Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Deanna by: Dr.  Paco Jones
   copyright 2012
   Chapter 17 - Tara's Dream - The Nightmare Begins
   Sitting at the bar with her face between her hands, Tara sobbed quietly
not quite knowing what to do next.
   She'd just taken her only child off to live with relatives in order to
keep her safely away from her father who the police were very actively
searching for.  She came to this place because it's a place that he would
never enter.
   He'd abused her and her daughter for the last time.
   That afternoon he'd come home from his part time job, drunk off his ass
as usual, and started slapping Tara around.  Tara was used to that
treatment, they'd been married for a little over 7 years and about 2 years
ago he seemed to slip off the deep end when his hi-tech job was ostensibly
eliminated.  She learned later, they had to get rid of him because of his
attitude towards coworkers, especially female ones.  He'd become too much
of a liability.
   Yelling at her at the top of his lungs, he pushed her down to the floor
and started to tear at her clothes, ripping the blouse she was wearing and
tearing the light shorts.  Their daughter had come into the room and
started to scream at him to stop.
   "Stop it daddy.  You're hurting Mommy.  What are you doing?" she
screamed at him.
   It was when he started going after the youngster that her mother had
finally had enough.  She jumped up and grabbed for the phone dialing 911
just as he gave up chasing the youngster and falling down over himself, his
equilibrium being toast as usual.
   As the emergency operator came on the line, he slapped the phone away
from Tara and started hollering and beating on her with his fists.
   "Who you callin' you fuckin' cunt?  Huh?  I'm going to beat you to
within an inch of your slut life."
   Fortunately the phone had just hit the couch and rested there without
disconnecting, so the emergency operator had heard what was going on and
because of the reverse address facility she knew exactly where the call was
coming from and the name of the "owner of the number." She had already
dispatched the local Sheriff and informed them the guy in the house was
very violent and could possibly be armed.
   He must have had an idea about the call because suddenly he screamed
death threats at Tara and his daughter and could be heard by the operator
to be smashing things inside the house.  The operator didn't know if he had
killed the victims or not.  There were no other voices in the house except
his and the smashing of furniture and other items.  It was all on the 911
tape that was to be used as evidence, but by the time the Officers arrived
he'd run out the back door and out of the yard.  He was on the run.
   Surprisingly, Tara was not badly injured physically in the melee but
emotionally she was a basket case.  The young girl had barricaded herself
into her bedroom with a baseball bat so she was untouched.  The officer's
report noted that he had no doubt that the youngster would have used it to
defend herself.
   Tara declined medical treatment as the officers radioed for backup, gave
a description of the "suspect", issued an "All Points Bulletin" and took
all the appropriate statements.
   As things were wrapping up the telephone rang and the officer and Tara
looked at each other.  Tara gingerly picked up the telephone after the
officer started his recorder.  She placed it sideways between the police
officer and herself managed to croak a, "Hello?"
   "You're dead cunt," came through the receiver.  "I'm going to make sure
you never see another sunrise you two bit piece of shit, you and that slut
daughter of ours.  Some way, some day I'll hunt you down and slit your
fucking throats."
   Tara didn't even bat an eye, which shocked the hell out of the
witnessing officer.  He had actually managed to record most of the verbal
assault.
   There was still heavy breathing coming from the phone, and then the
sounds of something being smashed, some yelling by someone and then the
phone went dead.
   At that point Tara decided to take Deanna, to a distant cousin's place
for safekeeping, until there was no danger to her, she would be hidden away
where he could never find her.  So after a couple phone calls and Dee
packing a bunch of her clothes and other things they both left in the car
for the 2-hour drive.  She had an unmarked police escort for the entire
trip up and back to make sure there were no problems.
   In the meantime there was a massive search going on for Tara's
soon-to-be-ex-husband.  The noises they had heard just prior to the phone
going dead was an officer confronting and making an arrest attempt, but the
officer wasn't prepared.  He was nearly killed by Tara's husband, and when
found by another officer; the search became even more earnest.  Not only
had he beaten his wife, threatened his daughter, then made death threats to
his wife and daughter with an officer listening, he had assaulted and
nearly killed a Sheriffs deputy and was now seriously on the run.
