A.N: Alrighty dearies, this be the case. In lieu of helpful reviews and PM's, I have learned that I've delved off the cliff of OOCness with not just Teri, but Walter as well. Thus began my LONG journey to walk-backwards and try to fix my shortcomings. As of today (2/3/11) I have officially revamped the entire story up to this date. I have not changed the plot, cliff-hangers, or allusions, though, so you don't have to start at the beginning, but it'd be nice to know if you think the changes helped… Hopefully I can gain back the readers I have thus lost in the rush to finish AND to re-instill your confidence in me as a writer again.
Sorry for the long note, but it was dearly needed. Here be the next installment, as I found it unfair to revamp the story without adding something new. : ) enjoy and again, sorry it's take me so long.

Disclaimer; obviously I own nothing Watchmen related.

Chapter 8: Alleged Confirmation

*Click*
"Bang." Charlie imitated with one eye closed. Teri was within his sights, and he watched as she ducked inside the station. It created a familiar thrill within him. He couldn't stand the simple cut and dry killings: they were terribly boring.
Charlie sighed, letting the gun fall with his arm to his side, his free hand reaching in his jacket pocket for the .45's clip. "They always run." He murmured to himself, slapping the clip up into the gun. He savored the sound; it was the sound of death. If he'd had his way, he could have spent all day sliding the magazine in and out of the gun-he was like a child with his candy, savoring every moment.

The gravel and broken glass crunched loudly under his booted feet as he confidently strode towards the corner where Teri had disappeared. "You must have done something real bad to piss off Adrian Veidt." He called, stepping up onto the platform. "Did you fuck him and never call?" He laughed, pausing as he noticed that Teri's shoe had been discarded, but whether it was intentional or accidental, he could have cared less. Charlie stared down at it before nudging it with his foot.
"Always thought the man was one of those queers'," He shrugged, his gun still tight in his hand, his eyes flicking back up to where Teri had been last, before continuing on his conquest. "But its hard to tell with people in powerful positions like him…" He trailed off, approaching the door that had long fallen off its hinges, now creating a gapping hole that had once served as the building's main entrance.

Teri pressed herself against the wall next to the doorframe, urgently trying to calm her breathing. Her palms found the peeling paint of the wall, her fingers scratching into drywall; it crumbled beneath her nails. What the hell? Why is this always happening to me? She knew the answer-she knew it well-but it didn't stop the rushing of her heart, it didn't stop it from nearly beating out of her chest.
Her gaze skittered around the ruined building surrounding her, eagerly searching for a place to run- to escape-but her feet stuck to the ground, her fear preventing movement.

Once it was decided that fleeing was not an option, Teri slowly turned her head towards the chipped frame beside her. Her pursuers footsteps were loud, the broken glass scraping on the ground, under his feet. She heard the distinct slide of the gun as it loaded a bullet into a chamber. Teri closed her eyes; she was no match for a gun. Cool it, Teri. That sometimes helpful little voice whispered. There are ways this can be handled. Her right hand found itself on the inside of her jacket pocket, her fingers brushing the handle of the steak knife.

Teri squeezed her eyes shut as that little voice laughed; You don't have much of a choice. Fight or die, baby. She licked her lips, painfully waiting for the moment when Charlie would rush through the gaping hole next to her. Vaguely remembering a similar situation, Teri allowed her jaw to clinch and her body to tense-readying for her strike. She was not going to die-not without a struggle.

"It's no use running, sweetheart." She heard Charlie coo. "Once a hit goes out, the stakes only get higher with each passing day."

He was near; she could feel it. Teri's one bare foot slipped on something, and she flinched as she tried to regain her footing: It did caused her to break her concentration and glance down, though. There was a small pool of blood underneath her pale toes. She must of gotten a spare piece of glass stuck in her foot; because now that she was thinking about it, the ball of her foot itched something terrible. Leaning back on her heel, she discarded her remaining shoe; as it was throwing off her balance. She tried to do it quietly, but it scraped against the dusty floor as she brushed it aside.

The tip of the gun startled her as it slowly made it's appearance through the door. Charlie's hands placidly gripping the hilt came next, followed by a foot.

