ForevaXena's FanFic . . .

After The Darkness

by JD Jenkins

©copyright March 2001 Lisa S. and Skyder Pub

Disclaimers: This story contains violence, adult situations, and same sex relationships, which at times are graphic. If this is not suitable for you, please don't read any further.

All characters found in this story are the creation of Lisa S. and are her property exclusively.

Author's Note: This story takes place in one of my all time favorite towns, Madison Wisconsin. Most of the places mentioned are factual, but some are not, created for the purpose of this story. I hope all this rambling makes sense!

I want to thank my beautiful partner in life, especially for her encouragement and total belief she has that I can write or something. Thank you babe for always believing in all things pink and dainty.

Part 3

Slowly, trying to ignore her head and the other aches and pains that seemed determined to remind her that she was alive, she moved her toes. That done, she proceeded to slowly move her fingers. They seemed to work as they should, reassuring her in some small way.

Using what little saliva she could muster, she attempted to wet her lips, her head protesting the little movement. Assessing that she was on her side, she slowly lifted one crusted eyelid, blinked sluggishly in an attempt to clear her vision, and then tried to find the alarm clock. With another groan she realized she would have to move her body a little bit to be able to see the face of the clock.

Feeling like she was moving under water, she shifted, putting her weight on an elbow, and managed to catch a glance before her elbow collapsed under her weight.

10:30. Sunlight attempted to sneak around the dark shades that had been pulled over the windows, letting her know that it must be in the AM. Rowan would already be at work. She felt disappointed that she’d only seen her lover long enough the night before to vomit and then fall back asleep. I must look like shit, she thought to herself, unable to get the energy to voice it out loud. I feel like shit.

“Good, you’re awake!” An annoyingly cheerful, and yet very familiar, voice came out of nowhere. If Jessie hadn’t felt so weak she would have jumped, startled. “I was going to let you sleep as long as you could.” Rowan sat down carefully on the bed, not wanting to jar Jessie’s body. She knew very well what it was like to have a night like Jessie did, and she knew that she’d be hurting today. A hand instantly went to Jessie’s hot forehead, a frown forming on her face. “How do you feel?”

“Dying,” she croaked out, her throat aching and her mouth sticking to itself.

“Be right back.” She hurried out of the room, coming back with a tall glass of water.

Forgetting her pain, Jessie sat up in bed, eyeing that glass as if it held the secret fountain of youth. Eagerly, she took the glass from Rowan and tried to reign herself in as she drank from it, feeling the water slide all the way down to her beyond empty stomach, hitting it with a cool and oddly comforting force.

After taking a few careful sips, she paused, sitting absolutely still as she waited to see if the water would stay down. A diffused wave of queasiness followed, but nothing like what she had experienced the night before. The water would stay down, but she’d better be careful of what else she tried to consume.

“Better?” Rowan’s voice filtered through Jessie’s self-examination.

Nodding, Jessie laid her head back against the headboard, feeling exhausted from her small effort.

“I’ll bring you some chicken broth a little later.” The back of Rowan’s hand went to Jessie’s cheek, concern flooding her face. “Why don’t you try to go back to sleep?”

“’Kay,” was the quiet reply. With help, Jessie’s managed to lay back down. She turned on her side, curling up around a pillow, and her breath soon evened out in sleep.

Checking her watch, Rowan saw that it was almost noon. When she’d gotten up in the morning, the first thing she did was call the English Department office, telling Debbie, the secretary, that she’d be out all day. Debbie assured her that she would make sure notes were placed on the appropriate places so that her students would know.

Next, she called Jessie’s office. She told the person who picked up that Jessie wouldn’t be in for the rest of the week because she was ill. The woman was very sympathetic, stating that her husband was sick with the flu as well. They chitchatted briefly about how it was ‘going around’ and then Rowan said her good-byes.

Looking at her sleeping lover, Rowan took in her pale face and her flushed cheeks. With a tender touch, she caressed the soft skin there, smiling as Jessie leaned into her touch even in her sleep. “I’ll take care of you, baby,” she whispered softly before leaning over and placing a light kiss on her forehead. Despite Jessie’s self-reliant nature, she had a feeling that even Jessie needed someone when she was sick. And truthfully, even if she didn’t, Rowan wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She loved Jessie, and to her that meant that she would be there to take care of her when she was in need.

The day passed quietly as Jessie slept and Rowan caught up on housework before settling down to grade some papers. Around five o’clock that night, Jessie came hobbling down the stairs, her eyes still heavy from sleep, and came across Rowan stretched out in the arm chair, papers littering the floor around her, sound asleep. Tigger was curled up in her lap, his arm possessively over one of Rowan’s hands.

“So you left me for her, huh?” Jessie only received a blink in return from the feline. “I don’t blame you.”

Kneeling by the chair, she reached out and brushed Rowan’s cheek with the back of her hand, marveling at the softness she found there. You sweet thing, she thought silently, smiling to herself at the absolutely preciousness of the woman before her.

Green eyes slowly opened, blinking lazily before focusing on the woman. “Hey,” Rowan croaked, her throat dry from sleep.

“Hey yourself.”

“How ya feeling?” A hand instantly went up to feel Jessie’s forehead.

“Better than before. Not 100%, but better.”

“Your temperature seems to have gone down, but you’re still hot.”

“So I’ve been told,” Jessie said, leering at Rowan with a roguish smile.

“You must be feeling better if you’re up to flirting,” Rowan teased back.

Standing up, Jessie stretched her arms above her head, rotating so that her back and shoulders cracked. “Oh yeah, that felt good,” she said purred as she dropped her upper body down at the waist, touching her toes to stretch the rest of her sore body. With a loud groan of pleasure, she straightened up, stretching her calf muscles by flexing her feet at the ankles.

Enjoying the show, Rowan just watched, smiling. “Would you like anything to eat?”

Wrinkling her nose, a habit picked up from Rowan, Jessie thought about the consequences of eating. “A part of me is hungry, but my stomach is just not ready for it.” She patted the body part even as she felt a slight wave of queasiness wash over her. Actually, there were a few things that she could probably eat that would keep her stomach calm, but she felt that she’d already put Rowan out enough and didn’t want to make her do any more work.

“Not even some mashed potatoes?”

Jessie’s eyes lit up, a smile taking over her face. “Mashed potatoes?” She asked, wondering if Rowan had read her mind. That was one of the few things that her stomach could always handle when she was sick.

“Yup. Or, how about some Jell-O?”

Wide eyes grew even wider as Jessie heard this. “RED Jell-O?” She asked in disbelief.

“Yup. Both cherry AND strawberry.”

Licking her lips, Jessie was definitely ready to test her stomach’s limitations. Putting her hands out, Rowan silently asked for Jessie to give her a hand out of the chair. Once settled properly on two feet, she got up on her tiptoes and kissed Jessie’s nose. “Follow me,” she said in a husky voice, crooking her finger in a ‘come hither’ gesture.

Like a well-trained animal, Jessie obediently followed her lover into the kitchen. Getting a bowl down, Rowan moved to the stove where a large pot sat on the back. Taking the lid off, she dished out freshly mashed potatoes.

“You made them? They’re homemade?” Jessie couldn’t get over the idea that her lover had actually cooked for her. And not only had she cooked, she’d done it in exactly the way that Jessie liked most.

“While you were passed out upstairs, I made a little call to a certain bookstore to find out what foods were your feel good foods.” Rowan was delighted at the other woman’s reaction, little balls of joy bouncing through her as she watched Jessie take a taste bite of the potatoes and groan in delight.

“Feel good foods?” Jessie asked around the potatoes in her mouth.

“Yeah. I think that everyone has certain foods that when they don’t feel well, or when they’re sad, make them feel better.” She smiled when Jessie handed the empty bowl to her, a pleading pout on her face. Turning to dish out more potatoes, she continued. “It just so happens that your mother understood exactly what I meant and was more than happy to give me the secrets to your stomach.”

“Remind me to thank her,” Jessie said in between the happy humming that was coming from her as she ate. Finishing her second bowl of potatoes, she put the bowl down with a flourish and rubbed her stomach in appreciation. Leaning against the counter, she closed her eyes as she let the food settle. She felt warm all over from both the low-grade fever she still had and the treatment she was receiving from her lover. She couldn’t remember anyone ever taking the time to take care of her like this.

Watching her lover, standing in her kitchen, eating the food she’d just made her, filled Rowan with a sense of being. Her life, and her house, had been so empty for so long. She was never at a loss for friends, but they never were really allowed to get too close. She doubted that any of them realized that she always held something of herself back. When they needed something, they never hesitated to call her and she never failed to do all that she could. But, if they really took time to analyze the friendship, they would realize that Rowan never once called them for a favor. She never once asked for help. And that’s how she preferred it. But it was lonely sometimes. And now, her kitchen, her home, and her life were filled with this tall, dark haired woman who took her breath away with just a look. Lucky didn’t cover how Rowan felt. She felt truly blessed.

She’d had relationships, friendships, and lovers, but none of them were what she needed. With each and every one of them she felt something missing, something that kept her from feeling complete. But, in Jessie she had found that element. That one missing piece that left her feeling totally satisfied with their relationship. Now, if only I could figure out how to officially ask her to move in, she thought. She’d been debating the issue with herself for days, knowing that Jessie really did live there with her, but they’d never made it official. Honestly, it felt to her like something they should celebrate, something that should be commemorated in some way, even if it was only in words.

Sidling over to where her lover was obviously deep in thought, Jessie used her hip to nudge the other woman. “You okay?” She hesitated in asking, simply because she felt so completely indebted to this woman.

Why not now? Rowan mentally prepared herself. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, she repeated as a mantra. “Actually, I’m not okay.”

Jessie eyebrows immediately come together as concern flooded her. “Are you feeling sick? Damn, I should have made sure you didn’t get sick. I could have gone back to my place-“

Rowan stopped her right there, feeling a little exasperated. “No. I’m not sick. And you should not have left. That’s what’s wrong.”

If she was puzzled before, Jessie was now beyond puzzled. She had no idea what Rowan was getting at. Putting her bowl down on the counter, Jessie began to steel herself against whatever Rowan was going to say. “I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”

“You. Your apartment. I don’t like it.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t like that you have a place that you can run to, that you have a place where you can go to escape this,” she gestured between them with her hands. “Us. I don’t want you to have anywhere to run if we fight, or anywhere to hide if you’re getting scared.”

Jessie’s body tensed at the barrage coming from Rowan. In truth, she hadn’t really thought about running, but there was something in the back of her mind that knew she’d have an escape if she needed one.

“I want you to live here. I want you here when you’re scared, I want you here when you’re mad. I want you here no matter what. I want to know that each and every night I’ll be able to count on you being in my bed, no matter what.” Taking a deep breath, Rowan straightened. “I want you to move in here. Permanently.” There. She’d said it. The very words that she’d been wanting to say for awhile now.

