A/N: I don't normally do an author's notes b/c I haven't been getting a lot of replies but I just want to thank Dawnie and A Monty for replying;-) Glad you two are liking it. And Dawnie you've been very faithful and I normally don't update on weekends, but b/c you've been a great reviewer I'll throw up an extra chapter just for you.
Chapter 24
Deja's mind was completely out of it at work that night. She did her job, but it was apparent that her mind was elsewhere. She ran every scenario through her head at least five times. She knew this was something she'd have to think long and hard about before even mentioning it to Mort.
Todd could tell Deja's mind wasn't on her work, so he wasn't going to make her stick around to clean up. He figured she needed to deal with whatever was going on inside her. He was really growing to like her. She seemed like such a genuine person and he loved being around someone with a beautiful spirit like hers.
He hadn't known her long, but he knew she wasn't like most of the women in Tashmore Lake. The only thing he didn't understand was why she was with someone like Mort Rainey. The run in he'd had with Mort wasn't too bad, but Amy had told him so many negative things about Mort that he couldn't understand why any woman would be with him.
"You can take off now," he said, approaching Deja.
"Huh?" she said, caught by surprise.
"You seem like you've got a lot on your mind, so I'll let you leave early tonight. We can manage."
"Jeez, is it that obvious?" she smiled.
"Yeah," Todd said, laughing.
"I'm sorry. But I'll definitely stick around and clean up. I don't mind, plus it's only my second night. I can't give you a reason to fire me quite yet."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah."
Thirty minutes later the bar was completely cleaned and everyone was headed out the door. Saying their goodnights, Todd walked Deja to her car.
She turned to him saying, "Sorry I was in my zone tonight. It won't happen again."
"No problem. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she said, curious as to what Todd had to say.
"Is Mort your only friend here?"
Deja found that quite funny. She figured he knew about the 'stories' going around about Mort and he was probably going to warn her about him.
"Yeah, so far he's my only friend," she answered. "And if you're going to tell me the whole deal about his ex-wife disappearing, I already know about that...and I'm pretty tired of hearing about it."
"Actually, I wasn't going to bring that up. I figured you knew about that already anyway," he paused, "what I was going to say was that if you ever need someone to talk to, about anything, and you can't go to him, just know that I'm here for you. I'm a good listener." He winked at her.
Maybe Todd was different, Deja thought. Maybe he really was one of the good guys. His words brought a smile to her face. "Well, I'll definitely keep that in mind. Goodnight." She got into her car and drove off. The whole way home she thought about what Todd had said. She never thought about making friends in Tashmore Lake. She and Mort were so wrapped up in their own little world that other people never really came into play. It would be nice to have outside friends, she thought. Maybe Todd could be that person.
Two weeks had passed and life was going as normal. Deja had decided to keep the baby and wanted to surprise Mort with the news that night after work. She weighed all of her options and came to the conclusion that a child could only enhance her relationship with Mort. She began to get excited with the thought of a little one running around the house. This wasn't the way she planned to have children, out of wedlock, but she knew that she and Mort would be married someday.
Deja was also loving 'The Lounge.' The regular customers were a riot and her coworkers were great. Especially Todd. She was sad that she'd have to quit the job in the coming months due to the pregnancy. She figured she'd tell him in the coming weeks, after she'd told Mort.
It was a slow Tuesday night and only Todd, Deja and Lilly were working. Todd decided to close up 30 minutes early because there hadn't been a customer for about 40 minutes now. He let Lilly leave first because she had three kids at home that she had to tend to. He figured he and Deja could handle closing up alone.
It only took them about 15 minutes and he was walking Deja to her car.
"See you tomorrow?" he asked as she slid into the driver's side.
"Nope, I'm not scheduled to come back in until Thursday," she said, smiling.
"The boss gave you the day off!" he said, shocked and smiling.
"I know, can you believe it?" They both broke out into laughter.
"See you Thursday," he winked as he walked to his car.
"Goodnight." Deja tried to crank up her car, but it just sputtered. She tried again, nothing. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was so excited to get home and tell Mort the great news and now this was happening.
Hearing her car troubles Todd made his way back to her car. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't know," she said, letting her forehead fall to the steering wheel. "It won't crank up."
"Hmmm, well I'm not even gonna pretend to be a mechanic, but pop your hood and let me have a look," he offered.
She did as she was told. For the next 15 minutes or so, Todd played around under the hood while instructing Deja on what to do. The conclusion was that Todd was no mechanic. He didn't have the slightest clue as to what was wrong.
"Well...I guess I'll give you a lift home," he said, closing the hood of the car and wiping his greasy hands on his jeans.
"Oh, you don't have to do that. I'll just call Mort to pick me up."
