DISCLAIMERS: Please read the disclaimers at the beginning of chapter 1. It takes a lot of data to keep repeating them. ;-)

Chapter 10 (Breath deep the gathering gloom . . . .)

After a quick stop at the doctor’s office to see Helen McIntyre, Jessie and Kate continued on to the studio offices. Not before Dr. Helen lectured both women about waiting so long to have her look at Kate’s injury. She reminded them both, that more serious internal damage could have been done, and it might be too late to correct it next time. They both were suitably embarrassed, and promised never to let it happen again.

"You know, I don’t think I’ve seen our Jessie girl so happy in all the years I’ve known her." Helen whispered to Kate.

Kate smiled. "Thanks, I’m pretty happy too."

"Okay you two, get on out of here, I have real work to do you know. And next time, don’t wait. We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to either of you. Oh, and during the hiatus, look us up for dinner or something. Before you take off for the North country Ms. Ryan." Dr. McIntyre mocked scowled at her actress friend.

Jessie blushed, and then smiled. "You’re on Dr. Mac. I promise. As soon as we make it through this schedule, then it’s dinner and fun. All of us."

"Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it, Jess. Promises, promises." Dr. Helen chuckled.

"I’ll make sure she keeps her promise, doctor. You can count on it." Kate made a serious face in her new boss’ direction.

When they arrived at the studio, Kate suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. "What is wrong with you?" Jessie asked astonished.

"OH MY GODS! What are we going to do with the cats?" Kate could hardly contain herself.

Casting a cursory glance at the cat carrier, Jessie shrugged her shoulders, and then raising her eyebrow, said in her best Mae West voice, "They’re coming with us. I’m the star, and I get what I want. Just let them try and stop me."

Staring wide-eyed at the pouty face looking back at her, Kate doubled over with another fit of giggles. "Stop. You’re killing me!"

Jessie poked her in the ribs a few times, deciding whether or not a tirade of tickles should take place, when the car came to a stop in the parking garage in front of the elevator. Grabbing the carrier, Jessie slipped out the door, and then extended her hand to help her companion leave the vehicle. The driver made sure that they were safely in the elevator before he drove away. Apparently Michael had called his friend while they were driving, and told him to continue to keep an eye on the two women. A rumor was floating around, that Gregory may be out of jail already. Michael wanted to make sure that his sister and her friend were safe.

Jessie sauntered down the hall, headed for the main office, and the know-all expertise of the Executive secretary, Alice. Stepping through the doorway, Jessie set the cat carrier in an empty chair, and then slipped over, and sat on the edge of Alice’s desk. Garnering a nasty glare from the desk owner herself, Jessie smiled, and stuck her tongue out at the woman as she spoke on the phone to someone who couldn’t take no for an answer.

Hanging up, she stood up, and whacking Jessie with a folder, grabbed the actress’ ear, and gave it a tug. "Get that gorgeous behind off of my desk this instant. Where have you been? Don’t you answer phone messages, and are you going to introduce your friend, or am I going to have to do it myself?" Alice scowled at both of the women.

Jessie chuckled heartily. "We’ve been in hiding from Gregory, I haven’t been home in days, and Alice I would like you to meet Kate, my new Personal Assistant. Okay?"

"Hmph!" Alice snorted. "Okay, sure, fine. Whatever. Hi Kate, pleased to meet you. Now, I have a package of paperwork for you to fill out, and then I’ll show you the ropes. Of course, besides the office stuff, you’ll be spending a large amount of time in the company of this overgrown child. Take care of her, and I won’t harm you. Let something happen to her, and you will have effectively endangered your own existence."

Kate shuffled her feet, and tried not to look too scared. Nodding to Alice’s every word, Kate swore to protect Jessie with her life. Alice hugged her briefly, and then taking her by the hand led her down the hallway to another office.

Before leaving, she turned back to Jessie. "You need to see Justin right away. Gregory is out of jail, and Justin is about to explode. Apparently the embezzlement, and threats on your life were small potatoes compared to what he’s really involved in. Justin will tell you everything when you get there."

Kate looked over Alice’s shoulder with a worried look in her eye. Jessie tried to smile, and look brave, but the truth was she thought she might throw up. "Go on you two, get this stuff done. I’ll tell you all about it, when I get back."

Kate felt a pang of fear stab through her heart. If Gregory was out already, they might be in real danger. She hated to be separated from Jessie, but she knew that she had to buckle down, and start doing some serious work. Jessie’s career depended on it, and this was no time to kid around. Not that she was kidding around, but leaving Jessica without any security, bothered her. Well, we’re in the office, he can’t do much here anyway. Surely someone would call the cops!

Kate turned and looked back, in time to catch Jessie winking at her as she stepped through the doorway. About to say something, Kate caught herself, and squelched her comment. Somehow, she didn’t think that Alice would appreciate Kate’s response to the wink. In fact, she was sure of it.

Jessie wandered down the hallway towards the elevator. Justin’s office occupied the entire top floor of the building. Hence the reason that Alice’s office was one floor down. Justin was obsessed about security, and had taken all of the latest precautions when he had moved into this building. A security guard met Jessie at the elevator, and escorted her to the next floor. She knew without a shadow of a doubt, that she was being scanned by an electronic device that checked for concealed weapons. Part of her felt safe, and part of her was a little scared.

Mulling over what Justin was possibly going to talk to her about, she failed to notice him standing just inside the door to the elevator. He had been previously notified of her arrival, and was anxiously awaiting her appearance in his office. He obviously had something extremely important on his mind.

