Guardian

[Opensesame54321]

He took her hand and slipped the engagement ring back on her finger. She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.

Feeling better? You're not getting away from me that easily you know, I love you Helen Daniels and I'm going to marry you no matter what, I'm just gonna call Pete and he's gonna bring some stuff over for you to look at which might help to explain my questioning earlier.

The bed dipped as he stood up and talked into the phone. As he stepped away, she carefully rolled off the bed, her eyes red and cold as she wandered into the living room, trying to put some space between the two of them. The atmosphere was frigid, and when Pete and Lou arrived some time later, it still was.

Pete looked all professional with a briefcase full of stuff. She was sitting on a corner of the couch trying to put as much distance between her and the rest of them. They started talking like she wasn’t there, and that made her mad.

“Are you sure Helen is ready for this?"

"What's the point of putting it off any longer Helen's gonna see them eventually,"

Now he couldn’t even look at her. Why couldn’t the earth just open up and swallow her up? Pete busied himself by popping in a dvd into the player. He stopped and looked at her seriously.

Before I show you these Helen I want you to know that they're not very nice and we believe you had no idea of them being taken because you were under some sort of drug that lowers inhibitions and makes you do things you wouldn't normally do.

For the next couple of minutes the world became hell. First he showed her some porn scene where two people were fucking. It took a second before she realized that the woman was her. The blood drained from her face.

Don't say anything yet Helen we have a couple more to show you.

Suddenly there she was again, with nothing hidden and she gasped and felt sick.

Sorry Helen just one more then we're done.

The look of horror on her face was apparent as she watched the scene play out, unaware that Todd held her hand. She didn’t even hear what he said.

"Pete's got some questions he needs to ask you, are you up to it right now? If not they can wait a while."

"No one else has seen these have they?"

"No of course not we've got all the dvds under lock and key."

"Pete, I haven't told her about the other dvds"

That last bit she heard. Other dvds? OTHER dvds? The look that crossed her face left no doubt as to exactly how she felt. She snatched her hand from Todd’s and jumped up, running into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Lou felt sorry for the girl. To find that she had been used without her knowledge was heartbreaking. And the fact that Todd had not all prepared the girl made Lou’s job even harder. She could tell that Helen had already been crying and she wondered just what he had done to make her do so.

She shot Todd a raised eyebrow before standing and pushing the man back down on the couch. “Perhaps you had better let me handle this!” She squared her shoulders and hefted the girls, prepared to do the dirty job.

As she entered the bedroom, the sounds of Helen throwing up in the bathroom could be heard. She didn’t hesitate or knock but just opened the door to find the poor girl trying and not too successfully to throw up and keep her hair out of the way and still hit the toilet all with only one arm. The only thing that she had managed to do was keep her hair out of it.

Helen felt sick. Literally sick. She had not quite made it to the toilet and there were splashes of vomit from the bathroom door to the toilet, dribbles down the front of her outfit and on the toilet seat. She was now dry heaving as snot dripped off her nose and tears streamed from her eyes. And bending over was making her shoulder throb.

Suddenly hands held back her hair and she felt a hand rub her back until finally she could not possibly throw up anything else. Her legs gave out from underneath her and she sank to the floor as she sobbed uncontrollably. And the person just held her and rocked back and forth, stroking her hair as she tried to sooth her.

After a while she realized that it was Lou and not Todd that held her and she tried to pull herself together. The stench of vomit was strong and she noticed that she had gotten some on Lou’s clothes too.

“I’m so sorry...”

“Honey, think nothing about it. I always keep a change of clothes in Pete’s car. Just in case. But let’s get you changed.”

Lou was careful and in no time she had Helen in an old baggy tee and sweatpants and sat her down on the bed. “I’ll be right back.”

She walked out to where Pete sat talking to Todd. When Pete saw the vomit stains he jumped up but she cut him off before he could speak.

“Bring me my bag out of your car.”

Pete gave a curt nod and then left for the car. She turned to Todd.

“You! You could have at least given her a heads up about what she was about to see! The poor thing was totally blindsided. Even I could see that.”

She gave a “humph!” and then turn and went back into the bedroom and closed the door.

“Listen Helen. I know that Todd loves you dearly. But being a man, he can be a totally unfeeling bastard too.”

“Oh he loves me? He couldn’t stand for me to touch him. He couldn’t even look at me after he was through asking questions.”

There was a knock on the door and Lou opened it just enough so that she could take a bag from Pete but Pete couldn’t see Helen and Helen couldn’t see Pete. They mumbled something that Helen couldn’t hear but she did hear Lou’s parting words.

“You tell him that he can’t come in here now and when we get through, then he gets the honor of cleaning up the bathroom.”

Lou closed the door and as she changed, she told Helen everything. At least everything that they knew for certain. She did tell her that they were checking other avenues, but she thought that she would wait until the analysis was finished before she told that last little bit. There was talk between the three guys at the end of what appeared to be that last dvd where they used Helen, almost as if they had forgotten that they were filming or that maybe they didn’t think that the mic would pick up their words. Something in her gut told her that it was important to get looked into, and when she got that feeling she was usually right. That why her success rate was so high. And Pete knew from experience that when she had that gleam in her eye, it was better to do it than ask questions.

Helen sat there shocked and appalled. At least now she understood why she had had so much memory loss. She wasn’t an alcoholic! She had been drugged. Repeatedly. And used by all three men over and over. All at the same time. If she thought about it for long, she felt sick again.

After about an hour, she and Lou came out of the bedroom. Helen still couldn’t look at Pete or Todd, but instead went to the kitchen and stayed in there getting herself a glass of water. She heard Lou walk up to Todd and told him, “You can have the bathroom now. You can also clean it up.”

 

[cumnchat]

Todd felt sick as Pete went through the three excerpts from the dvds as Pete showed them, Helen just upped and fled into the bedroom slamming the door behind her. He got up to follow her but Lou pushed him back into his seat,

'Perhaps you had better let me handle this!'

She said, raising an eyebrow, then she adjusted her chest as usual and followed Helen into the bedroom, after a minute or so they could hear retching noises from the bathroom and a little while later Lou came out with vomit on her front and she asked Pete to get her bag from the car, Pete nodded and went to the car. While he was gone Lou spoke accusingly to Todd,

'You! You could have at least given her a heads up about what she was about to see! The poor thing was totally blindsided. Even I could see that.'

When Pete returned with an overnight bag Lou took it from him standing in the doorway so they couldn't see inside then she went back inside closing the bedroom door, after informing Pete,

'You tell him that he can’t come in here now and when we get through, then he gets the honor of cleaning up the bathroom.'

Todd had got over the initial shock of what he had seen but was still worried about Helen. How must she be feeling seeing herself being used like that and having no memory of it?

"It's the first time I've seen those pictures Pete, why the hell didn't you tell me? I could have warned her."

"I'm sorry Todd but this was the only way we could get an honest response from Helen, she clearly didn't know anything about them so that backs up our theory about her being drugged."

He put the discs back in his briefcase and went on,

"Even those clips give us some clues as to who was doing those things to her, I'm going to ask her some questions that may seem pointless to you but just bear with me and when I've got the answers I'll explain."

It was almost an hour before Lou and Helen emerged from the bedroom, Lou with a change of clothes and Helen in sweatpants and an old baggy Tee shirt. Helen wouldn't look at either of them and went through to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Lou walked up to Todd and told him in a curt tone,

'You can have the bathroom now. You can also clean it up.'

Todd did as he was told although he felt that it was not entirely his fault, he hadn't had all the facts and he hadn't been able to prepare Helen. It had been a shock to him to discover that Helen may have been drugged and he had rejected her when she had tried to touch him, something he deeply regretted as now Helen thought he didn't want her anymore but nothing could be further from the truth.

