-Chapter 3-

-6 months later-

Lauren rolled over in bed rubbing her eyes as the sun crept through the blinds. Losing the battle to remain asleep, Lauren stretched her body, tossed back her blanket, and stood to her feet. She walked lazily to the bathroom, yawning over and over again as she set the water for a shower. Lauren stepped into the shower and allowed the hot water to rain down on her. She was 10 minutes into her shower before she realized she was humming. She smiled brightly and continued humming as she washed her hair. Lauren found herself humming, whistling, and even singing more often since moving home. In the last 6 months, Lauren felt the huge weight she carried on her shoulders slowly start to melt away. Lauren still had some things to work out emotionally, but she was getting there. Each day that passed by Lauren felt lighter and happier.

6 months without being called stupid, ugly, pathetic, or disgusting. 6 months without being accused of being unfaithful. 6 months without being slapped around or beaten. 6 months without Nadia and Lauren was healthier and more relaxed than she had been in the last 8 years.

As Lauren finished up her shower and dressed, she headed downstairs and into the kitchen. That's where she found her mother, hovering over the stove. Lauren made her way through the kitchen towards the coffee maker, kissing her mom on the cheek as she passed her by.

"Good morning sweetheart, how'd you sleep?" Lauren's mother asked.

"Like a baby without a care in the world." Lauren responded, her smile reaching her eyes.

"I'm glad to hear that, and I'm really glad you're home dear." She said, giving Lauren a wink.

"What's for breakfast Mom?" Lauren asked as she took a seat at the table.

"Bacon, eggs, and toast. How do you want your eggs?"

"Scrambled is fine. Do you mind if I have breakfast out on the porch? I want to soak up some sun before Jake has me locked up in his office all day." Lauren chuckled.

"Of course not dear, in fact I think I'll join you. Make your way out there and I'll bring breakfast out in about 5 minutes."

Lauren had settled into the comfortable routine of having breakfast with her mom, before heading off to her brother's office in town. Her brother is a Family Law Attorney with his own small practice. He hired Lauren to help with his filing and bookkeeping. Lauren missed practicing medicine but she couldn't exactly go to work at a hospital right now. Hospitals and research clinics would be the first place Nadia would search, if she was still looking for her. Nadia may not have known where in Canada Lauren was from, but she did know she was Canadian. Lauren decided that the safest thing she could do for now is lay low and stay away from anything related to medicine or research. Lauren figured that Nadia would search for her for at least a solid year, maybe two, before she exhausted her leads and her resources. So Lauren would wait it out and hopefully Nadia would move on and forget all about her, hopefully.

"Hey Laur…" Jake said as he walked out of his office. "How about we close up shop a little early today, head over to McDinni's, order some wings and a bucket of beer, and watch the Canadiens game?"

"That depends; do I have to root for the Canadiens?" Lauren smirked.

"Do I need to remind you that you were born and raised in Quebec, so that should go without saying? But sadly, I know you won't do that since you have such a hard on for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Seriously, I don't know why you like that sorry team." Jake said shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Either way, it's my treat, wanna roll?"

Lauren laughed as she stood to her feet. "Let's roll big brother, I hear a cold beer calling my name."

With that the pair locked up and drove over to McDinni's. 3 hours and 6 beers later, Lauren and Jake entered into their mother's house. Lauren was a little drunk and speaking very loudly.

"She's not my girlfriend, I don't even know her." Lauren slurred slightly.

"Well she was sure trying to get to know you little sis." Jake laughed.

"You think so? I don't think so, I mean why would she look at me twice?" Lauren said looking at her shoes.

"Hey, none of that. Look at me, you are beautiful, kind, loving, certified genius. And even though you make poor choices concerning what hockey team to support, any woman would be lucky to have you in their life." Jake said sincerely. Lauren looked up at her brother with a soft smile when they were interrupted by their mother at the top of the stairs.

"Where have you guys been? I've been calling you for the last 2 hours." Jake and Lauren looked to the stairs as they seen their mother coming down, tying her robe as she approached the pair.

"I'm sorry momma; I took Lauren out for a drink and to watch the game. I didn't hear my phone ring. Is everything alright?" Jake looked at his mom with concern.

Lauren's mom began shaking her head. "No it's not." She looked over at Lauren with worry in her eyes. "Dear I think you need to sit before I tell you what's going on."

A chill ran down Lauren's spine, she was praying that her mom wouldn't tell what she thinks she is going to tell her. "I don't want to sit mom, just tell me what's going on, please."

