Kermit was tidying up his desk, making sure that everything was taken care of before his trip. He hated the thought of leaving Savannah, but he had sworn promises from Mary Margaret, Karen Simms, and their next door neighbor to be on hand should she need anything.

After an extended "tutorial session" in bed, they had talked. Plain English. She needed to feel whole and he was making her feel broken by his constant hovering. The whole idea was to go on with life as usual. Savannah had kissed him and helped pack his bag. It would only be one night, but one night Kermit was positive would be harder on him than on his wife.

She was recovering. He was still broken.

He was just shutting down his computer when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he said, eyes focused on the dying screen. "Yes?" he asked his visitor without looking up, "what can I do-?" He stopped, frozen with shock, as Peter Caine stood hesitantly in the room. Feeling the now-familiar surge of anger, he glared at the young detective. "Do you WANT me to-?"

Peter held up his hands in defense. "You told me to stay away from Savannah. I have."

Kermit looked at him, curiosity taking the place of unbridled rage. The man before him bore little resemblance to the cocky, self-assured Peter Caine of a year ago. Eyes bloodshot and wild, the nervous energy practically bounced from his body. His expression, desperate. Kermit had NO idea why Peter would want to see him. Curiosity won. Feeling unusually generous, he sat back and raised his hand briefly in a 'go ahead' gesture.

Peter sighed in relief. If Kermit wouldn't agree to listen to him, things would be worse all around. Shifting from side to side, the young man fought to calm himself. Last night had been the worst. Hours of instant replay nightmares. Over and over. Savannah screaming. Muddled sensations of searing pain and gunfire. He felt her body falling into his arms as the mist of the nightmares grappled with his sanity. A burning sickness welled inside his gut at the memory. Squaring his shoulders, he said quietly, "Don't go on your trip."

Kermit frowned. Now, confusion was replacing curiosity. "Number one, how the hell do you know anything about my life and my schedule? And number two, why would you think you had the right to tell me where and where not to go?"

Peter met Kermit's defensive attack with force born out of conviction. "Jody mentioned the trip and I know that you shouldn't leave town."

Puzzlement braiding with his anger, Kermit snapped, "I'd think you wouldn't mind getting rid of me for a day."

"It doesn't have anything to do with me. It has to do with Savannah. This is going to sound strange but...." Peter entered, closed the door behind him and continued, willing Kermit to believe him. The mere fact that Kermit was willing to listen to him at all was encouraging. "I have a feeling that Savannah is in danger."

Kermit snorted. "You're about ten months too late."

Something twisted in his heart. A forgotten indignation. Peter snarled in reborn fury. "Get off my fuckin' back, KERMIT! I'm tired of hangin' on a cross for you. Shut up and listen to me!!!"

The force of the reply slammed against Kermit's will. It was the first resistance he had felt from Peter Caine since the shooting. His fists clinched angrily as he stared up into Peter's red faced expression. "Forgive my lack of confidence in your ability to judge the danger of any situation, Detective. How would you know anything about my wife or her safety?"

Peter ignored the jibe. "I just KNOW....Listen, Kermit, I think she saw the shooter. Got a GOOD look at him. She was on the second step of the precinct stairs, a perfect height to see into the car. Blood Lao wouldn't leave a loose end like that. He's coming after her."

Kermit let a knowing smile drift across his tightened features. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Caine," the dark man leaned forward in a conspiratorial whisper. "Master Blood is no longer a problem."

The icy satisfaction in Kermit's voice pushed his visitor back a few paces. Needing to know but not wanting to ask, Peter said, "Did you kill him?"

Hands laced casually behind his head, Kermit leaned back into his chair with deadly pleasure tweaking his mouth. "No need to start praying for my soul on this account, Caine. The boy met with an unfortunate accident in the Orient. Dangerous place, that China. One little mistake behind the wheel and the lad went to meet Jesus." Happily enjoying the one gloat he was allowed, he added, "I suppose it's not only the good who die young."

The cop inside Peter Caine knew that he didn't want to push the issue. Didn't want to hear things he could never un-hear. He dropped down into a chair. It didn't change a thing.....only confused him. He was certain -- certainty fired by weeks of shattered sleep and subtle tugs of Savannah's terror in his mind -- that there was danger.

