Chapter 1

Ashes to ashes…

Thumbing the crimson petals of the blooming rose cupped between his hands, he bowed his head in remorse as he stepped toward the deep red casket covered with blooming flowers. He had selected the most expensive casket from the funeral parlor – rich red cherry heartwood with white crushed velvet interior. Her mother had crocheted a decorative pillow on which her head should eternally rest. Her siblings had also made sure to line her casket with cherished things of her life – her baby quilt, favorite teddy bear, and pictures. And, his final token of love was laid over the casket.

Dust to dust…

“Hey, AJ, we’re here.”

Looking up in surprise at the soft voice that entered his mind like a harsh boom of a firing gun, AJ reached to clear away the tears that had flooded the lenses of his sunglasses. Sniffling heavily, he reached for the sky blue – her favorite color - silk handkerchief from his pocket. Rubbing his nose and cleaning the tears from his face, he stuffed the soiled cloth into the pocket of his suit before fumbling for the door to the black, stretch limo. Glancing to his surroundings, he watched as the mourners flooded into the home for a wake. When the Hell did they get to his house?

It seemed as though he were witnessing everything through the haze of a dream; nothing real touched him as he greeted the mourners gathered in his living and dining rooms. But he was aware of the suspicious glances from her family members, heard the whispers as he moved past. Hoping for a moment alone, he headed for his bedroom, only to be caught by Nick just at the door. Looking up into the sapphire eyes of his friend, he felt the façade he had created over the past days begin to crumble when the younger man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"They think I did it," he whispered brokenly, continuing to cup the rose in his palm. His last true connection with her.

“They’re full of shit,” Nick stated in full honesty, looking down the long hallway to see a few collected stragglers simply watching them. Narrowing his critical sapphire eyes toward the ruddy women, he opened the bedroom door to allow AJ a few moments of privacy. Truth be told, Nick never thought that he’d be attending a funeral for one of his friends’ girlfriends. If anything, he had only suspected to be standing above the grave of his mother in the near future and may she rot in the eternal depths of Hell. But, those thoughts passed like many others as he watched AJ collapse onto the plush bed while fighting a hard sob. “J, your name was cleared from the murder the same week that they started the investigation. And, if they want to keep throwing the conspiracy angle in your face, you show them all those shitty letters and pictures you’re getting from the bastard who’s running around this town like a proud dickhead.”

"Her family would just say that I made them up to show my innocence," AJ decided, reaching to lay the rose on the bedside table. Pausing when he saw the framed portrait of her there, he gently traced the lines of her face, remembering the silken feel of her skin. Immediately he remembered the gruesome photos he had received in the mail over the past weeks, the letters that detailed each horrible thing that had happened to her as she begged for her life. Letting his sob out, he slammed his fist into the pillow, forgetting Nick's presence as the depression over her death and the anger towards the man who had killed her mingled.

Watching the framed photograph topple to the floor as AJ attacked the pillow in a violent rage, Nick merely stood still in the threshold of the room. Reaching into his suit pocket, he withdrew a fresh package of cigarettes, immediately thumbing in his pants pocket for a lighter to ignite the stick that would hopefully calm him. He had never been the endearing type filled with compassion for others’ sorrows. Oh, yes, he could play the part of a concerned friend, but Howie was always the one to care for the others of the group. Except this upcoming week when he had to travel for business. He could not play the part of the doting best friend in AJ’s time of grief and pain. So, Nick had been chosen to take his place because he was the unfortunate bastard without a family to care for.

"I have to find him," AJ announced, jerking out of his suit jacket as he thrashed to get off of the bed. It held too many memories for him, and he was certain he would never have a peaceful night's sleep in it again. Accepting the cigarette that Nick offered, he paused for a moment to light it, letting the calming nicotine flow through his system before he moved to the closet. "The fucking cops don't understand shit, they don't know shit that I know-"

“Wait a fucking minute,” Nick exclaimed in surprise, ducking when two well-polished dress shoes came flying in his direction. Allowing them to collide with the far wall, he hurriedly reached to pull the cigarette from between his lips so it would not be wasted while he moved to the closet. “What the fuck are you talking about, J? Go find him? The fucking lunatic that used your girlfriend for a test dummy?”

"The fucking lunatic that killed my girlfriend and has succeeded in making my life a living fucking Hell," AJ corrected as he hurriedly undressed.

“So… You think you can just go sashaying out of this house and cross paths with him down at the boardwalk? Ask him to have a couple of coffees with you and then blow his brains out on the unsuspecting waitress?”

"I'm not going to blow his brains out," AJ defended, pulling out clean clothes and throwing them onto the bed to pack. He was not sure how long he would be gone, and wanted to make sure he had enough supplies. "Take care of my dogs for me?"

“The assholes that we call friends tell me that I have to take care of you for a few weeks! No where in that does it say that I’m going to be cleaning up after your mangy mutts, no matter how pregnant the one is. Because, you’re not leaving this damn house, J. There’s a funeral something-or-other going on out there that you’re supposed to be part of. Playing the grieving boyfriend or some shit. So, throw on some pants and let’s get back out there--”

"I've done enough grieving, Goddamnit. Grieving won't bring her back, Nick. Nothing will. I just have to do what I have to do," AJ informed his friend, pulling on a pair of faded jeans. Flicking his ashes towards the ashtray, he reached for a t-shirt. "So you can either help me or you can carry your ass out there and make everybody leave."

“Brian, Kevin, and Howie aren’t going to let you go on some dumbass wild adventure for revenge--”

"They don't have to know."

“Somehow, you storming out of the house with a duffle bag and peeling out of the driveway like a bat out of Hell might be a key indicator of your plans--”

"That's why you're going with me. Because you understand my need to be away from everything, and you and I are going on a male bonding trip," AJ announced, zipping up his duffle bag before heading for the master bathroom to gather toiletries.

“You don’t even know where the fucker is, J,” Nick lamented, throwing himself onto the bed with a muffled curse. He didn’t know why he was the one that had been chosen to take care of AJ after the funeral. He was in no way equipped to deal with such outrageous schemes. And, most importantly, he didn’t want to be bothered. After all, his younger brother was staying with him for a few weeks and they had a few high profiled bets commencing. But, no, AJ’s girlfriend had to go and get herself murdered…

"I'll find him," AJ promised. "And when I do…"

“And when you do what, J? What are you going to do?”

AJ lifted his head to look at Nick. Allowing the rage he felt for the man who had effectively ruined his life to finally creep to the surface, he imagined everything he would do to him. Seeing Nick's eyes widen with realization, he nodded, dropping his gaze as he pulled on his shoes. "And a Hell of a lot more."

*~*~*

"Adie, Doll Face, wake up," Josette Moreau murmured as she pulled up in the parking lot of the truck stop. Muffling a yawn behind her hand as she turned off the engine, she reached to gently shake her younger sister's shoulder, smiling over the fact that Adrienne could truly sleep anywhere. As Adrienne began to stir from her slumber, Josette stretched in her seat, rubbing the weariness from her neck as she pushed open the door. "We're just stopping for gas, and I thought we could grab a bite in the diner here, what do you say?"

“You’re actually going to let us eat in a truck stop diner?” Adrienne Moreau teased, muffling a yawn behind the palm of her hand before climbing out of the cherry red mustang as well. Walking over to the driver’s side, she watched her older sister open the gas tank in order to fill the car. Leaning against the car, she stretched her lithe body to clear away the sleepy ache of her body, glancing around the near deserted truck stop. “…How far along are we, Ette?”

"We'll be at our designated stopping point in another hour," Josette assured, setting the pump on automatic before leaning into the mustang to retrieve her purse. Retrieving her wallet, she flipped through it for her gas credit card. "I suppose we should check in with the old crow-I mean Mother…"

“It is so sweet to know that you truly miss Mother after being only separated for a day or so,” Adrienne mused, squealing with laughter when Josette playfully tickled her sides. Hopping away from her sister’s hands, she immediately tugged on her light blue camisole, her cheeks hinting with an adorable blush as her cinnamon eyes glowed in the setting sunlight. To say the sisters had a close relationship would be a vast understatement of their bond. In fact, the whole point of the girls’ vacation was to celebrate and strengthen their relationship before Josette married their father’s junior partner.

"Of course I miss her," Josette promised with a wicked grin as she quickly pulled her elbow-length wavy dark hair into a ponytail. Tucking her credit card in the top of her black camisole, she watched Adrienne hopping onto and off of the curb surrounding the gas tank. Her younger sister was always full of energy when she was awake, practically dashing through her activities during the day. "Why do you think I cracked open a bottle of champagne when we got to the hotel last night?"

“To celebrate of course,” Adrienne concluded, elegantly maintaining her balance as she walked along the curb. Years of dedicated devotion to the art of ballet had proved quite useful in her antics. Her poise was perfection and accented her beauty. Though, she could never compare to the dark, exotic beauty of her older sister. Josette was every millionaire’s dream, especially their mother and father’s pride and joy. “I thought you would start singing ‘Ding-Dong, the witch is dead!’”

"I cannot possibly sing that until the witch is actually dead," Josette replied with a soft laugh, replacing the nozzle to the pump when it was finished. Watching her sister for a moment, she admired the poise and balance she was able to uphold, wishing that she had stuck with her ballet lessons as a girl. But she had instead wanted to delve into music, and now she truly enjoyed performing classics for Adrienne to dance to. When the pump accepted her card and printed out a receipt, she whistled. "Hey, Twinkle Toes, why don't you run in and get us a booth while I go park the car?"

“And order you a big greasy burger with a side of soggy, salty fries? Yes, ma’am,” Adrienne agreed, actually saluting her sister with a gorgeous smile. When she heard her sister’s snort of disbelief, she immediately turned; her long, glossy, ginger brown locks fanning elegantly as she dashed up the stairs to the diner. Glancing around, she noticed a waitress leaning against the bar with a cigarette crammed between her pursed lips. Fighting not to make a face, she walked toward the back of the diner looking for a somewhat clean booth.

"Excuse me, Miss?" a male voice called once she was settling into the farthest booth in the corner. Glancing up, she saw a man coming towards her, worry etching his features. "Do you think you could give me a hand?"

“What do you need help with, sir?” Adrienne implored, carefully sliding out of the booth in order to regard the man with the most proper manners that etiquette school had enforced upon her. The dark worry smoldering in his onyx eyes caused her stomach to knot with anxiousness. He seemed to truly be in a state of disarray. Overwhelmingly compassionate, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what he needed, but knew she would do anything within her power to help him.

"My little puppy… I was just putting diesel in the rig and he slipped out, and now he's stuck near the smokestack and now I can't get him calmed down enough to get him free," the man explained, wringing gnarled hands with worry. "If you could just come help me, I'd really appreciate it. He's a gift for my baby girl; she's always wanted a puppy…"

“Oh my goodness!” Adrienne exclaimed in horror, immediately placing a reassuring hand against the man’s massive shoulder. She could just imagine how frightened the creature was, pinned and perhaps in pain. She had just recently passed her boards to become a veterinarian and sometimes valued an animal’s life far more than her own. In fact, at home, she housed dozens of abandoned animals that would normally face the needle because no family cared enough for them. “Of course I’ll help! Just show me where your truck is and what you’d like me to do.”

"You're wonderful to be helping out a stranger like this," the man noted as he ushered her towards the exit, though Adrienne didn't see him glancing around the diner furtively.

Outside, Josette hummed a song as she grabbed her light jacket, knowing the air would be cooler one the sun was fully set. Leaning into the mustang to get Adrienne's as well, she was surprised to see her younger sister coming out of the diner in the company of a man. Swinging the door shut with her hip, she went to meet them. "Adie? What's happened?"

“This man bought a puppy for his daughter, but unfortunately when he went to get gas in his truck, the puppy slipped out and got caught. He needs some help calming the puppy down and I can’t refuse to help him. If you want to go to the booth and wait, I’ll just be a few moments,” Adrienne answered, feeling the rough patched hand of the man encircle her upper arm in order to lead her in haste.

"I'll go along," Josette decided, arching her brows in surprise when the man swept Adrienne away. Going after them, she reached to drape the jacket over her younger sister's shoulders as Adrienne rattled off questions about the puppy. Pulling her own jacket on, she gasped when the man reached to grasp her arm as well, keeping her beside him as he led them to the rear parking lot.

“Um… Sir, I know that you’re scared for your puppy right now, but you’re really hurting my arm,” Adrienne murmured with a soft yelp when she felt the jagged nails of the man’s gnarled hand dig deep into her delicate flesh, deterring her from her original questions. But, the man seemed oblivious to her needs, yanking harder on her arm in order to bring her around the rows of large eighteen wheeled trucks. Suddenly, her body began to prepare for a flight of panic – her heart fluttering, her stomach churning, her breaths increasing, her hands trembling… “Sir--”

"You're hurting my sister," Josette cried, wrenching her arm in hopes of jerking free of his grasp. When she heard Adrienne's soft cry, she realized they were being forced into the cab of an eighteen-wheeler, the man's strength keeping them from resisting. The heel of her shoe caught on the step, and she cried out when she was shoved brutally into the truck, her ankle wrenching painfully. Feeling the man's weight on her for one moment, she started to struggle.

Hearing her older sister’s painful cry, Adrienne yelped in horror when she was thrown to the asphalt in vicious manner. The back of her head connected with the steps of the cab. An explosion of pain wrapped around her skull, dulling her senses as she looked up to see the man wrench a handgun from the back of his cruddy jeans. Then, with a barbaric swing, the butt of the gun connected sharply with her older sister’s head, causing her to go limp. “Josette!” Adrienne screamed in disbelief, immediately clawing at the asphalt in order to get away.

Within seconds she was scooped up, and no amount of struggling would rid her of the man's arms about her waist. A hand clamped over her mouth, causing her to struggle harder within the vice-like grip. In seconds she was shoved into the cab, next to the still form of her sister. Her face pressed into the dank upholstery, she released a muffled scream as a hand traveled the length of her body before a swift blow to the back of her head caused darkness to take over.

Chapter 2

Groaning, Nick felt a sharp twinge of pain burn within his lower back while he shifted uncomfortably in the confines of AJ’s vehicle. He had been the last one to drive about the stretch of deserted road near the outskirts of Malibu, California in AJ’s quest to find the murderer of his girlfriend, so he had been given the honor of sleeping in the driver’s seat. AJ, however, had been given the opportunity to sprawl out in the backseat. Though, when Nick turned to look at his friend, he realized that AJ hadn’t been getting the best of sleep either. He twitched visibly with each moment, his face contorted into a consistent look of pain from the loss of his girlfriend. Of course, a week and a half of searching for a killer in a cramped and cluttered car would make anyone grimace with discomfort. Especially Nick, who only participated in something if it was clearly beneficial to his means of existence.

"No!" AJ screamed as he sat straight up, the nightmare still gripping his heart in a fit of terror. Scrambling on the backseat, he lurched when he felt a hand land on his arm, whirling to realize it was Nick. Rubbing bleary eyes as he fought to calm down, he rummaged around the backseat for his cigarettes. "He-He had her tied to a wall, and-"

“J, she wasn’t tied to a wall,” Nick attempted to assuage, pulling the blanket away from his body so he could crawl into the backseat. Given his large stature, it proved far more difficult and ungraceful than he had intended, and he groaned when he sat upon the last pack of cigarettes. Shifting with a growl, he pulled a broken cigarette from the pack, handing it over to AJ with a sorrowful expression. He had seen the photographs of the murder scene and last night he had thumbed through the horrifying photographs and letters the killer had mailed to AJ quite personally. Though it had been brutal, the death had been surprisingly quick. She had been surprised by her attacker, who the police assumed wanted to take her, but she had fought with overwhelming honor. Because of her feisty nature, what was supposed to be a kidnapping turned into a violent death. But, thankfully, as the police had stated, the murderer did not have time to rape her, which seemed to be a portion of his M.O. Whatever that meant…

"It wasn't her, it was someone else," AJ murmured, staring at the broken cigarette for a long moment. Days of useless searching and inquiries in the worst possible hellholes they had come across was causing him to lose hope, but each memory of what had happened to the woman he loved renewed his anger and determination. Tossing aside the filter when it snapped between his fingers, he reached to light the remainder of the cigarette. "He's got someone else, he's doing it again, he-"

“Slow that roll, Dionne Warwick!” Nick interrupted with a whistle, leaning into the back of the car to retrieve some sodas from the melting ice of the cooler they had brought along. Then, rummaging in the grocery bags, he brought forth a mangled box of overly powdered donuts. “How could you possibly know that the fucker is striking again?”

"Because it's been three weeks, Nick! Don't you know shit? Every three weeks, he…" AJ groaned, accepting the dripping soda with a shrug. "His M.O. is to kidnap them, torture and rape them, then he kills them. Then three weeks later, he does it again-"

“Who the fuck told you that?”

"The fucker himself," AJ whispered, reaching into the front seat for the folder of letters and photographs.

For the first time in his entire life, Nick said nothing witty or sarcastic in response to AJ’s confession. Instead, he waited for AJ to make sense of his statement, though he frowned when a letter was thrust in his hand. Opening it, several photographs fell into his lap. Picking up the first, Nick held his breath when he looked at the two terrified women being defiled within the photograph. One with long ebony black locks dangled from the ceiling, not a shred of clothing covering her body or the wicked red streaks of raised skin, looking as if she had been whipped repeatedly while the other woman had a dog chain wrapped around her neck, bolting her to the wall. “Jesus Christ…”

"They get worse," AJ murmured, keeping his gaze on his cigarette. He had seen the photographs enough to recite the detail. He had pored over them upon first receiving them, as though by doing so he would have some clue as to where the man was. "He said he was making the older one watch while he rapes the younger one-"

“So what--”

“They’re sisters.”

“Jesus Christ,” Nick repeated when he found the last photograph of the younger woman strapped tightly to a dingy mattress with the older one handcuffed to the headboard to watch. Blood could be seen pooling from her legs as the murderer stood off to the side, brandishing his crimson streaked erection and pile of toys that had caused the damage. Feeling his stomach turn violently, he hurriedly flipped the photographs to the back, his eyes widening at the detailed descriptions that had been written on each. “How long have you had these?”

"Since the day before the funeral," AJ admitted, dropping the remainder of his cigarette in an empty can. Nudging the can aside with his foot, he sighed, running a hand over his face as Nick flipped through the photographs. "Let's find a place to get breakfast and take a piss, man…"

“Why didn’t you give these to the police instead of trying to play Dick Tracy?” Nick asked, visibly shuddering when he looked over the pictures again. Closing his eyes, he thrust them into the front seat before fumbling for the door handle. They had spent the night on an abandoned road leading to a dune covered and overly weeded portion of the Oceanside. No paparazzi would be lurking in those bushes if they wanted to urinate in the wilderness.

"The police don't do shit, remember?" AJ reminded him, crawling out behind his younger friend. Stretching his lithe form as Nick shuffled towards the edge of the road, he glanced around, thinking perhaps he had heard something in the bushes nearby. A moment of silence passed, however, and he moved to stand near Nick, ready to relieve himself on the side of the road.

“Hey, Shit-Stick, this isn’t a public bathroom with a set distance between urinals. Give me some fucking space to take a piss in peace,” Nick immediately growled when he lowered the zipper of his jeans and realized how close AJ was. Kicking some dirt toward his friend, he took a few more steps down the road till he found a bush-covered ditch. Freeing himself from his jeans, he glanced around his location before the flow of urination could begin. Though, any means of controlling his urination was halted when he looked down to see a dirty, bloody, naked woman lying amongst the weeds. Gasping in shock, Nick stumbled back as a terrifying shriek exploded from deeper in the brush and a wild woman came flying at him, throwing him to the ground with furious punches. “AJ! GET THE BITCH OFF ME!”

"Whoa, whoa!" AJ shouted as he rushed over. Gently grasping the woman by the arms, he pulled her off of Nick, who quickly rolled away. When she thrashed in his arms, hair snapping against his cheeks, he released her, stepping between her and Nick before she could attack his friend again. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you-"

“Fucking great! I just pissed all over my new jeans!” Nick moaned in disgust, looking down to his splattered jeans instead of the wild woman.

"Nick, chill," AJ hissed, shrugging out of his black hooded sweatshirt. Offering it to the woman so she could cover herself, he raised a brow when she began to speak in fluent French. Though he barely understood two words of her speech, the inflection in her voice coupled with the rage in her eyes assured him that he was better off not knowing what she was saying.

“I just ruined a pair of four hundred dollar jeans because of Tarzan’s Jane over there and her accomplice hiding in the damn bushes like some ambush attack!” Nick defended with an annoyed whine, though at his sickened gesture toward the ditch seemed to alight the woman yanking on AJ’s jacket further. With a startled gasp, she immediately raced back to the ditch with another flourish of softer, kinder French sentences. “When did we take a ride in the ocean over to Baguette-Ville?”

"Nick… Don't you recognize her?" AJ whispered, his eyes on the two women in the ditch. "She's the woman-"

“Excuse me,” the elder sister murmured, her choked voice seemingly sounding like a gunshot to the two men who lurched in disbelief. She wrenched her muscles in attempts to hold her younger sister close, who was sobbing painfully and shivering uncontrollably. “Do you have anything else to cover her with? She’s… She’s lost so much blood…”

"We should call nine-one-one," Nick decided as AJ darted to the car to retrieve something for the younger woman to wear. Getting to his feet, he headed after his friend, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the feel of his damp jeans clinging to his crotch.

"Later," AJ tossed over his shoulder, gathering the blankets from the front seat of the car. Pushing them into Nick's arms, he moved to open the trunk, digging inside of his duffle bag for pants and shirts the women could wear. Draping the clothes over his shoulders, he took the blankets from Nick, rushing to take them to the women.

“Don’t come any closer!” the elder sister suddenly demanded before AJ could get any closer to the traumatic scene. She had been murmuring consoling words into her sister’s bloody ear, but it was easily seen that the younger woman was losing consciousness. AJ wanted to speak out to the older sister, to tell her it would be best to hurry, but she was desperately ignorant to the seriousness of her sister’s condition. “Don’t you dare look at her.”

"Do you want us to call an ambulance?" AJ questioned, turning to offer them privacy.

“God, no,” the woman breathed, struggling to dress her sister’s limp body.

“Lady, she’s bleeding to death,” Nick boldly announced, searching in his own duffle bag for a dryer pair of pants.

"Do you want us to take you anywhere?" AJ asked, ignoring Nick as the woman muttered under her breath. When she sharply drew in a breath to retort, he held up his hands in defeat. "You can't expect us just to leave you here by the side of the road bleeding to death!"