Focusing on her breathing for a moment, Jessie allowed herself to think before she answered. It was true. Her apartment was an escape for her. She’d never figured that Rowan would see that. And, she admitted to herself, it was cowardly. For all intended purposes, she was living at Rowan’s house. She’d really become comfortable with that arrangement. But, she would always have her apartment to go to if she needed it. An out. Did she want to have an out.

Inwardly crestfallen at Jessie’s lack of response, Rowan tried to be patient and give Jessie time to answer. Fear made her skeptical, but her heart knew that Jessie couldn’t turn away from this. Not now. They were both too entrenched with each other to turn away.

Absently, Jessie rubbed one hand over her stomach lightly, feeling the potatoes beginning to churn there. A part of her brain registered that she wasn’t going to be sick, but the potatoes were still causing quiet a stir in the otherwise empty organ.

“I…I don’t want to leave, Rowan. If you’ll have me, I’d love to live here. With you.” She turned blue eyes onto her lover, hoping that Rowan would see the depth of what she was saying there. Searching green eyes out, she took Rowan’s hand in her own and held it tightly. “I want to build a home with you. I want to be so tied to you that I can’t leave even if I want to.” Her last sentence was said with quiet embarrassment. Her need was so obvious at that point that it scared her.

Looking at her with wide eyes, Rowan felt very much like a deer in headlights. The raw emotion and need coming from Jessie was overwhelming, but at the same time completely welcome. Without words, Rowan threw her arms around the taller woman, holding her close, tears forming and then falling from her eyes. “Thank you,” she finally whispered, still holding on tight, ready for the rest of their life together.

The next day Jessie felt considerably better, but Rowan made her promise to stay home and just rest.

“I told them you wouldn’t be in for the rest of the week, so you might as well just take advantage of it.”

“You did what?” Jessie didn’t know if she was pissed off or grateful, the two emotions running closely together.

“I figured that you probably haven’t take a single sick day since you’ve been there, and, like most companies, you’ll loose your sick days when the year’s over. It’s already November, so it’s about time you took a few.”

Rowan’s logic seemed flawless. It was all true. What’s a few days? Jessie reconciled with herself. “There goes my perfect attendance award,” she mumbled in half hearted protest.

“If you’re good and stay home and get better, I’ll give you an award that will make up for that one,” Rowan purred softly into Jessie’s ear, grinning a little when she saw that ear turn red at what she was suggesting.

Gulping, Jessie tried to take a few deep breaths. “Okay,” she managed to squeak out.

Looking at the woman fondly, Rowan reached over and rubbed the back of Jessie’s neck. “Are you going to be okay by yourself? I can stay home again if you need me to?”

“No, no, I’ll be fine.” She protested, not wanting the blonde to miss any more work because of her. “Thanks for yesterday though. I…I…” she found herself uncharacteristically stumbling over her words, finding words of gratitude difficult to verbalize. “I really can’t tell you how much I…appreciate you staying here and taking care of me.” Her head lowered. “I don’t deserve it.”

Lifting her chin, Rowan starred intently into her lover’s eyes. “I love you. Therefore, you do. Simple as that.” Leaning down she gently met familiar lips with her own, resting there a moment in a sweet kiss. But even the simplicity of that action couldn’t prevent the sparking of desire that she felt.

“Call the English office for me if you need anything. I’ll make sure they come and get me.” She stood straight, trying to stop the trembling she felt in her legs.

“Okay. Play nice with your students,” Jessie smiled at her lover, attempting to quell her own feeling of wanton lust.

Tucking in the covers around her lover, she kissed her on the forehead one last time before leaving.

Her morning classes over, Rowan settled into the chair in her office. She had three hours in her office in case her students needed anything, and then she was done for the day. She debated calling Jessie, but she didn’t want to wake the woman in case she was sleeping.

Her dilemma was solved when her office phone buzzed. “Rowan, you have a call on line 3,” one of the English department secretaries’ voice came through the speaker on the phone.

“Thank you,” she answered before picking up the phone and hitting the blinking line. “Hello?”

“Hey,” the familiar, sexy voice rumbled through the handset, giving Rowan goosebumps.

“How ya feeling?”

“Not too bad. We’ve…got a situation here.” Jessie’s voice was hesitant, as if she were unsure of how to tell her something.

“Okay, what kind of a situation?” Truly puzzled, she waited patiently for her lover to explain.

“Well, it’s better if you heard for yourself.”

There was a muffled sound as the phone was passed from Jessie to someone else.

“Rowan?” Another familiar voice bubbled through, immediately giving Rowan a headache.

“Danni. What are you doing at my house?” More than a bit angry at her sister’s total disregard for her, Rowan tried to keep her voice even.

“I told you I was coming. I guess I should have called to remind you.” Danni acted as though everything was perfectly normal. “You should have told me that you had a new girlie and that she was living here though,” her voice chastised gently.

Gritting her teeth, Rowan continued to try to keep her temper from seeping into her voice. “And I thought I told you that you couldn’t stay with me.”

“You were serious?” Rowan could imagine the blank expression on Danni’s face. “Oh, I didn’t think…”

“And,” Rowan’s voice rose in consternation. “Jessie is NOT my girlie. She is my girlfriend, my lover, my friend, but you will not refer to her as my girlie, you understand?”

“Geeze Rowan,” Danni’s voice lowered in a whisper. “You know that I don’t have a problem with you being into chicks and all that. God knows I did plenty of exploring myself when I was in prison.”

Counting to ten backwards, Rowan tried to even her breathing so that she could control her reaction. Deciding to ignore that subject for the moment, she blatantly made sure that her sister knew she didn’t want her staying with her. “I’m sure you can find a room in a hotel nearby.”

“A hotel?” Again, Danni sounded surprised at the suggestion. “Why, I don’t think that a hotel will take Sylvester!”

“Sylvester? The dog?”

“Why, yes!”

“You brought the dog all the way with you from Texas?” Rowan could not believe what she was hearing.

“He loves to travel and the kids hate to be apart from him.” Danni made it sound as though this were perfectly acceptable reasoning.

Exasperated, Rowan rubbed at her forehead with the heel of her hand. “How long are you going to be here?” She finally asked, resigned to her fate.

“Only a week, honey, only a week.”

“Put Jessie back on the phone, please?” She waited as she was once again passed from one woman to the other.

“Hey there,” a low sexy voice drawled, and Rowan was unable to prevent the chill that went through her.

“Listen, I’m sorry. It seems that they’re going to be staying with us.” She quickly remembered their conversation the night before, and amended that statement with a question. “But, only if that’s okay with you?”

Jessie took a moment to look around at the newly arrived guests. The two children, despite the fact that their mother seemed to almost shake with nervous energy, were sitting sedately on the couch. The dog in question, a small Jack Russell terrier, was sniffing around the room, his tail doing a fair impression of his mistress, twitching with energy. Wait till he finds Tigger, Jessie thought. The poor dog. “It’s okay with me,” she finally answered.

Rowan let out a sigh as she finally took a deep breath in relief. “Thanks, I really appreciate it. Now, why don’t you go to bed? I’ll be leaving here in another two hours or so and then I’ll take care of everything.”

“Sounds good to me.” Jessie realized that she was feeling kind of tired. Being sick sucked, she noted as she inventoried her body’s state of being. Everything still ached, especially her back and her sides, and her head was letting itself be heard with a dull roar.

“I’ll see you soon babe, love you.”

“Love you too.”

“Gimme back to my sister, then go upstairs.”

“Yes teach,” Jessie smirked into the phone, but dutifully handed it to Danni before trudging up the stairs.

“Wow, Rowan, you really picked a good looking one this time,” Danni said as soon as she was sure Jessie was out of hearing range.

Sighing, Rowan had a gut feeling that the week wasn’t going to be easy. “Listen, let her rest, she had the flu right now and I want her to be able to get as much sleep as she can. You and the kids’ll have to share a room; I only have one guest room. You, you can take the attic, but try to keep it down up there, okay?”

“No problem Rowan. The kids wanted to go to the zoo anyway, so I’ll just take them as soon as we’ve gotten our stuff upstairs. Don’t you worry about a thing.” As her sister said this, a loud barking came over the phone, followed by a very familiar meow.

“What’s going on?” Rowan demanded above the ruckus she could hear in the background.

“Dammit, Sunny! Stop grabbing him by his tail!” A loud crash followed the scolding, and the sounds of a little girl crying followed. “Baby, are you okay? OJ, don’t just stand there, help your sister!”

Danni must have hit the off button on the phone because that was all that Rowan heard before she was met with a click and then dial tone. Quickly glancing at the clock and then at her empty office, she gathered her things and ran out her door, posting a hurriedly written note on her door, telling students that her office hours were canceled for that afternoon. As she hurried home, she prayed that her house was still in once piece.

Sighing, Rowan finally went into her bedroom, taking great comfort in the fact that the lump under the covers indicated that her lover had managed to get some sleep through everything that had happened.

She’d gotten home two hours before and had spent the time cleaning up after Sylvester’s run in with Tigger. After chasing each other around the house to the point of exhaustion, the two animals had flopped down in opposite corners, both breathing heavily and eyeing each other. Finally, Tigger got up and cautiously approached the resting dog. Too tired to chase after the cat, Sylvester merely followed him with his eyes. Tigger stopped right in front of the dog and warily leaned over and sniffed at the dog’s face. Staring at Sylvester as though he were an unknown, foreign object, Tigger again leaned into him and took a quick swipe of the dog’s nose with his tongue. When Sylvester didn’t react, Tigger got closer, finally settling his body next to the dog and laying his head on his paws. Now, they were fast asleep, oblivious to the damage their explorations with each other has caused.

Danni, of course, offered to pay for the vase that was broke when the lamp fell and hit the side table in the living room, but Rowan didn’t really care about the object. What bothered her was the invasion of her home. She asked Danni to go ahead and take Sunshine and OJ to the zoo, leaving her to clean up the mess.

Before they left, she gave her niece and nephew hugs, smiling into their uncertain faces. It had been a few years since she’d seen them, and they had only vague recollections of a nice aunt who had a gentle touch. “Are you hurt?” she softly asked Sunny as she wiped at the drying tears on her face.

“No ma’am,” the girl answered hesitantly.

“Good,” Rowan kissed her smooth forehead and looked at her sister. “It’s obvious she didn’t get her manners from you,” she teased.

“Well, Ollie insisted that they both have some kind of formal training when it comes to that kind of thing.” Danni still had a hard time adapting to the life of the terribly wealthy, and it was a source of some contention that her daughter had better table manners than she did. At dinner parties in their home, she’d taken to following Sunny’s lead as to which fork to use when.

“I’m sure,” Rowan murmured, aware of her sister’s deficiencies. Jail had done nothing to improve her abilities in the social niceties. Helping her niece with her coat, Rowan smoothing out her shoulder length hair, then helped put a snow hat on. “Are you sure it’s not too cold to go to the zoo?” She asked her sister for the second time.

“Nah, just bundle them up well and they’ll survive.”

