"Hello?" the groggy voice answered.

"Jen? It's Laura."

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. After midnight, I'm sure."

"What's wrong?"

"I just needed to talk. Crystal and I had a long talk tonight."

"How is she?" Jenny's voice was clearer, the thickness caused by sleep quickly disappearing.

"Pretty good considering all she's been through." Laura sighed and rested her head against the headboard. "I don't know how she managed to survive as long as she did. Has she gotten into detail with you about her father?"

"Laur, you know I can't answer that."

"Yeah, I know but I just can't help thinking about it. What a bastard he was. Even if half of what she says is true, he was a monster that should have been castrated a long time ago."

"We can't talk about Crystal or anything about her life that she tells you, no matter how bad it is but I will say this, I have no doubt if she told you something about her past that it was most likely true. At least as true as memory will allow." Laura heard the sound of Jenny moving about her apartment. "By the way," her ex-lover continued. "It's quarter to one."

"I'm sorry about calling so late but I just can't get to sleep. I just keep seeing her as a teenager unable to protect herself from him." "You can't change the past."

"I wish I could," Laura said earnestly. "If I had been there, I would have"

"You would have been just a few years older than her and in no position to play Wonder Woman," Jenny interrupted. "If her own sister couldn't protect her, what makes you think you could have?"

"But"

"But nothing. You can't change what happened to her. All you can do now is help her pick up the pieces and heal from it."

"How do you get over something like that? I mean I know people are raped and most get past it with time but how can she recover from being attacked night after night?"

"Laura, you're getting close to crossing the line here," Jenny warned. "Hell, we've probably passed it already. If the state board ever got wind of this "

"Forget the board for a minute, Jen. This is Crystal we're talking about."

"No, we're not talking about her, we're talking about you and how you're going to handle being friends with someone who is a survivor." Jenny sighed. "I'm sorry if I sound grouchy but you can't wake me up from a sound sleep and expect me to be in the best frame of mind here, especially when you keep wanting to push the envelope. Don't you understand if she ever found out we talked about this that it could ruin her trust in me?"

"So what am I supposed to do?" Laura asked, running fingers through her hair. "All right, look at this way. I have a friend who's been raped. What can I do to help her get past it and move on with her life?"

"The best thing you can do is just be there to listen. Don't treat your friend any differently than you do today. If she wants to talk let her but don't try to force conversations about it."

"And if she wants to destroy herself with drugs and alcohol?" Laura heard yet another sigh through the phone. "Come on, Jen. How am I supposed to keep her from going off the deep end with the booze and pot?"

"You can't. You just have to make sure you don't get so deeply involved that you become an enabler and make the problem worse. Maybe an AlAnon meeting or two would be good for you."

"I need Al-Anon?"

"And why does that thought bother you so much?" Jenny asked. "If someone else's drinking is a problem for you, then you need Al-Anon." "I don't need Al-Anon," Laura said adamantly. "I just wanted to know how to help Crystal."

"It's time to say goodnight, Laura," Jenny said. "Your stubborn streak is coming out and I'm too tired to fight with you about it. Remember tomorrow that she's the same person she was yesterday and the day before. If she doesn't do what you want when you want it and it bothers you, that's your problem, not hers. Be her friend, that's what she needs, not a superhero to fly in and rescue her. It's too late for that."

"Sometimes I wonder which of us is more stubborn," Laura sighed. "All right, all right. I'll try to keep what you said in mind but I still think there's something more I can do than just sit here and be a sounding board."

"Try being her friend."

"Hey, why did you call before? We were home but we were talking and I didn't think it was a goodi.e.to get up and answer the phone." There was a pause before Jenny answered. "I was concerned and just wanted to see if Crystal made it home okay."

"Uh huh. Doing a good job keeping friend and therapist separate, aren't you?"

"Hey, a good therapist can call the home of her patient if she's concerned."

"When was the last time you called a patient's home for anything other than to reschedule an appointment?"

"My secretary takes care of the appointments and I'm going to take the fifth on the rest of that question. Get some sleep. Goodnight Laura." "Night Jen. Thanks for listening."

Hanging up the phone, Laura found talking with Jenny did little to slow down her racing mind. That doesn't help. There has to be a way to get her past this, there just has to. But how? Knowing that sleep was a lost cause, Laura sat up and slipped her feet into her slippers. I have to get that frying pan cleaned or those onions will be stuck there permanently. Stepping out of her room, Laura was torn between going downstairs and cleaning or checking on Crystal. That's silly. She's sound asleep and safe. Besides, I don't want to scare her or anything. As if it had a mind of its own, Laura's hand reached out and closed around the doorknob. I won't go in, I'll just open the door a little and see if she's sleeping okay. She could be having a nightmare or something.

The light in the hall provided little illumination in Crystal's room but the night light plugged into the wall did give enough for Laura to see that her roommate was indeed sound asleep, a light snore coming from her lips. Good. Satisfied that everything was all right, Laura made her way downstairs to spend the rest of the night cleaning.

