DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Viacom, Spelling/Goldberg Productions and the writers of the show. I am not making any money off of this story. I just like to take the characters out once in a while and play with them for a while.
TITLE: To Protect And To Love (Part 2)
Rating: PG13 for violence and sexual situations.
Setting: Early first season, after the pilot.
Summary: Officer Danko kills an intruder who has attacked his wife Jill in their home. Can he get out of this mess before he loses everything he's worked so hard for?
Author's notes: I realize there are some aspects of this story that require an explanation. Explanations will follow in a future Rookies story.
Part 2:
Jill put on her dark sunglasses and drove first to Memorial Hospital, where she worked as a registered nurse. She went to talk to her nursing supervisor about taking a leave of absence until she could figure out where she was going with this situation with Mike. After her supervisor granted the leave, she drove to the Seventeenth Precinct, where Mike was a cop. She wasn't looking for Mike, but for Lt. Ryker. Sgt Older, the officer who handled Ryker's phone calls and dispatches, went and found him for her. Jill was sitting outside Lt. Ryker's office when he walked in.
"Mrs. Danko? Please come in."
"Thank you for seeing me. I'm sorry I didn't call."
"That's okay. Come in. Would you like some coffee?"
"No. I can only stay a minute. Can you do me a favor and give Mike something for me?"
"Mike's upstairs on a desk, Mrs. Danko. You can go up...
"No. I can't do that. Something's happened. He won't talk to me. He's angry and he's pushing me away. I can't get through to him."
"What happened to you and to Mike is an awful thing. A police officer doesn't like to have to kill, despite reports to the contrary. Mike is having to see the department psychiatrist as part of his condition to returning to duty. If you give him time, he'll start talking to you.
"I can't wait that long. I've never seen him so cold. It's like he's dead."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm leaving."
"Where are you going to do? And, how long are you going to keep running?"
"I don't know where I'm going to go. And, as for how long I plan on running, I don't know that, either."
Jill was fighting tears as she took her set of apartment keys out of her purse. She laid them on Ryker's desk. She then picked up her wrist and unclasped the gold bracelet she always wore. The bracelet that had always meant more to her than either of her rings, because it was the first gift Mike had ever given her.
"Give Mike my keys and the bracelet. Will you do that for me?
"If you need a place to stay..."
"Oh no! Staying with you would be almost as bad or worse than staying with Terry and Willie."
"You didn't let me finish. I have a house near the beach in Malibu. I don't live there. Don't ask me why, it's a long story and I don't have time to go into it here. Just let me say I haven't lived there in some time. I have a caretaker who takes care of the place and I have a few horses. To me, there is something about the beach that I think is good for the soul. It's a good place to sit and just think."
"Are you going to tell Mike where I am? I mean, if I do decide to go out there?"
"Yes. But, you can see him or not, that's up to you. I'll let Trap know you're on your way."
Ryker wrote directions down on a sheet of paper. Jill almost thought she heard him wrong when he had said the last part. He'd let Trap know? There was only one person Jill knew who had the name Trap, but it couldn't be. The world was too big, wasn't it. A mixture of fear and trepidation raced through Jill. She had memories of her past. A past that included a house in Beverly Hills, Cleve and a childhood friend named Trap. A man who had saved her after she had almost died. The reason she had met Mike.
"Did you say Trap?"
"Yeah, he's my caretaker. He's been working for me for about 5 or 6 months. You know him?"
"Yeah, I think so. His name is T.R. Applegate."
"Yeah, that's his name."
"Can you ask him to please leave me alone when I go out there?"
"I can do that."
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
Ryker watched as Jill walked out the door before he picked up the phone. He tried the phone in the barn, first, because Trap would hear it if was out in the yard. It was picked up on the second ring.
"Applegate!"
"This is Lt. Ryker. I want you to listen carefully and don't ask any questions."
Trap looked at the phone in his hand. Since starting work for the mysterious police lieutenant that spring, Trap had only seen him a handful of times. Ryker had hired Trap after telling him that he would never come out to the large white and rock house near the beach. If he had business with him, they could meet in town. The situation suited Trap just fine. He didn't like a boss who was always hovering around, anyway. Ryker paid him fairly well, although Trap didn't understand how on a cop's salary. All Ryker asked of Trap in return was to stay away from the large house on the property. There was another, smaller house which is where Trap stayed. Trap was happy and he did a good job, which made Ryker happy.
"Yes, sir. I'm listening."
"You know a young lady named Jill? I don't know what her last name was when you knew her, but do you know her?"
Suddenly, thoughts of eyes that were always too large and too scared loomed into the picture in Trap's mind. Trap hadn't thought of Jill since spring when she had told him that she was going to go back to Mike and try to put the pieces of her shattered marriage back together. He had wished her well after telling her not to come running back to him when Mike hurt her again, because he knew Mike would.
"Danko. Yeah, I know Jill."
"So, you've known her recently?"
"I've known Jill since I was a child."
"Okay, again, no questions. She's on her way out there to stay in the big house. I don't know how long she'll be there, but she did tell me to tell you that she wants to be left alone. You do understand left alone, don't you, Applegate?"
"With Jill, I know that expression all too well, sir."
"If the cleaning service has been there, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about."
"The house was cleaned yesterday."
"Good. I am going to tell her husband where she is. I told her it's up to her whether she sees him or not."
"What did Mike do to her this time?"
"That's not any of your business, Applegate. Your business is to take care of my property. That is the only thing I pay you for."
"Yes, sir. Is there anything else, sir?"
"No. I just wanted to let you know Mrs. Danko is coming out there, so her arrival doesn't hit you like a ton of bricks."
"Thank you, sir. I think."
Mike was talking to Terry and Willie at his desk when Ryker walked into the room.
"Danko, I need to talk to you in my office, now! Gillis, Webster, don't you have somewhere you're supposed to be?"
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir. Come on, Willie."
Mike followed Ryker into his office wondering just what he had done now.
"Close the door."
"Yes, sir. Is there something wrong, sir?"
"I don't know, Danko. Why don't you tell me?"
"Sir?"
Ryker handed Mike the manila envelope containing Jill's things. Mike looked at him, puzzled, as he opened it and poured the contents out in his hand.
"Your wife was here earlier. She dropped those things off and told me to give them to you. You're tearing her up inside, Danko. She told me to give those to you. Whatever it is, Danko, that's going on inside your head, you had better start to try to work through, because if you don't, the most important thing in your life is going to slip right through your fingers."
"Lieutenant, I can't do this. I can't deal with the ramifications of what I did to Temple and having to deal with what Jill's going through, also. It's taking every bit of energy I have to just stay alive and breathe, it seems like. We had an argument and I told her I needed some breathing room. I didn't think she was going to up and leave. Did she say where she was going?"
"No, but I do know where I sent her."
Ryker wrote directions on another sheet of paper and handed it to Mike, who looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"This is the address and directions to my home in Malibu. I have to tell you something, though. You know my caretaker or at least he knows you and I don't think you're too popular with him for some reason."
"Who's your caretaker?"
"His name is T. R. Applegate."
"Trap? Yeah, you're right. I'm not his favorite person, but he's not mine, either. He's known Jill since he was a kid. He was there for her at one of the darkest moments of her life. He likes to let me know that it was him who rescued her first and not me. He makes sure I know this at every oppurtunity. Does Jill know you were going to tell me where she was going?"
"I told her I was, but I also told her that it was up to her whether she decided to see you or not. If I were you, Danko, I'd give her some time. Not a lot of time, mind you, but a couple of days, anyway."
"Well, time is one luxury I may not have, Lieutenant."
"You're thinking like a loser, Danko."
"Yeah, well, I feel like one right now, sir."
Jill drove along the curving road, trying to think. She had committed the directions to memory and had no trouble finding the road she was supposed to turn off of. About half a mile down the road, she found the double gates and pulled up to them. She rolled down her window and pressed the buzzer. A couple of minutes later, the gates slowly opened and Jill drove through. The whole thing reminded her of the house in Beverly Hills where she had lived with Cleve and Trap, in what seemed like another lifetime. The whole area had security gates like this house. She wondered what the reason was for the secrecy and why Ryker didn't live here. There was a small house as she drove up the drive and a man was standing out in front of it. Jill recognized the dark wavy hair immediately. She stopped the car and came face to face with her past.
"Hello, Trap."
"Hello, Jill."
Trap looked at Jill carefully. He was tall, about 6'2, with dark, wavy hair and deep set dark brown eyes. He had known Jill as long as he could remember. He had always assumed they would marry someday, until fate and Cleve Andrews had intervened. Trap didn't understand the reason for her dark glasses, but he did see the bruises on her face. He was wondering if Mike had beaten her. Because, if he had, Trap was going to rip him apart. Mike had told him once that he would never, ever hurt Jill.
"I was told to give you the keys to the big house."
"The Big House? Why does that sound like something from 'Gone With The Wind' or a really bad prison movie? I thought I was going to be staying here."
"No, not here. Here are the keys. The house is just around the curve. Ryker has some rooms that are locked. I don't know why, but he is insistent that they are to stay locked."
"What does he think I'm going to do, snoop around? I'm a wanderer, not a snoop."
