Disclaimer: I don't own Mort Rainey or anything Secret Window. That belongs to Stephen King.

AN: Wow, chapter seven...can't believe I made it this far! Thank you so much for your support, I love you all! Especially pandagal, who helped me out of so many ruts with this story! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 7: Deeper Thoughts:

The Next Morning: Amber's POV:

I once again awoke in Mort's bed, naked and sore under cotton bedsheets. Rubbing my eyes, I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and looked at the alarm clock on the table next to the bed; it was almost noon. Groaning, I decided to get some more sleep, since Mort had been extremely demanding last night and wouldn't let me rest until dawn. Now all I wanted to do was fall asleep and never wake up again. I wanted it all to end, right here, right now.

How could I feel that way? How could I not feel that way? I was thousands of miles away from home, and I was legally married to the man who had kidnapped me after meeting me in a bookstore! I didn't even know anything about him, except that he was an author who lived in the woods and had killed four people because of a fictional being in his head!

'Wait, could this Shooter character be behind my abduction?' I thought, staring at the wall.

No, not likely. Mort had said Shooter carried out the violent acts that Mort himself couldn't do, and since Mort had been anything but violent (besides forcing himself on me), I seriously doubted it was him.

'But why would Mort want to kidnap me?' It didn't make any sense! He claimed that it was because he loved me, but he didn't even know me! Mort knew what I liked and what I'd done at school, but that hardly qualifies as knowing someone. And it couldn't be that he was 'lonely,' because lonely people don't kidnap someone to keep them company! They went and joined a dating service or went club-hopping or something, not commit serious crimes.

My head started to hurt from all of the thoughts floating through my head, so I simply stopped thinking and closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep. It didn't work. My head only hurt more, so I pressed my fingers to my temple to try and ease the pain. As I rubbed, I felt an arm tighten itself around my waist. I rolled onto my back and saw Mort smiling down at me. Without speaking a word, he kissed me, hard, his scruffy beard and mustache tickling and scratching my face. Slowly, he turned me over onto my side so I could face him, not once breaking the kiss as he held me. A moment later, he pulled back.

"Morning, sweetheart," he whispered. I turned my eyes away, not wanting to look at him. "Amber?"

I turned back towards him, my eyes filled with tears. I saw concern in his eyes, but I didn't want to appear weak and have him see me cry. Instead, I plastered a smile on my lips.

"It's okay, only a nasty headache." It wasn't a lie, just a partial truth. My head did hurt. "I think I'll take a shower to help get rid of it."

Mort smiled. "Okay, I'll see you downstairs." Quickly getting up and pulling on a tattered blue robe, he vanished downstairs.

An hour later, Amber's POV:

Drying my hair, I felt my depressing thoughts return. I'd managed to clear my head while in the shower with the relaxing soap scents, but now the thoughts had returned. What was happening back home? Were my parents and friends out looking for me, like others had done for missing loved ones, or were they on the news, pleading their case to a large audience, hoping to reach my abductor?

I snorted. Yeah, like they'd broadcast my abduction to people out of state! They did that very rarely, like with that girl in Utah who was taken out of her bedroom at night. She was found, but over nine months later. Would they ever find me that quickly, or would I be stuck here for years and years? How long would they be looking for me before they gave up?

"Amber? Lunch is ready!"

Sighing, I set aside the towel I was using on my hair and tightened the robe I was wearing. I couldn't find anything pajama-like, so I was naked under my robe, but I'd fix that after I ate. I might even be able to convince Mort that I was too sick to be with him today! Gathering my courage, I headed downstairs and took a seat at the table.

Lunch was leftover pasta from the night before, but it still tasted good and was very filling. It was also a quiet meal, but then, they all were. I was just about finished when Mort spoke up.

"I hope I didn't hurt you last night, but I couldn't help myself," he said softly, setting aside his plate and glass.

My fork stopped its work on my food. Of course he hurt me! He'd taken me away from my family, my friends, and my home, all for what? Because he wanted a girlfriend?! What sort of monster was he to do such a thing?

"Amber?" Mort's voice brought me back. "Are you alright?"

