Fushia yanked her keys from the ignition and grabbed her purse from the passenger seat, quickly opening the car door and slamming it behind her. She straightened her dress as she rushed into Bearer and Sons, her heart racing. She hoped she could somehow just get to her office without running into the boss, although that seemed highly unlikely. He always seemed to "sense" her presence, which only served to make her highly anxious. She said hello to various co-workers she passed in the hallways and smiled sympathetically at the visitors she encountered.

When she arrived at her office door, she fumbled with her keys once more and stabbed the lock twice before she was able to get her door open and shut it behind her, leaning against the frame in relief. Thank goodness she had avoided Mr. Bearer for once. A knock at the door made her gasp and told her she hadn't been so lucky after all. Dammit! How did he always know the exact moment she arrived?! If she didn't know better, she'd swear the damn man had a hidden camera in her office. Either that or some kind of bizarre tracking device he'd somehow gotten on her person.

Fushia took a deep breath and turned around, slowly opening the door and peeking her head around. It was Mr. Bearer alright. He was a somewhat short, overweight man with light brown hair, cold eyes, and a shrill voice that reminded her of nails on a chalkboard. She reluctantly opened the door wider to let him in.

"Good morning, Fushia." He said disinterestedly. "Have a little trouble this morning..again?" He raised an eyebrow and regarded her with mock concern. Fushia felt her anger bubbling to the surface and forced it down with great difficulty. "Yes, there was an accident on.." Bearer held a hand up to stop her, waving her explanation off. "Never mind that now, I need you to come and help with greeting the guests. Linda has called in sick today." He stopped and leered at her, raking his eyes up and down her body. She was a 26 year old attractive woman, divorced with no children. She stood 5'5" and had a shapely figure which was accented by the deep green velvet dress she wore this winter morning. Her eyes were a golden brown, her hair a dark chestnut. She had full, pouty lips and high cheekbones which she'd inherited from her partly Native American heritage.

Fushia suddenly felt very self-conscious and wished he'd just leave, but he made no move to do so. It seemed like forever before he finally spoke again. "Anyway, I need you to come with me now. I won't be here the entire day, but I've promised to make an appearance at the Hampton funeral. My son and I have some things to do this afternoon." Fushia's curiousity was peaked. His son? As far as she knew he was not married, and she'd never heard him mention having a child from a previous marriage. She couldn't help but wonder about this new discovery. As if reading her mind, he turned to her as he led the way out the door. "I'll bring him in to meet you after we're done here."

Fushia followed Paul Bearer down the hallway and to the last room on the right. The mourners were already starting to gather, and she took her spot on one side of the room while Bearer stood on the other. This was the part of the job she hated most of all. She was a very sensitive person and anytime she had to fill in for someone doing the greetings, she ended up depressed afterwards. Seeing all those people crying and upset only served to heighten her own sadness at the loss of her parents just two years before. Her mother had died of breast cancer, and her father died six months later. They'd listed his death as "natural causes", but she knew that the real cause of his death was a broken heart. Her parents had been inseperable for the entire 40 years they'd been married. She had been their one and only child and they'd had her late. Her mother was well into her thirties by the time she was born, and her father was pushing forty.

Bearer eyed her from across the room, scrutinizing her every move. She felt a shiver travel up and down her spine at the sight of his beady eyes boring into hers. She'd felt he was pretty creepy from the beginning, but she'd needed this job badly. After all, she had no-one to depend on anymore and it was all up to her to provide for herself. The funeral seemed to last an eternity, but when she arrived back in her office and sat down heavily behind her desk, she realized it had only been a couple of hours.

A minute passed before anything happened, then there appeared the figure of man. A huge man who had to be about 7 foot tall. He was dressed in a red and black suit with black boots. Her eyes traveled up his body, noting the sheer size of him. He was densely muscled with the largest arms she'd ever seen. When her eyes reached his face she felt her blood freeze and her eyes widened in wonder. He wore a red and black mask that seemed to match the design of his outfit, and his hair was reddish brown, long and wavy. His hair hung in his face as he appeared to be staring at his feet. She hadn't gotten a good look at his eyes.

