Chapter Seventeen: Stopped
Regan's Christmas with Oskar had been surprisingly pleasant. They had neglected to get a tree or to decorate, but she awoke to the smell of pancakes and warm syrup. Oskar's present to Regan was a pair of tall leather boots for her to travel through the snow, ordered with Michelle's help. Regan gave Oskar his present after breakfast when they went to take a shower together. He had become more affectionate since that first night and had actually become embarrassingly open about his desires. Although, Regan sometimes believed that he did this just to make her blush like a tomato. He usually got it whenever he wanted, unless Regan was just too tired. He was always gentle with her and Regan really didn't mind it. In fact, there had been times where she had come close to enjoying it. If Oskar was happy, Regan was content to just stay beside him.
"You're eating a lot more than you usually do," Oskar commented after their shower, watching Regan dig into a large loaf of bread. She quirked an eyebrow, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her body. "It's not a bad thing." He quickly told her, seeing the expression on her face. "You need to eat more, you're so skinny."
"I guess I'm just hungrier than usual." She muttered, her thoughts drifting to the jar of peanut butter in the cupboard above her head and how good it would taste on the bread.
"I like to see you eat," he said, the smoothness of his voice making her blush. She hated how he could make her hot with a touch or a tone in his voice, but he seemed to enjoy it. Of course, he couldn't be ready to go again this soon. He was probably just doing this to get a rise out of her.
Lucky for him, it was working.
Oskar tore off a piece of her bread, his body extremely close and still wet from the shower. He gently kissed her, smirking when she eagerly responded.
"Happy Christmas," he told her with a soft smile. Regan nodded, returning the sweet smile. "Want to do anything special today?" Regan shook her head, setting down the bread and starting to braid her damp hair.
"Can't we just stay here?" She asked.
"Don't you want to test your new boots? I won't carry you, but I insist that you let me hold your hand." Regan rolled her eyes with a little smile.
"I'm not having another snow ball fight with you, not when you cheat." Oskar chuckled, pulling on a pair of snug boxers and slowly beginning to get dressed.
"Michelle invited us to dinner tonight and I'm sure that she would love to see you wearing your new boots." Regan shrugged her shoulders, almost disappointed when Oskar pulled on a sweater.
"I just want to stay in and have you cook," she admitted. Oskar nodded, hugging her and encasing her in a wooly cocoon. She smiled and closed her eyes, wishing for this moment to last for a very long time.
"I'll cook, but you have to help…and put some clothing on or else I'll never be able to focus." Regan did as she was asked, pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a tight white v-neck tee shirt. When she turned around, she saw that Oskar had pulled on sweatpants along with his dark gray sweater. He passed her a cutting board filled with a colorful array of vegetables. She had gotten quite good at mincing and it couldn't have happened at a more perfect time since she had grown frustrated with Oskar for doing all the cooking. At least now she could contribute to a meal.
"I've been thinking," Regan started, "maybe we should consider changing locations…just in case." Oskar nodded as he cut the pork roast that he had bought from Michelle a few days earlier.
"I was thinking about that too." He said. "Any preference as to where you'd like to move?" Regan wanted to go to Connecticut to see her uncle, but that didn't seem like the smart thing to do. That would be the obvious choice and she could be putting her family in danger. It was best to go somewhere with lots of people…and where they could hide easily.
"Somewhere warm," she said, her longing for the sun apparent.
"I've always wanted to go to New Orleans, what do you think?"
"New Orleans…like in America?" Regan asked, earning a nod from Oskar.
"It looks like a fun place and it seems like we could hide easily…plus I could expand my business, start printing books in America. And they have a huge magical population, not a single Death Eater among them." Oskar stated proudly. Regan sniffled as she cut the onions into thick slices, trying to breathe through her mouth.
"You've really researched this." Oskar shrugged his shoulders as he began to arrange the vegetables that Regan had cut up.
"I've always wanted to travel, but I've never had the opportunity to do it."
"Glad that I can force you to do something." She said, sticking the cutting board and the knife into the sink to be washed later.
"A woman can make a man do anything as long as he's in love with her." He said, placing the roast in the preheated oven and setting a timer for four hours. He leaned against the counter, staring down intently at Regan. She knew that she wanted her to return his affections, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it.
She cared for him, wasn't that good enough?
"Do you want to lie down?" Oskar asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"In what capacity?" Regan asked as she watched Oskar slowly shuffle over to their loft bed.
"Don't worry, I just want to read…possibly take a nap." Regan nodded, turning off the kitchen light and climbing up after Oskar. He instantly pulled her close, kissing her fiercely and brushing his hand across her breast.
