Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of CBS and are only used for fan related purposes. Any dialogue from the thirteenth episode, "Sigh", included is used only to further the story.
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Eeny Meeny Miny Mo
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"What did you do?" she whispers, half demanding, half afraid to hear his answer.
It's simple enough: "I chose you. Over him."
He says it as simply as if picking teams for a schoolyard game of kickball. There's even a twinkle of crazed earnestness in his eyes, a twisted innocence lurking in his boyishly dimpled smile. With John Wakefield's blood on his hands, and who knows how many others, he's smiling at her like a child looking to be rewarded.
(Abby realizes with a sinking stomach that she's the reward he has in mind.)
And that's not the only thing:
"Wakefield's your father?"
There's a touch of pride, of hero worship in his answering nod. Opening his arms, baring his soul to her (she doesn't want it), he says, "No more secrets, Abby." And he means it.
"You stay away from me," she warns and, though her voice is firm, her legs feel weak. Her head is spinning and there's no denying the truth anymore.
The memories come rushing back, the weight and the horror of them making her stumble back (or maybe it's the way he's stepping towards her). She doesn't know how long she was out, how she arrived at this old, eerily empty house, why she awoke in nothing but her underwear… but it doesn't matter. None of it.
(It wasn't just a dream.)
Everybody she ever knew and loved—everybody!—is dead and gone. She wanted to blame Wakefield, she falsely accused her dad, and then even wondered about Jimmy… and all along it was Henry.
Henry, her best friend since they were children, is standing nervously in front of her—
(A nervous chuckle and then, "I didn't think I'd be so nervous," echoes in her ears.)
—and he's trying to explain. Like a child who wants to be told he's done well, he's waiting for her approval but Abby's mind is still reeling after:
"I chose you."
There's a childlike wonderment coupled with an adult understanding to his tone, to his expression that makes it so hard to believe everything she's seen since returning to Harper's Island. She expects his certainty to drop any moment now, she waits for him to admit that this is all one big misunderstanding.
(He doesn't.)
It's as if he's telling her that there are presents under the Christmas tree because Santa visited, or that the tooth fairy left him a quarter in exchange for his tooth. But instead of being a grown-up reiterating the tales for the children, he wholeheartedly believes in what he's done, in what he's saying, and that makes it simple.
(Nothing is simple when betrayal is involved, and your longtime best friend confesses to murder.)
It makes Abby want to throw things at him (or maybe throw up) but the kitchen is empty and it's just the two of them. She's staring back in abject disbelief at this childish impostor, talking so calmly and expecting her to accept his actions.
It was a little girl's wish to spend the entire year with her best friend, nothing more. In no way did a nine year old Abby Mills give clearance for a twenty seven year old Henry Dunn to kill in her name…
Traitorous thoughts return to the friends she lost, the lives lost and she pointedly refuses to believe it was all done for her.
("It's you, Abby… it's all about you…")
Suddenly the memory of J.D. Dunn's murder seems especially cold-blooded, heartless and cruel. And Trish… he must have killed her, too. He killed them all.
And she was there when they found J.D. in the boat, bleeding from the severity of his wounds. She was there when they found Trish together on the altar in the church. She comforted him then, she remembers with a pang in her chest (or maybe it's panic when she realizes that the doors are all locked and Henry's eyes are locked on her), but she wasn't comforting a brother, or a fiancé.
She had comforted a killer.
Henry is still smiling in adoration (or maybe he's humoring her because he made sure she couldn't leave), but Abby can't meet his glad expression. She focuses every bit of attention she has on the door. She yanks and she pulls and she wishes it free but it stays closed.
(Maybe, if she jiggles the handle enough, it'll open.)
"Abby, there's nowhere to go."
He's confused, she realizes as she outright ignores him and runs to the next door. It's just as stuck and her panic increases so much so that she's barely breathing. Henry watches quietly as she turns to the drawers next—the empty drawers.
(He's taken everything away from her.)
Worrying at the reaction he hadn't expected from her (why doesn't she understand?), Henry feels he should reassure her:
"I'm not going to hurt you."
But his reassurance means nothing and, in retaliation, she finds a single glass in the sink and throws it right at him. Like a little boy, he ducks, covering his face and, while the glass shatters just off to his right, it offers Abby the chance to take to the stairs.
He lets her go.
He doesn't understand why she's trying to escape, why she's trying to get away. And though, as he needlessly points out, there's nowhere to escape, Abby runs anyway.
It's a good thing she misses the strange smile he flashes as she flees.
(She's already frightened enough.)
Abby runs and, as if her flight is nothing more than a schoolyard game of tag and he's it, Henry follows close behind.
Ready or not, here I come…
Author's Note: Did I happen to mention how much I adore the dynamic between Abby and Henry, as creepy as it is at the end? Because, just in case I didn't yet, I totally do. It gives me so much material to work with (hence the crazy update/fic rate I'm on). But I'm not complaining, eh? This scene was awesome in the finale -- specifically when Henry says he didn't think he would be so nervous -- and I thought I would give it a shot at exploring it a little more. I hope you liked it!