Paul waddled over to his "son", patting him on the arm. "Fushia, this is my son, Kane. Everyone else in the parlor has met him already. I'm sorry for the delay in introducing him, but we've been quite...busy...lately. Haven't we son?" Kane nodded his head slowly, his eyes still on his feet. She found herself staring and shook her head to snap out of her amazement. "Um, it's nice to meet you, Kane."

Chapter Two: After Dark

The day went uneventfully after Fushia's meeting with Kane. As Paul told her, he and his son disappeared for the afternoon, leaving her with no further distractions. She was finally able to finish the paperwork and hurriedly packed up to head home the moment five-o-clock came. Grabbing her purse and keys she left her office, closing and locking the door behind her. She could hardly wait to get home and take a nice, soothing bath. As far as she was concerned, nothing was better than a quiet night at home. She used to be quite a hellraiser in her younger days, but after she got married she'd calmed down considerably. Even after the divorce she found she much preferred to stay at home, leaving only when it was necessary.

Fushia said goodnight to all her coworkers before heading out to her car. She was feeling quite content as she exited the main door of the parlor. The day hadn't turned out so bad after all. At least Bearer hadn't given her such a hard time about being late. The sky was clear and the weather was in the mid seventies. The perfect temperature as far as she was concerned. Arriving at the drivers' side door, she took out her key to unlock it and froze. There was a single black rose tucked carefully under her windshield wiper. Curiously, she tugged until it came loose, carefully avoiding the thorns. A black rose? Who on Earth would've left her a black rose? She frowned. Was this supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing? There was no note, and no indication of who left it.

Upon arriving home, Fushia pulled into the driveway of her split-level home and shut off the ignition. Her gaze turned once again to the single black rose that sat on her dashboard. She shook her head in confusion and gingerly picked up the rose, heading inside to draw a nice, warm bath. She was suddenly feeling very tired, and just wanted to go straight to bed.

Opening her front door, Fushia threw her purse and keys onto the little table in the foyer and headed for the kitchen. She had no idea why, but she had the urge to put the rose into some water and try to keep it alive as long as possible. Rummaging through the cabinets, she finally pulled a small vase from the top shelf over her stove. This was where she kept little odds and ends she rarely used. Blowing the dust off, she ran the vase under some cool water, then filled it. She placed the rose into the vase and sat it on her kitchen windowsill.

Just as she'd finished straightening the vase and washing her hand, the phone began to ring. "Figures." She muttered under her breath as she wiped her hands on the dishtowel draped over the handle of her stove. Sighing, she crossed the room and picked up the receiver as it was on its' fifth ring. "Hello?"
"Fushia? It's Paul. Could you come back to the Parlor? I need you to help me with something."
"What is it? Can't it wait until morning?"
There was a pause on the other end, and she could feel the tension in the air as he spoke. "No, it can't. Meet me there in half an hour." Before she could reply, he hung up, leaving her with nothing but the dial tone to complain to. Damn him! What could possibly be going on at this time of night?

Chapter Three: Suspicion

Fushia reluctantly threw on a pair of jeans and a dark purple sweater. If he was going to make her come back to the Parlor now, he'd better not say anything about her wearing comfortable clothes. He may be a big man, but she'd gladly give him a piece of her mind if need be. She growled as she yanked on some sneakers and grabbed her keys. She muttered under her breath the entire way there.

When she arrived in the parking lot, she saw no-one, and no other cars. Cursing, she pulled into the spot closest to the door and shut off the ignition, looking around curiously. There didn't appear to be any lights on in the Parlor either. She glanced at her watch. It was now 6:15 and the sun was setting. If he didn't show up in the next 10 minutes, she was getting the heck out of there.

Five minutes later she saw the sweep of headlights as another car pulled into the lot. It was a long, black hearse with dark, tinted windows so she couldn't make out who was driving it. A chill radiated throughout her body involuntarily as the hearse pulled in next to her on her right side and stopped, but the driver didn't shut it's engine off. She wondered briefly why she felt a chill from this particular hearse. It wasn't as if she didn't see them all the time. She giggled nervously and stared at the drivers' side, thinking she'd surely go insane if someone didn't soon open that door.

Just as she was thinking this, the door creaked open, and the pudgy leg she recognized as Bearer's emerged, followed by the rest of him. He was grinning in a way that gave her the creeps, and she felt a sudden urge to start her car and drive away from there pronto. She froze as he walked around the back of her car and knocked on her window, urging her to roll it down so he could speak to her. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to go..now..but she found herself rolling the window down and asking him what he needed.

