Well… I feel nothing but fail in regards to the amount of time it has taken me to update this. I meant to update the week after I posted the last chapter but my doctor decided to schedule my surgery that week, then the week after that school started back up. So I was doing 15 credit hours at school on top of working 25-30 hours a week and therefore I failed to update my story. Also, I am shocked that it has been a year since I started this story. I would like to point out that now that class is out till January so in theory I should have more time to update but I don't guarantee anything. : ( None the less I will finish this story no matter what.
Disclaimer: If I owned IMAA I wouldn't be writing fan fiction, I would be writing episodes.
"I never want to talk to another police officer again," Pepper stated as she sunk back into her pillow.
"Oh, Pepper it wasn't that bad," said Rose as she continued filling out Pepper's chart.
"Wasn't that bad? It was terrible. They couldn't get it through their thick heads that I can't remember anything, no matter how hard I try or how bad I want to. And the way they basically kept asking the same question over and over again was ridiculous. Did they think I would magically remember everything if I was asked about it enough?"
"It sure seemed that way. You would've thought they could take a hint and realize if you didn't have an answer the first time you wouldn't have one the next time they asked," she said with a slight chuckle as she finished her task. "Well I'm done here so I am gonna go let your father know he can come see you know since it is 9 o'clock."
"Ok and Rose, thank you."
"For what?"
"Thank you for staying with me during the questioning."
"Well, you're quite welcome" with that she exited the room and left Pepper, once again alone with her thoughts, only this time they revolved around this morning's events.
~Flashback~
"Good Morning Miss Potts, I'm Officer Brooks and this is my partner Officer Phelps. How are you today?"
"I've been better."
"Well let's get down to business. I'm gonna ask you questions and Officer Phelps is just gonna write down your answers, so don't pay him any attention. This will be over and done in no time as long as you answer honestly, ok?"
"Ok…" At this point Pepper was already annoyed with this oversized officer, and his portly companion who was chewing his gum rather loudly, and could only hope that things would improve and he would stop speaking to her like she was a small child who did something wrong and the his fellow officer would stop chewing his gum like a cow eats grass. However, things didn't work out as she'd hoped they would in fact they only got worse.
"Ok, first question what happened on the night you were kidnapped?"
"I flew in from Seattle to visit some friends for Thanksgiving…"
"You flew in alone?"
"Yes, my dad had originally planned to go with me to New York but he had to cancel his ticket at the last minute because something came up at work and he had to stay behind to help. Anyways," she continued while shooting the officer a glare, "I got off the plane to New York and immediately called my dad to tell him I had arrived safely, and then I called one of my friends…"
"What was this friend's name?"
"Does it really matter?"
"At the moment, no it doesn't."
"Ok…," Pepper couldn't help but think that what he had just said was extremely cryptic but she continued on with her recount of what happened the day she went missing anyways, "After I got off the phone with my friend I started to make my way outside to get a cab when my phone rang, I answered it and it was him…"
"'Him' who? Was it the man who kidnapped you?"
"Yes and…"
"Who was it?"
"I don't know," she snapped due to the fact he kept interrupting her.
"Ok, what did he say on the phone?"
"He basically said if I didn't want to see my friends dead I should meet him at the docks. So I did, I know I should've called someone and told them what was going on but I was scared for my friends so I went."
"Ok, next question what happened while you were being held by the man who took you?"
"I don't remember."
"You don't remember what happened?"
"That's what I said isn't it."
"Do you remember anything about it?"
"No."
"And you don't remember who took you?"
"I already told you I didn't," with each question she could feel her temper rising and she knew if the questions went on like this much longer she was going to snap.
"Ok, is it true you didn't remember how long you'd been gone until someone told you the amount of time you had been missing?"
"Yes it is, I thought I'd only been gone a couple weeks until I was told it had been 6 and a half months."
"Ok, do you remember who inflicted these wounds to your body?"
"No I don't."
"Do you know who called you and told you to go to the docks?"
"No I do not!"
"Do you remember who dropped you off at the hospital?"
"NO I DON'T! WHAT PART OF I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND?" At this point Pepper was furious. "DON'T YOU THINK IF I KNEW WHO DID THIS I WOULD TELL YOU?"
"Would you?"
"YES, YES I WOULD. AND I DON'T APPRECIATE YOU IMPLYING THAT I AM HIDING SOMETHING."
After this the room was filled with silence for at least 5 minutes while Pepper silently fumed, the officers took notes and Rose stood in shock at her, now, favorite patient. Finally having enough of the silence Pepper told the officers they should leave and if they wanted to talk to her again they would have to ask her father about it.