"Jessie, darlin’ git on in here. Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you, sweet thang!" Justin encircled her in his rather large embrace.

"You knew we were staying at the Beverly, didn’t you? I thought someone had informed Alice after Gregory had been arrested. If you needed me, why didn’t you call." Jessie was perplexed.

"Oh, well, I thought it was important that you get some time to yourself. You know, it’s been so rough for you, and I know you’ve been under a lot of stress. I’m sure you heard that Gregory has managed to make bail?" He asked.

Jessie nodded her head. "Well, it seems that he has already disappeared. No one seems to know where he drifted off to, but one thing’s for sure, we all believe that he’s up to no good. Apparently his levels of crime go a lot deeper than even we were aware of."

Jessie looked up startled. "What are you saying Justin? What is he involved in?"

"Well, it seem that he got himself hooked up with some of the biggest crime organizations in the world. He was in the process of attempting to filter our stolen funds into some of the most heinous crime syndicates in the world. They range from controlling political factions in foreign countries, to the trafficking of dangerous narcotics, weapons, etc. Some of these groups are even involved in human slavery. Apparently they were striking up some heavy deals with Gregory, with the promise that after his initial show of good faith, he would continue to produce more cash flow for their various pet projects. It seems that they promised him a certain level of status here in the states, if he managed to put out. Getting arrested, and the discovery of the stolen funds, and those plans were . . . . shall we say "side-lined". "

Jessica’s face went pale. Her mind was spinning with the possibilities, as well as the eventual reappearance of a frightened, yet insanely dangerous man. First thing she needed to do, was annul the marriage. That might protect her from any legal problems, or claims to her property etc. Of course, only if he tried to do anything legal. More than likely, legal would not fit in his vocabulary. Once again her thoughts turned to Kate. How can I continue to let her be endangered like this? . . . .Try and stop her Jessie! Just try it!

She returned her attention to Justin. "Anyways, those "factions" were not in the least impressed with his shall we say "mishandling" of what they had already planned for as their funds. There are several theories about his whereabouts at the moment. Some believe that he has already been killed. Others are not so sure. It’s possible that some of the smaller groups, are either holding him hostage, or using him as extortion material against some of the others. Or, he may just have managed to escape everyone, and is still at large. Either way, we have to be extremely careful about how we do our business. I can’t have anymore people getting hurt around here, or the insurance companies are going to shut us down."

Jessica felt a sick twisting in her stomach. Even gone from her sight, Gregory was still managing to screw up her life. All she could do now, was hope that either he was already dead, or soon going to be. Sighing, she stood up to leave.

"Wait a second, darlin’. I’m not done with you yet. We have a whole big heap of trouble sittin’ on our doorstep right at the moment. It seems that crazy woman reporter that’s always chasing after you, is about to drop a major stink bomb. She seems to think that you were staying at the Beverly for an entirely different reason, than for business purposes. Rumor has it that she is working on some angle, that will publicly question your "new" friendship with that red haired PA of yours." Jessie stood abruptly, effectively stopping Justin from finishing his speech.

"Just a damn minute here, Justin. I don’t want to hear this kind of crap. That is total bullshit, and you know it. Don’t tell me we don’t have some way to stop her, before this happens!" Jessica was clearly angry.

"Now Jessie, come on. I have a right to know. You know I support you a hundred percent honey, but this could be detrimental to all of us. Are you or are you not having, ummm, relations with this little girl? I realize this is the ninties, but you remember what happened to that blond girl . . . what’s her name? Oh yeah, Ellen. Shoot, put her right out of business. I mean, make sure that she’s really worth losing everything, for some fun-filled nights, if you know what I mean. I love you Jessie, but please, remember what this could all mean to the rest of us." Justin decided he had said enough. Judging by the look on Jessie’s face, he would be lucky if he were alive when she left this room.

"I understand what you’re saying Justin, that I don’t deserve to have any small bit of happiness in this life, as long as I am responsible for paying for you, and you’re numerous habits.. How dare you say to me the crap that just fell out of your mouth! Nothing I do on my private time, is any business of yours or anyone else’s. I really thought I could count on you to be my friend, and not the crass, self-serving pig I just saw. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go work now. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself thinking, oh maybe, that you might not get that new Mercedes you were looking at the other day, if I get caught being "naughty" or something. Geez, if I were a man, you would be slapping me on the back, and offering me a cigar." Jessica turned to leave. All she wanted to do is get out of there, before she threw up.

"Jessie, darlin’, wait! That’s different. I mean to say, hoo boy, I am an idiot. Please don’t go, let’s talk about this. I just . . . well, so much has happened, and I well, you know, I didn’t expect this. Jessie . . . ." Justin took on a pleading tone.

Jessie couldn’t bring herself to stop. She re-entered the elevator, and returned to the lower floor. She was very nearly on the brink of tears, when she reached her destination. Seeking out the office where Alice and Kate were going over the forms for her employment, she stopped just outside the door, and tried to compose herself, before she entered. She didn’t want to give away her distress to her PA/friend, nor to Alice, her bosses’ secretary. She wasn’t sure who she could trust anymore at this point.

Mind reeling, she stepped into the room. "Um, hi you two. Uh, listen, I have some things to take care of in town, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be back in a couple of hours."

Kate looked up, and could easily see the distress in her companions face. "Jessie, what’s wrong? I. . . .if you could wait, I can go with you, and then head back here to do some more training. I mean, you shouldn’t go out without some protection. What if someone tried to harm you?"

