This is my first fan fic so I'm still working out alot of details.
Any suggestions are GREATLY apprecatied. You all tell me should I keep going or not.

It was a little after 1am, and Bobby was exhusted as he stepped into the elevator of his building. Maybe tonight sleep would actually come without the help of scotch and cigarettes, Eames would kill him if she knew he had started smoking again.

Just as he was about to hit the button for his floor he noticed a woman with two small children heading towards the elevator. She had one asleep on her shoulder and one asleep in a carrier, she had three bags in one hand and looked like she was about drop everything and everyone.

Bobby caught the doors as she stepped on just in time for one of her shopping bags to bust open. Diapers, milk and various other items scattered on the floor. She muttered "Damn it" as she set the carrier down and squatted to retreive her items. Bobby squatted next to her to help her put her things in the remaining two bags and took in everything about her he could in 30 seconds. Which for Bobby Goren was alot. She was young late twenties maybe early thirties, she had wavy shoulder length brown hair, green eyes, and looked as though she hadn't slept in days.

Alright he said to himself enough staring time to introduce myself,"Hi, I'm Bobby" he said giving her one of his best smiles. "Jamie" she said more annoyed than friendly and in a manner that implied she didn't really want to meet her new neighbors, at least not yet.

As they finished picking everything up Bobby stood and hit the button for the 4th floor, "You're in 6D right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Bobby flashed that handsome smile again and said "It's the only vacant one in the building. I'm your nieghbor, I live across the hall in 7D."

"Nice to meet you, and thanks for helping me clean this stuff up." she said giving him a smile that made him forget how to breath.

Finding his voice Bobby said the one thing that every mother loved to hear,"Your kids are cute, how old are they?"

Her face lit up and again she gave him that smile, "Thank you, Daylan's 3" indicating the little boy asleep on her shoulder "and Lilly's 2 weeks old."

As the evelator doors opened onto the 4th floor Bobby took the remaining bags from Jamie and walked her to her door. At the door he was struggling for something to say, anything that might get her to smile at him again. As she opened the door and thanked him again for his help Bobby's mind was racing trying to think of something to say.

That smile of hers had completely thrown him and he had to see it just one more time.

Jamie sat Lilly just inside in the door and reached for her bags, Bobby said the only thing he could think of "It was nice meeting you and if you ever need anything, I'm, you know right across the hall."


"It was nice to meet you too, Bobby. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around the building."

Jamie took her bags and closed the door. Bobby wanted to do more than see her around the building, it was insane he knew, she had 2 kids, one of which was a newborn, and hell he didn't even know if she was married. She didn't have a ring but nowadays that doesn't mean much. Bobby did the only thing he could think of. He knew it was was kind of lame, but he knocked on her door anyway.

Jamie opened the door and gave Bobby a weak smile. Bobby handed her his card. "This is my card, you know if for some reason you ever need it." Bobby ran his hand over the back of his neck and chuckled nervously, an action which Jamie couldn't help but find very cute. Despite her better judgement.

As Jamie took the card from Bobby she flashed him that killer smile again and surpressed a chuckle as she watched this very big man suddenly turn into a very shy, yet very sexy, bundle of nerves.

"Thank you, um.. Detective Goren."

That's when he saw it, a flash of fear in her eyes as she read his card, anyone else probably wouldn't have noticed, but he wasn't anyone else.

Jamie recovered quickly after reading Bobby's card,"oh God",she thought, "why does he have to be a cop?"

"Thank you Detective, goodnight."

Jamie closed the door and left Bobby standing in the hallway confused and disappointed. It wasn't the reaction he usally got when women found out he was a cop. What really bothered him was the look in her eyes, she was
running from something and he was more than a little concerned. As Bobby went into his apartment he
couldn't help but wonder what Jamie's story was.

As Jamie locked the door her mind was racing with everything that could possibly go wrong. A cop was the last thing she needed, especially one right across the hall. Looking at Bobby's card, all Jamie could think was, of all the millions of people in New York I had to move in next to a cop, a major case detective no less.

As she settled on the couch to nurse Lilly, she tried to figure out what to do. She could always get a new apartment, but that takes money, something she didn't have right now. She could always call and tell them she had to leave New York, but she hated to do that. Bobby wasn't an actual threat, at least not yet.

A job, that's what she needed, she would start looking in the morning. Beyond that she just didn't know. All she really knew was she needed to avoid the big cop with the killer smile and the most amazing brown eyes she had ever seen.

Sleep didn't come for Bobby that night, although this time it wasn't the demons of his past that taunted him from the recesses of his mind. It was the very beautiful, very scared woman across the hall. He knew she was running, but the question is: from what?

Hmmm...intriguing. Nice job. Now, don't keep us in suspense ::: tapping foot impatiently. More chapters, please

Your story has a nice ebb and flow to it. You have a strong sense of your plot and where you're taking your characters. You also have a good grasp of the converstation.

Please find a beta to help you with your punctuation, spelling, continuity and paragraph breaks, okay? By continuity, I mean that you spelled "Dylan" in one place and then "Daylan" in another; also "evelator" instead of "elevator".

It's very obvious that you typed free-form, which is the best first step, but simply that, the first step. You need to go back and re-read with a critical eye; look for punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, word choice and where to start new paragraphs. Then, re-read a third time as though you've never seen it before. How would a "stranger" to your story perceive the chapter? Is the reader sucked in from the first word? Do you want to read it over and over again?

I hope this helps and that you understand that these suggestions are only to make your story that much stronger, that much easier to read, and that much better. I think you're off to a great start so far; please don't take as long as I do getting the next chapter posted!

A huge THANK YOU to Flashymom * insert BIG hug here * for agreeing to help me with this. The chapter is alot better than the first, I hope everyone likes it.

Chapter2

It was almost two weeks before Bobby saw Jamie again. He had gone down to the laundry room to get his clothes out of the dryer and there she was. She was standing next to one of the dryers folding clothes when he entered. God, she's beautiful, he thought as he approached.

When she heard him enter alarm briefly flashed in her eyes, until she realized who it was. Once again Bobby noticed how quickly she was able hide it as she smiled at him.

"Hi, how are you?"

It took Bobby a moment to realize she had even spoken as her smile had once again left him fighting for breath. "I'm fine, and you?"

"We're fine."

Again that awkward silence were neither one knew what say hung in the air.

Bobby knelt down to speak to Daylan, who was sitting on the floor trying his best to make his baby sister laugh.

"Hi, you must be Daylan"

The little boy looked to his mother for approval before speaking to the stranger. Jamie nodded and the boy gave Bobby a big smile, very much like his mother's, and said, "Hi, how do you know my name?"

"Magic," Bobby said mysteriously.

"Na huh, there's no such thing as magic."

Bobby replied "Yes there is, magic is how I know you're name and your sister's name: Lilly."

"That's not magic, Mama probably told you."

"Then how do you explain this?" Bobby asked as he produced a quarter from behind Daylan's ear, leaving Daylan to stare at him in amazement.

Daylan slowly took the quarter from Bobby's hand and looked at it in awe. He jumped to his feet shouting "Mama. Mama!! Did you see that?? He 's magic, he's really magic!!"

Jamie began to laugh, which really caused Bobby's heart to do back flips, "I guess he is magic. I hope your happy detective; every time he sees you, he's gonna want another magic trick."

"That's okay; I'll be sure to stock up on my quarters."