"I told you, I need your help with something. Why don't you come with me and Kane back to our place? That's where it is." Fushia stared at him speculatively. "Where what is? Why did you tell me to meet you here, then?" Bearer's sickening grin turned to a frown, and his mood changed to one of anger. He yanked the door open and pulled her to her feet as she tried to grab for her purse, missing it by inches. She had mace inside that she would use on this jerk if she was able to get her hands on it somehow. "You're coming with us. Now, move!" He shoved her ahead of him a little, and without thinking she tried to run, but he was too fast for her. He caught her by the sweater and yanked her back hard against him, twisting her arm around behind her back at the same time.

He tsked at her and laughed. It was an evil laugh that made her heart skip a beat. "Can't have you walking home in this neighborhood after dark." He said. His voice was that of a madman, and she suddenly found herself in fear for her very life. She decided to play along for the moment as he forced her to the hearse, opening the passengers' side and shoving her inside. She found herself smashed into Kane, who sat in the middle. He turned to look at her, head titled. She met his eyes briefly before turning away to stare out the window. "Stay here." She heard Paul saying as he walked back to her car. ~~Good~~ She thought. ~~If he's getting my purse, I'll have a surprise for him when he gets back!~~ Paul returned a few moments later. He opened the drivers' side and slid into the seat, tossing her purse and keys to her across the seat. Fushia began to rummage around her purse immediately, frantically searching for the mace as he started the hearse and backed out of the lot. It was gone! "Lose something?" Bearer asked. He held up the mace and dangled it in front of her. She lunged for him, but her arm was swiftly caught by the vice-like grip of Kane. Bearer laughed that repulsive laugh again and shoved the mace in his pocket, slamming the hearse into drive and speeding off into the night..

Chapter Four: Trip To Nowhere

The ride to Bearer and Kane's home was mostly silent, except when Bearer felt the need to sing along with whatever sappy country music song was playing on the radio. He had a pretty good voice, Fushia had to admit.. for a kidnapper. She knew there was nothing much she could do at the time to get away, so she decided to play along until the time was right. If she could somehow gain their trust, she could get out of the whole messy situation unharmed. Whatever "the situation" actually was, that is.

Fushia stared mostly out the side window on the way there, watching the night speed by in a blur, and wondering where on Earth these two lived. It seemed to her that they drove for a good 30 minutes or so before the hearse slowed and turned into a long, narrow driveway that wound it's way up a gently sloping hill and stopped in front of a large, white house. It was an old house, with a somewhat worn facade, but it seemed fairly cozy from the outside. Cozy? What was she thinking? These men had forced her into their car against her will and drove her here to "help" them.

She shuddered to think what kind of "help" these men could need from her. As if reading her thoughts, Kane turned his head slowly until he was looking directly into her eyes. She felt a shiver travel it's way up her spine at the coldness in his eyes and shuddered involuntarily. She must have temporarily been lost in thought then, because she thought she saw something else then in his icy blue eyes, something like...disappointment? She shook her head, certain she was mistaken. From what she'd seen, Kane did not have the capacity to care what anyone else thought of him.

Paul shut off the engine of the hearse and turned to look at her just as she was trying to break herself free of the gaze of Kane. "So, here we are, my dear. Don't try anything stupid. The nearest neighbor is miles from here, and no one will be able to hear you if you try to scream. Understand?" Fushia nodded, refusing to speak to this man.. who just yesterday was her trusted boss..now he was her captor. She'd *always* found him creepy and annoying, but she would never have thought him capable of something along *these* lines. Until now. Now she supposed he was capable of just about anything at all, and that scared her..badly.

Paul walked around the side of the car and opened the passenger door. "Kane, take her in. You know where to put her." Kane nodded and grabbed Fushia's arm, pushing her out of the car at the same time. When they'd stepped out, Paul moved to the side and Kane reached down and scooped Fushia up into his massive arms, tossing her casually over one shoulder as he carried her inside. Fushia fought the urge to scream anyway, no matter what that creep said about no one hearing her. He was probably lying. She decided against it however, when Kane squeezed her spine to hold her perfectly still as he carried her.

