Thank you for the kind comments. Since most of you wanted me to continue with the story, I can hereby offer you Chapter 15. I'll try not to break your hearts (too much)… ;-)

Chapter 15 : A Second Chance

The moment they stepped out of the house, she headed straight towards the car in the driveway. He still stood at the front door, searching his pockets for his car keys. By the time he'd found them, she was already standing next to the car, impatiently waiting for him to unlock it. He saw her glancing at her watch and blew her a playful kiss. In return she threw him a stern look, however was unable to hide the little dimples in her cheeks. Besides that, her eyes were sparkling more than ever. He knew how nervous she was and so was he, only he was able to hide it better. After all, this was the big day they had been looking forward to for weeks!

Dempsey still couldn't believe how much his life had changed over the past few years. In the past, he'd never been interested in having a steady relationship. Why stick to one broad, if you can have a new experience every weekend? He wasn't averse to female beauty, however had always made sure to treat his girlfriends fairly by telling them in advance they shouldn't expect any long-time commitment. He knew damn well he was successful with the ladies and took it for granted, enjoying himself as long as it would last. And at work he was known as a maverick, always doing things in his own reckless way, his behaviour tolerated by his superiors as long as he got results and didn't overstep the line too much.

But then he met her... and everything changed! He was captivated by her from the moment he'd caught sight of her, and had lost all interest in other females. Not only did he think she was she the most gorgeous creature of nature he'd ever seen, but her strong personality both irritated and intrigued him at the same time. He never thought that she would reciprocate his feelings, until the day of that one magical kiss, the beginning of their stormy relationship. Of course, they both had to make a lot of compromises, which hadn't always been easy and had been the cause of many endless quarrels. But over the years they had learned how to go about with the other, and now he couldn't imagine his life without her any more. She fulfilled him in a way he'd never experienced with any woman before. Thanks to her, he was able to settle down. He'd finally found a peaceful haven in his, so far, turbulent life...

"Come on, honey! I don't wanne be late!" Her voice sounded like a nightingale to his ears. He woke up from his daydream and walked swiftly to the car.

"Relax sugar, we've still got plenty o' time," he reassured her.

She slowly shook her head "It's always the same with you, isn't it? In the end, we always have to rush! Tell me, how many fines for speeding have you received lately?" She held him by his tie so he couldn't get away.

"None?" he tried with a faint smile, guilt written all over his face.

"Oh really, Jim! Throwing them away you won't solve things, and you damn well know it! You'll pay all of them first thing tomorrow, you hear me!" she warned him, before letting go of his tie.

"Sure babe, whatever you say." He shrugged and planted a small kiss on her nose. Then he opened the car door for her like a true gentleman. "Here you go, my lady," he teasingly bowed to her, knowing very well she'd hate it. As expected, she gave him an indignant look. Oh boy, how he loved that look. It turned him on every single time. Too bad they were already running late…

Just as she wanted to step in the car, she realised she'd forgotten something. She looked at him sheepishly. "Oh no, I'm afraid I forgot my purse. I must've left it in the hallway."

He laughed aloud. "Don't worry, I'll get it. You can already sit in the car if you like. I'll be back in a flash!" He turned around and headed back to the house.

When he came back outside, he noticed she was still standing beside the car.

"This one?" he asked, holding up a black leather purse.

"Yeah, I knew you'd find it!" She smiled mockingly. Even though she was pretty sure there was only one handbag in the hallway, it wouldn't have surprised her if he had yet appeared with the wrong one.

Neither of them had noticed the hooded man across the street, wearing a black sweatshirt. Only when Dempsey heard a male voice furiously shouting out his name, did he see him standing on their driveway. Shocked, he noticed that the man was pointing a shotgun at her!

He drew his gun, and ran towards her to protect her. "Nooooo,… not her…!" he cried out in despair.

But it was already too late. He heard the loud bang. She looked startled at Dempsey, wincing in pain and clutching her chest. He managed to catch her just before she fell. He sank to the ground next to the car, holding her tightly into his arms as if he could keep her alive by pressing her against his body. In no time her blouse was covered with blood, just like his shirt and his arm. He gently removed some hair from her face, to look into her eyes. Her gaze was fading away slowly, and he felt her body become weak in his arms.

Devastated, he cried out her name, without noticing the growing tumult around him…

He felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. "James,… wake up!"

"Carol, nooo..!" He cried out, sitting up straight in bed.

