Matt walks into Mary room, and sees Wilson and Mary lying on the bed together. Oh no, not this again. They're getting way too close. Maybe I should break this up. Matt leans over and scoops Mary up into his arm. He walks down the stairs with her, and she begins to wake up.
"Wilson…" she mumbles, still not fully awake.
"Not quite." Matt answers.
Mary opens her eyes fully and looks up to find her brother. "Matt? What are you doing?"
"It's for your own good."
"What?"
"You shouldn't do things like that with Wilson."
"Things like what? Put me down!"
Matt lowers Mary to the floor and she stands up. She tries to run back up the stairs, but Matt blocks her path.
"Why won't you let me go? Why are you doing this to me?" Mary shouts at the top of her lungs.
"Like I said, you shouldn't be doing things like that with Wilson."
"Like what? We were taking a nap, big deal."
"It is a big deal."
"No it wasn't."
"Mary, I know how guy's minds work."
"Wilson isn't a guy. He's a man."
Wilson runs down the stairs to see Matt and Mary standing at the base of them, both of them seeming mad. "W-What's going on?" He asks.
"Nothing, let's go." Mary says, grabbing Wilson's hand.
"Mary!" Matt says, his tone pleading for her attention.
"Maybe I should go."
"You don't have to."
"I think I should." He kisses Mary's cheek. "I'll call you."
"No, you're not leaving. You don't have to listen to Matt."
"No, but you do." Matt tells Mary.
"No I don't! I'm an adult! Why can't everybody just leave me- us- alone? I don't need your help or anyone else's!"
Mary is so loud that the whole street probably heard her. Wilson begins to walk away and Mary gets even louder.
"You can't take Wilson away form me! If he has to go, then I'm leaving, too!" she says, tears streaming down her face.
"Where would you go, huh?" Matt asks.
"I don't know, but that doesn't matter."
Annie and Eric come up the stairs.
"What's going on here?"
"Nothing," Wilson answers, "I was just leaving."
"No he wasn't!"
"Matt, could I talk to you?" Wilson asks.
"Wilson, no!"
"Yes. I want to talk to him." Wilson says calmly.
"Why? What are you going to tell him?"
"Nothing personal."
"Yes you are. You're going to talk to him about us. That's private."
Wilson takes Mary's hand. "Calm down. The worst that could happen from this is that I wont be able to see you until Wednesday or something."
"But-"
"No buts. Just stay calm and go with the flow."
"Mary, could your mother and I have a word with you?' Eric asks.
Mary and her parents go upstairs into her room while Matt and Wilson go downstairs.
"First off," Wilson sys, "we weren't doing anything. We really were just taking a nap."
"I know, and I believe you."
"And secondly, I understand where you're coming from."
"Its not you Wilson. We like you."
"No offense, but do you know how many times I have heard that in the past six months?"
"Sorry, but its true Mary's the real problem. She's just so..."
"Difficult?"
"Yeah. I didn't want to say in case you were going to yell her. Things are already bad enough. Around here."
"Believe me, I'm feeling ht same way you are. I mean, I love her, but there just comes a point when you say enough."
"That's exactly what I was going to tell her. A line has to be drawn somewhere. Everything she's doing with you is not right. She's taking advantage of you, and from what I can see she isn't doing it very nicely."
"She knows it, too. She's told me. I don't think she's just taking advantage of me; she's just relying on me too much. I don't know what to say to her though. I don't want her mad at me."
"Yeah, and I f she was mad at you, who would she talk to? Matt says jokingly.
"I don't think she could be mad at you though. She really loves you."
* * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile upstairs…
"You can't forbid me to see Wilson!"
"You're right, we cant but we're asking you to take a break from him. Take some time to sort things out, spend some time with your family, do something for yourself." Annie tries to reason.
"What if I don't want to?"
"Mary, believe it or not, we lobe you- all of us. Your brothers and sisters look up to you, and you little "search for yourself" is tearing this family apart. As long as you live under our rook, you're going to have to at least attempt to change your attitude." Eric says sternly.
"Then I won't live under your rook. I'm leaving."
Both of her parents are taken aback by her remark.
"Wait. That came out wrong. I didn't meant dot you to leave"
Mary doesn't answer.