Dubious, Rowan helped with the task and then saw them off before beginning the cleaning of the living room, then headed up stairs to check on her lover.

Climbing into bed beside Jessie’s deep breathing form, Rowan studied the other woman’s face intently, seeing each and every nuance. The lines that were starting to stand out around Jessie’s eyes and on her forehead were smoothed in sleep, and the tenseness around her mouth was gone. Leaning over, Rowan gently kissed Jessie’s forehead, much like as she had done with her niece earlier. Settling back against the pillows, she nestled her body so that it was touching the length of Jessie’s, smiling as the other woman reached out for her even in sleep, drawing her even closer still. Closing her eyes, she just allowed herself to luxuriate in the feeling of home before sleep claimed her.

The smell of food woke Rowan from her nap. Wiping at the saliva that had formed at the corner of her mouth, she sniffed the air cautiously. Pizza. She sniffed again. Dominos? One last sniff. No, Rocky’s! Her stomach echoed her realization with a growl.

In 1974 the first Rocky Rococo’s was opened and pizza had never been the same since, as far as Rowan was concerned. It was one of the few fond memories she had with her sister. She could remember Danni taking her by the hand and going to Rocky’s and sharing a slice of pizza and an order of breadsticks.

She remembered, Rowan thought to herself as she found her stomach gave every indication that it remembered. “Jessie?” Rowan softly called to the sleeping woman, unsure if she should wake her. After receiving no response, and quelling her immediate concern by seeing that her lover was indeed still breathing, she decided to just let her sleep, saving her some pizza for later.

Crawling slowly out of the bed, Rowan stretched her lithe frame, her back cracking in several places as she did so. Covering her mouth as she yawned, Rowan went to her closet and changed into a pair of sweat pants and an old UW sweatshirt, smiling at the smell of laundry detergent that wafted from them. Grabbing a pair of socks, she made her way down the stairs.

The tv was on, quietly playing a children’s show of some sort. Her first sight of her visitors was of OJ sneaking up behind Sunny, yanking her hair hard, and then running away.

“MOOOOMMM!” Sunny whined loudly. “He’s doing it again!”

“Am not!”

“Am too!”

“Am NOT!”

Now brother and sister were both standing, facing each other, looking for all the world as though they were getting ready to rumble.

“I want you both to sit down, OJ you take the chair, Sunny, you sit on the couch and I don’t want either of you moving until I tell you to, do you understand me?” Danni stalked into the living room from the kitchen, her hair looking like it had gone to war with a wind tunnel and lost.

“Yes mama,” the children said in well practiced unison, their attention immediately sucked back to the television.

Sighing, Danni started to turn back to the kitchen before she saw her sister standing on the steps. “Hey, I didn’t know if I should wake you two or not,” Danni said with a smile.

Something had changed in her sister, Rowan realized. Gone was the frazzled, at the end of her nerve Danni that she remembered last time she saw her. It seemed as though there were now some kind of peace within her, calming her usually raw character. She seemed…grown up, Rowan realized suddenly. While her sister was older than she was, Rowan had always felt older, more responsible than Danni, and neither of them had ever really questioned that assessment. But something had changed, and Rowan found herself actually liking the change. Maybe she could mend some fences with this new attitude of her sisters. Maybe they could develop a real relationship, rather just one based on the common bond of growing up in the same house.

“I smelled the food,” Rowan said with a rueful smile. “I never could resist Rocky’s pizza.”

“I know,” Danni wrinkled her nose, a trait that she shared with her sister despite the fact that biologically they weren’t related in any way. “Come on in and have some. The children had too much to eat at the zoo and their not really hungry, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t eat.”

Rowan followed her sister into the kitchen, shocked to see at least three pizzas and two big bags of breadsticks and sauce sitting on her counters. “Are you preparing to feed an army?” She asked as she peeked inside the first box.

“No, this is quiet normal for us. We all like different kinds, so I usually get three or four different pizzas just to make everyone happy.” She shrugged. “It’s not like it matters how much we spend on it,” she acknowledge, self aware of her own financial status since being married to a millionaire.

“True,” Rowan said easily, having no financial complaints of her own at the moment. Searching through all the boxes, she finally selected a square slice of sausage and pepperoni pizza. Taking a large bite, she hummed in delight as the familiar sauce came into contact with her taste buds. “Oh yum, I haven’t had this in so long!” She moaned out loud.

“Well, I’m glad I picked well then,” Danni said, smiling at her sister’s pleasure, selecting a slice for herself.

They ate in silence, both of them lost in their own memories. After finishing her second slice and quiet a few breadsticks, Rowan wiped at her mouth and regarded her sister. “So, why are you in town?”

“No reason, really. Ollie’s in Europe somewhere, and I didn’t want to go with him this time, so I thought I’d bring the children here to show them where I grew up.”

“Why now?” There was something going on, something that Rowan couldn’t put her finger on.

“I could never hide anything from you, could I?” Danni smile at the woman who had always been a thorn to her, finally seeing with her own eyes the woman that her little sister had become, and smiling at her. “I’m sick.” She put up her hand to stop the inevitable questions. “It’s nothing too bad, but I want to be able to make sure that I’ve given the kids everything I can just in case something happens, and that includes giving them some of my history.”

“What is it?” Rowan’s stomach clenched as she suddenly thought about loosing her sister. A week ago she would have felt sorry for her sister, but she wouldn’t feel this overwhelming sadness. Just in a day her attitude toward Danni had changed completely. She found herself wanting to connect with this woman, and now she was presented with the idea of loosing her. It was incomprehensible.

“Leukemia,” she answered softly, a gentle smile on her face. “When we get back to Texas I have to go in for some more tests and then I’ll start either chemo or radiation therapy. After that I’ll have to have a bone marrow transplant.”

It sounded frightening to Rowan, but Danni spoke very calmly, her peace with the situation obviously had already been made. “That’s it? You make it all sound so simple.”

“That’s the gist of it all. The hardest part will be finding a donor. Since we don’t know any of my biological relatives, it makes it harder to find a donor.”

“I-” Rowan began, only to be stopped by Danni.

“I already checked. You’re not the right blood type. But thank you,” Danni patted her hand. She knew her sister would be willing to help, no matter the history between them. “You want to know something?”

“What?”

“I know it sounds strange, but this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Danni got up from her seat at the kitchen table, and went to look out the window over the sink. “When I found out, I really took a hard look at myself and my life. And I didn’t like what I saw. I began to wonder why I was living at all, when I was only going through the motions, never really feeling anything deeper than the surface.” She paused, her eyes focusing on something outside, her hand going to play with the necklace she wore around her throat. “I did some stupid things in my life, Ro. I played with fire more times than I can tell you.” She stopped, her head dropping to her chest for a moment. “And, after all of that, I was still here, still breathing. And then, in the end, my own body betrayed me.” She gave a humorless laugh. “Ironic how life plays its games. It was then that I realized that if I didn’t do something to reclaim my life then I might as well let this cancer eat at me and destroy me because I wasn’t doing anyone any good otherwise.”

Rowan moved so that she was standing behind her sister. She looked at their reflection in the window as she took her sister’s hand in her own. “I’m happy you found your way,” she said softly, squeezing Danni’s hand.

They stood their for several moments, looking out into Rowan’s small back yard. Dusk had come and gone, leaving just a hazy light in the sky before darkness claimed the day completely. In the shadows of her yard, Rowan saw something that startled her.

“What the hell is that?” She said out loud, looking at a moving figure in the yard. The figure hadn’t seen them, but it was obvious that who ever it was didn’t want to be seen as the figure slunked from hiding spot to hiding spot.

Danni saw the moving shadow as well. “Do you think it’s the neighbors?” She couldn’t think of any reason why anyone would be hiding in her sister’s back yard.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out!” Rowan stalked into the living room, grabbing her coat off the coat rack, and throwing it on. Opening the closet, she groped along the shelf on top until she found the Mag-lite she kept there, turning it on to test the batteries. A feeble, but full beam met her approval. She turned the light off, and began unlocking the front door. “I’ll be back in a minute. Stay inside.” She told her sister as she pulled the door open, stepped outside, and pulled the door closed again. “I hope she listens to me,” Rowan mumbled out loud, closing her coat against the cold winter air.

Her plan was to sneak up on whomever was sneaking around her back yard, proving herself the sneakiest of them all. She wasn’t going to let someone just come into her yard and get away with it!

Moving around the side of the house, she stayed close to the house itself, watching the shadows around her as she went. Finally, she reached the back of the house, peaking around the corner into her backyard. The picnic table and benches she used in the summer were stacked along the back, along with a small pile of wood in case she wanted a fire. She finally taken her grill in a few months before, realizing that the snow would soon be upon them. Other than that, everything looked normal from what she could tell in the fast approaching darkness.

Scooping out every shadow and nuance of the yard, she was finally satisfied that who ever had been out there was gone. “Dammit, I wanted to catch someone!” As she turned around to head back to the front door, she found herself face to face with someone dressed head to toe in black, carrying something large in their hand. Found ‘em was the last thought she had as something hard hit her in the head, knocking her completely unconscious.

Danni got nervous when her sister went out the door. Something didn’t feel right about all of this. Despite everything, Danni had learned recently to trust her instincts. And her instincts were telling her that something was desperately wrong about this situation.

She checked in the living room and saw that OJ and Sunny were still watching television, neither one of them seeming to be aware of the ominous feeling that Danni could almost taste in the air. Maybe I’m just paranoid, she thought to herself, unable to move beyond her nervousness.

Going back to the kitchen, she continued to stare out the window, not seeing the moving shadows that had been there before. At last she saw Rowan through the window and a wave of relief flooded her, but still did not help her fear to dissipate. Indicating that she was going to come back in, Danni nodded to her sister, still watching as Rowan disappeared out of the view of the small window.

She continued to stand there, her mind waiting for the sound of Rowan coming through the front door. Minutes passed and she still didn’t hear anything. The feeling of dread was heavy within her as she waited. Finally, she couldn’t wait any longer.

Checking to see that the kids were still in the living room. Both OJ and Sunny were engrossed in whatever show was on the television, the ever present Nickelodeon symbol in the corner. Satisfied that she could go look for Rowan without the kids being disturbed, she slipped on her coat before opening the front door and going outside. She went along one side of the house, not seeing or hearing anything. Approaching the back yard, she kept her eyes on the shadows, looking for any sign of either the intruder or her sister. Nothing. Moving across the back yard, she felt a slight headache from her eyes straining so much in the dark and wished that she’d thought to look for another flashlight. Turning the corner of the house, she began to move up the last side of the house. Almost immediately her right foot caught on something on the ground, and she stumbled forward, landing on something soft and pliable.

Fumbling with her hands, she realized that she had fallen over a person. Searching for the person's face, she was shocked to see Rowan’s sweet face, chalky in the moonlight.

A sudden thought hit her with the force of a thousand elephants. The kids! Her mind screamed as she berated herself for leaving the kids alone. Scrambling to get up, she began to run toward the house, only to run into an unmoving object. With horror she realized that she’d found whomever Rowan had seen in the back yard.

