High Heels

A nurse was doing her round when she was startled by a voice she didn't recognize.

"Where am I?"

The nurse turned around and looked at the bed were it had seamed to come from. It was the bed where the coma patient lay. She went to take a closer look and was slightly shocked when she saw that the woman's piecing blue eyes were wide open and alert.

"I'm going to get the doctor." the nurse answered her question.

"That's not what I asked. Tell me, where am I?" The woman's voice was stern and demanding.

"I'm going to get Dr Lee. He will be with you in a moment."

Tessa held the nurse's eyes with her own. The other woman's thoughts flooded her mind. Her problems, wants, memories and the answer Tessa wanted. She tried to pull herself back into herself, but she couldn't. All the woman's meaningless thoughts filled her mind and refused to leave. Some of the other patients thoughts joined in. Their fears and their pain. A deep frown formed on Tessa's face as she turned her entire focus inwards. At last it was only her own thoughts she could hear.

~o~

"How do you feel?" Dr Lee was talking to her while he did an exam.

"Headache. How did I get here?" Tessa preferred to ask him instead of getting the answer herself from his mind. She didn't want to risk losing her control over her telepathy again.

"You were flown in from Antarctica after having severe hypothermia. You didn't wake up and Dr Frasier feared that you were in a coma."

"How did it go for Shaw?"

"He also suffered hypothermia, not as bad as you though. He has made a full recovery and went back to USA about two weeks ago. He is being notified that you have awakened."

"Two weeks. And how long has I been here?"

"A little more than three weeks."

"Thank you. Would you hurry up with the examination so that I may leave."

"It would be good if you stayed for observation. You just came out of a coma, and we got some strange EEG readings from you."

"I can assure you that I am absolutely fine and will not require any more medical attention than perhaps an aspirin for my headache that most likely will be gone with in 24 hours."

Even laying in a hospital bed she had the air of someone that was used to be obeyed and didn't accept anything less than full obedience. That was one thing that really impressed Lee. There was so much he wanted to know, but he accepted what he had to say.

"If you're lucky you will be free to go by the morning."

~o~

Shaw meet Tessa at JFK. He was thrilled to see that she had returned so soon. His normally professional behavior was replaced with the behavior of a kid that just had found his runaway cat.

"Tessa, I'm glad that you're back! How do you feel?"

"I am fine."

"That's good, we have a company to get in order again. You wouldn't believe how much that won't get done when we're missing."

"I am capable to believe most things as long as they are based on facts and not speculations."

"Everything has to be correct. Everything has to be perfect. Everything has to be precise. You live for perfection. The world isn't perfect."

"I know that better than anyone."

"Of course you do. You know everything."

"Eventually, I well may. At the moment, though, hardly."

"Should we get back to work, or do you need a few more days of rest?"

"I have rested for three weeks. You think I need more rest?"

"No, then it's back to work. We will be buried under all the paperwork that has built up."

"We will manage. As always."

~o~

The heels of Tessa's shoes clicked against the hard stones of the stair up to her apartment. She could have taken the elevator, but she still needed the exercise. Even a few weeks in a coma caused lose of muscle mass.

When she entered her loft she could sense that something was wrong. It was intuition, but she was not the one to ignore it. She took out her handgun, one of the weapons she always carried on her persona. She started doing a silent sweep of the apartment, walking carefully so that the heels wouldn't make so much sound. They still made a little and Tessa did a mental note to wear shoes that didn't make any sounds in the future.

Inside the bedroom was a fold door to the closet that covered most of one wall. If someone would have hidden in the bedroom, it was the most likely place to hide. Tessa opened it at one side to check if there was anyone behind there. At the same time as she did that the door was slammed open on the other side and a cloth that smelled heavily of chloroform was pressed over her mouth and nose.

She kicked back hitting her attacker on the small of his leg. Tessa clawed at his hand trying to get it away from her face at the same time as she slammed her own head into his. There was a crack when his nose broke. The chloroform was taking effect making Tessa dizzy. She tried to turn around so that she could get in a shot, but fell instead. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was a mans face with black tears running down his cheeks.

~o~

Slowly Tessa opened her eyes and lifted her head. She was chained to a chair and above her stood Bogan.

"Hello my dear Tessa."

She didn't answer, but pulled in her chains to see if there was any possibilities to escape.

"Oh no Tessa. There is no chance for you to escape."

"Why have you done this?"

"You are a smart girl. I'm sure you already have figured it out. But I'll tell you anyways. The villain always has to gloat and reveal his motives. Otherwise it wouldn't be much of a story. Would it?"

He started to circle her. A predator studying his pray.

"I know who's fault it was that I lost the wager. I could have won my self a telepath, but you helped Shaw to win. I never lose! I have given him a offer. You or his fortune. Guess what he will chose."

Bogan leaned in closer to her face.

