"Call me when you have something" Amanda hung up, Nick was looking at her as if she was a completely different person.

"Hey" he took his jacket off and hanged it on the rack. He clearly had no idea what to say, he had no idea what to think. Did she say she beat him up? Broke his nose? The coroner's report mentioned he had a broken nose. But Amanda said she didn't kill him, so what happened?

"Nick" she walked over to him. He never doubted her, stood by her side, made her promises and she was keeping something from him. Something important.

"I…" he realized this is why the lawyer insisted on talking to her alone, whatever happened to Patton, she had something to do with it. But Amanda said she didn't kill him, he still believed her "I didn't hear anything" he was about to walk to the bedroom when she caught his arm.

"Sit down, I'm gonna tell you everything"

Summer of 2000

Amanda wasn't religious, but right now she was praying to god, asking him or her or them to help the car get her to Loganville. She was driving this useless piece of crap, but it was very late and she had no choice, her mother called, Kim was acting out again.

But her prayers have not been answered, she was over an hour away when the car started making bizarre noises. Amanda asked herself how something so old could make a new sound every time it broke down.

And it was the worst place to be stuck at, right by a crappy gas station, there was nobody inside and Amanda couldn't get a signal on her phone so there was no way for her to call anyone.

"Fuck you" Amanda screamed at the car and kicked it until her foot hurt. Last time it happened Nick gave her a ride. Nick, why was she thinking about this guy? He was just like everyone else. Sure, Alice thought it was romantic that he found her but he just wanted to sleep with her, maybe he did make a bet with his pals, the ones he was with in Miami. Maybe it was a bet and since he didn't sleep with her that night…he showed up to finish the task.

She wasn't surprised, it was just like her to meet someone who cared about a bet more than he cared about her.

She was glad he left, hoped he had to do something extremely embarrassing for losing, something like going to work naked. She could almost see him, walking into the station with no clothes on. Lucky for his coworkers, his body was pretty incredible, he was masculine and strong, the way he touched and kissed her…

But he was a jerk, why was she thinking about his body? She had to forget him. So what if Alice didn't think so, so what if she said she was calling his name in her sleep. She probably dreamt it, maybe she liked him, maybe Ben had something to worry about.

She didn't care about Nick, didn't think about him at all.

But Amanda couldn't sit and wait, hitchhiking wasn't a very good idea, she wasn't stupid. It seemed like her only option was to walk until she gets a signal and call someone.

Amanda was about to open the door to get her bag when a car pulled by hers. It didn't make her feel good, why would someone park behind her car and not drive into the gas station?

"My darling Amanda" it was Carl Patton, what was he doing there? He's been keeping his distance lately.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was driving around and saw you're in trouble, how about you get into my car and I will take you wherever you want" he slowly walked over to her, his hands in his pockets. He spoke as if he really just drove by, but Amanda knew very well he had no reason to be there, he must have followed her.

"No thank you" she said harshly, hoping it would be enough, but hope failed her before and she had a feeling it would now.

"Come on, it's late and I can't leave a lovely lady like you in the middle of the road all alone, it isn't safe"

"Listen Carl, just get away from me" she tried to control her voice, to sound confident. But she was alone, she couldn't get away.

"I don't know, you're so pretty it would be a waste, don't say you're not curious" he kept on moving forward, she thought that staying at the same spot would make it seem like she wasn't afraid, but he didn't care.

"It's going to happen Mandy, can I call you that? Mandy, I'm dying to see what you have under that shirt, dreaming about that sweet pussy of yours, I bet it is really…"

"Shut up! Get away from me you fucking idiot, you think you can do whatever you want, go back to Atlanta and don't ever look at me"

"Feisty" he laughed, standing in front of her.

Amanda slapped him, she wasn't going to let him touch her, no matter what.

"You like it rough?" it didn't seem to bother him "I can be rough, I will be very rough with you. I'm gonna stick it in you so hard you're gonna be begging for more, I have a feeling I'm gonna have as much of you as I want Mandy"

"Get the hell out of here!" she was about to slap him again but he was ready this time and caught her hand in his.

"Oh Mandy" he shook his head "I don't care how much you want it, or if you don't. But it's gonna be better for you if you don't fight"

"Listen to me Carl" she pulled her hand away "I don't know what you think is going to happen, but you are wrong, I am never sleeping with you"

"But there's no one here to stop me, is there? Your guy friend hasn't been around for a while, it's just the two of us and what I say is the only thing that matters"

"I don't think so" she was about to walk away, feeling like there was nothing else she could do, there weren't many cars driving by, no one was going to stop and help her. She wanted someone to appear, she wanted Nick to show up, maybe he didn't give up, not like she gave up on them. Maybe, somehow, Alice told him where she was going and he was on his way.

But she didn't want to be a victim, she couldn't be one. Couldn't wait for a hero to save her. She could always take care of herself, even when things were hard.

Carl caught both of her hands and pushed her against the car, he was holding her so tightly it hurt. But Amanda didn't lose it, she focused and raised her knee with as much force as she could, kicking him in the balls "I am not scared of you" it felt good to say it and it felt even better to mean it.