With a silent scream, Danni fell to the ground, her body instantly collapsing as she went unconscious from the blow to her scalp.

With an anticipating pull in her stomach, Jessie watched as Rowan crawled up the length of her body, both of them naked, a feral look of desire in Rowan’s green eyes. Her body reacted without her giving it any thought, the flooding between her legs, the tightening of her nipples and the rapid beating of her heart all in synch with her constant tug in her lower abdomen.

Rowan finally was lying on top of her, but she continued to move forward so that her breasts were swaying over Jessie’s face. There was no hesitation as she reached out and sucked one of Rowan’s nipples into her mouth, moaning as she felt it harden as her tongue ran over it.

Pulling away with a teasing smile, Rowan move seductively over her lover, teasing her with her breasts and mouth, until she finally settling her lips over Jessie’s mouth. Before her lips came down to meet Jessie’s, Rowan flicked her tongue out, wetting her lips in a sensual dance.

As Jessie had hoped, Rowan slowly met her lips, her hot mouth enticing her own, her tongue causing havoc within her entire being. Responding immediately to Rowan’s kisses, Jessie’s body surged into Rowan’s, electric heat building between them. Pulling away for a moment, Rowan gave Jessie a sexy smile as she allowed herself to rest fully on Jessie’s body, one hand snaking down Jessie’s firm abdomen, resting between her legs. She then returned her mouth to Jessie’s, her cold, wet lips…

Cold?

Wet?

Jessie’s mind, though filled with the erotic sensations coursing through her body, realized that somehow this wasn’t right. Wet, definitely, but cold did not fit into the picture that her mind was seeing. Looking at Rowan, she examined her lover's face curiously, trying to figure out this conundrum. Opening her mouth, Rowan meowed frantically.

Meowed?

No, this definitely wasn't right.

Slowly she came to surface from her dream, not wanting to leave the molten heat of it behind, but unable to reconcile whatever was sniffing at her mouth with a cold nose with what she wanted to be feeling. Dragging her mental feet, Jessie slowly responded to the wake up call, her hand lazily reaching to brush whatever it was away. But, the cold nose persisted, this time accompanied by the occasional lick of a dry, rough tongue.

“Tigger,” she managed to say, brushing the cat away again, only to have him return again, his persistant meowing ringing in her ears. “Okay, okay, I’m up, I’m up.” She finally managed to open her eyes, her hands coming up to rub away the blurriness left behind by sleep. Eventually she was able to focus, seeing the annoying face of Tigger right before her. The cat was standing on her chest, his front paws firmly planted, his nose nudging her even as she looked at him. “What is wrong?”

“Merrrow,” Tigger answered, looking at her expectantly.

“What?”

“Merrrooooow,” he repeated, bumping his head against her even more firmly this time.

“Christ, if you woke me up cause you want food, you’re in big trouble mister!” She sat up as she swung her legs over so that her feet were firmly on the floor. She vaguely remembered Rowan getting into bed at one time, but now the bed was disappointingly empty of blondes. “Water I might be able to forgive you for cause if my tongue was that dry I’d be pissed if there were no water too. But, If it’s just food, then we’re going to have words, you and I.”

She stood up, taking a minute to get her legs steady under her. Trudging to the bathroom, she was intercepted by Tigger. The cat raced over, placing his body almost directly under her foot, causing her to have to stumble to the side to avoid stepping on the cat. She glared at him, and then stopped in her tracks.

“Come here Tigg,” she said gently, crouching down and offering her hand, the cat immediately responding. She reached out and touched an odd looking spot on his fur. It was wet. Pulling her hand away, she looked down and found what she was afraid she’d find. Blood.

Her eyes moved to the doorway that opened out into the hallway and the sense of foreboding that was heavy in her chest increased. There were bloody cat prints coming into the room from the hallway, indicating that wherever the blood came from it wasn’t just a little bit. It had to have been a lot if Tigger was able to track it all the way up the stairs and into the hallway.

She checked Tigger to see if the blood was coming from him. She doubted that he’d be in such a amiable mood if he were cut, considering that he was a first rate drama king. As she let the cat go, she noticed that he limped a little, as though his left front paw hurt. He looked at her, his worry evident in his eyes. Something had happened, and something had scared him, his tale enlarged even still.

“Shit,” she cursed softly, immediately getting to her feet. Going to the closet, she pulled out a bag she’d stuffed in there after the roses had been delivered to the house. Pulling out yet another bag from that one, she unzipped it. From there she pulled out a French-fitted case, crafted of hand-tooled, black leather. She stared at the combination lock on the case for a long moment before she put the numbers in the right positions. Sighing deeply, she opened the case, revealing a part of her past that she never wanted to have to face again.

She’d first seen the Desert Eagle in an old movie with Mickey Rourke and had fallen in love with the gun. Since then she’d owned several different models, but the one she had now was her favorite. It was a big and heavy gun, heavier than most handguns, weighing almost 5 pounds when loaded. She’d gotten the .50 millimeter AE model with the gold barrel and trigger, and smooth black grip. It was beautiful. Anywhere that she went the gun went with her, striking fear into her enemy’s eyes more than once with its recognizable, triangular barrel. The recoil from the gun would knock most back, but Jessie had gone to a range and practiced reacting to the gun’s shot, learning how to move with the gun rather than against it. In the end, she and the gun worked as one.

Laughing humorlessly as she checked the magazine, she realized that the gun had lasted longer than anyone else in her life had. The hardest part about leaving Chicago and her past behind had been getting used to every day life without the feeling of her gun at her side. She had lovingly put it away, polished and cleaned, vowing to never take it out unless absolutely necessary. That time was now, she realized.

With slow but deliberate steps, she made her way down the hallway, noticing that Tigger stayed with her, watching her to see where she went. She wondered if maybe the cat was more intelligent than she’d ever given him credit for.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, she closed her eyes for a moment, focusing only on what her ears were picking up. The only sound she heard was the annoying background rumble of the television. Using all her senses she tried to see if she could feel anyone downstairs, but she couldn’t. The house felt very empty.

With her back against the wall of the stairs, she slowly made her way down, pausing on every stair and listening to see if the sounds changed, but they didn’t. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she felt the same sense of emptiness coming from the house. There was no one in the house, she was sure of it. Walking carefully into the living room, she only confirmed her instinct. The living room was empty, but the front door was wide open, grabbing her attention right away.

A plaintive meow from Tigger reminded her of the blood that had first alerted her. Looking for that cat, she found him huddled in the corner over something on the floor. A puddle of blood surrounded the area. Rushing over, Jessie realized that Tigger had been standing over the prone form of Sylvester, the dog. He wasn’t moving and his eyes were closed, but Jessie picked up the slight rise and fall of his chest as his lungs continued to work. Kneeling down, she briefly felt ridiculous as she prepared to find the dog’s pulse. She finally found the slight flutter of his heart in his neck, thankful that the dog was still alive. They’d have to get him to the vet right away. Examining the dog quickly she realized that he had a knife wound on his hindquarter, producing the copious amount of blood that was now tracked up the stairs.

Ripping the bottom of her shirt, she wound it around the dog tightly, trying to stop the blood from continuing to flood out of the wound. A soft, gentle tongue reached out and licked her hand for a moment as the dog regained consciousness just long enough to thank his rescuer.

Tigger moved closer, taking a protective stance over the dog, reaching out and licking the dog’s head every now and again in reassurance.

“Stay with him,” Jessie said in a low voice that wouldn’t carry. Tigger looked at her then blinked slowly, settling down next to the dog, a paw resting against the dog’s front leg.

She covered the distance between her and the front door quickly, waiting at the door for a brief moment before moving through the door frame. She crouched down in the doorway, allowing her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness outside. Her ears picked up movement to her left, the sounds of someone walking around the house, an occasional grunt filling the air.

Hefting the large gun her hand, she gripped it lightly, keeping her arm tense as she prepared to raise it at whoever was coming around the corner. Finally, a dark figured came slowly around the corner. Raising her gun, Jessie’s finger rested over the trigger. “Who are you?” Her voice was all steel, her anger evident in even the way she was standing.

“Jess…”

The voice that was closest to her heart reached her ears and she shakily lowered the gun in shock. “Rowan?” She said softly, rushing forward as she saw the figure of her lover being to waiver. She reached Rowan just in time to catch her as she fell forward.

Gently lowering Rowan to the ground, she quickly checked over the woman’s body. The only injury that she could find was a large gash on her forehead. Blood was only trickling out at this point, although it was evident that it had been bleeding more profusely at some point. The wound was swelling as the area around it darkened with bruising. “What the hell happened?” Jessie whispered as she brushed her fingers over her lover’s cheek.

Lifting Rowan carefully, she grunted slightly at the weight. Her body still hadn’t recovered from the flu, but she forced her muscles to respond. Carefully she took Rowan into the house, lowering her onto the couch. Picking up the phone, she called 911 requesting an ambulance and the police, giving them Rowan’s address before hanging up.

Leaving Rowan on the couch, she grabbed her keys from the table in the living room, she went back out the front door, locking the door behind her. Keeping her senses completely alert, she walked the perimeter of the house, not finding anyone else, including the cop that was supposed to be watching the house.

What HAD happened? There was supposed to be an officer watching the house at all times. How many times had she and Rowan passed by the officer on duty? There had never been a lapse before. What had happened that would cause it to happen tonight? It all made her very suspicious. Had she misjudged Mike? Was he involved in this somehow?

Satisfied that there was nothing else for her to do outside, she went back around front as she heard the sirens coming closer. Remembering Sylvester, she went inside and called the Animal Hospital, arranging for someone to come and pick up the dog at the house right away and take him to the hospital.

Letting the EMS into the house, she waited at the door for the familiar figure walking quickly up from his unmarked sedan. Her eyes looked at him with distrust and undisguised anger as he approached the door. He slowed down, seeing everything she was portraying and, warily holding his hands up, he tried to explain.

“Jessie, I am not sure yet what happened. Your mother called the station and told me that the car outside her house was gone. Then I heard the call for this address and came right over. I promise we’ll get this figured out.” His faded blue eyes were filled with sincerity, but she wasn’t going to blindly trust this man anymore. Looking through the doorway behind her, she saw the EMS workers concentrating on Rowan and she struck with the pain that she had no choice but to trust this man. If she didn’t, she was putting both their lives on the line and she wasn’t willing to sacrifice the one person who had brought her light.

Sighing inwardly, Jessie moved back to let Mike through the door. She was going to let him help, but she was also going to keep her eyes and her ears open. First sign of being double-crossed and she would make sure that Mike Moore was never given the opportunity to hurt Rowan again.

Faces faded in and out of her vision as her mind struggled to wake her, while her body desperately wanted to stay immobile. “Jessie,” she whispered over and over again, but no one around her seemed to respond to her request. Didn’t they hear her?

