***Beach House***

Jennifer and Susan sat on the terrace for a few hours and then Jennifer headed to bed. Susan had given her a sleeping pill, so that she would really, truly rest.

Susan slept on the couch, and woke up before Jennifer did. She made breakfast and had it ready when Jennifer came downstairs.

"Morning".

"Morning. You didn't have to do this, thank you".

"Nonsense. It was no trouble at all".

Susan noticed that her bruises were noticeably darker.

They had a nice breakfast on the terrace, and then Jennifer went upstairs to get dressed. She was thankful that she had brought extra clothes to the beach house in the weeks before.

She came back downstairs and curled up on the sofa with a book, and read for a good while. Susan read some magazines and the newspaper. Jennifer did the crossword puzzle. They basically just kept themselves busy.

Jennifer couldn't stand it any longer and went outside on the terrace to listen to the waves. She ended up taking a long walk on the beach, alone.

Susan stayed behind and made lunch, and cleaned the beach house a little bit.

She was in the kitchen when Jonathan got there.

He came in the door, and saw Susan.

"How is she?"

"Better today. I gave her a sleeping pill last night so that she could really sleep. I think it helped. She hasn't talked about it today, or anything really. She's been reading and she's on a walk on the beach now."

"Thank you so much for everything. I am so glad she didn't go through this alone".

"Happy to help."

He went upstairs with his suitcase and then changed into some shorts and a t-shirt. He came back downstairs and went out on the beach to find her.

He walked all the way down to the shore, and saw her from a distance. She was walking away from him.

He wanted to chase her but he chose to let her have her walk and just wait for her to return.

He went back to the beach house. Susan had left them a note telling them lunch was warming in the oven and that she would see them later. She had also written a prescription for Jennifer for the sleeping pills.

He was sitting in the den when he saw her coming. He stood up and just waited for her.

She opened the sliding glass door, and saw him.

She crumbled, and he held his arms out to her, and she melted into them. She sobbed hard, and he smoothed her hair and just held her.

After what seemed like forever, they sat down on the couch, and she snuggled up to him.

"I'm sorry, darling. I didn't mean to ruin your trip".

"Don't be silly. You needed me, and I needed you. Business can wait".

He kissed her forehead and held her a little longer.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really".

"It's ok, you don't have to".

She cried some more. He tried to comfort her, but he just felt so helpless and inadequate.

"What happened at your spiritual place?"

"It was closed due to a water main leak. So they canceled the whole thing and are taking a few weeks off".

"If you had known that before you drove there, you could have flown with me".

"If I had flown with you, I wouldn't have been…."

She sobbed harder.

"I didn't mean that, darling…. I'm sorry".

She wiped her eyes.

She sat up and drank some tea.

"Darling, you are my upmost priority. Where do we need more security?"

"I don't know. I was sleeping and he was just there".

"Just where?"

"In our room. I was asleep, and woke up when he put his hand over my mouth".

She was crying softly.

"How did you get the bruises?"

"Jonathan, I don't want to talk about this anymore".

"Ok, we don't have to".

He held her and tried to comfort her. He couldn't believe this had happened to them, to her. He thought they had done everything right, had the most state of the art alarm system, had all of the protections anyone could ever have. He was determined to figure out how this person got in, so that it would never happen again.

He tried to get her to eat, but she wasn't interested. She curled up against him and fell asleep. He leaned back and let her sleep.

He covered them with a blanket, and just held her.

***A few hours later***

She woke up with a start, and started crying again.

"It's just a dream, darling. You are safe here. Nobody here but you and me".

She nodded and wiped away tears.

She got up and went to get some ice water. He could see that she was having a hard time getting one of the glasses down from the cabinet, so he went to help her. He put his hand on the small of her back as he stepped forward.

"No!" She screamed at him and ran to the couch.

He went to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry, darling. I didn't realize. I'm sorry".

She nodded and cried into his shoulder.

He held her for a few minutes and then they walked over together and he reached up and got the glass for her. He made her ice water, and handed it to her.

She drank a few sips and then put it on the counter.

"What are we going to do?"

"About what?"

"About us?"

"What do you mean what are we going to do about us? What is there to do, darling?"

"We can't go back to being us, Jonathan. It isn't going to work".

"Jennifer, this doesn't, nor would anything else, change the way I feel about you. This doesn't do anything to us, except make me want to protect you even more".

"Jonathan, I can't be the wife that you deserve. I just can't".

"You don't have to prove anything, Jennifer. You already are the wife I deserve. In fact, you are more than I deserve".

"But you deserve someone who wants to be intimate with you, and I just can't. I just can't, Jonathan…"

'Ok, ok. Look, nobody is making you do that. Nobody is going to make you do that. I am not going anywhere. I love you, Jennifer, this doesn't change that".

She nodded.

"Susan wrote you a prescription for the sleeping pills that she gave you last night. Do you want to fill it?"

She nodded.

"Do you want to stay here tonight, or do you want to go home?"

"Here. But, I need some more clothes".

"Ok, so why don't we drop off your prescription, go to the house and get what you need, and then come back here?"

She nodded.

She put her hand on his chest.

