Los Angeles

Savannah sat in her electric car and frowned at the property in front of her, the small bungalow that looked as if it was falling apart yet it was perfect. She had been told to find something small instead of her old home that was too large and had too many noticeable features. This place wasn’t going to attract the cameras of L.A’s paparazzi or her fans, who still thought she lived in Santa Monica.

But here she was, tucked away in the Hollywood Hills with a bungalow that would need a little touching up.

A heavy sigh escaped unpainted lips, stretching out her long legs as she got out the car that held a few boxes of cleaning products as well as a kettle and few other things. She hadn’t bought any of her furniture from her old place, as she promised herself that she would be back in her home within a year, if she was lucky.

Savannah walked to the front door, ignoring the things outside that would need repairing; noticing that the white paint was starting to fade on the door and the small window pane was covered in dirt. She unlocked it and immediately coughed, watching as dust wafted out of the opened door.

The bungalow had two bedrooms, one near the front door with the bathroom next to it and second bedroom next to that. The hallway opened into the living room which had a wooden fireplace and a large bay window that overlooked the driveway. There was also a kitchen with dirt covered marbled counters, a small extension that would be suited for a kitchen table and French doors that opened onto the garden which was jungle.

With a heavy sigh, her thoughts away from her stalker and the things to come, Savannah turned her attention to cleaning the kitchen counters while she waited for her bodyguard to arrive.

Daniel drove through the Hollywood Hills, the wind whipping around in the cab of his SUV as he cruised at a pleasant pace with his arm resting on the window. It was a beautiful day, although a little hot for his liking, but he didn't mind. He had gotten used to the scorching sun in Iraq, and a 90 degree day didn't phase him. He slid his arm off the window and reached for his suit buttons, undoing them to let the fresh air breeze through the thin white undershirt. He glanced at the silver watch on his wrist, his eyes widening slightly. Oops! It was already passed 2, and he was supposed to be meeting his new client in a half hour. He quickly accelerated and payed close attention to where his GPS was instructing him to go.

After 20 minutes of driving, he finally came across the correct place, at least according to the GPS. He slowed down to a crawl, making his way up the driveway, peering in front of him curiously as the house came into view. He hadn't been told who the new client was by name, all he knew is that she was an actress and needed his protection from some kind of sicko who was obsessed with her. Hmph. She was probably some stuck up blondie who grew up with a posh family, with everything she ever wanted at her fingertips..even fame. He pulled up in front of the house, turning the car off and studying the house for a moment. It was a little beat down and dirty, but with a little work it could be made to be nice and homey.

Stepping out of the car, he straightened his jacket up and glanced through one of the windows. He could see the figure of a woman, but that was all. Letting out a breath, he shut the door and made his way up to the house. He held his fist up to knock, but the door was already creaked open. He shrugged his shoulders and pushed it open, taking one step in with his hand still on the door. The inside was stuffy, and he contained a cough as the dust gusted past him and out the door. He walked towards where he heard shuffling around, coming to a halt when he saw the woman wiping up the counters. Perhaps she hadn't seen him pull up? He cleared his throat more loudly than needed, his eyes watching her reaction through the black sunglasses on his face. She was pretty, he could tell, even without seeing her face. She had beautiful brown hair, tan skin and a lovely figure. He took a step forward, speaking aloud to alert her more of his presence.

"Excuse me, miss? My name is Daniel, I was sent here to offer my protective services.." He said, lifting his sunglasses to rest on top of his head so she could see his green eyes. "Sorry for not knocking, the door had been left open."

Savannah had been happily cleaning in the kitchen, her thoughts all a jumble as she moved the dirty rag across the counters that were slowly coming back to life. She had taken the time to make a mental checklist which started with cleaning this kitchen, then buying new furniture and finally restocking the kitchen once it gleamed as new.

Of course, she was running out of time to do all three but she could cut corners in a way.

