Thank you kind fans, for your continued support, your concern and your words of encouragement.

I feel honored and blessed, and I appreciate every single one of you.

I pray this chapter finds you and your loved ones in good health, peace and happiness. Blessings to all of you, always.

This is the second last chapter.

Standard disclaimer.

Sam and I were inseparable the following week.

He attended Mrs. Jackson's funeral service with me, politely introducing himself and shaking family members' hands.

Her daughter, Sheila, seemed to know more about me, than I thought she had, which comforted me.

It cemented the idea in place, that Mrs. Jackson was as fond of me, as I was of her.

At the wake, Sheila whispered, "Sam seems like a good man. Momma would've liked him."

My heart flipped.

He is...and I knew she would've liked him, had she gotten the chance to meet him...and he would've definitely liked her.

He surprised me, by bringing a bouquet of daisies to the cemetery.

It was so thoughtful and so sweet of him...I fell for him a little more, if that's possible.

We stood with Mrs. Jackson's family, as everyone else departed, throwing the long stems onto her casket, one by one.

It was one of the toughest things I ever did. But, having Sam there with me, made the effort that much more bearable.

Work that week had been tough.

A new resident had already taken Mrs. Jackson's bed, as if trying to wipe clean, the memory of her.

But she'd always be with me...her kind and wise words...her confidence...and biting humor.

The new resident was a crotchety old man, named Mr. Smith, and I snickered every time he barked an order, as I crossed into the room.

I figured Mrs. Jackson would get a kick out of it, too.

'You're trying to make me miss you, aren't you?' I whispered to myself.

And I did...so much.

Sam drove with me, to Mom's court hearing.

He'd asked, if he could tag along, and at first, I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

It was as if, he was inserting himself into my past and all its ugly secrets.

He had taken the morning off work and said he wanted to come to the courthouse, for moral support.

And was so sincere, when he said he'd wait in the car, or the lobby for me...if I so desired, I conceded and allowed him to come with me.

He knew there was a possibility Tom would be there...after all, the defendant had the right to attend the hearing.

And if he didn't show, he'd still be served the paperwork.

As we pulled into my mother's driveway, my palms became slick on the steering wheel.

Adrian was at school, and Sam would be meeting my mom for the first time, and my queasy stomach refused to cooperate.

I'd already met Sam's family, and we definitely shared similar backgrounds, but I was afraid he'd uncover just how fucked-up my reality was, once he met my mother.

Mom was chain-smoking at the kitchen table, as usual, when we stepped inside.

Her fingers were shaking, and bags had formed below her eyes, alerting me that this decision had taken its toll.

"Hi mom, this is Sam." I refrained from saying, he is my boyfriend. I was just getting used that idea. But she knew the deal. I've never brought guys around before.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ms. Jones," Sam said. He cleared his throat and gave a small smile.

"You, too," she replied, taking his offered hand.

I could see her checking him out, her gaze wandering up and down his body and I clenched my teeth.

He was half her age and still she thought she could act that way.

She needed to stop thinking I was her competition, and after today, I'll damn well let her know it.

But for now, before this hearing, I'd let it go.

"Ready, mom?"

Sam had been teetering in the doorway, hands deep in his front pockets, and he looked relieved, that her scrutiny of him would be ending.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

As she stood up, I realized she was wearing a modest blue dress, and I was thankful that none of her cleavage was showing.

"It'll be hard to face him if he shows up."

"Hard for both of us, mom," I stated.

Sam gently squeezed my hand, as we headed out the door.

Outside the house, Sam decided to drive and dropped us off, at the front entrance of the courthouse. He said he'd park and join us in the hall.

My mom exited the backseat and started to head inside.

She had retained one of her lawyer exes, to help her through the proceedings and was meeting him before the hearing.

She had been with David for a few months, a couple of years ago, and even got a used car out of the deal.

Too bad, he'd been married at the time.

I wondered how she'd be paying him this time.

As my hand reached for the door handle, Sam pulled me into a kiss.

It was sweet and reassuring, but still warmed my stomach, despite the enormity of the situation.

"Good luck, baby," he whispered in my ear. "You were strong back then, and you're even tougher now."

My stomach did somersaults, all the way up the courthouse's stone stairs. I had to be the luckiest girl around, to snag a guy Sam.

