Chapter Sixteen
Stefan sat in his office, up to his ears in paperwork with a frown on his face. Alexis gave a small knock to the open door as she walked through it. A small, empathetic smile reached Stefan and he managed a small smile back.
"No word?" he asked her softly, worry etching his face. She sadly shook her head.
"I'm losing faith, Natasha."
"You never had faith," Alexis reminded him, only half-joking. "Just hope. Hope and a little luck."
Stefan shrugged. "Well then the hope is almost completely faded. If Tom Baker wants revenge then he has already taken it by now. The police are inept. They only ever caught Tom Baker in the first place because of Nikolas and that Spencer brother of his." Stefan sighed heavily, his entire body downcast in his depression. "I never should have allowed him here. I allowed my selfish wants to have Lasha back to interfere with his well-being. I claimed to have only been thinking of him. What was best for him, in his best interests. What a fool I have been."
"No, Stefan, you are not a fool," Alexis stepped closer to her brother as he rose to his feet, taking his glasses off. "Nikolas was a million times happier here than he ever was in Greece. You gave him his mother back, no matter what your original intentions were. You gave him his sister and his brother. And even though you hated the Spencers, you allowed him to have a relationship with his mother's family without severing his relationship with you. You did well for him, Stefan. Better than Stavros ever could have done. Besides, all of that is water under the bridge. We put all of that behind us, remember? Even Luke has put most of it behind him."
"It is no matter now, Alexis."
Alexis took a step backwards, her face registering shock. "We are talking like he is for sure dead," she stated even as she realized it herself. Sadness crept into her face. "Is it really this hopeless?"
Stefan didn't reply.
*********
Jack slowly crept down the hill to where Rafe's totaled car still was. The tow truck wasn't coming for another hour but Jack didn't care about that. He was hoping to find some sort of clue that would tell him where Tom Baker had gone.
He felt guilty for breaking his promise to Alison not even ten minutes after making it, but he couldn't help himself. He knew the police would have combed the area by now but they always seemed to catch the wrong people and miss important clues. Missing any clues could be deadly to four people and Jack wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't help in any way he could.
"JACK!"
Jack jumped, startled, and turned around to see Rafe staring at him, shocked.
"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded in a half-whisper.
"My car is here, what are YOU doing here?"
"Oh, don't tell me you came back here because your totaled, undriveable car is here! Wasn't Alison supposed to come pick you up at the Recovery Room?"
"Yeah, well I didn't want to wait. I decided to see if there was anything around here that would give me a clue to this Tom Baker guy. I can see you decided to do the same."
"Won't Alison be mad at you for coming out here?" Jack asked as the two started to look around.
"She'll be just as mad at you."
Jack smirked. "She wouldn't have known about me coming here if you hadn't shown up. You, on the other hand, can't say the same thing."
"Well, since there's two of us here, we can cover more ground."
"So we're splitting up? Good. The less I have to work with you the more chance I have of escaping with my sanity."
"Ha ha."
Jack and Rafe, each with their own flashlights, split up and started looking around the scene for clues. The police were still there looking around so both Jack and Rafe wandered far, into territory the police hadn't bothered to check.
Rafe's cell phone rang. Cursing under his breath, Rafe quickly pulled it out. "What?"
"Where are you?" Alison's voice rang loudly into Rafe's ears. "I was supposed to pick you up at The Recovery Room, remember?"
"Yeah, uh.. I left something in my car and I needed to come get it."
"Well you could have waited for me!"
"You're right honey, I'm sorry."
"Well where are you? I'll come pick you up."
"NO!!!" Rafe exclaimed much too quickly. "I, uh, I took a cab and so I'll meet you back at the house okay?"
Alison wasn't buying.
While Rafe and Alison argued over the phone, Jack had gone farther into the woods than he had realized. And in spite of past experiences in the woods, Jack felt strangely comfortable. Spotting a light in the distance in between trees, Jack squinted. It likely wasn't where Tom Baker was hiding but it was possible. Jack whipped out his cell phone and dialed Rafe's number, thankful that one day when Alison had been playing around with his cell, she put Rafe's cell phone number on his speed dial.