"Come on, let's talk about this!" Eric screams after his daughter.
Mary runs out of the house and unto her car, she drives down the street, and then stops. She starts to cry, and for the first time she has exactly what she's been saying she wanted. No one was around to console her or to ask her any questions. She finally realizes that she does need people- her family even- to help her through this. She starts her car, backs up, and drives toward her house. She pulls into her driveway and ties to pull herself together. As she dries her eyes, Wilson emerges from the house. He sees her sitting in her car and becomes puzzled.
"Have you been sitting here the entire time?"
"No, I drove down the street and then came back here."
"Oh. They just sent me out here to go and look for you."
"Well, you found me."
"Yeah. Look, about before…"
"You don't have to say anything."
"Yes, I do. I was extremely rude to you and my family, but above all you. I didn't have any reason to be. You were only following my orders. I'm so sorry for all of that Wilson. I love you. And no matter what happens, whatever my parents make me do, even if we don't end up together of the rest of our lives, I'll always love you."
"I love you too Mary."
"Now, I'm going inside to apologize to my family and ask for their help. Want to watch?"
"Gladly, but I have to warn you they're all waiting inside to ambush you as soon as you walk through the door."
"Great." She says sarcastically. "Oh well, I have something I'd like to say to them anyways."
Wilson and Mary both walk into the house as the Camden family swarms Mary, just like Wilson said they were going to. They pull her into the living room and sit her down. Wilson takes his place next to his girlfriend, and the rest of the family fills in.
"Mary, first off we all owe you an apology. We haven't exactly supported you through all of this."
"No. You don't owe me anything. I have to apologize to you. I'm sorry for everything. For six months you've put up with my many moo swings when you didn't have to. Matt, I'm sorry for not listening to you. Lucy, I'm sorry for not listening to you. Lucy, I'm sorry being rude to you when you helped me. And believe me, you did help. Simon, Ruthie, Sam and David, I've been mean to all of you unnecessarily. I'm sorry. Mom and dad, I haven't been a very good daughter. And I already apologized for Wilson. I'm so, so sorry." Her eyes start to fill up with tears.
"I love all of you," Mary says picking up Wilson's hand.
"We know Mary, and we love you, too."
"I want to try and attempt to explain to you the method of my madness. When Robbie raped me, he kept yelling at me over an over- telling me what to do, shouting orders in my ears, and I hated that. You all know that I'm my own person, and him telling me what to do really bothered me. Now more than ever I have become overly sensitive to people instructing me on my actions. So when all of you tell me to do things, like stop seeing Wilson for example, I don't know how to take it. I'm not telling you not to boss me around. You're my family, that's your job. I am just letting you be ware of this."
"Ok Mary." Annie says sounding slightly confused and sickened by her daughter's recollection of that horrific night. "We will all take that into consideration."
Mary starts to say something, but changing her mind and restarts with a new sentence. "And now that I have brought up Wilson, maybe we could discuss him and me and our relationship for a little bit?"
"Let's go Ruthie. Grab a twin." Simon says.
"But we were just getting to the good part!" Ruthie whines.
Eric gestures for them to leave.
"OK, fine, fine." Ruthie says as she accompanies David out of the living room.
"Well, its not big deal, I just wanted to say that what me and Wilson do is no one's business but ours."
"Yes but-" Eric starts.
"Dad, you raided me right. I'm 18 now. I know the difference between right and wrong…"
Lucy clears her throat and glances cruelly in Mary's direction. Mary looks back at her, partly in betrayal and partly in fear.
"Anyways, I'm not an idiot. And no matter what you say or do I am not going to stop seeing Wilson, or calling him, or whatever unless we both decide that's what we want to do. And I can speak for myself when I say that I'm not going to want to stop seeing him anytime soon. So you can tell him or me anything you want but it isn't going to change anything, OK?"
Eric starts to speak but Annie covers his mouth.
"OK honey."
"So, uh, are we done here then?" Eric asks.
"Yes."
"All right. Matt, Lucy, let's leave them alone."
"But-" Lucy starts.
"Lucy, come on. Mary, we're glad you came back home."