Kate desperately did not want Jessie to leave the building without her. She had promised to herself, and countless others, to protect Jessie, and it would kill her to let her leave without Kate or someone to watch over her. Alice had shared the information about Gregory to Kate. There was no way she was letting her go without any security.

Alice took one look at Jessie’s lousy attempt at covering her feelings, and realized that Justin had gone ahead with his plan to tell her about the reporter, and the story that was going to leak. She had warned him not to say anything, that the whole thing would blow over, and it wouldn’t be right to hurt Jessie by bringing it up.

"Listen, after she’s done filling these out, they have to be processed, and then I have some other things to do, before we do any training. I wasn’t prepared for

you to show up, so I planned other stuff into my schedule." Alice tried to maintain her stern composure, but Jessie could see right through her. Justin was in serious trouble.

Not sure what to do, Jessie just nodded her head. She was tormented now, by a creeping guilt over wanting to say "piss off", to the studio, the show, and her boss, or ending any further relationship with Kate. The instant feeling of grief that overwhelmed her at the prospect, almost made her heart stop.

Kate wished she could go to Jessie, and comfort her. Obviously, there was something terrible bothering her friend. Something more than just Gregory. She vowed to herself, that no matter how awful, she would be strong, and help Jessie through it, no matter what. Not realizing of course, that the root of the problem, was herself.

Hurrying through the forms, she filled in all of the blanks, that established her as an employee of the studio. Insurance, tax, salary, all of the pertinent information. They had even included an application for her SAG card, because there was a possibility that they might include her in more episodes. The Screen Actor’s Guild, was not that easy to get into, even for legitimate performer’s. Obviously, this studio had some major pull. Of course, what a silly thought.

Returning the paperwork to Alice, she gathered her cat carrier from the main office, and then joined Jessie on her way to the elevator. Jessie still hadn’t said anything since she nodded her head back in the office. They stood in silence while they awaited the return of the car.

After slipping back into the vehicle, Kate finally couldn’t take it anymore. She lightly placed her hand over Jessie’s on the seat. Jessie, just as slowly, removed her hand and placed it in her lap. Without looking at Kate, she bowed her head, and started to cry softly.

Bewildered, Kate looked at her own hand, and then risked a glance at Jessica’s face. "Jess, what’s wrong? Tell me. What ever it is, I can handle it. If it’s Gregory, I already know. Come on, tell me."

Jessie snorted through her tears. "No, it’s not Gregory. You have no idea what just happened, and I neither have the courage to tell you, or the ability to decide what to do about it. I need some time, please." She tried to smile, but her face wouldn’t respond.

Kate was momentarily stunned. A sense of panic, and alarm began to creep down her spine. It took only a second, to add up the information from the time Jessie came down from Justin’s office, to right this moment. She had decided that Kate wasn’t right for her. Personal Assistant, or anything . . . .else.

Clearing her throat, she tried to hold back her own torrent of tears. "I, um, listen, just have the driver take me home. Chances are, Michael will be there, and he can escort you through your errands. I bet if you call Diane, she can have another PA there, in no time. Really, I understand. It’s fine, and I don’t blame you."

Jessie clenched her fists tighter, and tighter. All she wanted to do was crawl under a rock and die right now. She wanted to scream and yell, and tell the whole corporate structure to go to hell. The guilt on both sides of the coin was too much for her to take though. She did not want to lose Kate, but she didn’t want to ruin the lives of the people she’s worked with for the past few years, and their families.

"I . . . .I’ll call you later today. Think about keeping your job though. I can really use you." Jessie mumbled.

"I think you already did that. Driver, stop the car. Here, now!" Kate shouted across the moving car.

"Kate, wait, you don’t understand. Someone is trying to out me. It could ruin both our lives. And the lives of everyone at the studio. Please, can I call you later. Let me at least see you home. Please . . . . ." Jessie began to cry.

Kate hesitated a moment, then decided. "Look, do what you want. You can call me if you feel like it, but please, don’t put yourself out. I’ve been used by the best Ms. Ryan, this is nothing new." Her own tears fell as the driver pulled to the curb. Grabbing the cat carrier, and her duffle bags, she exited the car as fast as she could. She refused to look back at the distraught actress.

As soon as the car pulled away from the curb, she leaned against the door frame of an apartment building, and burst into uncontrollable tears. One man came by, and offered to bury the dead animals in her cage, and then walked away confused, when the cats both meowed.

Finally regaining a small bit of control, she called Steven, and asked him to come and get her. "Honey, what happened? You sound terrible. I’ll be right there. Where is Jessica? Is she okay?" Steven was immediately concerned.

"Steven, please I don’t want to talk about it right now. Please, just come and get me." Kate’s tears started all over again.

Inside the limousine, Jessica Ryan was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She did not want this to happen. She had tasted just a small bit of happiness, and she wanted more. This couldn’t be happening to her. She wanted to die.

DISCLAIMERS: Please read the disclaimers at the beginning of chapter 1. It takes a lot of data to repeat them. <G>

Chapter 11 (The scent of your cologne still lingers on my lips . . . .)

Steven tried desperately to get Kate to say something, anything. She was so depressed, that she couldn’t stop crying. He finally left her alone in her room, and went and locked himself in the bathroom. He decided the best thing would be to call Michael, and see if he knew what was going on.

