Disclaimer: I do not own or have any holdings on Elijah or any other celebrity characters listed in this fanfic. It's just a story that came out of my hearing a beautiful song by Vanessa Carlton called "An Ordinary Boy"

Rated: PG-13 (some violence)

~~ Okay, here I go again. Hope you like it! ~~

"An Ordinary Boy"

Chapter 1 -

It was a typical Seattle day - rain, and more rain.

The sky was dark with clouds, like my heart is today. This is the first anniversary of his death. Damn, had it really been a year already? Tears fill my eyes as I look down the street for my bus. At least the rain masks the fact that tears are beginning to fall. I'm already soaked, so what's a little more water?

At last the bus comes and I'm on my way to work at the courthouse downtown. I'm a court stenographer, the one who takes down everything said in the courtroom. That's how we met, Kenny and I. Kenny was a police officer for the Seattle Police Department. He was in Judge Masterson's court for a DUI case and I'm Masterson's steno.
I had to ask him to repeat something and instead, he just smiled. His smile totally captivated me. I asked again and his exact words were "I can't remember what I said before I looked at someone so beautiful."
And that's exactly what went down into the court transcript.
Well, Judge Masterson wasn't too happy and almost threw the case out. But afterwards we went out for coffee and everything just clicked. It was perfect. Until that day, 7 months later...

"Hey, Doni!" The words startle me out of my gloomy mood as I recognize Ursi's happy voice calling to me. Her gorgeous Italian accent just melts me - I love it so much. She picks up the bus a few blocks after me and we always ride into work together. She works for Court Records, where I have to submit transcripts after court is finished. She sees my red eyes and sits down, concerned.
"Donna, what's wrong? Why do you cry?" she asks quietly, getting out her tissues and wiping my eyes. She's always taken care of me like that, my little "Italian mom". That's why I love her so much; my best friend who's always there for me.

"Oh, nothing, it's just the rain and my contacts", I say.
"You're full of crap, you've been crying!" she hisses back, but then a look of shock and sadness crosses her face.
"Oh damn, it was one year ago, wasn't it? Oh Donna, I'm so sorry." she says and hugs me. She was there through all of it last year, when I thought my heart and mind could never live through it all.
"Okay, you get a few tears. But we're going out to lunch and dinner to help get you through this day then! And we'll eat all the cheesecake we want, too!" She knows that will make me laugh. We love to share a piece of cheesecake from Dilon's Bakery whenever we are upset about something. And we always end up giggling like schoolgirls afterwards.

"Okay, you're on" I say, already feeling a bit better.
I glance out the window as we're almost to our stop. The rain is letting up a bit, and do I actually see a bit of blue-sky peeking out? Maybe?
As I stare out at nothing in particular, I see the figure standing in the middle of the plaza. He's soaking wet, yet makes no move to get out of the rain. It's that strange boy again. He's always seems to be standing there, right by the main fountain, looking up at the sky...

Chapter 2 -

Ursi and I walk into the courthouse and into the elevator to go our separate ways. She has to go to the "dungeon", as we call the basement area where records are maintained. And I go to the 4th floor, where the main criminal courts are located. Another day of dissertations, objections, arguments and so on... I hope Judge Masterson is in a better mood today!

It's now 11:30 and I'm off for lunch. I walk downstairs to find Ursi, rather than take the elevator. "Exercise!" I tell myself, "so I can have an extra bite of cheesecake tonight! "
As I walk past the second floor window, I feel like someone is watching me from outside. I glance out and see two bright blue eyes looking at me through the crowd of people milling about in the plaza. But, just as quickly as I see them, they are gone.
I must be imagining things - how could anyone see me on the second floor through this little window? I'm just upset over things today, that's all. I hurry down the steps.

I find Ursi and we walk outside. The sky is still overcast, but no more rain so far today! We run into Tammi on the way and Ursi drags her along.
"Come on, we are the cheering section for Donna today. She needs to be made to laugh!" Ursi says, pulling me by the arm.
Tammi is our friend from the County Prosecutor's office. She's his main paralegal, researching cases and pulling together evidence. She's gonna have his job one day, just you wait.
I can't help but giggle at Ursi's use of English - she's picked up our very strange language faster than anyone I've ever met! And I love how she says things - they're so, well, logical! Tammi asks why I'm having a bad day, Ursi quickly jumps in saying, "We won't talk about that now! Fun time! Let's go to Baggin's!" (it's a real deli name, really!)

At lunch, Tammi tells us about her new boyfriend, Billy.
"Oh, girls, his accent is to DIE for!" she squeals.
"I never knew a man could speak in a 'yummy' way before," I giggle. She's totally happy and telling us all about her new "friend."
Tammi explains he's from Scotland, she met him over the weekend at Bailey's (a cool bar on 4th street), and they've been out 6 times since then (It's only Tuesday; how have they been out 6 times??)
We all bust up laughing when she tells about him coming over to pick her up for dinner in his kilt and how they never made it out of the house.
"He was just so, so, SEXY in that skirt-thing! I mean damn! And I thought only guys wanted to get under skirts!"
Tammi has me in tears, I'm laughing so hard. At least they're tears of joy this time. I love being with these girls!

After work, I make plans to meet Ursi at her house at 7:00, as I have to detour to the memorial park after work. I don't tell Ursi where I'm going, even though I know she'd want to help me with this, but I really feel I need to be alone. Alone with Kenny.

As I walk up to Kenny's grave, the sky lets loose again with sheets of rain. It's almost as if the sky is feeling the same as I - and its tears are falling as hard as mine. "Damn you, you bastard," I whisper at the headstone. "Why in hell did you have to die?" I cry out as the sobs overtake my body and I drop the roses I'm holding and fall to the ground on my knees.

Chapter 3 - One year previous

It's April 17th again, 4:30am. God, I hate getting up this damn early! Kenny kisses my forehead as I lie in bed, watching him get dressed for work. Man, he looks so HOT in his uniform! The belt, the gun, the handcuffs... Sorry, my mind is wandering!
"Remember, love, I'm getting off early so I can take you to our "special" dinner tonight. Be ready at 6:00, sharp!"
His normal shift is 6am to 6pm, but he's taking off at 5:00 tonight, for something he's had planned for over a week. He's like a little kid, all smiling and smirking about his "secret". But what the hell is it?
"I won't forget." I say, "But where are we going? I need to know so I'll know how to dress!" trying to drag his surprise out of him. His disarming smile lights up his face as he tells me,
"Come on girl. You make a pair of grungy jeans and a sweatshirt look like Versace! You'll pick something wonderful, I trust you."

He's right, I guess. I don't look too bad, but not as great as he says, by any means! My best feature is my long reddish-blonde hair. It comes down past my shoulders and is layered to have sweeping waves when it's left loose. I keep in good shape since I work downtown and walk everywhere. It's much too busy to drive a car around the court plaza. And my only sin is having cheesecake with Ursi sometimes! Yum!

"Okay baby, I'll be ready in my sweatshirt at 6:00 then" I say, smirking at Kenny as he leaves. "Love you!" he calls and I call the same back to him.
What might I have said had I known it would be the last thing I'd ever get to say to the love of my life?

I took off work at 2:00 that day to do some shopping for the "special" dinner. I took a cab into town and went to the Bloomie's outlet to look for some sexy shoes and, Hell, maybe a whole new outfit! I found the perfect shoes, a little black strappy number without too much heel. I'm already tall, I don't need shoes to make me any taller!
I decide no clothes really excite me, so I walk out of the store and start towards Macy's. "They're having a good sale," I think as I walk.
I think about the fact that Kenny's down here somewhere; this is his division to patrol in Seattle. Hmmm, maybe I'll catch him planning something for tonight, I think and I smile at my sneaky thought. But I hear sirens in the distance. Odd, nothing that big usually happens on this side of town. Maybe it's a car accident? But then, several police cars go zooming up the street I'm on, as well as an ambulance and a paramedic vehicle.
Okay, now I'm curious... I'll wander up and see what's up. Stupid idea, Doni...

I walk up to where Adams and Siller streets converge. That's where all the cars and such went. I see Danny, one of the cops in Kenny's division and one of Kenny's best friends. They were in the Academy together and both graduated with honors.
"Hey Danny!" I call, "What's all the excitement?"
He sees me and his face, it's so hard to describe, it just collapsed. Tears welled up in his eyes and it's painfully obvious he is so absolutely shocked to see me standing there.
"Do-Doni?" he stammers. "Shit! What are you doing here? Dammit! Dammit!" he cries as he looks toward me and toward the street a few feet ahead. There's a crowd and police tape up so I can't see what he's looking at.
"What's wrong, Danny?" I say, but a sudden fear has gripped my entire body. My stomach is tight, I can feel every heartbeat in my chest as I yell again, "What's wrong, Danny??!!"

Chapter 4 -

I must be in a dream, because this just can't be real.

I'm in the back of the ambulance I'd seen earlier, trying to stay out of the way of the paramedics, who have swarmed on Kenny like bees.

"I need a Dopamine drip, stat!"
"He's crashing! Get another epi in his chest!"

Oh my God! I know just enough to realize this is bad, very bad. Finally, we're screaming through the city to the trauma center. I haven't even been able to touch Kenny yet.
Tears are streaming down my face while all the screams I want to set free I'm choking back as hard as I can in my throat.
"She's holding together pretty good," I hear one of the medics say.
If only you knew, buddy, if only you knew...

Danny couldn't tell me much, he just pushed me toward the ambulance saying "Come on, Donna! Come on!"
"WHAT'S HAPPENED?" I shriek as I stop dead in the street. "I'M NOT COMING ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"
Danny stops and stares at me for a second, holding my arms. "Doni, it's Kenny. He's been stabbed. It looks really bad. We got a call from him that he was stopping to talk to a transient on Stiller. Then we got a garbled call from him and we came running. We found him in the alley, Doni, he was already down..." Danny's crying, sobbing. And my heart feels like it's stopping in my chest. We run to the ambulance.

"Ms. Keller, I'm so sorry, we did everything we could."

Did I just hear right? Is this guy with a white coat and stethoscope around his neck talking to me? He can't be. No. He's not! He's NOT!
His hands take mine as his soft voice asks, "Donna, did you hear me?"
I look up through watery eyes. His kind brown eyes look at me and I can tell he genuinely feels terrible and he's very concerned about me.
"Yes. Yes, God Damn it, I heard you," I whisper. "Take me to him, now please."

