Confounding Feelings, Part 4.

Dr. Thredson found himself going through his work day not even paying attention to his patients. All his mind could think about was whether or not Lana was still at home now that he had granted her some freedom. Would she be waiting in the doorway with a knife? Had she escaped? Would he ever see her again? He truly couldn't picture his life without her in it. Perhaps it had been a huge oversight on his part to release her.

The doctor was now seated before one of his nameless patients, he couldn't remember her name for the life of him. As she spoke incoherently, he found himself tapping his pencil furiously against his notebook. "Doctor?" The girl must have been able to tell that he wasn't even paying attention to her ramblings. Oliver looked up at the young woman, rubbing at his temple as he sighed.

"We're done for today. Thank you." The girl looked at him sideways as she ducked out of the psychiatrist's office. Standing up from his desk, Oliver marched out of his office, locking the door as he went. He knew his shift wasn't over, but he knew nobody would stop him. Not even Sister Jude could stop him.

Speak of the devil, the nun rounded the corner before he could slip out undetected. "Dr. Thredson!" Oliver grit his teeth, cursing his employer. He had no choice but to stop and face her, otherwise he could lose his job. Thredson turned on his professional doctor persona as he turned and smiled at Sister Jude.

"You'll have to forgive me, Sister Jude, but there is a pressing matter that requires my attention." Automatically, the nun let out a sharp, mocking laugh. A cruel smirk graced her thin lips as she shook her head. "The doctor with no family to speak of has a pressing matter to attend to? What, do you have a sick cat or something?"

The psychiatrist found himself clenching his fists at her mocking words. He frowned slightly, unable to help it. "Actually, I have a girlfriend. She was hit by a car, and I have to go attend to her." Oliver figured his response was believable, but he should have known better than to have tried to fool Sister Jude. Her evil smirk only grew in length as she spoke. "Really? I thought you were gay."

His patience was truly being tested. Thredson released a tense hiss. "No, Sister Jude, I am not. Will you excuse me, or not?" His arms folded across his chest, wishing he could strangle the skinny religious figure.

Jude rolled her eyes, unfolding her arms. "Fine." Oliver sighed and moved to press on past her and out the door. "Just remember, I never forget anything, Thredson." The doctor paused at the doors at the sister's voice. He forced a smile and turned to look at her, mumbling a humble thank you. Oliver pressed on and made his way quickly to his car, speeding off to his house. His fingers were twitching anxiously against the steering wheel as he drove.

In a matter of a few minutes, he was home. Reaching for his keys, he took a deep breath before turning the key and stepping into his loft. "Lana?" The psychiatrist's voice was shaky as he called out. He stepped into his kitchen, automatically checking his knife block to see if any knives were missing. Not a thing was out of place, but the room was silent. He perused the other rooms.

Living room? Empty. Bathroom? Also empty. His bedroom? Oliver twisted the door knob, entering the master bedroom. The clothes he had laid out for Lana were missing. But she was no where to be found. His heart started hammering in his chest, worried that she had taken off. However, there was one last place to check: the basement.

He moved swiftly to the basement. The door was unlocked. The doctor had left it that way, hoping Lana would at least stretch her legs. He rounded the corner and his breath caught at the sight of Lana Winters, sitting on the bed she was previously chained to. There was no weapon on her person as far as he could tell. The journalist was wearing the red floral print dress he had bought for her, her face clean, her hair curled slightly.

"Hello, Oliver." Her sweet voice chimed as she smiled at him. Oliver released the breath hed was holding, his body relaxing as he smiled back. He moved closer to her, but didn't move to embrace her right away.

"Lana. You're still here?" The bespectacled man breathed, his dark eyes wide with disbelief. The brunette smiled up at him, nodding her head. The man briefly wondered if she had ulterior motives for staying. But her eyes showed nothing but adoration. He glanced at his watch, it was only 2 in the afternoon. If he hadn't come home early, would there have been a different outcome?