“We need to take her to the hospital for a CAT scan,” a male voice said.

“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” she replied, but again no one seemed to hear her. It was beginning to frustrate her that so many people were just ignoring her, like she wasn’t even there.

“I’m going in the ambulance with you,” the familiar voice caused warmth and affection to rise in her. Jessie was there! Jessie would listen!

“Ma’am, are you family?” The first voice asked this hesitantly, his voice sounding nervous.

“I am going with her,” Jessie said again, her voice strong, telling not asking.

“I’ll follow in my car,” another voice came through, familiar, but not enough for Rowan to recognize it. “Pat, it’s Mike, tell Dan to send a squad car to,” the voice paused as he talked, his tone changing direction. “Which hospital?”

“Meriter,” Jessie answered.

“Pat, tell him Meriter hospital.”

“I’m not going to the hospital,” Rowan tried to insist. This time, Jessie heard her.

“She’s trying to say something,” Jessie said, her voice coming closer.

Then she was there, kneeling next to Rowan, her warm hand brushing gently through Rowan’s hair. “What did you say baby?”

“No…hospital.” This time Rowan heard her own voice break through the air, sounding horrible and harsh. Why hadn’t her words come through before.

“Honey, you need to go to the hospital. You have a head injury and we have to make sure that your brain’s going to be okay.”

“No.” Rowan inwardly winced as she heard her own voice sounding so childish and unreasonable.

“I’m coming with you, you won’t be alone for a second.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Rowan and she tried desperately to sit up. “Danni???” Her eyes, filled with unfocused confusion, looked at Jessie in terror. “Sunny? OJ?”

“They’re gone baby, they’re gone. Don’t worry we’re going to find them. We’ll find whomever took them and we’ll get them back.”

The ride to the hospital was very short. When they got there the police escort allowed them to get right into the emergency room and they were able to get a doctor to look at Rowan soon after. After checking the bleeding on her head, the ensuing swelling and then shinning a light into her eyes, the doctor announced that he wanted her to have a CAT scan. She would also have to stay over night to make sure that there was no swelling or bleeding in her brain.

Michael stayed with them as they got Rowan into a room and settled her into the hospital bed. He silently waited as Jessie talked quietly to Rowan, reassuring her that they would find Danni as soon as possible. Two uniformed officers came to the door, looking to Michael for their assignment.

“You’re going to sit outside this room at all times. I don’t care what you’re told, unless the order comes out of my mouth, you don’t move, understand?” Michael’s voice was filled with a new harshness that neither officer had any desire to go against. “Can I speak to you outside Jessie?”

Turning to look at her lover, Rowan nodded her head for Jessie to go on out. The sooner they figured this out the sooner they could find her sister. She just prayed that she and the kids were okay.

Resting against one of the smooth walls in the hallway, Jessie waited for Michael to speak. He didn’t keep her waiting for long.

“I called the station on my way here and found out a bit of what happened. Someone put a general order over the radio for all the officers on this assignment to come into the station for an immediate briefing. The officers who were on duty didn’t question the order and headed straight for the station.”

“Leaving the house unguarded.” Jessie finished for him, her hand going up to rub at her tired eyes. “Can you track where the radio call came from?”

“Not really, everyone is just on the same frequency. Anyone could get a hold of one of the radios we use and make the call in.” Michael looked frustrated and angry at this violation.

“So, what do we do next?”

“I want to talk to Rowan so that she can tell me what happened to her and then we try to find any clues left at the house. Now, there are two scenarios. If whoever orchestrated this is after you, then there’ s a chance they’ll want to make some kind of exchanged. Or, this could be some sadistic SOB who will just want to kill everyone.” He ran his fingers through his short hair. “I don’t think it’s the former, but I want to be prepared for any possibility.”

Jessie nodded, understanding, in theory, what he was saying but having a hard time getting past the idea of people dying in this situation. “Do what you have to and I’ll do the same.”

He stared at her for a moment before nodding. He wasn’t sure what she had planned, but he had seen the bulge of the gun she was carrying and knew that he would have to trust her, just the same as she would have to trust him.

Jessie left the hospital briefly after Michael talked to Rowan. What Rowan had said disturbed her. This was all too professional to just be a casual nabbing. Someone had planned this out and had taken the time to create a quick and efficient crime.

Finding a wall of pay phones, Jessie got her calling card out of her wallet. Picking up the receiver, she punched in her calling card code and got ready to enter the phone number she wanted to call. She hesitated. Did she really want to call the number? Couldn’t she do this on her own?

She sighed as she realized that she needed help. She couldn’t find Danni and the children on her own. With resolute movements she dialed a long ago memorized number. “Dante? Yeah, it’s me.”

Her head was pounding. She couldn’t move her hands. When she opened her eyes she realized that there was a rough cloth wound around her head which prevented her from seeing. She tried to pull herself together long enough to figure out where she was, but that was much more difficult than she thought it would be.

“You stupid fuck!” A loud voice yelled harshly, startling Danni out of her own thoughts.

“You said you wanted the woman. I brought you the woman.” A soft voice spoke calmly and rationally.

“I didn’t say the redhead! She’s blonde, you idiot, the woman I wanted is blonde!”

“You didn’t say anything about hair color. If you wanted a blonde you should have said so.” The soft voice sounded slightly amused, not at all afraid of the man who was yelling.

“Dammit, there was no redhead, there was only the blonde and her.”

“That’s not my problem. My men and I went and brought you the woman. That’s what you’re going to pay us for.” The man with the soft voice suddenly sounded very menacing, a quiet threat hanging in the air that Danni didn’t understand but she felt very clearly. “We brought you the children so that you would have even more to bargain with. You will pay us more for them.”

The children?? Danni felt her stomach turn immediately as she realized that he could only be talking about Sunny and OJ. Her anger cleared her once clouded mind, giving her a sharp focus on the fact that she needed to get herself and her children out of this place.

Don Colston was not as innocent as she had thought. Jessie slammed the phone back down, startling a nurse who had been walking by. Don Colston had worked for many years for Manny Rivera, a long time rival of Jessie’s. She’d never met Colston before, but apparently he had been quickly moved through the ranks of Rivera’s operation.

This changed everything. The call to the women’s shelter hadn’t been a coincidence. Neither had the shooting of Colston’s “wife” who had probably been an innocent woman that Colston had picked as a victim. It had all been a very elaborate trap that Jessie hadn’t even realized had been set.

Jessie gave a feral grin to herself as she walked down the hallway toward Rowan’s room. This also meant that the game had instantly become one that she could play because it was one that she was well familiar with. The dynamics had changed and she suddenly felt in control once more.

Before she’d hung up the phone with Dante, she told him that she needed backup. Three of her former bests were going to come out of retirement to help her one last time. Between the four of them they would find Colston and end this game.

She checked her watch. She had four hours to prepare Michael and the rest of Madison for the invasion that was coming their way.

“No!” Michael shouted, earning him dirty looks from the nurse sitting at the nurses’ station. “No,” he said more quietly this time, “we cannot allow those people to come here!”

“They’re going to come and help with this and then they’re going to leave.” Jessie was tired of getting no where with this man. He was so frustrating! Didn’t he understand that people’s lives were at stake here?

“Jessie, if these supposed former hit men come here and tear apart this city, how can I have any reassurances that they won’t cause trouble?”

“I am giving you my word, Michael. In my life that’s all that I have that has any weight to it. I never violate my word.”

Michael, hands on his hips, looked down at his feet for a moment as he thought. This seemed so ridiculous, so out of control. And yet, when he looked up into the icy blue eyes, he realized that he trusted her. “One misstep and I will not hesitate to find and apprehend every single one of you.”

Jessie laughed harshly. “I promise, that if one person messes up I will personally bring them to you.”

“Okay,” he nodded his head. “What am I supposed to do with the police investigation?”

“Keep going. You might find out where he is before we do. I want both avenues open. I’ll agree to keep you informed if you give me the same courtesy.”

“I’ll do what I can.” Michael sighed. “This is unbelievable, you know?” He awkwardly patted Jessie’s shoulder as he began to walk toward the elevator. “Unbelievable,” he muttered again.

After calling the animal hospital to check on Sylvester, Jessie went back to Rowan’s room. She was a little nervous about how to approach her lover. She knew that she had to tell Rowan what was going on, but she was worried about how she would react. There was really nothing to do but tell Rowan the truth about everything, including what was in her heart and then just wait for her decision.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the hospital room, her face relaxing somewhat as she took in the sight of Rowan’s body tucked into the hospital bed. She looked small, almost childlike, lying there. Her head was resting on a pillow, her blonde hair fanned out over the starch white surface. I love her so much my heart hurts, Jessie sniffed back the tears that formed in her eyes before approaching the bed.

“Hey,” she said softly, not surprised when alert green eyes looked right at her.

“I was thinking. Can you call Chicago? Get some of the people you used to work with to come and help with the search? They might be able to find Danni faster, they’re used to playing without rules, right?” Rowan searched Jessie face as it broke into a huge smile. “What?”

“I love you, you’re brilliant.”

Puzzled, Rowan shrugged. “If you say so.”

Picking up the chair next to the bed, Jessie went to move it so that she could face Rowan and touch her while she spoke.

“Don’t sit there,” Rowan stopped her. “Sit here,” she patted the bed, moving over so that she’d have plenty of room to sit.

Not arguing, Jessie sat down, careful not to crowd her lover too much. “Listen, we need to talk.”

“Uh oh, that’s never good.”

“No, it’s not,” Jessie agreed. “There’s much more going on here then we ever realized.” She proceeded to tell Rowan everything she had learned about Colston and what had happened so far. She finished with the phone call she’d made earlier, seeing the dawn of light in Rowan’s eyes as she put the pieces together.

“It’s 8:30 now, so they’ll be here by midnight?” Rowan felt better about the situation they were in now that they had a plan.

“Around then, yes.”

“Where are you meeting them?”

“An old building on the north side.”

“Dammit, I’ll still be here,” Rowan said in frustration. She didn’t want to be separated from Jessie even for a minute.

“I don’t want you there,” Jessie’s voice took on a firmer tone. Rowan couldn’t not get involved in this. No way, no how.

“And I don’t want you alone!” Rowan challenged. “I finally found you, I’m not going to let you go so easily!” Tears filled her eyes as she realized what they were getting themselves involved with.

“Shhhh…I’m not going anywhere. I promise, but this time tomorrow this will all be over with and you and I will be sleeping in OUR bed, snug and sound.” Blue eyes met green for a long moment as they both realized that they needed to believe. “I promise I will come back to you. You are my heart. Without you I am lost. I will find my way back to you, I promise you that.”

The events of the day and the pain in her head were catching up with her. Rowan nodded, placing a gentle kiss on Jessie’s hand as her eyes slowly closed. Leaning down, Jessie placed a soft kiss on Rowan’s forehead. “I love you,” she whispered before she straightened up and left the room.