Lauren's mother took a deep breath. "Lauren, Nadia called while you were out."

"What!? How the hell did she even…..what did she say?" Jake said as Lauren stood in silence.

"Calm down Jake." She turned towards Lauren as she spoke. "She called here a couple of hours ago and asked for my address. She claimed that you two were on a break and that she wanted to send you your things because she was moving. I told her I hadn't heard from you and I was unaware of any break. She said she didn't believe me. She said to tell you that she would find you, it was just a matter of time and that you two were going to get married and have a life together."

"That bitch is out of her damn mind!" Jake exclaimed

Lauren cradled her head in her hands, her eyes welling up with tears. "She knows I'm here." She whispered. Lauren couldn't believe it. She instantly felt that heavy weight on her shoulders again. 6 months of happiness disappeared in an instant. "I'm never going to be free from her am I?"

"Yes you will Lauren and I'll do everything I can to make sure of it." Jake said as he placed a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder. "What I can't figure out is how the hell she got this number, we had it changed as soon as we found out you were on your way."

"She's a detective Jake, with an infinite amount of contacts and resources." Lauren said as she gazed up at her brother. "I have to get out of here, but I literally have no place to go." Lauren put her head down in defeat.

Lauren's mom reached out to her daughter, "Yes you do sweetheart. As soon as I got the call from her, I contacted Fitzpatrick. He was your grandfather's best friend and the one person I trust more than anyone to help keep you safe. I explained the situation to him and he didn't hesitate in offering his help. He owns a bar named The Dal Riata out in Toronto. He will give you a place to stay and keep you safe. Nadia won't be able to track you there. Fitzpatrick is well connected in the area and has a ton of resources and contacts of his own. I trust him Lauren, you can too."

Lauren sighed heavily, "Well, looks like I'll have to go to Toronto."

"Well look on the bright side sis, now you can cheer for the Maple Leafs without me harassing you about it." Jake grinned.

Lauren chuckled sadly. "I feel like I just got reacquainted with both of you and now I have to disappear again. She's a million miles away and she still finds a way to make me miserable."

"It will only be for a little while dear and don't worry about us, we aren't going anywhere. We'll be here when you return, I promise." Lauren's mother hugged her tightly, followed by her brother.

"I guess I should go pack." Lauren made her way to the stairs before she turned around, looking at her mom and brother, "I love you both. Thank you for being there for me."

"Always" Jake said as he watched Lauren disappear at the top of the steps.

After a long tearful goodbye, Lauren found herself once again sitting in a bus on her way to city, a city where she knew no one. Well there was Fitzpatrick, but he didn't technically count. She knew of him, but had never known him personally. She met him briefly at her grandfather, Benjamin Lewis's funeral, but that was when she was 15.

Lauren sat in her seat, frustrated at her situation. She wished she had never met Nadia. She wished she could go back in time and decline her offer for a drink. She wishes she could have fought back, stood up for herself. She wished she would have walked away the first time Nadia grabbed her out of anger. Lauren mentally kicked herself for not paying attention to all the red flags that were there in plain sight. She wished she would have listened when her friends told her Nadia was too controlling and possessive. She wished Nadia would just forget all about her and move with her life so that Lauren could truly start over without living in fear.

Lauren took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She leaned her head against the window and drifted off to sleep. Hoping she would dream of a better life, a life where Nadia didn't exist.

-Toronto 12 hours later-

Lauren arrived at the address her mother scribbled down for her. She looked down at the paper and then back at the building in front of her. 'Where the hell is the door to this place." She thought as she looked around. She spotted a small alley way and decided to look down it to see if she could see an entrance.

"Are you lost?" Lauren was startled at the deep voice coming from behind her. She quickly spun around, coming face to face with the owner of that voice. He was a tall man, athletic build, blond curly hair, messy looking, like Chris Martin's from Cold Play. He had blue eyes, and a beard that he was currently rubbing, looking at her in amusement.

"Um….I think I might be. I'm looking for the Dal Riata." Lauren said while shuffling from foot to foot nervously.

"Oh well then you aren't that lost. The entrance to the Dal is just down this alley way. Follow me I'm on my way in now." The man started walking, looking back to make sure Lauren was following. "My name is Dyson, what's yours?" He asked looking at Lauren as they walked.

"Uh, Lauren, Lauren Lewis."

"So, Lauren, Lauren Lewis, what brings you to the Dal?"

"Oh, I'm uh, here to see Fitzpatrick McCorrigan." She answered looking down at her feet.