As he walks me to the trauma room, he warns me they haven't had a chance yet to clean everything up. "There's a lot of blood, Donna. And there will be wires and tubes..."
I know, Doctor, I know. It's okay.

Chapter 5 - (Current year, April 17)

I don't know how long I sit on his grave and cry. The rain is just torrential.
I'm soaked through to the skin and the cold North wind is starting to blow. I shiver as I look at the marble headstone, softly running my fingers over his name - Kenneth Alan Doyle. Died April 17 2001.

"You're going to freeze out here. Come."
A voice slowly speaks from behind me. I turn and look up, startled... and see the eyes from the plaza. Bright blue, piercingly so.
And for a moment, they are all I see. As if they sit disembodied in the sky. But then, the rest of the face comes into focus. Dark hair, wet with rain. A soft, kind expression. Skin the color and texture of porcelain. Smooth pink lips, the color of a rose.
"So beautiful," I murmur, not sure if I really said it out loud or not.
As the rest of his figure comes into focus, I gasp sharply. I know this person! It's that strange boy, the one I see every morning by the plaza fountain, looking up at the sky.

His hand is outstretched to me, as if to help me stand. In my surprise, I fall back on the grave, looking up, frightened, yet not.
I know, how can you be scared and not scared at the same moment? I can't explain it, really, yet I am.
He's the "fountain boy", as we call him around the plaza; we've speculated that he might be a homeless guy with some mental illness, or some drugged out hippie-type throw-back from the 60's. But he seems so young and well, ordinary.
His clothes are always the same - brown trousers, brown suede jacket, a dirty-looking blue shirt under the jacket, black boots. Even during the humid summer, he always wears the same thing, every day. Yet, if you walk near him, there's no bad odor, no sweaty smell, nothing really at all.

Tammi mentioned that once, she was walking across the plaza, not paying attention, and ran into him by accident. She was kind of freaked, but she said he just smiled and turned away, walking back toward the streets.
"Girls, it was weird, but I thought I smelled flowers, like gardenias or freesia when he smiled. But I think I'm just nuts!", she laughed.

No one ever tries to talk to him. Kids (and some rude adults) tease him, "What're you lookin' at? A pigeon's gonna shit in your eye, you freak!"
Yet "fountain boy" never replies, he just looks at them, with almost a look of pity on his face.

And here he is, talking to me. Even trying to help me. Why?

Chapter 6:

"It's okay, Donna. I'm not going to hurt you," he says and he continues to hold his hand out to me, now leaning down to try to help me up from the ground.

"How do you...you know my name?" I stammer out, still staring at his eyes. Why don't I feel afraid? Why am I just sitting here, letting him lean over me like this? I don't really know, but I take his hand and allow him to help me up.
"I know who you are, Donna Keller. I'm here to help you," he says as I stand, brushing mud and grass off my clothes. "My name is Elijah."

"Well, Elijah, why are you here?" I try to act somewhat cocky and angry, as I should be for having some stranger walk up and interrupt my time with Kenny. "Because you needed me here," is his answer, "And because you need to get home, before you catch cold." Elijah takes off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. I try to protest, but something stops me. I accept his jacket, as well as his arm around my shoulders, walking me back toward the street. I miss the fact that his eyes drift down to the headstone and a slight tear escapes his eyes.

"Are you feeling all right, Donna?" Elijah asks me. "I'm cold. And confused... How do you know who I am?" My anger and frustration start to erupt as I look over at his face. His slight smile angers me more, and I yell at him, "Tell me, damnit! Who are you?!" For a second, his face falls and I see tears forming in his eyes. And my heart can't take seeing him in pain, though I don't know why. "I'm sorry, Elijah, I am. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know you're just trying to help," I tell him quietly. His eyes clear quickly and he softly asks me again, "Are you all right?"
I can't believe I'm actually telling him anything about myself! But I do; "No, I'm not really. Not right now. That was my fiancee's grave. He died last year. And nothing's been all right since then."

We've stopped at the curb and a taxi pulls up. "That's strange," I wonder to myself. Taxi drivers here aren't known for their quickness, let alone their politeness. Elijah walks me over to the car and opens the back door for me. I slip into in the backseat, relishing the warm interior and thanking the Lord for heaters. Elijah appears on the other side but slides over next to me. The driver greets us, telling us his name is Daniel.

Unbeknownst to me, the driver looks up using the mirror and smiles at Elijah. "Where to, Sir?" the driver asks. Before I can answer, Elijah tells him "6116 Silverlake Drive, please." I'm shocked. I look over at him and start to ask him how he knows that, but he holds a finger to my lips and I suddenly stop trying to ask.

Inside, my mind is condemning me: What are you DOING? This guy knows your name, where you live, and he's taking you there now. What's he gonna do to you once you get there? And how is he controlling your actions? Why don't you scream, yell, try to get out of the cab??

"Here we are," the taxi driver/Daniel says. He jumps out and comes around to my side, opening the door and holding an umbrella to protect me from the rain. I find this funny, since I'm already wet and muddy, and I half-heartedly laugh to myself. "You'll be warm and dry enough, once you get to your apartment," he comments, as if he knew what I was thinking. I look at him strangely and he simply smiles.
Elijah also steps out and, taking my hand, walks me to the door. "I'll see you again soon, Donna," as he reluctantly pulls his fingers from mine and walks back to the taxi. I'm stunned when I see him reach into his pocket and pull out a $20 to pay the driver. The door to my building opens as the security guard lets me in, as I watch Elijah shuffle off, down the street in thr still pouring rain.

Chapter 7 -

As I stand in the shower, letting the hot water warm me up and wash away all my concern, but I keep going over things in my head.

"Who is Elijah? Why was he there, at Kenny's grave? How does he even know me? My name. Where I live. And why am I still not afraid of him? Anyone else would be freaked, consider him a stalker or something. Where did he get money from, to pay the driver? Geez, I'm a total mess!"

When I come back into the bedroom after drying off from the shower, I glance over at the jacket. I totally forgot to give it back to him when he dropped me off. It's hung on the back of my dressing table chair. It smells like wet leather, of course, from the rain. But there's something else, something I cannot quite pinpoint. I quietly tell myself I'll take it to work and give it back to him tomorrow.

But it's getting late and I need to get ready for Ursi tonight. I quickly dry my hair and style it so that it's pulled up loosely with tendrils hanging down in back. The waves turn them into little spiral curls. It looks good with my black sleeveless dress. I'm supposed to be going out to have fun, but I cannot help but wear black, because of the day. I slip on some pumps and my black leather jacket and start downstairs to meet Ursi.

"Sweetie!" we both scream when we see one another in the lobby. We hug and then step back to look at one another.
"You look wonderful!" I gush - this girl could wear ANYTHING and make it look fabulous. She has on a red tanktop with a gorgeous black and silver mini skirt that shows off her long legs. She's a bit shorter than I am, so she has on her high heels that I always tease her about (I call them "elevator shoes"). She's all covered up in her super gorgeous red leather jacket.
"You look like you're in mourning!" she teases, although I know she means it kindly.
"Well, I am, damn it!" I curse, under my breath.
"I'm sorry - you know I didn't mean it as it came out. You look good in black, but this is ridiculous!" she tells me. "But, you still look beautiful, and we will be the two best looking girls in the city tonight!"
I tease back, "As long as the guys in the city don't think we look good enough to PAY for!"

Chapter 8 -

Ursi and I walk into the restaurant on 6th. "Sammy!" she squeals as she sees the owner near the door.
"Ursi! Buona sera, amiche mie" Sammy says as he comes over and kisses Ursi and me.
"Miss Donna! I miss you! You never come and see me anymore!" he admonishes me. "But I understand, you are busy... and you've been sad for a while," he says kindly.
"Not tonight!" Ursi tells him, "We are going to have fun, just my best girl and me! And you can help us, can't you, my Sammy?" she coos.
"Of course~! For you, anything!" Come! My best table is open and you ladies will show what a fine establishment I have here. Come!" We follow Sammy to a table right before the main windows of the restaurant. We can see out to the lights of the other shops and watch the people walking by on the sidewalk.
As we sit, the waiter is already there, pouring us each a glass of the best merlot in the place.
Just being here, with Ursi, in Sammy's, I feel so calm and relaxed. But, a part of me is also feeling guilty, as if I should be at home, mourning Kenny on the one-year anniversary of his death.
I tell Ursi what I'm thinking as I take a sip of wine. Her face grows serious as she tells me, "Doni. What would Kenny want you to do today? To sit and cry over him all day? Or to be happy and have fun with those who love you? You tell me!"
"I don't know" I stammer as a sob tries to escape from my chest. How the Hell did she know what I was thinking?
"No! You do know!", she hisses quietly but gently to me, so no one will overhear, "Kenny would WANT you to be here, having fun, and remembering how you and he used to go out like this. He would want you to be HAPPY! So, you do it girl!"
I look up at Ursi. She's right. She's always right. Remember, I said she's like my Italian Mom... So she MUST be right!

As we wrap up dinner, and another wonderful glass of wine (Ursi's switched to Lemon Vodka, her favorite), we are already giggling.
"I still can't believe Tammi's Billy showed up for their date in a skirt", Ursi laughs.
"But he's Scottish. They wear kilts for all kinds of occasions!" I giggle back.
"Yes, and it appears they take them off quickly for many kinds of occasions too!" she snaps back and we both nearly fall over in hysterics.
After we finally calm down, and the restaurant guests stop staring at us, I whisper back, "You know Tammi! She's a good girl and she wouldn't do anything like that on a first date!"
"But they never went out! You know what must have happened!", Ursi says. "Even you are not that innocent, silly!"
Okay, I'm a bit of a prude, but we both know we're kidding - we have no idea what really happened that night between Tammi and Billy. But we both know this: we've never seen Tammi so happy in her life. After the last guy, we thought she might never smile again. And the smile she had when she talked about Billy shined so bright, she could have lit up the darkest night.

