Joyce was delighted to see them both when they stopped at her house before heading over to the center.

“So, I hear that you managed to survive your first evening with all those ladies, Rollie,” she said.

“By the skin of my teeth,” the Aussie replied with a grin.

“Well, you don’t look the worse for wear.  In fact, you look pretty good.  Life treating you well?”  Joyce glanced at Angie.

“Yeah, things are good, a lot better than they were before,” the Aussie confirmed.

“That’s great.  I’m sorry about missing yesterday’s class.  Minor catastrophe at the office that I had to rush down and deal with.  I understand that you ended up doing more than watching after all, Angie.”

“Yeah, it kinda worked out that way,” the blonde admitted.

“So, you off to tonight’s class?”

“Uh huh,” Angie said.  “Oh.  Here’s your blouse.  It’s all washed and pressed.”  She handed the blouse to her friend.

“Thank you.  It really wasn’t necessary for you to wash it, though.”  Joyce looked back and forth between the two of them.  “Hey.  Would you two mind some company?  I’d love to sit in on tonight’s class.”

“We’d love to have you along,” Rollie told her.

On the drive to the center, Angie brought up something that had been on her mind.  “Linda seems really dedicated to that center.  Did she, um, start it after she was attacked or something?”

A look of sadness came to Joyce’s face.  “No, she founded the center after her sixteen year old daughter was raped and murdered by a man.”

“Oh no!  That’s horrible!” Angie gasped.

“She’s put her whole life into that place.  She has another place that teaches self-defense to men and women in general, but the one you’re going to is the one that means the most to her.  Both places are supported mostly by donations, since she doesn’t charge for the classes.  She could charge--a lot of places do--but she wanted to make them available to people who couldn’t afford to pay for things like that.  Actually, that’s how we met.  I heard about the place and decided to check it out to see if I wanted to make a donation.  When I met Linda, we hit it off, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

They got to the self-defense center a few minutes before seven.

“Angie!  Rollie!  Glad you could make it,” Linda greeted them.  “And Joyce!  What a surprise.  Angie?  I think that most of the women here are ones you met yesterday, but there are a couple of others that I’d like you to meet.  You too, Joyce.”  She turned to the Aussie with a smile.  “Rollie, I think you know what to do.”

Rollie chuckled.  “Yeah.  Stay out of the way,” he said jokingly.  He watched Angie, Joyce, and Linda go off together, then glanced about at the other women.  He recognized most of them, and they, in turn, recognized him.  He actually got a faint smile out of a couple of them.  Then he saw Eve.  She was glaring at him with the same hate-filled expression she’d had the previous night.  With a sigh, he looked around for the best place to sit.

“Why do you keep coming back here?”

Rollie turned to see Eve standing a few feet away, her hands clenched into fists.

“I’m here for Angie,” the Aussie told her.  “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“Trouble?  You men are nothing but trouble for women.  If it hadn’t been for men, none of these women would be here.  I wouldn’t be here and neither would your girlfriend.  If I had my way, you’d all disappear.  I think that it would be worth the extinction of the human race just for the few years of peace that we women would have without men to screw up our lives.”

“All right, that’s it, Eve,” said Linda, who had come up to them.  “I’ve warned you twice before about this.  I’m not going to take it anymore.  You’re out of this class.”

A look of pain came into Eve’s eyes.

“Linda, please don’t,” Rollie said softly.

Both women turned to him in surprise.

“Rollie--” Linda began, but was interrupted by the Aussie.

“No harm was done.  Why don’t we just forget this happened, okay?  I don’t want Eve to be kicked out because of what she said to me.”

“I don’t need you to defend me,” Eve muttered.

The Aussie turned to her.  “No, you don’t.  I’m sure that you can take care of yourself just fine.”  He searched her eyes.  “Eve, I’m here because somebody I care about very much was hurt by someone.  I know that a lot of men out there are bastards, but you can’t judge all men by the acts of a few.  I’m sorry about what happened to you, and I wish that I could help somehow, but I am not one of the men who hurt you.  I’m sorry that my being here upsets you, but as long as Angie wants me here, I am going to be here.  I hope that you can accept that because I don’t want you to leave because of me.”

Eve stared at him, finding no pity or anger in his eyes, only compassion and understanding.  A confused frown puckered her forehead.

“Okay, why don’t we just let bygones be bygones,” Linda said.  “It’s time to start the class.”  She walked over to the center mats.  Eve moved away to where she had sat the previous night.

Rollie turned and found Angie and Joyce standing behind him.  There was a smile on Joyce’s face and a warm light in Angie’s eyes.  They all sat down.

Since there were no newcomers, Linda skipped the introduction and the opening demonstration and went right to working with the women.  Mark was back to play the role of attacker.

Finally, it was Angie’s turn.  There was no hesitation or tension this time.  She moved with confidence, quickly learning the moves Linda showed her.  After a few minutes, Linda halted the lesson.  She studied Angie’s face.  “Do you feel as if you might be ready to move up to the next level?  Usually, that wouldn’t happen this soon, but you are progressing so quickly.”

“What’s the next level?” Angie asked.

“Showing you what to do if the attacker gets you down on the ground.  You don’t have to if you think you’re not ready.”

“No, I can try it,” Angie said, feeling just a little nervous.

Linda smiled.  “Good.  Remember that if it becomes too much, just let me know.”  She nodded at Mark, who stepped forward and laid his hands on Angie’s shoulders.  With a word from Linda, Angie laid down on the mats and Mark laid partially on top of her, holding her arms down.  Linda knelt beside them.  “You okay, Angie?”

Angie nodded.  She had felt a brief moment of anxiety when Mark came down on top of her, but it was now gone.

Linda explained the moves she wanted Angie to try, then told Mark to start pretending that he was an attacker.  Angie tried to focus her attention on what she was being taught, but, as the lesson progressed, she felt the tension building within her.  Her respiration increased and she stopped hearing Linda’s voice.  Then, suddenly, she looked up into Mark’s light blue eyes and saw, instead, a pair of cold, pale grey ones.

“No.  Loubar,” she whimpered.

Rollie had been watching the lesson, his body tense, concerned about Angie.  He immediately saw the change in her, and when he heard her whisper Loubar’s name, he instantly leapt to his feet and dashed toward her.

“Stop!  Stop!” he cried.  He fell to his knees, pushed Mark off Angie, and grabbed her hands, pulling her up into a sitting position.  Holding her hands tightly, he stared intently into her eyes.  “Angie?  He isn’t Loubar.  Loubar’s not here.”  He pressed his hand against her cheek.  “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Angie’s eyes closed, and she shuddered.  “Rollie,” she whispered.  The Aussie gathered her up into his arms.  “I saw him again,” she said against his chest.

“I know, sweetie.  It’s all right.”

“Angie, I’m sorry,” Linda said, distressed.  “I was pushing you too far, and I should have seen that.  Please forgive me.”

The blonde turned to her.  “No, you couldn’t have known about. . . .  This wasn’t your fault.  I told you it was all right, and I thought that it was.”  She turned back to Rollie.  “I hate that he’s doing this to me, Rol.  The bastard isn’t even here, and he’s still holding onto me.”

“No,” Rollie said forcefully.  “Angie, do you remember what you told me earlier?  Don’t let him do this to you.  You’re stronger than he is.  You can beat him.”

Gazing into his eyes, Angie felt her determination harden.  She wasn’t going to let Loubar do this to her anymore.  She turned to Linda.  “I want to try again.”

“Angie, no.  Absolutely not.”

“Linda, I have to try again.  Please.”

The woman searched her eyes, conflict clearly written on her face.  Finally, she sighed.  “All right, Angie.  We’ll try it once more, but the second I see you start to tense up, I’m going to stop it.”

Angie nodded.

“Linda, is it all right if I stay here?” Rollie asked.

“Please do.”

The Aussie moved to the corner of the mat.  He watched closely as Angie laid back down and Mark returned to his position above her.

This time, when Mark came down on top of her, Angie felt no moment of anxiety.  She had one thing in her mind: that she wasn’t going to let Loubar affect her life anymore.  As the mock battle between her and Mark began, she held onto that thought.  They got to the point where she had panicked before--and passed it.  No specter of Loubar arose to haunt her. At last, Linda called a halt.

“Okay, I think that’s enough for today.”  She squeezed Angie’s arm.  “You did really good.”

Angie and Rollie went back to their cushions.  Joyce was looking at them with both concern and questions in her eyes.

The last two women were given their lessons, and the class ended.  As with the night before, several of the women left immediately, while others stayed to talk for a while.  After saying goodbye to the women who were leaving, Linda went over to Rollie, Angie, and Joyce.

“Angie, I want to say that that was incredibly brave of you to do what you did.  It took a lot of will power.  Many people wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”

“Thank you.  I just decided that I wasn’t going to let this affect my life anymore.”

“Angie?  Who is Loubar?” Joyce asked.

Neither Rollie nor Angie were surprised at the question.  They had guessed this was coming.

“I thought that Loubar was the man who attacked her,” Linda said, confused.

“No, that guy’s name was Ralph Lambert,” Joyce explained.

Angie glanced at Rollie.  “Victor Loubar is an old enemy of Rollie’s.  He’s an evil man, an arms dealer and assassin.  Rollie foiled his plans twice, and Loubar decided that he was going to get revenge.  He kidnapped Rollie and kept him drugged and a prisoner for three days.  During those three days, Loubar impersonated him.  Loubar is a master of disguise.  He can become almost anyone.  His plan was to frame Rollie for the murder of a Chinese trade minister.  But . . . that wasn’t all.  He wanted to hurt Rollie, and . . . he picked me to be the way to do it.  Last Sunday night, I went to a wrap party with Loubar, thinking that he was Rollie.  Afterwards, at the loft, he . . . he raped me.”

“Oh my God!” Joyce cried, tears springing to her eyes.  She reached for Angie’s hands.  “Oh, honey, I am so sorry.  You should have told me.  If I had known, I wouldn’t have invited you to that party, and Lambert wouldn’t have gone after you.  My God!  To have it almost happen a second time.”

“Joyce, if he hadn’t picked me, then he would have chosen someone else, and she might not have had someone to rescue her.  Not only that, but he might have gotten away, then raped still more women.  I can’t say that if I could go back in time I’d let it happen all over again, but, considering the alternative, I’d rather do that than let him rape who knows how many other women.”

“Angie, I also wish that I had known this,” Linda said, her eyes sad.  “I would have taken things much more slowly with you.  I think that we need to pull back and go at a slower pace.”

“No.  I’ve come this far.  I don’t want to pull back now,” Angie said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“All right then, but I still have my reservations.”  Linda glanced toward the door and saw that several more women were leaving.  “If you will excuse me, I want to say goodbye to them.”

Once she had left, Angie looked at Rollie.  “Rol, I need to talk to Joyce.”  There was an unspoken message in her eyes.

Rollie nodded, understanding that message.  “I’ll wait for you by the door, Ange.”  He picked up his coat and went to stand by the exit.

“What is it?” Joyce asked.

“There’s something I have to tell you.”  She looked around for a place far away from the other women.  They went over to one of the corners.  “It’s about the rape.”  She took a deep breath.  “Remember that I told you he was posing as Rollie?  At the loft, I still thought that he was Rollie.”

