IV
A/N: well I had my downtime and then went a babysitting, got my skull knocked in by one and now have a massive headache.... Ah well, they're adorable kids, if not the quietest lot.
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Mort stirred early the next morning – well, earlier than usual. He shifted. When had he come to bed? Ah yes, after the incident with he and Amy deciding to "take it slow." He raised an eyebrow at her slightly when he saw her still form curled up against his, her blond hair tickling his nose.
He shifted his weight, waking her as he did so. "You want breakfast?"
"You don't have anything in the fridge," Amy reminded him sleepily.
Her ex husband sat up slowly, reaching for his glasses. "We'll think of something."
Amy swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood. She stopped suddenly, eyes widening. "Did you hear that?"
"I'm not awake enough to hear much of anything, babe," he mumbled, suppressing a yawn.
Amy tossed a pillow in his general direction and started for the door very carefully. Whatever was on the other side was potentially dangerous to their health. Whatever was on the other side was potentially John Shooter. That was enough to make her heart speed up. She heard Mort shift and stand behind her, mumbling something about not going out there yet, it was far too early. He'd always been slow to rise and ready to lounge, it was one of the many luxuries of working at home all the time. She had envied him for it, but only every once and a while.
Amy pushed open the door slowly, ready for whatever would be on the other side.
Mort was the rest of his way to his feet when he heard her scream. "Whatisit?!"
Amy had her hand over her heart, laughing unsteadily and looking at a shaken Mrs. Gavin. "I'm so sorry," she began.
"Amy!" Mrs. Gavin exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing here?"
Amy gave her a small smile. "Some things.... happened. You remember John Shooter from a couple months ago? He was on the news. He's out and trying to kill Mort and me. He... he killed Ted already."
"Oh my! I'm terribly sorry!"
Amy nodded her thanks. "Mort was kind enough to let me stay here with him, since I have no where to go, really..."
Mrs. Gavin looked to where Mort was now standing, only half awake as it were, and gave a knowing smile. "I'm sure he's been very kind to you," was all she said before turning. "I'll be cleaning the house this morning, if either of you need anything. What about breakfast?"
"Nothing in the fridge," Mort answered as he finally made his way over to the door.
Amy shook her head as she followed. Hadn't she said that not five minutes before?
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"So what's our plan? You did have a plan, don't you?" Amy asked as they got out of the car to go to Bowie's.
"We'll go eat breakfast..."
"Real good start," she muttered sarcastically.
"Yeah, thought as much. Then we'll go to the cops and tell them what the note said. I'll convince them to let me go to deal with it and maybe bring one of the with me."
"And what about me?"
"You'll stay at the station."
Amy stopped dead in her tracks. "So you'll go by yourself?"
"Planning on it."
"Mort!"
Mort and Amy both turned to where Gerda Bowie was waving. "Heard your old friend got out of jail, hmm? Heya there, Amy. Long time no see."
Amy forced a smile. "How are you, Gerda?"
Gerda grinned. "You two getting back together?" she asked. "That's news."
"Never said we were," Amy said as she pulled a stool up.
Mort sighed as quietly as he could manage. While Amy was opposed to people sticking their noses in their business (and this was probably why she had answered the way she did) it still made him wonder if the night before had all been her shock from Ted's death and today things were going to go back to the screaming and shouting and accusing. He didn't think he could handle letting himself get too far into this and it coming to that. He'd have to watch where he let his heart wander back to.
"I forgot something from the car," Mort mumbled as he disappeared out the door and down to the car. He frowned when he saw a small note stuck to the windshield wiper. It's advertisement... he told himself silently.
But no one really puts advertisements out in this parking lot.
Shut up.
His conversation with himself was cut off as he picked up the note.
I was right.
"I said shut it," Mort growled quietly.
"What'd you say, Mort?"
Mort whirled around to see Amy. He fought a nervous look. He'd been out by himself far too long. "Nothing." He read the note quietly and turned back to her. "We've got trouble."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Shooter says we're supposed to meet him as soon as we get the note. What, did he know what I was thinking?"
Amy laughed slightly. "That would require him being either right with us –which he's not – or in your head, which would be a place not many would venture." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and opened the car door. "So are we going?"
"Amy, he'll kill us."