Upon hearing the word detective Daylan began jumping up and down at Bobby's side, "You're a 'tective, a real live ,tective? Do you have a gun? Do you have a badge? Do you have handcuffs and one of those sticks to hit people with?"

Between the laughter Bobby tried to answer Daylan's questions "Yes, yes, yes, and we don't hit people with sticks."

"Then why do you have a stick?" Daylan asked, a confused look on his little face.

"We just do."

"That's not an answer."

Bobby looked up at Jamie pleadingly "Do you want to help me out a little here?"

Damn that smile, Jamie thought. She turned her attention to Daylan, "Police officers have night sticks in case they ever need to break a window or something like that."

"Oh" said Daylan. Turning his attention back to Bobby, his next question was "Why didn't you know that?"

"Because I'm not a mommy," Bobby said standing.

Daylan froze, and stared, a stunned expression on his upturned face. "God, you're HUGE!!"

Bobby and Jamie burst out in laughter.

"Sorry; he has a tendency to say whatever pops into his head," Jamie said apologetically.

"There's nothing wrong with telling the truth; I am kind of big." Bobby smiled that smile at her again.

"Well, we better be getting back upstairs."

"Do we have to Mama? I want Bobby to tell me some cop stories."

Bobby seized the opportunity. "Why don't we all go out for some pizza? On me."

At Jamie's hestiation Bobby added "Of course if your husband wouldn't mind."

"I'm not married."

"Boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Then how about lunch?"

Jamie really didn't know what to do, so she said "I don't know it's almost time to feed to Lilly and..."

"Please, Mama, please? We haven't had pizza in forever," Daylan begged. Between the hopeful look on Daylan's face and the playful look on Bobby's face, Jamie relented.

"Okay, can you give us about an hour?"

Smiling triumphantly, Bobby said "I'll pick you guys up in an hour."

Leaving the laundry room Jamie knew she was in trouble. If the fact that he was a cop didn't get her, those eyes and that smile would.

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In the next chapter we'll find out a little bit about why Jamie has a problem with cops, and a few hints to what it is that she doesn't want Bobby to find out. That is if you guys want a next chapter.

YES!!!! We want a next chapter!

Let's re-do chapter 1 and re-post and get to work on Chapter 3. I want to know what Jamie's problem is, cuz I suspect Bobby is eager to see more of that smile that takes his breath away....

I'm liking this... and I want to find out what Jamie's issue with cops is.

Thank you LADYBLUEDEVIL, FUSSEKAT, and of course a BIG BIG THANK YOU to my twin.

I'm working on my next chapter, I'm trying to decide just how much to tell about Jamie's past. It's not that pretty and I kinda want to take it slow. (I'll be talking to FM very soon about this) I've already rewritten it twice. (Yesterday I worked on the story instead of paperwork, but shhhh, it's a secret)

Like my kindgergarten teacher always said, "work first to earn your play" (never did like her! j/k -- I LOVED her, still do! She came to my wedding!)

Just remember to feed us a little bit at a time, enough to keep our interest up......and more Bobby doing magic tricks for Daylan -- LOVED that!

I steered away from this because my 'old' eyes just couldn't read that first chapter but now that it is fixed, I came back to read it. I am glad I did cuz now I am hooked. I am very curious as to why Jamie doesn't like cops and more of her story and I love the attraction between them and the kids are so adorable. Great start and looking forward to more.

I know the first chapter sucked big time!!!! Thank you so much for giving it another chance, I'm really glad you like it. I guess I was nervous and wanted to post it really fast before I lost my nerve. I told Flashymom I've got several stories, I've just never been brave enough to post them. I didn't figure anyone would like them.

Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon I've sent it out to my beta, and my best friend, she's great with little details. You will find out why she's scared of cops in chapter3, but there is another reason she afraid of them, so keep reading.

And keep your fingers crossed, I'm trying to get Shannon (my B.F.F) hooked on Vincent.

I'm done; it's on its way back to you....

Another BIG thank you to Flashymom for all her suggestions. Also a HUGE tahnk you to Shannon, who reminded of all the stories I wrote as a teenager. After her pep-talk the words just started flowing.

CHAPTER 3

Upon entering her apartment, jamie was trying desperately to figure a way out of lunch.

"I wonder if I can convince him I came down with a sudden case of leperosy? No, with my luck he probably spent his summers volunteering at some kind of leper colony and would insist on nursing me back to health," she thought to herself.

As she began nursing Lilly, she decided to think positive.

"Okay, positive, he seems nice, Daylan really likes him, although Daylan doesn't need to get too buddy/buddy with a cop. He has amazing eyes, a great smile, and his voice, God his voice does things to me I didn't know were possible. Maybe he really is magic," Jamie laughed out loud at that thought. "He has very, very kissable lips and..."

"Damn, what's wrong with me?" Jamie thought to herself. I don't need to think like this about him; not about anyone. Not after everything that has happened; not after Sam.

Sam was handsome and very charming. He was tall, about 6ft, muscular, with sandy blonde hair and baby blue eyes. He was one of those guys who always knew just what to say and do, and Jamie had fallen hard and fast. He was perfect, at least that's what she had thought at the time.

It had started shortly after they were married. Sometimes all Jamie had to do to set him off was wake up in the mornings. She had tried to get help; she had even tried to leave him once, but one one would help and Sam wouldn't let her leave. Guess that's what happens when you marry the local sheriff.

As Jamie finished nursing Lilly her mind unwillingly drifted back to the last time.

Sam had just been re-elected sheriff, and a party had been thrown for him at City Hall. The evening hod gone well, or so she had thought.

Everyone had been there; the food and entertainment had been perfect. The food consisted of all of Sam's favorites, and the local up and coming band had brought the house down. Sam hadn't had that much to drink, he was sheriff after all; he had to set an example. More importantly, Jamie hadn't done anything to annoy or anger him all night.

As they went into the house Jamie thought that tonight would be better. How wrong she was.

He had grabbed her by her hair and jerked her backwards as soon as the front door closed. She had closed her eyes against the pain as his icy cold voice whispered in her ear.

"You worthless bitch. How long?"

"Baby, what are you talking about?" Jamie struggled to keep the fear out of her voice. He loved to hear the fear.

"You know what I'm talking about. How long have you been sleeping with him?"

"Who?"

"John."

John was the local judge. He was in his mid 50's and one of Sam's hunting buddies.

"I have never slept with John. I would never disrespect you like that, I love you. I would never..."

"LIAR!!!"

She fought against the trembling. "Baby, please. Please, baby; you know I love you. There has never been anyone else, you're the only one." Jamie was pleading him to believe her with her eyes. Any other way would have just angered him further. Begging of any kind was a sign of weakness and Sam didn't tolorate weakness.

"Why do you make me do this!!?" he was screaming now. If you would just be a good wife and mother I wouldn't have to do this!!!"

Suddenly all traces of anger were gone, and the eerie calmness of his voice caused her blood to run cold.

"I guess I need to teach you a lesson."

He stood and began to drag her to the bedroom.

The ringing of the doorbell shook Jamie from her trance like state.

She wiped the tears from her eyes as she heard Daylan come running down the hall shouting " 'tective Bobby, 'tective Bobby."

Jamie took a deep breath to settle her nerves as she opened the door.

Daylan was ready and he flung himself at Bobby'd legs, catching the big man off guard and causing to take a step backwards to regain his balance.

Bobby smiled as he picked Daylan up.

"I can do it, I been practicin'," Daylan said excitedly.