With a cry, Teri ripped the knife from her jacket and brought it down on his arm. The gun fired into the ground, a plume of dust rising from the disturbed silence. Charlie yelped, letting the gun slip from his grasp as he instinctively tried to pull his injured arm towards his body.
Teri, her hold on the knife still strong, tore it from the new wound in Charlie's forearm, only to thrust it sideways into the surprised mans' chest. Charlie gasped, taking a moment to stare down at the hilt, buried to its base, below his right collarbone. Teri whipped back, taking several steps receding, her calloused feet dragging on the dusty floor.

Charlie sucked in a number of short, wheezing, wet breaths of air. His knees went wobbly, and he fell to the floor, the boards beneath creaking and groaning.

Chest heaving, Teri rushed forward, kicking the gun from his reach to the far wall. But Charlie didn't lunge for her, or the gun. He followed her with his eyes, before staring down at the object lodged in his chest; his shaky hands hovered over the knife.

Teri backed herself up once more to judge the situation and to collect her own ragged breaths. The palm of her trembling hand rubbed across her face, wiping away the sweat and tension. She stumbled over a bit of rubble but didn't-couldn't-take her eyes off of the man before her. It had been so easy…

The sun rose over the morning haze outside, the orange rays illuminating Charlie's silhouette as the waves of color darted in through the doorway. The alarmed expression on his face was one of a man who had clearly not anticipated being over-powered or fought against.

Charlie suddenly pulled the knife from his chest, wetly coughing as the bloody, metallic weapon was tossed aside, clattering as it rolled across the rotted ground.

A few stray tears escaped Teri's glazed eyes, her stomach knotting as the realization hit her. "What have I done?"

She busted down the door with a couple of strong kicks, before staggering inside the backroom of the stage. Her heart beat loudly in her throat, the anticipation of finally rescuing her sister-like she had in her dreams all these nights-overcoming her. But when she regained her footing-her eyes refocusing from the excitement-she caught sight of the dead bodies that were haphazardly laying on the floors, across the couches, slumped in chairs…. But they weren't just any bodies. They were the slave-trade girls; dressed scantily in outfits that showed their 'best assets'. The room smelled of piss and defecation.
Teri doubled over, her hands supporting herself on her knees as she hurled, gagging on her own vomit and disgust.

When she had finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, sucking in deep breaths, the sour bile in her mouth dizzying her. Teri made herself stand-made herself look for the one person that mattered more to her than anything else in this world.
Sam was in a corner, drooped in a large armchair, her eyes staring open at the ceiling; lifeless.
Teri cried out, rushing to her and wrapping her arms around her sisters waist. Teri pulled her to the flat carpet as she called out Sam's name-lightly smacking her cheeks-but nothing came from her beloved sister.

Teri, turning away from her sister, dry heaved. It was then that she spotted the wine bottles that she had so carefully poisoned-the comprehension of what happened hit her like bricks to the back of the head. How could this have happened? How could all of this death come from her? Teri had planned things so precisely-so strategically.

Sam's body had started to cool when Teri embraced her again, crying out to anyone listening; crying out for mercy. "Please, don't leave me like this!" They had been through everything together, even relied on each other when times were rough…It was Teri's job to rescue Sam; she had promised Sam that she would.
Teri hugged Sam's body close and swore from that moment on that she would never take another human life again. For it seemed that everything she touched had ramifications… ramifications that took themselves out on her loved ones.

Charlie fell dully to the floor.

"You don't tell someone your going to kill them…" Teri cried out, finding herself against the far wall. "Just fucking kill them." She lowered herself to the ground, using the wall as leverage. Long after Charlie took his last breath, she sat there, her arms holding her legs to herself. Tears rolled in streams down her cheeks, and each thought she had trailed back to her sister and the journey to New York. She rested her head heavily onto her knees and sobbed. Teri had not only broke the promise that she'd given on her sisters deathbed, but she'd also nearly lost everything she'd worked so hard for over the last couple of years: all over a simple oversight.
It struck home about how reckless she was, even though that she had stared death in the face so many times; it wasn't just about her life anymore. It was about her daughters' and Walters'. Teri couldn't stand the thought of leaving her child motherless, nor once again losing the man that had pieced her back together again.

Teri's arms cradled her head as she wept.

Teri frowned as she went to pick up the knife and the gun; she would throw them in the nearest garbage can on her way out or perhaps even in the drainage pipe: She couldn't risk another fleeting conviction.
Charlie's body lay face down, his eyes openly staring into space, his mouth only slightly agape, his cheek squished against the floor. Blood glistening off of his lips; he looked as if he had tried to say something with his last breath. Teri never would have heard.

