(I TOTALLY FORGOT WHAT WERE THE NAME OF BRITTANY'S MOTHER AND FATHER... FORGIVE ME!)
Whitney firmly clasped Mr. Pierce's arm as they walked out of the hospital building, Haller following behind. There was a reason why she needed to do this. It was because she was starting to find it hard to walk. Mr. Pierce carefully sat her down on the passenger's seat of their car and jogged over to the driver's seat as Haller sat at the backseat.
"Mr. Pierce, I can't tell her," Whitney softly said, talking about Brittany.
Whitney put a hand on her lap as he focused on driving. "We have to tell her. Let's just wait for a perfect time."
Haller looked away. She doesn't want to hear their conversation. It was breaking her heart because she knew very well what they were talking about. She wanted to cry. She felt so bad that they left Brittany behind in the dark. It was times like this when she needed Lori the most. She needed Lori's shoulders to cry on and her arms to hug her. She just wanted to break down and cry.
"It's hard. I want her to be happy." Whitney started sobbing and Haller felt her throat tightened.
"She'll figure out whether we tell her or not, so let's just tell her frankly." Mr. Pierce rubbed his wife's thigh.
He was affected too. He was hurt and heartbroken as well. If there was someone who's more affected with what's happening it was him. But he's the pillar of this family. He has to be logical, strong and brave enough because if he'd crumble, his whole family would.
"Honey" Whitney clutched her husband's arm as she continued crying. Mr. Pierce wanted to nuzzle his nose on the crown of her head but he just focused on driving, trying hard not to cry.
Haller turned her head farther so her parents wouldn't see her face. As fast as she could, she wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek even before anyone could see.
~.~
Santana woke up to a splash of cold water and she shivered as she gasped in deep breaths.
"Are you awake now?" It was Harmony's voice.
Santana tried to clear her eyes and saw two figures in front of her, Harmony and Sugar, and she immediately lunged but failed. She was tied to a chair. "Harmony! Where's Brittany?!"
Harmony merely pointed to Santana's left and Santana saw her wife, awake but with eyes blindfolded, mouth covered and tied to a chair, whimpering, as if trying to say something. She saw Tina too, next to Brittany, also tied to a chair.
"You involved Tina in this too? What did you do to them!?"
"Nothing." Harmony merely shrugged.
"What do you really want?!" Santana looked incredulously at Harmony.
"Would you give it to me when I said it's your life that I want?"
"Why are you doing this?"
Harmony's blood boiled. She was so tired of Santana acting all innocent. "You don't know? You really don't know, Santana?! You just took my father's life years and years ago! Do you remember now?!"
Santana gasped. She didn't know if she was shivering because she's wet from head to toe or because the reality had slapped her right across her face.
"You… So you really are Marley?"
"Yes, I am." Marley paced in front of the three girls, trying to calm herself down.
"…I'm sorry…"
Tina, who couldn't do anything but listen, felt her heart broke at the pain in Santana's voice.
"Your sorry wouldn't do anything, Santana. After my father's death, I have suffered so much. I had to endure my step-aunt's cruelty. Do you know what she did to me? She took me in to her house and made me her slave!"
Marley could still remember how cruel her step-aunt had been. Mr. Hudson only had one sibling but he's already dead so there's no one who could take Marley in but her uncle's second wife. Her step-aunt had a daughter, and she didn't really care much about Marley. They treated her the worst way possible. At first, they made Marley do the household chores alone, then, at the right age, they made her work so they could get Marley's salary.
Marley couldn't blame anyone for what's happening to her but Santana. If it wasn't for Santana, her father wouldn't have died and she wouldn't have suffered.
Marley did everything to sneak a couple of cents from her salary until she had saved enough to support herself for her to run away. Once she came back to New York, the first thing she did was to find a job, and then find Santana.
"I bet you never suffered that much your whole life, Santana!"
"We've searched for you, Marley! We've searched for you for a lot of years!"
"Well, you didn't search hard enough! If you did, you would have found me!"
"We did!" Santana started crying now. "Marley, believe me… we've searched for you hard enough."
"Fine, you've searched for me, but that would never change my mind."
Sugar remained seated at the edge of the table as two conversed, silently watching and observing. She never imagined this would come to this. This was half her fault. She was Marley's fuel, she provided everything the younger girl needed. And now it's making her feel bad.
She failed in changing Marley's mind, now someone might die tonight if she wouldn't do something about this.
"No one would find you if I kill you right here and now, 'coz y'know why? Odd's on my side, Santana. I'm the one assigned to search for Tina since she started missing months ago. It was so easy for me to manipulate my own men. I lead them anywhere but here."
