Andy blinked and the face in the window was gone. She rushed out, barely managing to put on her shoes and jacket. She was going to catch the person today, she vowed, being haunted was no fun and today was the day she would get to the bottom of the mystery.

"Who's there?" Gingerly she ran around the house as the cold weather blasted her and chilled her. Her breath formed wisps in the air and the light let out from her open door was ineffective in dispersing the dark. She ran to the kitchen window and there was no one there, but the shrubs around the window had been trampled.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Andy screamed with more bravado that she felt.

She turned and scream as a huge figure launched herself at her and knocked her down. Her head hit the tiles around the flower bed and her vision exploded into stars. She feebly managed to swat at her attacker but she could feel his foul breath on her face. She felt close to weeping, overpowered and injured.

And then the attacker....licked her?

All over the face and she realized that she was looking at a huge dog. He had no idea that he was crushing her and was instead playfully licking her face.

"Get off, you.. you cur!" Andy pushed the animal away and stumbled back to her feet. In the minimal light, she could make out that the dog was higher than her waist and had brown shaggy fur. But there was no way he could have peered through the kitchen. The face she had seen was definitely human.

Andy grabbed her throbbing skull and looked around. Right behind the oak, there was a figure cuddled down. It started moving towards her in hesitantly.

"I'm r-really sorry, Ma-Madam A-Andy." The woman who stepped forward was the same one she had seen through the window.

"Jeez, who the hell are you?" Andy peered in the darkness. The dog plopped at her feet and yawned.

"It's M-Mary. From the ho-home. I kind of w-wanted to talk to you."

Andy let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, you better come on in then."

***

When Leo let himself into Andy's apartment, he was treated to a delectable view of Andy's round bottom clad in thin shorts and sticking out of the fridge.

He was quick to let out an appreciative whistle. Andy jumped up and shot him a reprimanding look and pointed to the figure sleeping on the couch. Leo could barely make out the huddled form as that of a woman when Andy pulled him into her bedroom.

"Easy, tiger!"

"Shut up! The poor girl is sleeping and I won't have you tramping around and waking her up."

"Oh, a friend of yours? If you were so scared to be alone, you could've just asked me to stay over." He dragged a finger over her ridiculously soft cheek. Had she realized that her breath had picked up and there was just a hint of rosiness in her cheeks? It was crazy how happy he was to see her and his body was reacting to her closeness as well.

"Oh, I'm not scared to be here alone." Leo shot her a disbelieving look and she pulled her plump, pink lip in her mouth.

Oh, this was ridiculous!

He pushed a hand into Andy's hair and pushed her till her back came into contact with the wall.

Her eyes went round but she didn't push him back. So far, so good.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Saying hello properly."

Very slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. Her eyes went wide, then slid shut as she relaxed and offered up her lips in silent anticipation.

His heart sped up. He had dreamed of having her in his arms again, close enough for him to touch. To place his lips on hers.

"Damn it!" Leo jerked apart as he was rudely pushed back and someone moved between them. He looked down to see a huge dog, with a shaggy coat of dirty brown. His tongue was lolling out and he pushed against Andy, begging for her attention.

Andy laughed at Leo's shocked face. "Meet Washington, my second house guest."

Leo moved away scowling. "Who are these people? Your friends?"

Andy sighed, then as if realizing belatedly that her room was a mess, set out to straighten it. After she had straightened it out to her satisfaction, she patted the bed for Leo to join her.

Leo scowled at the dog who was settled proprietorially on Andy's feet, tail thumping. And grudgingly took the seat next to Andy on the bed. If not for the damn dog, being on the bed with Andy would have been a lot more pleasurable.

"I don't believe I told you, I used to work at Sharon West home for Women in Dallas. It was run, still is run, by my friend Mia. It acts as a sort of half-way home for women from everywhere. When women are abused, that's the place that unquestionably takes them in. I was employed by them full-time. I did whatever needed to be done, Accounts, nursing the women, giving them a sympathetic ear. Most of the women there had been treated poorly by their husbands or boyfriends. We would make sure that the women had whatever means needed to be independent and most of them never went back to their old lives."

She sighed and looked out the window. "It wasn't a lot of money, but it was extremely satisfying work. Mia did offer me a partnership and did keep some money for me...but anyways, I would have done it for free and would do it again."

Leo felt her anguish and sadness as if it were his own. She really did care for that place. He covered her hand with his own and though Washington let out a possessive whine, Andy didn't remove her hand.

"But soon, it became too much. Some of the women, they were recurring inhabitants there. They would come in, sometimes so bruised and beaten that they couldn't walk or speak. Many times we would lodge police complaints against their husbands or boyfriends. The women would stay till they recovered but soon would go back to the abuser and take back their complaints. No matter how much we tried, we couldn't help these women."

