AN: Hi, hello, Hey...
Well I know I took my time with this chapter, mega writers block, plus other things, well I've got this chapter, eighteen won't be too far behind.
Chapter seventeen
Falling
"For now I think the best thing is to leave her," Lloyd exhaled glancing to the break room. It wasn't easy for him to say it, but he knew it wouldn't be wise to over crowd her in her current emotional state. Lloyd kept watching Julianne, "Maybe an hour or so, but she seems to be sleeping, so if she sleeps let her sleep, she might wake, but just, don't ask any questions." He clapped, "So where are we heading now?"
"I've got a call in, a shipping yard manager had complained about someone trespassing," Julianne's voice still shaken up, but she was doing better at controlling herself, "He matches Derrick's description so I've told the man to try and," Julianne tried to think of the word, she bit her lip, "And…"
"Stall him," Shea butt into the conversation, "Look, I think a guy like that, he's not wanting to be away from her for too long, he's spent four years away, so we gotta move now!"
Charlie watched Shea, "As much as I hate to say it, we've gotta move," He then took his cell phone out, "Peter's Docks?" He asked Julianne.
She hesitated for a second, "Yes, it's twenty minutes from here, if you take the back roads you'll avoid traffic." Julianne tried keep together, but she didn't want to do anything apart from see her sister.
Ray nodded, "Erica, Shea you come with us, Lloyd, you stay here, Julianne, we'll call when we've got him." He turned heading for the lift, the rest of the team behind.
Lloyd waited until the sound of the elevator stopped, he turned to look over Julianne, "I need to."
"Don't," Julianne cut him off, her eyes looking up to him, she felt that familiar feeling she got when she tried to kiss Ray, it was her chest tightening, her eyes kept focused and hoping to not break down.
Lloyd looked on confused, "Don't what?" He asked keeping his side of the desk, he started to feel now wasn't a good time.
Julianne stood up, "Don't do the speech," her hand playing over her scarf, " 'You're nice', 'you're a great girl', 'I don't want to ruin anything', 'you're a good friend', 'I don't see you that way', 'you're too important to lose'." Her eyes avoided his now, she glanced over to the break room. "I've heard them all before."
Holding his hands up, Lloyd kept serious, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what makes you think I was going to say any of that?"
Julianne quickly glimpsed over his face, a small frown, her face looked worn out, "It's just how it is, I kissed you, I've never done the first move before."
"You kissed me?" Lloyd inhaled, "I honestly thought I kissed…." He waved his hands, "Not the point, the point is, you," He quickly move to face her, "You're going through a hard time, I don't want to take advantage of…" He felt Julianne quickly pressing her lips to his, his eyes closed taking the moment, the kiss was brief, but Julianne pulled away watching him closely. "You." He finished his sentence.
"Lloyd, I'm a big girl," Julianne shrugged, "I think if I kiss you, it's because I want to," she brushed her hand into his hair pushing it back lightly, "You're not taking advantage, from day one you've been nothing but nice," she laughed, "And you even respected me enough not to look down my top."
Lloyd laughed, "I," He stopped talking watching Julianne, "It's going to be complicated."
"So," Julianne spoke softly, "Most my relationships have been complicated." She kept her eyes from Lloyd to the break room, "I just," she stalled, "I need to know is she going to be okay?"
"I can't say," Lloyd stepped closer to Julianne, "I wish I could tell you, tomorrow she'll wake up, she'll smile and joke, but I don't lie Julianne, and I can't lie to you." He brushed stray pieces of her hair lightly behind her ear.
Julianne kept looking up to him, feeling his hand slowly brushing against her arm, every time he touched her she felt his hesitation, she knew he wasn't used to being aloud this kind of physically contact, so now she brought her hand up to brush against his cheek, "I guess I'll have to take it one day at a time."
"Just be there, that's all you have to do, just be there." He let a small smile slip, "I can tell you how pleased I am that you've progressed a lot."
Julianne raised her eyebrow, "In some ways," She started softly, but still her eyes lingered to the break room, she had calmed down when she got the phone call that they found Elizabeth, but still wanted Derrick to be brought in, "Others I still have a way to go." Her voice trailed off, the sound of her voice shivered a little thinking of what her sister was going through. She couldn't even possibly start to relate to what had happened.
