Obsession - Part Seven

[rycolfan.livejournal.com]

Title - Obsession
Rating - PG
Pairing - I think you should know by now!
Summary - Ryan discovers the sinister side of fame...
Disclaimer - I only own the story...
Feedback - Pretty please!

As promised, I didn't make you wait too long for part seven! I've still got three or four parts to write, maybe more (I'm not sure yet, I'll see how it goes!). Thank you for all your lovely comments so far :o) x

Part Seven

Paul stood to one side, allowing everyone to have a moment to grieve for their fallen colleague. He was frustrated with the lack of leads in this case, especially now Rachel had stepped up her campaign to have Ryan to herself. She was obviously willing to carry out her threats and posed a great danger, not only to Colin but to anyone else who got in her way, as Frank had found out at the cost of his life.

He watched Drew and the rest of the guys comfort Ryan and Colin, glad that they had such good friends around them. He had a feeling they were going to need a lot of support as this situation progressed. In light of the day's events, all tapings of the show had been cancelled until Rachel was caught.

A soft knock at the door drew his attention away from the huddled group and he saw a young police officer hovering in the doorway.

"Um...sir?" the officer said hesitantly, "we found another note." He held out a piece of paper and Paul walked forward to take it. He looked at the front of it as the officer left and turned back to see everyone in the room looking at the note in his hand warily.

"It's for you Ryan," Paul said solemnly, walking forward to hand the note over.

Ryan looked at the note fearfully, as if it was going to explode when he touched it. He released Colin and reached out to take it, opening it slowly as everybody else watched in silent anticipation. Colin leaned against him to get a better view as they read it together.

To my Ryan,

We need to talk face to face. I miss you.
Meet me outside the Los Angeles Central Public Library today at noon.
Until then my love,

Rachel.

Ryan glanced at his watch which said 10.52, then at Colin, who was frowning at the message. He handed the note to Paul and everyone else gathered around him to read it too.

"This could be our chance to catch her," Paul said, looking up at Ryan. "Would you be willing to play her game for us?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Drew said doubtfully, glancing at Ryan. "We have no idea what she has planned."

"Yeah, it could be a trap," Wayne said, looking equally concerned.

"I agree," Greg said firmly. "You'd be playing right into her hands."

"Not if we have the entire area surrounded," Paul argued. "We'll also put a wire on Ryan so we can hear everything that goes on."

"It still seems risky to me," Drew replied, shaking his head.

"Why can't you just wait for her to show up and arrest her?" asked Jeff, Chip nodding in agreement next to him.

"We could....but she might be watching from somewhere else and waiting for Ryan to show up. We'll have a better chance with him there."

"Well, I think you should take your chances," Drew said and there was a murmur of agreement.

"No," Ryan interrupted loudly and everyone's gaze shot back to him. "This ends here. I'm not gonna let her hurt anyone else on my account." He looked straight at Paul and said, "I'm in."

Drew and Greg looked at each other worriedly.

"What do you think Col?" Brad asked, ignoring Ryan's glare in his direction. He knew, as did everyone in the room, that Colin was probably the only person who could change Ryan's mind.

Colin, who had sat quietly through the whole exchange, looked up at Brad and sighed. "I can't pretend I'm not scared about what she intends to do," he said softly, "but I'm not going to stop Ryan from going if that's what he wants."

He looked at Ryan, who squeezed his hand and smiled reassuringly.

"Ok," Paul said as another police officer joined him. "Until we catch her, Charlie," he gestured to the police officer beside him, "is going to stay with Colin at all times to keep him safe."

"Hopefully not at all times," Greg smirked, his mind conjuring indecent images. Colin rolled his eyes, a genuine smile gracing his face for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Rachel's attempts on your life are likely to get more desperate as time goes on," Paul told Colin. "Since she knows where you live and in case we don't catch her today, we'd like to move both you and Ryan to another location until this is over."

Colin glanced at Ryan and nodded.

"I advise you to tell only a select few your whereabouts," Paul continued seriously, "only those whom you trust implicitly."

"Well, that covers everyone in this room," Colin replied before turning to Ryan as everyone else looked touched by his words. "We'll have to call Pat and Deb before news of this gets out. I don't want the kids seeing it on tv."

Ryan nodded, looking into Colin's eyes. "We can explain the situation to them and decide how much to tell the kids. Personally I think Luke and Mac are old enough to hear the truth."

"I don't know," Colin sighed. "They'll only worry. Maybe it's better to keep them in the dark for now."

"They won't thank us for it," Ryan warned him and Colin shrugged. "It's our job to protect them, whether they like it or not," he replied.

"Just like it's my job to protect you," Ryan replied seriously, putting an arm around Colin who smiled softly and said, "Ditto."

Greg grinned and shook his head. How they'd kept so many people in the dark for so long about their true feelings was beyond him. The love between them was as clear as day, shining like the sun to light up the darkest of places. Rachel could no more break their bond than she could pluck the stars from the night sky.

"Right," Paul said, looking at his watch, "I'll go and get everything prepared." He looked at Ryan. "We'll be leaving in about fifteen minutes. You'll have to take your car and we'll follow at a discreet distance."

"What about Col?" Ryan asked anxiously.

"Charlie will take Colin home to pack a bag, then on to your new place," Paul replied. "I'll come and get you when we're ready to go," he said before leaving the room.

Ryan tightened his hold on Colin, suddenly unsure about leaving him, and Colin hugged him back fiercely trying not to think about what could happen.

"Come on guys," Greg said to the others, ushering them towards the door, "let's give them some time alone before they have to leave." Ryan smiled at him gratefully as he passed.

"I'll be just outside," Charlie told them before closing the door.

Ryan could have happily stayed in Colin's embrace all day but he couldn't. He pulled back and took out his cellphone. "Come on," he said encouragingly,"let's get this over with. I'll call Pat and you call Deb."

The phone calls proved difficult, as expected, but they held hands throughout to give each other strength and reassurance. They both remained on relatively good terms with their ex-wives, more for the sake of the children than anything else, so were able to discuss the situation reasonably. They eventually agreed that the truth was the best option with the kids. They weren't going to tell them everything but they weren't going to lie to them either. Ryan and Colin both promised to keep them updated on any developments before hanging up.

Colin let out a big sigh and leant back on the sofa, closing his eyes. "I'm glad that's over with."

"Me too," Ryan agreed, bringing Colin's hand up to his mouth and kissing it. Colin opened his eyes and smiled at him as someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Colin called and the smile slipped from his face as Paul popped his head in.

"It's time."


To be continued....