Breathing heavily, he blinked and gazed around in the room with bewildered eyes, feeling confused and completely disoriented. Drenched in sweat and his hair stuck to his forehead, he couldn't stop shivering. Then he felt two arms gently draping a blanket over his shoulders and holding him tight, while a voice whispered close to his ear. "Sshht, it's alright. It was just a dream."

Her warm embrace, her bright blue eyes eyes, and her comforting voice brought him back to reality. He sighed and whispered hoarsely. "Harry, I'm sorry I woke you…"

"Hey, you don't have to apologize for having a nightmare, silly. Are you alright now?" She let go of the embrace and looked him in the eye.

"Yeah, I'm alright… I just need to get some air." He answered as he stepped out of bed.

"Shall I come with you?" she offered.

"Nah, it's okay. Go back to sleep, I won't be long." After putting on his trousers and shirt, he left the bedroom.

For a moment Harry pondered going after him, but decided it was probably best to give him some space. Fifteen minutes passed by, half an hour…, but Dempsey still hadn't returned. The longer it took, the more her concern grew. Even though she was bushed after her second passionate night with him, she wasn't able to get back to sleep. She just couldn't stop thinking about his nightmare, and the confused and terrifying look in his eyes when she had awakened him. And the way he had cried out that woman's name… Carol, was it? Harry was sure he'd never mentioned that name before. Who could she be? Perhaps one of his many conquests? But why did he have a nightmare about her?

Once again she realised how little she knew about her partner's life outside work. She hardly knew anything about his friends in London, let alone about his family and friends in New York. Not that she ever felt the need to find out more about his many girlfriends here or in his homeland,… unless he dreamt of them of course.

Harry glanced again at the clock. He was already gone for almost an hour! That's it, she couldn't wait any longer. She needed to find him, to see if he was alright. At her turn, she got out of bed and put on her gown. When she couldn't find him in the kitchen nor in the dining room, her face turned pale.

Surely, he hadn't disappeared again?

She quickened her pace when she started searching every room of the big building. To her relief, she eventually found him in the dimly lit study. He sat in one of the armchairs with his eyes closed and his head resting against the backrest, a large glass of whiskey in his right hand.

"James…?" she addressed him cautiously.

He didn't move.

"James, are you alright?" she asked a bit louder, wondering if he was asleep.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He mumbled as he opened his eyes. "What're you doin' here? Go back to bed, Harry. I'll be there in a minute, after finishing this..." He showed her his glass.

"Finishing what exactly? Your glass or the entire bottle?" Horrified, she pointed to the half empty bottle on the table.

"Don't worry, I'll buy your ol' man a new one." Dempsey sat up straight and rubbed his neck with his free hand.

"I'm not worried about the bottle, I'm worried about you!"

"I told ya I'm fine!" he snapped and took a swig from his glass.

Harry was shocked by his fierce reaction. First the nightmare, now his drinking and his rather rude behaviour... He was clearly upset about something, and she had the distinct feeling it had something to do with the woman he had been dreaming about.

"Who's Carol?" she asked, eyeing him intently.

She saw him freeze the moment he heard the name. "Who the hell told you 'bout her?" he asked on rather harsh tone.

"No one did! You were dreaming about her, calling out her name in your sleep!"

He stared at her, unmoved. Only then did she notice the dark rims around his eyes. Whether it was due to the lack of sleep in combination with the alcohol, she wasn't quite sure. Fact was that he looked terrible. No matter what he said, now she was even more determined to find out more about this woman!

"So, who is she?" She tried again, as it took her too long before he answered the question.

He looked down and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Just forget 'bout her."

His silence really began to get on her nerves now. It made her think he kept something hidden from her, something concerning another woman. This was a very sensitive issue for her, given her previous experiences with her ex. If he chose to ignore her, she would arrive at her own conclusions!

"Are you in love with her, is that it? And you didn't have the guts to tell me about her?" Her blood started boiling while she awaited his answer.

"Harry, please don't…"

She didn't let him finish. The fact that he refused to answer the question, confirmed her suspicion. "Damn you, Dempsey! I trusted you, when you said you loved me and I was the only one for you. But now it turns out that you're dreaming of another woman, while you were sleeping with me! What am I supposed to think of that? You're just the same as my ex, if not worse! You make me feel sick!" she shouted furiously at him. "How could I've been so stupid to believe you were different?" she tried hard to hold back the tears, stubbornly refusing to grant him the satisfaction that he was able to hurt her to the deepest of her soul.

