"Home and Habitats"

by BeElleGee

Rated PG-13

Disclaimer: Characters and situations property of the WB, producers, creators of "Tarzan", etc. No profit will be made off this fiction and never will.

Summary: Things haven't changed much since the hearing: Jane is still apprehensive; John is still something of a social pariah. But all that is about to change after they make a conscious effort to learn more about each other and Jane moves John in with her for a few days to keep him out of trouble while Kathleen is away.

***

PART ONE ~ Priorities - I

Jane was glad today was finally winding down. Things at the police station had been hectic and crazy earlier, and left her feeling more than a little overwhelmed. The idea of cashing in her unused vacation time was appealing more and more to her lately. She could use a little down-time after what she'd been through the past couple of months. Especially the kind of down-time that included lounging on a white sand beach in a bikini, with a icy strawberry daiquiri as her sole companion.

But then, Kathleen Clayton was on the phone, asking a personal favor of her which would force Jane to put her plans of bikinis and daiquiris on hold.

"I know John can take care of himself," Kathleen was saying. "He gets along just fine living here. I'm not worried about the house. As it is, he's hardly here, anyway. But things are still tense between Richard and me, and I just don't trust my brother right now. I have that restraining order in effect which gives us some assurance. In the end, that's just a technicality though. Richard hasn't given up, you know, and I wouldn't put anything past him at this point."

"How long are you going to be gone?" Jane went on.

"Seven days," Kathleen replied. "Despite everything that's happened, I still have a business to attend to. I've been putting this meeting off for months now because of this thing with John, but I can't put it off any longer." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I told John he was welcome to come with me, but he didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave you."

Jane frowned. She didn't like the idea of Kathleen being away so soon after the hearing. As far as Richard was concerned, Jane didn't trust the man either, and knew he may take advantage of Kathleen's absence to sic his hired muscle on John.

"So, exactly what is it you want me to do?" Jane pressed.

There was a moment of silence on the line. "Well, could you just look in on him for me from time to time?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah, I suppose I could do that," Jane replied. So she'd cash in her vacation time later on in the year.

She massaged her eyes, feeling the onset of nasty headache just around the corner. John had a penchant for seeking out trouble if it didn't come to him. Keeping him on the straight and narrow for a few days would require more than just looking in on him from time to time and Jane knew it.

"Well, let's face it. John hasn't been...left unsupervised since he's been in New York," Kathleen Clayton continued as if still trying to persuade Jane. "I don't want to have to be worrying about him when I'm trying to deal with my investors. You'd really be helping me out, and I appreciate it. I'm going to go talk to John now, then head out to the airport. I'll try to call you tomorrow night."

"That's fine," Jane agreed. "I'll go see him tonight after I get done here. I think it might be a good idea to let him know what's expected of him while you're away."

Kathleen chuckled lightly. "I'll tell him."

For all the good it will do, was left unsaid, but Jane could easily interpret that much from Kathleen's snickering laugh.

"Good-bye, Kathleen. Have a safe trip," Jane said tunelessly.

Kathleen sighed. "Good-bye, Jane. Thanks again." With that, she hung up the phone.

******** Kathleen was already gone by the time Jane got to the mansion. The maid answered the door and ushered Jane inside, offering to make her some fresh coffee to chase away the night's chill. Jane declined, reluctantly handing over her jacket, and rubbing her hands over her arms a few times instead.

She started up the stairs at an easy jog, shaking the snowflakes from her long hair as she did. Climbing all the way to the top floor, Jane was a little out of breath by the time she reached the greenhouse where John stayed, but the exercise had warmed her up at least and the atrium was full of summer-like heat having soaked up an ample amount of the afternoon's sunshine earlier.

"John?" Jane pushed aside a low hanging branch, looking up. "John, are you still here?"

Jane glanced around, and was just about to step forward when John abruptly dropped down in front of her from some unseen height, startling her. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought a smile, chiding herself for letting him still catch her off guard like that.

