There was a tense, deafening silence in the foyer of Foster's. The instant Frankie mentioned Dylan's name, everything stopped. Madame Foster's face was a pained expression of concern, Mr. Herriman had put his hand to his mouth in shock, Mac and Bloo broke into a cold sweat, and Wilt, Coco and Eduardo all stared blankly at her.

"Um...who's Dylan?" Wilt asked, breaking the silence.

Frankie wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "He was...he was my date a few days ago. Remember when I came storming in saying he was a total prick?"

"Oh yeah...what happened at the store, then?"

"Well..." Frankie tried to begin explaining when she started shaking heavily.

"Miss Frances, please sit down," Mr. Herriman suggested. Frankie complied, sat down on the sofa near her grandma's bust, and began to explain.

"Well, the trip through initially went just fine. I got everything I needed to get and I was walking to my car when I see Dylan leaning against the back end of it grinning at me. I tried to tell him to go away but he wouldn't listen. He got in my face and he told me...he...he told me..."

"It's okay, Frankie. We're here," John assured.

She smiled slightly and continued: "He told me that I belonged to him...what he said was--and this will never, never leave me--'Frankie, you're my property, do you understand? I fucking own you, and that loser you're with is a dead man if I see him around you again. And if you don't come back to me, I won't hesitate to kill you.'"

"Jesus fucking Christ," John mumbled. Everyone looked at Frankie in total shock and concern as Wilt put his good hand on her shoulder and said, "Frankie, don't worry about a thing. We'll protect you."

Herriman went into a boxing stance and said, "If that ruffian dares to show up at the front door, I shall give him the old one-two!"

"Thanks a lot, guys. I think now we can tell them, John."

"About what, dearie?"

"About last night," John said. "We didn't really wind up getting stuck in traffic. What really happened was, sometime while Frankie and I were in the restaurant, my car was vandalized. Tires slashed, windows beat in--the whole nine. Before the tow truck came, Chris..."

"Quien es Chris?" Eduardo asked.

"He's a pizza delivery guy who was there that night. Anyway, he took pictures of the damage; I've got them right here." He pulled out a white envelope and gave it to Madame Foster. She opened it, looked at the pictures and said, "Oh, my..." She passed them around to everyone else as John continued his explanation:

"So I have no car, and the one I drove here today is a loaner from the towing company. I just talked with my insurance company before I came here, and they're going to pay up to $4,000 for the damages; anything more is out of my own pocket. What's worse than that is, Mac found this note underneath one of the windshield wipers."

John pulled out the note and gave it to Madame Foster. She was instantly struck dumb at the letter and its intent, Herriman even more so. Wilt, Eduardo and Coco looked angry enough to punch a collective hole in the nearest wall.

"I have every reason to believe that Dylan did this to my car," John continued. "I really feel like our lives might be in jeopardy because of this guy, but I'm not going to hide. I want to see him either behind bars or dead himself."

"You and me both, Johnny," Wilt said. "This guy's bad news."

"You're telling me. I went to high school with the guy and I know how bad he can get."

"I'm with John," Frankie said as she stood beside him.

"But Miss Frances, this man has threatened your life!"

"I know, but first thing tomorrow, I'm filing a restraining order against him. That way, if he comes near me again, he'll be arrested."

"It's a good idea," Mac said. "With these photos and Frankie's word, there shouldn't be any problem getting him convicted."

"I hope so, Mac. I really do," Frankie replied.

John smiled at her and said, "I hate to do this, but I've gotta get to work. Homes don't build themselves, you know." As he ran out towards his car, Mr. Herriman smiled and said, "That young man is truly a wonderful individual. You're lucky to have him, Miss Frances."

"Thanks, Mr. H." Everyone gave Frankie a show of support as they left the foyer and went about their business. Later that night as she prepared for bed, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find John standing there with a box of chocolates and another bouquet of roses.

He said, "Well, I didn't get to do this right earlier, so here I am."

"John, you really didn't have to get another bouquet--the one you got me earlier was fine."

"I know, but with everything that happened today and the fact that everyone knows about what happened last night..."

"Don't worry about it, John. Come on in." He entered and the two made their way up to Frankie's bedroom.

"Nice spread you've got here," John complimented. "You've really got a--"

Before he could finish his sentence, Frankie shut her door and eagerly tackled him with all the force she could, knocking him backwards onto her bed. The two playfully tussled with one another, giggling and laughing all the while. When their good-natured wrestling ended, John was on his back staring into the eyes of an angel. Frankie had never looked more radiant, more alive than she did at that very moment. He blissfully smiled and whispered, "I love you, Frankie. I love you more than you'll ever know."

Frankie echoed his smile and said, "I think I already know how much you love me. I love you more than you'll ever know." She lowered her face closer to his as he said, "No, I love you more." He raised his head as she delivered her rebuttal: "I love you more." By this point there were mere centimeters between the two as John whispered, "No, I--"

Before he could finish, Frankie's lips met his and the two of them engaged in a long, passionate kiss. John caressed Frankie's back and shoulders and slowly removed her nightgown as she did the same with his shirt. Frankie buried her face in John's chest as he kissed the top of her head and lovingly stroked her hair. He admired the contours of her body and her naked form there in the night as she began to kiss him once again, slowly escalating their passion into full-on lovemaking. As they made love throughout the night, they both felt the pressure and the fright of the past day lift off of their shoulders as they shared in their mutual ecstasy. Heaven, at least for one night, existed in their passion.