Hmm, why is it that everyone always thinks that Jen and Pacey are even a remote possibility? They're friends... that's all they'll ever be. I assure you that all she's doing it trying to help him, be his friend and look out for him... Like she knows Joey would want her to. Neither of them wants to go there, even slightly... so don't worry! ;) As far as the action goes... well, it kicks up a notch from here... but this story, as Bent, isn't about action so much as emotions...

Thanks for the replies everyone! I appreciate them! Thanks for reading!

Let the game begin...

Snowie:)

Chapter Five:

Beyond Rage

"Hello there Sonny Boy."

Hearing her voice was a shock.

Shock.

Such a mild word for such an overwhelming emotion.

It was horrifying.

The fear that her voice could still instill in him was multiplied by the fact that the call was coming from beyond the grave.

But with the horror came an emotion just as strong, but oddly, all the more terrifying.

Hope.

An emotion that he had come to hate more than any other.

The one emotion that he had sworn to himself that he would never feel again.

The only emotion that was truly useless and foolhardy.

And one thing that he refused to be was a fool.

But if Mama was alive…

Pacey shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate. To listen to the words, not just the voice.

He clenched his fists as his fear was replaced with another strong emotion.

Hatred.

And rage.

For a moment he wasn't able to speak. His voice was gone. The words just wouldn't come.

Finally he forced air into frozen lungs and then back out again in order to speak.

"You're dead!"

The words were venomous, stilted and came through gritted teeth.

It couldn't be her. It wasn't possible.

"Why, yes I am Sonny. At least that's the opinion of our fine men in uniform. It's no wonder they never found you Boy. Can't even identify a dead body correctly." She clucked her tongue. "They never will learn."

"But I should have known," Pacey said, guilt and hatred coloring his voice. "I should have… Like a virus, or a cockroach… you're not human enough to die."

"Why Sonny, that's so sweet…"

"What do you want Mama?" Pacey said, interrupting her. It was bad enough to find out that she was alive. The last thing he wanted was to talk to her longer than he had to. Especially if… if she was calling to gloat. Calling because the hope that he was feeling was groundless… and Joey was really and truly gone.

"Why, I would have thought that you would have figured that out by now, my boy."

"Joey," Pacey said softly, forcing his voice not to break.

"Of course," Mama said. "The girl."

"What did you do to her? Mama? What did you…"

Her laugh had always had the power to scare him. And enrage him.

Now was no different.

"What do you think that I did, boy? Every thing that you knew, everything that you felt, she has now felt as well. I made her into your ideal mate. Same hopes, same fears. Same scars. She's done now… Unfortunately for both of you, she was a bit of a disappointment."

And in an instant, the hope he'd refused to acknowledge was gone.

"No," he whispered.

"She wasn't so strong as you were… Not nearly so strong as I imagine you thought her to be. She was weak, Sonny boy… Weak as all hell. You never would break, would you? I couldn't break you, couldn't do that. Not no matter how hard I tried. You just kept on going. Kept on being the same stubborn, annoying little prick you'd always been. But her…" He could almost see the grotesque smile on her face. A smile that he had seen far too many times… "So easy Sonny boy. So easy."

"What did you do to her, Mama? What…" His voice broke and he hated himself for it. For giving her the satisfaction of his pain. But he had to know.

He had to know.

"I did you a favor. I did you a favor Sonny Boy. Ain't no one in this world that can truly love another person without having experienced the same things. She felt your pain boy. Everything designed for and perfected on you. She felt it all. And it broke her. She ain't good enough for you boy. Better you know that now, isn't it?"

"Is she… Did you kill her!?"

"She ain't dead," Mama said, an almost scolding note in her voice. "What would be the fun in that? I said she was broke, not dead."

Pacey had never heard anything so wonderful in his life… Or anything so horrible.

She was alive.

He hadn't allowed himself to hope.

Couldn't let himself do that.

Because he'd known.

He'd known that if she'd survived… If she'd survived the car and the water…

Then she would end up wishing that she hadn't.

And he couldn't stand the thought of her going through that kind of pain. Hadn't allowed himself to go anywhere near that thought.

He could see that now.

He had failed her.

He should never have trusted the police.

They didn't know Mama Sal. Not like he did. He should have seen it for the set up that it was.

He should have known that she was alive. He should have felt it.

He should have been able to save her.

Instead he had believed them.

Believed heart and soul that she was gone forever.

And now, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that at least part of the Joey he had loved with everything in him was gone.

And the girl he was going to rip the earth apart looking for was going to end up being someone very different from the girl he'd known.

And if anything, he'd love her even more.

But Joey…

Joey would most likely hate him.

Hate him because he deserved to be hated.