Joyce’s eyes widened in horror.  “Oh, Angie.  You mean you thought that Rollie--”

“No,” Angie interrupted.  “It wasn’t that way.”  She took another deep breath.  “Loubar didn’t . . . force me.”

Comprehension came to her friend’s face.  She looked over at Rollie, then back again.  “You thought that Rollie was. . . .”

“Yeah.  It wasn’t until the next morning that Loubar revealed who he really was, and I realized that I had been raped and that everything that happened the night before was a lie.”

Tears came again to Joyce’s eyes.  “Angie, I can’t even begin to know what that was like for you.  What kind of sick monster would do that?  Does Rollie know the truth?”

Angie nodded.  “I didn’t want him to know.  I didn’t want him to be hurt.  But I let something slip, and I had no choice but to tell him.”

“Angie, I’ve only known Rollie personally for a couple of days, but he must be torn apart by this.  He blames himself, doesn’t he.”

“Yeah, he does.  I’ve tried to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, but I know that, down deep inside, he still thinks it is.  It’s the kind of man he is.  He always heaps too much upon himself.  But it’s one of the reasons why I love him.  He cares so much.”

“What does Rollie think about the fact that you slept with a man you thought was him?” Joyce asked.

“We haven’t talked about it.  I’ve been too afraid to.”

“You’re going to have to eventually.”

“I know.  I’m just not ready yet.”

“Okay, but you might be surprised by how he’ll react,” Joyce said.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not my place to say.  I just think that there are things about Rollie that you aren’t seeing.”

Rollie watched Angie and Joyce from the door.  He could tell by the expression on Joyce’s face when Angie told her the truth about the rape.  That Angie was willing to tell someone what really happened proved that she had moved past what Loubar did.

“Hi.”

Rollie turned to see a young man of about twenty hovering a few feet away.  Rollie’s brows lowered in puzzlement, then rose as realization struck him.  “Mark?”

The young man grinned.  “Yeah, I know.  I’m younger than you thought I was.  Lots of people make that mistake.”

“Well, with the padded face guard, I couldn’t really see your face.”

The grin widened.  “Yeah, Mom made sure of that.  She said that if the women saw my sweet baby face, they wouldn’t have the heart to hit me and kick me.”

“Your mom?  You’re Linda’s son?”

“Uh huh.”

“Then that means that the girl who--” Rollie cut himself off, cursing silently.

The smile on Mark’s face disappeared.  “Oh.  You know.”

“Joyce told us.”

Mark nodded.  “She was my big sister.  I was fourteen when she was killed.  A year later, Mom started the center, and, as soon as I was old enough, I begged her to let me help.”  He looked over at Angie.  “I’m sorry about what happened earlier.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know how hard it is when bad things happen to people we care about.”  Mark’s smile returned.  “I have to say that you are one brave guy.  I’m not sure if I would sit unprotected in a room full of man-hating women.  I can only remember three other times that men sat in on one of these things, and they only lasted through one lesson.”

Rollie grinned.  “Well, if I’m brave, what does that make you?  You’re the one who stands up there and deliberately makes himself a target for their hatred.”

“Yeah, but I have about forty pounds of padding to protect me.”  He glanced at his watch.  “Well, I have to get going.  My night job awaits me.  It was nice to meet you, Mister Tyler.”  He shook Rollie’s hand, then left.

The Aussie returned his attention to Angie and Joyce.  After a couple of minutes, he felt eyes upon him.  He turned to see Eve walking toward him and the exit.  Rollie straightened and moved a bit further away from the door to give her more ‘space’.  He was surprised to see that the hatred was gone from her face.  What was in its place he couldn’t quite identify.

Her eyes left his as she opened the door.  Then she paused and looked back up at him.  There was now puzzlement and a hint of mistrust in her eyes.  “Why did you ask Linda not to remove me from the class?” she asked.

“For exactly the reason I gave before.  I didn’t want that to happen because of what you said to me.  I’m not your enemy, Eve, and I don’t want anything from you.  All I want is to be here for Angie.  It’s that simple.”

Eve stared at him piercingly for another few seconds, then walked out the door.

Angie came up to him.  “What did she want?”

“Nothing.  She just asked again why I interceded between her and Linda, and I told her.”

“Who was that guy you were talking to earlier?”

Rollie smiled.  “That was Mark.”

“You’re kidding.  I didn’t realize he was so young.  Why would someone that age do something like this?”

“He’s Linda’s son.  It was his big sister who was killed.”

“Oh.”

Joyce and Linda came over.

“Will we be seeing you at tomorrow’s class?” Linda asked.

“We’ll be here if we can,” Rollie said.  “It depends on how filming goes tomorrow.”

The woman nodded.  “Rollie?  I want to thank you for being so kind to Eve.  Most men react defensively or with anger to her words and attitude.  But then, most men don’t know why she acts the way she does.  I overheard her conversation with you.  In the time that I’ve known Eve, that is the first time that I have seen her speak to a man without anger or hatred.”  She smiled warmly.  “I have to say that, with just a few words, you’ve succeeded in doing what I have been trying for two weeks to accomplish.”

Angie smiled.  “Well, that’s Rollie for you.  He makes an impact on just about everyone he meets,” her smile broadened, “especially women.”

“Oh, I do not, Angie,” Rollie said, feeling embarrassed.

“I beg to differ,” she responded.

“Well, you made an impact on me,” Joyce said, joining in on the fun.  “A biiiig impact.”

“Yeah, me, too.  Big time,” Linda said, grinning.

Rollie’s face turned beet red.  “Okay.  I’m going now.”  He quickly escaped out the door and to the car.

Linda chuckled.  “I can see why you care about him so much, Angie.  He’s adorable.”

Angie’s smile softened.  “Yeah, he is.”  A twinkle came into her eyes.  “But he can also be a royal pain in the butt.”  She looked at Joyce.  “Come on.  We’d better get going before Rollie decides to leave without us.”

They dropped Joyce off at her place, then Rollie took Angie home.  “See you tomorrow, Ange,” he said as she got out.

Angie bent down and looked at him from the other side of the car.  “Don’t stay up all night going through that junk pile,” she told him firmly.

“I won’t.  Cross my heart.”

She paused a moment, then, “I know that it has been kind of tough for you to be at those classes.  Thank you, Rollie, and thank you for helping me.”

“I wanted to be there, Angie, and I’m glad that I could help.  If there is ever anything you need, all you have to do is ask.  You do know that, don’t you?”

She smiled softly.  “Yeah.”

Angie shut the car door and walked to her apartment.  Rollie waited until she was safely inside before pulling away.
 

CHAPTER TWELVE -- TIME FOR A CHANGE

Shooting for the day went pretty much as scheduled with only a few minor setbacks.  Rollie was both pleased and disappointed that Angie seemed to be getting back to her old self.  He was pleased because it was great to see all the fire back in her, and, though he’d never admit it, he had missed the teasing that went on between them.  Yet he was disappointed because he had come to love the quiet, intimate relationship they had shared during the past week.

Taking a short break before the final shoot of the day as the director talked to the stars, Rollie found himself watching Angie while she chatted with one of the female grips.  He couldn’t get over how oblivious he’d been to how attractive and desirable she was.  He was surprised that half the men on the crew weren’t hitting on her--and extremely pleased that they weren’t.

Angie listened politely as the grip talked about what she was learning about computer graphics in night school.  She could tell that the woman was leading up to asking if they had any jobs available.  Sighing silently, she glanced over at Rollie and caught him staring at her.  He quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Angie was trying hard to put things back to the way they had been between her and Rollie.  She felt as if she needed to do that.  She needed to show both Rollie and herself that the thing with Loubar was dead and buried.  But it was more than that.  It was a defense mechanism.  She wanted to put things back to the way they were before so that, if it became clear that she and Rollie were never going to be together the way she wanted them to be, maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much.

‘Who am I kidding?’ she asked herself.  ‘Nothing is going to make it hurt less.’

She wanted so much to just go up to Rollie and tell him that she loved him, but she was a coward.  She was so afraid that he would tell her that he loved her, but not in that way, that she was his little sister, his friend, and nothing more.  It would break her heart.

Angie had been trying not to think of the fact that Rollie had gone out on a date.  Before, she had been so happy that the date had not been a good one that she hadn’t really thought about what him going on that date meant.  If he loved her the way that she loved him, he wouldn’t have gone, would he?  But then, maybe you couldn’t really call it a date.  Megan had been in town, and she called Rollie just to get together for a chat.  You could call it just a lunch with an old friend.  Not even a friend, really.  They hadn’t known each other more than a couple of weeks before Megan moved away, and Angie was pretty sure that Megan and Rollie never slept with each other.  Normally, Rollie was not the kind of guy to hop into bed quickly.  There had been exceptions, though, Dani for one.  Thoughts of Dani made Angie’s jealousy skyrocket.  Another tall, beautiful, sensuous woman whom she couldn’t hope to compete with.

Angie realized that the grip was still talking away and had just asked about the possibility of a job.  With an effort, Angie focused her attention on the woman.  “We’re not hiring right now, but if you’ll give me your name and phone number, if anything ever comes up, we’ll give you a call,” she said.

The woman eagerly scribbled her name and number on a scrap of paper, then returned to her job.

“Someone else looking for a job?” Rollie asked as she came up to him.

“Uh huh.  Maybe we should just hang a sign on the van saying, ‘Not hiring--ever’.”

Rollie searched her face.  “Do you want me to hire more help, Ange?  Take some of the load off you?”

“No, not unless you want to.”  She liked it with just her and Rollie.  It had been that way for so long that she wasn’t sure she could get used to a third person.

“Not really,” Rollie said.  “I like it being just you and me.”  A twinkle came into his eyes.  “Besides, I doubt I could find someone whom you wouldn’t scare off.”

“Ha ha.  Actually, you’re the one who’d scare them off the second they realized that working for you is an automatic enlistment into law enforcement.”

“Very funny.  So, I guess it’s going to have to just stay you and me, Batwoman.”

“Batwoman?  What happened to Robin?”

“Robin wasn’t pretty enough.  I fired him,” Rollie said, grinning.

“No wonder there’s so much more work for me to do.  Come to think of it, shouldn’t it be Batgirl, not Batwoman?”

“Uh uh, you are most definitely a woman,” Rollie said emphatically, then immediately looked as if he wanted to bite his own tongue out.

Surprised and extremely pleased by Rollie’s comment, Angie was about to reply when the director’s voice rang out, calling everyone for the last shoot.

The final shoot turned out to be the one that gave everyone the most trouble.  It took six takes before the director was satisfied.  Looking at their watches, Rollie and Angie realized that they weren’t going to make it to the self-defense class.

They picked up some Mexican food on the way back to the loft and ate it there.

“Did I tell you that Jack Traber called?  He’s got a new movie in the works and wants us onboard,” Rollie said.

“Really?  I like Jack.  He’s easy to work with, unlike certain other producers we know.  I’m still ticked off that we’re going to have to work through the entire weekend.”

“I guess they want to make up for the fact that production is going to be shut down for five days because of Christmas.  Speaking of Christmas, we need to get a tree.”