"Okay, time for a walk to Dilon's!" Ursi calls, as we pay the check and walk out of Sammy's. Dilon's Bakery is only a couple blocks up the street, and as we walk, we talk about all kinds of things. But for some reason, I haven't brought up what happened this afternoon. Why? Maybe I'm just not ready to try to explain this to my best friend yet. I know Ursi; she would be ready to beat the crap out of him if she even THOUGHT he might hurt me. And based on recent events, his behavior seems more like stalking than caring. Yet, I still don't believe that's true for some reason...

"How is you Mom doing in Rome?" I ask. Ursi's mom is the most wonderful woman - she sends us the most yummy treats you can imagine. She's a gourmet dessert chef for the top restaurant in Rome. She always tries out her newest recipes on us, even before her staff gets to try them! I love when Ursi calls and says "A special delivery from Rome for us!" She ships them in special dry ice containers. So when they are opened, they are as fresh as if she had just made them that morning.
"Oh, Mamma! She's so good! She just won another award for her chocolate presentation in the International Competition! I'm so proud of her!" Ursi loves her mother, above all else. And she misses her terribly - I can see the quick shot of pain and homesickness cross her face. But she recovers and smiles brightly.
"She sends her love and says she cannot wait for next fall when we go to visit!" That will be so fun! I've never been to Italy, and I so look forward to going with Ursi.

I look up and we're almost to Dilon's. Yay! Cheesecake! But, from the corner of my eye, I see someone across the street. Someone I don't want to see tonight, or ever again. It's Marshall, Ursi's old boyfriend.

Chapter 9 --

"Shit," I mutter under my breath.

Marshall was Ursi's boyfriend for about 6 months. She finally had the strength to break away from him not long after Kenny died. I think her desire to be there for me is what finally helped her walk away.
We all thought Marshall was the greatest guy, when they first met and started dating. He was so attentive, giving Ursi wonderful gifts and taking her to lovely places. But a couple months later, I could see a change. Ursi ALWAYS smiles. But, when she was with Marshall, she stopped smiling. She stopped going out with me much. I finally pushed her at work one day - and she totally blew up at me, telling me to stop being a "nosy interfering bitch." That's how I knew for sure something was VERY wrong in their relationship. Luckily, I'm somewhat thick-skinned when it comes to my friends.
Anyway, she finally spilled that Marshall was becoming abusive and controlling. He wanted Ursi "all to himself"; he was jealous of Ursi even coming out with Kenny and me! He was sure every guy was watching her and wanted to "fuck her" as he put it. After she walked, he tried following her around and calling, to try to force her into going back. He even tried to get with Tammi and me, to convince us that she was "the one" for him and he had just made a mistake. Yeah right - He was a class A stalker. That was, until I had a couple guys from the force have a little talk with him. That seemed to chase him off for good.
Still, sometimes he still shows up, out of nowhere. And it scares the hell out of me.

I ignored him at first - maybe he just happens to be walking where we are. Maybe he did not even see us. But then I notice he's staring, right at Ursi. Damn, I hope she doesn't see him - she still gets upset when he's near her.
"Hey sweetie, look at that gorgeous scarf!" I say, pointing to the shop window we walk by. She looks and sighs - "Oh! What a beautiful thing! The colors!"
I know my Ursi - she loves clothes and such. As she looks, I turn to where Marshall is watching. His eyes come to mine - they are cold and hard. He hates me for helping Ursi leave him. I swear, his eyes are so devoid of any soul. It's frightening.
Suddenly, I hear a gasp and turn - Ursi's seen him. Her hands flutter up to her chest and she's turning white.
"You stay here, I'll get rid of him," I tell her as I start to walk over to where he is.
"What do you want?" I demand, when I get to him. He's about 6'2"; he's got about 5 inches on me, so I have to look up at his awful face.
Never looking away from Ursi, he says "Just out for a walk, bitch."
Ignoring his comment, I hiss "Stay away from her, you prick. You've done enough. It's been almost a year. Can't you get a life?"
He finally looks down at me with those eyes - I feel like the old cliché "If looks could kill" applies right now. I'd be dead if it were true.
"You should have stayed out of it then and you should have stayed out of it now. Don't worry - she'll be mine again. Soon." He says calmly. Then he blows a kiss to Ursi and turns to walk away.

Chapter 10 -

I turn to Ursi, to see if she overheard anything. It doesn't look like it; she still looks shocked and frightened that he was even here.
"Fucking prick," I mumble under my breath.
I walk over to her and smile, "See? He's gone! Come on, cheesecake's waiting!"
I see Ursi start to calm a bit, but she grabs my arm. "What did he say to you? What?"
"Nothing, sweetie, nothing. Playing his old games, trying to get me to tell him how to get you back. I told him to piss off," I lie.
"Now let's get up to Dilon's before it gets too late! We're not letting anything screw up our evening, right?"
"Of course not, and I'm supposed to be making YOU happy. Yet you are trying to cheer me now," Ursi says as we walk up the street again, arm in arm. I hope she doesn't notice me glancing around every so often...

As we walk into Dilon's, the smell of wonderful baked sweets fills the air. Have you ever felt like a smell could take you back in time? That's what Dilon's does for me - I'm back in my grandmother's kitchen, helping bake cookies and cakes and other yummies. I can still taste the batter on my fingers... (You must lick the bowl! Always!)

We walk up and check out the cheesecakes and such. "Oooh, look! Chocolate truffle!" Ursi moans.
"Yes, but here is Peanut Butter Chocolate Dream!" I sigh. I'm such a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate.
We start "play fighting" over the flavors - "You always want peanut butter! It tastes like dirt!" she says. "You always want just chocolate, you silly twit - do you bathe in it too?" I retort.
Now we have the shop's customers watching us - and we can't keep it up. We break up in giggles and we hug each other.
"Okay, we'll have one piece of Chocolate Truffle and one of Peanut Butter Chocolate Dream! To hell with the calories!" I tell the counter person.

As we take the sweet treats, I notice how gorgeous the counter person is. It's a somewhat tall man, looks like he's in his late twenties. He has dark eyes, dark hair and a hot little goatee on his chin. His hair is a little long and the ends are in little ringlets.
I look over and notice Ursi is more into her cheesecake than looking at this guy. But he hasn't missed her - his eyes are all over her.
"Her name is Ursula," I whisper and smile at him as I hurry to catch up to my girlfriend.

"Okay, I can't eat another bite!" I say and slip down in my seat.
"Mmmmm, chocolate suicide," says Ursi, smiling.
I ask Ursi to run up and get us a couple boxes to take our treats home in. Secretly, I want her to notice the awesome counter guy!
As she walks up toward the counter, I watch the guy's face - he is so into her! I mean his face is glowing!
"Oh please, let him be a nice guy, not some total loser!" I pray to myself.
~~

I think I've caught up to where I was on the "Writer's Block" :)

All feedback is welcome!

*whimpers*

*squeals*

*jumps up and down*

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! You have finally made it! You are posting it here as well! Yes you are!!!! I am so happy, you probably don't imagine how much!

*rubs hands*

It'll be a pure joy reading it once again!

My precioussssssssss!

Hugs
:love:

Have I ever told you how much I love you, sweetie? :love:

You are so good to me :) Thank you for reading (again). Especially since you're one of the main characters!

LMFAO! Yes I am!!!! Proudly pestering getting to know a certain someone called Orlando.... ahahhaah!!!

I love you too, Doni! You are such a dear! :love:

You are still one of the main characters in Last chance as well, hun! ^_^

You know I loved this fic once... I won't make any efforts in reading it twice. Or thrice? :unsure: eehehhe!

:lalala:

OMG OMG OMG

*squeels*
*jumps up and down*
*runs around*

You are posting this fabulistic ff!!!
*squeels some more*
I so adored it and it makes me incredibly happy to read it again!
*sighs*

It's brilliant!!!!

Thank you Dana :) I've got you two back now :) Wonders if anyone else will come visit?

Welcome!
Very welcome :yes:

I bet more will come back...maybe some are just a little bit slow or haven't noticed it yet!

:king:

