Pam woke to a dense, salty smell loitering over her. She wrinkled her nose sleepily and turned over in the bed. It was dark, very dark still, and very quiet.

Closing her eyes, she was conscious of the short staccato rhythm of her breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Small, sharp full stops. Her heart contracted almost painfully, and she lifted her hand to her chest, grimacing as it came away sticky. Tentatively she touched the sheets, her fingers draping nervously over the cool damp underneath her. As she slept, her t-shirt had molded to her as if overnight it had sunk into her upper half, forming a second skin. She kicked out at the blankets, irked, allowing them to drape off the bed to the carpet.

She'd been in the dream again, only she couldn't remember; something was different somehow. But she knew it was the same nightmare again, the same hands crushing her windpipe furiously, and she screamed and screamed but the dark, angry hands had stolen her sounds and swallowed her cries for help. The same nightmare; her and him, abandoned alone in an unfamiliar world together, the sole occupants of this particular hell. And there they were, destined to repeated the same hideous scene over and over again, alone together forever.

She lay awake until long after the sun rose.

-TO-

Pam was quite overwhelmed at the overabundance of pink and white and red petals in front of her. Her parents had outdone themselves, it was truly a sight to savour. Pam ran her finger over an especially delicate looking pink petal in wonder. They carried a sweet, natural fragrance into the room. She couldn't help the smile that came to her face.

"They're beautiful Mom, Dad." she said. She gently put them down on the table, not wanting to disturb the arrangement of the flowers. "Oh, a vase too?" she exclaimed happily, peeling off the brown paper at the bottom of the bouquet.

"We thought Jim might not have one." Helene smiled.

"It's… perfect. Thank you." Pam said again, and seated herself in the armchair nearest the couch.

William lounged over by the wall, looking down at his daughter. "You look beat. You getting enough sleep?" he said.

Pam simply nodded. "How's Penny?"

Helene laughed. "Same old Penny, everything here and there. She's enjoying these modern dance classes she's taking. I think it's doing her some good. She is worried about you though. She wants you to know she is going to call you later."

William groaned audibly. "And by 'going to call', you can expect to find her on the doorstep at some ungodly hour, wondering why you haven't got the coffee brewing all ready for her."

Helene turned. "Now William. That only happened once." she said.

"Once? Have you forgotten the morning after the superbowl? And there was the time when she wanted to pick up that soup from you or whatever it was? The birds weren't even up." he started loudly.

"You're making such a fuss." Helene rolled her eyes.

Pam laughed, despite herself. She was always amused by these little battles. Penny and her father were as opposite as night and day. Pam, like her father had never been a morning person, and she too had found Penny's unwavering energy at the break of dawn to be somewhat irritating at times.

"A fuss. Did I make a fuss when I fell over that umbrella stand you insisted we just had to have, at god knows what stupid o'clock trying to open the door in the dark?"

"It wasn't that early, really." Helene smirked at Pam.

"Not that early?" William said, outraged.

"I was up." Helene replied.

"Didn't get the door though did you?" William pointed out.

"I wanted you up before noon." Helene said, and turned to Pam. "Penny is a godsend."

"You got that alright. Might I remind you I had to drive her back home that morning, and with a busted foot!"

"It was hardly bruised." Helene said to Pam in amusement. "It was only a stumble, but you know what men are like when it comes to a little pain. Imagine if they had to give birth. The world would come to an end."

"A little pain?" William exclaimed, enjoying the sight of Pam laughing. "Perhaps you ought to remember that Penny also dropped that two ton purse of hers on my foot that morning as well. I'm lucky I'm not in a cast."

Pam couldn't help herself any longer, and burst into peals of laughter. Her parents smiled at her lovingly.

"Have you heard anything from the police?" Helene wanted to know. Pam started to reply, wincing at the red hot pain in her side that her laughter had brought on, and stopped at Jim coming into the room, laden with bags.

"Groceries." he said. Taking the bags over to the kitchen. "Hey." he said to Pam's parents on coming back into the room.

"We were just asking if there had been any contact from the police?" Helene asked.

Pam pulled a face. "No, Mom. Not really." Her parents stared at her questioningly.

"They haven't found Roy yet." Jim supplied helpfully, and sat down on the couch by the armchair Pam was sitting in.

William shook his head angrily. "That's ridiculous. Where's he going to go? Where's that brother of his? I'm sure they'll find him there."

"He got fired." Pam said quietly.

"From your work?" William looked delighted. Pam nodded slowly.

"Well, that's a relief, isn't it?" Helene said kindly. "At least he won't be there when you go back to work."

"Yeah." Pam looked down at the carpet.

"Toby told us yesterday afternoon, that Roy's gone." Jim answered, casting a worried eye over Pam. "Under the circumstances they couldn't keep him on."

"And the police?" William pushed.

