Saturday
Rae lay quietly in bed, she needed a lie in, so why was it that she was wide-awake at half past seven in the morning? Jesse was fast asleep by her side, she was enjoying just being beside him, but she would enjoy it more if she was still asleep, shut your eyes, Einstein, you aren't making any sense. Suddenly she had an idea. She got out of bed, headed for the kitchen and picked up the phone. She dialled her ex-husband's number and waited for somebody to answer it.
"Hello, who is it please?"
"John, honey, is that you? It's mum."
"Hi, you know you sound really American, you've never called me honey before! How's it going? Are you back at work yet?"
"Yes, I started back on Monday. I haven't stopped since. But today I get to stay home until eleven so I thought I would call you."
"Mara and Patrick are both out, but Dad's here, if you want to speak to him." Rae could hear the hope in John's voice so she gave in.
"Ok, just for a minute, then let me talk to you again."
"Rae, how are you?" He sounded friendly, but a long way away. She had no argument with the man, and was surprised at how good his voice sounded.
"Fine, tired, but fine. You?"
"Good. The kids miss you, Rae; I miss you, too. I need to talk to you. Rae, I've met somebody else, somebody that the kids really like. I wanted to be the one to tell you."
"Oh, Tony, I'm so glad, did the children tell you that I had, too? His name is Jesse, and he's a doctor. He makes me very happy. I hope you're happy, too."
"I am and yes they did tell me. Listen I've got to go, I'll put John back on. Oh, Rae, take care of yourself, ok?" Rae heard Tony call out for John and realised how good she felt for him.
She saw the post come through the door. On the top was an envelope the same as the one she had received yesterday. Oh, God, he knows where I live!
"Mum, are you still there, Mum?"
Rae tried to pull herself back together for her son's sake. "John, I'm sorry. Listen, I've got to go. I'm really sorry. I'm moving into my own apartment on Monday. I'll ring you from there; let you have the address and everything, ok? Take care sweetheart… Yeah, I love you too."
Rae put the phone down, she realised that her hands were shaking. She hadn't had time yet to tell Jesse what had happened yesterday. They had both been so tired that they'd fallen asleep almost as soon as they got into bed. She tried to compose herself. She had no intention of opening the envelope until Jesse was awake, so there was no need to worry about it yet. She put the water on to boil and started up the coffee machine. Then she went and had a shower, suddenly she felt itchy.
As she stood under the water jets she found that instead of it calming her, her panic was increasing. If he knew where she lived he could be watching her right now. He would know when she moved into her new place. But at least it would put Jesse in less danger. She thought of her gun on the nightstand and that made her feel even worse. This time last week she had never fired a gun in anger, now she had killed a man and she knew that if she came face to face with her stalker, she would have no hesitation in shooting him either.
As she came out of the shower room in search of some clothes, Jesse was sitting on the end of the bed, waiting for her. He stood up and pulled her towards him. She smiled a small tight smile, and he took her in his arms and began to kiss her. With difficulty Rae put her thoughts to the back of her mind, she could feel Jesse beginning to respond to her, and she tried to do the same.
Jesse ran his fingers through her hair; he'd been waiting nearly all week to do this. He pulled her back onto the bed with him and began to put his tongue into her mouth. She felt different to him, but he couldn't work out how. He ran his hands down out of her hair and his fingers began to trace patterns down her shoulders. He was careful not to touch her neck, because she'd told him that she couldn't even begin to let anybody touch her there. Rae started to stir under his fingers and he brought his mouth down over one of her breasts. Slowly they started to move together, there was no urgency about it. He had no inkling of what she was going through, and she tried to open herself up to him. Jesse moved his hand down towards her legs, but Rae knew that she just couldn't cope with it this morning.
"Jesse, please, don't!" She rolled away from him, but not before he had seen that her eyes were full of tears. "I can't do this, I'm sorry."
"Rae, honey, what is it? Is it me? Did I do something? What's wrong?"
"No, Jess, it's not you, I just can't talk about it right now." Rae ran her fingers through her hair; and, suddenly embarrassed to be naked before him, she grabbed her clothes from yesterday and pulled them on.
It was that more than anything that worried Jesse, they hadn't been together very long, but they had always been completely at ease with each other. He put his hand out to her, but she wouldn't take it. Suddenly he was angry, he'd told her that he was here for her, but she wouldn't let him in. "Rae, for God's sake, what's the matter with you, can't you trust me? Look at me, talk to me, now! I can't deal with the way you keep shutting me out. I love you, Rae, but I can't help you if you won't let me!"
"I can't do this, Jesse, I'm sorry."
