Lacey's Light-Full Version

Eight o'clock on a Thursday evening, the bar hadn't yet filled up.  It would, though.  Rickles Downtown was a popular hangout for many.  Tucked off on a side street in the heart of Portland, it was a local favorite. The music wasn't too loud, it wasn't too smoky or seedy, and the food was great.  You could pretty much count on getting a good plate of rings, a beer, and terrific service any night of the week. Rickles catered to the college crowd, but was also a hit with many of the 30-somethings that worked nearby.

It was their favorite haunt, the place where they had spent many hours and many dollars. There were memories tied up at Rickles.  That's why she'd asked them both to meet her there.

The tall redhead sat alone at 'their' table, but that didn't seem to concern her. She laughed and joked with nearly everyone who walked by, had a snappy comment to make about nearly everything. 

Chad Starkey watched her from the door as he walked in.  She was definitely hard to miss, he thought.  You certainly couldn't mistake that laugh! Her back was to him, so she was caught completely unaware when a well-built guy grabbed her shoulder, and dropped a kiss on her cheek.

Justyn Franklin whirled around, ready to do battle.  Seeing a pair of dark brown eyes that she knew and loved, she flung her arms around his neck.

"Chad! You're back.  When did you get in? How long are you staying? Have you talked to Lacey yet?"

"Easy, Jus, easy!" Chad laughed as he returned Justyn's hug. "Give a guy a chance to grab a beer before you start hammering him with questions."

"Hey, Jackson, Chad needs a beer.  And he thinks I talk too fast," Justyn called to the bartender.

"You do, Red. But that's why we love you." The two men grinned at each other as Jackson set Chad's beer down.  That was Justyn.  Bubbly and effervescent and always had something to say.

"So, you've got your beer. Now spill. What's going on?

"Alright then, here's the scoop." Chad slowly took a pull on his beer, watching Justyn squirm with impatience, though she tried to hide it. She lived so much for the moment, it was amusing to keep her hanging now and then.

"Have been back only since last night.  I have talked to Lacey, called her when I got in.  Just to surprise her.  It was good to hear her voice." Chad's eyes sparkled just a tiny bit more.

"Hmmm," Justyn thought, noticing the change, so subtle she bet he didn't even notice. "I wonder....."

"Lacey asked me to meet her down here, said she had something amazing to share. I figured she couldn't tell one of us without telling the other.  So I thought I'd just surprise you when I showed up." Chad finished with a grin.

"You did. I was ready to deck you when you kissed my cheek," Justyn admitted. "I am glad to see you though. Its been a while, my friend."

"Pretty hard to pull one over on you, Red. Its good to be able to catch you off guard now and then." Chad raised his bottle, and clinked it in good humor to Justyn's. 

At the opposite end of the room, a shapely brunette watched the banter as she walked towards them. Lacey St. Clair grinned as she looked at her two best friends giving each other a hard time. Some things never changed, she thought joyfully. She was fairly bursting with what she had to share with Chad and Justyn. Lacey couldn't imagine telling one without the other there.

As Lacey walked closer to the table, she caught Justyn's eye, winked, and put her finger to her lips.  Chad was telling Justyn tidbits about his work as a private investigator.

"So then his wife came flying into my office, full of fury.  Mike and Kelli just sat there, waiting for......" Chad stilled as Lacey's warm breath graced his ear, and she whispered "Hello stranger" as sultrily as she could. Justyn laughed out loud as Chad reached back and grabbed Lacey around the neck. Lacey's laugh pealed across the bar as Chad stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Girl, don't you know better than to mess with fire like that? Lick a man's ear when you haven't seen him in months, what are you thinking? " Chad chastised her as he kissed her cheek. "Good to see you, Lace.  Its been too long."

Lacey hugged Chad fiercely, then wrapped her arms around Justyn. Winking at Justyn, she tossed back to Chad, "So, what, you didn't like that then? I just figured you hadn't had a woman breathe in your ear in a while, so I'd indulge you."  Lacey's wicked grin said that she knew perfectly well what the reaction would be before she'd even started.

Before Lacey could sit down between Justyn and Chad, Jackson had set a glass of white wine before her. The three had been coming to Rickles so long that they rarely had to order.

"Plate of rings, bowl of spinach dip, celery, side of ranch, right?" Jackson asked with a wink. "Anything else tonight?"

Justyn grinned up at him.  "Nope, that'll do it for now.  Thanks, Jackson!"

As the bartender went to put their order in, Justyn turned around and sit primly in her chair with her hands folded demurely in her lap.  Blinking sweetly at Lacey, Justyn simply sat.  Chad could barely keep his beer in his mouth, he was laughing so hard.

"So, Red, are you trying out a new personality, or what? What's with the silence?" Chad roared between drinks.

"Well, I figure Lacey's gonna tell us what she's got to tell us in her own good time.  And I also figure that you're gonna give me crap for being impatient and wanting to know everything immediately.  So I thought I'd beat you to it, sit properly in my chair, and wait patiently for Lacey to share." Justyn's not-so-innocent grin belied her feelings.  She was chomping at the bit to hear from Lacey, but wanted more the satifaction of proving Chad wrong.

That did it.  Chad choked on his beer when he snorted at Justyn's words.  Lacey simply looked over at her friend, shared a glance without words, and turned back to Chad.

"Don't know what you're laughing at, I think Justyn's being totally patient. In fact, I don't think I've EVER seen her this patient, hmmmm?" Lacey grinned from ear to ear, knowing just how much truth was in her words. "Ok, guys, you both are nearly climbing the walls. Guess I'll put you out of your misery."

Not knowing just where to start, Lacey simply blurted out her news, knowing that she would get a chance to share the details later.

"Guys, I've been asked to run for Mayor."

Outgoing and outspoken, Justyn's reaction was to fling her arms around her friend, smack a kiss on her cheek, and proceed to order up another round for a toast. 

"Lacey, you will do simply awesome.  I know you, and I know how hard you've worked for this step in your life.  You are tactful and friendly, but don't take garbage from anyone.  I would LOVE to see you as mayor." Justyn's praise warmed Lacey's heart, for she knew that it was nothing less than the truth.

More reserved than their extroverted friend, Chad's response was a smile that lit his brown eyes from within. While Justyn flirted with the bartender, Chad wrapped Lacey up in a hug that sent shivers down her spine.

"I know you will do amazing, girl," he whispered in her ear.  "You have the talent, the drive, and the passion. You know I"ll do whatever I can to help your career, Lace. I can't wait to cast my vote for you."  Chad winked at Lacey as he dropped his arms from her shoulders. 

Lacey beamed at her friends.  They both knew how much of a dream-come-true this was for Lacey.  She had soared through college, majoring in political science, with a minor in American History.  She had a true passion for her country, and those who lived in it.  Lacey felt very strongly that given the opportunity, she could make a difference in the lives of those around her.  WIth her two best friends standing beside her, Lacey felt she could accomplish anything. 

Justyn couldn't contain her excitement at Lacey's news. After leaping up to hug Lacey again, she impulsively smacked a kiss on Chad's cheek as well.  Just for good measure.

For ten years, these friends had shared every up and down, every good and bad, every tear and laugh.  It certainly wouldn't stop now, as Lacey's career ramped up.

Chad's face shone with pride.  He knew that Lacey St. Clair would be a powerful force. Not because she was pushy or aggressive. But because she wasn't.  Lacey was polite and sweet, and always knew just what to say.  However, she also didn't put up with bullying ~ physical, mental, or otherwise.

            CH BREAK    *********************************************

Their eyes met, across the room. Not much more than a brief glance, but one that carried more meaning than most onlookers would understand.  Her eyes caught his, and a smile spread across her face. 

"I'm glad you're here, I've missed you," Lacey's green eyes said to his.

"You know I'm always here for you, girl.  I've missed you too, so much!" Emotion poured from Chad's deep brown eyes as he flashed his amazing grin.  He had flown in that morning, for one reason.  Chad wouldn't have missed this party for anything.

"I'm so glad you could make the gala tonight, Adrienne. Frank, thanks for covering it in the paper.  Beth, some champagne?"  She was the perfect hostess, smiling at everyone, sharing a word, remembering important details about their lives.  Everyone wanted to be around her.  That was one of her greatest strengths...making everyone feel comfortable and welcome.  And tonight's gala was important. Technically, it was just a dinner party.  But those close to Lacey knew it was much more.  It was the "un-official" launching of her mayoral campaign.

Chad watched her glide across the room, without seeming to focus solely on her.  That was his job.  He was head of security for her campaign. Although no one knew that.  To the casual eye, Chad and Lacey were great friends who could share a laugh as easily as they could discuss more serious things.  However, those close to Chad knew that he would slay dragons for her.

Lacey looked simply stunning that night.  Chad surreptitiously watched her emerald green gown grace her gorgeous curves.  The shade of the dress matched her eyes perfectly, and the 40's-movie star-cut flattered her every move.  Her long mahogany hair cascaded gently over her shoulders, and it swung between her shoulder blades when she laughed.  Which she did often.  Chad loved to see her laugh.  It warmed his soul, and filled him up inside. Lord, he loved this woman so.

As Chad roamed the large ballroom, ostensibly making small talk and eating canape's, he was aware of many details that most people missed. How people interacted.  Who spoke to whom. Which gossip was important, and which was simply drivel. The way Justyn watched everything like a hawk, yet walked around with a smile and a laugh for everyone. How Jessie Allen hated the champagne her husband brought her, so she dumped it into the ficus.  Hm, Chad chuckled to himself.  Gonna have a good laugh about that one later with The Two.

The Two.  Friends forever, it seemed.  Lacey and Justyn, Justyn and Lacey. The redhead and the brunette. Always inseparable. They had met Chad at a college party ten years ago, and The Two became The Three. Three friends who would go to the wall for each other.  One the leader, one the warrior, and one the protector. Each with their own distinct strengths, and each meshing perfectly with the other two. 

Tonight's gala was proof of that.  This amazing party, planned by The Two, was led by Lacey's grace, diplomacy, and gentleness.  Justyn's easy humor covered an intense stare and a spine of steel, which she used with no compunction when something threatened her friends. Chad's job was to watch over these women. He wanted no harm to come to either of them, no tears to fall, and no hearts to hurt. That meant physically of course, although both of them could hold their own (and the two of them together were a force to be reckoned with). But Chad felt there was so much more to it.  As time had passed, Chad realized that the protectiveness he felt towards them encompassed every aspect of his life.  Especially with regard to Lacey.

Could it really have been ten years that their friendship had run so strong? Did Lacey realize how his friendship had grown? How it had taken over his heart, how she had become the focus of his life? Did she realize that while he loved Justyn and they had a great time together, his heart was lost to Lacey? Chad sighed, as his thoughts tumbled around Lacey.  He looked up to see The Two standing on the balcony.  Justyn waved, and her blue eyes danced with some hidden joke.  Lacey smiled and raised a silent toast to Chad, while her eyes sparked with a touch of devilment.

"Wonder what those two are up to now," Chad thought with a grin.  Raising his glass back to Lacey, he shook his head, knowing he'd hear all about it later.

Lacey and Justyn had taken a break from the evening's festivities to get some fresh air, and check in with each other.  They had been discussing Jessie Allen's not-as-private-as-she-had-hoped flirtation with the photographer.  Nothing major, and no harm done.  Amusing, none the less. It was during that little break that they had both caught Chad's eyes from across the room. Justyn watched the glow in Lacey's cheeks deepen a bit, and saw the way her smile reached to her ears.

"Lacey, that man is so into you. He has been for a while now.  Are you EVER gonna tell him how you feel?" Justyn loved the idea of her two closest friends being together. 

"Justyn, I can't just blurt out and tell him. Besides, now isn't the time," Lacey protested.

Justyn rolled her eyes.  "Hmph.  If by NOW you mean, right this precise second, well, sure, I tend to agree with you. You kind of have a THING going on. But if by NOW you mean sometime before you're ninety, then honey there isn't a better time than NOW! You've loved him forever. You think about him every waking moment.  He's the reason you do the things you do. He's one of the first people you share your joys with, and one of the first shoulders you turn to when you hurt. Next to mine, of course."

Typical Justyn, she delivered the last line with a wink, a mile-wide grin, and a gentle shove with her shoulder.

Lacey just gaped at her outspoken friend.  "You see all that? What HAVE you been drinking tonight?"

"Tis a secret, my friend.  But maybe you should have some too!" Justyn flipped her red hair, and tossed a grin over her shoulder as she turned to go. "Food for thought, huh? Think about it as you keep watching how nicely his tux fits."

With that as her parting shot, Justyn turned and flashed her infamous "trouble maker's grin" to Lacey.  She chuckled to herself, knowing she had just spun her friend's mind up. Justyn knew that Lacey was so good at what she did that nothing would stop her for the rest of the evening.  She would smile, laugh, talk, make allies, file information away, and continue to play the political game.  Yet Justyn also knew her friend well enough to know that behind her JOB, Justyn's words were going to spin around in her brain and her thoughts of Chad. 

"Its about bloody time," Justyn thought.  She'd been watching Lacey and Chad spark off each other for a while now.  Neither of them quite realized what effect they had on each other, so they both danced around their feelings.  Both of them did their BEST not to hurt the other person.  But neither of them saw what Justyn saw.

Justyn watched Lacey simply light up when Chad came in a room.  She watched as Chad's chest puffed out with pride whenever he looked at Lacey, or talked about her accomplishments in life. She watched the two of them speak volumes without ever saying a word. Justyn saw the electricity jump from their eyes when they looked at each other, nearly enough to power a small town. She had seen the way Chad nearly froze when Lacey touched his arm, or hugged him, or whispered in his ear. The way Chad casually draped his arm across Lacey's shoulders sometimes made Lacey stop moving, for fear he would move his arm.

Justyn had seen all this, and more, over the last year.  She was an observer. She watched, noted, assessed, and considered.  And since Justyn's extensive considerations involved the happiness of her friends, she felt perfectly justified in what she was doing.  Grinning to herself, she sauntered off to check all the random details that were the job of the campaign manager. And to poke at another bee's nest.

****************************************
He watched the two of them surreptitiously throughout the night. A glass of champagne here, a canapé or two there, smiling and laughing with the rest of the crowd. He wondered what kind of mayor she would be, if indeed she did win the election. All things pointed to her, but one could never tell about these things. Granted, she did lead most of the polls to be the mayor, but again, who knew?

There she was, leaning against that redhead on the balcony. It was indecent, the way those two behaved, as if they were lovers. Disgusting, all that touching they did. You’d think they were plotting something. That redhead was probably filling her head with all kinds of things. It was no secret that the dark one didn’t have a brain in her head, that she was just a mouthpiece for whatever the redhead had to say. He idly wondered why the redhead didn’t run for mayor.

“Probably knows that she would never have the popularity that the other one has. She might be dumb as a rock, but at least she’s popular. And moderately pretty, I guess. That other one just has red hair going everywhere, like an untamed pony or something.“ He shuddered as he thought about her. Everything about the redhead was messy, poorly planned, and haphazard. The thought of the redhead as a campaign manager made him laugh out loud. His wife looked at him with her eyebrows raised as she took another sip of champagne. Thankfully, she suspected nothing, since he was deep in conversation at the time.

His wife liked her well enough, so he supposed that counted for something. At least she was popular in the social set. She knew how to do things the “right” way. As opposed to the other one. He sighed, knowing he should quit comparing them. She was nothing like her fiery haired friend, thank the powers that be. One was quite enough of that one!

He was pretty sure she could be counted on to look the other way for certain activities. It had certainly been done before, and he saw no reason why it shouldn’t continue. If her track record was anything to go by, she had a habit of voting conservative. In his experience, even the most conservative voters had a way of seeing the benefits of other activities. Especially if one kept their campaign fund warm.

He would have to make sure she saw reason though. Either before the election, of after. It mattered not to him. Honestly, he was pretty easy-going, considering the position he was in. Besides, with her empty head, she would probably welcome his ideas. Ha, maybe he could edge out the redhead. Now that was a thought that appealed to him, even though it had just crossed his mind. With enough pre-planning, maybe he could even displace the redhead. Now THERE was a thought that bore looking into. Replace the redhead’s flighty thoughts with his own thoroughly-reviewed plans.

“Hm, “ he thought as he led his wife onto the dance floor. “Just have to see how this one plays out, I guess. But I’m thinking we have an interesting road ahead of us the next few months!”

*********************************

Lacey's mind was reeling. Justyn was totally right about Lacey's feelings for Chad. She had loved him from nearly the beginning, but it never seemed to be the right time. As the years had passed, both of them had dated others, some long-term, some not so much. Sometimes it seemed that when she was single, he wasn't and vice versa. With every other relationship, Lacey always felt that there was something just a little missing.  Never anything she could put her finger on, but just enough to convince her that a relationship was not The One.

The three friends had gone separate ways in college, but still saw each other regularly. Whether it was the three together, or only two of them, or others along as well, the chemistry was always strong. They saw each other every time there were two or more in the same city. Because grad school demanded long hours on each of them, sometimes only two of them could hook up. And when Chad relocated to Phoenix to open his business and take care of his mom, he made sure he came back as often as he could. It never mattered; even when one of the three was gone, they were always with the other two in spirit. They laughed together, stood by each other, and fought for each other's happiness.