It was quite some time before Helen came back into the lounge but still wouldn't make eye contact with either Todd or Pete. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Pete spoke,

"Helen, I'm truly sorry I dumped those pictures on you but that's over now, I just want to ask you a couple of questions, think very carefully before you answer it's very important."

He sat for a moment, phrasing the questions in his mind,

"Right Helen, is Colin right or left handed? Does he ever take his watch off?"

Todd thought 'What sort of question is that? Does it really matter whether he is right or left handed?'

Then he thought back to the pictures, in one of them the guy was wearing his watch on his left wrist which pointed to him being right handed, so if Colin was left handed he would in all probability wear his watch on his right wrist which would mean Colin wasn't the guy in that picture and in the third one the guy wasn't wearing a watch. 'You sneaky clever fucker' Todd thought and waited to hear what Helen had to say.

 

[Opensesame54321]

Helen was all wrung out. And the last thing that she felt like was sexy. In fact, at the moment sex was the last thing on her mind. Lou seemed to understand and had dug through Helen’s clothes to find this combination in the bottom of a drawer. The clothes were soft and hid her figure from the view of any eyes that should look her way. And that included Todd’s.

She kept replaying what he had done when she touched his arm. Like she was some repugnant slug that he had just found. It hurt. A lot.

What she had just seen would not leave her head, the mind movie too sickening. That something like that could have happened and she didn’t remember any of it. Colin grinning at her and saying that she had been insatiable the night before. The taste of sperm from the night before. Just whose cum was it?

She was shocked and sick and embarrassed and couldn’t look at Pete or Todd. The room was quiet. She sat in a chair, not wanting any man to touch her. Drinking her water. Wondering if any other guys that she had ever dated had used this stuff that Lou had told her about, this ripinal, or something like that.

Pete broke the ice.

Helen, I'm truly sorry I dumped those pictures on you but that's over now, I just want to ask you a couple of questions, think very carefully before you answer it's very important. Right Helen, is Colin right or left handed? Does he ever take his watch off?

She stewed for a moment, Pete’s words echoing in her brain. ...but that's over now...but that's over now...but that's over now...

Lou sat there and waited. She could see the anger building up in the woman and knew what would probably happen. There was a cycle of feeling that Helen would be going through and, she knew that Pete would understand his mistake when the shit hit the fan, which was any minute now. If needed, later when it was just the two of them she would explain it all and make him feel better.

At first Helen’s head was down, as if she were thinking. What came out of her mouth was not the Helen that Todd knew. Instead it was a hurt animal fighting back.

“But that's over now? For who? For you? For Todd?” She jumped up and Lou jumped up too, ready to hold her back should the woman decide to charge. “Sure, it’s over for you. When this case is over, you just go on to the next. Maybe grab some popcorn and watch some “reruns”. It’s not over! Not for me! It’s never over! I was raped! I was given some drug and used like a puppet and I didn’t know it! Would you know what that’s like? No! You’re a man that thinks that it’s over now. It’s never over, you bastard! And Todd! The man that thinks that he wants to marry me. But he can’t stand for me to touch him. I’ve been had by so many men! Colin and his friends. Claudio and his police friends. I must just be your friendly cum dump. There’s Helen Daniels! Try her! I heard that she’s any easy lay! Better yet, give her this to drink and she’ll do it with anyone! Beat the crap out of her will do it too! I must have something stamped on my forehead that says that I can be had!”

As she spoke, her voice had increased in volume till by the end she was screaming. She threw her good arm in the air as if trying to banish them all from her sight and turned to storm across the room. Tears filled her eyes and she angrily wiped them away with her hands. She kept her back to the rest of the room. She was tired and really just wanted to go to bed, maybe sleep for several years and forget this whole thing.

No one said anything. The men were probably afraid and Lou knew that there was nothing that she could say to make it better for the woman. This was something that the poor woman would have to work through herself. After all, what she had said was basically true. Helen had been raped - gangbanged - and she had no memory of it because she had been drugged. She had a right to be feeling all of the above. Between Claudio and his police cronies and Colin and his gang, the poor girl had had a rough time of it.

Lou glanced to Todd. The man was pale. Probably wondering just how tonight was going to go. She could pretty much guarantee that there wouldn't be sex for him for a while.

Pete looked a bit apprehensive and she felt sorry for him. He would need to watch his words for a while.

When Helen finally answered Pete, her voice sounded strangled and tense and she refused to turn around and look at them.

“Colin...” Helen pauses and cleared her throat. “Colin is left-handed. Very left-handed. All you have to do is go look at him in jail. Unless of course you have already let him go.”

Lou tried glossing over Helen’s remarks. “Then he wears his watch on his right wrist?”

Helen sighed. “Yeah. Hell, he never takes the thing off. The man went out and got himself some special waterproof watch so that he can even take a shower in it. Couldn’t stop bragging about it.”

She sighed again. Her shoulder was killing her and she was afraid now to take the painkillers. She might lose control, might lose her memory. She sounded tired.

“I don’t feel real great. I’m gonna take a nap.”

She turned and quickly left the room without even looking at the other three. Closing the bedroom door, she went and laid on the bed, rolling on her good side and trying to get her shoulder comfortable. The baggy clothes made her feel a bit safer, effectively hiding her figure. She silently cried herself to sleep.

 

[cumnchat]

Todd was completely taken by surprise at Helen's tirade against him and Pete.

'But that's over now? For who? For you? For Todd? Sure, it’s over for you. When this case is over, you just go on to the next. Maybe grab some popcorn and watch some “reruns”. It’s not over! Not for me! It’s never over! I was raped! I was given some drug and used like a puppet and I didn’t know it! Would you know what that’s like? No! You’re a man that thinks that it’s over now. It’s never over, you bastard! And Todd! The man that thinks that he wants to marry me. But he can’t stand for me to touch him. I’ve been had by so many men! Colin and his friends. Claudio and his police friends. I must just be your friendly cum dump. There’s Helen Daniels! Try her! I heard that she’s any easy lay! Better yet, give her this to drink and she’ll do it with anyone! Beat the crap out of her will do it too! I must have something stamped on my forehead that says that I can be had!'

He was frozen in his seat as was Pete, neither knew what to say, Todd wanted to go to her and hold her but something told him that wouldn't be a good idea at this moment in time. The worst part was that everything she said was true, neither he nor Pete could ever understand what Helen had been through and then to have those shots of herself sprung on her, no wonder she was mad, worse than mad, she was full of hate for men in general it seemed.

There was a long silence when it seemed no one dare even breathe, then Helen spoke haltingly without looking at them.

'Colin...Colin is left-handed. Very left-handed. All you have to do is go look at him in jail. Unless of course you have already let him go.'

She spat out the last part, practically accusing Pete of not caring enough.

Lou spoke up, trying to defuse the tension

'Then he wears his watch on his right wrist?'

With a tired sigh Helen replied as if it did't really matter which fucking wrist he wore his watch on,

'Yeah. Hell, he never takes the thing off. The man went out and got himself some special waterproof watch so that he can even take a shower in it. Couldn’t stop bragging about it.'

Everyone except Helen understood the significance of that, even Lou who hadn't been told about the watches and their importance but she had soon caught on.

Helen pleaded tiredness and went into the bedroom, Todd made to follow her but Lou raised her arm and shook her head, "Not a good idea Todd, let her have a rest and calm down."

She turned to Pete and scathingly admonished him,

"You unfeeling, patronising bastard, fancy saying 'oh but that's over now', If the truth be known it might NEVER be over for her, she's been through hell and you calmly tell her it's all ok, I thought you were better than that Pete."

