Chapter 14

Watching John drive his car, Elise was filled with such happiness for him. From the bits and pieces he had told her of his life growing up, added to the words that Harold had spoken at the restaurant, she knew just how much this gift affected him. Harold was right, he did live a 'Spartan' life with few frills. He'd been in his loft apartment for a couple of months when they'd met and he still had not added anything that was not originally there. He didn't like spending money on himself and his needs were few. What little money he had spent had been in buying HER things...a beautiful blue sweater and a pair of silver cat earrings. The sweater was lost to her, destroyed during her abduction with Grace and one of the earrings had been lost during that same time, however John had found it and returned it to her. She didn't wear them anymore though because she'd noticed that John reacted to them when he saw them. It seemed to remind him of what had happened to her. That had been such a painful time for both of them, she was careful not to bring up any reminders if at all possible.

Being with the perfect man for her, seeing him happy and relaxed was enough for her. She felt happy when he was happy. Not to say her happiness depended solely on John Reese; it was just more complete with him there. She had her job and partnership with Zoe. She loved doing the independent work with her, relying only on herself. But she also enjoyed working with John. He had taught her so much. Learning new things from him, learning new things about him every day, made her life a continual adventure.

Harold too was important to her. He had become the brother she never had. She'd grown up without such an important person in her life and Harold had effortlessly filled the void that she never knew existed. His relationship with Grace was a thing of beauty. Elise hoped that she and John looked as happy.

Playing with the satellite radio, Elise came across some interesting styles of music and they had fun going from station to station trying to name songs and artists. The miles flew by, with the GPS voice pushing them northward. After about two and a half hours the GPS came to life and advised they should take the next exit. Puzzling over where they were headed, they started watching for the exit signs.

Slowing down to take the exit at a safe speed, John and Elise both looked for highway signs to tell them where they were going. Finally seeing a sign for US Hwy A1A, John had an idea where they were headed. A1A was one of the oldest coastal highways in the US. It ran parallel to the East coast. Sometimes only the beach was between the edge of the road and the shoreline. Other than knowing that piece of trivia, John was still clueless as to where Harold was sending them.

Driving near the speed limit, John was still impressed with his car. His car. Just saying that over and over in his mind made him smile. The GPS quietly told him to proceed for 20 miles on A1A until he got to the town of Lincolnton. Hearing the name of the town Elise looked over at John who shook his head. Neither knew what was ahead but they trusted Harold and proceeded.

Driving through the sleepy small town of Lincolnton at 4 am was almost like driving through a ghost town. There were no cars on the road, no businesses open, no people to be seen.

"Looks like one of those small towns that roll up their sidewalks at midnight." Elise mused, glancing around as they continued down the one main street. And sure enough, it had a traffic light. And it was red. So John stopped the car and they waited. No one was around but it still took almost a full minute before the light turned green for them. The GPS spoke up again and told them to proceed on the same road for another eight miles.

At the seven mile point, the GPS came to life again and advised that they needed to turn right in one mile. There were high sand dunes to the right, blocking the view of the ocean. The left had scrubby trees, windblown by the constant breeze from the ocean. No houses had been seen for the last four or five miles and no lights for houses could be seen ahead either. As the trip meter turned over eight miles the GPS advised to turn right. Squinting into the dark, neither of them could see WHERE to turn right at first. But finally Elise saw an opening between the sand dunes. Coming almost to a complete stop, John slowly turned the car into the sand swept driveway that he only saw when his headlights illuminated it. Once he was off the highway he came to a complete stop. Looking through the windshield, neither of them could see anything except darkness. The driveway extended out of sight when it took a bend to the right.

"What the hell is going on here?" Growled Reese. He wasn't happy with not knowing anything about what he was heading into. Elise was on high alert also. They had both had enough familiarity with the 'unknown' to have a healthy respect for it.

"I don't like this at all." She said.