Paul opened the front door of the house as he whistled tunelessly to himself. ~You sick bastard. You'll pay for this~" She thought grimly. When the three of them were safely inside, Paul sat down heavily on the sofa in the parlor area while Kane continued up the winding stairwell and down the hall to the bedroom at the end. Entering the room, he sat Fushia down on her feet before quickly turning around and exiting the room. Fushia heard the click of a lock in the door, and felt her heart sink along with any hope of getting out of this nightmare alive.

Chapter Five: Whatever It Takes

Turning around, she quickly scanned the room for any means of escape, but her hopes were quickly dashed when she realized that not only was she on the second floor, but the only window in the room was covered with heavy iron bars both on the outside and the inside. Her resolve broken for the moment, she slowly crossed the room and sat down on the bed to think.

Downstairs, Paul was sitting on the couch rubbing his chin when Kane re-entered the room and sat down in the chair opposite. He regarded his father with a slight tilt of his head. Paul stopped rubbing his chin and acknowledged his son. "Kane, son..check on her twice tonight, just to make sure she doesn't find some way out of there, and in the morning, bring her down to the basement, but not until I've taken her breakfast. I'll let you know when to get her." Paul stood up and stretched his arms, turning side to side to get the kinks out of his back. "In the meanwhile, I'm going to bed. Good night, son." Kane nodded slightly to show he'd heard his father, and leaned back in his chair as Paul left the room.

Fushia heard footsteps approaching her end of the hallway and held her breath to try and figure out where the person was headed. She didn't know why, but she somehow just knew it was Paul. She could feel that man's aura a mile away. The wooden floor creaked and the footsteps got louder until they stopped just outside her door, it seemed. Her heartbeat increased and she started to panic. She frantically started thinking ~No, please no. Oh God, who knows what that man has in mind!~ Just as she was thinking this and subconciously tensing up to defend herself, she heard the click of a key turning in the doorknob.

Eyes widening in fear, she cringed as the door slowly swung open to reveal...Kane?? Even though she knew that technically Kane may as well be the same person as Paul, from what she'd seen, she somehow felt relief wash over her and she let out the breath she'd been holding. Kane stood there for what seemed ages, just looking at her with that tilt of his head she'd noticed before. She wasn't sure if she should look at him, or avoid his gaze. There was no way of telling what he wanted. She had never even heard him speak, and wondered if he even could.

"K..Kane?" His head tilted the other way, and she thought she saw that flash of emotion in his eyes again before he slowly backed out of the doorway again and closed the door, locking it behind him once more. Fushia's eyes began to brim with tears and a huge lump formed in her throat. What on earth was wrong with her? Was it Kane? Or was it this mess she'd gotten herself into? She was pretty sure it was there this time. The hurt..the pain in his eyes. What had this man been through in his life to end up the way he was? Whatever it was, it seemed to engulf his entire being. She leaned back on the bed and cried herself to sleep as Kane's face crossed her mind again and again.

Chapter Six: The Morning After

The next morning Fushia was awakened by a loud thump just outside her door, which was followed closely by the sound of Paul Bearer muttering under his breath. She sat up in bed sleepily and pulled the covers up to her chin. Even though she was still dressed, she felt as if all the security in her life had been stripped away, and she didn't want him even looking in her direction. She glared at the door as it began to open. The first thing she noticed was that Bearer was carrying a silver platter full of breakfast food, and this puzzled her greatly. Why was he bringing her a breakfast on a platter? Weren't victims of kidnapping usually treated shabbily? That was always what she'd heard anyway. It wasn't as if she were terribly valuable to anyone, after all. She had no one around who would even notice if she were gone.

"Good morning, Fushia!" Paul bellowed in a sing-song voice, causing her to do her own muttering. She crossed her arms stubbornly and refused to answer, and he shrugged and began to arrange her food beside her on the bed. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of even looking at it. As far as she was concerned, she'd starve before she ate anything that was prepared by *him*. When he'd finished fussing around with the food, he straigtened back up and regarded her with a half-amused, half-hurt look. "Well, aren't you going to eat your breakfast? You'll need your strength, after all." Fushia shot him a cold look. "I wouldn't touch that food with a ten foot pole. How dare you kidnap me, lock me in this room all night, then come in here and try to pretend that nothing has happened!?" She reached behind her, grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at him. Paul moved pretty swiftly for a big man, easily dodging her pillow as it hit the wall behind him. She sat there..wide awake now, blood pumping with anger. Several emotions crossed his face, anger, surprise, and finally amusement. The laughter began low in his belly, rumbling out quietly as he chuckled, then finally he was laughing so hard tears were forming in his eyes. "Well, I'm glad you find this so amusing." She spouted, her voice full of venom. Paul paid her no mind, only left the food there for her and exited the room still chuckling to himself.