She got up, and ran out of the room. Jesse heard the main door open and close, and she was gone. He sat there; he had no idea what just happened. He grabbed his clothes and pulled them on as he walked out into the living area, his mind whirring, trying to work out if it was something he'd said or done. As he walked over to the coffee machine he saw the post on the mat, and picked it up. There were three bills, and a large brown envelope, addressed to Detective Inspector Reagan Yeager. He wondered whether it had anything to do with her behaviour. He doubted it, but he just had to know.
He knew what he was going to do was wrong, but he picked up a kitchen knife and slit the envelope open. There was a letter inside it, and three photos. There were two of Rae and him, one of them was when they were going to get the groceries, and they'd been messing about with the trolley carts in the parking lot. The second one was of them walking into the station the morning he'd driven her into work. The third was of Rae and Steve also at the station. He hadn't see Rae in that outfit before. He thought a moment; it must be what she'd worn when they went to find out about photo shops. As he was about to look at the letter the phone rang.
"Rae, honey, is that you?" Jesse's voice was full of concern.
"Jesse, no it's Amanda, I guess she isn't there then?" Amanda's voice had a smile in it; Jesse's heart sank a little further. He was about to ruin her day.
"No, Amanda, she walked out on me about half an hour ago. There's something really wrong here. Look could you meet me at the beach house, I need to talk to Steve and Mark, and I don't want to do it on the phone."
After Amanda had agreed, Jesse dialled his best friend and waited for him to answer.
"Sloan here."
"Steve, it's Jesse. Listen, I need to come and see you, it's about Rae. Could I come now? I asked Amanda to come as well."
"Yeah sure. Jess, is she all right?"
"I don't know, Steve, she isn't here right now."
"Ok, come over, I'll be waiting for you."
Jesse picked up the envelope and put the pictures and the letter back inside. He realised too late that he had put his fingerprints all over it. Then he headed for his car and made his way to Malibu, he put his phone on his lap and kept ringing Rae's number, but he got no reply.
Steve was waiting for Jesse when he arrived, and they went into the house together. About five minutes later Amanda arrived with CJ and Dion.
They sat out on the deck and the boys watched Saturday morning T.V. Jesse began to speak. "I've tried to call her, but it just rings and rings, I don't know what the matter is, and I can't reach her. I don't mean on the phone, I can't get her to open up to me, to speak to me… I don't know what to do." He put his head in his hands. "I love her, I just want to help her. I don't know what's wrong, but I know it's serious. It is serious isn't it, Steve?" He looked over at his friend and Rae's partner; the worried look on Steve's face did nothing to ease his fears.
"She's got a stalker, Jesse, and she's scared, but you know what she's like, she won't admit it."
"Steve, she's out there on her own! I have to go back and find her. Anything could happen to her."
"There's no need to do that, Jess." They spun round to see Rae standing at the top of the small flight of steps that led into the living area. He held his arms out to her and she ran gratefully into them, finally the tears came and she let him see how scared she really was.
Mark went quietly into the kitchen to make her a drink, Amanda moved the boys down to Steve's apartment and turned the television on down there for them. Steve followed them down and, rather sheepishly, put his hand in his jacket pocket. "This is why Jesse couldn't reach her on the phone!"
"Oh, Steve! Why have you got it?"
"She gave it to me, because she didn't want to answer it any more and find it was her stalker. He has her cell number!"
"Oh, I see. Jesse's right, this is serious, isn't it, Steve?"
"Yeah, it is, there's more than you or Jesse know. I think we had better go upstairs and talk about this; she's going to crack otherwise. I need her on the case we're working, and more to the point, she needs to be on it."
They walked back up the stairs together. Amanda walked over to her friend, who was sitting on the sofa with her head on Jesse's shoulder. "Rae, you know we're here for you, don't you? We won't think any less of you, if you tell us when you're frightened or scared. You're our friend and we love you." She could see that Rae was still resisting the advances of her friends. "Put it this way, if it was me being stalked, you would want to help all you could, wouldn't you?"
Rae nodded, and a small smile played on her lips. "Well, that's how we feel. We want to help, please let us." Rae stood up and Amanda hugged her. "I value our friendship, it's new and special. I want it to continue."
"Thank you, Amanda, I'm sorry, I just find it so difficult to open up, I've never done it, sometimes because there was nobody to listen, sometimes because I didn't know how to, but mainly because it has always seemed a sign of weakness to me and I can't afford to be weak." She sat down again; the confession seemed to take a lot of effort.
Steve came over to Rae, "Have you told Jesse any of what happened up until yesterday apart from the hang up calls?" When she shook her head he continued. "Then I think it's about time you did, don't you?"