Looking down at his watch, John saw that it was 5am. "Well, Harold told me to call him when we got here, don't care if it IS 5am we're not moving until we know what's going on." Picking up his phone, he called Harold who answered immediately, much to John and Elise's surprise.

"Good morning John, you made very good time. I'm sure you enjoyed driving your car at those extreme speeds. I hope it performed to your expectations." Harold said.
"Yes, it did. I plan on putting her through her paces some again, after you tell me...or rather us, where we are and why we are here." Grumbled John.

"I can understand your impatience and your need to know, John. Please put me on speaker so Elise can hear me as well."

Pulling the phone from his ear, John frowned at it and then looked at Elise who looked just as puzzled as he did. Pushing the button for speaker John said, "Ok, you're on."

"Elise, you have come to mean a great deal to all of us. You are special to each of us in a different way. By us, I mean myself, Grace, Zoe and of course John. You have given us so much that we can never repay. Yet you ask for nothing. Nothing from me or John or any of us. We all are indebted to you for bringing so much happiness into our lives." Elise shrank back into her seat as she listened to Harold. Her eyes got wider and wider with each sentence. Her hands, clasped in front of her, gripped each other harder and harder. Slowly starting to shake her head, tears came into her eyes. Looking up at John, the tears slowly ran down her cheeks.

Hearing a muffled sob, Harold asked, "Elise, are you still there? Are you ok? I'm not saying this to upset you. I'm saying it because it needs to be said. YOU need to know you are appreciated, admired, respected and most of all...loved." Harold said softly.

Grace spoke up and said, "Elise, thanks to you I have my Harold back. I love my life again. I could say thank you every day for the rest of my life and it wouldn't be enough. I love you and I'm so glad to have you in my life."

John reached into his coat pocket and brought out a linen handkerchief and handed it to Elise. It was such an unexpected object for someone like John Reese to have, Elise smiled through her tears and wiped her face. Loving him for all the little things he did for her like that, just when she needed it.

"I wanted to find a way to thank you all for what you have done and for what you have been through for us. Like John, I knew money would be of little or no interest to you. I did not think a car would be the answer for you, since I am sure John will let you drive his…in a year or two." Harold chuckled. "I took the liberty of talking to Zoe about what would be something personal that would be meaningful to you. She gave me a rather thorough background of your life before the two of you started working together. I also used my own 'resources' to check out a few things." At that last statement, Elise sat up taller and frowned.

"Zoe told me what had happened to you when you were a member of the HRT. I know about the partner you lost. I also know about the shooting you witnessed during your senior year in high school. I was able to find out that you had a nomadic home life, that your parents seldom stayed in one place for more than a year. They enjoyed picking up and moving from town to town. I think you and your parents actually lived in your car for about half a year?" He questioned, but then went on. "All children need a place to call home; a place to go home to everyday, a place to sleep safely all night long and to wake up feeling as if you belong there. But this was not something that your parents were able to give you." Harold paused to see if Elise wanted to say anything.

John had held out his hand for Elise while he listened to Harold relate details about Elise that she'd never told him. Placing her small hand in his much larger one, John closed his hand and lifted hers to his lips. Looking her in the eye, he gently kissed the back of her hand. Elise gripped John's hand tighter and smiled slightly, letting him know she was glad he was there with her.

"So Elise, our gift to you is your own home. It's small, a 1946 beach bungalow, but from what I've been able to see of it online, it is a place waiting for an owner like you. It's completely secluded about two hundred yards off the road, right on the beach. There is security gating all the way around to the beach. You can't see the fencing because it's hidden by the sand dunes. That's why I chose this place for you. Unless you know it's there, you can't see it. I hope you will accept this home as our way of thanking you for giving so much of yourself for each of us. It is yours. It is your home. John has his loft in the city, but this is YOUR home."