He had made her a target. He had allowed her to be taken.

He had betrayed her, abandoned her.

And most of all, she would hate him for his greatest mistake.

She would hate him for the same reason he hated himself.

She would hate him for not having killed Larry and Mama Sal when he'd had the chance.

But that wasn't something that he could think about now.

He had to concentrate on getting her back.

Besides, for all his faults… well, he never did make the same mistake twice.

All of the control he had been fighting for so hard throughout the conversation was gone now. "Where is she, Mama! WHERE THE HELL IS SHE!"

"Now you didn't honestly think that I was just gonna to tell ya? You used to be a lot better at this Sonny Boy. What happened? Got all refined since you left us? Forgotten all those wonderful little games that we used to play?"

"A game? This is a fucking game to you? You goddamned bitch! TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!"

"Yes, a game Sonny. Gotta do something to pass the time, don't I? The rules are simple. You have two weeks to find her. You, alone. One minute late and she dies a death you wouldn't wish on… well, me.

"You're sadistic… But then, I always knew that."

"Two weeks, Sonny Boy. Two weeks and she's dead. Either way, I get you."

Pacey took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. When he spoke his tone was cold and matter of fact.

"I'm going to kill you. You understand that, don't you? When I find you, I am going to kill you. There isn't anything or anyone that can save you from me. NOT FROM ME!"

"Check your mail boyo," Mama said, ignoring his threat as if he'd never spoken. "I thought that I'd give you a little help. Get you started on your way. I'll be seeing you real soon, boy. Real soon. And don't go telling that Daddy of yours. I see anything round that town that gives the barest hint that the police know what's going on and all bet's are off. She dies now. You understand?"

There was silence on the line as Pacey fought to speak. He could hear her breathing and had never heard a more sickening sound.

He would choke the life out of her.

Stop her hated breath forever.

On his own grave and on Joey's, she would die for this.

"I understand," he said, each syllable enunciated with hatred.

"Good," Mama said. "I'll be seeing you."

Pacey hung up the phone, staring wordlessly at the wall, his entire body shaking with rage. In the end he just couldn't hold it in any longer.

The sound started somewhere deep inside him, a primitive animal scream of pain and rage. It tore through the house, echoing off the walls until it filled every corner.

Doug found him seconds later, kneeling close to the floor, his fists clenched, his entire body shaking.

Pacey was concentrating all of his energy on not tearing the house apart. He couldn't afford to give in to that impulse. Couldn't afford to have to explain such an action to his parents.

He looked up and saw his brother staring at him in dread.

It was bad enough that he was going to have to explain it to Doug.

"Dougie." His voice broke, spilling out pain and anger.

Doug crouched next to his brother and reached out his hand, laying his hand on Pacey's shoulder. "Pace…"

"Doug…"

"What is it? What happened?"

"She's alive."

Disbelief, anger, pain, hatred… hope.

One sentence, relating to two women at the same time. The woman he loved most in the world… and the woman he hated most in the world.

"Who was that? Who was on the phone?"

"The devil herself," Pacey said. "Alive and kicking."

It didn't take more than a second for Doug to make the connection, as impossible as it seemed to him. "Sally Anderson," he said simply, his voice cold.

"None other," Pacey said.

Doug could physically see Pacey hardening himself, taking himself from unhinged to tight control. The animal rage of moments ago was soon hidden by cool anger and absolute resolve.

It was one of the most terrifying things that Doug had ever seen.

What had she said?

More importantly, what had her words done to his little brother?

"What did she tell you?" Doug asked. "What did she want?"

Pacey studied Doug for a minute. In the end he let out a resolved sigh, knowing that nothing short of the truth would do. Anything else would waste precious moments.

Moments that Joey didn't have to spare.

"Joey's alive," he said simply, his voice betraying none of the varied and overwhelming emotions that fact caused in him.

"Joey…?" Doug said softly. He shook his head in disbelief. "Wait, what?"

"She's alive. Mama called because the time is right for one of her sadistic little games. I have two weeks to find Joey." Pacey's iron resolve cracked for a moment. "Two weeks. Now Mama, she may be insane and mean as hell, but she has a strange code all her own. She said two weeks, so Joey will be alive for two more weeks, not a day more, not a day less." Pacey looked at Doug, tears of pain and rage sparkling in his eyes. "Two weeks Dougie. Half this goddamned state looked for me for a year, and you, Dad and the rest of the family for the better part of six… So how in the hell am I supposed to find them in two fucking weeks?"

Pacey shook his head slightly and the wall was back.

"We'll help you," Doug said. "We'll find her…" He reached for the phone. "Just let me call Dad."