“I’m not bleeding much,” the woman insisted, cradling her younger sister delicately within her arms. Manically, she brought her fingers through her sister’s matted, ginger locks, oblivious to the smears of blood covering her hand. She furiously pressed her lips against the younger woman’s forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. “Adie, wake up… You were so brave, Adie, just wake up now… Show them you’re okay…”

"AJ, they both look like they're starved," Nick pointed out, glancing over at the two women. Gulping nervously, he ran a hand through his hair. "Can't we do something to help?"

“Ma’am, please let us help you,” AJ tried once more when he felt Nick nudging him toward the sisters. He wasn’t sure what he could possibly say to the older sister to make her trust him. Given the circumstances, he knew that he shouldn’t expect too much confidence from her. She looked so disheveled. A dried trail of blood could be seen just at the base of her neck, leading up from a matted spot of ebony hair at the base of her skull. His jacket just hung to her grimy body. Bruises, lacerations, and abrasions could be seen littered over her body. The torture she sustained was unimaginable in AJ’s mind. But what worried her most seemed to be the barely conscious woman in her arms. “…I know you don’t trust me and, given the situation, I don’t blame you. But your little sister…Adie? She’s hurt very badly… You really need us to take you to the hospital… Both of you need checked out… Please?”

The woman looked over at him suspiciously, clinging to her younger sister. "I…"

"You two can ride in the backseat and we'll drive directly to the hospital, I promise," AJ pleaded.

“Is she going to die?” she suddenly whispered fearfully.

"No, she won't die… Just let's help her get some help, okay?" AJ murmured. "I know how it feels to have someone so close to you hurting, and I promise you that my only concern is making sure Adie's okay…"

“I swear to God if you…” the woman’s heart seemed to leap to her throat when her younger sister’s eyes fell closed. Immediately, the woman stumbled to her feet and attempted to bring her sister into her arms. But something about her ankle and the overwhelming fatigue of her body wouldn’t allow her to support her sister’s weight. She crumpled easily into a frustrating ball of sobs. “Damnit! I shouldn’t have let her go in alone! I should have done something!”

"Hey… You didn't know," AJ attempted to soothe, taking a tentative step forward. When she didn't shoo him away, he moved closer to her. "Is it okay if I carry her to the car and then help you?"

Nick suddenly groaned at the overwhelming amount of time it was taking to coax the victim into trusting them. Without warning, he stepped forward. “Look, I’ll take the younger chick and you take the older chick. We’ll waste less time--”

"No!" the older woman screamed suddenly.

"Goddamnit, Nick," AJ growled. "Just go start the car and pull it up!" Pausing, he met the older sister's eyes. "It's okay," he promised as Nick stalked off to do his bidding. "We'll just wait here for him to get back with the car. …What's your name?"

“Secousse,” the woman muttered with disbelief, glaring at Nick as if she had the power to make him spontaneously combust. But with AJ’s soft clearing of his throat, she jerked back to look at him, immediately sighing. “My name is Josette and this is my sister, Adrienne.”

"My name is AJ-I mean Alex, and this is my friend, Nick…" AJ trailed, tentatively reaching to pull the blanket around Adrienne. When Josette didn't push him away, he eased the still form into his arms, his heart clenching when he saw the blood on the ground where she had been lying. When he heard the crunch of gravel behind him and the idling of the motor, he motioned for Nick to turn off the engine before looking to Josette. "I'll be right back…"

Josette lurched at his response, “Wait, please don’t take her without me--”

"I just have to put her in the backseat, Josette," AJ promised. "As soon as I do that, I'll get you, okay?"

“Don’t take her away from me,” Josette pleaded in a mere whisper, shrinking back when he started to carry Adrienne toward the vehicle.

Once he had placed Adrienne in the backseat, AJ made sure to cover her securely with the blanket, ignoring Nick's impatient sigh from behind the wheel. As she settled against the seat, she released a soft groan, and he allowed himself to reassuringly squeeze her hand before backing out of the car. Turning back to get to Josette, he carefully lifted her into his arms, surprised when she curled her arms around his neck.

“If… If I forget to tell you or I don’t see you again… Thank you,” Josette whispered against his cheek.

"You'll see me again, I promise," AJ whispered as he carried her to his car. Settling her in the backseat next to her sister, he pulled the seatbelt over her and secured it, his eyes meeting hers briefly.

Josette mustered a smile, reaching a trembling hand out to fix a stray dark curl that had fallen across his forehead. “Thank you so much.”

*~*~*

Josette winced as the nurse tightened the Ace Bandage around her ankle, though her pain was moot compared to her worry for Adrienne. Her sister had been taken away the moment AJ had escorted them into the Emergency Room, and no matter how many times she asked no one could tell her a thing about her condition. Nodding distractedly as she was told to keep the weight off of her foot, she was surprised to see AJ step into the examining room, carrying a shopping bag.

“Hey…” AJ called softly with a wave when he saw her resting on the examination table. She looked far better than she had hours before. The health care workers had done their best to help clean her up as well as taking care of the cuts and whatnot that littered her body. Offering her what he hoped was a positive smile, he stepped forward only to excuse himself as a nurse breezed past with a bag of varying contents of containers, swabs, envelopes, and such; which sobered him significantly when he realized it was the infamous rape kit. Watching as she handed it to the police officer standing outside the treatment room, AJ swallowed hard and gestured toward the shopping bag in his hands. “While I was waiting, I decided it be better if I ran out and got you some clothes to wear. I pretty much guessed on your size—Oh! I got your sister some clothes, too.”

"You shouldn't have," Josette murmured, mustering a smile of appreciation as she pulled the hospital blanket tighter around her shoulders. That he was being so kind to her, a complete stranger, was unnerving. She felt she was justified in being wary of his kindnesses, considering the trauma she and Adrienne had been through. Though, she was touched when he withdrew items of clothing, grateful he had chosen an oversized black t-shirt and what looked like comfortable stretch pants. "Thank you so much… Alex?"

“Yeah, that’s my name,” AJ confirmed with a nod, taking the nearby stool to sit at her side while another nurse moved to withdraw blood from her arm. He made sure to keep an adequate distance between them, not wanting to unnerve her completely. “How are you feeling? …I don’t want to pry into your personal business, but I just worried that…”

"I'm worried about Adie," Josette admitted softly, turning her gaze to the floor as the nurse inserted the needle into her arm. "I haven't heard a word about her, Alex, and no one seems to know anything, and I just… If I knew she was okay I wouldn't worry so much-"

“You know how doctors are… Too high and mighty to ever come off their pedestal for the worrying family members. I’m sure once he gets that stick out of his ass, he’ll come and give you some news. And not just any news, but good news,” AJ murmured with a hopeful confidence, hesitating slightly before reaching for her hand, realizing she hated needles.

"You've been so kind to us, Alex," Josette murmured, staring at his hand for a moment before placing her hand in it. "Driving us here, buying us clothes… You really didn't have to… We can pay you back-"

“I’m extremely financially secure, so I don’t want anything to be paid back… Just, don’t humiliate me in front of these nurses when they inquire about our relationship. We’ve been together for six months, I’m looking at engagement rings, and you’re madly in love with me, okay?”

"Okay…" Josette trailed, realizing the nurse had left already. "How did we meet, Alex?"

“I swept you off your feet the instant our eyes met--” When AJ realized she was smirking, he offered a pleased grin. “Well, that wasn’t a lie.”

"And you took me to see Phantom of the Opera on our first date, before a romantic candlelight dinner on the beach," she decided with a smile, feeling him gently squeeze her hand. "But you fumbled when you tried to kiss me goodnight, because you were so startled by my beauty-"

“Oh, of course, how could anyone not fumble in the glow of your gorgeousness? Every man looked our way and I just smiled wickedly at them, because I knew you were all mine,” AJ murmured, looking up to admire her profile for a mere moment. Though there was bruising to the side of her temple and her bottom lip was split and swollen, she was still a beautiful creature. Her dark cocoa eyes seemed to warm the very depths of his aching soul and the way she smiled was so charming...

"Can my wonderful boyfriend do me an immense favor?" Josette requested softly, unconsciously tracing the back of his hand with her thumb.

“Anything for my gorgeous girlfriend,” AJ promised, concentrating on the soft movement of her thumb.

"Go put your foot down and insist they tell us how Adie is?" she murmured.

“I’m quite the belligerent bastard when I want to be; I’m sure I can get some kind of information for you,” AJ promised with a soft nod, moving to stand as a nurse came back in with a cup of pills and several prescriptions.

"Thank you Alex," Josette whispered, squeezing his hand for strength before he slipped away.

“Quite the man you have there,” the nurse announced when she watched AJ breeze out into the hallway in search of Adrienne’s doctor. She smiled sweetly to Josette as she offered her the cup of pills. “These are just some preventative medications that the doctor prescribed. The one is the morning-after pill, which will prevent pregnancy. The others are to prevent HIV and other STDs. Also, the blood that we took from you today will be tested and in two to four weeks you’ll have to come back for more blood work to assure you didn’t contract anything... And then three months for another HIV test… I know it all sounds scary, but that’s why we have you start on this medications immediately.”

"…What are the side effects?" Josette questioned warily, looking down at the array of pills in the cup.

“For the most part, you’ll experience some nausea, abdominal cramping and tenderness, fatigue, and headaches. Effects of the emergency contraceptive should usually be relieved in twenty four hours. Since you take the antiretroviral to prevent an HIV infection, those symptoms of fatigue, nausea, and dizziness may last a little longer. But, I would think that the benefits outweigh the risks right now.”

"I think you'd be right, too," Josette murmured, accepting the cup of water to gulp down the pills. Glancing up when AJ entered the room once more, she didn't realize her face lit up with gratefulness at his nearness. Glancing to the nurse, she cleared her throat. "…Can I get dressed now?"

“Of course, I’d also like to speak to you about the closest rape crisis center to where you live before you leave,” the nurse answered, glancing to AJ for a moment. “Is your boyfriend going to help you dress?”

"Um… Yeah," Josette muttered, just wanting the woman to leave. Once the door swung shut, she released a soft breath of relief, sliding off the examining table. "What did you find out?"

“Adrienne’s surgeon is currently screaming at some old bird on the phone, but he managed to say that he’d be in to speak with you in a few moments,” AJ confided, immediately turning his back to Josette so she could dress. He even slid his hands over his eyes to prevent any peeking that he might be tempted to do. “Watch your ankle, please.”

"Old bird?" Josette repeated, quickly shedding the blankets and hospital gown. Adrienne must have called Mother, she realized, holding her foot aloft as she wriggled into the oversized t-shirt before reaching for the pants. "Can… Can you help me with the pants?" she questioned after several moments of struggling.

“Blindfolded?” AJ squeaked erratically.

Josette furrowed her brow for a moment, leaning against the examining table. "Well… For some reason that even I don't know… I trust you, Alex-"

“If you’re sure…” AJ murmured, extending his hand behind him so he could shuffle backwards through the room. When he bumped into the examining table, he made sure to clamp a tight hand over his eyes as he turned. Stretching his arm out next, he felt Josette’s hand enclose over his. Slowly dropping his other hand from his eyes, he smiled at the reassurance in her dark cocoa eyes. Reaching for the knit pants, he tore off the tag and then bent down to ease her injured leg into the first leg and then he repeated the action before helping her ease the pants up her body. “How are you feeling now?”

"Nervous… And kind of fluttery," Josette whispered, wondering how it could be that he elicited such a reaction from her. The concern in his warm chocolate eyes caused her heart to trip over itself, and when he gently lifted her onto the examining table she gasped softly. "I mean… I feel a lot better, thank you…"

“Think nothing of it,” AJ promised softly, gently brushing the damp, wavy curls that had fallen into her face behind her ears. Gingerly, he rubbed his index fingers and thumbs over the lobes of her ears, but the clearing of a throat caused him to jerk away. Blushing furiously, he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked to the floor.

“Miss Josette Moreau?” a somewhat older man asked, looking to Josette for confirmation before glancing back to his notes.

"Yes?" Josette murmured nervously, instinctively reaching to hold onto AJ's arm before he could step away.

“I’m Dr. Adler, your sister’s surgeon--”

"How is she? Can I go see her? Will she be alright? Does she need a transfusion? She and I have the same blood type-"

“We already have blood infusing into her, so as noble as that act is, we don’t need you to give blood at this current stage,” Dr. Adler gently interrupted, looking to AJ for a moment, then his notes, and then back to Josette. “Is it alright to discuss your sister’s condition in front of him? I will be quite frank, Miss Moreau…”

"Yes, yes, go ahead," Josette insisted, not wanting to waste the time it would take for AJ to leave.

“The level of sexual abuse that I saw on your sister today… I have never seen such a blatant display of disrespect for a woman’s body in all my life… To imagine what you and her endured would be unfathomable to me. She sustained several lacerations to her breasts, thighs, and buttocks. Bruises are scattered in the same areas as well... The man even went so far as to brand his initials on her inner thigh. I did my best to suture what I could to reduce and minimize the scarring. But what horrified me the most was the trauma sustained to her genitalia. She lost an overwhelming amount of blood from lacerations to her vagina, cervix, and, God help her, her uterus. I wanted to do an emergency hysterectomy--”

"A what?! Is it that bad?!" Josette blurted, sliding off the examining table once more.

“Josette, your ankle,” AJ gasped, immediately reaching to wrap his arms around her waist to support her weight.

“A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus and surrounding reproductive organs that are causing the bleeding--”

"I know what a hysterectomy is," Josette interrupted. "What did you mean by 'wanted', though?"

“Your sister is unresponsive, so I had to call the power of attorney to have consent in order to do the procedure. So, that meant that I had to call your mother, but she absolutely refused to give permission for the hysterectomy as well as the rape kit--”

"That evil old bitch!" Josette shrieked. "You have to do a rape kit, right? Isn't there some law?"

“A patient can refuse a rape kit if he or she chooses. We can’t enforce it,” Dr. Adler murmured, scratching something furiously over Adrienne’s chart. It was obvious that the man was infuriated by the conversation with the sisters’ mother. “Right now, I have my surgical team working to repair all the trauma done to your sister’s reproductive system. Your mother was so concerned about grandchildren to carry the tradition of your family that she is jeopardizing your sister’s health. Not only that, but she wants her discharged immediately after she wakes up. She also requested to speak to you immediately...”

"Do you have a phone I can use?" Josette sighed. Realizing she was leaning against AJ, she pulled away, grasping the edge of the table for support.

When AJ nodded and reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone, Dr. Adler continued to speak, “I’ll come and find you when your sister is out of surgery. Hopefully she doesn’t bleed out in the process--”

"I'll get it taken care of," Josette interrupted snappily. "Just go do what you have to do to take care of my sister."

“Make sure you wear some ear protection when you speak to her, she shrieks terribly,” Dr. Adler mumbled, rushing out of the room when his pager went off.

Groaning, Josette dialed the number to her mother's private office, waiting impatiently as it began to ring. Hearing her mother's crisp, cold answer, she drew in a deep breath. "How dare you refuse permission for Adie's hysterectomy?! Do you realize that she could die?!"

“Good afternoon to you as well, Josette…”

"Good afternoon, Mother," Josette greeted reluctantly. "Now, who do you think you are? You know as well as I do that if she were awake she would opt for the surgery-"

“Which is precisely why I thank the Lord that she isn’t. If she would opt to have a hysterectomy, then she would be useless to any suitor that may come along during your wedding, Josette. Rudolph has many respectable friends that would suit our family quite well. But, if Adrienne is unable to give birth to children, then she truly is better off dead--”

"Is that all she is to you? A fucking breeding factory?" Josette snapped in disgust, unable to believe that her own mother could be so cold and unfeeling. "She could always adopt, you cold-hearted bitch-"

A shrill laugh interrupted Josette’s fiery tirade. “Josette, Dear, no man wants to adopt someone else’s child. That would be like picking someone’s genetics from a trash receptacle.”

"Mother-" Josette cut off with a growl of French expletives. "Goodbye-"

“Josette Floriana Moreau, I forbid you to hang up on me!” Mother Moreau exploded with disgust, halting the eldest daughter’s movement of slapping the phone shut. “This nonsense is all your fault and I will not be made the Devil’s Advocate. I’m simply cleaning up your mess! Insisting that you take a so-called “road-trip” with your sister because you want space before your wedding. You have never made sacrifices for this family and now I find that you’ve practically killed your sister because of your foolishness. I will not be made an embarrassment of our social network, do you understand? I want Adrienne out of that hospital as soon as she opens her eyes. I want you to take her somewhere and stay there for the remainder of your vacation. No one will know about this foolish mistake of yours, do you understand? I’ll make some phone calls to send Adrienne some medicine in order to cope with the problem as soon as you let me know where you’re staying.”

"…Alright, Mother," Josette whispered after a moment, tears of degradation spilling onto her cheeks. "I'll have Father wire me some money when we find a place. Goodbye," she said quickly, slapping the phone shut before her mother could interrupt anymore. Shoving the phone towards AJ, she pressed both hands to her face, stifling a sob of frustration.

“What the fuck did she say to you?” AJ inquired quite blatantly, immediately wincing at the harshness of his words when they left his mouth. He was just flabbergasted at the sheer frostiness that emulated from Josette and Adrienne’s mother. He may not have heard both sides of the conversation, but the devastation on Josette’s face was enough.

"Nothing she hasn't said before," Josette replied softly. "I just have to find a place to stay and not breathe a word about what happened and pretend that she and I have spent a delightful vacation away from home and why I'm even bothering you with all this inter-family bullshit is beyond me…"

“…You’re not allowed to go home after what happened?”

"She doesn't want there to be any 'talk'," Josette explained with a sigh, turning slightly to look at him. "She's very big on what other people think…"

“How long do you have to disappear for?”

"A month or so… See, we were going on a road trip before… Well, we planned to be gone for a couple of months, and-"

“Come stay at my house,” AJ immediately invited before arguing the potential consequences of his decision mentally. He just couldn’t stand to have these two women thrust out onto the streets because their mother was a suffocating bitch. He knew he may have sounded overbearing or potentially bizarre, but he had to take the chance. “I didn’t… I mean… You don’t have to accept the offer. I know it sounds crazy, but--”

"You'd do that?" Josette interrupted in surprise, stiffening slightly when he reached to brush her tears away. She had never met someone who gave without wanting something in return, and she was still wary of his intentions. "Even though you don't even know us?"

“That’s why you have to stay for a month or more, so I can get to know you…”

"We'd have to pay you back for everything, Alex…" she trailed softly. "Can I think about it and let you know in a little bit? But if you have something you need to do, you can go ahead, I'll figure out something-"

“I don’t have anything important to do but make sure that your sister is going to be okay. So, if you like, I can go try to find you something tasty to eat in the cafeteria? Give you time to think over my offer?”

"…If I say yes, will you go get me something from McDonald's instead?" Josette requested, knowing she wouldn't be able to stomach anything from the cafeteria.

AJ actually felt himself swoon as he rested a hand over his heart. “I think I just met a Big Mac Angel…”

Josette couldn't hold back a soft laugh. "Make sure they put extra cheese on it and I'll show you my wings…"

Chapter 3

Waking with a furious start, Adrienne gasped for a strangled breath that seemed to be smothered in the depths of her body. She was unaware of her surroundings, tangled within the nightmare that had haunted her for almost three hellish weeks. Ignorant of the pain from surgery, she began to rip away the tubes and cords that were connected to her body. She could feel the greasy sweat of the man pouring over her body as his stale, breath huffed over her face. His gnarled hands sweeping over her body in swift, demanding strokes, scratching her delicate flesh while his erection invaded her body time and time again till he expelled everything from his body into hers. But that would not satisfy his appetite, so he reached for something else to entertain him. The cold, steel blade of the knife he revealed caused a terrible shriek to expel from her sister’s lungs. Death had been imminent.

"Adie, Doll Face, no," Josette interjected softly, catching her sister's hands before they could rip out the IV tube. Holding their clasped hands to her chest, she leaned over until she could look Adrienne in the eye. Seeing the raw fear deep in the cinnamon brown pools, she whispered endearments softly until Adrienne stopped struggling. "We're safe, Doll Face," she murmured, tears slipping from her own eyes. She had been sitting at her sister's bedside all day, each beep from a machine seeming to tell her that there was less and less hope. "We're safe…"

“He’s dead?” Adrienne whispered hopefully, concentrating fully on her sister’s hands. Those last two days had been the longest. Usually he took breaks between attacks. To eat and rest. He would lock Adrienne in a blackened closet and go about his duties till he wanted her again. But those last two days had been consistent torture… He never grew tired… If anything, as life began to flood from her body, renewed energy seemed to seep into his. Then, when she was certain that death would come as his hands slid around her neck, Josette had managed to get free. The last tangible image she had was her sister wielding the bloody knife at their assailant.

"He won't hurt us anymore," Josette promised, unable to recall for certain what exactly had happened. She could only remember grabbing a knife and attacking the man, and then she was stumbling through the woods with Adrienne… "How do you feel?"

“…Fine,” Adrienne murmured, biting down on her bottom lip, though she winced at the twinge of pain that exploded from her nervous action. Pulling a hand away from Josette’s hold, she carefully brought her fingers to her lips, sensing the split in her bruised and tender lips. Feeling a wave of nausea rush over her from the anesthesia, she slowly lowered herself back upon the bed. The clenching stabs of pain invading her lower half felt like death a hundred times over, but she said nothing.

"Don't lie to me," Josette requested, reaching to push the nurse call button. She could tell just by looking at Adrienne's expression that her sister was in immense pain. Ignoring the pain in her own ankle, she leaned up to adjust the pillows before gently tucking the blanket around Adrienne's trembling body. "If you're in pain, say so, Adie."

“I’m fine,” Adrienne insisted, though the strength of her voice dropped significantly when the nurse entered the room. She tensed significantly when she realized the nurse was male, his welcoming smile poison to her when he reached up for her IV line, uncapping a syringe. Thinking that he would sedate her for other purposes, she jerked in horror and reached for her IV once more to yank it free.

"Excuse me… Danny Boy," Josette interrupted, stepping between the nurse and her sister. Keeping her stance protective, she met his eyes with a level gaze. "What are you about to inject in her IV?"

“Morphine?” the nurse answered in surprise, taking a step back to avoid any potential swing of a fist. It looked as if he had never been questioned before. “Her insides were shredded like tissue paper, so I thought pain medication would be in order before taking the blood and giving her the medication for sexual assault protocol?”

