It began innocuously enough. Ginny got mountains of fan mail, most of it she never saw. The mountains she did see were heavily screened and then had to go through Amelia before they got to her. She when she found the rose in her locker, she didn't even question it. Going out, she smirked around the clubhouse. "Guys, I appreciate the gesture, but if you're going to get me flowers, you need to get one for everyone."
The guys looked at each other in confusion. Mike did a swooping glare around the room. Ginny waited, hand on her hip. No one fessed up to the flower. "Well…thanks." She turned and walked back into her part of the clubhouse. Mike came in a second later.
"No one knows who it is…." He said, plopping down into her chair. "Or someone's lying." He grumbled.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well with you glaring daggers at them like an angry grizzly bear, I'd lie about it too." She said.
"I wasn't glaring." Mike snapped. He met her eyes, his expression guilty. Ginny swallowed and looked at the ground. It had been weird between them ever since his trade to Chicago had fallen through.
"It wasn't the expression so much as the grizzle that came with it." She mimed stroking a beard. Mike snorted.
"Whatever, Baker." He turned his gaze to the flower. Reaching out he, ran his fingers on the edge of the petal. "Do you like…this kind of thing?" His voice was soft, uncertain. Ginny tilted her head.
"Roses are nice." She said. "But I like irises better."
Mike nodded. "Good to know." He stood, cracking his back. "Your chair is crap, by the way."
Ginny looked at the ceiling, shaking her head. "It's exactly the same as your chair, old man." She said.
"Mine is molded to my butt." Mike retorted.
"I guess with how long you've been here it's a miracle you haven't worn a hole all the way through."
"Oooh." Mike smirked as he reached for the door handle. Shooting one last glance at the rose, he left.
The second rose came a few days later after a particularly hard game which the Padres barely managed to win. Ginny and Mike were both irritated with Duarte, whose grandstanding had nearly lost them the game. Mike was muttering angrily about showing off and something Ginny couldn't catch about Jedi as he followed her into her part of the clubhouse.
"I don't remember inviting you in." She said, blocking his entrance. He stopped abruptly, looking dazed as though he hadn't realized that he'd done anything strange.
"The next game is crucial, Rookie, we need to win it if we want to qualify for the wildcard."
"Yeah, well." Ginny pushed him back slightly. "I need to change and you…" she grimaced. "Need a shower."
Mike looked affronted. "This is what ballplayers smell…." He trailed off, frowning at something behind her.
"What?" She asked, turning around to look where he was looking. "Oh." She caught sight of the rose. "That's new."
Mike's brow was furrowed. "Baker, do you know who sent it to you?"
Ginny shook her head. "Probably someone who thought I'd need cheering up after a long game."
Mike pulled off his hat, looking annoyed, but nodded before leaving. Ginny walked over to the rose, unsure whether she was flattered by this secret admirer, or unsettled.
From then on roses began appearing all over the place. They were left at the bars the team went to, at the hotel's front desk. It began to get unsettling. Then the notes began. Simple typed ones that declared the mysterious admirer's undying love for Ginny. When she came back to the hotel for a drink at the bar with the guys only to find a fresh bouquet of roses with a new note, she felt her chest constrict as black dots swam in front of her eyes. Mike grabbed her before she hit the floor, picking her up and taking her straight to her hotel room, his knees be damned, and calling Amelia. Ginny had just come to when her agent burst into her room. Mike was pacing like a caged animal. He shoved the card at Amelia.
"This isn't funny any more." He growled.
"It never was." Amelia replied, reading the card, her eyebrows raised. "I've had the police conduct an investigation since the second one." She looked over at Ginny before putting the card in her pocket.
"What does it say?" Ginny asked. Amelia shook her head. "Amelia."
"It says 'I can't live without you'" Mike replied, ignoring the look of irritation Amelia shot him. "She has a right to know."
"I've called the police and increased security." Amelia said.
"Have you ever considered that it might be one of the security guys who's doing this?" Mike asked. Amelia looked at him in disbelief. "It's someone with access to Petco that knows her movements, though thanks to Elliot live tweeting her every move that could be anyone."
Amelia gaped at him. "Don't put this on me. I'm trying to protect her."
"Well she isn't safe here." Mike snapped.
Ginny looked at the flowers on the table, feeling as though she'd vomit. Mike caught sight of her expression and moved to stand in front of them.
"Don't accept them." Mike said. "better yet, go outside and make sure a paparazzi video tapes you tossing them. Or burning them."
"Absolutely not." Amelia said. "Right now, this person seems to want Ginny to like them. If she shows a negative reaction towards their gifts, they could turn dangerous."
Ginny bit her lip, looking away. She felt angry, scared and powerless. How could this person have done this to her? "I want them out." She said. "I want them out of this room, I don't care what happens to them, just make them go away. Make it stop." She felt a lump in her throat and realized there were tears coming down her cheeks. "Make it stop." She repeated. Mike moved so he was next to her, pulling her to his side, his arms around her shoulders.