And found his arm caught firmly in Pacey's tight grip before he was halfway there.

The pain was a surprise.

So was the look in Pacey's eyes.

"Not in Mama's game, Dougie," Pacey said coldly, his tone almost derisive, scolding.

You should know better…

Words unspoken between them.

"You're going to keep this a secret Doug. If you don't, then Joey dies."

"Pacey…" Doug started.

"If you tell Dad and she dies… Then I will kill you."

Doug started in shock, staring at his brother in disbelief. Pacey had just threatened to kill him… and he wasn't joking, wasn't using the word as a euphemism. If Doug said anything to anyone about this and Joey died as a result…

Doug shuddered, the coldness in Pacey's eyes sending a chill down his spine.

He hated to even think about it… Hated to think that after everything his family had been through, everything Pacey had been through… Mama Sal might still win.

Because if Joey died before Pacey found her, everything good and human left in his brother would die with her.

He would move heaven and earth to find her…

And kill anything, or anyone that got in his way.

"Okay," Doug said, knowing that there was no other word that would release him from Pacey's grip…

No other word would allow him to walk out of this room of his own volition.

"Swear it," Pacey said. "Swear it on your life. On my life… On Joey's."

"I swear, Pacey," Doug said. "I won't tell anyone anything you don't want them to know." He allowed himself a small breath of relief as Pacey's grip on his arm lessened. "What do you need me to do?"

"I have to leave," Pacey said. "And you need to let me go."

Doug nodded. "What else?"

"Make something up for Mom and Dad. They can't know where I'm going or why. And they can't look for me."

"I can do that." He studied his brother, knowing that there was something that Pacey wasn't saying. "What else, Pacey?"

"You know my little project?"

Doug closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and holding it. He nodded ever so slightly.

Pacey's 'little project' as he called it, was a pretty significant arsenal. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, explosives, money, fake ID's. All acquired over the previous year and a half, through less than legal channels. Doug still had no idea where half of it had come from.

Especially the money.

It was something that Doug had ignored, knowing why Pacey had felt the need to collect such things.

It was also something that their parents had no knowledge of.

And Doug planned to keep it that way.

"I won't tell them," he said. Not just for Pacey. He couldn't be the one to tell his mother. He couldn't say those words and look her in the face.

Tell her that her baby had never felt safe, not in this town, not in his house.

Couldn't tell her that she had spent the last year within walking distance of more hardware than she had seen in her life.

That her youngest child slept with a 9mm under his pillow.

And that it was the only thing that allowed Pacey to feel secure.

"Thank you Doug," Pacey said.

Doug nodded. "Anything else?"

Pacey sighed, feeling like he was already asking too much of his brother, but there was one more thing. "I need your jeep. I can't risk the deathtrap breaking down. Plus I might be going through some tough terrain."

"Done," Doug said. "Now I have some questions for you." Pacey nodded in acceptance. "Where are you going?"

"Don't know yet," Pacey said. "Mail won't be here for another half hour. I have a lot to do between now and then anyway."

"Can I keep in touch with you?"

"I'll have my cell, so you can try."

"Pacey…"

"I need to get moving Doug. I can't explain everything to you. I can't even begin to tell you the story behind Mama Sal and her damn fucking games! I just need to go and you have to do everything that I asked you to do, exactly how I asked you to do it. If you don't Joey will die."

"Don't you think…?" Doug couldn't say it. Not to this cold man with his brother's face. Don't you think that she's going to die anyway? That this entire search will be painful and useless?

But, of course, Pacey was thinking those same thoughts. More than that, he knew that was the entire idea behind this game.

His eyes took on a look of death as he spoke. "Of course, Doug. Most likely she's going to die no matter what I do. Mama designed this game methodically. The plan is for me to find Joey, hours, minutes, maybe only seconds too late. Maybe I can get there in time. Most likely I won't."

"So why…?"

"Why play by her rules? What choice do I have?" Pacey shook his head, as if surprised by his brother's naiveté. "I will find her, Doug, whether she'll be alive or not," Pacey shrugged helplessly. "I really have no control over that. We may come back from this, we may not. The only thing that I can tell you for sure is that Mama Sal and her demon offspring will die."

"I have to get ready now, Doug. And don't forget, you swore on your life… And I will hold you to that."

Doug watched as his brother left the room, off to gather all that he would need for his journey.

And knew that he had never been more helpless.

Pacey was going into this believing that both he and Joey would die. But even with that being the likely outcome, he was throwing himself into this, because there was a chance…

A chance that if nothing else, he'd at least be able to kill Sally Anderson.

And the thing that scared Doug the most was…

Pacey was already gone.

And he was pretty sure that they wouldn't get him back this time.