Mark wasn't entirely keen on Verity going to see Daniel Jacobson, but she had made her mind up. She thought that it might bring her closure, but Mark wasn't entirely certain that it would. But it had to be her decision. He would support her no matter what she decided to do, but he was worried for her. He was worried that she wouldn't have what she longed for and that upset him. He just wanted her to be happy. But he kept his thoughts to himself because she had made her mind up and he knew that she could be stubborn.

"You don't have to go in if it's too much," Mark said to her as they sat in the car park of the prison. Verity was in the passenger seat, hair tied into a ponytail with wisps loose and framing her face. She had a red coat on her shoulders, the autumnal chill hitting them. She was looking down at the visitor's letter in her hands.

"I'm fine," she promised her boyfriend.

"I'm just saying that you don't need to do this if you don't want to," Mark assured her. "I can drive us back home right now and we can go for brunch…return to the apartment and spend an afternoon reading together."

"And as much as I want to do that, I…I think I have to do this," she said to her boyfriend and Mark just nodded his head once. She turned to look at him and forced a smile onto her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. She leaned across the middle and kissed him chastely. "I can do this," she promised him.

"I know you can, sweetheart," he said. "You're strong. Never forget that. You're stronger than he ever could be or ever will be."

Verity kissed him once more, languishing in the feeling of his lips against hers. "I love you," she said to him. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"Love you too," Mark said to her and she finally climbed out of the car.

He watched her head towards the entrance and his grip on the steering wheel increased. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head and wished that he could go in with her, but she had been the only one granted a visiting order. He watched her go, seeing how she stuffed the letter into the pocket of her coat, her black skirt flowing beneath it. Once she was out of sight, he leant his head back against the head rest and checked his watch, counting down the minutes until she was back in the car and they could go home.

Verity went through the usual procedure for visitors. Some people seemed well versed with it, but she felt a bit like a deer in the headlights. She hadn't bothered taking her bag in with her, leaving it with Mark in the car. She let an officer pat her down before she was escorted to a room with round tables and stools against them. There were officers stationed in every corner of the room and Verity looked around before she spotted him. He was sat on a stool in the corner, wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey bottoms. He had stubble on his chin and he seemed even bulkier than when she had last seen him. He didn't look like the scrawny kid who she had once tutored.

Holding her head up, Verity moved towards the table and she sat down at the stool across from him. She kept her hands in her laps, feeling her thighs shaking as she looked to Daniel and spoke, hoping that her voice sounded braver than she felt. When she looked at him, she was back in that cabin for a moment. She could remember the feeling of fear she felt when he had trained his gun on her and threatened to kill her.

"Daniel," she spoke his name.

"Verity," he responded. "I didn't know if you'd come."

"I didn't know if I'd come either," Verity replied, admitting that much to him. "But I'm here because I want closure on what happened. I want you to stop writing to me. I want you to forget about me."

Daniel tilted his head, eyes scrunching up and lines forming on his forehead. His hair had grown down his neck and along with the beard it aged him several years. He had just turned twenty and looked almost thirty.

"That's the problem in a place like this, Verity," Daniel said. "You spend so much time alone with your thoughts that it becomes impossible not to think of certain things…certain people…" he confessed. "And I've had a lot of time to think about what I did to you. I've been speaking to the pastor at the prison…praying to God…the pastor told me to put myself in the shoes of my victim and I see now that I scared you. You were scared of me and you never had any reason to be scared of me, not really."

"You kidnapped me, Daniel," Verity said to him, her face deadpan and she tried to remain calm. "I think anybody who had been kidnapped would be scared. You broke into my apartment."

"Because I wanted you to see what you'd done," he defended himself. "And I thought that…when we were in the cabin and you said you'd help me…I thought you understood how I felt. I thought you finally saw how good we would be together. Your boyfriend isn't good enough for you. I thought that you saw that."

Verity shook her head at that. "Mark is a good man," she said. "And I love him, Daniel. We just want to live our lives in peace. That's all we want."

"And I realised that you would never see it," Daniel said. "I don't know if it's because you're naïve or just a dumb bitch who lowers herself to a pathetic man's standard."

Verity let his words sink in and she tried not to let herself get angry. She shook her head firmly. "I'm not going to sit here and be insulted," she warned Daniel. "If that's why you asked me here then I'm going to go."