"Hey." He said. "You don't have to stay here." He glared at Amelia, daring her to contradict him. "If you'd feel safer somewhere else…"
Ginny opened her mouth to say Blip and Evelyn's but…she couldn't put their family in danger.
"There's always my place." Mike said softly.
"Your fish tank?" Amelia said.
"My bullet proof fish tank with cameras on every door and fence with a state of the art security system." He replied. "Baker, just say the word and you can stay as long as you need."
She nodded.
Mike opened the door and led her into the large open entrance of his house. Ginny fidgeted, playing with the ends of her sleeves. Mike looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Hey." He walked over to the glass wall that showed out onto the pool, tapping it. It didn't sound like regular glass. "Bullet proof. You could throw a fastball at it and it wouldn't crack…though I can see why that statement wouldn't make you feel better."
The joke gave Ginny something besides the twisting nervousness in her gut to focus on. She frowned at him. "Seriously, old man?" She said. He shrugged.
"So, I have food." He motioned to his fridge. "Though I didn't prepare for a Ginny Baker appetite, so by tomorrow I'll probably have to go grocery shopping."
Ginny snorted that the image that statement conjured up. Mike in a wholefoods, looking at potatoes. s
"What?" Mike said. "I gotta eat, somehow."
"I just figured you had your food delivered." She said.
"I'm not too old to get my own groceries, Baker." He said.
She ran her fingers over the strap of her bag, nervous and skittish. Mike motioned for her to follow him.
"I only have one room." He said, "So I'll sleep on the couch."
"I can't do that to your knees." Ginny protested.
"Baker." Mike stopped halfway up the stairs. "I invited you here. My house, I get to say who sleeps where. Plus, everything in here is temperpedic or memory foam or some other orthopedic shit my doctor had me buy, down to the pool mats. Believe me, sleeping on the couch won't do anything worse than 15 years of baseball has already done to my knees."
Ginny followed him, still unsure.
"So I'm guessing you don't get a lot of guests."
"Not the type that require a separate bedroom." Mike replied. The second floor of his apartment had a game room, another tv room before the door to his bedroom. Ginny was faintly amused by the sheer macho bachelor aspect of his place.
"I'm going to get second hand testosterone poisoning." She mumbled, looking around. Mike scoffed. "Seriously. It's like a man cave crossed with the fortress of solitude."
"You realize you basically called me superman?" Mike asked. Ginny arched an eyebrow.
"Superman doesn't have a beard." She replied. Mike opened the door to his bedroom and paused. The two of them stood at the threshold, unsure how to proceed. Now that she'd calmed down from her earlier anxiety attack she realized how much of line she was crossing by being here. This was Mike's home and in front of her was his bed. Sure, she wouldn't be sleeping with him, but…memories of the night she'd thought he'd get traded played through her mind. How close the two of them had come to crossing the line. How much she'd wished that he hadn't gotten that call. It wasn't that she was upset that he'd stayed. It was that she'd wanted to know what it would have been like and she'd been willing to break her no ballplayers rule for him.
Mike must have been thinking the same thing because when she looked at him, he cleared his throat and waved an embarrassed hand towards the bed, stepping back, away from the door. "There's fresh sheets and towels in the closet, I'll… " He cleared his throat, running a hand over the back of his head. "I'll just go downstairs and start cooking for that army that lives in your stomach."
Ginny nodded. He turned and walked back towards the stairs.
"Mike." She called out, the use of his first name sounding high pitched and strange to her ears. He froze, not turning. "Thanks." She choked out. He turned and looked at her, his eyes dark and pensive.
"Any time." He said.
The roses stopped for about a week. Ginny was relieved and threw all her focus into the game. They were in LA when it happened. She'd just come back to the hotel after a night hanging out with Cara when she found the door to her hotel room hanging open. Her bag had been torn to shreds a bunch of crushed rose petals had been strewn everywhere and the word "whore" was written in red all over the walls, mirrors, windows. Her scream drew Salvamini, who was three rooms down from her. One look around the room and he pulled her out, calling the police, then Mike and Blip.
"What the hell happened?" Mike growled as he and Blip burst into Sal's room.
"Someone trashed Baker's room." Sal said. Blip pulled Ginny into a hug. Mike hovered behind them, his hand on Ginny's shoulder. There was a knock on the door. A police detective walked in, followed by Amelia.
"Ms. Baker?" The detective tried to give Ginny her most comforting smile. "I'm going to need you to tell me what happened and if you saw anything suspicious."
"It was her stalker." Mike said. "The same guy who's been creeping around her in San Diego."
"Mr. Lawson." The detective cut him off. "You're not helping."