"What have you been practicing?"

"The magic trick, watch. But first you have to close your eyes."

Bobby chuckled as he closed his eyes. He could feel Daylan wiggling in his arms as he got the quarter out of his pocket.

" 'Cadrabra, open your eyes!"

Bobby played the part well, he gave Daylan an amazed look as his eyes grew wide with surprise. "How did you do that? That was better than my trick."

"Magic," said Daylan almost imitating Bobby perfectly from earlier in the day.

"I thought you said there wasn't any magic."

"I was just kidding you," Daylan said with a big smile on his little face.

Bobby laughed again. As he looked at Jamie, he could tell she had been crying.

"Everything okay," he asked her softly.

She gave him a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, everything's fine."

Bobby raised his eyebrow in question, causing Jamie to tuck a strand of hair behins her ear and lower her head. When she looked back up at him, Bobby noticed the 'game face' was back.

Taking another deep breath Jamie asked "You ready to go?"

Bobby gave her a symphathic smile and shook his head yes.

The ride to the pizza place was full of questions from Daylan. Bobby couldn't believe how such a small person could ask so many questions. He asked everything from "Have you ever shot anybody?" to "Do you really get free dounuts?"

Jamie had laughed at Bobby trying to fit 2 carseats in the backseat of his Malibu, and at his refusal to use her car stating "I can do it, just give me a minute." Jamie had to bite her tongue to keep from pointing out that that wasn't exactly a statement a woman wanted to hear.

Throughout the ride and Daylan's endless question, which Bobby answered patiently, he stole sidlong glances at Jamie who sat staring out the window. He had been trying to use his skills to piece together a profile of the woman sitting next to him. He had been trying for two weeks to no avail. He had even considered running her through the police databases, but opted against it, choosing instead to give her a chance to tell him what was really going on.

So, what did he know about her? She was single, or so she said. She had answered the question about being married a little to fast for his liking. He had learned from the landlord that her last name was Hollis, she was 30 years old, and she was subletting from the former tennant.

Aside from that all he had to go on was her looks and her body language. Her body language told him she was scared. The way she sat as far away from him as she could in the car told him that. The way she stood on the oppisite side of the elevator on the ride down to the parking garage spoke volumes as well. The way she jumped and looked like she was ready to run when a door slammed as she was buckling up the kids confirmed it. The woman was definitely scared and Bobby had a pretty good idea of what.

As far as her looks,oh,she was beautiful. Her eyes were an emerald green with hints of blue. (He'd bet money they could change between the two colors) She was average height, about 5'6; her hair was brown with a hint of red when the sun hit it just right. She had full breasts and hips and a slightly rounded stomach from just having Lilly. She'd probably say she was fat; he would say she was perfect. Needless to say he thought she filled out her jeans and t-shirt very nicely. He had also discovered when she left the laundry room earlier that he loved to watch her walk away.

Bobby was relieved when they finally pulled up in front of the restuarant. If he kept thinking like this he wouldn't be able to get out of the car without some embarressment.

Once inside, Bobby suggested that Daylan go play in the bouncy ball house while they waited ontheir order.

After a few minutes of silence Bobby started things off. "So, Jamie, what part of Tennessee are you from?" he asked casually.

All the color drained from Jamie's face as she responded "How did you know I was from Tennessee?"

"Your accent."

"Oh, of course. I'm from Nashville, she said the color slowly starting to return.

"How did you end up in New York?"

"I needed a change and this seemed as good a place as any." She looked at him intently, her green eyes sparkling, "What about you? You one of those born and bred New Yorkers I'm always hearing about?"

Bobby smiled proudly, "Yes I am. Born and raised in Brooklyn; Carnarsie to be exact. Does your family still live in Nashville?" He wasn't going to let her change the subject that easily.

A look of sadness came over her face. "No, my parents were killed in a car accident when I was 4; my grandmother raised me until I was 12. After she died I spent the next six years in and out of foster and group homes." As soon as the words left her mouth, Jamie mentally slapped herself. "Where did that come from? He doesn't need to know that," she thought to herself.

At her look of sadness Bobby wanted desperately to reach across the table, to cup her face in his hand, to caress her cheek with his thumb. He wanted to feel her lean into his touch, he wanted to tell her that everything would be alright. Bobby almost did just that, but the moment was broken by Lilly's sudden cries.

As Jamie took Lilly from her carrier, she noticed a slightly embarressed look on Bobby's face. She stood from the table, preparing to take the crying baby somewhere else. "Sorry; she'll queit down in a minute. I just need to.."

"No, it's not that. You're,ummm, you're kinda..." Bobby motioned vaguely with his hand causing Jamie to look down. She turned tree shades of red as she saw two very large, very visible wet spots on the front of her t-shirt.

"Here," Bobby stood and removed his flanel shirt and handed it to her.

Jamie was too busy watching the play of muscles in his arms and chest to realize what he was doing.

"Jamie?" He held the shirt out for her to take.

"Thank you," she said, trying to drag her mind back to the task at hand. "Will you hold her for a minute. please?"

Bobby took Lilly, laying on his chest just under his neck and began to gently pat her back in an effort to soothe her sobs. Lilly let out a very un-ladylike burp and promptly fell asleep clutching the material of Bobby's black t-shirt in her tiny hand.

The pizza arrived and Bobby went to get Daylan. watching then walk back to table Jamie was struck with how at ease Bobby seemed to be with her children. The only time Sam had ever paid attention to Daylan was in public, and that was only if someone was watching.

She was also struck with how handsome Bobby was. Tall, with broad shoulders. Jamie couldn't recall ever seeing someone with shoulders quite so broad. He had big strong hands, yet somehow she sensed a gentless in those hands. A gentless she had never known before. He had an easy grace, which was hard to believe for a man of his size. And that voice, she was gonna have to watch that voice. His voice could easily lull her into a false sense of security, causing her reveal to much. It almost had.

Back at the table, Bobby laid a sleeping Lilly carefully in her carrier, taking care to tuck the blanket in around her.

He then turned his attention to Daylan. "So, Dayla, Halloween's in 2 days, what are you going to be?"

Daylan stubbornly folded his arms across his chest, "I'm not going," he sulked.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to be a cop, but Mama said we have enough money to buy the costume."

"Darlin' please don't start," Jamie begged, this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have here. I already told you we can go trick or treating; we just have to be creative this year."

Bobby tried to help. "You know, when I was little, not much older than you, I wanted to be a cowboy. My mom couldn't afford the outfit, so you know what I did?"

"What?" asked Daylan hanging onto Bobby's every word.

"I put on my regular clothes and went trick or treating. When people asked me what I was supposed to be, I told them I was an alien from the planet "Yukotron", disguised as a little boy from earth," Bobby told Daylan conspiratorially.

Daylan face began to brighten with the possiblilities. Jamie smiled at Bobby and mouthed the words "Thank you."

As Daylan's imagination ran wild with ideas for Halloween costumes, neither Jamie or Bobby noticed the man with the icy blue stare watching them from across the restuarant.

That worked SO well together, don't you think? You know you've got me hooked. I've got an idea of just who that is sitting angrily across the restaurant from them, but I guess I'll have to wait until your next chapter to know for sure....

Good job!

Thanks!! I loved them together also, it was a great idea, I'm so glad your my beta!!

I think I have a good idea of who is watching them too. This is good. I loved the description of Jamie and how she stayed far away from Bobby everywhere they went. Bobby knows something is up but not sure what. I hope he gains her trust and gets her to tell him what it is. More please.