"No he won't because I've all ready got men stationed there to watch your backs and catch 'im," Newsome said from behind Mort, making the younger man jump.
"So we're bait?"
"If you want to put it that way."
Mort grimaced. "Then we're bait. Let's get going."
-----------------------
Mort pulled the car up to a place in the middle of the woods and parked it. He swallowed slightly as he and Amy stepped out. Amy was at his side, her hand clutching his. "We'll be okay," she whispered.
"Hope you're right."
She tried to laugh. "I'm always right, why have you not figured this out?"
He gave her a forced smile at her attempt to lighten the situation. Something didn't seem right, and he knew it and she knew it. He knew she'd gotten one of her feelings about this, and that's why she'd talked to Newsome in Bowie's between the time that he walked out and the time when she followed. Or had she talked to him before? He didn't know, to be honest, but there were only so many minutes in between there. Kinda like the minutes between getting from Tashmore Lake to Derry and to burn a house down and back and then to kill a dog, hmm?
Shut up, that wasn't me, Mort answered the persistent voice. That was Shooter, and you're just trying to confuse me so I think differently. Amy's seen him. I'm not crazy.
Keep telling yourself that, because a part of Shooter might still be in you. And what if he is? What if he uses a possible rekindling relationship to get to Amy and fix his story?
Mort found himself gripping his ex wife's hand just a little tighter. I didn't let him hurt her before, I won't now.
The voice chuckled in his head. What good did you do? Tackled him, but if Ted hadn't been there then Shooter would have shoved you aside and killed her. Ted saved the day. Face it, Mort Rainey, you are nothing in her eyes.
"You okay, babe?" Amy asked quietly, almost afraid to disturb what appeared to be an internal battle within the tense author. "You look sick. You not feeling better this morning?"
"I'm fine," he managed. He pushed his hair back with his free hand, stopped, and turned to face her. "Amy... listen, no matter what happened eight months ago, you know I'm always going to love you, right?"
"Mort...."
"I know, sorry, but...."
Amy smiled through tears budding in her eyes. "I love you too, Mort," she whispered as she reached up to kiss him lightly on the lips.
"Sweet, it really is," a southern voice said, breaking the couple apart. John Shooter was leaning against a tree, eyeing them. "Glad to see you here, Mr. Rainey. I didn't know if you'd come."
Mort eyed the man carefully, pulling Amy closer. He wasn't sure how much he could do against Shooter, but he'd sure as hell try.
"Don't be looking for no cops, Mr. Rainey," Shooter drawled. "They got in the way of our business." He pointed upward.
Mort and Amy looked up slowly to see the young man that had asked for the autograph earlier hanging from the tree. He had a screwdriver driven into his skull. Amy cupped her hands over her mouth, stifling a scream of terror.
"It's just you, me, and your missus, Mr. Rainey. Just the way it should be."
"She shouldn't be apart of this," Mort said quickly.
"Oh, but you didn't leave me a choice in it, Mr. Rainey. You brought her into this, one way or another. Now she'll die here. Right is right and fair is fair, after all," Shooter said with a frightening smile. "And no where to run."
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A/N: Wohoo! Cliff hanger!
Dawnie-7: Yay! Glad to hear your sticking around! Thanks very much! :)
TrappedandAnnoyed: I know! That's what I was like! When he was about to kill her I thought "Mort's gonna win out and he and Amy are going to get back together after Mort basically tells Shooter to take a hike outa his head!" And then he killed her.... ::sighs:: Oh well... That's why I'm writing this.
(Any readers that don't want to know the ending to the book version of this, please don't read my comments!) LaVieSansAmour: Yeah, I know.... I loved that part of the book, just not Mort dying. It was so sad because he came back to being Mort and then keeled over! I was so sad! I was sitting in a restaurant with my dad and I just sat there staring in utter shock, mumbling, "They killed him...." Oh, my friend, haven't you realized yet that my favorite characters NEVER catch a break with me writing? ::grins:: I'll try to work on "Family Ties" tomorrow.... Only problem is I'm getting an idea for another movie fic b/c I just recently saw Sleepy Hollow (never saw it before now). I've been on a Johnny Depp/horror flick kick as of late. Oh well, I'll try to work on the Pirates fic before going onto other story lines.
