"Ash?... Ashleigh?" muttered a vague, masculine voice.

This voice grew closer and louder. I cringed and then slowly opened my eyes, Wade was hovering above me. I smiled at him and then reality set in, I SLEPT IN FOR WORK!

I quickly sat up and ran for the bathroom. "Thank you for waking me, I can't believe I slept in! I am going to be dead!" I yelled from inside.

Wade stood outside the door, his back against the wall. "I was on my way to the store and noticed your car was still parked outside; I thought maybe you were sick... I just thought to check on you" he said.

I was hardly even listening to Wade even though I was glad he woke me up. I was just trying to get ready as quick as possible yet still looking presentable, you know... for EJ. I finally got out and grabbed my bag and keys, "Do I look alright?" I asked Wade.

"You always look nice" he said kindly.

I hugged him tightly, "Thank you for checking on me, my boss would have killed me if I didn't show up."

"You better hurry up then, you're only an hour and 20 minutes late" he said, "Wait... let me drive you, it'll give you time to recuperate, you look too tense ."

This sigh of relief filled my body, "Yes, please that would help me so much!"

Wade grabbed my keys from my hands and walked outside my apartment, I followed behind him locking my door.

...

"So... I'm sorry for blowing you off like that, looks like I had a little too much sleep" I said staring out the car window, "I must have forgotten to turn my alarm on."

Wade stared out at the road in front of him, "That's alright you work all day, I'm sorry to annoy you like that."

I shook my head, "You're my good friend Wade... my best friend. I was just caught up in something at work."

"Your boss giving you a hard time?" he asked, "Because I've told you before that I would set him straight."

I giggled, "No that's alright and actually something amazing happened." This smile appearing on my face as I thought yesterday's events.

Wade noticed my grin, "Enlighten me."

"Well... yesterday Mr Peterson calls me in my office and I'm thinking this is it he's going to fire me and then he tells me that he wants me to be the lead criminologist for this really big case" I explained.

"What's the case?"

"Have you seen on the news, about this serial killer that has been murdered 7 women in the past week?" I asked, "Well... that's the one, if I can solve this it will do wonders for my career."

"Wow Ash! That's fantastic... I'm sure you'll be the girl to get it done. There's nobody smarter than you" he said supportively, "I know you can do it."

"There may be someone smarter than me" my voice growing softer, "He's smarter, sharper and handsome..." I had trailed off and I hadn't even realised.

Wade cringed in confusion, "What?"

"Um..." I whimpered, "There's this guy who's come to work with me, his really different... he's British too, just like you!"

Wade didn't look as happy as I was, "What's he doing there? Don't they think you can do this?"

I chuckled, "Wade... I can't take down this killer on my own; he's one of the best that's why he's here to help me. He's a really nice guy."

"What's his name?"

"EJ" I proclaimed, "EJ DiMera... I think you'd like him."

Wade was quiet for a bit, I hardly noticed because we were now approaching my building and I had to think of an excuse as to why I was late not to mention try not to be embarrassed in front of EJ.

Wade pulled over toward the front, "Well... have a good day... with um... EJ." He seemed shaken but I still didn't notice.

"Thank you for driving me Wade, where would I be without you" I said before leaving, "I'll see you." Before Wade could mutter another word, I dashed inside toward the lift.

...

As the doors opened of the lift and I stepped on to my floor, I took a deep breath before approaching everyone. I felt someone press their hand on my shoulder; I span around and felt butterflies in my stomach as I stared up at him. His brown smouldering eyes felt like they were staring into my soul.

"You finally decided to grace us with your presence" EJ grinned.

I looked around the department, "...Did Mr Peterson notice?"

"He did! He did! He wasn't too happy."

"Oh no" I muttered, covering my face with my hands in worry, "He's going to kill me."

"Well here he comes" said EJ, his eyes flickering in front of us. My hands dropped to my sides as I watched Mr Peterson approach me.

"Nice of you to join us Ashleigh" said Mr Peterson.

"I'm really sorry I'm late Sir" I pleaded, "I just lost track of time."

"Track of time? EJ explained how you were spending the day with Melissa Haven's mother, the poor woman. I'm proud of you."

I looked up at EJ confused, "Melissa Haven?" I worded to him.

"Yes the last victim Melissa Haven, her mother must have been a mess having her daughter been murdered yesterday morning" said EJ, "I thought maybe you might have been all day."

EJ had saved my ass! I nodded, "Well... she wasn't really talking much and I didn't want to pressure her too much after her daughter had just died."

"That's fair enough, I'll leave you two to work" said Mr Peterson, "Good job Ashleigh, again."

After Mr Peterson had walked away and was a clear distance away from us I turned to EJ, I was very appreciative of what he had done. "Thank you EJ... for not letting me get in trouble."

He smirked, "I had to have my partner's back." EJ calling me his partner gave me goose bumps. "Where were you anyway?"