"Kermit......" he focused all his sincerity, "you shouldn't leave her."

Kermit had put those fears to rest last night. Savannah needed this gesture of his faith. The threat was gone. The intruder that had invaded their home had proven to be just a random burglar. Savannah had Mary Margaret as protection. This was their business and no one else's. Peter Caine was obviously trying to weasel his way back into their lives with this urgent rattling.

Kermit stood up, grabbing his briefcase. "I've heard all I care to. You were wrong last time. Putting your impulsiveness versus my experience, I don't think we have anything more to talk about. EVER."

Peter watched him leave and followed a few steps before stopping, wishing that there was some other way to do this. But there wasn't. Kermit wouldn't listen. He would have to find another way to respond to the mental threats he knew were reality.

The precinct rumbled on around his private turmoil. Into the midst of his rambling thoughts came a quiet presence.

"You must follow your instincts." Kwai Chang Caine appeared from the confusion to whisper calm over his son's shoulder.

Peter, for once, didn't flinch at the shock of his father breezing in without announcement. "It's probably nothing. According to Kermit, the shooter doesn't exist anymore."

"This knowledge does not change what you feel. Does it, my son?" Caine touched his son's shoulder, soaking up the raging fear and anguish.

Peter turned to his father, eyes pleading this time. "Pop, I'm seeing her in my dreams. Screaming. Terrified." Raking his hand over sleep-deprived eyes, he spoke in a near whisper, "Am I seeing something that can't be changed? Something that can? Am I just feeling the remains of my guilt? What?!"

"I do not know.... and you can only know when you begin to listen to your true voice and leave behind the false whisper of your doubt." Caine stood rock solid. A granite force of compassion and strength.

Peter understood that look. "I don't trust that voice anymore." One statement, summing up his life for the past months.

Caine touched his son's face, feeling the pull the past months' experience on Peter's heart and mind. The freedom to follow his instincts could not break free. "Peter....time grabs you by the wrist," Caine did the same, "and directs you where to go."

"That from some new version of the Tao?" Peter watched the warm gleam of his father's eyes. He was trying to guide Peter in his gentle way; never a shove, always an embrace. It strengthened him in the face of his doubt.

"Green Day," Caine said solemnly. "It is a favorite of Mary Margaret. I am....trying it out." Caine enjoyed the half smile that appeared on his son's face. The features still betrayed the cost of Peter's battle with doubt, but for a moment, they lightened. "You know what to do, my son."

Caine walked away, leaving Peter to his voices and struggle.

*****

Peter shifted inside his loaner from the motor pool. The dark gray Taurus grated on his nerves. What it lacked in style it matched in discomfort to his backside. But, the Stealth was too obvious. The sun had gone down hours ago. Peter Caine sat in the peaceful silence of Savannah Griffin's suburban neighborhood, keeping watch. A patrol had checked him out and moved on at the sight of his badge. His coffee had gone cold long ago. "Next time, I'll bring Blake," he muttered to himself, scanning the street. Blake always came prepared to a stake out.

The house was quiet. He had watched Savannah and Mary Margaret through the living room window until one of them had closed the blinds. Probably Skalany, he thought. Parked a few houses down, he could still observe but be discreet. The full moon lit the neatly trimmed lawn and the only sounds were murmured hums of life from the other surrounding homes. The occasional bark from a neighborhood dog interrupted, then faded away.

The lights dimmed in the little blue house he was faithfully monitoring. He was crazy to be here. Blood Lao was dead. Skalany was inside with Savannah. Kermit Griffin had an alarm system of Pentagon proportions.

Peter kept his eyes fixed on the house. He had given in to his instincts, followed their lead unquestioned. Twisting his long legs, the watcher made himself more comfortable and leaned heavily against the door. He was certain he was needed. Absolutely certain.

A shadow moved around the corner of the house, shuffling it's way between an overgrown azalea and Savannah's Honda. Peter snatched his gun from the passenger seat and broke open his door with a surge of adrenaline.

Then...Skalany stepped into the moonlight. Holding a cup of coffee in her hand, she made her way across the lawn.