"Can we talk later?"
"About what?"
"About why you're here. About what happened between you and Mike."
"Speaking of Mike, he's probably going to show up here later. Trap, I'm not ready to see him, yet. Can you stop him?"
"Yeah, I can stop him. And, I will stop him, if you agree to talk to me later."
"Okay, we can talk later."
"Then, Mike won't see you."
Jill got back in the car and drove around the curving driveway until she reached the house. She stopped and looked up in awe. The house was a huge, 3 story house, built of rock. There was a pool around the side of the house. Jill got out of the car and walked up and unlocked the door. She stepped into the entryway and looked up at the curving staircase. The front room had a grand piano and a huge rock fireplace. Jill slowly walked up the stairs to the bedrooms and tried to find a place to put her suitcase. The first two rooms were locked, but the third one opened when she turned the door knob. The room she entered had a king sized brass four poster bed in the middle and was decorated in bright yellow and white. Like the downstairs, the room had a huge rock fireplace in it. Jill loved the room. To her, it looked like sunshine. She laid her suitcase on the bed and walked over to the window. She had a perfect view of the mountains in the distance and the stable down below. She missed Mike, but she didn't miss the way he had been treating her, so she figured exploring this huge place might be just the thing to do for a while.
She walked back downstairs to the kitchen. There weren't any groceries, but Jill figured she could go to town and pick some things up. She didn't know how long she was going to be here. She wasn't ready for Mike to come crawling back on his knees and beg for forgiveness. She walked over to the basement door and tried it. It was locked, too, but this didn't bother Jill. She didn't like basements. She never had.
After he got off duty, Mike drove to the apartment. That was where he found the note from Jill. Terry and Willie rang the door bell and walked in. Mike was standing in the middle of the living room reading and re-reading the note.
"Mike? What's going on? Where's Jill?"
"She left, Terry."
"Left? Where did she go?"
Mike handed him the note and went to get some beers out of the refrigerator. He handed one to each of the guys.
"She's staying out at Ryker's, but she doesn't want to see me. At least, not yet."
"Mike, what is going on? This note doesn't make any sense."
"After we came back from your apartment yesterday morning, things got a little tense."
"Mike, I'm sorry if I made you angry about the other night, but I didn't know what else to do. We all needed some sleep and I knew you weren't going to get any if Jill kept waking up screaming every hour. So, how did things get tense?"
"Jill was in the bedroom when I came out of the shower. She came over to me as I was trying to get dressed for my meeting with IAD. She started kissing me and touching me and I...I had to push her away."
"Mike, why did you push her away?"
"Because, I couldn't do anything, Willie! Is that blunt enough for you guys?"
Terry took a drink of his beer before speaking. "Mike, that's not such a big deal. I think all of us men go through that at one time or another."
"No, Terry. It's more than that. I love Jill more than anything in this world, but she's beginning to make me feel like I can't breathe."
"And, you told her that?"
"Yeah, we got into an argument last night and the words just flew out of my mouth before I could stop them."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know, Terry. Right now, I need all of my energy just to fight these charges against me."
"Mike, it could take months to get this resolved. Are you going to sit here and tell us that you're going to leave her at Ryker's for that long? My God, she'll drive him nuts!"
"No, she won't. I get the feeling talking to him that he doesn't stay at this place. But, Trap does."
Willie looked at Mike. "What's a Trap?"
"Trap's not a 'what.' He's a 'who.' He's an old friend of Jill's. He's the one who brought her out here while I was still in Vietnam. Him and I have some issues."
"He's in love with Jill?"
"Yeah, Terry, but I think it's like it is with you guys. He feels more protective of her than anything else. He thinks I'm going to hurt her."
"He should know that you would never hurt her."
"But, I have hurt her, Terry. If I hadn't hurt her, she wouldn't have left."
"Mike, you didn't hurt her intentionally. You would never do that. Willie and I have watched you with her. We have watched how much the two of you love each other. You guys could give lessons. Don't let her slip away from you."
Mike rubbed at his eyes. He was not going to break down and cry, not in front of his two best friends. He knew Terry was right. He loved Jill and he needed her by his side. But, he also knew how stubborn and head strong she could be. How stubborn they could both be when they felt backed up against a wall. After a little while, the guys left and Mike sat down on the sofa to think. He knew he had to give her a little bit of time, but he knew he couldn't give her much, otherwise he wasn't so sure she would come back this time. It had almost taken an act of congress to get her to come back to him after that day at the bowling alley. Since then, the past 5 months had been a series of ups and downs, mostly ups. Like Terry had said, they were both so crazy about each other that a lot of the bad stuff tended to get either ignored or swept under the rug. And, he knew a lot of stuff went unsaid during their argument the previous night. Stuff that Mike knew was going to have to be said. The air needed to be cleared. He decided to drive out to Malibu the next day and see if Jill would see him. Meanwhile, he got in his car and decided to drive. Somehow, he ended up at his parent's home. He knew as he walked up to the front door and let himself in that his father was not going to be overly sympathetic to the fact that Jill had left him.
His father was reading the newspaper when Mike walked in. The silence hung heavy in the air as Mike took a seat on the sofa.
"Michael, what brings you around? Your mother and I haven't seen much of you since you graduated from the academy. How's police work?"
"Police work is fine, sir."
"It seems that half of you is missing. Where's Jill this evening? Work?"
"No, sir. I wanted to call you and mother and tell you about this, but...there was an attack in our apartment a few nights ago."
"I know. Lt. Ryker called me and told me."
"He called you? Why didn't you call?"
"I figured you would call us if you needed us. Since you didn't call, we figured you didn't need us."
"If I needed you? Pop, they're going to try to put me away! If that's not needing you guys, then I don't know what is! Is this about Jill again? I know you don't like her, but she could have been killed the other night."
"So, where is she?"
"We had an argument. She walked out."
"It's not easy being married to a cop. Maybe it's for the best. She never seemed to have the temperament for it, anyway,"
Mike stood up and walked toward the door. "Number one, stop calling my wife 'She.' Number two, I told you once that if you have declared war on my wife, then you have declared war on me."
With those parting words, Mike walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
It took Jill a long time to go to sleep that night. And, with her sleep, came the dreams. She dreamed of the night Mike had taken her back to the apartment after Officer Shaw's retirement party. After they had talked, he had led her back the his bedroom, slowly removed her clothing and his own and had made love to her for hours. The dream was so real that Jill woke up crying out Mike's name. She sat up, not remembering at first where she was. She resisted the urge to pick up the phone and calling Mike. She wanted him to come out here and hold her and tell her he was sorry. To make love to her like he had that night. Like he had for the past 5 months. She lay back down and cried herself to sleep.
The next afternoon, Trap was brushing down the horses when he heard the gate buzzer. He walked over and hit the control button to open the gates. He was standing there when a white car drove up and stopped. Mike opened the car door and got up. He walked up to the corral where Trap was continuing to brush the horse.
"You're late, Mike. I expected you yesterday."
"I wanted to give Jill some time alone. Where is she?"
"She doesn't want to see you. She told me yesterday to keep you away from her."
"Charming. So, like I said, where is she? Is she staying here with you like the old days?"
"No, she isn't staying here, Mike. Mike, what happened that night between me and Jill was a mistake..."
"No kidding, especially considering the fact that Jill is my wife and not yours!"
"She didn't know where you were, Mike! God, she was 21 years old and scared to death! And, if you want to know, making love with her that night made me feel like shit! You and I weren't friends, but I still felt like I was betraying you! I don't know why you two haven't talked about any of the stuff that happened that year you were gone. You think that just because you got her to come back to you that everything was going to be peachy, business as usual. There were nights when I thought she was going to try to kill herself again. How could you have done what you did to her? How can you live with yourself?"
"I'm not going to get into this with you. I told you that when I called you asking where Jill was. Look, if you see Jill, let her know I was here and I will be back in a few days."
"I have one question, Mike. How did Jill get the bruises?"
"You think I beat her, don't you?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking. Because, if you did beat her, after everything she went through with Cleve, I'll personally rip you apart."
"Trap, I didn't beat her. I would never do that to her. I think I told you that once. I have to go. Give Jill my message."
Trap watched Mike drive off before walking up to the big house to see Jill. He had to know just what was going on. He found her sitting in a patio chair by the pool. He sat in the chair opposite her. She lifted up her dark glasses to look at him.
"I had a visitor a few minutes ago."
"Mike?"
"Yeah. He just left. He told me to tell you that he was here and he'll check back in a few days. You want to tell me about the bruises? I asked Mike about them. I asked him if he had beaten you. He told me no. So, if Mike didn't do it, how did you get them."
"A man came to our door several days ago. Mike had told me the night before that he might be expecting an old Army buddy of his. So, when I opened the door on the chain, I asked this man if he was the friend Mike was expecting. He wasn't, but he told me he was. I didn't know, because I didn't know what this person looked like. Mike didn't tell me. The guy broke through the door and tried to kill me. Mike came home and caught him on top of me trying to strangle me. Mike ended up killing the guy."
"He shot him?"
Jill shook her head. "I don't know any of the details. I think Mike beat him to death. He won't talk to me about it. When he took me home from the hospital, I was scared to stay in the apartment. It started creating problems. He told me I was making him feel like he couldn't breathe. That's why I left."
