A/N: What's this you see, another chapter? Why yes it is! Thank you for still being with this story, you guys seriously are amazing. This chapter is for all of you. And what's this? Ah Mr Joker also said that you should press the review bottom at the bottom of the page...wouldn't argue with the man!

Chapter 27: 'Is This What You Wanted?'

Some things aren't meant to last forever. All things must eventually end; like a good film, a song, even life must end. We can't run from it; you know the drill, there's just no point. I just think that some things are meant to be broken. Imperfect. Chaotic. It's the universe's way of providing contrast, there are opposites everywhere; strength and weakness, good and bad, you can't have light without dark and you can't have love without loss. There have to be a few holes in the road. It's how life is.

Day 2.

Maddie's POV

It's times like this; when the Manor is quiet, when times are changing that I miss the company of Bruce; his easy going nature and his ability to make me feel like I'm needed in somewhere other than the hospital. In this time alone, you're left with your thoughts; the reality of what's happening, what has been done and what needs to be done. The floorboard creaks. I don't need to turn around. It's the inevitable.

"You miss me? I know I've been gone a couple of days but I deserve a break too now and again."

"Go away, for once just leave me alone, please just respect what I'm asking you and go!"

He stands in front of me, causing me to tilt my head back to look up at him, the light behind him casts light on him; he looks like an angel, a fallen angel. He shakes his finger at me, as one would a badly behaved dog. Bad girl, look what you've done now.

"You didn't answer my question. I missed you, but hey I've got good memories to take away haven't I? Remember when we first met? Remember how good it felt, that someone actually loved you? I remember that one every day. I also remember you killing me that one I can't..."

"What's wrong with me? Something has to be wrong with me you don't just start randomly seeing your dead fiancé unless there is something seriously wrong with you."

For once James is quiet, thoughtful even.

"What, not gonna talk now, it's now you decide to shut up, what you couldn't have done that sooner? Is it something bad like a tumour or something on my brain or what because I honestly don't know, and I know I'm a doctor and I've spent years seeing people like this but there's always a story with it but I still don't know."

He's silent. Fear prickles my skin into a thousand goosebumps, fear closes my throat.

"But you deserved to die, I admitted I killed you and it's still not enough to make you go away. I lost my job and could lose my son because of you. But you deserved to die, after all you put me through you deserved it. It could have been so much worse; Jack could have killed you and he wouldn't have just killed you he would have tortured you, so be damn grateful it was me who picked up the gun that day and not him. Just please answer me what is wrong with me? What have you done to me?"

For once there is no mirth, no anger in his eyes...instead there's almost sadness?

"Why do you think it's me? This isn't real Maddie, I'm dead we both know I died, you saw it happen. There's nothing wrong with you so stop thinking there is and start thinking like a doctor not some scared little girl."

I lower my hands onto the bed, palms down, steady.

"See that's the thing James I am some scared little girl, I'm all alone and it's just you constantly in the background, making me feel like you always did."

"Can I carry on, that is when you've stopped interrupting?"

I flick my hand in his direction.

"Yeah sure knock yourself out, after all it's just me talking to myself right? Suppose it doesn't matter which one of us goes first."

He kneels down in front of me; his hands clasp my knees.

"There is nothing wrong with you and it's not me coming back from the dead in some weird Dawn of the dead kind of thing. Don't be so trusting of other people, don't listen to other people unless you know deep down that what they say is right. Look to those who you keep close to you, you might find your answers there, cause right now, this is all I can do for you."

He laughs, soft, so soft. "Guess that was deep coming from me huh?"

I choke on my crying and look down at him, my hands hesitantly on his.

"I loved you so much, so much it hurt me, I wasn't your dad James, I was never your dad yet you treated me like I was, you treated me no better than the people you arrested, I gave you everything yet it was never enough for you; you were always so jealous and so mad. I loved you so much I thought someday it will get better; someday you will change and then everything will be ok, I kept telling myself that for five years. It broke my heart to see you love others. You use to bring me so much pain for no reason at all; why, I want to fucking know why James?"

