Rainey hesitated to answer, and then she responded softly, "Yes, I'm scared. I'd be lying, if I said I wasn't. However, fear can keep me focused. That's what I'm counting on."

Katie smiled, "I'm counting on you."

Rainey met Katie's smile with her own, "Your safety is my number one priority."

Katie reached over taking Rainey's hand in hers, "We'll do this together, okay."

They shared a moment that was suddenly ended by the cell ringing on Rainey's hip. She looked at the caller I.D. and saw Danny's name flashing in the window.

She stood up and walked toward the door, saying, "I need to take this. It's my contact at the BAU."

Katie nodded that she understood. Rainey unlatched the door and went into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She did not want Katie to overhear this conversation.

She flipped open the phone, talking into the receiver, "Damn, it took you long enough."

"What do you mean, he's back?" Danny sounded out of breath.

"Where are you?" Rainey asked him.

"I'm running up the stairs, because the fucking elevator in this old ass building is not working at the present time. What do you mean he's back? Are you talking about our guy?"

Rainey felt the fear surface at the back of her throat. When she tried to speak her voice came out dry and harsh. "Yes," she crackled out, and then cleared her throat. "Yes, it's our guy and he knows where I am."

The man who nearly killed Rainey had become "our" guy, because Danny blamed himself for the attack. Rainey never blamed him. She knew it was her fault. She was tracking a serial killer, in his territory, and she was distracted. Danny still felt guilty. He sat beside her bed for weeks, refusing to leave even when she had gone home to her apartment in Bethel, Virginia. When she left the Bureau last July, he had been grief stricken that he had caused it all. He made her swear to call if she ever needed anything. Rainey needed something from Danny right now. She needed him to rain down FBI agents from the skies all over "our" guy, before he succeeded in killing her this time.

"We're on the way. Send me all the particulars. I'll go over it with everyone on the way down," Danny said, still running from the sounds of things.

"Thanks Danny," she said, feeling the emotions well up in her throat.

Her eyes began to burn and water. She told herself it was just the stress release, from hearing his voice.

"Hang on Rainey, I'm coming," she heard him say; before she flipped the phone shut and fell against the wall.

Rainey buried her head against her arms and sobbed. She had not cried in almost a year. The built up tension released from her chest, in breath taking retches. She did not hear the door open, but did not fight the hands that gently lead her back into the bedroom. The door shut and latched behind her. She was tenderly led to the bed, where Rainey buried her face in the pillows and cried until she had no more to give. A cold washcloth was applied to her forehead. A soft hand stroked her back until she rolled over. She opened her eyes, as Katie softly brushed the tear-dampened hair from her face. Katie smiled at Rainey.

"I'm glad you got that over with," Katie said, "I've heard it will make you feel better."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

Rainey gradually pulled herself together, while Katie excused herself to take a shower, leaving the bathroom door open a bit, should Rainey need anything. She lay back on the down pillows, Katie had carefully fluffed for her, feeling stupid for breaking down and yet, lighter from the release. Rainey should have broken down more often, but she could not let the tears begin, for fear they would never stop. She had lost the most important person in her life and shortly after, lost all of her dignity. The rapist had degraded her into a piece of meat for his perverted pleasure. He had left her scarred both inside and out, to be constantly reminded of him, and what he had done to her body and soul. Rainey had been made what she feared most, a powerless victim.

She sat up and threw her legs over the side. Her shoes were on the floor, by the bed. She did not remember taking them off. She slipped the shoes on and walked over to the window. The sun was just starting to lighten the sky, turning the blackness to a deep rich purple. Though the clouds had cleared, only the brightest stars could penetrate through the haze created by the city lights. Even out by her house, the lights of the Triangle area shrouded the tiniest stars from view.

She looked at her surroundings. The scene analyst in her began to take mental notes. This was a woman's room. There were no outward signs of a man's presence. Colorful, freshly cut flowers sprung out of various sized vases, on every flat surface. There were no pictures of JW, anywhere. The only pictures Rainey saw were of the smiling faces of children, tucked into the dresser mirror. It appeared only one person had been sleeping under the covers. Magazines and books were stacked on the floor, on the unoccupied side of the bed. JW had not slept in this room in a very long time. She heard the water in the shower shut off.

Katie's voice came from the bathroom, "You doing alright out there?"

Rainey walked nearer to the door, "Yes, but I really have to pee."

"Oh my gosh, you poor thing. Come on in here."

Rainey pushed the door open slowly, saw the toilet and made a beeline for it. For some reason, when her eyes saw the toilet, her bladder decided need had now become desperation. She rushed to get her pants down and barely made it in time. When she looked up, she saw Katie's reflection in the mirror. She was toweling off behind the opened shower door and glanced up, just in time to see Rainey looking at her. Rainey felt the rush of embarrassment flush her face, as she quickly looked away.