When Lacey began to follow her dreams of political ambition, Chad and Justyn were right there with her. They supported her, reviewed for poly-sci exams through the night, provided shoulders to cry on after tough days. The night she told them about her decision to run for mayor, Chad had winked at Lacey as he dropped his arms from her shoulders. A wink that she now wondered at its exact meaning.

Was Justyn right about Chad? Did she truly think that Chad was "into her"? Justyn had an uncanny knack for seeing things that other people didn't, for picking up on feelings and emotions that others might not have. Lacey's thoughts tumbled one over another.  Chad was her heart's desire. She knew that.  But it didn't mean that she was his desire.  Besides, Lacey was just about to launch her campaign.  She had already asked Justyn to be her campaign manager, and Chad to be her head of security.  Although she knew the two of them well enough to know that those titles were simply that, and that Justyn and Chad would collaborate completely on everything to make sure things ran smoothly for her.

Ah, she loved these two. Justyn for her outgoing spirit, straight-forwardness, and her propensity to love others.  Chad for his quiet reserve, his no-nonsense attitude, and the way he took care of his friends.  The both of them for the laughter, excitement, and love they had brought into her life.  But oh, Chad's eyes were so deep brown, and they sparkled when he laughed out loud.  And the dimple on his right cheek when his smile really went deep. And the way she felt with his arm across her shoulders, as if she was completely safe from harm.  And, yes, Justyn was right.  Lacey DID love the way his tux was tailored.  Hanging nicely across his broad shoulders, pegged in just the right places to flatter his build.  The satin stripe running horizontally down his trousers simply accentuated his muscular legs.  His tie and cummerbund accomplished the delightful task of drawing Lacey's eyes across his nicely-formed torso, up to his strong chin and further into deep pools of chocolate.  Where she could get lost.  From there she could imagine the look on his face, if she were to lightly ruffle his hair, and......

And HELLO, what was she thinking!! Lacey realized she had been daydreaming, probably with a big goofy grin on her face. 

"Great," Lacey grimaced and laughed to herself. "Wonder what Justy will have to say about that later."

But seriously, now was NOT the time to declare her feelings for Chad.  First of all, the whole career-campaign-job-ambition thing.  Lacey was sure as heck not going to throw over everything she had worked for.  Second, hm, how would it look for the Mayor-Elect to start dating her Head of Security! Oh yes, people would certainly have a field day with that one.  Third, there was Justyn.  The three of them had been so close for so long, and it would hurt her if she became "third wheel". Sure, it seemed like Justyn was ok with Lacey and Chad together.  But when the reality hit, would it be the same?  What would happen to Lacey's friendship with Justyn? Or with Chad, for that matter? Would it change irrevocably for the worse?

"Argh!" Lacey grumbled to herself.  "This is insane!  I have a job to do.  One I'm damn good at, and one I'm going to do." With thoughts of Chad and Justyn roiling through her brain, Lacey walked off with a slightly irritated twitch of her skirt, to continue doing what she did best.  A few words here, a bite and a drink there, a smile for everyone, and an enjoyable evening for all.

When she saw Justyn and Chad a short time later, her heart overflowed with the love she felt for them both.  It came up her throat, and translated into a gigantic smile for the pair of them. The two of them paused in their perusal of the room (checking, Lacey was sure, to make sure everything ran smoothly), smiled,  and raised silent air-toasts to her.

                                  *****************************************

Contrary to Lacey's thoughts, Justyn and Chad were NOT discussing the ballroom, the details, the security, Jessie Allen, or any of those mundane things.  No, they were discussing Lacey.  In a round-about sort of way, of course.  Justyn was busy poking her bee's nest. 

Justyn knew that with Chad, she wouldn't just blurt out her thoughts the way she had with Lacey. She wanted to lay some groundwork first, feel him out.  She was ninety-nine percent positive about his feelings. But where Lacey was concerned, Justyn would settle for nothing less than one hundred percent.  Lofty goals, she knew, but when you were talking about love, nothing less than one hundred percent would do.

'Come dance with me, Chad," Justyn requested with a smile and an outstretched hand.  She knew that dancing was NOT Chad's most favorite past-time.

"Um...no." Nothing else, just a simple 'no'.  That was Chad for you.  Why use twenty words when two would do nicely.

"Come on, just one dance, silly." Justyn's grin widened.  "It'll do you good.  Besides," she countered, " you can get closer to some of those gossipers on the dance floor, and you can give me your take on them."

"Ammunition", Justyn thought.  "Low, I suppose, but I know he'll do it if he thinks Lacey's going to benefit. "

"All right, fine," Chad conceded with a smile as he led Justyn to the dance floor.  "How come you're always so pushy, Red? One would think you knew my mind better than I did."

"Hmmm," was Justyn's completely non-committal remark as she glided into a waltz with Chad. "I'm not pushy.  I"m persuasive."

Chad's snort accompanied her giggle.  From across the room, Justyn caught Lacey's eye and grinned.  Lacey grinned back, knowing full well that Justyn was giving Chad a hilarious Justyn-esque take on some random event or person.  Justyn was like that. Completely uninhibited, and always had something droll and amusing to say.

"Ok, so we need to dance a little closer to that couple.  I've heard some snippets from them, and I want to hear a bit more. Call it reconnaissance." Justyn winked at Chad. 

"I thought I was supposed to be leading. Isn't that the guy's job, Ms. Persuasiveness?" Simply to make Justyn laugh, Chad grabbed her and threw her into a spin, just to put her off balance.  Justyn's laugh bubbled over and echoed across the dance floor.

Lacey looked up from the conversation she was having with Grant Aldrich, a city councilman.  He was half a generation older than Lacey, but still had a marvelous sense of humor and fun. He laughed as he watched Justyn and Chad.

"That Justyn, I tell you, there's never a dull moment around her, is there?" he asked Lacey.

Lacey smiled, and looked back at her friends.  "No, there never is.  That's why I love her."

Grant winked at Lacey.  "Think I'm going to have to steal that girl for a dance in a few minutes."

"Good luck to you, then," Lacey laughed. "Make sure you tell her that YOU'RE going to lead. That red hair of hers, she thinks she's the boss or something."

"I'll take that under advisement," Grant chuckled.

As Grant walked away, Lacey's thoughts turned back to Justyn and Chad having a good time on the dance floor. 

"See, there's proof," she thought. "I know they're not in love or anything....but I can't just relegate Justyn to that third position.  She and Chad would lose that important aspect of THEIR friendship, if I was to step in the middle of it.  No, better to wait, and see what happens as time passes.  At least until after the campaign."

Justyn's sapphire gown swirled around Chad's trousers as they gleefully jockeyed each other for the "lead" position of the waltz.  Chad generally won out, mainly because he out-sized her.  From which he got great delight.  That's how he and Justyn had always been...more like "drinkin' buddies" than anything else.  Always a friendly competition, each wanting to have the last word.  Always fun and delightful and relaxed. And nothing more.

"You know, Chad, you've got some pretty slick moves for a guy who can't dance," Justyn teased him.

"I never said I CAN"T dance.  I just DON"T.  There's a difference," Chad countered back.

"Mmm-hmmm, I see." Another of Justyn's non-committal responses.  "You should practice more then. Practice with Lacey.  She'll probably even let you lead."

As Justyn had expected, Chad stilled in her arms, while continuing to waltz.  The joking laughter from a moment before was gone, replaced by a guarded visage. He looked into Justyn's eyes, as if searching for answers. Continuing to smile and twirl her about the floor, Justyn could feel his heart pound in a way that it hadn't when they were wrestling about.

Chad was used to Justyn's off-hand comments.  He also knew that they usually masked a very serious question or concern that most people didn't pick up on. He looked into her blue eyes, wondering what she meant.  Wondering if there was more to her comment, or if he was just working it all up in his brain because his mind was occupied with Lacey.

But oh, thinking about twirling Lacey about the dance floor, holding her close to him, feeling her heart beat with his,  tucking her head under his chin and breathing deeply into her hair.  Now THAT was a vision.  Feeling her arm hooked around his neck, playing with the fine hair at his nape, gazing into his eyes.  Holding her lovely hand, not outstretched as Justyn's was, but tucked in close to him, covering hers with his, laying it over his heart.....

Justyn simply smiled as Chad began to wear a rather dopey grin. When he pulled her closer, and started to tuck her hand protectively into his, she knew.  She KNEW.  Wah-hoo,one hundred percent. He was totally and completely head-over-heels in love with her. Justyn nearly cried with happiness. Chad was so into Lacey, and Lacey was so into Chad.

Knowing where Chad's heart and mind were, Justyn couldn't keep up the slow pace that they had dropped to. She knew that Chad wasn't dancing with her, but with Lacey, and couldn't bear to disappoint him any further.

"All right, enough of this slow stuff.  I was just letting you get all complacent, thinking you had the upper hand." Justyn tried to bully Chad into going the other direction.  As she had hoped, he snapped out of his reverie with a devilish smile on his face. 

"Ok, Red, if that's the way you want it."  Chad began to aggressively waltz Justyn around the floor, to her great delight. As his strength won out over her determination, she found herself being propelled in the opposite direction.  As the song ended, Chad whirled her around, spun her back into his arms, and sent her down for a deep dip over his knee. 

Chad's face broke into a grin at Justyn's speechless mouth. 

"Ha, that sure doesn't happen very often! Justyn, with nothing to say. I told you....its the guy's job to lead." Chad lifted Justyn up with a flourish and a taunting grin.  "Thanks for the dance, Red.  Next time, we'll see who leads."

Chad brushed a kiss on Justyn's cheek.  As they walked off the dance floor, they were both panting from the exertion of their mock-battle.

Justyn turned to go speak with the caterer.  She called back over her shoulder. "Thanks right back at you.  And who says YOU were leading? You only THOUGHT you were in control, buddy. So now who has nothing to say?"

Justyn flashed her "trouble maker" grin to Chad and sauntered away, leaving him looking after her and wondering what exactly she meant by that.

"Sweet," she thought. "Bee's nest, consider yourself poked!"

                ************************************************************

"Now just what the heck did THAT mean," Chad wondered as he watched Justyn walk off. "She does that ALL the time, drops some 'innocent' comment, then walks away with a grin.  I swear, that girl just likes to spin people up.  Always looking for a reaction."

Chad shook his head and smiled.  Someday, the right guy was going to be damn lucky to have his hands full with Justyn. With her energy and sassiness, she was gonna give someone a run for his money. 

"It better be the RIGHT someone though," Chad frowned a little bit. "There will be hell to pay if someone mistreats that girl, or stifles her personality. Lacey and I will personally see to that!"

As much as Justyn could hold her own, Chad also knew that she had a huge heart, and that once she let someone in, that person had the ability to hurt her greatly.  He had watched that before.  Justyn laughed and joked and smiled and waged war and fought for her friends and everything else that was part of her extroverted self.  However, she had a wall that her heart was locked behind, and very few people had reached it. 

One that had breached that defense had wounded Justyn terribly. He had fed on her love and giving nature, turned that against her, and abused her heart in the process. Justyn had given him her love and her heart and poured her passion into him. He had lied to her, used her, gratified himself, and left her wondering what she had done wrong.  Her pride, her self-esteem, and her courage were shaken.  In a word, she hadn't been 'Justyn' for a while afterwards.

Chad vividly remembered that time a few years ago, and got angry just thinking about it.  How DARE someone treat Red that way! How dare some schmuck take what she had to give and use it for his own personal gain! Did he not realize that being loved by Justyn was an amazing thing? That instead of taming Justyn's passion for life, the right man would merely ignite it?

"That idiot didn't deserve her anyway," Chad's thoughts continued.  "You take what Justyn has to offer, you take her love and return it to her, its going to grow ten-fold. You love her, truly and deeply, and its only going to gain in strength.  Justyn would pour her heart and soul into someone who loved her the same way. Instead, she was broken in pieces by that jerk. He didn't love her, never did."

That memory still had the power to inflame Chad's protective nature.  Quite a bit of time had passed, and Justyn had returned to being Justyn. Her mile-wide smile and mischievous nature were back, as well as her willingness to fight for all that was unfair or unjust.

Chad knew that Lacey's campaign was as important to Justyn as it was to Lacey.  And he knew that she would pour her energy into the campaign to the exclusion of all else, unless he and Lacey forcefully made her take a break.  That was all good, and Lacey couldn't ask for a better campaign manager. Justyn would move mountains to help Lacey achieve her dreams.

Hopefully, though, in the midst of taking care of those she loved, Justyn would find her love. Her true love. The man who would love her above all else.  The one who would laugh with her and keep pace with her and stimulate her brain.  The one who could take the intense amount of love from Justyn, and then return it to her.  The One.

If Chad's heart hadn't been owned by Lacey (whether or not she knew it), he'd be strongly tempted to be loved by Justyn that way.  Having a love like that would be a hell of a gift.

"Tempted," Chad's grin replaced his frown of moments before. "Only tempted. That girl would wear me out! Besides, the right guy is out there for Justyn.  And I'm not him."

Chad's eyes slowly drifted from Justyn to Lacey. Loving both of these amazing women with all his heart, but head over heals IN LOVE with only one of them.  Adoring the dip in her waist, her just-right curves, her smile that sometimes started off tentative, but then increased. Wanting to hold her and protect her and be hers.  And have her belong to him, completely. Longing to feel her deep rich hair tickle his arm every night. To see Lacey's eyes light up in a smile that was just for him, that was his and his alone.

When Chad had returned to Portland from Arizona, he realized just how much he missed that Oregon town and the girls who lived there. He loved the rain in winter, the heat in summer, and everything in between. He loved that it was only a quick three hours out to the coast ("Considerably less if one of The Two is driving!" he mused), and just a few hours in the other direction to the mountains.

The reason for Chad's return was just as pure as the snow on those mountains that the three friends had skied down. Lacey St. Clair had asked.  She had not, however, asked that he return forever.  She would never do that. She would never presume to inconvenience her friends.  Lacey had offered Chad a raise above his PI rates, and a "bonus" for agreeing to a hiatus from detective work, with the agreement that after her campaign he would return.

"If only she knew," Chad thought.  "If only she knew that I would drop everything and follow her to the ends of the earth.  Lacey wants me for a security manager for her campaign, she'll get the best protection that money can't buy."

In truth, Chad had hated to leave Portland.  It had become home to him, more so with the presence of The Two.  Lacey and Justyn certainly kept life interesting!

Seven years ago, however, Chad's father died suddenly from a heart attack.  When Chad returned to Phoenix for the funeral, he found his mom more frail and far less independent than before. He couldn't bear to leave her alone, so Chad made the wrenching decision to transfer from Portland University to Arizona State U.

"Not that Phoenix was such a bad move," Chad reflected.  After getting his MBA, and then his Private Investigator's licence, Chad opened Starkey Enterprises. Less than a year later, Chad had launced his business to the forefront of Phoenix PI's.  Three months later Chad met Mike and Kelli Thurman at a city function.

Chad shook his head ruefully. "Its a good thing Mike and Kelli came on board when they did! I'd have never been able to handle all the business that the Zoftman case brought in. And it would have been a lot harder to pack up and move to Portland." Chad's glance at Lacey was met with a smile. "Harder, but certainly not difficult!" he thought with a grin.

Chad had left his thriving business in the capable hands of his office manager Kelli and his partner Mike.  He knew that his company would survive.  And quite frankly, it didn't matter that much to Chad.  Sure, he had poured a lot of sweat into getting Starkey Enterprises off the ground. But when it came down to it, Chad knew he had lots of options.  He could sell it to Mike in a heartbeat, or to anyone else for that matter. He had received many offers to purchase a well-established detective business with a well-known reputation for getting the job done quickly and quietly. 

Besides, Lacey St. Clair had asked.  Above and beyond any other reason, Lacey had asked.  And anything Lacey asked, Chad would move heaven and earth to give her.  She had no idea that asking Chad to return to Portland was merely a step in the road for Starkey Enterprises, a step in the direction of Lacey's ultimate ambition. Because while Chad had left his business in Phoenix, he had retained his PI license. He figured it would probably come in handy at some point.  You never knew what would need investigating in a quiet sort of manner. Who knew, Starkey Enterprises could turn into a multi-branch business.  One in Phoenix, one in Portland.

As Chad thought about his beloved Portland, his darling Lacey, and his feisty Justyn, Phoenix seemed very far away.

            CH BREAK      ***************************************
The crowd began to thin out as the evening drew to a close. The photographer was packing up his equipment, Frank had gotten his last quote for the article, and Mrs. Allen was carrying her heels as she left on her husband's arm.

"Wonderful party, Lacey" "Great job!"  "Terrific setting, Ms. St. Clair." As Lacey finished up conversations around the room, she heard lots of positive comments about that night's event. All in all, the evening had been a success.  Many friendships had been nurtured, many contacts made, and many many people got a first hand opportunity to see Lacey St. Clair in her element. 

Justyn walked by after finishing up details with the caterer.  She wrapped her arm around Lacey's waist, and Lacey dropped her head on Justyn's shoulder. That's how Chad found them when he walked around the corner.  A beautiful brunette with her tired head on her friend's shoulder and a wonderful smile on her face.  A willowy redhead with her arms wrapped around her friend, her red locks resting against dark ones, with a satisfied look on her face. Chad's heart overflowed with pride at what The Two had accomplished tonight.