Peter relaxed back into his vehicle, quieting the blood roaring in his ears and settling back from alert status. Rolling down the window as the dark haired woman reached his door, he remained sheepishly silent.

Handing him a steaming hot cup of coffee, Mary Margaret said, "You never remember to bring coffee."

Peter accepted the cup. "I must be out of practice in undercover procedures if you knew I was here."

"I saw the confrontation with Kermit this morning," she leaned onto the door with her arms folded, "and it didn't take much to figure out you'd be here."

"Does Savannah know I'm here?" Alarming the person he intended to protect wasn't a goal.

"No. She's getting the baby ready for bed." Mary Margaret thought it best not to bring up the fact that a detective thought she was in danger. "You really don't have to be here. We're fine."

"All I know is what my gut tells me." It was screaming now.

"Well, you do what you have to do, partner." Skalany pushed her hair back over her shoulder and gave her friend a good long look. He was tired, that was certain, but there was a life in the smooth brown eyes that had been lacking for so long. If this was giving him renewed meaning, so be it.

"How's she doing?" Peter took another long drink of coffee, soaking up the caffeine with gratitude.

"In between the seven calls from Kermit," Mary Margaret rolled her eyes in aggravation, "she's been trying to arrange a double date between her, Kermit, me and your father. Says I'm just not being direct enough."

"She must be recovering if the Magnolia Matchmaking Service is up and running again." He smiled, but discreetly scanned the area once again.

"That's right." Skalany shifted from lighthearted to serious. "So, you see, there's nothing but girl talk going on in there. Suit yourself and stay out here if you need to, but --"

Peter reached out to touch her arm. "I know you're a good cop, Skalany, but my dreams are filled with these veiled premonitions and I can't just ignore them. It's personal."

"I know that and I know you, Peter." Mary Margaret patted the hand then moved away. "And, I'll stay alert."

Peter watched her leave and settle back once again, eyes open and waiting for something.

*****

Savannah eased her vehicle into the precinct parking lot. The breath of freedom she was enjoying today was empowering. Having control was a new experience and she liked it, a lot.

City map in hand, she had dropped Kat with Annie and set out to reclaim a city that had evidently once claimed her. Annie understood her need to conquer and be out on her own and had been happy to encourage her. First stop had been the hairdresser. Tom's card had been in her address book and though she didn't remember him, he certainly remembered her.

Carefully making her way through the city streets, obeying all the subtleties she'd memorized from her driver's manual, Savannah had found her way to Earle and Joseph's Salon and had the works. She'd been given the royal treatment from the entire staff and felt a renewed sense of power afterward. She looked good and felt good, quite a combination.

Stop number two had been the bookstore. Now that her reading level was acceptable, she was eager to catch up. Curious to see what would draw her attention, she had been a bit embarrassed to find herself absorbed in the half-dressed covers of the romance novels. Grabbing a couple of the more *heated* selections, and a few more serious titles, she took great pride in the fact that she had been able to negotiate the transaction at the register without hesitation. She hadn't drawn one ounce of attention as the "poor addled woman."

Now, she was after more complex prey, a memory. Strolling slowly toward the entrance of the 101st precinct, Savannah inspected the scene of the shooting. She knew this was the site. Kermit had at least told her where the world had crashed around her. "You were coming to pick me up for lunch."

This time of day, probably. Squeezing the handrail, she took a cautious step.

Something hot seemed to bite her on the back of her neck. Reaching back, she rubbed the spot with trembling fingers, feeling the scar. A stifling heat began to wash over the woman as she stood frozen on the stairs.

An echo, sharp and distant, sounding in the folds of her mind. Metallic and threatening. Muffled screaming. Memories of falling.....grasping for...

"Look, Brenda," Mary Margaret's no nonsense lecture cut through the burgeoning memory, slicing it into fragments too tiny to hold. "You should try to get your son to avoid this crowd he's running with."

Savannah stared up in a daze. Once again cemented in the blank space of the present, she watched as the detective counseled an obviously troubled woman.

"But how can I get him away from them, Detective?" The woman's haggard expression baring her distress. "All he does is go to school and then he's on his own. I have to work everyday. I'm all alone..." She began to sniffle into a worn tissue.

