By: Nectar99
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They belong to WB and Shoot The Moon Productions.
Rating: PG-13
See chapter 1 for summary and guideline.
Wednesday
1:48 a.m.
His protective arms kept her from twisting and turning in her sleep, however Amanda's mind raced continually with images of her attacker hovering over her, laughing a sinister laugh. His face, rough and pocked, continued to get closer and closer. "Brian! Nooooo!" she screamed in terror.
"Huh, what…what is it, Amanda? Who's Brian?" Lee rattled off the questions, half asleep.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Amanda coughed a few times. "Uh, I don't know, Lee." She hesitated before continuing. "How am I supposed to know who Brian is? I must have been dreaming, that's all," she assured him. Unable to turn and look at him, Amanda simply spoke over her right shoulder.
Now half-awake, Lee began to rub her arms trying to curb the trembling Amanda wished desperately she could hide from him. "Another nightmare?" He asked softly.
Amanda didn't answer right away. She didn't want to answer that question. She appreciated everything Lee had been doing for her, but she felt as if she was losing instead of winning the battle to take back control of her life. "No, no, I didn't have a nightmare, Lee. Just a dream," she insisted, tensing her shoulders slightly.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," he whispered. "Go back to sleep, and have some good dreams, okay?" He replied with a little catch in his voice.
"I'll try," Amanda assured him. She relaxed against his body, trying to get some rest. If only her mind would cooperate with her exhausted body.
9:45 a.m.
"Oh, God, no!" Her words echoed through the entire house. Sitting up suddenly, Amanda immediately put her hands on her throat as if she was trying to remove something restrictive from around her neck. Turning suddenly, Amanda realized she was alone in the bed. Unsure if she was still dreaming, she called out, "Lee?"
The door swung open, Lee looking around to ensure her safety. "Amanda, are you alright? What's wrong?" He asked, concerned about her. "I just went in the kitchen to make some breakfast and I heard you scream," he added.
"I wasn't screaming. I just called you, Lee. I didn't know where I was for a moment, that's all," she insisted, unable to look him in the eye. Rising from the bed, she hurried toward the bathroom. "I'll be out after I get a shower," she added, quickly closing the door.
Letting out a long sigh, Lee stood there motionless. 'Does she really think
I don't see what's going on here? I wish she'd just trust me enough to open
up,' he thought.
They sat in companionable silence during breakfast. Lee prepared omelets for
both of them, served with toast on the side and a glass of orange juice. Normally,
he didn't particularly care for breakfast in the morning, but the smell of the
eggs cooking wetted his appetite. The only sounds that could be heard were the
slicing of food and the utensils striking the plates.
After insisting on cleaning up the dishes, Amanda joined Lee in the living room. He had a file in his hand, and was staring at it intently.
"What are you doing?" she asked, lightly touching the collar of his shirt, leaning over his shoulder to see the file.
Slightly startled, Lee closed the folder suddenly, turning to look at her. "I…I was just looking over some things, that's all," he vaguely replied. "Listen! Will you please sit down with me here? I need to discuss a few things with you," he added hesitantly. The nightmares were real, even if she wasn't ready to admit them. But Lee was quite certain that facing the ordeal would help considerably.
Aware of where the conversation was headed, she tried to tiptoe around it. "Lee, why don't I just go put away the clean dishes? You have pots and pans everywhere, and I think a good…."
"No," he interrupted. "We need to talk now," he insisted, staring at her intently. The worry was evident in his voice and she realized that he only wanted what was best for her. Sitting beside him, Amanda was tense, her arms folded across her chest, and her knees locked together. She wasn't about to begin this conversation, unsure of what he actually expected from her. Staring at the rug, Amanda gasped when she felt him take her hand in his.
"Amanda, I need to go over a few things about the night you were attacked. I know you don't want to think about it, and I know you certainly don't want to talk about it, but I think it's important. Maybe you'll stop having nightmares if this gets resolved." He surprised himself, blurting that entire statement out as he did. He never released her hand, caressing her palm gently, while staring at her.
Shaking her head in an effort to avoid eye contact, Amanda mumbled, "Lee, you don't…."
"Amanda, please, I need you to trust me. I'll help you get through this, I promise," he pledged, his sincerity nearly drawing tears to her eyes.
"Alright," she spoke, barely above a whisper.
"Good, now listen to me. Three other women have been…att…well raped in the area where you were assaulted. All three incidents were in a three-block radius of the Dry Cleaning Store where you picked up your clothes. I have a drawing of the suspect. Can I show you?" Lee was quite hesitant to show her the picture. He felt as if he was laying everything out too quickly, and needed to slow down a bit. He saw the crease in her brow when he mentioned the word picture, and wasn't sure how she was going to react.
Sucking in a deep breath, Amanda braced herself to view the sketch. Inside, she prayed that the picture didn't resemble the man that had been haunting her in her dreams. When Lee showed her the photo, she gasped, her breath quickening as she continued to look at it. Trying not to hyperventilate, Amanda turned away, gasping for air. "That's him," she responded in a meek voice.
"Hey! Hey, look at me," he whispered, reaching out to turn her face toward his. "That took a lot of courage. I'm really proud of you," he commended, wiping away her tears.
