Chapter 36 Love Hurts and Heals
"Texas, I … I don't understand, you want to give us Oak Place?" Rae knew it hadn't been that difficult to comprehend, but she wanted to hear her friend say it one more time.
"Yes, I've talked it over with Steve, an' we are agreed, you love that house, we love you, we want you to have it." Jo smiled at Rae; the conversation with Steve had been short and sweet, just as Jo had known it would be. Steve had told her that it was her house to do with as she pleased, then he had kissed her passionately on the lips and thanked her for asking what he thought.
"Jesse, what do you think?" Rae looked across at her husband, who was staring down at his youngest daughter, now fast asleep on his lap.
"I … I don't know, Rae." He began to speak softly but then realized that it didn't make any difference; he couldn't wake his little girl with words any more.
"Texas, Steve, this is just so generous, but we need to talk about it, I hope you understand." Rae suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, and it wasn't something she was used to feeling, especially around friends as close as these.
"Of course, it's a big thing to throw at you, I understand that, you take all the time you need." Jo was disappointed, but she tried not to show it, she stood up and then the six of them made their way back into the house and through to the hallway.
"Steve, I'm gonna go into the station tomorrow instead of today. I wasn't scheduled to go in until then anyway, that's ok isn't it?" Rae looked at her partner and saw him nod.
"Yeah, I may do the same, seeing as Daniel hasn't made an appearance yet." Steve let go of Eliana's hand and checked his watch again, it was now a little after two and he was getting extremely annoyed. So far he had resisted the temptation to call Kelly's Gym, not wanting to spoil Jo's big surprise, but if the boy didn't turn up in the next thirty minutes he would do just that.
"Texas, thank you, whatever we decide, thank you so much." Rae took her friend into a hug and kissed her gently on the cheek, I love you too, very much." Rae then looked at Steve, what she felt for him went further and deeper than she could ever explain, he smiled at her and she went over towards him, moved into his arms and he held her tight. "Thank you, Steve; I don't know what else to say." She stood on tiptoe and kissed her partner on the cheek, she felt his lips as they brushed her face in return and she enjoyed his closeness for just a few seconds more before she turned back to her husband. The happiness and security she felt emanating from her friends dipped a little as she realized that Jesse couldn't bring himself to join in with her. He stood, Anneya still in his arms, awkwardly waiting for Rae to walk home with him.
The journey back to Oak Place was a quick one, Anneya was fast asleep in her stroller and Eliana, who must have realized that there was something going on, had remained almost totally silent since they had come in from Jo's garden. They walked back through the gates of the house that could be theirs and Jesse watched as his eldest daughter ran from him onto the grass and then he looked at the building itself, it was beautiful, quite old, the patterns which had been put into the brickwork catching his eye as they'd always done. Suddenly he had to speak, had to have his say. "Rae, what are we doing?"
"Pardon? Oh, well, we're going to go inside and talk over what Texas just said."
"Why?" Rae had touched him, held him in her arms, but he still hadn't touched her, not since she had hurt her hand and he had been in doctor mode and afterwards when it had somehow seemed easier, but now, very slowly he reached out and rested his own hand on her arm.
"Why? Because we have to talk about it, we can't not." Rae felt his touch and reveled in it.
"No, I mean why are we coming home to talk about it, you love this house, I love this house, why on earth would we talk about it, why can't we just say yes?" Jesse looked at her, he suddenly wanted to laugh with her, to pick her up and swing her around, they had just been offered the perfect way to begin to rebuild their shattered lives and they were going to talk about it, he couldn't believe they needed to do that.
Rae looked at him, something was different, something had changed, she had no idea what, but if the house was a way to start their healing process then she would take it, in the way it was offered, with both hands. As she laughed Rae looked over at Eliana, she had sat down on the grass and she was picking daisies and throwing them up into the air, Rae was about to join her daughter when she heard Jesse laugh too.
"My God, look Rae, this is our house, but even if we had just been given a shack by the nearest creek I would still want it if … if," Jesse stopped talking, scared almost to say what was in his mind.
"If what? Jesse?" Rae forgot her little girl instantly, she was suddenly frightened; frightened that his mood had changed back to the unreadable one and she wasn't going to like what he wanted to say.
"If I was going to share it with you." There he'd said it, now he just had to wait.