"Beer?" 

Chad's single word ignited giggles in the girls.  Years ago, when they first realized that Chad would never run off at the mouth, that had become their simple code word at the end of a long day.  Near or far, indoors or out, just that simple word always seemed to lighten the mood. Sometimes it meant "let's meet at Rickles so I can tell you how great the day went."  Sometimes it meant "boy, do i need to vent." And sometimes, it just meant "man, its been a long day.  Good and bad, I can't wait to share it with you guys. I love you, and am so glad you're my friends."  It was that latter meaning that they all felt after the party that evening. 

"So, where are we going? The Waffle Hut for 2am waffles and cocoa, or the front porch for sandwiches and beer?" Chad asked the girls.

"Ooh, waffles sound great," Justyn opined. "Thick and crispy, piled high with whip and blueberries. Let's go."

"Dressed like this? Let me change first," Lacey protested.

"C'mon, Lace. You look straight up gorgeous, you should show it off," Justyn returned with a smile.  As confident as Lacey always was, Justyn knew that deep down, Lacey worried about her image in public. From Justyn's eyes, Lacey had nothing to worry about.  With her stunning dress that flattered her figure, her glossy hair brushing the middle of her back, and her gorgeous smile, Lacey always looked classy.

"She's right, Lace," Chad chimed in.  "You look great, and who cares what anyone at the Waffle Hut has to say at 2am." He winked at her as he tossed his arm across her shoulders. 

Lacey's shoulders relaxed into Chad, and her smile lit her face.

"Alright guys, off to the Waffle Hut we go."  Lacey linked her arms with both Chad and Justyn, and they sauntered off to the limo, bodies tired but spirits high.

Twenty minutes later , The Three walked into the Waffle Hut.  Justyn the fearless in the lead, Lacey the poised following behind, with Chad the fierce pulling up the trail. Not much could stop these three separately, even more so together. And tonight, they were after nothing more exciting than a 2am snack.

Even before Justyn's thick, crispy, whipped and fruited waffles were set in front of her, she was off. Lacey shared a secret smile with Chad, full of affection for their friend.

"No shock there," Lacey said around a grin. "Doesn't matter that its 2am.  Our Justyn has something to say, its going to get said."

Justyn stuck her tongue out at Lacey in response.  She was rarely bothered by her teasing.  And besides, it was true.  She did want to talk about the evening.  As far as Justyn was concerned, Lacey's first gala as a mayoral candidate was a huge success.

"I have to agree with you, Justy," Chad said between bites of his huge omelette. "Lacey sure shone bright tonight, huh?"

Justyn watched Chad's eyes dance with pride for Lacey, and Lacey's face glow from Chad's words.

Lacey felt like she was on top of the world.  Both Justyn and Chad thought the evening went very well.  Adding to that, Lacey felt a huge sense of accomplishment. True, she still had a long road to travel before being elected mayor.  But at least she had STARTED.  After years of poly-sci classes and exams, waiting and hoping, Lacey St. Clair was finally beginning her political journey.  Who knew where that road would take her. Lacey knew that Justyn and Chad would be behind her no matter what, but her thoughts inevitably drifted to the future.

What would happen after Lacey's mayoral campaign was completed? Would Chad head back to Phoenix? Of course he would.  He had family and a thriving business down South.  He couldn't just walk away.  However, the thought of Chad leaving again, after months of working so closely, after months of The Three being back together again, just made Lacey's heart ache.

"Maybe," Lacey mused to herself, "maybe I can find a way to hire him full-time, not just for the campaign. Or maybe..."

Lacey's musings were interrupted by a gentle kick on the shins from across the table.  She grinned at Justyn.  Years ago, the two friends had invented that subtle signal as a way to say ,"hey, pay attention" or "I need you." In Justyn's case, the shin-kick by Lacey usually meant, "hey friend, good time to stop talking."

"Hey, Lace, how's it going up there in the clouds?" Chad joked, after noticing the wrinkled napkin in her hands.  "Gonna come back and join our conversation? You don't want to miss Justyn's version of the ficus-and-champagne story."

Lacey laughed out loud, realizing she'd been caught daydreaming.

"Give me a break, Chad. Its not like its nearly three in the morning after a huge party or something!"

Lacey's eyes sparked with happiness and defiance as Chad sketched her a mock bow and salute.

"As you were, then, my lady." Chad mischevious eyes belied his serious tone. "You continue to gather the wool while WE gossip about the gossipers."

Lacey expected Justyn's hearty laugh to join her own, and was therefore surprised to see Justyn seemingly lost in thought. Concentrating on her waffle, gesturing with her fork, and her eyes on the far wall, Justyn seem to be just as deep in thought as Lacey had been.

"You know, my friend," Justyn said between blueberry bites, "if its gonna take up that much of your time, you really should just bring it out." Seeming to remember where she was, Justyn pointed the fork at Lacey with devilment in her grin. "THAT way, we can all join in!"

Justyn delivered the last comment to the silent pair with a huge smile.  She knew that Chad would think she was just making another strange-Justyn comment.  Lacey, however, would know otherwise.

Chad grinned, shook his head, and returned to his omlette.  He realized there was a lot more to Justyn's comment then was apparent.  However, Chad Starkey was no fool, and had no desire to inquire into secrets between girls.  Even girls he knew as well as these two. 

"Besides," Chad figured, "I'm sure I"ll find out sooner or later from one of them."

Between the three friends, secrets rarely were.  Lacey, Justyn, and Chad were far too close to keep things from each other.  Most times, "secrets" ended up to be surprises from two of the three to the third.

"My birthday is coming up next month.  Wonder if The Two have something up their sleeves," Chad thought to himself.  "Maybe if I'm real good, Lacey will grant my birthday wish." With that thought, it was Chad's turn to lose track of the conversation.

"Oh good GRIEF!" Justyn thought, watching Lacey and Chad.  "You two are KILLING me! Just have it out already and you can get all smoochy and mushy and we can all stop walking on tiptoes around each other!"

Justyn looked at her two best friends with a mixture of love and frustration.  She knew how deeply each of them cared for the other, and how careful they were of each other's feelings, and how Lacey had to present a good political image, and how so many other factors came into play.

"Blah blah blah!" Justyn grimaced as she continued her internal monologue. "Love is love, and its real with Lacey and Chad. Its lasted for ten years, and above everything else, they want and need each other."

"Hmph," Justyn grunted to herself.  She was not used to inaction.  In Justyn's determined mind, you figured out what you wanted then figured out how to achieve that end.  Obviously, she couldn't-or more importantly, WOULDN"T-do that with her friend's hearts.  But seriously, this sitting and waiting for the other one to make a move was driving Justyn batty.  At this rate, she figured, Lacey and Chad MIGHT go on their first real date in about twenty years or so.

"Yeesh," Justyn concluded to herself witha sigh. "Love's tangled web, I guess! Just have to see where this takes us...and hope it doesn't take the next decade to do it!" Even as that thought crossed her mind, Justyn resolved to do all she could to help Lacey and Chad realize what the meant to each other.

"Even if," Justyn conceeded ruefully, " that just means watching them love from afar forever.  Oh, but I hope not!"

    CH BREAK            ****************************************

Hot and sweaty under the tempermental Portland sunshine, Chad and Jake took advantage of the summer morning to rough each other up in some one-on-one. It was one of their favorite ways to spend a day, so manly and competitive.

"A little male bonding, there, Jake?" Chad asked as he stole the ball from his friend with a well-placed and not-so-gentle nudge of his elbow. "You know, all that stuff that us liberated and PC males are supposed to do?"

Jake snorted a reply. "Yeah. Male bonding. Here. Bond THIS," he said as rib met wrist. "Wanna talk about our feelings now?"

Chad grunted. "Yeah. We'll just screw the game, and sit on the sidelines and cry together, huh?" Sweat dripped over his brow as he tried to hustle the ball past Jake into the basket. Chad and Jake were almost equally physically matched, but Jake's long lanky frame gave him a two-inch reach over Chad most every day. Which usually translated into a pretty avid battle for the basketball. Today was no exception.

Chad welcomed the intense physical workout that came on the court. It gave him a break from his responsibilities as a private detective and a security manager.  On this sunny Saturday, it was also giving his brain a break from concentrating on Lacey. 

Well, sort of. Even though his body was on the court, he couldn't get the image of Lacey out of his mind.  Stunning girl, in  her dark green dress and her sparkling green eyes, last night at the gala.  Chad's mind wandered a bit further, wondering what she and Justyn were doing today. Not dressed up, he was pretty sure of that.  The Two could get togged up with the best of them, and be simply stunning, together or apart.  But when all the fanfare settled down, they tended to relax in what made them feel the most relaxed.

"Ha, I bet they'll run around all day in ultra-comfy jeans that hug their curves, that look like they'll split if they move too much." Chad grimaced, as he pictured Lacey in the jeans he loved the best.  Once dark, now faded and worn, but soft as butter, and stretched across her ass. Hm, and maybe that white top that he salivated over. The one that stretched across her chest in a deep V and tied at the waist, accentuating her lithe body. With those dangly earings that he loved to flick, just to see them swing from her sexy ears.

THWACK!!!

"Son of a bitch!!!" Chad was thrust out of his daydream by a very pointed, very hard, and very powerful bone. Dead center in the middle of his face. Blood began pouring out of his nose at the direct hit.

"Shit, man, sorry!" Jake's concern was genuine.  Even though Chad could hear the bubbling laughter in his voice.  "You broke your nose!"

"No, YOU broke my nose. Count on a friend to do that for a guy. How PC are we now, buddy?" Chad grabbed a towel from his bag and held it to his bloody face. 

After satisfying himself that his nose was in fact, NOT broken, he lurched toward Jake. "You broke my nose!  What the hell!!"

Knowing Chad was up to something, Jake backed away quickly, keeping out of Chad's reach. His grin stretched across his face.

"Chad, you're not being real PC now! You can't just go around kicking people's ass 'cuz they piss you off.  Or because you were playing without your brain being engaged, and someone's arm accidentally sank into your face!"

Chad slowly advanced on his laughing buddy with his arms outstretched. "The hell I can't! Besides, who says I"m not being a man of liberated intent! All I want is a little snuggle, buddy. C'mon, you broke my nose. The least you could do is HOLD ME!"

Jake laughed so hard he doubled over on the court, allowing Chad to catch up to him. A solid punch on Jake's arm wasn't enough to stop his mirth.

"Hold you, that's rich! Hold you. You big pussy. Take your broken nose and go sit over there." Jake pointed at the bench at the far end of the court.

"Asshole," Chad tossed back with a grin as he walked over to the bench. "Its not broken, just so you know."

Jake followed a pace behind him and clapped his hand on Chad's shoulder. His laughter had quieted, even though his eyes still danced with amusement.

"Seriously, buddy, you alright?" Jake knew that Chad would never hold a grudge for an accident in the middle of a game.

Chad grimaced at his friend. "Yeah, I"ll live.  Hurts like a bitch though! Gonna leave me with a mighty nice shiner come work on Monday! Maybe I should tape up my nose just so I dont' have to explain it every other minute."

Jake laughed, and then got serious.

"I can't believe you missed that block though. You never let "life" intrude on your game, unless your mind is seriously somewhere else. You're the most compartmentalized guy I know.  What's going on? Something's gotta be boiling through your brain pretty tough, to get your mind that far off the game."

Mindful that now they really were doing that "PC bonding thing", but needing to get it off his chest, Chad sighed.  Knowing that he could trust Jake didn't make it any easier to dump his feelings.

"Its Lacey," Chad said after a few minutes, but didn't elaborate.

Jake was thoughtful for a few minutes, and the two guys enjoyed a companionable silence as Chad washed his bloody face. Jake was pretty sure that Chad's statement didn't mean that anything was WRONG with Lacey.  He had seen the two of them together over the years, and was pretty sure he knew what was on his friend's mind. And Jake was also pretty sure that only something as serious as that could make Chad so distracted.  Letting his friend take the lead, Jake offered silent support, knowing that Chad would say more if and when he felt like it.

"Its Lacey," Chad repeated with a shake of his head.  " I can't get that girl out of my mind lately. I swear, Jake, she haunts my thoughts day and night."

Jake leaned his elbows on his knees, and stared across the empty court. "Yeah, I kinda figured that." A pause, and then, "So, I guess my question is, that's bad....why, exactly?"

Looking askance at Chad, Jake noticed his friend's misery and commiserated. God knew, he'd been in the same boat before. He knew where Chad was coming from.

Chad just shook his head again. He hadn't been planning to dump all this out in the open, and he was still uncomfortable with it.

"I can't stop thinking about her. Jake, I lust after the girl, she's so fucking sexy. But it doesn't stop there.  Jesus, if it was just lust, we could deal with that and move on. But God, all I can think about is protecting her, keeping her safe, making her happy."

"Ok. I got that. I can see it whenever you're around her." Chad's head snapped up at that comment, but Jake held his hand up. "Its probably obvious to everyone but you two. Hell, I bet Justyn knows how you feel! So I ask again, that's bad, why?"

Choosing to address only part of the question, Chad growled, "What do you mean, Justyn knows?"

Jake laughed out loud. "Man, Justyn sees everything! That girl knows more than most people imagine.  AND, she's Lacey's best friend.  You honestly think she doesn't see you mooning over Lacey?"

Chad shoved Jake a little.  "I'm not mooning over her," he grumped.

"Yeah, right." Jake laughed again. "Whatever you say, man!"

Still puzzling over what Jake had said, Chad continued. "Ok, so if Justyn knows, why the hell hasn't she said anything, or confronted me, or told Lacey, or.....or....." Chad paused. "...or....something, at least, right?"

"Why the hell would she want to do that?" Jake asked.  "She sees you two together. She knows you and Lace are great friends..."

"We're ALL great friends!" Chad interrupted. "Red would be PISSED if I took her friend away."

"You sure don't give that girl much credit, now, do you?" Jake wondered with incredulity. "Look at those two.  Do you HONESTLY think that if Justyn had any problem with you at all, she would hesitate to say something? Have you NOT been around that girl long enough to know that Justyn would tell a grizzly bear to piss off if she thought he would hurt someone she loved?"

Chad nodded his head in agreement, but was still too blown away by Jake's words so say anything.

"So," Jake continued, "you're seriously telling me that you're not pursuing Lacey because of what JUSTYN might think? Dude, if that's the truth, than you ARE a pussy." Jake grinned at Chad. "I've never known you to run away from anything before.  Least of all a willowy slip of a girl. Even if she could kick your ass."

"She could not," Chad finally laughed with Jake. "Well, probably not, anyway. I do my best not to piss that girl off. I don't ever want to find out."

Chad's smile faded. "But I love that girl. I'd kick anyone's ass who hurt Red.  That guy before? I wanted to kill him for what he did to her."

Jake nodded in silent agreement. He figured there was more Chad had to say, and his talking wouldn't serve any purpose.

"I can't hurt Justyn," Chad continued, more to himself then to Jake." That would just be crappy. I waltz back into the picture after all these years, and decide I"m gonna make off with Lacey? Yeah, that makes me a stand-up guy. Yeah me. So that leaves Justyn where? Third wheel of a threesome? Yeah, that makes me feel like a cool, studly man. Leave one friend in the dust while I choose the other friend."

Chad's grimace and shake of the head said more than he realized, especially to his perceptive friend. He stood up to grab his bag, signalling the end of the conversation.

Jake followed with a shake of his own head.  He knew that Chad would have to wrestle with his own demons and doubts, and that regardless of anything Jake said, it was Chad's battle.  However, that didn't stop Jake from one last male-bonding sort of statement as they climbed into their cars.

"Hey buddy?" Jake called across their open doors. "Don't forget one thing."

Chad looked up with a question in his eyes.

"Justyn loves Lacey," Jake continued, "AND she loves you. She loves you both. Tremendously and without reservation. Think about this, with everything else that's rolling around your brain. Justyn would NEVER begrudge the love of her two closest friends. She's not that kind of girl.  In fact, I'm pretty sure she would celebrate it, not cry over it. Think about that, huh?"

Chad's mouth opened, then closed again. With nothing to say, he merely saluted his friend, smiled a genuine smile, and drove away.

"Hm, wonder how that will stir things up," Jake thought to himself as he took off in the opposite direction. "Wonder what Justyn will say about this."


    CH BREAK          **********************************************

Justyn's cell phone rang as she was climbing out of her car at Lacey's.  Checking the ID, she was thrilled to see Jake's number.  Over the years, Jake had been absorbed into the group, and she was nearly as close with him as she was with Chad. Generally, a conversation with Jake meant a lot of fun and good-natured teasing back and forth.

"Heya, Stretch! How's it going today? Did you recover from the gala last night?" Justyn's laughing voice greeted Jake's ear as she flipped open her phone. Jake loved talking to Justyn. She was always a breath of fresh air, light-hearted, and always made him laugh.

"Hey yourself, Red," Jake's grin carried over the phone. "Doing ok.  Was up pretty late....but I"m guessing not as late as you.  Let me guess. You guys go hash out all the gossip afterwards?"

