The Burden of Love: I know him...
by tarskeewee08
Walking in the door they laughed at his failure to skate. Evangeline dropped her purse and flapped her arms making the facial expression that John had before he went to the ground. He chased after her to stop her and she turned running and laughing toward her room. John caught her and lifted her from the ground while she squealed and fought him. He tickled her and she pulled his hair playfully causing them to fall on the sofa. He landed on her and they both laughed looking at each other.
Soon their laughter stopped and he was overcome with the familiar feeling of her being pinned beneath him. Her breath escaped her and blew across his lips and he could smell the vanilla lotion she used on her skin. Wanting her desperately he made no move to free her and he could feel her heart beating through her breast.
"Ummm John you going to let me up?" she chuckled
nervously
"Oh sorry" he said reluctantly rising. Evangeline
moved from under him and sat up. She looked at him somewhat
embarrassed. He liked that because it meant she felt it too.
"Well I guess I'll go shower" she said rising from the couch.
John
grabbed her wrist stopping her "You know that I want
you"
Evangeline looked down at him. "Yes I can tell you still
want me, we never had a problem in that area."
He let go of
her wrist "Sorry if I crossed the line"
Evangeline looked
down at him and smiled at his shyness with her. "Its okay John, and
if you want to go back to your hotel…."
"No! I mean no I'd
like to stay if you don't mind"
She smiled "Well if
you're going to stay why don't you sleep in the guest room and
give the couch a break"
John nodded "Yeah my back can't
handle it"
She laughed walking away "I bet"
He watched the sway of her hips as she left and could still smell her scent in the air. Sighing he fell back on the sofa and closed his eyes trying to recall the feeling of her. It had been a long time since he felt her. Even the memory of dream had faded. He knew it was selfish to want her physically, especially after everything they discussed today but he was a man. A man in love.
Listening he heard the shower and opened his eyes. Showers where his favorite and he fought the urge to make a fool of himself by trying to join her. Clenching his fist he rose to his feet and grabbed his things to go to the spare bedroom. Opening the door he smelled the cinnamon potpourri in the rounded dish floating in water. The walls were a cinnamon brown and so was the comforter sprinkled with red patchwork. John dropped his bag and went to the closet opening it.
He smiled to see it stuffed with her clothes and shoes. His baby had more clothes and shoes than anyone he'd known. He turned and looked at the photos that were on top of the night stand. Going to them he picked each one up studying it. He saw Nora and Layla posed with her in different settings. A picture of her with her mom and sister in their Sunday best and then he saw one of a pretty young black woman. It was Charlotte, she and Evangeline looked younger hugging each other tightly. Why didn't he know of her?
Placing the photo back down it occurred to him, when they were together he never questioned her much about her life or who her friends were before she came to Llanview. He spent most of his energies chasing behind Natalie and fighting with her trying to explain his divided loyalties. There's so much he didn't know about her.
Taking off his shirt he tossed it to the bed and blew out a breath. A cold shower could bring him some relief. At least he hoped so.
Opening his eyes in the dark room he looked up at the ceiling frustrated that he still couldn't sleep. Turning his head he looked at the digital clock and it read 3:45 am.
Earlier after his shower he sat in the living room with her watching the news. They had a news story on Charlotte and the blood drained from her face as they showed the high profile case of Cletus Jones release where Charlotte shoved reporters out of their way and Evangeline kept her arm around Cletus trying to get him through the crowd.
"You said she was working on his case again?" John asked
Evangeline nodded watching Charlotte giving an interview telling the reporters that her client was a victim and that she would fight the corrupt justice system in Chicago with her dying breath. The words were so prophetic.
"Cletus is a troubled kid John but Charlotte believed in him. I was at the station to get Barnaby to explain the charges. That department has been gunning for him since his release. He would never kill cops"
John nodded and listened as she explained the case. She ended it with the phone call she got from Charlotte saying that Cletus grandmother said he was working for some man. She just remembered that part then. They both vowed in the morning to follow up on that lead. After the news went off she told him goodnight and he watched her go to her room. He tried not to stare at her curves through her satin robe and looked back at the TV instead. But now he couldn't sleep at the thought of her.
Reaching over he pinched himself to make sure he was awake. He just couldn't go through that again. Sighing he pushed up from the bed and opened the bedroom door. Walking out into the dark hall he headed to the bathroom. Going pass her bedroom he heard whimpering. He stopped and looked at her door that was slightly ajar.
Going to it he
turned the knob slowly and pushed it gently open. She was under her
covers curled up crying. "Evangeline?"
She looked up
surprised "John what is it?" she asked in a trembling voice
wiping her face.
"What's wrong?" he said walking in.
"I
had a nightmare" she said softly.
John went to the bed and sat
on the edge of it and she sat up swiping her hair from her face.