"You came here because of my letters, didn't you?" Daniel checked with her. "You came here because you thought that I'd apologise for what I did and that would leave you happy…feeling like a chapter has closed…that I'd leave you alone. I knew you wouldn't come if you knew the truth. You would bury your head in the sand because that's what you do and I see that now. I see you for what you are and what you've done. You ruined my life. I would've loved you. I would've given you anything and everything. But you threw that in my face and got me locked up here."

Verity shook her head firmly. "I did nothing," she spat at him, anger coursing through her veins. She wasn't going to stand for this. "I never led you on. I never did anything but tutor you how to play piano."

"You never saw what we could be," Daniel retorted. "And that's why I want you to know that when I get out of here…when I finally leave…I won't have forgotten you. Every single day I wake up here, I'll be thinking about how I can make your life a living misery…because I remember everything about you, Verity…how you felt underneath me…the softness of your skin…and that keeps me going. You'll pay for putting me in here. I'll make sure of it."

Verity stood up and looked down to him. "Go to hell," she hissed and Daniel stood up, hand going to grab hold of her wrist.

"Jacobson!" a guard yelled at him as he leant in towards her.

"Do you think your detective boyfriend would want you after I've had you? Knowing that I've touched you…tasted you…fucked you?"

"Jacobson, get off of her!" the guard finally arrived and tugged Daniel off of her.

Verity jumped back and her chest heaved and her stomach churned. She needed to get out of there. The guard kept hold of Daniel as Verity rushed back towards the door. Daniel shouted after her.

"You can run, but you can't hide, Verity!" he called out. "I'll be coming for you!"

The guard unlocked the gate for her to leave and she rushed through the corridors as another one showed her the way to the exit, letting her leave considering she was going early. She stumbled back out to the car park and rushed to the car, looking back at the prison like she was scared that she was being followed.

Mark saw her approaching and saw the look on her face. She was scared. Something had scared her. Mark climbed from the car and left the door open. Stepping around the door, he rushed towards her and she flung her arms around his neck, clinging tightly to him as he held her around her waist, fingers splaying on the small of her back and keeping her against him.

"What did he do to you?" Mark asked her and she buried her face against his neck.

"You were right," Verity merely gasped against his skin. "I should've listened to you…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"Verity, sweetheart," Mark whispered. "It's alright. You're alright."

"He told me he wasn't sorry," Verity said and her voice was on the verge of hysteria. "He told me that when he gets out…he'd come for me…he…he threatened me…to…he asked me if you'd still want me after he's finished with me."

Mark's grip on her increased and he closed his eyes firmly. Shaking his head, he moved a hand up to cup the back of her head, holding her skull tenderly. "He's not going to touch you," Mark promised her. "I swear to you, Verity, I'm never letting him get anywhere near you again."

It had been two weeks since Verity had gone to see Daniel Jacobson and she was still on edge. She knew she was safe for the time being. Daniel was due to be sentenced and Mark had told her that he was looking at around ten to twelve years. But that didn't put her at ease. She felt like she was on a countdown and Mark didn't intend for them to spend the next decade worrying about Daniel Jacobson.

"When he gets out then there's going to be conditions," Eric said.

They had gone for a beer after work. Sitting around a table in their usual haunt, Mark was nursing a beer. Verity was staying at Janet's for the night. He'd dropped her off that morning on his way to work and told her that he'd meet her the following morning.

"He won't be allowed anywhere near her," Allison concurred with that one.

"And we know that there's no one who is going to enforce that," Rigg added on and Mark wanted to tell him that comment wasn't helpful, but he also knew that he was right. No one was going to enforce that rule. The force was stretched as it was and so many criminals broke their parole anyway. "But ten years is a long time. By then he might have figured out that he would be wasting his time going after your girlfriend."

"I'd hope so, but I don't know if we can spend the next ten years worrying about him," Mark said. "And Verity is worrier. I just…a part of me wishes that she had never gone to see him. It's done nothing but cause her stress and sleepless nights."

Tapp nursed his beer in his hands, thoughtfully mulling over the situation. Eric and Kerry kept glancing at each other and everyone knew that they were trying to bide their time before slipping away. They might think that they were being subtle, but the opposite was actually true. Mark could tell exactly what was on their minds, but they had been the ones who had asked after Verity and Mark had just told them the truth, wondering if anyone had any advice for him.