Anne stood in the hallway, waiting for her daughter to finish. Jessie had called her before talking to Rowan, explaining that Rowan had been hurt and that she needed Anne to stay with her. Not questioning what her daughter was asking, Anne agreed to come right over.

“How is she?” Anne asked, concern lacing her voice.

“She’s asleep. I think the doctor gave her something for the pain that made her sleepy. Hopefully they’ll be letting her out tomorrow. Can you make sure that she gets home okay?”

“Of course. Where are you going to be?”

“Fighting evil, mom.” Jessie’s voice was sarcastic, belaying the truth that was in her statement.

“Okay honey, have fun.”

The hospital was quiet when Rowan finally woke up. The soft sounds coming from the other rooms on the floor were only a buzz in her ear, nothing more. She took a moment to stretch lightly, realizing that moving too much made her head hurt more.

“I was hoping you’d sleep at least till morning,” a soft voice came out the darkness, startling her slightly.

“Anne?” She asked, confused. What was Anne doing here?

“Last I checked.” The older woman finally came into focus, a gentle smile warming her face. “Between you and that daughter of mine I seem to be getting to know the local hospitals pretty well.” She brushed back the hair that had fallen over Rowan’s forehead, the bandage there very stark and white. The gesture was so like something Jessie would do that Rowan felt tears prick her eyes. “Don’t cry honey, she’ll be all right. That girl has more lives than a cat, and I dare say that now that she has something to live for she’ll fight even harder to come back.”

“How’d you know I was thinking about her?”

“The same way I knew you two loved each other before either of you did! You both get this misty look in your eyes when you think about one another, and sometimes you even get this goofy smile on your faces. I used to know that face pretty well myself…” Anne drifted off, her mind and memories focused on something long gone. Shaking herself out of the pain she felt at loosing her own love, she took Rowan’s hand. “Love is a gift, Rowan. Grab on and never let go.”

Rowan allowed herself to be pulled into her own thoughts of love. She had always known that love must be great; powerful and ultimate, it was both volatile and gentle at the same time. All consuming, love dragged you in and then took everything from you, leaving you filled with its impressions. It was a tempest storm and every other calamity that humanity faced, filled with dramatic pain and travesty, but it was also the very joy of existence. It was a rush greater than any drug could give you, lifting you higher and higher every second. In essence, it was the greatest roller coaster ride ever.

Was it worth it? Rowan asked herself. Her answer was a decided yes. What she felt for Jessie was greater than anything she’d experienced in this life and she doubted she’d ever experience anything greater. The highs and the lows of loving someone so much were devastatingly extreme, but she would never give them up.

“Go back to sleep, dear. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Anne’s hand gently stroked Rowan’s cheek until she felt her eyes close sleepily and her breathing begin to deepen. She fell asleep and dreamed of her lover.

The three men in front of her were as different from each other as anyone could be. Jamie was a large, black man who’s skin was so dark he almost appeared a violent purple at times. His large brown eyes never missed anything, allowing him to carefully calculating things around him. In addition to be an asset because of his size, he was also brilliant at deductive reasoning and finding what most people missed in the smallest of detail.

Peter was a short, skinny man who’s skin was so white that he almost glowed in the dark. He had shaggy black hair that hung over his face, obscuring people from seeing his green eyes that were able to see better than most in the dark. He never smiled, never grinned, his mouth was set into a permanent straight line. On rare occasions he would actually frown when really perplexed, but other than that his mouth didn’t deviate.

Wu was the last of the men there. He had been a part of the Chinese Mafia in Chicago, but Jessie had recruited him almost 5 years before, finding his abilities in both marksmanship and man-hunting very appealing for her former business.

There was many times where she needed to find someone very quickly, and these three men always came through for her. She had kept them on permanent retainer, leaving them at her beck and call through out the years. When she left the business she’d made it clear to her successor that he needed to keep these three on his good side, otherwise he’d find himself dead.

“So, you finally decided to give us a call,” Wu said, his narrow eyes getting even more narrow as he gave her a cold look. “What made you think that we’d help you?” The three men seamlessly created a visually intimidating picture, but Jessie stood her ground, her arms at her side, her feet shoulder width apart.

“Because,” she drawled slowly, “I was the one person who got away from you and lived to tell about it.”

Everyone smiled jovially with the exception of Peter who merely grunted. “We let you get away, JB. If we wanted to we could have found you,” Jamie approached her, hugging her tightly before letting her go. “It hasn’t been the same since you left. Does this mean…” He let his question hang as all three men waited for her answer in anticipation.

“No, I’m not coming back.” She sobered quickly, the reunion over it was time for business. “You three know that I wouldn’t have made contact if it hadn’t been an emergency.”

“Dante just told us that you needed us. He didn’t give us any details.” Peter finally spoke, his voice gravely from too many years of smoking.

“This isn’t like what you’re used to. I do need your help, but this time it’s a personal problem.”

“Someone messing with you?” Jamie asked softly, the menace in his voice unmistakable.

“Don Colston.”

Wu whistled softly. “He disappeared about a year ago. We wondered where he went, but since we didn’t hear anything and no one reported having any problems with him, we just let him go. There was no reason for us to go after him.” Wu shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I figure that he must have come here and started a plan that would cripple me.” It was very hard for Jessie to admit that she’d been trapped. She’d obviously had gotten soft, thinking that she was safe in her new life and that no one would bother to track her.

“Is he working for Manny?” Wu asked carefully.

“I can’t see why he’d be working alone, can you?”

“No, I can’t.” Wu gave a heavy sigh. “Shit. Okay, what’s the deal?”

“Last night he was at my house.” Inwardly she smiled at the mention of her house. Maybe not in ownership, but she was in fact sharing the house with Rowan, creating a home with her. It felt very good to say that. “He took a woman and two children who were there and who are very important to someone I love.”

Jessie watched the three men carefully as they thought about what she had said. While she had a very close working relationship with these men and while they all had a mutual respect for one another, Jessie was a little apprehensive about bringing them into her personal life. These men were cold killers who could take a life without remorse or regret. She’d seen them do it many times, usually on an assignment she’d given them. She had no way of knowing if their loyalties were to her or just to the money that she paid them.

“I’ll pay the three of you to-“

Jamie’s hand immediately went up and he took a step forward, away from the other two, stopping her in mid-sentence. “No. No money from you. We’ll take care of this asshole for you because we want to help.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Peter broke in this time, his mouth in a hard line as he moved forward to concur with what Jamie had said. “You needed us and you trusted us enough to call for help. We don’t want your money.”

“Besides,” Wu moved to stand with them, a grin cracking his face. “We never liked the guy.”

Jessie gave them a genuine smile as her faith in people got a surge of reassurance. How she had ever earned such loyalty from men like this, she’d never know, but at this moment she was very glad for it. She wanted to thank them, to show them her appreciation, but she knew it would only make them feel uncomfortable. “Okay, then let’s get started.”

“I’m glad that they didn’t make you stay the full 24 hours,” Anne said as she helped Rowan up the walkway to her house.

“Me too. I think I would have gone crazy. I hate being forced to stay in bed.” She fished around in the pockets of her jeans, hoping that someone had had the forethought to put her keys there. Sure enough, they were there. Rowan said a silent thanks to Jessie for thinking of her. She unlocked the door, immediately feeling someone else’s presence in the front room.

The police officers from the hospital had followed them to the house and were now sitting outside in their car. She’d asked them if they wanted to come in, but the politely declined, saying that they needed to stay where they could see anyone coming and going. That was all fine and good, but apparently there hadn’t been anyone at the house to watch whether or not anyone went in before they got there.

“Hospitals are nicer these days, but the care lacks something personal. When you give birth these days they let you out almost the same…” Anne stopped talking as she realized that they weren’t alone.

“Hello,” Kelly’s voice purred at them, her sly smile reaching them at the same time.

Shaking her head, Rowan gestured for Anne to go into the house and she closed the door behind them. “Why are you here, Kelly?” She finally asked warily. Why couldn’t this woman just stay out of her life?

“Well, I happened to find out that you were missing something very valuable to you and I thought that I would come to see if we could arrange some kind of trade.” A mysterious smile formed on her lips, but was not reflected in her eyes.

Anne watched the exchange between the two women. She remembered the tall woman from the bookstore. She still wasn’t sure of the dynamics between this woman and Rowan, but obviously they knew each other very well.

“You know where my sister is?” Rowan asked carefully, wanting to make sure that she was going to get exactly what she wanted.

“Yes, and her two brats too,” Kelly said, giving an evil laugh reminiscent of the Wicked Witch of the West. “Do you want to trade, or should I take my leave?”

“What do you want?”

“Your little wife.”

“What do you mean?” Rowan narrowed her eyes at the other woman.

“I want you to break up with her.”

“What makes you think that even if I broke up with her that she’d want to be with you?”

Kelly gave a little laugh. “Oh, I’d make sure that I was there to pick up all the little pieces.”

Rowan sighed. Her sister’s life over a relationship; but it wasn’t just any relationship. It was the one person who had known her from the beginning, the one person who’d fit her own personality and quirks. She couldn’t give that up. But, she couldn’t let her sister die either. She would have to agree for now and then think of some way to fix things afterward. I’m sorry Jessie, Rowan thought before she said the hardest word in her life. “Okay.”

Kelly had watched the conflicting emotions as they flashed across Rowan’s face. She’d always been so easy to read. The remaining emotion was one of convicted defeat. Smiling inwardly, Kelly tried not to crow at her victory. “Tonight I’ll be by to pick you up at 9.” She got up to leave but was stopped by Rowan’s next question.

“Why should I trust you this time Kelly?”

“From where I’m at, I don’t see that you have much of a choice.”

She was right. What if Jessie couldn’t find them in time? What if tonight was their only chance? She would have to trust Kelly and hope that she wouldn’t not be played again. “Tonight. 9pm. I’ll be ready.”

“We’ll be ready.” Anne stepped forward and put her hand on Rowan’s shoulder. There was no way that she was going to let Rowan go alone. She’d come to think of Rowan as another daughter and she’d be damned if she were going to lose her now.

Kelly eyed both of them carefully. “Fine, till tonight then.” She walked to the front door, opened it, and walked out, closing the door with a quiet thud.

Rowan and Anne stood deep in thought for a moment, each of them thinking about what they were getting into and knowing that it was probably going to be the most dangerous moment of their life.

A loud knock at the door brought them both out of their thoughts. “POLICE! Open the door!”

Rowan immediately went and opened it, surprised to see the face of one of the officers that had been with her at the hospital standing at her door with a gun in his hand.

“Everything okay?” The officer asked, putting his gun away but not snapping the holster.

“Yeah, we’re fine. Are you okay?” The man was flushed with exertion.

“We saw a woman come out of the house and we hadn’t seen in go in, so we wanted to make sure you were okay.” The man explained, slightly embarrassed by his unnecessary bravado.

“She was here when we got here,” Rowan explained.

“Are you both okay?” The officer looked past Rowan to check on Anne who was standing further back.