Thanks, I'm so glad you liked it. Hopefully chapter 4 will be up by next weekend, I don't know for sure I had a pipe bust in the bathroom over 3 weeks ago and the insurance money finally came in, so I'm in the process of remodeling that. I finally got the new floor down, and hopefully the toliet will be here today. Then I have to paint, and I still need a new sink!!! Thank God I've got another bathroom because literally the floor, sink, and toliet have been ripped out for 3 weeks. What sucked is that bathroom was the only one with a shower, so I had to walk a plank to take a bath everyday!!!

Oh, yuck! We had no idea! So glad you're finally able to make progress on it, tho. Reminds me that I need to call the guys back to finish stuff up on my house........Love the look, but hate the inconvenience of it all.......Guess I need to get hit with a motivation stick again....anybody got a spare one of those lying around that I could borrow? lol

Thanks, it's been awful. Nothing like not wanting to open the bathroom door because you're afraid some animal has gotten under the house, and will maul you. The bummer, is the guy that built the place cut alot of corners, so the toliet, for example, they stopped making back in the mid 70's (the house was built in 85) so in order to get something that will fit the drain, or whatever it's called, the thing the toliet sits on, I had to special order one!!! A special ordered toliet, have you ever heard of such!!??? Anyway jacked the price up from $130.00 too $340.00!!!!

That sucks big rotten smelly eggs!

Chapter 4

Halloween night found Bobby and Jamie meeting once again on the elevator.

Bobby noted her upswept hair with just a few curls framing her face. He took in her light covering of make up: light pink lip gloss on her full lips and lavender eye shadow which caused her emerald eyes to look a though they were sparkling. She wore a black skirt, cut just above the knee with a slit in the side which showed just the right amount of thigh when she walked and a lavender silk blouse that clung to her full round breasts. She had a simple white gold chain around her neck that held an antique pendant which nestled in the top of her cleavage. She was stunning and the sight of her caused his pulse to quicken and his blood to pound in his ears.

"You look lovely," he told her; a simple but true statement.

Jamie gave an exasperated chuckle. "Thank you, not that it did any good today."

"Tough day, uhh?"

"Job interviews," Jamie leaned against the wall of the elevator, her shoulders slumping. "A series of BAD job interviews."

Bobby cocked his head to the side, asking, "What kind of job are you looking for? I might be able to help."

"Depends, can you find me a job with great pay, flexible hours, and free childcare?"

"No," Bobby said chuckling.

"In that case I'm looking for anything. But apparently there isn't anyone in the entire state of New York hiring."

"What did you do before you had Lilly?"

Batting her eyelashes and in her best Scarlette O'Hare voice she told him, "I depended on the kindness of strangers."

Bobby tilted his head back and laughed heartily, causing Jamie to laugh along with him. However she couldn't help but think to herself, "If he only knew how true that was."

For the past 10 months Jamie had been living "underground". It was hard to explain what being underground meant. Basically she had called a number, met someone, and was given a new life. It was pretty much like witness protection, but without the same protection and a whole lot scarier. She was given a new name, new birth certificate, new social security number, and directions to someone's home. She would show up in the middle of the night at a stanger's door and pray for the best. She would stay anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks.

It was after giving birth to Lilly, alone in the backseat of her car on some deserted country road, that made Jamie finally decide to try settling down. The thoughts of everything that could have gone wrong had haunted her as she drove onto the next house. She had called shortly after arriving and asked to be placed somewhere permanent. They had strongly advised against it; Sam was still on the war path and using every trick he had to try and find her. He had finally gotten his old hunting buddy, John, to charge her with kidnapping and child endangerment.

By now though, she didn't care. She had to try and make a life for her and her kids, even if giving them that life ended up costing her hers.

Bobby's hand waving in front of her face brought her back to the present. "Earth to Jamie," he said softly.

"Sorry; it's been a long day. What did you say?"

Smiling, Bobby said, "I said, if you wanted I could make a few calls, see if any of my friends know of something."

"Thank you, I would really appreciate that," Jamie replied gratefully.

Walking to their respective apartments, Jamie said, "I'm gonna pick the kids up from Mrs. Sabatelli's in about an hour. We're gonna have spaghetti for supper before we head out. You wanna join us?"

It was a good thing Jamie was slightly leaning against her door, because the drop dead gorgeous smile Bobby gave her almost had her swooning at his feet.

"Thank you, I'd really like that."

"Great, I'll see you about six?"

"I'll see you then," Bobby said.

Jamie didn't know what had made her ask him over for dinner. Maybe it was because she was in need of some adult conversation or maybe it was because of the way Bobby made her feel, like everything was going to be okay, like it was all going to work out somehow.

As Jamie opened her door, Bobby called her name. "Jamie, everything's going to be okay; it'll work out somehow, just give it a chance.

Smiling, Jamie replied softly, "I hope so, I really hope so."

Bobby arrived promptly at six. He had always prided himself on being on time. Before she had gotten sick, his mother had tried to instill that in him saying, "It shows you're responsible, and besides it's just good manners." It was one of the few things from his childhood he was glad he had learned.

Jamie opened the door, frustration on her pretty face. At Bobby's questioning look she explained. "He's not going trick or treating because he doesn't think anyone will believe he's dressed up as anything."

"Where's he at?"

"In his bedroom, pouting."

"You mind," Bobby asked.

"Go ahead, first door on the right," Jamie said opening the front door wide and indicating with a wave of her arm the direction of Daylan's bedroom.

Jamie's apartment was simple; sparsely furnished with second hand furniture, a few pictures of the kids, and no personal touches. it looked to Bobby as though everything that meant anything to her could be thrown in a bag at a moments notice.

Bobby gently knocked on Daylan's door.

"Come in," came the sad reply.

Daylan was sitting on his bed looking as though the world as he knew it had come to an end. Bobby went over and sat down next to him.

"Your mom says you're not going to go trick or treating."

Daylan shook his head no.

"Why not?" Bobby asked.

Daylan shrugged his little shoulders, never looking up to meet Bobby's gaze.

"A few days ago, you told me you wanted to be a cop. What happened to that idea?"

"I don't have anything that looks like a uniform."

"You don't have to wear a uniform to be a cop. I don't wear a uniform," Bobby said.

"You don't," a surprised Daylan asked, looking up at Bobby.

"Nope, I'm what's called a "plain clothes detective". I wear whatever I want. All I have to have is a badge."

"Oh," Daylan replied disappointedly, the slight flicker of excitement in his eyes starting to fade.

Bobby suddenly stood and picked Daylan up, saying, "You're coming with me."

Bobby strode through the apartment like a man on a mission. All he said to Jmaie was, "We'll be back," as he went out the front door, still carrying Daylan.

Bobby quickly entered his apartment, depositing Daylan on his kitchen counter. He then went into his bedroom and came out a few minutes later with his hands behind his back.

Daylan look at Bobby slightly puzzled, as Bobby told him stand up on the countertop. Daylan was now eye to eye with Bobby.

Bobby looked Daylan up and down before finally saying, "Yeah, this is perfect."

Bobby placed his gold shield on Daylan's belt telling him, "You're a fine looking officer, Detective Daylan Hollis."

Daylan's little face beamed with pride as he looked down at the golden shield. "I can really wear your badge?" he asked Bobby.

"As long as you promise not to loose it, yes," Bobby said smiling at the joy he saw on the child's face.