"Wow, you really aren't from around here are you? No one calls him by his full name. Around here we all call him Trick." Dyson chuckled. "So where are you from?"

"That's not important. I'm sorry, it's just I don't know you and-"

Dyson cut her off before she finished. "No worries, I understand. Sometimes I have a hard time turning off my work persona and relaxing into my off duty persona."

"Off duty? Wait are you a cop?" Lauren asked anxiously.

Dyson laughed as he responded. "Detective actually. Why are you a criminal, you seem kind of tense."

"No! It's just, well, my ex was a cop and it didn't end well." Lauren said as they stopped at the door to the Dal.

"Well please don't hold that against me." Dyson said jokingly, grinning at Lauren as he held the door open for her. "Besides, I'm one of the good ones….after you."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Take a seat at the bar; I'll go get Trick for you." Dyson nodded toward the bar before disappearing down a set of stairs.

Lauren took a seat on a stool at the bar as she looked around. There weren't many people in the bar, but it was early in the afternoon. Lauren noticed that the décor of the Dal seemed a little dated, but the atmosphere felt quaint. Lauren wondered how many times her grandfather sat at this very bar. She was quickly pulled out of her thoughts when she was approached by a petite raven haired goth girl, wearing a lot of black, and a lot of skulls on her on her clothes.

"What can I get you chica!" The girl spoke excitedly.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound rude, but are you even old enough to be in the bar, let alone serve drinks?" Lauren asked wide eyed.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes I am old enough, and I don't actually work here. I'm just covering for my bestie BoBo, while she sleeps off a raging hangover. Now, I'll ask you again, can I get you a drink?" The goth said narrowing her eyes at the blonde.

"Um, okay, I guess I'll have an Ice water with a lemon." Lauren stated while tucking a strand of blonde locks behind her ear.

"Ice water? Are you freaking kidding me? Wait, is this some sort of prank?" The goth put her hands on her hips as she looked around the bar. "Am I getting punked right now? Where's Ashton?"

"I assure you it's not a prank." Lauren said as she observed the young girl. "Who's Ashton? And what's punked?" Lauren was confused.

"Oh shit! You really do just want a water. How do you not know who Ashton is? Tall, handsome, American actor, currently dating Mila Kun- you know what, nevermind. One boring ice water on the rocks with a lemon twist coming right up." The girl grabbed a glass, filling it with ice and water. She added the lemon wedge and topped it with a tiny umbrella. Lauren raised an eyebrow at the girl as the drink was place in front of her. "What? Just because your drink is boring doesn't mean the presentation has to be."

Lauren smiled shaking her head. "Well thank you Miss….?"

"Kenzi, my name is Kenzi. And you are?"

"Lauren" She extended her hand to Kenzi, "nice to meet you."

Kenzi shook Lauren's hand and leaned across the bar resting her chin on her hands. "So Lauren, what brings you to the Dal?"

"Oh I'm here to see Fitzpatrick or Trick is it?"

"Yup, that's what everyone around here calls the Trickster. Great guy, but he likes to hide the really good alcohol from me, I don't know why." Kenzi laughed, knowing exactly why Trick put the good stuff a way.

"So you said you're filling in for you friend, is she the usual bartender?"

"Bo-dacious, yup she's the best bartender this bar has and not just because she gives me free drinks. Too bad she doesn't stroll in here until the evening. She is somewhat of a night owl and last night we partied like rock stars. As much as she drank last night, she is going to be unbearable when she finally wakes up."

"You know, alcohol is a diuretic, which causes substantially increased outflow of urine. Drinking alcohol squeezes more water out of your body than the liquid in the drink puts back in. This is responsible for the headache and lethargy that characterize even the mildest hangovers. The simplest and most direct preventative measure for hangovers is to imbibe a glass of water for every alcoholic drink you have. If your friend takes some aspirin and drinks plenty of water when she wakes up, that should alleviate the hangover symptoms a lot quicker."

Kenzi stood staring at Lauren with her mouth open. "You totally lost me at alcohol is a diuretic."

"Sorry, sometimes I just….my brain and….never mind." Lauren looked at Kenzi sheepishly, clearly embarrassed by her geek out.

"Dude, don't apologize, that was kinda awesome, way over my head, but awesome. You some kinda doctor or something?"

Lauren chuckled and replied, "Let's just say I have a love of all things science." Just then Dyson reappeared and made his way toward the bar and took a seat next to Lauren.

"Yo D-man! What's your poison?" Kenzi said as she greeted Dyson with a high five.

