Days of our Haiden

Hope just finished having lunch with her partner and boyfriend Rafe Hernandez at the Town Square. Now, Rafe had to get back to work, though it was Hope's day off.

They stood up, and Rafe pulled her close and softly kissed her. "I'll see you tonight for our date then?" he asked

Hope wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled. "I'll be counting the hours."

Rafe grinned, and they kissed once more, then he was gone.

Hope sighed happily as she watched him leave. They had been dating for almost a year. She had thought her heart would never heal after the man she had thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with tried to strangle her to death, and (as if that weren't enough) her long-lost husband falling ill and dying shortly afterward. Then Rafe came along. He had always been such a good friend to her—caring, loving, supportive. One day he had admitted his feelings for her, and she surprised herself when she realized she was open to the idea of moving on with Rafe. After all, unlike the other two men in her life, Rafe had always been there for her, and had never let her down.

She headed for the park to take a shortcut to her house. It was a nice, fall day out. In less than a week it would be a year since the day Aiden Jennings—the man she had thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with—had tried to strangle her.

A cool breeze ran through the park, causing the fall leaves to flutter around her. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and shivered. However, she wasn't shivering because of the breeze. Well, not just because of the breeze. She was shivering because the night of the would-be-strangulation still haunted her nearly a year later. She still wasn't quite sure what drove the man she loved to try to kill her on her wedding night. She now knew he wasn't the necktie killer because Ben had confessed to the other murders. She also knew Aiden had been in debt, so she figured he was just after her life insurance policy that she found out he had changed right before they wed. She guessed he had a debt to pay that could only be paid by killing her.

Even so, she knew Aiden—or at least she thought she had—and it wasn't like him. The man she knew had been a wonderful father to his son Chase, and loved her with all his heart. Had it really been all an act? Did this mean he had killed his first wife? Was he just some gambling addicted psychopath who made women fall in love with him only to kill them for the insurance policy money to pay off his debts? Had their love really been all put on, or had he really fallen for her?

She sat down on a bench and sighed. Even if he really had fallen for her, he obviously chose not trusting her and paying off his debt before his love for her.

Hope jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed, jumped off the bench, and whirled around to see who had grabbed her.

Chase stepped back a little and held his hands up in defense. "Hope, relax! It's just me."

Hope sighed with relief and relaxed a bit. "Chase. Hi. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little on edge."

"You're still thinking of my dad, aren't you?" Chase asked.

Hope felt her heart melt. She knew that this was just as hard on Chase as it was in her. She could hear the sadness in his voice. Since Aiden's death, Chase hadn't been the same, happy joyful kid he once was. In fact, things had never the same again. It was understandable of course, but heartbreaking nonetheless.

She sighed. "Come here." She held out her arms to him.

Chase walked over to her and hugged her, staying in her arms for a moment.

Hope held him tightly. "I'm always going to think of that night and wonder why he did what he did, but please know that he loved you. He was a good man; he just wasn't well. Eventually, something in him just snapped."

Chase broke the hug. "He also loved you, Hope. I know he tried to kill you, but it still makes no sense to me almost a year later. I have no doubt in my mind that he loved you. You were all he would ever talk about. Sometimes I felt he loved you more than me."

Hope shook her head. "You know that wasn't true. You were the most important person in his life."

"Well, you were pretty high up there too. You do know he really loved you, right?" Chase looked deep into her eyes.

Hope looked away. "I know. I wouldn't think he could fake his love for me for nearly two years." She looked at him and pushed some hair behind her ears. "But I also wouldn't have thought he'd try to strangle me on my wedding night."

Chase placed a hand on her shoulder again.

Hope looked him in the eyes.

"Hope, my dad loved you so much! Please don't ever believe for a second that he didn't," Chase said softly.

Hope nodded, tears in her eyes. "I know. I'm going to choose to remember the man I fell in love with; not the unwell man he ended up being."

Chase hugged her. "Good." He then released her. "Remember, I won't be home for dinner tonight. I'm going out with Claire, Joey, and his new girlfriend."

Hope nodded. "Rafe and I have a date tonight anyway, and Ciara will be out with Theo."

Chase's face fell a bit.

Hope sighed. "Honey, I know you think I moved on too fast, but—"

Chase cut her off. "No, it's all right. Rafe's cool I guess. My dad tried to kill you. I understand why you had to move on."

"I'll always hold the good times your father and I had close to my heart. He made feel alive again when I thought Bo had deserted me. I'll always love him for that regardless of how it ended. Plus, Rafe isn't your father, and your father isn't Rafe," Hope explained.

"Rafe isn't to take my father's place. He's just a new chapter in your life," Chase said with a nod. Hope had explained it all to him before.

Hope nodded. "Exactly! That's why love is so special—there's always enough for more without having to get rid of any."

Chase grinned. "See you tomorrow, if not later tonight."

Hope kissed his cheek. "See you soon!"

Chase then left.

Hope watched him until he disappeared, then she sighed, and headed for home.

*This love came back to me. *

Meanwhile, Stefano Dimera sat in his wheelchair, watching the motionless body of his and Andre's latest captive.