He was not thankful, however, to get a busy signal.
Why was Rafe on the phone? Some vampire slayer. Jack realized that Rafe may have been trying to call him at that moment. He crouched by a tree to make sure he stayed out of sight and waited for a few minutes to see if his cell phone would ring. It didn't. So Jack called Rafe again. Still busy.
Obviously Rafe was on the phone with someone else. Jack huffed and decided to check out the cabin by himself. If it did turn out to be Tom Baker, he would make sure he got Rafe there to back him up before going in. But he couldn't take the chance of leaving and not finding it again. Shaking his head at the slayer's incompetence, Jack headed towards the cabin alone.
****
Luke was holding Laura in his arms, trying to comfort her, as they rocked each other on the porch swing. They were both scared to death. This waiting and worrying like crazy was really starting to eat them both up inside. The son he had thought was dead, had come home alive and now he was missing again. Both of Laura's sons were missing. Elizabeth was like a daughter to him. He feared for all four of them.
Suddenly Laura jumped in fright, shocking Luke, "Angel... Darling, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly. He had seen her like this before. The look on her face was the look she would always get when she feared one of her kids were in trouble. He had seen that look so many times with Lucky. The look on her face indicated that things had gotten even worse.
"Nikolas... Lucky..." She spoke, her voice quavering. "They're in trouble, something's happening." The words went through Luke's heart like a knife, "I can feel it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nikolas had been stunned when Tom came storming into the basement. He yelped in pain as he pulled out his gun, and grabbed him, pushing him up to a standing position. He then grabbed Lucky, and pointed the gun at the two of them.
"What the hell?" Lucky gasped.
"Why it's time to let the fun begin," Tom told them with an evil laugh, "Your girlfriends are already waiting for you, upstairs."
Nikolas wearily looked at Lucky; fear swam through him as he wondered what Tom had done to Emily and Elizabeth. As he wondered what he had planned for them. He was terrified of what was in store for the four of them. And he knew that time was running out. It was highly unlikely anyone would ride to their rescue at the last minute. The only chance of getting out of this now was saving themselves somehow, if that was possible at all.
"Follow me upstairs," He ordered the boys, "And don't try anything."
Nikolas hesitated, but they followed him anyway. When they got upstairs, Nikolas' heart went to his throat when he saw Emily and Elizabeth both tied tightly to chairs, sitting next to each other. Two other chairs faced them, and he knew they were for him and Lucky. The girls both looked helpless and scared.
He pointed the gun towards Lucky, then towards Nikolas.
"You," he ordered Nikolas, "Take those ropes on the chairs and tie your brother to the chair. And tightly! Don't try to make the ropes loose, I will only tied them tighter if you do." He grabbed Lucky, and forced him on the chair. He handed Nikolas the ropes, and Nikolas had no choice but to tie his brother to the chair. He cringed as Tom kept the gun pointed at his head, and he did as he was told.
Tom quickly checked when he was done, and smiled in satisfactory, "Perfect." Tom grabbed Nikolas' shoulder and held the gun so close to his face that Nikolas feared to breathe.
"And now," Tom laughed evilly as he held his gun in the air, Nikolas looked at him in horror, "It's time for the final showdown to begin," he then wandered over to the girls, and aimed the gun at Elizabeth, causing Lucky to squirm.
"If you touch her I will kill you!" Lucky cursed at him, his eyes bright with anger. "She was the original plan," Tom told them, "I had plans to rape her again... and then kill her slowly and painfully. But then," he aimed the gun at Lucky, "You came along. And so did Emily. I'm thinking, what's the better revenge then watching her boyfriend die right in front of her, again? Just after finding out he was alive... I'll send him back to hell in front of her. And then I'll kill the prince here," Tom laughed manically as pointed the gun at Nikolas again, "I'm pretty damn sick of seeing him. I may have to do away with him first. I could have had Elizabeth all to myself these last few days... but he stood in the way. I think it's time for him to go."
Everyone watched in terror as he slowly pulled the trigger...
TBC
Reviews always appreciated! The more we get the more motivated we are to write!
