Jackie had only been home for a mere 10 minutes when there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find Eve standing there.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize." Eve walked into the apartment and stood nervously.
"I'm sorry about tonight and I know you're wondering why I didn't tell you about Joyce. It's not because I was trying to hide something from you, but it's because Joyce is a part of my past that I'm trying to forget ever happen. She almost destroyed my life and I just don't want to remember her in any way, shape, form, or fashion. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her before."
"Oh, baby that's okay." Jackie walked over to Eve and embraced her. She had been wondering why Eve had kept that secret, but when she had seen the way Eve looked at Joyce and the hatred that was in her eyes, she knew that there had to be a really good reason why.
"Baby there's one more thing." Jackie slightly pulled away from Eve so they could make eye contact.
"What is it?"
"I think it might be best if we didn't see each other for awhile." Jackie completely broke contact with her and looked at her.
"What? You're breaking up with me."
"Baby, no." Eve grabbed Jackie's hand and they moved to the couch to sit down.
"It's just that I know Joyce, and I know how vindictive she can be. I don't want you to get hurt and she would try to do just that. I don't know any other way to protect you besides leaving you alone, until this mess is over."
"No, Eve. I'm not letting you do that. I'm not scared of her. I finally overcame my fear of us being together and you think I'm going to let some psycho chick mess that up. I can handle whatever comes."
"Are you sure?"
"There is one thing that I'm sure of, and that's that I love you. And that's all I need to be sure of."
"I love you too." Eve leaned over and kissed Jackie. She was happy to hear that Jackie wanted to stick things out with her, but she also knew that the real test was coming. There was no telling what crazy Joyce was up too.
** It didn't take long for Eve to find out exactly what Joyce was up too, she was planning to ruin her life yet again. For two weeks Joyce terrorized not only Eve but Jackie and Mike as well. Joyce had slashed the tires on Jackie's car, broke out windows at Mike's house, broken into Eve's apartment and destroyed the painting that was on her wall, which was given to her by her deceased grandmother, and showed up at Eve's job and had smashed her computer, leaving a note that said I still love you. When they had had enough, the three got together and called the police. They were all sitting at Mike's house talking when an officer knocked at the door.
"I'll get it." Mike walked to the front door and was astonished by the man that stood there. The name on his badge read Officer Friendly, but his name should have been Officer Fine. Mike had to remind himself why the officer was there and showed him into his house. For the next hour they described in detail the events of the past two weeks to the officer.
"Well, it looks like your next step is to get a restraining order against Ms. Taylor. Also, I'll place men at each location for a couple of days to make sure that she doesn't continue to bother you. I also advise you to keep each other aware of your location. Call someone when you leave and arrive at a different place. That's about all we can do right now. Just try to stay calm and be extra cautious." Eve and Jackie thanked Officer Friendly for his time and Mike walked him to the door. Mike was suddenly very happy that he had decided to wear his navy blue Polo shirt and blue jeans. That shirt always give him extra confidence because he looked so good in it.
"So, what name goes in front of Friendly?" Mike couldn't think of one witty or clever thing to say besides that. Officer Friendly stopped at the door and turned to face Mike.
"Xavier."
"Oh, Xavier Friendly, that has a nice ring to it." As Mike made the statement he quickly surveyed to make sure he didn't have a ring on.
"No, I'm not wearing one." Xavier said. Mike couldn't believe he had been caught. He really could spot a man without a ring from a mile away.
"Well, Mr. Addy, be safe and I'll be checking in from time to time." He gave Mike a devastating smile and walked out toward his patrol car.
"Umm, things are definitely getting interesting." Mike said as he closed the door with a smile of his own.
** Eve had decided to stay at Jackie's apartment with her for a little while. They both felt safer when they were together. Eve waved at the police officers as she got into her car and headed for work. She loved dress down Fridays, it was the only day during the week that she could ware her jeans and tennis shoes to work. Jackie was still in the apartment, when she received a call from her cast director, saying that they needed to have any important meeting with all cast members down at the opera house. Jackie grabbed her purse and keys and left the apartment. She too waved at the police officers as she left. It wasn't until she reached the stop light farther down the street that she remembered that she didn't call anyone to let them know she was leaving. She reached into her pursed and pulled out her cell phone.
"If you want to live, you'll put that away and do exactly as I say." Jackie closed her cell phone and looked in her mirror. She saw Joyce's face directly behind her and a gun pointed at her head.
"We're going for a little drive, just you and me. Keep straight through this light." Being as calm as she could, Jackie did exactly as she was told.
** Eve had been calling Jackie all morning. She wasn't answering the house phone or her cell phone. She had even phoned Mike, hoping that he had heard from her. When he told her that he had no clue where she was, she called the only other person she could think of, Officer Friendly. Eve had a horrible feeling that something was wrong.