Justyn laughed.  "Yep. Two am at the Waffle Hut, you know it! Don't want to break tradition or anything!"

Jake's warmth came through his voice, and rolled over Justyn as they chatted for a few minutes.

"So, Red, got plans for tonight?"

"Jake Martin, are you asking me out??" Justyn asked in disbelief.  Not that it was out of the realm of possiblity, of course. Just, not exactly, well, what she was expecting.  For lack of anything else to say, she filled the space with a question.

"Why, Justyn, you sound shocked! Might I even go so far as to say you sound a little speechless?" Jake was quite familiar with the fact that Justyn was rarely without a comeback, so he enjoyed a few minutes of ribbing to his talkative friend.

"Is it so completely terrible that I might ask you out?" he continued.

"Ah...no! Of course not!" Justyn floundered.  "Its just that, uh....I was, um....."

Jake decided to give Justyn a break, and let her get her voice back. 

"I'm just giving you a hard time, Red," Jake laughed into the phone. "Seriously, I have some stuff I wanna run past you. Sorta business-related, only not really."

"Jake, you jerk. You know I hate being caught off guard." Justyn stuck her tongue out at the phone, trying not to let Jake hear her laughter.

"I saw that. You're probably glaring at me too, and thinking all kinds of mean things. Pretty lady like you, making a face so everyone can see. Shame, shame!" Jake teased.  "I know you hate being caught off guard. Why do you think I have so much fun flipping you shit, huh? So, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I'll ask you again. Got plans for tonight?"

"I'm washing my hair.  I'm relacing my tennis shoes.  Ooh, wait, I got one.  Jake, sorry, I"m alphabetizing my CD collection!" Justyn teased back.  Her philosophy was that anyone who gave it out better be able to take it back.  She knew that Jake could take it as well as he could dish it, so Justyn had no problem flipping back with comments of her own.

"I suppose I should tell you no, just to be a contrary difficult woman," Justyn returned with a dramatic sigh, "but the truth is, Jake Martin, I think you're a swell guy, so I guess I"ll hang with you later on. Whatcha got in mind?"

"How bout dinner to start? Like I said, I've got some stuff I want to run by you. Rickles at seven?"

Justyn affected a pout that she knew Jake would see right through.  "Ah, Jake, I see the truth now.  No date for me, just using me as a sounding board.  You just want me for my opinions, I know. Its only my mind you want. I see how it is."

"Even if I didn't, you'd make them known anyway, right?" Jake joked back. "And honey, wanting you for your mind is not a bad thing. But would you prefer if I wanted your body as well?"

"Of course! Isn't that what every girl prefers??"

"Alright.  I want your mind and your body to be at Rickles at seven tonight. I'm not into any out-of-body experiences tonight. Does that work for you, Miss Justyn?"

"Yes. I'll have dinner with you, then go home and cry in my cocoa cuz I have no date," Justyn retorted.

"Red?" Jake came back. "You're lying out your ass. You have never wanted for dates, and we both know it!  So take your cocoa and stuff it."

"Jake, you crack me up.  I"ll see you at seven tonight.  And I"ll bring my mind with me."  Laughing, Justyn said goodbye and ended the call.  As she stuffed the phone into the pocket of her jeans, Justyn wasn't QUITE sure if she was disappointed or not that Jake  just "wanted to run some stuff by her". She decided that she was being stupid, and bounded up Lacey's porch.

On the other end of the disconnected phone, the thought briefly crossed Jake's mind that he should be offended by Justyn's response.

"Now that's just dumb!" was Jake's next thought. "Being miffed by Justyn.  Hah, I think I"m one of the few people who DOESN"T get offended by that girl."  Driving back to his house, he realized he was looking forward to dinner that night.

          ************************************************
"Lace!" Justyn called out as she let herself in Lacey's front door. Not since college had either of them felt the need to knock.  Every house they had lived in had merely been an extension of each other's own home. Therefore, Lacey didnt' bat an eyelash when she heard Justyn's voice echo up the hall. She did, however, pause a bit when her friend bounced through the bedroom door.  Something seemed just a little...off. A little.....not quite Justyn.

"Heya, ready to go?" Justyn casually lounged on the end of Lacey's bed. "You look great, let's take off." 

Justyn tossed a quick smile to Lacey, which she returned as she put the finishing touches on her outfit.  Typical Lacey, she never set foot out of the house without looking just so, presenting exactly the image she wanted. And typical Justyn, she was impatient to get moving.

"Hold on, I"m almost ready. I want to just curl my eyelashes real quick," Lacey said, turning back to the mirror. The flump of her pillow being stuffed under Justyn's arms betrayed Justyn's impatience more than the quick huff of breath she tried to muffle. Looking through her lashes, Lacey glanced at her friend in the mirror.

"What's got you all uptight? You sounded fine when you called earlier. I thought this was our day to RELAX, my friend.  Just you and me, a couple of girls, getting all girly, and not having to worry about men, or jobs, or rain, or anything." 

Finished with her primping, Lacey dropped her curler into her makeup bag and turned to Justyn. Unfortunately, Justyn wasn't quite quick enough to hide the look of irritation that briefly crossed her face. Knowing that she was caught, Justyn rolled her eyes and flipped her hair across her face. Lacey's fingers pulled the locks aside to peer into Justyn's eyes.

"Hello! You can't fool me, silly. What happened that got you all het up? The more I talk, the more you look like you're gonna explode.  Now, what happened in the last hour?"

Justyn's laugh was resigned and rueful at the same time.

"I'm sorry Lace, I didn't mean to get all pissy towards you," she said as she hugged her friend. "I'm not really upset, and there's nothing really bothering me.  Just one of those weird sort of reactions that I'm not sure I have a logical explanation for."

"Aah, and so there is the problem.  Something with no logical solution, something that my Justyn can't wrap her brain around...which makes her pissy and snarky and downright grumpy."

Lacey seemed to be talking to herself, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Justyn put up her hands in the age-old sign of "Whatever!" that had always set the girls to giggles.  Glad that her friend just seemed to be only suffering a momentary irritation, and sure that she would get the whole story later, Lacey pronounced herself ready to go.

"AFTER you remake my bed! Walk in here like you own the place, mess everything up, and make demands of me, you should at least clean up after yourself."  Lacey's voice followed her down the hallway, as Justyn stood to shake out the comforter and plump the pillows. Shaking her head and smiling, Justyn put Lacey's bed back to her fastidious standards, grateful for her friend's laughing sarcasm.  Jogging down the hallway, Justyn caught up with Lacey and lightly kissed her cheek. 

"Thanks Lace, I needed that little kick in the butt. I love you."

"Anytime," Lacey answered with a smile. "Now lets go get all beautified."

**************************************************T
The letter was cut from a magazine. Each letter done painstakingly, individually, as if whoever wrote it put a lot of thought into it.

Well, that at least was true, he thought. He did spend some time on the letter. It was simply genius of him to make it look that way. Certainly spoke of his brilliance, lowering himself to the level of a common abductor, when he was so much more.

"This ought to spin them up for a while," he thought happily. He experienced nothing but glee at the prospect of them running around in circles, trying to find the author of that note. The redhead and the brunette for sure, maybe even that idiot she had for security. That was a farce, for sure. They were so worried about garden-variety criminals that their minds wouldn't even come up with someone like him.

Well, let them run around crazy for a little while. Let the brunette jump at shadows for a while, seeing demons where there were none. Expecting something that wouldn't come. Watch the redhead and the man tighten their little circle in a misguided effort to protect her.

"It should make for an interesting show" he thought as he watched the letter being delivered. "Yes, very interesting indeed."

**************************************

Three hours later, The Two emerged from the salon with beautiful nails, painted toes, and the loose and boneless feeling that comes from a good massage.  No cares in the world, the brunette and the redhead walked down the sidewalk arm-in-arm. They were enjoying each other's company, the sunshine, and the feeling of no commitments aside from each other.

Taking off, the two girls settled in to just enjoy the beautiful day, and each other's company. They talked about the gala some, mostly just the funny or entertaining parts of it.  They didn't rehash the evening, that was for Monday morning at the office. They really wanted to leave work behind for the day and to reconnect as friends, not as business associates. Nothing could ever separate the friends, or weaken their friendship.  With all the recent activity with Lacey's campaign, though, the girls tended to talk primarily about work, and business, and politics.  Which was all fine and good, Justyn mused as she drove.  But today, they would be just two friends out for a good day. Nothing else, just two pretty girls in a zippy car.

"Jus, I'm SO glad we decided to take this day just for us," Lacey murmured as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the seat.  "It seems like its been forever since the two of us just got to disconnect from everything.  I mean, there's always someone else around.  Today, just me and my best friend."

Justyn glanced at Lacey as she drove. She looked so relaxed, her long hair brushing her face as she settled into the smooth leather of the bucket seat. The two settled into the comfort of an easy silence, broken only by the music, and the occasional comment.  Seemingly to herself, Lacey continued her monologue.

"Even as great as it is being with Jake and Chad all the time, WE really haven't gotten a chance to just have "us time" in quite while.  And when we do, there always seems to be a deadline, or a meeting, or SOMETHING that's looming over our head,  or something we have to rush off to."  Sitting up straight, Lacey turned in her seat until she faced Justyn.  "I've missed you, Jus."

Justyn glanced at her friend, concerned about the tone of her voice.  "I've missed you too, Lace.  I miss the fun we have together, the goofy things we laugh at.  Seems like we've been so busy lately, that has kind of taken a back seat."

Lacey relaxed again, thankful for the easiness that she and Justyn had always felt with each other.  No matter what was going on, they could always say anything, or nothing, and know that the other one would usually know just what they were "saying".

"I've been thinking," Justyn continued with a smile, "that things are probably going to get worse before they get better.  You know your campaign is going to start ramping up here soon, and life will get pretty crazy. I just want you to remember, Lace, that no matter how crazy our life gets, I'll ALWAYS be here when you need me, to talk, or to not talk, or to just be with. Don't forget that."

"Oh, Jus," Lacey said, a shimmer of tears lighting her green eyes, "right back at you. I'll never be too busy for you. You know that, right?"

Justyn laughed, and squeezed her friend's hand with a smile. "Always, Lace." Hit with a sudden inspiration, Justyn grabbed Lacey's hand across the seats. "Hey, let's drive to the coast. Just for the hell of it."

Lacey opened startled eyes and blinked.  "The coast? NOW? Seriously?"

"Sure! Why not?"

"Ah, well, for starters, it takes three hours to get to the coast...."

Justyn scoffed at Lacey's generous time frame. She knew she could make it to the coast in just over two.

"...and besides, I've got to be at the office tomorrow. And, I might add, so do you.  Your boss is a real slave driver."

Justyn openly laughed at that statement. Lacey as a slave driver.....to her, anyway...was simply unheard of.  Usually, it was Justyn who was impatient and hard-nosed when it came to getting things done.  Lacey was far more diplomatic and easy-going. Until you crossed her sense of propriety, that is.

Mid-laugh, Justyn stopped and smacked her forehead with her palm.

"I forgot, we can't go to the coast anyway. I got a date tonight." Her eyes sparkled with wickedness again, as she looked for Lacey's reaction.  Lacey was predictably shocked.  Not that Justyn had a date....but that Justyn hadn't yet shared it with her. Normally, they were on the phone to each other within minutes of making plans with the opposite sex, just to get each other's take on things.

"A date?" Lacey asked with incredulity.  Even though she knew she was playing right into Justyn's hands, giving her exactly the reaction she wanted.

“Mmhmmm,” Justyn said noncommittally, pretending to focus on the road. “Yeah, I guess you could call it a date.”

Bolting upright from her relaxed state, Lacey just looked at her friend. Was she really going to have to pull it out of her? Damn that girl, she just loved being contrary and difficult. Pulling a move from Justyn’s own playbook, Lacey just sat and looked at her with expectation. True to her nature, Justyn continued navigating the road, humming a little to herself.  It was a game the two of them played every so often; to see which one could “out-wait” the other.  Usually, Lacey was the clear victor. 

“Ok, so are you going to tell me? WHO are you going out with? And is it a date, or isn’t it? And why all the secrecy?”

Justyn smiled a huge grin at her friend’s out-of-character impatience. “Ah, Lace, I love messing with you.  You get these great flames that shoot out of your eyes when you get ticked.  Even at me.”

Lacey began to object, but realized that would only prove Justyn’s comment correct.  Instead, she chose another very un-Lacey-like response, also taken from Justyn’s repertoire. Justyn simply howled when she saw Lacey’s tongue very slowly and methodically poke out of her mouth in reply to Justyn’s teasing.  Laughing with her friend, Lacey relaxed back into the seat. Mostly.

“Ok, you win, Lace. Not like I can keep anything from you anyway.  Just like to give you a run now and then.,” Justyn commented, glad to see the smile return to Lacey’s face. “No, its not really a date. Jake asked me to meet him at Rickles tonight. He said he had some business stuff to go over.”

“You brat,” Lacey punched her friend in the arm. “ I thought you had a real date.  Like, a get-all-togged-up-for-a-guy date. With a serious guy. “

“Oh, he was serious all right.  He was seriously pushy, and seriously adamant, and seriously rather annoying about the whole thing, truth be told.  Just up and brow-beat me into saying yes, even when I was rather clear that I had to re-lace my tennis shoes,” Justyn laughed.

“Ah, I see now.  And THAT is what my Justyn was all worked up about earlier.  That makes a whole lot of sense now,” Lacey mused thoughtfully. “Must just suck when your own attitude comes back at you and bites you in the ass, huh, Jus?”

It was Justyn’s turn to stick her tongue out. She knew that Lacey had totally pegged her.

“So what are you meeting Jake for? I don’t think you told me…”

“Ah, not sure, really.  He just said he had some business stuff to run by me, stuff he wanted my opinion on.  I’m sure its campaign stuff, working out deets for the next function or something,” Justyn remarked dismissively. “Geez, Lace, you were getting pretty miffed there for a bit.  I thought you were gonna come pummel me at one point!”

Lacey laughed.  “Ha, I was a little upset, at first.  Mostly just that I thought you didn’t think to tell me.”

“Lace, you should know better.  Aren’t you always the first one I talk to, especially about stuff like that?”

The love in Justyn’s eyes warmed Lacey, as she realized that she had been a little silly about the whole thing.

“Although, the thought of pummeling you did cross my mind at one point. Just to get rid of that irritating smile. I just might have, had you not had your new toy in your hands.”

Justyn grinned as she ran her hands lovingly over the butter-soft steering wheel of her new car.  She was a muscle-car girl, and a true motor-head at heart.  It was obvious when she drove her shiny blue Mustang, hot off the line, that she was in love.  Midnight blue, with white racing stripes, capable of roaring like a lion or purring like a kitten, Justyn was fiercely protective of her “baby”.

“Now that would have caused some words, my friend,” Justyn said as she winked at Lacey. “Hell hath no fury when someone messes with a girl’s car.”

CH BREAK      ************************************************

He watched them from across the street as they walked out. He wondered why on earth people would frequent those kinds of places, but then he was often baffled by the actions of others. So filled with germs, and who knew what else. He shuddered a bit, but then shrugged his shoulders. Whatever, he thought. Those silly girls could do whatever they wanted on their off time. He was more concerened how they did their jobs.
Look at them, prancing down the sidewalk, acting like a couple of teenagers with nothing in their heads. Well, he could expect that from one of them. She was just a figure-head, after all. The other one he just wasn't sure about. He'd have to observe them more to find out. He knew he'd have a while to do that, monitor their actions, keep up on their activities. See what they were really after. He was more interested in the first one, but the second one had possibilities as well.
That man was walking with them tonight. He was new on the scene. No, now that he thought about it, he remembered seeing that guy around a bit. Not as much, he reflected, but some. He watched them a bit more, until they turned at the corner. Strange, he thought, that the newcomer was so chummy with both of them. What exactly was his function in that trio? Was he the lover of one or the other of them? At times, that man acted as if he was in love with both of them, and other times it was as if he was sharing something personal with just the one. that definetely bore closer observance.
He wondered idly, as he walked back to his car, if time would reveal a way to use that man. Since he was hanging around the two, he couldn't be that smart. One had nothing but air in between her ears, and the other was a scheming virago with an acid tongue.
Interesting, he thought, how plans could be changed and tweaked and perfected as new circumstances presented themselves. Very interesting how things might work out in the future.

Fluff and Flutter. That's how he thought of them. He laughed to himself to realize he had come up with nicknames for the two of them. One usually only had cute little terms for those they were fond of. He thought that pet names and such were frivolous and stupid. Even his wife, whom he loved, had no silly little nickname. He called her by her name, and nothing else. One of her friends insisted on shortening her name, and he hated it. He ground his teeth every time he heard it.
Enough of that nonsense, he repraminded himself. If those two twittering fools happened to look across the street, they would surely see him. Of course, he seriously doubted that they would recognize him. He looked quite different from the last time he had been around them. Then again, those two didn't recognize much that didn't concern them.
As they walked in the opposite direction, they linked arms and put their heads together. Two heads, one brain between the two of them. It worked well, he thought. That way, he would only have to convince one of them of the brilliance of his plan. And with the way things were looking, the one he needed to concentrate on had the looks, but not the brains. Perfect.