That's okay -- I'll still post more :)

~~~~
Chapter 11 --

Ursi's POV -

"Hello, can I have some boxes for our cheesecakes, please?" Damn, he's a hottie. How did I miss that when we walked in?

"Umm, sure. Here you go," the man behind the counter says as hands me the boxes.

"Uhh, I'm Orli - uh, Orlando, Ursula", he says suddenly.

"Well, hello Orlando Ursula. Nice to meet you! I say smiling, wondering how unusual that his last name is the same as my first.
"No, no. I mean I'm Orlando and you're Ursula, right?" he tries to clarify, stumbling over his words.
"Wait a minute! How the hell do you know my name?" What nerve this ass has! Who does he think he is? How does he know me??

Donna's POV again -

"Oh hell, what's wrong up there?" I think as I see Ursi backing up and her voice starting to rise.

I run up to the counter where Ursi is still yelling at the poor man and he looks like he's a deer stuck in the headlights of an approaching panel truck!

"Hey! Hey! What's wrong?" I call, grabbing Ursi's arm and pulling her back a bit.
"He knows my name! He called me my name! How does he know that?" she screams. She's totally quivering in anger.

Well, I screwed that up didn't I?

I turn Ursi to face me and I take her hands. "Because I told him your name, you silly ass!" I tell her.
I think I'm about to be slapped. So, I duck, naturally. Yep, she missed me!
"You what? Why the fuck you do that?" she screams at me. Trying again to get at me. I can't help laughing now, which is totally pissing her off.

Suddenly, Orlando realizes no truck is coming (finally sweetie! Help me out here!) and comes around the counter.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I, I was just trying to say Hello," he calls to her.

Ursi turns suddenly and sees that he is standing there. Before she can swing at him or say anything, he takes her arms and tells her "Your friend is very observant - she could tell that I really like you. And I do, even if you want to hit me now." And he lets go of her arms and stands still, with his head down, waiting.


Chapter 12 --

"Uh-hem. How about I call a taxi and you guys stay together for coffee, now that you've made up? Your shift should be over soon, shouldn't it, Orlando?" I ask them, beginning to feel uncomfortable. Once we sorted out the situation, they introduced themselves properly and have started chatting about Italy and London and such. It seems Orlando is from England and always wanted to visit Rome, while Ursi did a short fellowship in London during college.

"No! It's our night out, Doni. You're not leaving without me!" Ursi tells me while smiling at Orlando. "Let me write down my number - you call me tomorrow and we'll set something up. OK?"

"Sure! You bet!" Orlando gushes. Man, he's like a puppy who just found the best owner ever! And in a way, he did. Ursi's the best and she deserves the best too. And somehow, I think he's going to be good for her.

"Okay! Settled! Come on Doni! Let's grab that taxi. We have to work tomorrow and it's getting late," Ursi calls. "Bye Orlando! Nice to meet you!" I call back to him. As I look, I wonder if he'll ever stop smiling.

As we pull up to my building, Ursi reaches over and gives me a big hug and a kiss. "Was your night good?" she asks.
"Absolutely! You've kept me so busy today, and that was just what I needed. AND I helped you meet a totally hunky guy!" I gloat to her.

"Well, you almost made me get arrested for assault, you cheeky bitch!" she laughs at me. "But, you have connections, so I know I'd have been okay."

"Bye Love, see you tomorrow!" I call as I walk into the lobby and watch her drive away in the taxi.

As Ursi's cab pulls away from the curb, Ursi's mind is overwhelmed by the totally hot guy she just met! Wow - what a cutie! But geez, what a fool I made of myself in front of him, in front of Donna, in front of the whole shop! But, he did say he still likes me and wants to go out!
I still can't believe that asshole Marshall showed up! And I really can't believe I still let him get to me anymore. At least Donna had the balls to walk up and tell him to go away. I wish I could do that to him again...
But, what about this Orlando Bloom? He seemed to sweet, but there was something else. Like there's much more to him than meets the eye. Well, when he calls tomorrow, we'll just have to find out!


Finally, Donna, I think to myself, back home! It was such a blast but I'm absolutely drained. All I want to do is sleep, but I need to change clothes and brush my hair out and take off my makeup... Oh the joys of being female! Men just strip and fall into bed, no problem!
I walk into my bedroom and start to undress. I drop the dress over the chair to take to the cleaners tomorrow, as I take off my pantyhose and bra and throw them into the hamper. I glance at my reflection in the mirror - not too bad, I think, but still too fat here, and here.
I'm so self-critical. I always have been - I was overweight as a kid until I was 20. Even now, at a normal healthy weight, I still see myself as fat and ugly sometimes. Kenny was helping me work on that - by making me stand in front of the mirror and tell myself what I liked about me. Damn, that was hard! But I feel proud of myself for saying that I'm not that bad. Good for me!

I look over to the suede jacket. I need to find Elijah tomorrow and get that back to him, somehow. Well, I know where he'll be standing - right in the middle of the plaza by the fountain! But how will I give it to him without my friends noticing? It's not that I'm embarrassed by Elijah (am I?) but I don't want to deal with 20 questions from my girlfriends.
I walk over to the jacket and pick it up. It smells so sweet and, well, kind of sexy. The leather smell mixes with a soft candy/floral smell. I feel like a little girl, about to get in trouble for taking a cookie from the cookie jar as I slip into the soft, warm material. I'm still nude as I wrap the jacket around myself and sigh. The feeling is so surreal - like I'm wrapped up in a blanket of calm peacefulness.
Man, I must be nuts. What am I doing standing here in the jacket of a man I don't even know? But it just feels so - right.

"My, my. When did you get into leather, whore?"

What the hell?? I turn and look around my bedroom but don't see anyone immediately. But I know that voice! Shit! Where is he?

My eye catches movement by the bathroom door. Why didn't I notice it was closed when I walked in? I always leave it open! He's standing in the doorway, glaring at me. Marshall Alexander.

"What the fuck are you doing here? How did you get in?" I scream at him. I'm trying to back up, to get out the bedroom door. But my stupid modesty is closing in and I'm also trying to cover myself up. What the hell do I care what he sees? But I do, and that pause is my mistake.

He takes two steps towards me. I turn and try to run for the door but he catches the jacket and pulls me back to him. I start to scream but he covers my mouth with one hand while pushing me down on the bed with his full weight. For a moment, I can't move - all my breath is gone and pain is searing through my midsection. As I struggle to breathe again and to get away from him, his fist crashes into my face. I can hear bones breaking as my world starts to wash away into blackness.
But I fight it. No! Don't lose consciousness! You can't, I tell myself.

"You have such trusting security in this building, you little cunt. All I had to tell them was I was big brother from New York and guess what? They let me in your apartment. Of course, the hundred I slipped the guard helped a bit too," Marshall snarls as he raises up over me. He's holding me down with his body and his arms. "If you try to scream again, I'll break that pretty little neck of yours." I believe him and I stop struggling.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

PLease tell me this is not happening
*sobs*
How could that stupid security guard just let him walk in
*grumbles*
Men they are such idiots!!!
Oh my can someone please come and help
*screams*


Great chappie Donna
I loved the fight you made Ursi get into, ehehehe
Only because he knew her name.
*grins*

Keep going girl!!!

More :)

Chapter 13 -

"Okay Marshall. I won't fight you. I promise. What do you want from me?" My voice is shaking and I'm trying hard to stop the tears from falling from my eyes. I can't be weak in front of this guy! I have to talk to him, reason with him somehow.

Laughing, Marshall slips his hand under my head and grabs my hair tightly. He pulls my head up off the bed, right into his own face. Damn! The pain washes over me in waves and I can see the blackness, it's just over there. I can't succumb to it, I can't!

"What do I WANT?" he snarls at me. "I want you - gone. Ursi's mine, and you took her away from me, you bitch. You talked her into leaving me! You kept her from calling me or seeing me! You poisoned her mind against me. And now, it's time you paid the price for sticking your ass into something you shouldn't have! Once I've had a little fun with you tonight, you'll be all gone and Ursi will be all mine again." His other hand is slowly closing over my neck, putting pressure on my windpipe, just enough to make sure I know he's serious.

Shit - he's going to kill me! He's really going to kill me!

My mind is racing now, trying to think of what I can do to get through this and stop him. It's also trying to deal with what will most likely happen, when he's done with whatever he means by "fun" tonight.
I'll be dead. But... it will be over. Whatever he does to me, no matter what torture he puts me through, at least it will be over.

I'll get to see Kenny again! I'll be with Kenny! And on the same day as he died. That wouldn't se so bad, would it?

What the hell am I saying? I don't really want to die! And Ursi! What will he do to her? I have to help my best friend! I can't let him do this to her too! I can't! I love her! Oh please, please God - you've got to help me!

Marshall has pushed me back on the bed and is turning me over onto my stomach. I feel his hands pull the jacket off and I hear him throw it across the room. I try to push myself up, to get up enough to talk with him but he grabs my hair again and pushes my face down hard into the bed. He holds it there and I start to panic - he's going to just kill me now! No, damnit! Not yet! But then he lets go and grabs both my hands, pulling them back as far as he can behind me. He ties them together with my discarded pantyhose.

As he flips me back over on my back, I try to talk to him again. "Marshall, you don't need to do this. The guard knows who you are; he let you in! I'll help you get Ursi back. I will! You know she'll listen to me. Just let me up and let me call her." I'm begging now, and he can tell. His sharp laughter is like a knife cutting through my soul.

"You are so sorry, you cunt. So sorry," he tells me as his hands start to grab me, roughly. He kisses me hard. Forcing his tongue in my mouth. I want to bite it, but I know it will just incense him further. "I want to make you cry, to scream, to beg me not to hurt you anymore. I want you to know what it means to live through Hell, like I've been through since you took her away. And once you do, I'll hurt you more. More than you thought your whiny little ass could ever endure." His hands move down between my legs and he starts to force them apart. He slowly starts taking off his belt and unfastening his pants. I'm terrified, more than I've ever been. Even more than when Kenny died.

There's nothing left for me to do. I can't win. The hot tears start falling and the sobs begin to break out of my body. This only seems to turn him on more, as he takes the belt and hits me across the chest with it. He stands up, with the most evil smile on his face, as he takes off his pants and his shirt. With one hand, he begins to stroke his erection. With the other, he holds the belt, ready to strike me again.

Chapter 14 --

I can't look at him anymore - I don't want to see the pleasure on his face as he hurts me. I just want to be free from this.

I hear the belt as it starts its descent. He's swinging it now, but I don't know where it will strike. I simply try to anticipate the pain. But... it never comes. I open my eyes and see someone else standing there, behind Marshall. But it's only for a split second, for as I look at them both, they both disappear.

