I'm in a very good mood. Things are going my way. I'm going to finish posting this story and then take a break. Hope yall enjoy. I'll be back when I get more on my next story. Hopefully in the next few months.
Chapter 24

"So, you thought you could get over me? Just toss me aside?" D.J. yelled, pushing Desiree back into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Desiree just stared at him, her mind unable to process what was going on. How was she going to get out of this? She walked backwards, tripping over her feet, never taking her eyes off the gun pointed at her. She gave a cry of alarm when D.J.'s beefy hand whipped out and seized her upper arm, squeezing painfully. She tried not to shudder when he pulled her tight to his body, his breath smelling of stale alcohol, coming in hard puffs in her face.

"What. what do you want?" Desiree tried to keep the trembling from her voice, but she could still hear it.

"I want you sweetie." D.J. dragged her behind him as he made his way to the bedroom. Desiree was frightened at how well he knew the house. She felt chills go down her spine at the thought of him being in here, going through her things.

Once they were in the room, D.J. threw her roughly towards her closet, smiling as she fell to the floor. He began waving the gun around, making menacing moves towards her.

"Come on, let's get going!" D.J. bellowed.

From her place on the floor Desiree looked at D.J., a bewildered look on her face.

"What. I don't understand." She dropped her gaze when she saw the look D.J. was giving her.

He aimed a malevolent grin at her, "Start packing. We have a long trip ahead of us."

Desiree felt the panic well up in her throat, threatening to choke her. She couldn't leave with him. If she did, no one would ever find her. She had to find a way to stall him and find help, but she couldn't think with D.J. hovering over her.

"What are you waiting for? Get off the damn floor now and get moving!" D.J. yelled, smiling at the way Desiree jumped. He pointed the gun at her, making waving motions towards the closet door.

Desiree got off the floor slowly, trying to form a plan in her mind. She cried out when D.J. grabbed her arm again, pushing her violently into the wardrobe. She scooted to the farthest part of the closet, trying to hide behind some of the clothes.
D.J. began pulling clothes off the hangers, throwing them into the room. He had to hurry. He didn't know when Bill was going to come home. He hadn't planned on taking Desiree today, but when he'd seen her come home alone, he knew this would be his only chance to get at her. He'd heard about her setting the date and he knew his chances of getting to her would be non-existent when the word spread.
He didn't understand why she was acting so frightened of him. He was her fiancé! There was no need for her to be scared of him. It was all Bill's fault. He sneered as he thought of the older man. He was going to make him pay. Just as soon as he and Desiree got to where he had planned, he was coming back to get his revenge on the man who had ruined his life. He looked behind him when he felt something brush against his leg. Reaching down, he grabbed the back of Desiree's head, who'd been trying to crawl past him, hauling her up to look in his eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" D.J. snarled.

"Away from you!" Desiree spit in his face, trying to claw at his hands. She had to get away from him.

D.J. made a growling noise in the back of his throat, before dragging her to the bed and throwing her on it. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, he reached down, picking up an almond colored, sleeveless double v- neck dress with black lace trim. He threw the dress at Desiree.

"Put it on. You're not dressed for where we're going." He sneered down at the tattered jeans and sweatshirt Desiree was wearing. He remembered when they had been together she had always been dressed in the best styles.

"I'm not getting changed in front of you!" Desiree was horrified at the thought of D.J. seeing her naked. The very thought repulsed her.

"I remember when you used to let me watch." D.J. smirked, burning at the look of revulsion that crossed her face. He was going to have to remind her of what they used to have when he had time. He gave an exasperated noise at the stubborn look on Desiree's face.

"Fine, I'll turn my head, but no funny business." He looked at his watch, before turning to face the closet. He wanted to get out of there before Bill got home.

Desiree stared D.J.'s back, chewing on her lip. She debated if she should take the risk of running. She didn't think she would make it far enough before D.J. caught her. She doubted she'd make it through the door. She quickly stripped of her clothes, putting the dress on hastily. She barely had time to put the dress right before D.J. turned to stare at her. She gave a shiver at the look he gave her.

"Now you look good." D.J. bent to place a kiss on her cheek, grinding his teeth when Desiree turned her head from him.

"You'll change your tune soon enough." D.J. grabbed her hand, dragging her towards the front door.
He opened the front door and froze. Standing in a half circle around the front of the house was the police, all their weapons trained on him. In the back of the semi-circle, D.J. could see Bill, his face drawn and tight with anger. D.J. gave a sneer, before slamming the door.