"Do you want to tell me what it was about?"
"Charlotte
being choked begging for her life and I couldn't stop it"
"Oh
baby" he said reaching for her. He pulled her into his arms and she
hugged him crying desperately into his chest.
She wasn't in her robe and the spaghetti strap satin thin camisole she slept in fell from her shoulders exposing her more to him than she intended. He tried to ignore the contact of her breast against his chest as she cried. Rubbing her back he closed his eyes and swallowed hard.
Evangeline let go of him and fixed the front of her nightgown
scooting away. "I'm okay really" she said embarrassed.
"Do
you want me to hold you until you go back to sleep"
She looked
at him and frowned "That's not neccess…."
"It's not a
problem Van and I know how you feel. Let me be there for you"
She
smiled and pulled back her covers "Okay" she said softly.
John climbed into bed with her as she lay on her side. He pulled her to his chest and fought the erection that lingered from the roundness of her butt pressing against him. He moved her hair from her face and stroked her arm. She closed her eyes and sighed.
Within minutes she was asleep but he wasn't. He lay on his propped up elbow and watched her breathe listening to her light snore. She shifted and turned over to her back now deep in sleep and oblivious to him lying next to her. He moved back some to give her room and smiled down in her face.
Moving the sheet he gazed down to the front of her gown that once again had fallen from her shoulder exposing her left breast to him. He stared at her caramel colored skin and dark chocolate nipples and recalled how many times in the past he had access to them. Cutting his eyes he pulled the sheet back up to see her looking in his face. He blinked at her shocked to be caught.
"You should go…" she said staring into his
eyes.
"I know…" he said making no move to leave. He watched
her face for indication that it was okay for him to touch her and
just before he acted on his urges she turned over pulling the sheet
to her. "Go John"
John sighed and climbed out of bed. He walked over to the door and looked back at her but she didn't watch him leave. Sadly he walked out of the room.
John heard her in the kitchen again and saw it was 7:14 am. Sitting up he rubbed his eyes. He slept with a stiff penis all night and it ached for her. Rubbing out the soreness the door flew open forcing him to cover himself quickly. Evangeline looked at him and frowned. "You okay?"
He blushed "Yeah…time to get up?"
She
nodded. "I think we should go to the station and you can take care
of your business, but I want you to go with me to see Cletus
grandmother."
John nodded. "I will get
dressed."
Evangeline stared at him. "You sure you're okay?"
He smiled "I'm fine baby"
"Okay…also I will have to
home for the funeral. Ummm….would you like to umm"
"Yes I
want to come"
She looked at him. "The last time we went home
it was sort of rough."
He winked at her "I can handle it."
She smiled relieved. She was leaning on him more and more and it felt good. It helped. "Perfect!" she said bouncing out her hair flowing around her shoulders.
He laughed at almost getting caught and got up from the bed. He was glad she was letting him in but this slow process was tougher than FBI entrance exam at Quantico.
They walked into the station and it was all a buzz with activity from a large arrest at a hip hop concert last night. Apparently a fight broke out at the United Center and the police dragged over 200 teens kicking and screaming to jail. Inside were angry parents and friends screaming for the release of their loved ones.
Evangeline pushed her way through the crowd and John marveled at how different life in Chicago would be as an officer. Breaking through they headed to the back of the station. John came along side of her. "Why don't you go see Cletus? He may be able to give you some info on what Charlotte was looking into"
Evangeline smiled at him. "I like the way you think Lt."
she said smiling.
He smiled at her "I'm going to see Barnaby.
Meet me back here in the bullpen"
She nodded and walked away
and he grabbed her hand. She looked back at him. "If it gets to
tough I'm here okay?"
She smiled softly "Okay" she said squeezing his hand and walking away. He watched her walk away as Barnaby came up behind him. "So that's why you haven't been in hunh?"
John turned around and looked at him. "Stay out of
it"
Barnaby shrugged "Hey….she's a beaut and her partner
wasn't bad either"
"Your point?" John said turning and
getting in his face. Barnaby frowned at the display of hostility
"What is going on with you son?"
John stared into Barnaby's eyes and wanted to get into it with him about Ryan O'Reilly but something told him to hold onto his trump card. He needed access to this station. "Sorry it's been rough for her and I've been helping her. Guess I'm a little tense"
Barnaby touched his shoulder affectionately. "Hey I understand. Let's go and get you situated so we can stop things like that from happening to other women"
John nodded and walked away with him still fighting the urge to break the hand that touched him.
Evangeline sat in the room waiting for them to bring Cletus out to her. She saw him coming through the glass window in an orange jumpsuit shackled by his wrist and feet. He came through the door and she saw how badly beaten his face was. "Oh my god" Jumping up she went to him and touched his face. She glared at the guard that escorted him. "Did you do this!" she hissed
He rolled his eyes "You got 30 minutes!" he snapped walking out.