"She's a nice girl, Mark," Tapp said thoughtfully. "There might be someone we can talk to when the time comes…a way to make sure she is protected…by then you'll have risen in the ranks. You'll have a bit more sway."

"You think so?"

"Oh, you'll be detective in no time," Eric said confidently. "You're too good to stay on the beat."

"That's the aim," Mark confessed to them. He wanted that. He wanted to rise up in the ranks and make detective. He wanted to run his own investigations and not be the lackey who was sent to do interviews and deal with minor disturbances. He just knew that it was going to take time. "Anyway, that's how Verity is. In the short term, not great…but in the long run…I'm not going anywhere."

"So you two are it then?" Rigg wondered.

"You seen him with her?" Eric wondered and took a swig of his drink. "He's like a lovesick puppy. She's got him wrapped around her little finger."

"It's called love, Matthews," Tapp said.

There was an awkward silence then. Tapp didn't approve of Matthews and Kerry's affair. He thought it was dangerous to mix work with pleasure. Plus, he knew that Eric was married. Having his own wife and being in love, Tapp couldn't quite understand what Eric was doing. On top of that, he found him cocky at times. He was used to getting his own way and making a case stick, no matter the consequences. That wasn't how Tapp worked. Tapp had limits.

"Another round?" Mark asked, wanting to get out of that situation.

"I'll give you a hand," Eric said.

Mark moved to his feet and headed to the bar. He pulled his wallet out of his jean pocket and knew that he maybe shouldn't be having a drink considering that money was tight. He leant against the bar, waiting to be served. Eric stood beside him, arms folded on the wooden surface.

"You know…when the time comes…if I'm still around and you're still around then I can help," he said to Mark and the two men acknowledged each other. Mark arched his brow and Eric shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just saying."

"I thought you told me that was a path I wouldn't want to go down," Mark reminded him of the last time they'd spoken about this particular topic.

"And it might not be," Eric said. "But when it comes to family then I know that I'd do anything to protect the people I love. I feel like we're the same that way."

"I guess so," Mark agreed with him on that point.

Because that was the truth. He would do anything to protect Verity. If that meant breaking the law then so be it. He didn't care about consequences, so long as she was safe. Nodding his head thoughtfully, Mark caught the bartender's eye who nodded and held up a finger, indicating he'd be with them in a minute.

"I'll keep it in mind," Mark assured Eric.

Standing in the kitchen, Verity was making dinner. Dressed in pyjama bottoms and one of Mark's sweatshirts, she left the pasta to boil and the sauce to simmer. Mark was sat at the dining table and pouring over the application form in front of him. Ever since his colleagues had mentioned him becoming a detective, he'd looked at what he'd needed and Tapp had said he'd recommend him for promotion in the next round if he was serious about it. Mark knew he had the stats to back him up. He'd made a number of arrests. He was punctual. He was well respected by his peers.

Moving over to the dining table, Verity set a bottle of beer down by his side. Mark looked up from the paperwork and to his girlfriend as she took a seat next to him, folding one leg over the other. She had her hair scraped back in a messy bun and was makeup free.

"I think that I have enough to go for promotion," Mark declared and Verity cocked her head to the side and smiled at him. "I'd be starting on the lower grade…but I think I could work up. Hopefully, by the time I'm forty…I might be at the top…running my own cases…being in charge…"

"And is that what you want?" Verity asked from her boyfriend.

"It's good money," Mark said.

Verity's brows arched. "And is that the only reason you're doing it?"

"I'm doing it because I want to. If I work my way up then I have more sway and I want that. I…I might be able to have more influence and that would come in handy one day," Mark said. "At the moment, no one takes me seriously because I'm a rookie, but I don't want to stay that way."

"I know," Verity said to him. "I know you want to move up the ranks and I think that's great and I support you all the way. I just know that there had been a time when you'd thought about art school and I wondered if that would ever be on the cards again."

Mark scoffed and took a swig of beer. "No chance," he said with a shake of his head. "We can never afford it. I like police work, Ver, don't think that I'm doing something I hate because I'm not. I like to think that I'm making a difference…and that's what I want to do."