"I don't know what happened?" Ginny said. "My friend Cara came up around 7 to pick me up. We had a drink from the mini bar and then…we left and hung out at her friend's place. I came back about an hour ago and…" The image of the red 'whore' written across the room flashed in her mind.
"Why would someone want to do this to you?" The detective asked.
"Because the guy is a goddamn psychopath, that's why?" Mike grumbled.
Ginny put her hand on Mike's arm, squeezing it before saying. "I think…it has something to do with me moving. This person was sending me…gifts, usually roses with a note and…I moved in with…" She couldn't say Mike. "A friend." She compromised. "So they would have a more difficult time accessing me."
"The person probably thought she betrayed them." Amelia supplied. Ginny was grateful. She didn't want the questions to continue. "Anything from the security cameras?"
"We're getting a warrant for them now. The hotel's being a bit uncooperative, something about wanting to shield the privacy of its guests."
"Really?" Amelia said. Turning, she walked out of the room and Ginny almost pitied the poor desk clerk she was going to terrorize.
The detective looked at Ginny. "Is there somewhere you can stay?"
"I-"
"Yes." Mike said. Blip and Sal, who'd been standing in the corner, raised their eyebrows at his rapid answer. He glared at them, daring them to say something. Ginny nodded, just wanting the nightmare to be over.
"Are you sure, Mr. Lawson?" The detective asked. "It seems to me that her being close to you might anger the stalker more."
"I don't give a damn what the stalker wants." Mike growled.
"I'll stay with him." Ginny said, cutting off the detective's next words. She felt safe with Mike. The detective left her number and promised to contact Amelia the second they had any leads. Mike led her out of Sal's room and to the elevator. They rode the two stories to his room in silence. Ginny was worried that if she opened her mouth, she'd cry. The door opened and she didn't move, unsure what to do or how to do it.
"Baker." Mike's voice was tentative, raw. She looked over at him and saw he was scared as well. "Ginny, I-"
She looked away, walking out of the elevator. Ever since this stalker had begun sending her those stupid roses she'd felt as though nothing had been under her control. They'd done more than scare her, they'd taken her sense of self. She had no control, no power. She wanted it back.
Mike followed her, pulling the keycard out of his pocket. She watched as he opened the door to his suite. Now that she finally looked at him, she noticed he was in his pajamas. "Did Sal wake you up?" She asked.
He let out a non-committal grunt, motioning for her to walk into his room first. The comforter on the bed had been thrown back as though someone had jumped out of bed and left in a great hurry. Ginny turned to watch as Mike shut the door and locked it with the latch. She loved the way he worried about her, that she could depend on him, even when the world around her seemed to be crumbling. Loved that he was always there with a speech or a joke or just his presence when she needed someone near. Loved that the night she'd been ready to break her no ballplayer rule for him, he hadn't pushed, knowing that if they were together, it would have compromised her career. She loved him. Annoying jokes, beard and all. And she was sick of sidelining the things she wanted. Hadn't she given enough for baseball? Her childhood, her father, her privacy. Hadn't Mike given enough? He'd lost his marriage, his body. Why should the two of them sacrifice so much to something that only brought them loneliness and misery.
She didn't notice she'd made it across the room to him until the surprised, "Ginny." Fell from his lips. Then she kissed him. He was too shocked to respond. Her brain caught up with her, warning her that this might be a bad idea and that she'd probably ruined everything between them when he moaned and pressed her against the wall, his body against hers. "Baker." He said. "Is this what you want?"
"Yes." She whispered back, sliding her arms over his shoulders. "I want to feel something besides fear. I…"
He backed off. She gulped, her bod going cold from the absence. There was hurt in his eyes. "So…" He laughed bitterly. "You just want to fuck to erase the memory of what happened tonight."
"No." Ginny said. "I want you, Mike. I want to feel safe and know that there's someone who I can trust. Who wants me because they know me. Who cares about me. I want to do this, because I love you and I'm sick of pushing away things that will make me happy because I'm scared of hypotheticals. Mike, I-" Her voice broke and she wasn't sure how to continue.
Mike was looking at her, frozen.
"Mike, say something."
He licked his lips, looking at her, a longing in his eyes that she'd seen the night they'd thought he be leaving for Chicago. "You blow me away, Ginny Baker." He whispered. Moving closer, he stopped his mouth a breath away from hers. He was waiting for her to make the next move, giving her the choice to back away. Giving her control of the situation. She pressed her lips against his, her mouth slightly open, tongue sliding over his lower lip. She savored this initial contact, sweet and empty of all pressure. Just two people learning what the other liked. Mike drew his teeth over her top lip, growling slightly as she let out a small gasp. His hands slid down her sides until they came to rest on her ass. Ginny pulled back, grinning.
"Was wondering how long it would take you to do that." She grinned, before letting out a yelp as Mike swatted one of her cheek.