The phone rang several times, before Michael finally answered. "This is Michael. Oh, hi Maggie. Oh, my sister and I are running some errands. The homework? Oh yeah, I’ll drop that by later on today, if that’s okay. Yes, there was some trouble, but I think we can work the bugs out before we go to class tomorrow night. Mmm, hmm, me too. Ta Ta."

Steven figured out right away, that Michael couldn’t talk. His cryptic tale about homework, explained it clearly. There had been some sort of falling out between the girls, and the two of them were going to have to see if they could fix it. Michael would be over soon, and then they would both try to talk to Kate.

Jessie glanced at her brother with only mild interest. She only vaguely cared about his classes right now. She could barely build up enough energy to breath. So broken was her heart, that she kept thinking that death would be a welcome gift right about now. Sullenly she returned her glance to the window, and the passing landscape. Her thoughts turned to her future, and whether or not she wanted to do this anymore.

Michael’s own thoughts were in a whirl. He tried to stay cheery, and get his sister to talk, but she continued to ignore him. "Listen, if this is about Kate, maybe I can help. I . . ."

"Don’t talk anymore. I don’t want to go there right now, please." Jessie growled low in her chest.

Her despair was enough to cause Michael a great deal of concern. I hope she doesn’t do something stupid, before I have time to do something stupid. Once the thought was out of his head, a plan began to form. He was going to need to see Steven right away.

An hour or so of accompanying his sister’s misery, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He felt sorry for her, but he knew in his heart that with a little ingenuity, and some "devine intervention", they could get those two silly women back together and find a way to please the studio as well. Jessie had finally given him a brief synopsis of the problem, and it was everything he could do not to laugh. Studio interference in a gay performer’s personal business, was not acceptable in his world, and he had a lot of connections to help with this project.

He had the driver drop him at this own apartment, and then drove himself over to Steven and Kate’s house. He missed driving the limo anyway, and this would be a good way to get back on schedule. Besides, it might help in his plan.

Kate had locked herself in the office, and still refused to speak to Steven. She was busy trying to catch Laura on the internet. She knew she should call Diane, and see if she could get her job with Lola back, but she didn’t feel like it. Maybe tomorrow.

Lady Knight: Hi there, kiddo. I didn’t expect to hear from you for a while. You know, coming up for air and all. How is it?

PAK: It’s not good Laura. I quit, and well, we won’t be seeing each other anymore.

Lady Knight: WHAT?!? What happened? Did she hurt you? Do I need to come and stomp on her or what? Just say the word, and I’m there.

PAK: Oh, Laura, it’s awful. I want to be so mad at her, and I can’t. All I can do is hurt.

Lady Knight: Baby, tell me what’s going on. I’ll try to come up with some words of wisdom.

PAK: Gods I love you Laura. Jessica went to a meeting today with the owner of the studio. When she came back, she made up some excuse to leave, and tried to go without me. I made her wait, because Gregory’s out, and I didn’t want her without some protection. She was very distant, and acting strange. When I tried to touch her, and ask her what was wrong, she pulled away as though I had burned her.

Lady Knight: And…..

PAK: Well, it only took a moment for me to figure out that she had gotten what she wanted, and then she was moving on. I told her this, and then I had the driver let me out. I called Steven, and had him come and get me. I haven’t been able to stop crying long enough to tell him what happened.

Lady Knight: Did she say anything when you wanted to get out of the car?

PAK: She said I didn’t understand, and she just needed some time. Then she said she wanted me to keep my job. She said she could use me. I told her she already had, and then left.

Lady Knight: Holy Cow, Honey! Let me think for a second……..

Kate took the opportunity to let the cats in. They had been yowling at the door for quite a while, and it was driving her crazy. She noticed with some surprise, that Michael was over, and that he and Steven were in some sort of heated discussion. She figured they were probably gossiping long and hard about her and Jessica Ryan.

Lady Knight: You know, something’s a little fishy if you ask me. I mean, she told you she . . . . well, obviously, I mean you two, ummm, well, you know. And anyway, when I talked to her on the net the other day, she didn’t sound like someone who could be that insincere. I mean she just doesn’t seem that way to me. You have to admit, I read everything there is about her, and so far she hasn’t lead me to believe that she is the type of person that is full of themselves, uses people, and throws them away.

PAK: She’s an actress Laura.

Lady Knight: Sweetie, she’s a person. A living, breathing, feeling human being.

Do you suppose that maybe someone may have found out about you two, and could just maybe be threatening her, or her job.

PAK: Damn! She might have said that. I never thought about it. Oh Laura, what if I’m wrong. I was really mean to her. What am I going to do now?

Lady Knight: Is there anyone you can ask? What about someone from the studio, or whatever.

PAK: Laura!!!!!! You are so, so, great! Don’t go away, I’ll be right back.

Kate jumped out of her chair, and ran to find Michael and Steven. "You guys! Come here, I need you. Hurry!!!"

The boys looked at each other, and then shrugging their shoulders, found Kate on her way back to the office. She sat down, and then surprised them both, by smiling for the first time in hours.

"Michael. Do you have any idea what Justin Graves may have said to your sister this morning?" Kate sat on the edge of her chair with anticipation.

Michael shook his head. "Yes, they are afraid that one of the gossip rags is going to out her. She wanted me around, but she didn’t want to talk. She was really depressed. I was almost worried she might do something stupid. Justin thinks that they are going to use you as a weapon against her."

Kate shot him a concerned look. Steven interrupted them. "You mean you didn’t know what happened either? I figured she must have said something that made you upset, I mean you haven’t been able to speak for most of the day."