Their captive wore no shirt, revealing that his chest was scarred with an ugly reddish pink line down the center. His torso was clothed only in a pair of white, silky shorts that went to this mid-thigh, but due to the sheet draped over his lower-half, you couldn't see the shorts. An IV drip was attached to him arm, feeding him both food, and the meds necessary to keep him in the lethargic state.

Of course, they didn't always leave him in such a state. Once a day they would let the drugs wear off and then they would make him walk around the room. After all, they had to keep his limbs and brain functioning correctly if they ever wanted him to be of any use to them. They would chain his ankle to the wall with a ball and chain. The chain was long enough to allow their captive easy access around the room, yet he couldn't make a break for it if he tried. For the most point, however, they kept him highly sedated. It was better that way.

Andre came up behind his father and put a hand over his shoulder. "He's looking pretty good under the circumstances. Well, other than that unsightly scar on his chest."

"We've had him here for almost a year. Remind me again of what the point is? We could at least have him working as our slave if you don't want to kill him," Stefano stated.

"Patience, my dear father. An opportunity hasn't aroused yet that would make him useful to us. I want to make sure he is fully healed before we can start the brainwashing. Then, we can make him our permanent slave. After all, not only did he never pay us back the money he owes us, but he also now owes us for saving his life. All this equipment doesn't come cheap, you know," Andre explained.

"In a week, it will have been a year since he got shot and our doctor saved his life. That will be plenty of time for a full recovery," Stefano grumbled. "I do not like to be kept waiting."

Andre rubbed his father's shoulders. "Relax, Dear father. The doctor said after a full year, his body and mind will be fully susceptible to anything administered to him. Just give it a week longer, and the process shall begin."

Stefano held his hands together in a prayer-like motion, tapping his fingers together as he watched their captive sleep. "It's had better."

*This love came back to me.*

"Flowers for my beautiful girlfriend," Rafe said kissing Hopes cheek as he arrived at her doorstep with a bouquet of six yellow roses and six red roses."

Hope blushed and smiled. "You shouldn't have." She sniffed the roses, inhaling their sweet aroma. She then grinned at him. "But I'm glad you did." She kissed him on the lips.

"I got half yellow because yellow stands for friendship, and half red because red stands for love. Our friendship turned in to love."

"Now that deserves another kiss," Hope said kissing him sweetly on the lips again.

Rafe moaned into the kiss and hungrily kissed her back.

"Just let me go put these in water, then we can go eat!" Hope said before quickly dashing off to the kitchen.

"Are you ready?" Rafe asked once she came back out a moment later.

She grabbed her purse. "I am now!"

They kissed once more, then he placed a hand over her back as they headed out the door.

*This love came back to me.*

"You can't just keep me here forever," Aiden grumbled as he walked around the room. He was tired of being drugged all the time, but the Dimeras had ways of making you do things whether you wanted to or not. Unfortunately, he didn't have much say when it came to the IV drip.

"Oh, quit your blubbering! You're alive, aren't you?" Andre said crassly.

"Yeah, well I'd rather have died than have to live through this!" Aiden grumbled. He walked around the room for the third time. He was tired, but he knew he had to keep walking. If he stopped before a hundred laps around the room, Andre and Stefano had men who would come in and "help" him finish those laps. He supposed he should just be grateful they actually let him have a nice meal every night for dinner—that is, once his laps were finished of course. Though, he knew it was more for their benefit than his. They wanted him in well enough shape to do their bidding.

After his hundredth lap, they allowed him to sit down at a wooden chair in front of a small wooden table-for-one that was kept down there.

One of Stefano and Andre's men brought in a tray of food covered with a silver top. He removed the top revealing, well-done steak, mashed potatoes, and peas. He had water to drink.

At first, Aiden had been reluctant to eat. After all, they were the Dimeras. Who knew what they could have done to his food? Eventually, however, it smelled too good to pass up seeing as this was the only real food he got each day. He simply could no longer resist it. Anyway, like he said, he'd rather be dead than be a slave to the Dimeras, so if he ended up being poisoned to death, at least he could have one last good meal and then be put out of his misery. However, he soon realized, death was not a mercy they were willing to give him. He supposed, they wouldn't have saved his life to begin with if they had wanted him dead.

"Here's a daily update. Chase is now seemingly getting real close with Claire, yet he can't quite give himself fully to her, for the thought of his father trying to kill Hope on their wedding night still haunts him to this day. He misses you deeply. He's never been the same since you died. Time does not seem to heal all wounds in his case," Andre began.

Aiden sighed. Andre did not tell him about Hope and Chase to be nice. No. In true Dimera fashion, he was using the information to make his life even more miserable.

"What about Hope?" Aiden hated asking, but he had to know. He knew that, as usual, Andre would choose his words in such a way that he knew it would cut Aiden the deepest. Even so, Aiden had to know what was going on with Hope. He couldn't help himself. He still loved her so much. He had never stopped loving her. In fact, he loved her more with every day that passed, even without having seen her since that fateful night he had tried to kill her. He would never forgive himself for that night—not ever.

Andre grinned. "Tell him, father."