"You enjoy doing that, don't you?" she teased, opening her eyes and fixing them on his unusually mischievous-looking face.

"Do what?" he asked her, in a flash becoming all solemn innocence.

Jane shook her head. "Never mind." She forced herself to back up a little. John was standing so close to her, she was suddenly having trouble remembering what she'd come here to say. "I promised Kathleen I'd look in on you from time to time--to see if there was anything you needed while she's away."

"I don't need anything," John stated flatly.

Jane was surprised by his choice of words. "Okay. I thought you might appreciate the company too. Your aunt will be gone for a week. You'll be all alone otherwise."

John stepped towards Jane, closing the short distance she had carefully put between them. He frowned, lowering his head so his face was mere inches from hers. Jane fought not to look into his eyes.

"Not if you take me home with you," John said quietly and turned his head slightly.

Jane could feel his warm breath on her cheek. She blinked several times and tried to inconspicuously turn her face away from him.

"I think it would be better if you just stay here," she countered with a forced, false enthusiasm, trying to make it sound like an obvious benefit. "I'll come by every night, how's that sound?"

Clearly, John wasn't buying any of Jane's geniality. He knew she was merely sugar-coating her rejection of him. His vivid blue eyes sparked indignantly and he spun away from her, pulling himself up into the sprawling, overgrown limbs above them, and all but disappearing into the thick, unkempt foliage.

Jane sighed heavily and threw up her hands in frustration. This was what she had put off her vacation for.

"Fine. Go sulk. I'll see you later." She turned around and marched back towards the atrium's exit.

"Jane," John called, his voice disembodied and falling on her from somewhere up above.

Jane stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I don't want to be alone," he continued, his voice growing softer.

Looking back into the trees, Jane spied John nestled in the crook of one of the larger limbs just off to her right. She moved to stand directly below him, and peered up, placing her hands on her hips.

"John, you can't stay with me and that's that."

"Why not?"

"Because...I just don't think it's a good idea."

"You said yourself, it will only be for a few days."

Jane paused and took a deep breath. "Look, even if you did stay at my place you'll wind up being alone most of the time, because I still have to work."

John shifted slightly and for a moment, Jane thought he might be coming back down, but he stayed where he was.

"But I would be there when you come home," he said softly. "I would wait for you."

His forlorn, child-like tone tugged at Jane's heart. She wouldn't have thought being alone would particularly bother him. After all, John had been living a solitary existence for most of his life. Granted, circumstances had forced him to be alone then, but even now, he seemed to prefer solitude to socializing. Maybe circumstances still forced him to spend most of his time alone, Jane pondered. It didn't necessarily mean he preferred it. He had told her on more than one occasion he wanted to stay with her. Maybe he had been trying to tell her he didn't want to be alone anymore.

Jane suddenly remembered what he had told her about his life in the jungle. Dark, was how he had described it. He had been lonely. For years and years. There had been no one else there like him.

What harm could come of letting him stay with her for a few days? Jane silently mulled it over, despite the fact her stomach was fitfully knotting itself at the very thought of committing to such a thing.

"I have to go," she said suddenly, and rushed towards the French doors leading back into the mansion.

"Jane, wait!" John called after her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she answered, not looking back.

******** Nikki was at her computer putting the finishing touches on her term paper when she heard a muffled thump, as if something had fallen on the floor in the room next to hers. She paused and looked in that general direction momentarily, before deciding she was imagining things, and focused her attention back on her monitor.

She had to get this paper done before she left on her ski trip tomorrow morning. It was due in a week and after today, the only thing Nikki wanted to have to concentrate on was snow pack and cute sophomores in cable knit sweaters.

Out of the corner of her eye, Nikki noticed something moving past her door. She stood up, and swiftly turned around, her mind seizing with the possibility that somebody was in the apartment.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Nikki called, more or less announcing her presence. She crept out of her room, down the short hall and into the kitchen. She looked around the living room and paused to listen, but didn't hear anything. Maybe she was imagining things. Her recent abduction had left her somewhat paranoid about 'things that go bump' even in the middle of the day. Ever wary, she slipped back into her room, and went to close the door behind her for some added sense of security.

