She'd been separated from the life as she knew it for a week now. She'd never spent that long away from Erin and it feels paralysing. She wonders what their doing, how their handling this. She worries about silly little things, like the way Erin gets upset if she doesn't have her polka dot drink cup or whether Lucas has made sure she's brushing her teeth properly. She's started wondering if she'll ever see them again.

Her optimism is slowly diminishing. It seems so strange that meerly two weeks ago her biggest concern was whether she should carry on working or give it up to concentrate on her family. She loved her work but with another baby on the way she was starting to feel like she was missing out. She'd been so indecisive but in hindsight she doesn't know why she was finding the decision so hard. Giving up work, for just a few years wasn't a big deal. It's what she wanted, she realised that now, only now, with her decision reached it was no longer relevant. Her life was no longer in her control.

She found herself thinking about obscene things, she found herself having an internal battle on whether to tell Ian of her pregnancy. Telling him of the pregnancy would mean convincing him that it was his and that was something she was unwilling to do as of yet. It also meant she was giving up, that she was resigning to the fact that her life was now here. She refused to make this beautiful discovery something so vial and disgusting. The thought of having his child made her cold all over and the thought of pretending to be having his child was just as horrific. She didn't want to pretend, she didn't want to put herself through that and she didn't want to do that to Lucas.

'Why are you doing this?' Peyton uncharacteristically spoke. She was standing peering out the window of the minimalist living room. She'd made the utmost effort to avoid communication completely, she was cold and mute most of the time and although Ian found it frustrating he was yet to show it.

He looked up from the camera he was fiddling with, he found the question absurd, funny even. She was intelligent, he knew that, it was part of what attracted him to her and yet she couldn't seem to get her head around the simple fact that he loved her.

'I love you' He stood up and she sighed as he approached her.

She really couldn't get her head round it. She couldn't believe that he was in love with her because her understanding of the word love all revolved around trust and having someones best interest at heart, regardless of what your own desires were. She'd been taught that by her father, it was something that was instilled in her at a young age, it's what she had with Lucas. She knew her husband would put her before himself, she knew he'd doing anything for her, regardless of his own wants, she trusted him- that was love.

'I don't love you' She whispered plaintively. 'And I'll never love you'

He discarded her revelation as denial. She did love him.

'If you loved me you'd let me go, you'd stop hurting me, you'd let me go because you'd want me to be happy Ian. You think this is a relationship? It's not. I hate you'

Her words provoked him and he impulsively grabbed her arm, pinning her against the wall.

Shock had her frozen, he'd rarely gotten physical with her since he'd brought her here.

His lips probed hers and once the initial shock wore off she struggled against him.

'Get off' She hissed. 'Aren't you listening Ian? I said I hate you. You think I'm attracted to you?' Her voice rose bravely, her usual feisty behaviour showing itself. 'You repulse me'

She felt an intense, vindictive buzz reverberate through her.

Her confidence wilted when he didn't react.

He tilted his head, a sly smirk on his face as he gazed at her, his eyes averting to her rose bud lips every now and then.

'I was beginning to think you'd lost your fiery spirit baby'

She wasn't thinking straight when she spat in his face, it just happened. Hate was a strong emotion, one she was positive she hadn't felt until now, but it's definitely what she withheld for him, pure hatred.

He jarred her into the wall and she winced, watching in disgust as he wiped the glob of saliva from his cheek and sucked it from his fingers.

'I saw Lucas yesterday, he didn't look so good. I don't think the investigation is progressing all that well' He feigned empathy. 'Poor guy' He smiled.

She blinked, inevitably imagining a broken Lucas. She wanted so badly to comfort him, to be in his arms. She wanted to hear his voice, for him to know she was alright.

'Let me ring him' She knew it was a pointless plea but she couldn't stop herself from trying. 'Just for a second, just to let him know I'm ok'

Her commitment to Lucas had his blood rushing and a throbbing headache forming.

'I was thinking we could make a little video and send it to him actually, it might cheer him up' She found his enthusiastic smile disturbing.

His hand encased hers, squeezing her nimble fingers together somewhat painfully as he pulled her out of the living room.

She was positive that whatever his intentions were they weren't good and her suspicions were confirmed when he opened the bedroom door.

She scanned the room, taking in the camera's professionally positioned round the bed. It was now clear why she'd been confined to ''her'' room for the duration of the morning.

His objective was clear.

He turned the video cameras on with experience before moving directly before her, twirling one of her now, near black locks. 'I get that you're worried sweetheart and you want to show him that you're ok. We'll show him how happy you are now, he'll see that you're not meant for him, ok?'

'You're sick' She mustered, backing up. 'I'm not doing that'

'Peyton I think I've been more than a little considerate, I've promised to leave Erin unharmed but you seem incapable of keeping to your end of the deal. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with that, by all means, I'm not going to lie, you know how much I want to get rid of her, I'll take great pleasure in making Lucas watch and-'

'Stop' She shook. 'Stop' She clenched her hands together. 'Please I, I can't do this, anything but this'

'Of course you can'

'I can't do that to him, don't make me' She was picturing Lucas watching her with Ian intimately and it made her skin crawl, she didn't want him to think badly of her, she couldn't bare him hating her.