This was it, Santana thought. If she would die this way, then she would die, just as long as the other two were safe. If the time for her to pay for the things she has done in the past was right now, she'd gladly accept it.
She couldn't stop the tears from coming. What about Laurenzo? He would grow up without a father. She never imagined that for her family. She never imagined that her past would come haunting her up to this day and ruin everything again.
"Marley, I'm sorry… I'm really sorry… If you want to kill me, do it, but forgive me first."
Tina and Brittany started protesting, but they couldn't really say anything but "mmmphm!" and couldn't do anything but struggle. Santana looked down at her lap and her tears pelted her jeans.
"I won't ever forgive you, Santana."
"If I told you it's an accident, would you forgive me?" It was the last card.
"That's not what they told me! My step-aunt told me you killed my father." Marley's voice turned melancholic. "She told me you hid behind him when your kidnapper attacked!"
"That's absurd! I would never do that to him, you know that, Marley! You know how important he is to me… he's like my second father."
Marley knew that, but…
"I don't believe you."
Sugar watched as Marley's patience reached its end. She knew by the way the girl's shoulders and arms started shaking in rage. How her eyes were filled with fury. And how her steps became heavy.
"I wasn't even able to see him before he was buried. Do you know how hard it is to lose someone that meant the world to you? The only person who showed how precious you are? How agonizing it feels to not be able to see him before he was buried?" Marley's tears flowed too as she remembered her late father. It crushed her heart every single time she remembered him. "It hurts like hell, Santana! I was ready to kill myself then and just follow him!"
Brittany, who was silently listening, somehow felt sympathy for Marley. She knew what it meant to lose someone that meant the world to her. It had hurt like hell. But it was not a reason enough to this kind of thing. This was just so over the top.
"But then I realized I should make the person who killed him pay, and that's you, Santana."
"Your step-aunt lied to you! That's not what happened!"
"No! I won't believe you!" Marley stood in front of Santana. She stooped low to meet her at eye level, showing Santana her burning eyes. "You're a liar."
Santana's eyes caught something glinting on her neck and she realized that it was a necklace with a pendant that read 'PS'.
"PS," she unconsciously mumbled. "I know…"
Marley suddenly cupped the necklace and stood straight. "What do you know?" she asked, doubtful.
"PS. I know what it means."
Marley scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. How would you know?"
"Mr. Hudson told me… before he died."
"…What did he say?"
-Flashback—
The nine-year-old Santana crawled next to Mr. Hudson who was on the ground, gasping for breath and blood oozing out from his stabbed chest, as she clutched her injured left arm. Her young mind refused to process everything, all that she knew was the pain on her left arm was too much and that he was so close to dying.
"Mr. H." Santana kneeled next to his head, crying.
"S-Santta-na," he gasped.
"Mr. Hudson!" Santana wailed.
"L-list-ten… M-Marley…"
Santana nodded encouragingly as she listened attentively.
"T-tell her… the k-knight l-loved her…" He suddenly gurgled and blood came out from his mouth but he continued talking. "PS. P-princess… M-Marley…"
"I'll tell her that Mr. Hudson." Suddenly, the pain on her arm wasn't that much painful and she hugged the old man's head to her little chest, inside her little arms. "Mr. Hudson…" she continued crying.
Mr. Hudson smiled for the last time. Though with blood all over her wrinkled face, Santana saw the smile was genuine. He was happy.
And then his body became limp.
Santana didn't stop crying until the police came. She didn't let go as they put him inside the ambulance, and she didn't leave his side even in the morgue.
-End of flashback—
"He said that?" For a moment there, Marley wanted to believe her.
Santana simply nodded.
Marley cried and pulled at her hair exasperatedly. That was definitely something her father would say. He knew him too well. She used to call her father knight and he used to call her princess. Since she was a kid she has always been with him. She loved reenacting fairy tales, aside from solving puzzles and riddles, with her father and that's how they came up with the nicknames. He used to say that he wanted to be a knight so he could protect the princess.
So Santana was saying the truth. But what if she only made half the story and the only truth were his last words? Santana wouldn't deceive her.
But what if… she was telling the truth?
Marley whimpered hopelessly. Her mind was in a mess now. She didn't know what to believe. Should she believe Santana or her step-aunt? Who should she believe?! It was frustrating her. Santana was messing up with her head. She wanted to believe her but couldn't because her heart was aching for revenge. Her mind was telling her to believe Santana that she's innocent but her heart was telling her not to believe.
Marley started pacing again and Sugar could see her demeanor crumbling down, as if wanting to change her mind about this. That was a hope Sugar saw. It was still not late to change her mind. But how? She had to act fast! But her brain wasn't working.
