Daniel wasn't having a good day. He hadn't wanted to come back to this city to begin with. Then to top it off,
his reason for coming back had turned into a total disaster. All he wanted was to put as much distance between this city
and himself as possible, but that wasn't going to happen. He had another meeting tomorrow and he hoped to salvage
something out of it.
He leaned against a tree looking out at the Sound thinking that this was the only thing he missed, the only thing other
than...he wouldn't allow himself to finish the thought. He just stood looking out at the water trying to relax.
He heard someone calling his name, sure that it wasn't him the voice was calling. As he turned to see who it was,
he saw a face from his past looking much the same as he remembered; short curly blonde hair, green eyes and petite,
just like her...he wouldn't think it, not now.
"Daniel Mallory? It is you!" She sounded pleased to see him, which surprised him.
"Julia?" He still couldn't believe it. He'd been so sure he wouldn't see anyone he knew--hadn't wanted to see
anyone--and Julia was the last person he expected to see.
"Daniel, how are you?" she asked, grinning up at him.
"I'm fine. You look well." He knew it sounded stupid, but it was the only thing he could think of. The only
other thought in his mind was Julia's sister.
"Andi?" he blurted.
"She's well. I'm surprised you're interested. After all, it's been--"
"Six and a half years," he said nodding. "I know. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch."
Then it hit him. "She's alive, and well? What must she think of me?" To himself he thought, she must
hate me.
"Nothing actually," Julia replied.
"She never asked about me?"
"No--"
"Why would she, after I just disappeared, didn't wait to see if, even call--"
"Daniel, stop! It's okay. She never asked because she doesn't remember you."
"What do you mean, she doesn't remember me? We were in love." This doesn't make any sense.
"She was in a coma for two years." Julia told him sympathetically. "When she woke up she had no memory.
She had to relearn everything. She still doesn't remember anything about her life before she woke up five
years ago."
Daniel remembered the last time he'd seen her, lying in that hospital bed not moving, unaware even that
he was at her bedside. He feltas responsible now as he'd felt back then; If only his car hadn't broken down
on the way home that day.
"Is there any chance she'll remember, Julia?"
"The doctors say there's no medical reason for her not to."
"But she hasn't," Daniel said remorsefully.
"It's possible she doesn't want to," Julia told him. "What happened to her is one of the most traumatic things
anyone could ever go through. Her psychiatrist believes that she's blocking everything to keep from remembering
that night. She's not the same person, Daniel. She's shy and introverted; sometimes she seems afraid of her own
shadow. She won't go anywhere by herself. Daniel, you wouldn't even know her."
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree. Seeing Julia made him realized that he'd been looking
for an opportunity to find out about Andi.
He opened his eyes to see a drab woman coming toward them. Julia turned, following his eyes.
"Julia, Ami and Kevin are getting hungry," he heard the woman say.
"Andrea, this is an old friend," Julia told her.
Andrea looked up at the man talking to her sister and felt herself shrinking away. All she could see as she
looked up at him was his incredible height, his extremely broad shoulders and piercing green eyes. She felt so
scared she could hardly breathe. As he held out his hand she felt sure he was going to grab her. When he didn't,
she took his hand briefly.
"I'm Daniel," was all he could manage.
Andrea shook his hand briefly.
"Nice to meet you, Daniel," was all she said before she snatched her hand away.
He looked for some sign of recognition in her now lifeless brown eyes and found none. Instead he saw a woman
who appeared terrified of him. As she looked up at him he saw the color drain from her face. He felt sure she was
going to faint.
She was not the girl he remembered. The person standing before him didn't seem to know him at all, and he never
would have recognized her had he seen her walking down the street. His Andi wouldn't have been caught dead in the
baggy jeans and an oversized sweater she was wearing. Just looking in at her lifeless brown eyes, he could see her
shrinking away from him. Her usually full and lustrous light brown hair was lying limp and flat against her
hunched shoulders. It made her appear even smaller than her petite five foot three inch frame.
"Excuse me. I'd better get back to the kids," she mumbled. "It was nice to meet you, Daniel."
She turned and quickly walked away.
"Ami and Kevin are mine," Julia told him.
"She's so different," Daniel exclaimed.
"I warned you."