Todd intervened as he didn't want these two important people in his and Helen's life to be falling out.

"I think I may have something to do with the way she took it, before you arrived I asked her to try and give me a detailed account of her relationship with Hanger, what she told me made me think that she might have been willing in part and I just didn't want her near me until I had taken it all in, now I've seen those clips I know I should never have doubted her, I'm ashamed of myself."

The two looked at each other and gave each other a wry smile with no humour in their smiles at all,

"You're right Lou, I should watch my mouth in future, now you've took the skin off my back with your tongue let's make up and go get those three bastards, we got enough to send them down for a few years."

They linked arms and left leaving Todd all alone in the apartment with Helen. Todd had no inclination to do anything so he looked in on Helen and whispered,

"I'm so, so sorry sweetheart, I should never have doubted you, I love you baby."

He quietly closed the bedroom door and sat on the couch and shed a few tears of his own, hoping that he hadn't lost Helen for good.

 

[Opensesame54321]

“Damn it, Pete! We’re so close!” She really wasn’t mad at Pete, but the whole thing was more frustration. Lou knew that there was something being said by these guy, and she knew that the camera had picked it up.

Tired, she rubbed her eyes and smeared her mascara. She didn’t care. This was not about her. It was about Helen. Poor Helen and the hell that that woman had gone through. She hadn’t called Todd to see how things were but she suspected that the atmosphere over there was icy.

Her shoulders killed her as she hunched over the screen and watched the disgusting scene unfold yet again. For the past 4 hours she and Pete had sat with the sound tech playing the scene over and over as the tech made minor adjustments to try and pick up the background noise.

The date on the tape told her that this was the last session that these guys had used Helen. And the scene was pretty intense.

Jamie Langton lay face up on the bed as Colin led a docile Helen onto the bed. The woman neither spoke nor seemed to show any emotion as the guy pulls the naked women down on top of him and began to fuck her.

Damn, this fucking cunt is still tight. (Laughter) Feels so good.

Jamie thrusted up into Helen, his arms wrapped around her as he went at it, holding her down tight to him.

You sure that the slut don’t remember any of this? Lou recognized Spike Harding’s voice talking. He was answered by Colin Hanger.

Naw, she thinks that I’m fucking her all night. I keep suggesting (garbled words) group sex but she’s against it. (Laughter from the three guys)

The tech paused the tape and headed for the bathroom. Lou sighed. Pete stood up and began massaging her shoulders. “Pete, these fuckers are sick. Poor Helen, thank God she left when she did. I just know that there is something on this tape that we need to know.”

After a couple of minutes, the tech got back from a bathroom break and put in the headphones. “Ready?”

Lou nodded and they picked up where they had left off.

(garbled words)...she only knew. (Laughter) I’m gonna grab me a piece of this ass.. She watched as Colin went up and parted Helen’s ass cheeks and began fucking the girl’s asshole. The two men raped Helen, alternating their attack.

Hey, can you get more of this stuff? This drug that keeps her available? Spike asked as he walked up and began to fuck Helen’s mouth. The three men talked easily among themselves and they treated her as if she wasn’t there except to provide them with gratification. Spoke had grabbed Helen’s bright red hair like a handle and went to town on the girl.

Maybe we ought ta keep her doped up. We can use her during the day and rent her out at night. She could be our ho! (Laughter) We could make money off her and not have to worry about any complaints. (Laughter)

The men fucked her in earnest for a couple of minutes before grunting as one by one they started to cum in Helen.

(garbled words)...zombie fuck toy. Such a good whore. Pump her full of cum and she (garbled words) complain. I’ll see if I can get some more of the stuff and we’ll see about starting our stable. (Laughter) I’ll need a steady supply but I should...

The tape ended with Colin slapping Helen on the ass before walking over and turning off the camera as he spoke. Lou took off the headphones and glanced at the notes she had taken. A look crossed over her face and she nodded to Pete.

“Baby, I think we got ‘em!”

 

[cumnchat]

Todd awoke with a start, he had fallen asleep sitting upright and somehow slumped back into the chair half in half out and his back ached like crazy. For a moment he wondered where everybody was then he remembered the events of the morning, his ill conceived questioning of Helen and his reaction to her answers then the clips from the dvds and Helen cracking up and her vitriol at him, Pete and even Lou. HELEN! Where was Helen? Panic overcame him, surely she hadn't left the apartment all alone?

He dashed to the bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Helen curled up in a tight ball on the bed and thankfully in a deep sleep. At least he thought it was a deep sleep until she suddenly rolled on her back and appeared to be fighting someone off,

"No Colin, no, I don't wanna do that anymore."

What did that mean? She must be talking about Colin Hanger but was that just a dream or a flashback?

Todd's back was killing him so he took a long hot shower to try and loosen his back, it worked in part so he dressed in a pair of jogging pants and tee. He was in two minds as to what to do next, but the most important thing was to get Helen back onside and trusting him, so he lay on the bed beside her and just draped his arm over her hip, not holding her in any way that could be construed as sexual but just to let her know he was there.

 

[Opensesame54321]

She felt so used. Like an old Kleenex. Even in her dreams she was still being used, as Colin stood there grinning, begging her to do a threesome. She thought that she had gotten out before he made her do something that she didn’t want to do.

Instead, it had already been done, but she just didn't know it. Until now. The sight of her on those movies, so lewd and promiscuous and... she had fallen asleep with the memory of it. Memories of Colin and how the man had seemed to have a never ending hunger for sex. Many was the night that he had walked her towards his bedroom anxious to fuck her. Or bent her over the couch to give her a quick poke. But she was not always in the mood.

"No Colin, no, I don't wanna do that anymore."

And yet, even it she complained there he was with a glass of wine for her, pressing the glass to her lips. And she would drink and drink and then suddenly it was the next morning and she would be naked in bed with him telling her that she was a tigress and the smell of cum filled the air. And her ass and pussy would be sore.

Every night seemed to be the same. Demands that she satisfy him. Coercion that she drink some more wine. And to find out that technically she had been raped. Gangbanged. And more that once.

Her dreams were troubled, haunted by what she now knew to be true. And when she gradually awoke, she was back in her own apartment. There was something heavy on her hip and for a moment she was afraid to move - afraid that it was Colin. Slowly she looked back over her shoulder and saw that it was Todd and felt relief.

Slowly she slipped out from under his arm, careful not to wake him. Right now she felt safer in the sweats and baggy pants, trying to not present an attractive figure.

In the bathroom she took off her clothes and climbed in the shower, turning up the water as hot as she could stand it. She then proceeded to scrub herself as hard as she could until she wound up sitting on the floor of the slowly cooling shower, crying as the water beat beat down mercilessly on her. She didn’t know how she would get through a trial. With Claudio sitting there grinning at her and making rude remarks.

Her heart hurt.

 

[cumnchat]

Todd was half awake when he felt Helen move beside him, it had been a troubled night with Helen intermittently crying out in her sleep. He remembered one part of it clearly,

'No Colin, no, I don't wanna do that anymore.'

It sounded so desperate but what was it she didn't want to do anymore? Was it to have sex with Colin and his pals? it couldn't be that, she was doped up to the eyeballs and didn't know what was happening. He was wary of questioning her about it, all his questioning had done so far was confuse him and turn her against him, so he feigned sleep as Helen slipped from under his arm and went into the bathroom where he heard the shower going. He lay quietly going over everything in his mind and realised that he had been a complete dickhead, pulling away from Helen as he had when at that moment she had needed him to hold her and reassure her.

He could still hear the shower going twenty minutes later and began to feel worried, no one ever took twenty minutes to take a shower. He had heard of people who were worried and suffering from anxiety or depression, self harming and often this would take place in their bathroom.