Fingertips meet. Hands trace. Peace.

"You weren't my first girlfriend, there were so many before you didn't matter if they were whores or whatever they still came before you. Then one day I saw you on the news you were with Bruce and that was it I wanted to..possess you, make you mine. Bringing you home was the first time I saw my old man happy, I couldn't let that go, you do understand don't you? I had to mark you and make others know you were mine, but that still didn't stop him..."

His nails dig into my skin.

"It didn't stop Stephen loving you or Bruce. It didn't stop Bruce taking you away from me. You always went off together you always had your own thing and I was jealous. You could have had me but you chose Bruce."

I sit there for a moment, studying each of us, taking in James' haunting gaze, the way he cocks his head slightly to the side. When I got to my own face, I find myself staring at it, so bright, with dark all around it, like it is someone I didn't recognise. Like a word on a page that you've printed and read a million times, that suddenly looks strange or wrong, foreign, and you feel scared for a second, like you've lost something, even if you're not sure what it is.

"Your phones ringing."

"Huh?" I realise he's right, and while I scramble for my cell he leaves me.

"Hello?"

"Hello Maddie, it's Abbey from the hospital, I got the test results back on the so called vitamin pills you gave me."

Stunned.

"Although the bottle does say vitamins and some of them are there was two other drugs in the bottles you gave me. The first was a sedative; the warning on the labels of such a sedative states that such side effects include drowsiness and poor concentration."

"And the other one?"

I trusted you.

"The other was a form of hallucinogenic, although this was modified. It can cause the taker to have worse hallucinations than before; they appear even more human and life like, so much so you think they're simple part of your everyday life. But here's the thing I found out; like I said it was modified; it seems this pill can cause the images to be those of guilt..."

I am startled into parrot-like repetition.

"Guilt?"

"Yes mental tortures, frightening visions and major paranoia. So for example if the person taking this has immense feelings of guilt about, say a certain person that person will appear to them as though they never left."

"She planned it all, wanted me weak... get me out of my mind."

"Maddie?..." I don't need to see her to hear the sympathetic voice, her eyes will be going everywhere but my face, searching for the nearest exit. I put the phone down, letting it drop to the floor.

"Helena."

(Showdown!)

"Miss Madeline, now this is a surprise. Miss Helena's in the sun room, should I take you..."

"No, its fine thank you, I'll go."

I leave the old woman behind me, my fury not letting her anywhere near me.

"Madeline! I knew you'd come round soon, though if you called I would have had some refreshments made. Rose? Rose!"

I sit down, rattling the pills in her face.

"She won't be coming, I doubt she'll be bothering us, she seemed to think something was...wrong with me."

She leans forward in her seat, hands twirling the large diamond.

"And I suppose something is wrong with me, though you'd know all about that would you?" "

I... I have no idea, what the situation is... If you'd have let me come round lately maybe I would."

I shake my head, rolling the pills around in my hand.

"I take my baby to the toilet, how desperate is that?"

She nods, mute.

"I'll have to tell him though wont I? Why I'm always in his face, why I can never let him out of my sight, why I'm always scared of everything. He'll hate me cause I won't be able to let him go, I'll have to tell him why I'm such a freak and I'll tell him it was your fault."

She acknowledges me, her voice low.

"I really have no idea what you're saying to me, but you have no foundation for these accusations!"

"I've spent most of my son's life not being there for him, being too messed up on these pills that you've been feeding me. Sedatives, hallucinogenic, sound familiar?"

Her tongue darts out to lick her lips, lapping at the frosted gloss.

"I trusted you so much and I actually loved you. But all along you were trying to kill me and take him away. My boy, I've missed everything. Bruce was there for him, every smile, every laugh, when he first crawled, everything; he has been there."

"You've been busy with the hospital and for that you can't blame me... you can't blame me for anything."

I rattle the pills again, a silent reminder.

