A/N: Hey all! Just wanted to say that I somehow or another managed to get the date & day wrong in the story – YET AGAIN! Geez, I have no idea how though. In the last Part (where Jessie nearly got raped) it said 'Thursday - 27th of March' I believe. Well it's actually meant to be 'Thursday – 30th of March'. SORRY!

A/N2: IndieMoviePrincess(Willow) for the subheading 'Infatuations'. - Sorry for forgetting to thank yah earlier!

Part 8: Salvage… Strive… Silhouettes…

Friday – 31st of March 2006 (10:30am)

JG Penthouse

Katie had spent the night, wrapping her arms protectively around Jessie as they both slept. At first Jessie thought that she wouldn't have been able to sleep after all that had happened, but she was wrong, for she felt much safer in Katie's arms and dozed off soon enough.

The next morning, Jessie woke up feeling empty, missing the feeling of Katie's arms around her. She turned around in her bed only to be greeted by an empty half of the bed. Jessie sat up, "Katie…" Jessie whispered, and received no response.

Jessie slowly slid out of bed and walked towards her door, she stuck her head out and looked around her now empty house, and she felt unnerved. "Grace… Katie…" Jessie called out, but only heard her own voice echo throughout the vacant house. 'Where are they…' Jessie began to tear again, she couldn't control it.

She quickly closed her door, feeling more secure in a smaller amount of space. She looked around her room, and saw a little yellow post-it stuck to her lamp, she paced her way over, and slowly took up the piece of paper.

It read: Morning Jess… Sorry…Grace and I had a meeting. I'll be back right after it ends. There's breakfast downstairs for you. Love, Katie

With only a simple little note, Jessie felt a lot less nervous. She smiled, grabbed her robe and went to take a morning shower, cleaning herself from the 'dirtiness' of last night, Jessie was so unraveled by the end of the night, she was too tired to shower.

11:30am

Just as promised, Katie arrived back at Jessie's house, just about the same time she finished her breakfast.

Door Bell

Jessie looked through the hole on the door, and saw her smiling girlfriend standing there, arms behind her back, waiting. She opened the door with the same goofy smile plastered on her own face.

"Morning!" Katie greeted enthusiastically, trying not to bring any unhappy thoughts into Jessie.

Jessie laughed, "Morning," as she allowed Katie to walk in through the door.

Katie somehow or another maneuvered herself in some angle as she walked in, just so Jessie wasn't able to see what's behind her back. After Jessie had closed the door, she turned her attention to her girlfriend, who was still standing there looking absolutely suspicious. Katie brought her right arm from behind, and revealed a single thorn-less red rose.

"For you…"

"Thank you…" Jessie said looking at the red rose now in her hand.

"One thorn-less red rose means…" Katie scratched her head as she tried to remember what it means.

Jessie looked expectantly at Katie, knowing her girlfriend's tendency to have a short term memory lapse.

"I remember! It means love at first sight and that…" Katie said excitedly at first, but her tone changed, "I love you…"

Jessie's grin grew as she kissed Katie on the cheek and pulled her into a hug. "I love you too…" She said into Katie's ear, her breath lightly brushing against it, causing Katie to shiver.

Grace walked into the house and closed the door, not even noticing the other two's presence. Well, at least not until she turned around after putting her shoes away did she see them on the couch making out, and caressing each others face. She stood there for a while, wondering how long it would take them to realize she was home. A minute… Two minutes… Three… and they still didn't detect her presence.

They were so overwhelmed by the love they felt for each other, it was as though they were in their own little bubble, their own world. Even if Grace had wandered in, to them, they were still on their own.

"Jeez you two… need to be any cuter?" Grace finally said in disbelief.

The two jumped up off the couch with the speed of lightning, both rocked a little before they were balanced. At that moment, they resembled something like little kids being caught stealing a cookie.

"Grace… You're home…" Jessie said dumbly.