"I don't understand," he said as he shook his head. "This is my fault. If only I'd been on time that night,"
he said with a sigh.
"Daniel, no one blames you," she assured him.
"I blame myself," he told her.
"Daniel, don't," Julia said, trying to comfort him.
Her face brightened. "Listen, how long are you here?"
"Until tomorrow evening," he replied.
"Why don't you come to dinner?" she suggested. "I'm sure Jon would love to see you, and you never know,
you might do Andrea some good."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. You saw how she reacted to me." He wanted to go, but he didn't want to
cause Andrea any more pain than he already had.
"That might be a good thing," Julia said hopefully. "She hasn't reacted that way to anyone before. I know
how much she loved you, Daniel. She might be starting to remember. Maybe seeing you again is all it will take."
Daniel could see that Julia was hoping for a miracle. He wanted very much to be the one to bring Andrea back
to them; but what if she resented him for not being there for her. He wasn't sure he could accept that, not after
finding out that she was still alive.
"I don't know, Julia," he replied. "I might do more harm than good."
"You saw how she is. She's not happy," Julia implored him.
Daniel thought, it might be worth losing her again if she was to remember and regain who she is.
"Please say you'll come," Julia said, looking at him hopefully.
When Andrea was within sight of the children she sat down on the nearest bench and tried to calm down. Her
heart was pounding so hard she was sure it would burst. Daniel frightened her but she didn't know why.
He seemed nice. But, she said to herself, then things weren't always what they seemed. She shivered as
if the wind had suddenly grown cold and wondered where that thought had come from. She just sat there watching
Ami and Kevin, trying not to think, until her sister joined her.
She was quiet all the way home. She still felt terrified and she couldn't figure out why. Julia
said Daniel was an old friend. He seemed nice enough, but he still made her feel afraid.
When they got home she told Julia she wasn't hungry. She curled up in her favorite chair in the living
room with a book and tried to read. As hard as she tried, she couldn't keep her mind on what she was reading.
Her mind kept going back to Daniel. It was almost as if she could remember something, she almost felt she should
know him. The harder she tried to remember, the more frustrated she became.
She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there. She must have drifted off, because suddenly Jon and
her sister were talking. She was sure that if she got up now and left the room that Jon would think she'd
been spying on them. So she just sat there and waited for them to leave.
"Jon, I ran in to an old friend today," she heard her sister say.
"Oh, who?" Jon asked.
"Remember Daniel Mallory?" her sister said. "We saw him at the park today. I invited him to dinner."
"You what?" Jon sounded anxious.
"I invited him to dinner," Julia told him.
"Why, for heaven's sake?" Jon didn't sound happy.
"I thought it might be nice," Julia replied. "You and he were friends. Besides, I thought he might be good
for Andrea."
"Julia, why is your sister still living here?" John asked in an exasperated tone.
"Where did that come from all of a sudden?" Julia asked.
"It's not 'all of a sudden.'" Jon growled. "She's not getting any better, so why is she still here?"
"You know why." Her sister sounded agitated. "She can't be on her own. She would be lost living alone."
"Then maybe she should be in an institution," Jon told her simply.
"What are you talking about?"
"She's a burden on you, Julia. You spend almost as much time taking care of her as you do Ami and Kevin."
"She's my sister, Jon." Julia told him firmly. "This is her home, the only home she's ever know."
"I think you should seriously consider having her put into an institution, Julia. She could get the help
she needs."
"That's ridiculous, Jon." Her sister sounded angry. "She gets more here than she'd ever get in an institution.
She's not ill, Jon. She doesn't need that kind of help. What she needs is love and family around her. She's more
help to me than a burden. She's great with the kids. Besides, she took care of me when I was a kid. She was always
there for me and I'm here for her now; that's what families are for, Jon."
"I think you're wrong. She does need mental help," Jon argued. "And she doesn't really know that you're her sister.
She only has your word for that. For all she knows, we could be the cause of her amnesia."
Maybe it's just you, Jon, Andrea thought to herself. She was shivering again, but not from the cold.
"Jon, that's crazy. I am her sister. I think she knows that deep down," Julia assured him. "And why do you want
to get rid of her all of a sudden? She's never done anything to you."