"Nikki, it's me."

Whirling around again, Nikki abruptly found herself face to face with John Clayton. She gasped in surprise and pressed her palms over her thundering heart.

"Oh....Hi John," she mumbled, slowly recovering her normal pulse rate.

"Did I scare you?" he asked earnestly, studying her slightly peeved expression closely.

Nikki glanced up at him. "Did you mean to?"

John shook his head.

Dragging her hand through her long hair, Nikki sighed. "Then no, you didn't scare me. But just don't do that again, all right?"

"All right," John readily agreed.

Half-staggering back to her desk, Nikki dropped heavily into the chair and tried to calm down. She should have guessed it was John in the apartment, but he normally made a point not to come around if Jane wasn't home. Nikki believed it was because of the way Jane had let him have it the time he'd nearly beaten that Gary guy to a greasy pulp. Even though Jane had later backed down, since then, John avoided being alone with Nikki if he could help it.

Nikki noticed John had not moved a muscle, and was standing beside her rather rigidly. She peered up at him, and offered him a reassuring smile.

"Um, Jane's not here right now," she pointed out.

John looked around the room as if to confirm the obvious. "I know," he announced. "I wanted to talk to you."

Nikki raised her brow. "To me? About what?"

Looking even more uncomfortable, John lowered his eyes before answering.

"I want to do something for Jane...to make up for last night," he told Nikki in a barely audible tone.

"Like what?" Nikki questioned, wondering what had happened between them last night to make John Clayton feel as though he needed to make amends to Jane.

John looked up at her with a frustrated expression. "I don't know. I wanted you to tell me."

"Well, I don't know either...what did you do to her?" Nikki folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair.

John stared back at her silently. Finally, Nikki sighed and tossed up her arms in resignation.

"Look, don't worry about it," she soothed. "Whatever it is, Jane'll get over it. She's probably already forgotten about it." Nikki forced herself to stare at her monitor. "Now. If you don't mind, I really, really have to get this paper done before I leave tomorrow, so...." She paused and awkwardly gestured at the window, then resolutely typed a few words, then stopped, and looked at John again. He hadn't moved. "John, please. If you want to hang out here until Jane gets home, that's fine, but just go watch TV or something. I can't do this with you hovering over me."

As if to compensate for his 'hovering', John knelt down beside Nikki's chair and gave her computer a careful scrutiny.

"This is a paper?" he questioned.

Nikki couldn't help but smile. "Well, it's not really on paper. It's on the hard drive. Then I'm going to put it on a disk to hand it in. It's for school."

John reached out and tentatively touched the monitor screen. Nikki could tell from his expression he hadn't understood a word she'd said.

"It's glass," he noted. His intense blue eyes flickered from the screen to the half-full glass of milk Nikki had been drinking that was sitting on her desk beside the mouse.

Nikki nodded in affirmation and got an idea. "John, I know what you could do for Jane."

John straightened somewhat, fixing his gaze back on Nikki's face. "What?"

Pushing aside the tinge of guilt she felt for possibly taking advantage of his good nature, Nikki picked up the glass of milk from her desk and handed it to him. He really was sweet, she thought to herself, and this was kind of mean of her, but she had to get rid of him somehow.

"There's a whole sink load of dishes that needs to be washed and dried before Jane gets home. If you wouldn't mind, it would really help out. And Jane would be so happy to not have to do them when she gets home. Okay?"

John rose to his feet, cradling the glass of milk in his large hands. He glanced towards the door uncertainly.

"Wash the dishes?"

Nikki nodded. "There's soap under the sink. If you need anything else, just holler." Determinedly, she faced her computer and placed her hands on the keyboard. "Let me know when you're finished and I'll find something else for you to do." At least he'd have something useful to do and he would stay out of her way for a half hour or so. That would be more than enough time to finish her homework.