Carl's face twisted in pain "you fucking bitch!"

But he wasn't giving up and Amanda moved away, distancing herself from him. He blew out some air and smiled again "making me work for it, just means it's gonna hurt you when I take your pants off"

Carl ran after Amanda, pulling her hair, she tried not to give him the satisfaction of a scream, but she managed to turn around and push him on one of the pumps with everything she had. He got hit head first and he didn't try to control his voice. When he turned around she saw blood running from his nose to his lips. There was so much anger in his eyes.

But she didn't let that distract her, she pushed him down again, he had trouble getting back up and Amanda kicked him while he was down, not caring about dumb sayings.

"Don't ever try anything like that again" she said before walking away, he was moving on the ground, trying to stand.

Amanda got into her car, she wasn't sure what to do now, run? Carl would follow her with the car and might just kill her. But she tried to start the car and miraculously it worked. She drove off, letting the tears run down her cheeks, barely seeing the road ahead, not caring about anything.

Amanda didn't even notice she was crying right now, sitting on Nick's couch, telling him everything, staring at her feet. She was almost afraid to look at him, not sure what he'd say. The night he left Atlanta he knew Patton wouldn't let her be, she knew that too but still didn't listen to him.

The entire time Amanda spoke she could feel his eyes on her. He was sitting in the opposite side of the couch and made no comments, he just listened.

But a few second after she was done Nick moved closer "can I hug you?" he asked, not sure if that's what she wanted, maybe right now she didn't want to be touched. But Amanda turned to look at him and he saw the pain in her eyes, she was strong enough to evade Patton's assault but the fact she had to experience something like that still left a painful memory.

Amanda buried her face in his chest and Nick embraced her, holding her close and rubbing her back tenderly.

"I love you so much" he said "I'm so sorry it happened to you"

They remained like this for a while, Nick's arms around her. Amanda didn't need someone to save her, but she needed Nick to love her, because that made her stronger.

After a while Amanda pulled away, she walked to the bathroom to wash her face and Nick quickly changed his shirt, not wanting her to see the stain caused by her tears.

"I'm sorry" Amanda stepped into the room.

"You got nothing to be sorry about" he shook his head.

"I should have told you everything"

"It's fine" he tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"Your mom said secrets aren't good for relationships" she grinned "so now you know that he tried to…rape me. But I didn't kill him"

"Do they know about this?"

"Washington's investigator has been trying to locate footage, to prove he was alive when I drove off, but no luck. We're not sure how much they know, if he told anyone about this. But they do believe I killed him, that's why they've been trying so hard"

"But you didn't, and it was self defense"

"I can't prove that" she shrugged "the investigator is looking for any footage available, but it's been so long and…"

"We can't lose hope Amanda, don't give up, ok? I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter what, I love you"

Amanda kissed his lips and rested her forehead against his body for a few seconds "you ever wondered why you love me?" she asked and he gave her a questioning look "you said you fell in love with me the moment you saw me" he nodded and smiled, it was true "why?"

"Why?" Nick asked, he never really though about it, people usually dated and fell in love later, but with Amanda… "I don't know, I love everything about you. I love the person you are, the way you think, the way you speak, the way you look at me. Maybe it was fate, I don't really care as long as I'm with you"

"Damn, you're so sweet" she hugged him.

"Now you have to answer your own question" he said.

"Why do I love you?" she looked at him and he nodded "because when I'm not with you it hurts, and somebody told me that's how you know"

They lay in bed for a while, spending some time talking and some time just enjoying the closeness and the warmth.

"You want to go for a walk? Do something else?" Nick offered.

"Yeah" she smiled "maybe we could go get a drink"

"That sounds good, how about that bar we went to last time you were here?"

"Just give me a few minutes to get dressed"

Nick put his jacket on and waited for her to walk to the kitchen. She didn't bring a lot of clothes but she kept a few garments in his closet. She opened the door when her phone buzzed and she answered.

"Yeah?"

Nick already knew it was the lawyer, she had the same expression whenever he called.

"Send it to me, I need to check it out…yeah…well" she smiled at Nick "I already did so…he knows…yeah, I know, I know, just…send me the video, thanks"

"He got something?" Nick asked.

"They have some footage, not from that gas station, but from somewhere else, they think they spotted his car but I don't know if it helps"

"Let's check it out, is he going to send it now?" Nick walked over to his computer so she could access her account.

"Yeah" she sat down on the couch next to him and it didn't take long for her to load the video. It was poor quality, you couldn't see the plates of the vehicles but Washington gave them the exact time Patton's car appears.

"This is his car" Amanda pointed at it.

"He's on his way back to Atlanta, right?" Nick didn't get a reply, Amanda was focused on the screen. He wasn't sure what they were looking for, this showed that he was driving back to Atlanta, but there was no way to be sure it was him, Amanda could tell because she knew what kind of car he had but this wasn't going to fix their problem.

