Chapter 20: Madness
Chapter 20: Madness
She groaned in pain, her head lolling from side to side, nuzzling her face into what she thought was the interior of her office chair to keep the light from stirring her sleep.
She stiffened realizing that she was not in her chair. She was not in her office and she most certainly was moving and the last time she checked her office was stationary
Surreptitiously she peeked through her eyelids.
A limo? What the hell am I doing in a limo? She thought to herself incredulously. But it was all slowly coming back to her.
The office, the nap, the gun, the threat, her world spinning, and a funky smell.
She sat up with a start, startling the two men on in the opposite seat.
"I wouldn't make any sudden moves if I were you." Max warned, nodding slightly to Miles, who sat next to him.
Her eyes drifted from one goon to the other.
She gasped at what she saw. "Fowler?" She whispered in disbelief, her throat muscles tightening, making it almost impossible for her to speak. It had been almost 10 years, but he still made her feel like a little girl. But this time it was different. He was roughed up, bound and gagged. His otherwise handsome face was bruised as though he had been jumped from behind and there was a large gash above his right eye.
"Yes, it's your dear friend Fowler. He's decided to come with us, haven't you, Fowly." Miles sneered, pressing the gun more fully against his temple. Fowler glared at him, but when he moved his gaze toward Faith his eyes softened, almost as though he were pleading with her to cooperate. But not just for his sake, but for both of theirs.
She forced herself to look away before her eyes gave her away.
"Why now?" She demanded, sitting back in the plush seat, crossing her arm over her chest and her legs at the knee.
Max shrugged. "Cause Cole said so."
Flicking her hair over her shoulder she digested his words. "'Cause Cole said so', Eh?" She sniffed haughtily. She looked around the limo before leveling her gaze on Miles once more. "You insinuated that Consequence and Justice aren't quite as dead as I was lead to believe."
Max smirked as he nodded. "Why would Cole trust you with the truth? He knew exactly where and what you were going to do once you left."
She hid her surprise well from them, except for Fowler, he could read her like a book. "Oh, really. Then tell me, what, pray tell, did I do?"
He laughed heartily, then spoke in a tone that was almost lethal. "You went straight to Luis, and he promptly banished you from his sight." This time she could not hide the color draining from her cheeks. "Oh yes, Cole was all too aware of your duplicity. But it was all for the best." He added cryptically.
Her eyebrow rose, her curiosity piqued. "How so?"
His thin lips curled into a cruel smile. "He figured with you out of Luis' little inner circle, banished forever, that he'd never believe you when you told him where he was headquartered."
She cursed under her breath. "I played right into his hand." She realized with a wince that she hadn't thought that he would really believe she would lie to him about something so important to him. But he had. Dammit, it he had.
" Ex-actly." He drawled with a smug satisfaction that made Faith want to rip his face off.
She clenched her fist absentmindedly, upon seeing it the guard with the pistol pushed the gun hard against his temple.
Panic seized her, he looked at her imploringly, and she quickly shook her hand free of its fist and placed it flat over her now somersaulting stomach.
"You can call off your goon, Maxy," she hissed. "I'm going to be a good little girl," For now. She finished the thought to herself.
Max nodded to Miles, who in turn, shoved Fowler across the limo and into the seat across them. "We'd give you a little privacy but this is only a stretch, not a super stretch limo." He wise cracked as she undid the ropes and the gag and he let out a sharp hiss. "But, by all means, ignore us and go about your reuniting ." He fluttered his eye lashes and pretended to flip his hair over his shoulder dramatically. Miles chuckled, but quickly stopped when he saw the death glares coming from both Faith and Fowler.
"Just lay your head down honey," she cooed, but winced. What a sap . She thought to herself as she examined his head and eyes for evidence of a concussion.
"Ow." He dryly quipped, as she touched the gash over his right eye.
"Sorry." She smiled apologetically and then noticed another larger gash on the back of his head. Her face colored, her blood pressure rising. "So is this how you go about getting all of your hostages? By jumping them from behind?" She demanded.
Both men shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing; not to mention, lethal glare.
"Ummm."
"Uh."
"Well we didn't think he was actually going to come along on his own." His excuse was lame, even he knew that.
Fowler coughed and moaned as he rolled over a little so that only she could his face. "When I'm healed," he whispered conspiratorially, his brilliant blue eyes flashing mischievously as he looked into her eye, "all bets are off." He whispered, then coughed again.
She smiled inwardly and pulled his head closer as she bent down and whispered. "Just remember," her breathy voice tickled his ears, "don't do nothing that might come back to haunt the kid."
He shook himself mentally. He had totally forgotten the kid. Damn it, he had prayed everyday and every night for the last eight, nine, tens years that he had found peace in death. But even the kid didn't get rest. He wondered how he had changed, and he wondered still, how would things be the same.
