| Title: Across The Tracks Author: Priscilla Chapter 3: Fait? He woke up around 9:15 in the morning to do his daily routine. He was running late today. Took about an hour of crunches, sit-ups, and arm raises before making breakfast and getting dressed for his early interview. He got into his black Jetta and made it two minutes early. Gerry was impressed with the building, the furnishings, and even more with the people inside. They all looked like they had just walked out of Vogue Magazine. He walked casually up to the receptionist, a light tanned skinned woman, pretty in an exotic way. "Hello sir, may I help you?" She asked in an almost un-noticeable Spanish accent. "Yes. I'm here to see Ms. Doherty." "She's been expecting you Mr. Butler, this way please." The lady behind the desk said, as she had him follow her to a very large office. When she turned around to face him, Jane's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. It's him! Her mind screamed. She forced herself to speak. He didn't seem to recognize her, maybe because of the contact lenses she was wearing, the curves that garnished her body now (she'd been a board when he'd known her) or maybe it was because he'd forgotten about her completely. "H-hello Mr. Butler. Nice to meet you, I'm Jane-Janet Doherty." He shook her hand and sat down. He still had that smile, it could melt anything. She conducted her interview as quickly as she could, trying to control the emotions flowing through her. Janet had been thinking about him forever and now he was right in front of her. She must have been staring at him the whole time she had been thinking because when she finally focused on him he had the biggest grin on his face. "May I ask what you find so amusing?" "I've heard about American women having a thing for accents, but this blows my mind." "What?" "You've been staring at me for the past two minutes." "So what? I'm supposed to find you unbelievably attractive? Please." "Oh so you mean to tell me you don't?" "Of course not." "Why not?" "Because." "Because what?" "What the hell is this? Twenty questions? Listen, the interview is over, Mr. Butler, feel free to leave at any time now." "Actually I'm quite comfortable." "Well I'm not, and I've got things to do so if you'll excuse me." Janet knew she sounded like a bitch at the moment, but she'd convinced herself a long time ago that if she ever saw him again she would be the one to walk away, and leave him. Show him what it was like to be rejected no matter how much she longed for him. She walked away from her desk and held her door open for him. He got up slowly, with almost a cat-like laziness, and stopped when he was mere centimeters from her face. "Until next time, Janet." He said in the Scottish drawl she'd known so well as he picked up her left hand and kissed the back of it. Did he really not know who she was? Or was he just faking? Well if he didn't recognize her she wasn't going to help him, that's for sure. God, what a day this was turning out to be. When she managed to think up something to say he was already halfway down the hall. ****************** Gerard walked slowly down the front steps of the office building that housed Entertainment Weekly Magazine and smiled to himself. He was intrigued by everything about her. Her hair, the color of her eyes, the fairness of her skin. But what was that feeling he'd gotten when they'd shaken hands? Recognition? No way, she didn't resemble anyone he knew. He climbed into his car and just sat there thinking. There he went again, trying to compare a woman he'd just met with one he hadn't seen in years. He missed her, his Jane. What does she look like now? He asked himself. Is she married? Have any children? He didn't know. He would have known, because she would be his wife with his children. But he'd been way too stubborn to realize that, in the end, she had spared him more pain. He'd found out she'd left Glasgow two days after her departure, through her parents. He'd instantly felt guilty, yes, he had been angry and hurt when he'd been told that Jane had known about the pregnancy and hadn't told him. But the weeks of punishment he had pushed on her were becoming more and more unbearable for HIM. He had planned on begging for forgiveness when the unexpected blow had been delivered. She was gone, now, too. Gerry shook his head as if to stop his train of thought and started up the car before he was late for lunch with his sister. Later that night, He was lying on his bed, sparkling turquoise green eyes staring up at the ceiling when the image flowed up in his mind's eye. His Jane and Maggie, side-by-side, looking down on him. Suddenly they became blurry.... until instead of Maggie's image, there now stood Jane. The two women looked at each other and smiled, as