"Oh, Jess." Rae moved closer to him, she wanted him to take her into his arms, to kiss her, touch her, anything, but she knew that she couldn't push him, and so she just smiled. "I guess we'd better go and tell them, hadn't we?"
"In a minute, just give me a minute." Jesse looked at her; he had never gotten over how beautiful he thought she was, or the fact that she loved him. He didn't need the house, or anything else, but he did need her, and his children, and suddenly he needed something else, he needed to be close to her, physically close, so he held out his arms and she moved into them, and then he was kissing her, his hands running through her hair, her body molded against his, and Jesse knew that wherever they had been standing he would have been home.
ooo
The hallway had seemed suddenly empty and very cold. Jo shivered and was relieved when Steve took her into a hug. "Honey, it's a big thing you offered, and I know you wanted them to say yes right away, but they have to talk it over, just the two of them."
"Why? She's my best friend, I just want to help." Jo had tears on her face now; she was so disappointed that it hadn't gone like she had imagined it would. She had thought that Rae would have just said yes, would have laughed, and then the papers could have been signed, the house and everything in it would have been hers and her family's and everything would have been light and happy.
"Shhh, it's ok, I know whatever happens Rae will never forget what you did for her, or offered to do for her, and you have to remember that." Steve leant his head against hers, the hair that he loved so much soft against his cheek. He could feel and hear Jo trying to get herself under control and so he gently began to rub circles on her back, "Come on, let's go and sit in the morning room, the sun is still out, we can look at your winter garden and just be together."
Jo nodded, not trusting her voice to hold. Steve was right, she knew that, but it still didn't make her feel any better. The sun shining through the window did though, and gradually, as she rested in her husband's arms, she began to see things with Rae's eyes. To be offered something as enormous as a house by anyone was probably a little out of the ordinary, but they lived in Beverly Hills, in a mansion and someone just handed them it on a silver platter. "I guess what I did was kinda scary, huh?"
For a moment Steve wasn't sure what his wife was talking about, but then he realized and nodded his agreement. "Yeah, it was, but your money has always been kinda scary to me, and I'm still here." Steve gently ran his thumb down the side of his wife's face, the smoothness of the skin warming him more than he could explain.
"You don't think I offended them do you?" the thought hadn't occurred to her until that moment, and she was suddenly worried.
"No, no I certainly don't think you did that. I've seen Rae when she's been offended, she was fine. Shocked, but fine." There didn't seem to be much use for words after that and for ten minutes or so Steve and Jo curled up together on the deep and comfortable sofa enjoying each other's company, just the two of them together in their house, which meant so much to both of them.
The sudden ringing of the doorbell broke the spell that they were under and they got up to see who was calling. The faces of Rae and Jesse could be seen beaming through the glass and Steve took the last few steps at a run to open the door and let them in and then Jo got the moment she had been wanting.
"Yes! Texas, yes, we want to say yes!" Rae was almost bouncing up and down and both Steve and Jo could see where Eliana got it from.
Rae was the happiest and most excited that Jo could remember ever seeing her friend, but there was more than just that, more than just the offer of the house, and as she looked over at Jesse she could see that something had changed there too, and when she held her arms out to him he came over to her and hugged her tight.
"Thank you, Jo, I am so sorry, I … I'm sorry." He tried to pull away but Jo held him fast.
"Oh no you don't, don't you dare try an' hide away again, you are settin' yourself free, I can see it in your face, you stay out here in the real world with the rest of us, we need you."
"Jo!" Steve tried to catch her eye, scared that she might say the wrong thing but his fear was brushed away when Jesse turned to him.
"No, Steve, she's right, I can't run and hide any more, but now isn't the time, that can be discussed again. We came right back because we realized we were going to go talk about something that we both wanted so much it was crazy to stay away any longer than we already had. So we're back and I want to say yes too, yes please, Jo, Steve …" This time his words ran out not because he was scared, but because the happiness inside was threatening to overwhelm him. Jesse held out his hand to Steve, and when he took it found himself enveloped in a bear hug. No words were spoken, but none were necessary, and Jo and Rae watched as the two men, who would never normally reveal their true feelings in the presence of others, showed, without the words they found so difficult, that once again their friendship had survived.
ooo
The coffee shop was crowded with Saturday shoppers and Dominic and Krista sat at a table by the door. He knew that she was the one, maybe closer than any of the others had ever been, and he was being very careful not to say, or do, anything that might frighten her off. He would have preferred a smaller, less popular, venue for their getting-to-know-you drink, but he also knew that because he was so successful, so all-powerful, it was fine this way.