"Are you going to be okay?"
"What? You mean my eyes?"
"Yeah, well, your eyes and everything else."
"My eyes will take a few weeks."
Jill buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Trap came over and gathered her into his arms. He wasn't Mike, but at least he was a shoulder to cry on.
"It's going to be okay, Jill."
"I don't care so much about myself, Trap. I love Mike so much! I want him back in my life, but not if he doesn't want me to be there."
"He loves you, Jill. He was upset when I told him you didn't want to see him. He asked me if you were staying with in the little house with me. Like old times, he said. I told him that what happened that night between you and me was a mistake. Jill, why did you have to tell him about that?"
"I had to, Trap. I didn't want any more secrets between us. There had already been too many."
"You know you guys have a lot of stuff to talk about."
"I know. When I went back to him in the spring, it was like nothing had happened. I know now that there's a lot of stuff that both of us chose to ignore."
For the next several days, things kind of went on as they had been. Then, one day, Jill needed to pick up some things from the apartment when she remembered that she didn't have her keys. She had given them back to Mike. She called the apartment, but Mike wasn't there, so she dialed Terry and Willie's number. Willie answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Willie, it's me. Jill."
"Jill, hi. Hey, Mike isn't here."
"I know. I tried calling the apartment. Hey, I don't have my keys and I need to pick up some things. I was wondering if I could come by and get the spare key from you guys so I could get into the apartment."
"Yeah, sure. When are you going to come by?"
"I should be there in about an hour."
"Okay. Come by and one of us will let you in."
"Thanks, Willie."
Willie hung up and looked at Terry, who had just come into the room.
"Terry, do you think we should call Mike?"
"No. We don't want to scare her off. I wish he would drive back out there and try to see her again. Get this mess straightened out."
"What good would it do? She won't see him."
Jill came by and picked up the keys from Willie. She was picking some things up when the door bell rang. Terry walked in as Jill was going through hers' and Mike's record collection.
"Hi. Willie said you had come to get the key. Have you talked to Mike?"
"Is that why you're here? To see if I've talked to him, so you can report back to him?"
"You know we'll tell him. Jill, how long is this going to go on?"
"Why don't you ask Mike? He's the one who needed 'breathing' room."
Terry watched as she continued to leaf through their records. Mike had told him at one time that every song on every one of those records meant something to both of them.
"So, are you going to take Van Morrison or The Turtles? Mike misses you so much, Jill. It's not like the missing you he was doing before we found out he was married. This is different. Back then, he was doing what he thought he had to do. Now, he wants you back, but he doesn't know how to go about it."
"That day, when he told you he was married, how did he act?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did he act like someone in love or was it just something he mentioned in passing?"
"I'm not sure. He said that you lived here in town and he wanted to see you and get to know you again. He was very definite about that."
"That day he walked into the bowling alley, I almost told him to get lost. Sometimes, I wish I had."
"Hey, if you had told him to get lost, you wouldn't have met us."
Normally, a statement like that would have made Jill smile. Today, she just looked sad and lost. Terry felt incredibly sorry for her. He knew being away from Mike was not something she wanted. But, it wasn't up to her to make the first move. It had to be up to Mike. She pulled one of her albums out and was looking at it.
"Terry, have they heard anything else about the investigation?"
"No, Mike said they should have the M.E's report any day now. Then, I guess it'll go from there."
"Before I met Mike, I thought I was Miss Self-Reliant. Then I met Mike and he took care of me almost from day one. When Mike went to Vietnam the last time, I had to learn to take care of myself again, only I didn't do a great job of it. I had problems with panic attacks. By the time Mike got back, I had pretty much gotten past the attacks. I had resigned myself to the fact that for whatever reason I wasn't going to see Mike ever again. He didn't write to me at all while he was over seas. I didn't know what to think. Anyway, one day he shows up at the bowling alley where I was working in a police uniform. Terry, I didn't like cops. I didn't trust them. I didn't trust anybody. He asked me to go to that party. I didn't intend on coming back here and spending the night with him. But, I missed him, Terry. I missed him taking care of me and always telling me he loved me. And, not minding me hanging out with his friends."
"Then, you have to do what you can to remedy this situation. I know Mike and I know how stubborn he can be, but right now, you're being just as stubborn as he is."
"I have to go."
"Jill, you can't run forever."
She kissed him on the cheek as she walked to the door. "I know. Bye, Terry."
"Bye, Jill."
Jill ran down to her car. She didn't want Terry to see her crying. It was now early fall and she hadn't been with Mike in weeks. The weather at the beach was cool. Jill would go for long walks and she would go horseback riding, but she missed doing these things with Mike. She was beginning to feel like a part of her had died. She didn't know that things were about to reach a dramatic, joyful conclusion.
Mike was working at his desk when his phone rang.
"Danko!"
"Officer Danko, this is Capt. Fuller from IAD. Can you come up here right away, please?"
"Yes, sir. I'll be there in 5 minutes."
Mike felt like the other shoe was about to drop as he knocked on the door to IAD. When he was asked to come in, Capt. Fuller and Lt. Ryker were sitting at the long rectangular table with several people Mike didn't know.
"Officer Danko, please sit down. This is Dr. Woodrow from the Medical Examiner's Office and Mr. Hays from the District Attorney's Office."
"Do I need a lawyer?"
The Medical Examiner spoke up. "Relax, Officer Danko. I have just gotten the report back on the official cause of death of Reese Temple. It seems Mr. Temple had a aortic aneurysm which means there was a blood vessel that had ballooned and was leaking blood. It had probably been that way for a long time due to the amount of blood that was found in the pericardium during the autopsy. He had not bruises to his chest."
"I don't understand. What are you saying?"
"He had bruises on his head and face, the result of your attack on him. These injuries were not fatal. There were no bruises to his chest, meaning you didn't cause his death. I have talked to Mr. Hays here and he concurs with my findings."
"I'm not going to be charged?"
"No, Officer Danko, you're not going to be charged. I seriously doubt you would have been charged, anyway. I think any man would have done the same thing if he had been in your shoes. As soon as the lieutenant here finishes his report, you can return to regular duty."
"Thank you!"
Mike felt like shouting from the rooftops. Willie and Terry were in the break room when Mike walked in.
"It's over!"
Willie almost choked on his sandwich. "What's over?"
"Temple didn't die as a result of the beating. It was an aneurysm!"
Terry looked at Mike with cold brown eyes. "Don't you think you're sharing this with the wrong people?"
"Yeah, you're right! Let me see if Ryker will let me go talk to Jill! I'll see you guys later!"
Mike got permission from Ryker to take off. Terry was right. There was only one person he really wanted to share this news with and that was his beautiful lady, Jill. Terry had told him she had come to the apartment and how she had been very down and very sad. Mike glanced up at the sky as he headed for his car. Storm clouds were brewing. He knew if he was going to get to Ryker's, he had better get there fast before the storm broke. Jill had an intense, overwhelming fear of thunderstorms.
It had been a particularly melancholy day for Jill. She was missing Mike badly today as she rode down to the beach on the chestnut mare she had borrowed from the stable. She got off the mare's back and walked along the beach watching the sky. She walked for a while down the beach with her shoes in her hand. She finally sat down by some rocks and propped her chin up on her knees, trying not to cry. She felt like that was all she had been doing since that day at the apartment was crying. She missed Mike so terribly. She hadn't missed him this badly when he had left her to go to Vietnam that last time. She had been having awful dreams along with the dream about him making love to her. She didn't know which dreams were worse. Her eyes were almost healed now, they were just red and puffy from her constant flow of tears. She wiped at them furiously. She hated losing control by crying. She always had.
Trap was mending a fence when the gate buzzer sounded. He walked over and hit the control button and sighed as the white car drove up.
"Hi, Trap. Is Jill at the big house?"
"No, she went riding on the beach. I guess today's a bad day."
"How so?"
"I don't know. She just seemed very down, that's all. You might be able to get through to her this time. Even if she just needs you for comfort, I guess you're better than nothing. I've heard screams coming from the house late at night."
"Jill's been having nightmares? Why didn't you call me?"
"Because, deep down, I don't want her to be with you, but I guess if I stand in your way, I'm going to get trampled."
"Damn right! Which way did she go?'
"Go up to the big house and park your car. There's a gate to the right of the house. It leads up to the part of the beach Jill always goes to."
Jill didn't know how long she sat there sobbing. She didn't see how it was possible to miss somebody so much and not die.
Mike was walking down the beach when he spotted the horse, who whinnied a greeting. Jill looked up when she heard the horse. She again wiped at her streaming eyes as she saw Mike walking down the beach, but she didn't move as he slowly approached her. Finally, he was standing directly in front of her. Jill had to shade her eyes to see him from her sitting position on the sand.
Mike felt like crying himself when he saw her face. He hated to see her cry, hated it when she was sad, especially when all of this was his fault.
"How did you find me?"
"Trap told me you were out here. He said it didn't appear to be a good day. I came to make it better."
"How are you going to do that, Mike?"
"They dropped the charges against me. They found out Temple didn't die as a result of the beating."