Staring at his glass, Dempsey waited patiently until she calmed down. He didn't feel like arguing with her right now. When things were silent again, he looked up and spoke to her in a calm way. "Finished? Why is it that you always have to jump to conclusions, huh? I really meant it, when I told you I loved you. And as for Caroline,…" He took a deep breath. "She's someone from my past, and I don't really wanna talk about her. It's too painful. I just wanna forget 'bout this period of my life."

Somewhat reassured that the woman in question seemed to be someone of his past, Harry managed to calm down a bit. However, she still had a gnawing feeling inside. After having entrusted him her heart, she thought she was entitled to have a decent explanation.

"You obviously haven't come to terms with your past since you still have nightmares about it. I love you, James, I really do. And I hate to see you hurt, without being able to help you. You've asked me to trust you, which I did. I've confided you my deepest fears. Why can't you do the same?" She sat on the chair next to him and put her hand on his arm. "Please, don't shut me out. Talk to me…"

Her warm hand on his arm and her emotional plea had moved him. If only it wasn't so difficult… Not that he didn't trust her, but thinking about the past and talking about it was so damn hard! Why, after all this time, was he haunted again by those dreadful nightmares? He really thought he'd gotten over it, certainly now things were going so well between Harry and him. But he knew he had no choice… he'd seen that determined look in his partner's eyes and he realised that she wouldn't stop until she knew the truth.

He let out a deep sigh. "Alright, if you really wanna know the truth: Carol…, she's dead. She passed away 'bout six years ago. Satisfied?"

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, I didn't know…" Harry stammered, feeling embarrassed about her earlier accusations. She paused a moment, before she dared to ask him the question of which she feared the answer. "Was she your girlfriend, or your… fiancé?"

"We were living together,… we didn't feel the need to get married." He stared at his glass, rocking it gently in his hand.

"What happened to her? Was she ill?" Harry continued in a soft tone.

Dempsey shook his head, while he took another gulp from his glass, closing his eyes when he felt the strong liquid flowing through his gullet.

"Did she have an accident?" she tried again, hating how she had to drag every word out of him.

He ran his hand through his hair. "You ain't gonna give, are ya? Carol… she got shot by some sick bastard who blamed me for his brother's death! While I had no choice, the guy was a freakin' maniac. We caught him in the act while he was robbin' a bank, and he started shootin' at everyone around him. He had to be stopped. The younger brother was waitin' in the car further down the road, and got away…" Dempsey stared at the glass in his hand and his eyes became hard. "Caro had nothin' to do with it! The bastard should've shot me, not her!" He raised his voice, the hurt and anger audible in his voice. "She died in my arms… I'll never forget that look in her eyes just before she…" He turned his head away.

With tears in her eyes, Harry sat listening to him. Before she could say something, she heard him add with soft voice. "A fraction of a second,… one bullet, that's all it took to lose them, to destroy my whole life. If only I'd paid more attention, if I'd reacted just a little faster…"

"Don't do this to yourself, darling! You didn't pull that trigger, he did!" She hadn't interrupted him so far, but at this point Harry felt she had to interfere.

He didn't respond and she could see he was anything but convinced. Not only had he lost the woman he loved, but Harry figured he was probably torn by guilt ever since. Besides that, one little word had caught her attention. Maybe it wasn't significant, or it could have been just a slip of the tongue, but she had her doubts. She repeated his words slowly, while she studied his expressions attentively. "You said: One bullet, that's all it took to lose them…?"

Even though he firmly denied having said that, the shocked expression on his face, however brief, hadn't gone unnoticed by the experienced blonde detective. A dreadful thought came into her mind. She hardly dared to ask him. "James, was she pregnant?"

Without saying a word, he got up and walked towards the window. He opened it and inhaled deeply the fresh air that filled the room. For a while he stood there motionless, staring gloomily over the dark garden. Harry was just about to approach him, when he finally broke the silence.

"No one knows 'bout it…" he said quietly, still facing the window.

"What do you mean? You haven't told anyone?" she asked incredulously.

"I wanted to shout it from the rooftops the moment we found out she was pregnant, but Carol insisted to wait until after the first scan. That morning, we finally had an appointment with the doctor, and then we would've gone straight to our folks. But after…" he stopped and drank the rest of his glass in one big gulp. "Well, there wasn't much point in telling it any more, was there? Her parents…, they were broken after losing their only daughter. What was I supposed to do? Hurt them even more? I couldn't… I couldn't even face them any more. If Carol hadn't been with me, she'd still be alive…"

Now Harry stood up too, and approached him from behind. She took him by his arm and gently forced him to turn around so she could look him in the eye.

