Unwelcome visitors
After a long day of scouring the Wastes, Amy had slumped on the couch, as her boyfriend entered the living room from the kitchen, carrying a cup of peppermint tea. "Relax my dear, I am here," he said affectionately as Amy gave him a soft smile as she sipped the tea, just at the right temperature. Sitting next to her, Russell placed his hand on Amy's leg, clad by a navy skirt, as Amy exhaled in a relaxed manner. "Well I have felt a lot more soothed nowadays," she replied politely smiling at Russell, "well with everything happening, I'm not surprised," he replied. Amy, nodding in agreement, sipped her tea as the noises next door continued. Amy's partner, Nat had decided to rent the adjacent apartment since the original residents left, much to the joy of Amy, who still felt unsafe after the events of White Peaks. Russell, reading her expression, wrapped his arms around her as she finished the tea. Amy's worries soon melted away as she melted into Russell's arms, drifting into darkness as her blue eyes closed slowly as her drowsiness grew. Russell, now keenly aware of how heavy Amy was in sleep, leaned back on the couch, drifting into sleep with Amy in his arms.
After a while, Amy awoke from what seemed like a deep sleep to hear, to her surprise, that the noises caused by Nat's unpacking had stopped. Looking at the clock in the kitchen, Amy decided that it had only been a couple of hours since she went to sleep. Confused, she carefully got up off Russell's sleeping figure and made her way across the room to the door. Opening it, she saw Nat's door was closed but silence made its cool presence known down the corridor, before she began to close the door. Suddenly the door was knocked against her with such force that she hit the floor with a thud. Russell immediately woke up to see Miriam Young's figure standing in their doorway. "Mother? What's going on?" Amy asked in confusion as Miriam made her way to the door. "This madness has to stop Amy, it's for your own good," Miriam replied coldly as Bobby and Duncan also made their way in. Terrified, Amy ran back to Russell as the trio advanced. "You need to be taught a lesson Amy," Duncan snarled as Amy eyes welled up with tears, "You threw me in jail to rot! Your own brother!" he yelled as Amy hid in Russell's arms. "It was right that you were arrested Duncan, you killed at least four people," Russell said as calmly as he could as Duncan and Bobby advanced.
Bobby, whose face contorted with jealousy, shoved Russell and Amy apart, looking at Amy, curled up in fear at the end of the couch. "That could have been us Amy," he said gently, towering above her. Amy, fear still vivid in her blue eyes, replied angrily, "Except you ruined everything! You ATE someone Bobby! You broke my heart!" tears now flowing freely down her face. Anger flashing across Bobby's face, he grabbed Amy's bare legs, pulling her down from the couch to the floor. "I did it to survive! I thought you would understand that!" Bobby yelled in Amy's face, pinning her arms down. "No matter, I'll still know what our future could have been like together…right now, whether you like it or not," he said menacingly as he put his weight down on Amy. Amy's eyes filled with fear as she yelled out, "Mother! Please help me Mother!" only for her hopes to be dashed as Miriam turned her back, coldly saying "You're getting everything you deserve Amy, you shouldn't have turned away from your family." Russell, fearing the worst, tried to jump at Bobby, but was subsequently seated back down as Duncan punched him in the jaw and held him in place with a knife to Russell's neck. Amy saw this and immediately cried out "No! Don't hurt Russell! Do you what you want to me, just don't hurt him!" Russell looked at her, tears forming in his eyes as Bobby turned her face to him. "Oh believe me Amy, he'll die if you're not a virgin and I'll know if you're not!" Bobby snarled as he pulled down his jeans. Russell yelled out to get his attention, as Bobby yelled back, "shut up you creep, she's mine!"
