Diamond Doll

   Crissy waved to Roger as he entered the office building. While he was getting the legalities of taking over his father's estate sorted out, Crissy knew she'd best help him by leaving Roger to the work in front of him. Crissy didn't get into the city very often. This seemed like a good chance to do some shopping. Her thoughts were always on Roger, so her idea of shopping now was on what could she find in the local shops that he might like. A new projector? A nice wallet? Maybe some nice lingerie for herself. That would really be a present for her husband, after all. Crissy stopped in front of an alley to look over the little map she'd thought to grab at the train station. She was glad she did. This was such a large metropolitan center that it made carrying a map of it vital. This wasn't even the deep part of the city, either. 

   Crissy suddenly felt a hand clasp over her mouth. She was dragged into the back area of the alley, around a corner which had been fenced in. Crissy found herself surrounded by five men. At least one of them was waving around a gun, an exceptionally nice 1911. They all looked like they came from central casting, with suits that were very nice but seemingly tailored to say "I'm a gangster" as loudly as possible. Only thing was, this wasn't the studio back in Creek Bend. Crissy had really been snatched by criminals.

   "That's her, alright," one hood pointed at her face, "the little white rabbit with the big diamond." So that's what this was about, The Eye of Heaven. Roger's family had a few treasures, but the most impressive was the giant diamond which had been traded from collector to collector for centuries. Claimed to be the largest diamond in the world, Roger had given it to Crissy. She rarely wore it, though, it was so large and awkward. These guys had figured out that she was the owner of the fabulous gem, however, and waited for the right moment to strike.

   "Alright," the guy who seemed to be the leader of the gang motioned to the man next to him, "you find her husband in the Willet building. Tell him we put the snatch on his girl and if he doesn't want we should hurt her, he hands over the diamond." Neither Roger nor Crissy had ever advertised that they had The Eye of Heaven, but anything that valuable was on public record. They'd even loaned out the diamond to an L.A. museum for a glass copy to be made for display purposes. 

   Crissy had questions. These guys must've followed the Ralphwits for some time, but why make their move here in the city? The Eye of Heaven was back in Creek Bend, in a box under the bed! Was this the first time Crissy was away from Roger long enough for them to grab her? Had they really invested so much time and money in this venture? They'd make back the cost with the diamond in their possession, but Crissy didn't see how. It was too famous to fence, to valuable to cut. They'd be stuck with a rock worth millions that could never be collected. Maybe they were working for someone else. Another collector of rare gems? 

   Roger had gotten the diamond from his dad. It was more valuable to him for that reason than for it's monetary value. While Rog didn't become a collector of gems himself, he did do his research on the subject. His giving the diamond to Crissy made news in certain trade papers, and probably would have been a bigger item in local papers had the gem not been overshadowed by Roxy and Mala attempting to kill and cannibalize Crissy before the wedding.

   At the moment, the five men were fairly close together. The one man put away his gun when he realized that Crissy wasn't going to give them any trouble. She'd remained perfectly quiet this whole time, knowing it would be safer not to kick and scream. One thug kept his arm around Crissy, his other hand clasping her mouth. Two men were lined up directly in front of Crissy. The leader and his errand boy were close by, but a few steps away. Crissy took a deep breath.

   Crissy executed a perfect high kick and took out the man in front of her before grabbing the arms of the man holding her down and flipping him forward. This thug hit the third with enough force to take both out. The remaining two gangsters looked on wide-eyed as Crissy innocently shuffled over to them.

   "Miss Namikawa's karate class." Crissy smiled cutely. "I was also a cheerleader. Gooooo TEAM!" As she cheered, Crissy jumped up and extended her legs, resulting in her feet kicking into the faces of both men. Her attackers were spread out across the alley. Crissy wasn't waiting for them to remember that they had guns. She darted out of the alley and onto the sidewalk in search of a policeman. As she scanned the street ahead, she knew that she needed to get back to Roger as quickly as possible. The gangsters would get away if she went directly to Roger, though, and she'd be attacked again at some point. Crissy stopped in her tracks and ran back to the entrance of the alley. The men around the corner were just beginning to get back on their feet.