John edged out of Nikki's bedroom and disappeared down the hall. A few minutes later, Nikki heard the sound of water running and with a self-satisfied grin, she resumed pecking away at her keyboard.

***

All seemed to be going well. Nikki hadn't heard a peep out of John since she'd banished him into the kitchen It was so quiet in fact, Nikki had practically forgotten John was even there. She finished her term paper and was in the process of transferring the file when there was a tremendous crash in the kitchen. It was so loud and so unexpected, Nikki nearly toppled her chair. Realizing what must have happened, she shot to her feet and bolted out of the room, her heart in her throat.

At first, the sight which greeted her eyes wouldn't register in her brain. She couldn't make sense of anything. There were suds everywhere. Seeing the empty detergent bottle next to the sink told Nikki why. Soft tufts of bubbles even floated around her head in the air. Soaked and disheveled, John was kneeling on the floor amidst a veritable sea of broken glass and soapy water. He peered up at Nikki apologetically and clutched his hand tightly in his lap.

"I think I stacked them too high," he mumbled and glanced down at his hand. He hissed through his teeth and made a face. "I'm sorry, Nikki."

Nikki's heart sunk as she absorbed the devastation around her. It wasn't John Jane was going to let have it this time. She had to get this mess cleaned up and fast.

"If I were you," she began, inching towards him. "I'd get out of here before Jane gets home and sees this. Somehow, I don't think it will contribute to your cause any."

"What are you going to do?" John asked, climbing rather gracelessly to his feet, still clutching his hand.

Suspecting John had cut himself from the odd way he held his hand, Nikki stepped forward to examine it. She was startled by the amount of blood she saw.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "You're hurt!" Jane was really going to kill her now.

John pulled his hand away from her. "Wet glass is slippery," he duly pointed out.

Nikki grabbed John by the wrist and hauled him over to the sink. "With that much soap on it, I bet it is," she grumbled.

She jerked on the faucets and shoved John's bloody palm under the stream of water. He hissed again and growled at her, but Nikki wasn't about to be intimidated now.

"Hold still!" she screeched. Tightening her grip on his wrist, Nikki fought to keep John's hand in the sink.

"It stings," John hesitantly explained.

Nikki looked up at him sympathetically. "I know and I'm sorry, but we have to wash it out." She sighed heavily. "I should have known better. Rich people don't do dishes. Look, you keep your hand under the water. I'm going to go get the broom and a mop."

John turned slightly and looked towards the front door. "Jane's home," he announced with a strange mix of happiness and dread in his voice.

Just then, Nikki heard the front door open, and the sound of Jane's voice rang out in the hall.

"Nik? I'm home! Are you here? I've got take-out for supper!"

Nikki visibly paled. "Yeah....I'm in the kitchen. Hang on." She faced John. "Now's your chance to escape. I'll go try to keep her out of here until you can get away."

John stared at Nikki gratefully, but shook his head. "No. I want to stay."

Nikki frowned, turning off the water. She grabbed a dish towel and wrapped it tightly around John's hand. "Don't say I didn't warn you. I think you're about to see a side of Jane you've never seen before."

A loud gasp drew John and Nikki's attention to the kitchen entryway. Holding a large bag of Chinese take-out, Jane stood just inside the room surveying the damage with wide, saucer-like eyes. She looked at John, then looked at Nikki, and then closed her eyes as if she could not bear the sight of her kitchen anymore.

"Nikki, what happened here?"

"Jane," John greeted her, smiling slightly. "Hello." Apparently, he was just pleased to see her, regardless of her brewing mood.

"Hi," Jane responded, then pressed her lips tightly together as if to keep herself from saying what she really wanted to say. She faced her sister again and raised her brow expectantly.

"I had to finish my term paper," Nikki began, stepping forward. "I asked John if he wouldn't mind doing the dishes from last night and it seems he had a little accident. Look. Don't be mad at him. He was only trying to help." She cringed at how lame that had sounded, and braced herself.

To Nikki's surprise, Jane simply turned away from her and placed the bags of Chinese food on the counter-top. She paused and took a deep breath before turning around to face her sister once more.