"You said that you wanted to read." She muttered against his lips as he aggressively yanked off her pants leaving her naked from the waist down. When he entered her, she gasped and arched slightly, making him grunt with a smirk.
"I lied…"
…
The next few days passed in a surprising flurry of activity. They had solidified their travel plans to New Orleans, even renting out a small house that was fully furnished and just waiting for their arrival. They had decided to apperate, finding that it would be much easier than taking a plane. There was the risk that somebody would detect their use of magic and alert Lucius, but they were willing to take the risk. There wasn't much that he could do anyway. He could tell where they had apperated from, but there was no way to tell where they had gone to. Again, they were willing to take the risk.
The day before they had planned to leave, Regan went to the village by herself to get some food for when they went to their new home. They were planning to just get settled for a few days, so they couldn't be sure as to when they could make a trip to the market. Regan was actually getting excited about the move. While Oskar worked at home, she had entertained the thought of getting a job. She would probably have no trouble finding a job as a receptionist or a secretary because that's all that she had done for her whole life. Plus, her accent would add a touch of class to any office that she worked for. She would be able to get out and make new friends and make a financial contribution to the household. The idea made her smile with pure glee.
Regan strolled through the market, finding that it was surprisingly sparse. The snow had driven many vendors and customers away, but there were still a few people out here, like Michelle. In their heated stand, she and her husband continued to work and warmly greeted Regan when she approached.
"Nice boots," Michelle said with a proud smile.
"Thank you, I love them…and thank you for helping Oskar pick them out." Michelle casually shrugged her shoulders.
"You're a stylish girl. Oskar means well, but he should not be allowed to shop for clothing for you." Regan smiled slightly. Oskar was very good about dressing himself, but who's to say that somebody didn't pick out all of his clothing for him?
The women chatted for a bit, talking about Michelle's family and Regan's move as snow slowly began to fall around them.
"So, was your friend able to find you?" Michelle suddenly asked. Regan was still smiling, but her brow furrowed together out of confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"That man that was looking for you this morning, oh what was his name…? Something odd…" The color slowly drained from Regan's face as she felt her heart almost stop.
"What did he look like?" She asked in a low voice.
"He was pale, angular face, gray eyes…and long blond hair. He was wearing a black cloak and had a cane with a snake on it." Regan wanted to cry and Michelle became concerned at the panicked look on the young girl's face. "Are you all right dear?"
"Did you tell him where to find us?" Regan asked bluntly.
"Well yes…he was a friend of yours, wasn't he? Regan?"
But Regan didn't hear her. She dropped her basket and went running as fast as he could towards their cabin. She suddenly felt weak and stupid for ever hoping for a life that would ever be free of turmoil and pain. She should have never hoped to escape; she should have known that Lucius would find her eventually. She turned onto the trail that led her to her cabin and for a moment she was relieved to see smoke coming from the chimney, but her fears returned when she saw that their front door was wide open. She continued to run, slipping on the packed icy snow, but refusing to allow it to slow her down.
She stumbled into the cabin, calling for Oskar as she gripped the door frame. She was met by silence and part of her was lulled by the perfect appearance of the cabin. Nothing seemed to have been moved…but why was the door open?
And why was there a large white box on their dining table?
Regan approached it slowly, a slight gush of wind blowing at her back and sending a chill down her spine. She pulled off the top and pushed aside the delicate tissue paper, quickly becoming puzzled. There was a delicate forest green sequined dress resting inside, giving off the impression that it was extremely expensive. For a moment, she thought that perhaps Oskar had bought her a new dress…and perhaps that man who had spoken to Michelle was just here to deliver it…?
Maybe this was all just a fluke…maybe Regan was just too suspicious of her surroundings...
Just as Regan was about to pick up the dress to examine it, she jumped when she heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. She let out a low sigh of relief, putting the top back on the box.
"Oskar, why did you leave the door open?" She asked, striding over to the door to close it, but she stopped dead in her tracks when two tall Death Eaters came to the doorway. She began to slowly step away from them, her frightened eyes focused on their large hands.
They were caked with blood…
The door to the bathroom creaked open, firm footsteps sounding against the sturdy wood floor. Regan slowly peered over her shoulder, her breath contained in her chest. Lucius stood exactly as Michelle had described him, smirking as he wiped his hands free of the wet, slick blood. Regan tried to calm herself, but the tears still sprung to her eyes.
She knew that Oskar was dead.
"Do you like the dress that I brought you?" Lucius asked, tossing the towel to the floor. Regan didn't answer, the tears streaking down her face as she stood absolutely enraged.
Why couldn't he just leave her alone?