"I have to show Mama and sissy!!" Bobby quickly grabbed him as he started bouncing up and down with excitement.

Bobby helped Daylan down off the counter and the little boy ran towards the door. Stopping short, he turned around and went back to Bobby, motioning for him to bend down.

Bobby squatted in front of Daylan. Daylan wrapped his little arms around Bobby's neck and kissed him on the cheek saying, "Thank you 'tective Bobby. I love you."

Before Bobby could respond, Daylan was out the door shouting, "Mama, come look!!"

After supper, which Jamie and Bobby were rushed through by a now ecstatic Daylan, Bobby stood to leave, thanking Jamie for a wonderful meal.

"You can't leave yet, you have to go trick or treating with us," Daylan said and quickly added, "You don't want us out alone at night in a strange city, do ya?"

"Well, ummmm...." Bobby rubbed the back of his neck trying to think of something to say. He wanted to go with them, but he didn't want Jamie to feel like he was forcing himself on her. She was skittish enough and he knew he was going to have to take things slow and easy.

"Honey, Bobby might have plans tonight," Jamie said, giving Bobby an out.

"Actually, I don't," Bobby said. He was hoping that Jamie would now be the one to invite him.

"Please come, 'tective Bobby," Daylan begged. "You know all the good places to go."

"He has a point, you would know of all the good places," Jamie said with a small smile.

Bobby knew that was about all the invitation he was gong to get from Jamie. "Well, in the interest of good trick or treating, I'd better go along."

"Yes!!! This is going to be great," Daylan crowed as he pushed Bobby and Jamie out the door.

At the first door, Daylan straightened the shield on his belt before ringing the bell. The door opened and Daylan proudly proclaimed "Ma'am, I'm 'tective Daylan Hollis and I'm here to....ummm...I'm here tooo...." turning to Bobby he asked, "What was I 'posed to say?'

Bobby bent over and whispered something in Daylan's ear.

"Oh yeah." He turned back to the lady at the door. "I'm here to 'finscate your candy!"

Daylan held his bag open as the three adults tried, unsuccessfully, to control their laughter.

"You told him to confinscate people's candy?" Jamie asked in between the peals of laughter.

Bobby gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders. "He's a cop; it's what we do."

As Sam watched from a distance, his anger grew. "She's gonna pay," he thought as he caressed the hilt of his gun. He had always found a strange kind of comfort in the coldness of its steel.

Sam smiled as he remembered the last time he had held it to her head. He had relished the fear in her eyes and voice as she promised him anything, as long as he put the gun away. He'd held her to her her promise, locking Daylan in his bedroom so they wouldn't be "disturbed". Sam had humiliated her that night, breaking not only her body but her spirit as well.

As Sam thought about all the "lessons" he was going to teach her, his anger began to subside.

"Soon," he whispered into the darkness, "Soon you'll be mine again."

Um...wow, I love this. They get a little closer each chapter and Bobby took Daylan trick or treating and confiscating the candy was hilarious. I am afraid of what Sam is gonna do once he gets to Jamie. Hopefully Bobby will be on guard duty 24/7. It's my wish, I know it won't happen. More please.

Beautiful job with the details, VDObessed. Really like how your description of the abused women's underground network helped Jamie just adds more depth and dimension to her story and the overall story in general.

Love the evil that just oozes out of Sam at the end of the chapter. Great job!

Thanks janpop4 and FM. I'm really glad ya'll are liking this. And as always FM THANK YOU!!!
As you can tell FM I didn't pay that much attention in English class when they talked about punctuation.


The next chapter is coming along nicely, thanks for the pm flashymom, I came up with some other ideas
but then went in an entirely different direction.

[/color]

[color="#ff0000"]Janpop4, I'm afraid as great as our Bobby is he can't be everywhere all the time, or can he???
I've got a few ideas on how this will end. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what Bobby and Jamie
want.

Don't feel bad that you missed out on the punctuation part, cuz you got extra lessons on capturing emotion and mood when you right. You need to thank Shannon for reminding you how good you are at descriptive writing and to remember the stories you wrote back when y'all were in hs, cuz that piece of advice made all the difference in the world to this story. You have lots of talent! You put the words down on the paper, and I'll gladly correct your speeling: and ?punctuations...!,;"

Thanks!!!

I finished chapter 5 last night, I'll be sending it your way tonight if everything goes like I plan.
Your corrections are starting to wear off on me, as I was writing, I'd go back and reread it and think
"Wait Flashymom would put this kind of punctuation right here."

Oh, boy! A new chapter to read. Wednesday is my busiest day, plus doing mad cleaning cuz Mom is coming and she thinks I live in a pigsty (I don't ever pass the "white glove inspection" and she can't stand to see a speck of dust or hint of bathtub ring.....*sigh*)....so hopefully I can get it to you quickly.

Just think, you really are never too old to learn! But, I must confess, I cheat a little. My MSWord has a great editor program running in it, so I just save your story into Word, call it up, and let Word do it's thing...Have to stay on top of it though, because there are speech nuances that need punctuations that Word doesn't like, also we like to write the way we talk, and that also drives the editor nuts......but, it's very helpful for spelling and other somesuch......

You should have it now, I hit send 5 minutes ago. Even if you can't work your magic just yet, (believe me, I understand the whole mom thing) let me know what you think. I'm really exicited about this chapter, and I can't wait to see what you have to say about it. As for your "magic", which I've come to call it, I don't care how you do it, I'm just thrilled that you're willing to do it.

Thank you to flashymom and my friend Shannon, you've both been a great help and encouragment.

Chapter 5

Jamie was standing at her mailbox looking at bills she couldn't pay. She hadn't heard Bobby approach or say her name, so when he gently touched her on the shoulder, she almost jumped out of her skin as she wheeled around.

"Jesus, Bobby, DON'T do that!! You scared the hell out of me!"

Jamie's hands were shaking, her breathing erratic, and there was a wild look of fear in her eyes.

"Jamie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you; I thought you knew I was here."

Bobby was lightly gripping Jamie by the elbows. When the tears began to form, he pulled her into his embrace. "Shhh, it's okay I've got you," he whispered, tenderly rubbing her back with his left hand.

As Bobby continued to whisper words of comfort, Jamie could feel the tension and fear drain from her body. The scent of him was intoxicating, a mixture of earth and autumn, and something that was strictly Bobby. She wanted to get lost in his embrace, to feel safe and unafraid.

As Jamie closed her eyes, images of Sam assaulted her senses. The icy blue stare of his eyes penetrated her soul, as fear once again tried to insinuate itself into every fiber of her being.

Placing her hand on his chest, she forced herself to leave his arms. Jamie shook her head as if she were trying to lift an invisible fog. "I'm sorry, I don't... I'm sorry."

Bobby placed a finger under her chin tilting her face upwards. "Don't apologize; you don't have anything to be sorry for."

Jamie absently wiped away the tears that were still threatening to fall from her eyes. "Did you need something?" she asked, taking a step back.

"Let's go for a walk. There's something I want to talk to you about," Bobby said.

"I don't know, Mrs. Sabatelli's had the kids all afternoon, and I don't want her think I'm taking advantage."

"Are you kidding?" Bobby asked chuckling. "I ran into her out front this morning, and all she could talk about was how much fun she's having with those two. Come on, we won't be long."

Jamie nodded and Bobby placed his hand on the small of her back guiding her out onto the sidewalk.