“You’re right.  We’ve been so busy that I forgot.”

“Well, let’s go, then.”  Rollie stood up.

“Now?”

“Sure, why not?”  The Aussie pulled Angie to her feet, grinning like a little kid.

They bought a beautiful eight-footer and put it up in the usual place.  As Rollie fetched the ornaments, Angie fixed a big batch of popcorn, a tradition that had gone back to the Christmases she spent with her father.  She poured the popcorn into two separate bowls to be placed on either side of the tree for easy snacking.

They dug into the popcorn as they decorated the tree, Bluey giving his opinion on the placement of ornaments when asked for it.

They were about halfway through the decorating when Angie remembered something.  “Rollie, did you go have your hand x-rayed Sunday morning?”

“You’d better believe I did.  I wasn’t about to risk having the fearsome wrath of Angela Ramirez fall upon me.”

“Hmm.  I guess you’re smarter than I thought you were,” Angie said straight-faced.

A kernel of popcorn flew across the five feet separating them and hit her square in the nose.  She launched one back at him, hitting him in the forehead.  Within seconds, handfuls of popcorn were flying back and forth like snow flurries.  Laughing nonstop, Rollie and Angie waged the popcorn fight like two children.  Suddenly, the Aussie scooped up his bowl and advanced upon Angie, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Don’t you dare, Rollie Tyler!” Angie warned, backing up.  He kept right on coming.  Then he lunged at her, and she skittered away, squealing.  He caught her after a few seconds and proceeded to dump the entire contents of the bowl down the back of her shirt.  With a squawk, Angie spun around and used one of the moves Linda had showed her, tripping Rollie with one of her feet.  He fell backwards.  Angie immediately pounced on him and began tickling him mercilessly.  Laughing breathlessly, Rollie squirmed beneath her hands.

“I give!  I give!” he finally gasped, then, without warning, he flipped her over onto the floor and began to give her the same treatment.

After a few seconds, it was Angie who cried, “I give.”  Rollie stopped tickling her, and they both lay where they were, their deep breaths interspersed with bursts of laughter.

All at once, Angie became extremely aware of the fact that Rollie was laying partly on top of her.  A rush of heat spread through her body.  At almost the same time, the smile disappeared from Rollie’s face and the pitch of his breathing changed.  For an instant, something came into his eyes that set her pulse racing, then it was gone and Rollie was standing up.  He moved away a few feet, looked around at the popcorn all over the floor, and muttered something about getting the broom.

Rollie went to get the broom.  Out of sight of Angie, he rested his forehead against the wall for a moment.  That had been a close call.  He’d come a hair’s breadth away from kissing Angie.  Even now, the desire was still thrumming through him.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he got control of himself.  He snatched up the two brooms.  Angie was busy trying to get the popcorn out of her shirt and didn’t see him come up behind her.  He stood and watched her for a few seconds, trying desperately to keep his emotions off his face.  Feeling confident that he had succeeded, he came up to Angie and handed her one of the brooms.

“Half the mess, half the cleanup,” he said, smiling faintly.

Angie studied Rollie’s face, trying to see some trace of what she thought she had seen before.  There was no sign of it.  Deciding that she must have imagined it, she took the broom.  “No way.  I didn’t dump my entire bowl down your shirt.  This mess,” indicating the mass of kernels from Rollie’s ‘attack’ on her, “is all yours.”

Rollie gave an exaggerated sigh and got to work sweeping the mound of popcorn.  Once the mess was cleaned up, they finished decorating the tree.  Rollie then brought down the gifts he’d bought for Frank, Mira, and his other friends, and set them under the tree.

“Where’s mine?” Angie asked with a smile.

“I haven’t gotten yours yet.”

The blonde shook her head.  “That’s just like you, leaving it till the last minute.”

“It isn’t the last minute.  There’s still more than a week until Christmas Eve.  I suppose that you got my present two months ago.”

“Um . . . no, I haven’t gotten it yet either.”  Angie looked suitably sheepish.

“Hah!  Now, what was that you were saying about waiting until the last minute?”

Angie smiled sarcastically, then turned her attention to the tree.  “It looks good.”

“Yeah, we do good work.”

“Rol, when is that movie project of Jack’s scheduled to start filming?”

“They haven’t set an exact time yet.  Either April or May.”

“How long do you think we’ll be working on it?”

“I don’t know.  I should think that we’d be done with our part of it by midsummer.  Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering.”  It was kind of risky asking him these questions, but she had to know when to book the flight for.  Late August would probably work out good.

Rollie looked at Angie closely, wondering if she was make plans for her next vacation.  He had planned on booking their flight for sometime in the last week of August, depending on the rates.  He just hoped that it didn’t end up clashing with her plans.

“Well, I’d better get going,” Angie said.  “It’s getting pretty late.”

Rollie nodded.  “I . . . had fun tonight.  We should do stuff like this more often.”

“Yeah, we should.”

“Thanks for dealing with that woman who was looking for a job.  I don’t think that I would have been in the mood to listen to her singing her own praises.  I got enough of that yesterday.”

“No problem, Boss.”

After Angie had left, Rollie got to thinking about what she had just said.  She had called him boss many times before, and he had never really thought twice about it.  It had always been said only half seriously.  Angie knew that she was a lot more than an employee just as much as he did.  She was also aware of the fact that if just one line on a certain piece of paper had been different, she would be the owner of this company that was now called Tyler F/X. . . .

Rollie and Angie sat on the chairs across from Harold Pierce, Manny’s lawyer.  The funeral had been three days ago.  They were here now for the reading of Manny’s will.  Neither one of them really felt ready for it, but it had to be done.

“All right.  Do you want me to read the will to you or just give an account of the dispositions of the assets?” the lawyer asked.

Rollie and Angie looked at each other.  “Could you just read the most important parts of the will?” Angie asked.

“Yes, I can do that.  Let’s see.”  His eyes moved a few lines down the page.  “‘To my daughter, Angela Kathleen Ramirez, I bequeath all my personal possessions, including all personal items of furnishing located at 256 Brewery Lane, New York, New York.  To her I also give all funds within my savings and personal checking accounts, as well as the contents, other than what is mentioned below, of the safe deposit box that is at the bank named on the list of assets.’”

“Dad told me about the safe deposit box.  He keeps all his important papers in it,” Angie commented.

The lawyer glanced up, then continued reading.  “‘To my apprentice, Roland Nathaniel Tyler, I bequeath my business, Ramirez F/X, and all property and assets of that business, including any funds within my business checking account.  To him I also give the building located at 256 Brewery Lane under the stipulation that my daughter is to be allowed to remain living there, rent-free, if she so chooses.’”

Rollie sat motionlessly, utterly stunned.  Manny was giving the business to him?  He hadn’t expected this.  He had assumed that the business would go to Angie.

“But . . . that can’t be right,” the Aussie objected.  “Angie should get Ramirez F/X and the loft.  They should be hers.”

The lawyer stared at him, his eyebrows rising slightly, not accustomed to people objecting to being bequeathed valuable property.  “Nevertheless, Mister Ramirez’s will is very clear that the business and the building are to go to you.  However, there are some other stipulations in the will.  Let’s continue.”  He skipped over a few more lines.  “‘If my daughter chooses to work either part-time or full-time for Roland Tyler in the business, then she is to be paid, in lieu of a salary or wage, a percentage of the profits from the business, the amount of which is to be decided upon between Mister Tyler and my daughter.’”

Mister Pierce stopped reading the will word for word and began to just give an account of what it said.  “Mister Ramirez states that Mister Tyler must wait five years before he can sell either the business or the building and that he cannot sell the building if Miss Ramirez is living there.  Now, this is where things get a little strange.  Mister Ramirez states that if Mister Tyler chooses to sell the business and/or the building after the five years are up, a portion of the net profit is to be given to Miss Ramirez, the amount of which is to be decided by Mister Tyler.”  The lawyer took off his glasses and sat back in his chair.  “There are two things that I find interesting about this portion of the will.  One is that he left the amount that is to be given to Miss Ramirez completely at Mister Tyler’s discretion.  The other is that his words seem to be aimed more toward you, Miss Ramirez, than to Mister Tyler.”

“What do you mean?” Angie asked.

“Well, it seems to be that he was specifically telling you that this is what he wanted, that you are to take the money, as if he suspected that you would refuse any money that Mister Tyler would offer you.  In fact, it even states that if you refuse the money, then it is to be put into a savings account and given to your heirs, if any, when they reach the age of twenty-one.”

Angie’s eyes dropped to her hands.  Her father had been right.  If Rollie had sold Ramirez F/X and tried to give her part of the money, she wouldn’t have taken it.  And she knew that Rollie would want her to have some of the money.

“Mister Pierce, the will states that I can’t sell the business or the loft for five years.  What if I wanted to transfer ownership to Angie?  Could I do that at any time?” Rollie asked.

Both the lawyer and Angie looked at him in surprise.  “Um, the will speaks only of a sale of the business or building, not a transfer of ownership.”

Rollie nodded.  “Good.  How would I go about doing that?”

Pierce opened his mouth to speak, but was beaten to the punch by Angie.  “Rollie, can I speak to you outside?”  She turned to the lawyer.  “Excuse us.”  She and the Aussie went outside.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m doing what Manny should have done.  I’m giving you the business and the loft.”

“No.”

“But, Angie--”

“Rollie, this is what Dad wanted.  He wanted you to have them.  I’m okay with this, really I am.  Please don’t try to give them to me.  I won’t take them.”

“But--”

“No ‘buts’.  Dad knew what he was doing when he did it this way.  Please.  Let’s just go back inside, get whatever papers we need, then leave.”

Rollie searched her eyes for a long moment, then, with a sigh and a nod of his head, he followed her back into the office.

That afternoon, they went to the bank to look at Manny’s safe deposit box.  Alone in the tiny stall, Rollie and Angie went through the contents.  The first things Angie saw were some savings bonds and the title to Manny’s car.  She then discovered a document that gave her a surprise.

“It’s a deed to a piece of property in Cuba.  The general must not have known about this.  Dad said that the general took their house and everything else they had except for their clothes.  The only thing he didn’t take was the money Grandpa Ramirez willed to Dad, which Dad was smart enough to have transferred to a bank in the States shortly after Grandpa’s death.  He used a lot of that money to pay off a big chunk of the mortgage on the loft.”

“Would you be able to sell the property?”

“I don’t know.  If I have to go there to do it, then it’ll never be sold.  I don’t ever want to go back to that place.  I’ll have to check into it.”

They found the title to the van used in the business, the deed to the loft, and several legal documents for the business.  Angie handed these things to Rollie.

“Ange, are you sure about this?” the Aussie asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.”  She stared at him, her chin firm.  “And I don’t want you to bring it up again.”

That evening, Rollie joined Leo for a beer.

“Manny gave the business to me,” he muttered as he stared down at the amber liquid in his glass.

“Really?  I bet that was a surprise.”

“Try a shock.  I can’t believe he did it.”  The Aussie shook his head.  “It just doesn’t seem right.  It should be Angie’s.  The loft, too.”

“He gave you the loft too?”

“Yeah.  I wanted to give them back to Angie, but she said no.”  Rollie sighed and pushed his beer away.  “I don’t know what to do, Leo.  I just don’t feel right about this.”