"Mad? I'm not mad. Accidents happen," she said through gritted teeth, fixing her attention back on John. "Would you excuse us? I need to speak with Nikki in private about--" Her forced smile wavered as she noticed the blood soaked towel wrapped around John's hand. "John, are you hurt?"

"It's just a cut," John told her, following the direction of her gaze.

Jane took another deep breath. "That's more than just a cut," she said to him softly. "Come on. Let's get that taken care of." She held out her hand and John automatically drifted towards her. Jane steered him towards the bathroom, peering over her shoulder at her sister as she did. "Don't worry about the kitchen. Nikki will clean it up."

"Yeah. No problem. I'll clean it up," Nikki said and swallowed hard.

***

"I'm not even going to ask how you got this wet," Jane mumbled, wiping away a tuft of suds stuck to John's hair, then turned to search the medicine cabinet for some hydrogen peroxide and gauze for dressing.

John sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching her.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

Jane glanced over at him. "What are you doing here anyway, John?"

"...The dishes."

Jane grimaced. "I mean...what prompted you to come here? I told you I'd stop by tonight."

John looked away from her, staying stubbornly silent. Jane wondered if he believed divulging the truth to her would somehow 'incriminate' him.

"Taking the fifth?" she teased.

John looked up at her blankly. Jane grinned.

Reaching for his injured hand, Jane knelt in front of John and carefully peeled back the bloody towel to examine the wounds. Some of the cuts were still oozing blood. Jane frowned, unscrewing the cap on the hydrogen peroxide.

"This might hurt," she warned him. "But it will keep you from getting an infection, okay?"

John nodded bravely, his gaze fastened to Jane's face. "I wanted to surprise you today," he admitted finally.

Raising her brow, Jane offered John a lopsided grin. "I was surprised all right."

She drizzled the disinfectant over John's palm, tightening her grip on his wrist as she did to keep him from pulling his hand away. Apparently John was too transfixed by her proximity to give her ministrations much mind. If it hurt him, he didn't show it in the least.

He was, however, leaning closer to her, lifting a lock of her hair with his free hand and twisting his fingers around it. Jane quickly finished with the peroxide and set it aside, leaning back slightly and turning to reach for the roll of gauze she'd placed beside the sink. John had leaned forward as if following her, and when she turned back around, Jane found herself flush against his chest, his face so close to hers, she couldn't see anything beyond his eyes. It unnerved her; but he smiled, and reached up to stroke her cheek.

"It's better now," John told her earnestly.

Jane eased herself back on her heels and tried to remember what it was she had been doing. She tore her gaze from his face and looked down at the roll of gauze in her hand.

"Here...almost done," she muttered, breathing steadily through her nose. She lifted his hand and pressed the gauze pad into his palm, then started rolling it out.

Keeping her attention on her task helped clear Jane's mind, and slow her racing heart some, but she couldn't help thinking she'd made the right decision when it came to having John stay with her. Sometimes when he looked at her a certain way, she couldn't even speak. And when he touched her, even without suggestion, her body reacted in ways beyond her control. Having someone around 24/7 who affected her that way, wasn't exactly what she would call smart.

Wondering if he was even aware of the havoc he wrought upon her psyche, Jane's mind flashed back to the time he had appeared before her completely naked and dripping wet, having just emerged from a fountain waterfall he apparently bathed in. Once he became aware of her presence, he went to her, and hadn't taken the time to get dressed--even though he had clothing with him. John probably would have been perfectly content to conduct their ensuing conversation in the nude. How much of that was innocence and how much of that was self-awareness, Jane would never know.

"Jane?"

As if coming out of a trance, Jane jerked involuntarily at the sound of John's voice, and faced him, blinking several times.

John peered at her curiously and leaned away from her. "Is something wrong?"

Jane chewed her lower lip momentarily, re-organizing her thoughts. She turned her attention back to dressing John's hand.

