"Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep"
By: Kasey
(c) 1999/2000
I worked very hard on this, and the last thing I want
to happen is to have it stolen. So DONT STEAL!

Chapter 11

	She was calling out to him, her voice full of terror
and pain. But he couldn't see, couldn't conmprehend
where she was, where the sound was coming from. His
arms and legs felt heavy, something was covering his
eyes and he couldn't breathe, couldn't think. What the
hell was wrong? Where was he? What was happening? He
tried to move, tried to speak but found he couldn't.
Something was wrong. He could still hear her voice,
but it was getting fainter and fainter. And then there
was nothing, no sound, no movement...until a blinding
white flash went off in front of his eyes and all of a
sudden he could see again. He was standing in a room,
looking at her lying on a table and someone standing
over her, a knife in his hand. He tried to call out,
tried to move forward to the table but found he
couldn't. He was frozen in place, unable to talk or
move. he was helpless. Utterly helpless.
	" Watchdog," there was a cold metallic voice calling
that out," I have her watchdog. You'll never get her.
You'll never find her. She's mine now. Mine forever.
Always will be mine. No watchdog will have her. She's
been mine since I saw her in the alley. Say goodbye
watchdog. Say goodbye."
	He opened his eyes and found a man standing there,
Kasey in his arms, her head back, her long hair
flowing out behind her. It didn't look as though she
were breathing, were alive until she gasped in and her
chest moved. She started to struggle but a with a
slight amount of pressure from him, she fell back in
his arms again, unconscious. He tried to cry out but
no sound came out from his mouth.
	" Say goodbye watchdog. She's mine forever. We'll
live on forever together now. Our names will be
forever linked. And so will yours. As the Watchdog who
couldn't save her," the voice said and then all of a
sudden there was nothing. The man holding Kasey was
gone, leaving him alone, struggling to scream but
finding no voice. And then there was an ear splitting
scream...

*****

	Howie sat up in bed, breathing heavy, sweat pouring
off his body. Kasey sat up with him, rubbing her eyes
sleepily, watching him worridly.
	" Howie? What is it?" she asked. He gulped in several
deep breaths before answering her, hoping that he
could pull this off.
	" Bad dream," he said huskily.
	" Oh. Poor baby. Want me to hold you?" she asked and
he managed a small smile," There. Thats better. I'm
sure it wasn't anything serious. Bad dreams very
rarely come true."
	" I hope this one doesn't," he muttered and she
laughed as they lay back down together.
	" It wont. Trust me. I'm here. I'll protect you," she
said teasingly and his arm tightened around her. The
dream was so vivid, seemed so real. It was as though
it had happened. That thought made him shudder. The
thought of Kasey suffering at this mans hands was more
than he could bear. He knew that as a police officer
he shouldn't have gotten so involved with a witness
but he hadn't been able to help it. His heart had just
charged ahead of his brain. There was just something
so special about Kasey, something that made him forget
about the rules. And that could get her killed.
Falling for Valerie had killed her. Maybe thats not
how anyone else saw it, but thats how he saw it. He
had let his guard down, refused to see her weaknesses
and she had died. And he knew that he should be wary
about being in love again but he couldn't stay away
from Kasey. One night with her and already he knew
that if she would have him, he'd stay with her and be
with her forever. He just hoped that it would happen.

*****

	Howie woke up early the next morning and groaned when
he saw the time. It was too early to even be thinking
of getting up and from the sounds coming from Kasey,
she was nowhere near waking up. So he stretched and
closed his eyes again, trying to fall back asleep. But
he couldn't, the images from his dream still haunting
his consciousness. So he gave up, gently extricating
himself from Kasey and walking softly out into the
kitchen, putting on the coffee maker, switching in the
small radio Kasey had in the kitchen in an attempt to
forget his dream. He sat at the table, his head in his
hands and thought...about Valerie, about what had
happened with her, the trouble that had occurred after
her death...and about Kasey, this killer that was
loose...and what would happen after he was caught. And
Howie was positive he would be caught, because if he
wasn't, he wasn't willing to ponder the thoughts of
what would happen if he weren't. Kaseys life would
consist of running and hiding as this man stalked her
across the country. And that thought made his blood
ran cold. So he knew that he would do anything within
his power to not let that happen. Anything
within...and even outside of his power.