When I awoke the next morning, I was alone in the hotel bed. Thank god for that. The memories of everything that had happened during the previous night came swirling back into my head and I sat straight up trying to regain my composure. Why the hell did I allow myself to kiss Tbag last night? I wasn't drunk or anything, but that didn't stop me from planting one on him. I shook my head trying to remove the memories, even though they would forever be there. I just had to be thankful that it didn't move much further than that kiss. I could tell Tbag eagerly wanted to further, but something held me back. I bit my lower lip and the sensation of Tbag still remained.

If I ever saw Tweener again, how can I stand to look him in the eye when I did something with Tbag. What would his reaction be? Why did it have to be Tbag of all people? How could I offer any sort of logical explanation for a kiss with Tbag? I doubted stating that I was a risk taker looking for excitement would get me off the hook. I was standing staring out of the window when I heard the hotel door click open. A thousand nerves were sent from the tips of my fingers, through my stomach, and down to my toes. My finger was in my mouth having the nail chewed off as I heard Tbag approach closer. He seemed a little agitated last night when I refused to go further than kiss, but he didn't try to force anything. Would today be a different story? I listened as he was moving stuff around in the room like he was packing things together.

"Good morning Laneykins." He said in a cheery mood making feel even more guilty. I didn't respond to him.

"It's a bright morning and we have a ways of travelling to do still. So let's pack it up." He called out.

That gained my attention and I quickly turned around to see Tbag gathering up everything to leave. I stared at him with a confused look.

"Travelling?" I asked.

He glanced up at me like I was insane. "We still have to get to Susan's by tonight."

He was still planning to go to Susan's? After everything that happened previously between the two of us, he still wanted to exact his revenge on the woman who turned him in to the police. I know it shouldn't have surprised me, but in a way it hurt. He forced me to admit my feelings for him, and I thought somewhere he would acknowledge that I didn't approve of his behavior. If he really did care about me in some way, wouldn't he try to change? He remained staring as the inner conflict occurred in my head. He knew something wasn't right and started to move towards me. I felt trapped next to the window with no immediate way to get away. Tbag extended out his arm in an attempt to caress my face, but I quickly jerked away from his touch. That indeed caught him off guard.

"I don't want to have to go through this with you again." He said in a warning tone. "you don't have to try to hide yourself from me."

He moved in closer trying to embrace me again, but I placed my hand in front of his chest halting him to a stop.

"You got me to admit my feelings." I said blankly while taking in a deep breath. "But it doesn't change anything." He tried to speak, but it was my turn to interrupt him. "You're right, there is this weird attraction to you that I can't explain, and I find that I like spending time with you. But even that can't stop me from feeling guilty."

"What would you have to feel guilty over? What we did was…" he started.

"A mistake!" I shouted. "it was a mistake due to a lapse in judgment. I shouldn't have kissed you and it won't happen again."

It looked as though Tbag's entire world came crashing to the ground. It was short lived, however, as the rage slowly started to set in. He began to clench his fist together and it started to shake.

"T, listen to me, you can be angry with me if you want, I deserve it, but abandon this long lost hope of finding Susan. She's moved on and you need to too." I said trying to do some damage control.

He closed the distance between us and gripped me by my upper arms. The strain was causing pain to my shoulders and I winced in front of Tbag. He didn't seem fazed. The look on his face was terrifying and I had recognized it before. He looked as though he could kill something. I didn't know whether I should say something or just remain silent. I really didn't want to fight with him, but I didn't want him to kiss me again either. For a while, we both remained where we were just staring at one another. Finally, he tossed me aside and started moving for the door.

"Go to the car." He ordered.

"Tbag I don't think…."

"NOW!" He threatened sending me sprinting out of the room. He must have suspected I would try to deviate from his instructions because he was right on my heels as we left the hotel.

After failing to convince Tbag to abandon this mission, we took off for the most silent car ride in history. There was not one word spoken between us. When we finally arrived, he turned off his car and pulled me out onto the sidewalk. It was eerie that Susan's new address looked like the exact same house as before. I looked over to Tbag and he had a different look on his face. There was definitely agitation there, but also happiness. And not like the evil happiness I was used to seeing, but truly joyful. We strolled up the sidewalk and I was a little apprehensive about approaching the door. I didn't want to see the look on poor Susan's face and her kids when they saw Tbag for the first time in years. And after they had escaped so he wouldn't find them. Tbag grabbed onto my elbow and pulled me up the stairs and right up to the door. He was standing off to the side and was attempting to use these hand signals to direct me on what to do. I raised my eyebrow at him and mouthed a dangerous word before lightly tapping on the door.