Pulling up to the dock yard, Ray kept a cold exterior, as much as he'd like to find this guy and pound on his face for a few hours, he knew it wasn't going to be the way he was going to get his badge back. If that was ever going to be the case, he just wanted to get this guy, take him back to prison where he'd never be able to hurt anyone again.
"Ray!" Charlie snapped over Ray's heavy breathing, he stood one side of the car, "We need to keep focused." He stated while looking to Shea and Erica, "I hope we can do this quick and efficiently."
"Right," Erica kept herself aware of the dockyard, she was always watching exits, possible hiding places, "Where did the manager say he was?" Her voice calm, every piece of her energy was on controlling her temper.
"He said he was wondering about," Ray exhaled feeling a soft breeze blowing off the water.
Charlie clapped, "Erica you're with Ray, take the dock, me and Shea will be taking the warehouses." He pointed out, the fact he knew Erica worked her best when she was with Ray. "We're going to get this guy."
Ray puffed out a loud breath, "Right, lets move," he turned away from Charlie and Shea going towards the docks, he saw Erica out of the corner of his eyes walking beside him, "You feeling okay?"
"As okay as someone shot by a tranq gun, took a ecstasy tablet, oh and came onto Lloyd," Erica shuddered, "I'm fine."
"You forgot to mention me," Ray turned to face Erica giving her a smirk.
"Just want to remind me, for as long as you can." Erica felt herself blushing, it wasn't something she would normally like to happen, but some reason Ray was giving her a pleasant look, "Well, looks like someone liked the attention…"
Ray stopped moving, where he stood he could see the whole of the Dockyard, but it was going to take a lot of attention to detail to find Derrick here, he turned to Erica, "Well Erica, you are aware of how you look of Lloyd's face when you jumped him?" A moment his eyes caught her face. Erica was staring towards the docks but he knew a woman's facial expressions could speak volumes. You didn't have to be Lloyd Lowery to know that Ray struck a nerve with Erica. He stepped closer to her. "I'm sorry, we just have to," He stopped seeing something out the corner of his eye.
Erica watched Ray, she saw what he saw, but placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's just a little girl," reassuring, her hand rested on the shoulder for a second before moving it away. "I like you Ray," Erica blurted out, she turned away feeling the flush of her cheeks, but doing all she could to make it go away. Wish to take it back but it was too late for any of that, "I just," she stopped mid sentence, her eyes focused, "I think I saw him." Her tone dropped now, she kept focused on an old abandoned boat on the far edge of the docks.
Ray nodded, it was the fact of needing to have that element of surprise, and he took a glimpse at the boat, to see Derrick checking it over, knowing that it won't take too long to ambush him. Reaching into his pocket, he called Charlie, "We've got him, left edge," Ray hung the phone up, his attention to Erica, "You ready?"
Erica nodded, but her blood pumping, her adrenaline starting to spike, it was like the lioness within her was getting ready, she was ready to catch this guy once and for all. "Lets do this!" Her tone husky, but her eyes alert.
Elizabeth opened her eyes; at first momentary glance of the room it was blurred. It only took her five blinked to notice where she was, but when she slowly pushed herself into a comfortable position. The silence proved that she was alone, or that who ever else was around was really quiet.
Getting to her feet, Elizabeth didn't remember much, she knew that it wasn't Derrick that opened the door, and she remembered being in Lloyd's arms, his calming tone and keeping her still. Elizabeth exhaled looking around herself, with each step she took; her heart was pounding hard against her ribs. Her wrist stung, her insides still felt hollow, but she wanted to not feel like the victim, she was going to refuse her life being shattered into a million pieces once again. She could manage to pull herself together on her own once, but a second time. No she wouldn't be alone this time, no, Julianne knew, her mother would soon enough know and then she's going to be treated like the victim for the rest of her life.
Moving through the office was easy, Elizabeth could feel her eyes drawing close to Charlie's office, then moved her hand over the open laptop of Derrick's. A chill ran through her while seeing a folder of photos, they were her photos. Elizabeth knew the place, the people, her own face in the thumbnails that made her chest tighten to know she'll never have them moments back.
Flushing the toilet Lloyd washed his hand drying them on a towel that was oddly bright white; obviously Julianne does more than just buying clothes for the team. While walking back to the main office area he stopped on the spot, "Elizabeth," He said while looking over the girl standing beside Charlie's office door, "Julianne went out for coffee, we ran out, she said you were sleeping."
