Stolen in the Shadows Ch. 09

Author note: there's not a ton of non-con in this one, but it wraps up the plot. This is the final chapter. Please leave feedback in the comments, I'm open to ideas for my next story!

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John was clearly in charge of the operation. People left his presence with the determined step of someone with a task to do. I watched them all from my seat on the stretcher as a pair of paramedics swarmed me.

"Should we do a rape kit, hon?" the older one asked, eyes kind.

I struggled to keep my eyes open, fighting a mighty yawn. "No, ma'am - I can tell you exactly who assaulted me."

My eyes followed Matt's silhouette as he was led to a squad car, hands cuffed behind his back. He didn't seem to look at me.

She sighed. "Well, the good news is, you're not in any emergent medical situation, but you should get to the hospital for a more thorough exam. We're happy to give you a ride."

I shifted away from Ramirez, who had been ordered by John to stay close. "Yes, ma'am," I said. "Thank you."

She smiled sadly and touched me on the shoulder. "My name is Amber. You don't have to call anyone ma'am ever again."

Tears filled my eyes again. "Yes, Amber."

Amber and Ramirez sat in the back with me, as the other paramedic drove us to the hospital. We went in through the ER. It must have been late, the waiting room filled with the kind of problems that only seem to sprout in the middle of the night. I prepared myself for a long wait, but Amber grabbed a passing nurse. A hushed conversation with lots of glances my way, and we were whisked upstairs to a room in a wing.

Ramirez, to his credit, never complained. He sat for hours as the doctor poked and prodded, ordering a full set of blood work and IV everything. The doctor also wanted to get imaging done, to make sure none of the previous beatings I had endured had left permanent damage. Physically, anyways.

She also ordered me some meds that I could take for nightmares, just in case. Her care plan done, she turned to leave my room, but hesitated.

"You've been through hell and back at the hands of men," she said. "We can bar them from the room if it would help." She meant Ramirez.

He protested. "Come on, doc, my boss would kill me if I left her alone!"

"I don't mind," I said, looking down. "The company, I mean."

"Well just push the nurse call button if you change your mind," she offered, and left the room.

Ramirez looked at me seriously. "Miss, I don't want to be someone you're scared of. I can stand outside just as easily as in here, really."

I shook my head. "Maybe you could just talk a little? So I'm not doing so much thinking?" I shivered, knowing there was a lot to think about.

He knew what I meant immediately. "Only if you tell me whether or not you remember your name."

I frowned in confusion. My name? It had been so long since someone wanted to call me by my own name, I had to dredge it up from the depths of my memories.

"My name is Alice," I whispered. "I'm from Ohio." I started to get lost in my own thoughts again, but Ramirez jumped right in. He talked to me like I was a normal person, not a broken doll to be handled gingerly. I was grateful for that.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Alice from Ohio. I'm Paul Ramirez, from the wonderful state of California, which is where you currently are. Not that I go by Paul - my parents must've hated me in the womb, because they decided to name me Apollo. So Paul for short, but I try to go by Ramirez because it sounds tougher and I can use all the help I can get..."

I drifted off as Ramirez talked about everything and nothing at the same time.

I woke groggily to hushed tones. Ramirez was at the door, whispering to someone outside.

"She's sleeping, boss, can't it wait?" he asked.

I heard John reply. "The sooner we get started-"

"I'm up," I called, interrupting them both. Bold, I thought to myself. But I could be bold again.

John stuck his head in my room. "Miss, ah, Alice - it's good to see you again. How are you feeling?"

I shook my head. "Do you need something? And is your name really John Smith?"

He laughed ruefully. "No, it's John Weaver. And I was wondering if you have any family you'd like us to contact? Let them know you're okay?"

I looked down at my hands. "I, uh, don't need you to call anyone." My mood, already confused, turned somber. Ramirez jumped in.

"Boss, you're absolutely ancient," he said with an exaggerated groan. "No one makes calls anymore!"

John looked at him in mock outrage. "You young whippersnappers are all alike! No respect for your betters!"

I let out a strangled giggle. It felt unfamiliar. They both looked pleased.

"Now get home and get showered before the hazmat suits come down the hall," John added.

Ramirez laughed outright, running a hand through rumpled hair. "You try going from stakeout to raid to all-nighter," he said. "See if you come out the other side fresh as a daisy."