Hurriedly scratching an address onto the back of one of her cards, Mary Margaret handed it to the woman. Calmly, she patted her worried shoulder and said, "Go to Chinatown, ask for Caine." Smiling, she added, "He will help you."

"Who is he?" The woman grabbed at the hope.

"Just someone who can work miracles sometimes." The smile took on a warmer quality. "He's a friend of mine and I'd bet he can help you and your son before things go any further down the road to juvenile hall."

The woman brushed past Savannah, and Mary Margaret caught her friend's eye. "YOU went to Earle and Joseph's without me!" She held open the door as Savannah followed her into the precinct. "You look great."

Mary Margaret was always so full of support. No condescending treatment. Always "go for it" and not "be careful."

"Thanks, Mary," they made their way through the office, "but maybe next time we can go together."

"It's a date." Mary Margaret directed her friend to a chair, which she declined with a wave. "Did you need something?" Skalany had been reluctant to leave this morning. Peter seemed so positive that there was a threat. It had troubled her, but Savannah insisted that she needed a day on her own.

"No...yes...uh.." She didn't want to interfere with the work here but there was a case that involved her. "I need to see Karen."

Mary Margaret didn't voice the concerns that popped to mind. She knew why Savannah was here -- trying to retrace steps from hearsay. Mary Margaret had already turned down the request for information, following Kermit's directive, unwillingly. Well, the captain will have to make her own call on this one.

Leaning back in her chair, the detective glanced over to the stenciled door. "Well, her door's open, which means she's taking visitors. Go on in."

"Thanks, Mary," she replied. "Why don't we try to have lunch tomorrow?" After procuring a nod, she advanced to Karen Simms's door. Her next hope for a key.

*****

A familiar blonde head poked into Karen Simms's office, taking her completely by surprise. "Hey, there! Anyone home?"

"Savannah!" Karen quickly got up and circled the desk to approach her friend. "How are things? Are you all right? Is there some problem-"

Savannah was laughing. "Karen, calm down! There's nothing wrong. You're worse than Kermit. He gives me the third degree every time we talk on the phone, which is about every hour or so." She was exaggerating but not by much.

"Well, come in. I'm glad to see you out here in the real world." As she shut the door, Karen discreetly looked around the door jam to see if Peter Caine was there. As luck would have it, he was gone. She pulled the door closed in relief. "We're just naturally worried about you, Savannah," she explained, turning to her visitor. "It has been a long recovery for you and this is the first time Kermit has ever left you for any length of time."

Tell me about it. The thought was plain on Savannah's beautiful face. She grinned as Simms smiled sympathetically.

"Closer than your shadow, huh?"

"Yes," Savannah said, a hint of exasperation finding its way out. "I couldn't love him more.....but that man...oh! I would never have thought about running about town with him here. I was kind of relieved about this trip. It gives me a chance to do things on my own. Oh, sure, I got lost once or twice but it's good for me to figure things out. Isn't that just too awful to want your husband gone?"

"No," Simms said emphatically, "and I'm glad to be of assistance in your hour of need."

Savannah was laughing at Karen's deadpan delivery. "Kermit doesn't give me the evil eye or anything but I do get a lot of questions. Sometimes I wonder if he's going to ask me about going to the bathroom!"

Karen smiled. "Kermit...well, he adores you, Savannah. I think his life virtually ground to a halt when you were hurt. It took a lot for him to keep moving. And now, he can't turn it off. Give him time. He's very intelligent; he'll see eventually that you're firmly on the road to recovery and back off."

"I'm beginning to think that he'll see it when Kat graduates college," Savannah mused. Shifting gears, she took an opportunity that had never presented itself. "Karen, I've never had the chance to tell you how much I appreciate the way you helped my family. Took such an interest in Kat....in Kermit. I'm grateful that they had you there for them."

Karen paused at the generous sentiments. "It was nothing."

"Yes, it was." Savannah spoke with a stronger tone. "Kat didn't have a mother and it's obvious to me that you tried to ease that void for her. I'll be forever in your debt for this."

She had felt such guilt on the first day of Savannah's return home. A reunion muddied when Kat preferred the company of her surrogate mother to the real thing. She never wanted to take Savannah's place....not really. But it became so easy to think of Kat, of Kermit, as family. Needing her. Turning to her. With a savage blow to her own psyche, Karen purged the thoughts. "It was my pleasure. Kermit needed help with Kat and it gave me a chance to feel close to a child again. My son hasn't been a baby for quite some time. I missed that."