The courthouse was an old historical building, in the center of town, and I'd visited once with Brian, when he met his father there, about excessive parking tickets.

Brian had a habit of leaving his car, at empty meters across town, and it had finally caught up to him.

Like Tom, Brian also had a little of that, overconfidence gene in him, being the mayor's son and all.

I couldn't totally blame him for it. It was just how he was raised.

But, from what I could gather about Tom, his boldness was all DNA, and being on the police force, had only helped bolster that inflated opinion of himself.

'Bastard!'

Mom had already checked in and was meeting with her lawyer friend, who was dressed sharply, in a shiny black suit and red tie.

I sat down beside her, on the cold wooden bench and looked around, hoping not to lock eyes with Tom, if he was there.

I was dressed in simple black pants and a blouse, with flat shoes.

If he showed up, I wanted him to know I was a grown-ass woman, not the scared teen he'd known four years ago.

The place overflowed with people like us, waiting for their cases to go before the judge, and I figured we were in for a long morning.

When it was finally our turn, I was thankful that we had gone to the police station and filed the report, the day after Tom assaulted Mom.

The pictures of her bruises were on file, and David assured us, it would be a clear case in our favor.

With my permission, my mom had also disclosed, that Tom had assaulted me years ago, but David was confident, the extraneous evidence to mom's case, would probably be unnecessary.

He had been right.

The judge quickly granted a permanent restraining order, good for five years.

I was extremely happy about his decision and my mom looked relieved.

Sam was waiting in the lobby, as we exited the wooden doors, and I told him the news.

His jaw was clenched.

"Was he in there with you?"

I shook my head.

Tom had never shown his face, and I breathed a sigh of relief, despite a small part of me, wanting to see the bastard.

Over the years, I had built him up in my mind, to be a monster.

I had only been sixteen, and I figured he might look quite different to me now.

But, it doesn't matter how old I get, he's still a monster to me.

Mom had to wait at the courthouse, for an official copy of the document, to keep in her possession, should she ever need to call the police.

She assured me David would drive her home, after they go to lunch, to celebrate.

I bet they'd celebrate.

"I wanted to make sure we called a locksmith, before I left today, mom," I said to her.

Of course, she hadn't done it yet.

How could she still be so oblivious, about her own safety?

She looked down, biting her lip.

"Oh...um...David said, he knew a good locksmith and would make the call for me."

I sighed.

Here we go again.

Eager for a man to call all the shots.

But maybe, I shouldn't blame her.

Wasn't she just hoping for someone to take care of her heart, too?

I thought back to Sam's tattoo poem and the idea of disappearing for love.

I just hope she got it right, someday.

Sam had left to bring the car around, so I stepped outside and walked towards the side street, to make the pickup easier for him.

Because, the turnaround in front of the courthouse, was jam-packed with cars.

As I stood on the corner waiting, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck, rise.

Maybe, it was his heavy breaths, or the way he cleared his throat, but I sensed him there, before I even laid eyes on him.

His voice was forever etched in my nightmares.

"You look the same as you always did."

My heart thundered in my chest, as I turned around to face him.

Tom looked smaller, somehow, less imposing.

His hair was graying and he had a heavier beard.

I realized, it was me who had grown up, and he was the one, who'd stayed exactly the same.

He stepped closer, and I could feel his emotions rolling off of him...excitement, arrogance...and desire.

And I tried not to shudder.

Instead, I found my voice.

"So do you, Tom...like a child predator. An abuser of women. You disgust me."

His top lip curled, and I took a step back, not wanting him to see me flinch.

"So, what happened, are you too much of a wimp-ass, to show up at your own hearing?"

"My lawyer advised me, that it wouldn't matter whether I showed or not. Your mother had a strong enough case against me."

"So then, why are you here?"

"On the off chance that you'd be here and I could finally lay my eyes on you."

My stomach rolled and lurched, as his gaze became hooded.

"I've missed you, Mercedes."

Had we not been on a crowded street corner, I might have turned and fled.

I was that certain, he would have tried to take me down, right then and there...and finally have his way with me.

But, not before I put up a damn good fight.

I balled my fists and stood my ground.