"Amanda?" he noticed she was still staring at it, she rewatched a few minutes over and over again "did you see anything?"

"No" she turned it off "let's go"

They sat at the bar and Amanda ordered the drinks, she emptied her glass in a few gulps and Nick placed his hand on her thigh.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just needed a drink" she gave him a wide smile.

"Then we're in the right place" he raised his glass "cheers"

Amanda stopped at the third drink while Nick settled with two. They ate greasy fries and Amanda leaned into him a bit, he felt like they were flirting.

"You come here a lot?" she asked, playing with her hair.

"Are you into role playing?" he raised a brow "I think you know the answer already"

Amanda giggled "I was just messing with you, but if you like that kind of stuff, I will listen"

"You're my only fantasy" he whispered into her ear.

"How comes you always say the right thing? Do you have an earpiece? Someone feeding you the answers" she reached for his ear.

"No, I'm just being honest" he shrugged.

"I love your honesty" she stood up "let's go back home so I could love your body"

"Alright" Nick wondered if she was drunk, but after a few minutes of walking Amanda leaned into him and they slowly walked to his apartment.

The silence was comfortable and Nick felt like she was almost clinging to him "you're ok?" he had to make sure, maybe seeing nothing on the video upset her more than she wanted him to know.

"Everything's fine Nick" her fingers caressed his back.

Not even a minute after the door was shut behind them Amanda pulled him into her for a fiery kiss, her tongue was in his mouth immediately. Nick wasn't sure how to take it, he loved the way she kissed him, the passion, the need in her movements.

"I love you so much Nick" she pulled away for a moment, feeling like he needed the reassurance.

Nick's lips were back on hers and they made their way to the bedroom, trying to be as close as possible and get rid of their clothes at the same time. Nick pulled her naked body to his, rubbing his hand against her clit until she pushed him down on the bed and crawled on top of him.

She took some time to taste and lick his neck while her hand was working on his hardening member.

"Amanda" Nick called her name, as much as he lover her touch he needed to be inside of her "I need to come inside of you"

She didn't reply, but stopped teasing and positioned herself right above him and lowered her body, gasping as he filled her up.

"I love you" she mumbled as she started moving.

Nick watched her as she rode him, her entire body was moving and he thought she looked absolutely gorgeous. Her movements were rapid but after a few moments she slowed down and it seemed to Nick she was getting a little lost, he wasn't far and needed to make sure she's not left behind. He sat up and looked at her "look at me" he asked and she did "what do you need me to do?"

Amanda didn't reply and he sucked on her neck, knowing she enjoyed that.

"Fuck me Nick" he felt her fingers dig into his back "please"

He turned them around so he was on top, he slummed his body into hers and she let out an approving cry. Nick didn't stop, every thrust was hard and deep, her head was right by the edge of the bed and the next thrust was so strong it was pushed off the mattress.

"Don't stop" she didn't seem to care and he felt the climax take over her a few seconds later and let go, falling down on top of her.

His eyes traveled from her hair to her face. The blonde strands were touching the floor and Nick smiled. But the smile was wiped away when he noticed she had tears in her eyes.

"Amanda?" he pulled out of her and moved to the side "are you ok? Did I hurt you?" maybe he was too rough, he shouldn't have…

"No" Amanda raised her head to him "you're perfect, I love you" her lips brushed up against his.

But Nick had to make sure "you sure?" he reached to her cheek, wiping away a tear.

"Yes" Amanda nodded "I love you so much Nick"

She got on top of him again, kissed his lips for a long time, taking it slow. Amanda guided him inside her after a few minutes, she parted with his mouth for short breaks, just to take a breath. He loved the tenderness in her movements, and how she tried as close to him as possible. There was so much need in the way she kissed him Nick hoped he was able to fulfill it.

When they came down from another climax Amanda rested her head on the pillow and Nick lay down next to her, he wanted to feel her body against his and pulled her to him.

"I love you" Amanda said again and he smiled.

"I know" he kissed the back of her head.

They fell asleep with her in his arms and the last though on his mind was that as long as they loved one another – things won't get worst.

When Nick opened his eyes Amanda wasn't next to him, he must have slept pretty deep, he couldn't remember her getting up.

"Amanda?" he got up of the bed and put on a pair of boxers, she didn't answer and he checked the bathroom, it was empty.

"Amanda?" Nick called again, she wasn't in the living room or kitchen, there were no other options. Nick tried calling her but it went straight to voicemail.

Where could she be?

Nick returned to the bedroom and put on a shirt and a pair of pants, he was about to return to the living room when he noticed her bag wasn't there. Why would she move it?

What was going on?

Nick was confused, where the hell could she be?

He decided to grab a glass of water, there had to be an explanation, she didn't just disappear.

There was a note on the fridge, maybe she was out on a jog?

Nick grabbed the note and the moment he read the first three sentences he was horrified. After everything he told her, after all of the things she said to him…

Dear Nick,

I love you, I'm sorry

But I am returning to Atlanta to take the plea.