8:55PM Crashdown Café
It was obvious to Maria that arguments continued to rage in the birthday room. It had been obvious to Liz too, who Maria feared was becoming more and more depressed, more and more stressed. She’d called up Alex, and he’d come over to try to support Liz, try to encourage her, and Maria thought he’d done a pretty good job, at least when he wasn’t ogling Isabel out of the corner of his eye.
“Cheer up, chica, it’ll work out.”
And then a small smile came over Liz’s face. Maria could already guess, Max must be near.
Liz was standing next to Maria near the back of the dining area when Max returned to the Crashdown, and he sensed her there even before he entered.
A connection opened between them as he walked straight toward her, his father’s orders to avoid contact with her the last thing on his mind. As he drew close she looked up, and he saw in his mind again the video of her in the vault, catatonic with pain, cradling his head. He was overcome by emotion, his guilt for the pain she’d suffered to save him, his amazement that she had joined her soul with him, his shame for all the years he’d not trusted her, and his gratitude to a kind and loving God that this exquisite creature somehow had chosen him to love.
These came to her through flashes in the connection as she too now remembered the times in the vault that her mind had sealed away to keep her sane. The memories jolted her, but she reached out to him and he steadied her, his eyes full of love as he looked down at her.
She took several deep breaths, and then looked up at him smiling. *It’s OK* *I’m OK, Max. As long as I’m with you, I’ll always be OK* He took her hands in his, holding them tenderly. The connection brightened immediately, and their minds shared one another’s thoughts.
The need and the love overcame Max Evans. He fell to his knees before Liz, a whirlwind of emotions playing through his mind. Tears filled his eyes as he looked up at her, feeling awe at what she had done for him, feeling unworthy of her love, feeling horror at the pain she’d suffered.
She looked down at him and cradled his head in her arms, much like she had in the vault, pulling him toward her. Tears fell unashamedly from Max as she pulled him against her chest, running her hands slowly through his hair, raining gentle kisses on the top of his head.
They held each other tightly, his nostrils filling with the smell of her, his ear hearing the beat of her heart against him, his skin reveling in her touch. Through the connection their souls joined again, rejoicing in their closeness.
He sobbed for a minute as she held him to her, then she slowly lifted his chin. She urged him gently to his feet, then put her arms around his neck and lifted her lips to his, lost in his beautiful brown eyes, lost in the passion that surrounded them, oblivious to the other people in the room.
The Vault (M/L, Mature) (COMPLETE)
Moderators: Itzstacie, Forum Moderators
In the birthday room two different arguments were temporarily suspended as the Sheriff returned with Max Evans.
Philip Evans looked out through the window and was surprised to see his son approach the girl. He’d been unhappy to see Max reach out to her. Now was not the time to risk further allegations and unwanted touching was legally assault. He was stunned to see his son fall to his knees in front of the girl, his face a kaleidoscope of emotions, tears streaming down his cheeks. He had been sure the girl would be as frightened as he by the emotions that wracked Max, but she pulled him to her, held him tightly, and comforted him. ‘What an idiot I am,’ he told himself. The girl loved his son. Max was right, she was no threat to him, would never be any threat to him.
Dianne Evans was frightened when she saw Max approach the young girl.
Max was always so reserved, so private. She’d never seen him like this. He looked open, vulnerable, so unprotected, so undefended that even this fragile young girl could destroy him with just a word, and she was terribly frightened that this little girl had such incredible power over her son. But as Liz pulled Max to her bosom and looked down at him, stroking his hair and softly kissing his head, Dianne saw how much she cared, knew that this girl….no, this young woman, loved her son deeply, passionately, knew that her need for Max mirrored his for her. Somehow her son had grown up, and he’d found someone who had made him drop all of his detachment, who had made him truly….human.
Jeff Parker watched with growing concern as Max Evans approached his daughter. The boy seemed wild-eyed, almost out of control, his hands visibly shaking as he reached out toward her. When the boy took her hands and took a step toward her Jeff came out of his seat, rushing for the door, his eyes locked on the pair. As he took the second step toward the door the boy appeared to stumble to the floor, overcome by emotion. Jeff watched in amazement as Lizzy reached out and pulled the boy to her, locking him to her chest in a tight embrace while her face looked as if her soul had been freed from unbearable pain. Relief and caring and joy and…..love blazed across Lizzy’s face. Jeff Parker’s legs went numb, suddenly unable to take another step. He watched his daughter’s hand gently caress the boy’s hair, watched her place a gentle kiss on the top of his head.
He could not interrupt this moment for his daughter, whatever his fears. If he tried, he knew, it would force Lizzy to make a choice and he suddenly knew with absolute certainty what her choice would be. She needed this moment now, and perhaps so did the boy. He could talk with Lizzy later.
Nancy Parker had barely met the young man who walked toward his daughter and was surprised by the expression on his face as he approached her. Pain and need and caring and….love. She was shocked when Lizzy pulled him to her, but there was nothing sexual in the way she held him there. It was like a mother wrapping her arms around a lost child now-found, trying to calm a fear that was so deep that mere sight was not enough, she needed to hear him, smell him, feel his presence against her. As her daughter sighed deeply Nancy saw it in her face, just for a moment. She’d feared seeing that look in the face of the young man, half convinced by Lucy that he was stalking her daughter. She was startled, unprepared to see it in her daughter. It was the look of possessiveness. Perhaps Max Evans believed Lizzy belonged to him, Nancy didn’t know. But she had no doubt that her daughter believed this boy was hers.
Liz’s arms draped his neck and his arms encircled her waist as Max kissed her tenderly, then with growing passion. But this intimacy paled compared to the merging of their minds, the dancing of their souls within the embrace.
*I’d have rather died than have had you bear that pain, Liz*
*It’s OK Max, really* *It’s only a dim memory, like the pain of childbirth to a woman holding her new baby. The joy it brings erases the pain*
*You’re an only child, Liz* *I’m not sure you’re an expert on childbirth*
*Then ask me again in a few years, after I’ve had our first child, Max* *I’m happy enough with the choices I made*
Max was stunned by her casual statement, stunned and in awe that this lovely person could love him so much, could give so much of herself to him. And somehow Max knew, deep in his soul, that he and this beautiful woman would have children together. He wasn’t sure how human he was, but Liz had found a way to heal him, had found a way to share her soul with him. He had little doubt that she’d find a way to create life with him, even if it took all the skills of the world’s best and prettiest molecular biologist.
She broke the kiss with him then and looked up into his eyes, and he knew at once she had read his thoughts even without him verbalizing them. She had a coquettish smile as she looked up at him.