Her parents, brother, and sister walk out of the room leaving Mary and Wilson alone. Mary stares at him lovingly, but Wilson feels sickened by her phony grin.
"I thought you were going to tell them that you want their help."
"I was going to, but then I saw their faces and I just couldn't."
"So you decided to tell them that we're never going to break up?"
"I didn't say that. I said that they are never going to break us up. That's different."
"To me it sounded like you told them we were going to be together forever."
"Well, we might be, right?"
"I don't know, maybe. That's not what this conversation is about."
"Then what
is it about?"
"You a your attitude lately."
"What? Whose side are you on?"
"There is no sides. Look, can't we talk about this rationally?"
"I don't know-no. we shouldn't be talking about this at all."
"I think we should. Have you listened to yourself lately."
"What do you mean?"
"You've been rude, obnoxious, loud, and not just to your family."
"Are you saying I've been rude and all of that to you?"
"Well you have to admit you haven't been very nice."
"Can we not talk about this?"
"No, we have to talk about it. Aren't you listening to me? I'm saying I don't like the way you're treating me."
Mary doesn't have time to let her emotions take over. Her voice becomes very timid and her hands start to shake, but she does not cry or get angry.
"Are you breaking up with me?"
"What! No."
"Yes you are. That's what you were leading up to."
"No it wasn't. I just didn't know how to get through to you."
"You're lying. You're not in love with me, you feel sorry for me."
"No I don't."
"Yes you do! And if you didn't we wouldn't be going out anymore, would we?"
"Mary, listen to me."
"What? What do you have to say?" she asks not raising her voice, hurt more than anything else.
"Well, I, uh…"
"I knew it." Mary's voice starts to crackle, sounding like she is crying, but no tears form. "How could you?! You of all people Wilson!"
Wilson takes Mary hand. "Mare," he pleads.
She violently pulls her hand from his. "No. Don't 'Mare' me."
"Mary, I do love you."
"No you don't! If you loved me you wouldn't be saying this to me, not like this."
Wilson leans in and kisses Mary, and by reflex she kisses him back. Realizing what she is doing, she stops herself.
"No!" she starts crying hysterically. "NO!"
She runs upstairs to her room, leaving Wilson alone in the living room. He runs after her, but she is too fast. He gets to the door just as she slams it. He lets out a heavy sigh as he hears her sobbing loudly inside. His brain is telling him to leave her alone, but his heart is telling him to fix this. He knocks gently, hoping she won't flip out on him.
"Go away."
"Can we talk?"
"I don't want to talk."
"Well then will you listen?"
"I doubt you'll say anything I want to hear."
"You don't know that for sure."
"Yes I do."
"Mary, I'm sorry. Please, let me come in. you don't have to say anything to me. Please just listen."
Mary opens the door and sits back down on her bed, not saying a word to him. Wilson can see that her eyes are red from crying, and can sense that she is truly hurt.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did. I thought confronting you about your behavior would be the most effective method, and when you didn't listen to me I lost it. I do feel slightly sorry for you, I admit it, but I really do love you. But I can love you and have sympathy for you, can't I? I just hope that you'll forgive me. What I did was stupid, and I'm a hypocrite."
"How so?"
"I was trying to tell you to think before you speak, but I stopped doing that myself once I got annoyed with you."
Mary puts her head on Wilson's shoulder, and he puts his arm around her. As she leans against him, she listens to his advice and thinks before she talks.
"You're right. I should think before I open my mouth. I'm sorry I got so mad, but how would you react if your whole world crumbled before you?"
"Huh?"
"Wilson, you are my whole world- my everything. When you turned on me, like everyone else had, I didn't know what to do."
"I'm sorry I put you in that situation."
"Me too. Do you really feel sorry for me?"
"A little bit. You've been through so much, way more than you ever should have been. And I've seen the effects those events have had on you, and I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that. I don't know, I know you can fend for yourself, you did punch Robbie and all, but I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I want to protect you. When I hold you in my arms, you just feel so petite and I can feel the fear radiating from your body."
"Petite? I would hardly consider myself petite. I mean, I'm 5'6 ½"."
"I know, but I have a different perception when I wrap my arms around you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"How do you perceive me then?"
"Well, it's not really a perception but more of a picture I have in my head."
"Okay."
