Before Dusk((lock))

No guns? Well, that would make things interresting, especially if she really intended to defend herself with knives. Depending on her style, they might be slightly worse than the average toothpick. It seemed every weapon had to be changed ever so slightly to really hurt the children of the night. Some african tribes used obelisk shaped stabbing daggers. The odd wound it left took forever to heal, and the bloodloss was substantial, he knew, he had tried it.

"It would make me feel better if you carried a gun...but allright...I understand I suppose. Just remember that the best you can hope for is to buy a minute or so with a knife....."

He returned her weak smile. He had thought about turning her, with or without her consent, but he wasn't sure she would ever forgive him. Wether or not that was relevant, he hadn't decided yet. A world with a safe and far away Meegan was better than one without any Meegan at all, but it would be a desperate solution non the less.

"You better call Rachyl if you're going to catch her...."

Meegan looked down at the slim gold watch on her wrist, and noted the time. She still had two hours before Rachyl would be home. She didn't think calling her at the office would be a good idea, so she'd run first.

"I'll run first, since I'm already stretched out. Will you have Jeeves find my daggers from where ever he put them. I'd like the edges checked, and sharpened if they need it, though they shouldn't."

She crossed the room to Aron and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head to his chest.

"I wish I could say everything will be ok, but I don't like lying either."

He sighed and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Everything will be ok...one way or another....I promise you"

She smiled up at him. He was so very confident in this, it made her envy him just a little. She had delt with stalkers before, but nothing like this. Her's had all been freakazoid fanyboys, with too much time and not enough sex. She kissed his cheek softly, then pulled away.

"I'll be back in about an hour."

She headed toward the door, smiling at him over her shoulder. She had so very much to think about, and most of her pondering only gave her more questions.

"Have fun..."

Aron went back to the bed, it was a bit too early to get up yet...

She'd noticed that her cellphone was working again sometime mid-morning. Apparently Rachyl's account had lapsed and they processed the shutoff before the payment.

A half hour she spent on the phone with Verizon's customer service complaining about how inefficient the payment process was, especially when the payment was sent in on time, albeit from a different address than it had previously been. Railed on a manager about how if she had been in dire straits (which technically she had been) she could have possibly died.

Ended up with three months' credit. She was happy.

So when she dialed Meegan's number and got the "this number is no longer in service" message... she wasn't quite as pissed as she could have been.

Heaving a sigh as she climbed into the bus with the afternoon's guard, Ronnie, she waited patiently on the ride home for Meegan to call her.

Meegan chuckled as she watched him climb back into bed, then headed for the front door. Once outside she smiled into the sunlight and got a bouncing start on a slow jog to warm her muscles. She jogged down the drave way and took a right at the fencing. She had decided that following the fence line would give her long enough work out.

When the fence gave a sharp right angle she started into a ground eating run. MEegan had enough endurance to run a marathon, and she had once for Susan G. Kommen Foundation, but it wasn't her idea of fun. She much prefered a faster, shorter run. As her feet carried her through the lush grounds of the manor, her mind wandered much further away.

'I have in three days time completely lost the life to which I am accostomed. I can no longer go out alone, or make phone calls or even sleep with out fearing for what might be over my shoulder. I have never in my life let someone take such total control over me.

What is it about this man that he can get under my skin with out even trying. Fear is a great tool and if Terry Goodkind is to be believed the only thing more easily used than a person's fear is his beliefs. Perhaps I do not need to be so scared of this man. The only reason I am is because I choose to believe he can do what I fear. Then again, I know what his kind is capable of, not all of them are like Aron. I could wish they were, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'

She turned with the fence to run along the back stretch of the grounds, the area around her a dense forest of trees that made her feel alone, but safe. She liked it here. One day soon she would take the time to explore this area at a slow hike. Her thoughts brought her full circle to Rachyl.

She missed Rachyl terribly and let the idea of her living out here with her and Aron sound so very tempting. She may suggest it, but she didn't want Rachyl to feel obligated in any way. Thoughts of Rachyl took her to the third turn of the fencing. She leaned into the right turn and decided to push her pace just a bit. She glanced down at her watch, she'd been running for nearly fourty minutes. Nodding in approval for her assesment of the grounds. She watched the ground and tree around her, all thoughts pushed from her head as she was forced to concentrate on where her flying feet were landing.

When she made it to the final turn, she slowed into the same jog she had started out with to give her muscles time to cool down. As she reached the drive, she nearly stopped moving when she caught sight of a large brown truck. She moved back into the trees and jogged quietly in place until the UPS man got back into his truck and drove away.

Jeeves must have seen her, as he made no move to go inside after the truck had left. Meegan moved out of the trees and jogged up the drive. When she was about twenty feet from the house she slowed and closed the distance with a easy gait.

