They arrived at Romano’s house, she went to open the car door to get out, but he was already on her side. Opening the door, and reaching for her hand, kissed it and led her out of the car.

She breathed a sweet sigh of relief – she still had a chance she thought, and kissed his hand back.

He looked over at her and grinned – not a real grin though, this was the sarcastic grin she had seen before, before they had gotten together, that is. She felt a slight twinge of fear, she couldn’t bear to lose him now, not over something so petty, she thought.

They reached the back door and Gretyl ran out, past them into the yard to do her business, then ran back up the patio and into the door with them, she missed her master.

He bent down onto his knees and started rubbing her head, her tail wagging happily from side to side, "How’s my girl?" he asked her sweetly, letting her smother his face with kisses.

Susan just stood there; she loved this side of him. Nobody had ever seen Rocket like this, he didn’t show it. He had built an emotional wall, keeping everyone on the other side of it, except for Susan.

No wonder everyone at work didn’t like him, and she realized she was one of them once too.

It was more than obvious that night, that nobody liked the idea of Susan with him. She didn’t care, hell; she had literally punched her best friend over him.

She was willing to lose everyone – just so that she could be with him. That’s how deeply she had grown to love him in such a short time.

Rocket headed for the living room, slipping out of his shoes, his jacket, and started a fire in the fireplace. Susan followed him in, took off her shoes and sat on the end of the couch. He came to the couch to have a seat, but not next to her, he was sitting at the other end, his hand on his forehead, looking down at the floor.

She felt so uncomfortable; she knew that he had wanted to talk about this new "situation."

She wasn’t ready for any anger that he may have towards her for what she had done and said to Elizabeth. He didn’t even know what she had said and done to John and Abby yet.

She looked over at him, black shirt, black trousers; he just looked so very hot to her. She wanted desperately to just attack him with lust, maybe that would arrange it so that he could forget what she had said regarding Elizabeth. Maybe if she just unzipped his pants and started loving him, the way that she knew how, the way that she knew that he loved, maybe that would make him forget, she thought.

She got up from the couch, and threw herself on the floor, at his feet. Placing her head in his lap, not in a sexual manner, just holding his legs in her arms, her head down on his lap.

He placed his hand on her head, she was sobbing now, quietly.

“Rocket, please, just forgive me, please don’t make me tell you what I said to Elizabeth.,” she pleaded. “Please, just say that you love me, say that you forgive me, I can’t stand this distance between us, please!” now looking deeply into his eyes, her mascara running.

“I love you so much, please just say that you forgive me, and let’s just go upstairs and make love, I want to love you so badly right now!” as she buried her face onto the top of his legs.

He stroked her hair, leaning down to kiss her on top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.

“Suz, don’t be scared, I just need to know what you said, so that I can at least call her, make some kind of peace, something.” He whispered, softly into her ear.

“Come up here baby, come sit with me.,” he said, assuring.

She did as she was asked, and sat next to him on the couch. Putting her arm around his waist, gently unbuttoning his shirt, stroking his chest. He put his arm around her shoulder, as she desperately looked to him, begging him with her eyes, to not have to tell.

“It’s ok babe, please trust me, and just tell me, I swear, I won’t be mad.” He said, now taking her face into his hand, and kissing her gently on the lips.

She obligingly kissed him, but she dreadfully wanted to give him the kiss that she wanted to give him. She gently eased his mouth open, readily wanting to kiss him longingly, lovingly, desperately wanting to feel his tongue on hers.

“No babe, not now, please, you know I can’t resist that, I just want you to trust me, please tell me what you said to Elizabeth.” He insisted, refusing to accept her advances.

She looked at him, tears and mascara running down her face, he gently wiped them away, and looked at her tenderly. “I promise, nothing changes if you tell me, sweetheart, nothing!” he said convincingly.

She took a deep breath, and finally began to spill what was in her heart for so long.

She told him about how she had found out about he telling Elizabeth that he loved her, how deeply it had hurt her.

