Disclaimer & Warnings: See part 1
[Note: if you have the font Lucida Sans Italic, it'll look better! ;o) Unzip the file in your c:\windows\fonts directory]

Constructive comments are welcome: pattypat@iname.com

Chapter 5

After a warm and filling meal at the Accueil Bonneau, Nicole followed the Destroyer in some abandoned construction site where they could hide to let the dark-haired woman take her much needed dose of heroin.

"You ok?" the blonde asked with concern.
"Yeah... need a fix.. quick.."
"Is it safe here?"
"As safe as streets can be, yeah. Ya know, ya don't have to stay..." Troy said softly, looking into deep green eyes.
"There is nothing that could make me go away, except if you don't want me here."
"I... I'd like ya with me, but.."
"Then it's settled. C'mon, you look like you're in pain."
"I am," she admitted.

It was obviously not the first time the Destroyer went in this site as she rapidly found a spot to crash down and prepare herself for the injection. Nicole sat beside her, watching with interest and disgust as her companion got ready for it. Just before the needle entered the dark-haired woman's arm, the blonde interrupted her, watching her deep in the eyes to better convey her tender message.

"See you later, love. Enjoy the ride..." she whispered before kissing Troy softly.

The street woman answered the kiss passionately, unable to verbalize the mix of emotion Nicole's gesture had provoked in her. She smiled to her companion before getting to her business, the needle easily finding the over used vein of her left arm. Once the heroin started to course with her body, she cuddle voluntarily against the blonde who held her safely during her euphoria trip and beyond.

About an hour later, Troy forced herself out of the drowsy state that always followed the intake of heroin. She would have loved to remain where she was, held by her friend, half asleep for the next few hours, but she had promised herself to take care of Nicole's well being and for that she had to move. She extracted herself with a low growl out of the tender embrace and sat dizzyingly beside the blonde cop.

"Heya," she croaked with a pale smile toward her friend.
"Hi... Are you all right?" Nicole worried.
"Yeah... stiff and sleepy, but ok. Ya?"
"I'm fine if you are."

Troy picked up her material and dumped it in her jacket pocket before slowly getting up, growling and grunting in the process. She gestured her companion to follow her.

"Are you sure you're well enough to go anywhere, baby?" she asked softly.
"Yeah yeah... I want to show ya where to get a shower and clean clothes."
"Are you implying that I stink, Ms. Destroyer?" the blonde teased, falsely insulted.
"No," she chuckled, "but I know I do. C'mon, it's a good walk from here."

They made their way through the rubbles out to the street where the flow of people and noise assaulted them.

"Wow.. busy place," Troy grumbled.
"You ok?"
"Yeah.. always hard to get down to reality, though. C'mon, it's that way," she stated, unconsciously taking the blonde's hand in hers as she lead her through the crowd.

Surprised by Troy's affectionate move, Nicole enjoyed the feeling of the warm skin holding her tightly but didn't say anything about it in fear of making the taller woman retake some distance.

"Troy, how did you end up on the streets like this?" the undercover cop asked gently.
"Like many others. Nothing original in my story," she answered without anger.
"Please, I'd like to understand you better..."
*sigh* C"mon Troy, ya know ya want to tell her...
"You said you've been living like this for fifteen years?" the blonde fished.
"Yes," Troy sighted again. "I was fifteen..."

I was fifteen when I started smoking pot in the school yard. Everybody was doing it, so why not me. Beside, it pissed my parents off, so it was just one more reason for me to do it. I was raised in a middle-high class family, with an older brother, Michael, and a younger one, Nathan. Michael was every parent's dream child. He was good looking, intelligent, doing well in school, pretty girlfriend... the perfect child. He's a cardiologist now and is doing well, has married to the girl he was dating when he was a teenager, has two children. The perfect child.

Nathan was the baby of the family. Everybody loved him. I loved him dearly. My parents had eyes only for him and Michael. I was just "the middle one" and I wasn't doing well in school, mostly because I wanted to piss my parents off. And it wasn't working. They were just ignoring me. But I was Nathan's idol. He was following me everywhere. He was three years younger than me and he was making me feel important. He was a sweetheart, always smiling, very bright kid with a huge heart, always willing to help someone. I remember he was always there to help the old lady next door when she needed to bring her groceries out of her car....

Then I got involved with street gangs. Nothing big, ya know, school yard vs. school yard... But as most of us were smoking pot, things took a bigger meaning than it was intended at first. We grew in strength and size. We got weapons, knifes mostly. We became more organized too, christened ourselves "the Head Crushers" while the others became "the Ass Kickers". The names were just as stupid as the kids participating in those dangerous games, but at that point I didn't realize it. Many of us ended up repetitively in hospital for broken bones or deep cuts, but nothing major happened until one dreadful night...

We had been playing gang fighting for over a year, so I must've been sixteen by then. I got kicked out of school that year because it had become obvious that I was the Head Crushers' leader. I was not only smoking pot, I was also selling it. So was the leader of the other gang. Fights became a territorial war for customers... We started to fight for real. We were now more than just teenagers fighting, we had become murderers.

Violence kept rising. Most of us now were out of school, some had finished, many had been kicked out, like me. After two years of this crap, my parents finally gave me an ultimatum as I was a bad example for Nathan and a dark spot on their reputation: either I pulled myself together or I left their house. So I left. Didn't take one thing with me, I just left. The gang became my family. What I didn't know is that Nathan was still keeping track of me, following me when he could without being caught by our parents.

One particular night, we were to fight the Ass Kickers for good, or we hope we would. What we didn't know is that they had gotten guns from one of them who was affiliated with the mob. We met in a dump in the East Montreal, the old Miron's quarry. We were facing each other, ready for anything. Anything except what happened.

Nathan had followed us and saw before we did that they had guns. He jumped to warn me and the other side thought he was attacking them. They fired at him.

"Shit..." the undercover cop muttered as she sprinted behind the dark woman.

She found her a couple blocks away, in the backstreet, curled up on the ground behind a garbage container, crying silently.

"Heeyy," Nicole said softly as she knelt beside her friend. "Are you all right, babe?..."
"Go away," she cried.
"Nuh-uh."
"I don't want anyone seeing me like this."
"Like what? a caring human being?" she asked, looking tenderly in crying blue eyes.
"This is your fault. You brought it all back. Why are you doing this to me?!"
"Shhht.. because I love you. Because you've been carrying this burden by yourself for too long, baby. Come on, please.. don't shut me out now," she insisted, trying to pass a comforting arm around her shoulder, only to be roughly pushed away.
"Don't touch me! Dammit, I wanna be alone! SCRAM!" she yelled.
"No baby, I'm not going anywhere without you," she stated, making a second attempt to hug the hurting woman.
"GO A-WAY!!"

She pushed her back fiercely, making the blonde fall on her back and hitting her head on the asphalt. Fuck... Nicole thought as she tried to pull her brain together quickly so Troy wouldn't have time to run away again.

"I don't want to hurt you," the dark-haired woman growled, "but I will if ya don't leave me alone."
"Baby," Nicole said as she got back on her knee, "you're starting to get beyond my patience..."

In a quick move, she was sitting on top of Troy's thighs, holding the leather clad arms against the wall, faces only inches away from each other's.

"..And when I'm loosing patience, it can get ugly," Nicole said, holding her friend firmly pinned on the spot. "So you listen to me, Destroyer . I know you hurt. I know it's hard to trust me and tell me what happened. But I am NOT going to abandon you, no matter what. Ya got that?... Good," she continued after Troy's nod, "so you can choose to talk or not, but don't you dare push me away for the wrong reasons. Got that?"  Another nod.

Silence.

The held each other's gaze for a long moment, weighting each other's determination. Finally, Troy's muscles started to relax and Nicole let go of her arms who ended up immediately around her in a very tight hug. The blonde returned the embrace tenderly, glad to have reach through her companion's armor but terribly sad to feel her shaking sobs against her.

"Shhht... let it go, sweetheart, I've gotcha..."
"Did I.. hurt you?" came the weak question from within the fold of her jacket.
"No big deal, love. I'm okay. We are okay..."

They stayed in that position long enough for Troy to regain control of her emotions and for Nicole to reset her heartbeats to a normal level. When she felt that her companion was again strong enough, the cop softly tried to continue their conversation.