Savannah smiled back at the woman who had cared for her child and husband. The thank-yous expressed, she turned to the true reason for her visit. "But, Karen, I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Anything."

"I was hoping to see the file on the incident, the shooting."

Karen gulped. She was already cursing herself for saying 'anything'.

Savannah read the dismay on Karen's face. "I won't be upset by it. I promise. I was just hoping...Karen, it's been so long since I've remembered something new from my life. It always takes a catalyst. Something to give my memory a nudge. A familiar scent or a familiar sound. I was hoping that it would give my memory a spark, maybe even enough to remember my life."

"Savannah," Karen stopped her. "I'm sorry. I wish I could, but this is different. It's a sealed case, of which you have a major part. If you were to see it, it would taint your testimony if the case ever made it to court." Karen still had hopes of bringing the shooter and his accomplices to trial if they ever surfaced. She'd had no leads for months now and if Kermit had any news from his sources, he wasn't sharing. "You would know things that you wouldn't have known otherwise. Your whole testimony would be thrown out."

"But I don't know anything!"

"You might. You could remember any day. We can't risk it. I'm very sorry."

Savannah tried to force down the crushing disappointment. "I understand." Trouble was, she didn't think that anything else would bring her memory back. Karen, her friend, was keeping it from her.

Karen hated the dejected look Savannah threw her. She knew that Savannah felt betrayed. "Let me buy you lunch to make up for it."

Lunch in exchange for my life. I don't think so. Savannah didn't divulge her thoughts. Intellectually, she knew that Karen couldn't do as she'd asked. Emotionally, she had hoped that her friend would bend the rules for her. "Thank you, Karen - may I take a rain check? Next weekend or so? I want to wander while Kermit's still gone. Once he finds out about this, he'll probably confiscate the car keys!"

Karen nodded a good-bye as Savannah made a hasty retreat.

*****

Savannah found Caine's apartment without as much difficulty as she expected. She did what she'd heard Mary Margaret say to the woman at the precinct. "Go to Chinatown. Ask for Caine." It really WAS true - everyone in Chinatown knew where he lived. She knew because she'd asked several people in order to confirm her directions. Entering quietly, she looked around the warm, welcoming surroundings. Morning light flooded the plant-filled room. It was a comforting place.

The feeling that she'd been here before was so powerful. That same sense of deja vu that had become so prevalent recently. It was as if she were just on the edge of remembering something -- then it would be snatched away. The sensations were confusing. Could she not remember because of the physical injuries or because she didn't want to remember?

Kermit had filled in a few gaps for her, told her about her family, her friends. Slices of memory had returned to her. Her wedding and Kat's birth, both of which included memories of Caine. Making love for the first time. They were only puzzle pieces without a life to tie them together. Scenes flashing before her would spring to life then fade away before connecting to another fragment.

Kermit was holding back a great deal of information. She had no details about the shooting. All he had said was that it was a random drive-by shooting. The shooter had never been apprehended but she didn't have to worry about him -- something he also refused to explain. And there was the tension with Peter Caine. Kermit had become so angry when he'd found Peter at their home. She had to understand why. Maybe Caine would tell her when no one else would.

"Caine?" she called out softly.

"Come in, Savannah. I am pleased to see you." He welcomed her inside and found her a place to sit. "Are you well?"

She smiled. "Better. I had to start trying to get out on my own a bit." Looking down at her hands, she continued, "Kermit wouldn't be happy that I'm out roaming around alone."

"But you must learn to control your life once again."

"Exactly," she answered, relieved to have his understanding. Attempting to get to the point of her visit, she asked, "I've come to you before, for help, I mean. Since you delivered my child, and you were so kind to me at the hospital, I thought there must be something between us."

"Yes, you have and there is. Do you need my help now?" Caine got up to make tea for them and Savannah followed.