"HELEN, ARE YOU OKAY?" He called out, but got no reply.

Really worried now he took the bull by the horns and opened the bathroom door to be greeted by the sight of Helen sitting naked in the shower sobbing her heart out. He turned off the shower which was now spewing out icy cold water.

"Helen, sweetheart, come on out and dry yourself and get dressed."

He didn't know whether to touch her or not in case she blew up at him again. Once more he had to make a decision that could change his and Helen's lives for good.

Thankfully the decision was made for him as Helen stretched out her arms for him to take them and pull her to her feet. He helped her out of the shower and wrapped a big fluffy towel round her. She was shivering and her teeth chattering as he gently rubbed her with the towel making sure that nothing he did could be construed the wrong way. When she was dry he handed her another towel to wrap round her head while her hair dried.

"I'll find you some clothes love, what d'ya want? Bra and panties for a start, then what, you tell me."

He was trying to make it easy for her and didn't ask any questions hoping she would tell him in her own good time.

 

[Opensesame54321]

The next month or so was stressful as plans rolled ahead for the trial. Helen felt relatively safe when she was in the apartment and any time that they had to leave, she was supplied with two armed guards plus Todd would stay right by her side, his arm protectively around her.

The first time that they went out, she was a bit skittish every time that he touched her but she soon adapted to it. After all, they still slept together though there had been no sex nor even anything remotely sexual between them since that night of the grand reveal of her rape. If he had been frustrated by it, he certainly never said or did anything to make her think otherwise. Which was fine with her for the time being. She never even caught him masterbating though there were times when he was in the bathroom for an awfully long time. Still, she didn’t have to witness it for which she was thankful.

One thing that Lou had made sure of was that Helen see a psychiatrist. As a rape and abuse victim, she had told the hesitant Helen that it was mandatory and she would have to see one on a regular basis in order for the trial to happen. Helen was reluctant at first and the initial visit to Dr. Jane Inky consisted of Helen sitting quietly for half of the session while Todd and the two guards waited apprehensively in the waiting room.

Once Helen did speak to the Doctor, the floodgates opened up and the poor thing managed to use almost an entire box of Kleenex. Helen began to look forward to her visits three time a week to the doctor, and though there still was no sex between her and Todd, there was definitely an improvement in their relationship. She no longer pulled away or jumped when he touched her. But as Dr. Inky had put it, It just takes time.

Lou had been busy. She and her team had spent practically every waking hour preparing for the trial. They had gone through hours and hours of the tapes listening and transcribing what these scum balls had said.

Watching the action had never been exciting or titillating , especially now that they knew that Helen had been so doped up on Rohypnol. She watched as one man fucked the poor girl’s pussy while the second man held Helen’s legs splayed wide. The third man was busy fucking Helen’s mouth. Both men were pounding away at Helen, yet they continued to yak about different ways they could fuck her, as if she wasn’t a real person. These guys were scum.

She had really missed Pete, and he seemed to miss her too as he complained from time to time about it. Yet he understood just as she understood about his work. Thank god for that. Now if she could just get him to pop that all important question.

The first day of the trial dawned with a proper thunderstorm. Rain seemed to come down in buckets punctuated with violent flashes of lightening and thunder that seemed to rattle the windows. This seemed to put everyone’s nerves on edge and no matter how well they dressed, their raincoats failed to keep out all the weather so that the lobby of the courthouse became a jumble of slick floors and wet dripping umbrellas as people waited in line to pass through the metal detectors and past all the additional security guards.

Helen and Todd managed to avoid all of this chaos as their cars were diverted to an underground secure entrance and escorted into a private elevator that took then to the floor where the trial would happen.

Helen was nervous and tightly gripped Todd’s hand as they entered a private room where they could rest and gather their thoughts. Helen did not look forward to seeing Claudio again and was well aware that the man would probably have the crowd out there filled with his people in the hopes of scaring her. She had wanted Todd to sit with her but it was not allowed. However, Lou got a nearby seat set aside for Todd so that Helen could turn around and see him when she needed to.

This case had become a high profile case, what with Helen’s kidnapping and sexual abuse at the hands of Claudio, the additional resulting charges of police graft plus whispers of even more salacious things, it made it the case that everyone seemed to want to sit in on.

Once both sides were seated, the doors opened and there seemed to be a roar as the people rushed in. Several people wanted to sit in the chair assigned to Todd but a quick word from one of the police officers that stood around the room took care of that. Meanwhile Todd stood holding her hand and quietly offering her words of encouragement.

On the other side of the room, Claudio sat laughing and grinning and glancing over at Helen. Helen was determined not to give the man any satisfaction and she just purposefully kept her back to the man. All too soon, they were being told to take their seats. With one last squeeze of her hand, Todd headed for his reserved seat.

“Hear ye. Hear ye...”

 

[cumnchat]

Todd did his best to take the strain from Helen over the next few weeks although it was hard work with Helen barely acknowledging his presence and him wanting to hold her but she seemed to shy away from any physical contact with him even though they still slept in the same bed, she even ignored him when he said "Goodnight love."
Through it all he never once complained but there were occasions where he would disappear into the bathroom for twenty or so minutes, Helen never commented on it even though Todd was sure she knew what he had been doing.

At Lou's insistence Helen started seeing a psychiatrist three times a week saying that it was mandatory in cases like Helen's. At the first session Todd sat in the reception area of Doctor Jane Inky's practice with the two armed police officers in plain clothes who accompanied them every time they left the apartment. After an hour and a half Helen reappeared with Doctor Inky, her face and eyes were red with crying and Todd tried to take her in his arms for a hug but Helen shrugged him off.

"The first session is often the most painful," declared Jane Inky from the doorway, "We did well today Helen, things will improve I promise," she looked at Todd and smiled then added "For everyone."

Todd understood what she meant and just smiled his gratitude. He didn't press Helen on what had been said, figuring that if she wanted him to know she would tell him, It was a difficult decision as he didn't need Helen to think he didn't care so he just said "She seems nice, she any good?"
As the weeks went by Helen seemed to be looking forward to her sessions with Doctor Inky and was far more relaxed most of the time and even allowed Todd a brief hug now and again but that was as far as it went.

Pete and Lou hadn't been around for a while although Lou called Helen frequently, reassuring her that everything was going smoothly, she apologised saying that the case was taking up most of her time

"Even that big soppy cop boyfriend of mine has noticed but that's probably 'cos he's not getting it as regular as he's used to." Whether that was meant as a hint to Helen Todd didn't know but he could understand Pete's frustration.

The morning of the first day of the trial was awful, rain beating down, thunder and lightning rattling the windows and the lightning causing the lights to flicker. The car taking them both to the courthouse went in through a back underground entrance and undercover they went into an elevator and then into a private rest room with a coffee machine. It was obvious Helen was nervous and held Todd's hand tightly as they entered the courtroom. Todd whispered to Helen, "Just tell the truth as you know it sweetheart." Then he gave her a peck on the cheek and sat in the chair that Lou had reserved for him, close enough to give support to Helen.

He looked around and saw Claudio on the opposite side all smiles and waving to his numerous supporters who had been ordered to attend. Todd's gut knotted as he watched him make lewd gestures towards Helen.

"HEAR YE, HEAR YE, ALL RISE."

The trial was about to begin.

 

[Opensesame54321]

Voir dire had taken place for the past two days, with both side carefully choosing the jury from the unusually large jury pool. Right off the bat Helen has informed Lou that she knew one of the people waiting to be questioned - a young woman named Katy or Kathy or something like that that worked at a little sandwich shop where she sometimes ate. And like that, Kathy Bush was excused and subsequently ushered from the courtroom.