"So, what do you do for a living?" Krista took a sip of her coffee, she was suddenly very aware that what she was doing was probably extremely silly and her previous bravado and confidence ebbed a little.
"Not a lot right now. I've been living in San Fran, haven't been here long, I'm just looking around, hoping that something will leap up and be just what I need."
"Oh, right." She looked at him, he seemed so nice, and as she took another drink she tried to remember what the guy killing blondes looked like. The artist's impression, which had appeared in the paper, could have been anyone. It was wise to take precautions she knew that, but since Derek had finished with her she had been too careful, she wanted some fun and what were the chances of her finding the nutcase?
"And you, what do you do?" Dominic could see her turning things over and over in her mind, and he wanted to get the conversation on a friendly footing.
"I'm a model, photographic, not catwalk. Mostly for my hair, I've done shampoo commercials too. Sometimes they just used shots of my hair, sometimes it was all of me."
"You know, I used to have a neighbor and she worked in catering, she did the meals which were photographed for magazines. You wouldn't believe some of the tricks they used." Dominic smiled again, finally a subject they could talk about together. He knew that he needed to get Krista to relax; he also knew that apart from taking a passing interest in her hair he shouldn't mention it.
"So, do I want to know or will it put me off food for life?" Krista had finished her coffee and Dominic raised his hand indicating to the waitress that they needed her assistance.
"Well, it depends. Some of the things were just for show, well all of them really." He paused for effect, "You know the high shine on certain pastries?"
"Yeah, not that mine ever look that way." Krista liked to cook, and she thought she was good at it, too.
"Try using varnish." Dominic smiled as he spoke, he loved telling this tale, it always got good results.
"What floor varnish?" Krista looked horrified. "Oh, yuck."
"Yep, floor varnish. I always thought working on those food shoots must be a dream job, you would get to eat everything at the end, but after what she told me, well, I went right off the idea."
"So, what else? That can't be the only one." The fears were diminishing now, and as the waitress arrived instead of asking for her bill, which is what Krista had planned to do, she let Dominic order her another coffee.
"Ok, do you cook soufflé?"
"Not when I have guests, and I'm guessing you're going to tell me how to stop it from collapsing into a little soggy heap."
This time Dominic not only smiled, he nodded too. "What you do is this. You still have to be quick, but instead of rushing to the table with it, you slice off the top with a very sharp knife and then stuff the inside with cotton balls, then you put them in the top as well and put it back on the base. Hey presto an un-floppable soufflé."
"But even if that were edible, which it isn't, you would then have a cold soufflé! They never look that way in the pictures." Krista was enjoying herself now, her coffee was half drunk again, but she wasn't interested in it any longer, the company was good, it was light hearted, and she was in no hurry to get home.
"Ah, then let me share with you my final piece of inside knowledge for the time being. If you want to take a picture of a meal that looks piping hot you get some poor little minion to stand just out of sight of the camera and puff cigarette smoke gently in the direction of the meal. When the pictures are developed you have a plate full of food that is steaming." Dominic blew softly and the steam rising from Krista's cup shuddered as it made its way skywards.
"The whole world is made up of the phony and the fake. Whatever happened to what you see is what you get? I can have my hair superimposed onto someone else's head in a magazine advertisement and three or four pages further along there is a picture of a beautiful meal which is totally inedible."
"Yeah, and in between there will be pages with photos of the rich and famous with their warts and all airbrushed out!" Dominic shook his head. He liked the world of the lie and the falsehood; it made his life far more interesting and his quest easier to follow.
ooo
The legal papers had all been signed, Jo had given Rae and Jesse the deeds to Oak Place and then Steve had brought out a bottle of very good champagne and a bottle of very ordinary non alcoholic wine for Rae and some milk for Eliana who had drunk it all down in one go, climbed onto the sofa and fallen asleep. They had toasted each other and a future of happy neighborly relations and were just sitting down in the morning room with the prospect of spending a relaxing late afternoon and early evening together when the phone rang in the hallway and Steve, with a sigh, got up and went to answer it.