"Yes, I guess so." Slowly Rae told Jesse about the flowers, and the vicious call she had got yesterday. When she mentioned the photo and the letter that came to the station Jesse remembered the one they'd received. He'd left it in the car. He went quickly out to get it and was soon back.
"This came this morning, did you know, Rae?"
She nodded, "Yeah, that was what finished me off. He knows where I live, Jesse, more to the point, he knows where you live, and he's a jealous man, I can't risk you getting hurt, thank goodness I'm moving out on Monday. Did you read the letter or look at the picture?"
"I haven't read the letter, and there were three pictures. Do you want to see?"
"No, but I will." They headed back to the table and Jesse took the stuff out of the envelope again. "Sorry, Steve, I didn't think about fingerprints until it was too late. I just opened it."
"Never mind, it's too late now, hold things by corners, and we'll dust it later. We dusted the one at the precinct, and there weren't any prints. So, what have we got this time?" Steve was trying to be detached about it, even though he felt anything but. Jesse spread the three pictures on the tabletop. "We had this one yesterday," Steve pointed at the one of him and Rae.
"Nice outfit, you don't dress like that for me!" Jesse smiled over at Rae, and got a small smile in return.
"When were the other's taken?" Steve looked at them.
"Hold on," Mark picked up one of the pictures, and turned it over. "This is date catalogued on the back. It was taken at the supermarket on Tuesday. The second one was taken of Jesse and Rae at the station on Thursday morning and the one of Steve and Rae was taken on Wednesday."
Rae looked horrified. "He's following me all the time! Doesn't he have a job to go to, or a life of his own?"
"Probably not, he is living his life, through you."
"Oh, great! Mark, what am I going to do?"
"Have you got in touch with the station to report this officially?" Rae shook her head. "Right then, that's what we're going to do first. Steve, can you get started on that?"
Steve nodded and picked up the phone. "I'll get an officer to come to the house, you can talk to them here. Then maybe if you think you need it we can get a threat management team out to discuss what you can do.
Jesse had been reading the letter, now he got up. "I'm going to see what I can find out on the Internet, honey, maybe we can get some information. I haven't had to deal with this before, none of us have. We could do with a little help."
"Jess, what did the note say?" Jesse shook his head. "Jesse, I have to see it, please." He held it out to her and with trembling fingers she took it. She began to read it out loud.
"Did you think I don't know where you live? I know everything important there is to know about you. You drink herbal tea, you like Michael Ball, you wear nothing when you're in bed. I see you all the time, because you are mine. Warn your doctor friend, his time with you is limited. You will know when you won't be able to see him any more. Does he know that you kiss so many people every day? What does he think of you in that photo with Steve, does he know he sleeps with a TRAMP!? I have warned you, but only because I love you. Things will be different when you live with me."
Rae's hand had covered her mouth when she got to the part that said she slept in the nude and she had read the rest silently. She thought she'd been scared before, but she knew that was nothing to how she felt now. She handed the letter to Steve and then got up and walked out to the edge of the deck. There were quite a few people on the beach. The day was bright and clear, just the type of day she would have liked to spend on the sand, but now she felt hounded and victimised. She looked around, any of the people down there could be the one, could be her stalker. She shivered; she knew she wouldn't be able to relax enough to enjoy the beach for a while, whoever she was with. She felt a hand on her shoulder; she jumped and turned round to see Steve standing behind her.
"Rae, I'm sorry. I phoned the station. I spoke to the Chief and I'm going to go in a bit later, he would like you to come as well if you feel up to it. The officer will see you here first; she'll be about twenty minutes. Why don't you go and lie down in your room until she gets here?" Rae just nodded; she was glad that the Chief wanted her in. Maybe she wouldn't dwell so much if she had other things to do. But Steve was right; twenty minutes on the bed would be very welcome.
Jesse got up from the computer and walked over to her. "Come on, if you'll let me I'd like to stay with you."
"Yes, please." She smiled at him and they walked off together. Once they'd got inside her room, she closed the door and turned back towards him. "Oh, Jesse, I'm so sorry I caused you so much pain this morning. I do love you, with all my heart, and even though part of me wants you to go away from me, so that you won't get hurt, I don't think I'll be able to get through this without you."
"I've told you before, I'm not going anywhere. Now come on, lay on the bed and I'll stay with you." Rae did as she was told and made herself comfortable on top of the covers. She smiled at him, and he lay down beside her. Rae shut her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She must have been successful; because the next thing she knew Jesse was gently stroking her face and calling to her. "Rae, sweetheart, the police officer is here to see you. Rae, come on, baby, it's time to wake up."