Andrea sat in the chair listening to them talk about her. She knew that they had no idea that she was in the room and
she wasn't about to let them know, especially after what she'd just heard. She felt so hurt by what Jon said. She always
thought he liked her and appreciated her help with the children. He even brought her tea at night. Now she knew better.
Andrea waited until Julia and Jon left the room, and she was sure they weren't coming back, before she crept up to her
room. Closing the door behind her she threw herself down on her bed and sobbed.
I can't stay if I'm unwanted, she thought to herself. But Julia wants me here. Jon seemed so angry. Why
was he so angry all of a sudden? He'd never minded me being around before. He even seemed to like me, more than one
would expect a brother-in-law to like his sister-in-law. Then why was he acting this way? She couldn't help wondering
where were these thought coming from.
She felt hurt and confused and she didn't know what to do. She had no where else to go. She knew that she wasn't without
money, but this was her house. She knew that for a fact. She'd seen her name on the deed. She felt so confused that
she couldn't think. All she really wanted to do is go to sleep for a very long time.
When Julia knocked at her door to tell her that dinner would be ready soon she told her, "I'm really not feeling
well, Julia. I'm just going to watch TV for awhile and try to sleep."
"Can I get you anything.?" her sister asked, coming to sit on the edge of her bed.
"No, thanks. If I get hungry I'll fix myself something later."
"If you're sure?" Julia sounded concerned.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Andrea assured her.
Andrea got undressed and put on a nightgown, then curled up in her bed to watch TV for a while.
She started switching channels, trying to find something that looked interesting, something that would take
her mind off what Jon had said about her. She found an old movie and settled in to watch.
She must have dozed off because when she noticed what was on it wasn't the same movie she had been watching.
The woman looked at her watch. "Damn it, where is he?!" she exclaimed.
She felt angry and a little afraid. "Something could have happened to him," she said to herself.
She stood up and pulled on her coat, then paid the bill and left the restaurant.
"Two hours is long enough. Daniel, if you're okay, I'm going to kill you myself," she mumbled angrily.
The parking lot was dark. The nearest streetlight was half a block away. She hated the dark. As she walked
toward her car she dug her keys out of her pocket. Reaching out to insert the key in the lock someone grabbed
her from behind. Terrified, she opened her mouth to scream only to have a hand clamped over her mouth.
Something jabbed into her side as her attacker whispered in her ear, "One sound and you're dead, understand?"
She felt herself pulled backwards into a van. As the door slammed a gag was shoved in her mouth. She felt
her clothes being torn off her and her hands bound behind her back. As she was pushed roughly to the floor,
she hit her head and everything started to go dark.
The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was her attacker saying, "Don't worry, Andi, you're
really going to enjoy this."
The next thing she knew the van was coming to a stop. It was so dark that she couldn't see anything.
She started to struggle as she felt him crawling on top of her, knowing that there wasn't much chance for her
to get away. She thought if she could postpone what she knew was inevitable, she might have a chance to escape.
"You know, your feeble attempts to get away only excite me more, Andi," her attacker told to her maliciously.
She kept moving away from him until she felt her head bump into something solid.
"Keep it up," he said to her. "Your fighting only makes me want you more."
She stopped suddenly. She knew that voice.
"Don't stop," he said, pulling her up by her hair. "I was just getting into it."
When she didn't move, he slammed her head against the wall and she felt herself losing consciousness again.
The next thing she knew she sat huddled in a corner in the dark. She realized that it wasn't a movie, it was her
life and she was about to lose it. She couldn't hear anything but she was sure that her attacker was still near.
She flinched when she felt a hand on her arm and tried to make herself smaller.
"Andi, it's okay," she heard from what seemed far away. She knew she had heard that voice before. She wanted
to answer but she was afraid. "It's Daniel. Andi, you're safe. No one here will to hurt you."
Kneeling in front of her, he wanted to take her in his arms, but he knew that he might lose her for good if
he touched her again. He was sure she was close to remembering. When she didn't respond, he felt he had to keep
talking, to make her somehow hear him.
"Andi, can you hear me? Open your eyes, sweetheart. Andi, it's over. You're home. Please, Andi, if you can't
open your eyes, just let me know that you hear me."
He was watching her very closely.
"Andi, please, let me know you hear me."
Very slowly she opened her eyes. When she finally looked at him, he saw something he hadn't seen earlier that
day. He was sure she recognized him.