John looked guiltily at me. "Alice, okay if I send Ramirez home for a bit? I can get another agent in here," he offered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were so tired," I whispered. "Of course, please go home, I'm okay by myself!"

My hands shook a little, so I clenched them to keep them still. I was not going to whine about losing the only familiar face in this place, I had only known them for a night.

John didn't miss it. "On second thought, how about I grab my laptop out of the car and tackle an absolute mountain of paperwork waiting for me?"

I looked at him, readying myself to refuse. "Well..."

"Wait here," he said, and vanished from the room.

Ramirez shook his head. "Like you were going anywhere." He gathered his things that had scattered throughout the room overnight, then came back to say goodbye.

"Look, Alice - I don't know a lot about you, but what I know for a fact is that you're a hella tough chick, okay? I'm going to see you again soon," he promised. I nodded gratefully, a little choked up.

John walked in right on time and sunk into the guest chair. "I think the only thing that generates more paperwork than a failed operation is a successful one," he groaned.

I cracked a smile. "What are you going to write about me? I mean, us?"

He swore suddenly, and I jumped at the unexpected turn. "I'm an idiot, of course you don't want me here, I was part of your- fuck's sake!" John started packing his stuff back up.

I put a hand out to stop him. "You were undercover," I said. "You did what you had to do. And you helped me escape, that's not exactly evil, is it?"

John looked me in the eyes for a long moment, unsure if I was telling the truth. What he saw seemed to settle his doubts, and he slowly sat back down.

I turned on the TV mindlessly. My body felt suddenly hollow, limbs awkward like I didn't know what to do. I hadn't gotten to choose what I wanted to watch for a long time. And now I didn't know what I wanted. I started shivering. How was I going to go back to a normal life?

"Alice! Hey, Alice!" I heard John calling me as if he were far away. I snapped back to the present just as he started reaching for the nurse call button.

"Sorry, I'm fine! I'm fine!" I said, breathing shallowly. Panic threatened to overwhelm my senses. John definitely didn't believe me. He wrapped me in an extra blanket.

I felt a broad hand settle at the nape of my neck. "Shhh," I heard him murmur. "Nice and slow, easy breaths."

I took a deep breath, then I wondered why John was giving orders at all.

"Excuse you!" I snapped, pushing him away. "What gives you the right!"

He grimaced and backed away. "Fair point," he said. "Take five deep breaths and I'll tell you."

I glared at him. John's mouth twitched.

"Do you plan on holding your breath the whole time?" he asked mildly.

Fair point. I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. Exhale. Another. When I was done, I opened my eyes. I did feel a little better.

John looked rueful. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched you. I can get the nurse for some meds if you like, swap out for a posted guard instead."

I was warmer, calmer, and curious now. "How did you know what to do?" I asked.

"I volunteered for this assignment because I'm a Dom in real life," he explained. "I worked my way into Adam's network - others failed because there was something inauthentic about their performances that people reacted to."

I thought back to our previous encounters. "It definitely felt real," I admitted.

"So working on the assumption that you've been pulled out of basically the most intense scene ever imaginable," he continued. "I wanted to be here to monitor for sub drop. Among other things."

Oh. "I've never done anything all that kinky before," I said.

John sighed. "Well, Adam targeted you because you're a natural submissive. From my experience, coming out of a scene after even a few hours can be intense. I can't imagine how you're doing after six weeks."

"I don't know what I'm going to do." Reminded of the real world again, panic threatened to overwhelm. I tried to take a deep breath. It didn't help. Suddenly I was crying, tears falling off my face.

John leaned in and spoke gently. "Sometimes sub drop can feel like intense loneliness, which is why physical contact can help. I can try again if you'd like, or I can go get the nurse. Genuinely, it's your choice."

I was shivering again, faced with yet another choice. But I knew this was one I really should make on my own.

"If it gets to be too much, will you stop?" I asked in a small voice.

He smiled gently. "Absolutely. Consent is the most important aspect of the whole BDSM game."

Slowly, he approached. I watched as he settled one hand on the back of my neck again.

"Deep breath," he said. And I did.

"Good girl. Again."

I closed my eyes. Breathing with John, I quickly fell asleep.