Teri sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her shaking hand. She didn't feel any lingering sorrow for what she had done, but coming down from the shock of it was a bitch. Teri stared down at him for a long time, discerning her next move.
She would leave his body, Teri decided, limping to retrieve her shoes. Then, Teri thought to herself, she would go to work. She was already two hours late.

"Teri?" Beverly stood up when the familiar face went past the door to her cubicle. She didn't hesitate, snatching up a couple red-vines from the stash on her desk before hopping out of the cubical after Teri. Her eccentric red heels made no noise on the purple carpet. "You're late, ya know." She lightly scolded, taking a bite of one licorice, while stuffing the rest in her bright blue blazer pocket.

"I know," Teri answered calmly as she turned, limping, into her own cubicle.

Beverly paused outside of the door, resting her elbow on the top of the grey wall, her red-vine waving in her hand. She looked Teri up and down. "Jesus, what happened?"

"I had to walk." Teri replied coldly, avoiding her friends' gaze. She knew that she must have looked dusty, misshapen, and unkempt: something that Beverly would just naturally have a fit over.

"I thought you had a driver." Beverly asked, taking a slow chew on her licorice, quickly mulling over in her head what could be done about Teri's mess of clothing.

Teri flicked her eyes to Beverly before removing her jacket and draping it over her roller chair. "He tried to kill me." Teri announced, seriously.

Beverly rolled her eyes. "Sure." She answered, incredulously. "Let me guess, he drove you to the train tracks and tied you to 'em." She drew a new red-vine out of her pocket and chewed contently on it's end.

She had many street blocks to assemble her nerves-and to reform her plan-allowing herself to walk into the Veidt enterprises building composed and confident. Despite what had been carried out today, Teri was ready to move on with life. "He even laughed manically and twisted his mustache." She joked, easily. It wasn't necessarily that she wanted Beverly to know what happened, but rather that joking about the situation was helping to ease any lingering tension. Teri tossed her friend a smile.

Beverly scoffed and placed a hand on her leopard printed, spandex hip. "Whatever," She stated, brushing off Teri and her teasing ways. "Oh!" Beverly remembered, taking a bite of her candy. "By the way, your boy-toy called." She winked.

Teri plopped down in her chair and leaned over to check the phone on her desk for a blinking light that would indicate that she had a message: There wasn't one.

"Walter is a sexy name." Beverly nearly laughed when Teri shot her a death glare.

"Did you speak with him?" Teri gasped, glaring at her friend before bringing her wounded foot up on her knee. Beverly merely shrugged, a silly grin on her face. Teri rolled her eyes. "Since when did you start answering my phone?" She asked, slipping off her shoe and examining her toe.

Beverly paid no heed to what Teri was doing with her foot. "Since you decided to bum out on your driver and take your sweet time getting to work," Beverly retorted, shaking her half-eaten licorice at Teri. "He wants you to give him a call, by-the-way."

Teri nodded, fingering the wound on the ball of her foot, mentally promising to give him a call after she fixed her injury.

Beverly was distracted for a moment, staring off down the full row of cubicles. "There was something else I was gonna tell ya-Oh!" Beverly started, "Look," her voice quieted. "I suggest you get into Veidts office, pronto."

Teri frowned, flexing her toes. "Why?" She'd taken out the glass, but her foot was still killing her.

Looking around to make sure no one was listening, Beverly leaned forward, waiting until Teri glanced up at her. "He gave Nueberg new specifications for the Enigma line. She's showing it to him, now."

"You can't go in there," Veidt's secretary-Jessica-reminded Teri, standing up from behind her desk. Teri had ignored confirming an appointment with her, and instead walked straight up to Veidt's office door.

Teri merely faked a sweet smile at the young woman with the long black hair. "Watch me." Her hand already on the sleek golden handle, she pushed open the door and strode in like she belonged there. Her injured foot was throbbing and bleeding through the band-aid she'd patched it with, but Teri's determination and irritation fueled her step.

Jessica swung around the desk and hurried after Teri. "Hey!" she called, "Hey, he's in meeting!"

In fact, Veidt was in a meeting-per say. He had been sitting on his desk, hands casually gripping it on either side of him, while Teri's boss stood to the side, showing off a newly printed poster on a metal easel.
They both looked up as Teri barged in.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Veidt," Jessica apologized, several steps behind Teri. "She just rushed in."