"Danny?" she whispered. Looking at him, she knew it wasn't him she had been afraid of earlier. His broad
shoulders meant safety and his green eyes were full of warmth. She remembered how she loved to run her fingers
through his soft brown hair.
He nodded, trying to speak past the lump in his throat, "It's me, Andi. Welcome home."
She looked around and saw her sister standing just inside the room watching her, Jon standing behind her.
"What's he doing here?" Andrea asked in a weak voice.
"Who?" her sister asked, "Daniel?"
"Get him out of here," she said in a barely audible voice.
Daniel started to back away from her, thinking she was referring to him. She kept staring past him. She could
see the look in Jon's eyes. She could see he knew she was remembering.
When he didn't move, she yelled, "GET HIM OUT OF HERE!"
Jon moved forward and started to reach toward Daniel. Andrea threw herself at Daniel in horror and held on.
"Please," she pleaded with him, "get him out of here."
Daniel stood up, taking her with him. He asked her very calmly, "Who do you want out of here, honey?"
"Him," was all she would say.
"Jon?" Daniel asked.
She just nodded. Daniel could feel her shaking.
Daniel turned to Jon and said, "I think it would be best if you left."
"Why?" Jon asked.
"I don't know," Daniel replied "But if Andi doesn't want you here, you're gone."
Jon stomped out of the room.
Daniel turned back to Andrea. Looking over his shoulder she saw Jon turn as he left the room. He gave her a
look that told her he wasn't going to let her get away that easy.
Daniel put his arms around her slowly, still afraid of frightening her. When he felt her tears on his shoulder,
he couldn't hold back any longer. He wrapped his arms tightly around her. Stroking her hair he told her, "It's
okay, honey, just let it out."
"I thought I was dead," she sobbed. "I was sure he was going to kill me."
"Who, honey?" Daniel asked. "Who did you think was going to kill you?"
"I don't know," she lied. "I never saw his face. Danny, at first I thought it was you because you're
the only one who ever calls me Andi."
"But you don't anymore?"
"No, I know you'd never hurt me," she told him, feeling very safe in his arms.
They stood in stunned silence captive to their own thoughts. It was Ami who broke the spell.
"Mama, what's wrong with Auntie Andrea?"
Julia replied, "It's all right Ami. She just had a bad dream."
Andrea pulled away from Daniel. She felt confused. The last thing she was sure of was that she had
been raped. The rest, the past five years, seemed like a dream.
She looked at her sister and at the two children watching her from the doorway, then at Daniel.
Turning to her sister she asked, "You and Jon are married?"
"Yes," her sister replied.
"I've got to get out of here," she said as a shudder ran through her.
"What's wrong?" her sister asked.
"I just can't stay here."
She turned to towards Daniel when she heard him speak.
"This is Daniel Mallory. I need to upgrade to a suite." He paused. "There's a bonus if you can have it
ready in an hour." Paused. "Fine. Thank you."
He turned to Andrea as he hung up the telephone.
"Whatever you need, it's yours. I'll wait for you downstairs."
"No. Please, don't leave me alone," she said, grabbing hold of his arm.
Her sister said, "I'll stay."
"No. Danny, please," she pleaded.
He nodded and ushered Julia out, closing the door behind her.
Andrea opened the closet, pulling out the first thing she found. She saw Daniel watching her as she
turned around.
"What?" she demanded self-consciously.
"Nothing." Daniel still couldn't believe that Andrea was standing in front of him, alive and well. It was
more than he ever could have hoped for.
She stared at him for a moment. Then shrugging, she went into the bathroom and closed the door.
Glancing in the mirror she barely recognized her reflection. She dressed quickly and pulled a brush through
her hair, not really caring how she looked.
She only packed a few things, figuring she could buy what she needed later. All she knew is that she couldn't
stay there any longer.
"I'm ready," she announced as she closed her suitcase.
Daniel took her bag and opened the bedroom door for her. She stopped in the entryway to say good-bye to
her sister.
"Where will you be?" Julia asked.
She shook her head.
"We'll call you." Daniel told her.
Andrea hugged her sister and walked out the front door knowing that she wouldn't go back as long as Jon
was living there.
