The annoying sound of the phone finally penetrated Adam's senses. In between kisses, he whispered, "The phone's ringing."

"Hmmmm?" Gwen realized what he had said and whispered back, "Let the machine get it." Her left hand caressed his neck and moved around to his neck and down his chest. Her right arm was still wrapped around his neck.  

Adam started to lean her back on to the sofa, when they heard the voice on the answering machine. "Um… Hello, Professor Ambrose, this is Sgt. Crutchfield with the campus police. Would you please call us as soon as you get this message? A couple of offices have been broken into and vandalized. Yours is one of them and I…"

Gwen pushed Adam back, reaching for the portable phone on the coffee table. "Hello? … Yes, this is she…. What? … Okay. I'll be right there." She hung up the phone and turned to Adam.

Before she could say anything, he stood up, "I'll drive. Go get your shoes. I'll get your coat."

When they reached the campus, there were several police cars outside the building that housed the Near Eastern Studies department. Gwen and Adam hurried toward the entrance, only to be stopped by a campus security officer who asked them to identify themselves. Once they were cleared they ran up to the second floor to Gwen's office.

The glass on the door had been broken to gain access to the locked office. All the items on the desk were on the floor and the bookcases and file cabinets had been overturned. The two wooden chairs that sat opposite the desk were in pieces. Fluorescent orange paint had been sprayed haphazardly all over the room.

Gwen stood surveying the destruction that had been her office. There was virtually nothing that was in its proper place. Sgt. Crutchfield asked her if she could tell if anything was missing. 

"I… I don't know… I mean it's hard to tell with everything…" she stammered, tears forming in her eyes. "I took my laptop home, but my other research could be in this mess."

Adam wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "We'll go through everything when the police are finished." 

"Were you working on anything if a … sensitive nature?" the sergeant asked. "Anything someone might want to steal, I mean?"

"No…. I mean I don't think so," Gwen replied. "This isn't a very competitive field. Most of my research is on the Sumerian mythologies. Not really a hot topic."

"Hmmmmm," Crutchfield mused. "Well, Dr. Pierson lets go look at your office. There's a lot of damage there, too."

Gwen spun around to face the sergeant, "Adam's office? Were any others broken into?"

As they walked down the hall he replied, "Nope. Just these two. Why?"

Gwen's breath caught and she closed her eyes. "The blue Honda," she whispered.

"What?" Adam and Sgt. Crutchfield asked together.

Taking a deep breath, Gwen looked up at Adam and then at the sergeant, "Someone's been following me … for a couple of weeks… in an older blue Honda."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Adam wanted to know.

"I wasn't sure at first. I saw it on campus frequently and I just assumed it was a student," she told him, "but then I started seeing it at the dojo and…"

Sgt. Crutchfield let out a long slow breath. "Okay. I'm going to call the city police in on this," he said. "This is something… This is more than campus security needs to handle."

As he turned to make the call, Gwen leaned into Adam. He pulled her to his chest and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they stood this way until Crutchfield addressed them again.

"They're sending someone over," he said, hanging up the phone. "They're going to want to ask you some questions and stuff. You might want to wait in the hall… You know… preserve the crime scene and all."

They moved into the hallway and settled onto a bench, Adam's arm still around her. "I should have told you… I didn't think … I didn't want…" Gwen stammered.

"I know," Adam said, tightening his hold on her. "I noticed him about a month ago. I've followed him to make sure he didn't do anything to you. He's not…. one of us."

Gwen looked at him in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?!?"

"I didn't want to worry you," he said softly. "He's not immortal and until today, all he had done was follow you around. He didn't seem to be too much of a danger."

"Until today," she said slowly, turning her face up to his, fear in her eyes. "He saw us together all day. Adam…"

"I know," he murmured. "I thought about that, too."

Half and hour later they both looked up as a uniformed city policeman came down the hall toward them. He was speaking into a radio, requesting someone from the crime lab come out to process the scene. He stopped a few feet from their bench as he finished his instructions to the dispatcher.

"You two must be … Ms. Ambrose and Dr. Pierson," he said, checking his notes. "I'm Officer Simpson. I see we've got some vandalism here. Any idea who might have something against either one of you?"

Gwen and Adam exchanged a glance, before Adam answered, "We don't know of anyone specifically, but there has been a man following Gwen."

"And when did you notice this, Ms Ambrose?" Simpson asked. He peered at them, taking in the way Adam's arm was tight around Gwen's shoulders and Gwen's hand rested on Adam's leg.