"Pam called them, and then I called them, they are just going round in circles. They say they don't know where Roy is but they are looking." Jim frowned. "They really aren't the most proactive of forces."

"Or sympathetic." Pam added, thinking back in disgust over how ruthless they had been with Jim, how quick to employ methods of violence against him and, just like Roy, they hadn't bothered to apologize to Jim, or Pam. The smaller policeman of the two, the dark haired one had looked positively disappointed to have to let such an easy apprehension go, lawful or not.

"But how are they planning to keep you safe, Pam?" Helene said, worried.

"Really easily." Jim said sarcastically.

"Yeah. They have a three step plan." Pam agreed bitterly. Her parents looked confused, flitting their eyes between the two of them.

"It's called 911." Pam and Jim said in unison. William brought his hand to his forehead and shook his head unbelievably.

"I oughta get down there and have some words with the boys in blue." he muttered. Pam threw her mother a look, and Helene simply shook her head in return.

Jim broke the silence. "I promise you she'll be safe here." he said earnestly.

"I know, Jim, I know." William replied, suddenly looking very tired.

Helene offered to help Jim put the groceries away, imploring Pam to stay seated with her father.

Without the two of them in the room, a tension grew between Pam and William. She felt uncomfortable, anticipating her father had something on his mind he wished to unload. Suddenly she felt very young. William was fighting nervously on the couch, tapping his finger up and down on his knee.

"Dad?" she tilted her head up at him tentatively. The man remained quiet, downcast.

"How did this happen, Pam?" he finally said, his voice thin and unfamiliar. Pam was startled.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly. Somewhere in the kitchen she could hear Jim and her mother talking together as they emptied the bags Jim had brought home.

William sighed. "What are you sorry for?"

Her stomach turned over. "All of this. Everything."

"Oh, come now, none of this is down to you." William told her frankly. "Roy is just one of those socio… whatever who fooled all of us. When I think of what he's done to you…"

"Don't." Pam said.

"Don't what?"

"Don't think about it." she replied.

"I can't not think about it."

Outside it had started to rain, big crashing raindrops that hit the windows like pebbles.

"Jim got back just in time." Pam remarked thoughtfully, turning her head to the window on the left of her.

"I am sorry, Pam." William spoke. "I should have been there. I should have seen. I let you down."

She shook her head firmly. "No. I didn't want you to know."

William's face fell in sadness. "Do you not trust me?"

Pam groaned inwardly and cursed herself, she certainly hadn't meant to imply that at all. "I just didn't want you to know. I'm sorry. You're my dad. But there are some battles you just can't fight for me. I…. I think I was in denial a long time. How could I tell you when I couldn't admit it to myself…." she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "I knew you'd be hurt." she added.

"If he does one more thing to hurt you…." William faltered angrily.

"I'm not going back to the house." Pam said, changing the subject. True, she still had to speak to the landlord but it was already a fait accompli as far as she was concerned. "Not ever." She clarified on seeing her fathers' skeptical expression.

"Why don't you stay here?" William asked dismissively. "I think that young man over there wouldn't be too put out about having you as a permanent houseguest. Might even crack a smile or two." he joked.

Behind them Helene and Jim were busy.

"What's this?" Helene lifted out a brightly colored box from one of the few bags left unpacked. Jim looked back and smiled.

"Watercolor?" Helene said, an amused grin coming to her lips.

"Oh, yes." Jim took the watercolor set from her and went in the living room with his. Reaching out in front of him, he handed the set to Pam. She stared at the set, hardly believing it.

"What…"

"Wow, that's a good one." William said, leaning over to look closely.

Jim smiled. "Saw it while I was out." he said by way of explanation. "Least now you have no excuse." Pam looked up at him with wide eyes. Jim and her father laughed at her expression.

"Thirty-six colors" She she stated wondrously. "Wow."

William and Helene both looked over the set.

"Pam's own watercolors sort of… disappeared." Jim said tactfully. "When she went to pick up her things at the house, none of her art stuff was there." William grew visibly irritated again. Jim hurried to continue. "Thought of her when I saw it earlier." he shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Pam ran her hands over the art set like she was caressing an old friend. When she lifted her head, Jim saw her eyes glistening, with unshed tears. Of all the things Jim had done for her, this act of thoughtfulness was one of the most touching. She felt a little giddy. Her face burned hotly, she looked at Jim with a genuine smile of appreciation.

Helene patted Jim on the back gently and then made her way back to the kitchen.

"You guys are spoiling me." Pam said guiltily, motioning to the watercolor gift then pointing to the bouquet of flowers that her parents had given her. At that moment, she felt better than she had done in a long time. Maybe things would be okay, maybe at some point would work out, she thought.

"You're not even close to being spoiled." William replied sincerely, and stood up with his arms open wide to his daughter. Pam stood up and accepted the hug happily.