   When she returned from hiding Dee away at her relatives, she knew she
couldn't go home or anywhere near there.
   She tried to think of a place she could go that he'd never even try to
look for her, and remembered a couple of the women at work talk about a bar
about 25 minutes away, so she drove in that direction.  It wasn't in any
part of town where he'd be likely to be, plus the bar was for gays and if
he was anything he was a homophobe so she would be safe in there.
   She had packed a backpack with some clothes and toiletries so she parked
the car about 2 blocks from the bar, grabbed the backpack and nearly ran to
the bar.  It was getting dark so the chances that he'd see her if he were
anywhere in the neighborhood was slim.  But she had nowhere to go.
   Tara entered the bar and sat down at the far end of the long wooden bar,
and tried to stop shaking.  Taking out her wallet and putting her credit
card on the bar ordered 2 drinks and slammed one of them as soon as the
bartender put it in front of her.
   "Something wrong sweetheart?" he asked quietly not wanting to draw any
more attention to Tara than she'd already drawn.
   "No.  Thanks," Tara mumbled shaking.  "I'm ok.  I'll be ok."
   Now sitting at the bar with her face between her hands, Tara sobbed
quietly, not quite knowing what to do next.
   She'd just sent her only child off to live with relatives to keep her
safe from her father who the police were searching for.  She came to this
place because it's a place that he would never enter...
   "Hey, hon," she heard a soft voice, "I haven't seen you here before, and
I'm here a lot, you new in the neighborhood?"
   Tara looked up at the voice with her tear stained face and just broke
down.  She put her arms around the stranger, buried her face in her chest,
and openly cried like a baby.
   The stranger just held on and let Tara cry it out.
   She felt very soft and was whispering calming things into her ear as
Tara sobbed uncontrollably.  For what seemed like hours, but was probably
only 5 or 10 minutes, the world was centered on those arms surrounding her
so firmly.
   The whole time the stranger was calmly comforting her, holding Tara
tightly.
   The bartender came over with a dry towel and set it on the table where
Tara's drinks had been set, and whispered into her ear that, "it's going to
be ok young lady, Marie's got you."
   Tara started to stir in the firm embrace so the stranger lessened her
hold a bit to allow Tara to move and do whatever it was she was going to
do.
   Tara looked into the stranger's eyes, and thanked her profusely for
letting her "be emotional".
   "It's ok sweetie," said the stranger.  You obviously have a problem, and
I'm here to listen.  My name is Marie by the way, what's yours?"
   "Tara.  My name's Tara," she said quietly to Marie as she sat down at
the table and related the whole story.
   Everything.  She didn't leave anything out.  She needed to talk it out
and Marie was a willing listener.
   Then the story ended at the bar with, "So here I am.  No place to go. 
No body to call, and scared to death to go outside for fear he'll be there.
Oh Marie, what am I going to do?"
   "Don't worry hon, we'll take care of you and keep you safe.  Let me make
a quick phone call and we can get you to a safe place to hang out for as
long as you need."
   With that Marie stood up, and when Tara looked up with a look of sheer
panic, put her hand on her shoulder and shushed her quietly telling her,
"I'm only going to the bar to get the phone, hon, I'll be back in a flash."
   The bartender had eavesdropped and had the phone on the bar ready for
her.  "You going to call Tom?" he asked.
   "Yeah, he's not working tonight, obviously.  He'll not only know what to
do, but how to do it, and he'll also drop everything and come to help. 
Pity the bastard if he's anywhere around here.  Tom will tear him up and
spit him out.  He hates woman abusers, and this one has a child that was
threatened and abused.  Tom will go fucking ballistic."
