She sat nervously eyeing the strangers rushing past. There were so many people here, not that she wasn't used to people, just not so many that she didn't know. Suddenly this seemed like a huge mistake, but what else could she do? The question had been posed many times in the past week as she had screwed up the courage to get on the bus. Then the announcement came over the speakers, her bus was boarding. She grabbed the hiking backpack from under her feet and slung it over her shoulders. Her shoulders were already aching from carrying it this far, she wanted nothing more than to stow the pack under the bus, and fall asleep, though she knew she wouldn't be sleeping for the next 2 days. She had been on a Greyhound a few times before and knew she couldn't sleep on them, too many unknown people, waiting to do too many unknown things.

Tammi spied the bus driver standing by the doors, and pulled her ticket from the right hand pocket of her jacket. It was February, and in Toronto that meant it was still pretty cold. The bus driver eyed her wearily, and pointed to a spot on the ground by the open cargo compartment for her bag. She gratefully set the bag down and smiled at the handler. Turning to the driver, she handed him her ticket, he glanced at it briefly and then tore the multitude of tickets apart at the perforations.

"Going a long way?" He asked.

Tammi knew the question was rhetorical, so she smiled shyly and waited for him to permit her onto the bus.

Once in a seat three quarters of the way back she leaned her head against the window, closed her eyes and began to think about the situation which had brought her into her current predicament.

Running from situations was nothing new for Tammi; she had been running for the better part of her adolescent life. At seventeen she knew she didn't know everything, but she hoped she didn't have any more hard lessons to learn, she'd learned enough of those.

She was very sorry she had ever cheated on Scott, even sorrier that she had told him. This trip had been coming up; she had just taken it early. She had friends in Indiana, and she was supposed to spend March Break with them, but she was leaving in the middle of February and she was starting her life over, something Scott didn't know...yet.

She had been working in the worst job she had had yet, sales. The people were great, but the commission stunk, and there was no wage, so she'd been working very long hours, and since Scott had gotten fired from the sandwich shop the month before, he had been concentrating on school rather than finding another job, this was a source of endless frustration, not to mention arguments between them. She and her sales partner Joe had worked late, and unfortunately the bus to the suburbs stopped running at midnight, and she had just missed the last bus home. Joe offered her his couch, and she had called Scott and told him what had happened. He told her he'd see her tomorrow and she went to Joe's. She took a shower, put on his bathrobe, dried off, dried her hair, Joe had offered her a shirt to sleep in, her being five foot two and he being six foot one, his shirts were large enough, she accepted, and he tucked her in on the couch. Tammi thought this a bit odd, but said nothing as she watched him walk away; she admired his body briefly as he walked into his bedroom, rolled over and promptly fell asleep. A few hours later she felt someone shaking her. It was Joe. She had looked up at him sleepily, apparently she had been tossing and turning so much in her sleep she had fallen off the couch. She laughed sheepishly and he gently helped her into the bedroom, she rolled over assuming he would take the couch, and instead he got in next to her. She blushed furiously and told him she'd go back on the couch, she moved to get up and he pinned her, kissing her mouth, hard. She gave in and as they say, one thing led to another.

The next morning she went home to Scott and told him everything. After a loud argument, he slapped her across the face. She packed a few things and went to a motel she couldn't really afford, telling Scott as she left that she would be back to discuss things in two weeks.

As promised she came back after two weeks and they started a discussion, which once again escalated into a heated argument. Scott hit her again, and she told him she was going to take her March Break early and see her old friends. She'd be back in a few weeks. Scott was upset, but said next to nothing to dissuade her. After paying up the rent and other bills for the month, she had bought her ticket and waited. Scott had offered to escort her to the bus depot, and she told him that was probably a bad idea.

Now here she was rushing towards a fairly unknown town (it was bigger than a town, but she couldn't bring herself to think of it as a city.) to an unknown life.

I

Tammi stepped off the bus and looked around, it was late afternoon and she had fifty cents in her pocket. She grabbed her hiking pack full of essentials and moved into the bus station, heading for the bank of payphones. She dug her diary out of her pack and looked up Tommy's phone number. She dialed and a girl answered, she vaguely remembered his sister Kathy.

"Can I speak with Tommy please?" Tammi asked hesitantly.

"He's at work, you'll have to call back later," Kathy said curtly.

