Here we are, we're at the penultimate part of the story and there'll be two endings to follow, more on this at the end of this chapter.

The Deal Of Fate

I led the way until we made it to the accommodation, the door was open and I was already concerned.

"That door isn't meant to be open." I said. "I'm sure of that."

"Then something's happened...could it have been a break in?" Jessie asked.

We rushed inside and I was stopped in my tracks, the kitchen area, the main lounge and two of the three bedrooms were messed up, as if the place got robbed or something. I opened up the bedroom door that wasn't open and I walked in and was stopped in my tracks again.

"Mmmph!" A voice exclaimed.

"Nikki!" I responded, rushing over to her and taking off the handkerchief that was tied around her mouth. "Are you okay?"

"Mike...yeah, I'm a little bruised but I'm fine."

Jessie walked in and she helped me untie her hands, now Nikki was free.

"And...who's this?" Nikki asked.

"I'm Tiffany's mother, you may have heard of me." Jessie replied.

"Ohhh, so you're the mother that Tiffany talked about...well at least I now know where she gets her looks from or whatever..."

"Umm, now's not the time for that." I intervened. "Now could you tell us what the hell happened?"

Background Music:

Mega Dimension Neptunia V-II OST 13: Insecure feeling

"Well...Tiffany and I ended up seeing each other when I was out shopping, so we went back here together. But then we saw the entrance door wide open, we thought that Audrey forgot to be careful again. When we got in, we saw two men, one was dressed in a suit and the other had casual clothes, they were both creepy."

"A suit, that's my so called model agent." Jessie replied. "The same bastard that tried to get me killed in that car crash."

"But the other guy...I have a feeling already, but what did he look like?" I asked.

"He had dark blonde hair and he kept looking at me and my body, I already began to dislike him...he said that he was looking for you."

"Andy...I should've known he would be one step ahead of me..."

"He's...someone you know?"

"Well, you could say used to know until he stabbed me in the back a long while ago...so where's Tiffany?"

Nikki began to shudder slightly. "Andy tried to make a move on her and when she refused, the other guy knocked her out with a sleeper hold."

"Son of a bitch!" I clenched my fists. "How freaking dare he try and get to Tiffany like that!"

"My daughter...kidnapped?" Jessie asked herself, I could tell she was worried.

"Then the agent guy tied me up and left with a message for you. Andy wants you to go and see him at the abandoned warehouse at the edge of the pier, if you don't turn up by sunset, he'll...blow up the warehouse..."

"That's insane!" Jessie exclaimed. "Mike, you've gotta go and save her!"

"Hold on...obviously Andy is trying to get under my skin." I said. "And he's doing a fine job of it so far...but if I go there, I might end up walking into a trap."

"Yeah, good point." Nikki responded.

"I think we're going to need a lot of help...where's Audrey?"

She sighed. "She's at the police station, she was caught with an illegal drug last night..."

I groaned. "Ugh, so she can't help us at all...stupid bitch."

"Then what else can we do...there's no way I'm letting a chance to patch things up to my daughter go by." Jessie said.

"Hmm...if I know Andy, he'll be smart enough to be one step ahead of anyone who crosses his path and he'll go to any extreme lengths to try and cover his tracks. However, what I also know is his one weakness, when he succeeds, he becomes complacent and starts hiring someone to do his work for him."

"That would explain the agent...I often spoke to him on a few things, so in a way...it's my fault this has happened."

I looked at her. "It's alright Jessie, none of us could've known about that."

"Sooooo, what can we do?" Nikki asked.

"Only one thing...Andy will obviously want me to come alone and I can't help shake the feeling that he's going to try and have his way with Tiffany by force. I'm gonna go to the warehouse myself and I would like you both to go and find help."

"Okay, but who can help us?" Jessie asked.

"Well you'll both have to do this, solo." I handed Jessie over my apartment key. "Jessie, I want you to go to my apartment and contact a person I know named Kyu. When you see her, don't ask questions and let her know that I'm at the warehouse. Nikki, I would like you to head to the abandoned house on the hill, a friend of mine lives there and she'll be of great use in case Andy tries to pull off a dirty trick."

"Who are these two people you mentioned?" Nikki asked. "Because both of those ideas sound strange."

"Yeah, that's a lot of wishful thinking." Jessie added.

"Come on you two, this is a fictional story, there's no need for a logic stamp for a time like this." I replied. "Besides, it's a hero's job to save his girl and that's what I'm gonna do, even if it costs me a lot, I will not rest till Tiffany is safe and back in my arms."

Jessie giggled. "That sounded so cheesy...alright Mike, I'll go now...do be careful yourself."

"Yeah, you have a lot of friends who like you, so we'll do our best." Nikki added.

"Thank you both." I replied.

I rushed out of the apartment, now to go and find the warehouse. I walked on over to the seafront, noticing that it was the late afternoon already. To think that Andy would go as far as blowing up the warehouse...yeah, he would surely die if he did that whilst inside but Tiffany would be killed as well...I cannot let that happen...even if...no, I must not think about that right now.

