Waking to the sound of glass shattering, he bolted up in bed and found the room empty. His eyes darted to the door and he found it standing wide open into the hallway and growled. Quickly he sprung from bed and pulled his shirt over his head as he sheathed his gun in the waistline of his pants.

"Come now. That was stupid, Faith. You'll wake them for sure."

The voice froze his blood and his eyes flashed as he drew closer to the living room. When he caught a glimpse of the man standing over her, he pulled his gun and set the trigger.

"Why are you here?"

The man knelt down in front of her and cupped her chin while whispering into her ear, "I want you back, Faith. All to myself."

She kicked him away and as he stumbled back, she jumped to her feet. Growling, she wiped her mouth and growled. Her hands curled into fists and she began to shake. Slowly he approached from behind the intruder and she spotted him. Her face showed no acknowledgment until she spotted his hand gun.

He hid the gun behind his back and motioned for her to remain still. Her defiance was expected as he watched her swing at the man. The man caught her wrist and twirled her around so her back rested against his chest and he held her pinned. She struggled with a growl filling the room and he bit his tongue to keep from yelling. Quietly and swiftly he brought the butt of the gun down on the man's shoulder in his tension spot and watched the man fall limply to the ground.

Instantly she was in his arms and he comforted her shaking body as his eyes remained fixed on the intruder. Slowly the man rose to his feet and the bullet ripped through the man's shoulder. As the man crumbled back to the ground, Faith collapsed onto her knees and he knelt next to her. Holding her against him, he gently rocked her as her body began to relax. Footsteps entered his ears and he looked up to see his grandmother standing in the doorway with horror written all over her face.

"He is of no threat. Call the police."

Nodding quietly, the woman ran off and he scooped Faith up in his arms. Her arms slowly wrapped themselves around his neck and he carried her back into their bedroom. Placing her on their bed, he sat behind her and began a slow and sensation massage on her shoulders. Once she was relaxing in his embrace once more, he kissed her gently and placed her back in bed.

He watched her eyes drift shut and whispered, "The man will die, I swear it."

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

The gavel struck the podium and the room silenced. The judge rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked down at her from his seat. She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and rose with her lawyer to await the verdict.

"Due to the situation and past events such as this, I find the defendant guilty of assault and battery on first degree. I also sentence him to the death penalty for the murder of the victim's father. Case dismissed."

Sighing with relief, she collapsed back into her chair and felt Jess's arms slip around her shoulders gently. She leaned back in her chair and allowed her heart to regulate as she took in deep breaths. Silently she watched the defendant be led into the back room and a smile slowly crawled onto her face.

"Let's celebrate tonight. How about dinner, just the two of us?"

Smiling, she allowed him to pull her to her feet and met his gaze without a word. He kissed her gently and she savored the touch of love. It sent security racing through her blood and she held it closely to her shattered soul.

"Sounds good to me. Thank you."

His eyebrow went up and he asked, "For?"

Kissing his nose, she smiled and said, "For helping me get through this and back to a life."

He smirked and she laced her fingers with his as he led her from the courtroom. News reporters met them and her lawyer escorted her out while answer questions for her. They walked down the courthouse steps and slipped into Jess's car as the crowd gathered around her lawyer. Leaning back in her seat, she glanced at Jess and he nodded to her.

Smirking, she closed her eyes and said, "Take me away from here, Jess."

He laughed and said, "How I would love to."

The engine soared to life and they pulled away from the courthouse. Her hand found his once more and she allowed her eyes to open. She watched the world pass by and felt herself actually taking the beauty in. With a deep sigh, she knew the road was going to be rough, but she was on her way to recovery.

PGS