I dropped my fork onto my plate and looked up at him, tears once again in my eyes.

"You dare to ask me that question, even after all you've done to me?" I asked glaring at him through my tears. "You kidnap me, drag me to the other side of the continent, and then chain me to your bed before forcing yourself on me?" I could feel tears dripping down my face as I spoke.

"And as if I wasn't suffering enough, you tell me I'm married to you even though I'd never agree to such a thing? Did you think you could justify my forcefully sleeping with you through false marriage certificates and documents?"

I saw him get up, but I too moved out of my seat. "Don't touch me!" I cried. He froze. "I don't know what sort of sick and twisted game you're playing, Mort Rainey, but I promise that someone will come for me, no matter what! You can't keep me locked in here forever, and sooner or later, someone will see something and start asking questions! You wait and see!"

I didn't wait for a reply. I just turned and ran upstairs, slamming the door behind me before collapsing on the bed in tears.

Mort's POV:

He sat back down in his chair, a sense of helplessness creeping over him. He wasn't a monster, he was just a man in love...a desperate man in love, but a man in love, nonetheless. The emptiness and betrayal that Amy and Ted had left behind was gone...it had been filled the moment he had set eyes on Amber in that bookstore all those weeks ago. All he had seen was the back of her head and body, but that had been all it took. When she had turned around, he knew his heart was hers forever.

'Does she think I'm a monster for what I've done?' Mort thought to himself.

God, what had he done? He should have tried winning her over before surprising her with the marriage documents! He should have tried to date her before taking her! He should have tried to get to know her, and her to know him, so she'd go to New York with him!

But would she have gone out with him in the first place? Ah, that was the question. She'd told him that he frightened her with his writings and wanted nothing to do with him, so Mort had done his research on her. He had looked her up in the phone book and had asked questions around her hometown, extremely thankful that it had been small and everyone knew everyone else. In no time, he'd discovered what college she'd gone to and had looked up her professors in an attempt to figure her out.

It'd worked. In no time, Mort had learned that Amber had majored in writing and literature, which in turn helped him figure out what sort of stories he could write that she might approve of. That was why he wanted her with him while he wrote; he wanted the inspiration she might spark in him. Heck, she might even help him write another bestseller! She was everything to him: she was his wife, his lover, his muse...she was his life! He needed her, and it was time to make her see that.

Sighing, Mort sat back in his chair and stared out the window. Perhaps she needed him, too.

Amber's POV:

It'd been an hour since I'd locked myself in the bedroom, and I'd long since run out of tears. Instead, I simply stared at the ceiling or the walls (depending on how I was laying down), thinking about how dumb it had been to yell at Mort. What if I'd made him angry? Would he try and kill me then? I certainly hoped not...

God, I've been thinking too much! After thinking about who I'd left behind and crying my eyes out, I tried to think about things from Mort's point of view. If the story he'd told me was true, he was a sad and lonely man who had suffered a lot in such a short timeframe. First he loses his baby, and then his wife starts cheating on him with some jackass named Ted. I mean, I didn't even know the guy and I hated him for doing that to another person! I'm the type of person who believes in being completely loyal to your spouse, and this Ted hadn't cared that he was splitting up Mort and his wife! I mean, if I were Mort, I'd have killed the guy, too!

'Okay, violent thoughts aren't going to get me anywhere,' I thought to myself.

I don't like violence. I may think about it, but I'm not that type of person. People have often told me I'm too nice, and I tend to agree with them. I can't even stay really mad at a person for very long, though I'll avoid them and hold a small grudge for a long time. Hell, I still hate people from high school!

Seriously, though, I couldn't blame Mort for what he'd done. That sort of betrayal is unforgivable in my book, and even though I would never have committed two murders, I'd have done some serious revenge stuff on the people who'd betrayed me. But the other two murders...those were totally wrong, no matter what, but that made me feel even sorrier for Mort. He'd killed a close friend and a kindly old man, as well as Ted and Amy, which made him the town outcast. If there was anyone who knew what it was to be an outcast, I was that person, which is why I felt sorry for what had happened to Mort as a result of what he'd done. Not only had he lost his mind and his wife, but now nobody wanted to come near him. He was lonely.