Refilling the sink with clean water, Savannah took a moment to glance out at the backyard and frowned silently to herself. The trees were high enough to keep most of the property hidden but someone could easily climb up one and take a good look. The driveway wasn't gated so anyone could easily see her car and herself if she was outside.

It made her uneasy but she would have to get through it, especially if she wanted to return to normal after all this stupid stalking business. Her thoughts now cleared and her rag back in her hand, Savannah returned to cleaning the counters that were becoming a pain. It wasn't long until she heard a voice that she hadn't heard in a long time, a very long time.

She could still remember graphically the last time that voice spoke to her, his green eyes piercing into her own that leaked with tears and how he finally walked away.

"I didn't expect you to be my bodyguard," Savannah said without turning around but the hand tightened around the rag as if she wanted to use it as a weapon.

Daniel stood silent for a moment as the Woman tensed at the sound of his voice. She clenched the rag in her hand with a murderous grip, and Daniel felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him. Her whole stance stiffened with bristling anger, and he had the urge to step back, but held his ground. As soon as she spoke her first word to him, he knew. He would remember that voice anywhere. A vision slapped him in the face so hard and fast, he barely contained a gasp. He sucked in a deep breath; It was her...it was Savannah. The last time she had seen him he was nothing but a cold lifeless husk, with no emotions left to spare for anyone or anything.
He could picture her eyes filling with tears as he turned to walk away, not even glancing back. That was years ago now, but it felt as if it was another lifetime ago. He was a different person now, at least he liked to think so. He took a cautious step forward, prepared in case she decided to toss something at him.

"Savvy?...Savannah?...I..w-what..er...how?..ugh, jeez, I can't even speak right.." Daniel stuttered, trying to find his words. "I had no idea it was you I would be guarding, or else I wouldn't have come. But, it's a little late for that now.." He rubbed the back of his head and then leaned against the counter beside him, staring at the back of her head hoping she would turn around. "Congrats on making it to stardom!.." He said, leaning forward and grinning hopefully at her.

She didn't know what to think. She knew she wanted to curse and scream at him but she couldn't speak, she couldn't get the words out. Very slowly, Savannah turned around and took a good look at him. There were obvious changes but there was still a very slight hint of the old Daniel that was lurking away somewhere.

"Yeah, stardom that has given me a stalker a present." She said, narrowing her eyes at him briefly. "I take it my Father didn't tell you who you would be protecting...which is pretty much like him. However, it's not too late. You can take your bags and you can leave. I don't want you here and if you don't leave pretty soon, I'm going to call the cops and have you forcefully removed."

Savannah's voice shook with anger and rage with also a hint of sadness. Her ex-boyfriend was standing right in front of her after all these years but that didn't matter now, as she wanted him to leave and quickly. She had managed to get her life back on track and she didn't want Daniel to mess up all her hard work.

Words failing her, she gripped the rag and threw it as hard as she could and watched with some satisfaction as it landed on his face then dropped to the floor. Only a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth signalled her amusement.

Daniel flinched when she practically growled at him to leave, her fists balled angrily. He frowned and pushed away from the counter when he heard the hint of sadness in her voice as well. It has been years since that night he walked away from her, and he hadn't calculated how much it really had broken her heart when he left. They were together for 4 years, almost all their teenage years until becoming young adults. He remembered their times together very clearly, being good friends as kids and slowly developing crushes on one another, and then turning into something even deeper. When his brother Ethan died, everything changed..at least for him. He was broken, and could no longer sustain any emotions for anyone or anything. He wasn't even sure if Savannah KNEW of the passing of Ethan when he left, which could possibly be another reason why she was still so hurt...that there was no explanation for his drastic change except for him just being a cold brute.

As he was about to speak up again, he was surprised when a cold wet cloth slapped him in the face, splatting all over him before slopping off slowly and hitting the floor. He opened his eyes slowly, a look of disgust on his face as he tried to wipe some of the water off his face. Cleaning up as best he could, he huffed and turned to look at Savannah again.

