The Ex - Factor.

Opening Thoughts - Yeah, Arrylle Yiezmien is a lil' skankerella isn't she!? But as crazy as it sounds , I do or better yet, she does have a reason for her actions, and like any vileness it's always a bad one, and you'll just have to read to find out. Enjoy!

***

The two story building found itself quite still, as she was alone in her office. She tapped down on the keys of her computer furiously in the solitude, letting the fuming angers of the previous night make a hopeless effort to calm her. Slowly, in the day afterwards she tried to forgive herself . Remembering this wasn't all her fault, and she wasn't the one who barged into a life that needed no interruption, imposing some idiotic deal so that she would actually find some charming qualities.

She, didn't tempt herself with looks trimmed acutely to well defined features. And she! Was definitely going to be the type to sit on her computer all alone and bitch about things that she could no longer control from happening, even though she did and she was.

Charity exhaled heavily, as her sudden cold hands brushed over her face trailing to her hair. Her groan filled the air with anger and dissatisfaction, as her curled golden locks turned to an elaborately placed bouquet wreaking of long stemmed roses. It's size humongous as if qualifying the amount of trouble he'd just gotten himself into, the roses an unadulterated white, flashing the universal sigh of surrender. She found the entity delicately placed in front of the building interned by the snow which laid everywhere…he knew better not to do anything else otherwise.

She managed to ignore them, only passing inevitable short glances here and there towards it to only turn back in a loud elaborate huff. My apologies for being a man…scribbled across the white card as about as arrogantly written as it must have been thought.

"Sonofabitch!" Charity hissed tearing the thing to shreds as she threw it into the garbage. Her hands hastily picking up the phone receiver as she jabbed the numbers of her dial tone.

"Hello - Charity Standish. One of you guy's delivered a bouquet of flowers to me this morning."

"Yes, m'am I believe we did, and there are no need for any thanks. We here at the Rose Emporium, are always more than welcome to -"

"Yes, that's fabulous." Charity interrupted trying desperately to prevent her eyes from rolling, at the small advertise she'd been forced to subject to. " But I haven't called for any thanks, I called because I want these - things sent back to the sender, because I really don't want them."

"M'am, Mr. Lopez - Fitzgerald strongly advised us to send you. Ms. Standish a dozen of long stemmed roses," The clerk stated with conceited bravado. " Now if you haven't already guessed the Lopez - Fitzgerald's are a very powerful family now a days, and people like you and I wouldn't want to get on their bad side if you catch my drift…"

"I see." She stated " Well, I advise you to do exactly as I've asked and send these God dammed roses back to Mr. Lopez - Fitzgerald, or else!" She sputtered spitefully as if speaking to the man himself. Her heated words cooling down gradually as she continued. " I'm sure you catch my drift!"

______

NEW MEXICO, LOCAL REHABILLITATION CENTRE

I did it… I killed him. The drunken confessions rung through the troubled mind of Damien Winters, that morning and mornings similar to this one of which he spent here. The memory of the torrid night so vivid in his mind he could still see the looks of horror , and the sudden disdainful glances and whispers. Whispers that wouldn't cease, as much as he threatened, thoughtless whispers that lead him here.

"I'm not crazy if that's what you're thinking." Damien stated as he shifted in his chair, his dark eyes meeting with Dr. Nazareth's. He said his words not feeling a speckle of guilt with them as he slid a slim cigarette from the pack slipping it into his awaiting mouth. "You don't mind don't you, Doc ?"

Instinctively, the doctor flashed the growing flame from his gold in crested lighter. " Anything to make your sessions most comfortable is alright with me." He simply stated watching the smoke rise from where Damien sat. Dr. Nazareth observed Damien's actions faintly as he scribbled few words on his word pad. The sound of it made the man's attentions draw back to him.

"You think I'm lying don't you." He said sombrely, now looking the man in his eye.

"Excuse me for sounding sceptic ; But I don't ," Damien rose his brow, puffing out another dark cloud of smoke before smirking slightly and easing back on the athwart chair. " From what I've known of you - you seemed to be quite a respectable man in Harmony, and for you to make this…" The doctor found himself suddenly lost for words as he looked over at the young man. "Bottom line is Damien, a detective of your reputation wouldn't be liable to killing someone - anyone, especially his own partner… a trusted friend no less."

" Betrayal happens all the time Doc. Anthony did it to Caesar…Judas to Christ. I guess we could say that I was continuing the vicious cycle " Damien replied dejectedly flickering spent ruins from the cigarette into a nearby ashtray.

Dr. Nazareth, found himself at a certain stand still lost for words lost in Damien statements as the sounds of a distant timer was heard around , identifying the end of what seemed to be ages for those who were in the room.