She sighed and looked at the dog at her feet. "Mary, out there, is such a woman. Her husband Phil is a mean drunkard and threatened to kill her. Again. But this time, she's pretty sure he means it. And he knows the address for the home, so she's scared to even go there."

"How did she get here, then?"

"She followed me without my knowledge and lurked outside the house till I found her and got her in. Scared me when I first met her." Andy said with a nervous laugh.

"The dog isn't much of a guard dog, is he?" The foolish mutt had now placed his head on Leo's shoes and was drooling all over them.

"No, he's a darling. He jumped on me and started licking me all over."

"So, you're gonna take care of them now?"

Andy pffted. "I can barely take care of myself. I agreed to keep her till Mia comes back, she's out in South Africa visiting family, and then we'll decide what to do about her."

Leo placed his hand on her face. She blinked as if realizing for the first time that he was so close. "Andy, I-"

Her life experiences were humbling. He had done nothing in his life but look after himself. The only self-less act he had performed was moving back to his hometown and take care of his own father. Andy may put on a gruff facade but she cared more than she let on. She was such a beautiful contradiction of strength and vulnerability and she intrigued him more than he cared to admit.

He moved closer to her again, nothing would stop him from reaching her lips this time.

"Andy?" Mary called from the living room and they guiltily jumped apart.

"Damn it!" Leo cursed and Andy laughed.

*****

"Woohooo! Houston baby!" Felicity let out a whoop and Andy couldn't hold back a smile. It was ridiculous how much she smiled among these people.

"I don't believe anyone has used that phrase before," she intoned dryly.

But Felicity had already bounded down the road and had her face stuck against the display.

"Come look!" Felicity pulled Andy over a dress shop display. Andy sighed at the tasteful decor. It was high time that she did shopping herself. She was tired of feeling gauche in front of Leo. With some good dresses and some of Felicity's guidance, she was determined that next time that Leo laid eyes on her, she wouldn't look like something that the cat had dragged in.

It was providence that Felicity had suggested a trip to Houston for her birthday shopping. Andy was determined to splurge whatever she had managed to save, apart from her emergency fund. She had an eye on a lovely charm bracelet for Felicity and she wanted to buy something for Mary as well.

After three hours of fittings, the girls slouched in a booth in Starbucks, too tired but too happy to complain.

"How's it going with Mary? Did she tell you what exactly happened with her husband this time around?"

Andy pursed her lips and shook her head in the negative. "It's like pulling teeth. She doesn't even respond most of the time and stares out of the window with a vacant look." She took a straw and stirred her cinnamon macchiato.

"It's really nice of you to take her in, Andy. I really think so. And I see how you're overtaxing yourself at work. Mr. Stern makes you do the accounts now, doesn't he?"

"I like accounts." And desperately need the additional money. She had two more mouths to feed after all.

"Oh, didn't Mary want to join us for shopping?"

"Nope, most stubbornly refused, even though Drew offered to watch the dog."

"Hmm, when a girl refuses to shop, there is definitely something wrong up there." Felicity tapped her forehead and nodded sagely.

Andy snorted and sipped her cool drink.

"Don't get mad, but there's still one more stop."

Andy groaned as Felicity licked off the crumbs of the coffee cake she'd devoured, brushed off her hands and lap and stood up.

"What do you have to buy now?" Andy wailed. Her feet were killing her. She was afraid that if she stood up, they would simply crumble away into dust.

"Well," Felicity gave her a pitying look as she mercifully sat down. "I kinda needed to buy lingerie. The really hot kind. Think kinky."

"Woah, hold on Nellie. Where's the fire?"

Felicity sat back and cooled herself by flapping her arms. "Oh honey, you've no idea. Mama is dying for some action. And I'm sure that I may finally be getting some."

"Woah, who's the guy? Is it Nelson from the Pizzeria?" Nelson was a tiny, awkward student who got real nervous around Felicity. All the guys teased him about it. Felicity initially was nice to him, but he got so tongue-tied over her that she had given him up for a hopeless cause.

"As if! This is a real man, with experience. And man, he does have the moves. He's like the perfect package and I'm dying to get him in the sack. Hence, the lingerie!"

Andy couldn't fault the logic. "And the guy is?"

"Umm, just perfect for me. And I can bet you he's into me. Just needs a slight push, if you know what I mean." Felicity punctuated with a wink.

This was no surprise. Most guys were into Felicity. She was quite pretty and popular.

"You know?" Felicity continued. "I think we should make it official around my birthday. I've finally met my match. It would be so grand, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah totally, and when do I meet this mystery guy?"

Felicity demurred. "Oh, on my birthday of course! And you promise you'll keep this to yourself, now, won't you?"

Andy gave a wry smile. "Cross my heart!"