"Hey Kenzi, I see you're covering for Bo again. Let me guess, she's still passed out upstairs in the club house?" Dyson shook his head while laughing as Kenzi smiled back and shrugged. "I'll take a beer. Oh, and Lauren, Trick said to go on down, he'll see now."

"Oh, okay, thank you." Lauren stood up and made her way to the stairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she noticed a small hallway with two doors to her left and one door to her right. The door to her right was open halfway; she reasoned that that is where Trick was most likely located. She approached the door, peeking inside as she knocked on the wooden door frame. The small man looked up from the paperwork that was spread out across the desk in front of him, giving Lauren a wide smile.

"Ah Lauren, you finally made it. Please come in, sit, you must be exhausted." Trick spun around in his chair as he motioned to the couch that was across from him. "How was the trip?"

"The trip was long, too long. But, I'm here now." Lauren ran her hand through her hair. "I really want to thank you Trick for taking me in, I had no place left to go, I was really worried. This really means a lot to me."

"No need to thank me Lauren. I'd do anything for you and your family. I promised your grandfather that I'd always look out for you guys, and I intend to keep my promise." Trick patted Lauren on the knee. "Come, let's get you settled." Trick stood to his feet leading Lauren down the hall to the second door on the right. He opened the door and stepped aside allowing Lauren to enter. "It's not much, but I'm sure it will suit your needs."

"It's perfect Trick, thank you." Lauren looked around. The room was rather large. It was equipped with a queen size bed, a night stand on each side of the bed, a tall dresser in one corner and a desk with two large bookshelves on the other. There was two leather chairs situated near the bookshelves, next to a fireplace. The room also had a full bathroom with a large tub. The floors were dark hardwood that matched the dark antique furniture. All in all everything about the room screamed antique, but Lauren found it rather charming.

"This is the master suite. I had it built for my wife, shortly after we purchased the Dal. We spent more nights here than in our actual house. So I wanted to make sure that if my wife refused to go home and leave me here, then she would at least be comfortable down here as I worked." Trick took a deep breath and continued, "When Isabeau died I stopped sleeping here. It just didn't feel right."

"Trick, I can't allow you to let me take your wife's room, I-" Lauren tried to explain, but Trick held up his hand as he shook his head.

"No, Lauren it's fine, really. Isabeau would have my head if I didn't put our guest up in the best room we have available. I promise you its fine. Besides, it would bring a smile to this old man's face, knowing the room was being used again."

"Thank you Trick. But I can't stay here without pulling my own weight. Is there anything I can do to help out around here? I have a hard time sitting around not being productive."

"I hope you can rub off on my granddaughter, she has the exact opposite approach to life." He laughed. "Don't get me wrong, she is a very hard worker when she's here and awake. One day this will all be hers, but she has a lot to learn about this business, it's not just about bartending."

"Your granddaughter is the bartender?"

"Yes, Bo. She is as stubborn as a mule, but she has the biggest heart, reminds a lot of her grandmother. I think that's why I have such a soft spot for her, that and she is my only grandchild." Trick smiled proudly. "I'll tell you what Lauren, if you'd like you can help Bo out behind the bar, bus a few tables, and fill in for her when she is, shall we say, unavailable? Do you have any bartending experience?"

"No, but I'm a fast learner, and I did waitress a little during college."

"Prefect, it's more than Kenzi brings to the table." He laughed loudly. "Whatever you need to learn behind the bar, Bo and myself will teach you. I know you're a doctor and a scientist, just think of mixing drinks as more of a science, it takes the right amount of certain flavor components to create a good drink."

"Well since you put it like that, I think I'm going to enjoy mixing drinks." Lauren grinned. "Can I request one more thing from you?"

"Anything"

"Can we keep my situation, why I'm here, and the fact that I am a doctor between us?"

"Of course. It is not my place to share your situation with anyone. But I do need to say one thing, you have been through a lot Lauren. I see that there is a strong determined woman in there somewhere, I hope that you rediscover her and let her out. You are not a victim, you are a survivor and don't let anyone try and convince you otherwise." Trick smiled at Lauren. "I'll leave you to get settled. Freshen up and take a nap. When you are rested come on up and I'll make you some dinner and introduce you to Bo. I'm sure she'll up by then." Trick turned around and left the room closing the door behind him.

Lauren's eyes welled up with tears as she contemplated what Trick had said: 'You are not a victim, you are a survivor.' It was the first time anyone had told her that. She never thought about it that way, but she was determined to start.