“Rollie, I didn’t know Manny very well, but he struck me as a pretty smart guy.  He must have known what he was doing.”

“Angie said the same thing.”

“Well, there you go.  Three smart people like Manny, Angie, and me can’t all be wrong,” Leo said with a grin.  “Take the business, Rollie.  Make it your own.  Make it Tyler F/X.  You deserve it, pal.”

“Tyler F/X.  I always thought that maybe, someday, I’d have my own effects company, but I never thought. . . .  I never thought it would be this way.”

“Let me tell you something that Manny told me a few months ago.  He said that you were the third best thing that ever came into his life.  He loved you, Rollie.  I really think that you were like a son to him.  I know that he was damn proud of you.  The way he talked, you’d think that you were his son.  He wanted you to have his business, and Angie has told you that she agrees with his decision, so stop beating yourself up over this.  And look at it this way, if Angie starts to change her mind, you can make her a partner.  Now, isn’t that a scary thought.”

A small smile came to Rollie’s face, then he chuckled softly.  He and Angie as partners.  That really would be something. . . .

The Aussie brought his mind back to the present.  All these years, and he had never asked Angie if she wanted a partnership.  Why?  Was it because she had seemed happy with the way things were?  Was it because he hadn’t wanted to mess with a relationship that worked so well?  In so many ways, she was like a partner.  She did half the work.  She put in nearly as much of her time and equally as much of her heart into the business as he did.  Yet, most of the time, he was the one who got all the credit when things went well.  Of course, he was also the one who got the blame when they didn’t.

As Rollie went up the stairs to get ready for bed, he decided that maybe the time had come to change things.  The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.  This year, Angie would be getting two big presents for Christmas.
 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN -- HELPING HAND

Their work at the studio ended early, giving Rollie and Angie the opportunity to work on what they would need for the alternate universe gag.  On the way back to the loft, Rollie decided to go ahead and get the documents he would need to make Angie a partner in Tyler F/X.

“Ange, I need to pick up some papers for the business.  Do you mind if I do that before we go back to the loft?” he asked, careful to keep his voice casual.

“No, go ahead,” she replied.

After getting the papers, he shoved them inside his coat so that Angie wouldn’t see what they were, then he headed back to the van.

At the loft, they got to work on the body suits and the other things that they would be using on Friday.  Rollie kept thinking about the papers he’d hidden away in his dresser drawer.  He had decided that he would fill all of the papers out, then hand them to her on Christmas day, all ready to file except for her signature.  In that way, if it turned out that Angie didn’t want to be a partner, she could still say no.  It was possible that she wouldn’t want to be a partner.  It was a big responsibility, and she would then be involved in all the headaches that he had to deal with in owning a business.

“Earth to Tyler,” Angie abruptly said.

“Huh?  Oh, sorry, Ange.  I was thinking about something.  What were you saying?”

“I wanted to know if we’re going to go eat before the class or have something delivered.”

The Aussie glanced at his watch.  “How about delivery?  We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

“Fine with me.  Chinese sound good?”

“Uh huh.”

Angie made the call, and about forty-five minutes later, an Asian kid who didn’t look a day over sixteen was at their door, bearing little cardboard containers full of wonderful-smelling food.  Rollie set up a large TV tray on the floor as Angie fetched two pillows.  They put the pillows on either side of the tray, then settled, cross-legged onto them.  While they ate, they chatted about things in the news.  Rollie kept thinking about how nice it was just to do these simple things with Angie and how he had taken for granted all of the quiet and fun times that he’d had with her.  He promised himself that he would never do that again.

They finished at the same time and reached for their fortune cookies, cracking them open.

Seeing a grin spread across Angie’s face, Rollie asked, “What does yours say?”

“Confucius says, ‘A person who spends their time reading fortune cookie messages is a person with too much time on their hands.’”

Rollie laughed.  “Somebody’s got a sense of humor.”

“What about yours?”

The Aussie read his, frowning slightly.  “Um, this one’s a bit deep.  ‘We are most blind to that which is right before our eyes.’”

“They got that right,” Angie murmured inaudibly, thinking about how blind she’d been all those years not to see what Rollie really meant to her.

“Did you say something?” Rollie asked.

“No, nothing.”  Angie checked the time.  “I guess we’d better get going.”

They threw away the empty containers and headed over to the self-defense center.

“Hey, you two,” Linda greeted as they walked in the door, a big smile on her face.  “We missed you last night.  I think even Eve did.”

“Eve?” Rollie said in surprise.

Linda nodded.  “Throughout the class, I kept seeing her glance toward the door, as if she was watching for you.”

Rollie looked doubtful.  “She was probably just dreading that I’d come walking through the door at any second.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.  I think that you really made an impression on her.  I just hope that some good comes of it.”

The Aussie glanced around.  “Where is Eve?  I don’t see her.”

“I don’t know.  She’s usually here by now.  She must be running late.”

A Hispanic girl of about seventeen walked in the door and came up to Linda.  Angie remembered that the girl’s name was Teresa Ortega.  She had started taking the classes the same day as Angie.  The ugly bruise over her right cheekbone and her split lip reminded the blonde of what Loubar had done to her.

The girl glanced nervously at Rollie, then back to Linda.  “I cannot take the classes anymore, Mrs. Robertson.  My papa found out about them and said I couldn’t come anymore.  He’s coming to pick me up.”

A look of distress came to Linda’s face.  “But why?”

“Papa doesn’t think it’s right for girls to learn how to fight.  He says that women are life givers and shouldn’t do things that could take life.”

“Didn’t you explain to him that we’re only teaching you how to defend yourself if you’re attacked again?”

Teresa shook her head.  “It would do no good.  When he has made up his mind, nothing I can say will change it.”

“Let me talk to him, Teresa.  Maybe I can change his mind,” Linda said.

Teresa sighed.  “You do not understand.  My papa wouldn’t listen to you.  You are the one who has this place, and you are a woman.”

A frown of disapproval and irritation marred Linda’s face.  Angie felt a matching frown on her own features.  “Is it just because I’m a woman or is it because I’m a woman who is teaching self-defense?” Linda asked.  Her opinion of such an attitude could clearly be heard in her voice.

“Both,” Teresa admitted, looking embarrassed.  “But mostly because you are the teacher.”

“Would he listen to me?” Rollie asked quietly.

Her eyes wide, Teresa stared at him.  “I-I don’t know.”  A look of hope came to her face.  “You would do that?”

Rollie smiled.  “Sure.  What’s his name?”

“Hernando, Hernando Ortega.”

Just then, a man in his mid-forties walked in the door.  He spied Teresa and motioned to her to come with him.

“Is that him?” the Aussie asked.

Teresa nodded.

Rollie walked up to him.  “Mister Ortega?”

“Yes,” the man said with a thick accent.  He looked at Rollie suspiciously.

The Aussie held out his hand.  “Rollie Tyler.”

Teresa’s father paused, then shook his hand.

“I’d like to speak with you for a moment,” Rollie said.  “Could we go outside?”

The man’s eyes raked over the Aussie’s face, then he nodded, and they went outside.

“I understand that you don’t want your daughter to come to the class anymore.”

“Yes, that is right.  I do not want her to learn things like that.  I have made my decision.  Do you work in that place?”

“No.  I’m here because my best friend, Angie, was attacked a few days ago.  She came here to learn things that will help prevent it from ever happening again.”

Mister Ortega shook his head.  “Women should not learn how to fight.  It’s wrong.  My Teresa will not learn those things.”

Rollie had gotten a quick picture of the kind of man that Hernando Ortega was.  He could tell that the man had a lot of pride and was firm in his beliefs.  If he had any hope of changing the man’s mind, he would have to be careful not to give the impression that he thought Mister Ortega was wrong or that he was hurting his daughter by not allowing her to take the classes.  The Aussie decided that the best approach would be not to talk about Teresa or her father at all.  Rollie also had a feeling that Teresa’s father was the kind of man who was very protective of the women in his life.  Perhaps that might be something the Aussie could focus on, the concerns and thoughts of one man to another about the safety of the women he cared about.

Choosing his words carefully, Rollie began to speak.  “Mister Ortega, I want to tell you something that I haven’t even told Angie.  I hate it that she has to come here.  You have no idea how much.  But it’s not because I don’t think she should.  It’s because I hate the fact that there are people out there who make something like this necessary.  I wish we lived in a world where people didn’t hurt each other.  Maybe someday it will be like that, but, until it is, I have to accept the fact that it is sometimes necessary for both men and women to learn how to defend themselves against the people out there who would hurt them.  Angie was attacked by a man who had hurt a lot of other women.  It should never have happened, but it did.  She’s here to be taught how to protect herself so that if it ever happens again, she might prevent herself from being hurt or even killed.  I don’t ever want her to be hurt again, so I’m going to keep coming here with her and watch her as she learns how to do what I failed to do that night, what I know I can’t always be there to do: protect her.”  As Rollie spoke the last sentence, he was not thinking of Ralph Lambert, but of Victor Loubar, of how he had failed to be there to stop what happened that night.

Bringing his thoughts back to what he was saying, the Aussie continued.  “But, you know what?  Though I hate what happened and the fact that the evil out there makes it necessary for her to learn how to defend herself, I’m glad Angie is coming here.  I care about her, and I want her to be safe.  This isn’t going to protect her from everything, but at least I know that she’ll have a fighting chance if someone tries to hurt her again.”

Mister Ortega turned away, staring down the street, his shoulders stiff.  There was silence for several seconds, then, not turning around, the man said, “Please tell my daughter that we’re leaving now.”

Feeling as if he’d failed Teresa, Rollie went back into the center.  Everyone was looking at him with hope in their eyes, which made him feel even worse.  He shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Teresa.  I tried.”  The regret was heavy in his voice.

The girl’s shoulders slumped for a moment, then straightened.  “Thank you for trying, Mister Tyler.  It was very kind of you.”  She began to walk past Rollie, then stopped.  She appeared to be struggling with some kind of decision.  Suddenly, she turned around, stood on her tippy toes, and kissed his cheek.  “You’re a very nice man,” she said softly, then she walked out the door.

Rollie went to the window and pushed the blinds aside.  He watched Teresa get into the car with her father and drive away.

“Damn,” he cursed.

Angie came up to him and gave his hand a squeeze.  “You tried, Rol.  That’s all anyone could have done.”

The Aussie sighed.  “Yeah, I know.  I just wish that I could have made him see some sense.”

“I’m afraid that men like that just aren’t going to listen to reason, no matter how hard you try,” Linda said.  She looked at the clock on the wall.  “Well, we’d better get this class start--”

The squealing of brakes and the horrible sound of two vehicles impacting on each other cut Linda’s words off.  Everyone dashed outside.  Just down the street at the intersection, a car lay upside down and half-crushed beneath a tanker truck, which was lying on its side.  Gasoline was leaking from the tank, bathing the car and the street.

“That looks like Eve’s car!” one of the women cried.  At almost the same time, a piercing scream came from the car.  Rollie instantly leapt forward.

“Call the fire department!” he yelled.  Linda dashed inside to call.