CH BREAK *********************************

At ten minutes to seven, Justyn sauntered into Rickles. In her mind, she was right on time, if not a tad later than she had planned.  Justyn’s mind translated ‘on time’ to mean fifteen minutes early by everyone else’s clock. Life was so much easier that way, to her way of thinking. You weren’t rushed, you didn’t have to get embarrassed by coming in late or flustered or whatever. Best of all, you could observe others.  A person could really learn a lot about someone by just watching the way they walked into a room, and by the way they interacted with other people.

Coincedentally, Jake ascribed to that philosophy as well. Being a cop, he was always noticing things, minute details that most people wouldn’t see.  He noticed things that usually never mattered in the grand scheme of things. Every so often, though, Jake’s sharp eyes would turn up something important.

Jake certainly noticed Justyn as she walked into Rickles.  Justyn Franklin wasn’t a person you just casually looked at.  She didn’t walk into a room, as much as she strode into it as if she owned the place. Confident and purposeful, it seemed as if Justyn never wasted a movement or a step.  Everything move she made had a purpose.  And as she walked up to the bar, many people noticed her movements.  Jake included.

He wasn’t made of stone, after all. Eye candy was eye candy, even if it was one of his friends. Her fiery hair was pinned up in a way that made her neck seem even more slender and graceful.  Her fitted white t-shirt and blue jeans were deceptively simple, but Jake would bet his next paycheck that Justyn knew exactly what effect they had.  She was no fool, after all.

Justyn had chosen her outfit for comfort, to be sure.  After all, blue jeans were the best in the world, right? It was a casual meeting, even though it was technically business-related.  But she was meeting her friend Jake, in a casual bar, like they had many times before. And if it made Jake look a little closer, and think a little harder about her, well, there was no harm in that.

Besides, she was still a little rankled that Jake didn’t think she was “date” material.  Why it bothered her, Justyn couldn’t understand.  She figured that her irritation stemmed more from a blow to her pride than anything else. And the idea of THAT was just stupid. Tossing her head to her own silly irritations, she walked up to the bar.

Justyn leaned in to speak to Jackson, presumably to get a table.  Jake noticed her smile falter the tiniest bit when Jackson waved his arm toward the table where Jake sat. Quicker than he could blink, her eyes and face lit up when she saw him.  Jake wondered if he had simply imagined the whole thing. He shook his head and chalked it up to the lighting above the bar.

“Hey, Red, how’s things?” Jake asked.  He stood to give  Justyn a quick kiss on the cheek before she slid into the booth across from him.

“Hey Stretch,” she answered back with a smile.  The two had coined the apt nicknames for each other shortly after meeting, and tended to use them more often then not. 

“You’re early,” Justyn commented casually. 

“Yeah. Been one of those days,” Jake grimaced and sighed.  “You know, tons of stuff going on. Figured I’d show up a bit early to relax.  Besides, if I get here first, I get the pleasure of watching you walk in. And honey, that’s a pleasure that most men enjoy.”

Jake glanced up from the table into Justyn’s shocked eyes. And burst out laughing at the look she was shooting him. The fire in her face had slowly dawned into the realization that he was totally messing with her.  Twin flames of blue lanced into Jake’s eyes, even as Justyn was laughing.

“Red, if I didn‘t know any better, I’d be scared silly by those fire-bolts you’re aiming at me right now.” Jake didn’t bother restraining his laughter.

“Yeah, well, if you were smart, you would worry.  Lesser men have perished in the face of my fire,” Justyn pronounced. “Just for that, first beer’s on you, Stretch.”

“My pleasure, Red.” Jake continued grinning as he ordered up her drink.  “Seriously, though, I have never had as much fun giving someone a hard time.  You have the best reactions, Red.  Your face gets all still, and your eyes shoot fire so hot and so blue that I’m not sure whether I’d be burned or frozen.  I can watch the emotions cross your face, as you decide whether or not you want to snake across the table and scratch my eyes out, or sit and plot your evil revenge. And I have no doubts whatsoever that your revenge would be evil indeed, my friend.”

Justyn’s throaty laugh peeled across the bar at that comment. It was hard to be mad at someone who really was so much fun to be around. One of the things she liked best about Jake was the merciless teasing between the two of them. Even Lacey, whom she had known forever, didn’t tease her the way Jake did.  Thing about Jake though, was that she could rib him back just as hard.

“Jake, I hope you’re planning on feeding me, because I am starved,” Justyn commented as she perused the menu. 

“I do plan on feeding you.  I’m not sure why you even look at the menu, though.  Didn’t you memorize it years ago?”

“You’d think, wouldn’t you.  And yet, every time I sit at a table here, I feel this burning desire to see if Jackson put anything new on the menu since my last visit.”  Justyn’s sigh made Jake laugh again. 

“Well, I’m having the Heart Attack tonight.  Had a sweaty game of basketball with Chad earlier, and I just feel the need for a big juicy gooey hamburger with all the stuff.”

“Damn, you know, that sounds really good, Stretch.  I haven’t had a Heart Attack in a while, and Jackson does do amazing burgers.  Mmm, I love the way he mixes all the good stuff in before he cooks them up.  Then lays a big slab of cheddar cheese across it.  Hot off the grill, and onto a big fat potato bun,” Justyn was nearly salivating at the thought of the gigantic hamburgers that were Rickles’ specialty.

Jake’s hearty agreement had the two of them quickly debating the finer points of a good hamburger.  Which of course led into a discussion of the perfect beer for the perfect hamburger. 

“Ah, this is the stuff,” Justyn thought. “ Good food, good drinks, and a good friend to enjoy them with.”  When the burgers arrived, Justyn leaned over and clinked her bottle to Jake’s. 

“Cheers, Stretch, and thanks for dinner.”

“Cheers, Red.”

“So how’s our Chad doing today?” Justyn asked between bites of burger. “You said you guys played ball earlier. Who won?”

Jake grimaced as he remembered how the game ended.  “He’s, ah, well, he’s ok.”

“A bit tired from last night, I’d imagine.  We kept him up pretty late.  You know we gotta go rehash everything afterwards. Well, at least, its an excuse to eat.” Justyn winked at Jake.

“Red, I don’t get you.  How does a girl who wears jeans the way you do eat the way you do? You can eat damn near as much as I do.  You’re putting that burger away quite nicely, and the garlic fries are following closely. “ Jake shook his head in wonder as Justyn smiled.

“Mmm, dunno,” Justyn contemplated. “Metabolism. High energy.  My daily runs.  Something like that. Oh, yeah, and those kickboxing classes I love.  You know, it takes a lot of energy to kick people’s ass when they are being stupid, so I have to stay in practice.” 

Jake agreed, noticing the glint in Justyn’s eye glow a bit brighter.  She stopped eating her burger, and thoughtfully looked at Jake.  She went for so long without saying anything, just looking, that Jake began to feel like she was appraising him.  For what, he wasn’t sure.  And he wasn’t entirely opposed to it.

“Hm. Mmm-hmmm,” Justyn murmured, returning to her burger.

“Mmm-hmm, WHAT?”

“Mmm-hmm nothing.”

“Bull. You’ve got that look in your eye, Red. What are you thinking?”

“What look? I have no look.  I think you’ve had too much beer, Jake Martin.”  Justyn was unperturbed, even when Jake threw a fry at her.

“Ah, Stretch, you’re swell.  I did want more fries, thanks! Keeps my energy level up. ‘Cause you know I could take you.” She muttered the last part just loud enough to be heard.

“WHAT?” Jake roared in mock affront. “I don’t think so, you skinny little girl.”

“Mmm, I may be a skinny girl, but I could take ya. You doubt me, but I betcha I could.  Or at the very least, give you a good run for your money,” Justyn conceded.  If Jake was going to dish it, Jake was going to have to get dished on.  How’s that for male pride, she thought. Imagine, getting his butt kicked by a girl.  Ok, so she was in pretty good shape, and she COULD give him a good run. 

“Tell you what.  The day you kick my ass, I’ll offer you a job on my force as a ‘special officer’.  I”ll put you in charge of taking care of some of the slime that we have to track down.”

Justyn’s eyes sparkled.  “That might just be something to think about.  I could go kick people’s ass and get paid for it! Don’t tempt me, Jake.”

“You know, I think you really might enjoy cop work.  You see all kinds of stuff that other people don’t, and you put all that information to work in that canny brain of yours,” Jake mused.  “You come see me if you ever want a new job. Not like I can ever see you leaving Lacey’s employ.”

“Ah, my Lacey,” Justyn said. Jake noticed her smile slip a little. “I do love being her campaign manager. There’s so much to DO.  So many details to take care of that Lacey is too busy for. She needs to be out with people.  I’m perfectly happy running things from my desk.  And I feel like I’m really making a difference, knowing that SHE will make a difference.  She’ll be such a great mayor.  I can’t wait to see the things she does for this city.”

Jake waited for the rest of the sentence that he was sure came next.  When nothing followed, he raised his eyebrows at Justyn in question.

“And? “ he asked.

“And what?”

“And, what came next? You didn’t finish your thought.”

Justyn frowned as she realized that Jake was right. She sighed, not sure what to say. 

“Everything ok with Lacey? Everything ok between you two? Seems like something’s up, Red.”

“Oh, its nothing, really. I worry about her, of course.  I think that’s part of my job description.  That’s me, Justyn the worry-er,” she said ruefully.

“Last time I checked, you usually weren’t the kind to worry unnecessarily.  That whole level-head on your shoulders thing you’ve got going on. What are you upset about? Is the campaign not going the way you guys had hoped?”

“Oh, no, its not that.  Things are going great in that area.  Hm, I guess she just doesn’t seem….happy.” Justyn sighed again, as she realized how sad Lacey’s unhappiness made her.

“Unhappy? She seems ok to me.”

“Yeah, she is.  She’s doing a terrific job campaigning, and the people love her.  She’s so fired up for the changes she wants to make, and she’s able to tell people why these things are important.  And she’s SO happy with her job. But….” Justyn trailed off.

“But Lacey’s unhappy somewhere else in her life, and that makes Justyn unhappy, right?” Jake finished for her.

“I dunno, Jake. It just seems like there’s something missing in her life.  Something more important that she should have.” Noticing how glum the conversation had become, Justyn quickly changed tone. “You know, something more important than me.”  She winked at Jake as she said the last.

“I don’t know, Red.  I thought you and Lacey were all that each other needed,” he ribbed her back. “I mean, my God, the two of you are so close you’re joined at the brain stem.  What one of you knows the other does too.  And on the flip side, what one of you DOESN”T know, the other one does.”

“I’m not talking about friendship. I can’t imagine my life without my best friend in it, and I know Lacey feels the same way.  I mean, come on.  There ain’t nothing’ like your girlfriends,” Justyn said with a smile. “But sooner or later…..”

“What? Sooner or later what?”

“Ah, never mind.  I was just getting all dramatic all of a sudden.  Sorry, Stretch.  I didn’t come down here to unload on you.  Yeesh, I’m not even sure how we got on this topic.” Justyn said abashedly .

“Ah, Justyn, friend here, remember?” Jake said, waving his hand in front of her face. “That’s what friends do, remember? We listen to each other dump.”  Jake paused for a moment.  “And it just so happens that your topic of conversation and the one I had in mind seem to run along the same lines.”

As serious as the subject was, Jake got a momentary thrill when Justyn’s head whipped up.  He wasn’t quite sure it was shock he saw on her face, but definitely wariness.  As sharp as she was, it was so much fun to watch when she her be surprised.

“Your…topic of conversation? I thought you wanted to talk about security for the campaign, or the details for the gala or something. You said it was about work”

Jake enjoyed the blank look on Justyn’s face for a moment more before answering.

“No, I said it was sorta business-related, only not really.”

“Ok, Jake. You only get to hear this once in a very great while.  But what the HELL are you talking about? I am totally in the dark! And you better tell me soon, before I bring out my fire-bolts again,” she finished with a smile.

“You asked me earlier how Chad was doing, and I didn’t really answer you.  Mostly, because I wasn’t sure how.  The short version is that Chad’s going to have one hell of a shiner by tomorrow, if he doesn’t already.”  Jake glanced at Justyn, and could tell by the look on her face that he wasn’t explaining things well.  And judging by the drumming of her fingers, no matter how playfully, he knew he better get on with it.

“What, did you punch him? Did you get in a big girl-fight over the ball?” Justyn teased.

“Well, in a manner of speaking.  My elbow and his nose sorta collided hard enough to cause a gusher.  Not on purpose, mind you,” he quickly added.

“You jabbed Chad in the nose? Did you break it? Wait a minute,” Justyn paused as she mulled over things. “Chad’s a damn good basketball player, its usually pretty hard to get one by him, even for you, Stretch. His game must have really been off.”

Justyn sat lost in thought for a minute. Jake waited patiently for the awareness he knew was close. He knew he had to let her get there on her own; he also knew it wouldn’t take much.

“So Chad’s game was off…Chad who’s game is never off….Chad who is so distracted that he let your elbow past his guard…” Jake had the decency to look a little ashamed.  A little.  Justyn continued.  “Chad who is so distracted by….”

“Holy shit!” There it was. Jake knew the moment Justyn realized what he was talking about.  For once, she was unable to keep her emotions under check. They passed over her face, as clear as a bell.

“So then….ah, then what? You biffed him in the nose and then you two went merrily on your ways, and you called me to ask me out on an un-date?” Justyn wasn’t sure how to proceed, so she covered herself with humor.  She wasn’t sure if she should share with Jake what she knew about Chad and Lacey. Would that be betraying their trust? Even though, technically, Chad had never confided in her.

“You’re such a smart ass, Red,” Jake said.  “it’s a good thing I like you regardless.” 

“So…what happened?” Justyn asked, still a little wary. 

“Well, the short of it is that Chad was distracted over Lacey, which you obviously figured out.  And now you’re sitting there wondering just how the hell I know that, and what I’m going to do about it.”

Justyn rarely had people peg her emotions so exactly, with the exception of Lacey.  She was a little unnerved by Jake’s observation.  So she said nothing.

“And that, my dear friend, is why I called to ask you on an UN-DATE, as you insist upon calling it. I want to pick your brain, I want to know your thoughts on the matter, and I want to know what plans you’ve got going.”

Justyn opened her mouth to protest, then realized she had nothing to say.

“AND, I know that you’re probably sitting here reeling with everything I’m saying. So I’m going to count my blessings, and thank the powers that be that Justyn has nothing to say for once, and tell you what I think.  I also know that your calculating mind is probably whirling a million miles a second right now, and you’re not sure if you should be talking to me about this, since its so private and personal and all, and no one else knows what’s going on,” Jake finished quickly, looking smug at the same time.

A long pause went by, before Justyn was able to voice the thoughts that were going through her head.  Damn it all, Jake was right.  About the whole thing.  Justyn wasn’t used to people being able to read her so well.  Except with Lacey, and to a lesser degree with Chad, she kept her thoughts close to home.  She had learned her lesson hard and well before, and wasn’t free with her emotions any more.  To have Jake call everything to a tee was a little disconcerting,  to say the least.

“Ok. So I guess my first question to you is why.  Why do you want to know my thoughts about all this? What difference will it make?

Jake had anticipated Justyn’s uneasiness about talking about Lacey and Chad, after keeping it to herself for so long.  After all, she had protected and quietly promoted that secret alone for quite some time.  He had an answer ready, one that he was sure would serve both her loyalty and her love for her friends.

“I want to help,” he said simply.

“Help….what?”

“Help.  Assist.  Aid. Be of service.  Offer advice.  Help,” Jake finished with a grin.

“Smart ass yourself, Stretch,” Justyn laughed.

“Alright. Here’s the thing, Red. Like you, I see things that most other people don’t see.  Call it my cop-sense, or simple observance, or something else.  But I notice stuff.  I see you and Lacey, and I know what you two are to each other.  I know that you two are closer than any other girls I’ve ever met. I see the way you guys will go to the ends of the earth for each other.  I’ve also seen the way Lacey and Chad are when they are together.  Since I managed to beat a confession from Chad earlier,” Jake grinned, “I know how he feels.  I’m pretty sure Lacey feels the same way about him.  And I’m guessing that you’re all prickly about it because you know how they both feel, and you want to protect them.”

Jake paused a moment, to grab some fries and a swig of beer.  He was wise enough to let his words sink into Justyn’s mind.

“So what you’re saying is that you want to help me keep the whole world from finding out that our next mayor is madly in love with her head of security,” Justyn said.

“In a way, yes.  I know how important it is to keep a ‘clean’ campaign, and I know that some people could have a field day with that.  So, yeah, I’ll do all I can to keep that where it belongs.” Jake could see Justyn’s shoulders relax a bit a that statement. “But my question to you is, where does it belong, Red? I’ve seen Chad mooning over Lacey, and it ain’t a pretty sight for a guy to watch. It earned him one hell of a nosebleed, and a shiner to boot!”

Justyn’s laugh joined Jake as she pictured the long and lanky man getting past the defenses of the shorter and stockier one.  Then she pictured the black eyes Chad was going to have to explain and laughed some more. Jake was glad to see more of the tension drain from her body.

“But here’s my thing,” he continued. “Propriety and all that aside, and I swear if you ever repeat this I’ll deny it forever, but doesn’t that whole ‘true love’ thing play a part? A rather important part?”