Once the door was closed again, and she heard his footsteps padding off down the hallway, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and got up, stretching as hard as she could. Even though it had been less than 24 hours, she felt as if she'd been cooped up in this room for years. As she looked slowly around the room, her gaze taking in every detail, her eye was caught by something glowing in the corner of the room by the barred window. She moved around the side of the bed, just staring, trying to figure out what it was by squinting her eyes. Then she realized how silly she was being, and moved forward cautiously, as if it were something she should be afraid of. When she finally got close enough, she saw that it was some sort of symbol, and it was actually embedded in the wall. It seemed to glow with an almost supernatural light. It appeared to be a kind of cross, but not one like she had ever seen. She stared at it with jaw hanging, and reached out to touch it..

Chapter Seven: A Rescue?

The symbol in the wall seemed to get brighter as her fingers got closer. With a shaky hand, the tips of Fushia's fingers finally touched the edge of the strange cross..She screamed as a jolt of electricity shot through her body in a flash, knocking her backwards so far she hit the opposite wall and sunk to the floor in a heap. Fushia moaned in pain, reaching back weakly to touch the back of her head, which almost surely was covered in blood. The heat in front of her and the intense light was unbearable, but she dared not look. She felt frozen in fear as she listened to the humming sound coming from the symbol get louder and louder. Her eyes shut tight, she began to wonder how on earth Paul or Kane hadn't heard her scream and come running up to see what was going on. Or was it all part of their "plan"?

Behind her closed lids, she noticed that the space in front of her was getting darker, so she opened one eye slightly, just enough to peek at what was happening. She was greeted by the sight of a leg and a shoe..both covered in black. Black boot..black jeans. Startled, she backed up even farther, if that was possible, and pulled her legs up underneath her in fear. "Please.." she begged.."Don't hurt me." She turned her head to the side, as if expecting to be struck, or worse. The figure in front of her crouched down, so that it was face to face with her. A hand reached out and gently touched her cheek, turning her head to face it. She slowly looked up, and into one of the most handsome faces she'd ever seen.

He had long, dark auburn hair, a strong, slightly turned-up nose, full, sensuous lips, beard, goatee..and those eyes! The most magnificent, most intense green eyes Fushia had ever seen. She felt herself being pulled into those eyes, and strangely enough, she relaxed. Her arms dropped to her sides, her mouth opened slightly, and she opened her mouth to speak to this beautiful man, but he placed a finger to his lips in a gesture that let her know it wasn't safe to speak. Without another word, he reached out, gathering her up into his arms with ease. She felt as if she could trust him..oddly enough..and allowed him to carry her across the room. He stopped briefly in front of the still glowing symbol in the wall..she heard him begin to chant something that she couldn't understand in a deep, rumbling voice.

As if on cue..Fushia heard heavy footsteps running down the hallway toward the room that held the strange man and herself. "No, no, no!!" The shrill voice of Paul Bearer came from just outside the door. The auburn haired man whipped his head around, a deep growl escaping from deep within him as the door began to glow a bright red..as if it were surrounded by fire. "Dammit! Curse you, dead man! Curse you!" Paul shrieked, as the door shook and jiggled. "Break it down, Kane! He won't get away with this!" She watched the proceedings with wide eyes, as she heard the door beginning to crack under the weight of Kane, who was apparently ramming his huge body into it in an attempt to break his brother's "magic" on it. Magic? How did she know this? The dark man turned his head back to the wall they still faced and closed his eyes once more, resuming the chant.. Before their very eyes, the symbol in the wall began to grow..elongating and widening until it was as tall and as wide as the frame of the strange man that held her in his arms. Slowly, he stepped forward...and they disappeared through the wall...

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