"After all, he can always find someone to replace you."

He straitened and continued to walk around her, still talking.

"To be honest. You fascinate me. How you have been able to resist falling under my control. But you will lose. You will become one of my pets, Tessa."

He stopped behind her. "My dear Tessa."

Then he grabbed her face and pulled his thumbs from the middle of her eyes down her cheeks, leaving a black mark similar to the way the black tears had run down the mans face. Pain burned along the marks, pain that was nearly unbearable. Tessa wanted to scream, but clenched her teeth together hard so that she wouldn't. She would not let him have the satisfaction of hearing that.

"I'll be back later. I have some other business to anted to."

~o~

Her her head was hanging down and the still thudding black marks was hidden underneath the dark curtain of her hair. Before she got here it had been in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She couldn't remember when it had come undone. Most likely while she was unconscious, otherwise she would have known.

She had to find a way out this. She would not be anyones slave. Lock picks. She could pick the lock. A smile spread over her face. There was a way out of this mess. Bogan had not taken all scenarios in consideration, the chains was long enough for her to reach the left back pocket on her black jeans. Her weapons where gone, but who ever had searched her had missed her picks.

It wasn't a hard lock to pick, even though not being able to see it made it slightly harder. With the right hand she picked the left lock and after a few minutes that seamed year long it clicked open, freeing the left hand. The chain was still attached to her right wrist, but her hands was no longer stuck behind her back. Freeing the other hand took even less time. Instead of leaving the chain Tessa took it with her, if she would have to fight her way out it would work as a weapon.

As she walked towards the stair her steps echoed through the cellar. Once again she cursed the damed shoes that could give her away. For a moment Tessa stopped and took of the shoes. She would need to be quiet, making sounds would only make her chances of getting out smaller. Things had gone way to easy, she was not about to push her luck.

Tessa tiptoed up the stair soundlessly. At it's top was the door out. It was probably locked, but when she tried it it opened with a little creek. Tessa raised her eyebrows. Bogan clearly was very overconfident and had gotten sloppy. Really sloppy. She slipped out the door and fond herself to be in an empty warehouse. No one seamed to bee there, so Tessa ran to the closest exit. She dropped the chain on the floor before going outside, it would have attracted attention. Outside it was morning and in the rush everyone had to get to work Tessa wasn't noticed.

~o~

Shaw's elbows rested on his desk and in his hands was his face. He had no idea what to do. It wasn't like he was about to pay. During his life he had built his fortune, it was his, he deserved it. Never again he would be poor, but he couldn't just leave Tessa...

She had done so much for him and helped him earn more money than ever before. She had been his student and he had taught her everything he knew. Not only had he father feelings for her, but she knew as much, perhaps even more, about his company as he did himself. That knowledge like that was out there was dangerous.

What was he going to do? Shaw's thinking was interrupted when the door opened. He looked up to see who had come, ready to snap at them that he had specifically asked not to be disturbed. When he saw who was there it probably was the biggest shock of his lifetime.

In the doorway stood Tessa. She was a mess, clothes wrinkled, no shoes, undone hair and her face...

Her face was marked with two black lines.

"Tessa?!" Shaw could not believe it. She was standing right in front of him.

"I escaped. He was sloppy. No guards. Did not notice my lock picks. Left all the doors unlocked. Really, really sloppy and overconfident."

Shaw got up and hugged her hard.

"I'm so glad your back. I couldn't think of what to do. I couldn't give up my money, I couldn't abandon you and I had no clue of where he kept you so that I could come and rescue you."

Her telepathy was slipping. She could feel it and all of her attempts to take a firm hold on it was useless.

"I never needed any rescue."

"No you didn't. You're a capable woman. You can take care of yourself."

"Yes."

"You ain't safe here any more."

"As you said, I can take care of my self."

His thoughts was so loud. She had become a liability to him. Something that others could use to hurt him. He had to get rid of her in order to be strong.

"I do not doubt that. Right now the odds are bigger that he will try again if you're here. I he don't know where you are, you'll be safer. I don't know if it is me or you that he has something against. If you ain't by my side he can't get to me through you and if you are his target, you will be on your own. You can take care of it your self without needing to bother with anyone else."

"That makes sens." The words had been forced over her lips, but she didn't show it. Hiding the truth was something she was very good at. Shaw was just an other one of those that had betrayed her. Even if she had expected him to do so eventually.

"Good, now I have a beach house in Florida that I'm planing to sell. If you were to by it under an other name, lets say Theresa Shade or something like that..."

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Author's Note: Just so that you know, I'm not going to be home next week and there for there will be no update. I'm going on a ski trip that is going to be so much fun. Bring on your envy. BUT in order to make up for a update-less week I'm planing on giving you TWO chapters during week 11.

Pleas leave a review. Would make me so happy.