The gleam in Justyn’ eye made Jake falter a bit.  “Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have said that to you,” he laughed.

“Oh yes Jake.  True love plays a rather mighty part in life. Though I am a bit surprised to hear you say that,” she teased.

“Yeah, well, like I said, I’ll deny it forever,” Jake muttered. “Besides, I just want to see my friends happy.”

“Well, Stretch, I”ll drink to that. Let’s do some talking, you and I,” Justyn said. “Cheers, Stretch.”

“Cheers, Red.”

****************
Lacey sat at her desk, surrounded by paperwork on  all sides. To anyone passing by, she looked hard at work with the city's business. Sign this, set up a meeting for that, make sure this gets the opposition it deserves. She heaved a sigh just as Justyn walked by her door.

"Rough going today, huh?" Justyn asked, sticking her head through the opening. She had her arms loaded down with files, but looked like she could tackle the world. Unlike Lacey, who couldn't seem to keep a thought in her head. She looked at her friend, and envied Justyn's cool aplomb.

Everything about Justyn looked cool that day, Lacey thought with irritation.  Everything from her steel-blue linen suit and the matching pumps she wore to her clipped and barely-restrained hair.  Justyn was able to keep all the details straight, smooth ruffled feathers on the staff and in the public, field a hundred phone calls, and do it all with a smile. She also kept Lacey interruption-free when she needed do.  Damn it all. Lacey's smile didn't reach her eyes as she looked up from her desk.

"Just normal stuff, paperwork at every turn," Lacey commented. She sent a smile Justyn's direction, then turned back to her desk.

"What's up, Lace?" Justyn stopped just inside the door. "Something going on that I need to see to, something that needs solved?" Justyn's grin said that she was mostly joking, but Lacey didn't seem to be in a joking sort of mood.

"No, just a mountain of things to get done," Lacey replied with a laugh.  In addition to Justyn's other wonderful qualities, she could also spot a lie a mile away. Maybe if Lacey laughed it off, Justyn would believe everything was ok, and she would go back to what she was doing. And leave Lacey to her own devices.

"Alright, whatever you say," Justyn replied with a shrug."You have a meeting with the city council at three this afternoon to discuss the new low-income-housing project.  I have the reports from Dangerfield Associates on that building down on 4th.  The city is interested to know if whether the building is salvagable, or whether it will need to be razed, and a new one built.  Mr. Dangerfield and his team have spent the last few days investigating it from every angle."

As she spoke, Justyn pulled out a file from her stack, seemingly without even looking. After glancing over the report, she looked back at Lacey.

"I'm sure you'll want to review it before the meeting, so I'll drop it off around 2:30 or so?" Justyn questioned.  At Lacey's nod, she turned to leave.  "And Lace? You will let me know if there's anything I can do, right? That's sort of my job, you know.  And I'm not just talking about the one I collect a paycheck for."  Lacey managed to conjure up a look that she hoped would appease Justyn, at least for the time being.

"Its all good, thanks. Just a little overwhelmed right now, that's all. Just let me have a few hours uninterrupted, and I'm sure I can get on top of things. As a matter of fact, let's meet at two, and we can discuss the reports from Mr. Dangerfield."

"Sounds good. I'll bar the door and block calls for a few hours," Justyn agreed. "Again, let me know if you need anything."

Lacey blew out her breath as Justyn walked out. Damn Justyn for being so perceptive. And bless her for not acting on it.
*******
Justyn was on the phone when Lacey stormed by her office without a word.

"Crap,I knew something was wrong," Justyn thought.  She was torn between needing to finish her call, and wanting to go after Lacey.

"Well, maybe she will have walked off some of her mad by the time I can get to her," Justyn reasoned. Lacey didn't seem to want her help right at the moment anyway, so there was no point in antagonizing the woman on the other end of the line. 

Justyn fiddled with her pen as she listened to elevator music, waiting for Colleen Hildebrake to come back on the line.  Waiting was NOT Justyn's forte, and it was taking all her willpower to exercise patience at this point.  Her heart told her to chase after Lacey, but her ethics and morals knew that you didn't just hang up on someone  whose support was so crucial.  Besides, Colleen was a good friend, and they had been trying to reach each other for the last few days. Sometimes, phone-tag was a bitch in Justyn's world.

As the owner/manager of the Corvalis Inn, Colleen saw hundreds of people each day  During Lacey's run for City Council, Colleen had proudly handed out buttons and bumper stickers from her front desk, in support of Lacey St. Clair.  Her front lawn had sported one of the largest campaign signs in the area, designed by Lacey herself. Colleen was outspoken and gregarious, and well-liked by the majority of the community.  When she had something to say, a lot of people listened.

Justyn wanted to make sure that Lacey St. Clair was becoming a household name, and that her name was synonymous with justice and equality.  Colleen would be able to do a hefty job of that simply by word-of-mouth.

"Hey there, Justyn! Man, I have had a hard time getting in touch with you lately," the voice in Justyn's ear trilled.

Justyn laughed as she agreed. "I know, sometimes I think we should lobby for more hours in the day, huh, Colleen? It just might leave time for phone calls. Then again, I'm sure we would find something else to fill that time!"

"No kidding! So what can I do for you, Ms. Justyn?" Colleen replied.

"Well, you know the election is coming up..."

"Say no more, I have already planned to put up a sign in the front yard again.  That got a lot of exposure last time, I thought.  Will Lacey design it again?" Colleen asked.
"I think so, although I haven't pinned her down for details yet.  Lacey is so talented when it comes to things like that.  Me, I couldn't do anything close.  That's why I have my columns of numbers'" Justyn joked. "The large sign is a great plus.  Are you willing to hand out election buttons and such this year?"

"Absolutely. It seems, though, that I am not doing enough for Lacey's campaign. Is there more I can do? I mean, I am more than happy to spread her name around, don't get me wrong.  Just seems like there is more I can contribute," Colleen pressed.

"Actually, that was one of the reasons for my call.  The Corvalis Days Parade is coming up in a month, and we would like to have people  walk in it.  They would wear "Lacey St Clair" t-shirts and jeans, and hand out flags and candy.  The candy wrappers are going to be pre-printed with "St Clair for justice" and "Vote for Lacey".  Would you be interested in that?  We're thinking of having several of our sponsors walk right behind with banners for their companies.  Corvalis Inn is one of our biggest staunchest supporters, so we would love if you and some of you staff walked in the parade with us." Justyn explained.

"That sounds right up my alley," Colleen began. Justyn could hear the excitement in her voice. "I think Lacey could really get some good exposure that way. Besides, who says no to free candy!!"

"Exactly our thought," Justyn agreed with a laugh. "I'll be in touch next week sometime with all the details.  Does that work for you?"

"Very much so.  Listen, I've got to run, the never-ending crises of an inn beckon. I know we really had to move heaven and earth to be able to talk today, but I appreciate your persistence, Justyn."

Justyn laughed as she finished the phone call. "Colleen, in my job, persistence is my middle name."

Persistence, Justyn thought with a grimace, is what she needed now.  Since Lacey wasn't talking but was obviously miffed, Justyn hoped that her persistent and persuasive nature would help Lacey open up.  Unfortunately, Justyn had a feeling she knew what bee had crawled up her friend's butt.

****************


Lacey was sitting at the fountain outside their office when Justyn walked up behind her.

"Scuse me, miss, no loitering," Justyn said in her deepest voice. "You'll have to move along now."  Not fooled, Lacey looked up at her friend and tried to smile.

"Yeah, that just ain't gonna cut it. Wanna try that again, Lace?"  Lacey's only response was to stick her tongue out at her friend. 

"Well, at least I got a real smile out of that, not some lame half-assed wanna-be quirk of your lips," Justyn conceded. She had always been known for her humor, and when life was tense, it tended to come out harsher and stronger.  Now was one of those times.

She sat next to Lacey on the small ledge around the pool.  Lacey was absentmindedly shredding flowers and tossing them in the fountain.

"You know, its a really bad time for 'He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not'," Justyn joked with a gentle shoulder shove to Lacey.  "We got a meeting coming up this afternoon, remember? We kinda need you there, both in body and spirit."

"I know, I'll be ready."

A long pause followed Lacey's words while Justyn waited for her to continue.  Her grin turned into a frown when she realized that nothing else was forth-coming.

"Ok, Lace," Justyn said on a sigh. "What's going on?"

"Nothing I can't deal with myself."

Justyn's back went up a bit at that.  Her first reaction was to walk back to her office, and let Lacey muddle through on her own.  Knowing her friend was hurting, though, kept her sitting. 

"Ok, that's all good. I'm glad," Justyn responded. "Let me just ask you this. Is whatever is under your skin having to do with the campaign?" At Lacey's silence, Justyn continued. "Because as your campaign manager, that is something I should know about. Its my JOB to fix stuff.  You pay me to do just that, remember?"

Again, nothing but silence.  Lord, those flowers in Lacey's hands had seen better days.  Suddenly, Lacey jumped to her feet.

"Just who do you think you are?" Lacey's raging words shook Justyn to the core, and were as effective as a slap. Justyn didn't move a muscle, just stared at her friend in disbelief as Lacey continued to rage at her. "Do you think that I am incapable of doing things myself? Do you think I need you to FIX everything for me? Do you think that possibly, just maybe, I could solve something without you? Do you need to know everything that goes on in MY office? Keep in mind that I am the one running for mayor, and it is MY ass on the line if something goes wrong. Not yours, mine! People seem to think that I am just your front for ideas, that I am all fluff with no substance.  Do you as well?"

Justyn waited in shock and silence for Lacey to  finish her tirade.  She wasn't making much sense out of Lacey's accusations. Additionally, Justyn wanted to make sure that her mind was leading, and not her bruised heart, when she DID say something.

"Sit down, Lacey. The whole entire city is at lunch and watching," Justyn said.  She knew that Lacey would never want to look bad in public, and that was Justyn's best shot at a semblance of calm at the moment.  Even though her words were spoken for only Lacey's ears, there was steel behind them that brooked no argument.

"What the hell!!!" Lacey started to say something, but the fire in Justyn's eyes made her pause. "No, you wait just a minute.  You just blasted me in a public park in the middle of the afternoon.  Now, I'm sure you think you have a good reason, and I'm willing to let that go for a bit. I am not, however, going to let you CONTINUE to rant at me in public.  If you have something to say to me that involves your campaign, fine, let's go up to the conference room and hash it out. If what you have to say to me is personal, fine, we can go somewhere private and talk about it.  But no one, not even my very best friend, has a right to talk to me that way in public. Now, I am going back upstairs.  I am going to clear your schedule for the afternoon and evening," Justyn said as she rose.  At the look in Lacey's eyes, she continued.

"Don't give me that look. As your campaign manager, it is completely within my job description to manage your schedule.  In case you have forgotten, you yourself delegated that task to me.  And as your FRIEND, you should realize that I'm doing this because I care about you, and I can see that something is wrong. Now, if you decide you want to talk, I'll be in my office until three this afternoon, and then I am taking the afternoon off.  If you don't want to talk to me right now, fine, I'll see you in the morning."

Before Lacey could reply, and before she really said something she would regret, Justyn stood and walked back into the building.  Lacey warred between shame and anger for about five minutes.  Then, shame won out, and she slowly followed behind her friend.

***********
Lacey dawdled her way through the park on her way back, knowing that not only was Justyn angry, she was hurt.  And, knowing her the way she did, Lacey knew that the anger would cover the hurt. To most people, anyway.  For outward appearances, Justyn would spend the remainder of her day at the office doing what needed doing, albeit with a shorter fuse than normal. Lacey grinned as she thought of the churning that beautiful Mustang was going to get when Justyn tore out of the parking lot. 

On the heels of that grin came a sigh. Justyn was nothing if not prompt, and if she said she was leaving the office by three, then Lacey had no doubt whatsoever that she would be behind the wheel of her car by 3:02.

Of course, as her boss, Lacey could demand that Justyn stay at the office until five or six, the way she herself normally did.  However, if Justyn felt confident enough that she could clear both their schedules and leave, Lacey was certainly not going to stop her. Contrary to what she had just shouted, Lacey trusted Justyn implicitly.

“Oh no, Mr. Dangerfield.” Lacey worried as she remembered the meeting she was supposed to be attending in less than an hour. “I should check to make sure that meeting was really cancelled.  Maybe Justyn didn’t…”

Lacey silenced her inner thoughts with an audible clack of her jaws.  Feeling even more ashamed than she did five minutes before, she stopped where she was.  She was dismayed to think that she was lying to herself.  In one breath, Lacey was thinking how much she trusted Justyn, and the very next thought Lacey wondered if Justyn had done what she said she would.

“God, what a horrible friend I am,” Lacey castigated herself. “Geez, and an even worse boss! I hate micro-managing, and here I am doing it.”

Lacey sighed again. If she hurried, she would make it back to the office before Justyn left.  Then, they could talk things over.  As Justyn so succinctly said, they could “hash things out”. They would probably cry and rage, but they would end up in laughter, and Justyn would forgive Lacey for being stupid.  That’s how Justyn was.  Short-fused, but forgiving and loving, especially when it came to her friends.

If only it was JUST the campaign that was bothering her.  Not like that wasn’t stressful enough, but this whole business with the letter had really shaken her.  She hadn’t told Chad or Jake, hadn’t even told Justyn.  Not confiding in her friends was seriously taking its toll.

“I didn’t want them to worry about one idiot with a typewriter,” Lacey muttered to herself.  Realizing as she said it, and grimacing, that again she was lying to herself. 

“Well, no more,” Lacey determined. “From here out, whatever comes along we face it together.  It is just plain stupid…not to mention arrogant beyond belief…to think I can do everything alone.”

Lacey’s step quickened as her heart lightened.  She just had to talk things over with Justyn, and all would be ok again.  Really talk about them, mused Lacey.  Actually TELL her best friend all that had been bothering her. The heaviness that had settled in her heart would lift, and she wouldn’t feel like the world was pressing in on her.

As she was walking past the edge of the beautiful fountain, Lacey heard someone calling her name.

“Ms. St Clair, Ms. St. Clair” a pretty blond called out.

Lacey put on her public smile while cringing inside.  She really needed to talk to Justyn, and every minute in the park was another minute closer to Justyn’s departure from the office.  Lacey knew that if she didn’t catch her by three, she wouldn’t see her until the morning.

However, she certainly couldn’t ignore one of her possible constituents.  It wasn’t simply her vote that concerned Lacey.  One of the reasons she had done so well in public office was her desire to hear and actually listen to people. 

Lacey hid her discomfort and discreetly glanced at her slim gold watch.  Hopefully, this woman would only want to share a few words, and Lacey could hustle back and catch Justyn. 

“Ms. St. Clair, I’m so glad I caught you,” the blond was slightly out of breath as she caught up to Lacey. 

“No problem,” Lacey smiled. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m Tara Giles, from The Corvalis Gazette,” she said, whipping out a small notebook in a fluid motion. “Was that your campaign manager Justyn Franklin you were just speaking with?”

Lacey groaned inwardly as she realized that the reporter had probably witnessed what Lacey had thought was private.  She surmised that Tara had seen more than she heard, but unfortunately in the world of journalism that mattered little.  When someone was desperate for a story, facts took a back seat to sensationalism.  As Lacey had experienced more times than she cared to count, facts were often not even a staple of a story. 

With a smile on her face, Lacey employed her most gracious self.  Hopefully, a few comments would satisfy the perky young woman, and Ms. Tara Giles from The Corvalis Gazette would be on her way.

“Yes, actually, it was. She just left.”  Lacey had mastered the art of stating the obvious and making it seem like big news.  All with a smile, of course.

“May I ask where she was headed? She looked to be in a hurry.”

Lacey unobtrusively ground her teeth.  Damn all reporters for thinking that they were ENTITLED to every detail of a person’s life, no matter how private.

“Actually, I do mind,” Lacey stated with a saccharin smile. “If you want the details of her daily movements, you’ll have to contact her directly.  I make it a practice not to discuss my staff with the press. Now if you don’t mind, I must get back to my office….”

Tara interrupted her with a smile just as sweet, and barbed with fangs.

“I can totally respect that, Ms. St. Clair. I just couldn’t help noticing, you two seemed to be having an argument, and I was wondering if things were ok.  Obviously, people would want to know if you were having difficulties with your campaign manager.  Are you thinking of replacing her?”

Lacey wondered where the restraint came from at not simply decking Ms. Giles. Respect, indeed. Lacey doubted if the reporter knew the meaning of that word, or if was just something to say to placate the person she happened to be grilling.

When Lacey responded, her laugh was genuine, if not a tad malicious. “Alright, I’ll break my habit just to give you a tidbit. You can even quote me.  I would never dream of replacing Justyn Franklin as my campaign manager.  She accomplishes more in one day than most people do in a week. Now, if you will excuse me, I do have some things to back at my office.”

Not really surprised when Tara dogged her heels, Lacey turned to walk away.  Part of being in the public eye included when to stay and make a point, and when to have the last word by leaving.

“But Ms. St. Clair, I’m sure people will be concerned at the seeming discord coming from your office.” Tara’s smirk was beginning to take on wolfish properties.