Hesitating for a moment, she replied, "A couple of weeks ago. He drives a medium blue, older Honda Accord… A sedan… I usually notice it behind me, so I didn't get the license plate number."

"It's J-K-G 5472," Adam said quickly. "Arizona tags."

"Juliet, Kilo, Golf, five, four, seven, two, from Arizona," the officer repeated as he wrote on his notepad. "And just how did you come by this information, Dr. Pierson?"

"I noticed this guy before Gwen did," he told him. "I followed him a few times to see what he was up to."

Simpson regarded him for a few seconds. "Okay. Can either of you give me description? Hair or eye color. Did you ever see him out of the vehicle?"

"Every time I saw him he had on a hat… a baseball cap," she said. "And in the day time he wore sunglasses. I never saw him out of the car." 

"Same here," Adam agreed. "I wish we could tell you more."

"All right," the officer continued. "We're going to dust for fingerprints and take some pictures. We'll need to fingerprint both of you to eliminate those prints, but we can do that in the morning. Then you can clean up and see if anything is missing."

"Do you need us for anything else tonight?" Adam wanted to know.

"I don't think so," he replied, "but why don't you leave me a numbers where you can both be reached."

When Gwen had repeated her phone number to the officer, Adam told him, "I'll be there as well." Seeing the look of relief on her face he asked, "You didn't think I was going to leave you alone, did you?"

Simpson considered this for a moment. "I wouldn't recommend being alone at all until we get this guy," he said. "He's gone from stalking to vandalism. No telling what it'll escalate to next."

"Thank you, officer," Adam said, shaking the man's hand. Gwen echoed his sentiment and they headed for the exit.

When they returned to Gwen's duplex, Adam opened a beer and settled on the sofa. Gwen, on the other hand paced around the apartment, fidgeting nervously. She moved around the room needlessly straightening things until Adam finally stopped her and pulled her down onto the sofa with him.

"Gwen, look at me," he said. "Whoever he is, he's not going to hurt you. I'm going to be right here."

She gazed up at him for a moment then leaned her head on his chest without speaking. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. They sat that way for a while in silence. Finally, Adam asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm just tired."

"You should get some sleep," he told her. "You've had a long day and it is pretty late."

Gwen nodded and stood up. She took Adam's hand and said, "Come on."

"Are you sure?" he asked, clearly surprised. "I mean … I can sleep on the sofa."

She stammered, "I … I just…  want you close to me."

Nodding in understanding, Adam rose from the sofa. "Okay," he said simply. "I'll check the front door and get the lights."

"I'll look to see if I have an extra toothbrush," she told him. 

Adam went to the front door and looked out at the street. He didn't see the now familiar blue car, but knew that there were several side streets with a view of the duplex. Just as he moved to turn out the lamp, Gwen emerged from the bedroom.

"There's a toothbrush in the bathroom," she said, "and a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that should fit you. I'm going to get a drink of water, then I'll change."

The bathroom door was still closed when Gwen entered the bedroom. She crossed to the bureau and pulled out her pajamas. While she waited for Adam to come out, she picked up her brush and pulled it through her thick hair. She was still brushing when the oldest immortal finally emerged in a blue Duke t-shirt and gray gym shorts.

"Oh, good," she said, "they fit."

Looking down at himself, he nodded, "They'll do, I guess. Thanks."

Gwen hesitated a moment, then grabbed her pajamas and headed for the bathroom, "I'll just get changed now."

As soon as the door closed, Adam turned down the bed then looked around the room. She had a small bookcase that was overflowing with volumes, mostly ancient history, and several more stacks off to the side. Her two guitars we propped up against the wall along with a smaller case. There was a picture if whom he assumed was Gwen's mother and a family photo taken while she was obviously in junior high school. There was little else of a personal nature to see in the room, so he climbed into the bed.

The bathroom door opened to reveal Gwen dressed in loose purple pajama bottoms and a black form fitting tank top. She smiled slightly at the sight of him in her bed and she took a deep breath before joining him.

"I didn't know which side you slept on," Adam said. "I figured the one closest to the door…"

"I usually sleep in the middle," she told him. "But, yeah, more to this side."

She reached up to turn off the lamp then leaned back on the pillows. She stayed that way for a few minutes then rolled onto her side facing Adam. "I … I just want to thank you … for staying with me, I mean. I don't know what I … " her voice broke, a tear escaping from her eye.

He reached out and brushed a lock of hair away then stroked her face. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said softly. "Come here." Her pulled her closer to him, one arm under her neck, the other around her waist. Gwen snuggled up to him and hugged him. Within a few minutes she was sound asleep.