~End Flashback~
Pepper looked up just as her dad walked in the room and she barely had a chance to say hi before he had her in a tight hug. The next thing she knew she was crying. She was crying tears of frustration at the situation she had gotten herself into, tears of anger at whoever had did this to her, tears of fright because she didn't know if whoever took her in the first place would be back, and tears of relief/joy because she was back and at the moment things were okay.
"Daddy…"
"Yes Pumpkin?" asked Virgil as he released his hold on his daughter.
"I missed you, so much," she choked out as she continued to cry.
"I missed you too," he replied as he himself let tears roll down his face. "I'm sorry that yesterday it didn't seem that way. I was just in shock that you were back. I had started to think I would never see you again and then seeing you there in the hospital bed I just couldn't think straight."
"It's okay. There's been a lot to take in and now it makes a bit more sense knowing I was gone for over 6 months instead of just a couple weeks like I first thought."
"Pumpkin, is it true you don't remember anything that happened while you were missing?"
"Sadly, yes."
"Well it's probably a good thing at least for now that you don't. Anyway, I have some good news. After a lot of thought and consideration last night I decided that if you wanted to we would move back here to New York. But if you don't want to we can stay in Seattle. But I need to know soon so…"
"Do you mean it?" Pepper asked before he dad could even finish his sentence, "Do you really mean we can move back here to New York?"
"If that's what you want."
"Duh, why wouldn't I? Seattle was great but it wasn't home. Sides it was supposed to be temporary anyway."
"Okay then I will let my boss know and I get finished moving stuff back here to New York."
"What do you mean finished?"
"When I hit that point of thinking I had lost you forever I wanted to move back here just to be closer to the remaining family we have, plus I was constantly flying back and forth between here and Seattle to follow the investigation while trying to work at the same time. So all of your stuff is essentially back here at our old house and a good portion of mine is too. All I have to do is fly out there and bring the rest of our stuff back here to New York."
"Can you maybe have someone else go get the remainder of our stuff? I don't really want you to go." As Pepper pleadingly looked up at her father, Virgil couldn't help but remember the times following the death of his wife when he would go on a mission and Pepper would give him the exact same look she had right now because she was afraid her father would go off on a mission and she would lose her father too.
"I'll ask your Uncle Mark if he can go get them for us when he comes to visit later," he said while hugging his daughter once again.
"Uncle Mark is coming to visit?" Mark was the only member of her mother's side of the family that her and her father were in regular contact with, since her mother's parents currently lived in Arizona. Mark was her mother's twin brother and Pepper loved when he came to visit. He reminded her so much of her mother, from what she could remember, and he always told her stories from when he and her mother we young. He always knew how to make her laugh and he was exactly what she needed at this time in her life. "When is he coming?"
"He'll be here around 6:30. He is gonna be at the house helping me unpack our stuff till then."
"Hey dad, do you mind if I turn on the news? I want to try and catch up on things I've missed."
"Not at all, I need to head over to the house and help out your uncle otherwise he won't let me hear the end of it."
"Okay, I guess I'll see you later." She said reaching up to embrace her father once more before he left.
"That you will, I'll be by later with Mark to see you. So for now bye."
"Bye daddy! I love you!" She replied with a huge smile on her face.
"I love you too pumpkin."
For the first time in a while she felt truly happy. She was back home in New York, her and her dad were moving back to New York, and her uncle Mark was coming to see her. She felt as if nothing could bring down the mood she was in until she turned on the news and saw what the current story was 'Whiplash back in New York'. She listened intently as the reporter went on and on about how Whiplash hadn't been seen in nearly 9 months and the fact that he suddenly turned up seemingly out of nowhere had authorities baffled and thoroughly concerned for the well being of the city. When they went on to talk about the weather she zoned out with thoughts of Whiplash in her head. She couldn't figure out why his presence had her so spooked. She knew he worked for Fix and Fix had it out for her dad, but she couldn't figure out why that alone would have something in the back of her mind telling her want to curl up in a ball and cry out for help.
Only when she heard her name mentioned did she turn her attention back to the television. The reporter talked about how she had mysteriously shown up after having been missing for six and a half months. Then he went on to talk about the day she went missing, the search that followed and the investigation. She paid close attention to this part and didn't once let her attention stray from the television. The reporter then listed off the suspects, all of them were people that her dad had made angry in the past because of his job, but the one that stood out to Pepper the most was the one that had been the prime suspect throughout the entirety of the investigation, Mr. Fix. The story made her remember her nightmare and the combination of the two had her wondering if maybe it was Fix who had kidnapped her.
Whew, 2000 words later I am done with my longest chapter yet. I almost didn't include the section with the interview cause I didn't like how it turned out but decided against. So if please let me know what you think by reviewing. Happy Holidays!