“Rollie, don’t!  The tanker could explode!” Angie cried, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Rollie ducked under the tanker and managed to reach the passenger door of the car.  He got down on his hands and knees and looked in through the window.  His eyes met Eve’s terrified, pain-filled ones.

“Eve, can you hear me?  Can you move?”

“No!  Don’t hurt me!  Don’t hurt me!” the woman sobbed, half-screaming.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Eve.  I’m going to get you out.”

Rollie straightened and yanked at the door.  It didn’t budge.  Laying down, he braced his feet against the car, then yanked and pulled at the door as hard as he could.  Finally, with a groan of tortured metal, the door came open.  Rollie pushed it aside and crawled into the car.  Eve shrank from him.  He reached for her, and she screamed.

“Eve, stop!  Listen to me.  Listen to me!  I’ve got to get you out of here.  There’s gasoline everywhere.  I’m not going to hurt you.  Please.  You have to focus.”

Eve stared at him, and her fear of him slowly left her eyes.  Rollie smiled encouragingly.

“That’s better.  Where are you hurt?  Can you feel your arms and legs?”

“Y-yes.  M-my left leg hurts.  I can’t move it.  And my chest and side hurt.”

He looked up and saw that Eve’s leg was caught above her between the seat and the steering wheel.  In the faint light from the street lamps, he could see blood on her jeans.  The leg was probably broken, and it was possible that she had some broken ribs, too.

“Okay, I’m going to touch your leg, Eve.  I have to see how badly it’s wedged in there.”

Eve nodded.  Rollie reached up and felt around her leg, trying to determine what it would take to release it.  If he could pull the steering wheel down just an inch or two, he could probably get her leg out.  What he needed was a crowbar.

“I’m going to go get a crowbar.  If I can move this wheel, I can get your leg out.  I’ll be right back.”

As Rollie turned to crawl out of the car, he heard a sound that he’d heard thousands of times before, a sound that, this time, sent a chill of fear through him.  With an unmistakable whoosh, the gasoline on the driver’s side of the car burst into flames.

“Rollie!” Angie screamed as flames erupted beside the car.  She lunged forward, but was grabbed from behind by Mark.  “Let me go!  Rollie!”

The fire quickly spread to the car.  Rollie heard the roar of it above them.  The passenger side of the car was clear, but it would not remain so for long since the gas was still leaking out of the tanker.  Rollie’s thought went to the tanker.  At any second, it could explode, and if it did, it would take them with it.

Eve was screaming in sheer terror.  Rollie frantically began pulling at the steering wheel, but it would not move.

“You’re going to leave me.  You’re going to leave me, and I’m gonna die,” Eve wailed.

Rollie took hold of her face and looked straight into her eyes.  “I am not going to leave you.  I’m going to get you out of here, do you hear me?  Nobody is going to die.”  Just then, he heard the sound of sirens.  Relief washed through him.  “The fire trucks are here, Eve.  They’ll get us out.”

Angie stopped struggling against Mark when she heard the fire trucks approaching.  The trucks pulled up, and the firefighters quickly got to work.

Rollie heard a voice behind him and turned to see a fireman looking in through the open door.  “Her leg is pinned!” the Aussie yelled.

“All right.  We’ll get her out, sir,” the man called.  “Get out of the car, and we’ll take care of her.”

“There’s no bloody time!  Just give me a crowbar and--  Look out!”

With a yell, the fireman threw himself backwards as flames flared up between him and the car.  Eve screamed again, and Rollie shrank away from the fire that was now completely surrounding them.

“No!” Angie cried, horrified to see fire encircle the car.  A violent image of the explosion and fire that claimed her father’s life rose into her mind.   ‘This can’t be happening!  Please, not Rollie.  Please!’

Through the flames, Rollie could see the firefighters battling the blaze.  He reached up and again tried to pull the steering wheel down, but it still wouldn’t move.  Sweat was pouring out of him from the suffocating heat.  He cried out to the firefighters, begging them to give him something to pry the steering wheel with.  No one heard him.

“We’re going to die,” Eve moaned.

“No!  We’re not going to die!” Rollie said forcefully.  He turned to the door opening again and screamed at the top of his lungs for a crowbar.  This time, somebody heard him.  A few seconds later, he heard a shout and looked to see the same fireman who’d talked to him earlier holding a long crowbar.  The Aussie nodded to him.  The crowbar went sailing through the wall of fire and landed with a clatter just inside the car.  Rollie snatched it up.  Fighting the dizziness caused by the heat, he stuck the crowbar through the steering wheel, braced the end of it against the crumpled dashboard, and pulled down with all his strength.  Groaning from the strain on his back and arms, he kept pulling.  With the sound of bending metal and breaking plastic, the wheel bent downward.  Rollie dropped the crowbar and gently moved Eve’s leg.  She cried out with pain as it came free.

The Aussie put his arms under her shoulders and pulled her up against his chest.  She wrapped her arms around his and latched onto his hands.  Their eyes met for a moment, then went to the flames that were almost upon them.

All Angie could see now was the fire blazing around the car.  All she could hear was its roar and the sounds of the firefighters as they frantically fought against it.  She didn’t know if Rollie was alive or dead.  She felt so helpless.  There was nothing that she could do to save him, just as she had been unable to save her father.

Joyce had taken hold of Angie’s hand and was holding it tightly in both of hers.  The blonde turned to her and their eyes met.  Within her friend’s eyes, Angie saw the memory of the death of Joyce’s fiancé two years ago in a car accident.  Now, Joyce was watching Angie lose the man she loved.

Two more fire trucks had arrived, but Angie’s eyes never left the small group of firefighters who were trying to put out the flames separating them from the car.  At last, they managed to push the blaze back.  Two firemen quickly moved to the car.  Her heart thudding painfully, Angie waited.  A few seconds passed, then one of the men returned carrying Eve.  Angie’s eyes remained on the car.

“Please.  Please,” she whispered.  Then she saw the other fireman emerge.  Rollie was walking beside him.  Before anyone could stop her, Angie was running toward him.

Rollie saw a movement out of the corner of his eyes and turned to see Angie coming toward him at a dead run.  He stopped and caught her in his arms, lifting her up off her feet.  Angie clung to him for several seconds, then lifted her eyes to his.

“Are you all right?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly.

“Yeah, I’m okay.  I might have a few singed hairs, though.”

“Come on, let’s get you farther away from that tanker,” the fireman said.  “It could go at any time.”

Rollie and Angie were heading toward Joyce and the others when a deafening explosion rocked the street.  They spun around to see the tanker go up in a ball of flame.  Firefighters were thrown to the ground by the blast.  Picking themselves up, they resumed their efforts to put out the flames.

“Rollie!  Are you hurt?” Joyce asked worriedly as he and Angie came up to her.

“No, not a scratch, and, considering my track record, that, in itself, is a miracle.  I could really use some water, though.  I feel like I’ve been stuck in an oven.”

Without even being asked to, one of the women ran inside to get some water.  Rollie sat down on the curb with Angie beside him.  “Is Eve all right?” he asked.

“I don’t know.  I think she was taken over to the ambulance,” Angie replied.

The Aussie’s eyes went to the truck.  “What about the driver of the tanker?”

“He crawled out of the truck just before the fire started,” one of the women said.  “He didn’t look like he was hurt very much.”

Rollie nodded at her, then glanced at the other women.  They all seemed to have forgotten their desire to keep their distance from him.  In fact, a few of them were looking at him quite warmly.

The woman who went for water returned with a tall glass.  Rollie gratefully took it from her and gulped down the cold liquid.

“Do you always do things like that?” another women asked, studying him curiously.

“Things like what?”

“Just rush in and help people when they need it?”

Angie let out a short laugh.  “Are you kidding?  He’s just about made a career out of it.  If he had a dollar for every time he’s pulled somebody out of a jam,” she grinned wickedly, “or had to be pulled out of one himself because he was lending a helping hand, we’d both be retired and living in a ten-room mansion.”

The Aussie smiled sarcastically.  “Ha ha.  She is, of course, exaggerating about this much.”  He spread his arms out as wide as they would go.

Angie pushed his arms inward until his hands were about a foot apart.  “Actually, about this much,” she stated, the grin still on her face.

The woman who had asked the question smiled, then her eyes went back to the fire.  They all watched the blaze until it was finally put out.  The class having been canceled by Linda, the women then left.  Joyce and Mark went back inside to close up.

Rollie and Angie slowly approached the burned wreckage.  The Aussie’s gaze went to the car and found only a twisted, barely recognizable lump of blackened metal.  He saw a fireman approaching and recognized him as the one who had given him the crowbar.

“How is Eve, the woman who was in the car?” Rollie asked him.

“I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you.  She was taken to the hospital.”

Rollie asked which hospital and the man told him.  He studied Rollie.  “You weren’t in the car with her during the crash?”

“No.  I was in there when it happened.”  The Aussie pointed over to the center.

“Then you don’t know her?”

“Not really.  She goes to the same self-defense class as Angie here does.”

The man nodded.  “I know that some firefighters would prefer that civilians just keep clear when something like this happens, but I have to say that if you hadn’t gone in there and freed her leg, we probably wouldn’t have gotten her out in time.  You saved her life and may have prevented the death of the firefighter who would have gone in to get her out.  I just thought I’d tell you that.”  Without another word, the man walked off.

Rollie and Angie turned away from the wreckage only to find themselves face to face with a reporter and cameraman.  The Aussie groaned inwardly. ‘Just great,’ he growled to himself.

It took a bit of doing to get away from the reporter, who had heard everything the fireman said.  Rollie had refused to give his name to the reporter and also told the man that he didn’t want any shots of him to be used on TV.  The last thing he wanted was to have people calling him for his story.  All he wanted right now was to go home, take a very long shower, and climb into bed.

The instant they got back to the loft, Rollie went off to the shower.  He was surprised to find Angie still there when he came out.

“I thought you’d be on your way home,” he said.

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything.”  Angie was looking at him as if she didn’t want to take her eyes off him.

Rollie smiled softly.  “I’m all right, Ange.”

“Yeah, I know.  I just. . . .  It kinda scared me.  I kept seeing the explosion that killed Dad.”

The smile left Rollie’s face.  He stepped toward her and gently pulled her into his embrace.  She wrapped her arms around his waist.  “I know.  I was thinking about it too when I was in there,” he told her.

“I . . . I just couldn’t take it if I lost you, too,” Angie whispered.

Rollie lifted her chin up and looked down into her eyes.  “Hey, didn’t I tell you before that you weren’t going to lose me?”  His smile returned.  “You’re going to have to put up with having me around for a long, long time to come, Angela Ramirez.”

“I hope so,” she said with a faint smile.

Rollie kissed her forehead, then rested his brow against hers.  Closing his eyes, he let himself feel the warmth and happiness that holding her like this gave him.  After a few seconds, he reluctantly released her.

After Angie had gone, Rollie called the hospital to check on Eve’s condition.  He was told that she’d suffered a ruptured spleen and did, indeed, have two broken ribs and a compound fracture of the left fibula, but she was expected to make a complete recovery.  She had been very lucky considering the damage the car had sustained in the crash.