Elise sat in the passenger seat of John's car completely at a loss of what to say. She had not even thought about Harold giving her anything or thanking her like he'd thanked John with his own car. But oh what a perfect gift it was! A home! A home to call her very own! Finally finding her voice, Elise said "Oh Harold! Thank you so much! I love it and I haven't even SEEN it yet! How do we get to it?"

Harold let out a big sigh. Elise had accepted his gift. He knew John would love his car and would not turn it down, but Elise was a much different story. He'd found out a lot about her past, but he still didn't know as much about her as he did John. However from the sound of Elise's voice, he had chosen well again.

"Follow the driveway for about two hundred more yards and you will see the gate. The code is 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Please go and check out your new home and when you feel ready, please call me and tell me what you think." Said Harold.

"Oh I will Harold! I will! Answered Elise. "Drive John! Drive!" She urged him.

"Wait a minute!" Said John. "What about this sea air and my car?"

Harold laughed, knowing that would concern John. "Do not worry, I took the liberty of having a full garage built that is climate controlled and will keep the salty ocean air away from your car, John."

"Oh, well, alright then." Said a slightly embarrassed John. Here they were about to discover just what Harold had given Elise and all he could think about was his car!

Putting the car in gear, John slowly started down the sand covered driveway. His headlights illuminated the dunes on each side of the road, but nothing ahead. Without him realizing it, the driveway was slowly turning to the right. Looking in the rear view mirror he realized he could no longer see the road. They were completely hidden from anyone on the highway.

Elise was leaning forward in her seat trying to see through the darkness. Suddenly the headlights lit up a huge security fence. It was made of sandstone and was at least ten feet high. It blended perfectly with the dunes that faced it. The gate was massive. Easily taller than the walls themselves, it looked like it was at least a foot or more thick. No control keypad was visible on either side. Just one light that came on as they approached. Whoever had lived here before had certainly put a great deal of money into ensuring their privacy.

"How do we get in Harold?" Asked Elise.

"Look in the glove box. You'll see a remote control device. It is keyed to react to only your fingerprints or John's. Put in the code I gave you, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. The gate will open outward, so make sure you are back from the gate itself by about ten feet."

Finding the remote, Elise waited for John to back the car up the distance that Harold recommended. Keying in the numbers, the gates quietly opened up. Peering ahead, all Elise could see was the driveway continuing on into the dark. As they drove through the gate, it closed quietly behind them. Both were amazed that something that big could move so quietly. Neither spoke as they continued down the driveway. John figured they were at least three hundred yards from the highway. How did Harold find this place? He knew Harold felt he owed Elise a huge debt for what she'd endured to keep Grace safe. The security set up here was proof he wanted nothing else to happen to Elise if at all possible.

All of a sudden, low level security lights blinked on, illuminating the driveway as it widened to about fifty feet. Two buildings stood at right angles to each other. The one on the right had two garage doors. It was a much newer looking building. The paint did not have the weathered look that most beach buildings did. Smiling to himself, John knew this was the 'climate controlled' garage that Harold had mentioned. Glancing over at Elise he realized she was not looking at the garage but at the smaller, obviously older building in front of them. She still held the security gate remote loosely in her hand. John reached over and gently removed it and tried to figure out if this remote also opened the garage doors.

As if he could 'see' them Harold spoke up from the speakerphone, "The bottom button on the right opens and closes the doors, John."

"Thanks," said John peering around and looking for security cameras. He found two, carefully camouflaged on the newer building. He only found them because he'd become quite adept at finding such things. Frowning at first about the constant 'eyes' on them, he reconsidered and realized that this was just another level of security.

"I think we've got it from here Harold."

"Very good. The key to the house is also in the glove box. I look forward to hearing what Elise thinks of her house." Harold disconnected the call, offering to change anything that Elise wanted changed so that the house was exactly as she wished it to be.