Time passed in fits and spurts. My MRI came back clean. I was discharged from the hospital. I was going to be the star witness of a big court case, and Adam had a lot of violent friends eager to do him a favor. I needed round the clock protection.

John asked me to choose between a safe house near the LA office, where he was based, or one near Cincinnati, where I was snatched. I had no family left, and was working a dead end job as a coffee shop barista to make ends meet. I chose to stay.

It ended up being more of a safe extended stay hotel than a house, but I didn't mind. John and his team rotated onto my detail as often as they could. I liked Ramirez a lot - he was goofy, perceptive, and kind. I also met his girlfriend Amy, who was an agent on a different FBI team. She got special permission to pull security for me once it was clear that I was comfortable with her.

A few days in, I overheard John and Ramirez talking during shift change.

"Smug bastard knows he cleared his files before we could get to them." John sounded frustrated. "We need one of them to crack and I have zero fucking leverage right now!"

John came into the room. "Hey Alice, do you want me inside or outside the room today?"

That was the best thing about John. He started every one of our interactions with a choice. It was hard at first, but slowly getting easier.

"You can stay," I said. "What do you mean by leverage?"

He grimaced. "I definitely shouldn't have let you hear that. We're just working on building our case against Adam."

"Can I help?" I asked.

He sighed. "Honestly? He's claiming your relationship was consensual and that you're just embarrassed you got caught."

I felt a blush heat my cheeks. "It wasn't."

"I know," he said gently.

"Do you need me to get him to admit it?" I asked.

He looked away. "I'm not going to put you in a room with that monster."

"But it would help?" I pressed.

John sighed. "Yeah, Alice. It would help."

That's how I found myself nervously walking into a shiny glass building with Amy and Ramirez. We headed to an observation room with a one way mirror straight out of a cop show. John was already there, glaring at a very smug, very handsome Adam.

"You don't have to do this," Ramirez tried for the thousandth time.

I was very, very sure that I did. "Butt out, Apollo," I reminded him. Amy snickered. He hated when I used his real name. Even John smiled. Then he became serious again.

"Anything happens, he makes a move, you don't want to continue, we'll pull you out," he promised. "I'll send Ramirez in first."

Amy stepped in. "She knows, she knows. Buncha testosterone fueled apes, thinking women are just waiting to be rescued," she rolled her eyes, then looked at me.

"Besides, if anyone's kicking his ass, I'm first in line. Are you ready?"

I couldn't speak, so I just nodded. She led me out of observation to the door of Adam's interrogation room. I took a deep breath, and turned the handle.

Adam watched in the mirrored wall, not turning his head. I came around the table to sit in the open chair.

"Did you miss me that much, little slave?" he asked. "Had to come visit me in custody?"

I took a deep breath. "No, I just wanted to see what a caged monster looks like." My voice shook and my insides squirmed at looking him in the eye after so long being told to keep my head down, but I was determined to hold.

He smiled. "Makes sense for you to want to see your Master after so long away. We had quite the chemistry, you and I. Best girlfriend I ever trained."

"I was not your girlfriend!" I hissed.

"I'd watch your tone if I were you," he said casually. "I'd hate to have to punish you for disrespect on top of everything else."

I heard an urgent knocking on the window. I ignored them.

"They're going to lock you up for the rest of your life, and I'm going to make sure of it," I said, sounding braver than I felt.

Adam continued without missing a beat. "My one regret is that all the recordings of our scenes together were lost in the power surge. But we'll always have our memories, won't we? I especially cherish you coming on my cock so. many. times."

I glared at him, speechless with rage.

"Eyes!" He barked suddenly, and I flinched. My eyes flew to my hands in my lap, held tightly so I didn't automatically lace them behind me. I could feel the cane stripe coming any moment now. My thighs were demanding to spread.

Adam sounded triumphant. "See, baby? You miss our games, too. I've had plenty of time to consider your punishment, but tell that pesky FBI agent that you want to come back to me and I'll halve it. Trust me," he said, smiling smugly. "You're going to need it."

John and Ramirez burst into the room, panting like they had been fighting to get there first. I looked up at them.

"That counts as coercion, right?" I asked John.

He smiled tightly. "That definitely counts."

