Disclaimer: The Secret Life of the American Teenager and all its characters are the sole creation of Brenda Hampton. I OWN NOTHING.
Summary: AU Inspired by the novel Sweet Revenge by Nora Roberts. It's been 15 years since Ricky Underwood has escaped his father – he's spent the last 10 years planning his revenge. But what happens when he encounters the beautiful and mysterious Amy Juergens? Will love or lust for a pretty girl spoil his plans?
Thanks to my awesome friend and beta Jazzy…
Chapter 2
New York, NY 20 years ago…
Five-year-old Richard "Ricky" Underwood tosses and turns on his bed. After a while, he sits up with a groan. Rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, he looks around his huge room. The overly blue-hue decorated room is too large for any kid and filled with every possible toy.
Ricky rolls onto his belly and grabs a stuffed toy off the floor – his favorite. It's a huge white tiger named 'Robby.' It was the last toy that his grandfather, Robert Underwood, Sr., gave him before the man went to "the big house" – that's what his mom called it.
Ricky held the tiger close as he climbed out of bed and left his room. They lived in a large house – a mansion – in the outskirts of New York City. There were far too many rooms in Ricky's opinion, especially since he wasn't allowed to enter most of them. The basement was completely off-limits to him.
Ricky lived with his mother, father and granny. His grandpa had lived there too but that was before he had to leave. Then there were his father's and grandpa's colleagues, who seemed to be at the house all hours of the day, any day of the week, whenever they pleased.
Ricky walks up to a door down the hall from his room. "Mommy," he calls out when he enters the room. The room was even larger than his own and was poshly decorated in purples and gold. Ricky walks over to the large four-poster bed and frowns when he finds it empty. Still clutching 'Robby' to his chest, Ricky continues his search for his mother.
Ricky is about to descend their grand staircase, when he hears yelling from one of the forbidden rooms. Holding Robby's paw in one hand, the tiger falls down to his side. He steps closer to it, pressing his ear to the door.
"What have I told you about interfering in business that doesn't concern you?" Ricky's father's voice rings clear through the door.
"I'm your wife," a shaky voice retorts. Ricky smiles at having now found his mother.
"Wife my ass," a cold laugh is heard from his father. "You're just the slut who got pregnant."
As quietly as he could, Ricky slightly opens the door and peaks inside. The room is dark, with a single lamp on a coffee table barely illuminating the room. Nora sits in a black upholstered chair. Robert has his hands firmly placed on the arms of the chair, effectively trapping Nora.
"Either way," Nora's voice is still shaky, "I'm the mother of your only son. And this deal you're planning is-" BAM
Ricky watches in horror as his mother's head snaps back to the right. Bob reaches his right hand back, preparing to slap Nora again, when Ricky barges into the room.
"Dad! Nooooo!" Ricky yells as he runs toward his mother's frozen form. Before he can reach her, Bob roughly shoves the boy to the ground, sending Robby the tiger flying.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" Bob angrily shots as the he stares down at Ricky, whose eyes have filled with tears. "Have I not told you plenty of times that this room is off limits?" Bob moves to kick Ricky.
"Bob! Nooo!" Nora jumps between the two, covering Ricky. She grunts when Bob's kick connects with her ribs. Bob stares down at them with disgust before leaving the room, kicking at the stuffed tiger on his way out. Nora remains completely still until she realizes her son is shaking from his sobs. She pulls him into her chest, cradling him, and rocks him back and forth.
Present Day…
"Wait, wait, wait…Nora?" Detective Enriquez interrupts. "Nora Underwood? But isn't she and her son-" Ruben stops talking at the glare he receives from his deceivingly small companion.
"Do you want to hear the story or not?" she hisses as she plays with the necklace pendant around her neck. Ruben nods, remaining silent. "Ok, now where was I…"
Chicago, IL 20 years ago…
Four-year-old Amy Juergens lies on her bed and stares out her window. Staring up at the stars, she's amazed by how many there are. In her head, she points out the North Star. Then, reaching out with her hand, she traces along the big dipper. She smiles as she remembers the night when her dad told her all about the constellations.
In another room, a door opens and a man dressed entirely in black enters the apartment. At the sound of the door, Amy gasps slightly before she rolls onto her back and pulls the blanket up over her head. The man places a large duffle bag down on an arm chair, then moves to stand in the doorway of the bedroom. He smiles at the sight of the bundle under the covers.
"Amy, baby," George Juergens coos, "are you asleep?"
The bundle wiggles slightly. "Yep yep," a high-pitch voice replies.
George laughs, shaking his head, and walks over to sit on the edge of the bed. "Of course you are," he chuckles.
"Daddy," the little girl exclaims, throwing off the cover and wrapping her arms around her father's neck.
"Hey baby girl," he says, hugging his daughter tight. "Were you a good girl while daddy was at work?"
Amy nods her head enthusiastically. "How was work today, daddy? Did you get me something pretty?"
George's smile widens as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet pouch. "Of course I did, sweetie."
"Really? Really?" Amy shouts excitedly as she grabs for the bag. She opens it and peaks inside. "WOW! It's so pretty daddy," she says as she pulls out an amethyst heart-shaped diamond attached to a silver chain. "Is it real?" she asks as she stares into the stone.
George laughs. "It sure is. Daddy didn't work hard for nothing," he says as he gently places the necklace around her neck. "There were lots of cameras and a digitally locked vault and even two dogs." Amy giggles as she snuggles closer to her father.
"But you did it, daddy, you got through," Amy says proudly as she stares up at her father with admiration. "Will you teach me how?"
George holds his daughter close as he begins to rock her back and forth. "Yup, I'll teach you everything I know."
New York, NY 20 years ago…
Ricky quietly sits on his mother's large bed as he watches his grandma Rose tape up his mom's bruised ribs.
"This really is your fault you know," his grandma scolds softly. "You just keep pushing his buttons wrong."
Nora rolls her eyes, ignoring the old woman. "Thank you, Rose," she says stiffly as she pulls down her shirt. Rose nods and offers a sweet smile to Ricky before quickly leaving the room.
Nora sighs deeply, a large frown marring her face. She turns to her son and holds out her arms. Ricky crawls into them and lays his head on his mom's chest as she wraps her arms around him.
"I'm so sorry, baby," Nora says as she rocks Ricky back and forth. "You don't deserve this." Ricky looks up at his mom with wide innocent eyes.
"I love you, mommy," Ricky smiles up at his mom as he snuggles closer to her.
Nora returns the smile as tears start to fill her eyes. "I love you too, baby, so much. And I promise you – if it's the last thing I do – I'm going to take you away from this place. Away from this life, this dungeon of a house and that man."
AN: Hope you liked it! Please Review!
-Nichelle
