Taking a deep breath, she allowed her thoughts to drift back to what the disgusting man who posed as her step-father had done to her. She sighed and rewitnessed the assault on her mind and body. She could still feel his hands crawling over her and could taste him in her mouth. The faint taste made her stomach twist and she let out a deep breath. She knew it was pointless to put herself through the drama again, but she still needed to know why he did these things to her.

Letting out a soft sigh, she glanced around the room and took everything in. She was safe in this room, the room she shared with Jesse. Smiling at the concept of them being together left a warm feeling inside of her that chased away the coldness left by her recent thoughts. The doorknob turned and she glanced over her shoulder in time to see Jesse's grandmother bringing her lunch. The woman left the food on a table by the window and smiled at her.

"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better. You have more color to your face. It is a good sign child. You had us worried sick."

Glancing down at her hands, she softly said, "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to worry or scare the two of you."

The woman placed a hand softly on her shoulder and said, "It is all right, Faith. We both understand. Now all that is left is for you to let it stay in the past and put it behind you."

Faith met her dark blue gaze and asked, "What if I can't? What if I can't forget everything that man has done to me?"

"Then you will always remain in doubt and will push everyone away. Do you really want that child?"

Shaking her head, she covered her face with her hands and said, "It's the last thing I could ever want."

The woman nodded and silently left the room. When the door shut, she lifted her head and walked over to the plate of food. Taking the scent in, she felt her stomach twist and moved away to the window. Sitting on the window seal with the soft wind blowing in allowed her to relax. With her head resting against the back of the window niche, she closed her eyes and tried to rest without her nightmares returning.

----------------------------------------------

Hearing the footsteps approaching from behind, he glanced over his shoulder and found his grandmother watching him. She smiled gently and he returned to his paperwork. Quietly she appeared at his side and placed his lunch beside him.

"I took some to Faith. I hope she is up to eating. I do worry about her. The wounds left on her are deep and may take a long time to overcome."

Sighing, he ran his hand across his neck and asked, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that for the time being, give her time to recover as much as she can. The girl has a lot on her mind. I see the pain and the confusion in her eyes everytime I look at her."

Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his seat and said, "That is why I am trying to track the man down."

"What will you do when you have him?"

"I'm going to get him thrown into prison for life. He is never going to touch Faith again."

"Jesse, have you talked with Faith about this? Maybe she doesn't want this."

Standing quickly, he turned to the woman and said, "I gave her my word, Grandmother. I'm not going to let that man near her again."

"What if she is needed as a testimony against him?"

"I will work around it. She doesn't need to see this man the rest of her life. I'll see to it that she doesn't."

Closing his black notebook, he left the room and she sighed. She made her way into the kitchen and heard a loud crash come from down the hall. Quickly she ran to Faith's room and stopped in the doorway. She found Faith standing in front of a shattered mirror with blood running down her hand. Quietly she approached the girl and placed her hand on Faith's shoulder.

A punch sent her to the floor and she pressed her hand over the wound as Faith turned to her. She saw the self-hatred flash through the girl's face as she ran out of the room. Quickly she got to her feet and ran down the hall in hopes that she could catch the girl before she got away. When she entered the living room, she found Jesse holding Faith with his eyes meeting her own.

Stroking her hair, he whispered, "It's all right. Just relax."

Slowly she approached the two and said, "I'm fine, Faith. You do have a hard punch for a young woman."

Faith met her gaze and shook her head while saying, "I'm so sorry. I never meant to harm you, Kila. Please forgive me."

Kila smiled gently and said, "I don't hold it against you. I was foolish to try and comfort you when you were thinking about something."

She heard a low growl and saw Jesse examining Faith's bleeding knuckles. His eyes grew tight and he turned to her without question. She shook her head and he turned back to Faith.

Slipping his arm around her shoulder, he said, "Come on, let's get your hand dressed."

Quietly he led her past Kila and back into their room. Closing the door behind them, he locked it and watched as Faith knelt in front of the shattered mirror. He pulled out the first aid kit and sat in on the bed. When he turned back to Faith, he found her holding some of the glass pieces.

"Faith, let it go."

She placed the pieces in the trash can and sat next to him on the bed without a sound. Silently, he dressed her knuckles and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. When he looked into her eyes, he saw her lost in thought and held her against his chest.

She burrowed into him and said, "I'm scared, Jesse. I don't know what he did to me. I don't even know what I have become."

Kissing her forehead again, he whispered, "Just forget about him. He isn't here and will never bother you again. Please, you're exhausted and need rest. Lie down and try to get some sleep."

He watched her lie back in bed and was about to leave the room when her hand snaked around his wrist. Looking back at her, he returned to the bed and kissed her gently.

"I need you to stay with me."

"All right."

Slipping next to her on the bed, he felt her curl up into him and watched as she drifted off to sleep. His mind went around in circles as he tried to digest the new kindle of anger added to the fire. Her step-father was going to be a dead man when he found the man. He wasn't going to allow the man to control Faith's mind the rest of her life. He had to stop the man before he lost Faith for good.

PGS