*Yes we’ll have children Max, no matter how many times we have to experiment before we get it right*
Philip Evans looked out through the window and was surprised to see his son approach the girl. He’d been unhappy to see Max reach out to her. Now was not the time to risk further allegations and unwanted touching was legally assault. He was stunned to see his son fall to his knees in front of the girl, his face a kaleidoscope of emotions, tears streaming down his cheeks. He had been sure the girl would be as frightened as he by the emotions that wracked Max, but she pulled him to her, held him tightly, and comforted him. ‘What an idiot I am,’ he told himself. The girl loved his son. Max was right, she was no threat to him, would never be any threat to him.
Dianne Evans was frightened when she saw Max approach the young girl.
Max was always so reserved, so private. She’d never seen him like this. He looked open, vulnerable, so unprotected, so undefended that even this fragile young girl could destroy him with just a word, and she was terribly frightened that this little girl had such incredible power over her son. But as Liz pulled Max to her bosom and looked down at him, stroking his hair and softly kissing his head, Dianne saw how much she cared, knew that this girl….no, this young woman, loved her son deeply, passionately, knew that her need for Max mirrored his for her. Somehow her son had grown up, and he’d found someone who had made him drop all of his detachment, who had made him truly….human.
Jeff Parker watched with growing concern as Max Evans approached his daughter. The boy seemed wild-eyed, almost out of control, his hands visibly shaking as he reached out toward her. When the boy took her hands and took a step toward her Jeff came out of his seat, rushing for the door, his eyes locked on the pair. As he took the second step toward the door the boy appeared to stumble to the floor, overcome by emotion. Jeff watched in amazement as Lizzy reached out and pulled the boy to her, locking him to her chest in a tight embrace while her face looked as if her soul had been freed from unbearable pain. Relief and caring and joy and…..love blazed across Lizzy’s face. Jeff Parker’s legs went numb, suddenly unable to take another step. He watched his daughter’s hand gently caress the boy’s hair, watched her place a gentle kiss on the top of his head.
He could not interrupt this moment for his daughter, whatever his fears. If he tried, he knew, it would force Lizzy to make a choice and he suddenly knew with absolute certainty what her choice would be. She needed this moment now, and perhaps so did the boy. He could talk with Lizzy later.
Nancy Parker had barely met the young man who walked toward his daughter and was surprised by the expression on his face as he approached her. Pain and need and caring and….love. She was shocked when Lizzy pulled him to her, but there was nothing sexual in the way she held him there. It was like a mother wrapping her arms around a lost child now-found, trying to calm a fear that was so deep that mere sight was not enough, she needed to hear him, smell him, feel his presence against her. As her daughter sighed deeply Nancy saw it in her face, just for a moment. She’d feared seeing that look in the face of the young man, half convinced by Lucy that he was stalking her daughter. She was startled, unprepared to see it in her daughter. It was the look of possessiveness. Perhaps Max Evans believed Lizzy belonged to him, Nancy didn’t know. But she had no doubt that her daughter believed this boy was hers.
Liz’s arms draped his neck and his arms encircled her waist as Max kissed her tenderly, then with growing passion. But this intimacy paled compared to the merging of their minds, the dancing of their souls within the embrace.
*I’d have rather died than have had you bear that pain, Liz*
*It’s OK Max, really* *It’s only a dim memory, like the pain of childbirth to a woman holding her new baby. The joy it brings erases the pain*
*You’re an only child, Liz* *I’m not sure you’re an expert on childbirth*
*Then ask me again in a few years, after I’ve had our first child, Max* *I’m happy enough with the choices I made*
Max was stunned by her casual statement, stunned and in awe that this lovely person could love him so much, could give so much of herself to him. And somehow Max knew, deep in his soul, that he and this beautiful woman would have children together. He wasn’t sure how human he was, but Liz had found a way to heal him, had found a way to share her soul with him. He had little doubt that she’d find a way to create life with him, even if it took all the skills of the world’s best and prettiest molecular biologist.
She broke the kiss with him then and looked up into his eyes, and he knew at once she had read his thoughts even without him verbalizing them. She had a coquettish smile as she looked up at him.
*Yes we’ll have children Max, no matter how many times we have to experiment before we get it right*
Sitting in the booth, Isabel and Michael had a front row seat to the reunion of Max and Liz.
The Ice Princess of West Roswell High looked anything but cool as she watched her brother violate his parents no contact order just about as thoroughly as it could decently be done in public.
Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape, and she seemed to be almost fluttering, not only speechless but near immobile with shock.
After the initial surprise, she had kind of come to terms with Max breaking their pact of secrecy. She knew he’d always cared for the girl, and it had probably been unrealistic to expect him to let her die of the gunshot wound in the Crashdown. She had been glad when she’d again talked him out of any kind of commitment to the girl which could only have raised the risk to the three pod children. She’d known intuitively when her father had broken the news that Max was in the vault with a waitress from the Crashdown that he’d again gone to help her, and again she’d rationalized that Max probably couldn’t have done any less.
But she really continued to believe that she’d be able to break them up. When she’d been unable to talk to Max, when LIZ had PUSHED HER OUT OF THE CONNECTION, she’d been totally confused, but nonetheless determined to keep anything from developing between the two.
'Too late for that,' she thought. But she was determined, she could break them up yet. She fixed a steely look on the embracing couple, now locked in a kiss, and started to slide out of the booth to make her brother listen to reason.
As she started to move, Isabel saw Sheriff Valenti sit at the end of the bench, trapping her in the booth. “Going somewhere, Miss Evans?”
“Sheriff, he isn’t allowed to do that. He’s restricted, I need to go break that up.”
The Sheriff cast a leisurely glance at the two, still locked in their kiss.
“I think that ship may have sailed, Miss Evans. Doesn’t look to me like you have any chance at all of convincing her Max is gay this time.”
Michael looked at Isabel in shock. “You told Liz Max was gay??”
“Well Michael, it was back in the seventh grade, and I didn’t really tell her, I dree…”
“Yes…., dreamwalked her, wasn’t it, Miss Evans?” finished Sheriff Valenti.
“You know, they figured that out when they were locked up together in the vault. They couldn’t get out, both of them were too banged up to do….well, what they are doing now. So they talked about how they’d get even. For almost two hours, as I recall from listening to the tape. I’d watch your back, Miss Evans. Oh, don’t look so worried about me, they’re the ones you really need to worry about.”
“Tape Sheriff?” asked Michael, his eyes wide.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that, Mr. Guerin. The tape somehow got destroyed, and I’m the only one that heard what they said about you and Miss Evans. Now if the two of you wanted to do me a slight favor, like being in charge of the Toys for Tots campaign this Christmas, I might just manage to forget everything I saw and heard about you two on that tape.”