"Nathan died, didn't he," she said, more a statement than a question.
"Yes," Troy sniffed, "four bullets got him in his chest."
"Let me help you, love, tell me..."

After a deep sigh, Troy resumed her terrible storytelling, leaving the tears fall freely down her cheeks.

For a moment, everything went still, nobody moved. I ran toward my wounded brother but when I took him in my arms, all he had time to do was saying he loved me... and he passed away. I don't think anyone from both gangs had wanted something like this to happen, but it had gotten out of hands and there was no way back. When Nathan died... I snapped. I went totally berserk.

I don't recall exactly what happened, but others could tell you. All I know is that I killed them all. I ran in their ranks and the Ass Kickers became the Ass Kicked. Hard. I had a knife against them but I could have done it with my bare hands, it didn't matter. Every single one of the Ass Kickers died painfully under my attacks. Their guns could never protected them from the rage that was driving me. My own gang was watching, haggard, and decided to fly away instead of witnessing the bloody scene I was creating.

When the last of them collapsed, I was the only living left, standing among bodies and gore, my clothes soaked in blood. Their blood. That night, I became The Destroyer. I had killed the eleven members of the Ass Kickers. I had avenged my brother's death... but that didn't ease my pain.

Before the police arrived, I picked up Nathan's body and carried him to our parents' home. It's the last time I've ever been there. From that moment, I was alone and I was feared. Nobody would try to cross the Destroyer. Every single street teen knew about me, about the massacre, and they were all rightfully scared. The cops never found out what had exactly happened that night, so I got never arrested for my crimes.

To try to ease my guilt, I fell into stronger drugs. Someone I didn't know at that time offered me meth for a good price. So I took it. I smoke pot or meth for a couple of years. Sometimes I would get a higher hit with a speedball, but usually the crashing was physically difficult, so I learned to avoid mixes. Got on that for four or five years. The guy who had sold me my first meth kept selling me more and got me some job for his boss. Easy stuff: unknown packages delivery, drug retailing, cleaning the garbage...

I was introduced to Sartoli on my 23rd birthday. No idea how they knew about it, but they had made me a little party in one of their bars. With a cake, candles and all.. Sartoli said he knew how good a job I was doing for him on a low level and wanted me to work with me on a higher scale, that he could make me rich and powerful, but I would've to detox before working for him. He and his men were really nice with me, I wanted to please him, but detox was out of question. Even five years later, I still needed that escape to forget, even momentarily, Nathan's death. So I refused.

He didn't like that. Nobody says 'no' to Sartoli and lives to tell about it. But I guess he knew I was a lost cause. So he offered me another deal. He said he had proof and witness to the massacre but if I'd keep working for him as I did already, little cleaning here and there, some deliveries... and satisfy some of his connections' needs, he would remain silent. I had now three choices: work on high level, work on low level, or die. I chose the second choice. Why? I don't know. I often asked myself that question: why didn't I choose death that night?... maybe I felt the need to pay on Earth for my bro's death instead of taking the easy way out.. I honestly don't know. I also often regretted that choice. Death would have been such a relief... still is as a matter of fact... But I chose to live a scum life instead.

When Sartoli got shot three years ago, I discovered that he had lied to me for years: he didn't have anything about the gang killing, nothing at all. He had bluffed when he talked to me the first time and I had acknowledged my crimes thinking he knew and could prove it. What a fool I have been... When he died, I thought I was free at last. That I could start over in the right direction. Foolish again... I had no cash, no home and needed meth like others need food. With Sartoli's death, I realized there was a life lower than the one I had lived. Left with nothing but my craving for drugs, I tried to keep in touch with some customers I had but it wasn't enough, so I ended up in the Red Light district with the girls, not on the pimp side anymore. It certainly was a shock at first. I had only done rich men until then, never expected to find the low life scums that haunt the Red Light...

Sex with strangers wasn't the worst part, although it was far worse from anything I would have thought. But often, you get some weirdos that take you just for proving to themselves they're man enough, sexual and verbal abuse, beating.. lots of it.. But I had such a low self esteem at that point, every scar was just something that I felt I deserved for Nathan's death. I ended up in the hospital more time than I care to remember...

By chance, I've been in the Red Light only for a year or so. Then I met one of Sartoli's old acquaintance and since then, I only work for high profiles people. They gave me the pager and call me when they want to be serviced. Sometimes it's at the storage, other times it's in a different place, depending on the service they require. I can't complain, they usually pay well in clean heroin and a bit of cash. They protect me from the cops and if I get arrested, I know I'll be out the next day. There is better life, surely, but for me, it's better than the year after Sartoli's death, so I don't complain too much...

Something doesn't fit here, Nicole thought, her file says that she's a freelancer, yet she admits she has a pimp... Things don't add up...

"The pages are coded?" the blonde asked, curious.
"Yeah... First digit tells me who, second tells me where and the last four tell me the time of the meeting. See," she volunteered as she took the pager off her belt to show to her friend, "55 means that guy at the storage, 1600 is the time I met him."
"Clever," she admitted, mentally writing this information down, as well as the pager number visible on its side.

There was a thinking silence during which Nicole hoped that her companion would continue her story, but when the silence extended, she decided that Troy had said enough for one day. It was hard on both women to shake the past awake and they both needed a break.

"Thank you for letting me in," the blonde whispered as she hugged her lover tighter.
"Still wanna stick with me now that you know who I am really and what I did?" Troy asked, genuinely surprised.
"Oh yeah! Nothing can change the way I feel about you, baby.. and I love you!" she concluded as she bent forward to emphasize her words with a tender and passionate kiss. "Can we still get that shower?" she asked, feeling her companion's need for space.
"Ya betcha. C'mon, it's not far now," Troy answered helping her friend to get up and walking out of the backstreet.

Chapter 6

After presenting her new friend to the people she knew at the Salvation Army, Troy lead her first to the laundry room where they exchanged their dirty clothes against a bathrobe. They started the washing machine up and then walked to the shower room which was nothing fancy, just a huge room with shower heads aligned on the walls, but to them it felt like heaven. They quickly stripped of their bathrobes and stepped under the warm water.

It felt so good to get clean that Nicole couldn't refrain a moan of pleasure as she enjoyed the feeling of water running down her body. Watching her silently, Troy smiled at the obvious joy her companion was displaying. She also couldn't avoid admiring the perfect curves of Nicole's physiology, the perfect round breasts with their hard nipples pointing at her tantalizingly. She gulped painfully, fighting the urge she felt to walk over and take that delicious woman in her arms to kiss her senseless. Get a grip, Destroyer, she berated herself. But if her brain was trying to remain calm, her heart rate and body temperature were rising with each breath the blonde was taking, making it very difficult to keep control on the situation. A shower together was definitely NOT a good idea, she thought as she closed her eyes, trying to get away from the hypnotizing sight in front of her.

"Are you all right?" Nicole worried when she realized her companion wasn't moving, eyes closed and holding herself against the wall.
"Er.. ye..yeah," she snapped back to reality, quickly reaching for the soap and looking the opposite way.
"Are you sure?" the blonde inquired as she moved closer.
"N..Yeah.. just.. step back, please," the weak voice requested, not trusting herself.

Huh? Nicole wondered silently as she did as asked. What's wrong with her?!... It's not like she hasn't showered with someone else before... While she resumed washing herself, she kept a weary eye on her dark friend, slowly realizing what might have been Troy's problem, feeling suddenly very aroused watching the naked goddess beside her. Oh my... she silently exclaimed, her body reacting to the magnificent sight making her understand what might have been the cause of the rebuttal. Although the only thing she really wanted to do was stepped over and hugged the woman she loved, she contended herself by detailing every square inch of skin she could see. She noticed some asian characters tattooed on the right shoulder blade and she almost gasped out loud when she noticed the many scars and needle bruises covering most of Troy's body. Her heart ached at the suffering all those injuries represented. A indescribable surge of love engulfed her and she did nothing to stop it. After soaping her hands, she walked over and started to gently wash Troy's back which stiffened but didn't move away.