Once outside, Jamie stepped away from Bobby's hand, keeping a close but safe distance.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Bobby pulled a business card out of his breast pocket and handed it to Jamie. "I think I've found you job. My buddy Lewis owns an auto body shop; he needs someone to help him get organized. I've tried but.." Bobby shrugged his shoulders and slightly shook his head; "Anyway, I thought you might like to give it a try. The pay's not great, but it's enough, the hours are flexable, and he said said that you can bring the kids with you when you needed to."

Before she realized it, Jamie had flung herself into Bobby's arms saying, "Thank you Bobby, thank you!" She jumped back just as quickly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to.."

"Jamie, you want to thank me, quit apologizing."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to keep..."

At Bobby's raised eyebrow, Jamie began to softly laugh, "I can't help it, force of habit."

"That's okay," Bobby replied giving her a wink and a gentle nudge. "I'm off on Sunday, what do you say I take you and kids to the zoo?"

"Daylan would absolutely love that."

"What about you?"

"I'd love that too," Jamie shyly answered.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Bobby finally decided now was a good time to ask one of the many questions he had.

"Jamie, there's something I want to ask you. You don't have to answer if you don't want to; but where's the children's father?"

"He's longer in the picture. He hasn't been for a long time."

"Why not," Bobby asked, gently prodding for a better answer.

"He wasn't cut out to be a father; he had never wanted to be one to begin with. Daylan was a huge surprise and he tolorated him because that's what everyone expected. In the end it was better if we left."

"What about Lilly?"

"He doesn't know about her. I left before I found out I was pregnant."

They continued to walk as Bobby let what Jamie had just said sink in.

"Do you still love him?" Bobby suddenly asked.

Taken aback by the bluntness of Bobby's question, it took her a moment to answer.

"I thought I did," Jamie replied. "But now, I wonder; there's no love or even anger anymore. Just a feeling of relief that it's over."

"How can you not be angry?"

"I was, for a long time; but then I realized I'd never be able to truly live my life holding onto that kind of anger. Alright," Jamie said ready to try lightening the mood, "I told you something about me, now it's your turn."

"What is this, a game of 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours'," Bobby asked, immediately turning red as he realized what he had just said.

"I didn't mean it like that.." Bobby said, rubbing the back of his neck and slightly stuttering.

"I know," Jamie replied, smiling at how cute he looked when he stuck his foot in his mouth.

"Come on, give," she begged him. "Tell me something about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

Thinking, Jamie finally said "Tell me something about your family."

This time it was Bobby's turn to look sad, "There's not much to tell. My parents have passed away and my brother was killed a few months ago."

"I'm sorry Bobby. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

"It's okay; you had no way of knowing. Besides it's not like I remember all the good times we had."

"That rough?" Jamie asked.

"Let's just say, you're not the only one who's been trying to run from demons."

Jamie's steps briefly faultered. "Who says I'm running?"

"Come on Jamie, there's no need to lie about the obvious. In a way, I envy you a little. It must be nice to just pick up and leave, pretend like nothing bad ever happened."

"Don't say that. Don't say that you're envious and then pretend you know me, you don't know who I am." Jamie's voice rose slightly and held a hint of anger. "I had to run, I didn't have a choice. If I'd have stayed he would've... I don't want to talk about this."

Bobby watched as she walked away. "Reverse psychology," he thought, "You gotta love it."

Bobby caught up to her in just a few long strides, stepping in front of her to block her path.

"He would've what, Jamie?"

"Leave it alone, Bobby. It's not important."

Jamie tried to side step him, but Bobby moved with her preventing her escape.

"Yes it is important. What would he have done?"

Jamie refused to look at Bobby as she desperately tried to fight back the tears. "Bobby don't; please just, don't."

Bobby gently cupped her face in his right hand, causing Jamie to look at him. To look into his eyes; eyes that held understanding, concern, and something else that Jamie couldn't quite identify. "What would've happened," he asked her softly.

In a voice barely above a whisper and raw with emotion, Jamie answered, "He would have killed me." The tears that Jamie had been fighting so hard to hide finally fell.

Bobby brought his other hand up to her face. With feather light touches, he wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "I'm sorry he hurt you; I'm sorry you've spent so much time being afraid; and I'm sorry no one was there to protect you," he whispered.

Jamie leaned into Bobby's touch. What was it about this man? Jamie didn't understand why, she just knew she wanted this moment in time to last forever.

Bobby watched the play of emotions in Jamie's eyes, and he slowly lost even more of his heart to her. For the first time in his life, Bobby didn't think, as he lowered his lips to hers.

As their lips touched, a heat began to spread throughout their bodies; warming them against the cold November winds. Bobby deepened the kiss, as Jamie caustiously ran her hands up his arms, to his shoulders, finally entwining then around his neck.

When Bobby touched his tongue to hers, Jamie could taste the electricity, the passion, and the desire. She opened her heart to him; and Bobby laid claim to it, time stood still, while the leaves of autumn danced at their feet.

That night, as Jamie stepped into the shower after putting the kids to bed, she was consumed by thoughts of Bobby. She could still taste the salt in his kiss, the heat of his body as he had held her close.

She was so lost in her thoughts she never heard her front door open or close....

Holy mackerel. What a cliffy you left. Loved the closeness that they have now. I hope it gets better for them I think I know who is coming thru that door. Hurry up and post that next chapter, pretty please.

I'm working on it. I'm so glad you liked this, I loved writing this chapter. I think I know who's coming through the door too, although flashymom gave me another idea when she done her "magic" that sent my mind into another direction. I must say it wasn't an unpleasent one either.

You could save that idea for a later chapter......In fact, I think it needs to be a later chapter......write it now, if it's vivid and begging to be written down, but have it come later in the story.

Great job. I need to start talking this up among the board. They'd love it. You also need to come join our self-moderated board and post over there, too. I'll pm you the info.....

This is unfolding nicely, VDObsessed! I'm really enjoying it. The relationship between Bobby and Jamie and her kids is so sweet, and the danger looming is really freaking me out. I'm dying to find out the rest of the story...keep it comin'!

Thanks!

Thanks for the support. It's nice to know more than just Flashymom and myself are interested in this.

I know, I know, later. Don't worry neither one of them are ready for things to go that far this fast.

It's going to take awhile, Jamie's been badly hurt and Bobby's gonna want to make sure he doesn't end up being something she regrets.

Another board?? I don't know if I can handle the excitment!!! Can't wait to get the info. How did your visit with mom go? I hope you passed the white glove test. (God knows I never do)

Thank you to flashymom as always, I don't know what I'd do without you. A very special thank you to Shannon for being patient while I kept talking this out. I hope everyone likes it.


Chapter 6

Jamie laid her head against the cool tile wall of her shower as Lilly began crying, thinking "Five more minutes, honey; please."

Lilly's cries became more frantic and fearful. Something wasn't right, she had never cried like this before.

Jamie shut off the water, grabbed a towel, and hurried down the hall to the bedroom she shared with her 6 week old daughter.

"I't's okay, baby, Mama's coming."

Jamie froze when she saw Sam standing there holding Lilly. Jamie's heart pounded and there was a loud roaring in her ears. Fear crept up her spine; cold as death. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move; she couldn't even think as she stood staring at the man before her.

"So is this brat mine?" he casually asked.

Jamie opened her mouth to speak, to scream, but her voice remained frozen in her throat.

"I asked you a question."

"Y-Yes."