"As long as you're happy," Verity said to him.

"I'm happy," he promised her and he leaned over to kiss her fondly. "And you?"

"I'm happy," she assured him and Mark looked at her with an even more scrutinising gaze. "I promise you, Mark, I'm happy with you. I…I spoke with Janet about what Daniel said and she told me that I shouldn't swell on it and I know she has a point. I can't spend ten years living in fear…when he comes out…we'll be told and I…we can decide what to do then. Maybe we might not be in New York? We could be somewhere else completely?"

"We could be," Mark agreed with her on that point, though he suspected it would be unlikely. He didn't say that of course. He just wanted Verity to be happy. "And if I make detective then there might be things I can do to make sure you're safe. Either way, he's not getting anywhere near you."

Verity took in what he had just said. "You're not pushing yourself this hard for me, are you?" she checked with him. "I don't want you to kill yourself working your way up to detective because you think you need to do it to protect me."

"It's a motivator."

"Mark, it's not," she said to him. "Listen, I don't want you to push yourself…work all hours of the day…I want us to be us. The fact that you think about me all the time is so sweet, but you also need to put yourself first."

"You come first, Ver," Mark said to her. "You will always come first to me. I don't want to dwell on this, okay? We're going to be okay in the long run and no one is going to hurt you, I promise you that much. Come here."

Mark held his hand out and she took it. He hauled her from her chair until she was perched over his lap, arm draped over his shoulders that were covered in a thick cable knit blue jumper. Mark kissed her and held her against him, letting his lips move over hers slowly and sensually. He pulled back after a moment and nudged his nose against hers.

"I love you and I will do everything in my power to protect you," he said to her. "Never doubt that."

"I don't," Verity said. "I just hate that you feel like you have to do that. When we first got together…I just never thought our lives would go this way."

"I know, but they have and we have handled everything that has been thrown at us and we're still together," Mark reminded her.

"You must really love me, huh?" Verity said, her tone slightly jovial to try and lighten the mood. She didn't want to be moody all of the time. She wanted to be happy and feel light. She liked how she felt when she was with Mark.

"I guess I really do," Mark agreed with her on that point and he knew what he wanted to do at that moment in time. He wanted her to be with him forever. He never wanted to lose her. He slid her from his lap and she frowned. "Give me five minutes."

"To do what?" Verity asked.

"You'll see," Mark promised her.

"Where are you going? Dinner is nearly ready," she complained as he stalked down the hall but he said nothing else. Verity shook her head and went back into the kitchen. She took the pasta off the stove after she had tasted it and was happy that it was cooked. She drained it and then poured it into the sauce. She stirred and added final seasonings before taking it off the heat and dishing up, wondering where Mark was. She moved to the hallway and called his name.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"Can you come here for a moment?" Mark asked her.

Rolling her eyes, she wrapped her arms over her waist and headed down the hallway and towards the bedroom. "What's gotten into you? You're being so mysterious?" she asked him.

Standing in the doorway, Verity was gobsmacked at what she saw. Her mouth hung open as she looked at the sight of Mark in the middle of the bedroom, down on one knee with a box in his hands. Verity felt her own body begin to tremble as she watched him in the lamplit room.

"I know this isn't the most romantic of proposals," Mark said to her. "In an ideal world, I'd have taken you out for a meal…we'd have walked back through Central Park…and I'd have done it at home surrounded by candles and a bottle of wine, but the fact of the matter is, Verity Daniels, that I don't want to wait to ask anymore. I love you. I've loved you and no matter what obstacles are put in our way, I want to stand by your side and deal with them together. I want to be with you and I hope that you want to be with me."

Verity felt her eyes begin to water at hearing him and she nodded her head, words escaping her. She took a step into the room as Mark finally opened the lid of the box, revealing the emerald stone against the golden band.

"It was my mother's," he said to her. "I didn't know if you'd want a new ring…but this…I figured she'd want me to give it to someone special when I found her and I'm pretty sure I have found her."

"It's beautiful," Verity promised him on that front.

"I can't offer you much, Ver. I can only offer you me, but I hope that's enough."

"More than enough."

"So, Verity Daniels, will you marry me?" he finally asked.