While Isabel was still so nonplussed at the Sheriff knowing the secret that she couldn’t come up with a rational thought, on this occasion Michael was much faster.
Isabel was like a sister to him, and always would be. That left a distinct shortage of female aliens of his acquaintance that he didn’t feel, well…..sisterly about.
He looked briefly at Max and Liz. That sure looked like a lot of fun to him. He then peered at Maria DeLuca, who herself was wide-eyed, watching the couple. She still looked cute as a kitten, and certainly a precedent in human-alien relationships was being set right before their eyes.
As Michael looked back at the Sheriff his thought process was brief and effective. Basically it was this;
1. The Sheriff knew.
2. The Sheriff could be bought.
3. The price seemed very reasonable.
4. He had better things to do with his time than dicker with the Sheriff.
"I love Toys for Tots, Sheriff. Best Christmas I ever had was when I was eight, and got two gifts from Toys for Tots. I’d love to do that, Sheriff. So would Izzie.”
Sheriff Valenti and Michael both looked at Isabel. Her deer-in-the-headlights look was too comical, and both started laughing.
When both finally recovered, Michael looked at her, shaking his head. “You actually convinced Liz that Max was gay?”
She tried to form words, but nothing came out of her mouth. That set both men off laughing again. Isabel started to blush, and folded her arms on the table before her, laying her head on top of them, hiding her face.
The Ice Princess of West Roswell High looked anything but cool as she watched her brother violate his parents no contact order just about as thoroughly as it could decently be done in public.
Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape, and she seemed to be almost fluttering, not only speechless but near immobile with shock.
After the initial surprise, she had kind of come to terms with Max breaking their pact of secrecy. She knew he’d always cared for the girl, and it had probably been unrealistic to expect him to let her die of the gunshot wound in the Crashdown. She had been glad when she’d again talked him out of any kind of commitment to the girl which could only have raised the risk to the three pod children. She’d known intuitively when her father had broken the news that Max was in the vault with a waitress from the Crashdown that he’d again gone to help her, and again she’d rationalized that Max probably couldn’t have done any less.
But she really continued to believe that she’d be able to break them up. When she’d been unable to talk to Max, when LIZ had PUSHED HER OUT OF THE CONNECTION, she’d been totally confused, but nonetheless determined to keep anything from developing between the two.
'Too late for that,' she thought. But she was determined, she could break them up yet. She fixed a steely look on the embracing couple, now locked in a kiss, and started to slide out of the booth to make her brother listen to reason.
As she started to move, Isabel saw Sheriff Valenti sit at the end of the bench, trapping her in the booth. “Going somewhere, Miss Evans?”
“Sheriff, he isn’t allowed to do that. He’s restricted, I need to go break that up.”
The Sheriff cast a leisurely glance at the two, still locked in their kiss.
“I think that ship may have sailed, Miss Evans. Doesn’t look to me like you have any chance at all of convincing her Max is gay this time.”
Michael looked at Isabel in shock. “You told Liz Max was gay??”
“Well Michael, it was back in the seventh grade, and I didn’t really tell her, I dree…”
“Yes…., dreamwalked her, wasn’t it, Miss Evans?” finished Sheriff Valenti.
“You know, they figured that out when they were locked up together in the vault. They couldn’t get out, both of them were too banged up to do….well, what they are doing now. So they talked about how they’d get even. For almost two hours, as I recall from listening to the tape. I’d watch your back, Miss Evans. Oh, don’t look so worried about me, they’re the ones you really need to worry about.”
“Tape Sheriff?” asked Michael, his eyes wide.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that, Mr. Guerin. The tape somehow got destroyed, and I’m the only one that heard what they said about you and Miss Evans. Now if the two of you wanted to do me a slight favor, like being in charge of the Toys for Tots campaign this Christmas, I might just manage to forget everything I saw and heard about you two on that tape.”
While Isabel was still so nonplussed at the Sheriff knowing the secret that she couldn’t come up with a rational thought, on this occasion Michael was much faster.
Isabel was like a sister to him, and always would be. That left a distinct shortage of female aliens of his acquaintance that he didn’t feel, well…..sisterly about.
He looked briefly at Max and Liz. That sure looked like a lot of fun to him. He then peered at Maria DeLuca, who herself was wide-eyed, watching the couple. She still looked cute as a kitten, and certainly a precedent in human-alien relationships was being set right before their eyes.
As Michael looked back at the Sheriff his thought process was brief and effective. Basically it was this;
1. The Sheriff knew.
2. The Sheriff could be bought.
3. The price seemed very reasonable.
4. He had better things to do with his time than dicker with the Sheriff.
"I love Toys for Tots, Sheriff. Best Christmas I ever had was when I was eight, and got two gifts from Toys for Tots. I’d love to do that, Sheriff. So would Izzie.”
Sheriff Valenti and Michael both looked at Isabel. Her deer-in-the-headlights look was too comical, and both started laughing.
When both finally recovered, Michael looked at her, shaking his head. “You actually convinced Liz that Max was gay?”
She tried to form words, but nothing came out of her mouth. That set both men off laughing again. Isabel started to blush, and folded her arms on the table before her, laying her head on top of them, hiding her face.
8:58PM Crashdown Café Birthday Room
Liz Parker led Max Evans by the hand as they came through the door into the birthday room. There was total silence as five sets of eyes looked at the couple.
Liz looked at her parents, looked in her father’s eyes, and said, “Maria said she’d do my closing chores for me. Max and I just have time to make the late show at the theater. We’ll be back by 11:15 or I’ll give you a call.”
Philip Evans had specialized in contract law, and had been in on thousands of negotiations. He knew quite a lot about negotiations, ….enough to know that Liz Parker’s words were not a negotiation.
This was not a request for permission. It was the smallest of fig leaves to cover their embarassment and allow her parents to back away from their demand that she not be with Max, and it was not negotiable.
He looked at Jeff Parker and hoped that Jeff had the good sense to take this slim lifeline back to reason, because he had no doubt that Liz Parker was drawing a line in the sand.
If the Parker’s objected to this, Liz was going to be gone, and after that display of a couple of minutes ago he was sure that Izzie had been right, Liz would not be leaving alone.
All of his anger at Jeff Parker evaporated as he suddenly realized that Jeff was just a frightened father, just like Philip Evans was as he waited and hoped that Jeff himself realized what was really going on here.
Diane Evans looked at her husband and looked at Jeff Parker, praying that neither of them were stupid enough to try to stop the kids from going to that movie.
If you looked at the body of the attractive young girl she looked slight, almost frail, but if you looked at her eyes……they burned with a fire and determination that left little doubt in Diane Evans’ mind that Liz was offering them the only chance they were going to get to save face and walk away from this room with their families intact.
