Started: June 2012
Finished: July 2012
A/N: I do not own. For those of you who aren't familiar with the movie here is a brief summery of previous events: A mentally disturbed young man (Vivian) has a clairvoyant link to a young lady (Claire). He kidnaps the woman's daughter (Rebecca) and plans to lead Claire to him so they can be his new family, but he ends up killing the child out of anger not knowing how to deal with her distress. So he takes a new little girl named Ruby and proceeds to lead Claire to him through visions. Claire comes to him in hopes of saving Ruby. This story picks up at the part where he leads her to his hideout.
"You have to drive inside, ok? I'll open the door." Her mind told her to not drive in that she might never drive out again. She drove in with her heart telling her to do what Vivian said in hopes of saving the child. He appeared feet in front of her car. "You know this place don't you Claire?"
"Yes."
"You know the funny thing?"
"What's the funny thing?" She kept her eyes on him.
"I know you got a gun tucked in the band of the nurse's dress you're wearing." His words sending shivers down to her toes.
"I do?" she asked, hoping he would question himself.
"You do. And it's not very nice you meeting Ruby with a gun in your dress." Might get her upset might get me upset and bring the apples down on all of us." He walked slowly towards her car. She held her breath.
"Where is Ruby?" Claire asked.
"Where is Ruby? Where is Ruby?" He placed his chin on her side door mirror. "I'm not telling, till you give me the gun," he deadpanned, unaffected and indifferent to her fear. She was frozen, her breath held, wishing she hadn't come here. Whishing she hadn't drove in. Realizing she had come too close. She couldn't give him the gun, she shouldn't. She was supposed to have the upper hand. What was stopping her from pulling the gun on him right now? She asked herself. It's too late. He's too close, she answered herself. "I'm waiting give it here," he said bringing her out of her trance. She inhaled sharply, tears falling as she reached down and slowly gave him the gun. She flinched when he lent his face into the car window. "You know what happens when the apples fall?"
"I don't." She flinched again as he reached into the car and put a tape in the cassette deck and music started playing. He then opened the door for her to get out.
He reached out his hand, a misleading display of patience. She touched his hand slowly, cautiously. Her breath left her as he roughly pulled her to him. She stayed frozen as he held her tight. She didn't even breathe as he spoke.
"I am so…so, so, so sorry Claire. All I wanted was a family. I knew there was a dreamer out there like me cuz I was dreaming of her and I wanted her to be my family." She gasped and leant away from him. "Then I took her little girl. The little girl cried. She screamed and hollered. And I punished her like any dad would." Claire sobbed into her hand. "And she was lying quiet, beautiful but like a door nail." He ran his hand up and down her back. "That's the part I'm sorry for." She jerked away but he pulled her back to him. "But I'm going to make it up to you. I'm gonna work, real hard, to make it perfect. I'm not going to get upset anymore, now that I got you here. And I got us Ruby for a daughter now." He spoke into the side of her neck, "Claire and Vivian and Ruby."
She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "Did you, did you get upset with Ruby Vivian? Did you? Are you going to get upset with me?"
"Not if you love me like momma loves dad. Will you do that Claire?" She looked into his eyes again.
"Yes," she barely choked out.
"Would you really? You wouldn't just pretend?" Another wave of fear spread through her at how imperative it is that she gets him to trust her. Looking into his dark eyes, she traced the sides of his face with her hands and moved closer.
"How could I pretend? You know me and that's why you want me. I'll be everything you need me to be because I need it too."
His eyes watched her lips as if he wanted to kiss her. Not wanting it she slowly turned her head to the side and asked, "Can I see our daughter now?"
He led her to the top of a staircase. "She's down there. Say hello to Claire."
"Hello Ruby," Claire said in a very concerned voice.
"Are you a ghost?" Ruby asked.
"No I'm not Ruby."
"No," Vivian added. "She was only a ghost when she wasn't here. Now she's here, she's just plain old Claire. Why don't you go down and show Ruby that you're not a ghost."
"He said you were coming. He said we'd be one happy family."
"It gets kinda lonesome here," Vivian said. "Just the two of us."
"I suppose." Ruby said. "This is Marge. She was Vivian's doll before he gave her to me. Say hello to Claire Marge, the nice lady who is not a ghost. Hello Claire, welcome home."
"Welcome home Claire," Vivian echoed from the top of the stairs. He took a deep breath and put his fist to his palm. He started to walk down the stairs and Claire stood up cautiously.
"I'll make us something to eat. Is anyone hungry? Vivian asked as Claire and Ruby made their way up the stairs. "How about spaghetti?"
"Daddies can be just like mommies," Ruby said. "You know that?"
"Can they honey?"
"That's what Vivian said. They can cook too."
"What else did he tell you Ruby?"
"He told me my real mom is up in heaven where she's waiting for me. That's Vivian's mom there."
"That's a tailor's dummy Ruby."
"I know but that's the kind of clothes she used to wear."
"Why does he keep them here?"
"When he's playing mom he's very good at it. You should hear the way his voice changes."
"Why does he do that?"
"He says his daddy was a dollar and his mommy was a song."
"A song?"
"Doesn't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me."
"So that's his mother's song." Claire thought about an escape plan. She got up and broke off a piece of wood off the window leaving an opening big enough for them to fit through. She took Ruby and started walking her to the opening. "Ruby, listen to me ok? Vivian's sick honey and he needs help. There's a possibility that he could hurt you."
"You're scaring me now, don't scare me," she said defiantly.
"I'll take you away from here honey so he can't hurt you." Ruby started struggling and screaming. Vivian rushed to Claire grabbing her from behind, his arm cut off her air so she couldn't make a sound.
"Go now Ruby, he told her gently. "Me and mommy have to have a talk." Ruby left the room unquestioningly. Claire passed out and Vivian let her drop onto the bed.
He came down the stairs and sat down next to Ruby. "Sometimes mommy and daddy fight and its bad, sometimes mommy and daddy fight and it's good."
When Claire woke up she was in bed, bound, and tape covered her mouth. She struggled to get free and noticed Ruby sitting watching her.
"You got him real mad. That's why he put you in bad mommy's clothes. He says he's disappointed in you." She climbed onto the bed. "He told me you'd be the loveliest mommy in the whole wide world," she said further disturbing the woman. "Are you tied too tight?" Claire nodded. "I could loosen it but he may get mad again. I've never seen him mad before."
"Ruby!" Vivian called out chilling Claire to the bone. Ruby obediently went to him leaving Claire still tied to the bed.
Nothing chilled her more then how obedient Ruby was to Vivian. It was obvious how ragingly insane he was, but the child was perfectly sane, right?