Blinking my eyes, I'm sure I've just lost my mind. How could Marshall just DISAPPEAR? Who was the other person? For a minute, I think I've just imagined the whole attempted rape. It was a dream, right?

No, it wasn't. Because my hands are still tied behind my back. And the pain in my face and my chest is very, very real.

I start to struggle to get my hands free. But every time I move, it sends waves of pain through my face and through my body - I think he may have cracked a couple ribs when he fell on me, the fucking bastard! But I have to get up -- maybe I can move over to the phone, press 911 somehow.

Slowly, I push my legs out and use my hands behind me to push myself up. As I sit up, shock begins to set in and I almost black out. All the blood is rushing down toward my legs. I drop my head down, despite the pain, until my mind clears and I can think again. Okay, I'm sitting up - now to move over to the phone.
I'm scooting myself over to the edge of the bed toward the nightstand where the phone lies. But I catch movement again, from the foot of the bed this time. Someone is standing there. And I start to scream.

"Donna, it's okay!" The voice is familiar (again) but I'm so overwhelmed I simply can't stop the screams from escaping. But arms wrap around me quickly and a hand gently pushes my face up so I can see who it is. The hand then softly covers my mouth and the screams stop, as if by magic. I swear, I couldn't have done it! But he did. Elijah did.

I'm in total disbelief. He sees this in me and pulls back a bit. "It's okay, I'm here now," his kind voice tells me as his hands very carefully brush back my hair from my face. I wince in pain as he does this.
"Why did he do this to you?" Elijah says tenderly, but his words seem to catch in his throat. As I stare at him, still in a state of shock, unable to say a word, he lightly touches the broken area of my face. At first, it hurts, damn bad. But then, it's like the pain is being drowned in warmth and softness. I watch as Elijah's soft blue eyes close as he does this, his mouth wordlessly reciting something I can't hear or understand. And then, his eyes open again and his other hand comes up to cup my face. "That's better," he says.

What did he do? My face feels, it feels... fine. But I realize as I try to bring my hands up to check my face that they are still tied behind me.
"Elijah, my hands..." I say, my first words out since he showed up, literally, out of nowhere.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Here, let me take that off", and he reaches behind me and unties the binding pantyhose. I immediately bring my hands to my face and realize, it's completely healed.

I know I should ask many other questions right now, but I ask only one, "Elijah, who are you?"

Woah....I've never read this story before but I'll tell ya one thing, IT'S FRICKEN AMAZING!
You've totally 'sucked' me into this plot now *grumbles* "smart-ass author"
But you got yourself a new fan here!
So you can post more if you like *wink wink* *nudge nudge* *hint hint*
Love it!
(Marshall's a f****** ****** who should **** ** **** with ****** and * **** *** what a ******* ****** **** I **** *** ** **** ***** ***!! **** ** **** ********!!!)
*cough*
*blush*
Don't mind me....taking my anger out on others....*cough*...ie...fictional characters....!!!

Hi! welcome! Love your comments, especialy all the, umm, **** ones ;)

I'll be posting more a bit later today!

*huggels Lij*

He is really cute....and I incredibly happy he came before something really bad had happened.
*chops Marshall into pieces*

So that will keep him from doing something like that ever again
*growls*

Bastard!!!!!




Yep definitly sucking you in the plot!!
Amazing writing Donna!

Sorry guys -- this took longer than intended:

Chapter 15 -

"What a difficult question you ask," he replies. Standing up, he walks over to my closet and pulls out a silk robe. He comes back and wraps it around my shoulders.
"Can you stand?" he asks me, and he holds out his hand.
"I think so" I reply and I push up from the bed. I almost collapse and I remember my ribs may be broken.
"I missed something, it appears," he says as he sits down beside me again. His arms wrap around my waist and I notice he's being very careful to wrap the robe around me as he places his hands on my upper waist. Again, I feel this sense of warmth begin to emanate from his hands and the pain of a minute ago is gone. I can feel his breath against my ear as he sits behind me, again silently reciting something that is able to magically heal my body.
I take a deep breath and it doesn't hurt! Again, I'm totally amazed. But now, my mind is starting to work again... and he still hasn't answered my question.

"Elijah, you owe me some answers," I say as I slip my arms into the robe. He's still sitting behind me, but I see that he's turned his head away from me while I adjust the robe to cover myself. I actually chuckle slightly at his sudden respect for my modesty. After what he just saw...

"What's funny?" he says as he looks at me with a quizzical expression.
"I think you are avoiding my question. And I have many more than just that one," I answer. Suddenly, I remember Marshall. Where is he??

"Elijah! Where is Marshall? Where did he go?" I squeak out in sudden fear - what about Ursi? Could he get to her?
Elijah takes my hands as he turns me toward him, "You friend, Ursi, is fine, and she will be, from now on. Marshall can't hurt anyone anymore." His expression gets very hard and his eyes actually go dark with anger as he says this. Before I can start to ask more questions (like, how does he know my friend's name? How does he know EVERYTHING he knows?), he again puts his finger to my lips and I see those blue eyes I am so entranced by come back into his face. "You've just been through more than any person should ever face. You need to rest now."

"No! You're not doing this to me again!" I interrupt, almost yelling. "Why the hell won't you tell me what's going on?" I'm crying now, shaking all over. I know it's the stress of everything. He's right, really. I DO need to just rest. But I can't - I HAVE to know what all this means.

His face, so kind and confident, falls into the face of someone sad and defeated, much like I was just a few minutes ago. "You take a shower and get dressed into something warm. Then I'll take you somewhere and I'll explain - everything." He quietly gets up and walks out of my room.

Chapter 16 -

At first, I want to run after him, to see where he's going. He'll disappear again! I just know it. But I quietly sneak out my door and down the hall to the living room. Elijah is sitting in the huge leather chair by the stereo - my favorite chair to snuggle into for reading of just daydreaming to music.
His back is to me, but still he says, "Donna, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you get out."

I walk back to my room, red-faced and as embarrassed as a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I take off my robe and walk into the bathroom to start another hot shower.
~
As he sits, he lets his hands explore the leather of the chair he's sitting in. He can smell her scent and feel her presence in it; she feels safe and content when she's here, he thinks to himself. It stirs something inside his chest and he says out loud, "This is harder than I thought. Why does it have to be me? And why HER?" Elijah is pleading to the one who sent him here. The voice lovingly responds -"Elijah, you know the answer to that question. You've told her many times. And he needs you to be there with her."
Elijah sighs in acceptance. "I know, I know. And you know I'll do anything for my brother. But something's happening inside me, something I can't explain..."
~
"Were you talking to someone?" I say as I come around the corner to the living room again. I could have sworn I heard Elijah talking to someone else.
"Oh! No, just waiting," he answers as he quickly stands and turns around. I can see his eyes take me in for a moment, but he says nothing. I wonder what he's thinking.

I'm wearing a pair of grey cords and a dark orange sweater with low-heeled leather boots. I have his jacket in my hands and I hold it out to him, "Here, you'll be cold outside." He's not wearing what he typically has on, I notice. He has on a dark blue silky shirt, untucked, over dark grey pleated dress pants. As I look twice, I can't help but realize that he looks rather handsome, even sexy. His hair is kind of spiky and disheveled. But his skin is still as clear and smooth as a porcelain doll.

Wait, how can I be thinking THAT? That the guy who just saved me from being raped and murdered, LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO, by the way, is sexy to me? How can I even be going there in my mind?? It's okay, I tell myself, it's just survivor's syndrome. A person who has been saved from a highly traumatic experience may begin to associate loving emotions toward the person who saved them, whether those emotions truly exist or not. It's a normal reaction, one that will go away in a short time. Really. They'll go away soon...

He takes the jacket that I just offered him and holds it in his hands for a moment. He brings it to his face and I see him softly sniff it. Maybe I'm not the only one who smells something sweet about it, I think to myself. "You're smell is still in this, from this afternoon," he tells me. "I think this looks better on you," he says as he drapes it around my shoulders. "Ready?" he says as he takes my hand. Suddenly, something weird starts to happen. I see colors, so many colors, beginning to swirl around us. I look around, again not frightened by this odd happening, and see I'm in a house, one that I don't recognize, starting to form around us.

Oh my Oh my
So many things happened all ready. I t is just amazing and I know that even more amazing things are bound to happen.
*runs around excited*

Lij is being reaaaaaally cute
*hugs him*
eehehehe

Though I would be creeped out if he could read my mind...uhm at least i think that he is reading her mind. How else could he know everything......even when she is just thinking it.

And you know the sweet smell reminds me of a movie...where there was also an angel that smelled like cookies or/ and something sweet.

Great chappies!!!
:yay: :yay: :yay:

Whoa!!! I just read the whole thing, and let me say, this fic. is wonderful!!! I love your style.

Okay, first, I love Donna and Ursi's friendship. It's so great! ^_^ Then, you had me laughing so hard about the part pertaining to Billy's kilt and how "you thought it was just guys who liked to get under skirts" that was so funny!!!

Finally, I'm so intrigued with Elijah. Who, or what exactly is he??? Post more soon, this is really great!
Amber

*strikes up thinking pose*
Hmmmmmmmmmm........I'm guessing....Elijah's some kind of Angel...guardian angel possibly?...sent there by Kenny....or someone...cause HE'S kenny's brother....and he's showing her all this stuff about the past, present and future etc. Like in "Christmas Carol" or to be more exact "A Muppet's Christmas Carol" mwhaha.
Am I close???
~XSherX~

Hi Ambrosia! Thanks for reading! Yay, more readers! I did like that comment :) Hey, with Billy around, we can all wonder what he's got up his skirt.. uh, kilt! :eeeek:

And Sher... Why do you think he's Kenny's brother? I don't recall saying that... :blink: :)

Hmmm...*scratches head* LICE!!

Ermmm....ah.....chappie 16

SEE!!! He's been sent by his brother whose in heaven to protect her!!!

well....I think so....*smug grin*

:neene:

:blush: :ups: <== Me right now.

See? This is proof I've been working too hard! See??

This is a fantastic story.
I love it!

I was actually yelling at Marshall while I was reading.

I get a little over excited when I read something really good.

And so my conclusion:

This is a rockin story

Thank for your kind words, Nobody! (That seems odd, now that I type it :) ) I mean, to talk to Nobody, as if nobody were here, then there'd be noone to talk to... Sorry, rambling! ;)

Here's more --

Chapter 17 -

"Um, Elijah, where are we?" I ask pensively, as I look around the warm room. I'm in a kitchen, styled rather mish-mash, with trinkets here and there. It looks kind and inviting, with children's drawings on the refrigerator and bright sunlight streaming though a window over the sink. Elijah doesn't answer immediately; I can see him surveying the room, lost in thought.
