A Shot In the Dark - Part 9
Jul. 21st, 2008 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jyl22075Coop took the stairs two at a time, his dad a few steps behind him. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew it was Ashlee that had screamed. When he got to the room Ashlee was standing in the doorway staring in to the darkened room Buzz had prepared for them. He could see that she was trembling. She had obviously just come from the shower, because she had her hair up in a towel.
"Ashlee, Are you okay? What happened?" She didn't answer him, just turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace. "Ash, are you alright?" Coop felt her nod against his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Coop, I'm so sorry." The voice came from inside the room. He squinted in to the darkness trying to see who was in the room, but he couldn't make out anything but a shadow.
"Coop, what happened?" His dad asked, catching up to him. Before he could answer Natalia appeared in the doorway.
"I'm so sorry... Buzz told me you guys were coming and I thought you might be hungry, so I brought up some soup. I knocked, but when no one answered, I figured I would just leave it for you... I didn't mean to..." Buzz put his arm around Natalia's shoulders.
"It's okay." He said to Natalia before turning to his son. "Coop, if you need anything, let me know." Coop nodded. Ashlee still hadn't said anything and her grip on him had not lessened any.
"It's okay, Ash. It was just Natalia." Coop tried to keep his tone soothing. On the inside he was angry with Natalia. He knew that he shouldn't be, but he couldn't help being upset with her for scaring Ashlee. She had been through so much already.
"I know." She said finally pulling away from him. "I know, but I couldn't tell when I opened the door..." Coop hushed her explanation, hugging her again before leading her in to the room.
Ashlee sat down on the bed and looked down at the floor. "I feel so stupid. I mean, of course, it wasn't Blake because she's..." Her voice trailed off.
Coop sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "Ashlee, after what you've been through today, I don't think anyone would blame you for being scared." He kissed the back of her hand. She nodded but didn't say anything. "Why don't you try and get some rest, okay?"
"Yeah... I am really tired." Coop tucked her in to bed. Ashlee was asleep almost immediately. The exhaustion she was feeling overwhelming any lingering fear she had. Coop sat down at the desk across the room and dropped his face in to his hands. He had to figure out a way to prove that Ashlee was protecting herself. He had to because if it weren't for him this wouldn't have happened and he couldn't let Ashlee go to jail for something that he had started.
He sighed and glanced at his watch. It was just after midnight. It was really too late to call Frank, but Coop didn't care. He needed to find out exactly what his brother thought happened in that room. He grabbed his cell phone and headed out in to the hallway pulling the door closed behind him, careful to latch it quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Ashlee up. He had never seen her look more exhausted than she had when he'd tucked her in to bed.
Frank answered his phone after only one ring. "What do you need, Coop?"
"Frank, listen, I need you to act like my brother. Can you do that?" Coop heard Frank let out a sigh.
"Okay, Coop, I'm having the gun traced. If we can find out that Blake purchased it that will go a long way to proving Ashlee acted in self-defense. Also I've called in a favor from a forensics guy in Chicago. He's going to look at the evidence and see if he can prove that a struggle took place. I'm doing everything I can." Frank sounded tired.
"Thank you... really, Frank... thank you. I just... I can't lose Ashlee again." Coop felt relieved that Frank believed Ashlee. At least he was looking for evidence that would clear her.
"I know, Coop... I'm going to do everything I can." Coop ended the call and leaned against the closed door. They would find something to clear Ashlee... they had to.
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Ashlee watched as Blake pulled the trigger. She felt frozen in place, when the bullet pierced her skin she let out a cry.
Ashlee's eyes flew open and she sat up, trying to catch her breath. Coop ran in to the room a look of concern on his face. "Ash, what happened?"
"It... was just a nightmare." She said sucking in a deep breath. Coop crawled in to the bed next to her and pulled her in to his arms, so her head was on his shoulder.
"You want to talk about it?" He asked running his fingers through her hair. Ashlee felt herself calming at his touch almost immediately.
"No." She said closing her eyes and just enjoying being with Coop. She thought about the dream. It could have happened that way, and then she wouldn't be here with Coop right now.
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." Coop's voice was soft. Ashlee glanced down and saw that she was clutching on to him. She immediately relaxed her grip.
"Sorry... I'm just... a little freaked out." She had said that she didn't want to talk about it, but before she even realized what was happening the words began spilling out of her mouth. "Blake was going to kill me... She said she would make it look like a robbery, that no one would ever know it was her." Coop didn't say anything he just kept running his fingers through her hair. "She... she said that you would find me, but it would be... too late." Ashlee felt a tear fall down her cheek. Coop brushed the tear away tilting her face up so he could see her eyes. She was surprised to see that Coop's eyes were moist as well.
"You're safe now." He said and then his lips were on hers. Ashlee's lips parted on a sigh and she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. His tongue slipped in her mouth, the kiss was frantic, as if neither one could get close enough to the other. Coop rolled her over on to her back so he was on top of her. She pulled frantically at his clothes, Ashlee had never felt such a desperate need for him.
"Coop, I need you." She said on a soft sigh. Ashlee helped him get their clothes off. He grabbed a condom off the night stand and in record time put it on and had thrust in to her. They moved together frantically and Ashlee felt herself falling over the edge just seconds before Coop joined her.
Coop kissed her again tenderly this time. "I love you." Ashlee felt a smile touch her lips. It was the first time she'd smiled since everything had happened.
"I love you too." She said, her eyes drifting closed. Coop got out of bed for a moment, when he climbed back in to bed next to her and wrapped her in his arms she was already half asleep. She knew she wouldn't have any more nightmares tonight.