"Don't fight it, Eileen," the blonde whispered as her hands moved in front, hugging the tall woman tenderly, "we both feel the same way about this..."
"Do.. do you have any idea of the effect you have on me?" Troy gulped, closing her eyes when Nicole's hands covered her breast.
"Probably the same you have on me," she answered calmly, walking around the stiff woman without letting go of her embrace.

Green eyes looked into deep blue ones, both reflecting the same passion and arousal. Slowly, Nicole forced Troy to bend over enough to be able to lock lips in a tender yet heated kiss that quickly grew deeper, tongues demanding entrance and fighting for a territory already conquered, hands caressing unknown and yet familiar curves, bodies melting into one another in a soul searching embrace that left them both breathless and dizzy.

"We.. we've gotta stop," Troy panted as she forced herself away from the little warm body. "I.. I can't.."
"Shhht... it's ok," the blonde assured softly, "it's not the place for that either... I know.."

Regretfully, they separated themselves and finished washing, Troy ending her shower with cold water before getting back to their robes and slipping in it quickly. What the fuck did just happen?! How can I be so stupid and involve her with me?! Damn...

"What does the tat mean?" Nicole asked softly while drying her hair in a towel.
"It's japanese for Destroyer, I got it ten years ago."
"Really? It looks very nice, I like it."
"Thanks. It's a reminder of who I am, in case I get too stoned to remember," she stated sarcastically.
"Riiight..."
"It's true. So even if I get clean some day, I'll always remember who I am deep down."
"You and I, my friend, are going to work on your self-esteem!"
"Waste of time. C'mon, let's get our clothes dry and get outta here," she concluded, avoiding any further discussion involving herself.

When they arrived to the laundry room, the dark woman was again every inch of the fearless Destroyer, her barricade once again solidly in place. Nicole, on the other hand, was not only deeply frustrated but also hopelessly desperate to get her beloved out of the streets. They remained silent the whole time it took for their clothes to dry off.

As they were walking back toward Troy's hide, wearing clean clothes and holding hands, two punks intercepted them, making some sort of hand signal to the Destroyer who understood it immediately.

"Stay here for a sec," she ordered Nicole, "I have to talk to those guys."

Without discussing it, the undercover cop watched her friend moving away with the other two so they could talk without being heard. From where she was, Nicole saw Troy's back stiffen while her shoulders sagged perceptibly. She thanked the two boys and came back to her companion, a grim look on her face.

"Problems?" the blonde softly asked.
"Not here," came the laconic answer.

All the way, Nicole almost had to run to keep Troy's pace. Looking at the tall woman, she could see the jaw set tight, muscle twitching in contained anger.  Finally, she followed her companion in the abandoned house, locking the panel in place mechanically while she tried to catch her breath. Troy didn't wait for her and went upstairs immediately upon arrival. The Destroyer let out her too long contained anger just as Nicole arrived on the first floor, just in time to see Troy's left fist hitting the brick wall forcefully. Before she could act, Troy hit it a second time, not noticing any pain, only needing to get her frustration out.

"Stop it, Troy," the blonde screamed as she ran toward her distressed companion.
"Let me do it," Troy answered in a low dangerous rumble.
"NO! Hurting yourself won't help anything... please, don't..." she cried and begged, watching in fear her dark companion's bloody hand ready to hit the wall once more. "Please...."

Defeated, Troy dropped her arm and let herself fall on her knees on the ground, Nicole by her side in an instant.

"That's ok baby, I've gotcha," Nicole whispered as she cuddled the tall woman against her. "Whatever happens, you don't have to hurt yourself physically, love... You just make me hurt more..."
"S'rry..."
"Let me take care of that hand, will you?" she asked, removing a clean scarf and the antiseptic bottle from her jacket pockets.

Absently, Troy allowed her to clean the wound and bandage it softly, not feeling anything, her mind thousands miles away.

"Wanna tell me what happened, baby?" Nicole asked as she settled herself in a comfortable position in the Destroyer's arms.
"Ya don't wanna know."
"Sure I do... I wanna help you, love. Don't carry all the burden by yourself, please..."
"It's Cracks," she said somberly
"What about him?"
"He felt that TJ's death was his fault. He sent the youngest away and.. he and Betty got their last fix."
"The.. they're dead?" Nicole gulped painfully.
"Overdose, both of 'em..."
"Fuck!..."

Both women remained silent for a long while, hugging each other, both grieving the loss of their too young fellows.  Finally, Troy pulled back softly and started to get her kit out of her jacket, getting ready for her regular fix. Seeing that she was getting more than one bag, Nicole started to panic.

"Troy... love.. you're not gonna do something stupid, are you?" she asked with a deep worry.
"No... But it'd be so easy to end it all, though..."
"Don't say that!" she yelled. "Don't you dare say that ever again, hear me?! You and I will get out of this shit, Eileen, and that," she pointed at the drug, "is NOT the solution we'll choose. Ya got that?!?"
"Don't sweat over it," Troy said almost too calmly, "suicide has never been one of my options, even if I may have thought about it sometimes."
"Don't even think about it," the blonde ordered, her voice lowered slightly.
" 'kay..."
"Sorry if I yelled, but I love you and I don't want to loose you. Not now, not ever..."
" 's okay. You'll be here when I get back?" she asked, getting ready for her shot.
"Ya betcha, babe! I ain't going anywhere without you."

With a last pale smile, Troy injected the heroin in her left forearm before falling into the haze of her artificial world.
 

Chapter 7

The two women spent the next two days hidden at Troy's place, disturbed only once when the dark woman had to go to the storage to satisfy the need of one of her customers. From far away where she was, Nicole could only notice a different car and, therefore, probably a different person. As soon as Troy got paid for her services, the two friends went back straight toward their crash place where they laid cuddled in each other's embrace.

On the third day however, Nicole's stomach was making it clear that it needed to be fed and they decided to go find some food to steal from different stores. There is only as much one can steal at the same place without being caught... To be able to do it more quickly, they split their effort, Nicole taking the big supermarket while Troy went to the smaller one-dollar store.

An noisy altercation in the street brought Troy out of the store, just in time to see her blond companion being pushed roughly into a police car.

"Shit!" she whispered as she watched the car departing rapidly.

She asked around to know what had happened and found out that cops just happened to be there while she hid a loaf of bread under her jacket, where she had previously hidden tea bags and milk, so they had arrested her immediately.  Well, she didn't do much, she'll be out soon enough, the Destroyer thought as she walked to her place, a very empty lonely place.

"Ah Nicole, finally we found you," Jonathan Parker stated as she entered his office, squared by two police officers.
"Lemme go back, Jon. I can't stay here, not now!"
"Easy Nick..." he said while gesturing the other cops out of the room. "You haven't reported to your superiors in almost a week now. Not only are we worried for you, but we need to know what progress you're making in this assignment."
"Not much progress," she sighed, "but I'm doing fine. I need to go back..."
"You look tired, Nick."
"I am. Nights are cold and I don't sleep too well out there... But the sooner I get back, the sooner I can finish this."
"No. After discussing it with my superiors, we have agreed that you needed some time to get your strength back. So you have twenty-four hours off from now. We'll drive you home and drive you back here, so for any outsider, it'll look like a simple overnight interrogation."
"I don't wan..."
"It's an order, Nicole."
"Bu..."
"No but! It's my responsibility to take care of my agent and right now, I can see that you need to get off the streets and rest. So you will do just that!"
"Aye aye, Sir," she grumbled with a mock salute.

Parker called the two policemen back in and bid Nicole a good sleep. Silently, she followed them and hid herself in the bottom of the car as it departed the station, so nobody would see her leaving.

It felt strange to be back in her cozy home. Everything was where she had left it what seemed a lifetime ago. She stepped in with the feeling that she didn't belong there anymore, that her life was incomplete, that she would like it more if Troy was with her. Troy... Hope she's doing ok today... Nicole sat in the comfortable sofa in her living room and she smiled, thinking about her street living friend. How can someone as different as us can be so well together? I've left her only one hour ago and I already miss her so much... How can we make it out of this shit in one piece?

Then an idea started to germ in her mind and her smile widened. Yes! That's the solution. That can work out if Troy's willing to follow me... And as soon as she cleared out how to make her idea into reality, she went to change in more 'normal' clothes and went out to see her banker. It will work. It has to work.