they merged into one person. Staring back at him now was Janet, with sparkling green eyes and cherry red lips, wearing a business suit; the one Janet had been wearing this same morning. Gerard rose up off his bed, startled by the images he'd seen in his dreams. He shook his head several times and still could not shake the feeling of uneasiness and fear that had enveloped him in their warm grip of melancholy. He made up his mind.......he had to find out all he could on Janet Doherty. ************** Janet tried all day long to forget about James Gerard Butler. To forget the feelings inside her that she'd forgotten existed until she felt his lips on her skin. It still felt like it tingled. She smiled to herself and then stopped. What was she doing? She was supposed to be moving on, that's what. That is why she had left, to start over, to leave all the pain behind...... She let a deep sigh escape her as she once again thought about that faithful day. When she heard the knock on her office door, she almost leaped three feet in the air. "C-come in." She stammered out. Maria walked in with a flower arrangement that hardly fit through the door. Janet's jaw dropped, they were beautiful, red roses, her favorite. Somebody was going to get major suck-up points for this. She helped poor Maria, who was turning purple from the strain; place the Crystal vased arrangement on her desk before asking the obvious. "Who's it from?" She asked turning her stunned gaze on a bewildered Maria. "I don't know boss. It just arrived. I didn't look for a card." "Ok....let's see." Janet said as she wove her hand through the tangle of flowers and picked out the red card. It read: ~When we two parted In silence and tears, Half broken-hearted To sever the years. Pale grew thy cheek and cold, Colder, thy kiss; Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to this. The dew of the morning Sunk, chill on my brow, It felt like the warning Of what I feel now. Thy vows are all broken, And light is thy fame; I hear thy name spoken, And share in its shame. They name thee before me, A kneel to mine ear; A shudder comes o'er me... Why wert thou so dear? They knew not I knew thee, Who knew thee too well... Long, long shall I rue thee, Too deeply to tell. In secret we met In silence I grieve That thy heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive. If I should meet thee After long years, How should I greet thee? With silence and tears.~ Love, ~*Jeremy*~ "Ooh I wish I had a guy gone over me like that. He's got it bad for you." Maria said, a beaming white smile on her face. The color rose in Janet's face, but not from embarrassment, from anger. Jeremy was her on/off boyfriend of three years. They would be inseparable one day, at each other's throat the next. Partially because of her stubbornness, mostly because of his love for booze and women. The last time they'd broken up was a culmination of all of those, but the betrayal of finding him in bed with another woman, in her own home, was the ultimate insult. A scumbag like Jeremy Irons would not treat her like garbage. That was three months ago. He hadn't stopped bothering her since. Calling in the middle of the night. Sending gifts and candy to her office. To anyone that may have been paying attention, it looked like a man desperately trying to get back with his loved one, but Janet wouldn't have any part of it. She saw him for what he really was. It was becoming scary to walk out in the street, for fear of meeting up with him. "Throw it away." She said turning her back on the beautiful gift and fixing her gaze on the expanse of water visible from her office window. Maria's jaw just about hit the floor when she heard the request. "What? Janet...you can't be serious." She said walking up to her shaking her head. "Do you even know what an arrangement like this costs? Two-DOZEN cut and unthorned red roses, put in a tinted blue Crystal vase? Have you been using too much White Out again? I think the fumes have done something to your brain." She said, her voice in a mocking tone. "I don't care. I don't want any part of him anymore. Besides, if I accept this he'll think it some kind of sign and I can't let that happen. You can have them if you want." Janet said wrapping her arms about herself. "Ok, if you're sure?" "I'm sure, go ahead, enjoy them." Janet replied with a reassuring smile. "Ok. I'm going to go home, you have a great weekend boss." "Thanks, M. You too." Janet said turning back to her desk to start straightening things out for Monday. It had been a week that left her reeling. She put on her coat, locked her office doors, and drove home. She never noticed the figure clad in black in the building across the street from her office. Face contorted with anger and hate. He had seen his precious gift arrive and then be taken back out again. This is the last time she rejected him. She'd be sorry. He scribbled fast and with great hand and eye coordination. Hide you heart under the bed and lock your secret drawer. Wash the angels from your head, won't need them anymore. Love is a demon and you're the one he's coming for....... Title: Across The Tracks........ Author: Priscilla Chapter 4: Un-answered Questions It was three o'clock in the morning and he was wide-awake. Gerard had been scouring the best source of information available: the Internet. He was surprised at Janet's accomplishments at such an early age. Achieving high honors in every aspect of her education. The quick rise from obscurity to become one of the world's most important entoupreneurs. Her company was worth millions. So, she was intelligent, independent, strong willed, business savvy, beautiful and a whole lot more other things but......where had she come from? Nowhere in any of the articles published about her, was there a place of origin mentioned. "Weird." He said to himself. He turned his computer off and walked slowly towards his bed. Stripped off his pajama pants to sleep in his boxers. After finally getting some sleep, Gerry got up, made himself some breakfast and did his daily workout. By 8:30 a.m. he was ready to do whatever the day commanded. But he couldn't stop thinking about what little information there was on Janet. Although, her successes with her business were well chronicled, her past and origins were still a mystery to him. He started thinking of ways to find out more about her, and came up with one.....Maria Colon. Janet's secretary and seemingly close friend. Gerry almost ran to his phone book. He found her purely by luck because she was the only "M. Colon" in the book, and dialed her number. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too upset that he'd woken her up early on a Saturday morning. She picked up on the third ring. "Hello?" Came a groggy female voice with a strong Spanish accent. "Yes. Is this Maria? From EW Mag?" Gerry asked holding his breath. Just because this Maria Colon had been in the phone book still didn't mean it was the one he was looking for. "Yes. Is this Mr. Butler?" Came Maria's now VERY perky voice. Gerard almost burst out laughing at her sudden change in mood. "Yes Maria it's me. Listen, I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning. I've been trying to catch up with Janet but didn't have time to ask her for her phone number yesterday. Do you have it?" "Sure, hold on." Maria said, quickly flipping through her daily planner where she kept all her important numbers. "It's 336-5885 and her address is 302 Pine Valley Drive." "Thanks so much Maria. You're a doll." Gerry said before hanging up. Maria almost passed out from the excitement of not only being referred to as "doll" by Gerard Butler but to be personally talking on the phone with him. After hanging up with Maria, Gerry tried to call Janet about 3 times and only got the machine in response. Sighing, he put on his leather jacket and walked out to his car. "If she won't come to me, then I'll go to her." He said to himself as he turned out of his driveway. ********************** It was an unusually cloudy November morning, but Janet decided against not taking her run. She needed the time to sort things out in her head. It had been a long time since she'd seen him, but she never expected to react the way she did under his scrutiny. She needed to avoid him as much as possible. Something that was undoubtedly becoming harder and harder to do. The papers that she had read and left on her desk to be taken care of on Monday morning, were copies of the contract Gerard had signed for her company to house his producing firm, One Race Productions, Inc. Meaning that it would practically be impossible to avoid him at the office, they would soon be business partners. With so many things flowing through her head, Janet didn't even notice that she'd already finished her 2-mile run. Looking down at her watch and frowning, she realized it was only 10:15 a.m. The first of many warning signs that this day was going to be a long one. Doubling back towards her house she tried thinking of ways she could pass the time before meeting Maria for a "girl's night out". ********************** Finally making it to her driveway and turning towards the back of the house, Janet stopped short. There was a shiny, black 2001 Nissan Jetta just behind her Skyline. She didn't see it's owner anywhere in the back, so she turned around and headed around the front. There on her front porch, stood a stunningly handsome Gerard Butler. Thick black hair in disarray, somewhat form fitting gray sweater, black slacks and shoes. He didn't notice her approach