"Yes, I'm still here. You told me you had plans for us." Ms. Winters nervously straightened out her dress, uncertainty flickering across her features. The dress clung nicely to her curves, he noticed. "Has that changed?" She bit her full lips as she said this, looking up at Dr. Thredson.

"No. I just... I was nervous all day. I couldn't even focus." Oliver confessed, visibly deflating as he sat down next to her. Her small hand reached out to stroke his back as he continued speaking. "I was so scared that you wouldn't be here." The relief coursing through his body made him weak, he leaned his head on Lana's shoulder. She smelled of lilacs and roses, a welcome change to her usual stench. The doctor looked over to her, smiling half heartedly. "You look beautiful..." He reached a hand out to play with her curly locks.

The writer smiled brightly at him, a small thank you leaving her lips. Then she turned fully to embrace him, running her hand through his coifed black hair. "You look handsome as well." Lana complimented him, sighing as he returned her embrace, burying his face in her neck. After he had calmed down, Lana spoke again. "So what's this plan of your's?"

Oliver pulled away, smiling at her as he took her tiny hands into his own. "We're going to have dinner. What would you like?" Ms. Winters looked thoughtful for a second. When was the last time she had been offered a decent home cooked meal? She'd been stuck in Briarcliff for so long, the last time she had been cooked for was by Wendy. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest at the thought.

The doctor could see the different emotions flying across her face as he awaited her answer. "What are you thinking about?" He asked gently, feeling a stab of guilt as she responded.

"I just... I haven't had a home cooked meal in so long. I'm just so used to eating slop..." Lana didn't dare mention Wendy, too scared of how the doctor would react to such honesty. The writer gathered herself, thinking of what she would like to eat in order to quickly change the subject. "I would love some spaghetti."

Dr. Thredson smiled, shaking his head slightly. "Spaghetti? That's it?" It was such a simple dish, he expected her to want something a little fancier. He couldn't deny her what she wanted when she smiled that bright, toothy smile in his direction. She nodded emphatically. "Spaghetti it is. Would you like to assist me?" Lana nodded once more. Oliver smiled and took her hand into his. "Let's get to it, then." He pulled her up the stairs with him and into the kitchen.

Things went amazingly well at dinner. The two laughed and spoke like old friends as they made their food. Lana couldn't help but feel out of place. She shouldn't be getting along with Thredson. This is the same man who kidnapped her and killed her girlfriend. Yet here she was, having dinner with him as though he was a regular guy. However, his change of behavior was refreshing. The handsome man hadn't harmed her in a while, and as far as she knew, he hadn't killed anybody since she was captured. She often told herself she was only doing this so she could turn him in to the cops, but at this point, she wasn't sure she wanted to do so.

Maybe all Oliver needed was a little love? She certainly didn't love him, but she felt something for him now other than hatred. The doctor seemed to notice her sudden silence and raised a brow. "What's wrong, Lana?" Oliver's voice was thick with concern, his fingers laced on the table in front on him.

"I'm confused." Lana breathed before she could stop herself. Dr. Thredson said nothing, waiting for her to continue. "I just..." The writer's words were catching in her throat. She was terrified to speak her mind. Oliver was so quick to turn on a dime. So instead of going into detail, she summed up how she felt. "I'm scared. I never used to be so scared all the time. I have always been a strong person, but being with you..." Ms. Winters trailed off, meeting his dark brown eyes. She saw a flicker of hurt. At least it wasn't rage. "I'm scared." She summed up weakly.

Oliver sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "I know. I know that you're scared. But I swear that I'm not going to hurt you anymore." His eyes were downcast towards the table as he spoke, his mind replaying his nightmare from the previous night. "I've changed, Lana."

The journalist could have laughed. That much was obvious. He hadn't forced himself on her in over a week and he hadn't moved to hit her, or kill her. "I can't change the past." Oliver continued. "But I can change the future. You have shown me the way, Lana." He reached across the table to hold her hands, their eyes meeting once again. Lana smiled nervously, her heart still hammering in her chest.

