A/N: I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers for their continued support. I am truly appreciative. This chapter is a bit shorter since it's mostly just a transition back into the present. But there's some action as well. No, not that kind of action…
)O(
Once everything had been said, they retreated back into their separate shells made of crushed hope and memories, both of them wanting very much to be alone for a while.
"So why did you join the FBI in the first place?" Madison broke the silence first. "I mean, why did you put up with it, if they treated you like a pawn all those years?"
"I guess I thought I could make a difference." Jayden replied, his expression somber. "I'm almost grateful for the opportunity, in some weird way. I might even do it all over again if I had the chance. It was worth it, for a long time. That probably sounds crazy."
"Not at all," She shook her head. "Personally, I became a journalist because I'm nosy by nature and I discovered I could make money off it."
But Jayden didn't believe her for a second, because underneath that rough and world-weary exterior, they were all secretly idealists. That's why people celebrated heroines like her, who appeared at just the right time to save the day, often forgetting that the reality never quite lived up to what they expected. No one ever came away from that unscarred. Murder had a way of making cynics of us all, he supposed.
"I'm gonna take a walk." he announced.
"In the rain?" Madison raised an eyebrow. "At night?"
"Yeah." he said. "I gotta stretch my legs a bit, get a little fresh air, maybe figure some things out."
"Okay..." she yawned, her body already slumped against the couch cushions, eyes-half closed. "I'll just rest my eyes...until you get back." The girl sure looked like she could use the rest.
Jayden grabbed an umbrella and slipped out of the apartment as quietly as possible.
)O(
Madison held her breath.
It wouldn't be safe here for much longer. In fact, it wasn't safe here now.
They were going to find her, and when they did, they were going to kill her. Slowly.
Cautiously, she peered out of the closet door, the outside illuminated by a thin sliver of light. And Madison nearly had a heart attack when she saw another eye looking right back at her. It was over.
Her tormentor was suddenly closing in, and she tried to fight, but he was stronger. They were always stronger. Before she even had time to fully comprehend what was happening, he had her pinned against hardwood floor. The masked man loomed over her.
"No!" Madison screamed, flailing about every limb she could still feel in some sort of attempt at defending herself. In response, he tried to restrain her. "No, please...Oh God, don't—Stop!"
Then, remarkably, he did stop. In fact, he froze completely still and just looked at her, this time with something like sympathy in his pale eyes.
"Madison," he said, slowly. "I need you to wake up, okay?"
She was jolted from the nightmare so suddenly that it took a moment for her to catch her breath. A blanket that she did not remember falling asleep with was now covering her.
"You were screaming." Jayden said, hovering over her in a concerned and very annoying manner. "I think you had a nightmare." Wow, really? Is that your professional opinion, Dr. Jayden?
Madison was just about to say this when she realized something rather alarming but not particularly surprising anymore. "You're bleeding, you know."
He instinctively brought a hand up to his nose and examined the bright red liquid on his fingers.
Wait a minute. Did I...?
"Oh, yeah." he said. "It's not what you think—you just sort of kicked me in the face while you were sleeping."
She immediately felt like an absolute bitch. "Oh my god, Norman, I'm so sorry! I-I really didn't mean to—"
"It's all right." Jayden assured her, offering a small smile. "Don't worry about it. You didn't break my nose or anything."
Madison was beyond embarrassed. This was, after all, her shameful little secret. Only a select few people in the whole world knew about it, and now he was one of them whether she liked it or not. It was an exclusive club that so far only Madison's therapist, Sam and mostly likely Kathy were invited to be apart of.
"What time is it anyway?" When he glanced down at the watch which laid on the coffee table and informed her that it was indeed 2:47 in the morning, Madison sighed. She was torn between laughter and tears. "Of course it is."
There was nothing left to say.