"Your mother might have a restraining order against me," he said, leaning over. So close. Too close.

"But you don't. There's no reason I can't get as close to you, as I want."

Holy fuck!

He was threatening me. Saying he'd come after me. He'd find me, in his own disgusting way.

My mind drew a blank and all I saw were swirls of black and gray, behind my eyelids, as terror slowly consumed me.

I heard a grunt and a car door slam.

"Mercedes?"

Tom backed away and then crossed the street in a rush.

Sam grabbed hold of my shoulders and lightly shook me.

"Mercedes, look at me. Who was that?"

"What?" My mind was hazy with fear and disbelief.

"Who the fuck was that, Mercedes?"

"T...Tom," I mumbled. "That was Tom."

Sam's eyes widened, right before he turned and raced across the street, to follow him.

What the hell was he doing?

"Hey!" he yelled, and I spotted Tom, who was halfway down the block, freeze in place.

I had never seen Sam so full of rage.

It scared the shit out of me.

It was enough to get my legs moving again.

I crossed the street, to chase after him.

Sam was still yelling, his hands flying in the air, and Tom just stood there, a menacing smirk hanging from his lips.

"You motherfucker," Sam screamed, as he inched closer to him. "You will never lay another hand on her, you hear me?"

Then, I saw his fist clench and his arm fly forwards and crashed against Tom's jaw.

"Sam! No! Wait!" I was terrified of what Tom would be capable of.

He yanked Sam's legs out from under him, and suddenly, they were both on the ground, wrestling and landing punches.

Sam definitely had the height, weight, and raw emotion, but Tom thought he was cunning and invincible, and I knew that was a deadly combination.

"Sam, stop. Let him go. We can handle this another way."

In fact, I was marching straight back into that courthouse and filing my own restraining order, just as soon as I got Sam away.

The sound of my voice momentarily immobilized Sam, giving Tom the upper hand.

He knelt over Sam, his fist crashing into his stomach and I screamed.

Blood was smeared on Tom's face and on Sam's shirt and hands.

I couldn't tell, whether it was coming from Tom's nose or Sam's cheek.

Sam looked so defenseless lying on the ground, and something snapped in the very center of me.

This ass hole was not going to hurt the person I loved.

Using all the focus I could muster, I turned sideways and rotated my knee, making sure the upper part of my foot would make contact.

A growl escaped my lips, right before I landed a perfectly hard roundhouse kick, to Tom's back.

I heard a crack and he went down, groaning.

Kickboxing classes had finally paid off.

"Get up, please," I said to Sam, pulling him into a sitting position. "Let Tom leave, trust me. I'll handle this legally."

But he didn't, right away and Tom was already on his knees.

So Sam stood over him and beat the shit out of him.

An audience had formed across the street, and I was sure the cops would be there any moment, to arrest them both.

No question Tom would file assault charges against Sam and we'd be in a world of trouble.

So, I grabbed Sam's hand and started backing away.

Tim stood up and limped a couple steps backwards.

I was hoping I'd cracked a rib or two...or maybe, Sam had.

But that bastard would never give me the satisfaction of showing it.

"Get the fuck out of my sight, Tom. Before the cops come," I snarled.

I wanted him to believe I was letting this go.

Otherwise, he'd figure out a new way to hurt us.

"He won't touch you again," Sam said.

His face was emotionless, except for the tick in his jaw.

We watched, as Tom hobbled down the street and rounded the corner, only looking back once.

Then, my body sagged against Sam and he folded me into his arms.

I selfishly relished his strong, comforting arms and then, it hit me, he had been hurt.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" I asked. I was so relieved that he hadn't come away limping. "You shouldn't have gone after him like that."

"Mercedes, listen to me." His breath was heavy, as he held me close. "I recognize him."

I pulled back to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"It was him," he said, eyes wide. "He tried breaking into your window that night. I'm sure of it."

I stumbled, as my legs gave way, and Sam scooped me into his arms.

Tom was going to rape me that night.

And Sam had saved me.

He deposited me into the passenger seat of my car, as I panted for air.

Then, he used my phone to call my mom.

I know it's a bad place to end the chapter, but the next one will continue where this one left off.

Stay safe, stay happy, stay healthy, stay home and stay blessed. Much love to you.