Author's Babblings: Hello again my loyal reader. Sorry about the delay, but I've been rather busy lately. It will probably be a little while before my next post. But that post will come, I promise.

Chapter 10

Helena let the phone drop away from her head just a bit so that she was speaking to Damek. "How do you think you'd do in a fight with a man who's 6 foot 5, 219, and build like a line backer?"

While the last bit was lost on him Damek did understand the basic question.

As if sensing his confusion Helena added, "He's basically got a large muscular frame, and is more or less a brick wall."

That he understood, although the answer was the same regardless of the man's physical stature.

Before he had the chance to respond to the question the other end of the phone call cut in. "Who are you talking to?"

Helena already knew where this conversation was going. "Damek."

There was a long pause before Rebecca spoke in a very controlled and lethally calm voice. "I'm picking you up, now."

The phone call went dead.

Helena closed her phone before carefully put it away, all the while taking deep, long, and very deliberate breathes, betraying her nerves.

Damek's voice was melodic and low as he told her, "Have no fear, I will not allow him, or any other, to harm you so long as I am near." He silently amended that to ever, although that would take further arranging.

Helena offered him a weak smile. "Thank you, but I would honestly prefer not to drag someone else into my problems."

"Do not worry your self. I would insist on aiding you, for someone like you should not have to live in fear of getting attacked, regardless of any sort of confrontational attitude." He offered the last part as a gentle teasing, hoping to help her feel more at ease.

"Someone like me," she repeated his words. "A blind person? Or a woman?"

"Either." Damek tried to read her emotions to sense what this reaction was, but found them more blocked then ever before.

Helena let out a sigh and readied her bag before finally saying any more. "Why is it that those who would commend my abilities to observe and understand people seem to forget that at a moments notice?"

Damek's brow furrowed.

Before he could think of a response she continued. "Becs loves to point out that my blindness is a great disadvantage, to everyone else. Knowing I'm blind gets people to expect less from me, so they are taken even more off guard when I prove otherwise. Yet she doesn't like me walking by myself in the city, even in well-traveled areas. And, in cases like tonight, she doesn't trust my judgment, or my ability to make it to my building myself."

"I do not think it is a matter of trust, merely a wish to protect one who is a dear friend." Damek could not understand what she was upset about, although the others had warned him that women in this day and age did not react well to being protected.

Helena gave a sigh. "I know, but it feels different, a bit too protective for it to be just that. I have spent my life working to prove that I am just as capable as anyone who can see, but everything seems to come back to that one thing."

Damek remained quiet for a moment. "There is not doubt that you are every bit as capable as any other person, but the fact that you are blind is as much a part of who you are as the color of your hair."

He could tell that she was getting frustrated. "How long until your friend arrives?"

"She should be arriving any minute." Helena turned toward the woods, "Eddie, come. Work time."

Eddie stopped and jogged back to the bench, seating himself just in front of Helena where she could easily grab hold of his leash.

As Helena rose, so did Damek, he had no intention of letting her walk anywhere by herself. They turned in the direction that they had left the previous nights and started walking. He could not read her emotions clearly, but she was upset.

It was she who broke the silence. "You do have a last name and an address, right?"

Keeping his tone and expression blank Damek responded, "Of course."

When he didn't say any more a slight smile tugged at her lips. "Would you mind telling me what they are?"

"Alright," Damek let out a sigh. "My last name is Anghelescu."

He was saved from having to come up with some explanation of his residence for they had arrived at their exit from the park. And waiting for them was a very ticked off woman staring at them, arms crossed and foot tapping.

She gave Damek a very thorough once over, her expression a clear indicator of her growing displeasure. "Ella, you and I need to have a nice long talk after you get inside a good secure building."

Damek could read the woman's thoughts well enough to know that she was a good person, strong, determined, had a very concrete sense of rather and wrong, and a fierce loyalty to her friends. That loyalty to her friends was why she instantly distrusted him and wanted him as far away from Helena as she could get him.

"Becs," Helena started to warn her friend, but that was all she had the chance to say.

"Oh, no you don't. You do notget to 'Becs' me right now."

Helena's anger started to rise too, "And why is that? I am allowed to live my own life and make my own choices. You of all people should understand that."

Damek could instantly sense a diffusion of the other woman's anger. Helena's words held some sort of power, but he could only guess at what.

Rebecca's cell phone went off. She let out a grunt of frustration before making any moves to answer it. But she did pick it up before it could ring a third time.

"What?" Venting a bit for frustration at the person on the other end of the line.

Damek could tell it was a male, and about her work as a detective, but he paid it little mind.

Rebecca closed her eyes and worked her jaw as she listened, but didn't say any thing for a several seconds after he partner finished telling her about the new case they were needed on.

Helena didn't have to hear to have a sense of what the conversation was about. "Go. You know I'm in one piece right now, and I'll be home in a couple of minutes."

Rebecca seemed to be going back and forth, but a last comment from her partner got her to respond to him. "Fine. I'll be there." She hung up and turned to Damek, her tone serious. "If so much as a hair on her head is damaged I blame you, and I swear I will hunt you down."

With that she turned and left.

Helena and Damek stood there for a moment in silence after the abrupt departure.

Helena quietly said, "I'm sorry about that."

"You need not be." He laid a hand on her shoulder giving her a gentle nudge as he took a step forward. "She only said that because she cares about you."

Helena followed his lead and together they started walking toward her building.

Little else was said before they arrived at her building. Upon wishing each other a good night they went their separate ways; Helena up to her apartment, and Damek back to his search.