"Is that all you came to tell me?"
Mike's voice was thick with emotion. "No. I came to tell you how sorry I am. I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never hurt you. I want you to come back home with me."
"Just like that? Snap your fingers and you think I'm going to come back to you? Mike, we have a lot of stuff to talk about."
"I know that."
"And, I know you would never intentionally hurt me, but the fact still remains that you did hurt me, Mike. You hurt me very badly. I know you had a lot of things you were trying to work out, but so did I. We can't keep shutting each other out. That was a major problem in Alabama and it's starting to become a major problem here, too. We need a line of communications between us, Mike, or it's never going to work."
"Okay, fair enough. Why don't we start by you telling me why you are so afraid to stay in the apartment even after I assured you that it was safe."
"I keep seeing his face, Mike. I know he's dead, but I don't know how he died. All I know is you did it. You did it to save me and it scares me to know that I could have lost you that day."
"I don't know exactly what I did. I know I punched him several times. Willie and Terry came in and pulled me off of him. It just scared me to see what he was doing to you, but it also scared me when I realized I had enough rage in me to kill another person like that. To think I could have lost you and everything I ever worked for in a moment of pure rage."
"What are you saying, Mike? That you're sorry you did it? If you hadn't, I might be dead now and you probably would be, too. Because I'm sure after he got done with me, he would have started in on you, too. I'm glad you did it. I was afraid I was going to die without ever seeing you again. And, to me, that would have been worse than anything he ever could have done to me."
Mike's voice began choking up. "Jill, baby, please come home with me? Please? I love you so much. I'm not complete without you."
Jill continued looking up at Mike, who was still standing. She could see the tears in his blue-green eyes. She loved it when he called her 'baby.' Just the way he said it never failed to send shivers up her spine. He slowly held his hand out to her, just as he had that first day she had gone out with him. The day in the bleachers. The day Jill realized that her whole future was wrapped up in this man. The day she knew she was never going to love another man as much as she loved him. She put her hand in his and he slowly helped her to her feet. She stood in front of him for what seemed an eternity as her dark brown eyes met his paler blue green ones. He slowly brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as he bent down to kiss her ever so gently and then with considerably more passion. Jill slowly broke the kiss and looked at him with tears running down her face. Mike reached out and wiped them away with a gentle hand.
"Baby, why are you crying?"
"I could ask you the same question. I love you so much, Mike. I never want to be apart from you like this again. I never want to stop loving you."
She threw her arms around his neck and held onto him as tears once again flowed down her face. Mike had always teased her in the past when she cried like this, saying they would need to build an ark. But, today he didn't say anything. He just held her and let her cry, because he was also crying.
Jill breathed in the scent of the cologne he always wore, the smell of which had been invading her dreams. He always smelled so wonderful. He finally pulled her away from him to kiss her again. Gently, at first, then more insistently. Jill moaned softly as Mike's hands began a slow exploration under her shirt. It finally took all of Jill's control to pull away from him. She leaned into him, breathlessly.
"You've never made love on a beach before, have you?
"No."
"Believe me, you don't want to. It's not near as romantic as it looks in the movies. Sand goes everywhere. Besides, I think it's going to storm soon."
"I don't think I can get you back to the apartment. I don't have that much self control."
"You should see the room where I've been sleeping. It has a brass bed and a fireplace."
"A fireplace, huh? I don't think things can get much more romantic than that. Do we have wine?"
"Yeah, I think Lt. Ryker has a few bottles on a rack in the kitchen."
"Then, I suggest we get your ride over there and head off down to the house. Otherwise, sand or not, we're not going to go anywhere."
Jill picked up her shoes and took Mike's hand tightly in hers' as they headed back to where the horse was still standing. Mike helped her onto the horses' broad back before he climbed up behind her. Jill thought she had never felt anything as wonderful in her life as Mike's strong arms around her as they rode toward the stable. Mike was impatient as he waited for Jill to take care of the horse, rubbing her down and giving her some oats.
When they got to the house, Jill showed Mike the room where she had been sleeping. He pulled her into his arms and began kissing her again as thunder rumbled outside the open window. When Jill once again pulled away from him, her eyes were shining brightly. She put her hand on his lips and he kissed her fingertips.
"I'm going to go take a shower."
Mike looked disappointed as she said this.
"I have to get rid of this sand and sea salt. While I'm gone, why don't you start a fire in here and get a bottle of wine from the kitchen."
"Do you need someone to wash your back?"
"No. I want the first time we make love again to be in that brass bed and not in the shower, although we can always save that for later."
"Just don't be done too long, because it's going to storm soon and I'm going to miss you too much."
"Okay."
Jill stood in the shower for a long time letting the water pelt down on her. She felt like crying she was so happy. Mike was back and he still loved her. Even after the long separation, he still loved her. That was all Jill ever wanted. She finally turned off the shower, stepped out and began to dry off. She slipped her long white gown over her head and brushed her long dark hair. She took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door and going back to the room she was now sharing with Mike. She didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't ever done this before. Mike was laying on one side of the bed with his head propped up on his hand when Jill walked in. He felt like he could never tire of looking at her, watching her.
The room was brightly lit up by the fire in the fireplace. Mike had also found some candles and had set them around the room. Jill smiled as she stretched out on the bed beside Mike and he handed her a glass of wine. She began to blush at the look in his eyes. He reached over and took her glass from her hand and set it on the night stand beside his own. Then he pulled her closer to him and began to kiss her once again. He slowly pushed the puffed sleeve of her nightgown over her shoulder and began to kiss her neck and shoulder. Jill closed her eyes and gasped as Mike began to kiss and nibble his way further down her body. Jill reached for Mike's shirt and began to unbutton it with slow, shaking fingers.
"You have me at a disadvantage, sir."
"How do you mean?"
"You're wearing more than I am at the moment. I'm afraid I'm going to have to remedy that situation."
"You need some help?"
"No, I'll take your clothes off with my teeth if I have to."
Mike began laughing as he once again pulled Jill closer to him. "Yeah, I bet you would. But, I can help you out."
Mike took her still trembling fingers in his hands and kissed them gently. Then, he pulled his shirt from his pants and took it off. Jill wasn't sure when the rest of their clothes melted off, but it seemed that they all of a sudden ended up in a pile by the bed. Their lovemaking was slow, at least at first, but it wasn't long before they both got caught up in the heat of the moment.
Mike slowed down his pace. Jill opened her eyes and looked up at him, wondering what was wrong. She smiled at the look on his face. She thought she had never in her life seen as much love as she saw in Mike's eyes at that moment. She pulled him down closer to her and began to kiss him. Her mind raced back to the first night they had ever made love, the night another storm had been raging outside. The night she had told him that she had some problems with sex.
Mike pulled her closer to him, waiting for his breathing and heartrate to return to normal. He looked down at Jill, wondering what she was smiling so mysteriously about. He kissed her with slow lingering kisses all over her face.
"What are you laying here smiling about?"
"I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"The first time we made love. The night I told you I had a problem with sex. Do you remember?"
"Yeah and I told you that you knew what went where and why. Milady, I don't think you have a problem, anymore."
"No, I don't think I have a problem, anymore. That must be what they mean when they talk about mind blowing sex."
Well, it was always pretty mind blowing, but now it goes beyond that."
He leaned down on one elbow to look down at Jill's face. "I think that was mind blowing, awe inspiring, spiritual, incredible...
"Are you going to run out of words anytime soon, Danko?"
"Not in this lifetime."
Jill reached down to touch him. "You recover quickly. And, to think Willie and Terry think you're old."
"I'm not that old, milady. Besides, I have a lot of lost time to make up for."
The second time they made love, time seemed to slow down. It seemed hours before either of them came up for air. Mike looked down at Jill's sleepy eyes and kissed her again before rolling over to one side and pulling her close to him.
"Are you sleepy?"
"Um hmmm."
"Then, go to sleep."
"You'll be here when I wake up?"
"Only for the rest of my life."
"I love you, Mike."
"I love you too, baby."
Jill woke up sometime later. It was still dark, but the moon was shining through the open window. The curtains were gently blowing in the night time breeze. Jill sat up and found her discarded gown by the side of the bed and slipped it back over her head. She didn't know why she had woke up, but now she couldn't go back to sleep. She looked over at Mike, peacefully sleeping beside her. She got up and walked to the window and sat there looking at the moon. She smiled when she felt Mike leaning his chin on her knee.
"Nightmare?"
"I don't know. I just woke up. Mike, can we go home tomorrow?"
"What? And give up this romantic setting?"
"The only romantic setting I want is in our apartment with you."
"Hey, I have something that belongs to you. This is the second time I've had to give this back to you. If I have to do it a third time, I'm going to staple it to your wrist."
Jill smiled as Mike put her bracelet back around her wrist and clasped it. She put her arms around his neck as he stood up and picked her up into his arms. She giggled as he began to kiss her again on the neck.
"Are you ever going to get enough?"
"Are you complaining?"
"Not me. I promised you earlier we could use the shower."
"Tomorrow. Right now, I don't think we're going to make it that far."
"The self control issue again?"
"You've got it."
"Mike, have I told you lately how crazy I am about you?"
"Not in about an hour."
