Ratings: M – NC17
Warning: This story contains violence and mentions of rape. Readers' discretion is advised.
Author's Note 1: Thanks for my beta layoung13 for this chapter. I know this is a monster chapter, and I couldn't do it without you. And to everyone, this is still a LoVe triangle story.
Author's Note 2: I'm so happy that Kristen Bell, Rob Thomas, Ryan Devlin, and Michael Muhney all replied to my tweets and direct messaged me, so it was nice. Actually better than nice, I think I curled up in the corner and cried.
Flashback,
Hayes Residence, 2013
Mercer was combing his hair and looking at the mirror in his room. He looked really great, as he was ready to party. Ever since he got out from prison, he was itching to get back in the game again. He missed the club scene; he wanted to go back behind the DJ table and play some music again. He wanted to dance with his friends and their women. He wanted to go back to the expensive clubs, order some Cristal champagne, and snort some cocaine.
Mercer was a good-looking man – not many people understood why he had to rape those girls since he could get as many girls he wanted. He was rich, handsome, and social; guys wanted to be like him, and girls wanted to be with him. On paper, he was perfect.
But in reality, he was hungry for power.
Nothing turned him on better than a woman who was being tied up and begging to be released, or an unconscious woman who never talked and just enjoyed the ride.
And he liked taking trophies – their precious hair- taking something precious off those women: first their dignity, then their liberty, and finally their crown. He liked to strip them away from those, and then move on to the next girl.
But Veronica Mars…
That was one precious package that he wanted so bad. She had everything: looks, wits, brains… the whole thing.
A perfect specimen.
He was obsessed with her. He wanted her for himself. He wanted to tie her up; hear her screaming again, and then climaxing together. When he was in prison, he was thinking about her. Imagine his surprise when he found out that she had lost her memory because her husband got himself killed; she was traumatized so she had checked herself into a mental hospital. Mercer needed to have her again. So he tried to charm his way back into her grace – and it seemed to work. He couldn't wait until she would let him to take her back to the cabin, his love nest. Too bad there wouldn't be someone to help him. Moe had to get himself killed in prison, but he was sure he could do this by himself.
But tonight, it was party time. He was whistling, combing his hair, and putting on some cologne when he heard someone clear his throat.
"Are you going somewhere?"
Mercer looked from his mirror and saw his dad, Frank Hayes, staring at him from the door. "I'm going to this new club in town."
"You know you're not allowed to go to any kind of clubs. That's against the parole."
"Ah, come on dad. One night only, I need to release some steam."
"I forbid you to go."
"Or what? You're gonna lock me up?" Mercer tersely said. "Your Honor Judge Francesco Hayes, I object with this decision." He mocked his father, which was a huge mistake, because he didn't see a fist coming from his right side; and before he knew it, he was sprawled on the floor with a bloody nose.
Frank crouched beside him and slapped him hard across his handsome face several times. "Say that again to my face, son."
Mercer struggled to stand up, but his father pinned him to the floor. "Let me go, Frank!" He held his father's hands so he wouldn't choke him.
"Lazy no-good bastard – you're almost 30 with no job and raping little girls. Maybe I should let you rot in prison and be raped by inmates!" He slapped him again. Mercer couldn't breathe as his father choked him. His father was older than he was, probably around 60 years old, but he definitely was bigger and stronger. His father used to box when he was younger. "You're a disappointment! You make your mother cry! You humiliate me. I'm a judge with a rapist son!"
"You raped mom!"
"I love her!" Frank pushed Mercer's face down and slammed it to the floor. It stopped his movement, and Mercer lay down on the floor, bloody in the face. "You're not going anywhere. I made a mistake of giving you too much freedom. I should have taken a belt you when you were a kid." He stood up, fixed his shirt, and walked out from his son's room.
Mercer sat up slowly and cried in frustration. He was a big and tall man, but he always felt small in front of his father – the great Judge Francesco Hayes. He needed to get out of this place, as soon as possible. Maybe going back to that cabin again… with a certain someone.
Thalassa Sanatorium
Veronica looked outside the window from Dr. Rosenberg's office. She had a look of concentration on her face as she watched the world outside the sanatorium. She could see the garden, where patients were walking around in their bathrobes. She could also see the fence near the parking lot – where she usually meets Mercer.
Mercer…
She couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that she should avoid this man. He looked nice and was a good-looking man. But Veronica didn't like the way he lied and pretended to be an orderly so he could meet her.
We used to date…
Veronica was not sure whether she believed him or not. She could ask her father or Dick about it… but she wanted to remember things on her own, just like Dr. Rosenberg said.
And then there was Gorya…. this polite man, who happened to be Valentina's cousin, who also came from a connected family in Neptune…
Both of them knew her and said that they knew each other during college.
Veronica pondered about college. What was it like? What was her major? Was she a good student? Did everyone attend the same college? Was she enrolled at Stanford? She imagined Lilly joined a Sorority and partied all the time, while Duncan joined some sort of prestige club so he could achieve his dream of becoming President. Logan and Dick probably joined fraternities to party.
Veronica sighed… She didn't even remember graduating from high school. She didn't remember going to the prom. Was she elected Prom Queen?
"What are you thinking, Veronica?"
Dr. Rosenberg's voice cut her daydreaming off. "Err… Nothing. Just thinking about some stuff I probably missed… I mean, stuff that I don't remember."
"What do you remember?"
Veronica sighed. "I don't… remember stuff. But I've been having these quick flashbacks about my life, which don't make any sense to me, because they're just pieces of… memories or something – like slides of my life..."
"Just focus on what you remember. What can you tell me about these… slides of memories?"
Veronica turned around from the window and sat on the couch in front of the nice doctor. She shrugged, "It's weird that sometimes I have these images of people I don't know. Like… there's this kid taped on a flagpole. I mean, what is that? Who is that? And he keeps popping into my dreams too." Veronica looked down at her camera on her lap. "I feel like I'm supposed to know this person, and he means a great deal to me. An important person in my life, and I can't remember him." She sniffled a bit. "If he is important in my life… I feel sad that I can't remember him, and I don't want to hurt him because of that."
"He understands, Veronica."
Veronica looked up and stared at the doctor. "Do you know him?"
"Yes. He is very close to you. And the fact that you remember him, that's progress."
"But that's not the case – I don't remember him!"
"You remember about him. And any kind of progress is progress. You should be proud, Veronica."
"Can you tell me who he is…?"
"Someone who is very important and loves you very much." Veronica wanted to ask more, but Dr. Rosenberg already stood up and went to his desk. He returned with something in his hand. "This is good Veronica. You don't need to find out about him in great detail yet, but the fact that you remember his face means a lot. But let's do our exercise for your memory. You've seen what your camera has done for you. It brought a lot of memories, and sooner or later, you will remember all."
Dr. Rosenberg put something on the coffee table in front of them.
It was a silver necklace with a small diamond pendant.
Veronica looked at it blankly. "A necklace?"
"It's yours. Your father said that you wore this all the time."
Veronica slowly reached for the necklace, and as she touched it, she felt a sense of sadness overcome her.
I've got a secret… A good one.
Lilly.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks; she couldn't help it. She pulled her camera off her neck, put it on the table, and then stood up abruptly and sobbed.
"Veronica…"
"Lilly is gone, isn't she?" She cried. "I don't know what happened, but she's not here anymore. She's dead! She's dead, right? Just like Valentina!"
"Veronica… you need to calm down."
"She is gone…. And I think it's my fault." Without waiting for Dr. Rosenberg's reply, she ran outside from the office. She needed to breathe.
Dr. Rosenberg watched from his window as Veronica ran straight to the garden – towards a gazebo near the fence. It was her sanctuary, and he let her go to let out her frustration and emotion. This was actually good for her, because she didn't shut down. It was better to be emotional than shutting down everything.
Several days later, Veronica held the necklace and looked at it brightly mocking her.
Lilly was dead.
That was the reason why she never visited. And probably the reason why she hallucinated seeing her ghost. Veronica was tempted to read some old newspapers, but Dr. Rosenberg wouldn't allow her to read any more newspapers. It was better for her to remember on her own than reading about the past because it could trigger her 'amnesia' again.
Veronica had many sessions after she found out about Lilly's death. She still couldn't remember the details of her death, but Dr. Rosenberg insisted that it was progress. He said that he would bring another item to the next session. Veronica's head filled with questions – what kind of item would he bring? Would this explain why Duncan, Logan, and her mom never visit? Were they still alive?
She was afraid of the truth.
Dick visited her again, this time without that Cindy girl. He was so happy go lucky, and he kept talking about the waves, the beach, and the girls with him. He made her laugh, which she greatly appreciated.