   Crissy's mind raced as she scanned the area around her. The alley was blocked off back there. The fencing that surrounded the area was too tall and slick for anyone to climb over it in a hurry. If she could block the entrance to the alley, the men would be trapped until the police came. But how do you block an alley opening? A panel truck was parked across the street. Crissy would have to act fast. She darted across the road and jumped into the truck. In back of the truck, it's driver was unloading a crate of bottles. Imagine his shock when the truck roared to life and sped away from him across the road and into the alleyway.

   Crissy jumped out the back of the truck. She waved her arms and shouted for someone to call the police. The gangsters were trying to squeeze around the truck. Providently, a squad car was driving by at that moment. Crissy ran out in front of the black and white and flagged it down. It was a dangerous thing to do, but it worked. None of the bad guys got away.

   Shortly, Roger and Crissy were at the police station as the criminals were being processed. They had indeed been hired by a collector of rare gems. They didn't know his name, however. He remained anonymous by conducting all his business over the telephone. Roger was sure he'd been contacted by the man in question. He'd been offered a rather large sum for The Eye of Heaven, but had to inform the buyer that the diamond now belonged to his wife. She had no plans of selling it, either. It was the most valuable thing in Roger's life until he met Crissy, which is why he gave it to her. Crissy could never let something like that go, no matter what it's economic value. 

   As the men were herded toward the holding pen, Roger stopped the officer in front of them and made a point to address the crooks.

   "You guys were smart enough to wait until I was away from Crissy when you grabbed her. It's a good thing you did. She took care of you excellently, but had I been there, I would have killed you to a man. And should you ever get out of the pen and think The Eye of Heaven so valuable as to try a stunt like this again, remember that I am now the owner of the Wydmark Rifle Company. Should you ever get back in contact with your boss, be sure to tell him that. I really don't care about the diamond, but if you touch my wife... Just don't do it."

   On the train back home, Roger was upset with himself. He couldn't forgive himself for letting Crissy get into a position where her life was so threatened. Yes, she handled the situation, and did so admirably. Ironically, the karate lessons that helped her out of the situation had been taken in the first place because Crissy wasn't sure she could trust Roger when they were dating. Now she knew she could trust him, and trusted him with her life. He felt he'd betrayed that trust by letting the situation in the alley ever come to pass. You can't plan for everything, he knew, and it was folly to try, but everything he knew about being a man was wrapped up in being there to protect those who trusted him to do so.

   Crissy stood in the doorway to the bath compartment. Her robe was open over a stunning selection of lingerie laden with bows and laces. She watched her husband sympathetically. He sat in his seat, outwardly calm but fuming to himself as he watched the scenery go by the window. Crissy had an idea what it was that had him so upset. It wasn't pride, really. He knew that Crissy could handle herself if she had to. It was the thought that she had to at all, the idea that he had let her down by not being there when she needed him most.

   "I love you." Crissy said softly. Roger looked up at her, still a little ashamed but seeing that she was trying to tell him that everything was okay. He smiled.

   "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. But it is comforting to know that you can do what you did. Not to me, I hope."

   Crissy giggled as she stepped over to Roger and curled up in his lap. She twirled her finger through the hair on his chest as she rested her head beneath his neck.

   "I was the one stupid enough to stand with my back to an alley I'd never seen before. This is all on me." Crissy felt Roger take a deep breath.

   "It's nobody's fault. I'm sorry for sulking. I know I can't be at your side every minute of every day. I guess I got shook because when you told me about what happened I felt helpless like I did when Roxy and Mala took you away. I never want to go through that again."

   "Like you said," Crissy sat up to look Roger in the eye, "we can't be at each other's side every minute of every day. Trust God, not yourself. That's what it all comes down to." Crissy leaned forward and sprawled herself across Roger as she reached up and stroked his cheek. She kept her eyes locked onto his as she smiled. "And as for those moments where we ARE at each other's sides. Let's just make the most of them..."