"Don't be embarrassed. You're not the first to take a peek," Katie said, from behind the door.

Rainey was mortified. "But I'm not...," she stammered, before Katie cut her off.

"I'm not either, so I guess it really doesn't matter then, does it?"

Katie came out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her and pranced like a sorority girl into her bedroom, where Rainey could hear her opening and closing drawers. Rainey sat on the toilet, in shock. She had been looking. Rainey had seen that Katie was naked and looked anyway, not diverting her eyes until she was caught. It was an entirely new reaction to a female nude body, since Rainey had been in and out of women's locker rooms her entire life. She had never responded with any sexual curiosity to a woman, but she was sure that was exactly what had just happened. What she did not need right now was for her mind and body to start exploring a new sexuality, especially without her full attention. She had quite a lot on her plate as it was.

"Are you ever coming out of there?" Katie inquired.

Rainey finished on the toilet and flushed it, before answering, "Yes, I just need a moment to splash some water on my face."

"Take your time, I just want to brush my teeth," Katie chimed.

Rainey washed her face with cold water several times and toweled off. She looked in the mirror over the sink. Her hair was now a wild tangled mess. She ran her fingers through it and stuck it back in a ponytail. She rinsed her mouth out, splashed cold water on her face again and dried off.

"That's as good as it gets," she said to her reflection in the mirror.

Her tear reddened eyes stared back. She dropped her gaze and left the bathroom. Katie had slipped into a pair of gray sweats and a pink tee shirt with a "Girls Kick Butt" logo across the chest. Her hair was still wet and pulled back with a clip, pinned to the back of her head. Even dressed this casually she was beautiful. She was on the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Rainey said, concerned she may alert the wrong person to their predicament.

She held up a finger, signaling Rainey to wait while she punched numbers into the phone with the other thumb. Katie put the receiver back to her ear again, listening. She punched several more numbers and then put the receiver down.

"I had to call for a substitute. It's an automated service, so I didn't have to make any excuses."

"Good," Rainey said, "the less people that know what we know, the better."

Katie brushed her teeth and then opened the bedroom door for them, asking Rainey, "What did your contact at the BAU say?"

Rainey smiled again for the first time since she broke down. "He said the cavalry is coming."

Katie surprised Rainey by hugging her. She whispered against Rainey's chest, "God bless John Wayne."

Then, just as quickly as she hugged her, Katie released her and went down the stairs. Rainey followed, still tingling where Katie's body had been against hers. This could not be happening, not with a serial killer on the loose, not to mention this was JW's wife. She needed to put some distance between herself and Katie for a few moments, clear her head. While Katie went into the kitchen to make coffee, Rainey went to the den to find Mackie and JW sitting quietly.

JW stood up. He looked at Rainey, brows raised in a question.

"Yes, she's okay. She's making coffee. She should be back in here, in a minute," Rainey answered his silent inquiry. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but you have to find a way to form one front against this guy. Don't give him the satisfaction of driving you any further apart."

"Maybe I should go try to smooth things over," JW said, moving toward the kitchen.

Rainey stopped him, by saying, "Don't piss her off. I need her focused on her safety, not on killing you."

JW smiled a half smirk, before he continued toward the kitchen, calling back, "Yeah, now wouldn't that make headlines."

Mackie waited until he was sure JW was gone, before he said, "Now, that is one weird duck."

Rainey sat down on the couch beside him. She patted his enormous thigh. A silent sign, letting Mackie know she was glad he was there. She looked in the direction JW had taken.

"I remember JW as a little irreverent. It was how he dealt with stress."

Mackie shook his head, "No, it's more than that. His responses are all wrong."

Rainey leaned in conspiratorially, before she whispered, "Look, from what I can tell, these two haven't slept together in a long time. They lost an unborn child just six months ago, in an accident that nearly killed Katie."

Mackie tried to whisper, but was not exactly successful, "I think I remember reading something about that."

Rainey signaled for him to keep his voice down, even though she knew he could not.

She continued, "He's worried about being the strong male for Katie and an upcoming Senate campaign he's worked for all of his adult life. There's no telling how much stress he's dealing with. He could be reacting oddly, because he is so used to keeping his emotions in check."

Rainey turned her head toward the kitchen. She thought she heard someone coming. She let Mackie know with a look and then changed the subject.

"I need my laptop. I have to email Danny."

Mackie caught on quickly and almost spoke too loudly, "So, you've talked to the BAU."

Rainey grinned at Mackie's attempt at nonchalance.