Sam gave Lilly a look of utter digust, "Get over here and shut her up or I will."

Jamie moved quickly, taking Lilly with trembling hands. She held her close patting her back in a soothing rhythm and begging her to be quiet. As Lilly began to calm down, Jamie sent up a quick prayer of thanks, followed by one asking for mercy.

"Put her down, we need to talk," Sam said with an unreadable expression on his face.

Jamie laid Lilly in her crib, turning around to find Sam standing just a few feet away.

"So, Jamie, love the new name by the way, did you actually think you'd get away with this?"

Inching away from the crib, Jamie remained silent. If she could just figure out how to get to the door and out into the hallway, she might have a chance. She could scream, pound on a neighbors door, something; anything for help. The only problem was Sam stood between her and the only way out.

She saw Sam's face turning red with anger. "What did he say?" Jamie hadn't been listening, her mind was too busy racing with possible ways to get out, and trying not to think about what would happen if she didn't.

The back of Sam's hand hit hard across her face. "Answer me, damn it!!!"

Jamie swallowed the cooper taste of blood. "I'm sorry, Sam."

"You're sorry?! That's all you have to say to me; sorry!?!" Sam was advancing, slowly removing his belt. "What are you sorry for? Embarrassing me; humiliating me in front of the entire town?"

Sam began backing Jamie into a corner, his belt now in his hand.

"You belong to me, I love you. How could you leave? How could you hurt me like that?" Sam wrapped the belt around his hand. "I loved you when no one else would and this is how you thank me? By layin' up with that cop across the hall!!!"

At Jamie's look of surprise, Sam leaned in close and whispered, "Yes, I know all about Bobby, and I'll deal with him later."

Jamie tried to step away from the evil that threatened to envelope her, only to realize that she had nowhere to go as her back pressed against the wall.

"Please..." she whispered, turning her face away from Sam.

Sam trailed the tip of his finger along Jamie's cheek; grasping her chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing her face back to his.

"Don't worry, I'll forgive you; eventually," he said, kissing her softly on the lips.

The sting of the belt was a feeling Jamie knew all to well. As the leather cut into her skin, Jamie closed her eyes and retreated into her mind. The more Sam struck her, the further Jamie went, until the pain began to feel like a distant memory.

Bobby was still agitated as he and Alex rode the elevator up to his apartment. He had been in the middle of the most amazing kiss of his life, with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, when his cellphone had started ringing.

Bobby had never really cared for Ross; but right now he hated him with a passion.

Ross had sent him and Eames to check a lead on a case they were working. It had turned out to be one very big wild goose chase. Now, Ross wanted them to re-examine evidence that was in a file, which of course Bobby had forgotten on his desk at home.

"How could an evening start out with such promise and end so badly?" Bobby thought to himself.

As he and Eames stepped off the elevator, Boby's heart stopped. Daylan was sitting outside Bobby's door, his little knees drawn up to his chest.

"Daylan?"

The little boy looked up at Bobby with a tear stained and blood streaked face. " 'tective Bobby, I can't make Mama wake up."

Bobby bolted into the apartment. "Jamie!!" he yelled. He felt like it took an aternity to get to the bedroom.

"Jamie," Bobby said her name as though the breath had just been ripped from his lungs. He tried to close his eyes against the sight before him, but he couldn't; the cop in him wouldn't let him.

Jamie was lying on the bed, her wrists bound to the headboard. She was covered in blood and for some strange reason Bobby thought he'd never seen so much blood. Bobby could see the smudges on her face where Daylan had tried to wake her. Jamie was so pale; a ghostly white contrast against the dark sheets.For a brief moment Bobby thought she was dead. He felt like his heart was trapped in a vice as he willed her to move, to breathe.

At Jamie's slight groan, Bobby rushed to the bed, covering her with his jacket. "Eames, call a bu--"

"They're on their way," Alex said, snapping her phone shut and moving to the crib to try and comfort a screaming Lilly.

Bobby cut Jamie free and gathered her in his arms. He began to gently rock Jamie back and forth, as he smoothed her hair away from her face. Bobby laid soft kisses on Jamie's forehead, begging her, "Stay with me Jamie, help is on the way. Please hold on, I've got you now. Just, please, hold on."

Daylan tugged on the sleave of Bobby's flannel shirt asking, "Is Mama gonna be okay, 'tective Bobby?" Bobby wasn't able to answer him.

Alex and Captain Ross enterd the ER to find Bobby pacing outside the trauma room. He remined Alex of a caged panther. Despite the rage and worry that was bubbling just beneath the surface; Bobby continued to move with a subtle grace and an air about him that demanded not only your attention, but a caustious approach.

"Detective, how is she?' Ross quietly asked.

"I don't know, they haven't told me anything yet."

"Bobby, do you have any idea who could have done this?" Alex asked.

"Ex-husband, I think, I'm really not sure," Bobby said, running his blood stained hands over his face.

"Do you have a name?" asked Ross.

"No."

"What do you know detective?"

"Not enough!" Bobby said, allowing his anger and frustration to show.

Alex stepped in between the two men, placing her hand on Bobby's arm. "Bobby, I brought you a change of clothes, go get cleaned up."

For the first time Bobby noticed the blood on his clothes and hands. "Thanks, Eames," Bobby said, taking the small duffle bag and heading to the men's room.

When the door closed, Ross turned to Alex, "What do you think?"

Taking a deep breath, Alex replied, "I think we better find this guy before Bobby does."

"I think you're right, detective."

Bobby stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, "I'm a cop for Christ's sake, I should've been able to protect her," he thought to himself.

Bobby closed his eyes and saw Jamie lying lifeless on the bed. He could see the fear in Daylan's face and he could hear Lilly's cries. He wondered what, if anything, Daylan actually saw of the attack. He wondered if Jamie had screamed or if she had pleaded for her life. But, mostly, Bobby wondered how a man could do this to a woman, a woman he had promised to love and protect.

Bobby didn't realize he smashed the bathroom mirror, until he felt the sticky warmth of blood running down his hand.

When Bobby finally came out of the men's room, he saw Captain Ross and Eames talking to a doctor in hushed voices.

"Dr., I'm Robert Goren, I came in with Jamie Hollis. How is she?" Bobby asked as he approached.

All noticed Bobby's bloody knuckles, but at Alex's stern look and the slight shake of her head, they chose not to ask.

"She's still unconscious. She has a small skull fracture, a few broken ribs, and several of the lacerations required sutures. She was also sexually assualted; we won't know the extent of the damage for a few days. There is a possibility we'll have to do a hysterectomy. We are going to need to contact a family member, someone who can make medical decisions for her."

"There's no one to contact," Bobby said, taking a deep breath to steady his voice. "Will she be okay?"

"She's been through a lot detective, and I'm not just talking about tonight. This young woman has been used as a punching bag for a long time. There's evidence of old fractures and broken bones, most of which I'd say she never received medical treatment for. She's a very lucky lady."

"When do you think she'll wake up?" Bobby asked.

"A few hours, a few days, I really don't know. We've done all there is to do for now, the rest is up to her."

Nodding his head Bobby said, "I need to see her, I have to be with her when she wakes up. She's going to be scared and worried about her children; she needs me with her."

Dr. Raye smiled gently at Bobby. "I'll take you to her, after I bandage that hand."

Bobby shook his head again, and followed Dr. Raye down the hall to an exam room.

Bobby sat apparently fascinated by what Dr. Raye was doing to his hand. Truth was he didn't want to look at her. Looking at her meant having to make small talk, something Bobby wasn't in the mood for.