"Listen, I know things ended badly back then...but we were young, and naive. I'm sorry for what I did, I really am...can we please just call a truce? I'm here to help, and I am staying. I'm the best in the business and the best chance for you to get back to your normal life is to let me STAY." He said sternly, crossing his arms. "Plus, I have already been paid in advance form your Father, so no way can I leave now."

It was pretty weird since he sounded like her father for a moment so Savannah winced and rolled her eyes, knowing full well he was right and she hated him for it. All throughout high school he was always right about something, though he never bragged about it but it was down right annoying. And now he was doing the same thing but this was her life they were talking about and future plans that he had no part of really, not that she had any future plans.

"And what do you suggest I do? Forgot about our past? Just treat you like a friend and carry on normal. I can't. I can't forget what happened though lord knows I've damn well tried and now you come back and it starts all over again." She said, watching him for a moment while running her hands through her hair. Savannah felt frustrated, annoyed, upset and PMSy all in one go and it wasn't that time of the month yet.

She stayed silent for a while, leaning against the counter she had just cleaned for support and simply thought. If Daniel became her bodyguard, anyone could easily look him up and find out about their past which the stalker could use against them and things could get worse. Then again, Daniel knew her better than anybody even with those years apart and could protect her easily than a stranger.

If the stalker grew more angry over this new arrangement, it might draw him out more and he would be captured...and wasn't that all that mattered?

Savannah huffed and glanced up at him, her shoulders relaxing as she waved the white flag of defeat. "Alright, fine. I'm not going to be able to get rid of you and my Father won't help either so you'll have to stay. I suppose we'll have to come up with some rules and all that rubbish."

Daniel sighed in relief as Savannah finally threw in the white flag. He was expecting it to take a little more than that for sure, but was grateful that it did not. Savvy had always been hard headed, stubborn and fiery. It was what he initially loved about her, and of course as kids it caused fights since he too was a lot like her. He had always been a bit more mellow though, and Savvy usually gave in to his reasoning.

He looked Savannah over, noticing how much more mature she looked than the last time he had seen her. Her skin was more tan and her hair more smooth..it was like everything had been amplified by ten. Must be the Hollywood treatment process. He couldn't help noticing her fuller curves as well, her body was molded to perfection. He had always found her beautiful, but now he barely stopped himself from leaking drool from his mouth. He quickly snapped out of it and glanced out the window as the sun beamed in to distract himself for a moment. He couldn't believe it had already been quite a few years since the last time he had seen her. When he arrived home from his last tour in Iraq the thought crossed his mind to look her up, but decided against it. He didn't want to dig up old roots only to find that they were dead and dried up..and he knew it was over with her. So he continued on alone, striving to get somewhat of a normal life back. Now, things were back to being complicated. He sighed and turned back to Savannah just as she mentioned making some kind of boundaries or rules.


Daniel cocked an eyebrow and folded his arms, giving her a quizzical look.

"Oh, what kind of rules did you have in mind? Me sleeping outside in the dirt?" He questioned jokingly, grinning slightly.

"As much as I would love that to happen, no. You're the bodyguard after all, why don't you tell me what rules there should be. Rules like how you're never allowed to leave my side and I can't go anywhere by myself. Fans are only allowed at a certain distance, etc." She said, arching an eyebrow at him. Surely Daniel was meant to know all of this and surely he would have a plan in place, with rules and the like. Then again, Savannah didn't have a clue about being a bodyguard.

Letting out a soft snort, Savannah picked up the rag that fell to the floor after she threw it at him and placed it into the sink filled with dirty water. If she was going to keep safe, she would have to hope that Daniel knew what he was doing and if he didn't know what he was doing....well, she shuddered to think.

"Look, let's forget all that for a while and concentrate on cleaning this damn place out as well as getting some furniture in and food. If we don't, we're going to find ourselves sleeping either on the floor or at a hotel which will draw attention," she suggested and arched an eyebrow at him. "Unless you have a better suggestion, Mr. Bodyguard?"

She knew she was being mean to him but it was better than being nice.