Eventually, I found the warehouse and there was a black van outside. The location of it was indeed far away from the main city area, so I can see why Andy chose this as the hideout location. I braced myself...once I enter this area, it'll be time to settle the score with an old friend and rival...please Tiffany, please be safe.

I walked into the entrance and it was more than just a warehouse, there were a few small rooms, but there was the main big one as well. My heart nearly skipped a beat when I saw who was tied on the ground and knocked out. "TIFFANY!" I yelled and rushed over to her, untying her hands. "Tiffany...I'm here."

Her eyes opened slowly... "Mike...is that you?"

"Tiffany...it's me..."

"Mike...it really is you!" She wrapped her arms around me.

"Who did this...was it that Andy guy?"

She got emotional and sniffed. "Yes...he was so cruel, but you shouldn't have come here..."

"There's no way I was gonna let him get away with this...listen." I kissed her. "I want you to get out of here, I've got some business with Andy."

She looked at me with exhausted eyes. "Huh...but it might be too dangerous, let's just get out of here."

"If we try and escape, he'll blow up the warehouse and we'll die...I'm sure that rescuing you like this is part of the trap."

"Oooh, how very clever of you, old friend..." A voice called from a dark area of the warehouse.

I stood up and turned to see the source of the voice...it was him.

Background Music

Mega Dimension Neptunia V-II OST 14: Emergency

"YOU!" I yelled.

"Well, well...long time no see, Mike." Andy replied. "It seems you've aged well."

I clenched my fists. "No thanks to you, backstabber!"

"Awww no high fives or hugs like old times?"

"You've got some balls to mention about old times...what happened back then stays there like memories."

"Why I would agree, memories that will continue to be with you for life..." He smirked. "...anyways, I'm glad to see you here. I've waited for a very long time to finally catch up to you."

"Catch up to me...so that agent was a mole?"

"Not quite, the model agent...is Ken's father in law, surely you remember him?"

"I know who you mean...I never knew Ken had a step-father and because he was the model agent for Jessie, he was able to send you the info about me."

"Well done, Mike...it seems you have gotten smarter over the years...but it's such a shame to see you have fallen from grace along the way."

I bit my tongue. "What the fuck would you know about falling from grace?! The only thing you are to me right now is nothing but a distant memory."

"Correction, I'm part of your past that will never go away...now if we can move on, I am here because I like to remind you about the one thing that you have always hated and despised, just like me."

"You're talking about love, aren't you?"

"Why yes...for you see, you became who you are because of me, you should be thanking me for that."

I frowned. "Thank you for what exactly? Making me grow to hate everything to do with love?"

"Yes...there it is, the old Mike, the one who hates love...the one who hates dating, relationships, all of it! That's the Mike I wanna see and always wish to see..."

"Are you finished with your bullshit right now? Because if we're done here, I'd like me and Tiffany to leave."

"Well that's a shame, I can't let you both escape as simple as that."

"You mean this is a trap?"

He held out something. "It's more than that...this warehouse has been wired from all corners of the building with explosives, where I got them is none of your business."

"Explosives?"

His expression changed to a somewhat evil look. "When I push the button on this detonator, in just one minute this place will be consumed by the explosion...no one will survive. And the best part? We can die together and I get to torture you...in hell!"

"Andy...in all the times that I've known you throughout the years from when we ceased contact with Ken to you betraying me, this is the first time I'm gonna say something like this to you...you are fucking insane!"

"Am I now? You say that you're smarter than me but who's the one that has the advantage here?" He smirked. "Besides, you don't have anything to counter with...now it is time to begin making a deal..."

"A deal? You must be out of your damn mind if you think I'll agree to any deal crap you have."

"Shut up or I'll push this button...you didn't let me finish...come here, agent."

The agent arrived with a briefcase and opened it to reveal a pile of cash.

"Money...just like Jessie said, you did this for the money?!"

The agent said nothing and closed the case.

"Don't insult him." Andy remarked. "He was only doing his job...which was to lure you away by sabotaging Jessie's car so that I could set up the explosives here without interference by the news media. Then when I heard about you and Tiffany, we had to kidnap her and now we want to make a deal with you."

I held Tiffany tight as she and I stood close and said nothing.

"If you both want to stay alive, then here's what you can do. Mike, if you agree to split up with Tiffany and let me have her, you can both leave here alive. But if you decline the deal, then you can face not only me...but the group of people that made a mockery of you."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "They're here too?"

"Well of course, I wasn't planning to arrive in this city alone. Thanks to my girlfriend...who I split up with a few months ago by the way, I was able to make some calls." Several footsteps walked in. "And here they are now..."

I recognised them as they stood beside Andy, they were the same group that were with Monica's boyfriend. "You coward! Hiding behind these...bullies!"

"It's not cowardice, it's preparing in advance."

"I am so ashamed of you right now...what would your parents say if they found out about this?"

"Screw my parents, they weren't much help and seeing you here proves that your parents were not much help either."