'But honestly, how could the man be in love with a person they'd met for only one minute?'

I frowned. That would be my rational side talking. I hated it when my rational and emotional side clashed. I'm a very empathic person, so I try to see and feel things from the other person's view and ignore my rational side. However, the reasonable side was right this time. How could Mort love me when he'd never met me before the book signing?

'Still, I've always been a believer in "love at first sight." Why shouldn't I believe in it now?'

Oh, yeah, now my romantic, emotional side kicks in! Still, it was also right. I loved romantic stories and thought that 'love at first sight' was possible. Heck, I knew some couples who'd experienced it, so why shouldn't it be true? But did it have to be with Mort Rainey, the man who had kidnapped me? The man had some serious problems if he thought that the only way to get a girl was to kidnap her to get a date!

'But isn't this what I've always wanted? ' I asked myself. 'Someone to love me forever and show me affection? Someone to want me enough to marry me and make love to me and have children with me?' I'd never had a boyfriend in my life, so having my prayers answered like this should be a blessing, right?

"Not if the guy's a psycho," I muttered aloud. No, a psycho boyfriend was out of the question, hence the emotional explosion downstairs. It was my right to blow up at him for doing this to me, but I still needed to apologize, in case Mort really did get pissed off and wanted to kill me.

Sighing, I got off the bed to go clean up and wash my face before going downstairs.

Twenty minutes later, still Amber's POV:

I found Mort at the kitchen table, staring out the window. How long he had been there, I don't know, but the sad look on his face made me feel terrible about my outburst, even though I had a right to be angry at him.

'Stupid sensitive side,' I thought to myself. Oh, well, might as well get this over with.

"Mort?" He jumped at the sound of my voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I said, taking a seat across from him. "Um..." I twisted the wedding ring on my left finger, not looking up at him. "I wanted to...apologize, for earlier. I didn't mean to explode like that...I've just been an emotional wreck lately. It's been a rough time for me, what with the move and marriage and everything. I hope you can forgive me for snapping your head off like that."

I looked up from my hands and saw him stare at me. Suddenly, a small, soft smile emerged. 'Whew, he's not angry at me!' I thought, thoroughly relieved. I'd barely relaxed before I was pulled to my feet, Mort's lips on mine, his arms around my waist.

Amazingly, the kiss was soft and sweet, unlike any kiss he'd given me before. This one was so...loving...so...romantic...

I stopped thinking and enjoyed the kiss. When Mort pulled back slightly, he was smiling.

"It's alright, Beautiful," his whispered. "I know I should have acted differently, but would you have gone out with me if I had?"

I thought about it. "No, probably not," I said truthfully. I seriously wouldn't have.

Mort nodded, his face going serious. "See?" he said, still holding me. "This was the only way I could be sure to get you here with me." His dark eyes locked with mine. "We belong together, Amber, we both know that." Mort's hands started caressing my back.

"But what do you expect to happen in this marriage, Mort?" I asked, ignoring his drifting hands. "I mean, what do you want from me, besides sex?" I looked away at that point. However, Mort's hands brought my gaze back to lock with his.

"I don't just want sex from you, Amber," Mort said solemnly, his thumbs stroking my cheeks. "I love you, and I will cherish and care for you until the day Death takes me. I swear it."

And I believed him. Despite all that he'd done to me, I believed every word he said.

"And what do you expect from me?" I whispered to him. "If not sex, then what? It's too soon for me to love or hold affection for you, Mort, you know that."

He nodded. "I know," he said softly. "All I want is for you to be by my side, to be my partner in everything. Whether it's to help me with my work or give me emotional support, I want you there with me." Mort's intense brown eyes bore into mine. "Can you give me that, Amber?"

I stared at him and answered him honestly.

"Yes."

AN: I know that this is shorter than my previous chapters, but the rest of what I wanted to put in didn't really fit in here, so you'll have to wait for chapter eight. I hope that you all like this one, though, and don't think that it takes away from the storyline, or is lacking in some way. Any feedback and suggestions on this particular chapter is welcome, and are also welcome on past or future chapters. Thanks for everything, and until next time!