If the men messed this up they’d all be lucky to be invited to their own grandchildren’s high school graduations. She watched both men with mounting apprehension.
Liz Parker led Max Evans by the hand as they came through the door into the birthday room. There was total silence as five sets of eyes looked at the couple.
Liz looked at her parents, looked in her father’s eyes, and said, “Maria said she’d do my closing chores for me. Max and I just have time to make the late show at the theater. We’ll be back by 11:15 or I’ll give you a call.”
Philip Evans had specialized in contract law, and had been in on thousands of negotiations. He knew quite a lot about negotiations, ….enough to know that Liz Parker’s words were not a negotiation.
This was not a request for permission. It was the smallest of fig leaves to cover their embarassment and allow her parents to back away from their demand that she not be with Max, and it was not negotiable.
He looked at Jeff Parker and hoped that Jeff had the good sense to take this slim lifeline back to reason, because he had no doubt that Liz Parker was drawing a line in the sand.
If the Parker’s objected to this, Liz was going to be gone, and after that display of a couple of minutes ago he was sure that Izzie had been right, Liz would not be leaving alone.
All of his anger at Jeff Parker evaporated as he suddenly realized that Jeff was just a frightened father, just like Philip Evans was as he waited and hoped that Jeff himself realized what was really going on here.
Diane Evans looked at her husband and looked at Jeff Parker, praying that neither of them were stupid enough to try to stop the kids from going to that movie.
If you looked at the body of the attractive young girl she looked slight, almost frail, but if you looked at her eyes……they burned with a fire and determination that left little doubt in Diane Evans’ mind that Liz was offering them the only chance they were going to get to save face and walk away from this room with their families intact.
If the men messed this up they’d all be lucky to be invited to their own grandchildren’s high school graduations. She watched both men with mounting apprehension.
Nancy Parker looked at her husband. She saw nothing but risk with any option that was chosen. She wanted a safe, no risk course, and she knew there wasn’t one. Lizzy was going to be with this boy, either going to the movie, or leaving. Sure, she was underage, they might be able to get the Sheriff involved and hold her for a while, but she’d done nothing wrong, they couldn’t hold her forever, and when they let her go she’d be gone…..she’d be with the boy. But to give her permission to do something they didn’t know was safe….??? That could be just helping her destroy herself. Even if they couldn’t stop it, shouldn’t they at least show their disapproval? But what if that made things even worse? There were no easy answers. She looked back again to Jeff Parker and in the body language common to this long established couple she nodded her head to him. If they’d been in a connection it couldn’t have come across any clearer. ‘Your decision, Dear. I’ll support you. Please God let this all work out OK.’
Lucy Frederickson watched the wordless interchange between the Parkers and couldn’t believe her eyes. There was no question what to do. Sure, she’d seen Liz fawn all over the boy, and him fawn all over her. So what? She’d spent over 11 years in a codependent relationship with an abusive man. She kept saying that she loved him through every drunken beating, the eternal verbal abuse, even the sexual degradation. She had been sure that each time was the last time, but it never was. And when she’d finally, after over a decade of saying it’ll never happen again, when she finally got the courage to go to the woman’s shelter, what had happened? He’d tried to attack the 10 year old girl they were fostering. If he hadn’t been so drunk he tripped over the boy foster child somehow and broke his leg, he’d have gotten her too. After a decade of being abused she couldn’t even feel good about leaving him, because that just let him go after an even more vulnerable victim.
And that’s why she couldn’t let this case go, no matter what the girl thought, no matter what her parents thought. Lucy would do her best to explain to the girl, to reason with her parents, but if they didn’t listen she’d go to the judge and get the restraining order herself. And if that wasn’t enough, if the parents still didn’t listen, perhaps the girl could be made a ward of the court. Because it was clear to Lucy, crystal clear, that the girl was like she had been for all those years, so vulnerable, so dependent, so needy. And Lucy had decided that she’d never leave another victim to fall prey to someone like her ex-husband, someone abusive, cruel, violent. Someone like that Max Evans kid.
Glaring at Max Evans, Lucy Frederickson pulled Liz’s hand away from him and pushed her into the corner, her face only inches from that of the girl. “Don’t you see..??” He’s just going to use you, just going to hurt you. He’s just like the other two, only worse, because all he did was show he was the strongest, the most ruthless, the most violent.”
“Max is kind and caring and he loves me.”
"That’s just the Stockholm Syndrome you have, just because he was the strongest and most vicious, you think you need to be his friend, you think if you love him, he’ll love you. He won’t. All it means is that he’s the strongest and most vicious. You need to stay away from him, not love him.
You can’t go with him. If you try I’ll get a court order myself, I’ll petition to have you made a ward of the court. We’ll go over his whole life, find out everything he’s done to other people, if we look hard enough, there’ll be something there. We’ll get him put away…..”
Dr. Barson had been partly right when he said that McMillan and Garber were taken out so hard they didn’t even know what hit them before they died. Both had been dead from the shockwave of the powerblast even before they hit the wall. But there was a serious difference in how the two had been feeling when they died. McMillan had been amazed, ...amazed to see his partner’s helpless victim suddenly become a wildcat. His last thoughts were of disbelief that someone so small and apparently helpless was giving Garber so much trouble.
Garber’s end was far worse, one of pain and terror. The terror, strangely enough, had actually preceded the pain. He’d looked in the eyes of the seemingly helpless young girl and seen something….feral, seen a savagery that even made him back off, even before her knee had ruptured his right testicle, even before her fingernail had slashed into the globe of his eye, even before her hand came back after the other eye, he had been terrified by that look.
And that was the look in the eyes of Liz Parker now as she stared up at Lucy Frederickson. Lucy’s eyes went wide with sudden fright, not really understanding the sudden change in the young girl. Liz pulled her hand away from Lucy, her eyes still locked on Lucy’s eyes, and reached up to softly touch her left cheek.
As the broken fingernail slowly and softly scraped down the side of Lucy’s cheek, leaving only the lightest of abrasions, something passed between the two women, not a connection, but more of a one-way projection from the brain of Liz Parker to the brain of Lucy Frederickson.