Desiree launched herself at him, taking advantage of his lack of attention. She hit and clawed at his face, hoping to inflict damage. She gave a yelp of surprise when she found herself being thrown against the wall. She slid to the floor in a daze.

D.J. squatted in front of her, reaching out to stroke her face lovingly. He gave a scowl when she turned her head away from him, evading his touch.

"What has he done to you? Why don't you love me?" He wailed, grasping her chin between his fingers.

"He hasn't done anything. You did this." Desiree flinched when D.J. let go of her chin, letting out a shriek of pain when she felt his hand make contact with her cheek. She went crashing to the floor. She saw stars as her head made contact with the wood floor. She stayed on the floor, trying to gather her wits.

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Bill heard Desiree cry out in pain and started forward. One of the policemen held him back.

"Sir, calm down. If you go charging in there, we don't know what he can do."

Bill stared at the man, debating if he could take him or not, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see Bryce standing behind him.

"Be calm. If you rush in there, he could hurt Desiree or you. Just let them do their job. Your brother is on his way."

Bill knew that what Bryce was saying was right, but he didn't like it. He gave a reluctant nod, before going back to where he had been standing. If anything happened to Desiree, there was going to be hell to pay.

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D.J. stood up, staring down at her, "I can give you everything. What can he do for you? We can be happy together." his voice was pitiful.

Desiree made a scathing noise, "I don't think so. For some sick sense of revenge, you let your brother get killed. You killed one of my friends, and then tried to kill another one and a baby. To top it off, you turned one of my best friends against me. How do you think we can be happy together?" Desiree rose up on her hands, bracing herself on them. She struggled to fight against the wave of dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her.

"I love him. He is a good man and he treats me like a queen. No matter what you do, I'm always going to love him." Desiree looked up into D.J.'s eyes, her brown eyes bright with defiance.

She took a hard look at the man before her, finally seeing him. He was just a sad little boy looking for someone to love him. A little boy that had grown to be a man consumed by hate and fury. She realized that she hadn't been doing him any good by not calling the police. By not calling the police she had allowed him to fester in his own anger, letting it consume him. She sat back, letting the wall brace her as she continued to look D.J. in his eyes.

"You don't need me D.J. You never did." Her voice was quiet, trying to convey a deeper meaning. She hoped that D.J. would see that she was right and that this was not the way things had to be.

"Of course I need you. I've always needed you!" D.J.'s hand trembled, the gun catching the rays of the setting sun.

Desiree shook her head, opening her mouth to say something, but D.J. cut her off.

"YES I DO!" DJ screamed at the top of his lungs, hitting at the wall. He pounded the wall with his fists. "You're the only one for me. No one else." D.J. rushed over to where she was sitting, trying to take her hands in his.

Desiree used the wall to support her, pulling her hands from his. She tried to show no fear as she spoke "You don't need me, it's over. Get over me DJ. I'm over you."

D.J. pushed himself away from her, to stand by the front door, his gun drawn.

"I'll show you that I need you and you need me."

He jerked open the door with his hands up, still holding the gun. He wanted everyone to think he was giving up, and then he could act out his plan. He stood facing the officers, his hands by his head. He saw Bill in the back, and his vision became red. He was going to make that bastard pay for everything he'd done to him.

He turned around to look at Desiree, "I LOVE YOU!" He shouted, before opening fire on the unsuspecting police officers

D.J. managed to hit two of the officers before he felt a burning sensation in his body. He looked down to see multiple bullet holes in his body. He felt his legs give way under him and as he sank to the porch, he turned to look at Desiree one last time

Desiree watched memorized as bullets flew thorough the air, each one hitting D.J. in the chest and body. Time seemed to slow down as D.J. fell to knees. She watched as D.J. turned to look at her, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"I LOVED YOU!" D.J. screamed one last time, before his body hit the ground.

Wasting no time, the officers swarmed the front of the house, rushing over to D.J.'s body, wanting to make sure he was dead.

Desiree looked up when she heard Bill's voice urgent and loud, calling out for her. Using the wall as support, she feebly stood up, holding her arms out for Bill.

Bill ran to her, squeezing Desiree till she made a squeaking noise of protest. Loosening his hold on her, he looked down at her. He felt his anger rise at the bruise marks on her face. He held his anger in check, knowing that it was over now.