She told him that she had found out about it after that astounding evening and morning after that they had spent together, yet she didn’t want to say anything to him. She wasn’t ready to show him her jealous side yet.

She told him how badly she had wanted him to be “hers” and about how hearing of his love for Elizabeth had nearly devastated her enough to want to have another drunken one night stand with a stranger.

How she had thought it all out, going to a bar alone, drinking in sorrow, looking for a man, any man that even remotely resembled him.

How she had gone to Elizabeth, telling her everything that she knew, how she had heard of Rocket declaring his love for her, telling Elizabeth how that they had made love just the night and morning before, how he had yelled her name, not Elizabeth’s.

How she had thought, that she asked Elizabeth to politely to back off, that Romano was her man now, even though she really wasn’t sure that he was.

She had told him how Elizabeth had reacted to her revelation, how she had told Susan that she was still mourning Mark, that she wasn’t really ready to begin anew with anyone else, but that even if she was ready, and even if that man were Romano, that it wasn’t any of Susan’s business.

Susan had assured him that she hadn’t threatened Elizabeth with any type of bodily harm, just with words, how she had just told Elizabeth frankly, that she and Romano were a couple now, and for Elizabeth to just back away, leave them alone.

She had told him that she couldn’t understand why Elizabeth could interpret any of that with “bodily harm.” Susan swore to him that she hadn’t threatened Elizabeth in that way.

She held on to him tightly, awaiting his response. Not even looking up to him, just burying her face into his chest.

He was silent for a long time. At least it had felt like a long time, she simply held onto him for dear life, as if her very existence depended on what she had said to him, and what he would say to her.

She finally looked up at him, “I’m so sorry Rocket, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, I swear.” “ I just wanted her to know how I felt about you, regardless of what you told her, how I couldn’t dare give you up to her, that’s all.” she said, now kissing his cheek, over and over again.

He sat in silence, seemingly forever to Susan, then taking her chin and pointing it up, toward his lips, kissing her deeply, passionately.

She took his face in her hands, kissing him back, lovingly, desperately, wanting to kiss him forever. She kissed his lips, his nose, his dimples, his eyes, her hand roaming to feel his chest and further.

He sighed deeply, still kissing her, “ I want you to know that I’ve got to meet with Elizabeth.” he said, not knowing that his response nearly killed Susan on the inside.

The words cut her like a knife; she felt it in her belly, in her heart. “He needed to meet with her?” she thought to herself.

“I know you don’t understand, but this needs to be said, face to face.” he assured her, kissing her, unbuttoning her blouse, all the while, taking her hand to lead her upstairs.

“Come on baby, let’s go to bed.” he said, “I’m tired.”

They slowly walked up the steps, still kissing each other, until they reached the top of the stairs.

“I’ll be right back,” she promised him, letting him go off to get undressed and get into bed.

She went into the bathroom, put the toilet seat down, sat and just cried. Tears seemingly came from nowhere. “He’s got to meet her in person?” she thought to herself, not believing exactly what he had said to her. “Why in the hell does he need to meet her, why can’t he just call her?” she thought over and over, still sobbing.

She heard him call to her, “I’m coming, uh, I’ll be right there.” she said, very unconvincingly. She was more determined than ever to keep her man, she didn’t care what it took, she was going to keep Robert as her own, there was no way in hell that Elizabeth was going to sink her claws into him, no matter what he had told her.

Which reminded her, “Why didn’t he tell me that he didn’t mean what he said to her?“ She thought to herself.

The more she thought about it, the madder she got, and with him calling to her, she couldn’t forget the idea that he wanted to know the truth from her, yet he wasn’t willing to give her the truth about what he had told Corday.

She exited the bathroom nude, climbing into bed next to Romano.

“There’s my girl….” he sighed, kissing her neck, licking her breasts.

She sat there in silence, no moaning, no sighing, nothing. Although she could feel her nipples getting hard, she couldn’t forget that he hadn’t told her exactly why he had told Elizabeth exactly what he had told her.