"You know, I can't get used to seeing Steve answer the phone, it's just not right." Rae was sitting next to Jesse but they weren't touching. The fact didn't worry her, he had come a long way again today towards becoming the man she had married, and she knew that soon she would be able to cuddle up into his arms in the evening and just enjoy his company.
"I do have a butler for more than just answerin' the phone you know!"
"Oh we know, he gets the door too, and sometimes even the mail." Jesse's eyes were sparkling and his voice was light and free.
Jo stuck her tongue out at him and was just about to make another comment when they all heard Steve raise his voice in the hallway.
"What? Kelly, slow down … no, of course, I don't and you know that … I can, but maybe this time he should actually have it done to him for real … never mind I'll explain it to you another time … That isn't the point … Kelly … no, I guess I wouldn't have done … ok, ok, I'll be there, but don't expect me to be nice … yeah, bye." The phone was slammed into its cradle and then Steve strode back into the morning room and hurled himself into his chair.
"I think it's time we took these two young ladies home." Jesse began to get to his feet but Jo shook her head.
"No, Jess, it's ok. You don't have to go. I'm guessin' that was somethin' to do with Daniel." Jo watched her friend sit back down and then looked at her husband as he nodded his head.
"Which one of us said it was a good idea to let him to go Kelly's gym?"
"You, darlin' if I recall correctly."
"Actually I think it was you who suggested it … anyhow that's immaterial now. Apparently he's been a real pain all day and he just punched Doug's lights out, and sent him to the hospital."
"What?" Jo jumped to her feet, but the quickness of her movements coupled with the newness of her pregnancy made the entire room begin to swim, "Ohhh." She felt Jesse's arm go around her and she leant gratefully against him.
"Jo, it's ok, sit back, that's it, lower your head, it's all right," the calmness of his voice and the feeling of the chair underneath her helped Jo to relax, and she felt Jesse crouch down beside her. "Before you, or that worry wart of a husband asks, this is quite normal, you just moved too fast, but I'll check you out in a minute. For now just breathe, slowly and evenly, that's it. Wonderful, there you go." Gently Jesse rubbed his hand in a circle on Jo's back, and then looked up into the extremely worried face of his best friend. "Wanna carry on with this while I go get my bag, then we can try to solve your other problem too?" Jesse stood up and moved back so that Steve could take his place, he turned to his own wife and smiled at her. "Honey, I'll be back in a minute, I just need to pop home." He smiled as he spoke; when he opened the door and entered Oak Place he would be the owner. Suddenly he knew that for the first journey he couldn't go alone. "Rae, grab Eliana, come with me. Guys we'll be back." He carefully turned the stroller and then the Travis family went home.
ooo
Daniel was prowling up and down in the very small office area of the Never Say Die Gym when Steve drew up in the parking lot. He watched his son for a second before climbing out of the car and then, trying very hard to keep his temper down where it belonged, he made his way towards the entrance.
The Venetian blind rattled and flapped as Steve opened and closed the door, causing the boy to turn and stare at him. Daniel's hands were stuffed into the pockets of his sweat pants, but Steve knew they were held in tight fists.
"Tommy won't let me go back into the gym, and Maddie won't even speak to me!" Daniel's voice came out in a torrent of hurt and for a second Steve felt for him.
"I'm not surprised, you flattened one of your best friends, which means there is no way Tommy will let you in, and Maddie is his sister for goodness sake, what did you expect her to do, applaud?" Just for a second Steve thought he saw embarrassment on his son's face, but it was a fleeting emotion. "Is Kelly still here?"
"No, he took Maddie to the hospital." The hands were still in the pockets, and the tone of voice was getting more and more hard done by.
"Tommy?" Steve looked around and then saw Daniel nod his head in the direction of the gym area. "There had better be a damn good reason for all of this." Steve watched as Daniel moved closer to the entrance to the main gym. He didn't want him with him when he spoke to Tommy. "Daniel, sit. I will be back, don't move until I've tried to straighten some of this out."
"No, Sir." Daniel sat down, and Steve shook his head, there was no respect in the boy's words, just a belligerence that Steve was getting very sick of. He walked through to the larger open space where the boxers and younger kids worked out and practiced. There were two extremely large men sparring in the ring, another two working on a punch bag, which, it seemed to Steve, they were showing very little mercy.