He nodded silently and then rested his eyes, as he was all too aware that he wasn't just Faith's body guard/lover. The kid-- well the kid nay no longer be a kid, but that didn't mean that he would need his protection and help as much as he did before.
He could feel Faith shaking, not with fear, but with rage, and carefully snaked his arm around her waist and held her. He smiled inwardly as her body relaxed.
What was that stupid inane old saying?
Something about absence and a fonder heart?
She looked at her hands, fascinated.
They were tiny, child-like.
She wiggled her fingers and toes.
Diminutive as well.
Not to mention barefoot.
"What the--"
Huh?
No drawl?
She looked around.
It was dark. Very, very, very dark.
But there was grass, and trees.
And fog?
She turned around in a circle trying to figure out exactly where in the hell she was.
"Hello?"
No answer.
"Helllllloooo?"
Still, no answer.
"Dang it!" She cursed frustratedly flouncing onto the ground, crossing her arms. "This is not fair." She huffed.
"Hrmmph, not fair at all." she groused.
She hadn't really noticed her attire up to that point.
But once she did he was aghast.
After all, she wasn't exactly a fan of frilly pink nighties.
"Who the hell did I piss off this time?" She asked quizzically. "Eeew. It's PINK!!"
She jumped to her feet with a new determination to figure out what in the BLUE BLAZES was happening and where the heck she was.
She looked for something, ANYTHING, to show give her a hint as to which direction she should go. Finally, her eyes spied a small dirt path.
"Might as well," she shrugged, but stopped short of starting along the path.
Wagging her finger she declared. "Okay, if I meet a scarecrow, a lion and a tin-man I'm gonna be PISSED!"
Satisfied that whoever or whatever was thoroughly warned, she started along the path, all the while wondering if this were a dream, a nightmare, or something in betwixt the two that should frighten. Because she wasn't scared.
Okay, that's a lie.
She was scared.
She just didn't know or understand why.
Along the way she took careful note her surroundings. There wasn't anything too bizarre. Just some trees, fog, grass, fog, wild flowers, fog, rocks, fog, twittering birdies, fog�
The fog wasn't too thick, in fact, it was just at her feet-- which unsettled her for some reason.
As she neared the path she spied a large flat stone slab overlooking a tiny creek bed. Curious, she picked up the bottoms of her nighty, sat on the stone and looked into the water.
The sight of her own reflection caused her to gasp. She would have screamed but her voice and her breath were gone.
So were her dread locks and about 20 years of her age.
Okay, this isn't funny anymore. she thought to herself ominously.
Still stunned she reached out to touch her reflection, thinking, Surely if this is a dream I won't be able to feel water� right?
WRONG!
As the water rippled she lifted her fingers and felt the cool wet water on her fingers.
What's that stupid line Mummy taught me? She thought to herself feeling panic set it. Closing her eyes tight and then covering them with her hands, she whispered. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home." She peeked out, and sighed heavily.
Of course it didn't work.
That would be too logical .
STOP PANICKING She ordered herself.
"This isn't real." She pounded her fist on the rock for emphasis. "This CAN'T be real!" God I hope it's not. she thought to herself as she kept reassuring herself that it wasn't possible for this to be real.
Hesitantly, she reached up to touch her hair. Thinking, maybe, just maybe that her eyes was playing tricks on her, yeah, that was possible. Mirages were real, okay, not real, but they happened. Maybe she was just seeing a mirage of straight brown hair.
Her fingers trembled as they came in contact with the long straight but wavy hair. She let out an anguished whimper and pulled a lock out far enough in front of herself that she could see the color.
Brown with blonde specks.
She swallowed a sob she jumped to her feet and shouted. "OKAY!! This isn't FUNNY anymore!!!!" She roared, her chest heaving with emotions that were raging to be contained and fear so acute that if felt like a vice on her heart.
She didn't remember being this young. She didn't remember her hair having color besides gray, black, white and faded brown. Part of her yearned to remember, part of her denied that she had even existed before showing up on that highway, and a third, more prevalent part, was just too damned scared to even acknowledge that the other two parts of her even existed.
But if this was some kind of sick mind game she was playing with herself then she wanted it to stop and she wanted out � NOW!!
A sudden gust of wind caused her to whirl around, her body rigid, her wild untamed hair with its deep brown russet color and golden blonde flecks blew over her shoulder. She stood, fists clenched, prepared for battle.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!!!" She demanded.
Another gust of wind from the right, then another from the left, caused her to jump in both directions, fully prepared to fight.
"SHOW YOUR FACE SCAREDY CAT!!!" She bellowed.