Not to the cerebellum, to the conscious brain, because this thought was more primitive than that, more primitive even than the spoken word. But to the archencephalon, the old brain, the primordial brain that existed even before there was language. The thought although primitive, was incredibly strong, and as it resonated up through the consciousness of Lucy Frederickson she understood the look in those eyes. It was communication below the level of speech, but the meaning was clear….*Max Evans is mine…Don’t even THINK about hurting him*
Lucy Frederickson jumped back away from the girl, not really sure why she felt all that threatened by her. She looked back and forth between Liz Parker and Max Evans, and realized suddenly that her fear of the young girl was far greater than her fear of Max Evans. She looked back again at the girl’s eyes looking up at her, ….. eyes that promised pain……even death if Lucy tried to hurt what she believed to be hers…… And she knew, there was no compromise on this, no quarter would be asked, and no quarter would be given. She too had read the autopsy report, she too knew what damage had been done with that fingernail. Suddenly shaking in fright, she retreated several steps from Liz Parker, turned toward the door, and left the birthday room.
Man's timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,
For the Woman that God gave him isn't his to give away;
But when hunter meets with husbands, each confirms the other's tale –
The female of the species is more deadly than the male.
Man, a bear in most relations – worm and savage otherwise, –
Man propounds negotiations, Man accepts the compromise.
Very rarely will he squarely push the logic of a fact
To its ultimate conclusion in unmitigated act.
Fear, or foolishness, impels him, ere he lay the wicked low,
To concede some form of trial even to his fiercest foe.
Mirth obscene diverts his anger – Doubt and Pity oft perplex
Him in dealing with an issue – to the scandal of The Sex!
But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame
Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same,
And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,
The female of the species must be deadlier than the male.
She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast
May not deal in doubt or pity – must not swerve for fact or jest.
These be purely male diversions – not in these her honour dwells.
She the Other Law we live by, is that Law and nothing else.
She can bring no more to living than the powers that make her great
As the Mother of the Infant and the Mistress of the Mate.
And when Babe and Man are lacking and she strides unclaimed to claim
Her right as femme (and baron), her equipment is the same.
She is wedded to convictions – in default of grosser ties;
Her contentions are her children, Heaven help him who denies! –
He will meet no suave discussion, but the instant, white-hot, wild,
Wakened female of the species warring as for spouse and child.
-Rudyard Kipling
http://www.heretical.com/miscella/kipling1.html
Even before he saw Lizzy stare down Lucy Frederickson, Jeff Parker had known that his time had run out. Lizzy had made allowances for the people she loved, but her patience was not inexhaustible, and her patience was now gone.
His mind was full of many reasons why Lizzy shouldn’t go to that movie. This was not a baby-step, this was not a controlled situation, there were way too many questions still unanswered, and what he had just witnessed left the self control of both teenagers in doubt. And none of that mattered at all, because none of that mattered to Lizzy.
He looked at Max Evans and realized ironically that had Max come in and made that non-request , that statement that only superficially sounded like asking for permission, he could have probably negotiated with the boy, and Max would have been more than willing to compromise. But this wasn’t Max’s show, Lizzy had brought him in here, and the one he had to deal with was his own daughter, and he would either keep her or lose her with the next words that came out of his mouth…..
“Lizzy, ….how about I make some of my special hot chocolate for when the two of you get back from the movie? We could stay up awhile, if the Evans’ don’t mind, have some hot chocolate, maybe your Mom and I could get to know Max a little better….?”
Liz Parker smiled up at her dad. “My dad makes the best hot chocolate, Max. He uses shaved Baker’s chocolate, real cream, and a few other secret ingredients he won’t tell us about. It’s to die for…” *And I’ll sneak a spoonful of Tabasco sauce in yours, you’ll LOVE It.*
“I’d like that very much, Mr. Parker. Don’t worry about Liz. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
And somehow Jeff Parker, when he looked at the young man, knew that was true. Max would be there for her, to take care of her, to protect her, whenever she needed him. He wasn’t sure just how he knew that, but he knew that it was true.
9:05 PM Crashdown dining area.
Jim Valenti was enjoying his pie a la mode as Liz Parker came back from changing out of her waitress uniform and departed with Max. He was still pinning Isabel Evans in the booth by sitting there, but Michael Guerin was free to get up. As he heard and saw Mr. Parker tell Maria that she might as well take off too, that he’d close up since he had to stay up to make some hot chocolate anyway, he wandered over next to her.
“You interested in going to the movie too?”
“I’m not sure that Liz and Max want the company, Michael. How about coming over to my house and watching a video? Two bowls of popcorn? One butter, one Tabasco?”
“Sure, what’s the video?”
“A guy in the video store recommended it. It’s a Mel Gibson film, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy meets girl again, boy loses girl again, boy meets another girl, boy loses girl, boy goes back to the first girl…”
‘That really sounds like a chick flick,’ thought Michael Guerin. ‘Not really my kind of movie. She’s sure cute though. Why not?’
“That sounds great, Maria. What’s the name of it?”
“Braveheart, I think.”
“Never heard of it. But let’s give it a try.”
As Sheriff Valenti paid his check and said, “Good night, Miss Evans,” Isabel watched the two sets of parents talking in the birthday room, trying to get to know one another. It looked like they’d be here awhile.
She was taken by surprise when Alex Whitman sat down in the booth across the table from her.
“Are you interested in a video, Izzie? I’ve got this new one called Species, where this alien-human hybrid woman goes out stalking human guys to mate with. We could watch it at my house.”
“I’ve seen that video, and hate it. It’s the worst kind of stereotyping. And I don’t like science fiction anyway, it’s ridiculous. None of that stuff could ever really happen. And by the way, only my close friends and family call me Izzie.”
“Pardon me, Miss Evans.”
Isabel Evans looked up at Alex Whitman and kind of smiled. “I do like dancing though, and UFONICS will be open for another two hours, ...if you are interested.”
“I’d love to, Miss Evans.”
“Oh, and another thing, Alex…”
“Yes?”
“Call me Izzie.”
Monday 8:00 West Roswell High
It seemed ironic, somehow, that as long as there was obvious angst between Liz Parker and Max Evans, the rumor mill would churn out all sorts of stories about them, but when Liz came to school in the right seat of Max's jeep, when they held hands between classes, had lunch together, clearly enjoyed one another's company, they suddenly became old news.
The controversy died almost overnight, partly because nobody seeing the two of them together could really believe they'd ever been anything but in love, partly because of competing rumors that drowned out any remaining interest in Max and Liz.
Nobody really knew where the other rumor came from, but it spread like wildfire. It seemed like the latest rumor was that the three guys who had fought Alex Whitman, Pamela Troy's boyfriend, and even the obnoxious bully Ted Johnson had all gotten pulled in to the health department for STD contact interviews after being with Pamela Troy. It was a juicy rumor. No one knew the source, but it seemed like half the class had dreamed about it Sunday night.