With a momentary hint of surprise, Adrian smiled, his hands immediately going to the tops of his thighs. "It's quite alright, Jess." He told her, waving her off before adjusting the sleeves of his dark purple suit. "That'll be all."

"Ms. Kovacs." Adrian greeted, his head tilting slightly before gesturing to Miss Nueberg. "Emily was just showing me more samples for the new line." He explained, kindly. "How nice of you to join us."

Teri glanced between her two bosses. The way that Adrian was so posh towards everyone was sickening-if only they knew what he was truly capable of. If they only knew that he felt no remorse about setting a 'hit' on a single mother.
She tried to hide her hatred for him. "Do forgive me for my lateness." She played his little game, "My chauffer took several wrong turns on the way over."

"Charlie?" Emily commented, turning from her position to better look at the two others in the room, "How odd, he usually is very good with-"

"Emily," Veidt interrupted, "Do you think you could excuse Teri and I?"

Teri processed what she'd heard-Charlie was actually working for the company, he wasn't just a spoof? He'd actually driven other people about? The idea made Teri's stomach churn-fingers would immediately point to Teri when they found his body.

Emily nodded, not thinking twice about Veidt's comment. "Of course." She let herself out, but not before locking eyes with Teri; you fucked up.

Adjusting herself, Teri waited until the door clicked shut before speaking. "I thought you liked my idea."

Adrian took in a deep breath. "You missed the photo-shoot yesterday." He replied, as if that explained everything.

Her brows furrowed. "Alice was sick."

Shrugging, he crossed his arms, "Well, Emily was forced to take over, and in the course of shooting your prints, she came up with a few more ideas." Adrian considered this, like he'd just heard it himself. "It was only natural. And a brilliant executive decision, if you ask me." Veidt told her, smugly. He glanced down at his fingernails before catching Teri's gaze.

She studied Adrian's blank expression. "Somehow I'm not so sure that's how it played out."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Are you second guessing me, Teri?"

The tone of his voice was oddly frightening. Teri did her best to keep a strong façade. "It would appear so." She replied, her hands balling into fists.

"You don't know who you're dealing with," He told her, uncrossing his arms and pushing himself from his desk. Adrian veered around his desk to sit.

He can't hurt me here. "Oh, I think you have that backwards." She told him, taking those few steps forward and placing her hands on the edge of his desk. "I know what happened at Karnak." Teri threatened, quietly. She was irritated that not only that he'd vicariously tried to kill her, but that he was even prematurely giving her job away. The least she could do was push a few pressure points-let him know that soon he wasn't going to be in control of everything like he was now…

Adrian scoffed, sitting forward in his chair before pulling open a drawer in his desk. He withdrew a half-charred book. "I know exactly who I'm dealing with." He tossed that old, leather-bound book on his desk: It landed atop some papers with a dull thud. "I'm not daft."

If she hadn't written in that exact book nearly everyday last year, Teri wouldn't have recognized it's burnt form. With a stutter in her thoughts-in her initial plan-she stared at the book for a long moment before hesitantly letting her fingers caress the top cover.

His gaze turned quickly from slightly annoyed to amused as he watched her fingers slide under the first few pages and peer in-making the chilling discovery of her own words.

"I've read every page-" Adrian said, breaking Teri's near horrified thoughts. "-It's rather intriguing." He shrugged, "despite the obvious the struggle of weeding through the horrible structure and grammar."

"Fuck you." She whispered, still caught up in the shock of the moment.

Adrian laughed like they were old friends bantering.

Walter had expressed his worries of the diary being in Veidt's possession, but it was just so impossible of a thought that Teri had easily brushed it off as mere suspicion. Teri's eyes finally made their way up again to Adrian's; he looked almost thrilled. He'd been waiting a long time to reveal that book to her.

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the mahogany desk. "If you think," Adrian breathed out, locking his fingers together. "for one second, that you can expose whatever it is that you think I did," He paused, but continued before Teri could open her mouth, "Then I will be forced to make sure that this," he pointed to the journal, "becomes public." Adrian cocked a lopsided grin at her. "You will go to jail for a very long time, and poor Alice will become a child of the state-" His face puckered in amusement. "-like mother like daughter."

Teri nervously licked her lips. "People will know what you did, Adrian." She told him, trying to ignore his threats.