A couple of hours after Nicole's arrest, Troy got paged and had to join a customer back at the old refrigerated storage. Bujold arrived only minutes after her.

"Well, hello Destroyer," he grinned.
"Need my service again, minister?" she asked with total disinterest.
"Not exactly... I'm just here to warn you about your new little girlfriend."
"What girlfriend?" she feigned indifference.
"You know exactly who I'm talking about. She's lying to you, Destroyer. She's not who she told you she was."
"What would you know?" she shrugged.
"Trust me, I know. She's a cop, Destroyer."
"You're lying," she spat angrily.
"Am I? Here, that's her police ID and her driver license. See by yourself. Am I lying?"
"Can't be," she stammered, shocked by the truth as she read the papers.
"It is. She's on undercover assignment to get you arrested for drug retailing."
"I don't retail drug," she mumbled.
"She'll prove you wrong.. She's a good cop, she'll find whatever she wants to find. Watch yourself, Destroyer."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I need our little arrangement. I don't want to loose it."
"Those IDs can be faked," she stated, hoping they were.
"There is an address, go there. She's taking a day off today... Go and get rid of her."

Troy was silent, shocked by the betrayal. She lied to me. She said she'd help me, said she loved me... It was all a lie... How could I have been so stupid?!...

"I'll be going now, Destroyer. Do us a favor, watch who you mingle with," he concluded as he turned around to leave the building, leaving Troy frozen on the spot between pain and anger.

"Shit...."

Things were looking brighter for Nicole when she came home after a couple of stops in town. She had been able to transfer some money over in her own swiss bank account, she had plane tickets reserved for two one-way trips Montreal-Zurich and she had arranged with a friend of her who would be able to supervise the sale of the house and it's content. All was left to do now was to convince Troy that they could escape together and start a new life.

After relaxing in a hot bath for a while, Nicole then made some phone calls to her family back in Switzerland. The immigrant family had decided ten years ago that they had spent enough time away from their roots and moved back to Fribourg where they were originated from. Nicole had refused to follow them, having a brand new job that she liked and a country she loved as well. Her refusal had been a source of conflict with her parents, but in the end, things smoothed over nicely and she stayed in the house their parents had bought. When she told them on the phone that she was probably be coming home sooner than expected, they were thrilled. She asked them to find out information about a good detox clinic for her friend, explaining summarily the situation Troy was in. Her dad promised to look into this for her until she'd be back.

Nicole had just hung the phone when her doorbell rang. Wondering who it could be in this early evening, the blonde slowly made her way to the door. Her smile dropped as quickly as she realized who the visitor was.

"T.. Troy!" she stammered.
"So it's true," Troy's voice was so cold it made her shiver. Her naturally warm blue eyes were dark black. To any other being, everything about the Destroyer would have scream danger and make them run. All Nicole saw was the pain behind the anger.
"Wh.. Ho.."
"You betrayed me."
"Wha..? No! No!"
"Are you saying you're not a fucking cop?" Troy growled between clenched teeth.
"Is.. I.. Shit!.. Come on it, Troy. Let's talk about this..."
"Are you or aren't you a fucking cop?" she insisted without moving an inch.
"I.. I am," she whispered in defeat, "but..."
"Here your IDs. Stuck 'em in your ass and don't EVER come close to me again or I'll kill you. And you know I can do it, don't ya?!"
"Troy, please.. let me explain..."
"Shut the fuck up! There's nothing to explain," she concluded, leaving the distressed blonde alone on her porch.
"Troy... TROY!!!..." she yelled in the night, her scream being ignored by the dark woman running away.

Leaving the blonde had been difficult. She looked so vulnerable, so sad, all Troy had wanted to do was holding her close to comfort her. But she was a cop and she had lied to her. Betrayal again. Never get attached to anyone, Destroyer. You knew the rule and ignored it. Assume the consequences now. But her feeling for the young woman ran deep and it hurt even more.

The Destroyer turned herself in survival mode, one she knew only too well. One that didn't allow any personal feeling to interfere. She went back to her place, packed her little belongings in her old bag and left, leaving the mattress behind. Sleeping on the ground again wouldn't make much difference to her anyway. She had an idea where her new spot would be, in fact it would even be better for the winter, being a half basement protected against the wind... if it was still unoccupied. Good thing I spotted that one and didn't tell anyone about it.

Breaking in through the plywood over the windows wasn't difficult for someone like Troy. In a few minutes, she was safely inside leaving no clue that she had entered. She found a safe place in the back, almost totally dark except a little light coming through the crack of the wall. Gonna have to fill that crack for the winter, she thought as she looked around her new place. I'll even be better here, maybe there is a positive side to all this shit, she snorted aloud at the thought. Yeah, right!

She let herself on the ground, got her material out and set herself for a much needed fix. Soon, she fell into oblivion as the heroin ran through her blood.

Nicole was beyond anger. Someone had deliberately given her cover up to Troy, and it had to be someone from the police force. She had left her paper and keys at the Station, as she had been ordered to by Parker. Parker. She rushed to the phone and called her supervisor at his home.

"Why did you blow my cover up, Parker?" she yelled in the phone as soon as he got online.
"Say what? I didn't do anything like this. What's going on, Nick?"
"Troy just got out of my place. She returned my police ID and driver license. Someone had to give them to her and it certainly wasn't me!"
"Calm down, Nicole... There must be an explanation to this..."
"And I want to hear it NOW."
"Believe me, Nick, I know nothing about that. We'll investigate tomorrow to find out who accessed your locker."
"You'll do that, Parker. I have to find Troy."
"No! You can't go after her, she'll kill you now that she knows who you are. She's dangerous."
"Whoever gave her my IDs is the dangerous person around here, Parker. Not her."
"Nicole, I forbid you to go and find her."
"And you can shove it where you want. I WILL find her. I have to. Don't try to contact me, I'll contact you."
"But Ni..."  he got cut off when the blonde angrily hung the phone and rushed to her bedroom to get dressed.

A few minutes later, she was jumping in her car and drove downtown in search of her companion. I have to explain, I have to find her. And she'll have to believe me... I can't loose her. I love her too much...  The first place she went to look for Troy was in her place. When she saw the plywood ajar, she knew the tall woman wouldn't be there. She was not even surprised to see that everything but the mattress had disappeared. Damn, I'm too late...

Nicole spent most of the night looking for her friend without success. The Destroyer can't be found unless she wants you to find her, she recalled. She cursed in frustration and hit her steering wheel with both hands. Damn it, where could she be?!  She had asked all the junkies she knew, she went in all the places they had been together. Not a trace. God I hope she won't do anything stupid... I love you, Troy. Don't you dare hurt yourself...

Unable to find her friend and unwilling to go back to her home, Nicole decided to go to the police station and research files, hoping to find a clue on either who had given her IDs or where Troy could be hiding.

"Hi Lorenz," the officer in charge greeted her.
"Hello JP. Quiet tonight?"
"Oh yeah... I'd even say boring, but when you verbalize it, usually things go crazy, so I won't say a thing."
"Sounds safe," she smiled.
"So you're back with us, Nicole?"
"I never left, JP. I was undercover but someone blew it up. So I'm back in the real world, yup. I'll be in my office."
"There is fresh made coffee if ya want," he offered.
"Thanks, I'll take a cup on my way."

Steamy mug in hand, she entered her office. It felt strange to be there after spending over a week on the street. It was unreal somehow, but here she was and she had to find answers. She quickly logged in and scrolled over her numerous emails, reading only those that seemed related to her present case. Nothing sparkled her interest, though. She knew all the infos that were there, Troy had willingly given her most of them herself. Troy... I miss you so much... I hope you're safe somewhere...

She dug out the Sartoli file. It was huge. She read the pages one by one, looked at the pictures, trying to make connections. She found one pic taken in one of Sartoli's bar, the boss and some of his acquaintances, one being a young but very recognizable Eileen. Nicole smiled and printed a copy of the image for herself. God, I love that woman! She was about half way through the file when one picture made her jump. On a golf course, two men smiling at the friendly game: Sartoli and Bujold! She hit herself mentally. Of course, it had to be Bujold! Why didn't I think of it earlier! Knowing what to look for, she oriented her research toward the link between Sartoli and the current Minister of Internal Affairs.