"I need you to tell me what happened to me...and between Peter and Kermit. I can feel Kermit's anger. Peter's overwhelming guilt or shame. I know I must have something to do with it but-"

"YOU have not caused the rift between my son and your husband. They have, how shall I say it, 'fences to mend'." Caine knew what she was asking -- for blanks to be filled with the truth. Her memories must be just below the surface. Regardless, he felt it in her best interest, emotionally and physically, to allow her own body and mind to release them when the time was right. Until she had fully remembered her own life, she should not be able to become involved in the conflict between Peter and Kermit.

"But they are in so much pain. I can feel it from both of them. Maybe if I knew...."

Caine smiled -- no bullet could remove a tender spirit. He handed her a cup and took a place beside her. "The paths of these two men will converge once again. For now, they must walk these paths alone. What you must do is to concentrate on regaining your strength. The rest will follow as it should."

"In other words, you won't tell me for my own good."

"Correct."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. One of Caine's elderly patients was in trouble and he was needed immediately. "Please wait here. I would like to continue our conversation."

"Sure, Caine," she laughed, "I probably forgot where the car is, anyway."

After Caine's urgent departure, Savannah walked out onto the balcony to enjoy the morning air and wait for his return. She was tiring quickly. Leaning against the ledge, she rested, fighting the unbearable void that loomed against her will. Only a few moments had passed when a familiar voice cut through the air. "Pop! Are you home?"

Peter burst out onto the terrace, expecting to find his father, only to be greeted with a warm smile from Savannah.

"Hello, Peter. Your father will be back in a minute. I'm just waiting."

"Uh...hi, Savannah." Peter was caught between a feeling of surprise and relief. It had been a long and uneventful evening, parked on the street guarding Kermit's wife. He'd watched Skalany leave for work, then watched Savannah load her daughter into her own vehicle and leave. His intention had been to follow her for the day, but Captain Simms had other plans for him. Finally, he had been able to get free and begin his quest once again. Something had lead him here. His heart...his blood...his instincts all drew him to this place. Peter had assumed it was the need for his father's guidance that directed him. He was wrong.

Now, he was here with her. Face to face. He found it difficult to look into her eyes. It hurt so much knowing what she'd lost. That he'd been part of it. "Does Kermit know you're here?"

"No. He had to be out of town for the day and I thought I'd try getting out on my own. Haven't gotten lost once." With a sheepish blush, she confessed, "Well, just once or twice, but that's all." She was laughing about it, making him laugh, too.

"That's great." He truly meant it. "Maybe I'll just leave." Distance was what he needed. Peter could keep an eye on her from downstairs. "Tell my father I'll-"

"No! Stay. I'd like to talk to you about something." Savannah reached out her hand to pull him closer and was shocked to see him step backwards. He was polite about it, there was a half-smile on his face, but she could almost feel the fear in him. "Peter...." she whispered softly.

"I have to go...."

Savannah intercepted him. She felt her temper now. This whole situation was intolerable! They were treating her like a child! Didn't they realize that the more they told her, the more chance there was of releasing a new flood of memories previously forgotten?? Once her mind had a subject, something solid to hold on to like Kermit recreating their first date, the memories would return as strong as ever. But something had to start them; there had to be a catalyst.

"Now, listen to me!" she snapped. "This has GOT to stop! I know you're a friend because I see you in our family pictures. Everyone's smiling and laughing in those pictures. You were Kermit's *best man* at our wedding! Now Kermit treats you...well, you know how he treats you. I want to know WHY!"

"Ask him. I don't think it's my place to tell you." It felt cowardly. He should take the blame.

"Well," she said, hands snapping to her hips, "let's engage in a little deductive reasoning. Kermit's angry and you feel guilty. So obviously, you did something that both of you disapproved of. But WHAT? Did it have something to do with me? If it didn't have anything to do with me, you both wouldn't be trying so hard to hide it from me."

"That's...pretty good deducing," Peter complimented.

"So what IS it, then?" Savannah mused. "The only possible explanation I can think of is...is......." she looked away sadly. "Did you and I...the two of us...did we....?"

Peter choked, very appreciative that Kermit wasn't around to hear that. "No! You and I...??? No way!!! You're not that kind of person and neither am I."