"Is this what happened to Marshall? Did you "take" him somewhere?" I ask quietly, but add "or is he, is he... dead?" One part of me, that part bent on revenge and hate, truly wants Elijah's answer to be yes. But another part hopes against hope that he says no.

"No, I do not have the power to decide someone's life or death. Only one soul has that ability.' Elijah finally answers. "But Marshall has been, uh, relocated. To a place where he can no longer cause pain or terror to anyone. His absence needs no explanation, to anyone." Elijah finishes and turns to me, his eyes staring into mine. I get the message; you will not say anything. And I won't, not ever.
~
Elijah looks around this old house, so warm and loving. His heart wants to cry with happiness; he's missed this place so much over the years. But he knows the "real" place has been gone for over 10 years - burned down by drug dealers who moved in after his family had left. This is the house he grew up in, at least for a while.
~
"Elijah" I ask again, "Where are we?"

"We're home. My home. And someone else's - my brother, Kenny's."

Oh God, I didn't just hear that. Did he really just say "Kenny's"? My knees start to collapse, and I quickly move to a chair at the kitchen's large table.

"You're Kenny's brother? Wait... That's not true! He never had a brother! He never told me about a brother! No..." my mind is turning over and over what's been said. Elijah's eyes never leave mine, they're holding my gaze with his. I can't look away, and believe me, I'm trying. "No!" I cry.

"Doni, reach back into your memory. Kenny told you something once, only once. He could hardly bear to talk about it, but you were the first one to open his heart and let him express his feelings. Something happened 20 years ago, when he was 6 and I was 9. It's the reason he became a cop, Doni. Just think back..." Elijah has tears running down his face now. And my heart is breaking, it hurts so bad, and I still don't know why yet.

I run my hands over the kitchen table. Hard maple, dark and strong. I notice little words carved into the top, scratched by little hands with a dull knife, or maybe a fork. One says Elijah, the other Kenny. I run my fingers over the words, and it's like a shock goes through my arm. I pull back and look at Elijah, but I also stare at the carving of "Kenny".

I place my head in my hands and think back. A memory starts to form, one I completely forgot had happened.

Kenny and I had been dating about 2 months. My older sister called me while we were having dinner at my place. We chatted for a while and I "introduced" her to Kenny, over the phone. Kenny talked to Tash for a while and then gave the phone back to me. Natasha and I are close, very close. She's only 18 months older than me so we always grew up taking care of each other. If she could be here with me, she would. But she's a top fashion model, always on the go. She's based out of New York, but she's never there. Always jetting off somewhere! Without email and IM, we'd be lost!
But anyway, I noticed Kenny's eyes get teary while he watched us talk. It was weird. He wasn't like that usually. But I saw it - and I pushed him about it. After a few minutes of trying to blow me off, he finally collapsed in tears. And he told me something... and we never talked about it again.

Kenny was 6 and he adored his older brother. But, as in most sibling relationships, his brother didn't always want his little "tag-along" coming around. But still, he tolerated Kenny pretty well. Kenny's family lived in Pomona, California then, right outside Los Angeles. It was a nice community, away from the crime and evil that seemed to be settling in L.A. But still, there were seedy characters around and his parents warned him and his older brother to be home before dark and stay away from certain tenement buildings in the area. But Elijah was daring and brave! He explored everything! He just couldn't be tied down - and Kenny wanted to be just like Lij.

One day, he followed Elijah to an abandoned building a couple blocks away from their house. Kenny was careful that Lij didn't know he was there - he had pissed him off that morning by getting into Lij's collection of Star Wars collectibles and opened one of the packages to play with the figure. Man, he thought Elijah was gonna kill him! If Mom and Dad hadn't intervened on his behalf, he didn't know what might have happened.
Kenny watched as Lijah pretended to be a commando, sneaking about, shooting bad guys around corners. But then, a tall figure came around one of those corners, and grabbed Elijah by the neck. He held him up a few feet off he ground, demanding that his brother give him money. Elijah cried that he didn't have any money, that he was just playing.

Kenny was so scared that he couldn't move, he couldn't yell. He wanted to run, to scream at the guy to leave his brother alone. But maybe Elijah would be mad, because he'd followed him. "You know how 6 year olds think, always afraid to get caught," Kenny sobbed as he told me this.
He watched as the guy brought something up and put it to Lij's head. And pulled the trigger. And he watched as the figure let go of his beloved older brother and let him fall to the ground as he turned and ran out of the building.

I realized the table and my hands and my face was now wet with tears. My body was racked with sobs as I remembered the entire thing. Why had I forgotten this? Why had I shoved it down in my mind?
Because Kenny said he would never forgive himself for what he'd NOT done and he would never talk about it again. And I did the only thing I could do to protect him - I forgot it too.

I looked up at Elijah and finally saw the resemblance - it was slight, but it was there. He WAS Kenny's brother. And he was DEAD, killed 20 years before.
"Elijah, if you died that morning, then you're... an angel."


Chapter 18 -

"That's one way to look at it," Elijah answered slowly.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, a little pissed at his flippancy.

Elijah walks over to the table and sits down. He sighs as he explains, "the word 'Angel' implies so much in its very definition, Doni. But, what YOU imply in the word is true - yes, I am an angel, to you." He holds his hands out to me, which I take, half expecting to see mist rather than flesh.

"Elijah, I'm so confused! So confused... You're Kenny's dead brother? And you're here, with me? And I'm in your old house? ... Wait! What about Kenny? Is he... with you? Can I see him? Can I talk to him? Oh please!" I'm totally rambling now, every thought in my head is routed straight to my mouth.
His hands hold mine even tighter as he finally stops crying and looks at me, but his eyes are still sad, so very sad... "We have a lot to talk about, Donna."
~

Ursi sits up with a start. Looking at the clock, it's only 3:30 in the morning. "What the hell?" she thinks. All she knows is she feels fear and dread, for her friend Donna, and she doesn't know why. She reaches for her phone and dials the number. "Come on, answer!" she says to no one in particular. But she hears the familiar message, "Hi! Not here! You know the drill, leave your name..."
Okay, she thinks, Doni typically won't answer her phone at night. But what if... Damnit! She has this weird feeling and she has to know!
Ursi picks up the phone again, dialing Doni's Building Security office. "Hello, Sam here," a man answers.
"Sam! You must be new! Where's Alan?" she demands.
"Uh, he's not on tonight, I have his shift. What can I help you with?" he replies, but his voice indicates he's a bit pissed at this chick yelling at him. All he did was answer the damn phone!
"I'm sorry! But I need to know if you can check on my friend. Her name is Donna Keller, she's lives in 3117. I know it sounds weird, but I have this really awful feeling, like something terrible has happened. Please, please, can you check?" Ursi begs.
Hmmm, Sam thinks. I've heard that name before. Earlier tonight. Oh yeah! The brother from New York. Yeah, the guy with the hundred dollar "tip" if he'd let him into her apartment. Cool guy! Uh wait, maybe not so cool. Oh man, what if the guy DID do something terrible to this Donna chick?
"Um, sure Miss, I'll go check for you. I'll need to put you on hold for a few minutes while I go up there," Sam says, sweat forming quickly on his forehead.

Sam sets the phone down and walks out the door of the Security office. He walks fast, almost running to the elevator and presses the "Up" button, over and over. As if it will make the car come any faster, he thinks to himself. As soon as the door open he jumps in and uses his emergency override key to move him to the third floor without anyone else being able to call the car. As he steps out into the third floor landing, he slows down, listening for anything out of sorts. "Oh please, man, please let her be okay. Just sleeping," he prays out loud as he slowly walks towards her hallway.

Sam stops at the door - 3117. "Okay, just knock. You know she's in there, and she's fine, just knock." His hand shakes as he lifts it to bang on the door. He waits. No answer. "Shit! Okay, maybe she's a deep sleeper," he whispers, banging harder. Listening for footsteps and hearing none, he bangs the door as hard as he can, rattling pictures on the walls of the hall.
"What the fuck are you doing, asshole? It's fucking 3:45am!"
Sam startles and turns suddenly, hand on his pepper spray at his belt as he sees the tenant for 3119 standing at his doorway.
"Uh, I need to check on the tenant in this apartment. Have you heard anything unusual this evening?" he asks.
"Jesus Christ! You come up here to ask me that?" 3119 answers, obviously pissed to be woken up.
Sam walks up to 3119, pulling up to his full height of 6 feet, 5 inches, "Sir, it's important business. She may be hurt, and you may be obstructing justice by not answering me, so..." he says threateningly.
"Hey, okay man! It's cool! Yeah, I did hear something like yelling or a scream or something earlier, but just for a sec. Thought it was a movie or something, even though Donna's usually more quiet than that," 3119 says, looking a little worried now.

"Okay, just go back to bed then, I'll look inside," Sam tells the guy. 3119 is worried now and refuses to go back inside, "No way! What if Donna's hurt or something? Man, I'll never forgive myself if that was her," he mumbles to himself.
Yeah, me too, thinks Sam.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
Now all hell is unleashed.

It will be kinda hard ro explain where she has been....I mean...if you say I was with an angel they will put you in a nut house forever. Even if it is true and people cannot know if it is true even if they have never seen an angel they still can exist....ooops a bit of a ramble.
:blush: :lalala: :blush:

And that memory was really sad....it practically broke my heart.
*sniffles*

Great chappie Donna!
More is definitly needed!

Donna this is great, what happens next????

Oh yay! Wendy's reading! :bow: **bows to Wendy**

Okay... how about 4 chapters in one day to make up for all the times I missed?

Chapter 19 -

Sam takes his master key and carefully places the key into the lock of apartment 3117. It's locked; he feels the tumblers move as he turns the key. He tries the door but it still won't open - the deadbolt is locked too. Maybe that's a good sign, he thinks. He places the key in the deadbolt and hears it click. This time, the door pushes open.

Sam and 3119 walk into the apartment. Everything seems in order, as they look around. "Wow, she works well with silver and glass!" 3119 comments. Sam looks back at him, dumbfounded. "Uh, sorry! Just noticing her decorating sense..." he mumbles.

"Ms. Keller?" Sam calls, as he walks around the apartment a bit. "It's Security, Miss. Are you here?" 3119 is much more bold - he walks right toward the bedrooms. "Donna, it's Martin! Are you here?" he calls as he walks right into her bedroom.
~
Elijah starts to say something, but then his expression changes suddenly, like someone hearing something far off.
"Doni, I'll be right back! I promise! There's someone looking for you," and with that, Elijah quickly disappears, And I stand there, in even more of a state of confusion.

"Don - Oh God! I'm so sorry!" 3119 just found Donna, and she's coming out of the bathroom, obviously from a shower as she has a short silky robe on and is toweling her hair dry.