She slowly opened her eyes. She couldn't remember why she needed to talk to an officer, and then it all came rushing back at her. For a moment she was so overwhelmed by the feelings that her head started to swim and she thought she was going to pass out.
"Rae, Rae, come on, sit on the edge of the bed and put your head down for a minute, you'll be ok."
Steve, who had been standing by the door, indicated for the other police officer to come into the room. He wanted her to see how this was affecting Rae; because he had a feeling she would find it very difficult to share her emotions with the officer herself.
The officer's name was Jan Burlington. She was an experienced female officer, and spent most of her time helping the victims of rape and stalking incidents. She walked over to where Rae was and crouched down in front of her. "Detective, can you look at me?" Rae nodded and looked slowly into a friendly, concerned face. She'd seen the officer at the precinct, but she didn't know her.
"I think you and I need to talk, don't you? Can you do that now, or would you like me to wait a few minutes?" She saw Rae concentrate on getting her feelings under control.
"Yes, I can do that. I think I need to do this now, before I become completely unhinged." Jesse was amazed, he hadn't ever heard Rae speak like that to a stranger, he felt his confidence rise. He stood up.
"I'll see you in a while, honey, ok?" He leant over and kissed her on the lips, and Rae put her hand up and gently touched him. Then he left the room and took Steve with him.
Jesse walked over to the computer, went back into his search engine and started to get some information on stalking. He was amazed at the number of sites that there were. Soon he had printed out about fifteen pages of information. He went into the kitchen, made himself a coffee, picked up the pile of papers and went out to read them in the sunshine.
Rae and Jan sat on the bed, and slowly Rae explained to her what had happened to date. She'd got her feelings a little more under control now and she was lucid and concise with her explanation.
Once Rae had finished Jan put her hand over hers. "I know you're scared, Detective, you wouldn't be human if you weren't. But he will slip up, and then we'll get him. You're lucky, because you're a cop, and he's sent or delivered things to the station, everything has been catalogued for you. Now we'll discuss what we're going to do to make you feel safer. I think it would be a good idea if we went back into the other room so that you can discuss this with your partner."
Rae smiled at her, "Which one?"
"Pardon?" Jan looked a little puzzled.
"Well, Steve is my partner at work, and Jesse is my partner, for ever I hope." Rae smiled, it was a friendly open smile, and Jan did the same. They walked back into the main house, and out onto the deck.
"You have a beautiful house, Lieutenant, what a wonderful view," Jan Burlington looked out at the waves as they smoothly met the sand. "Just the place to come to at the end of a stressful day."
"Thank you, and it's Steve."
"Jan."
Steve smiled. "This is my dad, Dr. Mark Sloan, he is a medical consultant to the department, Dr. Amanda Bentley, who is a county pathologist, and, Dr. Jesse Travis, who's my business partner and Rae's well, everything partner, I guess."
Rae felt herself blush, but she knew that Steve had read the latest letter. There really wasn't any reason to do so.
"So, Jan, what can you tell us, from what you've heard so far?" Mark looked very concerned. He couldn't believe that this was happening to Rae so soon after her attack by Leticia Howard.
"Well, I think that Rae has what we would call a predatory stalker. This type of person enjoys the power and control that he can gain from stalking. He tries to learn all he can about his victim, and he certainly seems to have done just that. He may have a history of sexual offences, and he could cause harm to Rae, Steve, Jesse, or maybe all of you, if he gets the chance. While you're over here from London, Rae, can you carry a gun?" Rae nodded. "I know that most of what I'm going to say will worry you, all of you, but I need you to realise the seriousness of this situation. So I will go through everything, and answer your questions as I go, is that ok?"
They all nodded. Jesse moved his chair round so that he was sitting next to Rae, and took her hand in his. Jan saw this, and smiled at him. She knew that they could be being watched at this very moment. Every time Jesse made physical contact with Rae he was increasing the potential danger to himself, but she also knew that Rae would feel more relaxed with him next to her.
"Right, first of all, even though I know you don't think so, you probably know the person who is stalking you. So all the preventative measures I discuss with you, you'll need to remember, whoever you're with. Anyone who's paying you more attention than you want, be extra cautious. You're a cop, you work on initiative and intuition anyway, so heed it, if you are scared or wary of somebody, then get the hell out!"
Rae was listening intently to what Jan was saying, but another part of her mind was trying to put a face to the person who seemed intent on ruining her life.
"Has anybody asked you out recently, or been too friendly, and you've had to let them down gently?"
"No, the only person who has asked me out is Jesse, and I said yes. You're saying that anybody who makes friendly overtures to me could be my stalker?" Rae stopped talking, she ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly everybody had turned into a bad guy. She was a friendly person and she hated it.