Touching the correct button for the garage caused the right side door to open. The inside was immediately flooded with lights. As his eyes adjusted to drastic change from the dark driveway, John slowly drove the car into the spacious garage. Stopping well inside, he touched the button a second time and the door closed quickly and quietly. The exterior lights went out as the door closed. John admired the security aspect of that fact. He also noticed the lights pointed down so as to not reflect up into the air, again another security feature that would keep this place hidden from the highway.

Elise was scrambling to get out of the car, anxious to see 'her' house. In her haste, the door slammed shut behind her. "Elise!" yelled John, but she was beyond hearing anything. Turning the car off, hearing the low rumble of the engine die off, John sat for a moment savoring the feel of his car. There was a little road grime on the hood, but that was to be expected. Unfolding his lanky frame he climbed out of the car and carefully shut the door. Walking around it he noticed the sand in the tread of the high performance tires and in the once shiny rims. First order of business after checking out the house would be to take care of his car. Smiling to himself, he realized how much he liked saying that.

"John! John! Hurry up! How do we get out of here to the house?" asked Elise. She was frantically looking around for a door or a way to open the garage door again.

"Elise, calm down. We're here, we'll figure it out."

"Don't tell me to calm down! This is MY house! My very own home! Please! I need to see it, now!" Elise was so excited that she was practically bouncing up and down in the seat.

Walking over to the other side of the garage looking for a door, John was impressed with the array of automobile parts and tools. Oh he was definitely going to be spending some quality time here.

On the far side, away from the car, they found a door that seemed to lead in the direction of the house. Again, security was the name of the game. There was a palm pad and a keypad next to the door. Elise placed her hand on the pad and it immediately glowed green. She could hear the locks sliding back. Reaching for the doorknob she gave it a turn. It turned easily in her hand and she pulled it toward her. She took a deep breath; she was about to enter her home...her very own home. Looking back at John, who smiled back and nodded, she turned and walked through the breezeway to the house.

There were ten steps at the end of the breezeway leading up to a porch that wrapped all the way around the house, or at least it looked like it did. Stepping onto the porch, Elise stopped and looked up. There was a second story! She hadn't realized that in the dark! John came up behind her and handed her the key from the glove box. Holding it in her hand, made it all become real to her. Something that she had never dreamed of...a place to call her own...a home, a real home. Not an apartment but a house. Again, tears filled her eyes almost to overflowing. Looking up at John, they spilled over down her cheeks. John reached down and wiped them away with his fingers. Leaning over her, he kissed her lightly. Her lips tasted salty from the tears. Pulling her into his arms he hugged her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. All the pent up emotions poured out like a dam had burst. She was finally letting go of the trauma of her abduction and torture. She was tired of being strong for everybody. She'd been scared, she'd been hurt, she'd been tortured and worst of all, she'd thought she would never see John again. In the weeks since her rescue she had put on a brave front, shielding him from the truth about what had happened. But now, in a moment of so much happiness, the walls she had built around the memories crumbled.

Realizing the depth of what Elise was going through, John felt her body convulse with sobs. Reaching around, he took the key from her hand and then leaned over and picked her up in his arms. Throwing her arms around his neck she clung to him. He opened the door and carried her into the bungalow. Feeling along the wall with his elbow he found a light switch and pushed it up. The overhead light showed he'd come into the kitchen. Too busy with Elise to notice much, he walked through the kitchen towards the beach side of the house. Again finding a switch with his elbow, he turned on the light. This was what he was looking for. Elise still had her face buried in his neck, refusing to look up. Her tears were soaking his shirt. He was beginning to be concerned with the magnitude of the emotional pain she was showing.

Just ahead, there was a big sofa facing the floor to ceiling windows that faced the ocean. Turning the light off again with his elbow he made his way to the sofa and sat down with Elise in his lap. She curled up and tried to get closer to him, which was physically impossible unless she crawled into his skin. Whispering to her and making soothing sounds, he stroked her back. Slowly Elise's emotional storm began to subside. The sobs turned to crying and the crying got quieter and quieter. He could feel her slowly relaxing in his arms as he massaged her back. Pulling the clip out of her hair, he felt its silken waves cascade down her back and over his arms. Playing with her hair was one of his favorite things to do. It was calming to him when his mind was in turmoil and seemed to be having the same effect on her now.