Tammi knew she was going to hang up, "Kathy, listen this is Tammi, I just got here and I'm stuck, do you have the number there?"

"Sure, just have to find it," Kathy laughed.

After giving Tammi the number she hung up, happy that people still remembered her, even after almost a year and a half. Tammi dialed the work number and waited patiently.

Tommy answered the phone in his DJ voice, and Tammi was hesitant.

"Hello?" He asked again, waiting.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah, who is this?"

"You better know who the fuck this is." She said defiantly, her eyes were gleaming.

"Tammi?!" he almost shouted. "You sound so close, how's Canada?" He asked.

"I wouldn't know, I'm here," she said holding her breath.

"What do you mean here? Here, here?"

"I'm at the bus station," Tammi heard familiar voices in the background, "Who's with you?"

"Oh, It's Oz and Spoo," he said off-handedly.

Just my luck, she thought, "I don't suppose either of them would be willing to pick me up?" she asked curiously.

"That's the dumbest question you've asked yet," Tommy laughed, "about 15 minutes, okay hon?"

"Great, thanks a million Tommy."

"No problem girl, see you in a bit."

She hung up and waited. Spoo she mused, and laughed. She had dated him briefly last time she had been down. She had been living with her aunt in a suburb; she had only stayed 7 weeks until her aunt had kicked her out and she had returned to Canada and Scott.

She stayed with Tommy for a week while his parents were out of town, and then with Spoo, who's real name was Andy, until his mom called her aunt. This was enough to piss Tammi off indefinitely. Her aunt told her she could stay for one night until she found somewhere else to go. She found a shelter for women trying to get on their feet. They said that they usually didn't take in teenagers, but that God had given them a sign. Tammi had never been much into organized religion, and rolled her eyes inwardly but said that she was glad that they had decided to accept her. One month after leaving Canada, she had a room and food in her stomach. They urged her to get a pregnancy test and make a doctor's appointment, get a job and start looking for a place of her own.

She did, and as suspected she wasn't pregnant, the doctor proclaimed she was in excellent health. She got a job as a telemarketer, which she hated, but it made money and was less than a mile from the shelter so she could walk. On weekends she worked in the soup kitchen and clothing bank that the shelter supported. There were great women there, most didn't speak to her, but she made friends with another younger woman like herself and they hung out constantly. About a month into her stay she was told that they were doing a fundraising walk for their sister house, which was a shelter for pregnant teens. It was mandatory that all residents participate in the walk to raise the money. Tammi agreed, reluctantly, but since it was a weekend and the soup kitchen and clothing bank would be closed for the day because of the walk, she had no excuse not to attend.

The morning of the walk she woke up and slipped on a pair of short shorts, bikini top, and white loose vest with a hood. The house mother looked at her with raised eyebrows, but Tammi just smiled and raised hers in return, asking her to say something. Tammi usually dressed skimpily, especially for long walks, it was just easier to stay cool. The walk started like any other, Tammi wasn't really walking with anyone, or speaking with people, until she saw something that caught her eye about halfway through. A guy, no a man about twenty or so feet ahead of her, talking with another boy, which was exactly what the other one was, he was probably eighteen or older, but he didn't have the same air as the other. The tall man in front of her was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and yet seemed like he knew everything. Her heart fluttered, and her knees felt weak. She didn't want to appear stupid or childish, so she walked up behind him, gently tapping his arm, she said "Hi" and just continued to pass him. Little did she know that within a week her whole world would be turned upside-down.

He caught up with her and they began talking, he had such a commanding stare, that she couldn't look him straight in the eye. He also reminded her of another ex, but a more dangerous one, and one she didn't like to think about. Although he was tender, caring and gentle towards her, some part of her mind, thought briefly, yeah for now.

She found out his name was Johnny and they spoke about everything. She told him about coming here and he laughed, most guys didn't like that she was so spontaneous, everyone told her to slow down and plan, but it didn't seem to be in her nature.

At the mall where they ended the walk they somehow got separated, she looked for him everywhere; she wanted to be near him again, never mind want girl, the voice spoke in her head again, hell you NEED to be near him. She only spotted him after remembering his six foot six frame and started looking up over people's head for the hat he had been wearing.

The t-shirt he was wearing was comical and after asking him to turn around so she could read the back, and admire his ass, she laughed out loud. It was a man holding a rolled up newspaper, and a dog begging to be hit with it. She asked where he got it, and he told her about a store called Spencer's. She had never been to one, and so he offered to take her.