Adam's face turned ugly with rage. "You bitch! No one's ever going to want you again! No one's ever going to make you feel as whole as I did! You're going to be alone forever!"

Amy stood in the hallway, ready to hustle me out of there. I turned the corner and collapsed to the floor, sobbing. She hugged me wordlessly. My tears slowed to a stop, and I looked at her, hiccuping.

"Don't you dare listen to that rat-faced bastard," she whispered fiercely. "You are so much more than what he wanted you to be. You're going to ruin his life, and then you're going to move on with yours!"

I wanted to believe her. And maybe I did - in the cold light of day. But that night, when I laid in bed, I re-lived the brief but terrifying encounter.

No one's ever going to make you feel whole again.

I slept fitfully, haunted by his words, and greeted Ramirez in the morning with dark circles under my eyes. I got through that day, and didn't sleep that night, either. I had random agents on rotation the day after, so I asked them to stay outside, preferring quiet solitude to making small talk with strangers.

The third night, John was back. He walked in with dinner and started to unpack it on the dining room table. I was in the bathroom at the time, and emerged to the smell of takeout.

"Hey, hope Chinese is..." John's voice trailed off as he got his first look at me since I had faced Adam. His eyebrows snapped together.

"Chinese sounds good," I said, hoping to move on rather than talk about how I was feeling. "What'd you get?"

He didn't let it go. "How have you been?"

"Fine." I avoided eye contact and fixed myself a plate. I sat and started eating, the food tasteless in my mouth as I thought about what it would be like to face Adam, Matt, and even Drew in a courtroom. I couldn't even handle a 10 minute conversation in a closed room. He sighed and sat down, opening his own food. We ate in silence.

After I had finished about half my food, he leveled a look at me. "Feeling any better?"

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped.

He set his container down. "You don't look fine, you look like Adam messed with your head."

"He didn't," I said, getting up and walking into the bedroom. I needed space and John wasn't giving me any. He followed me, unwilling to let it go. I grabbed the closest thing at hand, and threw it at him. It ended up being a book.

He dodged. "Hey!" He closed the distance and wrapped me in a bear hug. "It's going to be okay."

"Stop it!" I shouted into his shirt, muffled. "I don't need you!" As quickly as I ran away, the fight drained out of me and I started sobbing.

He shushed me, stroking my hair. "You're okay, Alice. It's okay to be scared."

I looked up at him with a tear-stained face, trying to hold it together. "I'm not scared!" I didn't even realize I had slapped John until the sound rang out across the room. He let me go, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.

I backed away, hands over my mouth, horrified. "I'm so sorry, John. I don't know what came over me."

"Maybe I do," he said slowly. "If you were any of my previous subs, I'd have had you over my knee days ago."

"I don't-" I whispered. "But I'm not-" My heart ached for what it wanted and what it didn't want.

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I know you're not mine, I just meant - maybe your body was fed a steady drip of something addicting and exciting on some level and now you're going through... withdrawal."

I sat on the edge of the bed, hugging my knees in a tight ball. Tears dripped off my face. John left briefly and returned with a tissue box.

"I can try to help - like before," he said. "But a little further."

I snickered. "What, did you want to fuck the trauma out of me?"

I caught sight of the look on his face. "Hang on, I was just kidding!"

"You're not far off, but I don't mean it the way you're thinking," he clarified. "If part of you feels like some dominance would feel grounding right now, we could do a scene."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "What exactly do you mean by a scene?"

He sat gingerly on the bed next to me. "Well, we both agree to honor certain rules about obedience and power, and then when it's over, we go back to just being John and Alice."

I squinted suspiciously at him. "I'm not fucking you."

John looked me straight in the eye. "I wouldn't even if you asked," he said seriously.

"Then what are we talking about?" I asked.

John smiled. "You negotiate what happens to you before we start. During that time, if anything is uncomfortable, you say yellow and we pause to figure out what's wrong. If you say red, we stop for the night, and that's okay, too."

It sounded too good to be true, but I knew the fifty shades crowd talked about things like safe words so they must exist on some level.

"Um. Okay, well..." I twisted my hands awkwardly in my lap. "How do we start? Should I take my clothes off?"

John reached out and grabbed my hand. "Well first, we need to talk it out." His thumb rubbed against the palm of my hand soothingly.