"No, I . . . she never told me. I just . . . . assumed." Kate bowed her head in embarrassment.

Turning to the keyboard, she dashed out a note to Laura.

PAK: You were right, they said the studio is worried she is going to be outed. They’re blaming me.

Lady Knight: Who’s there with you?

PAK: Oh, sorry, Steven and Michael. Michael came over to tell Steven the gory details.

Looking over her shoulder, both men cleared their throats at the same time. "I’ll have you know young lady, that I was so worried about the two of you, I was trying to get Steven to help me hatch a plan to at least get you to talk to each other." Michael admonished her.

Surprised, Kate looked from one to the other, and then looked at the floor. "I’m sorry you guys. Everything has been happening so fast, and I am so miserable. I don’t mean to be so awful to you both."

Both men closed on her for a group hug. When they broke apart, everyone was teary eyed. Michael excused himself for a moment, and went in search of the tissue box.

Kate remembered that Laura was waiting for her. It was so easy to get distracted, and forget that there was someone on line. Not quite like a phone, where they can yell at you for attention. Turning back to the screen, she realized that wasn’t entirely true.

Pak: Don’t you get any silly ideas. The guys were just trying to figure out a way for me to see Jessica, and talk to her, without anyone prying into our business. I badly need to see her, and see if I made a mistake.

Lady Knight: Hmmm, too bad you can’t get your hands on a limousine. I know you drive, and it would be great to pick her up at the studio, and take her somewhere to talk.

Michael leaned over her shoulder again. "Hmmm, seems to me there is a limousine parked out in front, that has her name on it. Of course, you know that I could lose my job, if anyone were to find out, but oh well. For my sis, and for you, why not?"

Kate jumped out of her chair, and into Michael’s arms squealing like a kid in a candy store. "MICHAEL! I love you! You really would let me do that? Oh wow, I could just kiss you!"

She made a motion to do just that, when Steven mocked grabbed her, and stepped in her way. "Hey there girlie, don’t you go woman-handling my boyfriend, or I might just have to take you out. Now, step back, Loretta, or you are going to get "Touched at an angle" or whatever."

All three friends burst out laughing at Steven’s attempt at his joke. He was pretty proud of himself for coming up with it, considering most people thought of him as rather conservative.

Settling back down, she let Laura know that her plan was a go. Kate was truly amazed at her best friend sometimes. It seemed that Laura and her girlfriend April had a little bit of everything in the universe at their fingertips. And if they didn’t know the answer, they certainly would find it. Kate still couldn’t believe how her friend had assisted them in capturing Gregory in the first place.

PAK: Hey Laura, tell me just how did you get all of that information about Gregory, and then send it to the right people?

Lady Knight: Oh, that? Just a few well placed threats, and a few favors I called in. You know I still have contacts down there in La La Land. I am probably linked to just about all of the Kendra Knight websites on the planet, and those people are awesome. Especially those Merwolf people. Man, can they gather, find, or resolve faster than the average super computer. Interesting group too, they are really dynamite.

PAK: Oh yeah, I subscribe to their mailing list. I just love Missy’s stories.

Lady Knight: Well, I think you folks have some planning to do. April and I are cutting work today to do some fishing. E-mail me if there is anything else you need. Love you kiddo.

PAK: Thanks Laura, you’re the best friend a person could have. Love you too.

After logging off, Kate and the boys retired to the living room to work out their plan for the evening. It was only noon, but after all they had been through, the group felt like it was early evening. Realizing they were hungry, Steven called out for pizza, while Michael and Kate checked out the car.

"It’s just your basic. Four wheels, air-conditioning, stereo, the works. Jessica hates it, so I put my name on a list to get a town car when one comes available. Most performers prefer the opulence of a stretch, but not my sister. Low-key, that’s her." Michael opened the driver’s door, and allowed Kate to slip in behind the wheel.

Kate adjusted the seat, and touched everything, making sure she was still familiar with the layout. It had been a while since she had actually driven a car this big, but maybe she would have time to practice. She was about to ask, when Steven came out with the portable phone.

"Katie, it’s for you. It’s mother superior. She wants to know why you aren’t at work right now. You talk to her, she keeps yelling at me." Steven only half covered the receiver, hoping she would hear him.

"Mother Superior? Who’s that?" Michael asked.

"Oh," Kate giggled, "that would be Diane. We coined the nickname a while ago, and it stuck. I wonder how she found out so quickly."

Taking the phone from Steven, she grimaced when she realized she was about to be grilled. "Hi Diane, this is Kate."

"Honey, you tell that brat friend of yours, that I’ll "mother superior" him. Tell him I have the ruler out, and I’m gonna whack his knuckles the next time I see him."

Over her shoulder, Kate relayed the message. "Promises, promises." Steven shot back.

"He says only if you’re wearing leather, and 6 inch spikes." Kate giggled again.

Steven gave her a blazing look, and mock chased her back into the house. He and Michael settled back on the sofa, and chatted quietly, while Kate tried to get around telling Diane any details about the past 24 hours.

"Listen honey, an Alice at Jessica Ryan’s office called, and asked that we "encourage" you to reconsider your decision to decline employment. WHAT IN THE HECK IS GOING ON? You all are getting to be as bad as some of those silly soap operas on TV. Now, tell me what happened, or I will call Jessica myself."

