Stealing Memories.

Opening Thoughts -For clarity, I should tell you thatitalicsare for flashbacks. I'm not really excited about this chapter in all honestly, but I kind of told myself that it had to be written, I hope it's not that bad!I'm really critical about what I write, sometimes too much sorry!

Angrily Miguel walked past the hallways back to his cell the guards at each side of him. The sound of the metal being clinked together once more telling him all too well of his entrapment, he began to pace around trying to tire a growing rage the built up inside of him since his conversation with Martin.

It was late and cell began to darken, and sooner than later his anger towards the nerve his father had a few moments before seemed less important as he shifted that to the back of his conscience. It was lights out for the Harmony Penitentiary and everything went suddenly dark the sound of guard crackling their objects of justice against the prison doors were heard in his far distance .

There were so many other things for Miguel to consider at this point other than the return of Martin Fitzgerald to Harmony. His freedom and piece of mind for one, might have been the practical things for him to think about as he settled on the ice cold cot in the last moments before sleep took its dominance, but it wasn't.

Unsettled he laid down, his eyes adjusting to the dark that had taken the room as he recalled a few days before he had came to this point. Ricardo called,"Yeah, I talked to her."He'd expected his cousins fare warning concerning the rest of the resurrected Lopez Industries and their safety with the knowledge of one Charity Standish determined for vengeance."What do you think I told her? I did exactly what you asked of me,"Ricardo had said that the other part of their family was more than willing to kill Agent Standish, if she meddled herself in concluding what Patrick O'Riley couldn't years ago, and if he truly wanted to see Charity dead he would find it in his power to make sure that she didn't go any further with her obvious plans." Look I've kept Charity away from wherever the hell you are, and I expect you to be a man of some kind of dignity, and keep up to your promise."Reluctantly Miguel agreed to his cousins wishes.

" But I'mwarningyou Ricardo, if I even catch wind of you not living up to your promise, and I will if need be, I'll stop at nothing to make your life a living hell!"The sound of Miguel slamming the phone back onto its receiver ripped through the still. He didn't want to do this, Ricardo would have been the last person he would have trusted but he had to for his plan to work the way he wanted it to.

It's the only way,Miguel reminded himself the following morning as he took yet another gamble with his conversation with Charity regretting to cause her the pain he did by the way he acted when in all honesty all he wanted to do was tell her the truth. Miguel wanted so much for Charity to know, what he couldn't tell her himself. He wanted her to know how much he truly did care for her … God, how much helovedher. And never in a million years would he put her in this kind of position, had their been no other way.

But he couldn't and their wasn't any other way. Why couldn't he just remember what happened that night Patrick died ? It would have seemed so easy for other to recollect on the years that past but for him it was the hardest task, all that remained was just a black whole where May of 2006 was only leavinghervoice in a disappearing path.

" Miguel! Wake up,"Yiezmien screamed shaking him franticly, as small glimmers of light peaked through the dark in his sight. What had happened to him? He never quite remembered but vividly he recalled telling his Aunt Consuella that he chose to recline from the blitz of being a con man for Lopez Industries. In the time that he had found a lost part of his family, he'd found all the answer to his problems … a life he only dreamed of having, a way to help his family through the hardest of times, but as time past and Miguel got dragged deeper into the darkness of the Lopez family business, he found it was no longer worth it.

After he'd been released from a two year sentence in Harmony County Jail, Miguel had made a new life for himself trying to get his club off the ground and trying to find somewhat of a better name for himself in his family thentown criminal. Breaking the system and remaining under the wing of the worst possible influence wasn't a logical choice, so Miguel Lopez - Fitzgerald decided to denounce a new found bond for some kind of respectable future.

That's when it all went dark."What happened to me? Why I'm I lying here?"He'd asked his then girlfriend as she helped him up from the white room she'd found him in.

"I don't know, Baby,"Yiezmien replied quietly softly shaking her head, as shaken by the sight as he was."You and Consuella got into a real heated argument, and you stormed out of her office in some kind of rush - That was a few days ago."She stated chillingly as Miguel bore into her brown eyes."Ricky, and I have been looking for you ever since."

The day she'd found him was the very same day after Patrick O'Riley had been murdered, soon after Consuella Lopez and with the passing of his aunt took all the answers that formed in his head from that day forward.

With reluctance in each move Miguel finally shut his eyes, the voices ringing in his head boldly with no sight of seizing. Voices that questioned him, voices that pleaded him for answers he couldn't reply to … voices that wanted a truth he couldn't remember.

===

At the end of his conversation with his son. Martin found himself back at his floor room hotel suite, his eyes glancing towards a picture of Katharine and their two girls and slowly towards him and Pilar and their children.

Miguel was indeed right. In the hazed emerald eyed of the beautiful children he had made with Pilar, he was dead. Nothing but a bittersweet memory that they were forced to recall upon within each picture they past on holidays that went by.

Taking the two frames by hand, he sat own on the freshly taken care of bed. His glances parting from one to the other as his mind raced with thoughts.

My father died a long time ago,

The voice of a boy who thought the world of him still ringing in his ears. Once upon a time he'd thought him right from wrong, and how to throw the perfect curved ball and that seemed all he'd have to do to make things right. But things changed, as they always did and there no longer was an easy way to solve things between his little boy and himself.

There wasn't a way to solve anything. Not with his children, and especially not with Pilar.

It was easy for Martin to say he could fix all that had gone wrong with his family as his mind repeated time and time again that this was what he was supposed to do… what he had to do, but as much as he tried he could never do it.

At least not without help.