Bujold was the reason she was in this mess in the first place. If she had had time to find proofs against him, he would have not only lost his position, but also ended up in jail. But a leak had deferred her file to the press before she had all the cards in hand and she had been forced to apologize. His influence had allowed him to remain free but Nicole was still a thorn in his side and he knew she would never give up, even if ordered to.

She checked who had ordered her undercover assignment and didn't find it surprising that the order had come from the ministry, although no name were mentioned.  Isn't that interesting, she grinned internally. She got up for another cup of coffee and stopped to lightly ask a question to JP.

"Heard you had someone for Internal Affairs the other day.. must have been havoc here, huh?" she bluffed falsely sympathetic.
"Oh yeah, that was bad.. Everybody was checking everybody to make sure nobody made a faux pas. What a day it'd been," he sighed, unknowingly giving her the information she was looking for.
Bingo! "They should stick in the parliament and let us do the work, right JP?"
"Ya betcha! Coffee's good, huh?"
"Yup, thanks... Going back to work now..."
"Don't overwork yourself, honey."
"Damn paperwork, ya know how it is..."
"Yeah..."

All right, so Bujold wanted me out of the picture and he put me in contact with The Destroyer. Then he gives her my IDs... Why? Did he think she'd kill me on the spot? Does he want just me out of the picture, or does he want both Troy and I out?... Too many question... Too few answers... Damn!  Settling again at her desk, she kept looking through files in hope of another clue that could help her getting the answers she was searching.  Finally, exhaustion took the best of her and she fell asleep on her desk.

Chapter 8

Nicole awoke a few hours later as the police station started to buzz with the daily activities. She quickly closed the files she had been looking, hid the pictures of Troy with Sartoli and got up for a coffee. She was about to pass the door when Parker joined her.

"Glad to see you here, Lorenz," he said sincerely.
"Did you find out how Troy got my IDs?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"Er.. no, not yet. Any luck on your side?"
"Nope," she answered laconically as she poured milk in her coffee.
"What about the dope retailing, any success with that?"
"I'm progressing, but after what happened with the Bujold case, I keep that for myself until I have all the cards in hand."
"Don't you trust me, Nick?" he asked, mildly hurt.
"Nothing personal: I don't trust anybody right now," she growled.
"I guess you have the right to do that," he agreed.
"The right? Having the Destroyer know that I'm a cop could have got me killed, Parker. Do you realize that?"
"But she didn't kill ya, so everything's all right."
"No, everything's NOT all right. Someone in here blew up my cover. That can't be good for any of us. I'm warning you, Parker: find the person responsible and quick!"
"I'll keep looking, no worry," he shrugged.
"I'm off now. Been here all night, I need to get some fresh air," she concluded, gulping the last of her coffee and leaving the room.

Nicole walked all the streets and backstreets where she hoped she would find the Destroyer, but unfortunately, the woman was well hidden. At lunch time, the blonde went back to the station and ate at the cafeteria, feeling awkward among her fellow workers. Something had changed drastically in her life and she didn't fit in anymore.

"So, feeling better?" Parker asked as he sat beside her.
"No."
"Any news of tall and deadly?"
"Don't call her that!" she almost yelled. "And no, I don't know where Troy can be."
"Too bad you can't just page her or anything," he laughed between mouthfuls.
The pager! Damn.. where's my brain today! Of course...
"You're not even funny, Jon. Sorry, gotta run. See ya," she said, not leaving him time to add any word.

Fortunately for her, Nicole had a particularly good visual memory and she recalled every details of Troy's pager, including its number. She went to the first phone booth and composed the number, living a code similar to the one Troy had explained her. She didn't know who that call was supposed to be from, but 551500 meant "someone at the storage at 3pm" and that's all she needed to know. Please, let her be there at three, she prayed silently.

Troy got out of her hazy world with difficulty as the pager vibrated at her belt. With shaky hands, she looked at the numbers displayed and she sighed heavily.

"What does he want now?" she mumbled as she raised herself to sit, her back against the wall. "Damn..."

She had pushed her body a bit too far the night before, drinking much more than she should have while still keeping herself high with more frequent heroin fix. It was a bad mix and her body was telling her exactly how bad as she tried to put her mind together, feeling dizzy and very sleepy. However, she pushed herself on her feet and held the wall to steady her equilibrium. Woah... easy Troy, or you'll end up on your sorry ass, she thought and then chuckled at the idea of the feared Destroyer falling on her butt by herself. All right, let's go.. At the speed I'm going to walk, I better leave right now or I'll never be there at three and he'll be pissed off...

With a deep sigh, she forced her feet one in front of each other and got on the street, the people and noises making her even more dizzy. Shit... this ain't good...

Nicole arrived at the abandoned storage a good half hour before the time as she was so very nervous. She didn't know if she'd be able to convince her beloved of the sincerity of her feelings, but she was desperately hoping that she could. She sat on the ground in a shady corner and waited impatiently for her companion to arrive.

A little before three o'clock, a wobbly figure reached the third floor and walked by the sitting woman without noticing her.

"Hi," Nicole said softly, making the tall woman jump in surprise.
"You!" she spat angrily.
"Yes, me. Troy, we've got to talk," she explained as she got up to get closer.
"We have nothing to talk about anymore. Go away, I'm expecting someone."
"I'm the one who paged you, Troy. That's the only way I had to find you."
"Ya little shit! How dare ya?!" she yelled, almost loosing her balance in the process.
"Are you all right, honey? You don't look too good," Nicole worried.
"Don't you 'honey' me. I'm fine and for you, I'm dead. So forget me and scram!"
"Please Troy, gimme a chance to explain."
"No need to explain. You're a fucking cop, that's all I care to know. Leave me alone or I'll have to find other means to get rid of you."
"You're threatening me?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
"No, I'm warning ya!"
"Look, I came here without weapon, Troy," she said removing her warm jacket. "I'm here to solve this mess between you and I.. because I love you."
"Don't say that," the dark woman whispered, closing her eyes under the pain she felt.
"Please... Look," Nicole said as she approached the pillars where the handcuffs were tied to them, "if I trust you enough to lock myself with those, maybe you can trust me enough to listen to me?"
"Don't bet on it," she growled, turning slowly to walk away.

Nicole stretched herself on her toe to reach the cuffs and quickly locked the first one on her left wrist. The click resonated in the empty building and made Troy stop in her track. A few seconds later, a second click made her turn around and look at the police woman, standing on her toes with both her wrists locked in the handcuffs over her head.

"I trust you with my life, Troy," she said softly, a lone tear falling down her cheek. "Please, listen to me..."

Troy walked back to the blonde and stopped only inches away from her. Deep sincere green eyes locked into hazy skeptical ones for a moment.  For a split second, Nicole thought that she had reached her friend and that things would be ok. Then the Destroyer bent over slightly and kissed her harshly on the lips before backing out.

"Trusting you was my mistake," Troy's hoarse voice told her, "trusting me was yours."

She turned around and walked away toward the stairs leading down, leaving a desperate blonde behind her.

"Troy?... Troy, you can't leave me like this?" she worried.
"Watch me," she vaguely heard.
"Troy, please... TRROOYYY..." the blonde yelled as the dark haired woman disappeared down the stairs.

She called her until her throat felt sore and then realized that the Destroyer was really gone and had left her there, vulnerable to anything and anyone who'd be around. But the only thing that was really breaking her into pieces was that she had lost the woman she loved. She allowed the hurt to get out as she cried over her loss, forgetting for a moment the physical pain her position was creating. Damn you, Eileen Ó Riain!

"I HATE YOU!" she yelled to the emptiness before crying with even more intensity.

A couple of hours later, darkness had fallen slowly on the city. At the end of October, the days were starting the get much shorter and the temperature was dropping drastically toward the freezing point. Although the weather had been rather mild, a northerly wind had started during that day, promise of the approaching winter.

While she had tried to unlock the cuffs, Nicole hadn't been able to succeed in anything else than bloodily injuring her wrists. She was exhausted from the effort of standing on her toes, cramps in her calves often forcing her to put all her weight on her cuffed wounded wrists. The storage having no wall, the cold wind would make the woman even more miserable, if it were possible. But she was beyond misery. She had found someone she loved, and she had lost her. Being in pain and cold was nothing compared to the pain her heart was enduring. If only she would have listen to me. She would have believed me. We would have worked together to solve this and get rid of Bujold once and for all. But... she's gone forever now... A dry sob escaped her as she let a desperate sigh out of her lungs.