"I love you so much, Mike."
"I love you so much, too, baby."
THE END
TITLE: To Protect And To Love (Part 2)
Rating: PG13 for violence and sexual situations.
Setting: Early first season, after the pilot.
Summary: Officer Danko kills an intruder who has attacked his wife Jill in their home. Can he get out of this mess before he loses everything he's worked so hard for?
Author's notes: I realize there are some aspects of this story that require an explanation. Explanations will follow in a future Rookies story.
Part 2:
Jill put on her dark sunglasses and drove first to Memorial Hospital, where she worked as a registered nurse. She went to talk to her nursing supervisor about taking a leave of absence until she could figure out where she was going with this situation with Mike. After her supervisor granted the leave, she drove to the Seventeenth Precinct, where Mike was a cop. She wasn't looking for Mike, but for Lt. Ryker. Sgt Older, the officer who handled Ryker's phone calls and dispatches, went and found him for her. Jill was sitting outside Lt. Ryker's office when he walked in.
"Mrs. Danko? Please come in."
"Thank you for seeing me. I'm sorry I didn't call."
"That's okay. Come in. Would you like some coffee?"
"No. I can only stay a minute. Can you do me a favor and give Mike something for me?"
"Mike's upstairs on a desk, Mrs. Danko. You can go up...
"No. I can't do that. Something's happened. He won't talk to me. He's angry and he's pushing me away. I can't get through to him."
"What happened to you and to Mike is an awful thing. A police officer doesn't like to have to kill, despite reports to the contrary. Mike is having to see the department psychiatrist as part of his condition to returning to duty. If you give him time, he'll start talking to you.
"I can't wait that long. I've never seen him so cold. It's like he's dead."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm leaving."
"Where are you going to do? And, how long are you going to keep running?"
"I don't know where I'm going to go. And, as for how long I plan on running, I don't know that, either."
Jill was fighting tears as she took her set of apartment keys out of her purse. She laid them on Ryker's desk. She then picked up her wrist and unclasped the gold bracelet she always wore. The bracelet that had always meant more to her than either of her rings, because it was the first gift Mike had ever given her.
"Give Mike my keys and the bracelet. Will you do that for me?
"If you need a place to stay..."
"Oh no! Staying with you would be almost as bad or worse than staying with Terry and Willie."
"You didn't let me finish. I have a house near the beach in Malibu. I don't live there. Don't ask me why, it's a long story and I don't have time to go into it here. Just let me say I haven't lived there in some time. I have a caretaker who takes care of the place and I have a few horses. To me, there is something about the beach that I think is good for the soul. It's a good place to sit and just think."
"Are you going to tell Mike where I am? I mean, if I do decide to go out there?"
"Yes. But, you can see him or not, that's up to you. I'll let Trap know you're on your way."
Ryker wrote directions down on a sheet of paper. Jill almost thought she heard him wrong when he had said the last part. He'd let Trap know? There was only one person Jill knew who had the name Trap, but it couldn't be. The world was too big, wasn't it. A mixture of fear and trepidation raced through Jill. She had memories of her past. A past that included a house in Beverly Hills, Cleve and a childhood friend named Trap. A man who had saved her after she had almost died. The reason she had met Mike.
"Did you say Trap?"
"Yeah, he's my caretaker. He's been working for me for about 5 or 6 months. You know him?"
"Yeah, I think so. His name is T.R. Applegate."
"Yeah, that's his name."
"Can you ask him to please leave me alone when I go out there?"
"I can do that."
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
Ryker watched as Jill walked out the door before he picked up the phone. He tried the phone in the barn, first, because Trap would hear it if was out in the yard. It was picked up on the second ring.
"Applegate!"
"This is Lt. Ryker. I want you to listen carefully and don't ask any questions."
Trap looked at the phone in his hand. Since starting work for the mysterious police lieutenant that spring, Trap had only seen him a handful of times. Ryker had hired Trap after telling him that he would never come out to the large white and rock house near the beach. If he had business with him, they could meet in town. The situation suited Trap just fine. He didn't like a boss who was always hovering around, anyway. Ryker paid him fairly well, although Trap didn't understand how on a cop's salary. All Ryker asked of Trap in return was to stay away from the large house on the property. There was another, smaller house which is where Trap stayed. Trap was happy and he did a good job, which made Ryker happy.
"Yes, sir. I'm listening."
"You know a young lady named Jill? I don't know what her last name was when you knew her, but do you know her?"
Suddenly, thoughts of eyes that were always too large and too scared loomed into the picture in Trap's mind. Trap hadn't thought of Jill since spring when she had told him that she was going to go back to Mike and try to put the pieces of her shattered marriage back together. He had wished her well after telling her not to come running back to him when Mike hurt her again, because he knew Mike would.
"Danko. Yeah, I know Jill."
"So, you've known her recently?"
"I've known Jill since I was a child."
"Okay, again, no questions. She's on her way out there to stay in the big house. I don't know how long she'll be there, but she did tell me to tell you that she wants to be left alone. You do understand left alone, don't you, Applegate?"
"With Jill, I know that expression all too well, sir."
"If the cleaning service has been there, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about."
"The house was cleaned yesterday."
"Good. I am going to tell her husband where she is. I told her it's up to her whether she sees him or not."
"What did Mike do to her this time?"
"That's not any of your business, Applegate. Your business is to take care of my property. That is the only thing I pay you for."
"Yes, sir. Is there anything else, sir?"
"No. I just wanted to let you know Mrs. Danko is coming out there, so her arrival doesn't hit you like a ton of bricks."
"Thank you, sir. I think."
Mike was talking to Terry and Willie at his desk when Ryker walked into the room.
"Danko, I need to talk to you in my office, now! Gillis, Webster, don't you have somewhere you're supposed to be?"
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir. Come on, Willie."
Mike followed Ryker into his office wondering just what he had done now.
"Close the door."
"Yes, sir. Is there something wrong, sir?"
"I don't know, Danko. Why don't you tell me?"
"Sir?"
Ryker handed Mike the manila envelope containing Jill's things. Mike looked at him, puzzled, as he opened it and poured the contents out in his hand.
"Your wife was here earlier. She dropped those things off and told me to give them to you. You're tearing her up inside, Danko. She told me to give those to you. Whatever it is, Danko, that's going on inside your head, you had better start to try to work through, because if you don't, the most important thing in your life is going to slip right through your fingers."
"Lieutenant, I can't do this. I can't deal with the ramifications of what I did to Temple and having to deal with what Jill's going through, also. It's taking every bit of energy I have to just stay alive and breathe, it seems like. We had an argument and I told her I needed some breathing room. I didn't think she was going to up and leave. Did she say where she was going?"
"No, but I do know where I sent her."
Ryker wrote directions on another sheet of paper and handed it to Mike, who looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"This is the address and directions to my home in Malibu. I have to tell you something, though. You know my caretaker or at least he knows you and I don't think you're too popular with him for some reason."
"Who's your caretaker?"
"His name is T. R. Applegate."
"Trap? Yeah, you're right. I'm not his favorite person, but he's not mine, either. He's known Jill since he was a kid. He was there for her at one of the darkest moments of her life. He likes to let me know that it was him who rescued her first and not me. He makes sure I know this at every oppurtunity. Does Jill know you were going to tell me where she was going?"
"I told her I was, but I also told her that it was up to her whether she decided to see you or not. If I were you, Danko, I'd give her some time. Not a lot of time, mind you, but a couple of days, anyway."
"Well, time is one luxury I may not have, Lieutenant."
"You're thinking like a loser, Danko."
"Yeah, well, I feel like one right now, sir."
Jill drove along the curving road, trying to think. She had committed the directions to memory and had no trouble finding the road she was supposed to turn off of. About half a mile down the road, she found the double gates and pulled up to them. She rolled down her window and pressed the buzzer. A couple of minutes later, the gates slowly opened and Jill drove through. The whole thing reminded her of the house in Beverly Hills where she had lived with Cleve and Trap, in what seemed like another lifetime. The whole area had security gates like this house. She wondered what the reason was for the secrecy and why Ryker didn't live here. There was a small house as she drove up the drive and a man was standing out in front of it. Jill recognized the dark wavy hair immediately. She stopped the car and came face to face with her past.
"Hello, Trap."
"Hello, Jill."
Trap looked at Jill carefully. He was tall, about 6'2, with dark, wavy hair and deep set dark brown eyes. He had known Jill as long as he could remember. He had always assumed they would marry someday, until fate and Cleve Andrews had intervened. Trap didn't understand the reason for her dark glasses, but he did see the bruises on her face. He was wondering if Mike had beaten her. Because, if he had, Trap was going to rip him apart. Mike had told him once that he would never, ever hurt Jill.
"I was told to give you the keys to the big house."
"The Big House? Why does that sound like something from 'Gone With The Wind' or a really bad prison movie? I thought I was going to be staying here."
"No, not here. Here are the keys. The house is just around the curve. Ryker has some rooms that are locked. I don't know why, but he is insistent that they are to stay locked."
"What does he think I'm going to do, snoop around? I'm a wanderer, not a snoop."
"Can we talk later?"
"About what?"
"About why you're here. About what happened between you and Mike."