   Tara had overheard the conversation and as Marie walked back to the
table with the phone, looked at her with a questioning look.  The fear in
her eyes was apparent to Marie as she set the phone on the table and put
her hand on Tara's arm for reassurance.  "Just relax Tara, everything will
be fine.  I'm going to call one of my roommates to come over and help us
out.  We'll get you to a safe place and trust me, that cocksucker who beat
you up had best not be anywhere around because Tom will have him for
lunch!"
   "My husbands a pretty large and powerful man Marie.  I'm not sure one
guy can handle him alone.  He's already almost killed a policeman."
   Marie smiled softly and calmly explained, "Tom's a former Navy SEAL
Tara, I've seen him tear into 10 or more guys at one of the local gang
riots and when he was done he kept looking around for more, daring any of
them to 'come on down'.  None did!"
   Tara looked at her skeptically, but nodded her head in understanding.
   "I don't know exactly what he did in the Navy Tara, but I know it wasn't
pretty.  He won't or can't talk about it, so he doesn't.  And you'd think
he was..."
   "Tom?  Marie.  Hey man, I'm down at the club and have a new friend that
needs some help.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  I'm serious Tommy, I really need you
to come down and listen to her story.  We need to help her out and if
things don't go well, it'll require some of your 'special skills'." Those
words signaled Tom that Marie was serious.  She'd never used that term
without warrant.
   "Ok.  See you in a bit.  And Tom, as usual, thanks - I owe ya!"
   Marie hung up the phone and picked up where she'd left off.  "You'd
think he'd be a rowdy, mean type of person, but Tara, he has to be one of
the nicest, most mellow, gentle men I've ever known - And I kinda don't
have much use for guys."
   When Tara looked at her with a questioning look, Marie continued, "I'm
bi-sexual Tara and prefer women because men are such pricks, but Tommy is
different.  He works here as a disk Jockey and I got to dancing with him
and talking with him, and when my SO took off for what was supposed to be 6
weeks and turned out to be over 8 months, I asked him over for some
'recreation'.  I have never regretted that invitation."
   "He's the most caring, gentle, conscientious, lover I've ever known, and
let me tell you, this guy could make a lot of money eating pussy," she
signed with a chuckle.  "Whew, he's really much better at it than Lisa!
   "She hates it when I say that, but she knows.  After watching Tom and me
one evening, she went to him the next afternoon and got a sample, all
afternoon!  She won't have intercourse with him, but she'll let him eat her
until the cows come home.  Actually she'll let him do anything he wants
with her except fuck her.  Lisa NEVER let a man touch her like that
before!"
   "Who's Lisa?" asked Tara.
   "Oh, I'm sorry hon, Lisa is my SO.  She's 100% lesbian, but she's
actually slept with Tom a quite a few times.  No intercourse, but you
should hear her scream!"
   Tara was starting to blush at that comment, and Marie just chuckled to
herself.
   "Very special man Tara, I think you'll like him!  But don't worry; he's
not a pussy hound.  He won't hassle you, though looking at you, he'll
definitely look and I'm betting money he'll pop a stiffy!"
   Now Tara was really getting red, but chuckled with Marie this time.  She
was starting to calm down a little and the barkeep had set out 2 more
drinks, so she was working on number three.  She didn't know it yet, but
her credit was no good here - it was all on the house for this visit.
   Marie asked her why she'd chosen this club to come to.
   "My husband is such a homophobe that he'd never be caught dead in this
place.  He might burn it to the ground if he knew I was in here, but he
probably wouldn't even get close enough to do that.  He'd be afraid he'd
'catch gay' and start sucking dicks and butt fucking.
   Marie's eyes got as big as saucers and she started laughing from the
belly.  That was the funniest thing she'd heard in a long time.  "Catch
gay?" Like it's some kind of virus?
   About this time a guy walked into the bar and caught Marie's eye.  "He's
here," she whispered to Tara.
   He walked over to the table, picked up a chair, turned it around
backwards and before sitting gave Marie a very soft friendly kiss.  As the
kiss was ending, the bartender set down a drink on the table for the
gentleman, and another for Tara and Marie.
   Tara's mind went to that act in and of itself, and wondered out loud,
"Where's the table service waitress?"