"So Mackie and me, we decided to work together. I mean, with her talent – Ronnie, she's awesome with computers. We're making our own internet company!" Dick didn't realize that he slipped off saying that they were starting a company instead of going to school. Veronica didn't say anything but only smiled.
"That's great, Dick." She smiled to see his enthusiasm.
"What do you think we should call it? Facemash? Buddyster? MyBooty?"
Veronica laughed. "MyBooty?"
"Well, it's gonna be like a MySpace-Friendster-Facebook thing, you know?"
"What's a Facebook?"
Dick realized that Veronica was still remembering the early 2000, of course she didn't remember about Facebook. Facebook was during their college years. "Ah, never mind. One of those stupid internet websites… Anyway, ours will be better. It connects people, you know."
Veronica smiled, "I think it would be awesome. I'm happy that you're doing great, Dick."
They were sitting in the terrace enjoying their time together. They were sitting on a bench, and she curled up beside him as he hugged her. He kissed her head lovingly, like a brother to his sister. "It's awesome, indeed." They both enjoyed the afternoon together most weekends. Dick checked his watch, "I gotta go, Ronnie. Mackie wants me to meet some… friends." He was going to say investors, but it was going to be difficult to explain how high school students were meeting some investors. "You know… for our hobby… the internet." He made an excuse.
"I'm always happy whenever you visit. Just say hi to Cindy and Cassidy."
Veronica could feel Dick's arm tense all of a sudden; then he relaxed again, and she saw how much he struggled to smile. She realized that there was something wrong but she didn't know what. Probably the very mention of his brother…
"Sure… I'll see you later, Ronnie." He kissed her head again and pinched her cheek. She waved goodbye as he walked away. Veronica had already taken pictures of him when they were goofing around like teenagers. She liked how Dick didn't change much – although his hair and his height changed a little. But he still wore those silly T-Shirts and talked like a surfer. Veronica wasn't blind, at least not now. She could feel that there was something wrong when she mentioned Cassidy. She knew Cassidy – that little shy freshman that always followed Dick to parties. Dick insisted that he be called Beaver, a joke that Veronica never understood before everyone laughed at her.
Veronica was tempted to read a newspaper, but Dr. Rosenberg adamantly told her not to read any newspapers. Instead, she'd better check out some personal items of hers to exercise her memory rather than being shocked when she found out some stories about her life. When she found out about Lilly's death, she couldn't comprehend it. She cried for days. But she still didn't know what happened – only realized that Lilly was gone. Her blood and bones were screaming at her to investigate this – what happened to her, why it happened to her, and did they found out who murdered her…? Would she ever get the bottom of this?
Veronica kept a diary – more like a dream journal. She didn't tell Dr. Rosenberg about it, she just felt like writing down her dreams and memories. Whenever she remembered some stuff, she would write it down.
Like a memory she had a few days ago: Duncan was carrying a baby…
She felt helpless and restless. She wanted to get to the bottom of this. She was impatient and wanted to know about everything. She had been cooped up for a very long time in this place. She wanted to get better and be normal again.
"Dad…?"
"Yes, honey?" Keith was visiting her; they were sitting in the garden having a picnic. They sat on a blanket with a picnic basket while Keith set up some plates and food.
"Where's mom?"
Keith paused for a bit, and Veronica could see that he was struggling to put his mask back on. He smiled at her and said, "She can't make it today, I'm sorry honey. Her friend in Arizona has cancer, so she has to go there…" He didn't lie – Lianne had a friend who lived in Arizona and she had cancer, but he didn't know his ex-wife's whereabouts. Veronica nodded. His excuse seemed plausible, but she couldn't help feeling… helpless knowing that the person who loved her most was lying to her.
"Say hi to her from me, will you? I miss her…" Veronica smiled and hugged her dad.
Keith wanted to cry. This was why he didn't want to visit his daughter. He couldn't face this kind of reality that his daughter did not remember her life.
Veronica was walking in the lobby when she caught sight of Gorya there. He spotted her too and smiled brightly. "Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked.
"Uh, I'm here to settle some business with the hospital and talk with Dr. Rosenberg to thank him."
"If I'm not wrong, your family is suing this facility." Veronica looked at him.
Gorya looked at her, smiling. "Well, my family is. I'm not. Dr. Rosenberg was really great with Valentina." He looked at her – she looked radiant today. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, I'm going to the mall and buy myself some soft pretzels." Veronica said in a serious tone, but her eyes were twinkling.
Gorya chuckled heartedly. "Well, I never thought of you as a food court girl."
"Hey, a girl needs to eat." She shrugged. She had her hair in a bun, and without realizing it, Gorya brushed some strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear. Veronica blinked at his touch, and immediately Gorya regretted his action. He watched as she blushed, stepped back, and then mumbled, "It's nice to see you. I'm gonna go back inside for my… session."
"Veronica…"
"I'll call you sometime." She turned around and walked away very fast. Her heart beat very fast. Why she was blushing and suddenly shy when Gorya touched her hair, yet she didn't feel anything when Mercer kissed her the other day?
Gorya stood there in the lobby like an idiot, watching Veronica retreat to the back of the facility. What the hell he was thinking?! He didn't think; he just had an urge to touch her face that was all.
"Mr. Sorokin." Gorya looked to the side and saw Dr. Rosenberg standing near the receptionist desk. He didn't know that the good doctor saw the interaction between him and Veronica – the doctor saw how the young man looked at her, and the doctor knew what kind of look that was. Dr. Rosenberg offered his hand, "How are you, Mr. Sorokin?"
"Hello, doctor. How are you?" He shook his hand.
Dr. Rosenberg gestured to the side, "I see you've met Miss Mars."
"Ah… yes. She looks… healthy." Gorya cleared his throat. "She was… Valentina's friend."
"Yes, she was." Dr. Rosenberg nodded. "And she's getting better. In no time, she could leave this facility as a healthy young woman."
"Really? That's… good news." Gorya thought the news was bittersweet. In one hand, it was good news that she could be normal and healthy again. In the other hand, she could avoid him because of his family. Her father was the sheriff in this town, and there was no way she would want to associate herself with him again. The thought rather scared him.
"It is." He saw a flicker of disappointment cross the young man's face. The doctor thought that if Veronica were healthy, she wouldn't want to associate herself with him anymore. He knew about the phone calls – he didn't know that Veronica called Gorya Sorokin all these times, but she let it slip one time in a session. "She could go back to her old self and be normal again." Gorya didn't reply – he had a faraway look on his face. "Shall we go to my office?"
"Are you ready for your next item, Veronica?"
Veronica was sitting on the couch during her session with Dr. Rosenberg the next day. She had her knees up to her chin and she had a strange look on her face. She looked at the doctor. "I'm not sure…"
"You've been talking about wanting to know about your life for quite some time. Why aren't you sure now?"
"I don't know… I'm afraid, I guess." She wrapped herself more tightly. "I mean, I want to know about my life. But I'm scared."
"Scared is normal, Veronica. If you're not ready, we can stop now."
"No…" She looked at her nails and then bit them. "I want to continue this."
"Remember, if you think you can't handle it, let me know and we can stop."
Veronica nodded and straightened herself. "I'm ready doc."
Dr. Rosenberg paused a little and breathed. This will be hard, he thought. He then put a little velvet box on the table. Veronica looked at the item with wide eyes. She looked at the doctor with a questioning look. Dr. Rosenberg nodded, urged her to open the box.
With a shaky hand, Veronica grabbed the velvet box slowly and then looked at it in the palm of her hand. She then opened it and her breath was taken.
It was a wedding band and a diamond ring, side by side. The wedding band obviously belonged to a man.
She took the small diamond ring and read the inscription: "To V. My Everything. D."
Veronica looked up to the doctor and whispered, "I'm married….?" Dr. Rosenberg didn't answer, just observed her. She looked at the ring again, examined it, and tears rolled off on her cheek. "I'm married to Duncan?" She sniffled. Dr. Rosenberg sat up straight and was about to answer when she whispered again. "Oh my God… I'm married to Duncan!"
"No, you're not married to Duncan. That I can tell you." Dr. Rosenberg hurriedly said.
Veronica frowned and wiped the tears away. "But the inscription says 'D'."
"Veronica, as always – you need to calm down. You can take the rings to your room and try to remember yourself. But I can't tell you about anything." Veronica looked at him in confusion. "What can you tell me about what you remember?"
"Nothing… I don't remember… anything. I don't remember marrying someone." She looked up to him. "There was an image of Duncan… carrying a baby." She bit her lip. "Is the baby mine?"
"No, Veronica. I can tell you that it's not your baby. But this is a progress that you remember small things."