"Speaking of Mike, he's probably going to show up here later. Trap, I'm not ready to see him, yet. Can you stop him?"
"Yeah, I can stop him. And, I will stop him, if you agree to talk to me later."
"Okay, we can talk later."
"Then, Mike won't see you."
Jill got back in the car and drove around the curving driveway until she reached the house. She stopped and looked up in awe. The house was a huge, 3 story house, built of rock. There was a pool around the side of the house. Jill got out of the car and walked up and unlocked the door. She stepped into the entryway and looked up at the curving staircase. The front room had a grand piano and a huge rock fireplace. Jill slowly walked up the stairs to the bedrooms and tried to find a place to put her suitcase. The first two rooms were locked, but the third one opened when she turned the door knob. The room she entered had a king sized brass four poster bed in the middle and was decorated in bright yellow and white. Like the downstairs, the room had a huge rock fireplace in it. Jill loved the room. To her, it looked like sunshine. She laid her suitcase on the bed and walked over to the window. She had a perfect view of the mountains in the distance and the stable down below. She missed Mike, but she didn't miss the way he had been treating her, so she figured exploring this huge place might be just the thing to do for a while.
She walked back downstairs to the kitchen. There weren't any groceries, but Jill figured she could go to town and pick some things up. She didn't know how long she was going to be here. She wasn't ready for Mike to come crawling back on his knees and beg for forgiveness. She walked over to the basement door and tried it. It was locked, too, but this didn't bother Jill. She didn't like basements. She never had.
After he got off duty, Mike drove to the apartment. That was where he found the note from Jill. Terry and Willie rang the door bell and walked in. Mike was standing in the middle of the living room reading and re-reading the note.
"Mike? What's going on? Where's Jill?"
"She left, Terry."
"Left? Where did she go?"
Mike handed him the note and went to get some beers out of the refrigerator. He handed one to each of the guys.
"She's staying out at Ryker's, but she doesn't want to see me. At least, not yet."
"Mike, what is going on? This note doesn't make any sense."
"After we came back from your apartment yesterday morning, things got a little tense."
"Mike, I'm sorry if I made you angry about the other night, but I didn't know what else to do. We all needed some sleep and I knew you weren't going to get any if Jill kept waking up screaming every hour. So, how did things get tense?"
"Jill was in the bedroom when I came out of the shower. She came over to me as I was trying to get dressed for my meeting with IAD. She started kissing me and touching me and I...I had to push her away."
"Mike, why did you push her away?"
"Because, I couldn't do anything, Willie! Is that blunt enough for you guys?"
Terry took a drink of his beer before speaking. "Mike, that's not such a big deal. I think all of us men go through that at one time or another."
"No, Terry. It's more than that. I love Jill more than anything in this world, but she's beginning to make me feel like I can't breathe."
"And, you told her that?"
"Yeah, we got into an argument last night and the words just flew out of my mouth before I could stop them."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know, Terry. Right now, I need all of my energy just to fight these charges against me."
"Mike, it could take months to get this resolved. Are you going to sit here and tell us that you're going to leave her at Ryker's for that long? My God, she'll drive him nuts!"
"No, she won't. I get the feeling talking to him that he doesn't stay at this place. But, Trap does."
Willie looked at Mike. "What's a Trap?"
"Trap's not a 'what.' He's a 'who.' He's an old friend of Jill's. He's the one who brought her out here while I was still in Vietnam. Him and I have some issues."
"He's in love with Jill?"
"Yeah, Terry, but I think it's like it is with you guys. He feels more protective of her than anything else. He thinks I'm going to hurt her."
"He should know that you would never hurt her."
"But, I have hurt her, Terry. If I hadn't hurt her, she wouldn't have left."
"Mike, you didn't hurt her intentionally. You would never do that. Willie and I have watched you with her. We have watched how much the two of you love each other. You guys could give lessons. Don't let her slip away from you."
Mike rubbed at his eyes. He was not going to break down and cry, not in front of his two best friends. He knew Terry was right. He loved Jill and he needed her by his side. But, he also knew how stubborn and head strong she could be. How stubborn they could both be when they felt backed up against a wall. After a little while, the guys left and Mike sat down on the sofa to think. He knew he had to give her a little bit of time, but he knew he couldn't give her much, otherwise he wasn't so sure she would come back this time. It had almost taken an act of congress to get her to come back to him after that day at the bowling alley. Since then, the past 5 months had been a series of ups and downs, mostly ups. Like Terry had said, they were both so crazy about each other that a lot of the bad stuff tended to get either ignored or swept under the rug. And, he knew a lot of stuff went unsaid during their argument the previous night. Stuff that Mike knew was going to have to be said. The air needed to be cleared. He decided to drive out to Malibu the next day and see if Jill would see him. Meanwhile, he got in his car and decided to drive. Somehow, he ended up at his parent's home. He knew as he walked up to the front door and let himself in that his father was not going to be overly sympathetic to the fact that Jill had left him.
His father was reading the newspaper when Mike walked in. The silence hung heavy in the air as Mike took a seat on the sofa.
"Michael, what brings you around? Your mother and I haven't seen much of you since you graduated from the academy. How's police work?"
"Police work is fine, sir."
"It seems that half of you is missing. Where's Jill this evening? Work?"
"No, sir. I wanted to call you and mother and tell you about this, but...there was an attack in our apartment a few nights ago."
"I know. Lt. Ryker called me and told me."
"He called you? Why didn't you call?"
"I figured you would call us if you needed us. Since you didn't call, we figured you didn't need us."
"If I needed you? Pop, they're going to try to put me away! If that's not needing you guys, then I don't know what is! Is this about Jill again? I know you don't like her, but she could have been killed the other night."
"So, where is she?"
"We had an argument. She walked out."
"It's not easy being married to a cop. Maybe it's for the best. She never seemed to have the temperament for it, anyway,"
Mike stood up and walked toward the door. "Number one, stop calling my wife 'She.' Number two, I told you once that if you have declared war on my wife, then you have declared war on me."
With those parting words, Mike walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
It took Jill a long time to go to sleep that night. And, with her sleep, came the dreams. She dreamed of the night Mike had taken her back to the apartment after Officer Shaw's retirement party. After they had talked, he had led her back the his bedroom, slowly removed her clothing and his own and had made love to her for hours. The dream was so real that Jill woke up crying out Mike's name. She sat up, not remembering at first where she was. She resisted the urge to pick up the phone and calling Mike. She wanted him to come out here and hold her and tell her he was sorry. To make love to her like he had that night. Like he had for the past 5 months. She lay back down and cried herself to sleep.
The next afternoon, Trap was brushing down the horses when he heard the gate buzzer. He walked over and hit the control button to open the gates. He was standing there when a white car drove up and stopped. Mike opened the car door and got up. He walked up to the corral where Trap was continuing to brush the horse.
"You're late, Mike. I expected you yesterday."
"I wanted to give Jill some time alone. Where is she?"
"She doesn't want to see you. She told me yesterday to keep you away from her."
"Charming. So, like I said, where is she? Is she staying here with you like the old days?"
"No, she isn't staying here, Mike. Mike, what happened that night between me and Jill was a mistake..."
"No kidding, especially considering the fact that Jill is my wife and not yours!"
"She didn't know where you were, Mike! God, she was 21 years old and scared to death! And, if you want to know, making love with her that night made me feel like shit! You and I weren't friends, but I still felt like I was betraying you! I don't know why you two haven't talked about any of the stuff that happened that year you were gone. You think that just because you got her to come back to you that everything was going to be peachy, business as usual. There were nights when I thought she was going to try to kill herself again. How could you have done what you did to her? How can you live with yourself?"
"I'm not going to get into this with you. I told you that when I called you asking where Jill was. Look, if you see Jill, let her know I was here and I will be back in a few days."
"I have one question, Mike. How did Jill get the bruises?"
"You think I beat her, don't you?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking. Because, if you did beat her, after everything she went through with Cleve, I'll personally rip you apart."
"Trap, I didn't beat her. I would never do that to her. I think I told you that once. I have to go. Give Jill my message."
Trap watched Mike drive off before walking up to the big house to see Jill. He had to know just what was going on. He found her sitting in a patio chair by the pool. He sat in the chair opposite her. She lifted up her dark glasses to look at him.
"I had a visitor a few minutes ago."
"Mike?"
"Yeah. He just left. He told me to tell you that he was here and he'll check back in a few days. You want to tell me about the bruises? I asked Mike about them. I asked him if he had beaten you. He told me no. So, if Mike didn't do it, how did you get them."
"A man came to our door several days ago. Mike had told me the night before that he might be expecting an old Army buddy of his. So, when I opened the door on the chain, I asked this man if he was the friend Mike was expecting. He wasn't, but he told me he was. I didn't know, because I didn't know what this person looked like. Mike didn't tell me. The guy broke through the door and tried to kill me. Mike came home and caught him on top of me trying to strangle me. Mike ended up killing the guy."
"He shot him?"
Jill shook her head. "I don't know any of the details. I think Mike beat him to death. He won't talk to me about it. When he took me home from the hospital, I was scared to stay in the apartment. It started creating problems. He told me I was making him feel like he couldn't breathe. That's why I left."