After Daniel showed Andrea to her room, she announced that she needed a shower. She turned the water as hot as
she could stand it. She scrubbed herself until her skin felt raw, then she just stood there letting the water run
over her, tears streaming down her face, sobbing silently.
Daniel looked at his watch. She'd been in there forty minutes and he was beginning to feel concerned. He
knocked on the bathroom door.
"Andi, are you okay?"
"Fine," he heard her call. "I'll be out in a minute."
She let the water run over her face, hoping to erase all trace of her tears. Turning the water off, she
quickly dried herself and got dressed.
Daniel turned around as he heard the bedroom door open. She just stood there looking at him, her eyes red.
He was sure she had been crying. His heart ached to see her in pain. He opened his arms to her and she only
hesitated for a moment before letting him wrap his arms around her. Holding her tightly he told her, "No one
will ever hurt you again, Andi."
She pushed away from him, looking at him uncertainly. He thought he even saw fear in her eyes.
She moved away from him, wrapping her arms protective around herself. They just stood there watching each other.
Finally, he said, "I'm sorry, Andi. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"It's not you," she told him.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head.
"Okay, I'm here when you're ready."
There was a knock on the door and he saw her jump.
"Room service."
"I called while you were in the shower," he told her as he opened the door.
Andrea watched as bellhop pushed the cart into the room. She was sure that Jon was going to come barging in the room.
She relaxed only after the door closed.
She told Daniel, "I'm not really hungry."
"Are you sure?" he asked. "I know you didn't eat dinner and I'm betting you didn't eat lunch either."
"Well, I'll try to eat a little."
He awoke to the sound of screaming. He grabbed his robe as he climbed out of bed and rushed to the next room.
He listened again but didn't hear anything. He was about to go back to bed, thinking he'd been dreaming, when he
heard it again. It was coming from Andrea's room.
He flung the door open and found she huddled in a corner with a blanket over her head. He called out to her and
when she didn't answer he approached her carefully. He knelt down in front of her and was reaching out to pull the
blanket away when she suddenly threw her hands up and started yelling.
"Please don't hurt me, Jon. Why are you doing this? I've never done anything to you. Please don't hurt me again."
For a minute it didn't click. Jon was such a common name. Daniel had known more than a few in his life time.
Then he felt his stomach clench. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She knew who had raped her, and from the
sound of it they all knew. Jon had been his best friend all through school; he was married to Andi's sister. How
could this Jon be the one who had taken Andrea away from him?
Daniel called her name once more, thinking she might be awake. She still didn't respond. He was almost afraid to
touch her, but he had to, he had to know if she was awake. He reached for the blanket again, this time pulling it
away from her face. She was asleep, dreaming.
She awoke with a start as she felt something touch her shoulder. It all came flooding back to her. She remembered
being pulled into the van and recognizing her attacker's voice as he started to enter her. Jon bringing her tea every
night that made her sleepy; and then raping her when she felt incapacitated by whatever he had put in the tea.
She scrambled to her feet letting the blanket fall to the floor. Daniel could only stare. Bruises covered her upper
arms and breasts. She realized she was standing in front of him naked and bent over to grab the blanket from the floor.
As she reached down to pick it up, he saw bruises all over her back.
Wrapping the blanket around herself, Andrea turned away. He placed his hand on her shoulder only to have her
flinch away.
"Who did this to you, Andrea?" he asked in a calm he didn't feel. "Was it Jon?"
"Did what?" trying to delay what she knew was coming.
"Put these bruises all over your body?"
"What are you talking about? I don't have any bruises."
Even as she said it she knew there were bruises covering her body. She remembered Jon coming to her room the
previous night as he had done nearly every night for the last five years.
He grabbed her arm harder than he meant to. "These bruises," he told her, his anger getting the better of him for
a moment.
She pulled away and spun around.
He turned his back on her trying to get himself back in control. When he turned back she was watching him warily.
"I'm sorry, Andi. I shouldn't have grabbed at you," he told her.
"Would you please leave so I can get dressed?" she snapped at him. "I'm not going to stand here talking to you
this way."
She's acting as if nothing is wrong, he thought.
Her face was completely calm. He wished he could tell what she was thinking. He wanted so much to help her, but
she hadn't told him anything he didn't already know. He wasn't even sure she remembered what had happened a
few hours ago.