"Baby, are you alright?" Bill's voice was strained. He'd been on the edge since he'd gotten the call from Bryce about what was going on. He'd smoked through two packs of cigarettes since getting to his house and finding it surrounded by the police.

Desiree looked up at him, her eyes a little unfocused. "He missed you?" she seemed confused.

"I didn't even know he was aiming for me"

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The weekend before Christmas, Desiree walked down the aisle, her arm in her father's. Her gaze was trained on the front of the church, where Bill was waiting for her. She had never seen him look so handsome, the black of his tuxedo bringing out the goldenness of his skin. All around them were their friends and loved ones. The aisle was lit with hundreds of candles and there were red roses everywhere. She smiled at her mother as she walked past her, her eyes misting at her mother's happy tears.

Bill felt his breath catch in his throat as he took in the sight of Desiree. She was radiant in her ivory satin gown, the multi-colored, embroidered gold sash at the waist accentuating the richness of her skin and her lush waist. Nestled in the curls of her hair was a pearl and diamond tiara with a cathedral length veil, the scattered pearls on the edge picking up on the candlelight. The veil covering her face gave her an air of mystery. Bill had never seen her look so beautiful.
Bill lifted the veil, taking a long moment to drink in the sight of her glowing face. They had gone through so much to get to this point and Bill wanted to enjoy this time. He fought to hold back the tears, but lost the battle when Desiree mouthed, "I love you". He gave a watery smile when she reached up to wipe the tears from his face. He looked up at the discreet cough from the pastor, breaking the intimate moment.
He flushed, realizing that he had been holding up the ceremony. He looked at Desiree before turning back to the pastor and as he did so, he caught his father's eye. He gave a smile at the proud look his father gave him. It was a bittersweet moment. His father's health had been slowly declining since the situation with D.J., and no one had been sure that he would make it to the wedding. He was glad that his father could be there to see him finally happy.

After the vows had been exchanged, and the reception was well under way, Bill pulled Desiree away for a moment of privacy. Hiding in the bathroom, Bill pulled Desiree close to him. He gazed at down at her, drinking in the sight, not wanting the moment to end. He leaned in, capturing her lips with his in a steamy kiss. When he pulled back, Desiree was grinning up at him. Bill felt his heart explode with love for the woman before him, the woman that was now his wife.

"What are you smiling about?" Bill gazed at her lovingly, stroking his fingers over her cheekbones.

"I'm just thinking that this must be the way love goes." She smiled up at her new husband, loving the way he touched her face, as if she was fragile, needing to be protected.

Bill leered down at her, pulling her tight to his body, wanting her to feel his swelling erection. "Baby, it just keeps getting better." he kissed her again, taking her breath away.

2 years later.

Bill pulled into the driveway of his new house, letting out a sigh of pleasure. He and Desiree had only been living in the house for 6 months, but it already looked like a home. After the incident with D.J., Desiree hadn't wanted to stay in the old house. Not that he could blame her. He'd found out later that D.J. had made blueprints of the house and had actually been inside, snooping through their things. They'd moved in with his brother till they could sell the house and find a new one. They'd finally sold the house in Wytheville and moved to Bluefield, buying a house closer to Collin and Gina.
It had been the best thing for them. It had been like starting fresh. Grabbing his briefcase, he got out the car and headed to the front door, smiling at the flowers lining the walkway. Desiree had planted them last week.
He gave a smile as Desiree came to the door, her face bright with happiness. Setting down his bag, he pulled her face to his, kissing her deeply and warmly, his tongue softly stroking hers. He broke the kiss, softly stroking his hands over her just swelling belly. Two months into them living in the new house, Desiree had gotten pregnant. Bill had been the happiest man alive. He'd gone out, buying things he was sure his new baby would need. A baseball glove, a bat and a new bike were just some of the items he'd been loaded down with when he'd come home that day.
Desiree had just laughed at him, pulling him to the bedroom, where they'd made love all day. He was a little scared at the prospect of being a new father, not that he told Desiree. He just didn't want to do anything wrong. It was his first child. His father was even more excited, fighting the cancer that was ravaging his body so he could see his first son have his first child.

"Come on honey, I have dinner ready." Desiree gave a happy laugh, entwining her hands with Bill's and pulling him into the house.

Bill picked up his bag and followed her into the house, shutting the door behind him. He'd finally found what he was looking for.

THE END