Kittie Darhart, thank you with all my heart! Your proofreading made me actually like my story ;)

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! This is the penultimate chapter

Rachel had never before looked up to any man the way she did Frank. He was a real man – honest, faithful, tirelessly following his principles, and she always felt safe when she was around him. She'd had few important men in her life before – and among them were those who truly loved her and cared for her, but Rachel was sure that none of them could ever compare to Frank. He was so genuine, so utterly masculine that, even now, he took her very breath away. She then realized that a lot of his appeal came from the fact that she couldn't really guess what was on his mind. He was like a closed book to her, always opening too painfully slow for her liking, but even that mystery about him was very tempting, to say the least. Unlike so many others, Frank didn't try to impress her in any way. In fact, he was fighting with his feelings for her as much as he could...But last night proved that what he felt for her was requited; she wasn't alone in this love.

Rachel was used to attention from men. Even in college, she was one of the prettiest girls; and on top of that, everyone could hear her singing when she joined a band formed by her sister, Nicky. Rachel felt special and spoilt and when she inevitably became a huge star, such adjectives like 'gorgeous,' 'beautiful,' and 'wonderful' were so omnipresent in her life that she quickly began to take everything for granted. She loved the attention and admiration; she never had enough of it – but at the same time, she didn't really respect any of it too much, either. It was an everyday kind of thing for her. But then she'd met Frank, her handsome bodyguard, who not only didn't fall for her straight away, but openly showed disapproval of her behavior. Her charm and beauty didn't attract him like other men; he was critical of her mannerisms and lifestyle. That angered her, but also impressed and intrigued her, as well. 'Why isn't he paying me any attention?' – she'd asked herself countless times. She really wanted to break him, to make him fall for her. Instead, though, she started falling for him, admiring him and seeking his company.

One evening, she'd even seen him watching a clip from her song 'Run to You.' It was one of her favorite songs, even though she'd never been totally comfortable with herself nearly naked and running through the clouds. When she saw Frank, who couldn't take his eyes off her throughout the whole clip, though, she knew that something had finally clicked, that this one song of hers had somehow broken down a few of the walls inside of him and nothing would ever be the same between them. That encouraged her to ask him out few days later.

All of those thoughts were currently running through her head as she held tightly onto him, feeling safe, but unsure of what this present conversation between them would bring.

It was Frank's turn to speak and he knew that.

- Rachel...I'm not good at words. I'm a man of action. I took a bullet for you and wouldn't hesitate to do it again, even though I'm no longer your bodyguard. – He smiled a little when Rachel touched the place where the bullet intended for her had entered his body, protecting her from death. It wasn't an easy conversation for him; he never liked talking about his feelings with anyone. But now it was this time and in this place; right here, right now. - You see...you have to understand my mentality. We are very different. I'm not one who shows my emotions easily, not only because I'm a man, but also because I'm a trained bodyguard. When I started to fall in love with you... - He paused for a moment and Rachel looked at him with a soft smile. She loved hearing the truth from him, and knew that it wasn't easy for him to finally admit it. Strangely enough, she didn't treat it as a victory, though, not at all. Hearing these words from him made her truly happy.

- When did it start, Frank? Do you remember a moment when it started? - Rachel couldn't hide curiosity.

- Yeah...it was when I was doing some research on your videos that I knew was somehow part of the inspiration for that maniac's letters. I knew he is using quotes from your songs, so I wanted to write them down, to know what he was referring to. Then I saw your 'Run to You' video. God! You…looked like an angel. It was a sharp contrast from your behavior earlier that week, but I managed to forget about that while looking at you just running through those clouds. Whoever had that idea was a very clever man. I'm sure that half of the U.S. male population was glued to their T.V. screens when watching that video. Well, it wasn't just that. I knew you were attractive from the first day I've met you; that didn't impress me at all. What are you laughing at? -

Rachel couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole speech, but now she was just laughing and couldn't stop.

- I knew you weren't attracted to me the way other men were when they first saw me. And I looked good when you first saw me. I was surprised that you didn't pay me any attention; it doesn't happen very often, you know? That impressed me. -

Now it was Frank who was laughing.

- I really admire your lack of modesty...but I guess you're right. I don't see many men who would say 'No' to you. -

- You did, – she reminded him, – right here, in this house. But let's not talk about it now. What happened when you were watching 'Run to You'?