"Are you going to be okay?"
"What? You mean my eyes?"
"Yeah, well, your eyes and everything else."
"My eyes will take a few weeks."
Jill buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Trap came over and gathered her into his arms. He wasn't Mike, but at least he was a shoulder to cry on.
"It's going to be okay, Jill."
"I don't care so much about myself, Trap. I love Mike so much! I want him back in my life, but not if he doesn't want me to be there."
"He loves you, Jill. He was upset when I told him you didn't want to see him. He asked me if you were staying with in the little house with me. Like old times, he said. I told him that what happened that night between you and me was a mistake. Jill, why did you have to tell him about that?"
"I had to, Trap. I didn't want any more secrets between us. There had already been too many."
"You know you guys have a lot of stuff to talk about."
"I know. When I went back to him in the spring, it was like nothing had happened. I know now that there's a lot of stuff that both of us chose to ignore."
For the next several days, things kind of went on as they had been. Then, one day, Jill needed to pick up some things from the apartment when she remembered that she didn't have her keys. She had given them back to Mike. She called the apartment, but Mike wasn't there, so she dialed Terry and Willie's number. Willie answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Willie, it's me. Jill."
"Jill, hi. Hey, Mike isn't here."
"I know. I tried calling the apartment. Hey, I don't have my keys and I need to pick up some things. I was wondering if I could come by and get the spare key from you guys so I could get into the apartment."
"Yeah, sure. When are you going to come by?"
"I should be there in about an hour."
"Okay. Come by and one of us will let you in."
"Thanks, Willie."
Willie hung up and looked at Terry, who had just come into the room.
"Terry, do you think we should call Mike?"
"No. We don't want to scare her off. I wish he would drive back out there and try to see her again. Get this mess straightened out."
"What good would it do? She won't see him."
Jill came by and picked up the keys from Willie. She was picking some things up when the door bell rang. Terry walked in as Jill was going through hers' and Mike's record collection.
"Hi. Willie said you had come to get the key. Have you talked to Mike?"
"Is that why you're here? To see if I've talked to him, so you can report back to him?"
"You know we'll tell him. Jill, how long is this going to go on?"
"Why don't you ask Mike? He's the one who needed 'breathing' room."
Terry watched as she continued to leaf through their records. Mike had told him at one time that every song on every one of those records meant something to both of them.
"So, are you going to take Van Morrison or The Turtles? Mike misses you so much, Jill. It's not like the missing you he was doing before we found out he was married. This is different. Back then, he was doing what he thought he had to do. Now, he wants you back, but he doesn't know how to go about it."
"That day, when he told you he was married, how did he act?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did he act like someone in love or was it just something he mentioned in passing?"
"I'm not sure. He said that you lived here in town and he wanted to see you and get to know you again. He was very definite about that."
"That day he walked into the bowling alley, I almost told him to get lost. Sometimes, I wish I had."
"Hey, if you had told him to get lost, you wouldn't have met us."
Normally, a statement like that would have made Jill smile. Today, she just looked sad and lost. Terry felt incredibly sorry for her. He knew being away from Mike was not something she wanted. But, it wasn't up to her to make the first move. It had to be up to Mike. She pulled one of her albums out and was looking at it.
"Terry, have they heard anything else about the investigation?"
"No, Mike said they should have the M.E's report any day now. Then, I guess it'll go from there."
"Before I met Mike, I thought I was Miss Self-Reliant. Then I met Mike and he took care of me almost from day one. When Mike went to Vietnam the last time, I had to learn to take care of myself again, only I didn't do a great job of it. I had problems with panic attacks. By the time Mike got back, I had pretty much gotten past the attacks. I had resigned myself to the fact that for whatever reason I wasn't going to see Mike ever again. He didn't write to me at all while he was over seas. I didn't know what to think. Anyway, one day he shows up at the bowling alley where I was working in a police uniform. Terry, I didn't like cops. I didn't trust them. I didn't trust anybody. He asked me to go to that party. I didn't intend on coming back here and spending the night with him. But, I missed him, Terry. I missed him taking care of me and always telling me he loved me. And, not minding me hanging out with his friends."
"Then, you have to do what you can to remedy this situation. I know Mike and I know how stubborn he can be, but right now, you're being just as stubborn as he is."
"I have to go."
"Jill, you can't run forever."
She kissed him on the cheek as she walked to the door. "I know. Bye, Terry."
"Bye, Jill."
Jill ran down to her car. She didn't want Terry to see her crying. It was now early fall and she hadn't been with Mike in weeks. The weather at the beach was cool. Jill would go for long walks and she would go horseback riding, but she missed doing these things with Mike. She was beginning to feel like a part of her had died. She didn't know that things were about to reach a dramatic, joyful conclusion.
Mike was working at his desk when his phone rang.
"Danko!"
"Officer Danko, this is Capt. Fuller from IAD. Can you come up here right away, please?"
"Yes, sir. I'll be there in 5 minutes."
Mike felt like the other shoe was about to drop as he knocked on the door to IAD. When he was asked to come in, Capt. Fuller and Lt. Ryker were sitting at the long rectangular table with several people Mike didn't know.
"Officer Danko, please sit down. This is Dr. Woodrow from the Medical Examiner's Office and Mr. Hays from the District Attorney's Office."
"Do I need a lawyer?"
The Medical Examiner spoke up. "Relax, Officer Danko. I have just gotten the report back on the official cause of death of Reese Temple. It seems Mr. Temple had a aortic aneurysm which means there was a blood vessel that had ballooned and was leaking blood. It had probably been that way for a long time due to the amount of blood that was found in the pericardium during the autopsy. He had not bruises to his chest."
"I don't understand. What are you saying?"
"He had bruises on his head and face, the result of your attack on him. These injuries were not fatal. There were no bruises to his chest, meaning you didn't cause his death. I have talked to Mr. Hays here and he concurs with my findings."
"I'm not going to be charged?"
"No, Officer Danko, you're not going to be charged. I seriously doubt you would have been charged, anyway. I think any man would have done the same thing if he had been in your shoes. As soon as the lieutenant here finishes his report, you can return to regular duty."
"Thank you!"
Mike felt like shouting from the rooftops. Willie and Terry were in the break room when Mike walked in.
"It's over!"
Willie almost choked on his sandwich. "What's over?"
"Temple didn't die as a result of the beating. It was an aneurysm!"
Terry looked at Mike with cold brown eyes. "Don't you think you're sharing this with the wrong people?"
"Yeah, you're right! Let me see if Ryker will let me go talk to Jill! I'll see you guys later!"
Mike got permission from Ryker to take off. Terry was right. There was only one person he really wanted to share this news with and that was his beautiful lady, Jill. Terry had told him she had come to the apartment and how she had been very down and very sad. Mike glanced up at the sky as he headed for his car. Storm clouds were brewing. He knew if he was going to get to Ryker's, he had better get there fast before the storm broke. Jill had an intense, overwhelming fear of thunderstorms.
It had been a particularly melancholy day for Jill. She was missing Mike badly today as she rode down to the beach on the chestnut mare she had borrowed from the stable. She got off the mare's back and walked along the beach watching the sky. She walked for a while down the beach with her shoes in her hand. She finally sat down by some rocks and propped her chin up on her knees, trying not to cry. She felt like that was all she had been doing since that day at the apartment was crying. She missed Mike so terribly. She hadn't missed him this badly when he had left her to go to Vietnam that last time. She had been having awful dreams along with the dream about him making love to her. She didn't know which dreams were worse. Her eyes were almost healed now, they were just red and puffy from her constant flow of tears. She wiped at them furiously. She hated losing control by crying. She always had.
Trap was mending a fence when the gate buzzer sounded. He walked over and hit the control button and sighed as the white car drove up.
"Hi, Trap. Is Jill at the big house?"
"No, she went riding on the beach. I guess today's a bad day."
"How so?"
"I don't know. She just seemed very down, that's all. You might be able to get through to her this time. Even if she just needs you for comfort, I guess you're better than nothing. I've heard screams coming from the house late at night."
"Jill's been having nightmares? Why didn't you call me?"
"Because, deep down, I don't want her to be with you, but I guess if I stand in your way, I'm going to get trampled."
"Damn right! Which way did she go?'
"Go up to the big house and park your car. There's a gate to the right of the house. It leads up to the part of the beach Jill always goes to."
Jill didn't know how long she sat there sobbing. She didn't see how it was possible to miss somebody so much and not die.
Mike was walking down the beach when he spotted the horse, who whinnied a greeting. Jill looked up when she heard the horse. She again wiped at her streaming eyes as she saw Mike walking down the beach, but she didn't move as he slowly approached her. Finally, he was standing directly in front of her. Jill had to shade her eyes to see him from her sitting position on the sand.
Mike felt like crying himself when he saw her face. He hated to see her cry, hated it when she was sad, especially when all of this was his fault.
"How did you find me?"
"Trap told me you were out here. He said it didn't appear to be a good day. I came to make it better."
"How are you going to do that, Mike?"
"They dropped the charges against me. They found out Temple didn't die as a result of the beating."
"Is that all you came to tell me?"