She kept going, "They're on the way. He wants me to send him the latest information I have. They should be up in the air by now."

"I brought in your laptop. Locked your car up, too. Got to thinking about how mad Ernie would be if it got stolen, with the keys in it. It's around back." Mackie laughed and tossed her keys to her.

Rainey looked at the big man with surprise. He chuckled even louder.

"No, I didn't squeeze my fat ass into your ride. I made JW move it. Junior and the boys are already walking the block. Nothing moves without us knowing it." Mackie stood up, "I think I'll go check on things myself. Your laptop is in the kitchen, on the table."

"Mackie don't go into the shadows alone," Rainey said quickly.

"Now Rainey, do you seriously think some punk ass white boy is going to jump a three hundred pound black man in the dark?"

"I think you forgot a few pounds there," Rainey said teasing him.

"Go on, wiseass; see if you can keep them two from each other's throats. I'll let you know when Danny gets here." Mackie opened the front door. "Make him turn the alarm back on, after I leave," he said and shut the door behind him.

Rainey smelled the bacon cooking, as soon as she started for the back of the house. She entered the wide open-spaced kitchen through the door, where she had last seen Katie. It was completely furnished in stainless steel appliances and marble counter tops. A large center island offered refrigerated space underneath and a small wet sink on top. Katie was standing on the other side of the island surrounded by multiple pots, pans and bowls of all sizes. She was working feverously on chopping something, blocked from Rainey's view by a large bowl. She looked up when she heard Rainey come in. Her cheeks were once again damp with tears.

"What happened?" Rainey questioned her. "Where's JW?"

Katie looked surprised, rubbing her chin with the back of her hand. "Nothing happened... he went to take a shower."

Rainey took a step closer, "Then why are you crying?"

Katie looked down at the surface in front of her. Rainey took another step. She was now able to see the large mound of onion on the chopping board. Katie laughed at her and Rainey joined in. Rainey asked Katie to arm the alarm. Katie went to a pad by the French doors that led to the blue slate patio. Rainey could see the Charger parked under the covered carport.

"I thought I would make some breakfast and judging by the size of Mackie, if his boys are anything like him, we're going to need a lot of omelets," Katie was saying, returning to her chopping.

Rainey put her hands on the edge of the counter opposite Katie. She said, "You don't have to do this. We can fend for ourselves. Just coffee would be fine."

"Nonsense, I love to cook and I am glad to have someone here to eat it."

"It smells delicious. Can I help?"

"Just my luck, a volunteer, after I finished the onions," Katie teased. "I need to send someone to the grocery store, but I don't guess that's going to be you."

Rainey saw her laptop on the kitchen table. She retrieved it, saying, "I'll just sit over here on this stool." She sat at a counter that served as a breakfast bar. "Let me know, if you need me."

Rainey opened her laptop and waited for it to wake. She watched Katie hustle from the refrigerator to the island and then over to the stove.

"Who taught you how to cook?" Rainey asked.

Katie kept moving while she talked, "I taught myself mainly, something to relieve stress and living with JW, I had lots of reasons to practice."

Rainey laughed, "Most people eat when they're stressed."

"Well, I like to feed them. I've been completely responsible for a significant total weight gain, by my school's faculty, in the last six months."

"You don't look like you have any weight issues," Rainey commented. She enjoyed their banter back and forth.

Katie popped several small ceramic pie dishes out of the oven, while she talked, "I eat healthy and exercise. I don't eat half the stuff I cook. I just like to make it."

Rainey looked over at the pie dishes. "Are you making pies, too?"

"Well, I was going to make quiche, that's why I started the pie crusts, but then I decided on omelets. Now, I have these pie crusts, so I thought I would make some summer pies. You know the creamy ones, like lemon and key lime..."

Rainey threw her hands up. "Okay, okay Julia Child. I'll just let you cook and I'll sit over here and write my email."

The two women worked in silence, Rainey keenly aware of Katie's presence, and trying to ignore it. She needed to get this email to Danny, as soon as possible. She had already let too much time elapse since their phone call. Once she focused on giving the BAU as many new facts as she could think of, her ability to concentrate returned. She told them all she knew about the stalker and how she had discovered it was the same man who attacked her. She attached copies of the notes and photos that had been sent to JW, except for the one he had given her last night. She had not had a chance to scan it in.

Katie brought over a cup of coffee and sat a pitcher of cream beside the sugar bowl, already on the counter.

"What would you like in your omelet?"

Rainey knew she had to eat, but her stomach was tied in knots from the stress. "Can I just have a piece of toast? My stomach isn't ready for a meal, just yet."

"When's the last time you ate?" Katie asked, with her hands on her hips, she questioned Rainey like an adult speaking to a wayward child.