Stefan sat in his office, up to his ears in paperwork with a frown on his face. Alexis gave a small knock to the open door as she walked through it. A small, empathetic smile reached Stefan and he managed a small smile back.
"No word?" he asked her softly, worry etching his face. She sadly shook her head.
"I'm losing faith, Natasha."
"You never had faith," Alexis reminded him, only half-joking. "Just hope. Hope and a little luck."
Stefan shrugged. "Well then the hope is almost completely faded. If Tom Baker wants revenge then he has already taken it by now. The police are inept. They only ever caught Tom Baker in the first place because of Nikolas and that Spencer brother of his." Stefan sighed heavily, his entire body downcast in his depression. "I never should have allowed him here. I allowed my selfish wants to have Lasha back to interfere with his well-being. I claimed to have only been thinking of him. What was best for him, in his best interests. What a fool I have been."
"No, Stefan, you are not a fool," Alexis stepped closer to her brother as he rose to his feet, taking his glasses off. "Nikolas was a million times happier here than he ever was in Greece. You gave him his mother back, no matter what your original intentions were. You gave him his sister and his brother. And even though you hated the Spencers, you allowed him to have a relationship with his mother's family without severing his relationship with you. You did well for him, Stefan. Better than Stavros ever could have done. Besides, all of that is water under the bridge. We put all of that behind us, remember? Even Luke has put most of it behind him."
"It is no matter now, Alexis."
Alexis took a step backwards, her face registering shock. "We are talking like he is for sure dead," she stated even as she realized it herself. Sadness crept into her face. "Is it really this hopeless?"
Stefan didn't reply.
*********
Jack slowly crept down the hill to where Rafe's totaled car still was. The tow truck wasn't coming for another hour but Jack didn't care about that. He was hoping to find some sort of clue that would tell him where Tom Baker had gone.
He felt guilty for breaking his promise to Alison not even ten minutes after making it, but he couldn't help himself. He knew the police would have combed the area by now but they always seemed to catch the wrong people and miss important clues. Missing any clues could be deadly to four people and Jack wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't help in any way he could.
"JACK!"
Jack jumped, startled, and turned around to see Rafe staring at him, shocked.
"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded in a half-whisper.
"My car is here, what are YOU doing here?"
"Oh, don't tell me you came back here because your totaled, undriveable car is here! Wasn't Alison supposed to come pick you up at the Recovery Room?"
"Yeah, well I didn't want to wait. I decided to see if there was anything around here that would give me a clue to this Tom Baker guy. I can see you decided to do the same."
"Won't Alison be mad at you for coming out here?" Jack asked as the two started to look around.
"She'll be just as mad at you."
Jack smirked. "She wouldn't have known about me coming here if you hadn't shown up. You, on the other hand, can't say the same thing."
"Well, since there's two of us here, we can cover more ground."
"So we're splitting up? Good. The less I have to work with you the more chance I have of escaping with my sanity."
"Ha ha."
Jack and Rafe, each with their own flashlights, split up and started looking around the scene for clues. The police were still there looking around so both Jack and Rafe wandered far, into territory the police hadn't bothered to check.
Rafe's cell phone rang. Cursing under his breath, Rafe quickly pulled it out. "What?"
"Where are you?" Alison's voice rang loudly into Rafe's ears. "I was supposed to pick you up at The Recovery Room, remember?"
"Yeah, uh.. I left something in my car and I needed to come get it."
"Well you could have waited for me!"
"You're right honey, I'm sorry."
"Well where are you? I'll come pick you up."
"NO!!!" Rafe exclaimed much too quickly. "I, uh, I took a cab and so I'll meet you back at the house okay?"
Alison wasn't buying.
While Rafe and Alison argued over the phone, Jack had gone farther into the woods than he had realized. And in spite of past experiences in the woods, Jack felt strangely comfortable. Spotting a light in the distance in between trees, Jack squinted. It likely wasn't where Tom Baker was hiding but it was possible. Jack whipped out his cell phone and dialed Rafe's number, thankful that one day when Alison had been playing around with his cell, she put Rafe's cell phone number on his speed dial.