Kate realized she wasn’t going to escape Diane quite so easily. With a sigh, she worked out an answer to Diane’s inquiry. "There was a problem Diane. I am not even sure what yet, but it seemed that it would be better for all of us, if I didn’t work for Ms. Ryan any longer. I think there may have been a misunderstanding though, so I am going to try and work it out. I’ll keep you posted if anything changes."

"Hmph, you better. Face it honey, that girl has it for you bad, and I personally think that you would be a fool to turn her down. All that show with her husband, was just that. . . . show. I know she never even liked him, and I seriously doubt that she has shown any interest in any other man. She sure seemed to like you though. And unless my eyes deceived me, you weren’t exactly hiding your, shall we say, attraction either. Now, fix it, or I will never speak to you again." Diane smiled smugly to herself. Let’s just see how she comes back now!

Kate could feel the blush creeping up the back of her neck. "I . . . . um . . . .I, not a problem, I’m already working on it. Got to go now."

Kate clicked the phone off, and slumped in her chair, idly touching the purple mark on her neck. "I don’t know how she does that. She totally figured out part of what’s going on, and I didn’t have to say a thing. She is scary."

The doorbell rang, before either of the guys could respond. Steven correctly guessed that it must be the pizza person. He paid her, and then the three of them moved back into the dining area, to continue their planning.

"Okay, I think what we should do, is put you in a wig, and formal driver’s uniform. You know, disguise you so she won’t catch on that quickly. I can get the uniform at the limo yard for you, and wigs are easy to come by. I think a light brunette, so we won’t make her suspicious. Do you have any shoe that will make you taller?" Michael had been working out the plan in his head.

"Um, I might still have these old platform shoes I wore for Halloween a few years ago. They are black, so they won’t look so noticeable. But, how do I get into the studio lot? Won’t they recognize me? Either that, or they’ll stop me. I mean Gregory is loose again, and surely they have security." Kate asked.

"Leave that to me. My friend that was driving you two around the last few days, can get me a substitute driver’s pass for you. I would plan to be at the shoot sight at around 10:30 tonight, they are planning to do a lot of work to make up for the missed days. I guess Deborah’s going to try and come back to work tonight. The doctor suggested she stay in bed for a few more days, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it." Michael shrugged his shoulders.

Kate thought about the past few days, and everything that had happened. It was almost too crazy for her to believe, if she hadn’t been there in the middle of things. She felt absolutely terrible about Jessie. What an idiot I am. She was so worried about hurting me, or ruining my life, and here I am pre-judging her, without a thought for her feelings. I feel sick!

Michael made some phone calls, and got everything lined up that they would need to sneak Kate in to the shoot site that evening. The second group of phone calls, were to the daughter of an actress, and Senator, who was well placed in gay politics in the United States. She agreed with Michael that in this day and age, there was no excuse for harassing a performer, or anyone else for that matter. She promised Michael she would follow up on the problem immediately, and see if she could "convince" them of the need to correct their error.

Jessie spent the rest of her day running from designer to designer, trying on dresses for the upcoming awards show she was attending. She didn’t want to go, but they insisted that she attend. They hadn’t finished selecting presenters, and judging by the high ratings her show was getting, it was a good bet they would ask her.

With a sigh, she walked back to the limousine that was waiting for her. Michael, for some reason, was not driving for her today. She really wished that she could have been more open with him in the morning, but the pain was so fresh. She still hadn’t decided what to do about Kate, the show, her future, or her own security. Gregory was still very much a major fear in her heart.

Jessica knew that Gregory was very likely plotting some sort of revenge against her. She really wished that she had not been so harsh to Kate. If Gregory had his way, he would probably try to harm either Kate or both of them. His level of insanity had reached a new peak. Kate she knew could take care of herself. She hoped so anyway. She wasn’t so sure about herself. Even with her training, and her superior athletic condition, Gregory could be a formidable opponent. Better her than Kate though.

Jessica settled back against the seat, and closed her eyes. She knew that she would have to go through the motions of her job tonight, and then concentrate tomorrow on finding a place to live, and talking to her lawyers and accountant about what to do "post" Gregory. The weekend was fast approaching, and Ted, the director had mentioned that they may call a shoot this weekend. She had hoped to sneak away and head north on Friday night, but it would unfortunately, have to wait.

Kate was beginning to pace. She was anxious to get started, but afraid that she might be rejected. There was really no reason for Jessica to speak to her, especially after the way she treated her so early this morning. It seemed like every step of the way, they have miss communicated, and then hurt each other. She didn’t want to hurt anymore. She desperately wanted to be happy. And to be loved. Mentally crossing her fingers, she silently prayed that things would work out tonight.

Michael and Steven had left earlier to collect the costumes and props for the evening. The last stop was to pick up the visitors pass. Michael and his friend had discussed it at great length, and had decided that they would have a better chance of getting Kate into the site, if they told the truth. They convinced the limo supervisor, who in turn convinced the security team, that Kate was only acting within her training. With Deborah’s return to the set, her skills were better used as protection for Jessica, which was the other reason she had been hired.

All the parties involved were skeptical at first, but since Michael was Jessica’s brother, they finally gave in. At first they wanted to contact Jessica herself, but Michael quickly sidetracked them into believing that she was much too busy to be disturbed. He gave them the number to her home, which only went to the answering service. They finally decided to agree, but informed Michael, that he would be held personally responsible, if anything happened to his sister.

On the way back, Steven had an important question. "Michael, where are they going to go with that limousine, that is private enough, and safe enough where they won’t be disturbed?"

