Chapter 8            A couple days later, Amanda waited by the window for her parents to come
     home. Tim asked her to come watch TV with him for the third time, but she
     shrugged him off. "Mo-Mo, you okay?" he asked, a little concerned.
         "Uh-huh," she barely responded Then she saw he car. "Here they come."
         When Trevor and Janet greeted the kids without a parcel to be seen, Amanda
     looked confused. "I thought you went shopping," she frowned.
         "We did!" Trevor told her, picking her up.
         "But-- where's all the stuff?"
         Trevor and Janet exchanged dumbfounded looks. "Stuff?" Janet asked. "We were
     supposed to get-- stuff?"
         Amanda groaned. "My birthday-- remember?"
         "Oh, THAT." Trevor laughed with a wink to Janet. "Well, we couldn't find anything."
         Amanda's face fell. "Anything at all?" She looked ready to cry, which alarmed
     them. They were sure she'd go along with the joke.
         "Sweetie, it's all out in the trunk... we were just trying to pull your leg." Janet looked
     to Tim. "Did something happen?"
         "She's been acting strange all night," he reported.
         Trevor carried her to the couch, where they sat down together. "Something go
     wrong at school, pumpkin?"
         "Well..."
         "Doesn't matter if it's big or small, we want to hear it," he assured her.
         "Well, OK. There was this man at the school buses when we were coming home..."
         "A man?" Janet repeated, trying to sound calm but instantly frantic inside.
         "An icky, creepy man. He stood on the other side of the street, but-- he knew who
     I was. He HAD to."
         "Why do you say that?" Trevor asked.
         "Because he was holding a sign up, and it had my name on it. That was all it
     said-- 'Amanda Dillon'."
         A wave of terror swept over Janet and Trevor. Tim, listening as intently as any of
     them, said "That must've been pretty scary, huh?"
         "I didn't say anything to him," she went on. "You guys tell me not to talk to
     strangers--"
         "Yeah, and I bet they don't come much stranger than him," Trevor sighed, hugging
     her tight.
         "But Daddy, all my friends were pointing and... I stared at him. I know it's rude, but
     I couldn't help it! He was smiling this weird smile, and waving at me..."
         "Was he a tall man, sweetheart? With light brown hair, tan jacket, kinda
     sleepy looking eyes?"
         "Yeah, Mommy-- how did you know that?"
         Janet smiled weakly at her daughter. "I-- just think I know who we're dealing with.
     You did the right thing, Amanda."
         "Yep, you handled it like a pro," Trevor added, letting Janet get a hug in. "Why
     don't you go get ready for bed."
         "But you didn't tell me who he was!"
         "We need to check some things out, and then we'll give you the lowdown. Go
     on... we'll be right up to tuck you in."
         "Are we still gonna have a birthday party?" Amanda wondered.
         "What, right now?"
         "No, silly!" Trevor got her giggling again, and that was all he wanted. They sent her
     up the stairs. Janet held it together just long enough, then crumbled into tears.
         "Axel?" Tim asked his dad quietly.
         Trevor nodded. "Could you go keep Amanda out of earshot, buddy? We've got a
     little damage control to plan here." Tim obliged, and Trevor ran a hand up and
     down Janet's back. "She's okay... nothing happened..."
         Janet's tears soon turned to rage. She bolted off the sofa and over to the phone.
     "Where's the yellow pages?" she asked, searching already.
         "Top drawer in the desk-- what are you doing?"
         "The Pine Cone Motel.. that's the only place he could be staying..." Janet found
     the number and dialed. "Yes, can yo tell me if an Axel Green is staying there,
     please."
         "Janet, take it easy..." Trevor joined her by the phone.
         "No, don't ring it. Room 106. Thanks." Janet slammed the phone down. "All right,
     I'm taking care of this RIGHT NOW."
         "Honey, we can get the cops on this in a heartbeat!"
         "The cops won't keep him away forever. The right words from ME just might." She
     grabbed her purse.
