** For authors notes, disclaimer etc. see chapter 1
Who done it 25/?
"Is everyone ok?" James asked quietly after they had been moving silently through the trees for almost twenty minutes, Jean and Laura leading the way and him helping Robbie. They'd finally reached the perimeter wall of the property and with the gate in sight he knew they needed to stop. "Jean, Laura, stop we'll rest here you two stay with Robbie I'll try to get to the gate without being seen and see if it's unlocked."
"James no, we're waiting for first light, you're not going anywhere near that gate they'll be watching." Jean replied her tone firm as he helped Robbie onto the ground with his back against the wall for support.
"We need to see if…."
"What we need is to stay together James, Jean's right, we have good coverage here and we're near the gate so we'll see if they go out through it at first light." Robbie interrupted smiling weakly at Laura as she sat beside him and he put his arm around her reassuringly.
"Please James, if you want we'll move a little closer along the wall but not so far that we can't communicate with Robbie and Laura, but you are not going out into the open it's too risky, we've got this far we're not taking stupid risks when it must be less than half an hour till sunrise." Jean continued, breathing a sigh of relief as he nodded taking her hand and moving a little further along the wall in the direction of the gate before sitting down and waiting for her to do the same. "Thank you. I know you want to keep fighting James, I know you want to do something before they get away but we aren't strong enough for the fight at the minute the best we can do is wait for first light then once we see them leave we can go back for the girl and contact the authorities. They think that she's their weak link so she'll talk I know she will then we'll get them anyway."
"I know, it's just frustrating, but you're right as usual." James smiled his eyes focusing on the gate in the distance as Jean rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her a little closer.
"Robbie how's your ankle feeling? Is the splint holding? I'm sorry I have nothing stronger for the pain but as soon as we get out of here and it can be set properly. I can try to…"
"Laura stop fussing I'm ok, come here." Robbie interrupted wrapping his arms around her and kissing her gently as she moved back to his side. "It's almost over pet, we just have to wait it out now then we're going to bring those bastards down. We're going to sort this out then we're going home and I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making you happy."
"I know, and I know we're going to be ok do you think they will be though?" Laura replied nodding in the direction of Jean and James. "Do you think they'll be ok? Finding out that you both want more from your relationship in circumstances like this isn't exactly perfect? When we get out of here and the reality of all of this kicks in Jean is going to start to see just how lucky she was that we got to her in time and when she does she's going to be. That bastard Henderson had every intention of raping and murdering her and while it's easy to forget about that while we're running about, working on adrenalin but when it's over she's going to be in shock. Do you think James will be able to cope with that? Do you think he'll be able to be patient if she needs it?"
"James is a good lad Laura you…"
"I'm not saying he's not Robbie, I know he is and I know he genuinely loves her, but he's waited a long time to tell her and I'll bet when he imagined doing it the situation was a hell of a lot more romantic and perfect than this." Laura continued, she knew that Robbie was trying to point out that James was an old fashioned gentleman, that he would never push their relationship if Jean wasn't ready, and she knew that was true but it didn't stop her worrying that when all the immediate danger was gone and they were alone he might not understand that she would need time to heal psychologically as well as physically.
"I think he'll know what it'll take for her to get over this, what it'll take for all of us to." Robbie replied glancing along the wall to where their friends where sitting and saying a silent prayer that he was right.
"Jean, baby don't, I'm here and you were right this is the best way to keep us sae." James said quietly as he felt, rather than saw, Jean crying softly by his side. He hadn't understood what she'd meant moments before when she'd said they weren't strong enough to fight anymore, other than Robbie's ankle he couldn't see how they were in any worse a position than when they had left the house a couple of hours before. Now though he realised that she meant emotionally as much as physically and to get through even the time between now and first light he was going to need to keep her mind on anything other than the situation they were in. "You know I wish I could turn back the clock to when we were standing in the dining room earlier and I kissed you. I wanted to never let you go, kissing you was just as amazing as I'd always thought it would be and if I'd known any of this was coming I'd have followed my heart and held on to you so tightly nothing could have happened. I'd have been in the room with you when they came looking for you and I'd never have let anything happen to you."
Pausing for a second he let his body finish the sentiment for him as he pulled her closer kissing her with the same passion and hunger he had hours before when they thought everything they were doing was still a game. IN that second he couldn't bring himself to be gentle, mindful of the angry bruises on her cheek and her lips and as she melted into him it was obvious she didn't care either. In all the madness, all the terror of what was happening to them she clearly needed to forget for a second just as much as he did and remember what it had felt like earlier when he'd kissed her for the first time and the world had turned on is axis.
"You know before the door knocked and they took me to that room I wanted so much to go to you, I nearly did. I wanted to take a chance and hope that the kiss had meant as much to you as it did to me, that you might love me or at the very least want me and we…." She whispered when they finally separated, the words stopping in her throat as she realised what she was saying and how it must make her look. All of this happening between them based on a mutual declaration of love was one thing but the implication that she might have been prepared to settle for one night of passion with him, had that been all was on offer, suddenly made her feel sick. Given what had happened, or rather almost happened to her she wasn't sure that was an image of herself she wanted to portray and she could see that he knew that.
"Jean it's ok, don't you think I did want you? God I have wanted you for years and when this is over I plan on proving to you how much I love you and then, when you're ready, I'll show you just how happy you'd have made me if you'd knocked my door earlier. What happened tonight wasn't your fault, you didn't do anything to make that perverted bastard latch on to you. You are a beautiful, intelligent, strong woman and he wanted to take that then crush it but he failed and that's what's important. You're ok, we're together and I'm going to make sure you're never scared like that again in your life. Understood?" James replied, hating the look that had crossed her eyes when she'd hesitated. He wasn't going to let her think that because she had feelings for him and was thinking about acting on them it meant she was fair game to any many with a twisted enough mind to think he had the right to take her. Pulling her close again he gently kissed her forehead as she snuggled into his side and they stared into the distance, through the trees to where the first red tinges of morning light were starting to creep over the horizon.
"I think they're going to be just fine." Robbie whispered, being careful not to look at their friends and make it obvious that they had been able to hear their conversation and Laura nodded against his shoulder.
"I think you might be right." She whispered back as they all stared silently at the sky waiting for the early morning light to properly fill the grounds and offer them the end to the nightmare that they were all waiting for.