By the time the scalding water had finally turned cold, Malinowski's body was numb. As she tried to scrub the memory of Ivan's touch off of every part of her, she failed to notice the blood that had begun to trickle from her sick, due to her fingernails piecing her skin as she scrubbed.

Even as she shut the water off, flashes of his touch, his voice, his taste flooded her mind.

She couldn't get the self satified leer he'd given her on his way out, to leave her consciouness. It still sickened her to know way her body yielded to him, more times than she dared try to count…

"I think there may be hope for you after all," he said from the doorway."Fresh, you not are not. But, you are surprisingly tight. Tighter than some of these young girls that appear so innocent at first, but are in reality, used goods before they even get to us. Maybe we find you a new way to be useful after we're done with your DA."

Distracted by the vile words that ran through her mind, Malinowski slipped as she started out of the shower, her head banging with the 'thump' on the unfinished shower wall.

Crying out as a new wave of pain hit her, she staggered back as the tears began to flow. Unable to decide which sickened her more…being used so easily by her captor or knowing it was just the start of the indignities that would go on until they tired of her…Malinowski gave into her fears and sobbed freely.

As she carefully rubbed her head, her gaze fell on the shower wall and she thoughtfully ran her hand over the hard concrete.

Maybe…maybe if I do it just right, she thought as her mind turned a possibility for 'escape' her she hadn't dared to consider up to that point.

Stepping completely in to the stall, she lowered herself to the wet floor. After a long moment spent weighing her options and against the odds of living to see the people she loved once more, she lowered her head and then threw it back against the wall with as much force as she could give.

"Damnit…all those god damn fucking autopsy reports," she screamed in frustration, as she rubbed the back of her head. "Eighteen fucking years of talking to ME's and I can't do better than this? No, no. We'll just keep trying until I get right!"

Ignoring her throbbing skull, Malinowski threw her head forward and back, over and over until she thought she'd pass out.

I can do this. I can do this… she told herself as her vision began to blur and her thoughts ran together without rhythm or reason.

McCoy's face when he learned she'd slept with Prescott was filled her thoughts. The vision almost immediately replaced by Prescott's shattered stare after she called out for McCoy while she lay in her husband's arms…McCoy's cutting remarks echoing over and over…

"…the only man you haven't laid… haven't laid…."

"Jack, I'm sorry," she muttered as her eyes became heavy."I'm so sorry, I let you down…"

Next it was McCoy's face when he stepped out of the bathroom and found Malinowski and Mike Logan…

Logan. Logan's voice suddenly came to mind; saying something she couldn't understand. His voice sounding so reassuring, so close…so close…

The taste of blood made Malinowski open her eyes to find the source. Following the thin trial up her face and passed her hairline, she smiled weakly, realizing she'd done more damage to herself than she first realized. As she started to position herself to make yet another attempt at fatal blow, an unexpected sound made her freeze.

"ConEd, anybody in there?"

Oh. My. God, she thought as she leapt off the floor, staggering back against the wall as pain slowed her efforts.

ConEd my ASS!

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Nearly delirious with relief, Malinowski steadied herself and moved towards the other room. By the time she reached the archway that separated the two rooms, the door had opened. Her eyes widened; first with recognition of the face of the man wearing a ConEd uniform next in horror, when 'Spider Man" came up from behind him and laid Mike Logan out with a metal pipe.

"Enjoy the company while you can," her captor said, as he grabbed the radio that fell from Logan's hand and slammed the door behind them.

"Oh my God! Mike," she whispered as she knelt beside Logan's still body."Mike, open your eyes."

The savvy grin Logan gave her when he looked up into her panic stricken face, melted away almost immediately. Logan carefully sat up and ran a hand over Malinowski's bloody face, as he handed her a handkerchief and looked around room for something to cover her battered body with.

"How long have you been bleeding," he asked as he retrieved the blanket from the mattress.

"Don't worry about me," she said impatiently."You're the one that just got hit."

"Yeah but, don't take this the wrong way," he said as he wrapped the blanket over her,"as many times as I've dreamed about getting you out of your clothes, I never thought it would be like this."

Malinowski could feel her face heat up with an embarrassed glow. Before she could reply, Logan had pulled his cell phone from inside his shoe and was telling his partner to move in and bring back up.

"I thought ...saw you get hit and I thought we were done," she said, as tears of relief began to overflow and fall freely down her cheeks.

"You should know better after all those years in the DA's office," Logan replied with a grin. "No cop worth a damn goes into a hostage situation without back up. By the time I get us out of here, Eddie'll have tall, dark, and stupid cuffed and on his way to Riker's. Give me a sec and we'll get you on your feet."

Logan pulled the Beretta from the holster on his ankle and aimed at the lock. After waiting for Malinowski to cover her ears, the room thundered and seconds later the door began to swing open.

Logan could tell by the way Malinowski spoke and the dialation of her eyes, she was going into shock. As she reached for his shoulder to steady herself, Logan carefully lifted her off of her feet and into his arms.

"I think someone else was supposed carry me over a threshold," she said weakly as her arms rested around his neck.

"Yeah," Logan replied with genuine interest."Ed tells me you two went to the falls to tie the knot. Gotta tell ya Brooke, if this isn't a sign McCoy isn't the right guy for you, I don't know what is."

"You're just jealous because I didn't get a chance to invite you," she retorted as she fought to keep her eyes focused."You missed out on kissing the bride. Not that anyone would want to kiss this face now."

Logan shook his head as he bent his head down and met her gaze with the inquiring look he'd given her several weeks before.

"I wouldn't bet on that, counselor," he said as his lips carefully met hers, completely unaware of the figure that stood silently in the doorway behind him.