         "At least-- let me come with you. I won't let you out of this house alone. No way."
     He took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
         "Thank you," she whispered, blinking back tears.
         "Take a breath," he instructed gently, drawing her into his arms. She did.
         "Let's go fill Tim in."         Trevor insisted on driving. As furious as he happened to be with Axel, Janet
    appeared to be carrying the fury for both of them. By the time they'd reached
    the Pine Cone, she looked ready to pounce on the first stranger in sight.
    They saw room 106 with a light on, and Trevor grabbed hold of Janet's arm before he
    even shut the headlights off. "When we go in there, Babe, we need to--"
        "We?! Uh-uh, Trevor. This has to be just me and Axel."
        "Ok, Ok, how 'bout this," he offered quickly, knowing how stubborn she could be.
     "We both go in at first, but then I step outside while you do what you need to do.
     That way he won't get any ideas about mistreating you."
        "All right, fine. But he won't mistreat me. I won't give him the satisfaction."
        "I'm getting that impression," he said with a quick smile.           Axel opened the door with a beer in hand. "Well lookee here," he grinned lazily.
    "My baby's come to her senses."
        "We have to talk," Janet said sternly, entering the room.
        When Trevor followed,  Axel's grin disappeared.
         "So, is he your bodyguard now too?"
         "Axel," she said, ignoring him, "We know what you did to Amanda today."
         "What I-- why, I didn't do hardly anything except figure out who she was. Pretty
     little thing too. Can't imagine how that happened, knowing what you USED to
     look like..."
         Trevor's fuse had grown shorter since he entered the room. "That is it, pal," he
     growled, gearing to lunge at him until Janet got in his way.
         "Trevor, you need to wait outside now. I've got this under control." His eyes sent her
     an uncertain look. "Please," she begged.
         Axel cracked another beer open as Janet steered Trevor out the door. "I won't
     budge," he told her. "If it sounds like he's even thinking about touching one hair
     on your head..."
         "I'll be done in five minutes," she told him. Then, closing the door and taking
     another of those deep breaths, she faced her ex-husband.
         "It was one thing for you to come and harass ME, Axel. Getting my daughter
     involved takes it to a whole new level."
         "Awe, Jan Jan, I didn't even talk to the girl. I figured it'd... get your attention. That's
     all." He shrugged sheepishly.
         "You scared her to bits! She has no idea who you are!"
         "Well I'm sorry! But... it got you to my room, didn't it?" He started to come closer,
     but the look she gave him brought an end to that.
         "I am going to make this as clear as I can so it will find its way into your thick
     head," she told him with a steady coolness to her voice he'd never heard before.
     "I love Trevor. I am marrying Trevor. I do not have any feelings for you except
     contempt. Let me translate. That means I don't want to see you. I don't want to
     hear you. I don't care if you've transformed into Prince Charming himself. I AM NOT
     INTERESTED."
         He scratched his head before taking another swig of beer, obviously wondering if
     Janet had gotten a new backbone as well as a new face.
         "And to prove how 'not interested' I am," she continued, "I now have a restraining
     order against you. You come within 100 feet of me, or Amanda, and you land
     yourself in jail. It's as simple as that."
         "So you're saying you want me to go," he concluded after a lengthy silence.
         "That's good, Axel, you're getting close. I'm saying you'd better be checked out
     and gone from Pine Valley by morning." She went to the door.
         "I only wanted you to give me a chance," Axel mumbled in defeat.
         "Yeah, well, chances aren't something I'm going to take-- not with you, not ever
     again." She put her remaining anger into the slam of the door, which shook half
     the motel.           "Ouch. Glad I wasn't the door," Trevor quipped, leaning against the building until      that moment.
         "Was it as fun out here as it was in there?" Janet asked.
         He shrugged. "I only got hit on once or twice. You?"
         She smiled triumphantly. "Not a fingerprint."
         "Tell me about it in the car?" he suggested, taking her hand.
         She nodded. "Come on, we've still got to find a place to stash all the presents."
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