A/N's: I want to thank you guys so much for reviewing my fic The Children's Crusade. I really like it so far, and it means a lot to me that you would take the time to read it. So, thanks so much!

Chapter Ten

By the time Dee had changed back into her jeans and was driving home, the bright sunshine had departed. A cold winter rain was beginning as she pulled into the underground garage.

All afternoon, Dee's unhappy eyes kept going to the silent telephone. Why didn't Dwayne call? Why didn't he come over? How could he be so passionate and loving one minute, so cold and uncaring the next?

It was dark when she went to her closest and pulled out a raincoat. The windshield wipers made an irritating sound as she drove across town.

Dee wheeled into the only space in front of the elegant French Quarter Tower, parked and jumped out of the car. Dee gave the uniformed doorman a charming smile and pointed upward, then shrugged as though she'd lost her key.

The man nodded and threw open the heavy glass door. Dee rushed inside, relieved. If she'd had to ring Dwayne's buzzer, she was not at all sure he'd have let her in.

Dee stood, wondering what had possessed her, on the nineteenth floor, just outside the door of Dwayne's penthouse. She knocked decisively.

"Yeah, it's open," came the irascible male voice.

Dee cringed and thought of fleeing. Cold hand on the shiny brass knob, she pushed the door and stepped inside. Slowly she closed it behind her.

It was dark in the big room. Only one light burned and it was an elbow lamp on a glass-topped table. A half-full bottle of Jack Daniels sat beneath it, a glass of the amber liquid beside the bottle. A dark hand slowly moved from the darkness to curl its fingers around the glass.

A faceless voice from the shadows said coldly, "Is there something you need?"

"Yes," Dee said resolutely, and shrugged out of her wet raincoat. She descended the three steps into the big pine-paneled room and walked toward the light.

Dwayne remained where he was, lounging in a leather easy chair. He wore no shoes, no shirt.

Dee stood above him, straining to see. "Can I offer you a drink? There's ice in the..."

"I don't want a drink, Dwayne." Dee warily took a seat on the big soft ottoman beside his bare foot. "And it's not like you to drink either."

"How the hell do you know what's like me?"

Dee looked into his angry eyes; then Dwayne leaned back into the darkness again. "You never used to drink, Dwayney-Boy."

"My name is Dwayne. Stop calling me Dwayney-Boy. I didn't used to do a lot of things, Dee. People change."

"Yes, they do. But, still, I-"

"This is the first time I've had more than one or two social drinks in over ten years, so if you're worried I've a drinking problem, kindly forget it."

"I wasn't. That's not why I-"

"Then what? Tell me, Dee. What are you doing here?"

Dee rose and swept around the big room turning on lamps. "I cannot talk to someone I can's see," she told a blinking, frowning Dwayne. She came back to him, dropped on the footstool, and said, "We have to talk, Dwayne. About what happened today in your office."

"What happened today? Did something happen today?

"Don't be flip with me, Dwayne Johnson!" Dee leaned toward him. "You know very well what I'm talking about. You held me and you-"

Dwayne sighed. "I'm sorry. God, you'd think I'd get tired of saying that, wouldn't you?" He smiled and looked up at her. "I am sorry, Dee. I was out of line and I behaved like a teenager whose hormones were raging."

"That's all it was?"

"What else?"

With speed and grace that surprised her, he leaned up and placed both feet on the floor, trapping her inside his bent knees. "Listen to me, Dee, because I'm tired of repeating myself. I gave you your first break because you were talented. Then I fell- Then I foolishly began a relationship with you because you were so damned sweet and irresistible. It's always foolish to get involved with someone you work with-it's downright destructive when that person is a young, willful girl with burning ambition and the skill to realize her dreams."

"There was nothing wrong with our relationship, Dwayne. What we had was-"

"Special?" he interrupted icily. His lips curled cruelly, his eyes snapping. He tossed down a long swallow of Jack Daniels and leaned back once more.

"It was special, Dwayne. It was. That last night was-"

"A mistake. A terrible blunder on my part, but I said, I'm a little sick of saying I'm sorry. Take all the wrongs I've done to you and make a list. Then I'll check it off with the right number of I'm sorry's."

Dee shook her aching head. "I don't want apologies, I want-I want us be like we were in your office this afternoon. I want you-"

"To take you to bed?" He leaned forward. "That it, Dee?"

"No, Dwayne, I don't want you to take me to bed," she said sadly, her bottom lip beginning to tremble. "I want you to make love to me. There is a difference, you know."

"Oh, really?" He lifted heavy brows. "Well, thanks, darling, for telling me. I had no idea. I thought sure..."

"Damn you, Dwayne Johnson. Don't you patronize me! What happened between us five years ago was an act of love-I know it, you know it. I'll never believe otherwise."

"So how in hell could you get out of my bed and catch a plane to the coast?" He was back up now, his face close to hers. "Answer that one, little miss authority on human relation!" His eyes were filled with fury. "My God, I couldn't believe it. I made love to you half the night. I told you over and over how much I loved you and I'll be damned if you didn't leave me without so much as a parting kiss. Can you imagine how I felt when I woke up to find you gone?" He shook his head as if to clear it.

Tears now streaming down her cheeks, Dee said softly, "Why didn't you tell me to stay? Why? I never would have-"

"Stop! Stop it," he said in a voice as cold as the rain streaking down the two-story glass behind them. "You're a great actress, Dee, but it wont work anymore, at least not with this boy. I've seen the movie, read the book, know all your moves, honey." Dwayne was started smiling. "You know, you're like everyone else, me included. You find it impossible to face the truth about yourself. Am I right?" Dee looked at him, tears falling freely. "You were ambitious and you got a great offer to go to L.A. Now, you'd have gone even if I'd begged you to stay, but since I didn't, it's a great little escape for you, isn't it? You can always piously tell yourself that everything is my fault. Big, bad ol' Dwayne took your virginity. Old loser Dwayne resented your success. Cold, uncaring Dwayne let you go away."

"Well, babe, just between you and me, let's face the facts here. You did exactly what you wanted to do. People usually do, though hardly any of us can ever face it. As for me, well you're right, I resented your success, was jealous of it. That suit you?"

"No, it doesn't," Dee said sadly, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "Dwayne, I wish I'd never...I want..."

"Too late, darlin'." He shook his head. "Way too late for regrets. But cheer up, Dee. You are better than ever on the air. It's just a matter of a few months that you'll be stuck here." Dwayne rose and walked to the tall glass windows. Looking out at the rain-soaked city, he said, "It's already the middle of October. We got into the Arbitron audience-rating period the first of November. By no later than mid-January, the book with be out. If we get good numbers-and I'm sure we will-you'll get a New York offer in no time at all." He lifted his bare shoulders and said, "Then that'll be it. You'll be back on your way."

Dee rose, walked to him and lifted a hand to rest on the small of his back. He flinched. "Dwayne," she said softly, "I'm leaving now, but I'll tell you something. When I get into my bed tonight, I'll be remembering how you held me and kissed me this morning." She paused and sighed. "And you know what, so will you." Dee let her hand fall away. Impulsively she leaned to him, kissed a bare shoulder blade, turned and hurried across the room to her coat.

Dwayne Johnson never turned around.