Eventually she sighed deeply and nestled in his arms and tucked her head under his chin. Holding her protectively in his arms he felt the peace that he hoped she was now feeling. Looking out at the moonlit waves crashing onto the shore was so relaxing for both of them. John kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. Rearranging himself and Elise into a more comfortable position in his arms, he pulled a blanket from the back of the sofa and covered them both. The sound of the ocean slowly lulled them both to sleep.

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Waking up in John's arms was the most beautiful part of any day. Elise snuggled up closer under his chin and nuzzled his neck. Her movement caused his arms to tighten around her and pull her closer. She smiled and sighed with contentment. But her need for coffee kept her from drifting back to sleep. She carefully extricated herself from John's embrace and covered him back up. Standing by him as he rested on the sofa, she paused for a moment to study him. With his eyes closed, shutting out those amazing eyes, she was better able to enjoy the long, dark lashes that feathered over his cheeks. 'Why do men get the eyelashes and we women have to fake them?' She asked herself. His mouth was strong and beautiful. She'd seen it get thin in anger and in the moments before he kicked some ass. She'd seen it soften into a smile meant only for her, she'd felt its touch on every part of her body and it made her shiver. Leaning down she lightly kissed that amazing mouth and tucked the blanket back around him before padding off into the kitchen.

Making her way into the kitchen, Elise hoped it was stocked with coffee at least, so she could continue to be human. And heaven forbid if John didn't get his morning coffee! Looking around, she was pleasantly surprised at how very well stocked this kitchen was! Leave it to Harold to think of every possible detail. He MUST have known they would stay the night and had things ready for them. She just loved that man! But she could see Grace's touch and thoughtfulness throughout the kitchen. Recognizing one of Grace's drawings on the wall over the counter made her feel the warm thoughts from her new friend.

After the coffee was made, Elise poured herself a cup and decided she wanted to look around at HER house. The kitchen was bright and airy and equipped with just about every modern convenience known. But the decor remained 1940's. She felt like she'd stepped back into the past until she looked at the huge stainless steel refrigerator. There was a large island in the middle of the kitchen, at least three feet by five. She noticed the door that apparently led to the garage. That must have been the one John carried her through last night. She hadn't looked up when they came into the house, so all of this was new. The one door led into the living room where they spent the night. On the far side of the kitchen, opposite the door from the garage was a long low breakfast bar. She could see the dining room on the other side. Walking back into the living room while sipping on her coffee, she came to some stairs that were situated right in the middle of the house. Walking past the stairs she found another room which was obviously a spare room for guests. Anxious to see where the stairs led, she backtracked and hurried up them. They opened up into one huge room, the master bedroom. There were windows on three sides. From upstairs there was a beautiful view of the surrounding dunes. There were no houses within sight on either side. The bed faced the ocean, big and wide and looked so inviting. There was also a huge skylight overhead, obviously added recently since houses in the 1940's didn't have skylights. Peering up at the skylight Elise had to smile. It looked like the skylight had shutters that opened and closed. Looking around she found a remote control on the bedside table and pushed the 'on' button. Quietly the shutters closed, blocking out the morning sun. Grinning now, she pushed the 'on' button again and the shutters opened back up. You could go to sleep under the stars, something she had always wanted to do and hadn't done up until her nights with John on the roof. Shaking her head slightly, she remembered mentioning that to Harold, once long ago. The man never forgot a thing she'd told him!