"Now?" she asked slyly.

"Any time you want." He smiled.

"I'll be right back, don't go anywhere."

He followed her instead.

'Well he doesn't take orders well,' she thought, little did she know.

She walked over to where her house-mother was standing and introduced them, she told her she'd be home by curfew, which was ten o'clock and Johnny promised to have her back well before.

Tammy and Johnny left in Johnny's car. Tammi couldn't help chastising herself for wearing such a skimpy outfit, but she didn't know she was going to find any man, let alone this one. They talked about all kinds of things, nothing sexual, and nothing even hinting at a relationship. She learned he had had a relationship that had ended badly within the past few months and she told him about Scott, not everything, but enough. They wandered through another mall in a nearby town and window shopped, she didn't notice when he briefly stopped at a gumball machine on the way out.

At quarter to ten they drove past the shelter. Tammi watched it go by in shock, she looked over at Johnny who had a slightly evil grin on his face and thought 'Great, I've spent the entire afternoon with a psycho and I didn't even know it.' She had hitch hiked fairly frequently and usually if it was a bad situation, or just a bad person her radar would go off, but that hadn't been the case, 'Or maybe your body was just over taken by lust.' Her brain spoke up. She squashed the voice, and turned to Johnny.

"I think you passed it," she laughed.

"I know." He said, his voice sounded dangerous suddenly.

"Well then just pull over up here and I'll walk back," she suggested.

"I don't think so." He said in the same voice.

She stared at him blankly, but for some reason she was dripping wet.

"I'm sorry?" She asked.

"Don't act like you didn't hear me, you know exactly what I said." He smiled at her, an evil shark grin that bared his teeth.

"Okay, now I'm getting pissed, either pullover or don't, I don't give a shit, but I'm getting out of the car."

"Go ahead," he replied and sped up, smiling that same smile.

Tammi reached for the door handle, and he pumped the gas. She looked over at her captor in shock, and horror.

"Okay, look, if I'm not back by ten o'clock, they lock the doors and I won't be able to get in, and then they'll call the police."

"Okay." He smiled; he obviously wasn't concerned.

"At least tell me where we're going," she said resigning herself. She might as well make the best of it, since the clock already read nine fifty-five, she knew there was no way she could get back in time.

"Right here," he said as he pulled into a stadium parking lot. She looked around, there was nobody there.

He stopped the car, opened his door and dropped to one knee on the pavement below his open door. He pulled something from his pocket and Tammi saw it was a ring from a bubble gum machine. She laughed out loud, and he smiled sweetly.

"Will you marry me?" He asked.

"Yeah sure," she replied laughing harder. "You're joking right? You don't even know me; you don't know anything about what I am, where I've been, nothing."

"I know enough, and no, I'm not joking."

She didn't think about it much, she remembered the way he had spoken to her not five minutes ago, how he had decided she was what he wanted and he was going to have it. She supposed she could say no, but then what? Back to the shelter, maybe if they'd let her back, her mundane job, her boring routine life, where she barely even got to go see friends anymore she was so busy doing everything else. This man was offering her something, she didn't know if he had a job, but he had a car, and somewhere to lay his head, although she thought he had said he lived with his parents, at this point she didn't care, it was better than the shelter, he had money or he wouldn't have a car, unless mom and dad bought it and were paying everything. This guy was offering her stability, and she was attracted to him, and that voice, my God. She finally took a deep breath and looked at her lap,

"Yes." She breathed.

He smiled at her, and put a finger under her chin, tilting her face to his, "Look me in the eye and say it again, clearly." He said in that same voice.

She was shocked into sudden silence, and then looked directly into his steel grey eyes, "Yes, I'd be honored to marry you," she said, while thinking what an odd color for eyes to be, I never even noticed.

He slipped the ring on her finger, and kissed her. That first kiss took her by surprise as his hand gripped her hair tightly, she was soaked now and making no attempt to hide it.

She squirmed over on the seat to be close to him and he gently pulled her back to her own seat, guiding her by her hair.

She immediately cast her eyes down and looked at the seat, thinking she had done something wrong.

He smiled but told her that they would spend the night talking, about important matters and if she still wanted to marry him come 9 am tomorrow they would go.

"Why nine?" She asked.

"That's when the bank opens, dear." He laughed.

She laughed with him, and God that felt good.