"Don't you know better than to just stomp in here and shove a needle after her?" AJ barked from the doorway, anger creeping into his voice as he witnessed the scene. Dropping the stuffed bears and flowers he carried into a nearby chair, he crossed the room to the bed. "After all she's been through, you come swaggering in with a grin. For all she knows, you're going to put her to sleep and do something else to her-"’

“And who the Hell are you?!” the nurse immediately exclaimed, glaring from Josette to AJ, who were preventing him from his daily tasks.

"I'm her sister's boyfriend, that's who I am," AJ informed with a scowl, glancing to see Josette attempting to soothe Adrienne. Turning back to the nurse, he raised a brow. "Why don't you send in the head nurse to take care of her? 'Cause apparently, you don't know how to treat a patient."

The nurse looked baffled at the suggestion. “You--”

“Now,” AJ growled.

Josette glanced up when the nurse released an exasperated sigh, watching him hurriedly leave the room. Smiling her thanks to AJ, she returned her attention to Adrienne, murmuring softly as her sister began to sniffle. "It's okay, Twinkle Toes, he's gone… Alex got rid of him for us, it's okay…"

Adrienne said nothing to promise her sister that she indeed was okay, simply curling her arms about Josette’s neck for protection. All the words she had seemed to leave her when someone was in the room besides Josette. She didn’t have the strength to speak, nor the passion. She was overtly numb to communication, burying her face into the crook of her sister’s neck to suppress a startled sob. She had never been so terrified before in her life. She just wanted to disappear. To take flight from her aching body.

"Is there a problem in here?" an older nurse asked from the open doorway, seeing the patient sniffling in the bed. Casting a weary glance towards AJ, she slowly approached the bed. "Now, now… Everything will be alright, Miss Moreau. Sir? If you'll just step outside, I need to check her over." When the woman holding the patient stiffened, she offered a gentle smile. "You can stay, ma'am."

“I’ll be right outside, Josette,” AJ murmured softly, reaching to help pull the curtain surrounding Adrienne’s bed before stepping outside to wait.

“Who is he?” Adrienne finally whispered, watching the nurse push the needle into one of the IV ports to deliver pain medication into her system. Slowly, holding her breath to stop the hiccups that always occurred after she cried, she pulled her arms away from Josette. Lying back on the bed once more, she felt Josette reach for both of her hands as the nurse instructed her to take the pills that she had brought. They would help protect her from potential infections the assailant may have given her as well as antibiotics to prevent against infection from her surgery. She did as she was told, though tensed just the same when the nurse softly instructed that she’d need to take a look at the bandages and her body in whole. Feeling the blankets being drawn from her body, she squeezed her eyes closed. “Don’t look, Ette.”

"I'm not," Josette promised, gently pressing her face against Adrienne's neck. She had witnessed all of the torture her sister endured, she had no desire to see the wounds now. At least, not yet. When Adrienne was ready to show them to her, she would look. "And Alex is the man who saved us… He brought us here yesterday and he's been taking care of both of us, Adie…"

“…We’ve been here for a day?” Adrienne inquired in disbelief, pressing a hand over her mouth when she felt the woman’s hands moving over her body to assess the sutures and whatnot. She knew that the nurse was just doing her job, but the fear and mortification were still present. Her stomach churned nastily with sickness and she struggled to focus on something else. “…What’d they do? Are you hurt, Ette?”

"Just a sprained ankle and cuts, Twinkle Toes," Josette murmured, grateful when she heard the rustle of blankets as the nurse pulled them back over Adrienne's body. Knowing she had to tell Adrienne the truth, she sighed softly. "You were in surgery… They had to fix the tears-"

“The tears?” Adrienne whispered, watching the nurse jot some notes down before motioning that she would be waiting outside drawing up the discharge papers their mother had strictly ordered. “What tears? The cuts to my body?”

"To your… Where he used the knife and screwdriver," Josette whispered, hot tears of rage slipping from her eyes as she dropped into the chair at the bedside. Releasing a strangled tear of frustration, she reached to hold her sister's hand. "We're going to be okay, Adie, I promise…"

"Is it alright if I come in now?" AJ questioned softly from the doorway, having been told by the nurse that she was finished with her examination.

“What did they do in the surgery, Ette? Am I okay?” Adrienne inquired, her voice barely above a whisper as the curtain was gently pulled back by AJ. She looked over to him for a moment, immediately reaching to draw the blankets up to her neck. She knew that her sister trusted him, but his appearance was slightly startling. Wildly unruly, dark curls, slightly unkempt facial hair, extensive artwork to his body…

"They repaired tears to your vagina and cervix and… They had to stitch up your breasts and they said they couldn’t get rid of the initials there on your inner thigh…" Josette murmured softly so AJ couldn't hear, even though he had heard it all the day before. "And you're fine, Sweetheart, I promise."

“Okay…” Adrienne answered with acceptance.

"Do you like stuffed animals?" AJ questioned carefully, keeping his distance from the bed as he clutched the two teddy bears he had brought up with him. "I stopped and got you something at the gift shop… Something for you to hold onto-If you want it, that is-"

“Go ahead, Ette, you love teddy bears,” Adrienne mumbled quietly to her older sister.

"He's talking to you, Doll Face…"

Confused, Adrienne finally moved her gaze from the scratchy blankets drawn over her body to the man standing in her room. She had done everything to avoid eye contact with him, but now she couldn’t avoid it, the way he smiled hopefully at her and nodded in agreement with Josette’s statement. She couldn’t understand why he had been so anxious to help them, much less buy her gifts. Shifting uncomfortably, she nodded meekly toward him, barely able to muster a soft, “Thank you.”

"You're welcome," AJ murmured, placing the bears on the side of the bed where she could reach them. Glancing across the bed at Josette, he cleared his throat, pulling his gaze from the warmth of her dark cocoa eyes. "I'll just go out and tell Nick that everything's okay, and then I'll pop back up here so we can get going to my house…"

"Thanks, Alex," Josette whispered, watching Adrienne pick up the teddy bears as AJ slipped out of the room once more.

“Everything must have been minor if I’m allowed to leave so soon,” Adrienne decided with a hopefully relieved smile when AJ disappeared. Delicately setting the teddy bears on her lap, she quickly had to move them because even the slight pressure caused an ache in her lower half. Playing with the purple bear’s ear, she was comforted by how soft they were. “…He’s nice…”

"Yes, he is," Josette agreed softly, lifting her foot to gingerly rest it on the side of the bed. "And…" Sighing, she raked a hand through her tousled hair, wondering how best to tell her sister that their mother wanted them to stay away. "He's invited us to stay at his house on the beach until we can travel home safely…"

“…Why can’t we travel home safely now?”

"Because you need your rest so you can heal properly and my ankle needs to be healed and our car has been towed back home, not to mention Father hasn't wired me any money for the return trip…"

“Father and Mother know?”

"Yes," Josette groaned, not wanting to get into an explanation of her conversation with their mother.

“…She’s mad at me, isn’t she?”

"No, Sweetheart, she's not mad at you," Josette promised, glancing up when the nurse reappeared.

“The surgeon signed your discharge papers and I’ve got several prescriptions for you, Dearie. One is for any anxiety you might feel. One will help you sleep at night. One is for the pain. The others are to prevent the sexual diseases. We’ve taken some blood from you, so you need to come back in a few weeks for another check-up and the sutures should be removed in a week and a half or so. Since you weren’t able to have the hysterectomy, I want you to be very careful about guarding your body. We’ve done our best to suture all the tears and stop the bleeding, but if you find that you’re bleeding heavier than before--”

“I couldn’t have a hysterectomy…” Adrienne murmured.

"I'll explain everything later," Josette whispered, easing out of the chair to retrieve the clothes AJ had brought for Adrienne the day before. Realizing how timid her sister was over men now, she cleared her throat, hopping slowly across the room with the pants and t-shirt draped over her arm. "I went out and got you these this morning… I'll help you dress, then we can get out of here."

“Mother doesn’t want us to come home, does she?” Adrienne guessed with a dejected sigh, watching the nurse remove the IV from her hand before smoothing a Band-Aid over the wound. Then, handing over the prescriptions and paperwork, the nurse wished the women the best of luck and walked out to give them privacy. Carefully, Adrienne shifted to lean over the side of the bed, immediately grasping the rail when she swooned slightly. She knew all too well what her sister was trying to hide. Their mother was the bluest-blooded aristocrat in California. She could trace their lineage back to royalty in France and everyone knew of their wealthy family. But, they did not know about the darkness that surrounded the family. After all, perfection was not dark.

"She wants us to stay gone like we had planned to, and when we get back we're to regale everyone with tales of our wonderful trip," Josette answered in a monotone, removing the tags from the clothing with an angry snap. "And we're not to breathe a word of what happened to anyone we know, because God forbid someone think we're no longer pure," she hissed under her breath as tears once again flooded her eyes. "God, Adie, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go in alone, I should have told him to get his own fucking puppy by himself, I should have protected you better-"

“I’m the idiot that thought he had a puppy, Ette,” Adrienne gently interrupted, reaching behind her neck to pull the ties of the hospital gown. Just simply talking about the horror caused her hands to tremble. She couldn’t believe that she had so willingly gone with a man that she didn’t know. He had been so rough looking and clearly a danger. But she had persisted. Mother was right, she was unbelievably naïve.

"Hey… You're not an idiot," Josette chided softly, reaching for Adrienne's hand. "But we're going to be alright, Doll Face. We've got each other."

“…And you’ve got Alex…” Adrienne decided, reaching for the t-shirt her sister held. Keeping the gown close to her body, she did her best to draw the shirt over her body to conceal the bandages. She was so ashamed of herself at that moment, but she realized something was brewing between AJ and Josette.

"I don't have Alex," Josette disagreed, gently reaching to pull the t-shirt down. AJ had bought one several sizes too big, and it pooled over her hips when it reached them. Picking up the pants, she slowly pulled the blankets away from Adrienne's legs, keeping her eyes in a locked gaze with her sister. "And even if I did, I'm engaged to Rudolph, remember?"

“He’s so stuffy…” Adrienne sighed, not really enthused with the idea of her sister marrying the junior partner to their father’s law firm. He wasn’t the type of man she envisioned as having for a brother-in-law. He was pretentious, snooty, weak, and had no personality whatsoever. Her sister may have been elegant, prim, and proper, but there was a certain playfulness to her that only Adrienne was able to draw out. And, she feared that with Josette’s marriage to Rudolph the playfulness would die.

"Well… For the next month Rudolph the Brown-Nosing Asshole doesn't exist," Josette decided, carefully easing the pants up Adrienne's bruised legs. Once they were in place, she pressed a soft kiss to her sister's cheek before turning to pull the wheelchair close to the bed. "Alright, Twinkle Toes, let's roll."

*~*~*

Finding Nick in the courtyard outside the hospital, AJ headed over to the table his friend occupied, dropping the bag from McDonald's in front of an empty seat before sitting down. Nick seemed to ignore his presence, cell phone pressed to his ear as he angrily smoked on a cigarette. Shrugging as he withdrew his late lunch, AJ stole the younger man's soda, idly taking a sip before announcing, "In about thirty minutes we can take Adie and Josette to my place…"

“Hold on, Aaron, the fucknut who’s been gone since fucking yesterday is yapping in my ear about some insane plan to take two raped chicks back to his house,” Nick suddenly announced, pulling the cell phone from his ear to shoot AJ an incredulous look. They had been stuck at the hospital for an entire day and AJ had barely spoken ten words to him. He would simply run back and forth from the waiting room to the hospital rooms, muttering just to stay put. If Nick had any common sense, he would have taken the car and deserted the bastard. But, no, he stayed.

"Want some?" AJ questioned, pushing the carton of fries towards the younger man with an innocent expression. Biting into his burger, he released a sigh of satisfaction. He was stalling, he knew, but the incredulity on Nick's face was too hard to waste. "I would have gotten you something, too, but you weren't in the waiting room when I went there, so I didn't know if you were hungry or not-"

“Don’t be fucking retarded,” Nick growled, slapping his cell phone shut and shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans. “You just said that you’re taking the two chicks back to your house. For what? To call them a cab? Because, we can certainly ring up a cab here, throw some money at them, and wish them the best of luck--”

"They're coming to my house to stay for awhile," AJ interrupted. "Their mother doesn't want them to come home yet, so I'm doing the decent thing and offering them a place to stay. Oh, wait, you don't know what decent means, do you?"

Nick snorted with disgust, “I know those two are going to be fucked up in the heads for the rest of their lives and now you think you can take them home and bond them like that pack of dogs you’ve got yapping around your place--”

"Just shut the fuck up and go pull the car around," AJ growled. "And I'll drop your sorry ass off at the nearest bus stop-"

“Hell, I’d rather hitch-hike there once the guys find out what stupid stunt you’re pulling because you have some kind of retarded death-complex--”

"Is it so wrong that I want to help them? Goddamn, Nick, it's not like I'm giving them my house and all my money. They have nowhere else to go-"

“I’m sorry that you lost your girlfriend, J. I really am. But, trying to make the pain go away by putting your entire heart into… Look, what happens if something goes wrong with those two? They’re unstable and they could hurt us--”

"I trust them. Adie won't even talk, and Josette's too concerned with taking care of her sister to hurt anything," AJ informed, cramming the rest of his burger into his mouth.

“You know their names?” Nick groaned, slumping further into his seat as he clapped his hands over his face. Kevin, Brian, and Howie were going to strangle him because of this fiasco. He could see it now. And, it wasn’t even his fault!

"She said their names when we found them in the ditch, Dumbass. Here, go get the car and pull it around front," AJ directed, pulling his keys from his pocket to hand them over before he gulped down the remainder of Nick's soda. "We'll be down in a few minutes."

“Here, go get the car and pull it around front,” Nick mimicked in a whiny tone, throwing his head from side to side. Jerking up from his seat, he shoved the keys deep into his front pocket. “Like I’m a fucking chauffer! Millions of women scream over me. I can have my choice of whoever-the-fuck I want, but no, I’m playing ass-diddling chauffer to the grieving stick!”

"I love you too, Nicky," AJ cooed as he threw his trash away. "And while you're at it, clean out the backseat a little so they can stretch out and be comfortable," he added, quickly turning and heading back inside.

“Kevin’s going to throw my dick in a can and then Howie and Brian are going to grind up my balls, I can fucking feel it now,” Nick muttered, wanting to throw a swift kick into AJ’s backside but the vibration of his phone deterred him. Stomping toward the parking lot, he kept his head low as he jerked his phone out and pressed it to his ear. He didn’t want to get spotted here of all places, much less have to explain what happened. If anything, he’d tell the media that he had accidentally rammed his dick so far into AJ’s ass that he needed emergency surgery—“What the Hell do you want?”

"What the fuck did you hang up on me for?!" Aaron barked into his ear. "I was in the middle of talking about the best blowjob I ever received and you fucking hung up!"

“Because, first off, the blowjob was sloppy seconds from a bitch I dumped last week, and second, AJ was being a fucking idiot,” Nick defended, immediately matching his younger brother’s anger and disbelief. He wasn’t about to be defeated by a snot-nosed punk that barely made his older brother’s weight.

"I really appreciate you teaching her how to deepthroat without gagging, Bro," Aaron sighed. "What's AJ's problem now? Jesus Christ, just hire him a whore to fuck his frustrations out on and then he'll be okay."

“I think he just found himself two without forking over any money whatsoever. They’re damaged goods and God only knows what they look like without blood and dirt smeared over them… But, pussy is pussy, right?” Nick groaned, yanking open the doors to AJ’s vehicle. Rummaging for a plastic bag, he began to pile all the trash within it, never bothering to retrieve AJ’s new hat from the pile either, just throwing it all into the nearby trashcan.

"Jesus Christ… Are they hot?" Aaron questioned after a moment.

“Why don’t you take a visit to AJ’s and find out, Asshole?”

"Because I'm stuck in fucking Toronto recording my album, Fucknut."

“They’ll be there for a month, I’m sure you have plenty of time with the kind of shitty work you do.”

"And I'll be sure and dedicate it all to you, oh loving brother of mine," Aaron snorted. "Just lay the Carter charm on them and get your rocks off, then you can forget about 'em, right?"

“Glad to see I’ve actually taught you something,” Nick decided, hopping into the driver’s seat and firing up the engine. Wrapping his arm around the back of the passenger seat, he craned his neck in order to back out of his parking spot. Then, hurriedly directing the car forward, he sped to the front of the hospital, anxious just to get back to normalcy.

"Call me when you find out if they're hot or not," Aaron requested. "Later, Bro."

“Fine,” Nick agreed, closing his cell phone once more before tossing it onto the dash. Reaching to put the vehicle in park, he glanced out the tinted window to see AJ driving a wheelchair out with another woman on crutches walking by his side. He immediately recognized the one with the crutches as the woman who had attacked him and found a scowl fixing to his face. But, knowing AJ would bitch, he slid out of the driver’s seat to assist them.

"Did you clean out the backseat?" AJ questioned as he stopped by the curb, reaching to set the brakes on the wheelchair before moving to open the door. Seeing the backseat was cleaned, he turned to assist Adrienne in first. Taking her hand in his, he offered her a reassuring smile as he helped her to her feet. "In we go," he murmured softly.

“Yes, Father, I made sure that I even licked the seats clean,” Nick muttered, leaning against the side of the vehicle to watch AJ’s tender movements. Sliding his arms across his chest in an aggressive manner, he felt his posture change ever so slightly when he looked to the woman being assisted. Despite her pale features from lack of blood, bruised face, and the tangled mess of long, dark ginger locks, Nick could see the remnants of a beauty. The soft heart-shaped angle of her face, rounded, button nose, large, cinnamon colored eyes. With a good rub down with soap, she’d be breathtaking. But, she didn’t seem to show the same interest when she clamped down on AJ’s hand and refused to budge an inch.

“Adrienne, that’s just my friend Nick. He’s not going to hurt you,” AJ assured. “He’s gayer than bahama-mama at sunset.”

"He's the ass that was jacking off while he looked at her lying naked in the ditch," Josette breathed in horror, raising one crutch defensively. "Get away from my sister!"

“What the fuck are you talking about?! I was trying to take a piss!” Nick squawked in horror, immediately dropping to the ground before she could swing the crutch at his body. “Jesus Christ!”

"Nick, get the fuck off the ground," AJ groaned with disbelief, turning his attention to Adrienne. "Alright, Adrienne… You can either stand on the curb until your toes grow to the pavement, or you can get in the car and we can get you home where you can rest…"

"He's not going, is he?" Josette questioned darkly, shifting on her crutches as Nick scrambled to his feet.

“Of course not!” Nick snorted, watching Adrienne climb into the vehicle without a word expressed from her lips. Instead, she carefully moved until she was in the very back and pressed quite tightly to the opposite side. “Why don’t we just tie my fat ass on the roof like a gay Christmas tree!”

"Sounds good to me," Josette decided with a casual shrug, leaning her crutches to the side of the car so AJ could help her in. When he handed her Adrienne's teddy bears, she passed them over with a soft smile, though she scowled when Nick climbed into the front passenger seat as AJ went to stow the flowers in the back.

Securing the seatbelt across his waist, Nick turned so he was facing the back of the vehicle while AJ climbed into the driver’s seat. He arched his brows curiously when Adrienne did everything within her power to avoid his eye contact and Josette scowled. “…You’re imagining lighting my dick on fire, aren’t you?”

"Among other things, yes," Josette conceded, reaching to hold Adrienne's hand protectively. She had held an intense dislike for the blonde man ever since spying him on the side of the road. Something told her that, unlike AJ, he was not just being nice.

“She’s a feisty broad,” Nick mused with a laugh, glancing over to Adrienne for another moment. “You must speak for her as well, huh?”

"Nick, sit down and shut the fuck up, please," AJ hissed between his teeth as he pulled away from the curb.

"Seems your friend has all the brains," Josette commented dryly, shifting so she was facing Adrienne.

“Yeah, but at least I have the bigger dick,” Nick admitted quite proudly before turning to face the front.

"If what I saw was the bigger dick, then I feel truly sorry for you," Josette returned, causing AJ to snort with laughter.

“You had that one coming, Asshole,” AJ immediately answered, defending Josette when Nick started to whine at him. Holding a hand up, he grinned in the rearview mirror to Josette when Nick jerked to stare out the window. When she smirked with pride, AJ let his gaze move to Adrienne and his smile instantly faded. She was merely staring out the window with the teddy bears clutched in her arms. Her face was placid with no emotion whatsoever, but he could tell there was significant pain in her features as she held tight to her lower abdomen. He could only assume that what was inside her was nothing short of a ticking time bomb.

Chapter 4

Muffling a yawn against the back of his hand, AJ immediately straightened his posture when he noticed the familiar landmarks that reminded him so much of his home. He had been driving continuously for three hours and his body was starting to ache. An entire day had passed with no sleep and at least an entire month had gone by without any means of adequate sleep. He just hoped that having Adrienne and Josette in his home would help provide him with some decent sleep. Something about Josette’s simmering cocoa eyes calmed him considerably. He felt comforted whenever she was near, though he’d never admit that to her. After all, he had just met her after both of them had experienced tragic ordeals. Besides, when he glanced into the rearview mirror, he noticed the way she cradled Adrienne protectively in her arms. Gingerly, her fingers brushed through Adrienne’s locks in a soothing manner, though the younger sister was no where near asleep. For the past three hours, she had barely cat-napped. She would be close to a deep sleep and suddenly jerk awake with a muffled cry. Every time this occurred, tears would spring to Josette’s worried eyes. He hoped he could do something to help them. Anything, really. “…Hey, we’re almost home.”

Nodding, Josette, met his eyes in the rearview mirror, offering him a soft smile before she dropped her gaze. She hoped that the pain relievers the doctor had prescribed would help Adrienne get some sleep. It seemed that just when she neared sleep something disturbed her. Probably the unmistakably male snores coming from Nick, who was sprawled in the front passenger seat as though he had no cares whatsoever. Glancing towards him, she shuddered with disgust when she saw one large hand cupping his crotch. Resisting the urge to kick his head with her uninjured foot, she rested her chin atop Adrienne's head gently, looking out the window but not seeing the sparkling ocean to their right.