Perhaps part of her attraction to Oliver Thredson involved the sense of danger. She had always wanted to get inside the mind of a serial killer. And now she had. The rest of their meal was finished in silence after that. It was a comfortable silence. Once they were finished, Lana moved to clean their dishes and put away the leftovers. She couldn't shake the feeling of Oliver watching her as she did so. "This was nice." He said, his dark eyes following her every move. Lana turned to smile over her shoulder at him, scrubbing a plate as she responded.

"Yes, it was. Thank you." The psychiatrist stood and moved to embrace Lana from behind, catching her off guard. She dropped the dish she was washing as she held her breath. Oliver didn't move to kiss her or grind against her as he usually did. He simply held her, restinrg his chin on her shoulder. Deep down inside, the journalist wished he would make a move. Instead he whispered a soft "You're welcome" into her ear.

Thredson checked his watch, it was only seven. He had a couple of hours before he had to go to bed. "Do you want to watch a movie with me?" He asked, still embracing his Lana.

"But what about the dishes?" Her voice was worried as she turned to look over her shoulder at him.

The doctor simply smiled and grabbed her wrists. "Leave them."

So she did. The two moved into the living room. Oliver turned on the TV and popped a tape into the VCR. He didn't mention what they were about to watch. The tall man stretched out on the couch, laying down. He left enough space for her small body to cuddle against him as he patted the couch in a come hither manner. Lana laid beside him. Oliver curled around her, resting his chin on her head so he could see the television.

The movie was a drama. It was a story of a couple who loved one another, but couldn't be together, as they were separated by an arranged marriage. Lana found herself relating to the story in a way. She wondered briefly if that was the reason why Dr. Thredson had chosen this particular flick. He spoke quietly into her ear as the movie went on. "You see, Zachary was an orphan. He fell for Sarah because she was the only one to show him any kindness in his entire life. However, Sarah comes from a prestigious family, and her parents had already found a husband for her."

As he spoke, Oliver's hand had made it's way slightly up her dress, his large hand stoking her thigh. Lana shivered at the light touch. "Their love was never meant to be." His voice was quiet, and Lana could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. If the story were a little more twisted, it could easily mirror their own.

Butterflies fluttered in Lana's stomach. Whether it was from Oliver stroking her leg, or how the movie's message was affecting her thought process, she didn't know. The writer moved her small hand to cover Oliver's, dragging his hand further up her dress.

For some reason, he resisted her and removed his hand. "Not tonight, Lana." A twisted part of Lana Winters wanted to say he could screw himself. He had forced himself on her in the past. What was wrong with her being so forward? He hadn't minded her being the aggressor in the before. As if sensing her distress, he spoke again. "Taking a day off could do us some good. It will make the next time that much more amazing..." Oliver's voice was thick with lust as he pinched her bottom playfully.

"Fine." Lana mumbled, slightly disappointed. The two continued watching the movie in silence. An hour later, Oliver had fallen asleep behind her. His arm that was draped over her stomach had fallen slack and she could hear his deep breathing. She was thankful that he was sleeping. The movie's ending was pulling at her heart strings. Tears were dripping from her brown eyes as she watched.

In the end, Zachary had killed himself because Sarah had pushed him away. She told him she could never love an orphan like him. Lana watched the final scene of Zach hanging from a noose, his body dangling lifelessly. She watched the credits until the screen faded to black. Turning onto her other side, she curled into Oliver's warm body, watching his sleeping face. She kissed his nose, wiping at her sore brown eyes.

Sleep overtook her in a matter of minutes, but not before kissing Oliver's parted lips goodnight. What kind of future was ahead of them? Would it turn out the same as the movie they had just watched? These were the thoughts that tortured Lana before everything faded to black.

[TBC]