"I don't see your name anywhere pal," came an enraged voice from the doorway, shortly before Bobby got kicked in the face and Duncan slammed against the wall. Nat, with a bloodied head and hazel eyes filled with rage, wrapped her hands around Bobby's neck and began to squeeze, a murderous look on her face. Suddenly, Bobby's neck was released as Ace dragged Nat away to put handcuffs on Duncan, helping Amy get to her feet. As soon as she was standing, Amy ran straight to Russell, flinging her arms around him and began to sob hysterically. "We received a report that both Duncan and Bobby had escaped from prison, and went straight to Nat to tell her. We found her bleeding in the lobby, and we went straight up," Chief Marquez explained as she put the handcuffs on Miriam. "You're both lucky and unlucky we got you Bobby, if I hadn't stopped Nat, you'd be in the morgue tonight instead of prison," Ace warned, looking at Nat, now sitting on the couch trying to calm down. Duncan and Bobby both said nothing as they were escorted out of Russell's and Amy's apartment.
Seeing that they were out of the building, Ace turned back to the three, both physically and emotionally, injured people in the apartment and dialed 911 to call them an ambulance. Meanwhile Amy flung her arms around Nat, saying "Thank you Nat, for saving me," Nat, smiling fondly at Amy after calmed down substantially, replied, "you're welcome Amy, I'm just sorry I didn't get here sooner." Amy moved so that Nat was between her and Russell. "If you don't mind my asking Nat, but this seems to have affected you quite a lot," Russell asked gently, placing his hand on Nat's arm. Sensing this, Nat immediately got up, yelling, "yeah and why hasn't it affected you?! Your girlfriend was nearly raped in front of you!" Nat began pacing around the room as both watched her with worry. "Nat…are you ok?" Amy asked gently, stopping Nat in her tracks. Nat immediately replied, "oh this?" referring to the wound on her head, now dried with blood, "this is nothing compared to what could have happened to you," she reassured Amy. "But what could have happened Nat and how would you know?" Russell asked innocently as Nat sat back down.
"Damn it Russell, you really are too smart for your own good," Nat admitted. "It seems like all of us have a tragedy behind our joining the police. Russell because of what happened in the Utopians, Amy because of Duncan, me for what happened when I first moved to the US." She continued as she exhaled deeply, as Amy clung to her, tears filling her eyes. Nat, seeing this, smiled back at Amy, "don't worry Amy, I have healed from my attack, in fact I caught him in my first time going out on field duty," Amy's worry faded away as Nat looked back at her in understanding. "But when I saw Bobby on top of you, something clicked. It brought me right back to when the attack started." Nat frowned as Amy looked down in sadness, lifting her chin to see her blue eyes filled with tears. Nat's gratitude in her hazel eyes however, made the sadness leave as quickly as it came, as she said "It's not a bad thing Amy, I used my pain to help you, I used what happened for good, just like that first field day. There is light at the end Amy, and there's a greatness inside you which will bring it quickly," she looked back to Russell, now looking at the two women fondly, "and I know Russell will help you." Nat finished as she left for the bathroom.
By the time Nat's wound was cleaned and she had emerged from the bathroom, Ace had come up with the paramedics, saying "alright people, let's get you cleaned up." Amy and Nat slipped their arms under Russell's, who was still slightly woozy from the punch he had received from Duncan. Amy and Nat smiled knowingly as they made their way into the elevator and down into the ambulance. But before they entered, Nat's phone began to ring. Ushering Russell into the ambulance, Nat answered Chief Marquez, saying "Hi Chief, sorry for the other slip up. Is Bobby pressing charges?" hearing a laugh on the other end, Nat smiled as she listened. "With the charges against him? He wouldn't dare, besides if you hadn't, I probably would have done the same," hearing Andrea's fondness on the other end of the line comforted Nat. "When is their trial? I imagine it would be a rather lengthy one, but I would like to see all three of them put away," she said. "Oh it shouldn't be too far away, but I'll let you know. Until then Chief Inspector Nat," Andrea concluded as Nat made her way into the ambulance. Smiling at Amy once more, the road to their healing had already begun.