"What are you doing in my apartment?" Donna/Elijah shrieks. Sam comes running into the room, almost fainting when he sees her actually standing there. "Miss Keller? Is everything alright? Your friend called and you didn't answer and I knocked and knocked and," the words tumble out of Sam's mouth, trying to explain as his confusion and embarrassment starts to mount.
"I was taking a hot shower, because I couldn't sleep. That's why I never heard you knock or anyone call. Who called you? What friend?" Donna/Elijah asks.
Now Sam is totally embarrassed - "Uh, I don't know, she didn't tell me. And she's on hold downstairs. Miss, I'm so sorry to have bothered you! Uh, we'll leave now and I'll tell your friend you're okay and to call you back, okay?" Donna/Elijah nods as Sam and Martin back out of the apartment. She hears them leave and walks over to lock the door again.
"I think Sam just learned his lesson for letting Marshall up here," Elijah says to himself as he disappears, rushing back to talk to Donna.

Chapter 20 --

Elijah "pops" back in, literally, in front of me. "Where were you?" I ask nervously.
"Covering for you, actually. Ursi was worried and sent Security up to check on you. I went back for a sec to take care of things," he tells me.
"And how did you do that, uh, exactly?" I ask, my face going totally blank and perplexed.
"Ummm, by looking like you. Came out of the shower, wearing your shorty robe. You know, I look good in pink, actually," he says, smiling.
I laugh out loud, so shocked to hear him say that. He actually looked like me? And made the Security guard believe it? That's pretty damn amazing...

He's laughing now too and I realize how dazzling his face is when he laughs. His eyes are so blue (I know, I know, I keep saying that) but there is a sparkle in them that I've never seen in anyone before.

Well, he IS an angel after all. Don't they ALL sparkle?

Little lines form around his eyes and his mouth that are just so intriguing. I want to reach out and explore them with my fingers...
Wait! What am I thinking? He's an angel. He's dead, technically. Well, I think so. And he's Kenny's brother! How could I be thinking something like that about my lover's brother? I am SO sick...

Seeing my expression change, he stops laughing and looks at me with a concerned expression, "What's wrong?"
"Uh, nothing," I respond, quickly turning away. "We need to talk, you said..." I ask, not sure I really want to go through with this "talk". But I have to know. What's going on. Where is Kenny? Can he come back and talk to me too?

"Actually, Doni, you need to go back. Ursula's going to call you very shortly as she sensed something was wrong," Elijah tells me. "You and she must be very close. Her soul is very tuned in with yours. And vice versa. But come on!" he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. The colors come again...

and I'm standing in my apartment. Wait a minute. Why am I standing in the middle of the living room? I just got out of the shower! This feels like deja vu, but I can't even tell you why I'm here. You see, I couldn't sleep so I took a warm shower to relax...

mawhahaha typical elijah thinking he'd look good in pink.

this is intriguing...what happens next??

So Elijah made her forget everything that has happened ey?!
*glares*
Not nice to mess with someone's mind....though in this case.
Hmm.....could be better.
*ponders*

I loved the Elijah in a pink bathrobe
*grins*
I can just picture it
ehehehe :tsk:

But I wonder, can he or can't he read her mind?
Cause if he can that would be kinda....ehe...embarresing
*grins*


:love: the chappie!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTIE!!!!!!! HA!!! I TOLD YOU HE WAS HIS BROTHER!! Woah...Can I get a badge or something?? I CAN'T BELIEVE MY GUESS WAS RIGHT! WOOHOO!
That was a seriously freaky chappie.....was she not explaining the whole shower thing on the phone to Ursi?? Or is she as the "real" Donna coming out of the shower? Did he mess around with her memory!? :ups: :ups:!!! SO MANY QUESTIONS WITH NOT ENOUGH ANSWERS!!!

Let's muddy the waters a bit more, shall we?

Chapter 21 --

I jump when the phone rings. Who the hell is calling me at 4:00am?? I check the Caller ID - Ursi?!
"Ursi, what are you doing? It's only 4am!" I tell her as I pick up the receiver.
"Doni!?? Where have you been? Are you all right? Why you don't answer the phone?" Her voice is absolutely frantic.
"Sweetie! Calm down! I'm fine! I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so I jumped into a hot shower. I must have been in there a while. That's all," I tell her. Trying to calm her. Jeez, what's wrong?
"I know about the shower! Sam told me! But are you okay? I woke up and had this awful feeling you were hurt and needed help! So I called Security and Alan wasn't there and Sam answered and he came to find you and said you were there and you had just been in the shower..." Her words are just tumbling out and I'm totally lost!
"Who told you? What? Slow down, I'm totally confused. Who's Sam? And how would he know I'm taking a shower?" I'm trying to figure this out but I have no idea what my crazy friend is talking about!
"Fuck that! I'm coming over!" Uh, Ursi, it's still only 4AM!
And with that, she hangs up.

Lovely. Now I'll be having company! I decide I'm not going to get any more sleep anyway, so I put the kettle on for some tea. I rummage around the cabinets until I find the Malaysian Spice tea and sit down at the kitchen table to wait for my crazy but loving friend.
~
He watches from above as she reaches down to find a kettle to start water for tea. Her face has a slightly amused expression as she moves about her brightly lit kitchen. He hadn't noticed before just how bright her eyes are when she's smiling. Or how she continually brushes back her hair with her fingers when it's down and loose. How he wishes he could feel exactly how her hair feels with his hands running through it. A slight feeling of guilt arises in his mind; not only from that thought but also of how she won't remember most of her night after he "took" her home. "I wish I didn't have to do that," he sighs to himself.

"Didn't have to do what?"
His brother's question startles him out of his trance, as he quickly turns from the screen and sees Kenny standing behind him. Quickly, he turns the screen away from view. His face feels hot and he's sure Kenny can sense his embarrassment. But he simply answers, "Nothing. I just had to do something to help Donna deal with the things she's learned since she met me. But you know I can't talk about it, Ken."
"Hey, bro, I don't really understand, like, what you can do and not do. But I totally appreciate you're watching over her for me. Really. I... don't know what I'd do if I couldn't be sure she's alright," Kenny tells Elijah.
"You'd be fine, Kenny. But I'm here, and you know I'll always be here for you... and for Doni," Elijah answers, staring right at his younger brother.
For the slightest moment, Kenny's eyes appear to tear up as he says "Yeah, sure."
"So, what happened tonight? You had to go pretty quick. Everything okay?" Kenny asks, shifting his eyes away from Elijah's.
"Come on, bro, you know I can't discuss details. Donna's just fine. She's making tea now for herself and Ursi." Elijah's look admonishes Kenny enough to know to drop the subject.
"Well, I'd better go. I know you have things to do..." Kenny says as he shuffles away from Elijah.
"I'll talk to you later, Ken," Elijah says absentmindedly, as he turns the screen back and watches Doni talk with her friend.

Chapter 22 -

"Uh, Ursi, did you have some more to drink after we left Dilon's? 'Cause none of this makes ANY sense, girl!"
Ursi's sitting here telling me she had a bad dream, thought I might be hurt, called Security, some guy named Sam came up into my apartment, found me coming out of the shower and told me Ursi was worried about me, then went back down to tell her. And that was why she called me. And then came over.

"Doni, I'm not kidding! It's true! Call Security! Talk to Sam!" Ursi fervently tells me. She grabs the phone, dialing Building Security. She speaks for a second then pushes the handset at me, "Here! Talk to him!"

"Okay Sweetie," I say, taking the phone. "Uh, Hello, This is Donna Keller. Who is this?" I ask tentatively.
"Uh, hello Miss Keller. This is Sam Stevenson, the Security Officer who walked in on you tonight. I'm really sorry Miss. I had to check on your safety. Your friend was so worried..." he says uneasily.
"Oh, you did? Oh yes, you did. Well, thank you for checking. I have a weird question though. What was I wearing when you came in, uh, Sam?" I ask, very, very confused now.
I can hear his embarrassment as he describes the pink short robe I'm wearing right now as well as the pink towel I was using to dry my hair.
"Okay. I was just checking, Thanks again," I say, knowing how stupid that must sound to him.

Ursi is looking at me like I'm crazy, and to be honest, I must agree with her at this point. I have no idea what they are talking about. I tell Ursi again about my night: I came home, undressed and changed into my pjs, climbed into bed. Then woke up about 2:30am and couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and decided to take a shower to calm me down.
"Why did you need calming down? We had a fine night. You were happy when I got you home. Think!" Ursi tells me quickly.
"I must have still been upset about the day, I guess," I answer, but somehow, I don't believe that's it. I decide to be totally honest -- "But I'm not sure that's really it. I felt like I had been through some terrible ordeal when I first woke up. I was actually frightened at first. But I don't know why," I admit.

Ursi jumps up and takes my hand, pulling me into my bedroom. "Does anything look wrong, Doni? Something out of place?" she asks. I glance around but everything looks pretty normal. Until Ursi spots a jacket on my dressing table chair. A brown suede jacket that I don't recognize. "What's this? Whose is this?" she snaps, almost accusingly.
"Ursula! I haven't done anything wrong! Why are you yelling at me? All I did was wake up and take a shower and now I'm in deep shit with everybody!" I yell back.

We're both scared now, I'm scared because I can't seem to put the events of my night back together right to match my best friend's and she's scared for the same reason. I actually start to cry a little, which turns Ursi's attitude soft again with me.
"Oh sweetie, it's okay! We'll figure it out! But now I'm really worried! Whose is this? Where did it come from? And why is it here, in your room?" Ursi's trying to reassure me now. But I don't know! Where have I seen this before??

"Someone's been in my apartment and I can't remember anything! I think we need to call Security again..."

This is such a friggen brilly story, darlin.

I love it!

So wonderful!

Sorry if I haven't replied for a while, girl... me is a bad fan...

*hits own head with a stick*

But I am keeping up, and re reading it makes exactly the same effect... spooky!!!!

More soon, eh? This is so friggin' brilliant!

^_^

Woa...how freaked out would you be.......I think Elijah shouldn't have done that *tuts* and he shouldn't be falling in love with his brother's ex either! coz it's not as if they even chose to split up anyway!

quotes everyone else "This story is friggin brilly!"

:P

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!!!
I so love the way you make it all look so natural...the angels and what they do I mean.
How in the world did you think it up?!!


I can so understand she feels scared...I know I would have been to.
Well thank goodness she has such a close friend...who really is looking out for her
:yes: :yay: ^_^

Keep going hon. I know I have read it before but it is just as addictive as the first time!

Hey Dana :) I'm not sure how I thought this up... It just kind of came and flowed as it did. I've done minor rewrites, but not really changing the plot at all... Thanks for all your kind words!

And everyone elses! I love hearing feedback!

Here's more.

Chapter 23 --

Elijah looks on as his stomach begins to do flips inside. Oh no, I really messed this one up, he thinks to himself. How do I fix this? They'll call the Security Guard, he'll tell them about Marshall, and how will this all be explained??

"Hi Sam, this is Donna Keller again, in 3117? Is there any chance you could come up here again? It appears someone has been in my apartment tonight..." Hmm, why does he sound like he's choking? "Are you all right?" I ask quickly.

