Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my twisted imagination.

A/N: This fic is not meant to offend anyone or cause some outrageous revolt. It is simply another product of three options: too much smutty imagination, too much time on my hands to help it thrive.

Pairing: Oliver Thredson/Lana Winters.

American Horror Story: Asylum

A Residual Haunting

Chapter Eight

In the asylum's main entryway that once served as her escape route from this hell so long ago, Lana paced back and forth in front of the glass doors anxiously. It's been almost three weeks since she last saw Abigail, her absence in visitations excessively disheartening now more than ever before and the more she paced the floor thinking about it, the more she had a sense that her fabricated plan was quickly falling flat.

Her mind ran rampant over what could possibly be her next course of action if her plan A back fired and before she knew it, the reporter was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the nun looking at her from the steps of the spiral staircase suspiciously. Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Lana looked up, the sound of her rambling whispers finally catching her ears. Another wandering inmate in the background must have recognized the uniform and began to yell and scream and Lana turned her back to the woman, listening quietly as the nun treaded down the stairs behind her and went on her way.

The sounds along the walls intensified. Quickly she closed her eyes to shut out the wails and screams pouring out of the dark depths of the asylum. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn't help feeling as though there were similarities to being in the 5th layer of hell. The asylum had become the River Styx and she stood atop the water where the souls with rage continued to fight back against the facilities oppressors while the others succumbed to their fate and just lay lazily beneath, alone in their cells and forgotten.

Somewhere deep inside, she knew this place was going to devour her soul if she let it. And when that moment arrived, IF it arrived, she would be trapped here forever, never to return to the life that was slipping through her fingers. In frustration, Lana ran her fingers through her disarray of brown locks, gripping the strands at the roots tightly. With a heavy sigh and a fresh application of duct tape to her frayed nerves, she finally peered out through the glass of the double doors at the sun just beyond her reach. The afternoon sun was setting which meant there was only an hour left for visiting and still her friend from the Column was nowhere to be found.

If she'd waited all this time, it was a possibility that she wouldn't be coming back. Deciding she'd waited long enough, Lana turned away from the doors and moved to head up the winding metal staircase to her cell when a sudden rush of chilly February air rushed up the back of her blue dress and she spun around to see the familiar blonde figure of her one and only opportunity for liberation stepping through the door.

"It's been two weeks!" Lana whispered harshly as she all but ran up to the young woman, winding her arms around Abigail for a moment, feeling the plush sensation of her long fur trench press against her skin. Finally she pulled back and looked directly into her vibrant violet eyes. "I didn't think you were coming back!"

"I'm sorry, I just… I needed some time to think about this plan of yours because let's face it, Lana, it's almost…" Abigail paused, looking around the room for any onlookers before covering her mouth with her hand, "Crazy! You're going to dig yourself deeper into trouble that you already are."

Lana grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the side next to a carefully crafted pillar and away from the now leering eyes of the security guard sitting at the desk by the front entry. "It's not crazy…" she urged. "You have to give this more than a fleeting thought. This may be my only chance and I need to know that you understand that."

After a hesitant moment, Abigail finally nodded in agreement, "Well I did come back, didn't I?"

Lana couldn't help the smile of reassurance that her dear friend had not in fact given up on her, "Alright… I couldn't get inside the administrators office, not yet. So I need you to-"

"You don't have the documents?!" the other woman spouted in a fluttered whispered. "Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to come here, knowing that sociopath is wandering around or that we could possibly get caught? I could end up just like you for sticking my nose where it doesn't belo-!"

And just like that she suddenly backpedaled after seeing Lana's face fall at the mention of her already apparent plight. "Oh, Lana I'm sorry… I didn't mean it like that, truly. I'm just… a little afraid."

Shaking off her accusatory statement of the obvious, Lana continued, "The security around here has been nothing short of exceptional after what happened to me a few weeks ago. After…."

"After… what?" Abigail pressed.

"Never mind that. Look, I know how difficult it must be to get in here sometimes since visiting hours are limited and seeing as I haven't been able to produce the necessary information these past two weeks has not made it any easier, but I'm not going to let this prevent me from getting those files. Shutting this place down is something worth fighting for..." Lana said and grasped Abigail's hands in her own as she searched her dear friend's eyes. "And without you… Well, you have to be strong because in here, I need every bit of strength I have to keep myself from losing my way."