Over in the corner emptying the contents of one of the larger wastebaskets into a black sack stood Tommy Anders. He was tall, slim but muscular, with blonde hair that had a habit of flopping into his eyes at the wrong moments. Steve watched him for a minute, remembering the boy he had put under Kelly's wing, knowing that if he blew the chance he was being offered then it would be juvie or worse. Daniel had already gone that route, spending six months in juvenile hall before coming to live with him and Jo.
"Hey, Steve, I'm sorry we had to call you." Tommy smiled; Steve Sloan had saved his life, not medically, but definitely in every other way. "We tried to keep him grounded, but to be honest I'll be glad to see the back of him today."
"Tommy, he shouldn't have put you in that position in the first place, and in any case he was supposed to be home by half past twelve at the latest."
"Oh." Tommy shook his head. He'd always thought Daniel appreciated just what a strong family network he'd moved into, but maybe he was wrong. "If I'd known that I would have put him on the bus myself. Steve, whatever's wrong with him? He seemed fine, and then one day, bang."
"One day, as in not this day?" Steve was suddenly concerned that this wasn't the first time Daniel had pulled this type of stunt.
"He's been getting a little wild lately. We know wild, Steve, we deal with it all the time, normally we have an idea what's behind it, but not this time."
"What sort of wild? I know it too, but I thought he liked coming here."
"Yeah, me too. I don't know, it started small; a comment here and there, we either let it go or just had a quiet word. It was never enough to call you guys. But gradually, he's been getting worse, a low punch, not stopping when a towel is thrown, you know the thing." He trailed off, he'd been wild himself in the past, but he hadn't had Steve Sloan as a dad.
"Tommy, I'm real sorry, I won't let him come back until he gets his act together." Steve felt dreadful, he had been thrilled to show his son the gym, and delighted when he had started to attend regularly, but now the whole thing was leaving a very bad taste in his mouth, and he, like Tommy, had no idea why.
"No, Steve, don't do that, don't ban him altogether, Kelly gave him a week's suspension, let that do for now."
He thought for a moment before agreeing, maybe discipline from someone other than himself would be a good thing. "Ok, and thanks." Slowly, Steve moved back towards his son, calling out his goodbyes over his shoulder as he did so, trying to work out what he was going to say and do in a situation that was rapidly moving out of his control.
ooo
Rae had stayed at home and let Jesse return to see Jo alone. She had enjoyed walking through their front door with him and their children, and he had held on to her hand tightly as they did so. Her first job had been to file away the deeds to the house until she could get them to her lawyer. Gilbert had represented her in the past, but he was Texas's lawyer, and he charged very high rates. She and Jesse still had a very good firm representing them, but they didn't need a bank loan each time they put in a call.
Anneya had been fast asleep, but had stirred as Rae parked the stroller in the front hallway. She began to cry, not a full-blown wail but more of a whine and Rae had carefully put her hand on her daughter's arm before she picked her up so that she didn't startle her. It was almost half past four and Rae didn't want Eliana or Anneya to sleep any longer. Her eldest daughter had woken up as soon as Rae had tried to pick her up off Texas's sofa, but she was still looking bleary eyed.
Rae decided that the best thing to do would be to play and read stories for an hour or so, then cook dinner and do baths. The girls would be in bed a little after seven and hopefully she and Jesse could have a pleasant evening together in their new home.
For once things had gone just as Rae planned, and by eight the dishwasher had been loaded and was chugging happily in the kitchen, the upstairs bedrooms were quiet and Jesse and Rae were sitting in the breakfast room. By ten Rae had done a little work and Jesse had cleared some files and updated others. When all the papers had been put away, as well as the storybooks and games, both of them had sat in silence, just enjoying the good fortune that had befallen them. Finally though Jesse had turned towards Rae and smiled warily. "I guess it's time to go to bed, huh? You have to work tomorrow, and I have even more notes and papers to get up to date."
Rae nodded, she didn't want to ask Jesse where he was going to sleep, but every inch of her was crying out for him to come into the same room as she did. They turned off the lights, locked the main door, set the alarm and began to climb the stairs. As Jesse got to the top he turned and looked back down to the floor below, the small red flashing light of the alarm was the only thing breaking the darkness, but still he smiled and felt a sense of well-being settle on him.
Rae was already on the landing so she opened the bedroom door and walked in. All the time she was treading on eggshells, not wanting to put any pressure on Jesse, but what she was really doing was putting that extra pressure onto herself instead. Rae turned from where she was standing on the soft bedroom carpet and watched with relief as Jesse came into the room behind her. She smiled and so did he.