Robert unnoticed that Susan was acting indifferent to the fact that he was wanting to make love to her, he kept licking and sucking her nipples until they got harder and harder, “My God, I love these, “ he said, as he hungrily sucked and licked each one seemingly forever, trying to get some sort of reaction from his lover.

“Why Rocket?” She finally asked him, she had to ask him; it was all that was on her mind now.

He looked up at her, his mouth full, “Why what, baby?”

Now serious, “Why did you tell her that you loved her?” She felt she had nothing to lose, and she desperately wanted to now, not tomorrow, not the next day, but NOW.

He stopped loving her, “Suzy, you know how anesthesia can be.” he said, as if that would thwart her from her questioning.

“Look, we’ve been through this, remember, on our first night together?” “You asked me if I had feelings for her, and I told you.” He said, now clutching the sheet over himself. “You asked, and I told you that I did have feelings for her, but as a friend.” he said, now sliding down into the bed, laying his head on the pillow, his back to her, ready to go to sleep.

“Are you gonna go fuck her when you go to meet with her?” she asked, insistently.

“You know, when you go see her, when you go meet her, are you gonna fuck her?”

She asked bitterly, arms crossed in anger. Anger that Elizabeth had once again, interfered in their lives, unknowingly.

He just lay there, sighed deeply, “Goodnight, Susan.” he said, indifferently.

She shook him violently, “Well, are you?!” she asked, almost on the verge of tears.

He jumped up from the laying position to the sitting position quickly, and angrily retorted, “No Susan, I’m not gonna fuck her, I’m gonna talk to her, is that all right with you?!” he screamed.

“Do you want me to fuck her?” “Make your most paranoid fantasies come true?” He looked at her with evilness, wild anger in his eyes.

She sat in silence, how could he say that, didn’t he know how much she cared for him? Didn’t he know how jealous she was of he and Elizabeth’s “friendship?” she thought?

“No Rocket, I don’t want you to fuck her, I want you to fuck me - now!” she yelled, as he threw himself on top of her, already hard with desire.

“You want me to fuck you, huh?” “Is that what you want?” he asked, not really asking but thrusting himself deep into her. Not really caring about her needs, only his own now.

No foreplay, nothing, just thrusting himself deeply into her, and thrusting into her very hard.

She moaned in pain, not with desire, she wasn’t ready; she hadn’t expected this kind of reaction from him. Yelling yes, but this, no. It was hurting, burning, almost like a kind of rape.

“Stop it Romano!” She screamed, now she was burning with pain. “It hurts!” she begged.

“It doesn’t hurt to me, he said, not stopping. In fact he picked up the pace, thrusting harder, faster, deeper. Moaning in pleasure, he couldn’t stop now.

“No, you wanna be fucked? I’m gonna fuck you, I hope you’re ready, cuz I’m gonna explode, right now!” he screamed at her, thrusting himself deep into her, as he did exactly as he promised. Breathing heavily, he rolled off of her, pulled the covers over him, rolled over and went to sleep, instantly.

She lay there in silence, disbelief. How could this great love affair succumb to this? After everything that they had been through, she was in total disbelief.

And yet she had wanted him, she had wanted him to make love to her, but not the way that he had.

He had treated her like a cheap whore, she had enough self-respect to know that she didn’t’ have to take this from him; she didn’t have to take this from anyone.

She decided then and there, as he lie sleeping, that she would pack her shit, and leave, in the middle of the night. Just leave his ass there, to wake up alone.

She got out of bed, dressed quickly, packed all of her belongings, ran down the stairs, pet Gretyl on the head and left, speeding off in her Volkswagen Jetta.

As she sped down the street, looking into her rearview mirror, tears flowing from her eyes, she thought, “At least she had the memories of the beginning of a new relationship.”

“At least she had that, and for now, after the way he had treated her, that was enough for her to know that she didn’t want Rocket in her life, not now, not ever again.