If I was lucky, maybe Susan and the kids wouldn't be home right now or they would be gone for the weekend. When was Lady Luck ever in my favor? It took about a minute before the door started to creak open. My eyes glanced in the direction towards Tbag and I could see his entire body tense up. The door fully opened and I turned to greet the person with a fake open mouth smile. I guessed that this was Susan. She was definitely older than me but looked a few years younger than Tbag. She had black hair like I did and at one point my hair used to be that short. She looked at me like she was confused to see me standing there, but she was wearing a smile nonetheless.

"Hi." I said a little too excited. Truth be told I almost too nervous to form words together coherently.

"Hello, can I help you?"

I hated lying, unless it involved some sort of job. The awkward silence took over as I was trying to think of something to say.

"I... uh... I'm new to the neighborhood and am just trying to meet some new people." I said thinking that was the worst lie in history.

"Oh well my name is Susan Hollander. It's nice to meet you.." Then she paused realizing she didn't know my name.

"Laney." I said with a smile not realizing the stupidity of what I just said.

She looked at me curiously before putting a smile on her face again. I didn't know if she was going to invite me into the house or not, but I had a feeling Tbag was going to make his move sooner rather than later. The dead silence was beginning to get awkward and there was no doubt in my mind that Susan was starting to get suspicious of something. I mistakenly flickered my eyes over to Tbag for just a second, but that was enough. Susan's eyes widened with fear as she started to back into the house. Tbag lunged forward shoving me inside along with her. The look on Susan's face when she realized she was standing in the presence of Tbag made everything feel colder. She looked as though she was staring at a ghost.

"Hello Susie." Tbag said with a smirk.

Just hearing his voice made her terrified, and I felt guilty. I was partly responsible for bringing this danger to her. Tbag moved further into the house trying to get closer to Susan, but she kept backing again. Soon that action would make him angry.

"Did you ever think you would be seeing me again?" he asked.

Susan's eyes were still wide when she realized she couldn't find her voice. She tried to hide them but I could see her hands starting to tremble. It made me wonder what Tbag must have done to make her so terrified.

"I...uh... I saw you on the news if that's what you mean?" she said softly.

Tbag smiled at her and reached out quickly to grab her wrists. She probably didn't noticed, but I saw how quickly his body had tensed up.

"Is that why you decided to leave your home? Too many fond memories of our life together."

She didn't have an answer for him, and I don't think he was expecting one.

"I have had a lot of time to think since you turned me in to the authorities, Susie. Ever since that day back in Fox River when you spat at me like some animal, I thought I would look at you with nothing but anger and hatred."

This is what I was afraid of. He was out for revenge and I was going to have to stand by and watch more people suffer.

"But, seeing you here today it makes me want to rethink things a little. This could be a new start for us as a family."

That was a little unexpected. He came here to settle down with Susan. He brought me across the country to watch him trying to go steady with his ex-girlfriend. I folded my arms across my chest and raised my eyebrow at him not wanting to believe that he brought me all this way so he could get with another woman. Susan glanced over at my little attitude problem and then quickly looked back to Tbag. She definitely seemed confused as to what was happening between the two of us. Her eyes said it all, how could anyone care for this monster? She did then something a little surprising by stepping forward and taking Tbag by the hands.

"Alright, Teddy maybe we do need a fresh start. Why don't we go away just the two of us and talk things through?"

I thought he hated being called Teddy, yet he grinned widely when she referred to him by that name. But something in his expression was a little more sinister. He gripped on Susan a little tighter as his smile started to fade.

"You forget that I know you Susan, and there is not a white man's chance in Harlem that you would go somewhere without your children." He said in almost a growl.

I watched as Susan's face fell a little in realizing that Tbag wanted to see her children. I could tell her breathing was starting to pick up as she was trying to figure out something to do. Tbag smiled at her telling her not to worry and then released her hands. He wanted to get a view of the new house and turned his back to her. That's when I noticed the wheels in her head starting to turn. She was slowly backing towards this dress sitting in the corner of her living room. I watched her cautiously not trying to alarm her or Tbag. Her hand slipped in the handle of the top drawer and she slowly pulled it open.