"Please Doctor. I BEG YOU. Tell me what happened!"
"Veronica…" Dr. Rosenberg shook his head. She stood up, carrying the ring box, and hurriedly left the office, crying.
The next day, Veronica was sitting in the gazebo near the fence. She had a faraway look on her face. She had put the ring on, and it triggered some memories, but insignificant. Blurry faces with distorted voices filled her dreams. She stared at the wedding band and diamond ring.
Duncan would buy her the biggest diamond ring. But this small diamond ring… it was so warm and comforting. Veronica couldn't believe she married someone else besides Duncan, and this person… where was he? Why did he never visit? And where was Duncan? And the baby….
She was restless. She wanted to get to the bottom of this. One of the nurses had found her file and returned it to Dr. Rosenberg's office. She hadn't read the whole thing, and Dr. Rosenberg had already changed the locks on everything. He realized Veronica had started to gain her detective skills back, and he started to tighten the security. Veronica felt trapped because she wasn't able to snoop around anymore. For punishment, Veronica had to go to bed early and eat dinner in her room every day. Keith Mars was informed that Veronica broke into Dr. Rosenberg's office and stole her file, which made him realize that Veronica had started remembering things. This was good news but still a delicate situation. How would you tell an amnesiac patient that her husband was dead? The reason why she was in this place was her husband's death.
Veronica watched the garden from the gazebo and admired her ring on her finger. She smiled a little. Whoever married her must love her so much.
She was too occupied with the ring; she didn't see someone approach her. When the person was very close, she looked up and felt a shiver. Mercer was standing near her, looking very distraught. He was wearing a trucker hat, a hoodie jacket, and sunglasses – and even that couldn't cover his bruises. Veronica frowned to see his bruises. "Hey," He rasped. "How are you? You look great."
Veronica didn't answer at first, only sat there in the bench. She then asked him quietly, "What happened to you?"
Mercer just chuckled and shoved his hands into his jeans pocket. "Oh, this? I ran into a door. Clumsy me."
Veronica wasn't stupid. She knew bruises from a fight – at the sheriff's department she'd seen pictures of people after having fights. But she didn't say anything, only sighed. "I don't think you should be here, Mercer."
Mercer fidgeted. "Why not?"
"Because you're not allowed here." Veronica answered.
"You… you don't want me here anymore?" He asked quietly. "You don't want us to be friends again?"
"Were we ever friends, Mercer?" Veronica asked. "I don't remember you. How am I supposed to know that you aren't lying?"
"I'm not… lying." He lied. "We were together." He hurriedly pulled out his phone, and showed her a picture of them. "Here. This was taken a few years back. You can see the date. My… friend took the picture from his cell phone."
Veronica stared at a picture of her and Mercer.
The picture showed her sleeping in his arms, like in some kind of cabin. She seemed very deep in sleep in the picture. Mercer was holding her, his eyes were closed too. It was some sort of a romantic picture of them.
Veronica didn't remember that she was drugged heavily at the time, and Moe took the picture because Mercer ordered it. She frowned trying to remember about them being together. "Where were we?" She pointed to the picture.
"I told you before, it was a cabin. It was our…" Love nest. "…place to go when we were vacationing. Like I said, Veronica… I can take you there again. It will jog your memory." Veronica stared at him, trying to determine whether she could trust him or not. "Leave this place. Let's go. You've been stuck in this place without even gaining any memory. These doctors… they're trying to get your money. Do you even know who paid for this?"
Veronica looked away. "My dad, of course."
"From a sheriff's salary? I don't think so. I think it's Dick who pays for the whole thing. He's been a good friend and a brother to you. But you're not remembering anything after all this time" Mercer offered his hand to her. "Come with me. Tomorrow night. And you will remember everything. And you will never forget again. Let me help you, Veronica."
Veronica stared at his hand for a while, and then she took his hand and nodded. "Tomorrow night."
Veronica sat on the couch for her session. She was fidgeting and seemed nervous. Dr. Rosenberg noticed her behavior but didn't say anything until her legs hit the coffee table. "What's on your mind, Veronica?"
"How long have I been here, Doctor?
"A while."
"Why can't you tell me what happened? Just let it rip, like a bandage. Tell me everything, and I promise I won't snoop around."
Dr. Rosenberg pursed his lips. "We did, Veronica. We told you everything, once upon a time. And then you went… catatonic. And you didn't remember anything again. It's important for you to remember things on your own, progressively, and slowly." He looked at her. "But not by the way of snooping around and stealing files." Veronica scoffed and Dr. Rosenberg noted this behavior; Veronica was more and more impatient and a little bit of hard head. Keith already told him that Veronica was relentless, a very observant woman, and a good detective but impatient. She got in a lot of trouble because of that.
"If I were told you that somebody would tell me everything, what would you say?" She challenged him, and she had her arms folded.
Dr. Rosenberg frowned, "I would advise this person not to do it. There's a risk factor of you becoming..." He cleared his throat. "You know…"
"Is that the reason why my dad, Dick, and everyone else tip-toes around whenever they talk to me?" Veronica's voice quivered. "I feel like I'm being lied to day after day after day."
"Veronica…"
She stood up and said in a determined voice. "Someone is going to tell me everything. And I'M NOT going to forget."
"Are you talking about Mr. Sorokin, Veronica?" Dr. Rosenberg asked in a normal tone. "I noticed that you've been talking to him a lot."
Veronica paused and frowned. "No." She shrugged. "Even if I asked, he would never tell me."
"What's your relationship with him?"
Veronica's looked upward and seemed angry or confused. "There's no relationship. I just need to talk to him, that's all. He was Valentina's cousin, and we share things."
"Like what?"
"Stupid things!" She groaned. "Things like the weather, the food… and how much I hate this place!" She said emotionally. Dr. Rosenberg nodded and wrote down some notes. "Besides, it's not him I'm talking about…"
"Who are you referring to then?"
She looked away and seemed sad. "Nobody." She was really frustrated with the whole thing; that she was being… held in this place. She knew it was for her own good, but she felt hopeless and suffocated. She felt a déjà vu, as if she was being forced to talk about her feelings in school or something.
She blinked her eyes… She felt like the school counselor asked her to talk about Lilly's death…
It's not you; it's the talking.
She cleared her throat and said slowly, "I'm scared if I remember things… I won't like it. I mean, there's a reason why I don't remember things, right? There are some questions that need some answers." She sat back again and pleaded to the doctor. "Please doctor. What's going to happen to me?"
"Either you remember things, accept them as part of your life, and then move on… or you don't remember anything, and we're back to square one." The good doctor answered truthfully. "This is why you need to take it slowly. There's no instant cure here." He sighed.
"Or there's no cure at all… Like what happened to Valentina." She said tersely.
Dr. Rosenberg sighed heavily. "Her case was different, Veronica. And I know you're a strong, brave, and smart woman. You will get through this. Slowly, but surely."
"It's not that. It's the talking. I can't sit here, talk about my feelings, and hope that I will remember. I need to do something."
"Like what?"
"I. Don't. Know." She exhaled and murmured. "But I can't just sit here." She was thinking hard about Mercer's offer.
It was around midnight in the facility; everyone was asleep except for some night guards and night nurses. Veronica knew their schedule by heart; she observed and even took their pictures. She knew their habits, their quirks, and their breaks. Every hour, the nurses would check the patients in their rooms. Some patients refused to sleep and ate some contraband such as chocolates their families brought. Veronica decided that she would go with Mercer. It would be hard to sneak out especially with the cameras down the hall. But Veronica didn't want to sneak around where the cameras could see her. She would go out of the window in her room. She would climb down the pipe along the building and then walk across the garden towards the fence where Mercer would wait. There were no cameras there; Mercer managed to sneak in so many times. Veronica pretended to sleep when one of the nurses slowly opened the door of her room and checked on her. When she walked out, Veronica listened to her footsteps. When she was sure that the nurse was gone, she had one hour to haul her ass out of this place. She climbed off her bed; she already wore her jeans and her hoodie sweater. She then grabbed a letter opener she stole from the doctor's office and went to the window. Hard case patients had bars on their windows, but Veronica lived in a more unrestricted part of the wing of the facility. The window of her room was just a glass window with wood panel sealed only by putty. Veronica used the letter opener to scrape the putty off the window. It took her around half an hour to scrape the putty, and as she tried to remove the glass, she accidentally pushed the glass window. Veronica watched in horror as the glass fell down the second floor and on top of the bushes. She looked down; the glass window was still intact. She sighed in relief. Using her bed sheet, she tied it to a foot of the table and threw it outside. Carefully, she climbed down. Luckily, she was petite and light because she heard the sheet rip and hurriedly climbed down.