"I've not bonded with him at all, so I'll explain to him why I was never there, why its Bruce's voice in all the home videos. I can't make myself feel better, I've tried to but I couldn't; I just see you with him and I can't think of anything else. I know what I did was wrong and I get that, if I were in that position and it had been Mat I would want revenge, I don't deny you that."

She leans back, smirking; "so you've admitted it?"

"But we all know what James did to me and what Baron did to you so don't tell me he didn't deserve it. I let you love Mat even though he isn't yours to love. Now I've said what I came to say and I meant every word, but I mean this more; stay away from my family."

She's becoming flustered, her hands reaching for anything.

"How would you feel if someone killed Mathew? You would have done the same as me and more, I am just protecting my son and his memory."

I nod, pretending to consider.

"Don't you dare bring him into this, he will not turn into anything like James or even Baron. I don't care what you do now, move for all I care, tell people you can't bare to look at Mat without seeing James, just go."

Her hands release the pearls at her neck, her face white.

"You're being unreasonable I can't leave James!"

"What about James? You didn't care for him when he was alive, so why bother now?"

"Madeline now that's not fair!"

"Isn't it? The way I see it you're as bad as Baron, at least he was honest about it."

Her hands reach mine; the drink and god knows what makes them shake.

"Maddie please you knew what he did to me!"

"And look what you did to me and James! You never cared about him, even when he was small you cared about one person; you."

She shakes her head, grasping at my arm.

"Oh and let's not forget money. James waited his whole life for you to care, I blame you for the way he turned out."

Strands of her hair are coming loose, she looks scared; she should be, for once I am thinking clear.

I lean into her face; "leave us alone," I glance down at her hand on mine, "or I'll tell everyone."

Sam's POV

She's so close he could touch her if he wanted, instead he stay hidden, watching the exchange between the two women. Maddie does have a bite, and he must confess, he didn't think she would ever figure them out. Now that she has someone has to take the blame... it won't be him. She turns as soon as she sees him, wiping her face on the back of her hands; he curls his lip in distaste at the site of her.

"We have got to stop! I can't do this to her anymore, it's gone too far! You heard what she said! Please, stop!"

He holds her to him, soothing her back, his pulls away from her.

"Of course you can stop," she smiles, watery.

"But I will never stop, there's a problem I need to get rid of; two actual."

Her eyes widen at her meaning; she stumbles back, landing on the floor, he laughs; too easy, way too easy. He leans over her; his grip tightening on her neck; she soon stops struggling; her eyes go dead, her legs limp.

"Stupid bitch, should have listened."

Maddie's POV

"Come here little baby," Mat gurgles with delight as I crawl round the table chasing him.

"Ohh wait there, mommy has to answer her phone, cause a lot of people want to talk to mommy, don't they?"

"Hello?"

"Maddie, it's me Stephen."

I lean my elbows on the table, pretending to grab for Mat.

"Hi Stephen, what's up?"

"Maddie we're up at Helena's house..."

"Oh yeah?"

"Maddie, Helena... there's no easy way to say this but Helena, she's been murdered."

Even Mat stands to attention.

"She's what?"

"Her maid found her, she's been strangled, we just got the call. I'm so sorry, Rose said that you'd seen her today as well."

I nod, then realising he can't see me I answer properly.

"Yeah I did she was fine when I left and I didn't see anyone else there."

I look into the garden, squinting against the winter sun.

"Stephen, I'll talk to you later."

Sam. He waves at me, the dark shadow following me has finally merged into real, solid flesh. I back away.

"Mat, Mathew?"

I pick him up and rush to the door; locked. I run up to my bedroom; glad that I put Mat down before I looked up. I touch the red liquid, paint thankfully.

'Not just yet.'

I rest my head against the words, tears blurring my site. Not just yet but when?

A/N: And we finish another chapter! What do you guys think? Helena finally get hers? This story is my baby and it's getting close to ending, I'm feeling a little sad! The next one will be out pretty soon, it's getting close! Thanks again for reading and giving me your opinions!

Yours,

Feels-Like-Paradise.