I rolled my eyes, "I slept in."

This teasing laugh came out of his mouth. I crossed my arms, huffing at him. He slowly calmed down, "How could you have slept in?"

The truth was because he had taken over my head. "I just forgot to set my alarm."

EJ started walking closer toward me, "Or was it because you were dreaming about me so much? I see the way you look at me and I'm afraid to say Ashleigh that I'm starting to control you."

I moved back away from, but he kept walking closer, close enough to back me into a corner. He pressed his hand at either side, pinning me to the wall. "You're... you're not in my head, you're the last thing that's on my mind" I said back to him.

He chortled, "That still means I'm in your head." He dropped his hands down and laughed again, "I'm just joking around with you, come on let's work on the case."

EJ walked into his office and I blankly stood where I had been cornered, not sure of what had just happened.

I noticed the other people staring at me weirdly as to why I was standing in a corner with a flabbergasted expression. I quickly paced into his office to find EJ standing in front of the wall like a school teacher. I decided to sit in one of the chairs. "So Ashleigh, in the past seven days there have been seven murders" he said handing me some files.

As I looked at them I realised that these were the victims, I had never seen their photos just briefly learnt about them.

"Amy Fuller, Rachel Anderson, Natalie Thompson, Naomi Ostia, Annualise Nagel, Lisa Storm and Melissa Haven... These women have all fallen victim to this serial killer. Now the only pattern that we've come across is that all the women murdered have been between ages 20-25 and being stabbed in the heart was the cause of death" EJ explained.

"So...we know all of this" I said, "I told you that it might have been a surgeon, remember when we had lunch."

He smiled, "I remember... I also remember how jealous you got when I was chatting to your friend."

I shook my head, "Anyway..."

"So last night I was reading all of the files, trying to rack my brain about some sort of link, this person hasn't left me anything... but what I found was quite...surprising" he said.

"What was it?" I asked anxiously.

"All seven women that were murdered were working or had worked once in their life at the 'Lust Inn'... if I got that right" he said staring at his file.

"The strip club?"

He nodded, "Yes that's what it would seem."

My head started surging through possible suspects, "Maybe this has something to do with the club? Maybe this person was a customer and something happened and now he was taking his frustration on these women. It could also possibly a Christian/Catholic enthusiast who seems this woman as sinners and tried doing god's work for him."

EJ looked exhausted, "Alright Miss smarty pants, could you just give me one second."

I sighed and then let him speak.

"Don't you think I figured those out, anyway I'm going to the club now to ask some questions" he said, "Maybe someone there can help me out."

I laughed, "Of course, you're going there... you wouldn't miss that opportunity."

This stern expression covered his face, as he pressed his hands to the desk in front of him. "Look seven women have died because some of some idiot. Don't turn this into a mockery Ashleigh."

I was stunned as I pressed my hand against my chest, "I wasn't... I just meant..."

"That's enough!" he scolded, "You can go home, take those files with you... at least one us is taking this seriously."

My eyes stared at him, "EJ... I didn't..."

"Just go... if I need you, I'll contact you" he ordered, this disgust and disappointment sounding in his voice when he spoke. I grabbed my things and turned around with my head lowered. I didn't understand what got him so wound up; I obviously didn't mean to offend anyone except him. I ended up catching a taxi home.

...

I slumped in my couch, thinking over what had happened at work with EJ while I watched television. How can you go from one day absolutely loving the guy and then the next absolutely fearing them? I heard a knock on the door, I guessed that it was Wade. I hadn't talked to him when I came back; maybe he wanted to know if I still had a job. I opened the door and this uncertain feeling grew, "EJ?"

"Good evening Ashleigh, I'm sorry it's so late but I wanted to speak with you" he said considerately.

"Come in" I said moving to the side.

He nodded and walked past me to enter my apartment, "I just wanted to apologize for the way I yelled at you today... I shouldn't have, that wasn't fair to you at all. I know you had no ill intention... it's just..."

"Just what?" I asked standing close to him.

"I've had this happen to me once before, she was my girlfriend at the time... she was murdered by this psychopath. I tracked him down myself... the police didn't do anything about it. When I found him, I tried so hard not to kill him. I grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the ground, all I could think about was her body laying in a pool of her own blood and how he could have let her die like that for nothing!" he explained. I gazed at his moist eyes, he quickly wiped them away.

"I'm so sorry" I whispered.

He smiled, "It's alright and I've moved on... it's just hard to see these women die for no reason at all. She was the reason I got into the crime department."

I don't know why but I had this urge to hold his hand and so I placed his hand in my palm, "I know we can do this EJ, we're going to stop this killer and those women will get the justice they deserve."

EJ nodded, "But first we got to make sure you don't sleep in, I'll see to it to pick you up at 8:00am tomorrow... we'll go to the club, together."

...