"You afraid of a LITTLE girl!!!" She shouted, but the fear was beginning to seep into her voice.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!!!" She roared, tears of frustration teaming in her eyes.
"Why am I HERE!!!" She paused, but still no one answered.
"ANSWER ME!!!" She shouted, her voice cracking. "Answer me� please." She begged.
She was tired.
Tired of not knowing.
Tired of not understanding.
Just. So. Tired.
Sinking to her knees she bowed her head and begged in a quiet voice, "Please, answer me� just one question� is that so hard?"
The gusting wind stopped as suddenly as it began. All motion ceased, all noise quieted.
The birds stopped chirping.
No water trickling.
Her head shot up suddenly.
Was this it?
Was this the moment she had been waiting for?
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeeeeeee�."
The words were as soft as a breath on babies skin.
The voice seemed so familiar, yet alien. Like she knew the person, but not really.
"Hello?" She called out meekly.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeeeeeee�." The voice begged desperately as a soft wind blew across her face "Pleeeeeease� heeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeee"
"Okay, okay�" she whispered, rising to her feet and dusting herself off.
"Huuuurrrrrry� hurrrrrrry� pppppllllleeeeeeeeaaaaaaasee�" the voice beseeched.
She took off running as fast as she could in the direction that the voice came from. She followed its faint cries and pleas for help as tears trickled down her cheek.
The farther she ran, the louder the voice became. The louder the plea became, the more her head pounded. But she didn't allow that to stop her.
"Oh God�" She gasped.
"Dooonnn't leeeaaaave meeeeee�."
"I'm coming!!!" She shouted, which only made the pounding worse.
She started running again but fell to her knees as she got closer. Her head throbbed, but it wasn't from his voice. It was worse, more harsh, more painful, more blinding�
"I'm� I'm coming�" she panted, bracing her elbows and forcing her legs to straighten. "I swear, I'm coming�" she grunted as she pushed off in a full run.
Winds began to whip and whirl around her, but she ran as fast as she could against the wind trying to lean into it.
The harder she ran, the harder the wind blew, muffling his pleas.
But she refused to give up.
Suddenly, without warning or reason, the gusts of wind came to an abrupt halt. She was running so fast and hard that she fell over as she had put her shoulder to the wind for resistance.
She looked around startled and listened intently for his voice.
"Help me� help me�"
So close that his voice was but a mere breathy whisper filled with despair and anguish as his voice hitched with a sob.
"I'm coming." She whispered, dusting herself off and walking towards her destination...
"Help me�" The voice sobbed as he no longer had the strength to call out.
The pain that throbbed in her head only intensified with each step. It caused her to have to stop and hold her head in her hands but nothing seemed to stop the pain.
She forced herself onward; and when the headaches became too much, she dropped to her knees and crawled, clawing at the ground, refusing to give up.
Closing hers eyes tightly, she concentrated solely on the sound of the weak and wavering voice as she crawled. She didn't stop until she could it as though he were right next to. Then she forced herself to her feet and slowly opened her eyes.
White.
Blinding white light.
The floor, the ceiling, the bright white light was coming from every imaginable direction.
"Hello?" She called out weakly, her heart hammering in her chest.
"Help me," The voice breathed desperately.
She shielded her eyes and squinted, but couldn't make out who was there.
"I-- I can't see you." She called back.
"Heeeeeeeeeeelp me." He sobbed.
Slowly, the light around him faded, and she could make out the outline of a small body laying on the ground, one foot manacled and chained to a large rod in the ground. The boy was reaching out, his body stretching to its fullest, for something she couldn't make out.
As the light faded more, she could make out a small glass of water that was kept just out of his reach. He grunted and moaned as he reached for it. But it never seemed enough.
She took a closer look at him and saw that his clothing was sparse, his pants tattered and dirty, his shirt ripped, wet from sweat, and filthy and in the back torn to shreds. She could see of his skin was red, irritated, bruised, scabbed, dirty, or cut. His hair was greasy and sloppy but she couldn't see his face.
"Please�" He beseeched, but suddenly he stopped reaching for the glass, using his weakened arms to brace himself against the cold hard ground.
She tried to moved toward him, but her legs felt as though they were set in concrete slabs and she was unable to move. She pulled on her legs and tried to bend her knees as there was nothing physically keeping her from going to him but nothing happened.
She could hear his gasping, wheezing breaths as he tried to get fresh air.
His eyes were gazed down, almost glued there. It were as though he was physically incapable of looking anywhere but the floor.
"Help me," he wheezed. "Please� I--I�don't� want�to� be �.alone�" He paused after every word because he was breathless, his energy zap by the light surrounding them.
She looked around perplexed.
"I don't understand."
"You."
"Me?"
"Yes, you are my last hope."