Abigail's face twisted with worry and confusion as Lana's hidden thoughts diverted away from her underlying meaning of the horrors crawling within these walls. "My God, Lana… This place, that man…" she whispered, her face twisting with disgust at the thought. "What are they doing to you in here? Why won't you tell me?"

Peering out through the small space between the steps underneath the winding staircase, a pair of dark eyes silently passed between both women while quietly absorbing the details of the "classified" conversation at hand. Since being released from solitary confinement's clutches, Oliver made it a point to remain in his cell for the rest of the day after his exceptionally hot water soak and tasteless run in with the staff earlier this morning. After spending so much time surrounded by nothing but darkness, returning to the solace of his own cell and the little light bulb dangling brightly from the ceiling above his bed had never brought him so much peace. Now it was almost dinner and his drive for something other than the old leftovers from two nights ago that he was passed while in solitary finally brought him out of hiding.

His eyes narrowed, his thick brows knitting together in realization that Lana had apparently found ways to keep herself very occupied while he was locked away. Quickly he averted his gaze to mull over the possibilities of the plan Lana was implying, no, was in fact formulating with this external source to shut down Briarcliff.

And just as quickly, it was as if the world around him came screeching to a halt at the possibility of getting out of this place, being moved to a reputable facility, a place where the torment could end….

Slowly the sound of the women's hushed voices pulled Oliver back from the recesses of his thoughts and his eyes flitted to Lana's small form. He could feel the visible tension he saw in Lana's body through her thin blue dress as she hesitated to respond to the woman's questions, taking it as a clear indication that perhaps she preferred to keep the moment he and Lana shared together in her cell that night just between them. Of course, he'd never imagined her to be much of a gossiper in her private life before he brought her into his world. The intimate sensation of her warmth on his skin was not lost on him however and he felt a shiver creep up his back in remembrance of the unmistakable sensation of her wet passage, squeezing him in the most delightfully secret embrace every time she found her release around his aching member.

Taking a deep breath to steady his thoughts, Oliver focused his stealthy gaze back to the conversation at hand.

When Lana didn't respond to Abigail's questions, the blonde sighed and continued, "Well, I certainly hope at least that that sociopath is still under lock and key. That's one less monster for you to deal with... And between you and me, if this place had any sense they'd do us all a justice and overdose him on his own medication rather let him continue to leech on the tax payer's dime by keeping him alive in here."

Upon impulse, Lana's eyes bulged and she quickly grabbed Abigail's arm and pulled her behind her, blocking the woman completely from view as the deceitfully calm baritone of the aforementioned closed in on them quickly.

"Thankfully we don't have such closed minded ignorance to those suffering of mental illness on the judge's stand." Oliver said after being drawn out of hiding and casually strolled up to the to the two women, his irritated gaze pointedly locked with Abigail's widening eyes as he closed the distance.

He promptly ignored the angry glare coming from Lana, brushing it off as a passing glance and focused solely on the blonde peering out behind her. The multitude of emotions passing over the woman's face: recognition, shock, discomfort, fear, and loathing, would likely satisfy him for days. It was almost as if she'd given him a window into her own soul, telling him of all her truest inner feelings in a matter of seconds without even uttering a word because he knew better than any other that only in fear do we see one's true self.

His eyes traveled over the two women and the tightening grip of the blonde's small entwined fingers that she possessed on Lana's hand until finally his gaze flitted back up to her face. "Tell me, would you feel so strongly about killing me if I were your brother, son… or husband?"

When neither of them responded, Oliver dug in his shirt pocket for his cigarettes. Slipping one between his lips, he lit it in the shell of his hands with a lighter from his pants. After inhaling deeply, thin streams of smoke curled slowly from his nostrils and he gave them a small smug expression.

"It's not so simple when it hits close to home, now is it…?" he said quietly.

"Go to he-" Lana began, but was interrupted when Oliver suddenly grasped her jaw, pursing her lips awkwardly to effectively prevent her from finishing that sentence.