"Don't say that! This wasn't your fault!" she emphasized the last words, hoping she could convince him that way.

When she saw the weary expression on his face, she felt a deep compassion for him. She tried to comfort him by holding him and gently stroking his back. Only after a while, she spoke to him again.

"It must have been awful for you. No wonder you still have nightmares about it! Didn't anyone try to help you? Your family, friends?"

"They tried, but I wanted to be left alone. Those compassionate looks, their comforting words… I know they all meant well, but I couldn't stand it. All I wanted to do was forget…, and the booz helped, even if it was just for a while."

He saw her glancing at his glass. "Don't worry, I'm not an alcoholic, if that's what you're thinking. But maybe I would've been, if Joey had not stopped me in time."

Surprised, Harry looked up. "Your former partner Joey? The one who has betrayed you?"

"Yep, the one and only! Back then, Joey and me, we were real buddies. We knew we could always rely on each other, at work as well as in our private lives. After Carol's death, I was in a pretty bad shape. I drank a lot and I wasn't afraid of death, a lethal combination for a cop. But Joey was always there for me, dragging me home when I was wasted, watching my back whenever I got myself in trouble again… If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't be sitting here. I would've ended up either dead or in jail."

The shocked look in her bright blue eyes told him he'd better clarify himself. "After a long search, I'd finally found Carol's murderer…." The expression on his face turned dark.

Harry held her breath. No, please, tell me you didn't…!

Dempsey stared straight ahead as he continued. "I had my gun pointed at him, and I would've shot him… if Joey hadn't stopped me. I hadn't even noticed he'd followed me! Everything happened very fast then. I remember there was a struggle and I'd lost my gun. Next thing I knew, I was laying on the floor, looking straight into the barrel of a shotgun. I really thought it was the end, but fortunately Joey had a quick reflex back then. Yeah, good old Joey'd saved my butt twice that day, and the whole incident had made me realise I couldn't carry on like that…. Ya know, I still can't figure out why he betrayed me a few years later."

As there came no reaction, he looked at her with concern. "Shocked 'bout what I told ya?"

"Not really, but it reminds me of the time when you had your gun aimed at Coltrane. I always wondered… What if I had arrived too late? Would you really have shot him?"

Dempsey bowed his head. "I thought Coltrane had killed you."

"And it was due to him that you had to leave your country, your family, your friends,… and that you nearly died!" she added.

"I can take a lot, but not that someone would hurt you, Harry." He looked up again.

Harry smiled warmly at him. "You have no idea how worried I was when you were working undercover, and I hadn't heard from you in weeks! And how jealous I was when I thought you'd slept with Mara." She confessed shyly.

"If it's any consolation, I haven't slept with her." he smiled when he saw the relief in her eyes. "But we sure wasted a lot of time, didn't we?"

"We did indeed."

He lovingly took her face in his hands, and placed a tender kiss on her lips. "Ya know, having met you, it's like I've been given a second chance. I promise I won't blow it this time. I won't let anyone lay a finger on you, Princess."

She frowned. "Now hold on a minute! Promise me that you won't get overprotective, James! You know very well that I hate it when people think I'm some sort of weak, defenceless woman! And I think I've proved enough that I'm quite capable of taking care of myself!"

Knowing this was a sensitive subject for her, he hastened to explain himself. "I know, and you're absolutely right. I'm just so damn scared that you'd get hurt. Maybe that's the reason why I'm having those nightmares again…"

"Oh James," she sighed. "I can understand that, but you must keep in mind that I'm not Carol. If you still want us to work together, you'll have to trust me, and you will have to learn to set aside your fears. Otherwise, we'll be arguing all day long, and I think there are better ways to spend our time."

"Better ways?" he asked with a crooked grin.

"Yes, by working of course! What else?"

He took a few steps closer to her and put his arms around her waist, his empty glass still in one hand. "Well, I can think of some other things we could do..."

Harry chuckled and shook her head. "I bet you can,… but right now, I think we could both use some more sleep!" she gently released herself from his grip. "And I believe you've already come to the conclusion that this is not a good way to get rid of your nightmares," she said as she took the glass out of his hand and put in on the table.

Before he had the chance to react, she took him by the hand and dragged him to his room. He didn't resist but followed her, with a contented smile on his lips. There was no doubt about it, she was the best thing that could've happened to him after his tragedy. No matter what she said, he would always watch over her. No way that he would let history repeat itself, not as long as he was alive!

(TBC)