Hours had passed since Nick had made his first phone call to Jessica. Since then, he had made numerous others, and each had gone unanswered. Now, he was almost beside himself with worry. He felt slightly foolish knowing that he was probably overreacting, but he couldn�t help it. Something just didn�t fit. Usually, Jessica would have called him by now.

As Nick paced back and forth, across his living room, a loud crash of thunder sounded from outside. Nick watched in fascination as a flash of thunder illuminated the dark sky. He watched intently as rain poured down in sheets from the heavens.

The sinking feeling arose again in Nick�s stomach. He couldn�t help fearing the worst. Jessica could be outside in this weather, on her way home from work. Even worse, she could be stranded alone somewhere. Whatever the case, he had to make sure that she was safe. Sitting at home by his phone wasn�t going to do him any good.

Determinedly, he marched to his room. He crossed the room quickly, heading straight for his night table. Opening it, he rummaged around, finally finding his wallet. Hurriedly, he opened the wallet and retrieved a small piece of paper with her elegant handwriting on it. Jessica Turner. 26 Madison Ave. 555-6425.

Stuffing the paper quickly into his pocket, he exited the room. Heading towards his closet, he yanked a blue windbreaker roughly from the hanger. He donned it in a rush, grabbed his keys from the table and just barely slipped into his shoes. Hastily leaving all the lights on, he reached for the door. He opened it, his legs poised to spring him into action. Instead however, he was unable to move, frozen almost as he sucked in his breath at the surprising sight before him.

There, Jessica stood, cold and shivering. Her blonde hair hung in thick wet clumps and was plastered to her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and a dull grey. Her clothes were drenched with water and clung to her like a second skin. Her hands shook fervently as she clung dearly onto a wet, soggy paper. Looking at it carefully, one could almost make out Nick�s name and part of his address.

Instinctively, Nick drew Jessica�s wet, body to him, hugging her fiercely. �Are you alright? What happened?�

Like a scared, innocent child, Jessica clung to Nick tightly. His voice was so gentle and caring, that Jessica could feel her resolve crumbling. She collapsed in his arms, her body almost melting into his as the floodgates opened. She sobbed vehemently, her heart-wrenching sobs tearing at Nick�s heart as she stood helplessly.

�Let�s get you inside,� he whispered into her ear. Jessica gripped his arm tightly as he practically carried her to his room. She felt almost weightless, like a feather as he laid her down gently upon his bed.

Looking into her eyes inquisitively, Nick felt a sharp, searing pain in his heart. Her eyes were full of pain and fear as the tears of misery slipped down her face. Her mouth was drawn and taut, her lips pale and colourless. �Who did this to you?� he whispered hoarsely, his own eyes slightly wet at the sight of her pain. �Tell me,� he begged. �Please?� he whispered holding her hand gently.

Jessica closed her eyes, as the room began spinning mercilessly around her. She wanted to tell him, but she couldn�t. His opinion mattered more to her than anyone else�s did. She couldn�t let him know how bad she really was. He would think less of her for certain. �I � I can�t,� she whispered back. A fresh batch of tears formed in her eyes. �Please Nick. Don�t make me,� she begged, her voice almost childlike.

Without words, Nick reached forward gathering her into his arms. Gently, he slowly rocked her shaking, wet body back and forth. Jessica�s arms encircled Nick�s neck, clutching onto it as if her life depended upon it. �You�re safe here. You�re with me now,� he told her in a calm, sincere voice. �Don�t worry. I won�t let anything happen to you,� he whispered softly in her ear.

Jessica�s tears had subsided, but her body still shook nevertheless. Carefully, Nick detangled himself from her. �Wait here,� he instructed gently. Crossing his room, he headed to his closet. After a quick once over, he finally found a pair of large sweat pants and a large sweat shirt. Grabbing them quickly, he turned back around. �Put these on. I�ll be back in a minute,� he promised, disappearing from the room and closing the door to give Jessica some privacy.

She watched his retreating figure, her body trembling all over. She felt so safe with him around. When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt protected. He was like her shield from the outside world; protecting her from all the hurt and pain.

