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This morning Mel was the last one to arrive. She met Darren on his way to the studio. "Hi!" He stopped.
"Hi Darren! Is Leonie in yet?"
"Yup, she managed to cross the football field! And all the monkeys hooted at her!"
Mel looked a little confused, but then she remembered, and she started to laugh. She still laughed 10 minutes later when she walked in to Leonie. Leonie looked at her. "What?" Mel just giggled, and shooke her head.
Darren drove down to the studio, also giggling all the way. He was hearing her laughter in the back of his head, and it was such an amuzing laugh. She and Leonie had the two most wonderful laughs, he decided to himself. They didn`t hold anything back when they laughed. Darren liked that, when people were being themselves. And Mel almost looked happy when she laughed, almost....There was still that sad look in her eyes. "Why is she so sad?" Darren wanted to know, but he feared it would take a long time before she opened up to him or Leonie. If she ever did. She seemed like the kind of person who kept everything to herself.
His phone rang when he parked infront of the studio. "YAY, Darren here!"
"Dan here!"
"Oh ....Dan..you must miss me much. But don`t worry, I`ll never forget you!" he laughed
"No Darren...it`s not that! Haven`t you received any e-mail from me?!" Dan stressed
"I haven`t checked it for some time now..."
"Anyway! I won`t bother you anymore....Just check it out, and get back to me ok?"
"ok. Bye!"
"And Darren?"
"Yup!"
"Do it today, ok?"
Darren hung up. "I wonder what was so important about that e-mail." He went inside and got to work. Leonie called him, and asked if that sound sample would be ready anytime soon. He had to disappoint her, and said that it wouldn`t be ready for at least two weeks.

"Are you going to eat something today?" Leonie asked Mel. Mel looked up at her as she was very consentrated on the computer right now. "Eat?" Leonie raised her eyebrows. "Yes, you know when you put something in your mouth, and swallows. And it goes down to you stomach.... Cheesh....!"
Mel laughed. "Ok....I`m taking a break"
"So Mel tell me a little about yourself?!" Mel looked down at her plate. "What do you want to know?"
"Oh, anything really. Anything you want to share!" Mel was thinking that there wasn`t anything she wanted to share, but it would be weird if she didn`t answer. "I don`t know what to tell you........I`m the youngest of three children! I have a brother, Jeremy. And a sister, Dawn. They are in England. Jeremy works with Daddy, and Linda.....is just having fun!" she tried to sound normal, although she feared that Leonie would ask more questions.
"Hmm....any boyfriends left behind?" Leonie was thinking that maybe that`s the reason why she was sad.
"mmm...no!"
"Oh..come on. I`m sure there`s at least one broken heart back there." Leonie couldn`t believe that. Mel was so beautiful. Mel looked up at her, and in her eyes there was a glimmer of naked pain.
"No...there wasn`t anyone." She said and started to leave. "Are you coming?" she smiled weakly at Leonie, but she saw that that smile didn`t reach the eyes.
"Yeah, coming" Leonie could shake of the feeling that she had stepped a little close to something that was very painful to Mel. They sat in opposite corners of the office, and worked in silence for hours.
Leonie stretched her arms over the head. "I wonder if Dazza will pop by this evening." She turned to Mel. "Dazza?" Mel was confused, and Leonie gave her a look. "Oh...Darren! I don`t know.....I guess he will" Leonie sighed. "I`m so glad that you came to work here. It got so lonely when I sat infront of the computer alone." Mel smiled. "I`m glad I can make myself useful!"
"Who`s being useful?" Darren shot the question as he was walking inside the room. He threw his jacket up on the hanger, and sat down by the table, unfolding his notebook.
"Mel." Leonie answered
"hmm...I see." he mumbled, already burried in thoughts and words.
"Still inspired?" Mel asked him
"Yes, please.....thanks!" was the answer. Mel looked at Leonie ."huh?" Leonie just raised her shoulders. Mel decided to call it evening, and started to pack her stuff.
"I see you in the morning, Leonie! Bye Darren!"
"Bye Mel." Leonie waived, and turned back to the computer. Several minutes had passed when Darren raised his hand, "Bye Mel."
Leonie laughed. And Darren glanced at her as he stood up. "What?". She shook her head. "Nothing Darren, nothing...."
Darren walked over to the pc, remebering that he had promised Dan to check his e-mail. He was reading through all his e-mail, and it took him about half an hour to finish them all, and then he went to Dan`s. Leonie had almost forgotten that he was there, when he called for her. "Leonie, come take a look at this!"