Brittany and Tina felt anxious at the sound of sobs. They're both wondering what was happening now.
"Marley," Santana quietly called, getting rid of Tina and Brittany's anxiety.
"What?" Marley snapped.
"Please listen to the whole story."
"No! I won't believe you!"
She was still stubborn. But Marley was, too.
"Listen to me! This was what happened!"
-Flashback—
Santana ran out of their house's massive gate at the view of the white snow that covered the whole city. It was like a white winter wonderland. Mr. Hudson called for her and ran after her, but she continued running and smiling gleefully. It was Christams Eve! Of course Santana would be very giddy.
"Miss Santana! It's dangerous to go out at night!" The old man continued running after the young heiress.
Santana chuckled loudly before running faster. Her young mind told her Mr. Hudson was trying to play with her. They used to do this before, just running around in the backyard and once Mr. Hudson caught her he would hug her and they would just laugh. Sometimes they would do this with Marley.
"Miss Santana!"
Santana still ran while laughing, not noticing how tired the old man was becoming. She ran aimlessly, not really knowing where she was going because she knew that as long as she could hear Mr. Hudson's footsteps behind, she could still find her way back home.
She only stopped when she found herself in a very unfamiliar and eerie place. There were so many house but they were dark, as if abandoned. There were no sign of Christmas in the place. She couldn't even remember how she got there. But she's not worrying, she could still hear the footsteps. She turned around and was ready to give up with the game when the footsteps neared. But it wasn't Mr. Hudson.
"Who… who are you?" Her young mind told her the man was bad, like the villains she had watched in cartoons.
"Well, aren't I lucky? Out of all people, the heiress of Lopez & co." He walked closer and Santana, scared of the towering man, only shrunk in her spot. "I have a lot of candies at home. Do you want some?"
Santana remained on her spot, shivering not because of cold but because of fear.
"I'm not gonna harm you." His voice sounded malicious.
He then lunged at Santana and hugged her before lifting her off her feet, hanging her over his wide shoulder.
"Waaah!" Santana started screaming and struggling. "Let go of me!" She then punched the man's back repeatedly.
He only started walking, but then he suddenly stopped.
"Let go of her!"
"Mr. Hudson!" Santana struggled harder and the man finally let her down, only to produce a rusty knife and point it to her neck.
"What are you going to do?"
Mr. Hudson saw how his hands shook and how his eyes showed fear and nervousness though he tried to hide. He was clearly new in this.
"Let go of her or I will call the police."
Santana started wailing and the man's arm around her neck tightened. Though at a young age, she knew both her and her butler's life was in danger now.
"Stop crying!" The man pointed the knife threateningly at her, but she didn't stop. Instead, she bit his arm as strong as she could and ran to Mr. Hudson's side. But as she removed herself form the man's grasp, the knife accidentally sliced her left arm.
"Miss Santana!"
Santana wailed louder and fell inside Mr. Hudson's arms. The pain was too much, and the wound was too big for her tiny, little arm. Mr. Hudson carried her and he started running. He didn't bring any weapons with him, and he wouldn't be able to defend Santana at this rate. He was already too old to fight, he couldn't even run fast. But he still tried.
"Miss Santana, I'll keep you safe."
The man followed them. He ran as fast as his legs could and grabbed Mr. Hudson's shoulder before turning him around. Mr. Hudson didn't see what happened. Suddenly there was a strong pain on her right jaw and cheek, sending him on the ground, Santana also falling beside him.
Then the man stabbed, but Mr. Hudson rolled over so it wouldn't hit him. The man grew paranoid. If they would escape him, then he would be jailed and this was just his first time doing something this evil. He just needed to do this because of poverty. Paranoid, he started furiously and blindly stabbing multiple times.
He slumped on the ground when Santana kicked him on the crotch from behind. It wasn't even that hard, but the part was sensitive.
"Why you little-!" He angrily stood up and attacked Santana.
"Miss Santana!"
It was just a millisecond. He was aiming for Santana. Then Mr. Hudson was suddenly in front of her. Materializing, it seemed, from thin air. One moment nowhere, the next lurching in front of Santana.
And his knife struck Mr. Hudson on the chest.
He audibly gasped and his eyes grew wide, as if he just realized then what he was doing. He didn't intend to do that. This was supposed to be a clean job. He left the knife on Mr. Hudson's chest, staggered backwards and scampered away.
"Mr. Hudson!"
Santana's shrill scream echoed all around the abandoned neighborhood.
-End of flashback—
"Shut up! I won't believe you!" Marley spun around and pulled out a gun from the holster on her right leg before pointing it to Santana's forehead, arm shaking.