Chapter Ninth

With the radio playing low, Laura quietly moved about the first floor, giving it a good cleaning right down to moving the table and chairs out of the way to mop and dusting all the woodwork. By the time the morning sun broke over the horizon, the kitchen and living room were spotless and once again up to Laura's standards. Hearing Crystal's alarm going off upstairs, Laura put the frying pan on the stove and retrieved a coffee mug from the cupboard. Reasoning that the previous day had been hard on her roommate, Laura was determined to at least get Crystal's day off to a good start. When the blonde came downstairs several minutes later, her hair still damp from the shower, she was greeted with a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and a steaming cup of coffee. "I thought you could use a good breakfast before your busy day," Laura said as she set the mug down on the table.

"Good morning to you too," Crystal said as she took her seat. "What time did you get up?"

"Actually I never went to bed. I think the night owl in me is trying to get out." Laura picked up her empty mug and walked over to the coffee maker. "I had a period once when I was writing my last book where I couldn't sleep at night for almost a month. What time do you think you'll be home tonight? I have some fresh sea bass I can defrost. Some lemon pepper and rice and it's a meal fit for a king."

"My lip looks better," Crystal said quietly. "I have to go to the club after work and see what's going on."

"I thought all you had to do was pick up your paycheck?" Laura asked as she took her seat at the table.

"I never said I was quitting, just that I would think about it. You know I make more an hour working at the club than I do working for Michael." Crystal pushed her fork through the scrambled eggs. "Maybe I can work at the club part time and keep both jobs."

"Nothing like burning your candle at both ends. Couldn't you find another job at the club besides taking your clothes off? Don't they have waitresses?"

"They didn't hire me to wait tables, Laura. My job there is to go out on stage and take my clothes off to music."

Laura tried not to let the disappointment show in her face. "I don't think working there is a good idea. Look what happened to you. Who knows what could happen if you go back."

"Well, I'm not going to know what's going on until I get there. For all I know, they replaced me and I don't have a job to go back to." I can only wish, Laura thought to herself. "I'm sure Michael will give you extra hours if you need the money. He's good about things like that."

"I can make in one night of dancing with tips what Michael pays me for three days work. That kind of money is hard to pass up." Crystal drained her coffee mug. "We'll see what happens."

"What if I lowered your rent?" Laura knew she could never afford to lose the extra money that Crystal's rent gave but thei.e.of the blonde taking her clothes off for a bunch of horny men was even harder to swallow.

"No, the rent is more than reasonable. Speaking of which, you need to tell me what my half of the utilities are so I can pay you. I'm sure you've gotten some bills in." Crystal shoved the last forkful ofeg.into her mouth. "The best time to hit me up for money is tonight after I pick up my check. Wait until tomorrow and I might have it spent already."

"Don't worry about it. I don't think your share is more than fifty dollars or so."

"Oh please. There's the lights and cable not to mention the phone. I'm sure I've made the water bill go up too."

"The complex takes care of the water bills and you never use the phone."

"I'm still responsible for half of the phone bill whether I use it or not," Crystal said, putting her fork down and pushing the plate away. "That was very good, thanks."

"You're welcome." Laura took a sip of her coffee, trying hard not to bring up the subject of the Tom Cat Club again. Finally it was Crystal that could stand the silence no longer.

"Look, I know you don't like the i.e.of me stripping"

"No I don't," Laura agreed.

"But it's what I did before you met me and most likely it's something that I will continue to do. I may not be proud of it, I may not even like it most of the time but I can't walk away from the good money it gives."

"There has to be a point where the money isn't enough to keep degrading yourself like that."

"Well if there is, I haven't found it yet," Crystal said firmly. "It's legal and certainly a damn lot better than working the alley behind the place, that's for sure."

"I'll agree with you there," Laura admitted. "Can you at least promise that you won't do that, no matter how hard things might seem to be?" This time Laura earned at least the hint of smile from Crystal.

"I haven't done that in years and I have no intention of doing it again. Those days are behind me."

"And maybe someday stripping will be behind you too."

"Maybe. Right now I have to finish getting ready for work and write in my journal before Doc has my head." To Laura's surprise, Crystal reached out and clasped her hand. "Listen, about last night" The hand retreated and the blonde looked at her empty plate. "Thanks for listening. I

I've never told anyone all of that before."

"Anytime you need to talk, I'll be here."

"I would have thought you'd be shocked and disgusted by all of that."

Laura reached out and cupped Crystal's chin, forcing the blue eyes to meet her own. "Yes, most of what you told me was shocking but as for disgust, any that I have is toward your father, none of it toward you." She let go of Crystal's chin, pleased that the young woman didn't turn away but continued to meet her gaze. "It takes a great deal of courage to survive something like that and even more to share with someone about what happened."

"I didn't tell you everything, you know. I figured if I told you everything at once that you'd go screaming out of the room."

"That'll never happen," Laura assured. "Anything you want to tell me, I'll listen."

"You know, sometimes you remind me of Patty. She was really patient with me."

"I'm sure if I met Patty that I'd like her too." Laura looked at her watch. "But you're right, you need to get ready if you're going to get to work on time. You'd better not have left that bathroom a mess."

"Your definition of a mess and mine are totally different but I made sure the towels were picked up and the sink was wiped down." "Close enough. I'll clean it later." Laura watched Crystal rise to her feet. "Can you at least call me and let me know what time you're coming home tonight?"