Leonie saw the article, but didn`t combine it with Mel before she saw the picture. "Oh my God Darren!" Darren looked at her and nodded. "I guess now we know why she`s so sad!" Leonie had her hand over her mouth. "Oh, poor girl! What she must have been through."
"Hmm.....I wonder why she came to USA. I would want to stay with my family if something like this happened to me!"
"Oh....silly me....I asked her about boyfriends this afternoon. No wonder she wanted to get away from me." Leonie was sad about that.
"Hey, You didn`t know Leo. " Darren shut down the computer". I better call Dan. He`s probably mad that I haven`t already." Leonie was still sitting there, staring at the blank screen.
"Hi! It`s me."
"Bout time you called! So is it the same girl?"
"Yes, afraid so."
"Yeah I figured."
"I don`t understand Dan, why she left England and her family.....?"
"I`ve been thinking about that.......the police investigated it as a murder right?"
"Dan! You`re not suggesting that she...."
"Oh no.....but maybe she was in danger to! I don`t know.....it`s just a wild guess. I guess you can`t ask her about it eighter?"
"No Dan, I don`t think I can....she would get so sad....."
"Hmm....anyway....Now you know. And Darren? At least she is hot!"
"Daniel!!"
"I know I know.....Bye Daz. Take care."
"Bye!"
They hung up, not knowing how close to the truth they were.
Darren and Leonie walked down to the video store knowing that they wouldn`t be able to sleep much that night, and they decided to rent a movie. They walked back to Darren`s house.

Across town Mel let out a scream when she walked to her room. On a distance she saw a bloodred rose taped to her door. She knew who placed it there. She slowly walked closer, and released the note that were attatched to it.
"YOU ARE MINE"
She dropped it on the floor, and struggled to breathe properly. She ran out of the hotel, and got a cab."How does he find me? How? How?" The driver dropped her off at three hotels, but noone had any spare rooms, at such short notice. She had no other choise but to walk to the office. She fell asleep on the couch in the room.

"Mel?.....Melody...." Someone carefully touch her shoulder. She jumped up and looked around, all confused. She calmed down, when she saw Leonie and Darren.
"What are you doing sleeping in the office?" Leonie`s voice were soft, and Mel could see that she was worried. Darren handed her a cup of coffee. Mel had to think fast before she answered Leonie`s question. "Ahh.....there was a mixup, about my hotelroom, and I couldn`t get another one that late." Darren wasn`t convinced. He saw that she lied, but he didn`t ask any questions. Leonie also dropped any questions she might have had, but send Darren a look.
Mel drank her cup of coffee, wondering why Leonie and Darren was so quiet this morning. They usually had about 3 arguments before Darren left, but today it was all small talks. "Well.....I better get to work then." Mel said and turned on the computer.
The last page opened popped up, and Mel just stared at it for a few minutes. Then she turned to Darren and Leonie. "You know...."
They looked at her, and looked at the screen, then looked at her again. Darren broke the silence. "Yes....we found out last night." Mel stared at the floor for a while. Knowing that they would have a tons of questions for her. But she was unable to speak.
"Look.....maybe we should go to the coffee house.....order tons of cappucino, and you can talk when you are ready, ok?" Leonie had already gotten her jacket. "And let me just say it,...you wont be leaving that coffee house before you tell!" Leonie gave her a friendly smile, and Mel stood up to follow her. As they walked down the hallway Darren whispered to Mel;"Don`t be nervous, there`s still the chance you die from cappucino overdose....." Mel smiled weakly at him, knowing that he was just trying oh chear her up.
They sat down, and drank to cups of cappucino. And finally Darren and Leonie had the first argument this morning. And as usual Darren cut her of by saying that he was Leonie`s lord an master and she had to agree with him. This made Mel relax a bit. But when the silence once again laid a blanket around the table, she took a deep breath. "Better to jump in it, that crawl" she thought.

"My husband got killed a little over a year ago.....The police found out that it was a leak in the brakefluid, and it showed that someone had cut it off. The man that did this,.....he was out to get me. And as he couldn`t have me, he killed my husband." Mel had to pause for a while. And Leonie reached out and stroke her hand. "The police couldn`t find him....and he always called me, and saying that I would be his forever, and that he wouldn`t stop for anything to have me. Finally this harassing, combined with the fact that everything back home reminded me of Michael made me leave the country. The only ones that knew where I was. Was my family, and the police. Ahh...anyway....a few nights ago, he called my apartment, I had to leave. That`s why I was staying at a hotel Leo. I thought he couldn`t be able to find me, since I used another name....but when I came back last night, he had been there. That`s why I was sleeping in the office,.....I didn`t know where else to go...." Mel looked up, and felt like she had said enough.
"Do you know who this man is?" Leonie asked.
"No.....I know his voice from somewhere, but I can`t place it." Mel rinkled her forehead. Darren and Leonie didn`t ask more questions, as they felt it was enough for one day. Mel tried to sound like she wasn`t bothered by talking about it, but her voice carried a lot of pain. Mel was in relief that they didn`t ask about more, she had never talked about this to anyone, so it was quite enough for one day.