Authors Note: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I'm happy everyone's enjoying this story. :)

Unbeta'd all mistakes mine.

She opened her door and Mort stepped in first, looking around. Alex shuddered, hearing something either outside or the rat finally dying off up stairs. "Up stairs?" He asked, looking up the stairs. Alex nodded. Mort climbed up the stairs and saw the open door, the lamp on the bedside table and rat dangling from the ceiling light fixture. He swallowed, before moving into the room, looking for a way for it to get up there. Alex appeared in her bedroom door way, looking anywhere but at the rat. She went over to her dresser and pulled a drawer out, grabbing some clothes from it.

Mort moved around the room, the window wasn't broken, the door on the balcony wasn't forced... So HOW did it get here... "Okay... I have everything..' Alex muttered, Mort looked at her, she was holding a small bag of clothes. "Ya sure?" He asked. She nodded. "I just... I wanna get away from that.' She pointed but didn't look. Mort didn't blame her. He nodded and they left, heading outside rather quickly. They walked in silence back to his cabin and he showed her the guest room upstairs. She dropped her bag on the bed. "Thank you again Mort. My day's been a living hell." She dropped to the bed, sitting there staring at the window. Mort was still standing in the door way. "Bloody Hell!" She started sobbing.

Mort grimaced and didn't know what else to do but come over and sit on the bed next to her.

"I just fucking found my husband cheating on me last night! I drove all night to get here, now this shit happens!"

"I'm sorry.." Mort muttered.

Alex wipped off her cheeks. "It's not your fault..." She said softly, almost glaring at the window. "I'm just..." She sighed. "In pieces at the moment, you could say." Mort nodded. "I understand, I really do." She thought for a moment. There was such honesty in his voice. And right now, part of her was willing to believe anything. Part of her was always bent on beleiving in SOMETHING. "It's rare to find someone who understands." Alex muttered softly, staring at her hands.

"How true." Mort muttered. "But there are some." He added, with an almost hopeful tone. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. He really had lovely eyes. Alex swallowed, NO no no no! She could NOT be fallign for him not now! NOT this soon, she was to fucking weak... She began to cry again. To fragile. It was true, it had always been true. "Ally.." He said softly, taking her hand. Which surprised even him. He wasn't accustomed to doing such things, not since....Amy. She looked up at him from behind the tears. "You'll have to forgive me, Mort. I'm.... Fragile to say the least as... EVERYONE puts it." He gave her a weak smile. "No one ever really said fragile was bad..." He said standing up. He had to leave the room before he did something he might regret later on, like kiss her. "You just....need someone to look after you." He backed out, pulling the door shut.

Alex didn't blame him, or stop him. She could probably stand being alone right now. So after a while, she got up, moving around the guest bedroom, opening her bag and pulling out a pair of pjs. She started to change into them, when she noticed the curtians on the window where still open. With a violent pull, she closed them, before changing into her pjs. After she put her other clothes in her bag, she glanced aroudn the room again. She wasnt' really exhausted, so she figured she'd....... Well, if he was going to bed.... God... She didn't really know.

But she left her room any way. The light wasn't on in his room, but there was still one on in the den down stairs. So she padded down stairs in her bare feet and approached the door of the den slowly. Mort was seated in the chair at the desk glaring at the computer screen. He had said something about writing before. "Are you... Famous?" She asked, grimacing as he jumped slightly. He looked up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.." She said, leaning on the door frame. He grinned sheepishly. "Not really scared me... I was just... Lost in thought. And about being famous...." He hesitated on answering that question. "I guess it depends. In the.... Writing community, yeah.. I'm well known." He answered, leaning back in his chair.

He had the ultimate veiw of her now. And he took her in. She was small, petite, pale skin. That long gorgeous red hair. Her apparence matched what she'd said earlier, about her being fragile.. She looked it actually. "Are you an abide reader?" He asked, getting up.

"Yes, actually, though... Not....I don't read a lot of sci-fi or horror... I scare to easy I guess." She sighed.

He chuckled. "I'm not either... Though I've writen acouple... Thrillers." He was chosing his words. She nodded, moving around the room, looking at the books on one table and realized that two of them where his.

"May I?" She asked picking one up.

"Sure." He answered, tossing her a smile. She leafed through it a moment before smiling her self. "I wanted to apologizes for...earlier... Before I turn in for the night." She said softly. "No need to apologize." He answered. "We all hit rough spots, ya know." She nodded, half turning for the stairs. "Thanks again Mort. You've been really kind..." With that she headed up stairs, Bear on her heels finally.

She'd read at least the first three chapters before she'd fallen asleep. It was some time after two in the morning when she'd turned over, half waking up. That's when she heard the light tapping on her window, like someone was rapping their fingernails on the window pane. She opened both eyes, staring sleepily at the window. The curtians still drawn. But she was becoming sure that someone was rapping on the window. There was no light anywhere, yet she could see in the gloom and she moved, sitting up, eyes still on the windows.