Savannah sighed in relief. Somehow, she couldn't even bear the thought that she would have been unfaithful to the dear, wonderful man responsible for her recovery. However, it seemed to be the only answer she could think of that fit all the facts of Kermit's anger and Peter's guilt. "There, see," she joked to lighten the mood, "compared to that thought, the truth can't be half as bad as you think it is! So spill it!"

"Savannah...." Peter knew he was in trouble. He knew he couldn't tell her. He knew he couldn't take the look in her eyes when she found out the truth. But he also knew that he couldn't take this interrogation much longer. She was going to bat those eyelashes at him, look at him with those trusting, clear green eyes and.... Yep, there she goes, he thought, as she came closer.

"Peter," Savannah said, taking his hand, "Please tell me. I promise, I'll do everything I can to get things back to the way they were-"

Savannah's sentence was cut off with a gasp as Peter jerked her hand painfully to one side while taking his other arm to shove her down to the floor. He draped over her as bullets ricocheted through the window, smashing the decorative jars on the shelf, raining bits of glass over them.

*****

Savannah's frightened scream was a muffled counterpoint to Peter's frantic thoughts. It was pure luck that he had seen a glint across the street, and even luckier that he'd figured out correctly what it was. Reflex took over. His nightmare was growling into life.

He brushed the shattered bits of jar off her as he climbed to his knees. Blood was dripping into his left eye from a ragged, glass-studded gash to his forehead. "Are you all right?" he whispered, fumbling for his gun and blinking away the salty fluid.

"S-so far," Savannah responded shakily, pressing herself to the floor. "What-"

"I don't know yet," Peter responded. "Just stay down. If you can, try to crawl over there behind that counter and stay out of the way. SHIT!"

Glancing over her shoulder, Savannah saw a blur as three men leaped inside. One of them successfully kicked Peter's gun away as the embattled detective struggled to get to his feet and shove her out of the way.

"GO!!!" Peter yelled at her. Kicking back, he struck the knee of one attacker while putting himself deliberately in the way of a blow by another man, successfully covering Savannah's escape.

Clambering to her feet and running toward the safe haven of the counter, Savannah prayed for their safety. She heard the horrible blows behind her as the battle raged a path of destruction through Caine's apartment. The four bodies danced in a violent display of blood and crashing bone.

Peter was holding his own and very well. The three attackers seemed to be only boys. They were hardly a contest for Peter's apparent skill in martial arts. Their only advantage was in double-teaming their opponent. One would be ravaged by Peter's furious strikes as another recovered and stepped in to renew his struggle.

Peter Caine growled out his fury, kicking one man in the jaw and then in the stomach. His target ended up on the floor, groaning. The other got an elbow in the kidney as well as a kick to the thigh, hip and ribs.

Savannah ducked as a fourth man came through the door, sneaking up on Peter, who was occupied in trying to dodge a handful of sand being thrown at him from one of Caine's plants. "PETER!" she screamed as the next assailant advanced.

Peter jerked himself around toward Savannah's panicked warning. Before the sand found his eyes, Peter caught sight of the reinforcement that had just arrived. Peter's eyes bled thick water and he was valiantly trying to fight while half-blinded. He could hear the man behind him but couldn't spare the time right now. The first man he'd decked was recovering enough to get up.

Savannah looked around frantically and grabbed an ornate jar, as the new arrival shifted his attention to her direction. She hefted the jar and inched backward around the counter, arms outstretched to throw her weapon. There was no escape. The other battle waged on in the background as her world focused in on her own demon. Her foot crunched on one of the broken shards of the vase that had been smashed by the bullets and she gasped as the assassin moved closer.

"Oh God...." His face...she gasped again as the sight of his face burned into her brain....She remembered the pain...the fear....

"There you are!" Blood Lao spat at her, words laced with lusty venom.

Panicked, she threw the vase -- only to have him simply push it aside with his palm, where it smashed to the floor on the other side. She backpedaled as he walked toward her slowly and deliberately, blocking her exit.

"You're gonna die, bitch," he snarled. It had been sheer luck seeing her come into Caine's building. Patience had been its own reward, as he and his reassembled crew had waited. The priest had melted away and he'd even gotten that cop as a bonus. The fates were on his side as he stalked the last obstacle to his freedom. "You know what you put me through?! You're gonna die...." With a deadly flick of his thumb, he sprung out a switchblade and advanced, grinning at his prey.