As Rollie went up the stairs to the bedroom, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d make it through the rest of the month or even the rest of the week without another disaster.
 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN -- BLIND

The next morning was spent doing more work on the alternate universe gag.  Rollie was in the midst of filling a mold for a section of one of the body suits when the phone rang.

“Speakerphone, Blue,” Rollie called to the electronic dog, who immediately connected the call.  “Tyler F/X.”

“Rollie?  Hi, this is Linda.”

“Hi, Linda.  What’s up?”

“Well, I got a call from Eve a few minutes ago.  She’d like to see you.”

Rollie’s and Angie’s eyes met in surprise.  “Really?  Um, yeah, sure.  I can be down there in an hour,” the Aussie said.

“Good.  I don’t have to tell you that this is pretty important.  Even considering what happened last night, the fact that she wants you there is quite a big step for her.”

“I promise to be on my best behavior,” Rollie said with a smile.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Angie asked after the call ended.

“I don’t know.  I think it might be best if I went alone.  If she wants to talk, it may be easier for her.”

“Well, how about if we go in the van?  We could get some lunch afterwards, then head on over to the studio.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

An hour later, Rollie was standing before Eve’s hospital room.  Angie had stayed in the van to get some more work done while he was talking to the woman.

Rollie pushed the door open and went into the room.  Eve was laying on the bed looking out the window.  She immediately turned toward him when she heard him enter.

“Hi,” he said, smiling tentatively.

“Hi.”  Eve’s gaze dropped to her hands, which had begun to twist the edge of the sheet.  She looked tense, and Rollie could tell that this was not easy for her.

“Eve, you don’t have to--”

“Yes.”  Her head lifted, and she looked at him.  “Yes, I do.”  She paused a moment, then, “I had everything all figured out, you know.  I thought I knew the truth about men.  I thought that, though they might pretend otherwise, down deep inside, they were all cruel, selfish bastards who would always think of themselves first.  Then I met you.  At first, I thought that you were no different than any other guy.  But during Angie’s first lesson I watched you.  You never took your eyes off her, and there was something in your face that I hadn’t expected to see.  I saw pain there.  It was like you were hurting for her.  It made me wonder about you.”  Her mouth twisted wryly.  “And that made me even madder.  I didn’t want to think about you.  This made me want you out of the class more than ever.  Then, when you asked Linda not to throw me out, I was even more confused.  You have no idea how shocked I was.  No man had ever shown me such an unselfish act of kindness like that before, especially after the way I treated you.  I just couldn’t understand why you did it.  And when I watched how you helped Angie, how gentle and supportive you were, I . . . well, I just didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Last night, when you risked your life to save me, when you refused to leave me, even though you must have known that you might die if you stayed, I finally realized how stupid and blind I’d been.  I realized that all men aren’t like my father, and my foster father, and the guys who raped me.  There are men like Mark, who lets himself get beat on by dozens of women every week just because he wants to help.  There are men like you who risk their lives for others without any thought of reward or recognition.  I read the newspaper article about the crash, and I didn’t see your name, though I know that the reporters must have been after it.

“You know, I’m a pretty stubborn woman, and once I get an idea in my head, it takes an awful lot to get it out.”  Her lips curved upward.  “But then, how could I not get the sense knocked into me when I had this guy clubbing me over the head with it?”  A full smile came to her face.  “I can tell that you’re the kind of person who, when you really make an entrance into someone’s life, you do it about as quietly as a bull crashing through a window.  I doubt that anyone who meets you would soon forget you.”  She grew serious.  “Thank you, Rollie, for making me see the truth and for saving my life.”

Rollie nodded, not knowing what to say.  He hadn’t expected this.

“I still have a long way to go before I can really put all the hatred behind me, but I’m willing to try now,” Eve continued.  “As soon as I’m out of here, I’m going to start seeing a psychiatrist.  I should have done that a long, long time ago, but I was too pig-headed.”

The Aussie smiled.  “That’s great.  I hope that she can help.”

Eve’s eyes searched his face.  “Angie is a very lucky woman to have you.”

Rollie shook his head.  “I’m the lucky one.  She’s the greatest, and she’s the best friend that I could ever have.”

Eve nodded slightly, still searching his eyes.  “You really do love her, don’t you,” she said softly.

“I’ve loved her from the day I met her,” Rollie replied, equally as softly, “and I’ll love her for as long as I live.”

They said their goodbyes, and Rollie left.  He headed toward the parking lot.  As he approached the van, Angie came out to stretch her legs.  Rollie stopped to watch her.

All at once, it was as if the sun had come out to light the darkness that had blinded him.  The words he had spoken to Eve came back to him with startling clarity.  This wasn’t just physical attraction that he was feeling toward Angie.  It wasn’t just the beginnings of an emotion beyond friendship.  He loved her, utterly and completely, not as a brother, not as a friend; he loved her as a man loves a woman.  He couldn’t deny it anymore.  No more excuses or rationalizations.  He was in love with Angela Ramirez.

Feeling a lot like he’d just gotten hit right between the eyes, Rollie moved behind a truck so that Angie wouldn’t see him.  He leaned against it and closed his eyes.  How could he have been such an idiot not to have seen this before?  The truth was that he hadn’t seen it because he hadn’t wanted to.  The thought of being in love with Angie terrified him.  He didn’t know what to do.  He was so afraid that he would do something to mess things up.  And what if Angie didn’t feel the same way?  Could he bear having her tell him that?

The knowledge that he was in love with Angie made him look back on their years together, and he realized that he’d been in love with her for a very long time.  All those moments of jealousy, all those times when she had dated a man and he had wanted to punch the guy in the nose made sense to him now.

“I must be the world’s biggest blind fool,” he muttered.

Rollie straightened.  Now he was really going to see how good an actor he was.  Somehow, he was going to have to hide this from Angie, though he didn’t know how he was going to manage it.  More than anything in the world, he wanted to go up to her, pull her into his arms, and tell her that he loved her.

Taking a deep breath, Rollie stepped out from behind the truck.  He saw that Angie had gone back inside.  Grateful for the few seconds more of preparation time this would give him, he slowly closed the distance between him and the van.  His mouth felt dry as he laid his hand on the door handle.  He’d never felt so nervous in his life, not even on his first date.

‘Get hold of yourself, Rollie,’ he chastised.  ‘If you don’t, she’s gonna know everything the instant you walk through this door.’

Rollie took a few more deep breaths, straightened his shoulders, and opened the door.

“Hi,” he said, managing to keep his voice level.

“Hi.  How did it go?” Angie asked.

“It went well.”  Rollie sat down.  “Actually, it went great.  She thanked me and admitted that she’d been wrong.  She also told me that she’s going to start seeing a psychiatrist.”

Angie smiled with delight.  “Really?  That’s terrific.  I’m glad that she’s finally getting over her hatred.”  Her smile grew teasing.  “So, now she probably thinks that you’re the best thing since man invented the wheel or something.  Boy, if only she knew the real Rollie Tyler.  We’d change that opinion pretty quickly.”

“Har har.  Actually, she likened me to a bull crashing through a window.”

“Ah, so she’s a smart lady after all.”

The Aussie’s smile became even more sarcastic.  But then it widened to a grin.  “Then she told me that you were lucky to have me,” he added.

Angie let out a laugh.  “Oh, brother!  Do you ever have the wool pulled over her eyes.”  Silently, she was thinking that Eve didn’t know how right she was.  “So, what did you say to that?”

The smile on Rollie’s face faded away, and his eyes scanned her face.  “I told her that she had it backwards,” he murmured.  Then his eyes dropped from hers.  The smile returned, and he got up.  “Shall we go get something to eat?”

“Uh, sure.”  Angie watched him climb into the driver’s seat, surprised by what Rollie had said and puzzled by the look she had seen in his eyes for a moment.  He had looked almost wistful.

She got into the passenger seat and looked over at him, but he did not turn to her as he backed the van out of the parking space and left the lot.

As he drove, Rollie was busy kicking himself.  What had possessed him to say that?  He’d been doing so well.  He had actually been able to put aside the fact that he was madly in love with his best friend and just be his old self with her.  Then, all of a sudden, his longing to hold Angie and tell her how much he loved her snuck back up on him, and he went and blurted out those words.  He was going to have to try harder to keep a rein on his emotions and his tongue.

Rollie succeeded in getting through lunch without letting even a hint of what he was feeling slip, at least not when Angie would notice.  But whenever she wasn’t watching, he found his gaze devouring her, taking in every tiny detail of her appearance.

A part of him was still in shock over the whole thing.  He remembered the little girl who sometimes sat on his lap, and he wondered how it was that he now looked upon her with the eyes of a man who wanted to be her lover for the rest of his life.  Rollie didn’t know how it had happened, and he probably never would, but he did know one thing.  Before, he had believed that it was wrong to feel desire for her, and that, somehow, it was a betrayal, to her and to the memory of her father.  He now knew that wasn’t true.  There was nothing wrong in what he felt for her.  It was not a betrayal.  It did not matter that he had known her since she was a child.  She was not a child anymore.  She was a woman, a woman whom he had loved more than anyone else in the world for a very long time.  And now, that love had reached a new level.  There could be nothing wrong in that.

The check came, and both he and Angie reached for it at the same time.  Their hands touched.  Rollie felt his whole body shudder on the inside from the contact.  Her touch was like fire on his skin.  Yet, somehow, he managed to keep himself from trembling and kept his emotions off his face.  He took the check and tried to focus his full attention on it.

“How much is mine?” Angie asked.

Rollie totaled up her portion of the bill and told her what it was.  He wanted to pay the entire check, but knew that she would wonder why.  They almost always split the check, unless the meal was a payment for a lost bet or if one of them was taking the other out to dinner.

As they drove to the studio, Angie glanced at Rollie repeatedly.  He had been kind of quiet throughout the meal.  There had been times when she could have sworn that he was staring at her, but every time she looked at him, his eyes were elsewhere.  She had a feeling that something was going on, but she didn’t have a clue what it was.  Was it possible that something came up in his conversation with Eve that he wasn’t telling her about?  Could it be that. . . ?  No, that was ridiculous.  Eve couldn’t possibly know how Angie really felt about Rollie.  Thinking about it, though, Eve probably thought that she and Rollie were romantically involved.  That would have been the natural assumption, and the things Eve said to him about a girlfriend and chasing after other women pretty much confirmed that’s what she believed.

Angie started thinking about how she and Rollie had acted toward each other during the classes, especially the first one.  What with them holding hands and sitting so close together, anyone who didn’t know them would think that they were boyfriend and girlfriend.  In fact, even someone who did know them would wonder about it unless they knew the whole story.  What if Eve had said something that made Rollie realize that Angie was in love with him, and he was acting this way because he didn’t know what to say?

The more Angie thought about it, the more worried she became.  What should she do?  Ask him what else Eve said?  Ask him what was wrong?  Maybe it was just her imagination and there was nothing wrong at all.  She should probably just forget the whole thing, since, if Rollie suspected that she was in love with him and he wasn’t unhappy or uncomfortable about it, he would surely bring it out in the open, which meant that anything she might drag out of him would probably not be what she’d want to hear.  It would be better not to know at all.

“So, did you and Eve talk about anything else?” she asked. ‘What are you doing?!  Why did you ask that?  Have you taken leave of your senses?!’  Angie immediately began to panic.