"I think you should go now," she began, snipping the gauze with tiny scissors and tying it tightly in a knot. She released him and rose to her feet, gathering up her nursing supplies as she did.

"Come out with me tonight," John whispered, standing slowly.

Jane forced a smile and shook her head. "No thanks. I'm tired and I'm hungry and I just want to kick back and unwind a little. Besides, Nikki's leaving tomorrow morning for her ski trip. I can't go out tonight."

"When she leaves, you'll be alone too," John stated, peering over his shoulder as Jane guided him out of the bathroom and down the hall.

"Yeah. After she goes. I suppose I will be," Jane admitted with a shrug.

"I can stay with you then."

"No...you can't."

"I'm alone. We can be alone together."

Jane steered John into her bedroom and walked over to her window, and pulled it open. "John, we've been through this before," she said through her teeth. "I'll try to come by the mansion tomorrow when I get off work, all right? But right now, I need to go help Nikki in the kitchen so we can eat before midnight. I don't mean to push you out, but if you don't mind." She gestured at the open window.

John walked over to it and hopped onto the sill. After one last lingering look, he turned and pulled himself out, then disappeared over the ledge.

Jane snapped the window close after him, and turned away, heading back towards the disaster area formerly known as her kitchen.

***

The following night, Jane returned to the Clayton mansion to check up on John. She wondered if she had upset him yesterday, casting him out of her apartment the way she had.

During supper last night, Nikki had told her over the egg rolls that John had come to her asking what he could do to make things up to Jane for the night before. Now John probably believed Jane was even more angry with him. She wanted to reassure him she wasn't, and also see if there was anything he might need since she probably wouldn't be stopping by for the next couple of days.

Kathleen's maid, Mary answered the door--in her bathrobe, reminding Jane how late it actually was. Jane apologized and asked if John was in.

Mary narrowed her eyes. "The food was gone. I just went up to check. That is all I know. I don't go around him much."

Jane nodded, and started up the stairs to the atrium on the top floor. Stepping through the doors into the moonlit darkness, Jane could almost imagine herself in the middle of the jungle somewhere deep in Africa that was filled with sounds of roaring predators, howling monkeys, and screeching insects. There were no sounds in this 'jungle' however. Not even a wind rustling the tops of the trees. In a way, Jane found the stillness peaceful, but then in another way, the unnatural quiet was almost eerie.

A moment later, the strange quiet errupted in a loud clattering crash as Jane stepped on the tray that must have carried the food Mary had mentioned. A china plate went flying and crashed against a moss-covered pillar, exploding into half a dozen jagged pieces.

"Great," Jane mumbled and stooped down to pick up the broken glass. "Well, Kathleen, consider this quid pro quo, since one of your plates probably cost the same as my entire set of dishes." Smiling to herself, Jane tossed the china back onto the tray. She made a mental note to tell John not to leave plates on the ground where people can step on them. Jane stretched out her hand towards a large chunk of broken glass sitting beside an exposed tree root.

John suddenly appeared beside her and seized hold of her wrist, stopping her. Jane looked up at him, somewhat startled.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "You could cut yourself."

Jane sat back on her haunches, easing her wrist out of his grasp. "Well, I can't just leave it here like this."

John intercepted her hand once more and shot her a look of warning. He crouched lower to the ground and gathered up the remaining pieces of china, tossing them indiscriminately with the other pieces on the tray.

"Why use these? All they do is break," he growled, leaving Jane to wonder if that was meant to be a rhetorical question or not.

She smiled at him. "Well, they don't break if you treat them right." She folded her legs underneath her and made herself more comfortable, watching John.

He glanced over at her, flashed a somewhat self-conscious smile, then resumed his self-appointed task with new determination.

Once he had finished, he settled himself onto the ground beside Jane and peered intensely into her eyes.

Jane let her gaze drift over him, noting the pallor of his skin and how the moonlight turned his long hair into a silvery-gray. His eyes looked like steel and his mouth was a soft, pale shade of red--the color of diluted wine in candlelight, Jane mused.