“You guys are going to have the best vacation ever at my house…” AJ continued, glancing up to the rearview mirror once more to see that Adrienne briefly glanced his way before turning her gaze back to the window. Realizing that she was listening, he gripped the steering wheel a little more force, his smile widening into a grin. “I’ve got a pool that is both indoors and outdoors and a jacuzzi. I’ve also got a fantastic movie theatre with a remote control that controls everything in the entire room. The couches are the most comfortable in the world. I’ve had them appraised, y’know. I also have my own private beach and Nick has boats that we can borrow if you want to go out for the day--”

"I don't know how to swim," Josette interrupted softly. "Adie always says that's 'cause I prefer to lounge around the pool in my skimpy bikinis soaking up the sun-"

“I’m sure the cabana boys thank you immensely for not learning how to swim,” AJ teased gently, wetting his bottom lip with interest at the mere creative image forming in his mind. Shifting, he hurriedly cleared his throat in hopes to ward off the warmth that boiled beneath his belly. “I have no problem teaching you how to swim or just letting you lounge by the pool in a bathing suit. Whatever you want to do.”

"I don't have a suit… Can I call Father when we get to the house? I'll see if he can wire some money to us," Josette decided, carefully stretching her leg out to rest her foot on the console between the front seats. That was, if Father would even accept her call. If Mother had told him what had happened, he may refuse to speak to her, muttering some legal terms to his secretary to pass on.

“You’re not prisoners of the house, Josette. You can do whatever you want,” AJ gently promised, reaching back to tentatively run his hand against her leg. He knew it was a bold move, but he just wanted to prove that he cared about her well being. “And, if your father doesn’t have the means to wire you some money, I’d be happy to pay for anything you need. I’ll even take you on a major shopping trip. God, I love to shop.”

"I've always loved to shop," Josette mused softly, feeling the muscles of her leg relax under his gentle touch. Adrienne shifted to give her a bemused look before turning her attention back out the window. Her sister tensed slightly when AJ slowed for a turn, and Josette peered out the window to see their home for the next month. His hand continued to rest on her leg, the relaxing effects of his gentle caress slowly emanating throughout her body.

“We’ll go shopping as soon as you feel up to it,” AJ promised, lifting his arm for a moment to control the steering wheel as he used his opposite hand to key in the code for his front gate. “Both of you.”

"Thank you, Alex," she murmured, stooping to retrieve the bag with their medicines and printouts. Turning to Adrienne, she covered her sister's hand with her own. "You'll let AJ carry you inside, won't you, Adie?"

Adrienne’s light cinnamon eyes widened in surprise at her older sister’s suggestion and she furiously shook her head. She would not be carried inside a strange house by a strange man again, no matter how trusting he seemed to be. Besides, it wasn’t as if her legs had been broken. Yes, the pain was terrible in her lower half and she had to walk quite awkwardly to avoid any friction, but she would not let him carry her.

"It's okay," AJ promised from the front seat, easing to a stop in front of the side door. "I can understand…"

"Where are we?" Nick yelped when the car stopped and his head slid from his shoulder.

“We’re at my house,” AJ answered, pulling the keys from the ignition before opening his door. Sliding off the seat, he hurried around to open the back door for the women, though his face screwed into disbelief when Nick lurched out of his seat to watch. “You can go collect your stuff and get the Hell out of here, y’know.”

"I can hang around for a while," Nick announced.

"Thank God for the little blessings in life," Josette muttered under her breath as she accepted AJ's hand to help her out. Taking her crutches, she leaned against them, offering Adie her free hand for assistance as AJ moved to open the door.

“I’m so happy that you feel the same way, Peaches,” Nick murmured quite snottily toward the eldest sister after hearing her nasty comment. Shrugging off the scowl she gave, far too use to the scorn of a woman because of his three psychotic sisters, he moved to get into the backseat when Adrienne finally clamored out. Though, when he grabbed a duffle bag and pulled back, he realized he had gotten too close when she gasped and immediately whirled to the opposite side of her sister. “I was just getting the bags, see?” he announced, gesturing toward the bags in his hands, though, he noticed the paleness of her features and the cloudiness of her eyes. “Are you alright?”

"If you're making yourself useful, Nick, c'mon," AJ hollered from the stoop, scowling when he saw Adrienne's frightened scramble to hide behind Josette. Rushing down the steps, he grasped Nick's arm and jerked him in the direction of the door before turning to the sisters. "It's okay… As soon as he gets the bags inside I'll send him on his way, I promise."

“I’d be overwhelmingly grateful if you could do that for us,” Josette admitted with great relief, rubbing her fingers over Adrienne’s hand in a soothing manner. She could actually feel the flutter of Adrienne’s heart against her back as she clung close. Resisting the urge to simply fling the crutch toward the back of the blonde’s head as he marched up the stoop, she reluctantly hobbled in the same direction when AJ gestured for her to follow.

“Oh! Before I forget, I have to tell you that I have a lot of--” AJ groaned in disbelief when Nick kicked open the front door after finding the hidden key on the stoop, never bothering to realize that the dogs had been pent up for several days with only Kevin and Kristin periodically visiting to give them attention. In a flood of playful barks, yips, and pants, five abundantly energetic dogs came tearing down the stairs and toward the newcomers.

"No, please, don't jump on my-" Josette cut off with a yelp when the largest of dogs bounded towards her, his front paws landing on her hips as he leaned up to greet her. Tottering dangerously on her crutches, she glanced wildly about to see Adrienne was leaning over to greet the others. An overweight bulldog lumbered towards her, his wrinkled face nudging one crutch, sending Josette flying to her backside on the paved driveway.

“Damnit, Bernie! Damnit, Tank! What have I told you two about being gentlemen and not throwing women to the ground?!” AJ immediately scolded, reaching for the dogs’ collars to yank them away from Josette before they could crush her in an old fashioned dog-pile. Both dogs whined in annoyance at AJ’s deterring, but quickly broke away to greet the other visitor who was obviously more friendly. Groaning, AJ reached to help Josette back to her feet, beginning to apologize profusely, “I am so, so, so sorry. They’re nothing but a bunch of mutts sometimes and I do mean all of them- Nick!”

"What?" Nick called from the open door, brushing the crumbs from his t-shirt as he munched on a handful of chips. He had been starving the entire trip home, but AJ had refused to stop for him at all, though he had been more than happy to stop so the sisters could use the bathroom. After dropping everything inside the door, he had helped himself to a bag of chips from AJ's pantry, and now wiped greasy fingers on his jeans.

“The damn dogs are attacking Adrienne!” AJ hollered in disbelief, stumbling to gather Josette’s crutches so she could remain in an upright position.

"No they're not," Adrienne disagreed softly, a tentative smile touching her lips as the dogs circled around her eagerly. They appeared to know of her injuries, sitting on their haunches as she rubbed each head in turn.

"Adie loves animals," Josette pointed out as AJ replaced her crutches under her arms. "Even the worst behaved little jackasses turn into little darlings around her…"

“See?!” Nick hollered from the porch with triumph. “I did the right thing! Now, say it with me – Thank you, Nick!”

"Fuck you, Nick," Josette whispered so only AJ could hear.

“I can definitely read a person’s lips when they say ‘Fuck you,’ Sweetums,” Nick informed her, leaning against the frame of the door to finish eating.

Josette shrugged innocently. "But I didn't say 'Fuck you, Sweetums'. I said-"

“Why don’t we get you guys inside to rest?” AJ suggested suddenly, shooting a wicked glare toward Nick before whistling at his dogs. For once, none bothered to pay him any attention, far too excited with getting attention from the doting visitor. But, when Josette suggested that they get inside, Adrienne forced herself into a standing position and followed their walk, five dogs trailing behind her. “Hey, Nick, you can get your shit and go. Now.”

"I thought I'd hang around for a while and make sure your guests get comfortable," Nick announced, stepping into the house.

“You don’t even give a flying fuck about them, so why make sure they’re comfortable?” AJ growled, watching Josette closely as she fumbled to work the steps. Gesturing slightly, he smiled when she nodded and easily lifted her into his arms to carry her inside.

"You seem to have your hands full here," Nick decided, snorting as Josette flashed a thankful smile towards AJ. Of all the sickening things he had seen, that ranked towards the top, he decided with a scowl.

"Good. You can make yourself useful and take the dogs for a walk while I get the ladies settled," AJ informed Nick, quickly lowering Josette to the floor when his hand brushed the fullness of her breast.

“Your dogs aren’t planning on going anywhere with me unless I have the silent beauty attached to my arm,” Nick announced with a whistle, ignorant to the heavy blush that flushed both AJ and Josette simultaneously. Instead, he attempted to offer Adrienne a charming smile, but when her face tightened into a frown he visibly flinched. Was there potato chips sticking in between his teeth?

"Then go put the dirty laundry in the wash," AJ murmured, his eyes locked with Josette's for one tangible moment. Opening his mouth to apologize, he quickly closed it when she looked away. "I'll show you to your room…"

"Thank you," she whispered, motioning for Adrienne to precede her up the stairs.

Glancing up the grand staircase for a moment, Adrienne then slowly turned to face her sister, gently declining the suggestion with a small shake of her head. She wasn’t sure where AJ wanted her to go and she didn’t want to be shoved suddenly into a room from behind. Clasping her hands together, she furiously scratched at her skin for a moment at the thought of the assailant. Her skin felt clammy when she stepped away from the staircase, allowing AJ to start up the steps first with Josette wrapped in his arms once more. Struggling to maintain even respirations, she slowly followed.

Grumbling under his breath, Nick scooped up AJ's duffle bag from the entryway, kicking the door shut with his foot barely a second after the last dog entered the house. Glancing up the stairs, he watched the younger sister's slow progress for a moment, imagining her dressed in slim-fitting jeans and a skimpy top instead of the stretch pants and t-shirt she wore. Smiling slightly at the mental image, he let the duffle bag slide to the floor when AJ disappeared past the landing.

Out of sight; out of mind, Nick decided with a satisfied grin, reaching for the door to the basement to shove the duffle bag inside. He refused to be the maid to AJ’s disaster of a life. He had his own life to conduct and he wasn’t exactly getting any benefits from AJ. If Josette had such a overwhelming desire for the man, then she could do his damn laundry and take out his dogs and listen to his bitching--

Hearing the excited yelp of a dog, he jerked around to see the quiet sister leaning against the banister. If possible, she looked paler, and he watched as in slow motion she began to droop. The dogs yipped excitedly around her, and Nick quickly rushed to catch her before she fell down the stairs. Catching her light weight in his arms, he looked around helplessly for a moment as she went limp. Taking a deep breath, he headed up the stairs, stepping over the worried dogs.

“Hey! AJ! We’ve got an issue here!” Nick suddenly hollered in a panic when the dogs began to bark nervously around him as he hurried up the steps, watching Adrienne’s head sway from side to side. She was completely flaccid within his arms, just the whites of her eyes showing beneath her slightly parted eyelids. He had no idea what exactly was wrong with her, but he didn’t want blamed for it. “Damnit, AJ!”

"What did you do to her?" Josette shrieked, appearing at the top of the stairs to see Nick carrying her unconscious sister.

“I fucking caught her when she fainted!” Nick exclaimed in disbelief, sliding past her so he could rush into the hallway, searching for AJ’s whereabouts. “If I didn’t her head would have been cracked open at the bottom of the steps with the dogs licking at her brains!”

"Bring her in here," AJ instructed from his guest room door, moving into the room to pull the covers on the bed back. Breathing a sigh of relief when he realized that Kristin had placed clean sheets on it per his request, he stepped aside so Nick could gently lay her down on the mattress. Watching as Nick tenderly pulled the covers up over her, he raised a brow at Nick's sudden caring.

"Thank you," Josette whispered to Nick as she stepped past him to check on her sister.

“No problem,” Nick muttered, reaching to carefully tuck a few stray curls behind Adrienne’s ears before stepping back. Noticing AJ’s observant gaze, he quickly cleared his throat and avoided his gaze. “Guess she lost a lot of blood or something, huh? She was doing fine and then she just started leaning on the banister and… Yeah, I caught her…”

"Mighty decent of you, too," AJ pointed out carefully, scratching his chin as Josette hovered over her sister. "What do you say you come downstairs and help me find something to eat? Or… Help me decide which pizza place to order from…" he trailed, surprised to see Nick was already heading for the door. Turning to Josette, he shrugged apologetically. "You need anything? I mean, I've got a first aid kit with some stuff in it if someone faints-"

“Adie would never speak to me again if I stuck those nasty smelling packets under her nose,” Josette kindly disagreed, reaching to gently brush her fingers over her sister’s forehead. Feeling the cold sweat, she muttered a string of French phrases beneath her breath. Adrienne never should have been discharged from the hospital so quickly. She probably should have had another infusion in blood and the hysterectomy. But, their mother had been adamant about the care. Just knowing that her sister’s life had been jeopardized several times for the sake of propriety caused her insides to boil. “I will need bandages and antibiotic ointment and… Well, stuff for her wounds…”

“I’ll send Nick out to the store to get what you need,” AJ promised, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Do you want to share this guestroom with your sister? I mean, the bed is king-sized, so you both will have enough room, but if you want to take another room, that’s fine with me, too--”

"No, I don't mind staying with her," Josette murmured, turning to face him. "When we were little, she always came into my room to sleep when she was scared or upset, and… Something tells me that she'll want me close now," she whispered, running a hand through her hair wearily. "What I could really use right now is a cigarette-"

“I’ve got enough of those to last the all the cockroaches in New York City when the next meteor hits,” AJ promised, reaching into his pocket to withdraw a new pack of cigarettes. Then, fishing in the opposite pocket for his favorite lighter, he handed them both over.

"You are my official knight in shining armor," Josette sighed, accepting them with a smile. Impulsively, she leaned her crutches against the bed, slipping the cigarettes and lighter into her pocket, wanting to show her appreciation for his many kindnesses. Reaching over, she lightly cupped his cheek with her palm, looking into his warm chocolate eyes. "Thank you, Alex… So much, for everything…"

“You’re welcome,” AJ promised, hastily wetting his bottom lip as he concentrated on the depths of her brewing cocoa eyes. He had felt so very cold for the past month after losing his girlfriend in such a horrible tragedy, but the way her hand so gingerly cupped his cheek caused a flame to spark in the very pit of his stomach. It was foolish to deny that he was attracted to Josette. Despite the bruises upon her face, she was stunning. Something about her radiating aura soothed his heartache. But, biting on his inner cheek, he realized what she wanted to do. “Josette... You don’t have to do this…”

"I want to," she murmured, leaning close to offer him the softest of kisses. Her fingers brushed over his cheek, the roughness of his beard causing her to tremble slightly as their lips met.

Her lips were soft and pliable against his, warming his entire body with the sweet taste of coffee and cigarettes. His first instinct was to wrap his arms about her in a sweeping gesture, but fought to do so. Instead, he kept his hands fixed at his sides, not wanting to frighten her. But, he couldn’t be held accountable for the way he leaned in, carefully drawing her top lip between his for a concentrated kiss. Something to remember during the night when darkness swept over him.

"Alex," she whispered against his lips, fighting against the thrill that tingled down her spine at his gentleness. Reluctantly pulling away, she brushed her finger over his lips, as though to seal the kiss into his memory. "Thank you."

“No way, thank you,” AJ disagreed with a small smile, kissing her fingertips before brushing away the fallen ebony waves from her face. “…Though, don’t be furious with me when you’re not able to share the bed with your sister…” he finished, glancing over to the bed to see all the dogs had found spots among Adrienne to rest.

"That's alright… I'll just have to find another bed to slip into," Josette decided with a soft smile, unaware of the double entendre when AJ cleared his throat. "But I think I'll go get a smoke by the window, then see if I can wriggle in the bed somehow for a nap…"

“…Can I join you? For the smoke, I mean? Though, if you wanted to share my bed, I wouldn’t be against that either, but I couldn’t even manage to get into that king-sized bed with your sister, you, and the dogs… She’d probably have a heart attack--”

"You can join me for the smoke," Josette interrupted with a suppressed chuckle, enjoying the flush that darkened his cheeks.

“Let’s go out on the veranda then,” AJ suggested with a groan, furiously rubbing his cheeks.

Following him out the French doors that lead to the small veranda off the guest room, Josette glanced back to see the bulldog had cuddled close to Adrienne, his head resting on her shoulder as his eyelids began to droop. "What are your dogs' names?" she inquired as he held a chair so she could lower herself into it.

“Right now they’re traitors’ one through five,” AJ muttered, though he offered a smile as he leaned on the railing, making sure to watch Adrienne’s condition. “But, the fat, English Bulldog is Tank. The biggest dog is a Bernese Mountain Dog and his name is Bernie. The smaller dogs are Yorkies; the one that’s mostly all brown is Dallas and the other is JD. And the fattest dog is my baby girl, Allie, she should be having puppies any day now.”

“If you tell that to Adie when she wakes up, you’ll make her day,” Josette suggested with a pleased smile, offering him a cigarette from the pack he had given her. “She’s a veterinarian, y’know? The youngest and smartest veterinarian and I’m not just bragging.”

"She really does love animals, huh?" AJ murmured, leaning close when she offered to light his cigarette. Seeing a glow of maternal pride in her cocoa eyes, he smiled. "You're really proud of her, aren't you? …And you're really protective of her too…"

“She absolutely adores animals,” Josette agreed with a soft groan of remembrance. “She’s working to establish her own veterinarian office right now, but works right now with another vet in his private office. Every animal that is taken to them that’s abandoned, she takes home. We have so many different creatures running around our estate and she knows every single one of their names. She’s just so passionate and loves her job so much… We were both home-schooled and I graduated early, but she graduated years ahead of when she was supposed to. Then she actually budged our father into allowing her to go to college. After a bachelor degree in Biology, she went to veterinary school. She worked her tail off and graduated with the highest honors. Of course I’m proud of her…”

"Estate?" AJ repeated after a moment, noticing the far off look in her eyes when she said the words. Moving to sit in the chair opposite her, he shifted it slightly to one side so he could keep an eye on Adrienne. "Where do you live at?"

"Well… For the next few weeks my address is whatever-this-street-is, Malibu," Josette answered with an innocent smile, gasping softly when he reached to pull her aching ankle into his lap.

“And after those next few weeks?” AJ pried, gently rubbing her upper leg to soothe her, knowing she should take some Tylenol soon.

"We live up near the Klamath Mountains, just outside of Weaverville County," Josette informed him softly, closing her eyes. Even though the house she spoke of had been her home for all of her twenty-five years, she could honestly say she had never truly felt welcome there. "The estate's been in Father's family for several generations, and Mother could tell you probably the exact time the workmen began constructing it… Father works in Sacramento, and the estate is about three hours from there…"

“…Your last name is Moreau?” AJ asked after several moments of silence, diligently processing the information. Leaning back in his seat, he steadily worked to tenderly rub her foot while watching Adrienne inside. “You aren’t the Millionaire Moreau’s are you? The ones that made Paris Hilton burn with absolute disgust?”

"…Billionaire Moreau's," Josette corrected, shifting her foot slightly in his lap. "And I learned at a very early age to pay no attention to what that little attention whore thought or said-"

“You must have ran into Nick at all those functions!” AJ suddenly exclaimed with a laugh, not caring about her level of financial security, far more amused to realize that she was the Moreau that had ruined Hilton’s thousand dollar dress with a single glass of red wine.

"Nick? That greasy blonde… Don't tell me he's the same guy she was dragging around a few years ago?" Josette questioned, sitting up straight in her chair. "Well Hell, no wonder he looks like shit, there's no telling what kind of infestations she passed on…"

“The one and only Nick Carter,” AJ confirmed with a snort of laughter.

"Oh my God…" Josette trailed, shaking her head as she took a final drag off her cigarette. Leaning to push it into the tray of sand on the nearby table, she stiffened slightly when her foot slid across his lap, slowly turning her head to glance at him. "…Are you okay?"

“I’m fine; it’s just been so long since I’ve laughed,” AJ admitted, suddenly frowning when she tensed and immediately realizing what she had brushed against. “Josette, I’m sorry--”

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have moved my foot-"

“I should have control over something like that, given what happened and I know I just met you, but I’m so comfortable around you, and God, I’m so sorry--”

"You're comfortable around me, too?" she interrupted softly.

“Obviously if I’m throwing a woody just because you kissed me and have your foot in my--” AJ suddenly groaned as he blushed crimson. “I think I should go downstairs and figure out what we’re eating--”

"After we eat and Adie takes her pain pills and goes to sleep, do you think the dogs will stand guard over her long enough for us to run to a movie store?" Josette questioned, slowly pulling her foot from his lap so he could stand.

“If we leave the orders with Tank and Bernie, I think we could make the dash,” AJ agreed, tugging furiously on his form-fitted t-shirt in order to hide his burning erection. It was official, he had absolutely no control over his body whatsoever.

"And you'll send Crab Boy far, far away?"

“Yeah, I can do that.”

"And maybe soon you can look me in the eye again?" she murmured as he held out a hand to help her to her foot.

“I’m embarrassed as Hell, Josette--”

"Do you know what? When I was in that… Place… I never imagined that anyone would be able to find me attractive in the least anymore. Mother always told me I had to remain pure for my wedding night, and now… Now that I'm not, I've wondered once or twice if she was right when she said that no man would ever want to share a bed with me," Josette blurted.

“A man would be an absolute fucknut not to want to share a bed with you because of something you couldn’t prevent. What that bastard did to you was wrong and… All the blame rests on him. It’s not your fault and you should never be held responsible for that. As far as I’m concerned, I’d be happy to share my bed with you any time you like!” AJ exclaimed in a moment of unbridled passion, the feelings rushing from his heart and collecting in his chest till he was sure it would burst.

"You mean that?" she whispered, closing her eyes in hopes of warding off the flood of tears that threatened to fall.

“I’d never turn you away,” he promised, hesitating for a moment before leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead.

"You're one of a kind, Alex," she murmured.

“Yeah? And I’m starting to think that you’re a piece of Heaven.”

*~*~*

The gentle motion of AJ's car lulled Josette into a light sleep, and even though he kept up a light conversation about the movies they had purchased at the video store, she found her concentration drifting from him. Shifting slightly in the seat, she tensed when she remembered the cold steel of handcuffs around her wrists as she'd been strapped to a bed. The stagnant, foul odor of the man's breath when he had kissed her. The rough feel of his hands on her-

Sitting up with a start, she released a shriek of defiance, jerking her legs when she felt the seatbelt binding her to the seat. Clawing at the webbed nylon across her chest, she could only struggle, knowing she had to get to Adrienne. "No, Adie!"

When Josette shrieked with fright, AJ reacted naturally by throwing his foot onto the brake. The sudden stop of his car within the driveway threw him forward into the steering wheel, but his concentration was on the woman potentially strangling herself with the seatbelt. Reaching out, he fumbled with the button of the seatbelt lock to free her from the nylon and then threw the car into park. Tumbling out of his seat, he ran to the opposite side to throw her door open, grasping her shoulders in hopes to ground her. “Josette! Hey! It’s okay!”