She watched as he closed the bedroom door. She felt so scared she didn't know what to do or think. She was
sure if Jon thought she had told Daniel, or anyone, that he would come after her. She was afraid of what Daniel
would think of her if he knew what Jon had done to her. She couldn't face Daniel but she knew that he was waiting
for her.
Pulling on her bathrobe she belted it tightly around her waist. She took a deep breath, trying to appear calm,
and opened the door.
Daniel was standing across the room watching her expectantly. She just watched him for a moment, remembering how
much she loved and trusted him, but also knowing that seven years had passed. She wasn't sure he was the same person
he was then.
As if sensing her thoughts, he spoke.
"Andi, you can still trust me. I will protect you. No matter what, I will always love you."
She just stood there looking at him, feeling a sudden rush of love for him.
"Was it Jon?" he asked, dreading the answer. "Did he--"
He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, let her know that he wouldn't leave her again, no matter what,
he would be there for her. Looking at her standing with her back against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself
protectively, he could see she wouldn't allow that.
"Yes," she replied almost too softly to hear.
She waited for him to explode. Instead he just stared at her.
"It was Jon," she told him flatly.
"Andrea, when was the last time he..." Daniel wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"Last night."
"Get dressed."
"What?" Andrea thought he wanted her to leave.
"Get dressed. I'm taking you to the hospital."
"Daniel, no." She felt terrified. "If Jon finds out--"
"I'm here, Andi. No one will ever hurt you again. Honey, we need to be sure he didn't injure you in any other
way. We need to let the police know. What he's been doing to you is wrong. He has to be stopped."
Andrea could see in Daniel's eyes that he meant what he said. She was still unsure that he could protect
her from Jon.
"Trust me, Andi," he said.
Daniel took Andrea to the hospital to be examined. While she was there she gave a statement to the police telling
them what Jon had done to her. When the police promised that they would question Jon that night Daniel requested
to go with them.
A police officer drove her back to the hotel and escorted her to their suite.
She'd been there about ten minutes when she heard a knock on the door. Thinking Daniel must have forgotten his
key she got up to let him in. She almost called his name to be sure it was him but she didn't think there was any
reason to. No one knew where they were staying, not even her sister.
As she started to open the door, it was abruptly pushed wider. Instead of Daniel standing before her she saw Jon.
Her first instinct was to get out of there but he was blocking the only exit. She backed away from the door.
"Hello, Andi," he said leering at her.
"How did you find me?" she stammered.
"I followed you, stupid." he said, laughing at her. "How do you think? I just couldn't let you get away. We've
had too much together."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He kept laughing as he started toward her. "You were supposed to die, you know. I was sure you were dead when
I dumped you out of the van in the middle of nowhere. But then having you almost every night for the last five
years has more than made up for it. And don't think you can fool me. I saw the look on your face when we found you
on the bedroom floor. I know you remember."
She felt herself blush.
"I know you remember it all. But that isn't going to change anything. You're mine. You always have been and
you always will be."
She just stared at him, knowing what he was going to do and horrified that he had found her in the first place.
"Maybe you fooled everybody else, but you didn't fool me. I always knew exactly what you wanted," he said as
he started toward her.
"I think you should leave now," she told him, backing away from him.
"How does it feel knowing you gave birth to my daughter?"
Andrea just stared at him, sure he was lying.
"Ami is ours, Andi," Jon told her.
"You're lying." Was it possible, she wondered.
He had her backed into a corner and she could see only one way out, but she wasn't sure she could make it.
"Jon, I really think you should leave," she said, wondering how she could have been stupid enough to think that
he wouldn't find her. "Daniel's going to be back any minute."
"Good try, Andi. I know he's gone with the police to pick me up. We can have a little fun and then I'm going to
kill you. You know, if Danny hadn't come around I wouldn't have to do this. That's okay, because Ami's starting to
look real nice..."
"Why, Jon? What did I ever do to you?" she asked, trying to postpone the inevitable.
"You know exactly what you did, acting so sexy. You were always such a tease. You were just asking for it."
She knew that she had to get away from him before he could hurt her again. She started toward the bathroom.
"You don't have to do this, Jon. If you leave now, I'll tell the police I was mistaken, that it wasn't you."