Nicole was hurting, physically and sentimentally, and she was exhausted. She was also very cold, her jacket lying on the ground a few feet away seeming to laugh at her distress. Shit! How did I manage to get myself in this mess?  Damn... Unless someone finds me soon, I could be dying here and nobody will ever know... Getting in those cuffs isn't the brightest idea I ever had... How could I have thought that she'd believe me?...

Noises from the floor below distracted her and her heart hoped that Troy had came back for her. Listening more carefully, Nicole realized there were different male voices and that it was not her friend. She thought about calling for help, but some instinct refrained her to do so, as she was particularly vulnerable to unfriendly and unknown persons. So she remained quiet, hoping they would either be saviors or they would not see her. She heard many running around, screams and yells as they played tag, coming definitely closer from her. When she saw the first shadow arriving on the third floor, she held her breath.

The man didn't see her right away but as he ran around, he came across her jacket. He stopped, checked it out and looked around. Only then he saw the shivering woman handcuffed against the pillars. He called his buddies as he got closer from Nicole.

"Well, well," he wondered falsely compassionate, "what do we have here? Enjoying yourself, darling?"
"Er.. I don't suppose you could unlock these, could you?" she asked, trying to sound confident.
"And even if I could, why would I do that? You're all ready to play with... I kinda like it this way.."
"Please, you don't want to do something you'll regret afterward," she said, feeling her calm leaving her.
"Then I'll have to do something I will not regret, then," he smiled viciously.
Oh God, no... Everything but this...

His four friends soon joined him and they teased her verbally for a moment while she tried vainly to discourage them of doing anything to her, even letting them know that she was Troy's property. They only laughed at that comment, not seeing her anywhere meant she was not interested. Inwardly, Nicole couldn't disagree with that statement, even though it hurts to do so.

"Guess ya must be the cop who tried to lock her up," one of them said as he stepped around her, like a hound around its prey.
"W..How would you know?" she questioned, starting to feel the panic rising within her.
"Word's out on the streets to watch for a blonde cop pretending being lost among us... We can pass the word tomorrow that you won't snoop around, as dead don't walk," he snarled, making his buddies laugh.
"Yeah, but we'll have some fun before we'll clean the streets from you, beauty," another one grinned.

Unknown to them all, a shadow silently walked around in the darker corner, making sure to not be seen.

"Being a cop ain't good, but betraying the Destroyer is very dangerous," the first man added.
"I didn't betray her," she sighed.
"Ain't our problem anyway. We'll just have some good time with ya and we'll leave, right Billy?"
"Riiight," Billy answered, getting out a knife and teasing Nicole's throat with its tip. "Ya can make as much noise as ya want, babydoll, nobody can hear ya down below," he specified, letting the blade cut the front of Nicole's T-shirt. He felt somewhat disappointed that she didn't resist him. "Ain't ya going to fight for your life?"

I lost my life when I lost Troy, she thought but didn't verbalize it. "No."

"It'll be over quicker, then," he laughed and his friends followed suit. "The Destroyer will be glad to get rid of ya."

As he put the blade back into Nicole's shirt, ready to rip it in two, the shadow in the background came closer and the Destroyer's firm voice resonated strongly in the empty building.

"Don't talk in my name, Billy boy!" she warned.

The blonde cop jumped in surprise and felt instant relief. She came back, her mind sang, everything will be all right..

"She told ya she was my property," Troy growled, "so back off, guys."
"Fat chance, woman. We found her, she's ours."
"She belongs to me."
"Prove it!" Billy challenged.
"Gladly," she grinned evilly, approaching the blonde slowly. She pushed Billy aside pointing her own blade to him. Without a word, he backed out slightly. The Destroyer stood in front of Nicole, her eyes so dark they were almost as black as the night. She smiled a cold evil smile as she placed the blade in the blonde shirt's collar. On strong pull down and the shirt was ripped in two, leaving the pale skin show around a white lacy bra. "See? she didn't even resist me. She's mine," she stated without turning to face the men.
"She wouldn't have moved if it had been me either. Doesn't prove a thing," he countered.
"All right. Ya want a full show, I'll give it to ya," she grinned, bending slightly and kissing the captive fully and deeply, bringing an involuntary moan of pleasure from Nicole. "Mine," she whispered looking deep into aroused green eyes.
"Yours," Nicole murmured, hypnotized by dark blue eyes.
"Show's over, now.  D' ya have the key for those cuffs, boys?" she asked, turning to face Billy and his gang.
"No. Do ya?"

She didn't answer but wiggled the key under his nose.

"Now, scram while ya still can."
"Wooo I'm so scared," he joked as he pretended to shiver.
"Ya should. I'm gonna kick ya butt so hard, you'll end up on the Mount Royal."
"AH! We're five of us against ya, ya really believe ya can take us all?"
"Yup. With one hand in my back if I have to."
"We'll see that," he grumbled as he launched himself against her, immediately followed by his companion.

Wide eyed, Nicole watched the fight occurring in front of her, powerless to help her friends against the five men. But the Destroyer wasn't in her first fight and she knew how to defend herself against them. A couple of them had gotten knives and caught Troy, one even deeply on her side, but she didn't flinch and kept on fighting with even more energy than before. Soon enough, they realized that they couldn't win against her determination and they broke the fight, leaving the building while promising revenge and insulting both women.

Troy took a few second to catch her breath and then approached a very anxious woman. Blue eyes looked deep into green ones in one soul-to-soul communication that left them both stunned by its intensity. The Destroyer lowered her head and closed her eyes, releasing a lone tear that rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to a teary Nicole.
"We both are," the blonde acknowledged.

Troy stretched to reach her companion's bloody wrists and unlock the cuffs, feeling terribly guilty that the woman's injuries were because of her.  Once released, Nicole's legs refused to hold her, painful cramps in her calves adding to her misery. Softly, Troy helped her to sit on the ground and softly took Nicole's hands in her to inspect the wrist injuries. As she bent herself to have a closer look, she hissed as the wound on her side made itself known unexpectedly. Although she tried to hide it, she couldn't mask it to Nicole's sharp sense of observation.

"You're injured," the blonde stated, looking at the bloody shirt.
"So are you. You need to go have these looked at," she answered, speaking about the handcuff's marks.
"This is nothing compared to a knife wound, Eileen..."
"That's just a scratch, no big deal. How are your legs now?" she asked as she sat beside Nicole.
"Much better, thanks..."

Unsure of what to say, both women remained silent for a moment. Then Nicole sighed deeply, letting her head lean on Troy's shoulder. Almost immediately, an strong arm held her tenderly close.

"What a mess," the blonde cop murmured.
"Yeah..."
"Troy... why did you come back?" The question was genuine and softly asked. No anger, just surprise.
"I.. When I regained some of my senses, I just.. had to. It was damn stupid to let you here like this.."
"I put myself in that situation and you were angry..."
"It still was stupid to let you here like this," she stubbornly grumbled. "Now you're hurt and it's my fault."
"Honey, you're hurt too... We both hurt and the wounds are not only physical. I love you, Eileen. If you can believe only one thing, then believe this because there is nothing else that matters to me than you."
"I.. I think... that.. I love ya, too," she blushed, suddenly unusually shy. "I never wanted to hurt ya."
"I know, love. I know... Look, we have a lot to talk about and we both need to care for our injuries. Wou.. Could you trust me enough to come with me to my place?"
"Ya sure ya want this?"
"Oh God, yes! Please... we have to solve this. I promised I'd get you out of the streets, I believe I know how.. but we have to work on it together, if you want it too..."
"Not sure I can," she sighed.
"My place?" Nicole insisted gently.
" 'kay.. Can ya walk?"
"Should be, maybe I'll lean on ya a bit?"
"Ya could," the dark-haired woman smiled as she got on her feet and helped her companion up.
"My car is a couple of blocks away," the blonde informed her companion as they headed downstairs.