After two days of questions and weeding, they finally ended up with a jury consisting of 6 men and 6 women and 3 alternates. All 15 jury members were informed that they would be sequestered and what not to do in the meantime. Even their phones would be confiscated during the trial so they would be cut off from any possibility of getting news from the outside world about the trial.

Prosecution went first. Lou had worked on her opening statement for several days. The woman was a very effective speaker, able to make reading the phone book sound both salacious and moving at the same time. As she stood, immediately everyone’s eyes seemed to go to “the girls”, despite them being almost prudishly concealed. But once she started to speak, her appearance was forgotten as the crowd seemed to hang on her every word.

“I am Louise Weston, prosecution in this case. And this, men and women of the jury, is Helen Daniels. She is quite frankly a beautiful red headed woman.

Helen Daniels is a young woman like most young women today. Like you and you and even me. We are all are looking for love - someone to share our lives with. Some people use dating services. Others may use Craig’s List, or maybe they know a friend of a friend of a friend’s cousin.

Helen did like many of us do. She went to a club. Danced with various guys, and met a guy that she thought that she could trust. She met Claudio Raineri. Miss Daniels was sorely mistaken. Mr. Raineri was someone with a sketchy background, a past steeped in crime and violence and danger. But she didn’t know that, at least not until the man beat her, hard enough that he knocked a filling out of her tooth. He raped her, forced her to perform sexual acts on himself in front of others. And when she went to the police to report that she had overheard the planning of a bank robbery, she discovered that the police that she had gone to were in Mr. Raineri’s pockets and she was again forced to perform lewd acts on those officers before once again she was placed in the custody of Raineri.

The poor woman finally was able to leave his grip while Mr. Raineri was away. Helen thought that she was free and clear of the man. She tried to get on with her life, get her tooth refilled, maybe look for a job. She did not know that Mr. Raineri had bugged her apartment. She did not know that her life was in danger. Luckily her guardian angel was about to arrive on the scene and be there in time to protect her. Mr. Todd Bennett was her guardian angel.

And despite Mr. Bennett being there, Mr. Raineri still tried to have Miss Daniels. To make her his and stop her from revealing any of the deep dark secrets that he feared the woman might know. For poor Miss Daniels did know a secret, a secret even deeper and darker than planning to rob a bank or the horrible things that he had done to her.

You see, Mr. Raineri had killed a man. Beat the man senseless with his bare hands. And Miss Daniels knew it when a body washed up on the shore and the identity was established that it was a man named Richard G. Franklin. The very same man that she had witnessed Mr. Raineri beat into unconsciousness with his very hands.

So Mr. Bennett tried to keep her safe. Yet, Raineri and his men burst into the safe house and amidst the police protection, kidnapped Miss Daniels, raped her and held her hostage until she could be rescued. And when kidnapping didn’t work, he had a sniper shoot her, causing Miss Daniels to have to go through surgery to remove the bullet and repair the damage.

Quite frankly, I find Miss Daniels a hero. Someone that has had all these horrible things happen to her and yet, the woman is still here, and still wanting what is rightly due to her. Justice! Still just a woman looking for happiness in the world.

This is a story with so many plot twists and turns that it could make your head spin. Yet I implore you to not be fooled by whatever cheap tricks the defense may try to use. The basic facts - Facts...” Lou stressed that word and let it sink into the jury for a second before she continued on. “...are just as I have laid them out to you. Facts that we will prove. Thank you, men and women of the jury.”

Through Lou’s entire speech, Helen had tried to keep her facial expression impassive. Yet, if one looked at her eyes, one could see a haunted look in them. Despite being conservatively dressed and her hair in a French roll, the brightness of her red hair seemed to periodically draw everyone’s eyes to her. Dr. Inky had worked with Helen to help the woman try to control her crying yet still the haunted look remained. She had also lost some weight and whereas before she had sported a beautiful figure, she now looked a bit thin. Dr. Inky had assured Todd that once all of this was over, Helen, with everyone’s aid and love, should start feeling better about herself and gain her appetite back.

Helen tried to remove herself from what Lou was saying as the woman’s words brought everything back with sharp clarity. And from time to time, she would glance at the jury and find one or more people looking at her. She didn’t know if that was good or bad, only that she felt uncomfortable. And the one time that she had glanced over at Claudio, the man had grinned at her and blown her a kiss.

What she was really dreading was when the defender made his opening statement. She had been warned that it would be awful and Lou and Todd and Dr. Inky had worked with her so that she could get through it. She had glanced once to where Todd sat and he had given her a small smile and nod of encouragement.

Lou sat back down beside her and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

 

[cumnchat]

Claudio's lawyer was a tall thin man with a pencil moustache dressed impeccably in a dark blue three piece suit, his voice was thin and reedy and did not catch the attention of the listeners as Lou had, but then it was what he said that would matter not his voice.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am Michael Furnell. At least both counsells agree on one thing we are all looking for love, but it is the way we go about finding it that defines us. You will be hearing a great deal from me during the course of this trial, if you listen to me I will prove to you that my client Mr. Raineri is completely innocent of all the charges brought against him and is only here on the word of a promiscuous gold digging young woman who had obtained all she wanted from him and set out to find another patsy who would fall for her considerable charms."

He smirked at Helen whose face was red with embarrassment.

" Mr. Raineri is a respected businessman providing several thousand jobs in the city, he has worked hard to build his business and may well have been forced into some minor shady deals in the past but nothing that would warrant police action. The very idea that he has police officers in his pocket to do his bidding is quite frankly ludicrous. The officers involved in Miss Daniel's shameful treatment have been identified and dealt with but not one has mentioned any involvement with my client. Miss Daniels has a murky and sordid past, bed hopping from one man to another, making herself available to them on very short acquaintance, you will be hearing from past boyfriends who will testify as to her nymphomaniac tendencies."

He paused and looked around, Todd took a quick glance at Helen and she sat whitefaced but with a determined jaw clenched look on her face, she was being trashed and the trial hadn't even got started yet.

Furnell hadn't finished yet, he had put the idea into the minds of the jurors that Helen was a good time girl and a nymphomaniac now he started on another tack,

"Mr Raineri is charged with murder just on the say so of Helen Daniels, she says that she saw Mr, Raineri attack the unfortunate Richard Franklin just for talking to her, come now, is that likely? There are no other witnesses and no evidence to support her claims, is she even telling the truth and if not, why not? Revenge for some supposed slight or mistreatment? Miss Daniels says she was made to perform lewd sexual acts on Mr. Raineri when he was in private meetings with clients, does that seem likely? In fact all of these allegations have been made by Miss Daniels without a shred of evidence to back up her stories. She is a very accomplished LIAR!"

He smirked at Helen and Lou and sat down while Claudio reclined in his chair with a big smile on his face. Lou sat scribbling notes and Helen was simply shaking with fear and embarrassment at being called both a nymphomaniac and a liar. Todd wanted to go to her and hold her and tell her that nobody would believe his slurs on her character but he wasn't able to he could only give her an encouraging smile and mouth ' I LOVE YOU'.

 

[Opensesame54321]

It was hard sitting there listening to the cruel things that Claudio’s attorney said about her. A gold digger? Surely not! She had never sought out men with the purpose of making money off of them. She certainly had not gotten anything from the other guys. And Claudio had bought her that car - given it to her as a gift. Or so she thought. If he had wanted the car back, all he had to do was ask and she would have given it back.