He nodded his head. 'That's fine, if I go now, I might be in time for the bed time story'

Picturing Lucas watching their daughter murdered was definitely the worst of the two horrendous options. Worst didn't quite translate it, it was ghastly enough being apart from the little girl but the thought of her no longer existing in this world didn't bare thinking about.

'But sweetheart, know this. I'll tape it and I'll make you watch every last second too' His voice took on a fierce, threatening tone.

Ian Banks was clearly more depraved than she'd ever imagined.

His psychological torturous games were beyond her.

'No' Her fingers pinched at the skin above her wrist, already plagued with shameful guilt. 'I'll do it' She mumbled hesitantly, there was no other way.

'Come here'

She walked to the end of the bed where he was now sitting.

'Come here'

She exhaled heavily before letting his hands pull her resisting hips down onto his lap so she was effectively straddling him.

'Kiss me, like you kiss him'

Lucas lifted Erin into bed, tucking her in.

He was finding sleep hard to come by and so was the traumatised infant. He'd spent every night in her little single bed, unable to let her go, even if sleep wouldn't come, the knowledge that she was safe in his arms helped him relax and it was easier this way anyhow. When she woke up screaming, he was always there to settle her back to sleep.

'Good night baby girl' He pressed a lingering kiss to her head, before attempting to sing her a lullaby. He couldn't sing. Erin always insisted on a bedtime song, it was Peyton's job, she was quite the modest singer. Lucas liked hovering in the doorway listening to the song of the night. She'd nudge him on the way out and he'd just kiss her and then he'd tease her and tell her she needn't look far for a new act to sign.

He stumbled a little over the words that Peyton new inside out and coughed conscientiously as he finished.

Erin's emerald, rounded orbs focused on him, foreign to this change in routine.

He held her hand. 'I'm just going to be downstairs for a little while, if you need me you just come down' His thumb drew a number on her palm. 'Or call' He added hopefully.

She shifted down further into the safe warmth of her bed.

He kissed her little button nose, similar to that of his own.

'I love you so much darling'

She gave a little nod of acknowledgement and held her bear out for his bedtime kiss. Lucas dutifully responded.

'Good night bear' He smiled, getting to his feet and giving her hand a little squeeze before making himself let go and wander to the door. He left it wide open.

He was constantly feeling forever guilty, the chaos that had ensued upon the young Scott family had Lucas occupied with nothing other than the case. His time didn't stretch to that of Erin Scott and he knew she needed him and he was doing the best he could, but Nathan, Haley and Brooke had been her care givers for the past six days, with him taking over at night.

He sighed, stepping down the last carpeted stair to the floor boarded hallway.

The flapping of the letterbox, garnered his attention. A brown envelope, hung between the two grooves. His heart thumped in his ears. He snatched the package, simultaneously pulling the latch off and opening the door. He scanned the street through the darkness. A dog barked three doors down but apart from the excitable hound it was silent and orderly. He sighed, locking up the door again. Dread had his fingers quivering, making opening the blank parcel difficult. He opted for tearing instead.

Inside was a DVD. Again there was no note, no indication as to where or who from the envelope had been delivered.

He walked into the living room. It was littered with Erin's toys, and dirty plates and glasses. Tidying had definitely been the last thing on his mind as of late, and allowing Haley to pander over him wasn't something he'd welcomed. He'd insisted that she go home earlier that day, much to her persistent badgering to let her clean up and make dinner.

The dvd system droned as he slid the disc in and it loaded. He sat on the wooden coffee table, the remote clutched in his hand.

Anticipation had his stomach in knots.

The picture finally came. A girl, straddling someones lap filled the large TV screen.

It didn't take him long to realise who the girl was.

Peyton.

It was zoomed in on just her, edited so the other person, the man with his hands all over his wife, was indistinguishable. It was in black & white and soundless and the video was of good quality, created by someone with skill and knowlege of cameras.

His brain couldn't process what he was seeing. A labyrinth of emotions conflicted inside him. He was seeing things. He had to be.

It was definitely her. He knew every curve and mark on her body, he had no doubt that it was her.

The last thing he wanted to see was someone raping her but she wasn't being held down she wasn't struggling; from what he could determine, she was a willing participant.

The picture changed and her hand moved between their two bodies to unbuckle the man's belt. The little action sparked something inside Lucas. Anger.

He'd never even comprehended her cheating on him. She wouldn't do that. She'd never be disloyal.

But betrayal was the only thing he could apprehend as he endured watching her voluntarily kissing the guy.

He wanted to switch it off, he wanted to stop this unbearable footage from being burned into his retinas. But it was too late. He was fossilised to the table, unable to turn away.

His brow was knitted together as he stayed transfixed before the screen.

It was only when she was on her back in just her underwear and the camera was focused on her face that he recognized that not everything was as it seemed. He saw her facial features clearly for the first time and more prominently, he saw her discomfort.

His resentment and anger dwindled. He was sickened with himself for having temporarily believed that she was freely a part of this.