Michael grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I took the liberty of making one final phone call. It seems that Deborah’s mom has a major soft spot for my big sis, and according to Deborah, there is a larger than life horse barn on their property that would accommodate a limousine quite nicely. There is even a small studio apartment inside the barn that is currently not in use. The last horse was sold over a year ago, and the barn is empty. Deborah said her mom would be insulted if we didn’t send them there. I’m going to give Kate a map, when we get her all set up."

Steven squeezed his lover’s hand. "You think of everything, love. How positively romantic. You don’t think they will, like fight or anything, and the whole thing fall apart now do you?"

"Shhhh, don’t jinx it. I know how much Jessie really cares about Kate. So much so, that I think she is considering giving up her career. The only thing that would stop her, is the impact it would have on all the others involved with the show. But, my friend Chelsea should be taking care of the studio problem as we speak. And besides, my sister isn’t stupid. She wouldn’t flaunt her relationship anyway. She is way too conservative for that." They looked at each other, and burst into a fit of giggles.

Somehow, conservative, happiness, and love did not fit into the same sentence. They both thought that before too long, this was going to be a public situation. After all, as hard as those two women seem to have fallen, in such a short time was bound to make them forget any notion of decorum. New love tends to make people stop using their brains for some reason.

The boys arrived at the house in the early evening, just moments before Kate finally lost her mind. "Where have you been? I’m going crazy here by myself. I almost called Jessica, and hashed it out ahead of time, but I realized that it wouldn’t be the same."

"Oh, no you don’t, we have been very hard at work setting this up. I’ve got your uniform, wig, and a map to a place you can hide. The part that took the longest was convincing the security team to issue the temporary driver pass. They almost blew the whole thing. But we finally convinced them." Michael was glad they got there when they did. Kate may have blown all the fun otherwise.

"So, who am I then? Did you make up some crazy name or something?" Kate scowled at them.

"Nooo, you are going as yourself. It was much easier to pass you by them, than to try and create a new identity. All they had to do was check the computer, to get your file, and then argue for an hour or two. They almost called Jessie, but I gave them a misleading number, and they couldn’t reach her." Michael smiled at his brilliance.

The friends headed for the kitchen, and put together some sandwiches, and salads for lunch. Steven had the foresight to pack a picnic basket for the two women. He included a bottle of champagne, and some special treats he had stashed in the pantry. Kate was grateful. Jessie was bound to be hungry, and it was doubtful that she had anything to eat all day. Of course, if she sent Kate away, it wouldn’t make any difference.

Jessica’s mind was a million miles away. She was at the top of a scaffold, secured by a harness, waiting for her call to action. Deborah had in fact returned to the set, and was working very hard to cover up the fact that she was in pain. Jessica had asked Ted to go ahead and schedule the weekend shoot. That way they could knock off around 10:00 o’clock, and not push her co-star too hard. Besides, if she kept letting her mind drift, she may end up getting hurt herself.

Off in the distance, she could see her car pulling up outside the gate. It was too far away to tell who was driving. She kind of hoped it was Michael. She could stand to have some of his infectious chatter swirling around her. Right at the moment, life was not good. Jessica had no desire to stay in her home again, and yet the prospect of a hotel held no fascination for her either.

"And ready! ACTION!" the crew drew her back to reality.

Racing across the scaffolding, firing shots at her enemies as they retreated from the assault, Jessica returned fully to her character, Kendra Knight. It was a strange feeling for her, to suddenly become another person. Of course, there was definitely a part of her own self in Kendra Knight, but for the most part, she was just that, a character. Deborah was behind her, using the special blast attachment on her costume. She was supposed to be shooting at a winged, mechanical drone, a new weapon that had been introduced by the enemy. As usual, the actual drone would be added in by the computer graphics team during the editing process.

Jessie called out her lines, and Deborah responded with hers. A camera suspended from the arm of a cherry picker, a type of crane, swung around, to change the direction of the shot. The cameraman controlling the rig, was an expert in his field. He managed to capture the intensity of Jessica’s face, and then back out to show the entire shot, with little or no swing in the camera. This crew was definitely the best there was. Which made it hard for Jessica to even think about her options.

"Cut, print!" The director called through his bullhorn. "Let’s knock off for tonight people. I expect to see you all here on the weekend. Everyone meet here in ten minutes, to go over the schedule. Remember this is mandatory, if you all want to have a job."

Jessica sighed. Waiting for the stunt team leader to help her down the rig, her thoughts turned again to Kate. She made up her mind that no matter what happened, she would call Kate as soon as the car got her out of here, and onto the freeway. She just hoped that Kate would speak to her.

Kate anxiously waited in the car for Jessica. A small bead of sweat began to form on her upper lip, as she pulled into the spot that the security guard indicated was set aside for her. The wig she was wearing was extremely uncomfortable. It was a short brunette bob, with most of her own hair tucked underneath. She had enough bobby pins to build a small house for her cats, to hold the thing on her head. She desperately hoped that their plan wouldn’t fail. That at the very least, Jessie would talk to her.

Kate glanced at the instructions to the horse barn one more time. Not exactly the most romantic spot she could think of, but at least it was secluded. And safe. Deborah’s family was adamant about the need to protect the two women. Big Leo even told Michael that he would stay in the barn with them if they wanted. Michael chuckled, and assured him that they would be fine by themselves.