- Well, I was looking at you and listening to the words you sang, and then I realized that you were, in fact, singing about yourself...I know you didn't write that song, but I believed you when you were singing: that you are scared sometimes and you're hurt inside. And I had a feeling that you may feel alone more often than sometimes. It's a sad life that you're leading. You can't even go out on a date with a guy and not have a bodyguard near you...The price of fame is high. I think you didn't realize that at the beginning, right? -

- No, I didn't...I was only thinking of how to be famous and rich, and I think I'd lost something along the way...I paid a big price for this. Lack of privacy, my sister's death, constant fear that some maniac may kill me or hurt Fletcher...I'm getting really tired of show business, Frank. I really am. It's hard to be on top all the time. I've had mostly ups so far, but there will be downs, that's for sure. I'm not sure how strong I am to handle it...and I have nobody really close who would understand this and support me...I'm afraid to fall in love or have close friendships. That's why I used to change men so often and I have a reputation for being difficult to work and live with. -

- Yeah, I could see through you on that. You'd flirt with everyone, but weren't really letting anyone in deep into your heart. You're so used to success that you're afraid that someone can hurt you deeply. -

Rachel nodded and whispered:

- I'm not as strong as everyone thinks. I'm just a normal person who happened to have some luck in the career I've chosen. But it won't last forever. I'm so happy I have Fletcher, you have no idea. I'm worried about him all the time, if my fame will affect him...He doesn't have a good male role-model, that's one of the reasons I was so sad that you're no longer in our life. He looked up to you. You know what he told me once, about a month after that kiss at the airport? 'Mom, I wish I had a father like Frank. I don't understand why he had to leave.' – There were tears in her eyes again. Frank wiped them off and kissed her on the tip of her nose. He felt a lump forming in the hollow of his throat.

They were silent for a moment, but it was a comfortable silence. Frank eventually broke it by asking:

- What did you tell him about that? -

- I said that life isn't easy and that we belong to two different worlds; that you are a great man, and I'll always remember you. But we have to move on in our worlds. I don't think he fully understood what I meant by that. For children, the world is simple and that's a good thing. Have you heard my version of the song 'I will always love you'? -

Frank remembered it quite vividly.

-Yes, I have...It's one of your most beautiful songs. -

- It was for you. My record company wasn't sure if I should sing that kind of song, but I was stubborn about it. I had to sing it for you; I was hoping you would hear it one day on the radio or see it on T.V. and would somehow know how much you mean to me. That song became really important to me; I put a lot of what I felt in it, and I think that's one of the reasons for its success. I wasn't doing too well after I'd lost you. I didn't fully understand just how much I loved you until you'd left. -

It was the first time she actually said those words. She was breathing heavily; it was a real effort for her to finally acknowledge her feelings. Frank was taken aback, his heart jumping. Did she actually say what he heard she said? When he looked into her eyes, however, he knew that she was telling the truth. He thought that it must've been an equally difficult time for her, too, after they'd parted ways, not just for him. He wanted to tell her that he loved her too, but was afraid that it wouldn't sound as strong as it should. 'I love you, too' wasn't something he wanted to tell her. It was finally time to say something more.

- I've heard the song, more than I'd ever wanted to. I couldn't escape it – it was everywhere. And once I've saw the video that accompanied it…It was hard for me, Rachel. -

- Tell me about it – she returned.

Frank shifted uncomfortably in his armchair. It brought back the thought of Amanda. Rachel hadn't asked directly yet, but he knew she was waiting for that part of the story. It was a difficult part for him too, mainly because he would have to admit the extent of his feelings for her. -

- Hmm...I wasn't too well after we split up. I went to the airport to tell you goodbye, to make sure that it was the right decision; that I did my job, since we had separate lives and it was time to move on. What I didn't predict was how huge an impact that goodbye to you had on me. I actually regretted going there afterwards, since it made it so much harder. I know you were at the hospital to visit me and I pretended I was asleep...I had to wrap my head around a lot of things, so I didn't want to talk to you then...But I knew that you'd slipped underneath that hospital blanket to lie next to me. It was so... - He paused for a moment, since he didn't know how to explain to her the emotions he'd felt then. - Overwhelming. And then this nurse came by and asked you to leave the room because I needed to rest. I remember that kiss on my lips just before you had left the room. -

- Oh my God! You were awake the whole time? – Rachel seemed slightly embarrassed by the fact. – If I only knew... - She slapped his hand, jokingly, and Frank smiled softly. - I went back to the hospital two days later, but you weren't there anymore. I went to your house, too, but you weren't there, either. So I thought that you didn't want to see me anymore and so I gave up. I started to prepare for my world tour and tried to forget you. -

- Well, my father came to take me back home to help me recover. I'd spent about three weeks there, but managed to arrange a new bodyguard for you and was in touch with Bill the whole time. -

- He didn't tell me – Rachel bit back.

- I asked him not to. I still had to think some things over...I really wanted to say goodbye, but wasn't sure how difficult it would be for me. My last chance was to do it before you left the country to start your world tour, so I showed up at the airport. -

- I was surprised to see you there. I never thought I'd see you again. But it didn't seem right that I wasn't able to say goodbye to you. -

- I know. I had to see you one more time, too. What I didn't expect was that kind of goodbye. -

Rachel nodded. They didn't need words to describe what had happened between them; she knew back then that they both loved each other very deeply, but it simply wouldn't work. That was the problem, not a lack of love, or communication on either part, but it had been something else entirely. Had this single year of separation changed something?

- Yes, it was...I can't describe what I'd felt then…with you, - she said thickly, moving closer to him. – I hadn't expected that kiss, either. Not like that. -

Frank only nodded, and dreaded the fact that he had finally come to the part of the story he was trying to avoid...