"I seem to recall a masochistic streak in you. How about a spanking? I'll keep my clothes on the entire time, and rule out anything penetrative. I assume you can get off rubbing your clit alone." He winked at me.

I made a face. "That doesn't sound like you get anything out of it."

"That's not the point," he said gently. "You've been through more than anyone should ever endure, but I also know there's a submissive in you that'd like to be heard again. It would be my pleasure to show you how enjoyable kink can be."

"Err, well. That sounds... okay." I blushed. It was the tamest thing that could've happened to me in the last couple months, but it was weirdly stressful to talk about it.

He grinned. "If you're only okay by the time we're done, I'll eat my hat."

I smacked him lightly. "No one likes a braggart!"

"No, that's true. But considering you're about to let me top you, might want to ix-nay on the itting-hay."

I gulped nervously until he laughed. "Just kidding. I'm not going to hold you to any rules that you don't agree to."

"Like... what kind of rules?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Well the first and most important rule is, I respect safe words - yellow to pause, red to stop."

My shoulders relaxed a fraction of an inch. "Oh. Right."

"The next one probably sounds familiar - usually a Dom has a title during a scene, like Sir or Master. And a sub gets a title to reflect their status as well."

I flinched. "I, um. I can do that."

John saw my discomfort and laid a gentle hand on my arm. "Let's try this - for the rest of the scene, you will refer to me as John, but with the kind of respect and tone that you would say Sir. And I can avoid the usual suspects for you - how about baby?"

"Yes, S-John." It wasn't so bad. I could do this.

"Though I reserve the right to call you a good girl when you earn it." He winked at me. "And I think the last two rules for tonight will be to always be honest and try your best."

I looked down. "I'll try. John."

John raised my chin with his hand. "In that order - you honor honesty first, obedience second. And look me in the eyes. Do you understand?"

I gulped and looked into his kind brown eyes. "Yes, John."

"Brave girl," he said gently, and my insides squirmed pleasantly at the praise. "Now, a question - do you want to keep your clothes on?"

I shrugged. "It doesn't bother me, it almost feels weirder to have them on."

He raised his eyebrows and I realized what I had forgotten. "Uh, Sir. John!"

"Good girl," he said. "Strip and lay face down on the bed. Don't move."

"Yes, John," I breathed. By the time I settled again, he had turned the lights down low and retrieved a bottle of lavender scented lotion. I heard a generous squirt glop into his palm, then jumped slightly as two slick hands landed on my back.

"Shh," he murmured. "Focus on taking deep breaths. Four count in, four count out." His hands slid up and down the length of my spine.

"Yes, John," I said, exhaling long and slow. I took another deep breath, wincing as strong fingers rubbed firmly on a knot in my muscle.

"You're being very good for me, you know," he commented. "Almost like you're eager to please, hm?" I squirmed slightly, both in pleasure at being praised and at the joy of obeying an order again.

I exhaled long and slow. "Thank you, John," I sighed. He finished roaming my back for pressure points, kissed it goodbye, and moved to my legs.

"Oh!" I gasped, as he applied deep pressure down my left hamstring and calf. My foot twitched - that whole line was incredibly tender.

John chuckled knowingly. "Everyone gets excited when they start getting a massage, no one stops to think about the last time they actually stretched."

My shoulders started to bunch up as I resisted the urge to move, forcing my leg to remain where it was.

"Ah, ah, ah," he cautioned, placing two heavy hands on the tops of my shoulders and pulling them back down. "I didn't say you could move."

"No, John. Sorry, John," I whispered. I half expected to be caned for disobeying, but the familiar feeling of being under someone else's discipline was thrilling.

He leaned down and kissed the back of my neck. "What color are you at, baby?"

I was so glad I could hide my face in the bedsheets. "I'm good, John," I managed.

He chuckled in my ear. "Better than okay?" Sexy bastard.

"Yes, John!" I replied.

John went back to massaging my legs, digging in deeper into the tender spots. A quiet moan escaped my mouth and I immediately closed it, mortified.

"I'm glad you're enjoying this, baby," he said from behind me. "In fact, I might take it personally if you withheld any sounds - you could argue it's a violation of rule 3." He shifted higher and dug the point of his elbow into the big muscle on my butt.