"Uh, I'll, uh, be right up, Miss," Sam answers and quickly hangs up the phone. Sweating profusely, he leaves the Security office and starts towards the elevator...
~
"Elijah, you look distraught, my son," says the tall, handsome man. Startled and embarrassed, Elijah looks up to the face of his mentor, Daniel. For a moment, he considers making up something. Hey, he may be an angel, but human nature still takes over at times! But Elijah knows he can't lie to Daniel - he seems to know Elijah's very thoughts some times.
"Daniel, I'm really sorry. I, I, overstepped my bounds," Elijah stammers as the whole story of helping Donna escape her attacker to the point of taking her memories away comes out. And how now, the whole thing may come unraveled to the detriment of the very person he tried to help: Donna. He knows that by altering her memories, her thoughts could be scrambled by having the true events interjected into the false ones he's posed to her. Simply stated, she could lose her mind.

Daniel's face looks at Elijah sternly, yet with love. "Oh my child, you know so much, yet you have so much yet to learn. I can tell you did what you thought was right," he says. But as he continues, his face grows grave, "But you don't yet have the skill nor the experience to consider all possibilities and accommodate each one. None of us do, which is why WE should never attempt to change the past to fit what we feel is best. Only One has that ability and only HE has the right to make that decision." As he watches, Elijah's face falls and tears begin to form in his bright blue eyes. "Oh Daniel, please help me. I didn't mean to hurt her, I didn't! I just, I just..." he pleads to his mentor.
Daniel can again see the bright smiling child who came to them unnecessarily 20 years ago. His body continued to "grow up" during his years here, yet he cannot escape his lack of "real-life" experience...


Chapter 24 -

Daniel turns the screen and looks on as Sam walks into Donna's apartment and she begins to tell him about the jacket. Elijah continues to cry softly as he watches her face turn from quizzical to complete confusion, bordering on horror, as Sam confesses about her "brother from New York" and allowing him into her apartment. Ursi is the first to realize, as Sam describes the "brother", that it is Marshall... and with that, all Hell begins to break loose...

Elijah is surprised as Daniel takes his hand and they suddenly appear in Donna's living room, to the amazement and fright of everyone there.

"Who are you?" Sam yells as he turns and sees two people standing across from him that weren't there a second ago. All eyes are focused on the two strangers, until the tall, graying man holds up his hand. Then time seems to freeze.

As Elijah watches, Daniel's hands move incredibly fast as he walks up to each person in the room, touches their face and closes their eyes. Then, as he does this, each person disappears, with the exception of Donna. Elijah's amazement multiplies as he then observes Daniel move over to a clock hanging on the wall. As Elijah watches, the hands on the clock slowly begin to go backwards. And they do not stop until the exact time Elijah returned from "dropping off" Marshall and healing Donna's injuries. "And now, one more thing," he says as he moves back to Donna, "You need to remember one other thing," as he softly caresses her cheek, replacing her memory of who Elijah really is and his relationship to Kenny. Her eyes fly open, at first in fear, and then confusion returns as she glances over and sees Elijah standing nearby.

"Who are you?" I ask the tall older man in front of me, my voice shaking. I should be terrified, but something tells me this person is safe. He's dressed all in white -- a soft flowing white shirt over shimmery white pants, much like pajamas. Elijah moves toward me, and I can tell he's been crying. But why? He just saved me from that bastard Marshall. And he somehow healed all the damage Marshall had inflicted upon me. I shuffle closer to Elijah and take his hand, looking at him curiously, and back at this new stranger.

"Hello Donna. My name is Daniel. Perhaps you will remember me better this way," he tells me as his appearance suddenly changes. He's now wearing brown trousers and a cream colored shirt under his brown leather jacket. His eyes darken a bit and his hair also -- and I'm suddenly looking at the kind taxi driver who brought me home with Elijah from the graveyard.

Wow

You sure have one hell of an imagination, if you can just think this up!
Very very amazing,
but incredibly good.

It's true that it is often impossible to see the consequences of just one action. I suppose it is very logical ELijah overlooked that...everyone would have I think.
Loved that philosofical touch.

Keep it up...it's wonderful!!

Oooo...the taxi driver! clever!
Daniel's ace! *likes Daniel* he's kind yet stern....Elijah crying! hehe!!
this is incredible writing! So addictive!

This is so good! I swear, you are so creative. All of this is so different and interesting. Excellent job! :bow: So cool how you made Daniel the taxi cab driver. Post more!

Thanks so much guys! :) You make me feel good about my writing (which I'm always a bit unsure about... )

Here's more:

Chapter 25 --

"Let's sit down for a moment, child," Daniel says, "You have a lot to think about and deal with," he tells me as he takes my other hand and guides me to the couch.

Oh man, oh man, what's happened? I need to think straight! My mind is a total jumble of thoughts - Kenny's dead, Elijah is his brother, Elijah is dead? Marshall was here and tried to rape me, Marshall is dead???? Elijah is an angel? Wait, yes. Elijah is an angel! But how do I know that??

"It's okay, Doni, it's okay," Elijah breaks my concentration as he carefully turns my face to his. Then I remember that he's been crying, at least I think so. So, I ask him why. "That doesn't matter right now, what matters is that we help you," he tells me.

Daniel stands before me, his shape returns to what I saw when he first appeared. All dressed in white, looking very regal and surreal at the same time. And now I see, there is a soft glow about him also. "So, you're an angel too?" I whisper. "Yes," he tells me, "I'm also Elijah's mentor, you could say." His smile takes away any last feelings of fear and dread that have been left over from this extraordinary night. "Let's get your memories back in order," he tells me and begins to outline what has happened...

"You've seen Elijah in the plaza at your workplace. You know him as the "fountain boy" who looks to the sky. He's really always looking to his home, to where he comes from. Yet, you've always been curious about him, but never had the courage to approach. You've also been dismayed by the people who act cruelly towards him, because of his appearance or his apparent lack of intelligence. It shows the kindness that lives in your heart." Elijah's hand tightens on mine, and I grasp his even tighter back.
"Yesterday, your heart was broken once again by the anniversary of your former love's death - the day Kenneth was brought to us, one year ago. It was that day that was chosen for you to meet Elijah, whom you now know to be Kenneth's older brother. And you know how Elijah was taken from his brother on that terrible morning," Daniel's words tear into my heart, as that memory comes back, full force. Tears flow from my eyes, and my heart feels as if it's being held in a vice, pain wracking through my body. How awful! For a mere child to see his adored brother murdered before his eyes! And to feel the guilt of not having been able to do anything to save him.
I'm now sobbing, my head in my hands. I feel Daniel's hands touch me. He kneels before me and strokes my hair, softly lifting my head up to look into his eyes. "Know that it was not what should have happened, but it could not have been changed. Kenneth knows that now, although he held that pain for too many years until he also unexpectedly came to us. Elijah could not have been saved from that death, no more than Kenneth could have been," he tells me. Kenny! Oh my God! Kenny! How could I forget? How is he? Where is he? Can I see him? All the questions come rushing back...

Daniel laughs quietly and looks at Elijah for a moment. "She's as curious as you were when I first met you!" he tells him. "All right, let me answer those questions for you now. Kenneth is in Heaven, as you wish to call it. He is fine, although he misses you greatly. But his one desire is for you to be happy and safe. Which is why we allowed Elijah to come to Earth to watch over you. Yes, he's your "Guardian Angel", dear."
He's read my thoughts; as he talked, I wondered if Elijah had been sent to "watch over" me somehow.
"But no, you cannot see Kenneth. It is more for his protection than for yours. Kenneth is very new to us, and his soul is not yet at peace with having left this Earth. To be permitted to have contact with you could prevent him from accepting his afterlife. He must come to understand and accept what has happened - or his soul will cease to exist."

Chapter 26 --

His soul would cease to exist?! I feel Elijah's hand tighten yet again when Daniel says this - and I turn to look into his face. "He would be lost forever, Doni. And I just couldn't bear that," Elijah's voice cracks as he says this.
"Does this help calm your heart, Donna? Do you understand why you cannot see your Kenneth?" Daniel asks.

"Yes, although it breaks my heart even more," I say, sighing. "Can you at least tell him that I love him and I think about him every day?"
"He knows, Doni, he knows" It's Elijah who answers, and puts an arm around me in reassurance.

Daniel quickly speaks up, "We need to continue where we left off, child. You have to remember everything, and quickly. Elijah came to you in the graveyard, where Kenneth's earthly body rests. He knew your pain was worst at that moment. He brought you to me and I brought you home. After you went out with your dear friend Ursula last night, you came home, hoping to rest," he pauses at this point. Elijah arm moves protectively around my waist, while his other hand takes my remaining hand.
Daniel continues, "But Evil had been at work, and a vicious and hate-filled man had been permitted into your apartment. His shameful ways had tricked a weak and humble man into allowing him access to your home. Greed is a weakness many men share and few easily overcome," his voice is getting softer as he leads up to my worst memory - Marshall waiting for me.
"When you came into your bedroom, Evil waited there, to harm you in the way women fear -- and he did exactly that. And he did intend to kill you when he finished his assault."
Those words lay heavy on my heart -- I was right! I was going to die that night, if Elijah hadn't shown up.
"But, it was not your time, nor was it Evil's time to prevail." Daniel's eyes lock on to mine, and I feel he can see inside my very soul. "It was not your time, Donna" he repeats softly. And I know he's specifically addressing the pain I've hidden over the past year, the pain that almost let me give up to death.

Ursi knows about this, my sister Tasha suspects. Since Kenny's death, I've allowed my low self-esteem issues to overcome my reason, to the point where I've considered killing myself so I could be back with Kenny. Kenny became my emotional "crutch", the one who held me up when my mind tried to tear me down. But somehow, Ursi or Tammi or Tasha seems to call right when I'm at my lowest, and they always pull me out of these stupid thoughts. And now, I think I know why...

Elijah looks curiously from me to Daniel. And he wonders why my face suddenly seems to brighten. With all that I've just had to face, how could I be smiling? What he doesn't know is for the first time in my entire life, I've just been shown the "real" me, from inside, and I actually like what I see! Daniel, in his kindness, has shown me the person I am without taking into consideration the outside appearance, which has always been my measure of "success" and happiness in the world. In doing this, he's allowing me to accept myself, as I am. Without Kenny.

Awww..that was so sweet!
Once aagin, terrific writing and a great contrast between good and evil!
Still wanna know where Marshall's ended up though!
Daniel's still so ace!

Tear! This is all so sad and beautiful at the same time. I hope Doni can somehow manage to feel better. I really adore this story. More soon, please?