Chapter Thirteen:
February 16, 2002

God, I can't believe what happened to Kay last night. I mean, I was worried that something like that might happen, but the fact that it did… I can't write it here. Thinking it is bad enough. Writing it would just make it far too real.

I want to kill Jordan for what he did to Kay, the pain that he put her through. I want him to hurt just as bad as he's hurting right now.

But Kay made me promise not to say anything or do anything about it.

She refused to tell me why she didn't want anyone to know, which I find to be a bit confusing. Wouldn't she want to see him punished for what he did to her?

Apparently not.

All I know is that I need to be there for Kay. I need to make sure that she makes it through this rough time.

As much as she may try to act like she can handle everything that's going on all by herself, I know better. So I'm going to be here for her after she eventually realizes that she might need some help.

After all, that's what you do when you love someone—isn't it?

Carefully, Reese sprinkled chopped peppers, onions, and cheese over the frying eggs. He had woken up a few minutes ago to make some breakfast for Kay and himself.

He knew that he wasn't exactly the master of the kitchen, but his skills were passable. They were good enough to make a simple breakfast, at least.

Suddenly, a cry from the living room tore his mind away from the food he was preparing. He quickly ran into the living room to see Kay tossing and turning on the couch. Apparently, she was having a nightmare.

"Kay," he said softly, slowly walking closer. "Kay, wake up."

He reached out a hand to touch her, and whispered her name again.

The second his hand touched her, Kay leaped back as if she had been burned, still trapped in her nightmare.

Immediately, Reese pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest, not allowing her to move an inch. "Kay, wake up. Kay, it's only me—Reese!"

She stopped struggling and her eyelids slowly separated to show her sad, scared blue eyes. "R—Reese?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said gravely. "Kay, what were you dreaming about? You seemed pretty upset."

"It, it was nothing. I—I forget," Kay tried to convince him, but the scared look in her eyes made it obvious that she remembered—and she wished that she could forget it.

"Kay, you don't expect me to believe that, do you? Kay, I know that something happened last night—was that what your nightmare was about?"

"Nothing happened last night—and I didn't have a nightmare!" Kay insisted.

Gently, Reese touched her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Kay, you can trust me. Tell me what happened—please. Maybe I can help."

"No one can help, Reese. I'm beyond help!" Kay said, tears emerging from her eyes.

Reese held her tightly and decided that he would let the subject drop—for now. He knew that Kay would tell him the story in time, but perhaps it was too soon. Maybe the memories of whatever had happened were too fresh.

He only hoped that what he thought had happened, didn't.

If his gut instinct was right, God save Jordan—because nothing would be able to save him from the pure fury that Reese felt building up inside of his at the mere thought of his suspicions being reality.

~*~

"C'mon, Kay," Reese said over an hour later, as he slowly got to his feet. "You should go home. Your parents must be worried sick."

Mutely, Kay shook her head and covered her head with a nearby blanket.

"Kay, at least call them and let them know that you're ok."

"Reese, I—I can't."

Reese furrowed his eyebrows. Why couldn't she call them? This was so confusing!

Granted, Kay had a tendency to be rather confusing at times, but this really took the cake. She refused to tell him what had happened, but expected him to just accept what she said and do as she asked.


Well, this time he wouldn't. This time, he was going to call her parents and at least let them know that their daughter was all right.

It was what he should do, right?

But if it was, then why did he feel an ache deep in his stomach when he picked up the phone and started to dial?

~*~

"Reese, I can't believe you did that!" Kay shouted as she sulked in the corner of the couch, barricading herself with pillows and couch cushions. "You called my parents! Are you dense or just stupid? I told you not to, and you did it anyhow!"

"Kay, they were worried about you! And your mom promised not to come here."

"That's because my mom doesn't give a damn about me, Reese. The second my dad realizes that I'm here, he'll be right over to make sure that his little baby girl is ok."

"That's good… right? I mean, it's good that he loves you and that he's worried about you, isn't it?"