The moments ticked slowly by. Finally Kate caught a glimpse of Jessica heading for the car. Her heart started to pound rapidly, as she stepped out of the front, and opened the back passenger door. Deborah and a few other crew members walked with her as far as the car, and then continued on their way. Jessica nodded at the new driver, and then climbed inside the car. She had no desire to start a conversation with a stranger. She waited anxiously while the driver turned the car, and headed for the highway. She planned to call Kate as soon as they hit cruising speed.

Kate was relieved that Jessica didn’t recognize her right away. She didn’t want anything to mess up their plans, and being discovered at the site would definitely do that. She maneuvered the car around, and headed out for the freeway. She wondered how long it would take, before Jessica realized they were heading away from the city.

Kate took a moment to glance back in the rear view mirror. Jessica had her head back on the seat again, and had closed her eyes. She looked so sad, and so tired, Kate’s heart felt like it was going to sieze. It almost stopped, when Jessica asked her to close the privacy window, that she had to make a private phone call. Without speaking, she nodded, and closed the window. She prayed silently that Jessica wouldn’t hear her cell phone ring. Steven and Michael were waiting to tell her that Kate wanted her to call that number, if she checked in. Of course, maybe it wasn’t her that Jessica was calling.

Jessica dialed Kate’s home number, and Steven answered it on the first ring. Her shoulders slumped with disappointment. Steven gave her the message, and then quietly hung up the phone. Both men breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

Next, she tried the cell number Steven had given her. Odd, the driver’s cell phone was ringing with about a one second delay from the call she was placing. Oh well, stranger things had happened. She idly gazed out the window while waiting to see if Kate would answer. She suddenly became aware that they were heading out of the city. Her first thoughts went to Gregory.

Kate answered on the fourth ring. "Hello, this is Kate."

"Hi, it’s me, Jessica. Hang on a minute will you? This driver is doing something strange. I hope I’m not in any danger." Slowly she reached for the control to the privacy window.

Kate almost started giggling from her nerves. She realized that Jessica had discovered the change in directions, and yet had not figured out that it was Kate driving the car. She watched in the rear view mirror, as the window came down.

"Excuse me, driver? Where are we going? This is not the way to where I had asked to be taken." Jessica was trying not to sound scared.

"Yes ma’am. Taking the scenic route. Your brother’s instructions ma’am." Kate drawled with a southern accent.

"My brother?" Jessie tilted her head for a moment. "Where did he say you should take me?"

Stifling an attack of giggles again, Kate thought quickly. "To a friend’s ranch ma’am, he said you needed some rest. I believe the woman calls herself Momma, ma’am."

Jessie considered this information for a moment. "Hmph, okay, and when did he tell you this?"

Oh great! Time for a grilling session. Kate was trying to come up with something logical, when she noticed Jessica sliding over closer to the window. Quickly she grabbed the brim of her hat, and pulled it lower over her eyes. She risked a glance into the rearview mirror. Jessica hadn’t seen her yet, but it was a matter of moments, before she was discovered.

"Umm, when he passed this assignment over to me this afternoon, ma’am. I’m a black belt in karate, and he wanted to be sure you had some protection." Kate held her breath.

Jessica stopped moving for a moment. Something about this driver was familiar. She started having some suspicions, when she remembered she had Kate on hold. Sliding back to her original seat, she asked the driver to close the window again. Kate breathed a sigh of relief, although she knew the jig was up.

Jessica took a deep breath, preparing for rejection. "I’m so sorry. I had a problem with the driver. Umm, how are you?"

About to explode, Kate cleared her throat, and then tried to sound a little reticent.

"I’m okay, how about you? I’ve been worried about you all day. I was pretty mean to you, and I’m sorry."

Jessica leaned back on the seat again. "I . . . I deserved that. I didn’t know what to do, and I panicked. There are so many people that depend on what I do every day, and the thought of ending that for them has been, well, not easy to deal with. I didn’t want you to get hurt."

Kate interrupted her. "Listen, right now, I would really like to talk to you, face to face. I think we both need that."

Jessica smiled to herself. "I agree, I need to see you. I need to . . . ." waiting again for rejection, ". . . .hold you."

"Well, let me see those beautiful baby blues first, okay?" Kate finally giggled.

"Wha…?" Jessica was startled as the privacy window was lowered again.

Gazing into the rearview mirror, she saw the loveliest pair of emerald green eyes staring back at her. Hanging up the phone, she crawled forward to the opening, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Reaching through, she lightly brushed the back of her hand alongside Kate’s downy soft cheek. Kate almost closed her eyes, her own tears welling in the corners. She realized, that if she did that, they both might be killed. She opted for rubbing her cheek against the hand to acknowledge it’s silent message.

"How did you . . .I mean what . . .?" Jessie stumbled on her words.

"I . . . I mean we, Michael, Steven, Laura and I talked it over, and came up with this scheme. I had to see you. I couldn’t let it end like this, especially after Michael told me what happened." Kate whispered quietly.

Shocked by the group’s involvement, and their obvious concern for both her and Kate, Jessica shook her head, trying to grasp what it all meant. She was speechless, resting her hand on Kate’s shoulder, working hard to make sense of all of this. Kate signaled for the exit to their destination.

Checking her map one more time, she noticed a beat up Jeep exit right behind her. Nothing noteable about the Jeep, except it was riding kind of close to their bumper. She slowed down when she reached the drive, and the Jeep went on past. Kate thought they must live down that way or something. Anxious to stop driving and get settled, she drove directly to the barn. Big Leo and another man were waiting for them, with the doors open. When she eased the limo into the interior, they closed the door behind them. . . . .