As she landed safely next to the bushes where the glass window landed, she only muttered, "I'm sorry, daddy."
Veronica looked around the perimeter. It was a really nice facility – one would never guess that the villa mansion was actually a hospital. Security was minimal here, unlike other sanatoriums. But after what happened tonight, she guessed that they would double up the security. She walked briskly towards the fence near the gazebo, carefully climbed the fence, and arrived near the corner of the parking lot. She whistled and waited.
Mercer appeared from the shadow, and it made Veronica uncomfortable. He smiled at her and hugged her tight. "You're here."
She pushed him away and took a step back. "I just want to know what happened to me. And if this means I have to go to this cabin, I will do it."
"Did you… tell anyone about this?"
"Yes." Veronica stared at Mercer, who visibly paled all of a sudden. "I told Dr. Rosenberg about this." She lied. "So don't try anything stupid."
Mercer looked around worriedly, "W-what did he say?"
"He said you shouldn't tell me anything..." Veronica said shortly.
Mercer pondered a little. If Veronica told her doctor, there was no way that they would still be talking in the middle of the night like this. Sheriff Mars would have already arrested his ass by now.
Veronica was bluffing.
Mercer would play along too – after all, he liked to play games. And he also liked a challenge. Veronica was his challenge.
Mercer nodded. "I won't lie to you, Veronica. I promise."
They both climbed into his car – a dark SUV - Veronica couldn't read the license plate because it was covered with mud. When they drove away, she looked outside the window and saw the mansion. She felt a pang in her heart – that place had been a home for her for a while, but just recently she discovered that part of her life was missing. She needed to get to the bottom of this.
Mars Residence
Keith received the phone call from Thalassa mental institute around 3 AM.
He was asleep and groggily answered his cell phone. At first, he couldn't comprehend what the other person said, but he heard something about 'Your daughter', 'Veronica' and 'Missing' and he immediately sat upright and almost fell off his bed.
This was the stuff of nightmares.
Your amnesiac daughter who almost killed herself because she was so depressed had just escaped from the mental hospital and was missing.
Alicia called Wallace, Wallace called Dick, Dick called Mac, Mac called Weevil, and Weevil called his friends to spread the news. They needed to find her.
Keith arrived at Thalassa feeling his heart was in his throat. His daughter was missing again… something a parent would never want to experience …. and yet, it had happened again. Keith wanted to cry – these things shouldn't happen to them. But they always happened…
When Valentina Sorokin killed herself, and he went there to investigate, he saw how devastated his daughter was. It was Lilly Kane all over again. He wondered whether that was the reason she escaped, because she couldn't handle her death?
He and his deputies were interviewing the guards, the nurses, the orderlies, the doctors, and nobody had seen anything. He investigated Veronica's room, and felt a sense of pride and fear that his daughter regained her knack of jumping into dangerous situations. He saw the glass window on the ground and saw the bed sheet. She wasn't kidnapped, but she wouldn't get too far if she ran away by herself. It was later when he viewed the recording from the security camera that he learned Veronica met someone at the parking lot and drove away in the middle of the night.
Veronica met a stranger, and this stranger was now with Veronica.
Keith thoroughly interrogated the staff, until he found one of the orderlies named Marty who acted suspicious. Marty had been working for a short time, and without preamble, Keith managed to scare the shit out of him. Marty told Keith about a man who was interested in Veronica and paid him1000 Dollars to sneak onto the grounds. Marty didn't know his name, but he was handsome and rich. When Keith asked Marty to describe the man who had been sneaking into the facility to the sketch artist, he obliged.
The hair of Keith's neck stood up when he saw the rough sketch.
It was Mercer.
Sorokin Mansion
Gorya watched the morning news and saw Veronica was missing. Moreover, there was a picture of Mercer Hayes being featured as a kidnapper.
He immediately called Boris.
Hayes Residence
Judge Francesco Hayes opened the door and found Keith Mars with his deputies standing in front of his porch. The Sheriff didn't waste any time; he shoved a warrant onto the judge's chest, forced himself into the house, and ordered a search for anything that could help them find Veronica. Mrs. Hayes was crying in the kitchen while she watched the police ransack their house. Frank Hayes didn't bother to keep her calm; he was arguing with Keith Mars and threatening his job. Keith never backed down from a threat. He pushed the judge and forced himself to sit down. He then said him in a low voice. "I'd rather lose my job than lose my daughter again in the hands of your son. If he touches her again, I will kill him. Do you understand me, JUDGE?"
"Your daughter must be stupid to even go with my son again! I think she just begged to get raped again!"
Keith punched Frank hard. "My daughter is not in her right mind right now. She'll believe anything that weasel told her. I WANT HER BACK, Hayes! I want my strong, brave daughter back!" He punched him several times until Leo and the other deputies pulled him off the judge.
"KEITH!"
Frank Hayes was bloody and angry and he screamed, "YOU'RE FINISHED!"
Keith punched him for the last time.
Deputy Sacks found pictures of Veronica hidden in Mercer's closet – hundreds of them. It was some sort of shrine for her. Mrs. Hayes cried and fainted when she saw her son's room. Mercer didn't wear an ankle monitor because Frank managed to make a deal so his son didn't wear it. Keith tried to find his car, but he didn't use it, so no GPS that could show his whereabouts.
There was only one place that Mercer could take her: The cabin.
Cabin In The Middle of Nowhere
Sheriff Keith Mars, the SWAT Team, and the state police state surrounded the cabin. Keith gave the signal so they could approach the cabin silently. They would take this situation as a hostage situation. A few years ago, a gunfight happened here, led by Sheriff Lamb. Keith didn't want that to happen again, so they needed to have an element of surprise.
The SWAT team was already in their places and aimed their sniper rifles at the cabin. The state police and the Sheriff's Deputies were already in their positions. The SWAT team leader talked to Keith with his walkie-talkie, "Sheriff – we're ready. There's no life sign anywhere on the thermostat camera. What should we do? Should we wait for the Feds?"
"Wait for my signal." Keith paused. "On three." Keith gestured with his fingers, and counted to three. The SWAT team, who carried a large battering ram, swung the enforcer to breach the cabin door. The door broke opened, and the SWAT team charged inside with their weapons and flashlights. The cabin was dark and the windows were boarded. Members of the team searched every room and closet and even the outside perimeter.
Keith walked in expecting his daughter to be found when the SWAT team leader approached him and said the dreaded words, "They're not here. The cabin is empty."
Keith saw the cabin was dusty and full of spider webs – it seemed nobody had lived in this place for years. He felt so weak all of a sudden. His daughter was missing with that monster, and this nightmare continued…
Veronica was walking alone in the woods. There were voices – whispers in the dark. She was not afraid and yet at the same time, she was. The whispers were getting louder. She could hear it now; someone was saying her name over and over again.
Veronica… Veronica…
It was dark time in the woods, and she could see a full moon. She could hear the trees moving because of the wind. She could hear owls hooting.
She heard a twig snap, and she looked towards the sound.
Lilly was there. She looked at her sadly.
"Don't go, Veronica… Don't go."
Veronica replied to her. "I need to know what happened to me."
"You know that he cannot be trusted."
"He said that he's going to help me…"
"No, Veronica… No." Lilly walked towards her. She gave Veronica a sad smile. "I can't follow you anymore if you go down the rabbit hole."
Rabbit hole… Don used to say those things…
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying… if you don't turn around and go home, I can't see you anymore."
"Lilly… I need to know this."
"I love you, Veronica. But this is goodbye… you know what happens next."
"What happens next…?"
"Everything changes."
Veronica watched as Lilly walked back into the woods. She wanted to stop her, but she couldn't. "Lilly… please don't leave me."
"Veronica?"
Veronica snapped her eyes open and realized that she was in the car with Mercer. "Where are we?"
"We're here. This is my cabin." Mercer said.
The Middle of Nowhere II
They had been driving all night, only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. When they finally arrived at their destination, it was already morning. They were definitely not in Neptune – all Veronica could see were hills and a lake. They didn't talk much in the car. Veronica didn't ask much about anything. She seemed… sad during their trip; Mercer noticed. Usually she would ask about anything, talking about everything. But she was silent most of the time. She didn't even bother to turn on the radio to listen for the news. Mercer knew that everyone was looking for them; he was afraid that she would do something, like fighting, and he had drugged her. She didn't do any of those things. She only sat in the car, watched the view, and fell asleep. When she woke up, her stare seemed empty.
"We're here." Mercer stopped the car in front of a log cabin near a lake. Veronica saw the cabin and the lake behind it. The view was breathtaking.