"What did you do with the flowers that he sent you?"
"I took them down to Steve's car. We were going to drop them off to the hospital for someone who didn't normally get any flowers, but we got so busy that we forgot and they ended up in a dumpster."
"Well, I would say that he certainly saw you with them, when you left the station probably. He would have been waiting for a reaction. Whether he saw you dump them I don't know, but I doubt it. I think you would know if he had. Next time, just get rid of them."
"Ok, but maybe he won't send me any more." She didn't really believe this, but she said it anyway.
"Is he likely to send her anything dangerous?" It was Jesse that spoke.
"I don't know, Dr. Travis, his letters seem quite threatening and he suggested violence on the phone, but sometimes, that's as far as it goes.
"Oh, I see. And it's Jesse." He smiled at her, but she knew that he was worried. She had a feeling he needed to be.
"He's taking pictures of her, lots of pictures, so he is obviously somebody who has time to follow her around. You need to contact the police if ever you see anything suspicious. I know you are the police, but you need to get in touch with me, ok? Don't think that because you're a cop that you can handle it yourself. You can't. I wouldn't dream of handling a homicide investigation on my own, I wouldn't have the experience. You haven't either."
"What can we do about the mail he's sending me? What about a private post office box?"
"Yeah, good idea. You need to make sure that all your private details stay that way too. Keep all your credit cards details to yourself. Have an email address that doesn't identify you."
"You know I hadn't thought of half of this. I'm getting scared, and it's not happening to me." Amanda had been sitting quietly next to Mark; Rae noticed that he had his hand over hers.
"I'm sorry, Amanda, I didn't mean to involve you in all of this." Rae smiled apologetically at her.
"Hey, it's all right, don't worry about it. I want to help, and I can't if I don't have all the information."
"I hope it goes without saying to lock all your doors and windows, make sure that you have blinds up at your bedroom and bathroom windows. Do you have any pets?"
"Just Jesse!" Steve looked apologetic, but he couldn't help it. Rae stuck her tongue out at him. Then she smiled. She was glad that he could joke it made her feel better.
As Jan went to start speaking again, Rae's cell phone started to ring. Steve went to pick it up, but Rae stopped him, "No, I'll do this."
"Hello?"
"Well, good afternoon, Detective, how are you? … Well never mind, I prefer to do all the talking anyway …"
Rae signalled to Jan and she put her ear up to the phone. They could both hear the distorted voice on the other end.
"I saw you chatting with all your little friends. You won't need them for much longer. Remember, when we're together it will be just you and me, baby. I like the clothes you have on; you wore them yesterday, didn't you. You seem to have another friend there today. I haven't seen her with you before, but I'll find out why she is … still nothing to say, babe? Enjoy your day at the beach then, ciao."
Rae shut off the phone. "He was here, somewhere out on the beach. He was watching us. She stood up and threw her phone across the deck. It shattered and pieces of it went everywhere. "How dare he do this to me! This is my life, not his." She walked away from them and started down the steps to the beach.
Steve put out his hand to stop her. "Don't worry, Rae, California was the first state to enact anti stalking legislation, you'll be ok."
Shocked at the naivety of his statement Rae turned on him. "Oh, that makes me feel so much better! I'll be ok! Do I look ok? Steve, the law can't do anything to help me. It can't protect me in my own home, or my work place, which is a police station for God's sake! All it can do is offer me the chance to get a restraining order, but I have to know who's after me to do that." Rae shrugged his hand off her arm and headed down the steps.
"Go after her, Steve, she shouldn't be on her own. Not on this beach, it's too open, he could get to her too easily." Jan was concerned, but she knew that she would be of little help at the moment.
Steve ran down the steps after her, and with his long legs, he caught up with her in just a few strides. "Rae… Detective, I'm talking to you! I suggest you stop walking, before I arrest you."
"Oh, so you can arrest me Lieutenant!" Rae's voice was raised; Jesse and Jan could hear every word from the deck. "I am the victim here, somebody is invading my life, and the only thing you can do is arrest me! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"
Rae moved away from him, and then started to talk again. It was as if the distance between them made the words easier to say. "I feel vulnerable, Steve, it's not a feeling I'm used to and I don't like it..." She trailed off.
"Rae, I'm sorry, I know this is difficult, but we will get him. I promise.
Rae turned and began walking away again. Steve tried to reason with her.
"Rae, I understand how you feel, but..."
"You understand, hah! How can you possibly understand? Look at you; tall, strong and male, you haven't got any idea. Get real, Steve. You're working with your hands tied behind your back. Oh, just leave me alone. Go back and talk amongst yourselves and Leave Me Alone. Let him come and get me, maybe then you can do something to help."