Lucy Frederickson watched the wordless interchange between the Parkers and couldn’t believe her eyes. There was no question what to do. Sure, she’d seen Liz fawn all over the boy, and him fawn all over her. So what? She’d spent over 11 years in a codependent relationship with an abusive man. She kept saying that she loved him through every drunken beating, the eternal verbal abuse, even the sexual degradation. She had been sure that each time was the last time, but it never was. And when she’d finally, after over a decade of saying it’ll never happen again, when she finally got the courage to go to the woman’s shelter, what had happened? He’d tried to attack the 10 year old girl they were fostering. If he hadn’t been so drunk he tripped over the boy foster child somehow and broke his leg, he’d have gotten her too. After a decade of being abused she couldn’t even feel good about leaving him, because that just let him go after an even more vulnerable victim.
And that’s why she couldn’t let this case go, no matter what the girl thought, no matter what her parents thought. Lucy would do her best to explain to the girl, to reason with her parents, but if they didn’t listen she’d go to the judge and get the restraining order herself. And if that wasn’t enough, if the parents still didn’t listen, perhaps the girl could be made a ward of the court. Because it was clear to Lucy, crystal clear, that the girl was like she had been for all those years, so vulnerable, so dependent, so needy. And Lucy had decided that she’d never leave another victim to fall prey to someone like her ex-husband, someone abusive, cruel, violent. Someone like that Max Evans kid.
Glaring at Max Evans, Lucy Frederickson pulled Liz’s hand away from him and pushed her into the corner, her face only inches from that of the girl. “Don’t you see..??” He’s just going to use you, just going to hurt you. He’s just like the other two, only worse, because all he did was show he was the strongest, the most ruthless, the most violent.”
“Max is kind and caring and he loves me.”
"That’s just the Stockholm Syndrome you have, just because he was the strongest and most vicious, you think you need to be his friend, you think if you love him, he’ll love you. He won’t. All it means is that he’s the strongest and most vicious. You need to stay away from him, not love him.
You can’t go with him. If you try I’ll get a court order myself, I’ll petition to have you made a ward of the court. We’ll go over his whole life, find out everything he’s done to other people, if we look hard enough, there’ll be something there. We’ll get him put away…..”
Dr. Barson had been partly right when he said that McMillan and Garber were taken out so hard they didn’t even know what hit them before they died. Both had been dead from the shockwave of the powerblast even before they hit the wall. But there was a serious difference in how the two had been feeling when they died. McMillan had been amazed, ...amazed to see his partner’s helpless victim suddenly become a wildcat. His last thoughts were of disbelief that someone so small and apparently helpless was giving Garber so much trouble.
Garber’s end was far worse, one of pain and terror. The terror, strangely enough, had actually preceded the pain. He’d looked in the eyes of the seemingly helpless young girl and seen something….feral, seen a savagery that even made him back off, even before her knee had ruptured his right testicle, even before her fingernail had slashed into the globe of his eye, even before her hand came back after the other eye, he had been terrified by that look.
And that was the look in the eyes of Liz Parker now as she stared up at Lucy Frederickson. Lucy’s eyes went wide with sudden fright, not really understanding the sudden change in the young girl. Liz pulled her hand away from Lucy, her eyes still locked on Lucy’s eyes, and reached up to softly touch her left cheek.
As the broken fingernail slowly and softly scraped down the side of Lucy’s cheek, leaving only the lightest of abrasions, something passed between the two women, not a connection, but more of a one-way projection from the brain of Liz Parker to the brain of Lucy Frederickson.
Not to the cerebellum, to the conscious brain, because this thought was more primitive than that, more primitive even than the spoken word. But to the archencephalon, the old brain, the primordial brain that existed even before there was language. The thought although primitive, was incredibly strong, and as it resonated up through the consciousness of Lucy Frederickson she understood the look in those eyes. It was communication below the level of speech, but the meaning was clear….*Max Evans is mine…Don’t even THINK about hurting him*
Lucy Frederickson jumped back away from the girl, not really sure why she felt all that threatened by her. She looked back and forth between Liz Parker and Max Evans, and realized suddenly that her fear of the young girl was far greater than her fear of Max Evans. She looked back again at the girl’s eyes looking up at her, ….. eyes that promised pain……even death if Lucy tried to hurt what she believed to be hers…… And she knew, there was no compromise on this, no quarter would be asked, and no quarter would be given. She too had read the autopsy report, she too knew what damage had been done with that fingernail. Suddenly shaking in fright, she retreated several steps from Liz Parker, turned toward the door, and left the birthday room.
Man's timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,
For the Woman that God gave him isn't his to give away;
But when hunter meets with husbands, each confirms the other's tale –
The female of the species is more deadly than the male.
Man, a bear in most relations – worm and savage otherwise, –
Man propounds negotiations, Man accepts the compromise.
Very rarely will he squarely push the logic of a fact
To its ultimate conclusion in unmitigated act.
Fear, or foolishness, impels him, ere he lay the wicked low,
To concede some form of trial even to his fiercest foe.
Mirth obscene diverts his anger – Doubt and Pity oft perplex
Him in dealing with an issue – to the scandal of The Sex!
But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame
Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same,
And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,
The female of the species must be deadlier than the male.
She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast
May not deal in doubt or pity – must not swerve for fact or jest.
These be purely male diversions – not in these her honour dwells.
She the Other Law we live by, is that Law and nothing else.
She can bring no more to living than the powers that make her great
As the Mother of the Infant and the Mistress of the Mate.
And when Babe and Man are lacking and she strides unclaimed to claim
Her right as femme (and baron), her equipment is the same.
She is wedded to convictions – in default of grosser ties;
Her contentions are her children, Heaven help him who denies! –
He will meet no suave discussion, but the instant, white-hot, wild,
Wakened female of the species warring as for spouse and child.
-Rudyard Kipling
http://www.heretical.com/miscella/kipling1.html
Even before he saw Lizzy stare down Lucy Frederickson, Jeff Parker had known that his time had run out. Lizzy had made allowances for the people she loved, but her patience was not inexhaustible, and her patience was now gone.
His mind was full of many reasons why Lizzy shouldn’t go to that movie. This was not a baby-step, this was not a controlled situation, there were way too many questions still unanswered, and what he had just witnessed left the self control of both teenagers in doubt. And none of that mattered at all, because none of that mattered to Lizzy.
He looked at Max Evans and realized ironically that had Max come in and made that non-request , that statement that only superficially sounded like asking for permission, he could have probably negotiated with the boy, and Max would have been more than willing to compromise. But this wasn’t Max’s show, Lizzy had brought him in here, and the one he had to deal with was his own daughter, and he would either keep her or lose her with the next words that came out of his mouth…..
“Lizzy, ….how about I make some of my special hot chocolate for when the two of you get back from the movie? We could stay up awhile, if the Evans’ don’t mind, have some hot chocolate, maybe your Mom and I could get to know Max a little better….?”