Rollie was quietly panicking.  What was he going to say now? ‘Well, Angie, she just made this little observation that I loved you, and I agreed with her, that’s all.  Oh, and, by the way, did I tell you that my heart is yours forever, and I want to make passionate love to you?  Think, Rollie!  What can you say that isn’t going to be a bald-faced lie?’

“Um, not a whole lot.  She admitted that she has a long way to go before she’s really past everything that happened to her.  I think she’s going to make it, though.”  ‘Phew!  Good save there, Rollie.  Please don’t ask if that’s all she said, Angie.’

“She sounds like a pretty strong woman,” Angie commented.  ‘He doesn’t look like he’s holding something big back.  I must have been mistaken before.’  She breathed a sigh of relief.

“That she is,” Rollie agreed.

They pulled up to the studio gate, and their thoughts immediately focused on work.  They got through the day without any catastrophes, though the numerous takes that they had to do on a couple of the scenes made them so late that they barely had enough time to grab something to eat before heading over to the self-defense center.

“Ah, so there’s the miracle-worker,” Linda said as they came in the door.  She was beaming at Rollie.

“Miracle-worker?” the Aussie repeated.

“You’d better believe it.  I went to see Eve this afternoon, and she’s like a new woman.  I’ve never seen her so relaxed before.  She actually smiled!  In the weeks that I’ve known her, I have never seen her do that.  In less than five days you’ve done more to help her than any psychiatrist could have done in five months.”

Rollie shook his head.  “I didn’t really do anything.  I was just. . . .”

“Being yourself,” Linda finished.  “Yeah, I know.”  She smiled fondly.  “Well, I guess that we’d better get started.”

Just then, Teresa walked in the door, looking as if she couldn’t believe she was there.

“Teresa?  What are you doing here?” Linda asked.  “What about your father?”

“It was so strange, Mrs. Robertson,” Teresa said.  “He didn’t say a word to me about the classes last night or all day today.  But then, tonight he just suddenly said, ‘That self-defense class of yours starts at 7:30, doesn’t it?  You’d better hurry up and get going.  You don’t want to be late.’  I mean, he acted like none of the stuff last night even happened.”  The girl turned to Rollie.  “What did you say to him?”

“I just told him my thoughts.  I guess what I said must have worked.”  The Aussie grinned, delighted that he’d helped Teresa’s father change his mind after all.

The girl suddenly threw her arms about him and gave him a quick hug.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  Then she drew back, looking embarrassed.  She excused herself and went to take a seat.

Linda looked at him even more fondly.  “Yep, I was right.  Miracle-worker.”  Then she, too, walked off.

Angie leaned toward Rollie and whispered, “If you’re not careful, Rol, Linda is going to have you canonized.”  There was a snicker in her voice.

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead before you’re declared a saint, Ange?” The Aussie responded, keeping a straight face.

“Well, if you take her words to heart and start strutting around like a peacock with a swelled head, I might just arrange that,” Angie retorted.

“Yeah, but then who would you have to torment you?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Rol.  I’m sure I could find someone.”  Angie walked off to take a seat.  Chuckling, Rollie joined her.

Angie felt no nervousness or hesitation during her lesson.  She moved with confidence and determination, quickly learning the moves and techniques that Linda taught her.

After the class, Linda congratulated her.  “You’re one of my best students, Angie.  I’ve never had anyone pick things up as quickly as you.  I know that you said you didn’t want to, but have you and Rollie been practicing at home?”

The blonde shook her head.  “We’ve been pretty busy with work.  We really haven’t had the time.”

“Don’t forget, Angie.  You did practice that one move on me night before last,” Rollie reminded her, grinning.

“Oh, yeah.  And I might just practice it again if you turn into a pain in the butt.”

“Actually, I was the one with a pain in the butt, Ange.”

Smiling at them in amusement, Linda said, “Well, if you do decide to practice at home, you should get some padded mats to lay on the floor to prevent injury.  I have a spare set if you’d like to borrow them until you can get your own.”

Angie hesitated, then nodded her head.  “I guess I really should practice at home, especially since we’re going to be really busy the next couple of weeks, and I might miss a few classes.  Is that going to be all right with you, Rol?”

“Sure.  I told you before that I would help any way that I could,” Rollie assured her, though he was secretly wondering how he was going to control himself since they would be in constant physical contact with each other, sometimes extremely close contact indeed.

With Rollie’s help, Linda fetched the mats out of the storage closet.  She also brought something else out.

“You might want to wear this, Rollie, just to be safe.”

The Aussie took the object.  A look of embarrassment came to his face.  “Is this what it looks like?”

Linda grinned at the expression he wore.  “It sure is.  But, believe me, you might be glad you have it.  I’ve heard of more than one accidental injury to that portion of the anatomy when couples were practicing at home.”  Her smile grew even broader.  “What’s the matter, Rollie?  Didn’t you ever play football?”

“No, not American football, and we didn’t wear stuff like this when I played footy in school.”

“Well, this really isn’t all that much different than what football players wear.”

Rollie looked at Angie, whose mouth was trembling from her effort not to split into an ear to ear grin.

“One word, Angela, and you’ll be walking home,” he growled.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, Rol,” she replied, her voice trembling just like her lips were.  She turned away and clamped a hand over her mouth to smother the laugh that bubbled up out of it.  Rollie promptly turned bright pink.  He stuffed the object into his coat, then he and Angie put the mats in the van.  Linda said goodbye to them, then went back inside.  She was passed by Mark, who was on his way out.

“Hi, Rollie.  I saw Mom give you the cup,” he commented.

A snort of laughter came from the van, and Rollie shot Angie a glare.

Mark smiled.  He leaned forward and whispered something in the Aussie’s ear.  A startled look came to Rollie’s face.  He stared at Mark for a moment, then his expression changed.  A smile came to his lips, and he glanced at Angie.

“I didn’t think about that.  Thanks.  I have a feeling I’m going to be needing it,” he said.

“That’s what I figured,” Mark replied, a knowing smile on his face.

Angie frowned at them, feeling like some secret was being kept from her that she should know about.  She watched Rollie as he said goodbye to Mark, then climbed into the van.  Once they were on the road, she turned to him.  “Okay, what did Mark say to you?”

Rollie grinned.  “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Yes, I would.  Now, what did he say?”

“Well, you’re just going to have to keep wondering because I’m not going to tell you.”

Angie glared sullenly at him, then turned back to the road.  “Fine,” she muttered.

An irritating smirk stayed on Rollie’s face all the way to the loft.  She knew that he was getting back at her for laughing at him.  As she thought about it, she realized that she shouldn’t have laughed.  The cup would, indeed, be a wise precaution.  The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally hurt him.  And, as Linda had said, men who played football and some other sports wore them every time they played.  It really wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about or laughed at.

Angie helped Rollie unload the mats once they got to the loft.

“Thanks.  I’ll see you in the morning, Ange,” the Aussie said after they were finished.

“Yeah.”  Angie paused.  “Um, I’m sorry that I laughed earlier, Rol.  I really shouldn’t have.”

Rollie stared at her in surprise, not having expected an apology.  He couldn’t ever remember a time when Angie had apologized for teasing him.  “Uh . . . that’s okay.”

“You really should wear it.  I’d feel terrible if you didn’t because I laughed, then you got hurt.”

“Don’t worry, Ange.  I’ll wear it.”

“Good.”  She studied the Aussie’s expression.  “So, now will you tell me what Mark said?”

Rollie grinned broadly.  “Nope.”

“Why, you rat!” Angie cried.  She lunged at him.  Laughing, Rollie ducked and spun away from her.  She threw a mock punch against his ribs, then started lightly pummeling his back with both fists.  Still laughing, Rollie went to his knees, then ducked down and covered his head with his arms.  Angie started to laugh as she, too, went to her knees.  She gave him a strong shove, pushing him over.

Their laughter finally faded away.  Rollie looked up at Angie, a goofy grin on his face.  “Didn’t we get this backwards?  Aren’t I supposed to be the one who attacks you?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.  I knew I had something wrong.”

Rollie rolled to his feet and extended a hand to Angie.  She took it, and he pulled her up.  “Yeah, I know how it is.  Teach a girl self-defense, and she immediately starts beating up on us poor, helpless men.”

“Most men aren’t helpless, Rol.  You’re just one of the exceptions,” Angie said, her eyes twinkling.

“Is that so?  Well, I’ll have you know, Ms. Ramirez, that while I was watching you and those other women take your lessons, I also learned a thing or two.”

“Really,” Angie said doubtfully.  “Like what?”

“Uh uh.  I’m not going to show you now.  I’ll just wait for our first practice session.”  There was a wicked gleam in the Aussie’s eyes.

“Oh, I am so scared,” Angie responded, cowering melodramatically.

“And so you should be.”

As Angie left for home, the thought came to Rollie’s mind that he wished she wasn’t leaving.  Oh, how he wanted to ask her to stay and never leave.

With a deep sigh, he stripped off his coat.  He put the cup in his dresser.  On top of the dresser was a picture of Angie that had been taken a couple of years ago.  Taking the picture with him, he went back downstairs and made himself a cup of tea.  Rollie settled on the couch and drank the tea as he gazed at Angie’s image.

Things were so different back then.  He had been certain of Angie’s feelings toward him.  There had been no doubts, no questions about what was going to happen with their relationship.  He had felt comfortable with their friendship.  And Loubar had not been a part of their lives.

Loubar.  If the man had never done what he did to Angie, would Rollie have remained blind to his true feelings for her?  What would it have taken for him to see the truth?  Angie getting engaged to another man?  Married?  Would that have been what finally woke him up?

It had been a long time since Angie had gone out on a date, and Rollie knew that it was only a matter of time before she did.  He didn’t know what he’d do if that happened.

‘I’d make it abundantly clear to him that he was not to even think of dating her,’ he told himself emphatically.  Then he sighed. ‘Who am I kidding?  If she really wanted to date some guy, I’d let her, even if it killed me.  She doesn’t belong to me.  We’re not a couple.  I have no right to interfere in her love life.  If dating someone else will make her happy, then I’m not going to stand in the way.’

He was surprised at the bitterness he suddenly felt.  He wanted to go right over to her apartment and tell her that he wanted her to be his and no one else’s, that he loved her with all of his heart.  But he was a coward.  He was so afraid that she would explain to him that the night with Loubar had been a mistake, and she really did just want to be friends.  After all, didn’t she say that nothing had changed?  That seemed to say it all, didn’t it.  On the other hand, she could have been lying, right?  Maybe she did love him, and she was just as afraid to admit it as he was.

Rollie shook his head and got up to rinse out the empty cup.  This was getting him nowhere.  He was no closer to deciding what he was going to do than he had been before.

He put in a little work on the body suits, then went to bed, thinking that, maybe in the morning, things would be clearer.
 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN -- PRACTICE

As much as he may have wished it, the morning did not bring a solution to Rollie’s problem or answers to his questions.  He and Angie spent the morning and early afternoon at the studio setting things up for the alternate universe gag that would be shot the next day.  Afterwards, they went to the loft and worked nonstop on the body suits and other things they were going to need--except for the hour that Rollie went off to take care of something.  He came back from his trip bearing a large box, which Angie, of course, asked him about.  Smiling mysteriously, he just told her that she’d find out soon enough.