"Oh shit!" I cried. "That radiates down my leg!"

He moved his elbow in slow, deep circles, further activating that nerve. I fought to stay still.

"Then again," he said aloud. "I don't think cursing is appropriate behavior for a sweet submissive. Maybe you're eager to move on?"

He smacked my ass lightly, then began kneading it with his hands. I could feel cool air brush my heated slit. I moaned, my hips tilting up, looking for more. He obliged, swatting me slightly harder.

"Please, John...!" I managed. I was going to die if he made me wait any longer.

Strong fingers wove through my hair and tugged slightly. "I'm going to give you five spanks on each side," he promised. "You'll count and thank me for each. After all ten, I'm going to ask you if you want to proceed and I will be very disappointed if you lie to me. Understand, baby?"

God, who knew a check in on consent could be sexy? "Yes, John. Oh!"

He smacked me right on the same spot. It didn't hurt per se, but it had been awhile since anyone had spanked me.

"One, John. Thank you!" I said clearly. Matt had taught me the danger of mumbled counting.

Smack! A blow of equal force landed on the other cheek.

"Two! Thank you John!"

The next two came harder than the first set, and in quick succession. "Three and four, John," I cried. "Thank you!"

The final slap was the hardest of the set. "Five! Thank you, John!" I yelped.

We had definitely entered pleasurable pain territory - hard enough to hurt, but not so hard that it felt punishing. John moved to the other side, similarly delivering five swats of increasing intensity. I counted and thanked him for each.

Then he grabbed my hair again, using it to pull my head up. "Are you going to tell me the truth, baby?" he whispered in my ear.

"Yes, John! Please, more! I want to be filled!" My pussy clenched on empty air, wanting something thick and hard to squeeze.

He smacked my ass again. "Be good, baby. We agreed on no penetration, so that's what I'm sticking to."

"I didn't know what I was signing up for," I grumbled.

He laughed. "Needy, are we? Let's see if I can find some other way to reward you for being such a good girl," he said. "Turn over."

I revealed my flushed face, sure that my pupils were dilated to the max. I needed this, for someone to take control. But John was doing it in a way that made me feel safe. Incredible.

He left a trail of kisses from my panting lips down my body, pausing briefly at my breasts to lick each nipple until it stood stiffly in the air. He sucked each into his mouth playfully, letting it free with an audible pop. Then he continued until his mouth was hovering right over my mound.

"Spread." I pulled my legs as far apart as I possibly could, humping the air to try to make contact with his mouth. But he danced out of reach each time.

"Tell me what you want," he ordered. "Be specific."

"Please, John, I want this!" I immediately cried. "I want you to suck my clit and lick my slit and tongue fuck me until I come!"

He chuckled. "Well we can do at least two of the three." And with that, his hot mouth descended.

John ate me like a man starved, with long heavy licks from my ass hole all the way to the top of my clit. He used his tongue to lave my pucker a few times, drawing loud moans from me, then attacked my pussy. He sucked each side of my swollen labia into his mouth, then used his tongue to repeatedly circle around my wet opening. Finally, after a few minutes of that, he slid up to my clit, circling and sucking and playfully nipping at my sensitive nub.

My hands couldn't lay at my side any longer. I tangled my fingers in John's hair, reveling in the ability to guide his head. At least, I did until he put a stop to it.

"If you can't keep your hands on the bed, grab your knees," he said, eyes flashing. "Hold yourself open."

Fuck. "Yes, John!" I hooked each knee with my hands, pulling them wide until I could feel a stretch in my groin. This had the added benefit of tilting my hips further up to reveal both holes to his hot breath.

John brought his attention back lower, swiping at my slick heat and circling my sensitive pucker. "Touch yourself," he ordered. "Keep your other hand where it is."

"Thank you, thank you John, thank you!" I chanted as I brought my right hand in between my legs to rub at my clit. Between his tongue and my fingers, I was ready to explode in short order.

"May I please cum, John?" I asked. Part of me felt a twinge of fear as the too familiar phrase left my lips. It almost pulled me out of the scene entirely, but John helped me re-focus.

"Yes, baby," he said with a wicked grin. "But if you don't cum hard enough, we're going again."

Please let us go again, I thought to myself. And with that, I came.