Savannah whimpered and grabbed a candleholder, knocking the candles free of it, to try to defend herself.

Blood advanced. "I'm gonna enjoy this one," he laughed as the frightened woman slipped on the broken glass and stumbled to her knees. "I'm gonna make you pay-"

He grunted with pain as Peter savagely kicked him to the ground, following up with a sharp rap to the kidney. Blood tried to roll away but Peter punched him solidly across the jaw, taking him down. The boy's body sprawled face down over the broken glass and spilled herbs, his switchblade landing several feet away

Panting, Peter relaxed his stance when he was certain that all their attackers were down. The others lay unconscious, scattered around the floor. Cautiously, he gathered the weapons littered across the floor and turned to put them out of reach. A pitiful wavering whimper drew him away from the bodies.

Heart pounding with adrenaline, he knelt beside Savannah. Instantly forgetting what had just happened, he focused on the fragile woman before him.

She was white and shaking violently. For a moment, Peter thought that she had been hit. Grabbing her and trying to check her over, he said, "Savannah, honey, are you hurt? Tell me. Are you okay?" He whipped out his cellular to call for help.

Unable to answer through the swirling visions in her mind, she shook her head. It was all flooding back in a rush. The sounds. The fear and pain. Voices shouting. Summoning all her strength, she spoke. "P...p...eter....I remember! Oh, God! I REMEMBER!"

Relieved, Peter held her close. "Just relax Let it come." This was the breakthrough Peter knew she'd been waiting for so long to come, the final barrier to her life before the shooting. He held on to her, trying to offer what strength he could to his friend--this friend he'd been pushed away from because of his mistake.

In his hand, the cellular sputtered as a voice answered his call. Quickly, he whispered into it and shut it closed.

"I was walking up the stairs at the precinct. Holding Kat's hand." She reached down and grasped Peter's hand, recreating the moment in an attempt to hold onto the rapidly flowing memory. "Karen yelled from the corner to get down. I turned and that boy fell down behind me. There was blood and...the gun....That boy over there!" She pointed to where Blood's body lay behind her. "It was him, Peter. He was in that car. He's the one who shot us! I can see him! I did see him. In that car...."

She was dizzy. Her mind was filled with a rush of scenes from her life. It was as if the clouds had been rolled away and a bright light had flipped on to illuminate the lifetime of memories waiting for her discovery. Her breath began to come in gasps. Heart pounding, her eyes fixed on nothing as the visions rolled through her mind.

"That's right, honey. That's right." Peter held on tighter, tears in his eyes to match hers. He wanted to calm her down. Having no idea exactly how strong she was physically, he didn't want to risk her health any further. "Slow down, Savannah. You've got it back now." He could hear the sirens in the distance. Help was coming and he could turn over the prisoners and get her home...or to the hospital...or to Kermit. He wasn't sure where

Pulling back and looking up into Peter's caring eyes, she was filled with her memories of them. "I remember you, Peter. You and me and Kermit. You saved my life once before. Danced with me at our wedding. Saved Kermit when...when...those people from his past came for him." Throwing her arms around him as if she were greeting him after a long trip, she gushed, "All of it! I remember all of it...your stupid expense report...Kermit and how he got so aggravated at my matchmaking...Kermit! I've got to find Kermit!"

She was digging in her pocket for her keys when the words slapped Peter Caine's senses. Those words. The words from his dreams...the glass....the screams... Oh God!

Peter caught movement over her shoulder. "NOOOOO!" Peter screamed as he pulled her to him tightly, encasing her body with his own, turning his back to Blood as the dazed young thug ripped a pistol from under his stomach and fired. His own stupid omission curing in his mind, Peter doubled them both over, shielding Savannah from the path of the oncoming gunfire. Blood fired two rounds. Peter jerked as the bullets invaded his body and slowly crumpled to the floor over Savannah.

From the corner of the room, gunfire erupted as Mary Margaret and Frank Strenlich burst into the bloody scene. Blood took a hit in the shoulder and began his desperate screams of surrender.

The gunfire faded to a smoky echo, leaving only the pathetic cries of a wounded villain......and the muffled sobs of a woman over a fallen hero.

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