Mike's voice was thick with emotion. "No. I came to tell you how sorry I am. I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never hurt you. I want you to come back home with me."
"Just like that? Snap your fingers and you think I'm going to come back to you? Mike, we have a lot of stuff to talk about."
"I know that."
"And, I know you would never intentionally hurt me, but the fact still remains that you did hurt me, Mike. You hurt me very badly. I know you had a lot of things you were trying to work out, but so did I. We can't keep shutting each other out. That was a major problem in Alabama and it's starting to become a major problem here, too. We need a line of communications between us, Mike, or it's never going to work."
"Okay, fair enough. Why don't we start by you telling me why you are so afraid to stay in the apartment even after I assured you that it was safe."
"I keep seeing his face, Mike. I know he's dead, but I don't know how he died. All I know is you did it. You did it to save me and it scares me to know that I could have lost you that day."
"I don't know exactly what I did. I know I punched him several times. Willie and Terry came in and pulled me off of him. It just scared me to see what he was doing to you, but it also scared me when I realized I had enough rage in me to kill another person like that. To think I could have lost you and everything I ever worked for in a moment of pure rage."
"What are you saying, Mike? That you're sorry you did it? If you hadn't, I might be dead now and you probably would be, too. Because I'm sure after he got done with me, he would have started in on you, too. I'm glad you did it. I was afraid I was going to die without ever seeing you again. And, to me, that would have been worse than anything he ever could have done to me."
Mike's voice began choking up. "Jill, baby, please come home with me? Please? I love you so much. I'm not complete without you."
Jill continued looking up at Mike, who was still standing. She could see the tears in his blue-green eyes. She loved it when he called her 'baby.' Just the way he said it never failed to send shivers up her spine. He slowly held his hand out to her, just as he had that first day she had gone out with him. The day in the bleachers. The day Jill realized that her whole future was wrapped up in this man. The day she knew she was never going to love another man as much as she loved him. She put her hand in his and he slowly helped her to her feet. She stood in front of him for what seemed an eternity as her dark brown eyes met his paler blue green ones. He slowly brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as he bent down to kiss her ever so gently and then with considerably more passion. Jill slowly broke the kiss and looked at him with tears running down her face. Mike reached out and wiped them away with a gentle hand.
"Baby, why are you crying?"
"I could ask you the same question. I love you so much, Mike. I never want to be apart from you like this again. I never want to stop loving you."
She threw her arms around his neck and held onto him as tears once again flowed down her face. Mike had always teased her in the past when she cried like this, saying they would need to build an ark. But, today he didn't say anything. He just held her and let her cry, because he was also crying.
Jill breathed in the scent of the cologne he always wore, the smell of which had been invading her dreams. He always smelled so wonderful. He finally pulled her away from him to kiss her again. Gently, at first, then more insistently. Jill moaned softly as Mike's hands began a slow exploration under her shirt. It finally took all of Jill's control to pull away from him. She leaned into him, breathlessly.
"You've never made love on a beach before, have you?
"No."
"Believe me, you don't want to. It's not near as romantic as it looks in the movies. Sand goes everywhere. Besides, I think it's going to storm soon."
"I don't think I can get you back to the apartment. I don't have that much self control."
"You should see the room where I've been sleeping. It has a brass bed and a fireplace."
"A fireplace, huh? I don't think things can get much more romantic than that. Do we have wine?"
"Yeah, I think Lt. Ryker has a few bottles on a rack in the kitchen."
"Then, I suggest we get your ride over there and head off down to the house. Otherwise, sand or not, we're not going to go anywhere."
Jill picked up her shoes and took Mike's hand tightly in hers' as they headed back to where the horse was still standing. Mike helped her onto the horses' broad back before he climbed up behind her. Jill thought she had never felt anything as wonderful in her life as Mike's strong arms around her as they rode toward the stable. Mike was impatient as he waited for Jill to take care of the horse, rubbing her down and giving her some oats.
When they got to the house, Jill showed Mike the room where she had been sleeping. He pulled her into his arms and began kissing her again as thunder rumbled outside the open window. When Jill once again pulled away from him, her eyes were shining brightly. She put her hand on his lips and he kissed her fingertips.
"I'm going to go take a shower."
Mike looked disappointed as she said this.
"I have to get rid of this sand and sea salt. While I'm gone, why don't you start a fire in here and get a bottle of wine from the kitchen."
"Do you need someone to wash your back?"
"No. I want the first time we make love again to be in that brass bed and not in the shower, although we can always save that for later."
"Just don't be done too long, because it's going to storm soon and I'm going to miss you too much."
"Okay."
Jill stood in the shower for a long time letting the water pelt down on her. She felt like crying she was so happy. Mike was back and he still loved her. Even after the long separation, he still loved her. That was all Jill ever wanted. She finally turned off the shower, stepped out and began to dry off. She slipped her long white gown over her head and brushed her long dark hair. She took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door and going back to the room she was now sharing with Mike. She didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't ever done this before. Mike was laying on one side of the bed with his head propped up on his hand when Jill walked in. He felt like he could never tire of looking at her, watching her.
The room was brightly lit up by the fire in the fireplace. Mike had also found some candles and had set them around the room. Jill smiled as she stretched out on the bed beside Mike and he handed her a glass of wine. She began to blush at the look in his eyes. He reached over and took her glass from her hand and set it on the night stand beside his own. Then he pulled her closer to him and began to kiss her once again. He slowly pushed the puffed sleeve of her nightgown over her shoulder and began to kiss her neck and shoulder. Jill closed her eyes and gasped as Mike began to kiss and nibble his way further down her body. Jill reached for Mike's shirt and began to unbutton it with slow, shaking fingers.
"You have me at a disadvantage, sir."
"How do you mean?"
"You're wearing more than I am at the moment. I'm afraid I'm going to have to remedy that situation."
"You need some help?"
"No, I'll take your clothes off with my teeth if I have to."
Mike began laughing as he once again pulled Jill closer to him. "Yeah, I bet you would. But, I can help you out."
Mike took her still trembling fingers in his hands and kissed them gently. Then, he pulled his shirt from his pants and took it off. Jill wasn't sure when the rest of their clothes melted off, but it seemed that they all of a sudden ended up in a pile by the bed. Their lovemaking was slow, at least at first, but it wasn't long before they both got caught up in the heat of the moment.
Mike slowed down his pace. Jill opened her eyes and looked up at him, wondering what was wrong. She smiled at the look on his face. She thought she had never in her life seen as much love as she saw in Mike's eyes at that moment. She pulled him down closer to her and began to kiss him. Her mind raced back to the first night they had ever made love, the night another storm had been raging outside. The night she had told him that she had some problems with sex.
Mike pulled her closer to him, waiting for his breathing and heartrate to return to normal. He looked down at Jill, wondering what she was smiling so mysteriously about. He kissed her with slow lingering kisses all over her face.
"What are you laying here smiling about?"
"I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"The first time we made love. The night I told you I had a problem with sex. Do you remember?"
"Yeah and I told you that you knew what went where and why. Milady, I don't think you have a problem, anymore."
"No, I don't think I have a problem, anymore. That must be what they mean when they talk about mind blowing sex."
Well, it was always pretty mind blowing, but now it goes beyond that."
He leaned down on one elbow to look down at Jill's face. "I think that was mind blowing, awe inspiring, spiritual, incredible...
"Are you going to run out of words anytime soon, Danko?"
"Not in this lifetime."
Jill reached down to touch him. "You recover quickly. And, to think Willie and Terry think you're old."
"I'm not that old, milady. Besides, I have a lot of lost time to make up for."
The second time they made love, time seemed to slow down. It seemed hours before either of them came up for air. Mike looked down at Jill's sleepy eyes and kissed her again before rolling over to one side and pulling her close to him.
"Are you sleepy?"
"Um hmmm."
"Then, go to sleep."
"You'll be here when I wake up?"
"Only for the rest of my life."
"I love you, Mike."
"I love you too, baby."
Jill woke up sometime later. It was still dark, but the moon was shining through the open window. The curtains were gently blowing in the night time breeze. Jill sat up and found her discarded gown by the side of the bed and slipped it back over her head. She didn't know why she had woke up, but now she couldn't go back to sleep. She looked over at Mike, peacefully sleeping beside her. She got up and walked to the window and sat there looking at the moon. She smiled when she felt Mike leaning his chin on her knee.
"Nightmare?"
"I don't know. I just woke up. Mike, can we go home tomorrow?"
"What? And give up this romantic setting?"
"The only romantic setting I want is in our apartment with you."
"Hey, I have something that belongs to you. This is the second time I've had to give this back to you. If I have to do it a third time, I'm going to staple it to your wrist."
Jill smiled as Mike put her bracelet back around her wrist and clasped it. She put her arms around his neck as he stood up and picked her up into his arms. She giggled as he began to kiss her again on the neck.
"Are you ever going to get enough?"
"Are you complaining?"
"Not me. I promised you earlier we could use the shower."
"Tomorrow. Right now, I don't think we're going to make it that far."
"The self control issue again?"
"You've got it."
"Mike, have I told you lately how crazy I am about you?"
"Not in about an hour."
"I love you so much, Mike."
"I love you so much, too, baby."
THE END