Sophie sat in a chair in the living room exhausted, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, he would be out for the count for some time, maybe she could grab just a couple of hours sleep before this whole hell started.
When she awoke the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a bright orange glow through the living room windows, she groaned and stretched. She looked around at the trashed house that she had once cleaned to perfection only a few months ago. 'What the hell had happened here' she thought seeing the huge fist holes in the wall plaster and smashed tables and broken glass. 'Whatever had happened Mick had been angry as hell' she stood up and tripped over a glass bottle, she looked down and saw the floor littered with empty glass rum bottles. 'What the hell Mick, no wonder you bust your head open' She made a mental note to herself that she better clean this up at some point otherwise it'd be them bother with busted heads and decided that she had better go and check on Mick.
Slowly Sophie creaked open the bedroom door and found Mick still snoring loudly. Her heart beat through her chest as she walked over and sat on what used to be her side of the bed 'God Sophie, what are you doing here?' she began questioning herself gazing out of the bedroom window onto the empty outback. Mick groaned, his eyes flickering open and vision slowly began coming into focus.
"Fuck think I've fractured me skull" He groaned.
"I don't think so but it'll probably feel like it" Sophie replied casually still gazing out of the window. Mick suddenly shot up, gabbed Sophie and pinned her to the bed by her neck. His eyes went blurry with the sudden movement and the pounding pain in his head.
"Mick, Mick it's me" she croaked, struggling to speak through the pressure on her neck. "It's Sophie, please let go" She gasped.
It took a while for her announcement to sink into his dazed and foggy head he had thought it had been another flashback or a drunken vision but slowly he let her neck go once he'd realised she was real, she coughed and chocked getting as much air into her lungs as possible.
"Sophie, what the bloody hell are you doing here?" He groaned lying back in bed.
"Good job I was, wasn't it? You out there with your head busted open like an egg" she said pointing towards the front door. Mick scowled trying to remember the night before and put his hand on the side of his head feeling bandages.
"What the fuck happened?" He said squinting; he couldn't get rid of the pounding inside his head. Sophie gave a short chuckle.
"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me" The look on Mick's face showed Sophie that he was clueless as to what had happened. "You think them fifty thousand bottles in the living room had something to do with it?" She said sarcastically and somewhat disapprovingly.
"Don't think you can start lecturing me cunt, you can't suddenly come back here and start judging me" He growled pointing a finger at her. Sophie sighed knowing it was hopeless to talk to Mick about his drinking in an adult manner.
"Don't you think you've done enough damage? I knew I should have fucking killed you the first time I saw you"
A long silence followed that, neither of them knew what to say to each other, Sophie stood up and went to leave the bedroom.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" He asked frowning at her.
"Well I better clean up this bloody mess you've made hadn't I?" Mick raised an eyebrow at her wondering what her game was. "And you look like shit Mick, when was the last time you ate something?" Mick shrugged his shoulders with disinterest, Sophie sighed. "Well guess we'll have to sort that out too won't we?"
Sophie muttered out loud to herself as she tidied up the living room. Why was she doing this? She was nursing a psychopathic sadistic serial killer. She should have just killed him when she had the chance but she couldn't. She knew the Mick Taylor that nobody else did; he had confided in her and told her about his childhood, everything about Mick Taylor that made him Mick Taylor. She couldn't decide what Mick had thought about her return, it was a mixture of surprise, anger and confusion. Pretty much close to her own feelings on the situation she was confused and surprised at her being there and angry at herself for putting herself in this situation and how she felt about it.
Mick sat in bed as she tidied; his mind whirled with mixed emotions. He had been happy and surprised to see her again he had thought he would never see her again, but he was also confused and angry. Why was she here? But he was also angry, she had fucked up enough of his life without her coming back to do some more damage. His thoughts were soon disrupted by the bedroom door opening and Sophie coming in carrying a bowl.
"I brought you some broth" she said walking to the edge of his bed. "It's not a lot but the best I could do with the tiny amount of food in your kitchen" Mick looked at the bowl suspiciously, was that her game? Has she come back to poison him? Sophie looked at him and could see the concern on his face.
"I thought you trusted me?" she said with a hurt expression on her face.
"Mick Taylor trusts no one" he growled. Sophie sighed and ate a spoonful of the broth.
"See? It's perfectly safe" She said putting the bowl on his lap to eat.
He ate like he hadn't eaten in days, Sophie watched him in shocked surprise.
"Why are you helping me girlie?" He suddenly said once he'd finished, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. Sophie gave a little chuckle as if it was the most stupid question she'd ever heard.
"I wasn't just gonna leave you there to die was I?"
"Ha, I wouldn't have blamed ya" He said shrugging his shoulders.
"You let me go didn't you? You let me live? Seemed only fair I pay back the debt" raising a shoulder like it was no big deal.
"Yeah guess I did" he agreed "But what are ya doing here?"
"I've seen your newest playthings on the news" she announced like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Don't know what you're on about"
"Yes you do, the four missing girls that look like me!" she said getting annoyed.
"Don't have a clue what you're on about"
"Mick don't play games with me, we've played before and I won remember" she growled getting irritated by him playing dumb.
Mick scowled at her for standing up to him and throwing her outwitting him in his face. If he had all his strength in him he would have squeezed the life out of her mentioning it.
"Come on Mick they all look like me why?" She asked Mick smirked at her.
"Now why would I tell you that, what's in it for me?" Sophie rolled her eyes; she had expected Mick to want to bargain with her for answers. Sophie sighed.
"Alright, alright we'll get you on your feel then we'll make a deal" Mick gave a cruel laugh.
"Knew you would girlie knew you would"
'This is crazy' she thought to herself that night as she sat on the bed while Mick slept, so far he hadn't shown any signs of concussion so that was a relief. It meant that he would be up and about soon enough but then she'd have to start bargaining for information and that terrified her. What could Mick possibly want from her to answer her questions?