Stefano grinned as well. "She is out of a date with Rafael Hernandez again tonight. It's only been a year, but they are already so close. They've also already been sleeping together. Have I told you that?"

Aiden gripped his fork so hard he felt his nails digging into his palm. "Yes, I believe you told me that a few times."

"Did I? Hm. Well, anyway, they're moving along so fast, it wouldn't surprise me if they are engaged, or maybe even married by Christmas," Stefano stated.

"Oh come now, Father. I wouldn't say that soon! Rafe will probably wait until Valentine's Day to make it more romantic," Andre chimed in.

"He can propose on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, or maybe even New Year's Day itself. Then they can have a big, beautiful, Valentine's Day wedding that will not end in Hope being strangled this time," Stefano teased.

"Enough!" Aiden said, slamming his palms down hard on the table. "Not another word about Hope and Rafe! You hear me?" He wanted Hope to be happy. Lord knew she deserved it after the way he had treated her. But the thought of Hope marrying another man while he wasted away in the Dimera dungeon… The thought of Chase having a new father… No. No way in hell.

Andre ignored him. "Oh, I don't know, Father! Maybe we could control Rafe with all the mind-control drugs at our disposal. We could finally have him kill Hope once and for all."

"Stefano nodded. "Rafe would be more capable, being a fellow police officer and all. He could get the job done—especially now with the dearly departed Bo Brady being dead as a doornail."

Aiden felt the anger rise up in him again. "You leave Hope alone, or I swear I'll—"

"You swear you'll what, Jennings?" Andre interrupted. "Hm?" He motioned his hand around the room. "Take a look around! You're chained up in our dungeon in no condition to fight the pope, let alone a Dimera. We will do whatever we please, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it! Anyways, relax. It's much more fun to keep Hope alive and torture you with Hope and Rafe stories. Heck, maybe I can even get a camera installed in Hope's and Rafe's bedrooms with a live feed down here for you to watch. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"You're sick!" Aiden snapped. "You're pure evil. You're twisted, sick, and evil! Both of you! Sick, twisted, and evil!"

Stefano and Andre both laughed.

"Look who's talking! Neither Andre, nor myself is the one who tried to strangle his wife on his wedding night just for the insurance policy money," Stefano stated.

Aiden narrowed his eyes at him. "I wasn't given a choice in the matter, and you know it!"

Andre shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Oh dear, sweet, naïve Aiden. There's always a choice. You made yours, and now you have to deal with the consequences." He nodded at one of the guards. "Strap him back to the bed and sedate him for the night. I'm tired of talking to him."

"But I'm not finished eating yet," Aiden said.

"Now you are. Next time I suggest keeping your mouth shut if you plan on eating your whole meal," Andre said crassly as one of his men took away Aiden's tray and glass.

Aiden tried to fight the two men coming to strap him down, but he was too weak for them. Between the two men, they were a whole lot stronger than he was on his best day.

He cried out in frustration as they strapped him to the gurney and injected his IV with the meds that always knocked him out cold for hours on end.

The last thought in his head as he started to drift off to a deep sleep was Hope being with Rafe, and how he had to get back to her and his son. He couldn't let Rafe take away the love of his life. He couldn't let… He was out cold before he could finish his next thought.

*This love came back to me.*

"Isn't this cake to die for?" Rafe asked, as he and Hope ate their dessert at Chez Rouge.

Hope felt her stomach sink. She hated that term—"to die for". She had seen so much death over the past year. There was Serena, Paige, Will, Aiden, and Bo—just to name a handful. They had finally caught the real necktie killer at the beginning of the year. It had made her feel a little better knowing that Aiden hadn't killed all those people, but still, he had tried to kill her, and she still didn't know why.

"I'm sorry. I can tell by the look on your face that that was a very bad way of putting it. It was insensitive. I'm so sorry." Rafe set his fork down.

Hope shook her head. "No! It's okay. I knew what you meant." She took a bite of her chocolate cake. "It really is delicious." She licked her lips.

"So, Ciara and Chase are both out with friends tonight, huh?" Rafe asked, trying to change the subject.

Hope smiled and nodded. "Yes, they are. Ciara and Theo are at teen night at the club, and Chase and Claire are at the movies with Joey and his new girlfriend."

"Do you feel like heading back to one of our places?" Rafe asked her with a grin. "Too bad they aren't both having a sleepover at a friend's house. We could have spent the whole night together."

Hope smiled, but her heart sank a little. It seemed like just yesterday that she and Aiden had just gotten engaged and Aiden had asked if he and she could have a sleepover.

"Hope, seriously, are you okay?" Rafe asked.

Hope snapped out of it. She had to forget about Aiden. He was dead and gone and had tried to kill her. There was no reason at all he should still be on her mind.

She reached across the table, and took Rafe's hands in her own. "I guess we'll just have to make the most of what time we do have tonight. We'll go to your place just in case the kids get home early." She winked at him and smiled, then kissed his hands

He smiled too, then hailed the waitress down. "Check please!"

Hope grinned; intent on banishing all thoughts of Aiden from her mind—if only for the night.