"We used to go here?" Veronica asked Mercer.
"Yep. We would go swimming and make bonfires." Mercer turned off the ignition and looked at her. "I really want you to remember things, Veronica. I want everything to get back to normal." Veronica was going to say something. "If you're going to call your dad and let him know that you're alright, be my guest. But I think it's better that we're doing this alone first, so you won't get distracted."
Veronica looked at him with an unreadable look. They didn't say anything for a while, and finally Veronica said, "I need to go to the bathroom."
They both climbed out of the car and approached the cabin. It was a nice small house made of bricks and wood. A path made of stones and some cute flower pots ran off from house. Mercer unlocked the door and walked in. Veronica could see that the cabin had a fireplace, a comfortable sofa right in front of the fireplace, a large rug made of fur with scattered pillows, a kitchen, a table, a working refrigerator, and a large bed. On the ceiling was a fan. Mercer pointed to the bathroom and Veronica gave him a small smile.
"I'll make us something. I'm hungry, we haven't had breakfast yet." Mercer called out. Veronica didn't answer from the bathroom. Mercer then went to the kitchen to make some sandwiches. He had already stuffed the fridge with food. For the past couple of weeks, he had been driving back and forth between Neptune and this place. He was using a regular car without GPS so people wouldn't be able to trace him. He bought a new disposable cell phone so nobody could trace it. He didn't have any radio, computer, land line, or television. This place was in the middle of nowhere. The closest town was probably an hour drive.
After he got out of prison, Mercer bought this cabin off the black market. It was funny how much stuff he could find on the black market –house, car, cell phone, you name it. Mercer also purchased many sex toys from the black market. He really didn't want to order them online because he was on parole. His old cabin was abandoned and he needed a new place to be his love nest. He brought a few girls here, to test the place. But he got bored easily because most of the girls hated the place – there was no entertainment whatsoever. He already checked the place, and it was really quiet. Some of the girls screamed loudly while they were having sex and nobody came over. He bought the place under a fake name- Smith. It was hard to trace – he'd learned his lesson.
So far so good – Veronica seemed quiet during the journey as if she was thinking hard.
No matter. This was his last chance to be with her again. And if – no, when - the Sheriff and the rest of the law enforcement arrested him, he had nothing to lose. Mercer looked at the bathroom door. They would have to walk over his dead body if they ever caught him….and he would bring her too.
It would be like Romeo and Juliet.
Veronica took a very long time in the bathroom. Mercer knocked on the door quietly and asked, "Veronica…? Are you okay in there?"
There was a pause, and she answered. "Yes."
"Well, I prepared some breakfast. You haven't eaten anything, right? After breakfast we can have a walk near the lake."
Another pause and then an answer, "Okay."
Mercer nodded slowly. He didn't understand her – she was awfully quiet during the trip. He was worried that she had second thoughts about this, and it would be hard for him to pull off the charade that they were lovers once.
Mercer ate his breakfast alone, watched the bathroom door, waited for her to emerge.
Mercer knocked on the bathroom door again. "Veronica? Are you okay? Your food is getting cold." There was no answer, and he jiggled the door handle. The door was a bit old, so Mercer managed to push it open, and he walked in to find Veronica asleep on the toilet seat.
Mercer walked in and picked her up. He walked into the room and gently placed her on the bed. He managed to touch her breast while he stood up. He watched her sleep with mixed feelings; he wanted to do this right – he wanted to bury his cock inside her, like he did years ago, and feel powerful again. But this… quiet Veronica…. wasn't the one he was looking for. He wanted a fight. He wanted a feisty and screaming Veronica. He wanted a challenge.
Seeing her sleep like this – this was too easy.
He dipped his head down and licked her cheek. Veronica only muttered a bit and moved away from him, sighed, and then continued her sleep.
Mercer pondered whether he should hit and slap her a little bit, so she would fight him. But the long drive and breakfast made him a bit sleepy and too tired to do anything. He yawned, started to unbuckle his belt, and then took off his watch and shoes. He took her shoes off her feet, climbed onto bed, and snuggled behind her, where he fell asleep immediately.
Road to the Middle of Nowhere II
"For a smart girl, this is a very stupid thing to do."
Boris looked sideways from his passenger seat towards the driver seat. His boss, Gorya was driving. Boris was holding a tracking device, a huge army-like laptop, and a monitor with a blinking red dot. He even had a road map and some papers scattered around. He looked behind and a car was following them – it was the other bodyguards. Gorya's loyal guards.
"Don't say that." Gorya muttered. "I knew this would happen."
"Yeah, how's that possible anyway? She doesn't know you very well, and you only talked on the phone." Boris pointed the road ahead. "Turn right after exit sign."
Gorya was wearing dark sunglasses, so Boris couldn't see his eyes. But he knew that Gorya was very determined. He wanted to drive the car himself so he could focus, and leave the navigation work to Boris.
"I knew her work before she lost her memory – she was a private investigator, a legit one. She was only what, nineteen at the time? Super intelligent, a really hot head, and plain hot. Not to mention holding a grudge. She came up to me, asking for a gun. Probably to kill that Mercer guy."
"The guy who raped her and held her for hostage?" Boris asked.
"Yes. Few days before his sentence, she asked for a gun, and I gave it to her. For some reason she didn't do anything. I think she threw away the gun."
"You just gave the gun? Just like that? Are you crazy!?" Boris exclaimed. "What if she did kill the guy and the cops traced the gun back to you?"
"I knew what I was doing, Boris. She needed vengeance. She deserved it."
"I don't care what she needed; you messed around with something that was not your business!"
Gorya didn't say anything, just quietly drove. But Boris could see his jaws moving as he tried to hold his temper. After a while not saying anything, Gorya said, "You know my stance about this kind of particular problem. I hate rapists."
"What happened to Valentina…"
"This is where I say to you …. stop talking Boris, before you regret anything," Gorya said quietly. Boris stopped talking then. Gorya might be his friend, but he was still his boss; Boris was Gorya's enforcer slash bodyguard. "Anyway, for the past few weeks before she went missing this morning, I've been talking to her on the phone. She seemed to gain some of her memory, but she didn't realize it. And I knew right then and there that there was a possibility that she would run away. Because she talked about how much she hated that place. And she mentioned how much she wanted to run away and never look back." Gorya exhaled and grabbed the steering wheel harder. "She talked exactly like Valentina."
"What do you mean?"
"This was way before you started working with us. Valentina was still a teenager when she ran away from a psychiatric facility. She did it several times before she was transferred to Thalassa." He shrugged. "I knew that Veronica might do the same thing, so I put a tracking device on her watch."
Boris looked at the GPS where they were going. It seemed Veronica was driving all night to this place that they were heading. "How the hell did you bug her watch?"
"I visited the place…." Gorya said and remembered what happened.
Thalassa, flashback
Gorya walked into the garden. He finished his business with Dr. Rosenberg, and now he looked for Veronica. He knew that she was usually in the garden so he went there. He didn't want to scare her off after he showed her a display of affection this afternoon.
Stupid, stupid Gory! Why did you do that you, you asshole? You're her friend, and now she's scared because you can't keep your hands off of her!
But he couldn't help it. Her damn hair was in the way of her beautiful face and his hand automatically brushed it off. His fingertips burned when they touched her skin. And he liked it. He liked it very much, until he saw confusion and fear in her eyes. He needed to straightened things up with Veronica. No matter what, he needed to convince her that he was her friend. And he meant it. He really liked her and if his affection was more romantic than hers, he was still her friend.
And as her friend, he knew that Veronica would somehow do something drastic to investigate. He didn't know her personally, but in their conversations over the phone, she opened up to him about stuff… he felt connected to her. For an amnesiac patient, she was pretty clear, strong, and really witty. How many times did she make him laugh over the phone? So, he brought a tracking device with him, just in case she did something that she might regret.
Valentina lost her life because he didn't keep tabs on her. Call it over-protectiveness, but it was within reason. Her own family abandoned her. But not Gorya – he cared a lot for Valentina. And now, he really cared a lot about Veronica. Veronica was not Valentina – she was so much more. She was… something else. And he would protect her no matter what… even when she regained her memory and probably would never want to see him again. In the meantime, he would protect her as best as he could.
Gorya found her sitting under a tree, reading a book. Veronica looked up and saw him; her eyes immediately widened. She smiled awkwardly but she couldn't look at him in the eyes, and she was blushing. She looked adorable and his heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, how – how was the meeting with Dr. Rosenberg?" She closed the book and pulled it close to her chest.