A quick glance to Todd helped her as he mouthed the words ‘I LOVE YOU’ to her and she gave a slight smile and nodded back. Dr. Inky had talked to her, explaining how it was the defenses job to paint her in the worst light possible. The woman had worked on helping Helen understand that even if she had made poor choices in the past, that did not make her a bad person and at least she seemed to have learned from her mistakes.

This Michael Furnell pointed at her as he spoke, making her feel lower than low -scum of the earth. And every time that she glanced at Claudio, the look that he gave her made her stomach turn. Despite what the defender said, she knew what she had witnesses.

Lou called her first witness, which was a policeman. Not Pete. Lou had warned her that several police officers and several doctors would be called. Some would be talking about her and some would be talking about Ricky.

All throughout the day, the storm continued, periodically shaking the windows and occasionally making such a ruckus that sometimes the witness would have to repeat his answer. After a particularly violent flash of lightening, Helen started and blushed when she heard Claudio laughing. She knew that it was at her.

By the end of the first day, Lou had finished her questioning of Officer Dayton and tomorrow would start with Defense’s interrogation of the officer.

The day had been broken up with an hour and a half out for lunch. Todd escorted her into the private room where Lou had sandwiches and chips and soft drinks waiting for them. Thank god for Todd. He didn’t ask for too much and he didn’t talk incessantly. After they finished eating, he just held her hand and gently rubbed her knuckles.

After the judge dismissed everyone for the day, once again Todd and the guards rushed her through the back route to the secure entrance where the cars were waiting. The storm still raged outside and the streets were flooded and dangerous. Once they were safely back in the apartment, alone with just Todd, she collapsed in his arms, crying hysterically and apologizing to him. Today had been stressful and she buried her face against him, her words muffled into his chest.

“I couldn’t do this without you.”

 

[cumnchat]

It was all Todd could do to keep silent as Furnell trashed Helen's character, her reputation, if the jury believed even half of what he was saying they wouldn't believe anything Helen said and Claudio would walk away free. His fury mounted as he saw Claudio grinning and smiling at the destruction of Helen.
As Furnell sat down when his opening speech was over Todd turned to look at Helen who looked crushed and near to tears, he knew he couldn't show any signs of thinking it was all over so he gave Helen an encouraging smile and mouthed ' I LOVE YOU' to her and received a small smile and nod of acknowledgement in return. During the midday recess Todd sought out Lou and asked ,

"How in God's name can he say those awful things about Helen with nothing to back them up?"

Lou was calm as she replied,

"It was no more than I expected, you have to understand Todd, Helen is the key witness in this trial so he has to try and discredit her however he can, the opening speech is not evidence so there is nothing we can do about it but pick holes in the evidence for the defence and make sure our evidence is watertight, now I suggest you go to Helen, she needs you far more than you realise."

Todd found Helen sitting alone in a corner just nibbling at a sandwich and a few chips so he sat down beside her resisting the urge to fold her in his arms and commiserate with her, instead he just held her hand and stroked her knuckles with his thumb. The only thing he said was,

"That was tough wasn't it? How are you holding up?"

The rest of the day was taken up with Lou questioning Officer Dayton about something or other that Todd barely took any notice of, his only concern was for Helen. When they were dismissed for the day they left the same way as they arrived and again Todd just held Helen's hands not wanting to crowd her. Once back in Helen's apartment and everyone had left leaving them alone Helen burst into tears, all the emotions she had kept in check throughout the day came bubbling up and she threw herself into Todd's arms crying and mumbling apologies to him. What she was apologising for Todd wasn't sure, was it for the things that had been said about her or was it for the way she had gone cold on him? Whichever it was he still wanted her, apology or not. He held her in his arms and her muffled voice sobbed into his chest
,
'I couldn't do this without you.'

"You don't have to sweetheart, I'm here for you now and always , I'll be here for you whatever happens."

He tilted her face up to him and looked into her tear stained, red rimmed eyes then he kissed her, really kissed her like he hadn't done for so long. Still unsure if it was the right thing to do he led her into the bedroom,

"Only if you want to baby," He said quietly

 

[Opensesame54321]

You don't have to sweetheart, I'm here for you now and always , I'll be here for you whatever happens.

He kissed her. He had been so patient with her. Somehow she felt guilty, almost as if she had strung him along. That wasn’t what she wanted to do. But she was scared. Ashamed and scared. She knew that it was something that she would have to move past. And poor Todd had been very understanding. All these weeks he had not tried once to push her or seduce her.

Still, the memory that she had seen from those DVD’s kept flashing in front of her eyes. She had wanted to forget but Dr. Inky told her you never forget. You learn to live with it. Dr. Inky had also warned her that uglier things would come out at the trial. She had promised that she would there during all the proceedings.

This was just the first day and already she felt overwhelmed and degraded. And it would not get any better. Now as he led her to the bedroom, the look on his face was a mixture of sympathy and desire, hope and uncertainty. This was all new for him too.

Only if you want to baby

The problem was not him. It was her. She didn’t know if she could go through with it. In a strange way, it felt like her first time all over again. The fear, the embarrassment and the uncertainty of the unknown. She did not know if she could! She was afraid. Afraid that in the middle of the whole thing, would that creep Colin’s face be looking down at her instead of Todd’s. Would she see shame or disgust in Todd’s eyes as they made love?

Made love. Two of the most overused words in the English language. Would he make love to her, or would it be just sex?

Let Todd know what you are feeling! He is not a mind reader. How can you work through this if you keep it all bottled up inside you?

Dr. Inky’s voice was in her brain.

They stopped beside the bed and he turned to her, waiting.

“I’m afraid, Todd. Afraid.” She looked at him lost, finally turning to him for an answer.

 

[cumnchat]

Todd could see the lost look in her eyes and her words sounded irrational to him.

'I’m afraid, Todd. Afraid.'

"You're not afraid of me, afraid of what I might think of you?" He asked gently then taking her left hand in his he raised it to his lips and kissed it then looked up into her eyes,

"I bought that ring for a reason love, to promise and show my love for you and I'm not about to change my mind, that woman they talked about in the courtroom, she's not you, I know you as well as anyone. Yes, you've had it tough but it hasn't changed you, you're still the same beautiful woman I fell in love with. It seems to me that you need some reassurance and tlc, I haven't done my bit in that respect, I haven't tried to make love to you because I was afraid too, afraid that you would think I only wanted you for sex but that's not true I want you for being you so now I'm going to make it up to you and make love until we fall asleep."

Not knowing if he had done the right thing Todd stroked her cheek with his fingertips and lifted her chin up and kissed her firmly and loosened her hair so it fell from the french roll and hung down her back, while he began to unfasten her blouse. He had it unfastened to her waist and he opened her blouse and gently cupped a firm soft breast in his hand.

"If you're going to stop me then you had better do it now love."

Slowly he slid her blouse off her shoulders and reached behind her to unclasp her bra and rub his fingers over her pink nipples. His voice husky with emotion he whispered softly,

"My God Helen, I had almost forgotten just how beautiful you are."

 

[Opensesame54321]

His words were spoken earnestly, and he looked her straight in the eyes. No staring at the floor or looking at the ceiling. He meant what he said.

But it wasn’t him that she was afraid of and she didn’t know just how to tell him exactly what it was that she was afraid of.

Slowly he undressed her, ever watchful for any signs from her to stop, to cease. He even asked her, pausing to see if she said no.

If you're going to stop me then you had better do it now love.

She did, and she didn’t, and she was afraid to and afraid not to. Afraid that if she stopped him that she never would again, afraid that he would lose interest in her eventually. Afraid that if they did make love, that instead of Todd, visions of the DVD images would pop up before her eyes.

Damn, she was just a mass of problems.

Her heart was pounding as he undressed her, running his fingertips over her nipples.

My God Helen, I had almost forgotten just how beautiful you are.