“Ms. Giles, people will only be concerned about discord from my office unless they have a reason to.  And since I just stated for the record that there is no animosity between Ms. Franklin and myself, I would be quite surprised to learn of this from an outside source. Good day, Ms. Giles.”

Sometimes, having the last word was difficult, even for one as diplomatic as Lacey.  Instead of calmly having a battle of words with this annoying woman, she wanted to employ the baser instinct of a simple cat fight.  Lacey smiled to herself as she quickly walked away, not giving the vexatious woman another glance.

Somehow, Lacey kept the smile on her face as she heard the roar of a fine-tuned engine.  It was 3:03, and a beautiful blue car raced out of the adjoining lot.  Lacey’s sigh was audible as she realized she no longer cared about Ms. Giles’ whereabouts.  Hopefully, Justyn would pick up her phone sometime tonight.  Lacey doubted it, though.  When Justyn was angry, she tended to fume in silence.  And Lacey had no doubts that she was angry.

***********************************
True to her word, Justyn walked out of her office at three on the dot, but Lacey's observation was wrong.  When Justyn was ticked, and boy was she ever, it took her even less time for her long legs to eat up the pavement.  It took even less time for her to crank her keys over.  Therefore, it was only 3:02 when Justyn left in a streak of blue.  As much as she loved her friend, right now she just needed to get away, and not talk to anyone for a little while.  God knows, she wasn't good company, and was certainly not up to pandering to anyone's feelings right now.

Maybe she should take that drive to the coast, she mused as she turned up the radio to a deafening volume.  It would only take a couple of hours, after all.  And it was only three in the afternoon.  Go out there, walk on the beach, listen to the surf hitting the beach, and not think.  Not think until she was slightly more rational.  Not think until she could figure out just why her friend had said those things.  Dammmit, why had she?

Justyn started to run  the scene through her mind.  Before she realized it, she was clenching her jaws together, and thinking again.  She stopped hearing her music, and instead was only hearing Lacey's words echoing through her mind. 

"Ok this has to stop. That's it, no more for now," Justyn chastised her self aloud. As much as she was impulsive, she knew that driving while she was stewing was nothing but detrimental.  Justyn valued her car-and her self-far too much for that.  She would focus on the drive, one she had always loved, the lyrics of big-hair bands, and the gorgeous day.  Nothing else, until she was more calm. 

Ten minutes to the house, another ten to change, and she could be on her way by 3:30, 3:40 tops.  She wasn't hungry now, so she would stop somewhere on the way. The fight with Lacey had Justyn's stomach in knots.  Damn Lacey for saying those things, and damn her for thinking them!

Her mind made up, Justyn turned the stereo up as she headed toward her apartment.  Some people needed the soft sounds of classical jazz when they were upset.  Not Justyn.  True to her fiery nature, nothing but the hardest rock, the loudest guitars, and the pounding of drums would settle her nerves.  It was strange, she admitted to herself, to be soothed by music so loud that it prevented thinking.  Maybe that was it. You were concentrating so hard on the pounding of the music that your brain didn't have room to think about its mad.  Or its hurt.

***************************

The coast was everything Justyn needed it to be. Wild and untamed as the surf crashed into the beach, washing away everything in its path.  And yet, since it was the middle of the week, peaceful and nearly empty.  Silent except for the call of the gulls as they clamored for a hot dog bun or leftover chicken nuggets. Justyn drove directly onto the sand, knowing to stay on the hard-pack.  She had seen time and again some poor schlub have to get towed out of the soft sand because they didn't realize that their car couldn't take it.  And boy-howdy, those beach tows were not cheap!  As she quieted her Mustang, Justyn let loose with a small laugh.

"Ha, maybe I should take up the beach-towing business.  Get me a big truck with a winch and charge dumb tourists an arm and a leg for being stupid.  Probably wouldn't last long, since I would be compelled to remark on their stupidty,But at least I would be far from politics!" Justyn's laugh tried to become an angry snort, but came out more of a held-back sob.

All the feelings that she had held back on the 2.2 hour trip to the coast (record time, even for her, she thought in the back of her mind) seemed to crash over her the same way the waves were doing to the sand. Justyn climbed out of her car, needing the wind and the salt and the fury of the ocean to calm her wounded soul.  She wrapped herself in a big blue hoodie, and sat on the hood.  Laughing at herself, Justyn acknowledged her need to be surrounded by things she loved at the moment. On its heels came the thought that had been nagging her all day.  If she was surrounded by what she loved, why was she at the coast alone?

Memories washed over her, and Justyn got lost in time. Faces swarmed before her, visions of those she had loved but were no longer in her life for one reason or another. Her dad. Her mom. Nicholas (not Nick!). Chad, for a time, but he was back now, thank God.  Was Lacey on the way to joining those ranks? God, her heart hurt.  Justyn dropped her head to her knees and just sat silently, trying to purge those painful memories. Justyn was an expert at building walls, and only letting a very select few past.  She had learned the hard way, through brutal and heartbreaking experiences. Most people who knew her had no idea.  Justyn laughed and joked and was seemingly unbreakable.

"If only they knew!" Justyn thought wryly. "Lacey was there through Dad's illness and death, and Mom's a year later.  Lacey watched helplessly through the months of brutalization at the hands of Nicholas (not Nick) because I was too stupid to realize what was happening.  Lacey found me broken after Nicholas (not Nick) tossed me aside.  And Lacey got Chad involved to make sure it didn't happen again. Do we see a pattern here?"

Justyn snorted at the thought of conversing with seagulls.  It was a good thing no one was here to see!  Geez, wouldn't Jake get a good chuckle at her expense! Justyn smiled at the thought of Jake.  He was such a swell guy.  And Chad, he would get a laugh as well.  Chad, well, she just couldn't imagine her life without him. It was like having an older brother all the time. Justyn still couldn't be happier that he and Lacey were in love.  Course, it would be even better if they TOLD each other, but that couldn't be helped right now.  Lacey had to worry about her campaign.  That was what she had to concentrate on now, not some dalliance with Chad. Lacey, well, she wouldn't laugh.  She would get that look on her face, her brows drawing together but not saying anything while she waited for her friend to share what was wrong.

Suddenly Justyn's cool reserve broke, and seemed to explode out of her. With sobs wracking her body, she let the tears flow unchecked. Days and weeks,months and years of hurt poured out of her heart and down her face.  There were four foundations of her house, four walls. Strong by themselves, but braced together, unbreakable.  Chad was one. Jake was another.  Lacey was the third.  And she was the fourth.  Were the walls of her house faltering? Was there something undermining her friendship with Lacey, torpedoing it, weakening it? Were they beginnning to drift apart? And what happened if they did? What about the other two? Would Chad follow Lacey because that's where his heart was? And what about Jake?

Justyn wasn't naive enough to think that nothing would ever change between the four of them.  In fact, that was part of the beauty of their friendship.  They could weather things seperately and together, and be all the stronger for it. And she wasn't dumb enough to expect that they would never have arguements. Duh, wasn't she with her fiery temper part of that mix? And she certainly wasn't fickle enough to think that her close friends would bail at the first sign of hardship. Hardly.  No, as time had proven time and again, something happened to one and the other three closed ranks around them. When Chad moved to Phoenix to help his mom, Lacey and Justyn had been more than supportive.  They offered their business prowess, their money, and even their own physical strength to make the transition easier for both Chad and his mom. When Jake lived through the worst case of his life, each of the others offered their shoulders and their ears whenever Jake needed them.

And Lacey. Hadn't she and Lacey been through everything together? Justyn's abusive boyfriend, Lacey's huge decision to enter politics, and later to run for mayor. Justyn's dad's illness, and Lacey's intense love for Chad, hidden and unreturned.  Ok, well, it was returned, but that wasn't exactly common knowledge. Just lately, things seemed.....strained.  Different.  But not different enough that Justyn could put her finger on it. Just.....well, not the same.  It was like Lacey had gone through a big change lately. Not just the stress of the campaign.  Something....else. Something....darker, maybe? She seemed less patient, less tolerant, more irritated with all those around her (and wasn't that Justyn's job?!?!).  Lacey even seemed distant from Chad, and that was mind-boggling. 

"Distant, that's the best way to describe it," Justyn thought morosely. "Lacey is distant, and uncaring, and she has never been that way before.  Never."

As Justyn's sobs abated, her hurt abated and her anger grew.  She HATED crying, hated how it made her look and feel.  She hated the feeling of being lonely.  Not alone, she reveled in that.  But lonely was a whole different ball game. She hated feeling unworthy of love, and questioning her self-respect.  Justyn had gone down that road before, and it took a long time to recover. Nicholas (not Nick) had taken alot out of her, mentally and physically, and she NEVER wanted to  feel that way again.  Hence, her walls. There was a reason she kept her heart hidden.  And dammit, the one other girl who she showed her most secret self to had wounded her so badly. 

It wasn't just the yelling and the arguing.  Hell, that barely even registered on Justyn's scale of things that mattered.  People yelled, people got pissy.  It was just a fact of life. Honestly, it was a whole lot better than bottling things up!  No, it wasn't the outburst that bothered Justyn.  It was the way Lacey had made her feel.  Small, stupid, insignificant.  Only second best. Exactly the way Nicholas (not Nick) had done.  Justyn hadn't experienced that in quite some time, but Lacey's cutting words brought everything back with a vengeance.  And coming from Lacey, someone she loved and trusted implicitly, it cut Justyn to the bone.

Justyn sniffed, and realized she needed to blow her nose. God, she hated crying!  After grabbing the tissue that was always in the console, she felt another presence behind her.  Warily, she turned around, and looked down at the cutest little girl she had ever seen.  Big brown eyes stared back at her, but not a sound was uttered.

"Hey there," Justyn said with a smile. "How's it going?"

No answer.  Just the silent gaze of those brown eyes. Justyn glanced around. Where was her parents? Did this little girl really matialize on the beach, or did it just feel that way?

"Shouldn't you be, uh, with someone?" Justyn tried again. "Your mom or dad?"

Again, no answer.  Shouldn't it be about her dinner time or something?

"Carli! Carli!"

Justyn felt a wave of relief wash over her.  As sweet as the girl was, Justyn was beginning to get a little creeped out. And a little worried for the girl, truth be told.

"Carli!" a breathless woman ran from the parking lot. "Baby, you wandered off again. I was so worried!"

Still no words, but the little girl turned those soulful eyes to the woman, and a tiny smile peeked out. Soundlessly, she tucked her hand into the woman's, and turned to go.

"Hey, thanks for finding Carli," the woman stated. "We were packing up the car, and turned around and she was gone."

"I didn't really find her, she was just....there.  I've been alone most of the evening, and turned around and saw her. I'm glad she's ok. I was getting worried. Especially since she didn't say anything," Justyn said with relief.

"Well, she wouldn't.  Carli has a pretty severe speech impediment, and she doesn't talk to new people.  She rarely talks to us, and we are her family," the woman smiled.

"Ah, that explains alot," Justyn commented with a smile. "Anyway, I'm glad she's ok and all. Have a safe trip back from the beach."

"Thanks," the woman smiled and turned to go.  As a man walked toward them, Carli ran to him with laughter in her eyes. The woman turned back, and looked closely at Justyn.

"Are YOU ok? I don't mean to pry or anything, but you look like you had yourself a good cry sitting here on the beach alone."

"Yeah, I'm ok," Justyn responded ruefully.  "Just, ah, releasing some tension, I guess you could say."

"Pretty intense turmoil, if you ask me.  Not many people sit at the ocean and cry as if their heart would break.  Must have been some kind of hurt, to make you that sad."

Damn, was this woman psychic? Aside from the fact that her nose was bright red, and her eyes were all swollen, there were no outward signs of her battle. Justyn glanced around again, sure that the woman had watched from the grass or something.  Unlikely, but still.  Could she see into her heart as well?

"Yeah, well, the pounding of the surf calms me down.  Soothes my soul, tames the wild beast, I guess you could say," Justyn unconvincingly laughed it off.

"Well, I hope that beast takes up residence somewhere else!" the woman joked.

Justyn smiled in spite of herself.  This woman had a great sense of humor; in other circumstances, they could probably be friends.  She found herself opening up just a tad.

"Its just been a long, trying day.  And the beach always soothes me, makes me feel better.  And really, I wasn't good company to be around earlier. Besides.  My dad lives here."

"Here?" the woman asked, glancing around.  Confused at only seeing one or two houses far off in the distance, she looked back at Justyn.

"No. Here." Justyn gestured to the wide expanse of empty ocean. "He died a few years ago, and I come here to be close to him.  He always loved the wildness of the coast, and I guess I just feel closest to him here."

Justyn wasnt' sure why she has said that. She had just met this woman, and that was certainly out of character for her.  Well, at least that would be the end of the conversation.  The woman would go her own way, and leave Justyn to her depressing musings. Surprisingly, the woman just  nodded.

"I totally understand that.  Carli's twin sister Chloe died two years ago.  Today, actually.  We come to the beach to be close to her.  Carli doesn't know, of course.  She's too little.  She just loves the wind and the spray of the surf," the woman smiled, a bit sadly, at the man and the girl standing a few yards away.

Justyn's eyes filled with more tears. Uncharacteristicly, she reached for the woman's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! That must be awful for you!"

"It is," the woman acknowledged. "It was terrible when Chloe died.  She had heart problems from birth, and it just couldn;t hold out anymore."

Justyn had no words, only more tears.  Suddenly, her own problems seemed so insignificant.

"Anyway," the woman continued, "we learned...well, are still learning, I guess, to be glad for the time we had. I was a royal bitch for a long time after though.  Wouldn't let anyone help me, wouldn't talk about my grief.  I was pretty bad off.  Darrell couldn't even reach me, and he's closer to me than anyone." The woman seemed to shake herself, and return from the memory trip she had taken.  "Listen to me! you don't even know me, and here I am going off!"

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about myself," Justyn murmured.

"Anyway, we've got to get going.  I see Carli doing the pee-pee dance over there," the woman smirked at her child.

Still holding the woman's hand, Justyn suddenly pulled her into a big hug.  In spite of knowing each other for mere minutes, they clung to each other, gaining strength from each other.  Breaking apart, there were tears in two sets of eyes.

"Thank you. So much," Justyn whispered.  "I think all things happen for a reason, and I think there was a reason Carli was standing behind me when she was."

"You're welcome, but I don't understand."

"What you said.  About not letting anyone near you, even your husband whom you love.  It was because there was so much else going on, and you thought you needed to deal with it all alone.  And that made you pissy," Justyn joked.

The woman's smile genuinely glowed. "Yep, that was it.  I was pissy."

"Makes me realize that someone very dear to me probably has something major going on, something she feels she needs to deal with alone. Something that is making her bite out at me."

"Yep, you're probably right," the woman thoughtfully agreed.

"So, again, thank you."

The woman hugged her again, tightly, and started to walk away.  Just before she grabbed Carli's hand, the little girl turned and looked at Justyn.  A quick wave, which shocked Justyn to her toes, and the family was gone up the beach.  After just a few minutes of composing herself, Justyn jumped in her car to head home, feeling considerably better. As she headed out to the parking lot, there was no one in sight.

"Huh, Carli must have really had to pee.  They really booked it."  Justyn turned inland, all the while thinking that things happened for a reason.




CH BREAK *********************

Things had gone better than he had hoped. Much better. Not only was the brunette all uptight, but she also hadn't shared the letter with her security team. Ha, she hadn't even told the redhead about the letter! Unbelievable, but true. Now, the two of them had had a fight. Rumor had it they were barely speaking. This just got better and better!

Of course, he would have to verify that last part. It wouldn't do to have faulty information. Usually, when one made assumptions, one got caught with their pants down, so to speak. And he intended to come out on top, sparkling clean. Figuratively and literally.

CH BREAK *******************

C-O-O-P-E-R-A-T-E. Or else.

That was all the note said. Again, in badly cut out letters from a magazine.  The kind of thing that any kindergartner  could do.  But no 5-year old ever sent this kind of message. The “or else” part really got to Lacey, and she decided it was time to clue her friends’ in to the letters she had received so far. No more was this a game, but obviously  something much more serious.  Lacey called a meeting with her campaign manager, the head of security, and the local police chief. Counting on them all to be there, knowing that they would take their jobs - and the threat-  seriously. And knowing that first and foremost, they were her friends, and would do whatever necessary  to get rid of this threat.

********
He knew she was shut behind closed doors, and he was pretty sure that he knew the parties involved.  If he’d been  a different sort of man, he would have laughed out loud with glee. Really busted a gut at the scrambling that he was sure was going on over his letters.  But that really wasn’t him. Rather beneath him, actually, to guffaw in that manner, regardless of the situation.  Still, it was amusing.  He allowed himself a smile in “pre-celebration”.  He would have her where he wanted, one way or another.  The smile turned into a full-fledged grin when he thought about what was to come.

*******
“Why, exactly, did you wait until now to show us these? Why did you wait to involve us?”

Justyn’s voice contained barely-controlled fury. Lacey sat behind her desk, while Justyn paced, Chad glowered from his chair, and Jake took a few notes and stayed silent.  Spreading her hands out as if in supplication, Lacey’s cool exterior began to show cracks.