Gorya smiled and nodded. He put his hands in his pockets. "It went well. We talked about a lot of things, especially about Valentina." He looked around the area. It was a sunny day with a breeze of wind. Gorya could imagine Valentina spent her time here just being happy. "I miss her."
Veronica looked at him with pity. Gorya was wearing a button down shirt and jeans with an expensive watch and carrying a cell phone. "Will you sit next to me?" She asked quietly. Gorya looked at her, surprised, but nodded. He sat next to her under the tree. Their shoulders touched, but they didn't mind. For a while, they just sat there, enjoying the weather.
"I'm an asshole." He blurted. Veronica looked at him, surprised. "I'm sorry."
"W – What do you mean?"
"Look, Veronica… I'm your friend. And I care about you a lot. And… maybe I like you… more than friends." Gorya looked down. Veronica couldn't say anything; she just stared at him. "And if I somehow make you uncomfortable… I won't… I won't bother you anymore."
Veronica sighed and actually scooted closer to him. Gorya could smell her coconut scented hair. "You're not bothering me…" Her body felt warm, and he didn't want to move, even to hug her sideways. "Thank you for all the talks…"
"You're welcome…" He inhaled her scent.
"I used to talk with Valentina a lot… I miss her so much." Her lips quivered. "And I just found out that my best friend Lilly actually died a decade ago when we were in high school. A decade ago…" She buried her face into his upper arm and sniffled. "She died a long time ago, and I don't remember about it." She fiddled with her necklace around her neck. "I want to remember, Gory. I want to remember everything. I don't care if it hurts."
"You will remember, Veronica…" He finally wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. She cried silently into his chest. "I know you will."
Will you still want to talk to me afterwards?
They let go after a while, and they looked at each other. They were so close and Gorya could hear his own heartbeat and Veronica could feel all the blood came rushing to her ears. They were only a few inches apart; he looked down at her lips and wanted to kiss her. But he felt this was not right. As much he wanted to kiss her, he wanted her to like him back first. Not because she was confused like this. It was weird to behave like this. Gorya knew that he was an asshole – he treated women poorly. He was the mob. He hurt people on a daily basis. Just yesterday, he punched a guy for looking at him funny. He fucked around and never looked back at whom he hurt.
But Veronica...
So he closed his eyes, and touched his forehead onto hers. She closed her eyes too as their foreheads touched. They didn't say anything, only breathed slowly and their noses touched. They didn't kiss, even when they wanted to.
Gorya let her go, reluctantly, as he pulled out something from his pocket. It was a watch, and he put it on her wrist. Veronica looked at him, confused. "What's this?"
"I want you to do something for me, Veronica." He said quietly. "I can't explain to you, but I know in my heart that someday you will do something that you might regret."
"What…?"
"Don't ask me how I know, but I just…" He exhaled. "Promise me that you will wear this all the time. Never take it off. If you're going to do something, remember this…" He held her shoulder. "Look at this watch, and remember that you want to get cured and remember your life. If you think you're going to do something you might regret…." He pointed to a button on the watch. "Press this. You hear me?"
"And it will do what?"
He looked at her. "It will do nothing. But it will remind you that you don't need to do something drastic. This button reminds you that you have people who care about you, like your family. And me." Veronica had tears in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. "I wish Valentina had this watch, so she could press it and…" He swallowed and tried to compose himself.
Veronica looked at him. "You're afraid that I might kill myself?" Gorya didn't answer but he brushed strands of hair from her face. This time, she didn't mind. "I won't do anything, Gory…" She said quietly. "I won't."
"Promise me." Gorya demanded quietly. She didn't answer, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Gorya closed his eyes and hugged her back tightly.
"I promise."
When Gorya bid her goodbye, he kissed her forehead and then left. He didn't look back, because he didn't want to see her crying.
Two days later, she went missing from the facility.
And few hours after he called Boris to look for her, the tracking device was on. Veronica must've pressed the button on the watch.
Road to the Middle of Nowhere II
"How long until we get there?" Gorya asked Boris.
Boris looked at his watch. "Probably few hours. We're outside the state now." Gorya nodded and kept his eyes on the road. "Let me ask you something… her father is the sheriff, right?"
"Yeah."
"How come you didn't tell him about this tracking device?"
Gorya pursed his lips. "I really don't want to involve the sheriff department when I'm finished with the guy."
"Gory…"
"You'd think her father would thank me that I basically bugged his daughter?"
"Well, if it can save his daughter's life, YEAH!"
Gorya shook his head violently. "Seriously, Boris. He'll thank me first, and then shoot me. And then papa will kill me. Let's just… keep this between us. I'll think about stuff later. Let's get her first."
Boris exhaled and muttered in Russian. Gorya caught his mutter, but decided not to say anything because his mind was preoccupied with Veronica.
Cabin In The Middle of Nowhere II
Veronica opened her eyes and saw a fan on the wooden ceiling spinning quietly. She realized where she was as the noon sun shone brightly from the windows into her eyes. She sat up slowly and looked down at Mercer's hand on her stomach. He was sleeping next to her and snored quietly. She stared at him for a while, removed his hand from her and then she climbed down from the bed.
She approached a window and saw the beautiful lake and mountain vista outside.
For a moment, she was lost in her own thoughts.
She looked at her watch that Gorya gave to her. She had pressed the button while she was in the bathroom. She was contemplating something…. and then she decided to press the button.
She cried in the bathroom.
It was something she saw in the bathroom's mirror.
She remembered everything.
She saw bruises on her face for a flash of a second, and it brought back a tidal wave of memory. Slides after slides came back into her brain until finally she remembered everything. It was ironic that it only took a glimpse of the bathroom mirror in a cabin that made her remember everything.
It was overwhelming and she cried without a sound. She wanted to throw up, but she couldn't because she hadn't eaten anything yet although she felt bile in her throat. It was very traumatizing; she fainted.
She had a dream.
Lilly was smiling sadly at her. She said, "This is where I leave. I won't be seeing you anymore."
"Don't leave me, Lilly… Please." She begged to her dead best friend.
"Veronica Mars… you're going to do something you'll regret. And I can't stop you. I mean, I'm dead." Lilly shrugged. "I wish things would go differently."
"Tell me what to do…"
"It's always your choice, Veronica… You can go down the rabbit hole… but you can never get out." Lilly kissed her forehead.
"He hurt me. He ruined everything." Veronica rasped.
Lilly didn't answer, she smiled sadly and then she vanished.
Forever.
Veronica knew in her heart that she would never see Lilly again. And part of her seemed to die. Or maybe she had been dead for a while now ever since Mercer took away her soul and dignity, and then stripped away every little piece of her.
When she woke up and remembered everything, it was the worst feeling she ever had.
Be careful what you wish for. You wanted to remember everything. And now you can. What are you going to do, Veronica?
She remembered Don – how he died and left a massive hole in her heart that triggered losing her memory. Don wasn't the reason; he was the catalyst after everything she had been through. She lost everyone she loved dearly –Lilly, Logan, Duncan, Meg, her mother, Don….
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Veronica. You are not a victim anymore.
She looked at the sleeping form on the bed. She remembered the yelling, the hitting, the fucking, the rapes, the ropes, the sex toys, the humiliation, the near death experience… Veronica remembered how Mercer used to take her to the lake behind the old cabin and dunk her head into the water, and sometimes hold her head in the water longer than necessary. He took pleasure seeing her suffer. He enjoyed hearing her cry and beg. When she lost consciousness, he would rape her and then… who knows what he did to her.
Veronica walked towards the bed and watched Mercer who slept peacefully.
She watched the features of the monster that made her life a living hell. He didn't look like a monster – he was handsome, normal, someone's son, a judge's son…. But the devil was a fallen angel… The line between monster, animal, and human being was a blur. The line between justice and vengeance was also a blur.
When Veronica agreed to come with Mercer, she was desperate to find out about her life. She wanted to know what she was missing. She wanted to know why her father, her friends, her family were lying to her… Veronica regretted the whole thing. She should've stayed in the dark.
She climbed onto the bed and straddled Mercer.
Mercer woke up when he felt a weight on him and saw Veronica on top of him. He immediately smiled. "Hey… what are you doing?"
Veronica smiled. "I think I remember some stuff here. I remember that we used to… you know."
Mercer grinned and sat up, holding her. "What do you remember?"
"Not much… But it seems that we were… close." She said. Mercer touched her cheek and kissed her lips. Veronica closed her eyes. She wanted to gag.
"Is that so?" Mercer murmured. "I'm glad you think that, because this would be easy."
"What do you mean?"
Mercer looked at her and rubbed her upper arms. "Nothing. Have you eaten?"
"We've been on the road for several hours, and then we went to sleep. So no. I am starving."