Jeeves gave a bow with his head as he held open the door for her,"Did you enjoy your run, Lady Meegan?"

She smiled at him and went past him into the house."Yes thank you." Meegan stopped at a door way and using the jam as a hand hold stretched out her thighs. She took several minutes to stretch out her body while it was still warm. When she finally stood again, Jeeves handed her the package.

"Oh! Thank you, Jeeves." He bowed his head at her and stood at his ease, waiting to see if she had need of him.

"I'm going to use Aron's office for a bit. Could you bring me a bottle of water?"

"Yes, Lady Meegan." She began to walk towards Aron's office, but stopped and turned.

"First I'm going to shower, then I'll be in his office. Please put a light snack with the water. If my knives are ready I'd like those layed out on my dresser so that I can start to get used to wearing them."

"Very well, m'lady." He bowed at her and turned toward the kitchen, Meegan went the opposite way toward the bedroom.

Rachyl could tell Dill wanted to walk at the dog park but he walked right past it on their way to the juice bar.

Maybe the events of the day previous had turned him off from walking there for a while...

She treated herself to a smoothie and a granola bar, then headed home. Ronnie chatted for a while, and they pulled up at Rachyl's apartment with little fanfare.

"I'm hoping to be receiving a phone call soon, and would like a little privacy. I will be okay if you wanted to take a walk or go get something to eat, my treat?" she asked Ronnie. The guard looked worried, but nodded - apparently she'd been briefed about the night prior's events... Rachyl gave her an understanding look and let them both into her apartment.

Twenty minutes saw Meegan stepping from the shower in a billowing cloud of steam. She felt energized and wish briefly she was home so that she could clean something or take Dill for a jog. Thinking about Dill gave her a small hitch in her chest. She refused to cry, she would not give that bastard that kind of control in her life. She towelled off and begin to smooth lotion into her skin. She massaged the cream into every inch of her body she could reach.

When finished, she hung her towel and walked naked to the closet. One of the many things that Rachyl and Veronica had given her was the freedom to walk around her home naked. She stood in the closet looking at her clothing choices. She pulled a soft yellow sundress with spaghetti straps of it's hanger and slipped it over her naked body. She slid a pair of matching sandles on her feet and crossed to the bed, She kissed the forehead of the still sleeping Aron and made her way to his office.


She sat staring at the phone for some time before she picked it up and dialed Rachyl's number.

The phone number ringing through to her cellphone was unfamiliar, but the voice responding to her sharp answer of "Walker" made her heart leap.

"Meegan!"

Relief, happiness, caring, and a tiny bit of fear and worry colored her voice.

Meegan sat in Aron's chair with her left leg tucked under her bottom and her right bent so that her foot rested on the chair seat. She had Rachyl on the speaker phone so that she could hug her body to her right leg.

The emotion that came across the line, made her eyes prickle and her breath to hitch. She swallowed almost audibly, the tears shone brightly in her eyes against the fire light, but did not fall.

"Hi, sweety." She was very impressed with herself, her voice hadn't cracked. "How have you been?"

She wanted to hear, 'I'm just fine,' but she had a feeling that she wouldn't get to hear that for a very long time.

So many things jumped to the forefront of Rachyl's mind, but she pushed them aside.

Pain and suffering were -not- going to rule her life.

"Oh, pretty good. It's been quiet without you at the office. Dill stares longingly at your chair. The Gucci coat and my coach bag have been delivered, and we got a letter stating that the rest of the items would be delivered next week. Dill likes my place... I'm glad you brought him over here that one time so he could get to know it."

She decided to segue into what she needed to tell Meegan. "Speaking of places, I met someone... an acquaintance of yours... You know, he was on Gothic-Ah TV earlier in the week. Well, we met in the park when I was walking Dill, and he seemed nice at first and all but he made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and not in the good way. Then he got fresh... I talked him down from whatever precipe of nutjobness he was clinging to and he asked for my help. So I set him up at your place."

She cleared her throat, trying to keep the encroaching tears from coloring her voice. "Haven't heard anything from Veronica, though. I imagine she's quite busy at work and with her mother."

Rachyl found she couldn't stop talking. It felt good to again have a connection to Meegan, even if it was over the phone. She realized as she picked another subject to bounce to that her selections were good-bad, good-bad. "The detectives were very nice... I gave them what you asked. The whole building is abuzz with security and people buddying up to go to their cars or bus stops. Some people are even... content, I guess... to stay a few minutes late so their neighbor doesn't leave alone."

The real estate broker - no, the designer's administrative assistant - stopped, realizing that Meegan was really, really quiet. "But enough about me for the moment. How are you?"

"He...he's in my house?" She nearly choked on the words. She really hadn't heard what Rachyl had said after that part. She had no fucking idea why her best friend would but that maniac in her home. She'd never be able to go back in there now.

