Opposites Attract

Donovan walked out of the Village Bar holding a napkin to his lower lip. He didn\'t find the sadistic Christenson, but the trip hadn\'t been a complete loss. One of the bar patrons let it slip that he had talked to Micheal a few weeks ago and he was trying to look up some of his old ‘friends’. Unfortunately, someone else recognized Donovan as a cop and a fight broke out. He came out of it pretty well; some of the others would be visiting an ER by the end of the night.

Donovan climbed into his car and decided to head back to Robyn\'s. If Micheal was looking for Chad, she could be in danger. He stepped on the gas and tore out of the parking lot

Robyn tossed and turned. She had been in bed for three hours ago and still couldn’t sleep. She sat up and pressed her back against her head board, flipped her bedside lamp on and picked up her romance novel. She read the same line eight times before she slammed the book shut and sent if flying across the room, \"damnit!\"

The car pulled up outside her house and he decided to camp out for the night. After hanging around for an hour, he saw a light come on in one of the rooms. It stayed on for a little while and then clicked off. Donovan was concerned that maybe someone was in there that shouldn\'t be so he decided to go check on Robyn.

As he walked up to the door, he began to reconsider checking on her. Did he want to check on her safety, or did he just want to see her again? ~Maybe I am just over reacting, ~ he thought, but pushed the doorbell anyway.

As soon as Robyn\'s head hit the pillow the sound of the doorbell startled her. She bolted upright and flipped on her light. She wrapped a silk robe around her and plodded down the stairs for the door, \"Who the hell could that be?\" she muttered, \"Who is it?\" she called.

He felt silly for being back here and it showed in the nervousness of his voice. \"It\'s me, Detective Snipes, Miss Kumar.\"

Robyn shook her head and pulled off the chains. She opened the door and immediately gasped, \"What happened to your lip? Come on in,\" she said almost reaching out and yanking him in. she closed the door behind him and put the chains on. She then headed for the kitchen flipping lights on as she went. She pulled open the freezer then grabbed a white table cloth from a drawer and dumped some ice in it she then walked back, \"Sit down,\" she said like a mother to a child. She then pressed the cold cloth to his lip, \"What happened?\"

Surprise took him as he was pulled into the house. The ice felt good, but he took the cloth from her grip. \"It’s just an occupational hazard Miss Kumar.\"

\"Is that what they call it now?\" She asked as she sat back and pulled at her robe self-consciously, \"Look you need to be more careful.\"

He shrugged at her comment. \"I\'m fine. Thanks for the ice.\" She looked at him like she expected a better explanation than that, but he deflected that line of questioning. \"I assume from your demeanor that you haven\'t gotten any odd phone calls or seen anyone strange hanging around your house?\"

Robyn looked at him with her head tilted, \"No,\" she said, \"Now do you want something to eat?\"

A sigh of relief washed over him. He thought he should get back outside and keep an eye on the place, but a bite did sound good. Against his better judgment he said, \"Um, sure; as long as it isn\'t salty.\" He smiled and stuck out his lower lip.

Robyn laughed at that, \"Alright come on,\" she said getting up and walking towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge and bent over to stick her head in, \"Ok what do you want? I got bologna, salami, Egg salad, rice, fried chicken... \"

Donovan had to admire her ass as she bent over, it had a nice shape. Sort of like an upside down heart shape. \"Um, the egg salad would be fine.\" He sat down at the table and adjusted the cloth with ice against his lip. It was getting sufficiently numb and he could start to talk without it hurting.

She pulled the small bowl out and uncovered it. She placed in on the placemat in front of him. She pulled out some salami and began to make herself a sandwich. She then poured two glasses of orange juice. She brought her sandwich over then the juices. She placed one in front of him with a fork then sat down with hers. She took a bite out of her sandwich.

He usually ate egg salad as a sandwich, but wasn\'t about to say anything. He took a bite out of the bowl and looked up at Robyn. She had an amazing pair of eyes and he found himself lost in them for a second. Shaking off the effects, he said, \"I didn\'t intend to impose on you tonight. It looks like you were getting ready for bed. He indicated her robe with the handle of his fork.

Robyn smiled, \"I was in bed,\" she said, \"but thanks for coming. I couldn’t sleep.\"

Nodding, he took a few more bites of the food. \"Suppose you want to know why I am here?\"

\"That would be nice,\" she said as she swallowed. She took a long sipped from her glass.

\"Well, I received a tip that someone was looking for Chad, and it is not a nice someone. I thought I would come back and keep an eye on the place. I saw a light upstairs and thought he might have been here already.\" That was partially true, though if Donovan thought Micheal was truly in the house, he would have shown up with weapon drawn.