“Yes, we’re fine. No danger here.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll just go back to the car.” The officer turned and left, leaving behind a very amused Rowan.

Chuckling, she closed the door and secured the lock. Turning around her eyes went to a dark spot in the corner of the room. It was then that she realized that she hadn’t seen Tigger around since she got back. That was very strange. Tigger usually was there anytime the door opened. Maybe he was upstairs hiding.

Jessie had told Rowan what had happened to Sylvester, as well as telling her which animal hospital he’d been taken to. Going to the bloodstain, she knew that she’d have to replace the carpet. Even if she got the stain out, she’d always known where that little dog had almost been killed.

Anne followed Rowan and saw the blood for the first time. “What happened?” She asked, concern lacing her voice.

“Sylvester got knifed. He must have been trying to stop the attackers.”

“Sylvester? Who’s he? Was he at the hospital? Was he killed?” She whispered the last part, horrified at the thought.

“No, no, calm down Anne. Sylvester is my sister’s dog. He was taken to the animal hospital.” She looked at her watch. “I think I’m going to call to see how he is before I go up and take a shower.”

Walking into the kitchen, she got the yellow pages out and found the number for the hospital. Dialing the number, she explained who she was when the line was picked up.

“Oh yes, the Jack Russell Terrier, right? Yes, he’s doing very well. Luckily nothing was damaged internally. He received 30 stitches to the wound, and since he lost a lot of blood we gave him a transfusion. He’s been a great patient.” The man on the other end of the phone paused. “The cat on the other hand has been a bit of a terror.”

“The cat? I didn’t think that the cat was hurt?” Rowan was definitely confused at this point. Jessie would have told her if Tigger got hurt, right?

“No ma’am, he wasn’t hurt. When we went to pick up the dog, the cat refused to let us get to him until we promised to take him with us.”

“Oh Lord,” Rowan put her hand to her forehead. “To think, just yesterday they were fighting like…well, like cats and dogs!”

“Excuse me, ma’am?”

“Nothing, nothing. When can they come home?”

“Anytime. When they’re picked up we’ll show you how to care for the dog and his stitches. He’s going to need to take it easy for a while, no excitement, that kind of thing.”

“All right, I’ll be there in about an hour.” Rowan figured that would give her enough time to shower and change.

“They’ll be ready.”

“Thank you.” She hung up the phone still in wonder about her cat. “What a little nut!” She mumbled.

“Everything okay?” Anne walked into the kitchen, concerned when she heard Rowan talking to herself.

“Everything’s just fine. Do you mind going with me to pick them up in about an hour?”

“Them? I thought it was just a dog?” Anne was as confused as Rowan had been.

“Yeah, well you don’t know Tigger.”

By mid afternoon Jamie, Peter, and Wu had found where Colston was located. It had been a bit tricky, but they were all pros at finding people who didn’t want to be found. They’d called various contacts and asked about the area, trying to determined where was the most likely place for someone to try to hide without being conspicuous.

Whereas Chicago always had plenty of abandoned buildings that could be used, Madison didn’t. So, that made the search a little harder. They’d finally found out about an abandoned barn located on the outskirts of the West Side of Madison that had recently seen more activity than it had in the last five years.

Carefully and covertly they watched the barn all day, deciding that they would wait until dark to go in. From what they could see there was little security, which surprised them. Colston must think that he’s invincible to try to pull this off without any security or anyone on watch.

Jessie was relieved to at least have the hideout in sight, but she felt a little apprehensive about the lack of security. They hadn’t seen anyone go in or out of the barn all day which only served to increase her anxiety. “What if he’s not in there?” She finally asked.

“He’s been in there for a few months now, there’s no reason why he would change locations now if he hasn’t been caught.” Wu reasoned as he put a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

“I guess. It just doesn’t make sense that he’d keep three hostages without any kind of security.” She looked at her watch. It was almost 6 pm. The sun would be setting within the next hour, but something inside of her told her that she shouldn’t wait till sun down. “I think we should move in.”

The three men with her looked at her in surprise. “Are you sure, JB? I mean, we wouldn’t have the cover that darkness would give us.” Jamie didn’t want to question his former leader’s plan, but he was skeptical.

“I don’t feel right about this. I want to find out why I am having this feeling before it’s too late. The sooner the better.”

“Okay,” Jamie said. The three men stood up in the back of the van they’d brought from Chicago and put on their coats. Each one checked their weapon to see that it was ready and when they were done, Jessie led them out of the back doors.

They’d parked down a little dirty road, far from the main road, but still close enough to the barn to get there by foot. Ambling over the abandoned farmland, they crept slowly and surely toward the barn. Using hand signals they moved forward one by one until they were all against the back wall of the barn. So far nothing had so much as moved around them.

Carefully, Peter moved around the side of the barn, stopping every few feet to listen for any new noises coming from within the barn. The only way in or out of this barn was the wide front doors. There was no way to get those doors open without attracting the attention of whomever was inside. So, they wouldn’t.

With one man on each door, Jessie and Jamie pulled their guns into their hands and stood ready. On the count of three, Peter and Wu pulled the doors open and Jessie and Jamie rushed inside, with the other two men coming in immediately behind them.

They all stood there, taking in the sight before them. Finally, Jessie moved, kicking the ground viciously. “I knew it! Dammit!.” She turned around and left the barn, too frustrated to stay and look around.

The barn was completely empty, except for a few piles of ancient hay and a lawn chair, which stood in the direct center of the large area. Walking to the chair, Wu picked up the white envelope that sat on the lawn chair, Jessie’s name scrawled in dark, bold letters on the outside.

The three men walked out the barn and followed the distant form of Jessie to the van. Once inside, Wu handed the envelope to Jessie.

“What did it say?” She asked without looking at it.

Wu shrugged. “I don’t open other people’s mail.”

Smiling at the small joke, she took the envelope and opened it carefully. Aloud she read:

“Well,” Jamie spoke first, “he’s no poet, that’s for sure!”

Wu snickered in response, pounding the large black man on the back. Sobering, his face turned to one of contemplation. “There must be something there that tells us where’s he’s at. He wants you, JB, he’s leading you to him.”

Fly home…the phrase struck Jessie more than any of the others. Unclipping her cell phone from her belt, she dialed Rowan’s number.

“Hello?” Her mother’s voice came through the phone.

“Hey mom,” Jessie murmured in a low voice. The three men looked at her in surprise. JB had a mother? Who knew!

“Hi Jess, how is everything going? Are you okay?” Despite the years they’d spent apart, Anne’s maternal instinct was still well in place.

“I’m fine mom. Are you and Rowan okay?”

“We’re just find. Rowan’s up in the shower getting cleaned up. We’re going to go pick up the animals from the hospital when she’s done.”

“Animals? As in plural?”

“Yes. I’m not quiet sure what happened. All Rowan said was that I didn’t know Tigger. I assume that’s the cat?”

“Yeah, that would be him.” Jessie shook her head, a little smile playing on her face. “Pain in the ass that he is.”

“We also had a visitor,” Anne confessed, unsure if Rowan had wanted Jessie to know.

“Who?” Jessie’s voice demanded, her senses immediately alerted to danger.

“That Kelly woman, you know the one I mean?” Anne’s obvious disgust for the woman was very clear in her tone.

“Yes, I know her. What did she want?” Jessie’s voice became cold as she thought about Kelly being in their home. The bitch had better not touch Rowan, she thought.

“You.”

“Excuse me?” Jessie was sure she’d heard wrong.

“She wants you. She told Rowan that she’d take her to where her sister is at in return for Rowan breaking up with you.”

Jessie gave a harsh bark of laughter. “Rowan couldn’t shake me even if she tried. Did Kelly honestly think I’d give her up just like that?”

“I don’t think that Kelly has any comprehension of love or what it entails. How can she understand what you feel for Rowan if she hasn’t got an inkling herself?” Anne’s sage words struck the bell of truth. How could Kelly have any clue when her life was about sex and gratification, not love?

“Is she going to back to take Rowan to her sister?”

“Yes, she said she’d be back at 9 tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll be there. We’ll follow them. Don’t tell Rowan, I don’t want her to give anything away.” Jessie was worried about letting Rowan get involved in this, but she didn’t see any other way to find Danni and the kids without putting their lives in further danger.

“I won’t. Be careful honey.” Anne felt much better now that she knew Jessie would be there. She may not like to think about it, but she knew that her daughter could take care of herself and them if need be.

“You too.” As she pressed the end button on her cell phone, the phone beeped at her, indicating that her battery was getting low. “Great, just great,” she muttered. She dialed one more number, hoping that the phone would last long enough to get the message across. “Michael?”

“Hey Jess, any leads?”

“Yeah, listen, tonight at 9 pm-” The phone went dead before she could finish. “Shit!” She threw the cell phone at the back of the van, watching with quiet satisfaction as the phone broke into smaller pieces. Sighing, she looked at her watch. It was almost 8 pm. Time for them to move into place before Kelly got to the house. She didn’t want her to suspect that they were following her. “Okay guys, new plan.” She turned to the three men who’d been watching her in unconcealed fascination. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jamie reached out a slightly shaking hand, poking Jessie’s arm and then retreating back. “She IS human, guys!”

Rowan stood in front of her closet in contemplation. They’d gotten the animals from the hospital, paid the substantial bill, and brought them home. The woman on duty had suggested that Rowan get Tigger declawed. Apparently the cat had scratched quiet a few people before they’d reached a compromise with him. Secretly she was very proud of her boy. Sylvester was now resting comfortably downstairs, with Tigger hovering over him like a worried momma. Now, Rowan was attempting to figure out what she was going to wear for that night’s rescue. What does one wear when going into a den of evil?

Okay, she thought to herself, that might be a little too dramatic! Her mind was used to the suspense of books and movies, and therefore she felt she was excused if she were just slightly excited about the night’s foray into danger. She was, however, smart enough to realize just how serious the situation was and how many lives were on the line. She’d tried to call Jessie on her cell phone to tell her about the meeting, but only got her voice mail. It worried her more than a little bit that she couldn’t contact her lover. Jessie had a way of making Rowan feel safe and secure, and God knows she could have used that reassurance right about now.

She finally chose a pair of black jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, followed up by her sneakers. She wanted to be able to run if she needed to. Putting the selected clothing on, she took a second to check herself out in the mirror, satisfied with the look she’d achieved.

Looking at the clock next to the bed, she sighed. There was still a half-hour before Kelly would be there. What would she do for a half-hour? She was anxious and more than a bit apprehensive. Resigned to sit and wait patiently like a good little girl, she went down the stairs and flopped herself onto the couch next to Anne.

At 9pm exactly the doorbell rang. Rowan opened the door and was greeted not only by Kelly, but also by the same officer who’d been at the door before. “It’s okay,” Rowan told the officer. He gave her a curious look, but left them alone.

“You’re little watch dog is kind of cute. Too bad you don’t swing that way, I think you could get him.” Kelly smoothly breezed in, chatting as though they were friends getting together for an evening of fun.