"Why the hell would you put him in my house? And since you did why did you tell me? How, in the name of all that's holy, am I ever going to be able to go back into my home? Rachyl, he didn't hurt you did he? Are you ok?"

Her words had tumbled from her mouth, going from angry to frightened to concern in just a few breaths.

Rachyl instantly realized that, in her own selfishness to protect her home, her sanctuary, she'd unknowingly corrupted, tainted, destroyed Meegan's.

"I figured anything that he might find there that would be indicative of you isn't there anymore. I told him not to go into the bedroom. I also figured that, since Mr. Swiftwood came to your rescue at the office, he might have an idea of what to do especially since we know exactly where he is."

She caught herself as she was about to say something more... "He didn't hurt me, hon. Just scared me a bit, that's all." She decided it would be better -not- to tell Meegan that "Pauly" had abused Dill.

"But Jack, the first bodyguard, took his description back to the Security Center and all my escorts now know what to look for. He was pretty strong," Rachyl commented, "stronger than me, stronger than Mel at the Gym near work. He's... different, isn't he?"

The flash of Rachyl's dream-vision and Meegan's... alterations... made her catch her breath.

"He's a psycopath, Rachyl. His name, by the way, is Panos Mehalitsenos." She just couldn't get over that Rachyl, had put that monster into her home. Sure, now that they knew where he was sleeping, it might be easier to rid the world of him, but she didn't think killing him would help. She also didn't know what that woman vampire would do if she found out who had killed him.

"There are things about that man that will give you nightmares. I for one am not going to be responsible for giving them to you. Just do me a huge favor, Rach. Do not go outside, even with your bodyguard between dusk and dawn, just don't. Ok?"

Maybe if she transfered her fear into Rachyl's welfare, she could forget that she no longer had a home. Mostly she wished Aron would come in and reassure her that everything would work itself out, because right now, she was lost.

Rachyl could hear the fear in Meegan's voice.

Her own voice meek, she said, "I screwed up, didn't I. I'm so, so so so sorry. If I'd have known..."

"No, don't blame this on Meegan, she was just trying to protect me." Rachyl backed her thought up. "There are things going on in this town that are bigger than us, aren't there, Meegan? Why can't you tell me, why -won't- you tell me? It can't be much different than the random chance of getting hit by lightning or winning the lottery or becoming immaculately pregnant or getting hit by a bus, can it? I mean... he's just a guy, isn't he? Or is he something more... something you don't want to tell me about because you hope to protect me? But what about yourself, Meegan? Help me protect you, too... That's one reason I guess I put him in your place. Because there I knew he'd pretty much stay, until for some reason he contacted me or I contacted him. He wants me to contact him, but I don't know why."

She wished she was in Meegan's arms right now. Being rocked tenderly, being told everything's okay. (A tiny corner of her wished time machines were "the real thing," too, so she could go back to that first night they'd truly made love, in the Grand Piazza, and tell herself to not let Meegan stay late at work for a few weeks... But she couldn't.)

So she waited for Meegan's response.

"Yeah Rachyl, it's much much bigger than our small little stalker problem. I don't know just how big, or what is really happening in the night while we sleep. I do know that it is not safe for us to be out at night right now. These people are ruthless, not all of them are as nice as..." Oh, God, just how much should she tell Rachyl. Would it hurt her to know, just exactly what these people were. 'Would she hate me for loving one of them? Oh, God, would she hate me for being in love at all?' Meegan sighed softly, and decided the only way to answer her questions was to open her mouth and talk.

"..Aron. I think you and I need to be face to face, this isn't something I can do on the phone. I'll send Jeeves to get you, and I am so making him pick up chinese take out, just to ruffle his feathers." Meegan's weak chuckle wasn't very convincing even to her own ears.

"These people are ruthless, not all of them are as nice as..." pause, "..Aron." Rachyl thought that pause was more pregnant than a woman with septuplets.

At the mention of food, her very-hungry tummy rumbled loudly. "Food sounds great. And I'm still a Chinese-food virgin. I'll bring Dill and the extra bed. Oh and should I bring my bodyguard, or dismiss them for the night?"

"Dismiss them. You'll need to bring food for Dill too, there isn't anything here. And maybe pack an overnight bag for yourself." Well that could get akward. She'd cross that bridge when she had to. It just didn't matter right now.

"See you in a bit?"

"A bit sounds good."

Rachyl hung up her phone and told Ronnie that a car would be coming to pick her up, and her guard services wouldn't be needed for tonight.

She stuffed some clean clothes into her duffel - the one she hadn't touched since she'd arrived in Nachton - then rolled Dill's bed and stuffed it in, too. His bag of food and waterbowl followed.

Rachyl waited patiently with Ronnie until Jeeves arrived.