Chapter 12

"I'm getting déjà vu again," said Aragorn. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"100%" said Michelle firmly. Aragorn sighed and ordered the guard to open the door. Just as it had the first time, the door swung silently open to reveal Ash lying on the prison bed, staring at the ceiling. But this time he sat up and looked at the door. Michelle walked in and sat herself down on a chair opposite him, looking straight at him, intently. Nothing showed in her face. It was unbeknown to everyone whether she was scared, confident, angry, sad.

"That'll be all, Aragorn," she said, without taking her gaze from Ash's face.

"I would have thought I'd be the last person you'd want to see, given the circumstances," he said, once the door had closed. He allowed his gaze to drop to her stomach, then quickly looked back at her face again.

"That's always been a problem of yours, Ash," she said. "You always misjudge me." She paused. "Believe it or not, I don't blame you for what happened."

"You don't?" he said, shock was evident in his voice.

"No, because I know what Becky and Clare are like, Becky in particular," she said. "They're cunning. They twist everything you say and do. They often believe the lies they've created are true and so find it easier to be as they are."

"But I don't get it," he said. "Robyn hates me, understandably. I'm pretty sure most of your family and friends hate me too. But you, the person I actually betrayed, you don't blame me. Where is the logic in that?"

"There isn't any," she said. "And I don't expect you find any in it. If I'm totally honest with myself, I don't understand either. But I can associate with you, Ash. They've done the same to me in the past, before they went mad. I'm guessing they toyed with you until you snapped, when they kidnapped you. Did they say things about Robyn not really loving you?"

"Yeah, they said she was just using me because she was pregnant and she needed support. They said the only reason she stayed with me was because she didn't want the dishonour of being a single mother. They said that the two of you made me go back to her. They questioned my happiness. They questioned Robyn's faithfulness." He put his head in his hands. "I'm so weak. I can see clearly now. I know what they doing. I knew then, but I couldn't stop it."

"Believe me, I know exactly how you feel," said Michelle. "She does love you, Ash."

"She did," he said.

"No, she does," she said. "I think she forgets how much like me she is. How well I know her. She basically told me as much when she returned from seeing you. She called you a murderer, didn't she?" Ash nodded his head. "Well, if she didn't love you, she wouldn't have been so upset by it, would she? She was in floods of tears when she was talking to me."

"You mean it," he said.

"Ash, why would I lie to you?" she said.

"You wouldn't, I suppose," he said.

"Exactly."

"But I can't do anything about it. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in prison."

"Not officially," she said. "You're only here because you have to be. I haven't said whether or note I wish you to be jailed for your 'offence'. By law, you have to be held in a cell until I make my decision. Well, I've made my decision." She saw his face light up.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked, excitedly. She laughed.

"Yes, I think so," she said. "I'm not going to follow this through. You're probably going to have to stay here for a couple more hours whilst I make it official with the King."

"Why will I take so long?" he said. Freedom was just out of his grasp and it was very irritating.

"Well, this is not a decision that is to be made lightly," she said, "And so I will have quite a few people questioning a) my motives b) my capability of making decisions due to my 'condition' and c) my sanity. Once I have convinced them all that you aren't really guilty of anything, then I will be back to get you."

"Michelle, I could kiss you!" he cried. "But I won't." She laughed again.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea," she said. "We don't want Legolas and Robyn getting jealous. I tell you, it's not a pretty sight." She walked to the door and knocked (quite a fair bit more gently than Robyn did). The door opened and she saw Aragorn waiting with a cautious look on his face. She smiled broadly.

"We have a lot to sort out," she said. She turned to see Ash. "I'll see you later." The door closed and she turned again to Aragorn, who was looking very puzzled.

"You'll... what... but... eh?" was all he managed to say. She began to walk down the corridor, ahead of Aragorn.



"Michelle, can you please explain what in the name of wonder is going on?" said Aragorn, exasperatedly. She had refused to say a thing on the way back up to the Palace and he was beginning to loose his patience.

"Call me insane, because I know you will anyway," she said, "but I'm not pressing charges against Ash,"

"You're what?!" he said.

"You heard what I said, Aragorn," she said.

"You are insane!" he cried. "Michelle, he tried to kill you."

"Not really," she said. "They basically brainwashed him. If he did it when he wasn't under any influence then I could understand, but he was under an influence."

"And I suppose he told you this," said Aragorn.

"No, actually, I just happen to be the person that knows Becky the most. I know what she is capable of. I know what she does to people. I know what she did Ash." (A/n: O_o)

"Michelle, this is not a decision-"

"-to be made lightly, yes I know," she said. "I've been thinking about it since I arrived at the Houses of Healing. I had nearly decided to go and see him when Robyn returned at lunchtime and told me about her own conversation with Ash. I made up my mind then. And finally, I saw Ash myself. I looked him straight in the eyes and I saw pain, grief and regret."

"How do you know he isn't just a very good liar?" said Aragorn.

"The eyes are a window to a person's soul," said Michelle. "I'm a strong believer of that. You can tell everything about a person from their eyes, especially their emotions."

"You're very resolved about this, aren't you?" he said.

"You've known me near enough 17 years, Aragorn," she said, "you know when I've made up my mind it can't be changed."

"Only Legolas could get round you," he said. Then his eyes flashed as he got another idea.

"Don't even think about," she growled.

"What?" he said, innocently.

"You are not getting Legolas to change my mind," she said. "It won't work. And besides, Legolas doesn't believe Ash is guilty either. Well, at least I don't think he does."

"Damn."

"Face it, Aragorn, you've got to release Ash," she said.

"It's a long process," he started but stopped when he saw the look she was giving.

"You're a terrible liar," she said.

"Once all this is done, there can be no turning back," warned Aragorn. "If you find out after he has been released that he really had tried to kill you, that he really is guilty, then there's nothing I can do, unless he tries to kill you again."

"Yeah, I know," she said, dismissively. She wasn't really listening.

"There's quite a bit of paperwork to sort," he said, sensing she wasn't entirely 'with it'.

"Uh-huh," she said.

"You'll be his keeper, in a way, since you'll be signing for his release," (A/N: O_o) he said.

"OK," she said.

"And there's a horse on your head," he said.

"Oki do- wait! I am listening you know!" she said.

"Just testing you," he said, trying not to smile.

"Yeah, well just get on with it," (A/N: Anyone seen 'Monty Python & the Holy Grail'? Lolz!) she said.

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A/N: Look, don't shoot me coz I can't think of good ways of ending chapters! At least you're getting chapters! And they aren't exactly crap either! Ok, so that was a totally random ending, as well as being lame, but as soon as I wrote 'she wasn't really listening' I just had to have Aragorn say something like what he did. I love doing that to people! It's really funny seeing their reaction! Anyway, like I said in the last chapter, leave me loadsa nice reviews & I might do you some r/n's! Luv ya all millions and squillions! Luvs Elfie xXxXx