a kidnapping with a guy Cheryl and I had a run in with a few years ago. I don't want Emily to be alone tonight."
"She doesn't know about this does she?"
"Not yet."
"That's what I figured. You know that if she knew you were trying to find her a babysitter, she'd kill you, right?" Lia smiled even as she asked him; Matt could play tough as much as he liked, but when it came to Emily, he was like a mother bear.
"I'll take my chances. I'm worried about her. She's just been through a lot, she doesn't need to be alone right now."
"I know. I'll come over. When does your flight leave?"
"I don't know yet. Can you transfer me back to Cheryl?"
"Sure." Lia hit a few buttons.
"Carrera."
"Hey, do you have my flight booked yet?"
"Waste no time, do you?"
"The sooner I get there and take care of the Ice Cream Man, the sooner I get back here."
"Can't argue with that. You're on Southwest, flight 1273, departing from gate 12. It leaves in an hour and a half, plenty of time to pack a bag and get to LAX."
"Great. Can you transfer me back to Lia?" Matt was already starting to feel dizzy from all the transferring.
"No problem, have a safe flight."
"Mathers."
"My flights at 5:30."
"I'll be there at five then."
"Thanks Lia."
"Anytime, hey how is she doing?"
"She's sleeping, but seems to be fine. No nightmares at least."
"That's good…Alright, I'll see you in an hour then."
"Yep." He hung up and blew into his hands, allowing his mind a moment to wind down from musical conversations, before heading back into the bedroom.
He down beside Emily, and placed his lips delicately on hers, offering small kisses until he saw her eyes blinking and felt her begin to respond. After coming awake she captured his mouth in one long kiss, before letting him go, and looking up at him.
"Much as I enjoyed that, you can't possibly tell me that it's morning already."
"It's only four in the afternoon."
"Oh…then what's going on?" She now looked obviously confused.
"I have to go to Phoenix tonight. You remember I told you about Karl the Ice Cream man?"
"Yeah, five years ago, lures kids with the truck and holds them for small ransoms?"
"The same. He set up shop in Arizona, snatched a five year-old boy." He watched her unfocused as he spoke, playing with her red curls.
"Then you have to go." She desperately wanted to be with him tonight, but a scared kid in mortal danger took precedence.
"Lia's going to come over."
She looked up at him suddenly, half annoyed, half amused, "did you actually get me a babysitter?"
He rolled his eyes, "not a babysitter, just some company."
"She's a babysitter, admit it."
"Honestly, it's more for me than you. This way I won't call you every hour, and spend the entire time worrying."
"Do I really need to say it?"
"Yes, I know, you can take care of yourself. Humor me. Have a girl's night, do each other's nails…" He wasn't sure what a girl's night entailed.
"Oh right, and we can talk about my crush Jimmy Sanders, who sits two desks over from me in science class. I think he likes me, he picked up my pencil for me yesterday," she told him sarcastically, mimicking a fourteen year-old girl.
"Fine, no nail painting, but I'm sure you two can find something to keep you occupied. Besides," he leaned close and whispered, "I know for a fact that women still talk about guys." He leaned down and captured her lips.
"Oh yeah, but I already have mine. He sits right next to me and steals my pens." She pulled him down on the bed, kissing him and allowed her hands to roam his body.
"I do not," he insisted in mock indignation, before his mouth found hers again.
"Oh yeah?" She flipped them over so she was on top. "Then where have they all gone?"
"Jimmy Sanders keeps picking them up," he offered, flipping them back over and initiating another kiss.
Emily moaned into his mouth, before abruptly cutting off the kiss, and distancing herself slightly. "When do you have to leave?"
"My flight leaves at 5:30. Why?"
"That means you need to leave no later than five and it's a quarter after four now."
"Yeah, so?"
"Don't start something you can't finish," she gave him one last kiss, so he would know she wasn't mad, just being practical.
"Damn," he mumbled as he picked himself up off the bed, and began to hunt around for his suitcase.
Forty-five minutes later Matt was on his way out the door and Lia watched her friends try to break off the kiss in order to get him out said door. Once he was out, Emily closed and locked the door with a bittersweet grin on her face. They had caught Stan, the harassing phone calls were over, and she was completely head over feet in love. She turned her attention to Lia, who looked amused.
"So, is Matt paying you for this babysitting gig?" Emily couldn't help herself.
"My only payment is getting to hang out with a friend whose time has recently been monopolized by a certain man." Lia grinned; she wasn't offended.
"You know he actually suggested we paint each other's nails?"
Lia laughed, "so, what would you like, bubblegum pink with little hearts, or cotton candy pink with little stars?"
"How about we alternate them?" Emily suggested playing along, enjoying the feeling of normalcy.