"Yah…" Grace dragged out, looked at her watch, "For about four minutes now."

"Four minutes!" Katie asked rhetorically not hiding her initial surprise.

"Uh huh… anyways, I shall be off, you guys can continue on… er… whatever you guys were doing." Grace teased as she made her way up stairs, "But please… not on the couch. I still wanna enjoy TV on it."

3:00pm

Katie decided that Jessie needed some fresh air and do something to loosen up a little. It took a while, but in the end, Katie finally swayed Jessie into going out to lunch with her. Following lunch and coffee, they ended up strolling along the streets of New York City, hand in hand, window shopping… occasionally actually walking into the shops.

Jessie asked conversationally, "When did you and Grace meet?"

Katie was looking at something, but still answered, "Uh… Back in high school… same English class for two years."

Jessie noticed Katie's attention was on something in the shop, she turned her head and tried to see what Katie was seeing. "What are you looking at?"

Katie didn't answer the question, she only said, "Come on…" as she pulled Jessie into the shop.

"Uh… Why are we in here?" Jessie questioned, looking around the shop.

Katie yet again didn't answer, but only asked for assistance, "Hey. Excuse me…" Katie waved to an employee. "Could you please get that coat," she pointed towards the window, "in the size for her?" Katie asked, pointing at Jessie.

"No problem madam," the employee scaled Jessie up and down without having to even measure a single thing, "I'll be right back."

"Mind telling me what you're doing?"

"Getting you a new coat…" Katie answered in a 'well, duh,' sort of tone.

"Why, might I ask?"

"It suits you…"

"I haven't even tried it on." Jessie replied dubiously.

"You don't have to… Everything would look good on you – even if it was a garbage bag." Katie said, trying hard to stifle an upcoming burst of laughter as she imagined Jessie in a garbage bag, but was utterly futile.

Jessie lightly slapped Katie on the arm, "That's not funny…"

"Ow." Katie rubbed where she had just been hit, but continued to laugh. Jessie pouted, crossing her arms in front of her like a little child.

"Aww… You know I meant it…" Katie cooed, paused for a second. "As in the 'Everything looks good on you' bit," she said making quotation marks in the air with her hands.

The employee came back with the coat in the size she thought was best fit for Jessie.

"Here you go madam. If you need any help just ask me," she said as she handed the coat to Katie and walked off to help another customer.

"Here, try it on," Katie said to Jessie, as she unbuttoned the coat and opened it for Jessie to slip into.

What made things more convenient was that they were standing right before of one of the many mirrors in the store. A few of these mirrors reflected another mirror at a different spot of the shop, which may reflect yet another mirror one also.

Jessie turned around, now facing the mirror, she slipped her right arm first into the open coat held by her girlfriend, and subsequently slipping in her left. She adjusted the coat until it felt comfortable enough for her liking. Jessie looked herself in the mirror with the grey, shin length, trench coat.

'Guess Katie was right… I kinda look okay in this.' Jessie thought to herself.

'Wow. I knew it! It's perfect… like it was made for her.' Katie stared at Jessie's reflection in the mirror. Out of the corner of the mirror though, a small something caught her eyes…no, it was more like someone was staring at them. However, they were too quick, because by the time Katie shifted her attention to the reflection, that anonymous someone had already left.

'What the hell?' Katie searched the shop, turning her head everywhere but saw no one. She then realized it was kind of hopeless, because she became aware that the mirrors reflect one another.

Jessie looked at Katie's puzzled expression, "Something wrong?"

"Huh? Uh… No." Katie replied shaking her head. Quickly changing the subject, "You look great in this…"

Jessie smiled, leaving that subject behind for now – She wasn't in the mood to be all therapist-like over her own girlfriend. Katie returned her smile. She ran her eyes up and down the blonde, nodded her head lightly and said "It's now yours."

A/N3: Just giving those who actually read my fic the heads up. The next part is gonna continue straight from this one.