Chapter 9

The ride home had been silent, except when Nicole asked her lover to hide until the car was safely parked in the garage. She knew her house was being monitored and she didn't want them to know that the Destroyer was there with her. Without arguing, Troy painfully let herself on the car floor just for the couple of minutes needed to be safe.

"Your house won't be bugged?" the dark woman asked as she exited the car.
"No, I'm not that important," she smiled, leading the way toward the house. "C'mon, let's start by cleaning up those wounds," she said as she went to the bathroom. She grabbed some fluffy towels in the closet and placed them on the counter. "Go take your shower first, then I'll look at this nasty cut," Nicole said pointing to her friend's bloody side.
"You.."
"I'll shower after and do the same with my injuries. Now, git in there," she teased, leaving the tall woman alone in the clean bathroom.

Wow, Troy thought. I almost got her raped and killed, and she opens her house to me, wants to care for my wounds, too... Either she's amazingly innocent or she's the most incredibly caring person I've ever met. Shit... What did I do to deserve her in my life?..

"Hey, I don't hear the water running," Nicole called from outside, bringing Troy quickly back to reality.
"Er.. getting there.." the dark woman answered, quickly removing her messy clothes and stepping in the shower booth.

When the water started to run and she was sure Troy was behind the shower curtain, the blonde silently stepped in to grab the dirty and bloody clothing before resuming her walk toward the laundry room where she started a load with both her clothes and Troy's. She then came back up, went to her bedroom and found some jogging gears that would probably be too small on the Destroyer but would keep her warm anyhow. She arrived near the bathroom just as the water stopped.

"Let me know when I can come in," she called.
"Ya can come in anytime.. We showered together once, in case you've forgotten," Troy remembered.
God, how can I forget that?! "Well, it's different he.." she explained as she stepped in, facing a tall naked goddess dripping wet. Oh God...
"Hey.. Nick.. ya okay?" Troy asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Er.. yeah.. it's just.." Shit...
"What? What's wrong?"
"Wrong?" she repeated dreamingly. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect." Oh damn! Wake up, Nicole!
"You're not turning shy on me, are ya?" Troy asked softly, understanding the reason of her lover's reaction.
"Er.. Guess I am.. But Eileen.. you're so damn gorgeous.. it's.. you are breathtaking..." she blushed, looking everywhere but into those deep blue eyes watching her.
"Thanks," she chuckled, "but so are you, Nicole. And I love when you say my real name, too."
"Good, 'cuz I prefer it to Destroyer," she stated, coming back to reality although feeling herself still blushing.
"We should take care of that wound before I bleed all over your carpeted floor," Troy suggested softly.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry.. I don't know what happ.."
"Stop it," Troy said, holding her smaller woman by her shoulder. "Look at me, please. You need to relax, ok baby? We've been together for a couple of weeks, don't turn shy on me now..."
"I.. I'll try," she smiled, mesmerized by Troy's incredibly blue eyes. "It's.. just that I love you so much.. and I'm so scared to say or do something that'll make ya run away again.."
"It's ok, baby. We'll be all right, now.. Take it easy, ok?"
"Yeah.. Lemme look at that wound," she asked, regaining some control over her emotions. "It's deep..."
"Not that much. Ya know how to stitch it?"
"Yup.. I even have all I need in the emergency kit."
"Ok, then I'll take care of your wrists," she promised, feeling her heart constrict at the thought.

Stitching Troy's wound hadn't been simple, especially because the young woman's hands were shaking in fear of hurting her friend, but Nicole managed to do a precise job nevertheless. She then applied some healing cream on it and made a sterile bandage around the tall woman's abdomen.

"Your turn, now," the Destroyer ordered gently, watching the young beauty blush as she removed her bath robe and stepped in the shower. Troy's light chuckled made the blonde blush even more despite herself. Behind the shower curtain, Nicole thought she would avoid the hungry look of her beloved friend, but as soon as the idea crossed her mind, a dark head popped inside making her feeling even more shy which made Troy chuckle softly again.

"You're gorgeous, too, by the way," Eileen stated with a wink before disappearing from her view.
"Oh God," she moaned, making Troy burst into a full fledge laugh. "It's not funny!" she giggled, turning the shower head over the curtain and watering her companion as well as her whole bathroom.
"Heeyy.. you're drowning your carpet here," Troy remarked, still laughing.
"Damn.. I'll get ya for that later," she promised, bringing the shower head over herself. "Why don't you go in the bedroom, I've put some clothes for you on the bed. Then feel free to wander around until I join you."
"I want to take care of your injuries, Nicole," she reminded her.
"Ok.. don't go too far, then."

Half an hour later, both women were sitting side by side on the comfortable sofa in the living room, Nicole having her head lying on Troy's shoulder, feeling the strength of the woman's strong arm around her. Where do we start this? So many things to explain, to resolve... She let out a heavy sigh that reached deep into Eileen's soul.

"Nick? Ya okay?" she asked softly.
"Yeah.. Just wondering where to start our talk..."
"Why don't ya start by telling me who you really are, baby?" she suggested tenderly, hugging her tighter in comfort.
Sigh.. "Well.. I'm from a family of Swiss immigrants who tried to live here but finally decided to go back to their homeland. I was eighteen and I decided to stay here, alone. I was in Police Academy and I liked it, I knew too little of Switzerland to want to go live there. So I stayed. I became a cop, a good cop I hope, and I had an interesting life."
"Boyfriend? girlfriend?"
"No one serious, no. I guess I was not ready. I was looking for my soulmate, not just a good fuck with my room mate."
"Didn't find her?" she asked, tensing inwardly despite herself.
"Until you, no," she raised her head to lock her eyes into deep blue ones. "I was waiting for you, Eileen."
"I hope you're not making a mistake with me, honey," she told, her love for Nicole deepening her low self esteem somehow.
"I know I'm not," she assured, cuddling again closer before resuming her tale. "A couple of years back, I got on a interesting case of corruption and drug retailing. You know the guy I was after even better than me, Eileen. It's Gilbert Bujold."
"Bujold? You're the one who almost got him down?" she asked, stunned by the revelation.
"Yup," she smiled at the woman's enthusiasm. "I worked for months on it and I was very close to find the proof I needed to make the case solid enough to stand in court. Alas, a leak in our office placed the story into the journalists' hands and the next day it was all over the news. Bujold of course denied everything and I was reprimanded."
"The leak wasn't an accident. Ya know that, right?"
"Oh yes," she sighed, "but I couldn't prove that either."
"What did they do to you?"
"Demoted me and assigned me to clerical work for over a year and a half."
"Did ya like it?"
"I hated it, but I was always hoping to be reinserted in task force, so I hung on that crappy position."
"So you obviously got back to real cop world?"
"I suddenly got an undercover assignment to prove that a certain woman known as the Destroyer was retailing unclean mix of drugs to street teens. Then I met you and everything changed."
"What do you mean?"
"Since the first moment I met you, I couldn't care less about my assignment. All I was thinking of was getting you safe and clean."
"Which is probably what Bujold didn't like; which is also why he gave me your IDs. He didn't want us together," she realized.
"That's what I think, yes."
"It almost worked, too," she whispered to herself.
"I'm glad it did not, Eileen."
"Me too," she smiled tenderly.
"We have to find a way to incriminate Bujold and get him convicted."
"Not in this province, babe."
"Why not?"
"Because half of the judges in Criminal Court are friends of his.. and customers of mine."
"Shit..."
"He's too big a fish for us to catch, love."
"Maybe we cannot have him convicted, but we could still do some damage, discredit him, make the public aware of who he really is..."
"He pays well to have the journalists quiet... and if money isn't enough, he has other.. arguments that will work."
"I don't believe he's invincible, Eileen."
"Me neither, but he's a tough catch. And he's also my safest way to get heroin..."
"Do y.. Do you need a fix now?" Nicole worried.
"Soon, but not now. I'll go when I'll need to.."
"Eileen, this place is yours as much as it is mine, now. You can do what you have to do here. No need to go hide anywhere. Okay love?"
"Ya sure?"
"Ya betcha! Tell me, though.. would you want to get clean?"
"I can't afford detox, honey. And as long as someone from Bujold/Sartoli's gang is around, they won't let me do it. I tried about five years ago. They easily got me back on dope within two months."
"How?"
"They made my life miserable, until one day they just forced a needle in my arm. And I became they loyal servant again," she sighed. "It was easier and I was tired to fight against myself."
"I think I know how to get you clean, love, but you have to want it, too. That's not something I can do for you. I can give you the means, but you have to choose to do it."
"If I could, I'd do it," she affirmed. "What d'ya have in mind?"
"Told you I'm Swiss... My parents are doing pretty well and have some lands and houses. We could have one for us, in the mountains, just you and I with the nature surrounding us..."
"They won't let you be with a junkie like me."
"You won't be a junkie, love. I know a clinic where you can detox. They keep you for a couple of days, clean your system of all that shit while they keep you sleeping. When you wake up, you're clean. No pain."
"I'll still be wanting it. I'll be less than a gentle person to be around when I'll have the craving for a fix..."
"We'll be together, I'll help you through this.. We'll get so busy that you won't have time to think about your old habits.."
"What if it doesn't work?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we'll reach it... but I'm convinced that we won't get there. It will work, Eileen."
"I'm not sure I can impose that upon your shoulders... It wouldn't be right.."
"You're imposing nothing, I'm offering it. Please, think about it before rejecting the idea, ok?"
"Ok... You're truly amazing, ya know that, Nick?"
"Only in your eyes, love," she smiled, hugging her companion tighter, careful to not hurt her wounded side.