And that's when I noticed the gun.

My eyes widened. Was she crazy? If Tbag caught her trying to shoot him he would probably kill all of us. Her eyes met mine as she started to reach for the gun. I spastically shook my head at her trying to relay the message that now was not the right time to make a move. I proved to be right because Tbag was headed back in our direction and Susan had to quickly hide the gun and move away from the dresser. Tbag found us both standing in the exact same positions and his eyes flickered over to mine briefly. I smiled at him and his eyes glanced down to the dress I was still wearing.

"This will never do." He spoke addressing me. "You look far too out of the ordinary for this to work Laneykins. Susie Q do you have anything dear Laney can change into?" he asked in more of a demand than a question.

At first Susan was caught a little off guard by the question, but then slowly nodded her head. I was left to follow her up the stairs and thankfully Tbag decided to remain downstairs. I didn't really wanting him frightening Susan any more than he already had. Her bedroom was the last room on the right, next to the bathroom. The other two rooms with the door shut must have to belong to her children. We stepped into her bedroom and she quickly closed the door and let out a sigh of terror. I could see the tears starting to well up in her eyes and she was close to having a complete breakdown. I didn't know what else to do besides stepping closer to her trying to comfort her.

"I know this looks bad, but I don't think he is going to hurt you or your children. He actually doesn't stop talking about you." I said trying to find the right words.

She looked as though she could be sick, "I wanted him to just forget about us. You know what kind of monster he is. I thought moving away would help us, but" she said letting a few tears fall.

"He isn't a monster." I defended. "He may have done some pretty horrible things, but he isn't all bad."

She looked up at me then for a moment. Her eyes were narrowed at me as if she was trying to understand something. She moved away from me and started for her dresser. I wondered if I said something to offend her that she started to move away from me.

"I fell for the same thing too Laney, years ago." She said sharply.

Now it was my turn to be confused. What exactly did she fall for? Was she trying to tell me that she was once in love with Tbag? I opened my mouth to ask her what she was talking about, she continued on.

"His charm act. He can make you feel like the most special person in the world, and that he is actually capable of love. But all it is is an act. He a master at manipulating emotions and his hooks are in you deep."

I had to swallow a dry lump in my throat. She turned around to face me with a change of clothes in her hands and she was staring at me intently. I slowly started to move forward to take the change of clothes.

"Laney listen to me, it was the most difficult thing I ever had to do to turn Teddy over to the police, but if I hadn't my kids and I would all be dead. Don't let him have the control over you." She warned.

I didn't respond but took the clothes from her hands and started to move towards her closet so I could change. Susan was offering me a pair of jeans and a simple tank to change into so I could fit in a little better. I started stripping out of my dress and putting on the clothes she was offering me. I winced slightly as I moved my dress passed my shoulder and over my wound and lifting the shirt over my head. When I turned around to face her I noticed she was staring at me. Or rather, she was staring at my shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I was stabbed." I answered and then paused seeing the fear in her eyes. "Not by Tbag, I swear." She looked as though she didn't quite believe me, but she accepted my answer.

"I recognize you from the news and they are stating you are a hostage." She said like a question.

The whole world believed I was a hostage taken by the Fox River Eight. Poor Laney Collins was a helpless victim being trapped and having her life threatened by the monsters that escaped from prison. But I could tell something in the tone of Susan's voice that she didn't believe that I was a hostage.

"It's complicated." I offered as an answer.

"You were training with the FBI, right? Your dad has been on the news nearly every night. He seems worried about you." She said like she was plunging a dagger right through my stomach.

Did it seem obvious to people that I didn't miss my father? Of course, I was missing him and I could be using his guidance right about now. The only problem with his wisdom was that he could only tell the difference between what was right and what was wrong. There was no gray area for him and in his mind Michael, Lincoln, Sucre, and Tweener were just as evil as Tbag and Abruzzi could be. I couldn't even make a valid argument. I had my head hung in defeat as this woman scolded me like she was my mother.

"I don't know what I'm doing." I muttered pathetically.