"This is alright isn't it?" He sounded unsure of himself, and Rae nodded her head.
"Jesse, this is where you belong, you know that." Suddenly she was tired, her whole body was calling out for rest and she must have looked it because Jesse moved closer to her.
"You should be going to sleep, not talking to me, come on, don't bother with a shower, just get undressed and get into bed; I'll try not to disturb you."
Rae did as she was told and a few minutes after she had snuggled down under the covers her eyes began to close and she drifted off to sleep. Jesse watched her, the way her hair now fell over her shoulders, the slight tilt of her chin, the softness of her skin, as she lay fast asleep. The sense of security he had felt the previous night came back to him and he put his arm around her before he too closed his eyes, and gradually fell asleep.
ooo
Jo had prepared dinner after Jesse had given her a clean bill of health and told her that it was just as he suspected, she had gotten up too quickly, had drunk a small amount of champagne and was also worried about her son. The three together had proved too much and she had felt dizzy for a minute, but there was nothing to worry about.
For the second night in a row the evening meal in the Sloan household had been a tense and unfriendly affair. Daniel had been sent to his room as soon as he and his dad got back from the gym and he had been told in no uncertain terms that he was grounded until further notice.
Now as she dished up the chicken and rice dish that she had made along with a helping of collard greens for each of them Jo tried to tell herself that there was nothing going on that needed to concern her until after they'd eaten. The look of hurt fury on her husband's face told her otherwise, but she hadn't been able to get him to talk to her as she prepared the dinner and she didn't really want another argument across the table at this meal.
"Don't give me any of that green stuff, I won't eat it." Daniel's tone was disrespectful and he stared his father down, as if daring him to say something about it. He wasn't disappointed.
"You will eat what is put in front of you, or I will serve it up again at breakfast." The words came out in such a controlled manner that Jo looked up from what she was doing, knowing that any minute her husband was going to blow.
"Well, you better be happy to do it over and over again, because I'm not eating that stuff, it stinks."
"Ok, fine, you don't eat the greens you don't get the chicken or the rice either. Jo, don't dish out any more; you can slide what you already had for Daniel onto my plate. And you, young man, I suggest you go to your room right now and stay there until you have worked out just why you are acting this way." Steve found that he had to keep such a tight rein on his temper that he could feel his heart beating in his chest, and his nails as they dug into the palms of his hands.
"Steve, no, he's a growin' boy, I can't let him go off to bed without a decent meal inside him." Jo could feel her emotions beginning to take her over again.
"Yeah, well, there's little chance of that, M's away, you're cooking." Daniel spat out his hurtful comment without ever taking his eyes off his father.
"Ok, that does it. Get up to your room now! I will not have you speak to your mother that way. And I don't want to see or hear you until you decide to become a productive and respectful member of this family again. Now go, before I take you up there myself." Steve stood, his chair crashing backwards as he did so. He could see that Jo was in tears and that just made his fury burn even hotter inside of him.
"Oh, and what are you gonna do, put the cuffs on me? March me up the stairs? Oooh, I'm real scared, Lieutenant, I've had it happen to me before, looks like I'll have it happen again, and you know what? I don't give a damn!" Daniel's chair joined Steve's on the floor as he turned and left the room, once again slamming both doors on the way to his room.
ooo
Rae looked around her, she couldn't see anyone, but she knew that there was danger, danger that no one could protect her from. The deep red carpet underneath her feet told her that she was on the landing, the landing of her new house but it looked different, it felt different, she was scared, why was she scared?
Rae felt for her gun, but it wasn't on her belt, she looked around her, frantically trying to remember where she had put it, and suddenly there it was, on the downstairs hall table, shining like a beacon in the night, and she knew that, to keep everyone safe, she had to get to it. The staircase seemed never ending, but Rae resolutely put her foot on the first step, and then the next and the next. Something else caught her eye; on the balustrades she could see the shiny metal of handcuffs, there were people cuffed to the poles. She ran lightly down, the stairs disappearing from underneath her to be replaced by the black and white tiles of the hallway floor.
"Rae, Rae."
"Rae, help me, Rae."
"Rae, over here."