"I told you that I would bring you back something nice from Sweden. And yes, talks went very well, thank you for asking."
Still, she refused to speak. Regan just continued to stare at him, her green eyes glossy from tears.
"Are you speechless because you're so pleased to see me?"
That did it.
Regan screamed and lunged forward, her hands reaching out to strangle Lucius's neck. She wanted so badly to kill him and watch the light escape from his eyes, but efforts were in vain. Lucius didn't flinch as Regan was roughly grabbed by the death eaters and held back. She struggled and fought, able to get in a few hard kicks before she was subdued and pinned to the ground. Lucius stood over her, the smirk gone from his face as he knelt down to get close to her.
"You shouldn't do something so rash, it's improper to attack the one who cares for you."
"I don't want you!" She screamed with flushed, fiery cheeks. She was surprised that Lucius didn't slap her, but judging from the look on his face he desperately wanted to. He pushed open her jacket and slid her shirt up, his skilled fingers unbuttoning and pulling the zipper down on her pants. She panicked, tensing in the grasp of the Death Eaters.
Was he so desperate to have her that he would take her in front of these two brutes?
When he yanked down her snug jeans, Regan had her answer. She began to kick and scream, desperately wishing that they were closer to town so that somebody could hear her. Lucius wet his finger and nudged aside her panties, quickly pushing inside of her. Regan cried out, balling her fists and letting hot tears streak down her face. Lucius's face hardened as he muttered a curse under his breath barely loud enough for Regan to hear.
"He must have been quite charming to get you into bed." Lucius muttered with a bitter tone, pushing his finger in as deep as it was allowed. Regan continued to scream, her breathing inhibited by the sobs that were desperate to escape. Lucius pulled out his finger, wiping it off on the towel that he had discarded. With shocking care, he redressed her and slowly stood. "Take her to the woods." He muttered after a moment of silence.
Regan instantly began to struggle as she was hauled from the ground and practically dragged from the house. Her skin froze as she continuously pulled herself down to the ground in an effort to escape, but these men were far too strong for her. They walked her out with Lucius behind them, the box containing her dress tucked under his arm. His face was calm as Regan was tossed face first into a clearing.
"I can forgive you, but only because you were influenced by people who foolishly believed that they could help you. You were not meant to leave me...you were supposed to stay." Regan pushed herself up from the snow, her face and hands stinging from the cold.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" She asked in a low voice. "How can you want somebody so badly when that person hates you?"
"Because I can change you…I can give you a life that nobody else could give you. You will have everything that you could ever dream of."
"I won't have my parents…and I won't have Oskar." She added that last bit mostly because it was true, but also because she knew that it would royally piss off Lucius.
"It does not do well to dwell upon the dead."
"So you did kill him." She said quietly, her eyes flickering to the ground.
Had he done it here?
Or was his body in the ocean?
"He had to be punished," Lucius told her. Regan quickly shook her head.
"I went with him freely…"
"That is not the story that everybody will hear." He said slowly. "As far as the rest of the magical world is concerned, you were kidnapped and you were being abused by Oskar…he's public enemy number one."
"I would have thought he would have been much further down the list." She muttered, narrowing her eyes. That was a sharp hit below the belt and they both knew it. Lucius, despite his tremendous amount of power and control, had never been able to capture the few rebels that remained from the Great War. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were at the top of the most wanted list, but there wasn't a single lead to go on. The entirety of Dumbledore's Army had somehow managed to escape and nobody knew where they were. There was always that fear for the Death Eaters that they would rise up and take them down, but Lucius had always laughed at the notion.
He honestly believed that nobody could ever defeat him.
"He was an enemy of the empire and had to be dealt with." Lucius said, almost as if he were trying to convince himself and Regan.
"You killed an innocent man that did nothing wrong…of course, I'm sure that you're used to killing innocent people by now." Lucius smirked, making Regan stiffen.
"Nobody is innocent, you should know that." Regan narrowed her eyes as Lucius lightly chuckled to himself. "Don't worry, you'll feel much better and be much more pleasant once we get you home." Regan sighed, biting her lower lip. What was the point of fighting with him? He was always going to chase after her no matter what and the only way for him to stop was to just go with him. Death was also an option, but Regan couldn't die yet…not until she was sure that she was completely alone in the world.
With trembling knees, she slowly stood up and pulled her jacket tightly around her frail body. She had no choice; he would kill her if she said no to him.
"Just take me back." She whispered, tears once against springing to her eyes. Lucius put an arm around her, nearly covering her with his cloak as he pulled her close.
"Don't worry, you'll enjoy being my wife."
But Regan knew that that was a lie.