because he was so intent on knocking. Hoping to get his attention, Janet cleared her throat and Gerry turned around abruptly. "Oh you scared me." He said with a slight chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Can I help you with something Mr. Butler?" She asked trying to sound impartial to his presence, although inside she was full of knots. "I thought I told you to call me Gerry? All my friends do." "Would you like to come in? Mr. Butler?" "Are you always this stubborn?" "Yes. Are you?" "That's for me to know and for you to find out, and I'd love to come in, thanks." He said with a goofy grin on his face while following her inside. When he'd first arrived on the property, he had been really impressed. The place was huge. A two-story, Victorian house, with a double car garage and huge garden, all visible from the walkway that led from the garage to the house. Inside was just as homey, but it held a sense of delicacy, a definite woman's touch. "Nice place you've got here." "Thanks, it's just one of the great things money can buy, I guess. I mean, I grew up in a big house and when my realtor showed me this one I was sort of drawn to it, the kid in me I suppose." She said smiling to herself as the memories of her childhood flowed through her. "Where did you grow up? You're accent is very discreet but it's still there." "I- I'm from New Jersey." "Really? You don't sound like it, yours is sort of a European accent or something like that." He said pressing on the subject because he noticed her sudden nervousness. "This coming from a man that just moved to the US two months ago?" "Yeah. I think I got your point." He said and they both laughed. "So why did you come see me? Was there something about the article that you didn't like?" "No, no. Nothing like that. I was just planning a little get together with a couple of friends of mine and was wondering if you'd like to come." "Get together? Like a party?" "Well, sort of, but I'd really like it if you came." "I'd love to come. The change of scenery would do me some good." "Alright then. My cabin is on 34 Charleston Road by Mullah beach. It's tomorrow and you can come at whatever time you can make it." "Ok. That's great." She said as she wrote everything down on a piece of paper, walked him out to his car and watched him drive away. It was dark already. It used to be that she would love when it became dark around her home. But now it had begun to take an almost frightening quality. Goose bumps rose on her skin so she went inside. Never realizing that the eyes, she thought she'd felt watching her, were real. Back inside Janet tried to get her nerves under control. Deciding to soak her fears away, she went upstairs and lit all the chamomile candles and set them around her bathtub. She filled the bathtub with warm water and stripped all her clothes off. Janet laid her head against the rim of the tub and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on nothing but the warmth of the water. Then she heard it........a door opening and closing.......the breaking of glass. Janet sat up in the tub abruptly, ears straining to hear anything out of the usual. Again a noise...... the crunch, crunch of footsteps on glass. Holding her breath and making as least noise as possible Janet got out of the tub and wrapped her robe around her naked body. Tiptoeing, she made her way to the door that connected the bathroom to her bedroom. Turning the knob, and peeking her head inside the door she found what she was looking for, a metal bat Jeremy had forgotten to take with him when he moved out. Grabbing hold of the bat in a white-knuckle grip, she slowly turned the knob of her bedroom door and peeked her head out into the hall. Nothing but darkness met her gaze. Slowly slipping her body from the small opening of the door, she pressed her back against the wall and slid along its length until the top of the stairs. She could clearly see to the foot of the stairs and trying to keep her nerves under control, she ignored every survival instinct in her that told her to flee the other way and, slowly made her way down the stairs. Once she reached the foot of the stairs, she stopped to listen for any unusual sounds. It was almost complete darkness on the first floor of the house, but Jane knew her house like the back of her hand, so she made her way to where the patio doors are. There she gasped when she saw the shattered glass. She was about to reach for the light switch when the figure immerged from the darkness and shoved her down. Never breaking his stride while it dashed through the broken door and disappeared into the dark shrubbery of the woods that surrounded her home. Jane's uncontrollable shaking had caused her to drop the bat and sink to the floor when her knees buckled. |