"Shut up and kiss me, Ginny."
He pulled her away from the entrance. They stumbled blindly towards the bed, Ginny letting out a laugh as she tumbled on her back, Mike on top of her. She grinned, putting her hands on either side of his face and pulling him up for another kiss. His beard was way softer than she'd imagined, not that she'd spent anytime thinking of what it would feel like on her skin. He smirked, dragging his face lower and lower. She couldn't help but gasp as it brushed over her collarbones. Mike let out a rumbling chuckle.
"I knew you liked the beard."
Ginny frowned down at him. "Shut up and kiss me, Mike."
The next few minutes were languid. Mike seemed to be taking some type of twisted pleasure in making her wait. She felt over heated and pulled angrily at his shirt, trying to get it over his head.
"There's no rush." Mike whispered, his hands gently easing her thighs apart and settling himself between them. They were both still wearing clothes and Ginny wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out. She needed more, pushing her hips upwards, she tried to get Mike to move, but he shook his head. "Trust me, Rookie." he smirked. "This is the right call."
"Mike." She groaned, digging her nails into his shoulders.
"Trust me." He said.
Though she'd never admitted it out loud, Ginny had never truly hated the beard. But now. Now that Mike was covering her whole body with kisses, the beard causing her to shudder and jerk in ways she had never known possible, she wondered how she had ever thought his clean shaven look was better. Screaming his name, she came, gasping for air as he looked at her, awe evident on his face.
The night passed in a haze of tangled limbs and gasping sighs. For the first time since being called up from the minors, Ginny felt as though the world wasn't spinning and threatening to tear her apart. She knew what they'd done would have consequences, but she was too elated to care.
"I love you." Mike whispered into the darkness, squeezing her shoulder.
"I love you too." She whispered into his side as she curled into him, clutching him tightly against her.
She was woken the next morning by someone hammering at the door. Covering her face, she groaned, not wanting to get up. Mike moved, taking away the solid warmth next to her. She reached for him, grumbling when he was too fast for her.
"It could be important, Ginny." He said, pulling on a shirt and sweatpants. "Just a second." He shouted, before going through his bag and tossing Ginny a clean shirt and boxers.
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Right." She said. "Because that won't raise suspicion at all."
Mike gritted his teeth as she sat up and let the blanket slide off her chest. "Considering that all your clothes were taken in as evidence, I'd say no, it won't." He glanced away. "Get dressed." Walking over to the door, he waited until she'd pulled on the shirt and boxers before opening. Amelia walked in with a bag of clothes, coffee and a bag of pastries.
"The police have something and they want you to come down to the station." She pushed the bag of food at her and put the clothes on the bed. "I'll be in the lobby waiting for you in 30 minutes." She nodded at Mike before walking out.
The detective was waiting with Amelia when she came down to the lobby. Amelia led her over to private room in the hotel restaurant. The detective pulled out her tablet and played a security video. Ginny watched as she and Cara came out of her room, laughing. "That was last night." she said, remembering. Cara had been ribbing her for "moving in" with Mike. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"
"Keep watching." Amelia said softly. The camera angle switched. This time when Ginny and Cara came out of her room, There was a blonde woman coming out of a room a few doors down. She watched Ginny and Cara leave before turning and storming off. Fast forwarding a few minutes, the video showed her breaking into Ginny's hotel room.
"I..." Ginny frowned, looking at the woman's face. "I've seen her before. I think...isn't she Stubbs' current girlfriend?" vague memories of an introduction at a team party resurfaced. She'd met her, talked to her for a few minutes, shaken hands with her...and three days later the first rose had appeared.
"She's been using her status as a WAG to get into the locker room." Amelia explained. "It's how she gained access to your locker, how she managed to get your address. How she knew which room you'd be in."
Ginny covered her mouth.
"We've sent this over to the San Diego PD." The detective explained. "They're turning it over to the DA to get you a restraining order. As for the damage she caused here, I'm sorry but the best we can do is charge her with B&E and property damage."
Ginny nodded numbly. "Thank you." She said, looking between the detective and Amelia. "Thank you."
"I'm thinking pizza tonight." Mike threw his arm around Ginny's shoulders, tugging her towards his car as soon as they got off the bus. "I'll order two of course, seeing as you eat enough to feed a small country for a week in one sitting." Ginny looked at him, surprised. "What?" He said. "Do I have something on my face?"
"I just..." She hesitated. "I thought that after we caught the stalker, you wouldn't want me around."
Mike scoffed. "I'll always want you around...even if your shower singing is terrible." Ginny rolled her eyes. They made it to his car. Getting into the passenger side, she was buckling in when he said. "I'll point out, that I gave you the perfect opening for a beard joke." He smirked. "And you didn't take it. Could it be that you...like the beard?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "It was way too easy old man."