She didn’t feel beautiful. She felt old and used and it angered her that those guys had done this to her. They had used her like an old shoe, willing to treat her as their playtoy. She was not a person, not a woman but rather a pussy. A piece of ass solely for their enjoyment. But Todd was different. He loved her, and...and what? And she loved him, no matter what. She did love him. She did!

She knew that she was shaking and her voice trembled as she spoke. “Todd, just take it easy with me.”

 

[cumnchat]

Todd could feel Helen's heart pounding as he held her breast in his hand, brushing her nipple with his thumb and saw the lost look in her eye. Thinking to himself that Helen wasn't frightened of him, she was scared of making love, scared of the memories it would conjure up in her mind, so he just stroked caressed her wonderful body, whispering sweet things to her. She was trembling as he finished undressing her, sliding her panties down until she was naked in his arms, The first time he had seen her naked in weeks.

'Todd, just take it easy with me.'

She told him all he needed to know, it wasn't up to him to make love to her but up to Helen to make the first move. He laid her gently on the bed and just lay beside her holding her. His cock was hard and pressing against her soft thigh but he just let it rest there so she would know it was there. If she found the courage to put her demons behind her he was there but she would have to make the decision, not him.

In a husky impassioned whisper he told her as as he kissed behind her right ear,

"It's up to you sweetheart, you can do it if you want to or we can wait, I can wait, I'll always be here for you, wanting you, needing you."

Then he kissed her again and stroked his hand along the full length of her trembling body.

 

[Opensesame54321]

It's up to you sweetheart, you can do it if you want to or we can wait, I can wait, I'll always be here for you, wanting you, needing you.

His touch was gentle, careful and loving - just what she needed. She knew that she was shaking, but behind all of that was a bit of anger. Anger at having been put through all this. Every time that she found a man, a man that she thought would love her and take care of her, instead she would find that the man was using her, taking advantage of her.

Yet, here was Todd. So gentle. So caring. Giving her the chance to work through all this. And just promising to be there for her. Taking care of her. Not pushing. So loving.

She could feel his cock, hard and heavy against her thigh. Reminding but not pushing.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out with shaking fingers and caressed his cheek. Ever so slightly she rolled a bit to him, looking deeply into his eyes. There she found what she was looking for. The truth. He loved her. The love poured out of him
In waves, supporting her as she started to flounder. Silently giving her strength.

For the first time since she had learned of this, she leaned into him and kissed his lips. He was letting her set the limits and she needed to be brave and help herself move on.

“I really do love you. I just felt so old and used. But I trust you. I love you.”

She kissed him again. A tender kiss. A tear slipped from her eye and fell on the pillow beneath their heads. It was a tentative smile that she gave him as her hand slowly drifted down his body, feeling the firm toned body beneath her fingers. She could feel his cock pressing against her leg and she wrapped her fingers around it, feeling it throb in her hand.

“Please...,” She looked at him with pleading eyes.

 

[cumnchat]

They lay quietly together their breathing shallow and even, Todd just caressed her breasts and nipples with his fingers, not daring to go any further n case Helen took fright and rejected him. The heat from her body enveloped him and he had to strain every ounce of self control to not just take her. With their faces close to each other he could see the indecision in her eyes, not just indecision but there was fear and pain in them as well. Then he felt her tense slightly, taking a deep breath as if she had made a painful decision and he feared the worst. Then he saw a flicker in her eyes a look of love flooded into them and his heart beat faster, thumping in his chest. Helen's shaking fingers stroked his cheek and she rolled towards him deeper into his embrace and kissed his lips, it wasn't a deeply passionate kiss but one that told him she was trying so very hard to banish the demons that tortured her very soul. Her words confirmed it for him,

'I really do love you. I just felt so old and used. But I trust you. I love you.'

Just a few words but they meant so much to him.

Then she kissed him again, tender, loving, apologetic for making him share her doubts about herself. A solitary tear fell from her eye onto the pillow they shared and slowly almost imperceptibly her hand drifted to his chest and abdomen gently ruffling the few hairs there. Todd gasped out loud "AAAAHH" as Helen's cool fingers wrapped themselves around his shaft, not moving, just holding the throbbing length in her hand. Taking Helen's lead his hand trailed down her trembling body and came to rest on her mons among the flaming red pubic hairs. They looked at each other seeing the love flow from one to the other, Helen whispered huskily, pleading with her eyes,

'Please...,'

Todd didn't have any words to answer her he just rolled his hips so her fingers slid along his manhood. Helen's grip tightened as he gently rolled her onto her back and parted her legs, he hovered over her supporting himself on his arms his cock just grazing her wet entrance. Slowly he lowered himself and her entrance opened,

"Welcome home my love."

As they made love it was as though the time that they had abstained had never happened, their movements against each other were so natural and automatic, each knew what the other wanted and delivered. The bedsheets were rumpled and when Helen arched her back to take him in and milk him Todd thrust deep inside her and cried out,

"I LOVE YOU BABY"

 

[Opensesame54321]

Despite her fears, making love felt like coming home. He slid into her and she felt like this was where she belonged. This was where he belonged. It was soft and gentle. Caring. No rushing. No pushing. Just....perfect. His voice calling out to her, letting her know that he loved her. Time ceased. No past. No future. Just now.

When she finally came, it was like a stopper being pulled, releasing all the bottled up energy inside her. Afterwards, he just held her, stroking her hair and kissing her and speaking words of love until exhausted, she slept in his arms. For once since this whole rape reveal had happened, there were no dreams of Claudio or Colin or his croneys using her. Instead, it was Todd and her and positive things. This was the first time in weeks that they had slept together in each other’s arms instead of merely sharing a bed, laying together not touching. And when she awoke the next morning, she looked scared at first, but Todd was patient and calmed her fears, kissing her eyelids. While she showered, he pulled together breakfast and for once in a long while they ate in companionable silence.

Afterwards, she cleaned the dishes while he showered and dressed. The closer that it got to time to leave for the courthouse, the more that her stomach started to twist in knots but before they stepped out, Todd put his arms around her and softly kissed her, with that steady smile of his. She took a deep breath and nodded.

He could see in the security cameras the security guards heading up the walkway and climbing the stairs. They gave the coded knock - probably not needed as they were the same men that had been guarding them since this began. But everyone was playing it safe.

Todd took her hand and they headed out. She was not looking forward to this. But as long as she had Todd, and as long as he loved her and stood by her, she could take anything.

 

[cumnchat]

Making love to Helen after such a long time was everything he hoped it would be, they joined together, blissfully moving against each other. Todd whispered words of love and encouragement as they made love and slowly Helen relaxed and enjoyed him as he enjoyed her. The dual climax wasn't a violent, torrid affair but a gentle out pouring of their love for each other that couldn't be contained any longer. Helen fell asleep first with Todd still inside her and Todd just held her warm naked body against him ready to console her if the night terrors returned, but she slept soundly although when she did wake up her nervousness returned but Todd was there to calm her kissing her eyelids and stroking her flaming red hair.

Helen showered first and Todd forced himself to give her time to herself and prepare mentally for the tough day in court that lay ahead. Todd made breakfast and they ate together in a silence that was friendly instead of the icy atmosphere that had become the norm. Todd showered while Helen cleaned the dishes. They dressed and waited for the police escort to take them to court. As the time drew nearer Helen began to get twitchy but Todd put his arm round her and kissed her then gave her a reassuring smile, Helen took a deep breath and nodded she was ready and determined. The cops who collected them were the same ones that had escorted them the day before and when Todd asked he was told they had been assigned to them for the duration of the trial. Todd and Helen held hands from the moment they left the apartment to when they went to their respective seats in the courthouse.

