"Are you going to buy us a new bed?" asked Emily.



"Not just that but a couple of chairs so I can put my socks on in the morning." The siren outside signaled Logan's return along with another couple of units to dust the apartment and interview the neighbors who might have seen something.



The two women left as soon as the police were through with their questions getting a promise from Logan to lock up when he was done. Gray, Kimmie and Gary were waiting for them at the Plaza when their cab arrived wanting to see in person they were all right. When they were finally alone, Parker held onto to Emily as the shock of what happened leaked out in a jag of hysterical crying.



The stalker had gotten so close that Parker made no more promises. Keeping Emily safe had been paramount in her mind from the moment she had heard that rattle, and now would be no different. She was going to accept the police protection that Logan had offered initially, if only to keep the blonde in her arms whole.



************************************************************************



"Good morning, do you need help finding your seats?" The usher at the Open looked eager to escort Emily and her companions to the box near the court. He had recognized her from the picture in the paper a week before along with the two other brunettes that were with her.



"Thanks, we can find it. Any of you seen Bobbie?" asked Emily. The finals were set to begin in an hour and their friend was nowhere to be seen. The one that did make an out of place picture was Logan, who was wearing a jacket to conceal his weapon. He was supposed to be guarding Parker, but the tennis pro had told him if he wouldn't sit in the stands with Emily he couldn't come. Emily's only concern now was that he'd be so engrossed in the match, a rapid gorilla could join them and he wouldn't notice.



"She's parking the car. The sweetheart dropped us off at the gate saying she didn't want us out in the open too long," answered Kimmie. Behind her Gray and Natasha sat holding hands and sharing a bagel.



Downstairs, Parker thought about all the games it had taken to get her to this point. A position she had found herself in on numerous occasions only to fall short of the goal. On the other side of the locker room sat Lee Darnell, the underdog that had fought her way through the ranks to become the hero of the tournament. All the seeded players that had underestimated the up and comer from Texas had gone home scratching their heads at her level of play.



In a change of pace, Parker let her mind wander to other things besides the up coming match trying to get her stomach to settle down. It never failed and pre play jitters had scared Emily that morning. Finding Parker puking in the bathroom was not on her list of things to expect and it had taken a while for the pilot to believe her it happened before every final she played in.



Their friend the snake charmer had been quiet since their scare at the apartment and Parker hoped it stayed that way until play was over. Having a police officer watching over Emily was one less thing to worry about so she turned her attention to Lee Darnell to see what she was doing.



The young woman was sitting with her head back and her eyes closed like she was bored and waiting for a bus. It wasn't until they were called out for practice that she stirred at all. The sound of cameras going off started as soon as the two emerged from the tunnel. Parker took time to look up into the stands and smile at Emily. She felt warm inside as she unzipped her bag and got out a racket. The tension melted away and Parker was ready to play.



************************************************************************



"I do this to please you, Lord."



"I'm sorry did you say something?" asked the older woman sitting a row up from the court. The gentleman sitting next to her had been mumbling to himself since the time she had sat down.



"I said, may the Lord be with you."



"Thank you." She smiled at him before going back to talking with her husband about the condition Parker was in and her chances at winning this year. On the court Parker had walked back to her chair and fished out a towel to wipe her eyes. Something in the wind had irritated them enough that she was blinking furiously.



It was the old lady's cry that made her turn around and see what had upset her. The voice was the same from the night in front of the restaurant. "Death to those who go against God." The pain and blooming red stain on her tennis whites happened almost simultaneously.



Parker wasted no time and used the towel to keep the end of the knife away from her when the guy pulled back for another swipe until she could pick up her racket. She swung and the sharp blade cut right through the gut. "What is it with you people and my rackets?" Parker was so intent on looking at where he was swinging the knife she never got the chance to look up at his face.



Ignoring the pain she swung again and connected with his jaw sending him back a few paces shaking his head as if to clear the blow away. The man staggered forward again not wanting to fail in his mission to kill Parker. She was ready though, bouncing on the balls of her feet like she was waiting for a serve to come over the net. The racket flew forward again and knocked the knife out of his hand making him turn around.



From the stands, Logan flew down the stairs before the attacker had another chance to cut into Parker. All four of the women that had been sitting with him weren't too far behind the policeman.



"All right, asshole, here's for having to make me go out and buy my girl a new bed." The blow made the man's head snap backward sending him toward the net. "And this one's for the worry you caused my girlfriend. That's right girlfriend, you son of a bitch." With a great deal of satisfaction Parker watched him fall into a non-moving heap. Logan had no problem cuffing him when he jumped down to the court. Parker's last hit had knocked the guy unconscious.



Security personnel arrived to help the detective remove the stalker from the court, and when they rolled him over it was Parker who felt like someone had hit her. He had aged since the last time she had seen him, but the woozy man that was starting to come to didn't resemble the man that had made her hot chocolate all those mornings ago. But that's who it was, Daniel King, her father.



Everyone sat in silence as Parker dropped her racket and walked off the court. An official announcement came over the loudspeakers that there would be a delay in play until everything was sorted out.



The women that had been sitting in Parker's box watched her walk out without looking back at the man the police were now carting away. Kimmie and Gray had recognized him the minute he fell into the net but were paralyzed with disbelief that the man that was their father would want to murder one of his own children. Gary and Nick had gone down to the locker room to see about Parker's injuries and now that the show was over, they all walked up the stairs to join them. Parker's sisters had come close to breaking their promise to keep Emily safe no matter the costs when they saw the blood on the stark white shirt. Now they were more worried about their little sister's mind than the cut.



The medic sprayed a deadening agent on Parker's side so he could stitch the cut that was still bleeding. Parker looked at her coach and his partner with a look that could only be described as sorrowful. "It was him, guys, my father was the person that sent all those letters." She remembered then why the handwriting looked so familiar. Every Christmas Parker would watch him pull out that special pen and methodically dip it into the inkwell on his desk and address the card envelopes.



"Parker, you have to believe that he's sick and didn't know what he was doing," said Nick.



"He used that same scrolling fancy writing to fill out cards at the holidays. It was the only time he took the time to make sure every letter in every name was perfect. I guess it was useful to send death notices as well."



"Try and not think about it now, Park. We can just walk out of here and try to put this behind us, grateful for the fact we know he can't hurt you anymore." Gary kneeled next to her and wanted nothing more than to get her on a plane back home. The one place he knew she would heal.



"I've got a match to play, coach, and I have every intention of playing. That righteous bigot will not take this away too. He put that damn snake in Emily's bed yesterday and I will not forgive him for what could've happened to her. He and mother can rot for all I care, there's no going back from this."



"Parker, are you ok?" Emily stood back not sure if Parker was ready to see anyone including a new girlfriend. She didn't hesitate to take the hand Parker held up in invitation.



"I'm just fine, baby. Want to sit with me while I get patched up?"



"Is your life always this action packed?" It was Emily's turn to try and lighten Parker's mood.



"Only in big cities. At home Abby and I usually just sit and howl at the moon for entertainment."