"Nonsense. By the time he gets here you could've already been home and in the bed. Come on," he said, waving her over to his car.
She grabbed her belongings and made her way into Todd's car. She was glad she didn't have to call Mort. The sooner she got home, the better. Her good news was almost bursting out of her.
The conversation between her and Todd was pleasant enough, but she was distracted by what the night had in store for her.
Finally, he pulled in front of the cabin. It looked completely dark inside, but Deja knew better. Since she'd started this job, not one night had gone by that Mort didn't wait up for her. He was so protective of her. Deja thought it was such an endearing quality.
Todd put the car into park and undid his seat belt. "Going somewhere?" Deja asked.
He let out a nervous laugh. "Did you want me to walk you in?"
"Oh, you don't have to do that."
"No, I don't mind. The house looks pretty dark. Any psycho could grab you from the woods before you make it inside."
Deja found it sweet of Todd to walk her to the door. She didn't find the harm in it, so she figured why not? They both got out and walked onto the porch.
Turning to Todd, she said, "Thanks again for the ride. I'll get the car towed sometime tomorrow."
"No problem. It was my pleasure." He stared at her intensely with his piercing blue eyes. "Deja?"
"Yes," she answered innocently.
With no warning, Todd leaned in for the kiss. Deja was stunned. She was not expecting this. Even though she didn't feel this way about Todd, she didn't try to break the kiss. It was almost as if she was under his spell. He ran his hand through her hair and his tongue found it's way inside her mouth. Every fiber in her being was enjoying what he was doing to her, but her mind was telling her to stop. Just as she was about to break the kiss and tell Todd she didn't feel the same way about him, the door opened.
There, staring at both of them with those dark, brown eyes was Mort. Their kiss had come to a sudden halt and Deja turned her head, embarrassed by what she'd just given herself into.
Before she could even begin to apologize and explain to Mort what happened she felt a blow to her face. The force was so hard it knocked her to the ground. Her immediate instinct was to grab her face and make the pain subside. She tried to block out her surroundings, but she could here the scuffle ensuing. Then she heard a horrific scream from inside the house. She stumbled onto her feet and made her way in, still holding her face from the hurt.
Her vision was a bit blurred because of the tears that had welled up in her eyes, but she could make out Mort standing over Todd, who was lying on the floor near the sofa. Mort had something in his hands, but she couldn't make out what it was. Just then he made his way towards her. She stumbled backwards and could feel her balance going.
She tried to steady herself on something, but there was nothing around. Mort was advancing and Deja was scared of what he might do to her. Before she even knew it, he was standing in front of her. His hands found their way to her shoulders and he pushed her backwards. The fall seemed to happen in slow motion and the impact of her upper body hitting the coffee table echoed throughout the entire house.
Deja could barely bring herself to open her eyes. Her head hung down and she could feel restraints on her wrists. Her hands were tied behind her and she was seated in a chair. She felt groggy and pain shot through her entire body.
She forced herself to lift her head and look at her surroundings. Her eyes were heavy, but she managed to fully open them. She saw no sign of Mort. Todd, however was seated about ten feet away from her in the same position. He seemed more out of it than she did.
Deja surveyed the room and tried to make out what happened. The room was in disarray. Pillows were everywhere and she could make out a trail of blood on the floor. She looked over her body to make sure the blood wasn't coming from her.
Just then, she felt a tug on her hair, bending her head backwards. Mort had a firm grip on her ponytail and she was looking up directly at him.
"Mort," she cried, weakly. He didn't answer. "Mort, please." Her voice was hoarse and it hurt to speak. He let go of hair and she began to cough.
He sat down on the couch and faced her. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to flow down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to explain to him what happened. But she had to word things just right. She didn't want to blame this all on Todd or she was sure Mort would do something to him.
"Mort, please listen to me," she begged. "It was just a misunderstanding. Todd just got the wrong impression. That's all. Please believe me when I say that it was harmless."
"Both you and your lil' friend are gonna pay for this," Mort said in his Shooter voice.
Deja recognized the voice. Mort had made her believe it was all in her head the last time they had an 'altercation' but Deja now realized that it wasn't her, it was him. This Shooter person was someone living inside of Mort. It was another personality inside of him. Deja didn't know how she would coax Mort out, but she had to get rid of Shooter. There was no telling what he would do.
Mort inched his way over to Deja and crouched down beside her. He pulled a knife out of his back pocket and slid the dull side down her body, starting at her neck and working his way down.
"And to think, Mort really loved you," he told her. "I believe he would've even married you."
The knife had made it's way to the side of her stomach, when it stopped. She could feel it pinching her. Worry took over her mind and she blurted out, "Mort, please don't...I'm pregnant!"