"He's got her," Josette protested, struggling to draw in a normal breath as she felt her chest tighten painfully. All she could see was Adrienne, chained to a wall as he forced her to please him. Shivering as though she had been doused with ice water, she clenched at AJ's arms. "I have to get to her, he's trying to kill her-"

“Adrienne’s safe inside right now,” AJ hastily interrupted, reaching to cup her face delicately within the palms of his hands. Hurriedly, he searched her burnt cocoa eyes in hopes to pull her away from the fierceness of the panic attack. “I have the most advanced security system known to man. She’s safe. Do you hear me? She’s safe.”

"I have to get to her. I never should have let her go without me, I should have stayed with her. She's in pain, she needs me-"

“She’s sound asleep from the panic medication--”

"I just need to make sure she's okay. I have to hold her and know she's going to be alright," Josette insisted, not feeling the pain when she slid out of the car to stand on both feet. Feeling his hands on her face, she blinked rapidly, dizziness sweeping over her so suddenly she sagged against him. "Please, just let me go see her," she whimpered.

“I’ll take you to her, Josette,” AJ promised, hurriedly seizing her into his arms before she could injure her ankle any further. Cradling her against his chest, he forgot all about his vehicle as he walked the rest of the driveway. Hurrying up the porch steps, he kicked furiously at the door till Nick opened it. “Where’s Adrienne?”

"Upstairs locked in her room…" Nick trailed, looking curiously at Josette's whimpering form. "What's wrong with her?"

“She’s having a panic attack, get that anti-anxiety medication on the kitchen table from her labeled bag,” AJ requested, practically racing up the steps in order to get to Adrienne. When he found the dogs furiously whining and scratching at the guest door, he felt his heart drop slightly. Shifting one hand away from Josette, he tapped on the door. “Adrienne? It’s AJ and Josette. Why don’t you let us in?”

…But there was no answer…

"Adie, please!" Josette cried, pulling one arm free so she could pound on the door. "Adie, Doll Face… Please answer the door…"

AJ winced at the desperation in Josette’s voice, wanting to calm her with some kind of lie. “She’s probably sound asleep from those pills or in the bathroom--”

"Then break the door down."

“I’d break my arm instead of the wood--”

"Do something!"

“What do you want me to do?!”

"Jimmy the lock, take off the doorknob, turn into a mouse and slip under the crack. Just do something!"

“J, while you’re working on pulling that mouse out’cher ass, why don’t you move to the side?” Nick suggested, holding out the bottle of pills that AJ had demanded. He had heard their dilemma from downstairs because of Josette’s shrieks. Waiting for a moment till AJ reluctantly backed up, he crouched in front of the door and scooted the whining dogs away. Reaching into his back pocket, he withdrew the expensive Swiss army knife he had recently purchased. Flipping it open, he hurriedly began tinkering with the lock of the door. He could hear the faint sound of running water, which actually caused his heart to accelerate in a sweep of panic.

Josette held her breath as she listened to Nick's muttered curses, accentuated with the occasional slam of his hand against the solid wooden door. When the door finally swung open and the dogs clamored to be the first inside, she jumped from AJ's protective embrace, stumbling over Nick's prone form in order to reach her sister. Scanning the room, she felt her heart leap to her throat with worry when she saw the open doors leading to the veranda, stepping in that direction before she heard the shower running in the bathroom. Tripping over dogs, she flung herself into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her before the dogs could enter. "Adie?"

There was no response from the younger woman and Josette had to squint within the thick rolls of steam filling the large bathroom. Limping carefully through the bathroom, she neared the large shower stall with a thick glass door. Peering in, she noticed a hazy, peach-colored blur behind the distorted glass. Panic seized control once more as she ripped open the door and practically fell inside. She noticed traces of blood swirling down the drain and a sob strangled her throat, unable to believe her sister would do something so foolish. When she heard a soft sniffle, she gasped with relief to see Adrienne huddled in the far corner of the luscious shower, directly beneath the shower of scalding hot water, curled into a tight ball of protection.

"Adie…" she breathed in surprise, reaching to turn off the water. Grabbing a thick, soft towel off the rack, she knelt in front of her younger sister, gently wrapping the towel around her. "Come on… Let's go lay down. It's okay, Doll Face… You're safe, remember? I'm here, I'm not going to let anything happen to you…"

“I had to get him off me,” Adrienne whispered, never fighting her sister’s movements as she was gently pulled from the shower. Standing awkwardly, she just stared down at her arms while Josette wrapped the towel tighter around her body. She had scrubbed at her skin till it was beefy, red and significantly raw. The small trail of blood in the shower had been the result of her scrubbing. Waking up from her fainting spell had disoriented her and the memories flooded. That’s when she stumbled to the bathroom, not caring about the bandages or sutures, just aching to take his smell, taste, and matter away from her.

"I know, Sweetheart," Josette murmured, plucking a robe from the back of the door to drape around Adrienne's trembling form before pulling her into her arms. Pressing her face against her sister's shoulder, she trailed her fingers through her wet tendrils. "…I know exactly how you feel…"

“I’m sorry, Ettie,” Adrienne breathed, her arms stilled at her sides, not knowing how to react to Josette’s fierce hug. When they had been taken from the truck stop, she had been so scared. When she was thrust into some dark room to hear her sister’s screams, she was terrified. When he came for her and continued to use her to torture her sister, something inside her had died.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Doll Face," Josette promised, softly kissing Adrienne's cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong, Adie. Nothing at all, you understand? No one could ever do anything that would warrant what we both had to go through… Come on, let's get you dressed and back in the bed…"

“Are you leaving again?” Adrienne whispered, watching Josette cinch the robe quite tightly about her thin waist before she felt arms about her again. Slowly, the door was opened leading to the guest room and she flinched when she noticed AJ and Nick murmuring to each other near the door. The dogs had been hurried out once more.

"I shouldn't have left you, I'm so sorry…" Josette trailed softly, protectively pulling Adrienne closer when she saw AJ and Nick. "I promise, I'll be staying with you from now on…"

“You can leave if you want,” Adrienne told her sister, her voice dropping several tones below her hardest whisper. Meekly, she allowed her older sister to guide her back to the soft, plush bed and said nothing when she was forced to sit. She knew that Josette wanted her to sleep, but feared that she couldn’t. Closing her eyes caused her to relive the horrors and she feared the darkness.

"I'm staying," Josette promised, reaching for the duffle bag of clothes that AJ had gotten them. Most were his own, comfortable stretch pants and t-shirts. Plucking pants and a shirt out for her sister, she glanced over at the men. "Could we have some privacy, please?"

“Well… Is she okay?” Nick inquired, though he moved to the door nonetheless. He may have been an asshole in some regards, but he knew that the women deserved their privacy. And though his question was directed toward Josette, he looked to Adrienne for the answer.

"She's fine, she just needs rest," Josette insisted gently, though her gaze softened when she saw his worry. "Thank you, Crab-I mean Nick. For getting the door open…"

“You’re welcome,” Nick answered kindly, though he still kept his watch upon Adrienne, his heart briefly fluttering when she looked to him. But, when he felt AJ’s hand on his shoulder, he jerked away and immediately fixed a cold scowl to his face. “Anything to piss off the asshole by scraping up his doors.”

"The asshole is standing right here, so you'd better leave before he kicks your ass," AJ hissed from behind him. "Come on, so she can get dressed in peace."

“At least when you kick my ass you wouldn’t be putting mice and hamsters in danger,” Nick muttered, yelping slightly when he was shoved forcefully from the room.

"Thank you, Alex," Josette whispered when he turned to look at her and Adrienne.

“For shoving him out of the room? Oh, don’t thank me, I love doing that--”

"For everything," she interrupted.

“Well, don’t worry about that either,” he answered with a genuine smile. “Maybe after you two rest for awhile, I can get you downstairs to watch a movie or two.”

"We'll see," she whispered, not wanting Adrienne to think she wanted to leave her alone. Smiling softly as he left the room, closing the door behind him, she turned to Adrienne. "Alright, Twinkle Toes, let's get dressed."

“You like him,” Adrienne decided, leaning slightly to take the duffle bag from the floor. Pulling it onto the bed, she looked through the clothes that AJ had selected for them. Glancing up for a moment to see her sister’s outfit, she decided that Josette must be uncomfortable in just a plain, baggy t-shirt and stretch pants. She was used to looking elegant daily. In fact, she relished and thrived in her gorgeous attire. But, finding a pair of lounge pants with the Pepsi logo printed all over them, Adrienne thought she had found treasure.

"He's nice," Josette answered with a shrug as she eased onto the bed, stretching her aching leg slightly. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out a pair of faded, worn jeans. Holding them to her for a moment, she decided they would fit, and stood to wriggle out of her stretch pants. "I'm sorry I left, Adie… I just wanted to get some movies…"

“You didn’t have to stay,” Adrienne promised, finding the largest shirt in the duffle bag before gingerly pulling off the robe. Making sure to keep the towel wrapped around her torso, she eased the t-shirt over her broken body then pulled the towel away and located the lounge pants. She didn’t want her sister looking at her.

Easing her leg into the jeans, Josette sighed, fumbling with the zipper and snap for a moment before they were finally secured. Plucking out the first t-shirt she saw, she peeled off the oversized one she wore, making sure to keep her gaze away from Adrienne's body as she pulled on the black t-shirt. "…Where are your pills at?"

“I don’t know…” Adrienne admitted honestly, playing with the hem of the baggy t-shirt before crawling back into bed. Her first instinct was to lie on her stomach, but she winced immediately and turned to lay on her back. Tenderly, she pressed her hands against her lower abdomen, feeling as if the “toys” were still embedded into her.

"I'll go find them, it's time for your last dose of the evening," Josette murmured, pulling the blankets up over Adrienne. Pressing the softest of kisses against her sister's cheek, she pulled the duffle bag to the floor before hobbling to the door. Opening it, she stepped back with a gasp at the mass of dogs waiting to enter, watching in amusement as they all raced to climb onto the bed with Adrienne. "Make sure you take care of my sister," she instructed them as they cuddled close.

“I like them a lot,” Adrienne admitted, propping herself up slightly in order to deliver attention to each dog on the bed. Though, she paid most attention to Allie, knowing she was pregnant and loved to have her belly rubbed.

"Alex told me earlier that she's about to… What's the word? Whelp? Anyway, she's about to give birth, should be any day now," Josette informed, watching as Allie snuggled closer to Adrienne. "You'll be alright while I go get our medicines?"

“I’ll be fine,” Adrienne promised, helping Dallas and JD up on the pillows where she would eventually rest her head.

"Okay…" Turning, Josette left the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Groaning at the thought of climbing down the stairs, she headed slowly down the hallway, wincing with each step. Reaching the top of the stairs, she was surprised to see AJ coming up. Not realizing how her face lit up when she saw him, she rubbed her arms. "Do you know what happened to our medicine? It's time for Adie's pills, and I need some Tylenol…"

“I’ve got it right here in the bags and I got you both sodas,” AJ announced with a smile.

"Thanks," she murmured, taking the bags from him when he reached the top landing. At his confused look, she shrugged, balancing the sodas in one arm. She knew that if he went into the bedroom Adrienne may become even more despondent. "Adie's already in the bed with your dogs, and she may get… Well… You know," she sighed, turning to limp back to the bedroom.

“Yeah…” AJ trailed with his own helpless shrug, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Noticing his favorite pair of pants clinging to her bottom half, he pressed his lips together to hold off a smile. To say he was giddy over the sight would have been foolish, especially considering the state of things. Josette had spent three weeks of Hell under the hands of a maniac and his girlfriend had been murdered by that same man a month ago. To want a relationship now would be considered in bad taste… Wouldn’t it? “…Well, you guys have a good night. I’ll be downstairs in the living room if you need anything before I head off to sleep… And, if you need me after that, my bedroom is the last door in the hallway, dead center.”

"How will I know whether you're still downstairs or in your room?" Josette questioned in honest confusion, turning to face him once more. Seeing the hint of a smile on his lips, she raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her clothing. "What? Did I put the shirt on backwards or-"

“If I’m in my room, I’ll leave the door open a little, that way you can always come in?” AJ answered with a questioning tone to his voice, deciding to avoid the whole question of wardrobe.

"Okay… Are you alright? You look strained. Is that Mexican we had for lunch disagreeing with you-"

“Oh! Lord no! I passed those stones in Nick’s private bathroom just a bit ago--”

"Then why do you keep biting your lip and grunting?"

“Because you look really good in my favorite jeans, but I feel like a jackass for even mentioning it.”

"Oh… Okay," she murmured, turning away so he wouldn't see her blush. "Well, I'll see you later, then…"

“Have a good night, Josette, and hopefully some sweet dreams,” AJ returned.

"You too, Alex… Thank you," she murmured, glancing at him once more before slipping into the bedroom.

"J! Where's the satellite remote?!" Nick bellowed from downstairs.

Holding his breath to keep himself from cursing, he watched Josette close the door and waited for the sound of the turning lock. Satisfied that the women were safe, he turned to hurry down the stairs. He wanted to hopefully create a somewhat peaceful environment for the sisters since this would be their first night away from Hell, though he was certain it wouldn’t be far from their minds. And with Nick’s incessant growls, grunts, snorts, and whines; there would be no peace. He just hoped that the younger man would go home soon. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate his friendship, but he knew how Nick treated women… And life…

"So, what'll we do tonight, J?" Nick questioned when AJ came into the living room. Propping his feet on the coffee table, he watched as the older man moved to the entertainment center, his brow furrowing when AJ slammed the cabinets shut. "What? You want to go out? Go pick up some chicks and have some fun-"

“I want to have a somewhat quiet night watching movies or TV while the girls try to rest upstairs,” AJ interrupted, throwing the remote in Nick’s direction before flopping onto the nearby recliner. “I haven’t been into picking up chicks, and when you say chicks, I know they’re about two dollars away from being prostitutes, since I went to rehab.”

"Fine… What do you want to watch? Bahama Mama Bikini shoot?" Nick suggested, flipping through the TV Guide. Though, when AJ leaned to get the bag of DVDs off the coffee table, he rolled his eyes. "You're not going to watch that boring old black and white shit, are you? I mean, yeah, they're classics, but…"

“They’re just not young little mosquito bites flashing their tits, shaking their asses, and rubbing their G-strings, huh?” AJ quipped with a thick dose of sarcasm. It was astonishing to see Nick acting how he used to act a few years ago. If he hadn’t gone to into rehabilitation, AJ was convinced that he would be the mirror image of Nick. Sarcastic, angry, smug, wild, uninhibited, and constantly inebriated.

"I just can't believe you've got a gorgeous babe upstairs and yet you're down here with me," Nick groaned. "Maybe I should go so you can be alone with them-"

“Do you have any idea what the Hell they’ve been through for the past three weeks? Or were you thinking about those shitty S&M pornos you love to watch while you looked at those pictures?” AJ suddenly exploded with a violent sweep of aggression, hurling the DVDs toward Nick in a defensive manner. He couldn’t believe that Nick would have the gall to suggest such a perverted idea after what he had seen just a day before. “They were raped and tortured! Josette watched her little sister get raped until she started to bleed. She lost so much blood that she needed a blood transfusion and they actually wanted to rip out her uterus because of the damage that sonofabitch caused. But you think it’s perfectly acceptable for me to just run upstairs and jump in between them? What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

"It was just a fucking joke!" Nick growled, shoving the DVDs away before rubbing his stinging neck where they had landed. "Jesus Christ, man, what the fuck is wrong with you? You act like it's your job to take care of them! You don't know shit about either one of them, but you're giving them room and board like they're your favorite cousins-"

“It became my job to take care of them when we found them! Their mother is a frigid bitch and damnit, I do know shit about both of them! I know they’re the Millionaire Moreau’s! The gorgeous brunette that dumped red wine over Hilton’s new dress that splashed onto your white pants – that was Josette! And I know she’s extremely protective of her little sister and loves her more than anything in the world. And I know Adrienne is a veterinarian. Only twenty-one years old and the girl is a vet! She’s fucking smart as Hell and my babies love her! That’s enough for me!”

"Then you're welcome to them. Big fucking deal, the Millionaire Moreau's," Nick muttered as he got to his feet. "One as psycho as Leatherface and the other one quieter than a fucking mute. When you've come to your senses, give me a call, man."

“I’ll put your shit out on the porch tomorrow morning.”

Nick didn't bother with a reply, merely shrugging his shoulders before leaving, the door slamming sharply behind him. From upstairs came the muffled bark of one of the dogs, and AJ sagged into the recliner with a groan.

"…You didn't have to defend us to your friend," Josette murmured from the doorway after a moment. Adrienne had fallen asleep mere seconds after taking her painkiller, and seemed perfectly content in the bed snuggled with the dogs. Having been on her way downstairs to seek out AJ to ask if he wanted to join her for a cigarette, she had been surprised to hear the argument brewing between the two men.

Jerking slightly, AJ popped his eyes open to see Josette standing tentatively on both feet. It looked as if she had given up on the crutches already, not that he blamed her. There was a certain defiance in her dark cocoa eyes that told him she would do that sooner or later. But, her overhearing the conversation caused him to sink down in the recliner. “You heard that?”

"Only from about the time you threw something at him…"

“Nick’s a good guy when he wants to be… But, lately, he’s just… He’s bottomed out on some kind of mood… His home situation is a horror show and he’s grown up in that kind of environment, so it’s surprising he’s not an even bigger asshole than that… But, he has this way about him that just pisses everyone and everything in his path off. The only time I’ve actually seen him do something for someone else is with your sister…”

"Adie tends to bring out the best in everyone," Josette murmured, shifting on her feet slightly. "Well, she used to, at least…"

“You can have a seat if you like, your ankle has to be hurting.”

"Am I allowed to smoke in here? Or are you one of those smokers who makes everyone stand outside-" Josette cut off with a small smile when he held up an ashtray. Limping past the threshold, she slowly lowered herself onto the couch, stretching her leg out on the cushion next to her. "She fell asleep right after she took her pill… Your pregnant dog is stretched out under the covers next to her, and the other dogs are all crowded around. When she first started bringing animals from the vet's office I would kid her and call her Dr. Doolittle…"

“You mean she wasn’t slipping away from your Au Pairs when she was in diapers bringing home whatever critter she could find?” AJ mused, abandoning the thought of watching a movie for a moment. It seemed that Josette only really seemed to blossom when she spoke of her sister. Something about sharing Adrienne’s past helped her get through the pain of what she witnessed.

"We never had Au Pairs, we always had proper English governesses," Josette informed, wrinkling her nose. "And yes, she did. Her first adoptee was a duck she rescued from the pond. He had a broken wing, and you should have seen her big eyes fill with tears when she explained that I had to help her nurse him back to health. She was about three then…" Accepting the cigarette he had lit for her, she sighed softly. "And then there were the piglets she found on the side of the road when she was six… The Greyhound she 'rescued' from the racetrack when Father and Mother took us. Imagine if you will a little pigtailed pipsqueak feeding this huge dog potato chips in the car so he wouldn't make a sound. By the time Father realized there was a dog in the car, we were almost home, and he told Mother that it was good for children to have pets…"

“She’s a sneaky little thing,” AJ chuckled with amusement, stretching out within the recliner before lighting himself a cigarette. “…Seems like you were always her protector though, even when she just needed you to help her with a little duck.”

"I've always tried to be," Josette murmured softly, picking idly at the frayed knees of the jeans she wore. She had tried so hard to protect Adrienne from every evil in the world when they were growing up. And she had all but handed her sister over to the vilest of creatures. "Guess I'm not too good at it."

“I’m sure Adrienne would completely disagree with that, y’know, if she could actually stand to talk to me and all…”

"He wouldn't let us… We weren't allowed to talk," Josette whispered, bringing the cigarette to her lips for a hearty pull. "If we did, he… We were punished if we talked to each other."

“…You don’t have to talk about it, Josette… Have you ever had a nickname in your life?”

"Adie calls me Ette… Rudolph calls me Jo when he's not too busy sucking up to Father… But no…"

“…Rudolph?”

"Father's junior partner…" Josette trailed evasively. "Mother always has him over for dinner. Why do you ask about a nickname?"

“Because everyone should have a meaningful nickname, even if you come from a snooty family. Though, I guess you’re really fond of being called Ette?”

"Yes, as long as you don't whine it like Adie tends to do when she's trying to talk me into something…"

“Can I call you Ette till I find something special to call you?”

"I'd really like that," Josette agreed with a smile, moving her leg until her foot rested on the coffee table. "So, what do your friends call you?"

“Jackass, Dickhead, Dickwad, Fucknut, Asshole, Son-of-a-bitch, and that’d be on a good day--”

"I heard Nick calling you AJ, though," Josette interrupted with a soft laugh, reaching for the ashtray.

“That’s the stage name my mom and I came up with when I started in show-biz. It’s short for Alexander James. So, yeah, I guess my nickname is AJ. Mom calls me Alex still. So, AJ, Alex, J, and the rest of the expletives depending on who’s feathers I’ve ruffled for the day,” AJ mused with a wicked grin.

"Has anyone ever called you Ajie?" she inquired, scooting to the edge of the couch so she could reach the ashtray on the arm of the recliner.

“No…”

"Good, then I will," she decided with a smile. "Ajie…"

Chapter 5

Feeling as if he were smothering her with his beefy body, Adrienne gasped for breath and jerked from beneath the covers, tearing herself from their confines in a matter of minutes. Stumbling to her feet, she clapped her hands to her mouth to prevent herself from screaming shrilly. She had just fallen asleep for a continuous hour when another nightmare rekindled. Searching the room for any signs of an intruder, she was dismayed to find the guest bed empty. Josette and the dogs had abandoned her awhile ago. Looking to the clock, she forced her breathing to stabilize, realizing it was only nine in the morning. The last time she remembered falling asleep was an hour ago and Josette had been curled against her soundly. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. How she hated the dark… Shaking her head, Adrienne stuffed her hands underneath the t-shirt to hold her aching abdomen, slowly moving to the door in hopes to locate her sister.

Nervously wetting her lips as she eased the door open, she paused to listen for the familiar sound of her sister's footsteps, or her comforting voice. Hearing neither, she took a deep breath before stepping into the hallway. The house seemed eerily silent, but as she moved towards the stairs she heard the murmur of voices downstairs. Recognizing Josette's voice, she gulped nervously before slowly going down the stairs.