They went to the kitchen and Veronica started to check the refrigerator. She didn't want to eat the sandwich Mercer made. She put some vegetables on a cutting board and started to rummage the kitchen drawers.
"What are you looking for?" Asked Mercer.
"Kitchen knife." She answered shortly. Mercer walked behind her, kissed her head, and then pulled a drawer and took a plastic knife. Veronica frowned to see the plastic knife. "What's this?"
"Kitchen knife," Mercer shrugged.
"This is a plastic knife."
"Yeah, but it's awesome. It can cut veggies and meat, but it won't cut you or anything. Even kids can use it." Mercer showed her by slicing his arm several times with the plastic knife, and nothing happened. "Safety first." Veronica smiled and took the knife, and started to cut some vegetables. Mercer watched her and then spoke quietly. "I love you."
Veronica stopped cutting and turned around. Mercer stared at her with emotions flashed on his face. "What did you say?"
"I said I love you." Mercer nodded. "I think you and I should be together."
Veronica felt anger surface in her chest but she composed herself. "You're crazy."
"I'm not. Please don't call me crazy." He said quietly. "Many people call me that. But I'm not."
Mercer could see that there was a fire in her eyes – and it confirmed his suspicion that she remembered. He didn't know why she didn't say anything, but whatever her reason was, he didn't care. She exhaled loudly and put the plastic knife on the kitchen counter. "What do you expect me to say to you?"
"Nothing." He shrugged. "I just want to point out the obvious thing. I love you. And I'm not crazy." He pulled out his cell phone and gave it to Veronica. "I think you should call your dad and tell him that you're alright."
"You want me to call my dad."
"Of course. We don't want him to worry, right?" He stared at Veronica. Veronica looked at the cell phone and took it. She pressed the numbers, but she saw that there was no signal. She looked at Mercer with hatred. "Oops. It seems there's no signal in the area."
"You son of a bitch."
"There she is…" Mercer smirked. "I knew it." He walked towards the door and locked it. He turned around and Veronica gritted her teeth. "How long?" He referred to her memory.
"When we arrived here. When I was in the bathroom."
Mercer nodded and walked towards a closet and opened it. He took out a rope and furry handcuffs. "You were planning to stab me with that knife? You think I'm so stupid I would have a real knife and even a pan so you can hit me?"
"Did you know that I almost killed you a few years ago?" Veronica asked in a cold tone.
That gave him pause. He frowned and looked at her. "No, I did not know that."
"Outside the courthouse when you were sentenced." She pointed a finger gun towards him. "I could've shot you right then and there. But I didn't. "She glared at him. "Five years, Mercer. Five fucking years for kidnapping and rapes! You raped those girls, including Parker! And then you kidnapped me, helped by Moe. And then you managed to do those horrible things to me." Her voice was full of emotion. "FIVE YEARS and they let you off the hook!"
"I KNOW! Isn't it great if you have a judge as a father!?" Mercer exclaimed. "I mean, I can't go to the clubs anymore and I have to get a job – square job nonetheless. I mean, REALLY!" He laughed and twirled the handcuffs with his finger. "Life is DULL, Veronica. Well, it was until I met you. My God, blondie… you really set my cock on fire." Veronica grabbed the plastic knife and pointed it at him. Mercer laughed and shook his head. "That's a compliment, baby. You should be glad."
"I'd rather eat shit."
"That can be arranged." Mercer shook his head. "I can't believe you actually believed me when you were amnesiac. Were you this naïve when you were younger? If we were in the same high school, I would probably date you easily. You must have been the most gullible girl in high school."
"I'm not in high school anymore."
"Damn right. Remember those boring stories you told me about Lilly, Duncan, Logan, and how the four of you were the Fab-four and you were in love with Duncan?" He chuckled. "I can imagine what you were like in high school. All blonde and pink." He approached her slowly, and Veronica backed away. She still had the knife pointed at him. Mercer ignored the knife, knowing it wouldn't hurt him. "I think I would be interested in your friend, Lilly Kane. She's my type – you know, a whore." Veronica held her breath when she heard him saying that. "Parker was a whore too. They were easy so it wasn't a challenge anymore …." He looked at her like a predator. "But you…" He licked his lips. "My God, you are something else."
"Stay away from me."
"Or what? You came here voluntarily." He clucked his tongue. "Rather obtuse, I might say. But you weren't in your right mind." He shrugged. "Isn't it great that those doctors were trying to bring your memory back – but you and me, we clicked instantly? And presto! Your memory is back again!" He laughed. "I should get a doctor degree or something."
Veronica breathed hard – she was still pointing the knife to him. "They will find you: the cops, the feds, my DAD… and when he does, he's going to kill you."
"I don't doubt that." Mercer had a strange look on his face. He was still twirling the cuffs and looking at Veronica with intensity in his eyes.
"Did you hear me? My dad will kill you."
"I heard you loud and clear." He stopped twirling the cuffs. "You think I'm going to hide in this place forever with you as my sex slave?" He scoffed. "That would be repetitive, right?"
Veronica widened her eyes in horror. "What are you planning to do?" She whispered.
Mercer looked out the window and saw the sun was bright and smiled. "Have I told you about my dad? And what an asshole he is?"
Road to the Middle of Nowhere II
Gorya was driving above the speed limit but not too fast just in case a police patrol appeared to pull him over. Boris was tapping his fingers on the window glass and watching the view outside the car. He could see mountains and pine trees then grimaced. He preferred beaches instead of hills. He looked at his boss and said, "Can I ask you something?"
Gorya glanced at him but didn't take his eyes off from the road. "What?"
"Why her?"
"Huh?"
"Why her? I mean…." Boris gestured with his hand. "WHY. Her?"
Gorya frowned. "I don't know."
"I know she's pretty…"
"This has nothing to do with it."
"Then what is it?"
"I just…" Gorya pursed his lips. "I care a lot about her."
"Is it because Valentina? Is it because she was her friend?"
Gorya shook his head. "I knew her before she met Valentina. We were in college together." He chuckled a bit. "You should've seen her years ago. She was… I don't know, what's the word… BADASS." He smiled with the memory. "One time she tased these bunch of guys because they were attacking her friend, Dick. This tiny blonde feisty girl just strolled over them in the cafeteria and tased each and every one of them."
"Wow."
"And then she was dating this guy, you see – this stupid hipster with floppy hair named Piss or something – and these assholes were making fun of her because there was a sex video of her being spread around…." He looked guilty all of a sudden. He cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, the Piss dude didn't want to do anything. Didn't say a word, didn't defend her – that wuss – and she went berserk. She tased them, and she broke up with the guy right then and there in the campus cafeteria." He smiled proudly. "She was arrested the next day by her own father because she was using an assault weapon but she was released afterwards when her Mexican friend threatened the guys not to press charges. Since then nobody wanted to mess around with her."
"You witnessed this?"
"Yep. That was really great." He smirked. "She looked like Helen Slater from the Legend of Billie Jean. Especially with the short hair – she had cut her hair after high school. She kicked their asses."
Boris nodded. "You fell in love with her."
Gorya's look suddenly turned dark. "I don't know… that was a long time ago. I didn't think of her again until I met her in the mental institute. I saw her talking to Valentina, and she didn't remember me at all." Boris noted that he looked sad. "And then Valentina died, and she was the only one who…" He shrugged. "I don't know why I care about her. It just is…"
"I've never seen you like this, Gory." Boris said.
"Don't worry about it, man. Just… check the monitor, are we there yet?"
Boris looked at the device. "Not long. By the way, how the hell did you get this stuff? These are… complicated. I mean, tracking device that can be tracked anywhere?"
"An ex-CIA agent gave it to me."
"What?"
"It's spy stuff – I don't even know. But he gave it to me because he owed me. He's dead now, so let's drop it. The point is we can track Veronica from Satellite anywhere on this planet." Gorya wouldn't tell Boris where he got the gadgets.
"Far out." Boris saw a dot blinking on the monitor. "We're getting closer."
Cabin In The Middle of Nowhere II
Veronica couldn't stand it anymore. She screamed to Mercer, "For fuck's sake, Mercer! You are fucking insane! And I was the one in the mental institute?!" Mercer looked at her coldly. "My God, you are crazy!"
"I'm not crazy. I'm not." He said quietly again. Mercer exhaled and ran his hand over his dark hair.
"Just… stop this. Surrender yourself. Aren't you tired of all of this?" Veronica yelled. "They will find you and this time they will lock you up for good!"