"Detective, I will arrest you, for interfering in a police investigation."
"You wouldn't dare!" Rae turned to him, he recognised the blazing look in her eyes, and he continued to goad her.
"Just try me, walk away from me and I will take you in, for your own safety." She took another step, and Steve grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. She began punching and thumping his chest.
Jesse was watching from the deck, he saw her turn on Steve and went to head down after them. Amanda put her hand on his arm. "No, Jesse, let Steve do it. He doesn't love her the way you do. Let them finish this themselves." The phone rang inside the house. Jesse took a deep breath and willed himself inside to answer it.
Steve stood still, she wasn't hurting him and he let her continue. He could see the tears pouring down her face. His heart went out to her; he knew how hard it was for her to cry in front of him. After a few minutes the anger had been used up, and gradually the thumping subsided, but the sobbing didn't. Steve held her in his arms and gently he eased her onto the sand. They sat together for a long time. Slowly the tears stopped as well, but still neither of them spoke. They both knew that there was no need.
Eventually Rae turned her face up to his. "If I stay here any longer, I'll fall asleep. Thank you, Steve; I couldn't have done that with Jesse. I would have hurt him even more, and I can't do that to him."
Saturday How could I have let myself get involved with such a slut? The first time I met her she seemed so nice and friendly, but now I know it is just an excuse to get every man to herself. I stood this afternoon and watched her fight with her partner, and then they lay down on the beach and went to sleep together. I could have got rid of him right there and then, but it's no fun if they don't know what is happening to them. Still, I got some nice photos of them together. I wonder what her doctor friend will think of them. Nothing probably, he is so stupid, he thinks she loves just him when she flirts with everybody.
About half an hour later, Mark walked down the beach towards them. He didn't want to interrupt, but they had been outside for just over an hour and Officer Burlington had already had to leave to go back to the precinct.
"Rae, sweetie, are you ok?" There was no response. When Mark looked down at them, he realised they were both fast asleep. Part of him wanted to leave them there, but he knew that it wasn't safe for Rae to be out here in such a vulnerable position for so long, or Steve for that matter. He put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Son, you need to wake up." Steve jumped.
"What, Dad?" He couldn't believe he had nodded off. He looked down at Rae; she was still in a deep sleep. He sat up slipped his arm underneath her and with a little effort gently lifted her up. Then he followed his father up the beach. As he got to the top of the steps Jesse, came rushing out of the house.
"My God, Mark, what happened? Is she ok?" He looked across at Steve, who was holding Rae so easily in his arms, but it was Mark who put his finger to his lips. It was too late however, and he could see her stirring in Steve's arms.
"She was only asleep, Jess, she's fine." Steve put her down on the sofa and she stretched.
Rae had a half smile on her face, "I guess that wasn't very safety conscious was it?" She looked at her watch, "Good grief, we're going to get fired, Steve, it's gone four in the afternoon!"
Steve looked horrified. Jesse spoke up. "Hey, it's fine. The Chief called, Mark filled him in on what was happening, and he said to come in at eight tomorrow instead of today. I hope that's ok, because we said it was!"
Amanda came up with the boys from Steve's apartment. Rae smiled at them, they had been so good down there, she'd forgotten they were even here. "Hey, guys, how are you? How about I shout you a trip to Disneyland, when Uncle Steve and I finish our case? To thank you for being so good today?"
Dion and CJ looked puzzled. "Why are you gonna shout, Rae, what did we do?" Dion turned to his mom and then back to Rae.
Rae smiled at them, "Oh, sorry, if you shout something in England it means you will pay for it. I will take you to Disneyland when this is all over, ok?"
"Oh, yeah!" Dion's face was split with a wide grin
"Cool!" Both boys' faces were beaming.
"I guess that's a date then. I'll let your mum know when Jesse and I can do that, ok?"
"Uncle Jesse too, great!" CJ touched Rae's hand and she smiled down at the boy.
"Rae, you don't have to, it's so expensive there." Amanda looked concerned in case Rae was unaware of the costs.
"I know, Amanda, but I can't do it for my own children, so this is as much for me as for CJ and Dion." She turned to Jesse.
"You know, I think we could go back home now. I wanted to tidy up my apartment while there was no furniture in it. You could even give me a hand if you like." She smiled at Jesse. "Don't say anything, Jess, I'm not going to let this guy push me around." She sounded much braver than she felt, but she knew that she wanted to get the apartment sorted out and her life as well.