Cletus
looked up at her out of his one good eye "Hey Ms. Williamson"
"Cletus who did this to you?"
"I can't say mam, it
will just make it worse" he said lowering his head.
She led him
to the table and sat him down in a chair. "Cletus I'm going to
help you"
He looked at her crying "Is it true what the guards say? Ms. Pryce is dead?" he asked his lip quivering. The question was a blow to Evangeline and she stood up and backed away. "Yes Cletus it's true"
She watched his body shake with tears and hugged herself. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready to face all of this without Charlotte. Pacing in front of him she listened to him cry unable to comfort him because she remained in her own hell. Finally she stopped. "Cletus she said you were working for a man and she was going to check him out."
Cletus
looked up at her "Who told her that!"
"Your
grandmother….who is this man"
"How did grandmother know?"
"Cletus what kind of work were you doing? Tell me!"
"I
just wanted to make some money to help us move out of the
projects."
Evangeline walked over and sat on the edge of the
table. "What did you do?"
Cletus raised his bruised face to
hers. "I watched people"
Evangeline frowned. "Watched
people?"
Cletus looked over at the dark plexy glass window that
had a mirror reflection of them. "Can they hear me?" he asked
scared.
Evangeline looked up. "Not when you're with
me….its safe to talk Cletus I swear"
He nodded "I watched
cops."
What he said shocked her. He was known for being at the
wrong place at the wrong time and that is why he was wrongfully
pinned for that armed robbery, but this?
"Why would you
watch cops?" she asked confused.
"It's what O'Reilly
wanted. He gave me certain cops and I was to shadow them and tell him
their routines that's all."
"I thought it was easy…I mean they were cops…it was cool watching them. O'Reilly even gave me a car to drive"
Evangeline chewed on her bottom lip.
"Why do they think you killed those cops Cletus?"
"I was
going to watch Office Thomas, every night around 8 he would leave his
rounds and go to his girlfriend house in Villa Park. When I got there
I got out of my car and went inside. The apartment across from hers
was empty and I hung out there so I could listen to them."
Evangeline frowned at the story, it just sounded too ridiculous to be true, which meant it probably was.
Cletus frowned "I got up there and saw the door to her apartment cracked. It seemed weird so I went to it and it kind of pushed open. I walked inside and that's when I saw him on the floor bleeding. I walked over and the gun was on the floor so I picked it up as his girlfriend came in screaming. She took off running and I tried to stop her…."
Evangeline rolled her eyes. "Oh sweet Jesus
Cletus!"
"I didn't do it! But the cops they found my pad
with all my notes on cops. I had no idea the cops I reported back to
O'Reilly were dead!"
Evangeline got up. "Cletus….do you know how bad this is! And now this O'Reilly is probably who killed Charlotte!"
"I'm so sorry Ms. Williamson I love Charlotte" he said crying.
Her heart breaking she went to him and pulled him to his chest. "It's okay we will figure it out!"
John came out of the HR office and saw Detective Grey in the chief's office arguing with Barnaby. He stopped and frowned. Barnaby noticed him staring and went to the blinds pulling them down. John found that extremely strange but before making another move he heard the click of his lady love heels as she approached.
Her face was strained and she looked as if
she'd been crying. "What is it?"
"It's bad John"
"Did
he tell you who Charlotte went to see?"
"Yes and I'm pretty
sure that I know who the SOB is that is killing these cops. I think
he used Cletus as some kind of cover…"
Before she said more Barnaby's door flew open and Detective Grey came storming out. Evangeline immediately went to him. "Detective….can we talk"
The detective stopped with the folder in his hand. "Actually Ms. Williamson we got a possible lead so please come with me." He said walking to his office. Evangeline looked back at John for him to come and Barnaby sneered at him as he left and followed her.
They walked into the detective's office and Evangeline sat down. "Is it the DNA evidence?"
"The DNA evidence has been contaminated." He said sitting behind his desk. "But the navigation system gave us an address."
"Wait..what do you mean contaminated?" John asked
Grey shrugged "I just left the chief's office and he says his hands are tied. Somehow the sample was tampered with and I can't figure out how. I am extremely pissed at this"
"What about the navigation system?"
Evangeline asked
"She went to a Margaret O'Rielly's place"
he said.
John narrowed his eyes on detective Grey
"O'Reilly?"
"Yeah apparently Margaret is dead so the place
is being lived in by her son Ryan O'Reilly an ex bank-robber"
Evangeline nodded since that confirmed what she learned from Cletus. John's face, however, turned as white as a ghost. Evangeline looked over at him. "What is it John?"
John looked at her in shock "I know him…."