Removing his cigarette from between his lips with his free hand, his eyes drifted to the guard sitting near the front doors who was busy reading a newspaper and back to Lana to stare directly down into her face, "I see your determination in my absence has put you beside yourself. Just look at the two of you… huddled together like scared little mice. Don't assume I don't know what the two of you are up to."

Sliding his fingers down the soft skin of Lana's cheeks, they traveled further down to her throat, massaging the skin and feeling her nervous swallow beneath his fingers. With the slight jerk of his arm, Oliver released Lana and gave both women a tiny smile.

As he then strolled away towards the dining hall, he placed his cigarette back between his lips and called out over his shoulder, "Lana, you're welcome to join me for dinner. It may be unheard of around this place, but surely we can still have a meal together like civilized people…"

The moment he was out of sight, Lana spun on Abigail and gave her a determined stare, the fire in her eyes ablaze with a rekindled spirit. "As you can see, no matter where you think he is, he's always watching…. But I will… have those documents tonight. And once I do, you must return here by to retrieve them as soon as possible because if not, the staff will surely find them."

Abigail blinked, her own sureness shifting after being in the presence of a well known murderer. Lana grabbed her shoulders, shaking them lately to bring her back down from wherever she was retreating to and finally the blonde nodded. "Okay… I promise this time I'll be back. Without delay."

Before Lana had a chance to bid her dear friend farewell, Abigail quickly made her way to the asylum's front doors, looking back in the direction Oliver had just disappeared down one last time with distressed eyes before clumsily shoving her way out of the door. Lana stood there alone and raised her hand slowly, her fingers waving in a small gesture of goodbye and without any needed encouragement she quickly darted up the stairs to her cell to wait quietly for her chance to proceed with her plan, ignoring what awaited her in the dining room.

Oliver sat in silence at a dinner table in a corner alone, his fingers idly pushing around the mashed potatoes on his plate with a fork. So far, he'd waited at least an hour and by now, the dining room was still full and his food was cold. Lana had been a no show….

He'd spent the past few weeks sealed away from her and at first he thought he would've been annoyed the moment he saw her again, but his pent up frustration evaporated the moment he felt her smooth skin under his fingertips just now. Despite the fact that the moment was short lived, he couldn't deny how much he craved to be in her presence again and he wondered for the hundredth time as he had also done while in solitary as to how often she thought about that night in her cell too, if she thought of him.

Sighing, Oliver dropped his fork onto the plate with a loud clank and reached into his pocket again, pulling out the pack of cigarettes and tossing them onto the wooden table. For a long moment, he eyed the red Pall Mall packaging the same way he did when he woke up from his soak in the hydrotherapy room to find them sitting atop the cloth covering his tub. The young doctor didn't appear to be of the generous type, they weren't an apology for her judgmental behavior, and she hadn't given them to him out of misplaced pity either. No, he knew positive reinforcement tactics when he saw it…. But what was it exactly that she was trying to obtain by giving them to him. So far, her designed treatment had effectively been a failure of his own choosing, so why would he receive this supposed "reward"?

With a heady sigh, Oliver ran his fingers through his short dark hair, brushing several strands off his forehead. He groaned in aggravation that his hair was refusing to comply and simply fell back into its original place, adding to his frustrations the fact of no longer having the luxury of getting a haircut whenever he desired.

Pushing the cigarettes away from him, his mind drifted back to the woman who'd stood him up for dinner and his mind began to drift off and it suddenly struck him that it was perhaps her little planned stunt of getting those files that was keeping her from him. If so, she was foolish to think she would get away with them on her own and suddenly he smiled childishly at the thought of her getting caught and befalling the same punishment he had after turning him in to Sister Eunice. But the smirk disappeared the more he toiled over the possibilities of what the reporter could accomplish by obtaining the files she was after.

If she were caught, she would no doubt be sent to solitary as he had and after being away from her for so long, being forced to suffer through not having her within somewhere within his grasp again just didn't sit well. But if she were successful, every patient here would be transferred out, including himself and Lana would possibly go with him. He knew her "illness" would play a major factor in her remaining confined for treatment, but if the fact that Sister Jude had her incarcerated under the pretense of crossing the line, she could walk….