"How dare you spin that on me and why do you want to do this to me?!"

"To prove that no matter what you do to cover up the past, you are and always will be the Mike who hates love and has no friends."

"You're wrong on that one, bastard! Unlike you, I have friends now and I have the best girlfriend I could ever want. I love her and I would never want to part ways with her!"

"Mike..." Tiffany sighed happily.

"I don't hate love anymore, I love all that comes with it now. So why don't you go and shove that deal so far up your ass, you'll be shitting out money for the rest of the year!"

"Grrr!" Andy growled and he suddenly pulled out a gun. "You stubborn asshole! Why can't you just accept that you'll never have love, you were born to never find love...but now, since it's obvious that you're too stupid to accept that fact once more, I guess I'll let these boys have some fun."

"Then bring it on, I've trained hard at the gym whenever I had time, so I'm a different person from before, I can fight back!"

"Mike...don't do it." Tiffany intervened. "You'll get hurt...I don't want you to get hurt."

"Listen to her, Mike...it's obvious that she doesn't want you to be killed, but this isn't her choice."

"You leave her out of this, Andy." I said. "This is between you and me."

"Then agree to split up with her and let me have her to myself...but then again, I suppose the rest of the boys would like a piece of her too."

I smirked at him. "Fuck you!"

"Very well then...boys, deal with him...he never understood anything."

Some of them cracked their knuckles and we engaged into a brawl, the first one want down easily, but the next two were tough to beat down one on one. Then a fourth one tried to attack me from behind, but I beat him down...I am so glad that Kyanna helped me at the gym whenever I visited there.

"Then it looks like it's up to me..." A voice said before I turned around.

"Argh!" I yelled as I got punched in the stomach.

"Mike!" Tiffany called before I saw her being grabbed by the model agent. "Dah! Let me go!"

"Ah, good thinking agent." Andy praised. "Now she can be at my side...you were so dumb to think you could come here and save her just like that."

"Yeah...ow...that was the idea..." I responded before I got punched again. "Ow!"

"Ha ha! You're weak...remember me, pipsqueak?" The bully who took me down asked.

I looked at him. "Wait...it's you, Monica's boyfriend..."

"Yeah, nice of you to remember...now I'm gonna finish what I started back then."

"By all means...beat him to a pulp." Andy ordered.

"Cool...here it comes Mike, time to beat you dead."

"Argh..." I got punched again. "Argh...argh...argh!"

"Stop it, stop it!" Tiffany yelled.

"Quiet bitch!" Andy exclaimed. "Nobody's coming to save you or him, so why don't you both just give up?"

"Not...cough...a...chance..." I coughed before I got punched in the face, the memory of that punch from before that made me lose a tooth, it was like this all over again. "Why...cough...why does...my life have...cough to be...cough like this?"

"Punching you's getting a bit boring...time to end this for good." The bully said before he grabbed me by the neck. "Come on, man...I wanna hear that snap!"

"No...this...can't...be..." No...I can't accept this...I was about to die by strangulation...it can't end here, I can't die...is this...the end?

End Of Background Music

*ZAP*

Suddenly, a laser zap noise went off and the bully above me was stopped and fell to the side...allowing me to catch my breath.

"That will be enough, you bully!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

"Cough...cough..." I looked at the bully and he was out cold and I stood up to see who it was. "Celeste!"

"Mike...are you okay?"

I caught my breath. "Yeah...I was close to being...killed, thank you so much."

"An alien?" The agent said. "No way, this was not part of the deal, I'm calling this off."

"Like hell you are." Andy replied. "If you don't like it, then I'll have the money back."

"No...it's mine, you can go screw yourself."

"Fine..." Andy aimed his gun at him. "...I don't need incompetent people."

*BANG*

The agent was shot and fell down, dropping the case...he was dead for sure.

Nikki then turned up and Tiffany ran to her, sharing an embrace.

Then more good news arrived, Kyu and Jessie turned up.

"Mike dude!" Kyu exclaimed before she gasped. "Are you alright?"

I looked at her. "Apart from being beaten down like this...I'm doing quite well."

Then I saw a scene with Tiffany who suddenly saw Jessie. her mother.

"Tiffany..." Jessie said.

"Mom..." Tiffany replied. "...why are you here?"

"Sorry to interrupt this mother and daughter scene, but I'm still holding the gun and now the money too." Andy said. "So Mike's friends, it appears that you lot are here now...fantastic, because now I get to kill you all as well once I push the button."

"You'll never do it." I replied. "It's only me you want...and that's all there is to it, you don't need to kill anyone else, right?"

"You make a valid point, these other people have nothing to do with your past or me...in that case, I offer you one last chance. Mike if you agree to be left behind, your friends and your lover can all leave this warehouse alive...but if you choose to kill me, I'll just drop the detonator and we'll all die together!"

"Woah...that Andy guy is one crazy son of a bitch." Kyu muttered.

"SILENCE!" Andy roared. "This is all on you, Mike! What is it going to be?"

So this is it, let's see which of the two endings will be out first... ;)