A/N: well I had my downtime and then went a babysitting, got my skull knocked in by one and now have a massive headache.... Ah well, they're adorable kids, if not the quietest lot.
---------------------
Mort stirred early the next morning – well, earlier than usual. He shifted. When had he come to bed? Ah yes, after the incident with he and Amy deciding to "take it slow." He raised an eyebrow at her slightly when he saw her still form curled up against his, her blond hair tickling his nose.
He shifted his weight, waking her as he did so. "You want breakfast?"
"You don't have anything in the fridge," Amy reminded him sleepily.
Her ex husband sat up slowly, reaching for his glasses. "We'll think of something."
Amy swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood. She stopped suddenly, eyes widening. "Did you hear that?"
"I'm not awake enough to hear much of anything, babe," he mumbled, suppressing a yawn.
Amy tossed a pillow in his general direction and started for the door very carefully. Whatever was on the other side was potentially dangerous to their health. Whatever was on the other side was potentially John Shooter. That was enough to make her heart speed up. She heard Mort shift and stand behind her, mumbling something about not going out there yet, it was far too early. He'd always been slow to rise and ready to lounge, it was one of the many luxuries of working at home all the time. She had envied him for it, but only every once and a while.
Amy pushed open the door slowly, ready for whatever would be on the other side.
Mort was the rest of his way to his feet when he heard her scream. "Whatisit?!"
Amy had her hand over her heart, laughing unsteadily and looking at a shaken Mrs. Gavin. "I'm so sorry," she began.
"Amy!" Mrs. Gavin exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing here?"
Amy gave her a small smile. "Some things.... happened. You remember John Shooter from a couple months ago? He was on the news. He's out and trying to kill Mort and me. He... he killed Ted already."
"Oh my! I'm terribly sorry!"
Amy nodded her thanks. "Mort was kind enough to let me stay here with him, since I have no where to go, really..."
Mrs. Gavin looked to where Mort was now standing, only half awake as it were, and gave a knowing smile. "I'm sure he's been very kind to you," was all she said before turning. "I'll be cleaning the house this morning, if either of you need anything. What about breakfast?"
"Nothing in the fridge," Mort answered as he finally made his way over to the door.
Amy shook her head as she followed. Hadn't she said that not five minutes before?
---------------------
"So what's our plan? You did have a plan, don't you?" Amy asked as they got out of the car to go to Bowie's.
"We'll go eat breakfast..."
"Real good start," she muttered sarcastically.
"Yeah, thought as much. Then we'll go to the cops and tell them what the note said. I'll convince them to let me go to deal with it and maybe bring one of the with me."
"And what about me?"
"You'll stay at the station."
Amy stopped dead in her tracks. "So you'll go by yourself?"
"Planning on it."
"Mort!"
Mort and Amy both turned to where Gerda Bowie was waving. "Heard your old friend got out of jail, hmm? Heya there, Amy. Long time no see."
Amy forced a smile. "How are you, Gerda?"
Gerda grinned. "You two getting back together?" she asked. "That's news."
"Never said we were," Amy said as she pulled a stool up.
Mort sighed as quietly as he could manage. While Amy was opposed to people sticking their noses in their business (and this was probably why she had answered the way she did) it still made him wonder if the night before had all been her shock from Ted's death and today things were going to go back to the screaming and shouting and accusing. He didn't think he could handle letting himself get too far into this and it coming to that. He'd have to watch where he let his heart wander back to.
"I forgot something from the car," Mort mumbled as he disappeared out the door and down to the car. He frowned when he saw a small note stuck to the windshield wiper. It's advertisement... he told himself silently.
But no one really puts advertisements out in this parking lot.
Shut up.
His conversation with himself was cut off as he picked up the note.
I was right.
"I said shut it," Mort growled quietly.
"What'd you say, Mort?"
Mort whirled around to see Amy. He fought a nervous look. He'd been out by himself far too long. "Nothing." He read the note quietly and turned back to her. "We've got trouble."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Shooter says we're supposed to meet him as soon as we get the note. What, did he know what I was thinking?"
Amy laughed slightly. "That would require him being either right with us –which he's not – or in your head, which would be a place not many would venture." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and opened the car door. "So are we going?"
"Amy, he'll kill us."