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"Ashlee, Are you okay? What happened?" She didn't answer him, just turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace. "Ash, are you alright?" Coop felt her nod against his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Coop, I'm so sorry." The voice came from inside the room. He squinted in to the darkness trying to see who was in the room, but he couldn't make out anything but a shadow.
"Coop, what happened?" His dad asked, catching up to him. Before he could answer Natalia appeared in the doorway.
"I'm so sorry... Buzz told me you guys were coming and I thought you might be hungry, so I brought up some soup. I knocked, but when no one answered, I figured I would just leave it for you... I didn't mean to..." Buzz put his arm around Natalia's shoulders.
"It's okay." He said to Natalia before turning to his son. "Coop, if you need anything, let me know." Coop nodded. Ashlee still hadn't said anything and her grip on him had not lessened any.
"It's okay, Ash. It was just Natalia." Coop tried to keep his tone soothing. On the inside he was angry with Natalia. He knew that he shouldn't be, but he couldn't help being upset with her for scaring Ashlee. She had been through so much already.
"I know." She said finally pulling away from him. "I know, but I couldn't tell when I opened the door..." Coop hushed her explanation, hugging her again before leading her in to the room.
Ashlee sat down on the bed and looked down at the floor. "I feel so stupid. I mean, of course, it wasn't Blake because she's..." Her voice trailed off.
Coop sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "Ashlee, after what you've been through today, I don't think anyone would blame you for being scared." He kissed the back of her hand. She nodded but didn't say anything. "Why don't you try and get some rest, okay?"
"Yeah... I am really tired." Coop tucked her in to bed. Ashlee was asleep almost immediately. The exhaustion she was feeling overwhelming any lingering fear she had. Coop sat down at the desk across the room and dropped his face in to his hands. He had to figure out a way to prove that Ashlee was protecting herself. He had to because if it weren't for him this wouldn't have happened and he couldn't let Ashlee go to jail for something that he had started.
He sighed and glanced at his watch. It was just after midnight. It was really too late to call Frank, but Coop didn't care. He needed to find out exactly what his brother thought happened in that room. He grabbed his cell phone and headed out in to the hallway pulling the door closed behind him, careful to latch it quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Ashlee up. He had never seen her look more exhausted than she had when he'd tucked her in to bed.
Frank answered his phone after only one ring. "What do you need, Coop?"
"Frank, listen, I need you to act like my brother. Can you do that?" Coop heard Frank let out a sigh.
"Okay, Coop, I'm having the gun traced. If we can find out that Blake purchased it that will go a long way to proving Ashlee acted in self-defense. Also I've called in a favor from a forensics guy in Chicago. He's going to look at the evidence and see if he can prove that a struggle took place. I'm doing everything I can." Frank sounded tired.
"Thank you... really, Frank... thank you. I just... I can't lose Ashlee again." Coop felt relieved that Frank believed Ashlee. At least he was looking for evidence that would clear her.
"I know, Coop... I'm going to do everything I can." Coop ended the call and leaned against the closed door. They would find something to clear Ashlee... they had to.
****************************************
Ashlee watched as Blake pulled the trigger. She felt frozen in place, when the bullet pierced her skin she let out a cry.
Ashlee's eyes flew open and she sat up, trying to catch her breath. Coop ran in to the room a look of concern on his face. "Ash, what happened?"
"It... was just a nightmare." She said sucking in a deep breath. Coop crawled in to the bed next to her and pulled her in to his arms, so her head was on his shoulder.
"You want to talk about it?" He asked running his fingers through her hair. Ashlee felt herself calming at his touch almost immediately.
"No." She said closing her eyes and just enjoying being with Coop. She thought about the dream. It could have happened that way, and then she wouldn't be here with Coop right now.
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." Coop's voice was soft. Ashlee glanced down and saw that she was clutching on to him. She immediately relaxed her grip.
"Sorry... I'm just... a little freaked out." She had said that she didn't want to talk about it, but before she even realized what was happening the words began spilling out of her mouth. "Blake was going to kill me... She said she would make it look like a robbery, that no one would ever know it was her." Coop didn't say anything he just kept running his fingers through her hair. "She... she said that you would find me, but it would be... too late." Ashlee felt a tear fall down her cheek. Coop brushed the tear away tilting her face up so he could see her eyes. She was surprised to see that Coop's eyes were moist as well.
"You're safe now." He said and then his lips were on hers. Ashlee's lips parted on a sigh and she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. His tongue slipped in her mouth, the kiss was frantic, as if neither one could get close enough to the other. Coop rolled her over on to her back so he was on top of her. She pulled frantically at his clothes, Ashlee had never felt such a desperate need for him.
"Coop, I need you." She said on a soft sigh. Ashlee helped him get their clothes off. He grabbed a condom off the night stand and in record time put it on and had thrust in to her. They moved together frantically and Ashlee felt herself falling over the edge just seconds before Coop joined her.
Coop kissed her again tenderly this time. "I love you." Ashlee felt a smile touch her lips. It was the first time she'd smiled since everything had happened.
"I love you too." She said, her eyes drifting closed. Coop got out of bed for a moment, when he climbed back in to bed next to her and wrapped her in his arms she was already half asleep. She knew she wouldn't have any more nightmares tonight.
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 10:34 pm (UTC)Yet another great chapter. I love how Coop is the only one that calm's Ashlee. And great ending *fans self* that was steamy!
Can't wait for more...
~Emm
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-22 12:02 am (UTC)I'm so glad you liked the chapter. Coop is definitely Ashlee's rock right now. I figured after 9 parts there should be a little bit of smut thrown in. *laughing*
Thank you, Emm! *many hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 11:03 pm (UTC)laceytree
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Date: 2008-07-22 12:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2008-07-22 12:02 am (UTC)Can't wait for moreeeeee!!!
Thanks!
-Mel
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Date: 2008-07-22 12:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
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