"You know when you got hit by that car?"
"You really know how to cheer a girl up, you know that?"
"Sorry, but the picture I have in my head of you is when you were in the hospital then. Remember when you started crying?"
"I knew I wouldn't live that down. Wait, that's how you picture me- all lonely and feeble?"
"Yup."
"Why?"
"Because you looked so beautiful. It felt so good being able to help you. Even though I was only beginning to get to know the real Mary Camden, it hurt my heart to see you in that much pain, both physical and emotional."
"Look, I don't know how to say this, or anything anymore. I, um, OK. I feel like sometimes our relationship is hot, and sometimes it's cold. Not that that is really a bad thing, but whenever I'm hot, you're cold, and vice versa."
"So do you want me to stop? I'll stop."
"No, I like when you talk to me. But maybe we should take a little break. Not from each other, but from our relationship being so hot and heavy. Right now I feel like it's a little strong, too strong for me to handle."
"I agree with you. You have seemed kind of in over your head lately. So what do you want me to do? Do you want me to leave? I'll go."
"No wait, stop. You're OK with this?"
"Yeah."
Mary kisses him on the cheek.
"What was that for?"
"To thank your for being so understanding about everything."
"I understand more than you think, believe me."
"So, if we're going to slow down a little, we should come up with things that are OK, or not ok?"
"Saying we love each other?"
"I don't know. I don't want to stop saying it, and I do love you, but maybe we- I- shouldn't throw the words around so much?"
"Done. Sex?"
"Having sex or talking about sex?"
"Talking about sex- we're not having sex."
"Do you know how nervous you get when I bring that up?"
"Yeah, because I don't want to make that mistake again, and if I become comfortable with the idea of having sex with you then I'm afraid that one day I wont be able to control myself anymore, and we will have sex. Do you know how hard it is to stop with you?"
"Can't be any harder than it is for stop with you."
"See this is wrong. We shouldn't be doing this. We aren't at this point in our relationship yet."
"You're right, I guess, so no talking about sex."
"And what about our infamous naps?"
"What fun will our relationship be without them?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Do you feel comfortable with napping together?"
"Sort of."
"Does it feel awkward?"
"No, not at all."
"I need them. They keep me sane. They're staying."
"You're being bossy."
"Well you're too indecisive so we're even."
"Whoa, big word."
"Now that was uncalled for."
"Sorry."
"So, are we all squared away now?"
"Yup. Everything ok with you?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Yes." Wilson leans in and kisses Mary. "You sure you want to take things slow?"
After that kiss, Mary has to think about her answer. "Yes, we have to."
"Ok, so we have officially kissed and made up."
"And I am going to think more about you as my boyfriend rather than my personal 24 hour support group."
"That's all I ask. No what?"
"Nap?"
"Sure."
They lie down together on Mary's bed, but neither of them is tired. They both just lie there enjoying the comfort of being with the person they love. While holding each other, nothing can go wrong. Both believe that they really have found true love. Neither of them would let go of the other for anything. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. It wont be as good anymore. What if we never go back to the way we were just this morning? Mary thinks. Too bad we have to take it slow. I was ready to make a commitment, a real commitment. Wilson says to himself.
*****
I really hate this last chapter. I didn't like the one before it either. I haven't updated in such a long time, though, so I posted it anyways. Maybe if I have time I will go back and fix them. I have to do something; even I have to admit this is pretty bad. I mean, the last two chapters happened in one day. WAY WAY WAY too fast. That is my problem when I write, I go to fast and I don't give enough detail. Anyways, right now besides hating my story, I'm in a lull, so I have even less incentive to write. I have absolutely no clue where to go from here. Hopefully something will come to me so I will be able to finish this story and start a whole new one. This whole Mary getting raped thing is boring me. I want to write an episode in dialogue format, or something completely unrealistic- like Mary and Wilson moving in together and not married. Just thought I'd share that with you. If you don't see anything for me for a while, you'll know why. I'm open to suggestions though (to finish this story) so feel free to tell me. I have the ending all figured out already, I even have the second to last chapter half written, but I need at least one more major event to fill up about the span of about a week. Thanks for all of your support! Hope you like my story, even if I'm not too pleased with it.