"Who do you think they will believe?" He asked her, a hint of a smirk upon his thin lips, "A murderer, or a savior?" Veidt didn't sound like he was worried about the answer. He knew exactly who they would believe, without a single shadow of a doubt.

That was something that Teri had definitely thought about, but she didn't expect to have to explain her reasoning to the very man she wanted taken out. She stumbled over the words in her mouth, "Why now?" Teri asked, "Why even show me that you have this?"

He considered this, "To remind you who will always come out on top, my dear." Adrian answered. He leaned back in his seat, relaxing. "You see," His chair made no sound as he rotated around, staring out the large ceiling-to-floor window at the bright city around him. "I am very generous." His smile glanced back at Teri over his shoulder. "I'm going to give you a choice, Teri."

Teri's eyes kept straying to the journal-her scribbled writing lining each page. She never thought she'd see it again.

"Stop whatever it is you're thinking of attempting," Adrian continued, turning in his chair to face her once again. "and I'll see to it that this journal," He reached forward and tapped the open page Teri had been staring at. "never makes it to the police." His statement was simple, and so easy to want to believe.

She didn't need to hear the second half of his ultimatum. "But you set a hit out on me." Teri's words, even with an attempted bravery, still managed to sound oddly anxious. She knew that if Adrian was truthful with his statement of promise, he wouldn't have hired someone to kill her in the first place. "How can you expect me to believe you?"

Adrian nodded, considering her words. Then after a long moment, he threw her one of his signature smiles. "What choice do you have?"

'"Just who is Teri Hurst?'; This has been the question on everyone's minds lately since the reporter for the New Frontiersman; Seymour Allen was found dead in his home late Friday night. Mr. Allen was re-investigating prime details within a well known vigilante's journal, as a commemoration of last years events. Within notes found in Mr. Allen's office and home, there were numerous amounts of information about his attempts at trying to find a Teri Hurst that still to this day remains anonymous to the public.
The New Frontiersman editor; Hector Godfrey, comments-"

Ashley harrumphed. For the last twenty minutes, she'd been trying to watch the 9 o' clock news, but Walter's constant trampling around the house was hindering her routine activity. She peered over the couch at him. "You're wearing a hole in the floor."

Walter's gaze shot to the clock on the wall. It had been over two hours since Teri had left and still he'd heard no word of her from the office. Every minute that the phone ceased to ring added to his agitated anxiety.
Exposing us to Veidt could be a mistake at the moment. Rorschach told him. Especially with Teri involved. Walter groaned. If Teri was within Adrian's grasp, and Walter did nothing, he might lose her forever. And abandon baby Alice at home?

Chest tightening, he veered around the worn couch and plopped down on the other end from Ashley. His hands tight gripped his jeans at the seams. Walter glanced at the silent phone. His nerves were starting to get the best of him. Rorschach said they would do something about Teri if she hadn't called him back… and she didn't..

Rorschach was right on one aspect though, he couldn't leave Alice by herself… Walter sighed before turning to Ashley. "Gonna need to ask a favor."

She had already been staring at him-his fidgeting and anxious vibes were really starting to chap her. "What?" Ashley asked, using the remote to turn down the volume on the T.V.

Rorschach's jaw clinched tight, but Walter had had enough. He knew it was possibly a bad idea, but he couldn't just sit there and wait for something to happen. "Take Alice home with you." he ordered, "Lock the doors. Don't open them for anyone but Teri or I."

"What? What's going on?"

But Walter was already standing. "Have to leave for a few hours." He strode quickly into Teri's room and grabbed his costume. He proceeded to put on everything but the face-he'd have to save that for later-stuffing it into his trench coat pockets. He couldn't just put on the mask and run about town in broad daylight.

Ashley followed him into the bedroom, her brows furrowed. "Walter-"

He caught the babysitters gaze. Removing the piece of paper from his coat-one that had Daniel's and Laurie's home address on it-he handed it to the girl. "If neither of us come for you after tomorrow, take Alice here." Alice would be the last on Veidt's priority list. And the baby would be in good hands-it was Teri that he needed to worry about right now.

Then without another word-and leaving the babysitter with a million unanswered questions-Walter hurried out of the apartment to catch a cab.

If Veidt didn't know about Rorschach's botched death, it left them with the upper hand. Rorschach shoved open the front door of the apartment building. Adrian's world was about to come crashing down around him.

Ready or not, Veidt.