“I thought it was just some crack-pot. It still could be, you know,” Lacey began. “Some idiot with a pair of scissors and some glue. Come on, guys, you're acting like I can’t even protect myself, like I’m some fragile flower who can’t stand up on her own.”

At Justyn’s glower, Lacey shut her mouth. Since the day in the park, their friendship had a barely perceptible edge to it. They had talked, and had worked things out. Still, Lacey could sense a reserve to Justyn that she hadn’t felt before. Almost as if Justyn were building up that wall again, brick by brick, and Lacey was on the other side of it. She shook her head, unwilling to travel down that road at the moment.

Justyn stalked around Lacey’s office like a caged tiger. Lacey, Chad, and Jake waited, knowing that it wouldn’t take long for her words to come boiling out of her. Sure enough, it was only a matter of seconds before she stopped and slapped both hands on Lacey’s desk.

“Ok. Here are my thoughts, for what they are worth.  As your campaign manager, you should have at least mentioned it to me.  Then, I could have been aware.  Since Chad is your Head of Security, he should have had the courtesy of being filled in, so that he could take the steps that are necessary.  Since Jake is the Police Chief, HE should have been told so that he could collaborate with Chad and I to ensure that this went no further.  Instead, we are all running around in the dark with our heads in our asses, trying to do silly things like plan your next event and we have NO IDEA what to prepare for!”

It was obvious that Justyn was gearing up for a rampage.  Since the two men more or less agreed with her, they let her go without interrupting.  Lacey began to respond, until she saw the look in Justyn’s eyes. And the glisten of tears. She kept silent, and a look of chagrin began to color her features.

“Dammit, Lacey, how can we do our jobs if you are going to pretend everything is normal? No, we DON”T think you are some fragile flower who can’t protect herself.  We know damn well that not only CAN you, but you’ll take care of everyone around you in the process.  Why on earth would you be where you are today if that weren’t the case? I don’t know about these two, but I have so much faith in you that I nearly crack with pride when I talk about you.” As Justyn gestured to the men, both Chad and Jake nodded fervently. Justyn’s voice dropped, and the fire seemed to go out of her.

“But I can’t help you if you won’t let me. And I’m not talking about being your manager. I’m talking about being your friend.” Justyn was nearly whispering by the time she was done. 

“If it were me, you would raise holy hell if I didn’t tell you that I was being threatened. You know, someone once told me,” Justyn looked pointedly at Lacey, “that a friendship goes both ways, and you are being selfish if you don’t let others care about you, and take care of you. Think about what it was like with Nicholas-not-Nick. Think about how you felt when you found out. And tell me how that is different." Justyn paused.  "Excuse me. I need to step out for a minute.”

Justyn turned and walked to the door, averting her eyes so that her friends’ would not see the tears that were falling unchecked.

The room was silent for a good three minutes after Justyn’s departure. Jake looked at the wall, and at Lacey’s diplomas, and finally into Lacey’s eyes without saying a word. Chad alternately glared out the window, and then at Lacey.  Shockingly, Lacey’s laugh broke the silence.

“Chad, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to drill holes in me with your eyes. Good thing I know you care about me, otherwise I would think you hated me. And you, Jake.  You’re not as circumspect as you pretend either. Go, find Justyn. I know you want to,” Lacey’s eyes softened as she looked at Jake.

“Really, go. We’ll get to the bottom of this. But right now she needs a shoulder,” Lacey sighed. “And it probably shouldn’t be me. So, go. Find her. Let her rage and scream. Because she will.  Then let her cry. Whether she wants to or not.”

Jake kissed Lacey lightly on the cheek. “It will be ok. You know that, right? We’ll find this crazy, and we’ll keep you safe. Even though you could do it all alone. Let us circle around you, ok? Like Justyn said…as part of our job description…and part of our ‘friend description’”.

Lacey showed the beginning of emotion at Jake’s words. Her voice dropped to a to a whisper. “I know. I’m sorry it came to this. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. That wasn’t it, really. You know that, right? You know that I do. I just felt like I should ignore this threat, and it would go away. Or, that I could just deal with it, and you and Chad and Justyn wouldn’t have to worry.”

“News flash. We LIKE worrying about you,” Jake’s wink let her know that they were ok. “Let me go find Justyn, and after we all calm down, we’ll sit down together and figure out what to do, ok?”

“Ok. Just be there for Justyn. She needs someone,” Lacey repeated.

As the office door quietly shut, Lacey turned to Chad.  He seemed to be fascinated by her bookshelf.  Another silence stretched between them.

“So, go ahead. You know you want to. Go ahead.”

Chad slowly turned to Lacey, and for a brief moment confusion overrode anger on his face.

“Do what?” he asked.

“Yell at me.  Yell at me for being stupid and selfish and unsafe and whatever else happens to be brewing in your head right now. Go ahead, I guess its better to get it over with.”

“Ah, Lace, I don’t want to yell at you,” Chad sighed as his anger melted away in the face of Lacey’s tears. “Ok, yeah, I do, sorta. But I want you safe more than that. And happy more than safe. And, baby, you’re not happy now.” 
Lacey’s tears broke in earnest as Chad held his arms out. It was the most natural thing in the world for her to glide into his arms and collapse against his chest.  As Lacey’s heart opened and the dam broke, neither one of them noticed the endearment Chad had used.  And neither noticed until much later where Lacey sobbed her hurts, rested her head, and relieved her heart.

*********
It was a good twenty minutes later when Jake found Justyn.  He was pretty sure she wouldn't go to her own office (too easily found), didn't think she'd go to the employee break room (WAY too many people there), and was pretty certain she wouldn't go to the park outside (not only too many people, but constituents as well). Her car was still in the garage, which meant she hadn't left the building. At least, via her own vehicle, and she wouldn't drive another. Also, Justyn was wearing spike heels that day. Interesting, to be sure, but not great for a jaunty walk.

"See, thats why I am Chief of Police," Jake thought to himself. "I can figgur this here stuff out. So those are out, and that leaves....what?"  Turning around slowly for a few minutes, Jake let the surroundings just sort of sink into his subconscious. That was how he came up with his best ideas; letting things seemingly pass unnoticed until something clicked. As he wandered around the hallway, Jake let his mind wander. Ok, so it had gotten stuck when he had the thought of Justyn in her heels (blue today, to match her suit, very classy). He kept thinking that there was no way Justyn was going to walk off her anger in Christian Louboutin's (and damn wasn't he proud of himself for knowing THAT little tidbit!!) Since that thought was going through his mind again and again, Jake figured he should work with that.

Jake had another thought. "She was pretty upset when she left. She would have wanted something close. And accessible" His mind catalogued the door to the cleaning closet on the left, the supply closet on the right, the tasteful light blue carpeting, the table outside Lacey's office, the door to the conference room. Too bad all those except the conference room were locked. They would make pretty darn good places to hang out. Hm, no sounds of a meeting in progress.

"What are the odds?" Jake thought as he opened the door to the conference room. He was disappointed-but not really surprised-when he saw no glimpse of Justyn's red mane. The thought of her blue heels kept coming back to him.

"Ok, I"ll admit that is certainly a nice visual, but how is that helping me?" he wondered.

Smacking himself on the head, Jake realized that as Campaign Manager, Justyn had keys to every door and closet in the building. And since she wore those around her neck with her badge, she would always have them on her. Going on impulse, Jake put his ear to the supply closet door and heard the unmistakable sound of soft crying. His light knock brought the sounds to a halt, almost as if the person inside was holding their breath waiting for him to leave.

"Jus? Its Jake. Can I please come in?" he asked quietly.

It seemed like an eternity before the door slowly swung open.  Justyn sat on a box of copy paper with wadded tissue in her hand.

"I heard the venue for the meeting changed, but I didn't get the corrected memo," Jake said as he nonchalantly seated himself on another box of paper. "Seems like the conference room would have been a better choice, but what do I know."

Justyn was silent as she stuck her tongue out at Jake. A wobbly little smile followed.

"So, I was thinking," Jake said, looking around the small room, "maybe if we replaced those obnoxious soft chairs in the conference room with these extremely versatile box type things, maybe we could accomplish meetings in half the time. You think?"

"Shut up Jake, I know what you are trying to do." Justyn's laugh was shaky, but genuine.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about." Jake smiled as he moved his box closer to Justyn's. He reached out and put his arm around her; her head naturally rested on his shoulder.

"So sue me for wanting to help a friend feel better, huh?"  Jake slowly rubbed his hand up and down Justyn's arm in an unconscious gesture of comfort. She lifted her head up and let go a long quavering sigh.  Jake was no fool, and kept his arm lightly around her shoulders. Never a man of many words, he was silent, knowing that Justyn would talk when and if she wanted to.

"I don't get it, Jake. I don't understand! '"


**"Justyn? Why ARE you in the supply closet, surrounded by highlighters, rubber bands, and reams of paper?"  "Ha, she said ruefully, didn't figure anyone would follow me here> My office : too easy. The break room : Ha, and be the talk of tomorrow's lunch? I dont think so! Outside there are WAY too many people who know me. And I am SURE not gonna go traipsing around in these beauties, thank you very much (glancing at her shoes). Besides, I thought I could get some privacy there. And it was close. I didn't figure you would come tracking me down!"

"Thats why they pay me the big bucks, sweetheart! My excellent deductive powers are legendary"




***************************************************************
A LATER  CHAPTER (But I'm not sure when...there's a bunch in between this and the main body of the story.  This part just came to me, and I wrote it.  Hope you enjoy this part of the story! Any commentary would be awesome!)



"Lacey!" Justyn screamed into the night. With tears coursing down her face, Justyn tried to follow the car that had been swallowed by the dark. Only Chad's firm hand on her arm prevented her from running down the street.

Turning to Chad, she pulled desperately at his arm. "Chad, we have to go after her! We have to find her now! That guy is a freak, we have to chase him. You know all the crazy things he's been doing lately. He's gonna hurt her.  We HAVE to go!" 

Chad's strong voice and firm grip cut through the knife-edge of Justyn's hysteria. He spoke to her as if she were a spooked animal, and he the Horse Whisperer. Chad knew that would be the only way he could ease his friend's fears.  And his own, which threatened to crash down around him at any moment. Unless, he reasoned, he could reach for calm, project it to Justyn, map out a plan, and get  to Lacey. Fast.

"Sweetie, I know.  We DO have to do all those things. You're right.  And we will.  Justyn, listen to me. Honey, you're wearing heels and an evening gown. You can't chase him through the streets of Portland in heels.  Even if you did know where he was going. AND, you have one hell of a shiner!" Chad reasoned with her. Even as he spoke, he was pulling out his cell and dialing. He kept his arm wrapped tightly around Justyn's shoulders, in case she decided to tear Portland apart with her bare hands to find her friend.  Chad figured she was pretty capable of it at this point. God knows, that's certainly what he wanted to do!  But after years in the PI business, he knew that the best way to help Lacey was to start with the police.  And he had a few connectioms.

"Jake, hey, its Chad," he said tightly when the phone was answered.  On the other end, Jake Martin could tell that something was very wrong. His friend's composure rarely slipped, but Jake heard that note of desperation in his voice.  Something must be really wrong, Jake thought.

"Jake, Lacey was just kidnapped.  Justyn and I are pretty sure that its that whack job who's been sending her all that crap lately. Can you get down here pronto?"

"Hey, man, I'm on it. I'll bring my crew." Jake's 'crew' was his stellar force of Portland State Troopers.  Chad knew that Jake would hand-pick the best guys on his force for a job like this one.  He was pretty sure that Detective Carter would be arrivintg hot on Jake's heels.  Clayton Carter was the bulldog who'd been working nearly around the clock trying to trace Lacey's hate mail.  Chad was profoundly glad that they would have Clay on their team, since he wasn't so sure he could be objective about the whole thing.

"How are you two doing? Justyn still with you, or did she go tearing off into the dark of Portland? Although, I have to say, that just might be the fastest way to track down Lacey," Jake said, trying to lighten the situation a bit. " Just turn Justyn loose, and that nutcase won't stand a chance.  That girl doesn't put up with people hurting her friends!"

Chad allowed himself a tight smile.  "You got a point there, buddy," he agreed.  "I tell ya, Justyn fought like a tiger against those goons.  She wasn't gonna turn loose....even if one of them did clock her."

"Shit, someone clocked Justyn?" Jake asked. His ire was already boiling when he heard about Lacey, and now Justyn getting hit? Someone's head was gonna roll for this. People didn't get away with this stuff on his watch.  Especially not to his friends.

"Yup, caught her a good one. She was wrestling with Goon number two, after Goon number one knocked Lacey out and tossed her in the car. Goon number one kept yelling at number two to get the hell in the car, but Justyn wouldn't let go. She was ripping and tearing and punching the crap out of him. Shit, she's probably got some great DNA under those pretty nails of hers. Anyway, the goon apparently decided that time was of the essence, so he decked her, sent her to the ground, and hopped in the car.  When I got there, Justyn was groggily trying to get up and all I could see were tail lights. She's got a hell of a shiner brewing, and a split lip, and I think she hit hard when she went down, cuz she's limping pretty bad," Chad related. His arm tightened around Justyn, shuddering to think what she had been through, and imagining what Lacey was going through.  Justyn reacted with body-racking shivers.

"Make sure you bring the medic, huh? Justyn's pretty beat up, and going into shock," Chad added.

"Will do, on my way.  Be there in ten, buddy. Hang in there....she'll be ok." Jake's sure tone reached Chad.  Jake knew how Chad felt about both those girls.  And he was also aware that Chad had loved Lacey for years. While he could have easily been talking about either girl, Jake's words were directed at Lacey. 

Chad took comfort from that, knowing that in addition to his ace PIs, and a seriously-pissed-off Justyn Franklin, the stellar Portland Police would be on the case.  Besides, he HAD to believe that Lacey would be ok. As soon as he thought otherwise, he'd be no help to Lacey.  His heart belonged to her, and he couldn't imagine life without her. Chad knew he had to remain calm, and focused, and do his job like any other.  Because otherwise, he might just rip someone's head off for hurting his Lacey. 

Chad shrugged his jacket off as he hung up the phone. Feeling Justyn's shivers getting worse, he draped it over her shoulders. He couldn't help Lacey at the moment, but he sure could take care of the girl by his side. And making sure Justyn was ok, being strong for her, was keeping him from falling apart. For now, anyway.

Justyn's fingers tightened on the lapels of Chad's jacket as she drew it around her shivering body.  Her big blue eyes, awash with tears, searched Chad's own.

"Jake's coming, right? And Clay? Are you gonna call Mike and Kelli? We have to start doing stuff.  Right now.  I know that its the minutes and hours right at the beginning that are the most important.  Chad, what's our plan? Tell me, what do we need to do? What do I do? How do I help her?" 

Chad looked into her upturned face and saw, beneath the tears, the dirt, the pain, and the fear, simmering anger. "Core of steel, this one," he thought with pride.  He knew that it didn't matter how hurt she was, Justyn would not rest until Lacey was safe.  Chad knew, and could see it on her face, because it mirrored his own.  These three, they were The Three for a reason. And dammit, no one, but NO ONE messed with his Two.

Simply seeing Justyn ready to do battle with little regard for herself gave him strength. Chad knew they would fight for Lacey together. Seeing Justyn's determination made "angry" a stronger emotion than "fear". And he knew that "angry" would carry them through the tough times. "Fear" would slow them down, debillitate them, make grief tougher to deal with.  But "anger" would carry them over the worry, push for action, and make sure that no stone was left unturned.  Chad and Justyn needed their anger, needed it focused on the creep who had harrassed and kidnapped their Lacey.

"Red, we're doing what we can right now.  Jake's on his way, I'm sure Clay's racing down too," Chad said as he wrapped his arms around Justyn.  "We gotta try and stay calm, and focused, and we'll work out a plan.  We're gonna get Jake's guys, and my guys, and every connection we can think of.  We're gonna start pulling in favors all over the place. Its going be a long night, but we'll get through it together. We'll do anything and everything we can to bring Lacey home."

Chad's hands slowly moved up and down Justyn's arms while he spoke.  The act of comforting her calmed him, while his firm conviction soothed her.  They leaned into each other, drawing strength from each other, knowing that neither would rest until she was found.

As Jake's cop lights began to light up the night, Justyn squeezed Chad for all she was worth.  When she turned her face back up to his, the glint in her eye told him volumes.  Fear and pain had faded for the moment, and was now replaced by banked rage. 

"You're damn right we will," Justyn said fiercly.  "No stupid little two-bit punk is going to get away with this."

Chad's face lit with the first real smile in hours. His arms tightened around Justyn, and he dropped a kiss on her nose.

"Red, honey? There's a saying you may have heard, starts out 'Hell hath no fury....' I"m pretty sure you know the end of it."

Justyn grinned as well, regardless of her split lip. "Damn straight hell hath no fury. Whack Job has one of my best friends. Besides," she paused as she gingerly touched her face, "I owe him one.  Let's go get this bastard, huh?"

Justyn linked her hands with Chad's, stiffened her spine, and got ready for battle.  Chad squeezed Justyn's hand, squared his shoulders, and looked fierce without trying.  Jake, jumping out of his car, was met by the steel determination of the warrior and the protector. He knew these two would not rest.

"Cavalry's here," Chad said as he winked at Justyn.  "Let's go kick some ass!"