The voices were familiar and insistent and Rae looked up at the faces of the two men held captive by her staircase. Steve and Jesse were struggling to get free, she could see the pain in their faces as they fought against the metal around their wrists, and she knew she had to get the key. "The kitchen, I'll try the kitchen." Her voice sounded loud in her ears, and she began to make her way across towards the door that she knew went into her kitchen.
Texas was standing there, a pile of papers in her hand, "Now, Honey, you know you have to sign all of these in triplicate before I can even think of lettin' you in here." The pen that Rae found in her hand was clumpy and old fashioned. She took the documents from her friend and put them down where the gun had been, it wasn't there any longer, and the pile of papers seemed to grow in height in front of her.
"Momma, Momma, talk to me, Momma." Anneya was there too, holding her arms up, wanting to be picked up, needing the comfort that Rae couldn't give her, she needed to get to the kitchen, get the keys, so that she could free her husband, that way he would love her again, he would be able to hug her and hold her close. She had to do that first.
"Wait a minute, Baby, Mommy has to sign these, she has to help Daddy." The pile didn't seem to be getting any smaller, but Anneya was getting louder and larger. Suddenly the papers were gone, the desk was bare and she turned, ignoring the cries of her little girl and crashed in through the kitchen door only to find that she wasn't home, not any more, she was outside, but Jesse was there, a knife in his hand, and behind him the garage he had been kept in was in ruins. He came towards her, the blade glinting in the sunlight as he did so, and she screamed.
"Rae, Honey, it's alright, it's just a dream." His wife moving around in the bed next to him had woken Jesse. First of all he had wondered whether she was feverish, the tossing and turning reminding him of those kinds of movement, but he realized as soon as he tried to touch her that she was in the middle of a nightmare. She wasn't calling out, but her hands were moving, jerking, he didn't know what she was doing, but something was obviously bothering her. Her feet had been moving, as if she was running, or at least moving fast, but now they had stopped, and then suddenly with a noise that reached into his very soul Rae screamed.
Jesse didn't know what to do, Rae wasn't awake, or she didn't seem to be, and he didn't want to scare her. Gently he placed a hand over one of hers moving on top of the covers, it was scrabbling, pulling at the sheets, but there didn't seem to be any reason for what she was doing. The screaming had stopped, and as soon as he touched Rae's skin the movements stopped too.
Someone had touched her, she was outside on her own, just as she had been in the house, there had been a knife, Jesse had been there with a knife, but as soon as the person had touched her he had disappeared, and so she carefully turned around to find him standing there, no danger to her, or to himself any longer, and as she moved towards him she spoke his name.
"Jesse." Slowly she opened her eyes, trying to focus on the face she had seen in her dream, and as she did so she heard him.
"Rae, I'm here, right here." His voice was soft, his touch was gentle, she turned to him, her body beginning to shake and without even thinking what he was doing he took her in his arms and held her close, not wanting to let her go ever again.
ooo
The scene had been perfect, a quiet park, a bench underneath a dusty street light which only put out a hazy glow, Krista had accepted his invitation to dinner at the end of a very friendly and enjoyable lunch. She had arranged to meet him at a small Chinese place he had read about and he had almost killed her right there when he saw how delectable she looked. Her hair was held back off her face with a tortoiseshell barrette but it only pulled back the hair above her ears, the rest still fell in a beautiful golden curtain down her back, past the waist of her dark cream pants and resting on the top of her gently curved behind.
Krista had also had on a dark blue shirt, silk Dominic had thought, which caught the light in a way that made it seem like a peacock feather.
They had chatted and laughed their way through dinner, wondering how the photographers would improve on the visual appearance of the meals they had chosen. The food had been beautifully cooked and presented and the evening had been a pleasant one.
Now though, as her lifeblood spilt out onto the path and into the water, Dominic collected up her belongings ready to make his way back towards his car. He had known that she was special, had thought all afternoon, as he had rested in his apartment, what he was going to do, and it had all gone exactly to plan. The meal, the walk in the park until they had found a dark and reasonably secluded spot, where they had sat together, talking, being friendly, no pressure or perceived danger, all had been just as it should be, and he had even wondered, for a moment, whether to let her go, to have a second or maybe a third date, but he couldn't, the voices which called to him, told him what to do, they were stronger than he was and, as always he'd finished what he had set out to do and, with a feeling of satisfaction for a job well done, he left her without a backwards glance.