   "Oh.  She's over there," Tom said, embarrassing Tara that he'd heard her
comment.  It wasn't supposed to be out loud.  "Marie has a way of
commanding individual attention from the barkeep," he said chuckling at
Frank.
   "Hi.  I'm Tom," he said offering Tara his hand.
   Tara took and shook his hand and with a nervous smile said, "Hi, I'm
Tara.  It's nice to meet you."
   "Oh trust me, the pleasure is all mine," said Tom with a smile.  He
might not be a pussy hound, but he recognized a beautiful woman when he saw
one.
   "So, What's up Marie?  I'm guessing this beautiful woman is the new
found friend that needs some kind of help." It almost sounded facetious,
the way he asked, but it wasn't.
   Marie gave him a twisted face kind of look, sticking out her tongue, to
which Tom said, with a grin "Careful lady, I'll give you something to do
with that!"
   Marie didn't even try to relate the story but just asked Tara to tell
the story again and apologized for her having to go through it again.  Tom
gave Marie a puzzling look and turned to give Tara his undivided attention.
   Tara related the whole story again, stopping to choke on tears a few
times, especially when she told Tom about having to give up her daughter
until things settled down.
   Tom was extremely attentive, only asked cursory questions during the
story, and when Tara was finished, stood up and motioned for Tara to stand
as well.
   When Tara stood she started to cry again.  Tom hugged her with an
embrace that could only be described as tender, giving her back and her
head gentle strokes while whispering words of assurance to her.
   "It's going to be fine Tara.  We'll take good care of you at the house.
You can have my room for now and I'll just invade Marie and Lisa's bed
until we can come up with an alternative."
   When Tara looked up at him and started to question, he just put his
finger to her lips and said, "Not to worry sweetheart.  They won't
complain, much," smiling at Marie.
   "I hope that motherfucker is right outside waiting for us.  He'll be
screaming for the police to come save his useless ass and wish he'd given
himself up to the cops!
   "Tom.  He's a very big man, and if he's been drinking he'll be sooooo
mean.  I don't want you getting hurt.  I don't want that on my conscience
also," she choked out as she started sobbing again.
   Tom held her at arms length with his hands on her shoulders and waited
for the crying to die down a little and with calm eyes and an even calmer
voice said, "Look at me Tara." Tara raised her eyes to meet his and was
instantly taken with the absolute calm she saw.  "Do you see any worry or
fear here?" Tom asked.
   "No," Tara whimpered.  "I see beautiful eyes.  Very calm eyes.  Eyes
that can be ice cold if they need to be.  But worry?  Fear?  No, not at
all."
   "Good, because trust me, there isn't any."
   "Ok.  Then when you're ready we'll get you over to the house and settled
in.  I'll let Lisa, Carol and Sheryl know what's up, and you'll just be one
of the happy family!"
   Tara started to give him a soft smile, and seeing that Tom leaned down
and gave her a quick, light, chaste kiss and pointed Tara to her chair as
he sat back down in his to finish his drink.
   Conversation hit on a few light topics as time and drinks wore on.  Tara
was amazed and taken with the banter between Tom and Marie.  It was obvious
that they loved each other very much, but she said she had a lesbian SO.
   She'd find out about all of that in time, but for now it was time to go.
   Using a picture provided by Tara, Tom left the table to go outside to
look around.  The SEAL training had never diminished and crept into
everything he did from taking a trip to the grocery store, to camping out
in a National Park.
   Marie and Tara continued with their conversation, but after about 30
minutes Tara started to become frightened.  Marie sensed it in her voice
and eyes, and assured her, "Tom is very thorough Tara.  He's not going to
let you go outside until he's cleared the entire area.  Knowing him, he'll
walk the entire parking lot and check every vehicle.  Don't worry hon,
you're in good hands"!
   Tara gave her a nervous smile and thanked her.  About this time Tom
wandered back in the back door this time with a smile and said, "Let's go.
Lot is clean."
   
  
Chapter 17 - Tara's Dream - The Nightmare Begins