By the time they had said their goodbyes, and Rae had assured Steve that she would be fine it was a quarter to five. She had suddenly remembered that her car would be ready, and so they had headed over to pick up Tom. Now she was following Jesse home, happy once again in her little car. She parked it where it could be seen from both apartments. She'd had an alarm fitted to it, and she set this. Then she headed for the stairs.
Jesse was waiting for her, and as they walked up the steps together Rae realised that this is how it would be from now on. She would be living permanently in this building, and whenever they went out together, they could come home together, too.
They went into Jesse's apartment first. There was a brown envelope on the mat, Rae saw it and took a step back. "No, not again."
Jesse picked it up. "It's alright, Rae, look." He held it up and she could see that it said 'Jesse's Lady' on it.
"Sorry, Jess, I'm just so spooked right now." She opened it and inside was the key and a new home card. Rae smiled and put them down on the counter. Then she put out her hand, and Jesse took it. She pulled him towards her and kissed him hard on the lips. She ran her fingers over his shoulders and enjoyed the moment. As she opened her eyes, she saw him looking intently at her and a laugh burst from her lips. "What, what did I do?"
"You know, I think I'm going to have much more fun with you than I ever did with Miss Diego!"
"Hey, you'd better! Come on, grab a cloth and the Hoover and we can get started next door." Rae had bought some cream cleaner and cloths when they went shopping, they'd been for Jesse's apartment, but they would do fine for her own.
She smiled and took the key in her left hand. Then she walked across the hallway and opened the door. As she entered Jesse could see her eyes grow wide. He followed her in. Where there had once been shelves covered in all of Miss Diego's knick knacks there were now white shapes on an off white wall. "It looked clean when all her stuff was in here, but now look at it, uugh!"
She went over to the counter in the kitchen, and put the bucket from under Jesse's sink on the side. She let the water run warm, and then she half filled the bucket. She walked over to the wall, squirted the cleaner into the water, and then rung out her cloth. She wiped it across the wall; the effect was instantaneous. "Thank goodness for that, at least it won't take long to get off. What's the rest of the place like?" The bedroom was the same as the main living area you could see where the pictures had been on the wall, even where the tissue box had been on the windowsill. The bathroom was fine; the presence of the steam had kept the dust and grime at bay she guessed. Still she would clean it from top to bottom anyway.
When she went back into the other room she couldn't see Jesse anywhere, "Jesse, where are you? This place is too small to get lost in!"
"Under here," a muffled voice sounded from behind the kitchen counter.
"What are you doing?"
"I started to clean the cupboards under here, but I think I must've got caught somewhere, because now I can't move!" Rae went around him to try and find out what the problem was. She soon saw. There was a hook hanging down from the top of the cupboard. Jesse's sweatshirt was hooked over it and where he'd struggled, he now couldn't move, either backwards or forwards.
"You know I could leave you there, then I would always have something to stand on when I needed to reach the top cupboards, or a seat if I got tired while cooking. I could keep the laundry basket on you, or stack my newspapers there. If I got a cat it could be its feeding place, Oooh the options are endless." She reached into the cupboard and tickled him under the arms. He jerked upwards and Rae heard his head hit the top of the cupboard.
"Ow! Rae! Ok, the fun's over, could you please release me before I seize up completely!"
"Actually, I think it would be easier if you just took your top off." Jesse started to struggle out of it. By the time he'd got both arms out Rae was in a heap in the corner, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks. But when she saw that he was only held in by the neck of the top it was a little too close to home for her and she eased him out of cupboard and into her arms. But she was still giggling and the release was enormous for both of us! This time it was Jesse who stuck his tongue out at Rae. Still laughing she went back over to the wall, and carried on getting rid of the marks.
It might have been an easy job, but it was almost ten o'clock before all the walls had been wiped down. Rae then started to clean the carpet with the vacuum cleaner, "You know, I think I need to hire one of those foam cleaner things. This carpet is supposed to be the same colour as yours!"
"We could get one tomorrow, then the carpet would have two days to dry before the furniture arrives."
Rae smiled at him. She was feeling much more relaxed now. She was no fool, she knew that her invisible 'friend' could be watching her, but she had got herself back under control, and she wasn't about to let him spoil her time with Jesse.
By ten thirty they had both had enough. Rae locked the door, and they headed back to Jesse's.
"You know the journey back from your place sure is lousy, I'll have to plan in advance to make sure I'm not caught up in traffic!" Jesse smiled over at Rae as they sat on the sofa, a drink each. It had been an exhausting day, both mentally, and physically, and they were both quite drained. Jesse took a breath. "Do you fancy a shower?" Rae smiled over at him, and nodded her head. He took her hand and walked towards the bathroom.