Lou and Pete were waiting for them and Lou's smile grew broader as she saw them together,

"AHA, I suspect Cupid has been having some archery practice, about time too, you're going to need each other before we're done, you DO understand they'll be trying to trash your reputation as well Todd."

"They can try but if I tell the truth there's nothing to trash."

"Don't be too sure about that, your nice boss, Jonas, called me and it appears someone has been asking questions about your time in the 'CIRCLE', are you sure there's no skeletons in that particular cupboard?"

Lou's voice was serious and Todd began thinking back to previous assignments when he had needed to bed a client and the means he had used to do it.

"No, nothing at all" he replied with a confidence that he didn't feel.

 

[Opensesame54321]

The storm of yesterday seemed to have passed but for the next couple of days the dark clouds seemed determined to skirt around the city leaving a gloomy atmosphere and temperatures a bit cooler.

As for the trial, things continued on. For the next couple of days, Lou called various police officers up to the stand. Trevor was first, being asked by Lou to describe exactly what he had witnessed. It was not a pretty description and she thought that several of women on the jury looked uneasy.

Once Lou was through, the defense council did his best to trivialize the whole thing, though basically all he did was sound petulant. That seemed to finish up an entire day.

That night, back in the apartment, things were a bit better. She seemed to have a better appetite than she had for the past couple of weeks. She was still awfully thin, though privately Lou knew that the gaunt, haunted look that Helen had helped make her appear more fragile and pathetic. Though personally she wanted Helen happy and healthy.

They made gentle love that night. Helen was certainly not up for a rousing fuckfest like she was when they first met. And she was somewhat afraid that eventually he would grow tired of having to treat her with kid gloves. But she was forging ahead the best that she could.

The next day was just as gloomy as before with drizzling rain the weather of the day. Helen was just glad that there was not a thunderstorm. Carl was called by Lou, with her questioning much the same as it had been the day before with Trevor.

About halfway through the morning interrogations, things suddenly took a sideways trip when suddenly the lights went out and apparently the power failed. A woman on the jury gave out a little squeak as did several other women in the audience. People began to mutter, things like “Hey. What happened? What?” The room was not in total darkness as it was still daylight and despite the stormy weather there was still plenty of light in the courtroom to see the entire gathering of people.

Nevertheless as if on automatic Todd moved in beside Helen, his arm slipping around her waist and pulling her close to him. The Judge rapped his gavel to get everyone’s attention.

“All right, all right. Everyone settle down. The electricity will be back on in a minute. Everyone just calm down for a minute.”

Helen was glad that Todd was right there, thankful to have him standing between her and Claudio. But even with all these people she didn’t feel comfortable in the dark in the same room with Claudio.

There was a flicker of the lights before suddenly the power came back on and everyone applauded. Helen breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to sit back down.

A scream ripped through the room and she and Todd turned in the direction of the bloodcurdling sound.

Claudio was hunkered over in his chair, with a knife through his back, piercing his heart.

 

[cumnchat]

Todd looked out of the windows of the apartment and called out to Helen who was sitting on the edge of the bed in just her panties,

"The weather stinks ,,,, again."

It had been raining for the past three days although at least the thunder and lightning had stopped. It wasn't the fact that it was raining that bothered Todd it was just something to say. The first two days of the trial had been back and forth swinging first one way then the other although Todd felt that if this were a boxing match they would be ahead on points.

It was Helen that bothered him most she was painfully thin, had very little appetite and looked haggard although he would never tell her that, he told her every day how beautiful she was and he meant it, the loss of a few pounds in weight wasn't going to stop him from loving her. They had made love a couple of times but Todd could tell that her heart wasn't really in it. He was disappointed in a way, after the first night after the trial began he was hopeful that things would get back to normal but it wasn't to be, If he suggested something different from making love like a blow job Helen would back away saying she wasn't ready for that yet, so he had just been going through the motions with her and treating her like a piece of delicate glassware that might shatter at any moment.

Carl was first up on the witness stand and he began telling what had happened at the safe house when Claudio burst in. About halfway through the morning there seemed to be some sort of power failure and until everyone's eyes became accustomed to the sudden semi darkness there were startled cries from every corner of the courtroom. Todd's training kicked in and he found Helen and held her against him shivering in fear.

'All right, all right. Everyone settle down. The electricity will be back on in a minute. Everyone just calm down for a minute.'

The judge banged his gavel down and everyone calmed down.

No more than a minute later the lights flickered and came back on, as people do in those situations they applauded the unknown person who put the lights back on. Todd was escorting Helen back to her seat when there was an ear splitting scream from the other side of the courtroom. Todd turned and looked and he didn't know whether to do a jig or be upset that Claudio wouldn't be paying for his crimes.

Claudio was dead, hunkered in his chair with a dagger in his back.

The judge acted quickly calling for paramedics in case Claudio was still alive and he ordered the courthouse to be on immediate lockdown. No one in or out until everyone had been interviewed. Todd went and sat by Helen who looked to be in shock.

Trying not to sound flippant Todd said, "Well I guess that's the end of the trial."

 

[Opensesame54321]

The rest of the day seemed a blur to Helen. The doctor said something about shock and eventually she and Todd were released when it was determined that they had been in full view of half of the courtroom. Todd was very protective of her and soon she was sitting in the backseat of the car with Todd’s arms wrapped around her as they were driven back to the apartment. Once there, Todd helped her dress for bed and gave her a couple of pills to take. She promptly fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, she awoke in a cold sweat. Todd was holding her, spooning her in such a protective way. It suddenly hit her. She would never have to worry about Claudio coming after her. Never again would she be afraid that he would kidnap her, beat her black and blue, fuck her or ram his cock down her throat till she threatened to pass out. She was finally free of the man.

The tears started slowly - little rivulets that trailed across her face to her pillow. At least that was how it started. But soon she was sobbing, crying tears of release, her body shaking with relief. It must have awaken Todd for suddenly his grip tightened on her as he began to rock her, his voice trying to calm her.

She was free of that scum! She rolled over in Todd’s arms and clung tight to him, crying her fear as he held her, softly kissing her hair, telling her that the boogie man was gone. Dead! That she was free of him. Never again would he threaten her.

Her tears felt cathartic, as if she were washing away all traces of the man. She cried until she fell asleep in Todd’s arms, her own arms tight as if wanting to never let him go.

The next morning she was still asleep, not knowing when Todd slid out of bed. Lou had good news and couldn’t wait to let them know.

Todd was quick and answered his phone after the first ring. When she asked about Helen, Todd said something about a rough night and still asleep. Nevertheless, Lou couldn’t wait to give the good news.

“Okay then, it will be up to you to pass it along. Pete had a little talk with Colin and those other two scum bags. Once they found out what happened to Claudio, they started rethinking what they were claiming. Then we played for them the end of one of their little sex tapes. It outlines their plans to keep Helen doped up as their own prostitute, plus to try to snag some other innocent young women to start their own stable. I’ll leave it up to your decision as to whether to reveal that or not.”

She paused a moment to let her words sink in.

“Suffice to say, the assholes agreed to plead guilty to rape and none of that other stuff has to come out. They have no idea as to who offed dickwad Claudio. His attorney kept trying to claim that it was you or Helen, but your saving grace was that half of the jury was watching the two of you throughout the entire power outage. The women were touched at how caring you were of Helen, holding her and comforting her.”

She took a breath before continuing.

“The jury has been released. Meanwhile, Claudio’s men seem a bit nervous, I guess wondering if they are next.”

They talked for a few more minutes before Lou told him that she would let him know about the rest as soon as she knew more. Suddenly the rain began to pour as if the heavens had been unzipped.