Off to the right was a doorway that looked like it might lead to the bathroom. Walking over to it she looked in and gasped. It was huge! There was a counter that stretched across one side of the room with mirrors that went to the ceiling. There was a large, three-sided glass shower in the middle of the wall that faced the front of the house. There was even a frosted window in the shower that allowed natural light in and provided a beautiful view of the dunes. The road was completely hidden from sight. It was like being on their own deserted island! In the corner was a large sunken tub with Jacuzzi jets. Smiling to herself, Elise couldn't wait until she and John 'christened' the bathroom; it was one of their favorite places.

Turning back around, she descended back downstairs. Across the front of the house, towards the beach, was a huge, deep porch. It stretched from one side of the house to the other. There were rocking chairs, Adirondack chairs, gliders and even a hammock...all facing the ocean. Pausing to freshen her coffee, she checked on John and found he was still fast asleep, snoring slightly. That's how she knew he was truly asleep and resting. Opening one of the French doors out onto the deck, the smell of the salt air assailed her. The pull of the waves and the cries of the gulls spoke to her on some subconscious level and she found herself relaxing even more. The breeze was more like a wind and it was blowing her hair everywhere. Reaching behind her, Elise grabbed her hair and tied it in a 'knot' to keep it out of her face.

Walking out onto the large deck she found a comfortable place to sit. Turning back to face the house, the perpetual smile she'd been wearing since she woke up, actually got bigger. This is MY house. This is MY HOUSE. THIS is MY house...kept running through her mind. The sounds of the waves drew her attention back to the water. Pulling her knees up under her, she held her cup with both hands while looking out at the wide expanse of water. The ocean had always spoken to her. The ever changing beauty that hides so much below; it could be beautiful just as easily as it could be deadly. That's how she'd viewed her own life. Only now was she finally able to truly see the beauty around her. She was seeing life with new eyes that had been opened by her relationships with John, Harold, Grace and Zoe.

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The door that Elise had left open onto the deck, allowed the smell of salt air to flow into the living room. The change in the air caused John to awake almost instantly. Sitting up, alert to any danger, John reached for his gun on the floor by the sofa. Looking around, it took him a moment to recall where he was and why he was there. Pushing the blanket off, he stood up quickly looking around for Elise almost in a panic mode until he saw her sitting outside on the deck. Sitting back down on the sofa he took a moment for his body to absorb the adrenalin rush he'd had thinking Elise was gone again. He knew he had to get a better handle on controlling his reaction when he couldn't see or find Elise. She was here, she was safe, she was healing and he knew she was slowly returning to her own 'hell on wheels' self and didn't require or need his constant vigilance...but, he was having trouble letting go of that control after almost losing her.

The smell of coffee drew his attention to the kitchen. Standing up, he returned his gun to its normal place, in the small of his back, and walked into the kitchen. He poured himself a cup and smiled thinking how Elise knew him well enough to make sure coffee was near at hand when he woke up. They had run out of coffee once since they had been living together and it had not been a pretty scene until he got some coffee at the coffee stand in the park near his loft.

Taking the coffee urn with him he walked back into the living room and stood at the door watching Elise. Curled up like she was, she almost looked like a kid. From the back her long dark hair was slowly slipping out of the knot she'd tied it in. It was blowing all different ways in the wind. His hands itched to run through those long silky tresses. Pushing his way out the door, he walked up behind her. With his own coffee cup in one hand and the coffee urn in the other, he spread his arms and leaned around to kiss her near the ear and whispered 'Morning'. Smiling to herself and enjoying the shiver that ran up and down spine with the velvety sound of his voice and touch of his lips, she answered back. "Morning sleepyhead".

Turning slightly she patted the area next to her for him to sit down. Once he was seated he freshened her coffee and set the urn down next to him. Unable to resist, he reached up and finished untwisting her hair and let the breeze blow it free. Running his hand through its inky darkness, he gently pulled her to him and gave her a proper morning kiss. The immediate and intense feeling that the kiss generated left them both breathless. Looking into each other's eyes, the morning promised to get even better.