Within the few days Martin had been back and through the buzz of common word of mouth through the street of his once home town. He'd learnt that in her earlier days before Patrick's death Charity had been quite the secret agent for the Harmony Police Department. She and Patrick together lead to solving many cases before he died dealing with theLopez Industrysuit.

She needs to know the truth about this,Martin thought as he rose from his bed. So, in that very same night Martin reached for the phone in his hotel room quickly dialling the number he'd retrieved from a tarnished paper.

His fingers tapping against the bed, he only heard a continuous ring tone. "Come on," Martin murmured in desperation.

In the darkness he was watched as Martin anxiously awaited to hear Agent Standish's voice and suddenly a small devious smile crossed their lips, dressed in all black complimenting the state of the room as the person rose a silver crow bar to the man whose back was to them.

When it was at its peak, and all too quickly before Martin could turn around, the figure made a mighty swing knocking the phone he held to the floor. His body slumping lifeless onto the floor as a small hint of blood appeared on his face.

Kneeling down the form grinned at the sight, slapping Martin in the face a few times making sure the old man was truly passed out, before standing once again dragging him by his legs out of the room making sure his movements couldn't be made by the foolishly dead hotel.

"Couldn't have you blowing my cover now, couldn't I?" The voice cackled in a husky manner , as the figured hailed the assistance of a sleek murky van that pulled up ahead.

===

INVERNESS ,SCOTLAND.

The following morning…

"Take as much time as you need," Damien said quietly as he glanced over his passenger seat to Charity, the sound of the ignition fading in their space. "The flight to Cuba is hours from now, so you can stay until whenever …" He trailed as the car stopped directly in front of the grave yard early morning.

The blonde tersely nodded, as she prepared to exit. "Damien?" She called out as she stopped her previous actions looking at the man who sat across from her.

"Yeah, Standish?" He responded his expressions neutral, as he released a firm clutch on the steering wheel.

"Thank you." She simply said grateful for his company through out all of this. Their was a quick silence before she prepared to leave her hands opening the car door as she heard his voice fall to her attention.

"You're welcome." Damien replied with a smile complementing his features as she left.

She stood distanced away from the gravesite, long stemmed wild flowers held loosely in her clutches threatening to flutter in the calm morning winds as she focussed on the engraved letters that had been carved into the tomb.

Charity's eyes remained hidden by her sunglasses as slight streams of salty tears fell past her cheeks and onto the healthy green foliage as she knelt down slightly letting the flowers and her tears fall upon him.

"I'm a shameful wreck without you, you know." Charity commented in a wry laugh and smile, as she stood her arms tightly crossed as she glanced down at him.

Her mind ran to the situation that had arose in front of her, or how Patrick always found some sort of mundane way to make everything alright within his simple gestures and she could only wish she could have him back again, she would have given anything for that.

" I -" She paused tightly clenching her jaw as her azure orbs focused on the perfect clouds settling in the care free sky. "I know I shouldn't be asking you for anything anymore, I mean you're gone … and you'll begonefor a very long time - But I need you."

She recalled two small children with hopes and dreams as big of the universe looking up at these very same clouds, merely guessing what God's creation had formed.

Charity wanted that back … she wantedhimback, but past all the motions she'd felt when he had first died ; Feeling that his passing was unfair and having a growing anger with the powers - that - be for taking him from her, way before time - She knew having him was no longer possible and that perchance this was her time to finally let go and move on.

"I need to know what I'm doing is right." She needed to know that moving on was the right thing to do. Yes, she knew that Patrick would have wanted her to find someone else to make her happy, but never like this. The last they'd talked Miguel had asked her totrust himthe moment she turned to leave, she didn't bother turning back and letting his eyes intoxicated her into saying another word, Charity no longer wanted to feel like sheneededMiguel any longer because she truly didn't … it was just her new love for him she couldn't shake.

Charity had found herself far too soon stuck between a man she would always love, and a man who had taken her heart without any warning. Now as she stood before him she had a choice, to remain with the information she'd obtained saving her life and her pride or … save a man who might not be innocent, a man who claimed to love her and she had loved as well.

"Just tell me? I promise I won't even consider pursuing the idea if this isn't what you want." Charity whispered quietly. " I don't even think this is what I want either, Patrick. I still love you, I don't want to move on!" She confided in a small bawl as she held in a strong sob her delicate gloved hand passing over her lips.

Her tears flowed singularly from her hidden eyes, all warm balling down her face down her pale cheeks as they made quiet crashes onto her jacket. Everything in a standstill until a warm breeze past the plains, she felt as if she was insane as Charity could have sworn the same breeze of air was comparable to his arms being tightly wrapped around her giving her a sense of completion as the cry of the winds almost echoed his voice.

Her shaky hands slid upwards to her chin, "Okay," With a receptive nod as if having a true conversation with him her tears ceased. She backed away from him slowly her eyes still on the engravements of his name while her footsteps hesitated.

"Okay." She answered once more allowed. Charity was a sane, logical woman, she knew the very thought of this ever happening was simply impossible, yet still she agreed to whatever happened as she walked back towards the car.

Closing Thoughts -I know what y'all are thinking. How in the blue hell can I man be knocked out by a crowbar, and dragged out of hisowndamn hotel room having not a person notice … blame it on the magic of a story, and vivid ignorant imagination!

And,Lopez Industrieswas a company launched by Consuella and her son Ricardo which reigned in Harmony for many years. It was basically likeCrane Industries, but with more dark doing behind the strong front( Like Miguel stealing for the companies profit)And when they happened to conflict with Crane Industries that's when Patrick and Charity were called to the case.

Just if you were wondering!

That's all I'm at liberty to say right about now!( Damn I feel like I'm in the CIA), I hope you liked this! Thank You.

And … Latz.