"Darling, I'm really sorry. They busted out the windows on the Porsche too."

"Darling, it's not your fault. We are going to get things squared away, I promise".

"If I had just stayed awake a little longer, or locked the bedroom door…"

"Listen to what I am saying. This. Was. Not. Your. Fault".

She nodded.

"But how are you ever going to look at me the same?"

"How am I going to look at you? Darling, I can't quit looking at you, you're so beautiful. I can't keep my eyes off you every day, this isn't going to change anything".

He leaned forward and kissed her and she let him. It wasn't as loving on her end as usual, but that's ok. He didn't need her to kiss him, he needed to kiss her.

He helped her to the car and they headed out.

After dropping off her prescription, they headed to Willow Pond.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan pulled the car up to the gate and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. He tried a few times, and didn't get anywhere. He got out and went to the electrical box, and yelled for Jennifer to turn the high beams on. He ended up pushing the gate open.

He came back to the car a few minutes later.

"Someone cut the wires to the box."

They rode up to the house and parked. He and Jennifer walked over to the Porsche. The windows had been busted out, and the glove compartment had been emptied. But nothing was stolen.

"We are going to get you an alarm system".

She nodded. He unlocked the door and went inside, and led her inside too.

He grabbed the phone and called the police.

"Yes, my wife was attacked in our home yesterday, and one of our cars was broken into. I want to make sure it's in the report, before I move it".

After a short conversation, he grabbed her keys and moved the Porsche around to the back, under the carport.

He came back inside and found her sitting on the steps.

"You ready?"

She nodded.

He held her hand and they went upstairs. As soon as she went into that room, she darted to the left and into the bathroom. She wouldn't look at the bed. She couldn't.

He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Darling, I tell you what I am going to do. I am going to order us a new bed, and new sheets and a new comforter and pillows. The whole works. We can stay at the beach house till it arrives, ok?"

She nodded. She reached up and patted his hand.

She turned around. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"I don't mind. Not one bit".

She went to the closet and got some clothes, and put them in an overnight bag. She grabbed some of her hygiene stuff, and added that too.

She was waiting on him to get some clothes.

"So, this is going to cost us a new bed, new sheets, new comforter, new windows in the Porsche, plus an alarm system, plus whatever the gate repairs are, hospital bills. What a great way for me to blow your money".

"Jennifer, you didn't blow my money. You didn't blow our money. You didn't do anything. I know you are blaming yourself, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. You didn't do anything wrong, so there's nothing to blame you for".

"I didn't fight back! I didn't resist. I just let him touch me….like that. And do that to me… and I didn't enjoy it at all, but I sure as hell didn't stop it."

"Darling, you are alive now. That's what matters. You did what you had to do in order to survive. Nobody is going to fault you for that at all".

She started crying, and he tried to comfort her.

"I'm just so mad at myself…I can't believe I let this happen".

He wrapped his arms around her.

"Darling, I promise you, you and I are going to get through this. We will. We will get through this together".

***Beach House***

They finished packing their things, and Jonathan secured the house as best he could. He and Jennifer headed to pick up her prescription.

"Darling, are you hungry? We can pick up dinner, if you'd like".

"Sure."

"What would you like?"

"Whatever".

He ordered them Chasen's, and they took it to the beach house. He pulled the car up in the garage and they came inside.

After they ate, although Jennifer barely did, they changed clothes and headed up to the third floor.

She crawled into bed and took a sleeping pill. He crawled in beside her.

"Are you ok with me sleeping here, darling?"

"Yes."

"Good. No place else I'd rather be".

He leaned over and kissed her.

"I love you, no matter what."

She nodded. He wrapped his arms around her and she was asleep within a few minutes.

He eased off the bed, when he knew that she was asleep, and headed downstairs. He made some phone calls about getting the gate repaired, getting the Porsche fixed, and upgrading the security system in the house. He also wanted to add one to the beach house just to be safe. He called his secretary and told her he was taking some time off, that Jennifer needed him.

He was immensely grateful that this hadn't made the society pages. She didn't deserve any of this, much less that kind of embarrassment.

He placed a call to Lt. Grey, and asked him if there were any developments.

"Not yet. We are working every angle, I assure you".

"Thank you. Please let me know the minute you hear something".

He fixed himself a glass of water and got one for her, and went back upstairs.

He placed the water on her nightstand, and his water on his nightstand, and then climbed into bed again. He wrapped his arms around her and fell asleep.

***The next morning***

Jonathan and Jennifer slept late. He let her sleep till she woke up. He ordered them breakfast and had it delivered. He had decided he was going to let her lead him through this….he would just make sure that she had everything she needed.

She had slept very soundly, and woke up feeling refreshed.

However, it was the same pattern. She sleeps, she wakes up, she remembers.

The remembering was the worst part.

She hated what she had become. Scared, anxious, bitter. It was not like her to feel this way. She didn't want to feel this way, but she didn't know how else to feel, or what to do about how she felt.

It wasn't fair to Jonathan for her to feel this way. But she knew that he wouldn't leave her and she didn't want to leave him. She didn't understand how he could be in love with the shell of who she used to be.

She didn't understand, and she felt like she never would.