“Can we go already?” Rowan wasn’t in the mood for anymore games. She wanted to get to her sister and her niece and nephew.

Kelly pivoted on her foot so that she could look at Rowan. Raising an elegantly shaped eyebrow, she allowed one side of her mouth to quirk up in a slight smile. “Anxious, are we?”

“I just want to get this over with already.”

Nodding her head, Kelly clucked her tongue against her teeth. “Fine, fine. Let’s go then.” She abruptly moved passed Rowan and opened the door again, walking out into the night.

Anne and Rowan exchanged looks before following her out of the house, locking the door behind them.

Kelly waved saucily at the men in the patrol car as she made her way to her own sleek, black convertible. Unlocking the doors, she gestured for Rowan and Anne to get in before she climbed in herself. “Ready for the ride of your life?” She grinned at them before gunning the more and taking off in a squeal of rubber and wild laughter.

Jessie watched as the black car pulled up to Rowan’s house. Kelly climbed out, not even bothering to look around to see if she was being watched. Apparently she didn’t care. She walked over to the police car, leaned in the driver’s side window and said something to them. One of the cops got out and walked her to the door. At least they’re doing what they’re supposed to, Jessie thought with mild satisfaction.

A few minutes later Kelly bounded out of the house, Rowan and her mother following her a little more sedately. When they pulled away, Jessie signaled for Wu to give them a slight head start before following. She’d talked to the cops, telling them to follow further behind her. They were instructed to wait until they were signaled before coming in. Where ever they were going.

Wu pulled out of the neighbor’s driveway, following the racing car as far back as he dared. The convertible pulled into one of the downtown parking garages. After taking her ticket, Kelly pulled in, climbing the levels till she found a park spot that suited her. Keeping his eye on her, Wu parked on the other side of the garage, on the level going down from where Kelly parked.

“Where the hell is she taking them?” Jessie said out loud as they discreetly followed them down State Street. Rowan must have been wondering the same thing, her face showing her consternation.

“Kelly, where are we going?” Rowan finally asked as they walked further toward the capital.

“Here,” Kelly stopped in front of Anne’s bookstore, a brilliant smile lightening her face.

“They aren’t in my bookstore, I was here when they were taken,” Anne insisted.

“You were here, but you can’t see the door to Jessie’s apartment from in inside of your store, can you?”

“No, I guess not,” Anne admitted.

“They managed to get them in here right under your nose. That’s pretty good, huh?” Kelly smiled again, tickled by the complexity of the plan. “Donnie told me that he’d been planning this for months. They were supposed to grab you, you know,” she told Rowan. “But they messed up and got your sister instead. Wrong place, wrong time, I would say.” She laughed to herself.

“If you’re a part of this, why are you taking us here?” Rowan couldn’t understand why this woman was leading them to where her sister was unless she was trying to trap them.

“That stupid Donnie…” Kelly’s eyes took on a far away look and her mouth pursed into a tight line. “He thought he could use me for information and that he could get away with throwing me out in the end.” She gave a little growl before laughing again. “He tried to have me killed. Unfortunately, he killed my lover instead.”

“Wha…” Rowan’s voice faded in horror. This woman was sick. Here she was laughing about how her lover had been killed instead of her, not batting an eyelash.

“I’m not going to let him fuck me over.” Kelly gestured for Rowan to open the outside door that led up to the apartment Jessie had been using before moving in with her.

The three women made their way slowly up the stairs until they reached the top door. “You have keys, right?” Kelly asked Anne, pointing to the locked door.

“Uh, yeah, actually, I do.” Anne pulled her key ring out of her pants pocket, surprising herself by actually having them on her. She found the key for the apartment and inserted it into the lock, turning it slowly until they all heard it click.

“I’ll get that.” Kelly opened the door with a flourish. “Ta da!”

“Danni!” Rowan ran to her sister, taking off first the blindfold and then starting in on the ropes around her wrists and ankles.

“Rowan! How’s you find us?” Danni looked around wildly, spying her kids sitting in the opposite corner similarly tied, their mouths stuffed with rags. “Get the kids!”

“I’ve got them,” Anne said as she made her way to where the kids were sitting.

Kelly stood back watching the two women rush about, untying and helping to get the circulation moving back through wrists and ankles. She smiled as she thought about her prize. Jessie was hers again.

“I want the three of you to wait here. Watch the entrance. If anyone tries to go up those stairs, I want the three of you right behind them, okay?” Jessie checked her gun a final time before making her way across the street to the door leading to her former apartment. So far she’d seen no signs of distress coming from Rowan or her mother, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

The stairs were clear and she made it to the open door without any problems. She peered in and saw the melee that was going on as Rowan and Danni and the children were reunited and introductions were made between them and Anne. She checked the room and only saw Kelly there, standing in the corner watching it all with a strange look on her face.

Holstering her gun, she walked to Rowan, coming up behind her and putting her arm around her. “Hey there,” she said, making Rowan jump.

“How’d you get here?” Rowan asked as she hugged the taller woman tightly.

“The walls have ears, my dear,” she said with an exaggerated accent.

“Anne told you, huh? Smart woman. But everything looks fine. We should get out of here before-“ She broke off mid sentence as she saw a large man walk through the door, a gun in his hand, pointing directly at them.

“Before I come back?” The man said with a harsh smile.

Jessie immediately put Rowan behind her, blocking her with her body. Her hand twitched, wanting to pull her gun from its resting place but with the kids and her mother on the other side of the room she was afraid that they’d get in the middle of a gun battle, which was the last thing that she wanted.

“JB, but you were surprised to find out who I was.” Colston gave her a mock smile as his eyes traced the scar that still showed red and raw on her face. “I never forgot you,” he sneered.

“I’ve never met you before in my life, Colston. I knew you existed, but you weren’t important enough for me to bother with.” Jessie sneered back, hoping to get him angry enough to make a mistake.

“You don’t remember, do you?” He laughed. “I should have known that I wasn’t important enough for you to remember.”

“Are you trying to tell me that we have met before?” She was curious now. She honestly had no memory of this man.

“I wasn’t always Don Colston. About 8 years ago I was known as Donald Smith. Does that name ring a bell?”

Jessie felt as though she’d been struck in the stomach. The acid there burned as a memory smoldered in her mind. Donald Smith had been older than her. He’d grown up in the same neighborhood as she had, they’d attended the same high school. The year before she’d left for Chicago she’d been involved in a very bad drug deal that had almost killed one of her friends. She’d left the scene, leaving Donald Smith there to take the blame. “You should still be in jail,” she said slowly.

“Yes, I should be. But, while I was there I met Manny’s cousin Paolo. Paolo and I escaped together and he brought me into Manny’s organization. You can imagine my surprise when I first saw you in Chicago. I knew then that I still owed you something for leaving me to clean up your mess.” He waved his gun at the people in the room. “What a better way than to kill everyone who means something to you?” He laughed loudly. “And you all made it so easy on me, coming together to save one another. I thank you for that.”

“Donnie, take me with you.” Kelly walked toward him, her hands in the air to show she was without a weapon.

“And you, you crazy bitch! You’re supposed to be dead. Another botched up job. Why do I bother to pay for what I could do so much better myself.” His gun never wavered even as a shot rang out from the area of the door.

They all watched as Kelly crumpled to the floor, blood spreading from where she lay. Anne held the kids closer to her so that they wouldn’t see the carnage.

“She’s dead now, are you happy?” The soft quiet voice that Danni had heard when she’d woken up the day before floated through the air. They all turned to see a slight man with well-groomed dark hair standing in the doorway, his gun still in his hand. He pulled out a white handkerchief from his suit pocket and mopped his forehead. “So many people in this little space is making me sweat,” he explained as he put away the cloth.

“About time you showed up. You never seem to get anything right,” Colston hissed at the new comer.

“I came when I wanted to, not before.” The man in the suit explained easily not at all disturbed by Colston’s attempts at threatening him. He looked around the room, giving everyone a smooth smile as he did. His gaze stopped when he saw Rowan. “So this must be the blonde you wanted so badly.” He moved closer, giving Rowan a slow going over with his eyes. “Yes, I can see why you wanted her so badly,” he leered at her. A growl from behind him stopped him. He turned and stared at Jessie with a great deal of interest. “Yes, I know who you are. You once took out five of my associates in one night.”

“I’m afraid I am not as well aquatinted with you as you seem to be with me,” Jessie said through clenched teeth.

“Ah, my apologies” He bent over at the waist in a bow. “I am John Paul Martin. I never worked directly in Chicago, although I always had fingers in so many pies it was hard to tell.” He gave her a charming smile.

His back was to the door when Jamie, Wu, and Peter burst through, each one had a gun in their hands. Jessie pulled her own weapon out and held it at John Paul Martin’s temple. “So glad to meet you,” she said sweetly as she cocked the gun.

Colston roared in anger, pointing his gun toward the three invaders, shooting without aiming. Jamie and Wu managed to avoid getting hit, each of them aiming at Colston and shooting until the man was on the floor. Peter was hit in the arm and shoulder, but he managed to push himself against the wall as he waited for his friends to finish.

The sound of many feet pounding against the wooden stairs alerted everyone in the room to the approach of more people. Three guns pointed to the door, Jessie not moving hers, as two men in uniform came through the doorway, followed by Michael.

Michael’s alert eyes took in everything in the room, finally resting on Jessie and her hostage. “What took you so long?” She asked him casually.

Michael shook his head at her and began giving instructions to his officers.

Anne made coffee as the others sat down on the furniture in the bookstore. Jessie leaned against the front counter with Rowan leaning back against her. They’d been allowed to leave the scene, provided that they waited in the bookstore until Michael could come down to talk to them.

An ambulance had come and taken Peter to the hospital, Wu and Peter following in the van. Jessie knew that she wouldn’t see them again unless she made the call. They would head back to Chicago to the relative peace of retirement, whatever that meant for them.

The children were shaken not only by the events of that night, but by the news that Sylvester had been hurt. They kept asking Jessie and Rowan if they were sure that their beloved pet was okay. Rowan promised that as soon as they were done they’d go back home and they could see the dog for themselves. If Tigger will let them, she amended silently.

Danni looked tired, but over all she was okay. She’d refused to go to the hospital to let someone look at the nasty lump on her head. She’d had enough hospitals over the last year and knew that more were in her future. Besides, it was nothing that a little ice wouldn’t take care of.

Rowan turned in Jessie’s arms and gave her a full body hug, nuzzling her nose against Jessie’s warm neck. “How come you always smell good?” Rowan asked, taking another sniff of Jessie’s skin.

“I dunno. How come you always feel good in my arms?” Jessie smiled down at her lover.

“Cause that’s where I’m supposed to be silly,” Rowan gave the taller woman a soft kiss on her chin.

“Damn straight,” Jessie answered pulling Rowan closer, vowing to never let her go, which was perfectly okay with Rowan. Now that they’d both found love, nothing was going to keep them apart.

The End

Back to FanFic Index