"No he won't because I've all ready got men stationed there to watch your backs and catch 'im," Newsome said from behind Mort, making the younger man jump.
"So we're bait?"
"If you want to put it that way."
Mort grimaced. "Then we're bait. Let's get going."
-----------------------
Mort pulled the car up to a place in the middle of the woods and parked it. He swallowed slightly as he and Amy stepped out. Amy was at his side, her hand clutching his. "We'll be okay," she whispered.
"Hope you're right."
She tried to laugh. "I'm always right, why have you not figured this out?"
He gave her a forced smile at her attempt to lighten the situation. Something didn't seem right, and he knew it and she knew it. He knew she'd gotten one of her feelings about this, and that's why she'd talked to Newsome in Bowie's between the time that he walked out and the time when she followed. Or had she talked to him before? He didn't know, to be honest, but there were only so many minutes in between there. Kinda like the minutes between getting from Tashmore Lake to Derry and to burn a house down and back and then to kill a dog, hmm?
Shut up, that wasn't me, Mort answered the persistent voice. That was Shooter, and you're just trying to confuse me so I think differently. Amy's seen him. I'm not crazy.
Keep telling yourself that, because a part of Shooter might still be in you. And what if he is? What if he uses a possible rekindling relationship to get to Amy and fix his story?
Mort found himself gripping his ex wife's hand just a little tighter. I didn't let him hurt her before, I won't now.
The voice chuckled in his head. What good did you do? Tackled him, but if Ted hadn't been there then Shooter would have shoved you aside and killed her. Ted saved the day. Face it, Mort Rainey, you are nothing in her eyes.
"You okay, babe?" Amy asked quietly, almost afraid to disturb what appeared to be an internal battle within the tense author. "You look sick. You not feeling better this morning?"
"I'm fine," he managed. He pushed his hair back with his free hand, stopped, and turned to face her. "Amy... listen, no matter what happened eight months ago, you know I'm always going to love you, right?"
"Mort...."
"I know, sorry, but...."
Amy smiled through tears budding in her eyes. "I love you too, Mort," she whispered as she reached up to kiss him lightly on the lips.
"Sweet, it really is," a southern voice said, breaking the couple apart. John Shooter was leaning against a tree, eyeing them. "Glad to see you here, Mr. Rainey. I didn't know if you'd come."
Mort eyed the man carefully, pulling Amy closer. He wasn't sure how much he could do against Shooter, but he'd sure as hell try.
"Don't be looking for no cops, Mr. Rainey," Shooter drawled. "They got in the way of our business." He pointed upward.
Mort and Amy looked up slowly to see the young man that had asked for the autograph earlier hanging from the tree. He had a screwdriver driven into his skull. Amy cupped her hands over her mouth, stifling a scream of terror.
"It's just you, me, and your missus, Mr. Rainey. Just the way it should be."
"She shouldn't be apart of this," Mort said quickly.
"Oh, but you didn't leave me a choice in it, Mr. Rainey. You brought her into this, one way or another. Now she'll die here. Right is right and fair is fair, after all," Shooter said with a frightening smile. "And no where to run."
-------------------------
A/N: Wohoo! Cliff hanger!
Dawnie-7: Yay! Glad to hear your sticking around! Thanks very much! :)
TrappedandAnnoyed: I know! That's what I was like! When he was about to kill her I thought "Mort's gonna win out and he and Amy are going to get back together after Mort basically tells Shooter to take a hike outa his head!" And then he killed her.... ::sighs:: Oh well... That's why I'm writing this.
(Any readers that don't want to know the ending to the book version of this, please don't read my comments!) LaVieSansAmour: Yeah, I know.... I loved that part of the book, just not Mort dying. It was so sad because he came back to being Mort and then keeled over! I was so sad! I was sitting in a restaurant with my dad and I just sat there staring in utter shock, mumbling, "They killed him...." Oh, my friend, haven't you realized yet that my favorite characters NEVER catch a break with me writing? ::grins:: I'll try to work on "Family Ties" tomorrow.... Only problem is I'm getting an idea for another movie fic b/c I just recently saw Sleepy Hollow (never saw it before now). I've been on a Johnny Depp/horror flick kick as of late. Oh well, I'll try to work on the Pirates fic before going onto other story lines.