They went inside and shut the door. Rae realised that she was safe in here; there were no windows. She began to kiss Jesse, and as she went to take his top off she could feel the bump at the back where it had been caught up. She smiled at the memory and pulled it over his head. She ran her hands down his chest. He was a small man, not much taller than she was, but she liked the feel of his muscles beneath her fingertips.
Jesse looked over at this desirable woman whom he loved. He had a feeling that either Steve or himself might be called on to defend her in the not to distance future. There was no doubt in his mind that he would do whatever it took, to keep her safe, and with him. He took her clothes off slowly and carefully, and held her at arms length, "You're a beautiful woman, Rae Yeager. Come here." Soon they were kissing and exploring each other's bodies with a passion that would have been impossible that morning. Suddenly she didn't want to be safe, she was letting 'him' win that way. If they were careful she would be fine.
Rae leant towards his ear, "I want to go into the bedroom, we'll be ok, if the blind is pulled, won't we?" Jesse nodded, and went out of the room. Once he'd finished his task he came back for her and pulled her down onto the bed. "Jesse, please, just be yourself, forget all we heard today. I want you to make love to me, the real me, not somebody who has to watch her every move, please."
He moved over her then and began to kiss her on her eyes and then on her cheeks, he ran his tongue over her lips. He placed his finger on her face for a second and she opened her eyes. She watched him kiss the finger and then he gently placed it on her neck. It was the first time he had touched her there since she was attacked; she shivered. She put her own finger to his lips, and as he went to kiss it she moved it slightly away from him, he tried again, she kept moving it until his lips were brushing her throat. She looked at him, "I know you'll never hurt me." He was deeply moved by the intensity of her gaze, and the trust she had shown him. He placed his lips in the dip at the base of her graceful throat. He kissed it, just once, and then he moved on further down her body. He would return there, but not tonight.
Slowly he felt her body come alive under his touch. He ran his tongue over her breasts, and this time as he ran his hand down towards her legs, he felt her body rise, and open up for him. He placed two fingers inside her, and felt her tighten around him. As he moved he could see that she had tears in her eyes. He went to stop, but she looked up at him.
"No, I don't want you to stop." Her body moved in time with his, and her breathing got deeper. Slowly, she moved her hands down the sides of his body and gently pushed him onto the bed. As he lay there he felt her move his hand out of her, and her lips go over his hard organ. Her breath was warm and wet on him. She moved herself up and down until he felt that he was going to come undone and fly into a thousand pieces. She slowly and sensually moved her mouth up to his tip, then she moved away from him.
He opened his eyes, and saw that she was raised above him; she lowered herself onto him once again as she had the other evening. He heard her moan as she took him completely inside her, soon she was moving in a fast steady rhythm, and he knew that he was finished. "Oh, Rae, are you ready, honey? I can't hold it any longer, please... say you're ready." He looked at her, and he could tell by her face that she was.
She nodded, and then said, "Now, Jesse, now!"
That was all the encouragement he needed, he felt himself falling over the edge of something wonderful, and he heard her call out his name loudly. He could hear the tears in her voice, but he knew now that she would share with him what was wrong when she felt able. Slowly she rolled over, and rested her head on his chest. He could feel the emotion inside her bubbling near the surface, he wasn't sure if it would come out tonight or not, but she knew he was there for her, and that was enough for him.
After a while Rae looked up at Jesse. She ran her finger down his face, and he looked into her eyes. What he saw there made his heart beat faster. Her eyes were full of all the love and trust he could ever need.
"Jess, I need to explain a few things. My feelings are so mixed up that when we make love, and I give myself to you so completely, they escape and overwhelm me. I know you'll always be gentle with me. I trust you with my life, my soul and my heart, but sometimes I just can't share with you. I love you, Jess, I need you to be patient with me, please."
"Rae, shhh," He put a finger to her lips. "I'll be here, you know that, whenever you find you can talk, I'll listen. When you can't, I'll wait."
He put his arms around her and began to kiss her again. No words were said, or needed, they were together, and that was where they both belonged.
Saturday So, she's got a new apartment has she? I guess her doctor friend is beginning to realise just what she's really like. She won't get much chance to live there before she's here with me, but still I'll be interested to see how she lives on her own. I need to know that we'll be compatible, once she's with me, working for me and only me, she'll have plenty of time for cleaning and tidying. That is what women are for after all. I saw her this afternoon trying to make her friends feel sorry for her, because she was frightened by what I was doing. So she should be, she doesn't behave how a woman of mine should and until she learns her lesson she will continue to be afraid, extremely afraid. I had to write about her behaviour again, it makes me sad to have to do this but she deserves it. I decided to send it somewhere else this time, as she doesn't seem to have improved her manners and I have already sent her two letters.