During the initial days of capture, Adrienne had tried to seek her sister out in the dingy home that the assailant had termed the “Love-shack.” She had hoped to be sneaky enough to locate her without him hearing, like she had done when their mother had done her routine bed-checks and she had no desire to sleep alone. But, she had been caught before she could even locate which direction of the hallway to walk. He had ripped her off her feet by the roots of her hair, dragging her down into a leaky basement. After several blows to her body from his various appendages, she had been thrown into a wet closet and locked away in the darkness till she was needed. That’s when Josette had been raped. She was sure of it--

"Adrienne?" AJ questioned softly from the bottom of the stairs. Holding the tray of her breakfast while Josette used the downstairs bathroom, he had simply been waiting for her so he could carry the tray up for her. He had been thinking about taking a shower before he took Josette shopping… But, seeing the faraway, frightened look on Adrienne's face had drawn him from his thoughts.

Stumbling from her slow creep down the stairs, she fell backward onto the carpeted step from AJ’s interruption into her thoughts. She paled significantly when she was spotted, immediately turning to hurry back up the stairs. She wouldn’t be thrown into another closet. She would behave this time. “Sorry--”

"Hey, hey, it's okay," AJ interrupted gently, setting the tray down when she stumbled on the stairs. Moving slowly, he caught her arm before she could fall. "Ette's using the john, and then we were going to bring up your breakfast… You want to come down and eat in the kitchen? You can see the beach from the windows…"

Adrienne released a pitiful whimper when AJ’s hand circled her upper arm and like a good love-slave, she wilted to the floor in submission. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come out. I’ll go back upstairs. Just, don’t take me downstairs--”

"Hey, Adrienne, it's me," he murmured, releasing her arm when he was certain she wouldn't fall. Stooping so he could look at her face, he held up both hands so she could see them. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise… I'm here to help you, okay? Ette's right in the next room, do you want me to get her for you?"

“I just hate the dark,” she whispered shakily, tangling her trembling fingers deep into her messy ginger locks.

"It's not dark, Adrienne… Do you want to go where you'll be surrounded by sunshine?"

“I’m sorry…” Adrienne murmured weakly, gently rocking herself in a soothing manner till she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Startled, she looked to see Josette standing beside AJ. Immediately, pained tears began to flood her soft cinnamon eyes. “I’m sorry, Ette… I just don’t feel good and--”

"You need to eat," Josette interrupted softly, reaching to brush the tears away. She should have known better than to let Adrienne take her painkillers the night before without making sure she at least had a sandwich. The nurse had told them to take the pills with food. "Come on, let's get you back in the bedroom so you can eat and take your medicine. You just had surgery two days ago, you shouldn't be walking around…"

AJ smiled with relief when he felt Josette beside him, which calmed Adrienne considerably. Reaching for her arms once more, he was thankful that she let him help her stand. “She could have breakfast in the kitchen with us if she wants. I was just telling her how she could see the whole beach from the kitchen nook and it’s in an alcove with a glass ceiling so there’s tons of lights--”

"Do you want to eat in the kitchen?" Josette asked Adrienne softly. "The dogs are all playing out in the yard, and you should see Allie trying to keep up with the others. Big as the side of a barn, but she's running around like a puppy."

Adrienne shrugged timidly, not really knowing what she wanted to do. She had such terrible pain from the injuries she suffered, but she didn’t want Josette to leave her sight just yet. Waking up alone had frightened her considerably. And the warmth of AJ’s hands and arms supporting her felt comforting. Josette obviously trusted the man, so she carefully nodded with agreement. She didn’t want to make him mad nor upset her sister.

"Can you handle the stairs or do you want the use of the house elevator?" AJ questioned with a timid smile.

“I’ll--” Adrienne wrinkled her nose in distaste when she caught her sister’s chiding glare. “Take the elevator, please.”

"Such an excellent choice," AJ agreed with a genuine grin as he gently scooped her into his arms. Making sure Josette made it down the stairs before carrying Adrienne down, he cleared his throat, hoping to help her feel at ease with him. "First floor has all your entertainment needs, madam. Movie theater, swimming pool outside, easy access to a private beach, game room. And your destination, the kitchen, is just around the bend. We boast a lovely view of the Pacific Ocean, and if you look out the western windows you will see our floor show, Five Crazy Mutts, is already in progress. We thank you for your patronage and do hope you enjoy your stay. Should you need anything, simply give a yell for your friendly resident bellboy, Alex."

At first, Adrienne was troubled to realize that his arms were the elevator she would be taking. But, looking down to Josette’s confident smile gave her reassurance that all would be okay. But when he started chattering into her ear, a soulful rasp of a voice, she turned to look at him. Furrowing her dark brows in confusion at first, she found him to be a complete baboon, but she had to hide her smile. “Josette, quel taré... Mais, mignon.”

Josette nodded in agreement, not noticing AJ's confused look. "Oui, très mignon…"

“C’est votre chéri…”

"Non! …Je le souhaiter, Adrienne…"

“Ensuite, sera votre chéri assez tôt…”

“Okay, that’s enough of that nonsense,” AJ suddenly groaned, his head spinning from the second language following him as he settled Adrienne into the breakfast nook. “The only word I knew out of that whole mess is chéri, and if you’re referring to me then…” AJ offered the sisters a wicked grin. “I’m delighted!”

Josette sat opposite her sister, a playful gleam in her eye when she saw Adrienne was suddenly smiling with amusement. Shaking her head towards AJ, she gave her sister a wink. "Alex est très désagréable, oui?"

“Oui,” Adrienne promised with a small nod, looking to AJ for a small moment before murmuring, “She just said you are horrible.”

"Adie called you an idiot before I called you horrible," Josette stated defensively through her giggles.

“Oh, it’s on!” AJ hooted, reaching to gently muss Adrienne’s curls, though he instantly regretted the decision when she jerked away. Resisting the urge to mutter a curse, he decided not to make a big deal of the mishap, instead turning to gather the breakfast items that he had been so diligently preparing and were merely warming in the pans. “And here I was going to shower you both with all these beautiful clothes today… But no, I’m horrible and apparently an idiot…”

"A cute idiot," Josette informed him, getting to her feet to fix Adrienne a glass of orange juice. Remembering AJ's earlier offer of taking her shopping, she chewed on her bottom lip, not sure if Adrienne would want her to leave her alone. "Adie, do you mind if I go shopping with Ajie for a couple of hours?"

Turning her gaze back from the large bay window, where she was watching the dogs run amuck, she tilted her head at the nickname Josette had bestowed upon AJ. Rudolph didn’t even have a nickname, well, that is to say that Rudolph had declined to have a nickname. But, the way AJ looked to Josette when she mentioned he was a cute idiot and the way Josette looked to him as she fixed the drinks, Adrienne knew that she’d be a third wheel. She wasn’t sure she could withstand walking furiously about the malls with her lower half throbbing in raw agony. “Enjoy yourself…”

"I'll leave you the cordless upstairs and give you my cell number in case you need us-your sister," AJ quickly corrected as he set a plate before her. "And you'll have the dogs here with you, and we all know how much they love to be with you." Setting a clean fork and pulling the napkin holder within her reach, he stepped back once he was sure she had everything.

“Thank you…” Adrienne politely responded, reaching for the fork that he had put at the side of her plate. She looked to the delicious array of breakfast items that AJ had obviously spent the morning making – fluffy, salt and peppered, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, and home-fries. He had even made sure to get her a bowl of syrup in order to dip her sausage bites into. She immediately looked to her sister, knowing she had been the culprit to squeal about her favorite breakfast. Knowing she had to eat, she tentatively cut into the eggs to take a small bite, though she wasn’t hungry.

"And I'm going to run up and take a shower while you eat," AJ decided as Josette sat across from Adrienne once more. Hearing a scratch and whine at the side door, he stepped over to let the dogs in, knowing they would immediately circle around Adrienne to beg for morsels. "Don't let my crazy mutts steal all your food…"

Submissively, Adrienne accepted his demand with another small nod of her head. Usually, she would be quick to offer a playful quip in return, especially with people she considered to be friendly and easygoing. But, she hadn’t the heart to do so, simply cutting into the fluffy eggs once more for another bite, hearing the dogs’ claws scrape against the floor as they scrambled for her.

Once AJ had disappeared up the stairs, Josette leaned over, snatching a sausage patty from Adrienne's plate. Leaning to the side, she softly called Allie over to her, pinching off pieces to feed to the pregnant dog. "He just doesn't understand that you're going to give birth to him's grandbabies, does he, Sweetums?"

“Did you get hold of Father and Mother?” Adrienne questioned softly, abandoning her food when she watched Allie generously lick at Josette’s fingers in thanks for the pieces of meat. Carefully, Adrienne reached to welcome the rest of the dogs that had come to her side, hoping to snuggle up to her. She made sure to stroke Bernie first, because he was impatient, and then Tank, because he would whine if he wasn’t second, and then helped Dallas and JD to the booth seat so they wouldn’t be crushed.

"I caught Father in his office this morning," Josette answered, grunting when Allie climbed up to sit in her lap. Groaning under the weight of the dog, she shifted her slightly so the brunt of the weigh was on the seat. "He's going to wire some money this afternoon when he gets out of court… At least, that's what Diana told me. He was in a 'meeting' with Rudolph."

“You are so defiant with our parents at every turn, but yet you agree to a loveless marriage… I just don’t understand, Ette,” Adrienne murmured suddenly, setting her plate of food on the ground when Bernie and Tank began to whine incessantly.

Josette sighed, wishing suddenly for a cigarette. She knew she couldn't tell Adrienne the true reason she was marrying Rudolph. She could never bear to see the pain in her sister's eyes when she learned what their mother had threatened to send the youngest Moreau to the finishing school in France that Josette had attended. After which she would be quickly married off to the first eligible bachelor that came along. She couldn't bear the thought of her darling Adie being set on the same course as she. Standing to move towards the door, she fumbled for a cigarette, lighting it once the door was open and the ocean breeze swept the smoke outside. "If I marry him, he's agreed to give me my dowry, as well as finance my college education. Pretty much he will leave me to do what I want…"

“But, you’re attending night school now, so you don’t need him to--” Adrienne quickly closed her mouth at Josette’s censuring glare. Though Josette would be damned to admit it, she did possess many of their mother’s strongest qualities. She was a strong woman with a defiant heart and Adrienne loved that about her. But, not when she was crushed beneath the weight of the strength. Quickly dropping her gaze to feed JD and Dallas some sausage, she searched for another topic of conversation. “Did you talk to Mother?”

"I was informed by our lovely Bianca that she was out for the day. Thursday, her charity day," Josette snorted, turning her gaze to the sparkling ocean waters.

“…You’ll enjoy your day with AJ…”

"I suppose… Do you want me to get you anything special? Your favorite flannel Tinkerbell pajamas and slippers?" Josette suggested, taking a final drag from her cigarette before tossing it to the stone floor of the portico.

“I don’t need anything--”

"Yes you do, Doll Face," Josette disagreed. "I'll get you some comfortable clothes, some books to read…"

“You’re going to buy skirts and dress shirts and nice slacks, aren’t you?”

"For you? God no! I know you like lounge pants, jeans, sweatpants, t-shirts, and above all else, pajamas!"

“I meant for you…”

"Probably…" Josette trailed with a shrug as AJ reentered the kitchen. Quirking an eyebrow at the sight of his bare chest as he pulled on a clean t-shirt, she quickly wet her lips, looking away.

“Breezy dresses may be appropriate at this stage,” Adrienne murmured, reaching to take the clean plate away from the dogs to set before her.

"Stage of what?" Josette questioned in confusion, her gaze inconspicuously following AJ as he moved into the living room to retrieve something. "What are you talking about, Adrienne?"

“Those steamy hot flashes you keep having over him--”

"I don't know what you're talking about," Josette interrupted with the hint of a blush. "Is it alright if he helps you upstairs while I get dressed?"

“That’s fine,” Adrienne agreed, watching AJ return once more, completely dressed as he pushed a wallet into the back pocket of his worn jeans. Subtly, she watched her older sister’s face alight with pleasure at seeing AJ ready. When he leaned to murmur something in Josette’s ear, Adrienne noted that her sister’s arms actually pricked with goosebumps. Despite the tragedy they faced, it was easy for Adrienne to see that Josette was extremely interested in AJ for far more than a friendship. And, she had every right to be attracted to him. She had been beaten and raped by the assailant, but not as fiercely as Adrienne had. In fact, Josette’s torture had come in being forced to watch her younger sister’s agony. That type of psychological torture could scar someone far worse than a few cuts to the skin. Besides, Josette deserved the chance to be happy for once. Maybe he would keep her from marrying Rudolph…

"Going up," AJ quipped as he scooped Adrienne gently into his arms.

“Help me didn’t imply that you had to pick me up--”

"Too late. Can't stop the elevator once it's in motion," AJ sighed as he headed towards the stairs.

“Okay,” Adrienne agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling when she felt him walking up the steps. At her small gasp, he easily hefted her into a tighter, more protective embrace. Tangling her fingers into his t-shirt for protection, she concentrated her gaze on the skulls inked to his jugular. “…You smell nice…”

"Considering the fact you've been snuggled with my dogs for two days now, I'll take that as a compliment," AJ murmured with a cheesy grin, chuckling softly when she rolled her eyes. Her smile was almost as charming as her sister's, at least from what he had seen of it. "Thanks, Adrienne."

“…Does that mean I smell like a dog pound?”

"Not at all," AJ promised, nudging the bedroom door open so he could carry her to the bed. Once he had laid her down gently, he reached to pull the covers up over her stomach, reaching for a pillow to place in her lap when Tank and Bernie leaped onto the bed. "You smell like sunshine…"

“I hope you use better lines on my sister,” Adrienne decided before Bernie tackled her on the bed. He seemed to know of her injuries, his four paws resting on the bed, though he straddled her, licking her cheeks affectionately.

"Sunshine smells like a fresh morning, y'know? After it's been storming for what seems like an eternity, and then the sun peeks out and everything is fresh and clean again. And you realize that soon, things will get better," AJ explained softly, sitting down on the foot of the bed so he could help Allie up.

“…Do you know how many puppies Allie’s going to have?” Adrienne asked, ignoring AJ’s play on words as she gently pushed Bernie to his side so he would lie down. Watching AJ grunt as he helped Allie onto the bed, Tank shifted and allowed Allie to choose her resting place first.

"When I took her to the vet a couple weeks ago they did an ultrasound and said there's at least ten or twelve in there," AJ informed her, watching Allie snuggle close to Adrienne's side, baring her tummy.

“That’s typical for an American Bulldog,” Adrienne confided, reaching to gently rub Allie’s tummy before scratching delicately to elicit a pleased pant. “Sometimes they can have sixteen puppies in one litter… Are you going to keep them?”

"Good God, not if it's sixteen," AJ breathed in horror. Watching her lavish affection on his babies, he smiled, seeing firsthand how much she cared for animals. "Would you like one… Or four?"

“I can’t take your puppies,” Adrienne disagreed, hearing an impatient whine at the foot of the bed. “Dallas wants up.”

"Why can't you take my puppies?" AJ groaned, stooping to pick up Dallas and place the dog on the bed.

"Because Mother would ban them to the furthest possible outbuilding on the estate," Josette announced as she came from the bathroom. Plucking nervously at the long-sleeved t-shirt she wore, she glanced to AJ.

“You’re gorgeous,” AJ simply promised with a truthful smile, grabbing JD before the runt could attempt a daring jump onto the bed. Plopping the dog onto the bed, he shifted to stand and pressing a warm kiss to Josette’s knuckles. She may have been wearing his old, long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans, but he couldn’t imagine her looking better in anything else. Her dark, ebony waves were twirled into an elegant French braid, her dark cocoa eyes glittering at his words, her full, pouting lips begging to be kissed. But, he maintained a civil nature, reaching to brush back a stray lock. “You ready to go?”

"Absolutely," she murmured, blushing when Adrienne cleared her throat noisily. Allowing herself to lean against his fingers for a moment, she wet her lips before pulling away. Turning to her sister as AJ moved to scribble his cell phone number just in case, she smiled at the sight of the dogs piled around, all seemingly ready for a morning nap. "We'll be back in a couple of hours, but if you need anything, call-"

“I’ll be fine,” Adrienne interrupted softly, not wanting her sister to worry. She was sure that should something happen, Bernie and Tank might come to her defense. Besides, it was time for Josette to stop sacrificing herself. It was Adrienne’s fault that the horrors had even occurred. She deserved a good day out with a man she truly enjoyed.

"Okay. I love you, Twinkle Toes," Josette murmured, leaning close for a soft kiss before allowing AJ to lead her from the room.

“Love you, too,” Adrienne promised, scratching Dallas behind the ears as she watched Josette and AJ leave. Tending to the dogs piled in the bed, she doted the best of affection upon them till she heard the shutting of the front door and the alarm system activate. Carefully sliding from the bed, she moved toward the veranda to peer outside for a moment. AJ had taken the time to open the door for Josette, helping her into the vehicle before shutting the door for her. He then hurriedly jogged to the opposite side, the grin apparent even from the second story balcony. Pressing her fingers to the cool glass, she watched them disappear away from the home before turning away. Suddenly, she realized it was far too quiet.

Looking around the large bedroom, she felt as though the walls were closing in on her. Pressing a hand to her throat, she made her way to the door, opening it slowly. The house was eerily silent, the only sound coming from the dogs as they grunted to get on the floor. Bernie's head nudged the hand on the knob, and when she glanced down he offered her a soulful look before slowly slipping past to wait in the hall. "You want to go downstairs, Bernie?" she questioned softly, stepping out into the hall and gently grasping his collar for support. The dog seemed to grin with approval, leading her towards the stairs.

“What are we going to do downstairs, Bernie?” Adrienne asked, allowing the dog to continue to lead her down the stairs. He was patient with her movements as she used her free hand to brace against her lower abdomen. Dallas, JD, Tank, and Allie even came to the stairs and walked beside her as if to assure she wouldn’t fall. She murmured thanks to all the creatures providing her comfort, but made sure to make a mental photograph of her surroundings in case something horrible was to occur. She just wanted to be prepared.

As she reached the bottom, Bernie turned to lead her into the sunny living room, but as soon as she moved to follow him the front door burst open.

Nick quickly punched in AJ's security code as he kicked the door shut, allowing the spare key to fall on the table by the door. Hearing a startled gasp, he glanced up to see Adrienne standing stock-still at the bottom of the stairs. Offering her his most charming smile, he headed towards her. "Well, hi-"

When Nick took a step toward her, she stumbled back against the stairs with a guttural cry strangled in her throat. He was a significantly tall and broad man and she could only imagine what his intentions were. Scrambling to gain proper footing on the stairs, she ignored the frightened bark of the dogs as she fled backward. Her knees collided with the steps several times in her haste to retreat, but she persisted despite the throbbing pain flowing throughout her body. It wasn’t until she threw herself into the guest room and against the large door that she started to sob.

"Wait! I'm not going to-Get off me you mangy mutt," Nick grumbled, shoving the small yipping dogs from him with his foot. Hearing the muffled sobs coming from upstairs, he raced after Adrienne, groaning when he found the door shut and locked. Knocking softly, he heard her sobs stop suddenly. "Hey… It's okay, Adie, I just came to get some stuff of mine that I left yesterday. I didn't know you'd be here…"

‘Just go away, please, just go away,’ Adrienne thought, bracing herself against the door as if that would keep him at bay. The last time she had tried such an action, the door had been broken and she had been beaten quite heartily. Her entire body trembled as every muscle clenched in agony. A cool sweat broke against her skin and her breathing was labored into tight wheezes.

Sighing, Nick stepped away from the door, though he could still hear her labored breathing. Knowing that AJ would no doubt castrate him and make him eat his severed manhood for upsetting her, he sank onto the floor just outside the door, racking his brain for a way to calm her down. "So… I hear you like dogs? I used to have dogs, but I was gone so much that I had to give them away… But I'm thinking of getting another one…"

Tangling her fingers in her hair, Adrienne drew her legs up to her chest despite the discomfort. She truly struggled to breathe as the walls seemed to close in on her, compressing her back into the box that the assailant had designated her space when she wasn’t in his bed. She could hear his sinister laughter as she looked to the veranda, realizing the doors were slightly ajar. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she willed herself not to scream, simply sobbing harder than before.

Nick jolted from his sitting position when he heard her heavy sobbing, looking around uselessly for any sort of help. "Come on, Adrienne… You don't have to cry. I swear, I'm not going to hurt you. You want me to leave? I would, but Bernie's standing here growling real low at me, like if I move he's going to rip my leg off… He must be really protective of you, huh? AJ always calls him the laziest, most useless dog he's ever had…"

“He’s not useless,” came Adrienne’s protective opinion of the largest dog, though it was strangled within a painful sob. Bernie seemed to hunker down even lower at the sound of her pain, baring his teeth for display.

"I know he's not useless," Nick promised, gulping nervously when Bernie growled protectively. "But… You mind calling him off? He's eyeing my jugular like he hasn't eaten in weeks."

Unfortunately, it seemed at first that Adrienne would do no such thing. That to hear Bernie growling at Nick gave her solace to know she wouldn’t be harmed. But, slowly, he heard the shifting of the lock and watched the door open slightly. Immediately, Bernie stopped growling and moved for the open door, though he snapped at Nick when he saw his hand was near. Then, Tank took his place.

"Thanks," Nick breathed with relief.

“Welcome,” Adrienne whispered, though she was oblivious to the fact that Tank and Allie had taken Bernie’s defensive position as he nuzzled the side of her face soothingly.

"…You mind calling these other two vicious dogs off too?" Nick questioned hopefully as he settled back down on the floor, scooting till his back was against the wall when Tank and Allie both snarled.

There was another long passing moment between his hopeful inquiry and Adrienne’s answer, especially when the pregnant Allie took a menacing step toward him. But, thankfully, Adrienne opened the door once more, though it was a wider space for Tank and Allie to amble through. Waiting patiently, Adrienne noticed that Allie wasn’t moving from her potential attack against Nick. Leaning out the door for just a moment, Adrienne whispered for Allie to come and the pregnant dog obeyed. Helping her inside, Adrienne hesitated on closing the door when she caught Nick’s glance.

"I really appreciate it," Nick murmured, keeping his back against the opposite wall as he looked into her eyes. The fear and panic within the warm cinnamon eyes caused his heart to flutter with worry. "I'm sorry I scared you," he murmured when she continued to stare at him.

Tentatively, Adrienne carefully moistened her healing bottom lip as if she were preparing to speak. But, no words could be articulated from her broken heart and numbed spirit. Instead, she simply studied the depth of his sapphire irises with a keen interest. Though, her posture indicated a sharp distrust of him, she offered a small nod of acceptance.