** Jackie parked the car in front of an abandoned warehouse, in the middle of no way. Joyce got out of the car and Jackie followed suit when she tapped the gun on her window. They walked into the warehouse and Jackie saw that the only thing in there was a chair sitting in the middle of the room. Joyce pushed Jackie toward the chair and once she was sitting, she proceeded to tie her up with rope to the chair.
"I don't know what Eve sees in you. Yeah, you're cute and all, but you don't even begin to compare to me." After she finished tying her, she began to walk around her.
"I have loved Eve for so long that I don't know how not to love her. And I'm not going to let anyone, especially you, stand in my way. Eve and I are meant to be together."
"Let's talk this out, Joyce. We can come to an agreement."
"Shut up." Joyce said as she hit Jackie in the back of the head with the gun. Jackie passed out from the blow and blood began to trickle down her neck. Joyce bent down and looked into Jackie's face.
"We'll see who she chooses after today, and if she chooses you then she can have you. Dead."
** "Eve you have to calm down. We don't know if something is wrong yet." Officer Friendly and Mike had been trying to get Eve to be still for the past half hour. Both men had come to her job after she called them. She still had not heard from Jackie and she was getting more and more concerned by the minute.
"You don't know Joyce. She could have her and be doing anything to her."
"Eve you don't know that. Don't imagine the worst." Mike walked over to her and tried to help her calm down by massaging her shoulders. Eve was finally starting to relax a little when her cell phone rung.
"See that's probably her right there." Unfortunately Mike was wrong.
"What do you want Joyce?"
"It's not what I want, but it's what you want. I have a little friend of yours here with me."
"Where is she? Where are you? You better not hurt her."
"You are in no position to tell me what I better not do." Joyce yelled.
"What do you want from me Joyce?"
"I want you to make a decision. It's either me or her."
"Joyce don't do this." "I'm not doing anything. The ball is in your court. Who is it going to be? Me or her?"
Eve knew what Joyce wanted to hear.
"I chose you."
"Say it again."
"I chose you, but you have to do something for me."
"I'll do anything for you."
"Tell me where Jackie is so I'll know she's safe. Then she will be out of our lives forever."
"I don't know about that. I can take her out of our lives now."
"But I thought you wanted to make me happy."
"I do."
"Then tell me where she is and then it'll just be me and you."
"Fine." Joyce told Eve exactly where they were. Eve had Officer Friendly write the directions down for her.
"You have to come alone Eve. Otherwise I'm not sure what I might do to her."
"I'll come alone. Just stay calm and stay still."
"Tell me you love me."
"What?"
"Say it. Say, I love you Joyce."
Eve thought her stomach was going to turn. She didn't want to say it, but she knew in order for Jackie to stay unharmed she had to do whatever Joyce wanted.
"I love you."
"Joyce. Say Joyce."
"I love you Joyce."
"Good. I'll see you in a little while then."
With that Joyce hung up the phone. Eve turned around and looked at Mike and Officer Friendly.
"You're not going alone Eve. We'll follow you in my car. I'll make sure she doesn't know that we're there." Officer Friendly said as he passed the directions to her. Eve nodded her head in agreement and gathered her things.
** Jackie felt like there were little men in her head, beating her brain with small sledge hammers. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Joyce standing by the warehouse door. What was she waiting for, Jackie wondered. She knew that Eve must going crazy with worry. She wished there was some way that she could send word to her that she was all right, at least for the moment. Soon she saw that there was no need for that, when Joyce started walking toward her, and Eve was not that far behind. Both women walked up to Jackie and looked at her.
"See, here she is. She's perfectly fine."
"Why is she bleeding?" Eve made a move toward Jackie, and Joyce pulled her gun from her waist.
"No, I didn't say you could touch her, I said you could see her."
"Why don't you just let her go? You have me now, what do you need with her?"
"True." Joyce reached for Jackie's ropes and then stopped in mid movement.
"You have to do something for me first."
"What's that?"
"Kiss me right here, right now, in front of her."
Eve looked over at Jackie and couldn't believe what she was about to do. She walked over to Joyce and kissed her on her lips. Jackie closed her eyes and looked away. She knew that Eve didn't have any other choice, but that didn't make it any easy to watch.
"Now, let her go."
"Fine." Joyce pulled a knife from under her pants leg and cut the ropes that where holding Jackie. For a moment Jackie hesitated, not wanting to leave Eve alone with her.
"Go, Jackie. I'll be fine." Still feeling spacey from the blow to her head, Jackie slowly began to walk toward the door.
"You know what Eve. I've changed by mind." Eve watched as Joyce aimed her gun at Jackie. Doing the only thing she could, she grabbed Joyce's arm and began to wrestle with her for the gun. Jackie turned around in time to see them fighting for the gun. Eve tripped Joyce and she fell toward the floor, pulling Eve on top of her. They continued to fight for the gun, when a shot rung out.
** Mike and Officer Friendly had been waiting at the car for Jackie to come out when Mike heard the shot fired. Not waiting for Officer Friendly, he ran toward the warehouse.