Sugar instinctively flinched but she couldn't do anything. Do something… do something! She frantically looked around and saw Marley's tablet on the table. She stealthily picked it up and punched a message without anyone seeing her. Please… please arrive fast before everything gets out of hand.
"Stop messing up with my mind, Santana! You're lying!" Sugar was still crying.
"I'm not," Santana whispered, staring straight at the barrel of the gun, showing Marley that she meant it.
That enraged Marley more. "Goddamnit, I said shut up!" She shot at the wall behind Santana and the room's occupant flinched all together. Brittany and Tina started struggling on their chairs, voices muffled by the packaging tape.
"Marley!" Sugar warned.
"Stay away, Sugar!"
"I'm fine," Santana breathlessly assured the other two captives and they hesitantly stopped struggling.
"Marley, please calm down," Sugar coaxed as she cautiously neared the girl. Marley did nothing when Sugar took her right arm, which was holding the gun, and lowered it down. "Calm down."
Marley tentatively did under Sugar's touch.
"…please believe me, Marley," Santana begged, still crying.
Marley seemed to have come back to herself then. Santana's voice broke her heart, something she never imagined she would feel with Santana. What have she done? Of course Santana wasn't lying! Why have she believed her step-aunt in the first place after all the cruel thing the woman did to her? They used to be playmates before, almost sisters. She knew Santana ever since they're young. How could she doubt her? Santana had been a very good person way back then, especially to Mr. Hudson.
Marley witnessed how Santana hugged Mr. Hudson with her eyes turning into little crescents.
How she treated him like a second father.
How Santana treated Marley like a sister.
…How much the three of them seemed to be a family before.
What have I done?
Sugar saw it happen right before her eyes. Marley's legs gave up and she slumped on the floor, crying hopelessly, muttering hundreds of apologies under her breath. She knew then. She knew Marley has came back to her senses. And Sugar was glad. She might not have changed the girl's mind, but Marley herself realized how wrong she was. That was much better.
After witnessing Marley came back to herself, Santana didn't stop crying, but her tears meant something different now. She might have been crying because of fear and pain earlier, but now she's not. She's crying because she was relieved. Finally. It was over.
That's what they thought.
And then there were sirens. Loud and ear-piercing. Marley, Sugar and Santana simultaneously stared out the window and saw flying police cars heading the direction of the place.
Shit. The police, Sugar remembered.
Everything that happened next was blurred.
Sugar stole the gun from Marley's grasp and pushed her next to the other three captives. Marley attempted to stand back up but it seemed that she was afraid of her own gun when Marley pointed it at her.
"Su… what…" Marley couldn't finish her sentence in confusion. She thought they were partners? Why was Sugar pointing the gun at her?
"Stay right there, Marley." Sugar slowly walked to the window and waited for the police to board down their cars. She made sure they would see her holding the gun and pointing it at the other girls.
The police using a megaphone said something about negotiating the hostages out of there, said maybe they could talk about it.
"No need for a talk!" Sugar shouted so they would hear her. "I will turn myself over!"
"Sug! Don't do this!" Marley attempted to stand up but Sugar pointed the gun at her again.
"I'm doing this for you, Marley," was the last thing Sugar said before throwing the gun out the window and the door barged open with three polices pointing their gun at her.
Marley was too shocked to speak, so was Santana. Marley only watched as the police put handcuffs on Sugar's hands. She only looked at her eyes all the while. There was a message prominent on the girl's eyes—I'm doing this for you. I love you, Marley.
It all happened too fast. Sugar was suddenly out of the room with the three men and another four men came in to remove Brittany, Tina and Santana's ties. They congratulated Marley as they helped her out of the place but the girl was just staring into zilch, still trying to process everything in her head. Why were they congratulating her? This was all her plan! She was supposed to be the one who's wearing the handcuffs… not Sugar…
Sugar… why?
"Santana!"
Marley was too busy arranging her thoughts to see Brittany lunged herself inside Santana's arms, glad that the drama was finally over. They hugged each other for a long time before inviting Tina over. Marley was left behind, feeling guilty.
All those times that she hated Santana were all just a waste. Santana was innocent. Her father was brave to have saved her. He's a hero. He's a real knight. What have she done? She was blinded by the lies for a very long time. In the strong desire to blame someone for her father's death, she has believed the lies and hated the innocent. There's no one to blame for his death after all, because he's a hero. He gave up his life to save Santana. Her father was a real knight.
And Sugar too. She was Marley's hero and knight in the present time. But, just like Mr. Hudson, she was also in danger.
What have I done?