Robyn smiled, \"Well as you can see I am alone here,\" she said as she finished her juice, \"But thanks though. Do you have a place to stay tonight?\"

“I have to take your word on being alone, as I haven\'t searched the place.\" He smiled a little and continued, \"as for staying, I\'ll keep an eye on the place tonight from my car, and sleep in the morning. I doubt he will come by during the day.\"

Robyn placed her sandwich down, \"Don’t be stupid,” she said shaking her head, \"I got a spare room plus a sofa. You can’t spend the whole night in your car.\"

\"It wouldn’t be the first time, nor probably the last. I couldn\'t sleep in another room of the house; I wouldn\'t hear if the bastard came in.\" His face flushed a little as he tried to push the anger for Christenson back down. \"Sorry about my temper.\"

\"Yah,\" she said, \"Then sleep on the sofa, I won’t be able to sleep anyways.\" She watched him, \"what happened, why you are so keen on catching this guy.\"

\"He is the guy who kidnapped that girl Claudia a few weeks ago and assaulted and raped her.\" He didn\'t want to scare Robyn anymore so he didn’t add the part about the torture and sodomy. He saw a look of fear cross her face for a moment and added, \"I don\'t think he would do that again, though.\"

\"Uh-huh,\" Robyn said as she bit into her sandwich, \"I may not be a cop but I know these guys. I was married to one remember? You are scared that he might come here.\"

Donovan resigned himself to the fact that she knew these guys as well as he did. He lowered his eyes a little and pushed away his food. \"Yeah, I guess I am. I have been after him for... a while. If you saw his victims, you would know he is going to do it again. I just have to find out whom he is after and keep it from happening.\"

\"And you think its going to be me,\" she said instead of asking. She swallowed the last piece of her sandwich, \"That’s comforting.\"

\"Not necessarily, he might be just looking for Chad. But then he did assault a young, good looking, black woman already...\" His voice trailed off, him not knowing what else to say.

\"Young, good looking eh,\" Robyn smiled to put him on the spot, \"So you think I\'m pretty,\" she giggled.

His eyes roamed over what he could see of her body once again. This was becoming more unprofessional than he liked but he couldn’t help himself from answering, \"yeah, I do.\"

She smiled, \"Why thank you,\" she said shifting in her seat, \"So, you staying in with me or in your car?\"

\"I\'ll stay here if you don\'t mind. I should keep an eye on you.\" By all rights he should stay in the car, but if he was in the house with an invitation he would be able to hear if someone came in easier.

Robyn didn’t know whether to be happy or cry about what he said. She stood up, \"I\'ll be right back.\" She went upstairs and grabbed a couple of warm blankets and some pillows along with some sleeping bags. She came back down and spread the sleeping bags open on the ground. She then dumped the pillows down and the blankets, \"Ok, ready.\"

Looking at the collection of sleeping items, he felt a little confused. It looked like she was making up a bed for two. \"You\'re not sleeping in your bedroom?\"

\"Of course,\" she said, \"The floor tends to get a little hard and the sofa isn’t going to be big enough for your frame, \"Hopefully that will be softer for you.\"

He nodded. He felt a pang of regret for some reason at that. \"Ah. Thanks for thinking of me.\"

She smiled, \"It’s the least I can do,\" she said, \"I\'m going to try and sleep again. Good night.\"

\"Goodnight Miss Kumar.\" Donovan smiled at her. \"If anything happens, you\'ll be the second one to know.\"

\"I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at that,\" she grinned and started up the stairs. When she got to her bedroom she stripped her robe off and climbed into bed. She still couldn’t sleep. For the first time in years, the nightmare came again. She woke up screaming.

Donovan had pulled off his shirt and tie, but kept his tight undershirt on. He was sitting on the couch, awake in the dark when he heard a scream from upstairs. With a quick motion he had his service weapon pulled from his waist holster and was headed up the stairs. Quietly he worked his way to the only door that was closed and he put his ear against it. He heard Miss Kumar inside the room; her breathing was coming in rasps and she sounded scared. He twisted the doorknob slowly and pushed the door open, keeping his weapon in front of him scanning the room.

Robyn\'s body tossed and turned in bed. She then flew into a sitting position and panted trying to catch her breath. She looked over to see Donovan coming towards her, \"It was only a dream,\" she panted to him, \"Haven’t had one in a while.\"

He checked the closet and the window sash anyway before holstering his weapon. \"You sure you are all right?\"

\"Yes,\" she breathed. She had forgotten to turn her light off. She smiled at him and climbed out of bed.

He watched her get up out of bed. His eyes caught sight of her camisole and panties, and he turned his eyes away quickly. He busied himself with looking out the window to cover his reddening face.

Robyn noticed him looking away and reached for her robe, \"Its ok,\" she said, \"I\'m covered up now. You can turn around now.\"

He turned his head back towards her. \"I\'m sorry miss.\" He turned towards the door. \"I should be getting back down stairs if you don\'t need me.\"

Robyn nodded without saying anything. She climbed into bed and pulled her knees up to her chin and hugged her legs. She was scared shitless but she would not admit it. Not yet. There was no need. Was there?

Donovan turned around and gazed at Robyn on the bed. She looked scared and confused and had every right to be. He mentally smacked himself for scaring her without any real reason with the information that she might be next. The door closed, with him on the bedroom side of it.