She got up, moving the blanket back and swung her legs over the side. The door to the bed room was cracked open and Bear wasn't in the room. But she was still moving towards the window. Her hand reached out tentively to open the curtain. She swallowed, her fingers closing around the material and she pulled it back in one swift movement. The view that met her was Rook's, he was grinning at her in a malevolent way and the scream escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Alex sit up gasping for air. A cold sweat had plastered her red bangs to her forehead. The room was dark, but not dark enough that she couldn't see the door was still closed. Bear was laying on the floor on her side of the bed sleeping and a light rain was hitting the window pain. She dropped back, groaning. WHY her?! This was a question she asked herself dozens of times. But never came up with the answer. And no one ever told her. She rolled over on her side, the tears already welling up in her eyes. She had been so sure she was in love with Jay..... Their marriage was perfect. Sure, they'd only been married a few short years, but they were so in love.... Or so she'd thought WHY couldn't she have seen it sooner! It would have cost her so much pain.

And she had to keep asking her self. Was she STILL in love with him. That had been why she'd come to the lake. She thought she could think here, but now this Rook...... If it kept up, she'd have a nervous break down, and where would that put her. God she was lucky she was a student right now. It helped a great deal, not having to deal with work.... At least not for a little while. She hadn't been sit on finding a job until fall. She had enough money in her bank account to last until late fall. She rolled back over and was about to try and go back to sleep when she heard a crash down stairs. Bear was already on his feet.

She frowned, she shouldn't go snooping about...but. She got out of bed, the house seemed cold for some reason. She shivered slightly and made her way to the door slowly, Bear right behind her. She opened it and poked her head out in the hall. There were no lights on. She headed slowly towards the stairs. And she didn't really hear anyone. But she climbed down the stair case never the less, heading for where she thought she'd heard the noise, the kitchen area. There were no lights on and she couldn't see anything. Bear was by her side, sniffing around. She entered the kitchen, glancing around. After first she didnt' see what had made the noise. Then she did. In the corner, near the back door, a shovel was laying on the floor, from where it had been propped up against the wall.

Alex moved over and picked it up, glancing out the window of the back door. The light rain and turned heavy and lightening was accompanying it. And at the moment the lightening struck, Alex turned white and the scream escaped her lips, Rook had his face in the glass, grinning the way he had in her dream. Bear joined her scream barking. But when the lightening faded, she couldn't see him. It didn't mean she couldn't feel him and she backed away, stumbling into something.

She was about the tumble to the floor when two hands grabbed her by the shoulders and she screamed again. "Alex!" Mort cried, turning her around. "Are you alright?!" He reached over onto the wall with one hand, turning on the light and Alex blinked. She looked from Mort to the door and back.

"I.....He....was standing right there." She pointed a shaking hand at the window in the door. Mort moved over to the door.

"Who?" He asked.

"Rook.... My stalker... He was standing right there.... Grinning at me..." Her voice softened considerably.

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Mort asked softly, turning on back porch light.

"NO!" She cried. Mort grimaced.

"I was just asking..." He said softly. Alex sighed heavily.

"No I didn't imagine it! Bear even barked!"

"I heard..." Mort muttered.

"What are you doing down here?"

"I heard a noise, I thought...." She wasn't sure what she thought. She glanced at the shovel, she'd let it drop right back to the floor. "That was laying there when I came down." She said, pointing. Mort picked the shovel up, shoving it in the utility closet next to the back door. "I don't even know what it's doing out..." Mort muttered. Alex was moving towards the kitchen table, still trembling.

She sank down in a chair, burring her head in her arms. "Alex..." Mort spoke softly, coming over to the table. She felt a cold nose on her leg and reached down, half expecting it to be Bear, but found Max instead. She smiled ever so slightly and scratched the mutt behind the ears. "Look Alex, I'd like to help you with this stalker any way I can." Mort said softy. "Why?" Alex asked softly, not looking up from scratching the dog. "Why do something like tha for a person you barely know."

He looked her in the eyes, she had green eyes. Pretty eyes actually. "Cause, in a way Alex, you and I are alike." He answered. She raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

"We share the same bad luck with spouses for one.... I....divorced my ex wife because she was cheating on me."

"Oh..." Alex muttered softly. She didn't want to pry.

"Or...she divorced me." Mort waved it off. "She said I was to invovled in my work, my writing...."

Alex frowned. "Well how else do you write? I mean... Unless you really focus on a story.... You can't..." She trailed off frowning. "I guess that's the same as painting anyway... Least with me.." She muttered. "Jay was always saying I put more into my painting then our relationship.... But I...." She shook her head. "No, Jay wanted me to change in every way. He didn't like my hair... My clothes.." She ended in a whisper. Mort shook his head. "You can't make someone change." He said strongly, as if he knew for a fact. "Besides... I've had my own stalker experience, so.... I understand again."

"You're poving to be the only person who does..." Alex muttered, now scratching Bear behind the ears. "So...let me help?" He asked softly. She looked at him. "I don't think I'm left with much of a choice... Cause.... If I do this alone...I don't think I'm going to make it out sane.... Or a live." Mort nodded, finding her hand on Bear's neck and he squeezed it for a moment.