"I think it's a little too late for that," he said as he grabbed her by the arm and slapped her across the face.
"That's for trying to get away, bitch. But then you always liked it rough, didn't you?" he said as he pulled her
out in the middle of the room. She struggled to get away from him. He jerked her arm and slapped her again.
"That wasn't nice, bitch," he said as he pulled his belt loose. "We're going to have to do something about that."
He pulled her wrists behind her and bound them with his belt.
"This is going to be more fun than we usually have. The anticipation of waiting for your boyfriend to come
back without getting caught. But I think I want him to find us. It's about time he knew the truth about us,
don't you think? Then I can kill you both. Or maybe I'll just kill him and make you watch."
He pushed her to the floor and climbed on top of her.
"I know you're going to enjoy this a much as I do," he told her as he unbuttoned her jeans.
She remembered with a shudder that's what he'd said to her every night for the past five years. She was
suddenly seething with anger. She wasn't going to let him do this to her. She just had to wait for her chance
to stop him.
"Aren't you gong to beg me to stop like you usually do?" he asked her tauntingly.
She remained silent, staring at the ceiling.
"Come on, Andi," he said pulling her jeans down over her hips and tearing open her blouse. "Say the words
I love to hear."
He kept talking, moving his hands over her body. She just kept still waiting for her chance.
She heard the door open and saw them standing behind Jon. She knew then that she wanted to make him confess.
Knowing how much he liked to brag and flaunt his power over her, she was sure she could make him tell it all.
She pretended to struggle again, knowing it would keep his attention on her.
"Does my sister know what you've been doing to me?" she asked.
"You know, it's our little secret," he replied with a mischievous grin.
"Did you go from my bed back to hers every night?" she asked, trying to appear jealous.
"You know that I always came to you after she was asleep," he replied as if it was obvious. "But it was always
you who excited me more. She never could compare to you. We wouldn't want her to know about our fun, now, would we?
I'd miss our time together."
"Tell me what we did, Jon."
"You know."
"Tell me anyway. It turns me on."
He looked at her slyly. "I come to you and say 'it's time for some fun.' You plead with me to stop. 'Jon, please
don't hurt me!' and you know how that turns me on." He confided as he fondled her breast. "Then I make you kiss it."
"Kiss what?" she asked.
"This," he said smugly as he unzipped his pants and whipped his penis out.
Jon was suddenly pulled off of her. She looked up to see a police officer handcuffing Jon. Then Daniel was
standing over her.
"Andrea, are you okay?" he asked as he helped her off the floor. "Did he?..."
"Not this time."
Daniel closed her blouse and removed the belt from her wrists. She quickly pulled her jeans up and rebuttoned them.
She agreed to go to the police station the next day to give a statement.
"Don't do this to me, Andi," Jon pleaded. "You know I love you."
She turned toward Daniel as the police escorted Jon from the room.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?" he asked. "You did it all yourself."
"But how did you know to come back here?" she asked.
"Just a hunch," he said with a shrug.
She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She spun around to see her sister standing at the other end of the room.
"Andrea, I need you to tell me the truth." Her sister looked at her imploring her to deny what she was about to ask.
"Always, Julia" she replied, feeling like an older sister for the first time in years.
Her sister looked very pale.
"Did he?..."
"Yes, he raped me," Andrea told her sister, "every night for the last five years."
Andrea saw a tear slide down her sister cheek.
"Andrea, I had no idea."
"I know you didn't, Julia."
"Andrea, why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you," her sister assured her. "I would have left him a long
time ago."
"I never remembered what he'd done after it was over. How could I have thought he was so nice for all those years?"
she said with a shudder. "It all seemed so innocent. He brought me a cup of tea every night, he said it would help me
sleep. I thought I just went to sleep."
"What kind of tea?" her sister asked.
"He never said. It did help me sleep and not remember what he did, I know that much."
"What about the bruises?" Daniel asked. "You must have had bruises like the ones you have now. How could you have
not seen them?"
"I rarely noticed the bruises, and when I did I didn't think much of it. I was always tripping over or bumping
into something. Julia can vouch for that. And I guess I got in the habit of not noticing things..." Andrea replied
reflectively. "If you hadn't pointed them out tonight, Daniel, I might still not know they were there." Turning to
her sister she said, "Julia, now I need to you to tell me the truth."