He was not thankful, however, to get a busy signal.
Why was Rafe on the phone? Some vampire slayer. Jack realized that Rafe may have been trying to call him at that moment. He crouched by a tree to make sure he stayed out of sight and waited for a few minutes to see if his cell phone would ring. It didn't. So Jack called Rafe again. Still busy.
Obviously Rafe was on the phone with someone else. Jack huffed and decided to check out the cabin by himself. If it did turn out to be Tom Baker, he would make sure he got Rafe there to back him up before going in. But he couldn't take the chance of leaving and not finding it again. Shaking his head at the slayer's incompetence, Jack headed towards the cabin alone.
****
Luke was holding Laura in his arms, trying to comfort her, as they rocked each other on the porch swing. They were both scared to death. This waiting and worrying like crazy was really starting to eat them both up inside. The son he had thought was dead, had come home alive and now he was missing again. Both of Laura's sons were missing. Elizabeth was like a daughter to him. He feared for all four of them.
Suddenly Laura jumped in fright, shocking Luke, "Angel... Darling, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly. He had seen her like this before. The look on her face was the look she would always get when she feared one of her kids were in trouble. He had seen that look so many times with Lucky. The look on her face indicated that things had gotten even worse.
"Nikolas... Lucky..." She spoke, her voice quavering. "They're in trouble, something's happening." The words went through Luke's heart like a knife, "I can feel it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nikolas had been stunned when Tom came storming into the basement. He yelped in pain as he pulled out his gun, and grabbed him, pushing him up to a standing position. He then grabbed Lucky, and pointed the gun at the two of them.
"What the hell?" Lucky gasped.
"Why it's time to let the fun begin," Tom told them with an evil laugh, "Your girlfriends are already waiting for you, upstairs."
Nikolas wearily looked at Lucky; fear swam through him as he wondered what Tom had done to Emily and Elizabeth. As he wondered what he had planned for them. He was terrified of what was in store for the four of them. And he knew that time was running out. It was highly unlikely anyone would ride to their rescue at the last minute. The only chance of getting out of this now was saving themselves somehow, if that was possible at all.
"Follow me upstairs," He ordered the boys, "And don't try anything."
Nikolas hesitated, but they followed him anyway. When they got upstairs, Nikolas' heart went to his throat when he saw Emily and Elizabeth both tied tightly to chairs, sitting next to each other. Two other chairs faced them, and he knew they were for him and Lucky. The girls both looked helpless and scared.
He pointed the gun towards Lucky, then towards Nikolas.
"You," he ordered Nikolas, "Take those ropes on the chairs and tie your brother to the chair. And tightly! Don't try to make the ropes loose, I will only tied them tighter if you do." He grabbed Lucky, and forced him on the chair. He handed Nikolas the ropes, and Nikolas had no choice but to tie his brother to the chair. He cringed as Tom kept the gun pointed at his head, and he did as he was told.
Tom quickly checked when he was done, and smiled in satisfactory, "Perfect." Tom grabbed Nikolas' shoulder and held the gun so close to his face that Nikolas feared to breathe.
"And now," Tom laughed evilly as he held his gun in the air, Nikolas looked at him in horror, "It's time for the final showdown to begin," he then wandered over to the girls, and aimed the gun at Elizabeth, causing Lucky to squirm.
"If you touch her I will kill you!" Lucky cursed at him, his eyes bright with anger. "She was the original plan," Tom told them, "I had plans to rape her again... and then kill her slowly and painfully. But then," he aimed the gun at Lucky, "You came along. And so did Emily. I'm thinking, what's the better revenge then watching her boyfriend die right in front of her, again? Just after finding out he was alive... I'll send him back to hell in front of her. And then I'll kill the prince here," Tom laughed manically as pointed the gun at Nikolas again, "I'm pretty damn sick of seeing him. I may have to do away with him first. I could have had Elizabeth all to myself these last few days... but he stood in the way. I think it's time for him to go."
Everyone watched in terror as he slowly pulled the trigger...
TBC
Reviews always appreciated! The more we get the more motivated we are to write!