5 years later...
Amethyst pulled her two-door Ford Escort into the parking lot of the day care center at about 5:00 pm. A bouncy, smiling little girl with long black hair and piercing blue eyes happily greeted her at the door with an enthusiastic hug. Piper was her daughter. 4 years old and a result of the rape that stole her innocence. Tess had struggled with the pregnancy, too religious to consider abortion, too embarrassed to disclose the circumstances surrounding the conception to talk to couples about adoption. No, from the first moment she felt the tiny being within her kick, she decided she would keep her. After all, she was just as much hers, maybe more so, than "his". The only feature the child seemed to inherit from her unknown paternal figure was his eyes. Piercing blue, but not cold like his, warm and curious. Piper had become her reason for being the last 5 years, her sun, moon, and stars as far as she was concerned.
Raising her daughter as a single mother in a small, gossipy town, was not an easy task. Tess received more than her share of snide remarks and smirks from her former school mates who had always branded her "ice queen". For the eternal virgin to get knocked up, while unmarried, was unthinkable but humorous to most of them. She would never satisfy their curiosity by answering questions about Piper and her absentee father. While she had reported the rape to the local police, it was far from common knowledge and she liked it that way.
Piper chattered unmercifully all the way back to their 2 bedroom duplex. Tess sighed and nodded at her adorable daughter, but continued to re-live the days events at the restaurant. She was the "big boss" now, after working there for the last 8 years. Firings, hiring's , schedules and payroll filled her day and most of her evenings. Pulling into the driveway, she questioned Piper as to her dinner preferences, and absent-mindedly unlocked the door, dropping her folder of paperwork onto the foyer table. Piper's response was always the same, macaroni and cheese and tonight Tess didn't have the strength to debate it's nutritional value. Boiling the noodles in a small pot, she allowed Piper to mix in the powder cheese and milk, making the little girl's day. The both ate at a small table in the kitchen, discussing the day's events. Piper chattered away about the happenings at day care. Someone wasn't her friend anymore but that was all right because someone else new was now her companion. Tess giggled and enjoyed Piper's simple outlook at life.
After dinner and a bit of TV, Piper was bathed and tucked into bed. The usual nightly routine of one more kiss and one more hug, a "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite, but if they do, hit them with your shoe" recital was always a requirement. Flicking off the overhead lamp and turning on the tiny night light, Tess shut her door and headed down the hall to her own room. Changing into sweats and a baby doll t-shirt, her standard pajamas, she settled herself Indian style on the bed and began her nightly paperwork. Facts and figures swimming through her head pasted the time quickly, checking the clock she frowned to see it was already after midnight. She had work early in the morning and should call it a night. Stacking the offensive paperwork on her nightstand, she made one more trip to the bathroom before checking on Piper.
Opening the door slowly, as not to make it creak and wake up her light sleeper, Tess peered into the dimly lit room. Her heart caught in her throat, and she blinked twice to make sure her eyes were not playing tricks on her. There, at the foot of the small, pink themed bed, was a figure of a man. Tall, build, dressed entirely in black, including a black ski mask, he stood staring at her child. Swallowing hard, she back up quietly from the door, making a bee line for her bedroom phone. She had picked it up, listened for a dial tone, and dial 9....1....when a eerily familiar, deep voice drifted from the door way, "You don't want to do that do you? Piper could be woken up and gone by the time the police arrived.". She closed her eyes and exhaled, slowly lowering the phone back into it's cradle. "What do you want?" she inquired, not turning around. "I wanted to see my daughter, of course." came the reply at the back of her head. Whipping around quickly, she hissed, "YOU!". It was unbelievable that her attacker had returned, was truly standing before her, incomprehensible.
Stepping into her room and shutting her door, 'blue eyes' drank her in once again. She had matured over the last 5 years. Her shape had more curves, more womanly curves. The birth of a child had broadened her hips and increased her breast size. Her long, black hair was layered just below her shoulders, but the hatred in those violet eyes hadn't changed. Gathering her courage, Tess chided, "You've seen her, now leave.". 'Blue eyes' chuckled and shook his head. "I wanted to see you again, too. To thank you for taking such good care of my little girl.". Bile rose in her throat, she swallowed it down, glaring at him, "She's my little girl, she's never been yours" . She could almost feel his smile as he retorted, "You've certainly gotten some spunk since I saw you last. Wonder if that carries over into love-making.". He began to walk toward her, she backed away until she hit the far wall, no where else to go. "Love-making?" she sneered, "It's called rape, you animal.". "Tsk tsk" was his only answer as he reached for her.