Her sister nodded.
"Is what Jon said true? Is Ami Jon and my daughter?" she asked expectantly."Andrea, she's yours," Julia told her, "and yours, Daniel."
Daniel looked at Julia frowning, wondering why she hadn't told him this afternoon.
"I'm sorry Daniel," Julia told him. "When I saw you this afternoon I didn't know what you wanted. And I guess
I've gotten in the habit of telling everyone Ami's mine."
No one said anything for a long time.
It was Daniel who broke the silence.
"Look, it's late. Why don't we finish this after we've had some sleep. Julia, I'll take you home."
"No, I'll get a cab. You take care of my sister."
Andrea spoke up. "Danny, I'll be fine. Go downstairs with her."
"If you're sure?" he asked.
"Positive," she assured him.
After Daniel and Julia left, Andrea walked out on to the balcony. This was the first time she had really looked
at this city in many years. She thought she must be in shock, because she didn't feel anything like what she thought
she should be feeling. She felt relieved that it was over. She felt calm. And she didn't really feel surprised to
learn that Ami was Daniel and her daughter. She had suspected she was pregnant before--before Jon raped her.
She'd only been standing there for a few minutes when she heard a loud bang. She was almost afraid to move but
she had to see what it was. She leaned over the balcony railing trying to see what was going on. There were men
standing around and one man lying on the ground. She was so far up she couldn't see who it was. She watched as an
ambulance arrived and paramedics lifted the man on the ground on to a stretcher. She was so involved in what was going
on below that she didn't hear the door open.
She spun around when she felt something on her arm, ready to attack. It was Daniel.
"Jon's been shot," he told her.
"What?" was all she could manage. She didn't know whether to feel relieved for herself or sad for her sister.
"He grabbed a gun and tried to run," Daniel told her. "They tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. When he
did stop he pointed a gun at them. There was nothing they could have done. He wouldn't put the gun down."
"Danny, I thought he was handcuffed."
"In front of him," Daniel replied.
"Where's Julia?"
"The police took her to the hospital. He's still her husband."
"I know that," she told him. "I'm just concerned about her. Why didn't you go with her?"
"Because you need me," he said as he took her in his arms.
"You should have gone with her. I'm fine," she assured him.
"It's been a very long day, Andi. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I really think we should try to get
some sleep."
"I don't know if I can," she told him as he led her to her room. "Will you stay with me for a while?"
"I'd love to."
Daniel waited while Andrea changed into her nightgown. Then he tucked her in bed and started toward the chair
beside the bed.
"Danny," he heard her calling him.
He turned around to see her reaching out to him.
"Hold me."
Without another word he climbed on the bed and wrapped her in his arms.
Several hours later, they woke to the sound of the phone ringing. It was Julia telling them that Jon was dead.
Andrea and Daniel had been in their new home for a month. It had been six weeks since their wedding, and she
couldn't be happier. A lot had happened in the last six months, most of it good. She, Daniel and Ami were a family;
and she and her sister, as they had planned when they were children, were next-door neighbors.
Andrea sighed contentedly. All was right with the world, she thought. As she snuggled closer to Daniel she heard
him yawn.
"Good morning, love of my life," she said.
"Good morning yourself. What were you thinking about?" he asked pulling her closer.
"How right everything is and what a wonderful husband you are."
"You're not such a bad wife."
She jabbed him with her elbow playfully.
"Hey, what was that for?" he asked, feigning hurt.
"Danny?"
"Yes, love."
"Do you think it's too soon to add to our family?" she asked.
"It's never too soon. I'm ready now," he said, nibbling her ear.
"That's not what I meant."
"Andrea, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Danny, I'm pregnant."
He turned her over to face him.
"Say that again."
"I'm pregnant." She knew he was pleased by the silly grin spreading across his face.
"You're sure?" he asked.
"Mm hmm," she replied, grinning back at him. "Six weeks."
"Our wedding night?"
"That's a good guess."
"How do you feel? Do you need anything?" he asked, his voice full of concern.
"I'm fine. And all I need at this moment is you making love to me, Danny."
"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."
I'm pregnant, not fragile. The doctor said it's fine as long as I feel like it," she told him as she
started kissing him. It didn't take him any time at all to get the hint.