Verity nodded profusely, unable to stop herself. "Yes, yes, always yes," she said and Mark stood up, slipping the ring onto her finger before he kissed her and held her tightly to him. He knew that there would never be no one else for him. He'd never considered himself to be a guy who believed in soulmates. He wasn't a hopeless romantic. But for Verity Daniels, all of that changed.

….

They had spent the night together just sat talking about getting married and what it would mean. Verity told him that she wanted to take his last name. He told her that he just wanted a small wedding. She told him so long as there was sponge cake, she was happy. He wanted to honeymoon in Florida. She wanted Angelina and Janet as her maids of honour. It went like that for the rest of the night until they had practically planned their entire wedding.

The next day, Verity said that they should call Angelina and let her know first. She was intending on telling Janet when she next saw her, figuring that it would be a good in-person surprise. Sitting in the living room the next morning, Verity listened as Mark told Angelina the good news and she swore she could hear her screeching from where she was sat in the living room, still in her pyjamas and with half-eaten pancakes on the coffee table in front of her. Her paperback copy of Emma was in her lap.

"Ver, Ange wants to talk to you," Mark called to her.

Uncurling from the couch, Verity headed down the hall to the landline phone that sat on the sideboard. Mark handed it to her and kissed her quickly.

"She's pretty excited," Mark said.

"I heard," Verity whispered back and then put the phone to her ear. "Hey, Ange. How are you?"

"Never mind how I am, I can't believe he finally asked you," Angelina said. "And I know my brother is probably not the most romantic person alive, but he really does love you and I am so happy that he got down on one knee because I told him that he couldn't lose you."

Verity laughed at that. "I can confirm he did get down on one knee and…it was perfect," she said. She didn't want candlelit dinners or big romantic gestures. "He gave a very lovely speech that I think was pretty romantic."

"What did he say?"

"Do not tell her!" Mark snapped from the bedroom where he was tidying away clean laundry while Verity spoke with his sister.

Verity chuckled again. "Sorry, Ange, I think that one is being kept private," she responded.

"He's such a spoil sport," Angelina complained.

"I'll tell you when he's not around," Verity promised her, throwing Mark a wink over her shoulder as he looked at her with a warning glare from the doorway. Muttering to himself, he headed back into the bedroom and continued tidying up. "Anyway, we're excited to see you for Thanksgiving. We can talk wedding details then, but I don't think we're doing anything extravagant. You know us, we're pretty low key."

"You'll still need a dress," Angelina said. "And I want to come dress shopping."

"Well, as a maid of honour, I think it would be your duty."

It took a moment for what Verity had said to sink in and then there was more shrieking and Mark laughed from the bedroom. His sister really was excitable. Once the shrieks and laughs had died down, Verity spoke again.

"So, how are you? How's college?"

"College is good. The course is hard, but fascinating," Angelina said. "And I've made some friends. I was worried about settling in, but I'm doing okay…and there's something else…but I'm not sure how to tell Mark because he's my brother…but there's this guy. He's not a student here, he just works at the coffee shop I go to and he…well…he kind of asked me out."

"Oh really?" Verity asked, looking to make sure Mark wasn't listening in. "And how do you feel about that?"

"He's nice," Angelina said and Verity smiled, happy that Angelina was settling in. "I just haven't dated before so it's weird. We went for a drink and he asked to see me again."

"And do you want to?"

"Definitely," Angelina said with a nod of her head. "I just don't have any experience."

"Look, just take things at your own pace," Verity urged from her. "I know it can be scary, but it can also be exciting. You've got your friends there and you can always talk to me, alright? You just do what you feel is right."

"Thanks, Ver," Angelina replied. "It is exciting and I do like him. it's just nerve-wracking."

"I get that," Verity promised her. "Trust me, it always is, especially at the start."

"But you and Mark made it seem so easy."

Verity scoffed. "Trust me, I was pretty nervous when I realised he'd turned up at my concert…but that soon disappeared…it's more like a good nervous because you want things to go well."

"I get that," Angelina said. "And I promise I'll tell Mark when I come home if it develops. I just know how protective he can be."

"A big brother's prerogative," Verity replied. "Can I at least get a name out of you?"

"Seth. Seth Baxter."

...

A/N: Trouble is coming...and maybe two traps and not just one? We'll soon see! Please do let me know what you think!