At around 5:45, they got a call from the studio and had to rush down there to deal with a problem on the set.

“Well, I guess we won’t be making it to the class tonight,” Angie said an hour and a half later.

“I guess not,” Rollie agreed.  He shot a glance at her.  “How about if we have our first private lesson tonight?”

“Works for me.”

They grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed back to the loft.  After finishing what they were going to need for tomorrow’s shoot, they spread the mats on the floor, then Rollie headed upstairs, saying that he would be back in a few minutes.  After three or four minutes passed, Angie began to wonder what he was doing up there.  Deciding to do something while she waited, Angie went to the workstation and got to work on one of the CGI’s.  At last, she heard Rollie come down the stairs.  She was right in the middle of something and did not look at him.

“So, do you think I’m protected enough?” she heard him ask.  She looked up at him--and just about fell out of her chair.  Rollie was wearing a football uniform, complete with all the padding and the helmet.

Angie gaped at him for a few seconds, then she began to laugh--and laugh, and laugh.  She doubled over and held her aching sides as helpless tears of mirth flowed down her cheeks.  Rollie just stood and watched her, his hands on his hips.  Because of the face guard and the shadows that it and the helmet cast, she couldn’t see his expression.  Finally, her laughing quieted down.

“What?  You think I overdid it?” Rollie asked innocently.  Then he removed the helmet, and she saw a huge grin plastered over his face.

“Where did you get all that stuff?” Angie asked, still slightly out of breath.

“I borrowed it from Ron Pendergras.”

“So, that’s what was in the box, huh?”  Angie studied the Aussie and came to the conclusion that he actually looked good in the football uniform.  But there was no way that he could actually wear it during their practice session.  “I hope you don’t really plan on wearing that.”

Rollie grinned again.  “Well, I don’t know, Ange.  I wouldn’t want you to damage my poor, fragile body.  I might need it later.”  He sat the helmet down and stripped off the jersey.  She saw that he was wearing a black T-shirt underneath.  The Aussie removed the shoulder pads and set them beside the helmet.  “How about this?” he asked, spreading out his arms.

Angie looked him up and down.  He still wore the football pants and all the padding that was underneath, but that might come in handy since the hip, thigh, and knee pads would mean that she wouldn’t have to ‘pull her punches’ as much as she would have without them.  “That’ll do,” she said.  She could see the bandages on his arm from where she’d shot him peeking out from under the sleeve of his shirt.  “Are you going to be able to do this, Rol?  I know that your arm must still hurt.”

“No, it’s all right.  I’m still taking the pain pills, and they help a lot.  I'll be getting the stitches removed tomorrow during the lunch break.  The funny thing is that my arm didn’t hurt at all when I was in that car, not even when I was trying to free Eve.  I guess adrenaline and fear can do that.”

“Yeah, it can.”  Angie had been so terrified for Rollie that someone could have cut off her arm and she might not have noticed.

They went to the center of the mats and looked at each other.  “So . . . where do we start?” Rollie asked.  He was beginning to feel more than a little nervous.  His self-control was definitely going to be put to the test doing this.

“I guess we could go through things in the same order that they did at the center.”  Angie could feel herself starting to tense up.  This was not going to be the same as working with Mark while a dozen other people watched.  It was going to be just her and Rollie, and they were going to be in awfully close contact with each other.  She just hoped that she would be able to concentrate on what they were supposed to be doing and not give anything away.

“Okay.  Front or back?”

“Huh?”  Angie cursed at the little squeak that had snuck into her voice.

“Do you want me to come at you from the front or attack you from behind?”

“Oh.  Uh, maybe you should surprise me.  Actually, that might be better.  I mean, if a guy really attacked me, we wouldn’t plan ahead of time how he was going to do it.”

“Good point.”  Rollie scanned her face.  “Are you okay with this, Ange?  We don’t have to do this, you know.”

“No, I’m all right.  Let’s get started.”

Rollie nodded, still watching her.  She just stood there and stared right back at him, looking about as relaxed as a person waiting for their executioner.  “Uh . . . maybe you should just turn your back to me and pretend like you’re looking through a purse or something.”

“Yeah, right.  Good idea.”  She turned around and held her hands up as if she was holding a purse.  Suddenly, far sooner than she had expected, Rollie grabbed her from behind.  He pinned her arms to her sides and started dragging her backwards, just as Ralph Lambert had.  Angie immediately lifted both her legs up and brought her heels back down against Rollie’s knees.  Then she butted her head backward into his chin.  If he had been a real attacker, she would have done it with the full strength of her neck muscles.  She then stomped on his feet and followed up with another blow to the knees.  Rollie went down, pretending that she had scored.  Angie moved away, and they looked at each other.

“That went well,” the Aussie commented from the floor.

“Yeah.  I didn’t hurt you, did I.”

Rollie smiled.  “No, I’m okay.  I’m glad that I’m wearing these pads, though.  You want to try again?  Something different this time?”

Angie grinned.  “Sure.  That was an easy one.  You were a pushover.”

“An easy one?  Uh oh.  I think I’m getting scared here.”  Rollie’s eyes were sparkling.  They both seemed to have forgotten their nervousness.

Rollie got up, and they did it again, this time with the Aussie using a ‘frontal assault’.  It ended just about the same way, with Rollie on the floor pretending to writhe in pain.  He had forgotten the fact that he was touching Angie’s body in ways that could almost be called intimate and was getting totally immersed in the practice session.  He was actually having fun.

After their fourth go around, they both lay sprawled on the mats, trying to catch their breaths.  After a couple of minutes, Angie rolled onto her side and gazed at Rollie.  “You told me last night that you had learned a few things by watching us.  So, when am I going to see this, huh?”

Rollie turned his head and looked at her.  “Any time, Angie.”

“How about now?  That is, if you have the strength.”  There was a challenge in her eyes.

Rollie rolled onto his side and threw the challenge right back at her.  “Oh, I’m just fine.  The question is, do you have the guts to take me on?”

“Give it your best shot, Tyler.”

They both got to their feet and moved about three yards apart.  Angie stood waiting for him, her knees flexed.  She was smiling in anticipation.  Rollie just stood and watched her, a smile also on his face.

Just when she was beginning to think that he wasn’t going to make his move, he lunged for her.  Angie immediately lifted her arms and got her legs ready for a kick.  But, instead of continuing to come at her from the front, he abruptly ducked around behind her.  His hands grabbed her wrists, pinning them down in front of her, then, before she could lift her legs to kick him, he suddenly yanked her down, and they both went crashing backwards to the floor, Angie on top of him.  Rollie immediately wrapped his legs tightly about hers, then, while his right hand held both of her wrists, his left arm came up around her throat.  Angie found herself unable to move.  She squirmed against him, trying to free herself, but it was no use.

Angie lay still, breathing deeply.  She could feel Rollie beneath her, his body pressed into her back.  The quick rise and fall of his chest matched hers breath for breath.  As they continued to lie there, she became extremely aware of him against her.  A rush of heat passed through her body, and her breath caught.

Rollie held onto Angie, pleased to no end that his move had worked.  But then, all at once, a new emotion arose, and he forgot that they were supposed to be practicing self-defense.  Her warm, soft body was lying on top of his, and he could smell the scent of her hair and feel the velvet touch of her cheek against his.  Against his will, his body began to respond.  He felt heat spread throughout every part of him, and his breathing grew short and shallow.

Angie cleared her throat.  “Okay, I admit it.  You did learn something from the lessons.”  Oh boy, did he ever!  “But now what?  You’re stuck just like I am.  If you move your arms or your legs, I can defend myself.  Not, uh, a very effective attack, Rol.”  The last sentence was spoken in hardly more than a whisper and lacked any force.  Angie swallowed and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get herself back under control.  She failed miserably.

“You have a point,” Rollie murmured, keeping his voice steady, even though a war was going on inside him, a war between the part that was telling him it was time to let her go and the part that didn’t want to.  The second part won.  “But what if I do this?”  His left arm dropped from her neck, and he grabbed her left wrist with that hand.  An instant later, he twisted and rolled them over, crossing her arms over her lower chest at the same time.  He was now on top of her, and their arms were underneath her.  He managed to pull one of his arms out, then the other, ignoring the brief twinge of pain that shot through his left arm.

With both her weight and his pinning them in place, Angie was unable to move her arms.  They were pressing into her ribs, and it was a bit uncomfortable, but she’d somehow lost the power of speech, as well as the will to say anything.

Rollie’s hands took hold of her shoulders.  “Now, I could have my way with you,” he whispered, his face pressed against hers.  He was fast losing control, his desire for her burning like fire within him.  But, as Rollie’s hands tightened on her shoulders, the thought came to him that this wasn’t right.  This wasn’t how he wanted it.  He wanted to take it slow.  He wanted to take her to dinner and dancing, buy her flowers and presents.  He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her forever, telling her over and over again how much he loved her.  He didn’t want it to be a sudden, wild moment of passion on the floor, then a talk about what happened afterwards.  Rollie had never been a particularly romantic person, but everything was different with Angie.  This was forever for him.  There would never be anyone else, even if it turned out that Angie didn’t feel as he did.  And because of that, he wanted everything to be perfect.  He wanted her to know how much he cherished her.

Feeling shaky from the aftereffects of the emotions that had been flooding through him, Rollie got up off Angie.  He did not look at her directly for fear that what he was feeling would show in his eyes.  As she got up, he noticed her rubbing her ribs as if they hurt.  Guilt instantly assailed him.

“Did I hurt you?  Angie, I’m so sorry.  You should have said something.”

“I’m all right, Rollie, really I am.” She got up and walked into the kitchen area, feeling unsteady.  She poured herself a glass of water and drank it down.  Then she looked at him, smiling slightly.  “Well, I guess you proved that I still have a lot to learn.  I’m going to have to ask Linda to teach me a way to counter that move.  Of course you do have an advantage over other guys in that you’ve been watching me during my lessons and know what I can do.”  Angie was amazed by her ability to talk so calmly about what had just happened when, inside, her pulse and nerve endings were still going nuts.  For a few moments, she had been certain that Rollie was getting as turned on as she was, but there seemed to be no indication of it now.

“Yeah, in a few more days, you would probably be able to kick my butt before I even managed to get you down on the floor.”  Rollie got up, but did not join her in the kitchen area, though he was very thirsty.  He needed to keep some distance between them, at least for a few more minutes.  At this distance, she would not be able to read the expression in his eyes, and he still feared that they would give him away.

“Oh, I don’t know.  That was a pretty sneaky move, Rol.  You surprised me.  I didn’t expect you to be able to do something like that.  Let’s face it.  You’ve never been the most adept person at hand to hand fighting.”

“Don’t I know it.  I’m the one who’s had to suffer with all the bruises, cuts, cracked ribs, and sore jaws from that particular shortcoming.”  He went over to his workstation and sat down.

“Well, maybe you should take some lessons, learn how to fight.”

Rollie shook his head.  “I wouldn’t feel comfortable about that.  I never liked to fight.  When I was a kid, I always avoided any conflict because I didn’t want to get into a fight.  A lot of the