She wasn't and although relief came with that understanding, his body trembled vulnerably, bestowed with heart aching remorse. He instantly wished that it was as it had initially appeared.

Although, to a stranger this might seem as some crude sex tape, he was certain that she wasn't a consenting adult. He knew this woman's body better than she knew it herself. After years of perfected love making he knew what she liked, he knew how she moved, he knew what expressions she made. Her back jarred against the mattress and her perfect lips opened and he knew, if there had been sound, it would have been an undisguised whimper of protest. He saw the unconcealed flecks of disdain in her eyes.

She looked directly into the lens for a split second and Lucas paused the image. The grey scale emphasised the whiteness of her skin and her hair looked darker than ever.

He slid off from the table edge, on his knees, his hand trailing over her face.

His eyes were burning, tears daring to spill over his lashes. He sniffed loudly and blinked them away with determination before resuming the film.

Her brave charade became blatantly obvious with every passing second and the more apparent it became to him, the more his throat stung.

The camera changed to a different angle, for the first time giving a slight view of the man. Lucas paused the picture again.

A chill of contempt rushed down his spine, an animalistic need to kill this person bubbled in the forefront of his mind.

There was no clue or possible way that Lucas could see of identifying the man though. His features couldn't be seen, his head buried in her neck. There was nothing.

Accept...Lucas squinted, his nose nearly touching the TV. There was, what looked like, the edge of a tattoo at the bottom of the screen, the edge of a wing.

Like a light being switched on, he instantly knew the name of the culprit. The tattoo was of Peyton as a angel, she'd treasured the picture having been given it from her birth mother, that was until Ian Banks entered her life and had it tattooed on his back.

Lucas felt sick.

He made it to the kitchen sink just in time, he gagged, his oesophagus contracting as he projected into the sink.

Tears of despair blurred his vision, his fists clenched in frustration. He swiped the pile of plates from the sideboard, a loud crash, echoing in his head. He panted breathlessly before rationality finally took hold and he reached for the phone.

It rung once and then she picked up.

'Brooke? I, I need you to come look after Erin'

Lucas had stepped outside over two hours ago, while the inspectors watched the video, he couldn't sit through that again. He'd told them of his beliefs and they'd calmly asked him to wait outside.

'Mr Scott?'

He jumped, jerking up from his uncomfortable seat and heading back into the office.

Inspector Jenkings didn't waste any time. 'You said the ring was put in your mailbox three days ago? Why didn't you bring this to us earlier?'

'I, I' He shook his head. 'I was mulling it over in my head' He stuttered. He'd not mentioned or brought Peyton's ring to their attention because he felt he could do more than the police, seeing as they seemed to be doing nothing of any good but after the latest package he realised he'd been stupid, he needed their help.

'You were mulling it over?'

'Look I know I should have brought it in but that doesn't matter, you know who's got her, we can find her now'

'Lucas, Ian Banks is dead'

'What?' Lucas shook his head.

'This can't possibly be Ian Banks in this video because he died in a car crash six years ago'

'No, it's him' His brow knitted together.

The inspector scratched his head.

'Mr Scott did you know your wife was having an affair?'

'What? That's not what this is'

'I'm afraid this film' He wavered his hand in the air. 'Is nothing more than a sex tape- Jealousy is a powerful thing, perhaps he got tired of sharing her, perhaps the purpose of this video was to break up your marriage?' He suggested uncouthly.

'She's not having a fucking affair' Lucas hit the inspectors desk in aggravation. 'I know that's, that's probably what it looks like but it's not, I know it's-'

'Mr Scott, do you want to know what I think?' Jenkings stood from his chair. 'I think this is what happened, you're wife had an affair and this tape fell into your hands. Driven by jealousy, you confronted her, but things didn't end well did they Lucas? You argued, you stabbed her, you then panicked and made it look like a break in and have been withholding evidence and lying to the police ever since'

Lucas was in shock.

'You're fucking insane' He muttered.

'The man in this video, your wife's lover testified earlier today' The inspecter informed him.

'What? Who?' Lucas exclaimed.

The door opened and he watched in disbelief as two supporting officers waltzed in.

'Mr Scott, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?'

He was beyond astonished. He just stood staring. It had to be some kind of joke. They couldn't be serious.

The click of the handcuffs, securely fastened round his wrists brought on the realisation that this was very much real.

'Mr Scott, do you understand?'

He didn't understand. 'You have no evidence, this isn't right' He muttered, creases of confusion forming on his sweaty brow.

His legs betrayed him as he was pulled toward the door. His heart was racing at an unhealthy rate. This couldn't happen, he couldn't allow this to happen. He reeled forward. If this happened, she'd be forgotten. Peyton's face flashed ruthlessly in front of his eyes, urging him to fight, fight for her. He was out of control. His body thrashed back and forth, trying to disarm the two officers holding him. He couldn't hear anyone or anything, just his own heavy, gasping breath and palpitating heart.

'I didn't kill her, you can't stop, you've got to find her' The words were slurred and unintelligible to the men around him. They were content on one thing only, taking him down.