"How time flies," Damien said sarcastically, while standing from his chair commencing to leave the room. " Same time same place." His voice trailed as the slim figure disappeared from the doctors sight.

"You don't believe him right? I mean he can't be telling the truth can't he?" Phyllis Hewitts, Dr. Nazareth's next patient brushed into the room her brown eyes exuding a certain type of fear and uncertainty. She was only a few weeks away from being ,detained form this hell whole and she definitely wasn't going to let anyone especially some crazed claiming - to - be murderer stand in her way.

A sigh escaped his breath as he sat back to the young woman, who stood at the frame of the door momentarily before stepping in making the need of an answer, she really shouldn't have imperative.

"That's what they've hired me to find out, Miss Hewitts." He finally , standing from his seat and shifting his glances up from the bridge of his distinguished nose. He motioned towards the woman, calmly ushering her inside she looked at him deeply for a instant her mouth structured to word another statement before the doctor cut her off.

"Now let's start your session, shall we Miss Hewitts?" He continued his gestures showing slight irritation of his patience's abrupt interruption of a answer he wanted to figure out.

______

" I can't be bought, Mr. Lopez - Fitzgerald. So you can take those back to however she was." She spoke referring to the man leaning against his car door, holding the infamous roses in his hands.

"She's nothing to me you know." Miguel spoke lifting himself from his side car door and advancing towards the woman. He was cautious knowing that the looks of admonition, were still fresh in the beauty's eyes from the night before.

"Do us both a favour, Mr. Lopez - Fitzgerald." She declared stopping her dramatic route, while facing him.

He hated it that they'd reverted back to family names, as well as the fact that he hated it when she simply called him Mr. Lopez - Fitzgerald as if he were simply just a stranger , or some pained quittance she was forced to meet with. Even so he decided not to fuel the fame he felt within her presence, " What is that?" He questioned.

" Don't bullshit me okay!? How dare you tell me you groping …" She paused refraining to mouth out the many words that came to mind when she thought of the woman he was with the night before, and yet also remembering it wasn't just her impulse. " her, mean absolutely nothing to you. Come on Miguel, what kind of woman do you honestly take me for!?"

" You know what I don't even want to know, because I'm very sure I can figure out what the answer it that question might be. I can't believe I honestly thought you were a man I'd like to know," Her eyes stared him don't as if he were more of a vile creature than she'd already thought he was. " I guess we all make our own share of dim-witted mistakes, but know this Miguel I'm not making this one again, were through, and if I ever…"

He kissed her as a means, of silencing her malevolent spews. One so tender revealing a certain passion to the open that hadn't been witnessed before. One so delicately fervent it caused passer-by's to blush with a definite embarrassment . Slight giggles were heard beyond them from two high school girls who found themselves caught in their moment.

"Get a room!" Shrill voices called out in a far away manner feverish giggles could be heard in their desertion breaking the kiss slowly, and beginning a bemused gaze.

She pushed him away, tightly clenching her fist preparing to do what should have been done long time before. With the sight of her preparing to hurt him, he put his hand over his fist speaking softly.

"Before you do this, would you just listen to what I have to say." Her glances pressing an indefinite negative, as she recoiled her cold hand and walked past him.

"Go ahead," She sighed sitting down at a close - by bench, as he did the same, both distancing themselves.

"That woman you saw me with was my ex - girlfriend. Yeizmien Vasquez, we broke up years ago because -" He paused clasping his hands in a means of procrastination.

"Because?" She continued letting him know her time wasn't to be wasted.

"Because like always she wasn't the women I thought she'd be. What you saw was her pathetic attempts to get us back, you just didn't hear me telling her that wasn't going to happen."

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Charity snarled vindictively.

"I never meant for this to hurt you, Charity." He replied boring into the indigo of her eyes. " And I sure as hell didn't mean for this to hurt our friendship either."

"Friendship, what friendship. Miguel, I hardly know anything about you."

"But you're willing to find out" His voice was raised as he looked at her, somehow showing a fear at the signs of an ending friendship. " I'm sorry," He whispered so muted, the thought might have been ignored. But instead it was taken in being replaced with the slight feeling of compassion that wouldn't dare be noted to words.

"I forgive you…" She whispered back in the same hushed tone, " But if anything like this happens again…"

"I know," He laughed softly. "Trust me I know."

***

Closing Thoughts - It look's like this plan of mine is working after all. However I might just as well tell everybody in advance that the next chapter is going to take me awhile cuz there's going to be so much going on in one place! I hope you've enjoyed the reconciliation as well as more of Damien's confessions truths or false truths ? I'll never tell, well at least not until I have to. Y'all know the drill if you like review and if you don't simply click on! Latz.