Liz Parker smiled up at her dad. “My dad makes the best hot chocolate, Max. He uses shaved Baker’s chocolate, real cream, and a few other secret ingredients he won’t tell us about. It’s to die for…” *And I’ll sneak a spoonful of Tabasco sauce in yours, you’ll LOVE It.*
“I’d like that very much, Mr. Parker. Don’t worry about Liz. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
And somehow Jeff Parker, when he looked at the young man, knew that was true. Max would be there for her, to take care of her, to protect her, whenever she needed him. He wasn’t sure just how he knew that, but he knew that it was true.
9:05 PM Crashdown dining area.
Jim Valenti was enjoying his pie a la mode as Liz Parker came back from changing out of her waitress uniform and departed with Max. He was still pinning Isabel Evans in the booth by sitting there, but Michael Guerin was free to get up. As he heard and saw Mr. Parker tell Maria that she might as well take off too, that he’d close up since he had to stay up to make some hot chocolate anyway, he wandered over next to her.
“You interested in going to the movie too?”
“I’m not sure that Liz and Max want the company, Michael. How about coming over to my house and watching a video? Two bowls of popcorn? One butter, one Tabasco?”
“Sure, what’s the video?”
“A guy in the video store recommended it. It’s a Mel Gibson film, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy meets girl again, boy loses girl again, boy meets another girl, boy loses girl, boy goes back to the first girl…”
‘That really sounds like a chick flick,’ thought Michael Guerin. ‘Not really my kind of movie. She’s sure cute though. Why not?’
“That sounds great, Maria. What’s the name of it?”
“Braveheart, I think.”
“Never heard of it. But let’s give it a try.”
As Sheriff Valenti paid his check and said, “Good night, Miss Evans,” Isabel watched the two sets of parents talking in the birthday room, trying to get to know one another. It looked like they’d be here awhile.
She was taken by surprise when Alex Whitman sat down in the booth across the table from her.
“Are you interested in a video, Izzie? I’ve got this new one called Species, where this alien-human hybrid woman goes out stalking human guys to mate with. We could watch it at my house.”
“I’ve seen that video, and hate it. It’s the worst kind of stereotyping. And I don’t like science fiction anyway, it’s ridiculous. None of that stuff could ever really happen. And by the way, only my close friends and family call me Izzie.”
“Pardon me, Miss Evans.”
Isabel Evans looked up at Alex Whitman and kind of smiled. “I do like dancing though, and UFONICS will be open for another two hours, ...if you are interested.”
“I’d love to, Miss Evans.”
“Oh, and another thing, Alex…”
“Yes?”
“Call me Izzie.”
Monday 8:00 West Roswell High
It seemed ironic, somehow, that as long as there was obvious angst between Liz Parker and Max Evans, the rumor mill would churn out all sorts of stories about them, but when Liz came to school in the right seat of Max's jeep, when they held hands between classes, had lunch together, clearly enjoyed one another's company, they suddenly became old news.
The controversy died almost overnight, partly because nobody seeing the two of them together could really believe they'd ever been anything but in love, partly because of competing rumors that drowned out any remaining interest in Max and Liz.
Nobody really knew where the other rumor came from, but it spread like wildfire. It seemed like the latest rumor was that the three guys who had fought Alex Whitman, Pamela Troy's boyfriend, and even the obnoxious bully Ted Johnson had all gotten pulled in to the health department for STD contact interviews after being with Pamela Troy. It was a juicy rumor. No one knew the source, but it seemed like half the class had dreamed about it Sunday night.
Monday 9:15PM The Crashdown
As Jim Valenti finished his coffee and pie in the booth Jeff Parker sat down across from him with his own cup of coffee. He was the last customer of the night, and even the staff had departed. The Sheriff looked up at Jeff Parker with a quizzical look on his face.
“So how did the hot chocolate session go last night?”
“As well as could be expected, I guess. Both kids were polite, courteous, didn’t rub my face in it or anything. It’s like Lizzie wasn’t even mad, like the whole thing had never happened…….like if I’d told her she couldn’t go to that movie, she’d have just said, ‘Sorry Max, dad says no.’ But that wasn’t reality, was it, Sheriff? If I’d said no, that would have been the last I’d have seen of her, wouldn’t it?”
“I think you are being a little too intense, Jeff. Liz loves you, and I don’t think Max could really ever stay upset with anyone Liz loves, so ultimately it was going to work out no matter what. But yes, if you’d made her do it, she’d have left, at least for awhile. And then Max would have left too, because he wouldn’t have wanted her out there by herself.”
“You know, don’t you Sheriff? You found out what happened in that vault.”
“I know some, Jeff, and some of what I do know I can’t say I really understand. And some of it is really private and personal between Max and Liz. They may tell you, but it really isn’t my secret to tell.”
“I need to know, Sheriff. Please tell me that Max isn’t……..dangerous. That he won’t push Lizzie into doing something she wouldn’t want to do. “
“Of course Max is dangerous, Jeff. He’s lethal. Just ask Garber and McMillan. But not to Liz. He would never force Liz to do anything, although I’m not sure that force would even be an issue. I'm not sure there's anything she wouldn't be willing to do for him. Right now they are going slowly, trying to give the parents time to adjust to a new reality, but I think you and Nancy and the Evans’s both need to kind of count your blessings about this.”
“What do you mean by that, Jim?”
“Just this, Jeff. Without Max, Liz would have died in that vault. Without Liz, I think Max would have died in there. Both of them were willing to give their lives, give their very souls even, to preserve the other. That was an intense experience, and it forever changed both of them. I’m not sure they can ever bear being apart after what they experienced. I know that no parent wants to hear his or her sixteen year old kid say that they have found the person they want to be with forever, but I think that probably happened here. And I don’t necessarily think that’s bad, at least not in this case. These two don’t just care for each other, but they are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes for the other. These are tough kids, perhaps the most mature and capable I’ve known.”
“But Sheriff, they are only sixteen.”
“That’s right, Jeff, and without each other neither one of them would have made seventeen.
But they will, because they both put the other ahead of themselves, and somehow it all worked out. So instead of two pairs of parents having dead kids, two pairs of parents have kids that somehow did the impossible and not only survived, but came out more capable and more caring than when they started. Maybe those two pairs of parents should just count their blessings and accept the new reality, hard as that may be to accept. The alternative would have been much worse.
But I have to tell you, Jeff, that whether you accept that reality or not, I don’t think that reality will change. I’m really not concerned about the parents goading these kids into some adolescent suicide pact or something, that simply isn’t going to happen. And while nothing the parents could do would ever permanently drive them away, I think it would be most unwise for the parents to force a choice on these two, because they’ve already made the choice once already, and both were willing to do anything for the other.”