"Mike, wait." Officer Friendly quickly called for back up and an ambulance. When Mike entered the warehouse, he saw Joyce and Eve lying on the floor in complete stillness. Jackie was standing by the door, just as still. Mike walked over to her, and they both stood quietly waiting to see who would get up. They watched as Joyce pushed Eve off of her and stood up. She had blood on the first of her shirt, but it wasn't her blood.
"NO!!" Jackie shouted and tried to run to Eve, but Mike pulled her back.
"I didn't mean to do it. It's not my fault." Joyce said to herself as she looked down at Eve's body.
"No, it's your fault. You made me do this. And you'll pay." She turned toward Jackie and Mike and lifted her gun. She placed her hand on the trigger and shot the gun. At the same time she shot, two more shots rung out in the warehouse. Mike and Jackie watched as Joyce's lifeless body fell face down onto the floor. They both turned to see Officer Friendly standing at the door with a smoking gun. Jackie pushed Mike off of her and ran to Eve. Blood was everywhere and Eve wasn't moving at all. Jackie got down on the floor beside her, torn off the bottom of her shirt, and applied pressure to the bullet wound that was apparent in Eve's side.
"Baby, just stay with me. Help is coming. Just stay with me." She kept repeating those words to Eve as Mike and Officer Friendly came to stand behind her.
** "I miss her Mike." Jackie said she they sat on the patio at Mike's house. It had been two months since the shooting.
"I miss her too, but at least she's not in pain anymore."
"I know, but it just doesn't seem right." Jackie and Mike fell into silence.
"I don't miss that darn dog. She was always licking my leg and humping me. She needed to be put out of her misery." Mike and Jackie looked toward the sliding glass door as Eve walked out onto the patio carrying a tray with lemonade and glasses.
"Give me that." Mike said as he rose from his chair and took the tray from Eve. Eve placed a smile kiss on Jackie's lips as she sat in the chair beside her.
"That dog was so blind that every time she made a move she hit the same wall, over and over again. To tell you the truth I think hitting that wall that much caused brain damage. But I did love Pooh. I'm going to miss her a little."
"You are terrible." Mike said to Eve as he sat back down in his seat.
"So what's the big surprise?" Jackie asked as she began to pour lemonade for everyone.
"Oh, you'll see in a moment." Mike said.
"Hello." Jackie and Eve turned toward the doors as they heard someone shout hello in the house.
"We're on the patio." Mike called to the unknown stranger. Both ladies where shocked when they saw Officer Friendly walk onto the patio. They were even more shocked when he proceeded to kiss Mike hello and take the chair beside him, while reaching for his hand.
"Oh, Eve, one more thing. I told you so." Eve and Mike began to laugh, while Xavier and Jackie looked on, kind of confused.
** Later that night Jackie and Eve laid together in bed talking. Jackie was making a path around the bullet wound on Eve's side.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Some times when it rains. And then some times I wake up in the middle of the night holding my side and the pain is almost as bad as it was when it first happened. I asked the doctor about it and he said it was a mind thing, and it probably won't happen anymore once I get over the whole ordeal."
Jackie moved her hands and let her tongue trace the same path her fingers had just made.
"You're asking for trouble."
"I hope so." Jackie said as she kissed Eve. Eve broke the kiss and moved back a little.
"Did I ever tell you the story about my garden?"
"No, you didn't"
"Well, I would like to." Jackie placed her head on Eve's shoulder and waited for her to begin. She loved when Eve told her something about her life or actually any story. She had a way of making things sound so exciting and interesting.
"When I was a little girl, I'd say around 10, I had this garden. It was in my backyard, and it was like my home away from home. I could spend the entire day in that garden. I think I planted every type of flower I could find, and once everything bloomed the colors were absolutely wonderful. Well, when I was 12 my dad said that he had had enough of me and that darn garden. For 2 years I had spent every free moment I had working in that garden. He said either I spent more time in the house doing my chores, or he would get rid of it. I couldn't believe him. Everyone in the neighborhood loved that garden. It was like a spot of sunshine for everyone. Well, for about a week I did what he asked. I only spent about an hour a day out there and the rest of the time I cleaned the house. But it didn't last long, I needed my peace and that's what the garden gave me, peace. So one day I came home from school and walked out the back door, and there was nothing there. My dad had covered the entire backyard with dirt and that was the end of my garden. I told myself that if I ever found anything that could give me that much peace that I would never let anyone or anything take it away from me again."
Eve looked over at Jackie and kissed her forehead.
"Baby, you're my garden. You give me that peace I've been searching for, and I don't ever plan to let anyone take you from me." Eve took Jackie's hand and placed it over her wound and looked her in her eyes. Jackie lifted herself up from Eve's shoulder and placed another kiss on her lips. And for the first time, they were able to show each other how much they loved each other, by making love. It was a union that neither planned to break.