I looked up at her unsure of how she was going to react. Surprisingly, she was smiling at me, despite her situation, and reached her hands out towards me. I stepped to her nervously.

"I want you to promise me something." She said resting her arms on my hands. "Promise me you want let him hurt my children."

I was stunned into silence. Did she think that I would just idly stand by if he tried to get violent? He could take his anger out on me all he liked, I could handle it, but a helplessness child was another thing. Surely he couldn't stoop that low as to harm children.

"I promise, but the way he talks about you I don't think he would hurt you." I tried to explain.

"Has he ever hurt you?" she asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, but most of the time I sort of deserved it." As soon as the words left my mouth I felt like an idiot for defending Tbag's actions. Susan could hardly believe it either.

"Please I have a daughter, and I know what he did." She trailed off.

"He doesn't want that for your daughter. He just wants to be a part of your family. Look, the longer you play along with his game the less likely he will become violent. You know this can't work forever, so for now just go with it."

I knew that look on her face. It was easier said than done, but if she couldn't do it for herself, than do it for her kids. She sucked in a large amount of air before continuing on to the door. I followed shortly behind her. We could hear ruffling coming from the top of the stairs. Both of us immediately tensed up at the thought of him finding the hidden gun. It could be useful for later. As we moved down the stairs we noticed that he was rummaging through old papers and books that Susan had kept. There was this smile on his face that almost looked like he was proud of something. It wasn't that rare of an emotion to see on the face of a criminal. They found pride in themselves easily. But this look was different somehow. It was as if he wasn't proud of himself for doing something, but rather proud to be witnessing something happening. It was peculiar. He looked up and spotted us standing in the doorway.

"Laney come over here and take a look at this." He said surprising me that he didn't beckon for Susan.

I looked over to her briefly before starting to move over to Tbag. She followed in close. I went to sit in next to him, but his arm extended out quickly to shove me out of the way. Then he grabbed a hold of Susan to place her next to him. I clenched my fists together and thought about calling him out, but I knew it would do no good. He was lost in his world of memories. Silently, I moved to behind the couch so I could see what he asked me to in the first place. It was a photo album I recognized instantly of Susan and her children. They were young, but they had the facial features of their mother. They had been on some sort of trip. The pictures were old due to the youth of Susan's face. It was a time before anxiety and fear aged her.

There were dozens of pictures and Tbag flipped through them quickly. Susan didn't need to look at them, but kept her eyes fixed on the door. They had been to some sort of an amusement park. There were pictures of rides and animals and poses next to statues. The memories made me jealous of the all the moments I would have liked to have in my own childhood. We never went to parks, or movies, or on vacations because my dad was always working. I had to make up my own adventures and memories. I always vowed to myself that when I had children I would make sure they would have these real memories to treasure, but lately I had no idea if I would survive long enough to have children. It was scary how much her daughter looked like Susan. She looked so sweet and innocent and now I understood why Susan might be a little apprehensive around Tbag. I did notice however that there were spots missing in between the pictures. Either she didn't have enough pictures to fill the album, or she removed them. I looked over at Susan trying to make sense of it, but she was trying to ignore it. Tbag, on the other hand, noticed right away. He started flipping the pages quicker noticing blank space after blank space. He finally slammed the book closed and looked to Susan.

"If memory serves I was at Story Time Village that day too?" he said.

What I wouldn't give to see a picture of Tbag at an amusement park. It would make him almost seem normal. Susan was staring at him with wide eyes afraid to say the wrong thing. How was she going to explain that she ripped up and probably destroyed every piece of evidence that Theodore Bagwell was ever a part of their lives? She opened her mouth to speak, but Tbag cut her off with his wicked grin.

"Just kidding baby. I believe that only a love that burned as bright as ours could match the angry flames of a woman scorned." He said poetically and corny all at the same time. He even earned an eye roll from me.

I was going to say something smart to him, but we all paused when the lock to the front door started to move. Susan stood up quicker than a flash and Tbag grinned in anticipation. I could read Susan's face like a book, and it was her worst nightmare come true. She tried to gain new identities to keep her children safe from Tbag, and in a matter of seconds they would be reunited with him once again. I couldn't help but wonder what their reactions would be. The door knob started to turn, and Susan was starting to panic.

"Please!" she cried out both referring to Tbag and myself. She was reminding me of my promise.

The door slowly pushed open.