The urge to reach out and touch him was nearly overwhelming her. Determinedly, Jane crossed her arms over her chest, and buried her hands deeply beneath her elbows, prying her eyes from his lovely face as she did.

"So, how are things going? Is there anything you need?"

John shook his head.

"What did you do today?" Jane went on for the sake of conversation.

John's expression shifted slightly. He leaned towards Jane and sighed. "I was here."

"All day?"

He nodded. "I waited for you."

Jane winced visibly. "John, why--" Then Jane remembered she had probably been a little too vague last night about when she'd come by, and not wanting to miss her, John had simply stayed put all day. "John, I don't want you waiting for me. There's bound to be some nights I can't get here. I almost didn't make it tonight."

John leaned away from Jane, narrowing his eyes. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Gnawing her lower lip, Jane looked down at her hands in her lap. "I'll try. But don't...wait for me, okay? I've been trying to update some files at work, and it is taking me longer than I first thought it would. I have to get it finished by next week."

John opened his mouth as if to say something else, then snapped it shut again and climbed to his feet.

"What?" Jane questioned, glancing up at him. "What were you going to say?" She lowered her head into her hand and massaged her forehead.

John bent towards her. "It's not important," he stated. "Not to you."

With that, John left her and disappeared into the darkness of the dense foliage. Jane rose stiffly to her feet and started after him, but the soft, chilly breeze suddenly brushing against her face told her he was gone.

So much for that, Jane thought and turned to leave the atrium. She couldn't help feeling a little guilty though. More and more often, she pushed John aside in a feeble attempt to reclaim her once perfectly structured life. But John was clearly starting to feel slighted, and maybe even a little impatient. Jane knew she needed to get her priorities straight, and soon. She needed to decide if having John in her life meant more to her than having structure, because one would never allow the presence of the other.

***

Jane had hardly been able to tolerate working the next day. She couldn't seem to concentrate on anything and wondered if she was missing obvious clues in the case she was working on. Luckily, Sam had been on the ball and had made the necessary ties of information which enabled them to wrap the case up and make their arrest. All that was left was the ever-present paperwork now.

As it was, Jane hadn't slept well the night before, and tonight she wasn't fairing any better. In her bed, Jane punched her pillow again and shifted positions for the tenth time. As tired as she was, she should have been asleep before her head hit the pillow, but two hours later, her mind was still full of thoughts and her body just wouldn't relax.

Having already reasoned through the cause of her insomnia, Jane ruled out her case, the impending paperwork, or up-coming court dates. She couldn't blame it on Nikki being out late--Nikki was in the mountains skiing. The only thing left was John Clayton.

By the time she'd gotten off work tonight, she believed it was too late to go see him. She kept seeing poor Mary in her robe and pajamas ready for bed from the night before, and couldn't bring herself to go out there again so late. She knew John would probably be disappointed, if not a little angry, but hopefully he hadn't spent the entire day all alone waiting for her to come by again.

Thinking he might be out and about tonight, only added another degree to Jane's wakeful state. She couldn't help but listen for any sounds of him stirring on her window ledge.

Jane finally kicked off the covers and sat up. Trying to sleep right now was pointless. She was too wide awake. She thought about going to the kitchen to brew some tea. Something herbal and minty maybe.

Climbing out of bed, Jane tugged on her robe and first padded barefoot to her window. It seemed strange that John hadn't tried to see her here. Maybe he was still upset with her and was giving her a taste of her own medicine, so to speak. Anxiously, Jane pulled the window open, bracing herself for the bitter chill in the air, and leaned over the sill to look out. For a moment, she couldn't decipher anything in the pitch darkness surrounding her. Then she heard it. Faint and distant, but still discernible. Gunshots. That distinctive pop, pop, pop.

A knowing fear seized her, draining the color from her face, and chilling her to the core more than the winter air ever could. Without a second thought, Jane spun around on her heel and darted back into her room, snatching up the clothes she had laid out for the morning. She yanked on the sweater and pulled on her jeans with numbed fingers, struggling to fasten the button snap.