Slowly, she peeled off her wet clothes, letting them land in a heap at the foot of the bed. She slipped Nick�s large clothes on as quickly as possible, her eyes wandering the room as she refused to look down at her body. Once the comfortable, dry clothes were finally on, she sat there nervously playing with her hands as she awaited Nick�s return.

A gentle knocking at the door sounded, followed by a gentle �Can I come in?�

His voice was so calming and soothing that for a moment, Jessica was completely entranced by it. �Yes,� she finally managed to whisper, her voice barely even audible. Nick heard her however and entered the room slowly, a steaming cup of tea with lemon in his hands.

Jessica watched helplessly as he set the tea down on the night table and proceeded to pull back the bed covers. Gently, Nick approached her and slowly took hold of his arm. Jessica succumbed easily to his touch and allowed him to get her into his bed. With gentle care, Nick thoughtfully placed his pillows behind her back. Nick seemed to hesitate slightly at first, but climbed into bed next to her anyways.

Jessica didn�t even flinch as he did so. It just seemed so natural to her. Nick sat close, but yet not too close to her. Carefully, he lifted the tea from the night table and Jessica took the cup from him, her hands shaking slightly in the process. Oblivious to Jessica, Nick watched as she gratefully downed the scalding liquid. Jessica barely even blinked as the hot, soothing liquid slid down her throat. After downing the last drop a sudden wave of drowsiness washed over her and she stifled a yawn before handing Nick the empty cup.

Instinctively, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Nick�s waist. The closeness of their bodies seemed so right to Jessica as she drowsily laid her head upon Nick�s chest. Soon, the intoxicating smell of his cologne washed over her, gently lulling her to sleep.

�Nick?� she mumbled sleepily.

�Yeah?�

�Thank you for being my friend,� she told him simply, with such sincerity and at the same sorrow that it hurt Nick�s heart.

He felt his heart race at her words. He looked down, his lips pursed to reply, but noticed that Jessica had already fallen asleep. With gentle fingers, he carefully brushed a strand of hair from her face. �Anytime Jessica. Anytime,� he whispered, dropping a feather-light kiss upon her head.

Jessica was dreaming. She saw herself standing rigidly upon the pier, dangerously close to the edge. The tears which cascaded down her face were ones not of sorrow, but of fear.

The dark, murky black water called out to her enticingly. Jessica was compelled towards them as if by some unseen, dangerous force. Her body seemed to gravitate in the direction of the waves, despite the feelings of repulsion which were rising in her stomach. She couldn�t understand it, but, for some reason she felt that she was being unwillingly guided towards the waters. The guiding force was so strong and overpowering that she couldn�t think. It rendered her helpless, taking control of her whole body.

She felt herself unwillingly being pushed closer and closer to the edge Her legs seemed frozen, her lips pursed in protest, but making no sound. Her heart sped up; beating precariously as her fate loomed before her.

Jessica�s mind swam with confusion, beseeching her desperately not to give up. Something inside her told her to stay strong and to fight. It came from the deepest recesses of her heart. Mustering up every ounce of courage she possessed in her tired body, she managed to cry out. Her voice was raspy and hoarse.

Jessica couldn�t decipher the words, but she instinctively realized that it was a name that she was calling out. She called the name repeatedly, her voice becoming more and more desperate and anxious by the second. Her attempts were in vain though. As she came closer to the edge of the pier, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for her inevitable fate.

Suddenly, as if by some miracle, she felt her body relax. An inexplicable, empowering warmth embodied her making her feel safe and protected. Her eyes flew open and she let out a surprised gasp. Perched upon the very edge of the pier, she stood, her right foot dangling in the air. Something was protecting her from falling. Something was saving her.

Cautiously, she turned her head, her body shuddering slightly at the sight. Behind her, she saw a figure. Its outline was well-defined, but its face was shrouded almost strategically in darkness. Looking down, Jessica noticed the figure�s hand was tightly entwined with hers gripping her with surprising strength. Confusion evident upon her face, everything suddenly faded and Jessica awoke with a start.

Jessica�s breathing was shallow and her body shook slightly. As the room focused into view, her eyes settled upon Nick�s sleeping figure next to her. Looking down by instinct, she let out an astonished gasp. She noticed that her own fingers were tightly laced with Nick�s as he grasped her hand protectively just like in her dream.

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