"Guess I'm awake now," Elizabeth answered stepping away from the door, her hand resting on her hip for a second, "I," She trailed off, "He stole my camera and uploaded all my photos." Her eyes looked over the screen. "It's kinda weird."
Lloyd didn't move, he kept looking at Elizabeth, still wearing the baggy t-shirt they found her in, he remembered bandaging her wrist, finding sweat pants for her to wear. The events of finding Elizabeth were always going to be permanently imprinted into the back of his mind.
Lloyd didn't know what to say, or do in the matter. He knew the behaviour pattern of a rapist, he'd know the drives and impulses for them to control their victim, but he never wanted to be in the mindset of the victim, to know how it felt to have something taking away to never truly be returned, the persons sense of safety within their own body. "Would you like a drink? I could…"
"I'm not thirsty," Elizabeth cut him off, her weight shifting from one foot to another, "I just wondered, if I can look at the laptop," her words so soft, Lloyd kept the full ten feet away from her, Elizabeth could tell he didn't want to push her boundaries, "Is that okay?"
Lloyd stepped forward, "I don't think it's good for you to look at it," He stopped stepping closer to the laptop closing it quickly, "You shouldn't have to see the things he's got on here so soon."
"So soon," Elizabeth started, "What's on there is four years old Lloyd, my photos of the summer I never fully enjoyed, films I record with a best friend I'll never see again." Elizabeth exhaled stepping to the laptop picking it up, "I've spent four years pushing thoughts and feelings away, because I felt I was to blame," Her eyes welling up, "You shouldn't of worn them skirts, you shouldn't of did a burlesque show for a sex ed class, you're such a stupid flirt, why do you have to be that way?"
Lloyd listened to Elizabeth, he couldn't speak, the fact all the time, Elizabeth blamed herself, he glanced to the laptop, finally seeing her eyes with tears rolling down, "You're not to blame for what he did," He carefully placed a hand to her shoulder, she didn't flinch, but her eyes moved from his face to the hand, "You shouldn't of suffered alone."
"I," Elizabeth meet Lloyd's gaze now, "I didn't want anyone to know," her words in such a low whisper, her voice cracked, "It was nice to live in make believe, even if it was only for a little while." Her body shifted, she twisted herself to face away from Lloyd making her way to another room, and she wanted to be alone.
Lloyd watched as Elizabeth disappeared, he let out the breath he was holding, "Damn," He whispered. For once he did not know, he couldn't think of anything to say to this girl to possibly turn her life around from something this tragic.
Derrick brushed his hand against the flaking paintwork of the boat, he didn't really have much luck when it came to sailing, but he had to find a way to Mexico. His plan so far had been slower than he expected, but he was going to make it work.
Taking a few steps around the deck, he smiled to himself, the boat looked abandoned; no one would miss it if it were gone. Opening the door to lead into the controls, he smiled bigger when the door opened with ease.
"Derrick Florey, come out with your hands up!" Charlie called from the dock, he held his gun up, but he was hoping to not have to use it. He wanted this over with, as now he watched Derrick slowly turn around with his hands in the air.
He was smirking, his eyes focused on the gun, "If you take me in, you'll never know where Elizabeth Simms is…" He kept serious, his whole face now Morphed into some disturbing grin.
Ray stepping forward, he was close enough to grab Derrick's arm putting it behind his back, "You got nothing," His voice hissed, he was going to make sure this guy never escapes again, "Elizabeth is going to be safe, far away from you!"
Derrick's eyes wide, looking to each person around him, each one of them glaring at him, "You don't even know what you're talking about, Elizabeth loves me…"
Erica's eyes narrowed, listening to him say that made her want to be sick, she carefully stepped into Derrick's face, "you're pathetic," Her voice dark, "She never loved you, and never will…"
Charlie carefully touching Erica's arm, "Come on, we've got to take him in," He exhaled, "Ray, ring the office and let Julianne know we've caught Florey, and that Elizabeth should be taken to the hospital."
Ray nodded making sure the handcuffs are secure.
Walking back to the car, Shea kept beside Derrick, he watched this man with his eyes dangerous. Shea rubbed a hand under his nose, his eyes turned to watch Derrick's, "Big chance, where ever you go, I'll know someone there," He kept his tone smooth and low, "I might not be able to get you here and now," A slow smirk spread over his lips, "But trust me, you'll get what's coming to ya!"
Derrick watched as the man walked away from him, his throat going dry, finally being pushed into the back seat, all he could think is how they found Elizabeth, will he ever see her again.