Her cell phone rang just as she was pulling on her coat. Jane snatched it up, holding her breath.

"Hey Jane, it's Sam."

Jane forced herself to exhale and sound nonchalant.

"Sam. I thought you called it a night hours ago. It's..." she paused and glanced at her clock, "...two fifteen in the morning. What's up?"

"Oh, you know, same old, same old," her partner muttered. "But this time, I happened to be at the right place at the right time for a change."

"Sam," Jane urged. "I was just on my way out. Could you cut to the chase?"

"On your way out? No kidding? Damn! It must be that womanly intuition thing I keep hearing about. I thought you sounded pretty wide awake for two-fifteen in the morning."

Jane heard muffled voices in the background and the sharp whoop of a siren. She remembered the gunfire earlier. This had to do with John somehow and she knew it. Sam wouldn't be calling her like this otherwise. Jane took a deep steadying breath.

"I heard gunfire. Start from the beginning."

"The beginning, of course," Detective Malone announced.

He sounded strangely jovial for someone delivering bad news, Jane thought. Maybe it wasn't bad news. Maybe Jane had just assumed the worse. Surely, John Clayton wasn't involved in anything. Ten to one, he was back in his atrium, high in one of the trees, fast asleep.

"There I was, minding my own business, driving home after a hard day of serving the public, when I see some of our fellow officers down the block in need of a little assistance breaking up a fight."

"Oh god," Jane moaned. She'd been right to begin with. "John?"

"Ah-ha! Now how'd you possibly guess that?" Sam teased. "There was our friendly neighborhood wild-man, beating the snot out of some guy he claimed was attacking a woman back on 46th."

"Claimed?" Jane half-gasped. She had grabbed her car keys and was heading out the door still talking. "Sam, come on! What do you mean?"

Jane heard her partner sigh heavily. "Well, cops say they can't find the woman or the gun used," he went on. "Right now, they've got both John and the supposed perp in cuffs ready to take 'em downtown on assault and battery charges, resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace. And that's just for starters." He sighed again. "Remember me saying I was at the right place at the right time? Well, I came along just as our boys in blue were about to resort to drastic measures to get the situation under control. I stepped in and was able to keep John from doing anything stupid, but I don't know how long my influence will last. Right now he's sitting in the back of an ambulance, but he's giving the paramedics a hard time."

"Ambulance?" Jane repeated in alarm. "Is he hurt?"

Sam sighed. "He got grazed by a bullet, and he's a little banged up, nothing serious. Still. You need to come out here. And I mean now."

"Where are you?"

Sam relayed an address to Jane. Luckily, it was just a few blocks away. Apparently, John had been in the neighborhood. Maybe he had been on his way to see her after all.

"Hurry, okay?" Sam went on. "I don't know how much longer I can keep things under control here."

Jane nodded wholeheartedly, even though she knew Sam could not see her. "I'm on my way. Hey! Do me a favor!"

"You mean, another favor."

"Yeah. Another favor. Look, let me talk to John. Bring him the phone."

Sam mumbled something to someone. Then: "Hold on." Jane heard Sam speaking again, but obviously not to her. "Here. Take this. It's Jane. She wants to talk to you, but only if you let this nice paramedic fix you up." There was a short pause then John's voice came over the line.

"Jane?"

"John! Listen to me--"

"They don't believe me!"

Jane sighed. "John, they've got no proof! You've got to understand, all they know for sure is that you and another guy were fighting. They're taking every precaution."

"He was hurting her. Why would I lie about that?"

"I know it seems obvious to you, but considering the kind of people those officers deal with everyday, they can't just take someone's word for something. It doesn't matter who they are." Jane paused and took a deep, steadying breath as she climbed into her car. "What I need you to do now is just calm down and cooperate with everyone until I can get there. Please, John. I'm begging you."

"Jane," John moaned despondently. "I don't understand why they think I did something wrong."

"Just hang on," Jane told him, quickening her pace. "I'm on my way."