Jeff Parker took a long drink from his cup of coffee and stared out into the distance. He really wasn’t focused on the street scene beyond the window though, he was focused on years past when he and Nancy watched their child take her first steps, taught her how to ride a bicycle, watched her smile as her science fair project won the blue ribbon……., these and a thousand other memories were playing in his mind as he looked out into the darkness.
“Sounds like Nancy and I better get to know Max Evans, Sheriff. Sounds like we really don’t have any choice, because we sure aren’t going to give up our daughter. “
It was five days later when Judge Collins asked Sheriff Valenti to meet her. Her clerk ushered him in to her office at 4PM, after the last court case of the day.
“Good afternoon, Sheriff. Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Always glad to be of assistance, your honor.”
“When it’s unofficial like this, Sandra will do fine, Sheriff,” taking two cups from the cabinet and filling them from the coffeepot on the side table.
“In that case, I guess it would be Jim then, rather than Sheriff, your….Sandra.” He took the cup of coffee and asked, “What’s this all about?”
“Well Jim, just a hypothetical situation. Suppose someone were requesting a domestic restraining order on a third person, because she was fearful that person was at risk from a boyfriend. That’s a rather unusual request, and considering the girl is a minor with two parents, one would expect the request to come from them….but suppose the two parents didn’t appreciate the gravity of the situation…..Suppose you were the judge,…..What would you do?”
Jim Valenti sipped on the cup of coffee slowly, then said, “Would this hypothetical situation involve incidents that were alleged to have occurred in a bank vault somewhere……hypothetically that is..?”
The judge ‘s face showed a thin smile. “Well, hypothetically, let’s say that it did then.”
“Well then your….Sandra, I think what I would do first is talk to the girl, before I made any decision at all.”
“But if the girl was so frightened by this boy….?”
“I’m not sure this girl is frightened of anything, Sandra, least of all the boy. The autopsy result indicated that she had almost torn one eye out of the guy who was attacking her. I watched her come very close to threatening me when she thought that I might be leaning on that boy, and there is little doubt in my mind that she did threaten Lucy over him.
There are a lot of reasons I’d think a long time before issuing that restraining order, Sandra, but I think if you talked to Miss Parker she’d tell you there was nothing to worry about. I think the immediate result of such an injunction would be to get Miss Parker even more upset
with Lucy, and I think that might be very bad…..for Lucy.
I know Lucy means well, and I know she was traumatized pretty badly in her marriage, but I think she’s really gone over the top on this one. I think Philip Evans is being more than fair not bringing charges of slander against her, and apparently there was some playing fast and loose by her with sealed court adoption papers as well. “
Judge Collins frowned as he said the last sentence. “I don’t think I really need to talk to the young lady, Jim. I was the third judge that Lucy went to with this story and you always want to be cautious but….she mentioned that the girl had threatened her with her eyes, whatever that means and that she had told all the counselors at school her suspicions….and if she is now blabbing about sealed court adoption information…..well, I think I’m going to have to agree with the first two judges,…Lucy’s usefulness as a victim’s advocate in the legal system is probably over.” She hesitated a few seconds before continuing, “You are really sure about this young man?”
“Absolutely, your honor. I know he’d give his soul for that young lady, without hesitation.”
“Well, then I guess she’s a fortunate young lady. You don’t see much of that these days, at least not in domestic court. Thanks for coming in.”
As Jim Valenti got back in the Tahoe and drove away from the courtroom building he thought to himself, ‘Well that went well. Wish it were that easy with Jeff and Nancy Parker.'
See the sequel Dominoes falling
viewtopic.php?p=572376#572376
“Good afternoon, Sheriff. Thank you for meeting with me.”
“Always glad to be of assistance, your honor.”
“When it’s unofficial like this, Sandra will do fine, Sheriff,” taking two cups from the cabinet and filling them from the coffeepot on the side table.
“In that case, I guess it would be Jim then, rather than Sheriff, your….Sandra.” He took the cup of coffee and asked, “What’s this all about?”
“Well Jim, just a hypothetical situation. Suppose someone were requesting a domestic restraining order on a third person, because she was fearful that person was at risk from a boyfriend. That’s a rather unusual request, and considering the girl is a minor with two parents, one would expect the request to come from them….but suppose the two parents didn’t appreciate the gravity of the situation…..Suppose you were the judge,…..What would you do?”
Jim Valenti sipped on the cup of coffee slowly, then said, “Would this hypothetical situation involve incidents that were alleged to have occurred in a bank vault somewhere……hypothetically that is..?”
The judge ‘s face showed a thin smile. “Well, hypothetically, let’s say that it did then.”
“Well then your….Sandra, I think what I would do first is talk to the girl, before I made any decision at all.”
“But if the girl was so frightened by this boy….?”
“I’m not sure this girl is frightened of anything, Sandra, least of all the boy. The autopsy result indicated that she had almost torn one eye out of the guy who was attacking her. I watched her come very close to threatening me when she thought that I might be leaning on that boy, and there is little doubt in my mind that she did threaten Lucy over him.
There are a lot of reasons I’d think a long time before issuing that restraining order, Sandra, but I think if you talked to Miss Parker she’d tell you there was nothing to worry about. I think the immediate result of such an injunction would be to get Miss Parker even more upset
with Lucy, and I think that might be very bad…..for Lucy.
I know Lucy means well, and I know she was traumatized pretty badly in her marriage, but I think she’s really gone over the top on this one. I think Philip Evans is being more than fair not bringing charges of slander against her, and apparently there was some playing fast and loose by her with sealed court adoption papers as well. “
Judge Collins frowned as he said the last sentence. “I don’t think I really need to talk to the young lady, Jim. I was the third judge that Lucy went to with this story and you always want to be cautious but….she mentioned that the girl had threatened her with her eyes, whatever that means and that she had told all the counselors at school her suspicions….and if she is now blabbing about sealed court adoption information…..well, I think I’m going to have to agree with the first two judges,…Lucy’s usefulness as a victim’s advocate in the legal system is probably over.” She hesitated a few seconds before continuing, “You are really sure about this young man?”
“Absolutely, your honor. I know he’d give his soul for that young lady, without hesitation.”
“Well, then I guess she’s a fortunate young lady. You don’t see much of that these days, at least not in domestic court. Thanks for coming in.”
As Jim Valenti got back in the Tahoe and drove away from the courtroom building he thought to himself, ‘Well that went well. Wish it were that easy with Jeff and Nancy Parker.'
See the sequel Dominoes falling
viewtopic.php?p=572376#572376
Last edited by greywolf on Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.