"Do you mind if I call you Adrienne? Or would you rather I called you Adie? Or Miss Moreau? …You can call me Nick, if you want to call me anything…"

“…It doesn’t matter,” she murmured, leaning back slightly when Bernie stepped in front of her, allowing her chin to rest on his back as he watched Nick suspiciously.

"I like Adrienne… It's a pretty name," Nick told her softly, pulling his knees up so he could rest his arms over them in a casual manner. "Are you feeling okay?"

“Fine,” Adrienne promised, reaching out her hand to gently scratch Bernie behind the ears to soothe him. Truth be told, she was in indefinite agony. Her knees ached from the potential bruising against the steps, but the healing injuries from her assailant were far worse. Her insides had been shredded till he was sure that she would have a slow, agonizing death. Marks of his fingers could still be seen around her neck. His initials in her inner thigh burned with every movement. But she was fine.

"…You're not telling me the truth, are you?" Nick inquired after a moment of looking into her eyes. He had seen the slight wince when she shifted.

“…No…”

"…Okay… AJ told me last night that you're a veterinarian…"

Adrienne nodded in confirmation.

Offering a gentle smile, Nick shifted so he was more comfortable. Something told him it would be a long afternoon, sitting on the floor talking to a girl who could barely muster a whisper in response. "So, how long did it take you to get through school?"

*~*~*

"Ajie… You cannot honestly expect me to spend two hundred dollars of your money on this pair of jeans," Josette sighed as she stepped out of the dressing room. Turning to look in the three-way mirror in the expensive boutique, she raised an eyebrow at her appearance. The low-slung jeans hung low on her hips, hugging the curves of her backside and thighs. They fit perfectly, but what worried her the most was the frayed hem, the detailed rip that showed the crease of her upper thigh when she leaned slightly to one side. "Just throw a tube top on me and I'll start working the nearest corner…"

“There would be no need for you to work the corner, because I would be Richard Gere to your Pretty Woman and steal you away. But, I guess I just wanted you to try something different, Ettie. We’ve spent the whole day shopping and you’ve bought nothing but sophisticated clothes. Classy skirts, dresses, shirts, and slacks…” AJ immediately disagreed, pushing himself off the leather couch in order to stand behind her amongst the mirrors. Carefully, he let his hands slide over her hips in order to turn her around to face him. Leaning close, he pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered in her ear, “I know you’re a sophisticated woman, but I think you look fantastic in these.”

"You do, huh?" Josette murmured, letting her hands rest gently on his chest. He hadn't batted an eye at any of the totals during their shopping trip, usually adding more clothes to the stack. Part of her felt that it was nice to be spoiled, but she hated spending his money so. Once the money arrived from her father she would pay him back, she decided, tilting her head so she could softly kiss his cheek as he pulled her closer. "Well… If they're going to give you this reaction, I suppose I could do with a pair or two…"

“Or ten?” AJ mused with a soft chuckle, allowing his fingers to gently tickle the small of her back. He relished in the fact that she fit so perfectly in his arms and did nothing to turn him away. Instead, she stepped closer to allow his arms to tighten around her. And the soft kiss to his cheek actually caused his toes to tingle. So, he couldn’t resist moving his lips over hers in a soft, sweet kiss.

"You're too good to me," Josette whispered against his lips, curling her arms around his neck to hold him close. He held her tightly against him, as though afraid of losing her, and suddenly Rudolph's face loomed in her mind. Pushing the thought of him away, she concentrated on the kiss with AJ, knowing that no kiss from any other man would ever cause her body to shiver so delectably. Slowly drawing his tongue into her mouth for a gentle suckle, she allowed her fingers to gently curl in his hair.

“I just want to give you everything your heart desires,” AJ disagreed, a soft moan muffling in his throat when he coaxed her tongue into his mouth for a nibble. He was so thankful that they were given preferential treatment because of their status, otherwise she would be embarrassed to keep such a fond closeness with him. This was everything that his heart had wanted but missed with his last girlfriend… Pushing her from his thoughts, he tangled his fingers deep within her dark ebony locks, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss with soft strokes of his tongue to hers.

"Then don't hold back," she mumbled, slowly curving her injured leg around his, bringing him closer.

“Ettie…” AJ hesitated for a moment, leaning back to catch her smoldering cocoa eyes. “…Are you sure about this?”

"Yes," she promised, trailing her fingers over his neck in soft strokes. Somehow, she knew he wouldn't hurt her. "I want to know how it's supposed to feel, Ajie."

“Oh, Ettie,” AJ sighed, leaning to press a trail of kisses from the bridge of her cheek till he met her lips. He hardened his kisses, to express how deeply he cared for her. How she was different than any other woman he had ever met. Three days had passed, yet he knew he had known Josette for all his life. That their hearts were connected on some deeper level, not like he had been with his former girlfriend. Their relationship had merely been a fondness for one another, but he had never been in love with her. That’s why he had declined her demanding to be married and that’s why she had ran off and found herself in the arms of a murderer. So, guilt had driven AJ’s grief harder than anything, but the coaxing from Josette made him feel whole again. “…If I said that I was falling in love with you…”

"…I may have to admit that I was falling in love with you, too," she whispered, her heart flipping over itself with each smoldering kiss he offered.

“I think you just made my entire fucking year,” AJ approved with a ruckus laugh, hardening his kiss and slipping his tongue into her mouth till both were starved for air, but neither bothered to part.

"Ajie… Make love to me?" she requested between the strokes of his tongue, gasping when he leaned her gently against the wall. Eyes widening in surprise, she released a soft giggle. "Not here-"

“Where, then?”

"Come into the dressing room," she whispered after a moment of thought. She had never been so reckless, but she had never wanted something so much. "The door locks…"

AJ’s dark hazel eyes widened in shock at her suggestion, but he followed her path when she pulled him into the large dressing room. Allowing her to lock the door behind him, he rubbed the back of his neck with an air of awkwardness. No one would ever believe him that the prim Josette Moreau had dragged him into a dressing room in order to make love, but he wasn’t exactly the type to kiss and tell about such a momentous occasion. She had asked for him to make love to her and he wanted it to be memorable. So, gently, he lifted her into his arms and met her lips in another sweet kiss. “If you want me to stop, you tell me immediately.”

"I will," she promised, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as his hands trailed down her back. Moaning softly when his fingers met the skin of her lower back, she shifted in his arms, letting her legs wrap around his waist. Sliding her hand down his chest, she hesitated before slipping her fingers beneath the hem of his t-shirt.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he insisted, gently bringing a hand up her back to gather the long-sleeved t-shirt she wore. With his opposite hand, he held tight to her, gently caressing her soft skin as he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra. He shuddered visibly at the idea, leaning forward to nibble at her neck.

"Can you sit down?" she whispered, biting back a hard squeal at the sensation of his teeth against her skin. Fighting hard to focus on him, she dragged her fingers up his sides as he settled on the bench against the wall. Catching his earlobe between her teeth, she smiled at his moaned response, sucking gently on the silver hoop dangling there.

“You are heaven dressed in Dior,” AJ groaned appreciatively, feeling his body immediately respond to her playful nature. Inhaling the soft scent of the perfume she had bought just recently, he actually blushed when she pulled back at the feeling of his budding arousal. Gently, continuing to toy with the hem of her t-shirt, he lifted it further, ducking down to kiss and nibble the skin he revealed.

"You're heaven period," she returned, trembling when his lips brushed over one of her cuts. Impatience won over, and she impulsively reached down, catching the hem of her shirt between her fingers so she could peel it off.

"How are we doing in there?" came the cheerful voice of the salesgirl from just outside the door, along with a soft tapping. "Can I do anything for you?"

“I’m doing just fine, thank you!” Josette hurriedly promised.

“Please send the sales-wench away,” AJ begged with a painful groan against her collar bone. Feeling her arch against him in pleasure, he smiled, allowing his lips to drop to her heaving breasts. With a pleased smile, he nibbled the underside of her breast, hearing her squeal respectively that caused the salesgirl to call out once more. Then, that’s when AJ took her nipple into his mouth, slowly rounding his tongue over the sensitive nipple till it puckered underneath his power.

"Oh, fuck," Josette gasped, tangling her fingers in AJ's messy dark locks. Unconsciously she arched against him again, ignoring the salesgirl's question. When AJ glanced up at her with a wicked grin, pointing towards the door, she groaned, sucking in several deep breaths. "I'm just fine! Just… Trying to decide between the floor-length formal and the knee-length cocktail…"

“Well, why don’t you come out and Mr. McLean and I can help make that decision for you… Oh… I suppose Mr. McLean is indisposed--”

“Damn straight,” AJ finally laughed, unable to resist keeping quiet any longer as he nipped at the valley between her heaving breasts.

"That's fine," Josette called softly, reaching to tug his t-shirt up. "If I need you for anything, I'll come looking for you!"

“I’m sure,” the salesgirl snorted, though she seemed to disappear just the same.

"We have to be quiet," Josette whispered after AJ's t-shirt fell to the floor to join hers.

“And if I don’t want to be quiet?” AJ asked, taking her hands in order to pull her off his lap. When she was standing before him, he leaned forward to undo the buttons of her pants with his lips, then dragged the zipper down with his teeth. Bringing his hands from her hers, he took the pants down her legs, pressing the barest of kisses to the pit of her abdomen. He was oblivious to the cuts and bruises on her delicate skin, more intrigued by the delicious taste of her.

"Well… Not being quiet is alright too," Josette conceded with a hard tremble, gasping when his lips traced her abdomen to her hip. She had never thought it possible to feel so many different emotions in so short a space of time. Not twenty minutes before she and AJ had been laughing and kidding around, and now, this… Fumbling slightly to step out of the jeans, she kicked them aside. "Can I touch you?"

“You don’t have to ask,” AJ murmured softly against her skin, pulling away her panties before guiding her back into his lap. Gently catching her hands, he brought them to his chest. Leaning forward, he cupped the back of her neck within his palm, then traced his other fingers over her breast while seeking out a kiss.

Shivering with desire, Josette traced the lines of his chest, her fingers gliding down the warm skin to trace the tattoo around his navel. She paused when she felt his own shiver, but the increased fervency of his kiss pushed her on. Murmuring his name softly as her hand met the buckle of his belt, she leaned back slightly so he could unbuckle it for her.

“I love you, Ettie,” AJ confessed suddenly, gently brushing his fingers up her sides.

Josette's fingers stilled on the waistband of his boxers, lifting her eyes to look at him. No one but Adrienne had ever said those words to her, and hearing them spoken so gently and so heartfelt brought tears to her eyes. The look in his eyes assured her that he was telling the truth, and she offered him a tremulous smile, wishing she could reciprocate. "Ajie…"

“You don’t have to say it back,” AJ promised, leaning to kiss her cheek softly. “Just as long as you know how I feel.”

"Ajie?" she whispered, sliding from his lap. Catching his hands and hers, she pulled him to his feet, blushing as she moved to lay on the carpeted floor. When he grinned and joined her, his lips meeting hers in smoldering kiss, she clung to him, wanting to keep him close. "Show me…"

“Just let me know if I hurt you,” AJ murmured, pulling his jeans and boxers away till he lay naked next to her. Brushing his fingers delicately through her wavy, ebony locks, he easily parted her thighs with his knee. Then, gently, he brought his throbbing erection close to the center of her moist heat. He felt her tense significantly under him, so he brought her hand over his neck so she could have control as they kissed. And when he felt her relax, he carefully entered.

Gasping softly at the intrusion, Josette lightly dug her fingers into his skin, reminding herself that the man with her loved her. He was not there to hurt her. He was her protector. Pulling from his kiss when he grew still over her, she gave him a slight nod. "I'm okay," she promised, tracing the line of his facial hair with her thumb.

“You’re sure?” AJ whispered, refusing to move till he was undoubtedly sure that she was okay. Leaning down, he gently pressed kisses to every portion of her face. He wanted to reassure her that he truly loved her. That he would never hurt her.

"I'm sure," she murmured, slowly sliding her legs around his waist. His leg shifted to support her injured leg on his thigh, and she nearly cried over his gentleness. Her heart filled with emotion suddenly, and before she could think twice about the decision, she brought her lips to his for a gentle kiss. "I love you, too, Ajie…"

“You promise?” AJ inquired, unable to fight the wide grin that pressed against the side of her face. Slowly, he withdrew himself and reentered, causing her to arch against him in delight. The brush of her breasts to his bare chest caused a quake to rush through his entire body. Leaning down over her so their skin melted together, he slowly began to work gentle thrusts into her body.

"I promise," she whispered, certain she couldn't bear the pleasure of being with him this way. Arching to meet his gentle thrusts, she breathed soft gasps of delight with each kiss he pressed to her face. When he paused to give her a soft kiss of appreciation she arched impatiently against him, longing to see where the pleasure would take her.

“Well aren’t you a sex kitten in the making,” AJ suddenly laughed when she nipped hard against his ear, her arms winding about his tapered waist in order to grip his backside. He suddenly growled with surprise when she blew air into his ear before taking an earring into her mouth. Without warning, her impatience worked a streak of erotic playfulness in AJ, increasing the speed of his thrusts. “Damn, Ettie…”

"I'm sorry," she whispered with a light blush, muffling a whimper against his ear. "Am I your minette sexy?”

“You can be my anything at this point,” he murmured, his voice strained beneath the passion into just a mere rasp.

"Just to be yours is all I want," she promised, crying out softly when her body began to tremble.

“You are mine,” AJ assured, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck as he braced himself over her to control the power of his thrusts. His body was threatening to release without his consent, but he knew that Josette was close. He wanted her to have her pleasure first. He would worry about his later. He had to give her a solid memory of the pleasure that making love could be. “And I’m yours.”

"Alex," she cried out suddenly, wrapping her arms around him tightly to hold him close. Every nerve in her body seemed to be alight with a pleasurable fire, consuming her so quickly she was only aware of his presence. Tears of joy escaped her eyes as she pressed her face against his shoulder. "Je t'adore…"

Feeling her quake of a release, he soon followed with a guttural cry that he buried in the crook of her neck. His entire body trembled as he flicked the beads of sweat that had accumulated at the crook of her neck with his tongue. Holding her close to him, he gently shifted to have her rest beside him. “I love you more.”

Chapter 6

“I think my favorite place in the world is being out on the ocean. When I was younger, I was always at the beach and when my parents fought all the time, I’d go running to the beach. My Dad always joked that I learned how to swim and scuba dive before I even learned how to walk. Something about being out there is just amazing, y’know?” Nick glanced over to make sure that he still had Adrienne’s attention, and, sure enough, she was still looking at him. Several hours had passed since he had frightened her and, yes, the door to the guest room was still shut part-way and Nick was convinced that Tank and Bernie sat behind it just waiting for the opportunity to attack. But, Adrienne had not run away. Instead, she sat against the wall of the room with Allie’s head resting in her lap. She listened intently to his stories, whether she thought he was an idiot or not, he didn’t know. But, the point was that he shared his deepest secrets with her. Things that no one knew about him. And she didn’t criticize him for it. “I take my boats out all the time and I love how the dolphins jump alongside like they’re trying to race you--”

“Wild dolphins?” Adrienne interjected softly, tilting her head back to rest against the wall so she could have a better view of Nick leaning against the wall of the hallway. She studied him curiously, gently running her fingers over the bridge of Allie’s nose as she snored with pleasure. She had thought about turning away several times, but something about the pleading to Nick’s voice caused her to stay.

"Yeah… They're just awesome… Sometimes I'll throw anchor and take a dip and they just come right up and splash and play," Nick explained with a grin, watching a smile play at her lips as he stretched his back slightly. "Do you live near the ocean?"

“No…” Adrienne answered with a soft sigh of regret, biting down on her inner cheek when Allie shifted against her, flaring the pain in her body. But, she made no reference to it, instead thinking about her strong desire to live near the ocean. That was the biggest request Adrienne had for the sisterly vacation – to visit the ocean several times. She loved the way the waves crashed against the sand and the life living within the waters. Dolphins and whales especially. “We live in the mountains and… Well, it takes a long time to get to an ocean and its nothing but rocky cliffs anyway…”

"If you want to go to the beach someday, just tell me… We can just go right down the boardwalk. There's a little cove up the beach where you can find all sorts of things like starfish and crabs. It's really cool…" Nick trailed, offering a soft smile. The way her cinnamon eyes lit up when he spoke of the beach caused his heart to warm tremendously, reminding him that there were still decent people in the world.

“I’d like to go out boating and see the dolphins,” Adrienne suddenly announced, though she clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized that the thought had projected into a statement. A crimson blush covered her face when she noticed Nick quirk his dark blonde brows in an inquisitive nature. She immediately shifted her gaze down to Allie, holding her breath as if that would control the blush.

"When AJ and your sister get back I'll ask him if he wants to make a day trip of it," Nick suggested softly after a moment. "We can pack a picnic lunch and go swimming?"

Adrienne hesitated slightly at his suggestion, gently brushing her fingers over Allie’s ears in a firm rub. “…Today?”

"Whenever you want, Adie," Nick promised.

“I thought you were going to call me Adrienne?”

"I am… I just wanted to make sure you're paying attention."

“Clever…” Adrienne trailed, though she knew better than to fall for that.

"What's your favorite color?" Nick questioned suddenly. He had spent the entire time talking mostly of himself, and now wanted to learn more about her.

“Green and purple,” Adrienne answered, finding the courage to look at Nick once more. “My suite at home is decorated in green and lavender… It’s my favorite…”

"I like green too… Suite? You have a suite?"

“Bedroom, bathroom, sitting room, study…”

"Just how big is your house?" Nick questioned softly.

“Big enough.”

"It's just you and your sister?"

“No, we live with my mother and father.”

"…And a legion of faithful servants?" Nick inquired with a grin, attempting to joke.

“Some are more faithful than others.”

"What's your last name again?"

“Moreau.”

Everything came crashing back to him so swiftly it was as though she had slapped him. Drunken advances, the softness of a backside in his palm. The sharpness of a hand against his cheek. Crimson wine staining Paris' white dress. "Oh holy shit…" he groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "I am such a fucking idiot…"

“What’s wrong?” Adrienne inquired in confusion, watching as Dallas dove between Nick’s legs for protection as JD tried to bite his tail. She didn’t know what she had said to make him shout such a vulgarity… “I’m sorry--”

"No, no, I should be saying that…" Nick trailed. "I knew you looked familiar…"

“I do?”

"Don't you remember me? Puff Daddy's All White Party?" Nick reminded.

Carefully, Adrienne shifted with Allie in order to open the door a bit more so she could get a better look at the man. Under different circumstances, she probably would have regarded him as handsome. His wild, messy platinum locks were brushed in every direction and a bit of facial hair was starting to grow. He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt with a band logo. But what caught her most was the brilliance of his dark sapphire eyes. Josette would have called him filthy, but Adrienne regarded him as rugged. And, when she considered Josette’s view of him, the memory he was referring to came flooding back. “You’re Nick Carter who dated Paris and was the prize of the evening attached to her arm…”

"And you were the blushing debutante who I thought was cute and when I tried to make a move on you your sister slapped me, threw her drink on Paris' dress and cussed me up one side and down the other…”

“You put a permanent chocolate stain on my backside, which, coincidentally, looked very much like a handprint…”

"…Whoops…"

“Why were you trying to ‘make a move’ anyway? You and Paris were quite cozy. She loved parading you around at every chance… Lord knows she couldn’t stop gushing about you when she was attending any of our normal functions…”

"She and I were never good for each other," Nick sighed. "And I saw you and thought you looked like what I really needed, y'know? Someone sweet and unassuming who wasn't vain or caught up in the celebrity or anything…"

“You hollered at my sister that you were drunk off your ass--”

"Do you know of a better way to keep her from chopping a guy's head off?"

“To stay away from me…”

"She must be a pretty good sister, to attack a complete stranger…"

“She’s far better than a pretty good sister.”

"You look sleepy, Adrienne… Do you want me to leave you alone so you can take a nap?" Nick murmured, noticing the dark circles under her eyes when she hid a yawn behind her hand.

“I’m not tired,” Adrienne disagreed with a small shake of her head, smiling toward Bernie when he came to flop at her side. Knowingly, she reached for his belly, because he would eventually bare it to her anyhow. It was impossible for her to sleep. Her body would refuse to allow her a moment’s rest. She was on a constant state of alert. And, if she slept, it would only be for an hour before she woke up drenched in sweat.

"…Do you want to go downstairs and watch a movie with me? AJ bought Curious George last night…"

“You don’t have to--”

"I was just offering, you don't have to if you don't want to. I know you're probably scared of me-"

“I was just saying that you don’t have to keep me company…”

"I don't mind it… You're easy to talk to. When you talk, that is," Nick murmured. "I'm just thinking you might be more comfortable on the couch than on the floor-"

“Bernie… What do you think?” Adrienne inquired of the largest dog, noticing that he was watching her expectantly, as if he were waiting for her answer as well. She felt as if she were suffocating within the guest room and had initially wanted to go downstairs to inspect her surroundings. But Nick had deterred those plans.

"…He thinks I should run down and fix some popcorn and get some icy sodas," Nick suggested hopefully, already slowly getting to his feet.

“I guess we’ll meet you down there…” Adrienne suggested when Allie suddenly pulled away and Bernie got up as well.

"You can make it down the stairs okay by yourself?" Nick questioned, offering his hand to help her to her feet.

Forgetting his question for a moment, she simply stared at the hand he offered her. It was extended palm down, merely waiting for her to slip her fingers against his and hold on. She had never seen a man’s hand in such a manner. Instead, it was always raised in anger, ready to echo against the side of her face. Startled when he cleared his throat, she hurriedly took his hand so he wouldn’t become upset. “I’ll be fine going downstairs…”

"Okay… I'll meet you in the living room in a few minutes then," Nick agreed softly, impulsively reaching to brush back a stray lock of her hair.

Standing just inside the threshold of the guest room, afraid to even breathe, she waited for the sound of Nick’s lumbering down the stairs. When she was sure she had some kind of privacy, she reached for the curl that Nick had tucked behind her ear. The warmth his fingers brought to her body was inviting at first, but then churned her stomach for even regarding such a thought. Glancing into the hallway, she released a frustrated sigh before glancing to Bernie and Tank. “Do you growl at him because he’s bad news? Or growl at him because he teases you and you have to get back at him?”

Bernie and Tank seemed to ponder her question for a moment. Then, looking at each other, they came to an agreement of sorts, each appearing to grin when they looked back up at Adrienne. Panting with excitement, they turned to follow Nick. Which was answer enough for her.