Lee realized that Amanda was finally letting her guard down with him and he decided to press his luck. "Listen, there is a lot more here to go over, but I don't want to overwhelm you if you're not ready. Promise me you'll let me know if you can't handle this." He insisted that she tell him the truth.
"I'm okay, Lee," Amanda replied, staring into his hazel eyes. Reaching out, she gently brushed his forearm with her fingertips. "Really, what else do you have?"
"Well, the suspect battered all the women in the process of…you know, any way, we have some samples from him. Also, you said something in your sleep last night. Do you remember calling out for Brian?" Lee asked, curious as to her reaction.
"No, I don't," she insisted, shuddering slightly.
"Are you cold?" Lee asked, wrapping a protective arm around her.
"I'm okay, Lee." Amanda craved his close proximity, and snuggled against his chest. "Lee, did all the women give statements?" Curiosity was getting the best of her, and she sat up to gauge his reaction.
"I know what you're thinking, Amanda King, and before you say it, don't, okay? Two of the three women did." He ended his statement rather abruptly. For the first time since he sat down to talk, he shifted his gaze from her eyes.
"Lee, what about the third victim?" Amanda asked, placing her hand on his chest. "How do they know there was a third victim if she didn't give a statement?" she added.
"Amanda, she didn't survive," he blurted out very quickly. "She was battered severely," he added, his breath already quickening. It took a lot of strength for Lee to remain calm, but with her in his arms, it was hard to imagine what the guy did to her. Lee pulled her closer, trying to hide his discomfort over the situation. So far, he was doing a pretty good job at maintaining his composure but he didn't want to screw it up now by losing his temper in front of her.
"Oh my gosh, Lee. I…I…need to give my statement to the police. I didn't realize how selfish…."
"Shhh, don't you dare blame yourself," he interrupted, running his fingers through her hair. "We'll get him, Amanda. I promise!"
1:45 p.m.
After lunch, Lee drove Amanda to the D.C. Police Station. She insisted on going in the room alone to give her testimony. Lee was originally hurt, but realized that it may be easier for her to tell a stranger, who wouldn't be as emotionally affected as he was. While Amanda was inside the interrogation room, Lee spoke to his buddy Sal and filled him in on the minute details that he was able to come up with.
"Hey there, Spook!" Sal teased him.
"Give it a rest, will ya? Listen, I want you to do me a favor, Sal. I want your best men on this, okay? I mean if she gives any good leads in there, I want you on top of it," Lee informed him.
"Okay, I'll check into it for you," he agreed. "Who's the lady in there?" Sal asked, admiring her.
Lee turned to his friend and watched him appreciating Amanda from the other side of the glass. "She's a very close personal friend of mine, Sal." His statement was all that was necessary.
"I gotcha, pal," Sal replied, waving his hands up.
3:30 p.m.
Amanda was silent during the entire ride back to the apartment. Lee periodically
asked if she was okay, but she continued to reply with the same monotone response
of "fine." She was tense; her hands were balled into fists as she
sat beside him. Upon further inspection, it appeared to Lee as though she was
leaning toward the door of the car.
Once inside the apartment, Lee took her coat and hung it up in the closet. When
he turned back to find her, he heard the bedroom door close, and realized that
something was terribly wrong. Walking to the door, he turned the handle to find
it unlocked. Looking around the room, she was nowhere to be found.
"Amanda, are you in there?" He asked, realizing how stupid his question must have sounded. 'Of course she's in there. You saw her go in the room,' he thought to himself. "Amanda, please answer me," he begged, leaning heavily against the bathroom door.
"I'm fine, Lee," she murmured, her voice somewhat strained. Lee had a feeling she wasn't telling him the complete truth so he picked the lock. He announced his presence before opening the door completely.
"Oh, God, come here," he whispered, gathering her in his arms. Amanda
was curled up on the floor with her arms wrapped protectively around her legs.
She was involuntarily rocking against the wall. He gently picked her up and
placed her in the center of his bed, pulling the covers from under her. Lee
carefully wrapped her up, holding her securely in his arms. Tenderly, he comforted
her, holding her while swaying back and forth to a silent rhythm. Moving the
hair from her face, he gently traced her cheekbone with the outside of his fingers,
whispering soothing words against her ear. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't
realize that she'd fallen asleep in his arms. Her tense body was now limp, however
he continued to gently caress her face. For some reason, Lee had the feeling
his touch was keeping her calm, and he wanted her to have a restful sleep.
7:30 p.m.
"Mmm," she moaned, snuggling closer to the warmth that surrounded her. Fluttering her lids a few times, Amanda finally opened her eyes, the darkness from the window confusing her. "Lee?"
"Hmm," he replied, slowly regaining consciousness.
"What time is it?" she asked, looking around the room.
Rolling away from her, Lee looked over his shoulder, viewing the clock upside down. "It's 7:30. What do you say we get dressed and go out for the evening?"
"Go where?" she inquired, unsure of his meaning.
"I mean get dressed, go out to dinner, and enjoy ourselves tonight," he suggested, turning to look at her reaction.
"Well, I don't know what to say. I mean…"
"Say yes," he interrupted, hoping to lift her spirits. Being cooped up in the apartment certainly wasn't going to help matters. Lee wanted to take her out so she could forget about things for a little while.
"Okay, you win," she smiled.