"I know." He shrugged and looked down. "Don't you think I don't know that? I didn't have a plan or anything. I just… I just want to be with you." He twisted the rope he was holding, and Veronica bristled. She backed away more but Mercer didn't follow her. "This is my last hurrah. I know they're going to capture me, and they will put me in a cage and throw away the key, and I will get buttfuck by every inmate in prison." He shrugged again. "I don't care – as long I have a taste of you again."
Veronica choked a sob. "You're sick. I said it before, but you are really sick."
Mercer sighed. "I blame my dad." He pointed to his bruises. "You see this? My dad did this. I know this is not an excuse or anything. But every time he belittled me, I just wanted to rape someone. It's an automatic response, you know?" Veronica sat on the kitchen chair, still holding the plastic kitchen knife and his cell phone. Tears were rolling down her cheek and Mercer thought she looked like a painting. "Why didn't you kill me when you had a chance?"
"Someone stopped me." Veronica answered. "If I had my way, you would already be dead."
"Someone always stops you… I watched that movie your ex-boyfriend made. Echolls? What was it? Neptune Noir? Wow, that was a good movie. Based on true story, right? So that Elizabeth girl was going to shoot this kid, Kristofferson, and the hero without a name told her not to shoot. I'm guessing that Elizabeth girl is actually you, right?" He sat on the floor, watching her, while still twisting the rope. They could hear the rope making a twisting crusting sound. Veronica shivered because she remembered Mercer used to tie her up until her skin was sore with rope burns.
"Nobody is going to stop me this time Mercer…" She said.
Mercer nodded. "I guess so. But I don't think you will do it. You know why? Because you don't have the balls." He smirked. "Just admit it; you were enjoying it too. Tell me that you weren't enjoying our little game back then." He licked his lips. "You loved it when I fucked your mouth, you loved it when I fucked your ass, and you loved it when…" He didn't finish his sentence because Veronica threw him his cell phone and it hit his temple. "Argh! Bitch!" The cell phone dropped on the floor and broke into little pieces. Mercer's temple was bleeding and he grimaced. "Damn it, blondie." He touched his wound and saw the blood on his finger. He then looked at her with lust. "Now that's more like it." He advanced towards her while tightening the rope between his hands; he was about to choke her with the rope, but Veronica moved forward and stabbed him with the plastic kitchen knife, but it broke easily against his chest. Mercer laughed, immediately wrapped his arms around her neck, and put a chokehold on her. Veronica screamed and kicked around – but she was so petite, Mercer managed to pick her up and slammed her on the kitchen table.
The movement reminded her when she was manhandled by Liam Fitzpatrick when she was in River Styxx bar. Veronica didn't know why she suddenly remembered that memory…. Maybe because she remembered that Logan rescued her, before Liam managed to draw a tattoo on her face.
But Logan wasn't here right now.
That was years ago when they were in high school.
She was all alone right now.
Mercer was on top of her and he kissed her forcefully. Veronica bit his lower lip hard until it drew blood, and then she kicked him on the crotch. Mercer yelped but didn't budge as he was trying to tie her hands with the rope. Veronica reached out and scratched Mercer's face. He yelped again and let go of the rope. Veronica pushed his face away, grabbed the handcuffs, and then cuffed his hand onto the oven handle. Mercer yelled and tried to release himself, but then Veronica kicked him on his face. She broke a few of his teeth and sprained her ankle because of that, so she fell down a few feet from him.
She was crying because her ankle hurt so much, and she couldn't control her emotions anymore.
Stupid Veronica… why did you voluntarily come with him?
Maybe deep down inside, she wanted to come with Mercer. Not because she wanted to gain her memory back, but because she knew in her heart that she wanted to finish this. She had to kill him. But right now she didn't have the strength to do that. She needed to escape.
She was sobbing, and hiccupped, "I'm sorry daddy…"
Mercer tried to pry open the handcuffs and he cursed aloud. "Take these cuffs off, Veronica!"
"FUCK YOU!" She tried to stand up, but she was in pain. She cried again and limped towards the door. She needed to get out of this cabin – she needed to escape. She unlocked the door, and managed to open the door when she heard a click. She paused and looked behind her and saw Mercer had a key for the cuffs and released his hand. He stood up and charged towards her.
Veronica let out a high pitch scream.
Off-Road
"What was that?" Gorya asked.
"What was what?"
"I thought… I thought I heard something." Gorya frowned. Boris looked out from the car window.
"Probably ravens."
"No…" Gorya drove his car to the small off-road in the woods, followed by his bodyguards' car. He knew he didn't hear anything, but he felt something. "I have a bad feeling."
Cabin In The Middle of Nowhere II
The log cabin was trashed with broken glasses and furniture; Mercer was bleeding on his face and hands. He lost a few of his teeth, but he didn't mind. He sat on one of the kitchen chairs and stared at the kitchen table. He was breathing hard – he'd just finished tying up Veronica who struggled so hard. Veronica might be small featured, but she was pretty strong. It took him almost fifteen minutes to actually tie her hands to her back and throw her on the bed. She was sobbing and crying after a while, her energy drained; her ankle hurt like hell. She was now in her bra and jeans; she buried her head into the pillow and cried.
"I gotta hand it to you, Veronica. You're the most difficult one. I admire you for that." Mercer wiped sweat and blood from his face using her sweater. "But you have to understand – I'm doing this for us. I love you, why can't you see that?" He stood up and grabbed a bottle of cold beer, opened it, and drank it like he never drank before. He slammed the empty beer bottle to the table and exhaled. "I just want you to understand it." He watched Veronica lying on the bed, crying. "Oh don't do that. Don't look at me like that. I really missed you when we were 'friends' in Thalassa. You were fun. Why can't we be like that anymore?"
"You rape people, Mercer!"
"True. I just… you know, I don't know how to interact. I mean, I know how to talk to chicks. They're pretty easy. But seriously these chicks…" Mercer lolled his head and then started to open the kitchen cabinet and pulled out several items. "The girls are usually fucking boring. Your friend, Parker? Oh wow. She kept talking about Colin Farrell, I just wanted to puke." He filled a glass with water and then dropped something into the glass of water. Veronica's eyes widened; Mercer was going to drug her again. "But then I met you. At first you were just this annoying bitch who always stuck your nose in everyone's business. But after we spent our time in that cabin… I just realized how much we're compatible." He smiled to himself. "When I was in prison, I thought about you a lot. How much I want to fuck you over and over again." He took off his shirt but not his pants and sighed. He wiped the sweat and blood from his neck and torso with her sweater.
Veronica rolled to the side and faced the ceiling. She didn't want to see his face. "Help…" She closed her eyes, and felt something hard in her back pocket. She knew what it was – she had carried it for several hours ever since she ran away from the institution. It was her letter opener. She squirmed a little and turned around to see him. "Please untie me. I will do anything you want." She sobbed. "Please, Mercer. I can't feel my hands. Please… Please…"
Mercer stared at her and then nodded. "Okay."
He approached her and sat on the bed. He pulled her legs, she whimpered, and he put both of her legs around his waist. He then pulled her up so they were in a sitting position and facing each other. Veronica could feel his hardness through their jeans, and she closed her eyes. "Please…"
"When I untie the rope, I want you to kiss me." Mercer said quietly. He held her torso so they were face to face. "Okay?" Veronica didn't answer, just nodded. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Hey, hey… don't cry. It's okay." He inhaled her scent. "We're going to be together again, blondie…" He reached behind her body and with a difficult maneuver, he untied her. "I practiced a lot." He said gleefully. "Now, where's my kiss?" Veronica sniffled and pecked him on the lips. Mercer chuckled whole heartedly, "Silly girl." He kissed her deeply, and shoved his tongue into her mouth. Veronica wanted to gag especially since she could taste his blood. When he stopped kissing her, her lips were smeared with his blood. "Oops. Sorry about that." With his hand, he wiped her mouth forcefully. "You see blondie… I have nothing to lose. I am a wanted man. People are lining up to kill me – I mean your family wants to kill me, your friends want to kill me, and my own dad prefers that I'm dead. So I have nothing to lose." She looked at his eyes. There was loneliness and bitterness – and he was looking at her, more like begging her for something. "I know for a fact that cops and feds are gonna find us and they're gonna burst in here, guns blazing, and probably kill me on sight. I am ready for that. But before I die, I want to seek some pleasure from you. And only you - because you are special to me."
"You're planning to die…" Veronica whispered.
"Dying with you is the best feeling I would have." He smiled and kissed her.
Veronica closed her eyes, tears were rolling down her cheeks; and then she kissed him back more passionately as he returned the kiss with equal passion. She secretly let her right hand creep to her back pocket and pulled out the letter opener. She murmured between kisses. "That can be arranged."
She held the letter opener, pulled it out, raised it, and then stabbed Mercer on the neck.