Stepping into the hallway, she watched the two male dogs hurry down the stairs in order to find Nick, but Adrienne waited when Allie whined. Watching the pregnant dog lumber from the guest room, she cooed softly and walked with the dog down the stairs. Both seemed to anticipate the others’ pains, careful to work each step in hopes to decrease the aggravation. But, somehow, they made it and Allie went to the kitchen for food and Adrienne slowly walked toward the living room. Seeing the emptiness of the plush room, she evaluated her options for seats. She could take the recliner, loveseat, long couch, or somewhat shorter couch. Glancing to the large, flat-screen TV, she decided she’d sit on the long couch and hope the dogs would get to her before Nick. Carefully, she eased herself onto the couch and felt herself sink into the softness. It felt wonderful.

Nick entered a few moments later, carrying an enormous bowl of buttered popcorn. Placing it in the middle of the couch, glancing around to see the dogs were taking protective stances at Adrienne's feet. "Just a minute, I'll bring you a soda…"

“Mmhmm,” Adrienne murmured, certainly not prepared for the overwhelming wave of exhaustion that attacked her so quickly. In the past three weeks, sleep had never been an option. In the total of twenty-one days, she knew she had barely obtained ten hours of sleep collectively. Now, after the hospital, she couldn’t force her body into sleep either. Curling protectively against the pillow tucked beneath her head, she muffled a yawn against the back of her hand. She was sure she couldn’t fall asleep.

When Nick returned, setting a tall glass filled with ice and Pepsi on the end table where she could reach, he simply thought she was resting her eyes. Sipping his own soda, he moved to load the DVD, grabbing the remote from the shelf before moving to sit at the opposite end of the couch. "I haven't seen this yet, but…" His sentence faltered when he saw her shift slightly on the couch, the tension leaving her features as she obviously went to sleep. Knowing she needed the rest, he turned the TV off before grabbing one of the blankets off the back of the couch, carefully draping it over her before settling onto the cushion next to her. "Sleep well, Adrienne," he whispered.

Hearing the soft sigh leave her slightly parted lips, Nick couldn’t help the smile that graced his face. Shifting carefully, he fixed the blanket over her body to assure that she was covered completely, never expecting her legs to stretch out over his lap. When he looked down at her legs, he suddenly held his hands up in defense as Bernie and Tank growled. “She did that, not me, so go take a shit outside or something.”

Before Tank or Bernie could decide whether or not to take him at his words, they were diverted by JD and Dallas, who began to yip excitedly at the sound of a car pulling into the drive. Leaning up so he could see out the front window, Nick groaned when he saw AJ's car parking. Knowing it would take them several minutes to get all the things from the car, he carefully eased Adrienne's slumbering form into his arms. Somehow he managed not to wake her up, though she did sigh softly as she snuggled closer against his chest. As all the dogs raced to the door to bark at their owner's arrival, Nick got up from the couch and headed in the opposite direction, going up the stairs to place her in her bed. He heard the car doors slam as he stepped into the bedroom, and hastily crossed the room, making sure not to jostle her as he laid her on the bed. Drawing the covers up over her, he paused to gaze at her lovely features, leaning to press a gentle kiss to her forehead before leaving the room.

Knowing he’d be slaughtered if he were caught upstairs by the potential couple, Nick attempted to race down the stairs in a speedy momentum. But, it seemed futile when he was halfway down the steps and AJ was glaring up at him from the foot of the steps. Lurching in his movements, Nick shoved his hands deep into his pants pockets, attempting to look nonchalant.

“What the Hell are you doing here?” AJ inquired skeptically.

"I came to get my stuff that I left here yesterday-"

“Then why don’t you have a damn thing in your hands?”

"Because when I got here Adrienne was coming downstairs and when she saw me she fell up the stairs, so I talked to her-"

“You son-of-a-bitch, if I found out you touched one hair on her head, so help me God!” Josette threatened in a rush, dropping the smaller bags that AJ had allowed her to carry. Oblivious to her injured ankle, she hurried up the stairs in search of her sister, sure to throw a sharp shove into Nick before calling out for Adrienne.

"For God's sake, she's asleep!" Nick cried in defense.

“What did you do with Adrienne?” AJ accused when he heard a sharp curse follow from Josette before a soft shriek of surprise. Wincing, he realized that Nick had been truthful in his statement, but Josette would soothe Adrienne back into a slumber. What he was far more concerned about was the guilty look spread across Nick’s face. Something didn’t seem right as he gathered the bags to carry into the living room.

"I didn't do anything! She got kind of scared, and I sat outside her door and talked to her for a few hours…" Nick trailed, following AJ into the living room. Peering into a bag, he raised an eyebrow when he saw a stuffed Curious George. Glancing to his friend, he realized the older man was actually humming to himself as he began to separate the bags. "Why are you so damn happy?"

“She got kind of scared? What does kind of scared mean exactly, Nick? And what the Hell are you talking about? Talking to her for a few hours? Don’t tell me you long-winded her into listening to your sexual escapades, because that medication is already making her sick as a dog--”

"We talked about the ocean, dogs, music, and family," Nick interrupted defensively, scowling at the glare AJ gave him. "Jesus Christ, J…"

“Why were you even talking to her? She doesn’t have anything you want.”

"I was talking to her because she seems like she'd be nice… Did you know you've got a hickey the size of your nose right there on your neck?" Nick said, rubbing the base of his own throat.

“Jealous?” AJ guessed with a wicked smirk, working to carefully separate the bags of clothing into two individual piles. One pile would be for Adrienne. After consummating their love in the dressing room, Josette had insisted that they keep on shopping. She had been diligent in picking out a specific type of clothing for her sister, but AJ had managed to help somewhat. So, the faded, worn, and frayed jeans were folded into a pile with t-shirts, lounge pants, pajama bottoms, tank tops, and other casual clothing for Adrienne. The other pile was for Josette, which consisted of highly fashionable items. Black skirts, black dresses, black slacks, smart tops, elegant camisoles, and those fantastically lucky jeans…

"What'd you do? Dump the psycho and go hook up with one of your ex toys?"

“Don’t make me punch you right in the face.”

"Don't tell me the Ice Queen herself did it-"

“Shut the fuck up, Nick.”

"Holy shit, you got laid-"

“Why don’t you get your shit and get the fuck out of here?”

Nick hesitated, not wanting to leave quite yet. Part of him wanted to pull the truth of the day's events from AJ, but mostly he wanted to be around when Adrienne woke from her nap. He wanted to be able to look into her eyes and feel that warmth again… "…I can't. The painters showed up this morning to redo the house, and I have to stay gone at least a week-"

“Well, get your shit and take your punk-ass over to Kevin’s house.”

"J, they make me sleep on the futon in the basement," Nick whined.

“Hotels are available for such a charming man as yourself and makes it a helluva lot easier to pick up the prostitutes at the corner,” AJ mused, thrusting a pile of clothes toward Nick to make him fold.

"I don't pick up prostitutes, damnit," Nick grumbled, starting to fold without thinking.

“Well, half the women you supposedly date probably should be paid for their services…”

"AJ… Can I stay?"

“You were so fucking anxious to get out of here the other day… What changed?” AJ inquired quite seriously, tucking Josette’s clothing into the empty bags so he could take them upstairs. He didn’t understand Nick’s desperation to linger.

"Adrienne and I were thinking of taking some trips out on my boat… And she wants to see the beach and the little cove…"

AJ immediately groaned with disbelief. “Hell no, get your shit and get out right now--”

"Nick, Adie just told me how wonderful you were, sitting outside her room and keeping her company today," Josette announced as she entered the room. Her face was aglow with happiness, and she offered Nick a genuine smile of thanks. "She hasn't been so calm since we got here, thank you… She told me you mentioned something about a boat trip, and I think we should do that soon-"

“That poor girl can’t even come three steps out of her room without having a heart attack and you want to take her out on a boat?” AJ blurted incredulously, amazed that Josette had even turned a smile toward Nick when she was repulsed by his very name. And the wickedly proud grin that Nick displayed made his stomach knot with worry.

"Oh, Ajie, you should see her, she was smiling and looked so hopeful… Almost like a child asking to go to the circus," Josette sighed. "And something tells me that she'll do just fine on a boat trip. She loves water and the animals…"

“Dolphins?” Nick suddenly guessed.

“She absolutely loves dolphins. They’re actually her favorite sea creature. And then the killer whale… But she always chides me because I guess the Orca is just another breed of a dolphin and not really a whale… But, anyway, yes, she loves dolphins and whales… How’d you know?” Josette confessed with a silly smile, reaching to hug AJ gratefully.

"She told me," Nick announced with a proud smile.

“I think she’d live at Sea World if I let her…”

"…You can have the downstairs guest room," AJ groaned reluctantly after Josette had given him another hug before leaving the room. Shoving another stack of clothing at Nick, he scowled, knowing the younger man was up to something.

Nick arched his dark blonde brows with confusion at AJ’s offer. “I already have all my shit in the upstairs guest room--”

"Fine, fine! But I'm locking your fucking door from the outside," AJ warned.

Nick shrugged off the threat as he glanced down to the pile of clothing in his hands. Noticing the variety of greens and purples amongst other colors and a significant portion of jeans, he looked to AJ with a grin. “This is all Adrienne’s stuff, right? So, I’ll just go put it upstairs--”

"Over my dead fucking body you will," AJ growled. "You're carrying your ass to Delmonico's and picking up the order I called in for dinner."

“What giant dildo did Josette shove up your ass today?!”

"I'm just protecting Adrienne."

“From what?”

"Your less than honorable intentions, that's what. When you finish that stack, leave it on the couch and go get our dinner."

“I don’t have any intentions--”

“Don’t bullshit me, Nick. I know you and those stupid contests you have with your shithead of a brother. And I don’t want Adrienne involved in that,” AJ murmured, glancing back to assure that Josette wasn’t present before grabbing Nick’s arm. Leading him toward the door, he maintained a threatening growl to his voice, “She’s hurting. That fucker raped her not only with his own oily dick, but other things that I don’t think either sister wants to remember. He fucked her up so bad that she almost bled to death. She needed a hysterectomy, but their mother refused to allow it, so they patched her up as best they could. God knows that little tidbit terrifies the hell out of Josette, knowing something could go wrong because Adie didn’t have the hysterectomy. So, hands off, got it?”

"Got it," Nick promised softly, glancing towards the stairs. He'd had no idea she had been that bad off…

*~*~*

Stirring in her light, dreamless sleep, Adrienne could swear she felt the warmth of soft lips against her forehead. Reaching up to touch the tingling skin, she let her eyes drift open, surprised to find she was alone in the room. Save for Allie, who panted heavily in a deep sleep next to her. Sitting up slowly, she let the covers fall from her body, wondering if the kiss had truly been a dream…

Furrowing her dark brows, she exhaled a soft breath as she leaned to gently scratch behind Allie’s ears, realizing that within the next day or so, puppies would arrive in the McLean household. But, for the moment, her thoughts drifted back to the idea of being kissed. She had never been kissed before. Well, except for her sister’s kisses and those of the Moreau family’s help that had raised her from an infant. But to have the lips of a loving man against her skin was unbeknownst to her. She may have had friends of the opposite sex, but none had dared to cross the line for fear of retaliation from the Moreau family. Sighing, Adrienne reached to furiously rub her forehead to clear away her wistful imagination. She was in no condition to be dreaming of kisses and romance and she never would be.

A soft knock at the door pulled her from her reverie, causing her stomach to knot with worry at who the intruder could be. Josette never knocked, even at home; she simply barged into the room spouting off the reason for her intruding. When another knock sounded, followed by the shuffling of feet behind the door, she reached to pull the covers up to her chest like a shield. "Yes?"

“Hey, Adrienne, it’s AJ…Alex…Ajie… Whichever you’re going to call me at this point… Well, it’s me?”

"Come in," she murmured with a trace of a smile at his hesitation.

The door opened, and AJ's smiling face peered around to see her sitting up in the bed. "How you feeling, Adrienne? You had a nice long nap… You slept through dinner and everything. I was going to get you up, but Ettie put her good foot down and told me to leave you be, so…" Shrugging as he entered the room, he cleared his throat. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

“No, I was up before you knocked,” Adrienne promised, watching AJ hold his arms behind his back as if attempts to shield something. But, with him being so skinny, the bags behind him protruded from the sides. “…Does Ette need me?”

"No, no, she's…" AJ trailed softly, knowing he couldn't simply blurt out the fact that at the moment she was asleep in his bad. Naked… Pulling the bags from behind him so he could place them on the foot of the bed, he offered a smile. "I just came up to bring you the stuff we got you this morning."

“Oh, thank you,” Adrienne murmured kindly, smiling apologetically when Allie buried her snout underneath the layer of pillows with a grunt. Reaching to rub the dog’s back, she glanced to the enormous bags, deciding that their father must have wired enough money to suit them comfortably for several weeks. Anything to keep the injured daughters away... “Did Ette have fun?”

"Loads," AJ promised quickly, perching on the foot of the bed as he pushed the bags closer. "She got you enough clothes to last you all year… And then some, I think, unless you're one of those women who changes clothes every two hours-Oh! This is from me," he announced, pulling a stuffed Curious George from a bag so he could present it to her.

“Curious George?” Adrienne questioned in confusion, leaning back slightly when he offered her the stuffed animal. When his smile strained uncomfortably, she reached out to take the gift into her arms. It was the infamous monkey from the newly released DVD and the older childhood books. The books that Josette would diligently read to her every night when they were children. Gently running her fingers against the soft fur, she sighed softly. “Why’d you buy this for me?”

"'Cause… Well I know it's going to sound corny, but… I know how it feels to need something to hold onto," AJ explained softly, remembering those first nights after his girlfriend had disappeared, the few hours his mind had paused long enough for him to gain something resembling sleep. How hard it had been to fall asleep, until he had pulled one of her shirts from the laundry to clutch.

“But you have my sister now?” Adrienne guessed, looking up from the plush Curious George though she still continued to fold his ear over her fingers. She wasn’t overly naïve about the ways of the world. She had seen the way that AJ looked to Josette and how she reciprocated those looks. And, the hesitant nature of his entrance had told her something magical had occurred between them that morning.

"Um… Uh… I can't talk to you about things like that-"

“I’m twenty one years old, not one nor two. I understand that you two have a great affection for one another. I just hope that you’ll treat her right. She’s very special to me.”

"You're very special to her, too… And I promise, I'll treat her right," AJ said, leaning over to press a friendly kiss to her cheek before she could react. "If you want to talk to her, she's in my room, I'm going to go down and fix your plate-"

“Thank you, AJ,” Adrienne murmured, watching him launch off the bed and walk from the room. Glancing down to the Curious George once more, she leaned over to look at the bags of clothing. The first two were filled with the typical clothing that she loved to wear when Mother was absent from the house. And then third bag was tied with a note, signed with a heart and AJ’s name. Pulling out some of the clothing, she was amazed to find torn, faded, and ripped jeans that she absolutely adored as well as a variety of different styles that she’d never dare to wear at home, though she loved to admire in magazines. Lurching in surprise, she scrambled off the bed and raced into the hallway. “AJ!”

There was no response. Instead, from downstairs, came the sounds of the man's singing, accentuated by the appreciative barks from JD and Dallas.

Going toward the stairs, she glanced down them in hopes to see AJ so she could properly thank him. He had gone to so much trouble in order to make her feel comfortable in his home. He had even taken the time to consider what type of clothing she would like to wear instead of yanking various clothing away from different racks to hurry along to the next spot. She had never been treated so kindly in her life, so she hesitated for only a moment more before carefully moving down the stairs. Following the sounds of a man’s soulful voice, she peered into the kitchen to see AJ working hard to warm up a meal for her. He was dancing about the kitchen with a pleasant grin on his face, actually seizing JD into his arms for a rowdy dance. The man was in love, that much was certain... “Um… AJ?”

"Adrienne!" AJ gasped in surprise, whirling around to face her. Reaching over to pull her plate from the microwave, he actually blushed over the fact she had caught him so jovial. "Did you need something, Hun?"

“I just…” Adrienne hesitated significantly in her original thoughts, reaching to toy with a fallen ginger curl. She had known what she wanted to say when she walked down the stairs. But catching AJ off guard and his surprised features had startled her intentions. “The clothing… Ette bought the two bags, but then you had your name on the other…”

"I just picked out a few things I thought you'd enjoy. After asking Ettie about you and all…" AJ explained with a nonchalant shrug.

“But you put thought into them…”

"I always put thought into what I'm buying for someone else-" AJ cut off with a surprised grunt when the woman was suddenly squeezing him in a grateful hug. Tentatively, he let JD slide to the floor before placing his hands gently on her back. "Hey… You're welcome, hun…"

“You didn’t have to do that though,” Adrienne murmured, oblivious to the tears that rained down her pale cheeks as she locked her arms around him in a tender hug. “No one’s ever cared enough to… Well, besides Ette… But, you… Thank you so much…”

"Hey," he whispered, easing his arms around her for a gentle embrace. "I care about you, Adrienne. You've been through things that nobody should ever have to face, and you're still able to smile…"

“It’s hardly a smile,” Adrienne sniffled, burying her face against his chest for a moment of protection. “But, thank you so much.”

"Anything for you," AJ promised.

Pulling back slightly, Adrienne pressed a hand to her face when she noticed the splotches of tear stains on AJ’s shirt. She immediately blushed crimson with embarrassment, unweaving herself from his arms. “I didn’t mean to attack you or anything--”

"I don't mind," AJ assured her, playfully flipping her hair over her shoulder before turning to fix her salad. "Are you going to eat down here or up in your room?"

“…Is Nick around?”

"He went out to get some movies to watch tonight-"

“I can eat downstairs if you want, but I’d like to go see Ette--”

"She's upstairs in my room. Last room at the end of the hall," AJ informed. When she murmured a thanks before leaving the room, he remembered how he had left Josette earlier. Dropping the salad fork with a clatter, he rushed to catch her, groaning a curse when he saw she was already halfway up the stairs. Oh well. He could only hope she wouldn't castrate him…

Ignorant of AJ’s plight, Adrienne continued up the stairs and down the hallway. She braced a tender hand over her abdomen as always, her gait still quite awkward as she attempted to nullify the pain. Though, every thought she had seemed to leave in a rush when she knocked briefly on AJ’s master bedroom door before entering, catching her sister’s nude body flurry of movements to clothe herself. “Josette Floriana Moreau!”

"Adrienne Elaine Moreau!" Josette returned in surprise, jerking the plush comforter up to her chest when she realized her clothes were in a heap at the foot of the bed. Seeing her sister's shocked expression, she hastily smoothed her hair, suddenly affecting a casual appearance. As though she were frequently seen naked in a man's bed. "What are you doing in here?"

“Apparently not what I’m really supposed to be doing in a bedroom as I had originally thought…” Adrienne mused, following her sister’s eyes toward the heap of clothing – a mixture of AJ’s clothing as well as recently purchased women’s clothing. Glancing back to her sister, she maintained a coy expression upon her face though her cheeks tinged pink. “I get a get-out-of-trouble-free card for finding you like this, don’t I?”

"When have you ever gotten into trouble, Adie?" Josette questioned honestly, tucking the comforter tighter around her.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Adrienne decided, carefully leaning down to gather her sister’s clothing from the floor. Then, making sure to shut the door behind her, she offered her older sister the garments and then turned around.

"You're going to hold this over me forever, aren't you?" Josette sighed, shaking out the knee-length skirt to rid it of the wrinkles before she climbed out of the large bed to pull it on. "Did you sleep well?"

“Not forever,” Adrienne assured, glancing to all the photographs on the dresser. Most were of AJ and an older woman, who Adrienne assumed was his mother. Others were pictures of his dogs and then pictures of him with his band. Her eyes lingered on a photograph of AJ and Nick attacking one another in a friendly bear hug “…Did you kiss my forehead after I fell back asleep?”

"No… You fell asleep so fast and I went down to thank Nick for talking to you-"

“Do you remember him, Ette?”

"Remember him? …Have we met that greasy slob somewhere before?" Josette questioned as she buttoned up her blouse. Tucking it into her skirt, she began to hunt for her shoes.

“He dated Paris--”

"He's the drunk asshole who groped you in front of the paparazzi and left a big chocolate handprint on your ass-"

“He apologized--”

"When?" Josette interrupted, giving up the hunt for her shoes. Instead, she ran her hands through her hair, letting it fall loose past her shoulders in hopes it would conceal the bruises on her neck. A glance in the mirror showed that her lips were still swollen, though the cuts on her cheek were finally starting to heal. "Today?"

“Yes… When he realized who I was…” Adrienne answered, abandoning the photographs when she felt Josette’s arms gingerly wrap about her waist. Her older sister dared not to squeeze her for fear of injuring her further, so Adrienne dropped her hands to cover Josette’s hands. “…Were you scared, Ette? I mean… What you did with him… You wanted to do?”

"I wanted to do it," Josette promised softly. AJ was all that she could hope for when it came to making love. And so much more. She truly had never dreamed that making love could be so pleasurable. When their mother had first explained it to her, it had seemed as though the act was merely the duty of a woman. "And yes, I was scared at first, but… He was very tender, Adie."

“So, you’re happy?” Adrienne hoped, turning to face her sister.

"Il est mes chéri…"

Adrienne smiled. “I told you so.”

"And you're going to hold that over my head as well, aren't you?" Josette teased.

“Of course!”

"You won't mind if I accept his invitation to share his bed?" Josette questioned, wanting to be sure.

“No, I won’t mind,” Adrienne promised with an affirmative nod, having no desire whatsoever to ruin her older sister’s good fortunes. It wasn’t as if she slept at night anyway, so there would be no difference but the amount of light Adrienne would keep within the room. Besides, Josette deserved to feel safe and protected at night. AJ could provide that.

"Adrienne? Honeybunch? Your dinner's ready!" AJ called from downstairs. "And ask Ettie to find the earring she nibbled out of my ear!"

"Oh, God," Josette groaned with a firm blush, releasing her sister so she could find the earring in question.

“Vous êtes un féroce minette sexy,” Adrienne decided with a coy grin.

"Un peu," Josette sighed, enjoying the playfulness Adrienne was showing.

“I think AJ should be the judge of that,” Adrienne disagreed, moving for the door when AJ bellowed that her dinner was getting cold. It wasn’t that she was hungry. More so, she seemed to have lost all appetite with the array of pills that she needed to take, but would eat so her sister didn’t worry. She had always loved to tease her sister and initiated the playful banter, but still felt dead inside.