"Dammit, Reese, no! I don't want to talk about it—with anyone! Not with you, not with my dad, and certainly not with little my perfect little sister. As soon as I get home, she's going to want to know everything that happened, and I don't really feel like sharing.

"God, Reese, I don't even want to think about what happened last night, let alone talk about it! Everyone thinks that talking is the solution to everything, but sometimes it's better just to have someone hold you and tell you that everything is going to be all right," Kay added in a much softer tone of voice, as tears started welling up in her eyes.

Cautiously, Reese moved the pillows and cushions aside and sat beside her on the couch. Gently, he pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Everything is going to be fine, Kay. Everything is going to be just fine."

~*~

The next hour passed in a blur as Chief Bennett came over to attempt to claim his daughter, and Kay refused to leave. If the situation hadn't been quite so serious, Reese might have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

For as long as Reese could remember, Chief Bennett and Kay had always had a special relationship. Kay had always wanted to spend time with him—be it talking, playing ball, or just being near him.

But it seemed as if whatever had happened with Jordan had changed that.

Kay could no longer look her father in the face. She no longer wanted to talk to him about everything that happened in her life. She no longer wanted to be near him.

The question was, why not? What had happened with Jordan that could have changed everything so drastically?

Reese knew that he was no Sherlock Holmes, but he would try his best to get to the bottom of this mystery.

And, as Sherlock often did, he would make the culprit—in this case Jordan Aberman—pay for what he had done.

~*~

"Reese, can we go for a walk?" Kay asked later that day, out of the blue.

Puzzled, but more than willing to comply, Reese agreed, and the two began to prepare for the harsh winter weather that would greet them outside.

"I used to love winter," Kay confided as they walked through the snow in Reese's backyard. "It was always so much fun to play in the snow—snowball fights, sledding down Cedar Ridge, building snow forts… It used to be so easy, so simple."

Reese simply nodded as Kay talked, instinctively knowing that words weren't what she needed right then.

"But now, Reese, everything's just gotten so complicated," Kay continued as she reached the treehouse in the far corner of the yard. Slowly, she began to climb the ladder, with Reese following close behind.

Once they reached the top, Reese looked around his treehouse. It had been so long since he had come up here… hell, he had practically forgotten about this place.

He snagged on of the sagging beanbags and pulled Kay down to the ground with him. With her sitting between his legs, he gently began to rub her back as she continued her story.

"Reese, when I ran out of the dance with Jordan last night, I had just been so mad. I mean, you had just kissed my sister!"

Reese cringed inwardly as a wave of guilt swept over him. He had known that that was the reason that Kay left.

"Anyhow, he just drove around for awhile, before coming to a stop at Parker Point."

Reese prayed that this wasn't about to head in the direction that he feared it would. Parker Point was the notorious make-out place in Harmony. If Jordan had taken Kay there, chances were that his intentions were hardly innocent.

"He kissed me, Reese, and it was good—at first. But then he started to unzip my dress… oh, Reese, I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. I—I tried to tell him to stop, but he wouldn't."

Reese's eyes blazed with unbridled fury. "I'll kill him," he swore.

Kay turned in fear, as she saw the look in Reese's eyes. "Reese, don't. He didn't do anything. I managed to shove him away from me and jump out of the car before things got too out of hand. I swear it, Reese, nothing happened. Please, don't hurt him. Don't make this worse."

Reese could hardly believe the words that were coming from Kay's mouth. "Worse? How could I make this worse? Dammit, Kay, he nearly raped you! I don't know how much worse you can get than that!"

"Reese, please, don't hurt him. I don't want you to get into trouble."

Reese took a few deep breaths, in attempt to calm his raging temper. "Okay. But I am going to tell your father."

"Dammit, Reese, no! I thought I could trust you! You can't tell anyone—I mean it! No one can know about what happened! If you tell anyone, I swear I'll never speak to you again!" Kay shouted furiously.

Reese was stunned by this sudden outburst. Why on earth wouldn't she want anyone to know?

But, reluctantly, he heard himself agree to her demands. Kay would come around eventually.

She'd have to, wouldn't she?