The Next Day
Emily didn't receive a creepy phone call that night, as she had the previous ones, allowing her to actually sleep. Or at least she would have, had she not spent half the night talking to Lia, eating ice cream, and ignoring bad Lifetime movies. Matt had only called once to check up on them, at which point Emily whined that the babysitter was making out with her boyfriend on the couch. To which Matt's only reply was to role his eyes on the other end, and promise to be home soon.
Work progressed as normal, Temple and Binder handled the only call, Emily was on paperwork until Cheryl was convinced that she was over the stalker incident. At the end of the day, Emily promised Lia she'd been fine, and thanked her for staying the previous night, sending her off with Duff. She gathered her papers, and was struck with the thought that this would be her first night alone in weeks. Whether her apartment or his house, she was always with Matt, but tonight she was not only going to be alone, but in his house alone.
She could go to her apartment, but was still a little weary, even if Stan was caught. Besides, she had a key and half her wardrobe was already at his house anyway, so it hardly mattered. She pulled into the driveway, and was unlocking the door and juggling her bag when saw the package on the stoop. She bent down to scoop it up, surprised to see her own name on it, and pushed in the door. She tossed her bag down and closed the door, locking it, before getting a better look at the package. It was from Macy's. That was odd, she didn't order anything from Macy's, and certainly wouldn't have had it delivered to Matt's house.
She cut the box open to reveal a small card and a red clothing box. "Em, found this last night and had them send it to you from a local store. Looking forward to seeing it."
It wasn't in his handwriting, but she figured a clerk at the local store wrote it for him. She opened the clothing box to find a dress, a gown more like, well really an evening gown. It wasn't really like Matt to get her something like this, but she shrugged. She knew he was feeling guilty for leaving when she needed him, and it would be like Matt to surprise her with something to try and make up for it, even just a little. She grabbed the dress and took it into the bedroom to try it on.
Emily stared at the gown in a floor length mirror, still wondering what possessed Matt to go for a dress. Maybe one of the negotiators over there was a woman? The dress was yellow silk, and form fitting, not necessarily something Emily would have chosen for herself, but not the ugliest dress she'd ever seen either. Was this his subtle way of telling her, he wanted to take her to dinner when he got back?
She was still pondering the dress when her phone went off. The ringer made her jump, actually it had been making her jump for days, ever since Stan started calling. And picking the device up to answer it still sent a chill down her spine. She had to grab the dress and pull it away from her feet, before she began small steps into the living room to grab her phone. Small steps were the only way she could do it, because the dress was really that tight. She almost tripped as she struggled with the dress and began to sweat, before managing to glance at the caller id. Matt.
"Hey," she greeted, relief flooding through her.
"Hey there, how was work?" She could hear the smile in his voice.
"The usual, lots of paperwork, gossiping with Lia at lunch, watched Frank and Duff annoy Cheryl with their dumb and dumber routine. How's your case going?"
"It went well." He paused, letting the meaning sink in
"Went, as in done?" She asked excitedly.
"Yep, ice cream man was caught, little boy is with his parents, done."
"So the boy is okay?" She went to scratch at her arm, and was surprised when it hurt. She was starting to get itchy, maybe she was allergic to some cleaning solution in the fabric.
"Scared shitless, probably never going near another ice cream truck, but unharmed."
"That's great Matt. And Phoenix is also done with you now?"
"Yes, in fact I'm driving now, should be home in five minutes."
"What? Really?"
"Yep, and I can't wait."
"Me neither. Oh! By the way, I got the dress you sent." She said, feeling the itch spread to the rest of her body, an itch that wasn't feeling so much like an itch anymore.
"Dress? I didn't send you a dress."
"What? I have it right here, I'm wearing it." She went to go for the card and nearly dropped the phone as the fabric rubbed against her body and seemed to set off some chain reaction. It was starting to hurt, no more starting to burn.
"I didn't send you a dress Em. I know nothing about women's fashion, that is probably the last thing I would choose to buy you."
"Well, somebody sent me a dress, and…oh my god." Oh yes, it felt like her skin was burning. "Matt, oh god, it, it, something's wrong, oh god it hurts!"
"What? What hurts? What's wrong?" He could hear the panic in her voice and was trying to keep himself from doing the same.
"The dress! The dress! It's burning me!" She tried to find the zipper on back of the dress, but moving just made the fabric rub against her, and made the pain worse.
To be continued…
Yes, I'm having fun with the cliffhangers on this one, but seeing as how it isn't exactly an original idea, I need to do something to make it distinctive. Anyway, still trying to crank this out quick, especially since it seems to be so popular. Thank you all soooo much for the reviews, I really appreciate them. Thanks for reading!