"You're lucky ther aren't any glass shards in your hand, detective."

"Yeah, I know," Bobby said, rubbing the back of his neck with his good hand. "Umm, I'll pay for the mirror and whatever else."

"Believe me, you will," Dr. Raye said with a bemused smile on her face. "Here's something for pain and an antibiotic. Change the dressing twice a day and you should be fine in a week or so."

"Thanks, Doc," Bobby said, rising to his feet and taking the prescriptions. "Can I see Jamie now?"

Dr. Raye stood, leaning against the counter, looking at Bobby intently. "You care for her, deeply." It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement.

Bobby averted his gaze, he had never liked being on the receiveing end of an interrogation.

"Yes, more than I realized," Bobby softly replied.

"Be good to her, detective. God knows she needs someone, too." With that said, Dr. Raye headed out the door. Bobby fell into step behind her as she lead the way to Jamie's room.

Bobby sat next to Jamie's hospital bed watching the rhythic rise and fall of her chest. Her right eye was swollen, her lip had been busted open, and blackish/purple bruises had formed on her body.

Bobby held her hand in his, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "Jamie, please wake up. Please just open your eyes for me. Daylan and Lilly need you to wake up. Hell, I need you to wake up. Please, Jamie, just open your eyes."

"Why wasn't I there?" Bobby thought to himself, "She needed me and I wasn't there, I could've stopped this."

Bobby brought Jamie's hand up and held it against his cheek, remembering how she had felt in his arms earlier in the day.

Her kiss had started out very tentative, but as she had relaxed into his touch, she had grown bolder. Wrapping her arms around his neck and stretching upwards to allow him full access to her mouth. The fire that had passed between them was indescribable. Bobby had wanted to devour her, to hold her so close, so tight, that their bodies melded into one. He had never felt with anyone the way he felt with Jamie; being with her was like being home. A very forgein feeling for Bobby, but one he wanted desperately to keep.

Bobby kissed the inside of Jamie's palm. With tears welling up in his eyes. he whispered into the darkness, "Please wake up Jamie. I need you. I love you."

*sobs, cries, sobs* Okay 4 authors that make me cry and I don't cry. What the heck is up with me lately? Make her be alright. Bobby even said the magic words. More please and very very soon.

I made you cry!? I'm honored, I truely am.
I'm very glad you liked this, I wrote and re-wrote this chapter trying to get it right. It sounds like I might have
done just that.
I'm working on chapter 7, hopefully it'll be up soon.
Please keep letting me know weather or not you're liking things, when someone leaves a post, it makes me write that much faster.

Hi VDObsessed!

You are doing a great job. This was a very scary chapter, and I hope Jamie will be OK. Do you think Eames might be just the person to bring down this scumbag? Just thinking out loud...I'm having a little "girl power" moment here.

Thanks, I've been so inspired tonight, I've got three pages done. Of course I do everything long hand, so it's not really that much. I'm really glad you liked it, I wanted it to be enough that you had good idea of exactly what Jamie came out of, but not so much that it turned you off. I hope it worked out that way.

As for the ending, I've already got something worked out, of course Bobby and Jamie might have other plans. (But don't worry Eames is going to be a major player.)

Thanks for the feedback, I might just have to go and write some more now.

Yes, I thought it was just right...though I did have to look between my fingers to read 'cause my hands were covering my eyes. Looking forward to reading the rest!

Hey there, "twin"kie girl! I see you got this posted, AND it's really got everyone talking! YAY!!!! I knew it would. You did such a good job with this chapter. You really did strike the right balance between describing what happened and "glossing over" to spare the reader. Our imaginations can fill in the rest.

I, too, want Jamie to be all right. As much as I would like Eames to be the one to bring down Sam, I think that Jamie will only truly love and trust Bobby if he is the one to bring Sam to justice and end Sam's reign of terror in her life.

" "twin"kie girl" lol, love that. Yeah, I got it posted pretty quick, gotta love paid holidays

I've got something a little surprising worked out for the ending, but like I told LadyBlueDevil, it'll
depend on what Bobby and Jamie want. Right now chapter 7, took a major turn last night from what
I had intended. I think it'll work out though, you'll let me know if it doesn't. Thanks for getting this back to me so
fast, too. I hope the scout project has or is turning out great!!

The "Scout project" is a work in progress -- our annual Winter Camp held the week of Thanksgiving. Our kids here in Louisiana have off the whole week of Thanksgiving, so we run a 4 day camp, Saturday - Wednesday (I know, that's 5 days, but camp starts Saturday supper and ends at Wednesday breakfast, which is really only 4 days...). I get about 2 months "down time" before we start working on Summer Camp. I do a bigger chunk of the work for Winter Camp tho. This year I'm planning on staying out there in one of the staff lodges, but I'll have my laptop and hopefully can get enough internet connection to pop in here every so often. May even run into town and sit at the Mickey-D's.......I'm hoping I can get a lot of writing done.

Anyway -- I hope to see your chapter 7 real soon.....I LOVE this story!

Glad to hear things are coming along well with scouts. A woman I work with, her son is involved, she's all the time handing us her "notebook of ideas" and asking for opions (I know I didn't spell that right). Of course we all deal with 3 - 5 year olds, so alot of the stuff we come up with, although good, doesn't fit for his age group.(about 9)

Chapter 7 is coming along nicely, almost done, although last night I decided to revamp the whole thing. I had put something somewhere and then as the story progressed, I realized it'll just sound better somewhere else in the chapter. Hopefully I'll have it ready to send to you this weekend or early next week.

I hope you can internet connection while at camp, I don't think we can handle 4 whole days here without you.

Hi VDObessed,
I finally had some time this weekend to read new chapters and stories here and I started reading your story. I wasn´t able to stop reading! This is VERY VERY VERY GOOD. Heartbreaking sad, but great.
Interesting story (I don´t mean just interesting, it´s difficult and sad...), nice characters (everybody has to love Jamie and Daylan and Lilly). Please don´t let us wait for next chapter, ´leeeaze

Just got back to reading this one today. Had only read chapter 1 earlier, but the rest were splendid. I so cannot wait to see Bobby beat the ever loving snot out of Sam...

Keep up the good work!

I just finished the first 4 chapters and sadly can't read anymore just now. But I wanted to tell you how wonderful this story is. Bobby and kids--always magic! Bobby falling in love--always irresistable. I don't know yet what will happen with Sam (don't tell me, I'm plugging my ears and humming!), but happy ending junkie that I am, I know Bobby will save Jamie and her children. I'll be back later to catch up!

::pokes head in and looks around::

Well, nothing new here. I know she told me in her email she'd have that new chapter posted by now, but I just don't see it...oh, well, maybe later....

::leaves cookies and milk on the counter, flops down on couch, opens laptop::

I'll just sit here next to Bobby and work on my own story.

And now I'm caught up and desperate for MOAR! You wrote this so well. The fear and horror of what happened to Jamie, the sad sight of Daylan sitting outside Bobby's door, Bobby's turmoil--spell-binding!

Thank you to everyone for the great reviews!!!! I'm so glad you all like this story. I was going to wait to post chapter 7, but suddenly I have a renewal of energy!!! (wonder why?) Real life and the job have been getting in the way this week. So, I'll grab some supper, (I haven't had a chance to eat since 4:30 this morning) and I'll get to posting. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes the way I want it to tonight.