If….

Suddenly his eyes wandered around the room, taking mental note of the fact that the few security guards and orderly's were here in the hall with him which left the administration office upstairs under a much less watchful eye.

Before Oliver knew what he was doing, he jumped up and grabbed his tray and cigarettes. Sliding his food into the trash casually, he weaved his way through the chairs and dropped the red, rectangular pack in his hand inconspicuously onto a table in front of a female patient who was still eating for her to have. The patient looked up at him curiously, but he gave her a soft pat on the back and moved away. After giving the roaming security guards a final glance to confirm they were preoccupied, he slyly slipped out of the door and bounded up the metal staircase.

'Administration'

Ducking inside the dark office, Lana crept quietly over to the large metal file cabinet in the corner. This was it. This was finally the moment she was going to take back her life. Her slender fingers curled around the silver handle of the first drawer with a little white label marked for last names 'M-Z' and tugged yet it didn't budge.

Her heart began to race and she tugged at it several times more, causing the cabinet to shake and rattle before she stopped. She whipped around, looking through the textured glass of the door across the room for clarification that nothing was heard in the darkened halls outside.

If there was anything she'd clung to in life, her perseverance and thinking quickly on her feet had always been key and she began to dig wildly in the pockets of her blue dress,. Pulling out a handful of little black bobby pins she'd found pinned to a habit belonging to one of the nun's while doing the laundry earlier this morning, Lana finally smiled to herself..

After bending the thin metal with her teeth, she jammed it into the tiny little keyhole of the drawer. Her hand twisted and turned, sweat beginning to dot her brow as she manipulated the lock until an abrupt click rang through the chilly air of the office. Carefully pulling the drawer open, Lana dropped the bobby pin and let her fingers do the walking, skimming along the tops of each manila folder and their individually marked sticker with a patient's name and their distasteful alternative names whispering from her lips.

'Martha, the headbanger… Pepper,the microcephalic … Rudy, the chronic masturbator… Shelley, the nymphomaniac… Spivey, the pedophile…'

And finally 'Winters'. Quickly she pulled it out, her fingers shaking as she quickly and quietly sifted through the papers inside the folder to make sure everything was there.

"You're running out of time, Lana."

Jumping, she turned around and bumped loudly against the open drawer to see the tall figure of the person she had hoped to avoid before lockdown for the night.

"Shhhh…." Oliver said quietly and slowly brought a finger up over his lips.

On instinct, her eyes glanced around the room and she scooted behind the desk, the folder clutched tightly to her breast. She watched him crack the door behind him that she never heard open to begin with to let her hear the steps of heavy leather boots of security echoing down the hall around the corner from a not so distant hallway.

"You know, you're truly terrible at being secretive." he said softly, his dark eyes following her timid movements behind the desk in effort to place a barrier between them. "I'd say you've got five minutes... Well, make that four because at this rate, you'll be found before you even make your way down the hall. Unless… you come with me."

Lana glared into his eyes leering back at her from behind his glasses then up the length of his tall figure blocking the doorway, "And why the hell would I do that?"

"What, you don't think I snuck you out of this place the first time by sheer luck, do you? Use that ever observant mind of yours, Lana. I'm your only ticket out of here based off the simple principal of a previous hierarchy. You were just a patient while I used to work here, remember? Someone with my motives, working late hours, roaming these halls freely…? You pick up a thing or two about the security of this place." he responded with a bit of disappointment that she hadn't discovered this on her own.

Lana swallowed hard and he could see her mind searching desperately for a resolution, a way out, anything to avoid going willingly into his arms. Oliver turned the silver handle of the door behind him once more and stole another peak down the hall, seeing the dim flash of a flashlight fluttering in the dark before closing it. He let his gaze fall on her across from him again while she continued to weigh her options. They were coming and she knew as well as he did that if they found her, it would be over and her punishment would be swift, cruel and unimaginably devastating.

"Tick… tock…" he said slowly and extended a hand out, his open palm up to wait for her decision.

====To Be Continued====