"How do you expect to have me pass the Swiss custom?" Troy asked after a moment of silence. "I don't have any passport and I'm not really the kind of tourist they'd like to see passing the border..."
"I can get you a passport, I know someone I can trust there. If you don't look too suspicious, they'll let you in. If they suspect something, I'll get my cop ID out and say that I'm escorting you there because you have to be a witness to some case... I'll find something believable by then, with all the fake paperwork needed..."
"You have that all figured out already, haven't ya," she realized, genuinely surprised that someone would take such risks for her.
"Not all, but most of it, yes. I want this to work out for us, Eileen."
"That's a damn good dream, baby..."
"It'll be a true story some day," she promised. "Talking about dreams," she yawned, "what do you say about getting some sleep?"
"I need a fix first. I'll go in the garage or som.."
"You have the choice between the guest room or my bedroom" Nicole firmly interrupted. "Garage is not in the available options."
"But I don't want to mess up ya..."
"Eileen..." she growled a warning.
"Ok, if you insist..."
"Oh, that I do! C'mon upstairs, love," she concluded the argument, getting on her feet and holding her hand for Troy to take it. "So, what's your choice?"
"Choice?"
"Guest room or bedroom?"
"In which will you be?" the tall woman teased.
"Bedroom."
"Then I choose the bedroom, too."

They smiled at each other and walked hand in hand upstairs for a well deserve night of sleep.

The smell of coffee woke Nicole slowly. Hmmm.. I could get use to wake up like this, she smiled as she stretched her body full length in her bed. After a stop to the bathroom, she joined her friend in the kitchen to get her breakfast.

"Good morning, Eileen," the blonde said happily, taking the tall woman in her arms in a fierce hug.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she teased, giving a light kiss on tender lips. "Did you sleep well?"
"Oh yeah... and I must warn you: I could get used to wake up with my coffee ready like this."
"Don't," came the low warning as Nicole got pushed back slightly.
"What?.. what is it, love?"
"I mean don't get used to it too quickly because we're not about to live like this for a while. Not by a long shot."
"You.. you changed your mind abou..?" the blonde asked, hurt making her voice tremble.
"No, no," she reassured firmly, "I want it, but we're facing so many problems..."
"We'll get by, love. I promise."
"Let's hope so..."
"How about we get some breakfast and then talk strategy... Got some ideas I want to share with you."
"Okay.. I'm a bit hungry, too."

"We need to find a way to set a trap for Bujold," Nicole started a moment later, "one he won't be able to avoid or get out of even with his connections."
"Agreed."
"He'll probably require your.. services soon, himself or someone of his acquaintance, right?"
"Yes, he knows I'm running out of dope."
"We'll set up some hidden camera at the storage and film everything, including the exchange of dope. If you can get him to involve others verbally, it's better but don't risk to raise his suspicion."
"He'll see the camera, Nick," she countered.
"Not if I get time to set it up. I've done that before, it can work."
"It'll incriminate me as well," she noted.
"Not necessarily, we can place the camera to film only your back.. or edit the tape afterward. Anyway, by the time we get in Switzerland, you'll live under a new name, so that won't really matter."
"A new name?"
"With a new Swiss passport, yes."
"A Swiss passport," she repeated, surprised.
"Yup.. I told you I had connections!" she smiled.
"You're good at this illegal stuff, for a cop."
"A good cop knows how to be a good crook," she laughed. "I'll deny having said that if you repeat it," she giggled.
"Nobody would believe me anyway," Troy smiled tenderly. "You sounds pretty confident that everything will work out, Nick. I wish I could believe it as much as you do," she sighed.
"Oh I'm really not sure it'll work out, baby, but I want it so much..."
"Once you filmed a session with Bujold, what ya gonna do with it?"
"Make copies and send it to every TV and newspaper around... I don't think we can have him arrested, but at least his reputation will be tarnished so well that he won't remain in politic anymore."

"All right," Troy said after a moment of silence. "You'll set up whatever you need at the storage. I'll call you to let you know when I'm to meet with him."
"Where will you be?"
"Back to my regular routine. If we don't want him to suspect anything, I have to be on the streets."
"He won't know you're here," Nicole gently countered.
"Of course he will. If we want a tiny chance of success, me being out there is necessary."
"I don't want you to sleep 'out there' anymore. It's getting too cold," she whined, hugging her closely.
"Look Nicole, this has been my life for 15 years. I think I can handle it without problem, ok? In fact, the idea of living indoor is kinda.. unsettling right now."
"Indoor doesn't mean jail, baby..."
"I know," she smiled. "I just wanted you to realize it won't be an easy adjustment for me, not even talking about the detox process that will be Hell for both of us..."
"I love you, Eileen," she whispered, leaning closer if possible.
"I love you too... You're the only reason I even consider this crazy plan of yours."
"It'll work. It has to work."

Troy covered the blonde's lips with her own in a tender kiss filled with hope.

"Mind if I take a shower before going?" the older woman croaked, breaking the embrace gently.
"Of course not. I'll bring your clean clothes upstairs."
"Drive me downtown afterward?"
"You bet! I'll pack all the material I'll need and I'll be ready when you'll come down. I'll drop you wherever you want and then I'll go set up the trap at the storage."

Almost an hour later, Nicole dropped her companion in the now familiar neighborhood.

"This is my cell phone's number. Call whenever you want. If I'm in a situation where I don't want it to ring, I'll turn it off, so don't worry about calling me anytime. Let me know how you're doing, 'kay love? Even if Bujold doesn't page you..."
"You'll be careful, right?" Troy asked anxiously.
"Oh yes. You too, honey."
"Promise," she smiled, lying toward the driver side to kiss her beloved a last time before they temporarily went apart. "See you soon."
"Bye love," the blonde waved a last time as the tall woman exited the car.

Nicole didn't waste time and went straight toward the abandoned storage. She examined the area to carefully choose the best place to set up the camera. It had to be somewhere good to see without being seen. Finally, she found the place and worked on installing the tiny camera, working the thin wire to the upper floor through a crack in the concrete. That creepy old building has its advantage, she thought as she climbed on the higher floor to install the recorder and find herself a safe hidden spot to settle herself during the forthcoming event. Lighting would be a problem, but the extra sensitive spy camera she got would probably be able to get something valuable only with the street lights around. Hopefully.

It took a couple of hours to install everything so it was secure and invisible to the naked eye, but by then Nicole was satisfied with her work. All that was left to do now was to wait for Bujold to fall in the trap set for him.

To be continued in part 3

Return to Patty Pat's fanfic index

¹ Accueil Bonneau - Wanna help? Make a gift..
² Ref. National Institute on Drug Abuse, research reports
³ Pops, Father Emmett Johns

He is also called "the god of the street".
He is a Saint.
To know more, check his website.

Want to help his work? Make a gift..
http://www.danslarue.com/

Images from Croc's site