Her heart stopped. "Why me?" She asked tearfully, her heart heavy with a sense of foreboding.
"Because," he whispered, his energy gone, his spirit fading, "you� know� me�"
"I don't understand! I don't KNOW YOU!"
His body collapsed to a heap on the ground and looked up through his dingy, greasy matted bangs that hung over his eyes and looked her straight in the eye.
"Justice�" He breathed. "Help me�" He begged of her.
As their eyes connected in that one instance and that one word that was spoken it were as though an ancient spell had been broken as their world began to shake.
His magnificent brown eyes and that name triggered something inside her as well. It caused a barrage of images and memories that she wasn't ready for. The pain in her head intensified a thousand fold, causing her to fall to her knees as she held her head in her hands.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She cried out with a primal fear.
Eduardo sat next to her and watched her as her calm and restful sleep turned fretful.
He tried to listen to her murmurings, but it was futile. The more fretful she became, the more concerned he was. When she started to writhe and twist and turn in the seat, he began considering waking her from her slumber, but hoped against all hope that it wouldn't be necessary. As he was all too aware what affect it could have on her.
When beads of sweat began to appear on her forehead, he had to restrain himself from shaking her awake, as he remembered what the doctors had told them 'Whenever the memories come you have to allow them to come at their own pace. Even if it means having to sit back and watch her be in pain, you have to let it be. Otherwise, there is a chance she'll never remember.'
He also remembered hating that doctor.
Even if he was right, he still hated him.
"Sssh, 'Zora, ssssh," he cooed, wiping her forehead with his palm. "It's okay, I'm right here."
But his words were of no assistance as her breathing became shallow, erratic, and panicked as her face turned red.
He was just about to wake her when she sat up like a bolt screaming.
"ZANDER!!!" She screamed at the top her lungs.
Gia walked around the sparsely furnished and somewhat messy apartment as AJ brushed his teeth, combed his hair and gathered both himself and Carly some things that they might need.
"Sorry about the mess!" He called out from the bathroom.
"C'mon AJ, you don't really think anyone expected the three of you to keep this place all nice and tidy, do you?" She called back.
"We-ell."
"Well nothing," she called back as she fingered a framed snapshot of AJ and Courtney. "You three have been through hell."
She shook her head sadly, the picture had probably been taken sometime last summer before Michael's abduction. AJ was wearing a yellow T-shirt and Courtney was wearing a matching tube top. AJ had his arms around her hips, her body pulled against his, her arms overlapping his, they were smiling contentedly. Not huge smiles, just happy smiles. They were � content. They saw no need to put on a front in the presence of a camera.
In the picture next to it, a posed shot in black and white, that had probably been taken by one of the dock workers whose many hobbies included photography, they were both facing each other, their hands on each others waistlines, fingers looped through each others' belt loops. Their waists were touching, their eyes looking deeply into one another's, as if telling each other how much they truly cared but without saying a word.
They were beautiful and happy together.
They had a perfect� okay, maybe not perfect, but they had a happy marriage.
Gia winced slightly.
They had had a happy marriage, she corrected herself. Had had, past tense. It seemed so bizarre to think of her in the past tense.
The sound of AJ chuckling at her last comment brought her out of her reverie as he turned off the water in the bathroom.
"Yeah, whatever." He replied with a chuckle.
She smiled, glad to hear him laugh. He hadn't laughed in a longtime. And now, more than likely, it was going to be a while before it happened again.
"Better?" He asked as he stepped out of the bathroom, toweling off his face after the shave.
"Much," she answered, flashing a thumbs up. He had decided against changing this shirt, it was huge, but warm. The pants, however, made him feel like he was wearing Alan's hand-me-downs, so he had put on an old worn in pair of his own. And shoes� he definitely needed to change shoes.
He smiled at her reply, but the smile faded as his eyes swept across the room. Little memories of Courtney were everywhere.
Her jacket slung haphazardly over the back of the couch. Her half empty coffee cup on the coffee table, complete with smudged lip gloss on the rim. The inexpensive knick knacks that she had bought to make the apartment more homey. Countless snapshots of them together, framed with loving care with frames she had bought cheap and decorated herself, scattered across every flat surface she could find.
As he felt his eyes tear up, he swung his eyes towards Gia-- who looked at him not with pity, but with a great deal of sympathy and care.
With a heavy sigh he blinked back the tears. "Could you--" His raspy voice cracked.
"Damn it." He hissed through gritted teeth.
Gia cleared her throat.
"Do you want me to help you get a few things for Carly?"
He nodded wordlessly, as there was a lump the size of a boulder in his throat.
With a smile, she walked over to him and squeezed his hand. "C'mon, let's get her stuff and get out of here." She coaxed gently, knowing innately that he needed her kindness, not her pity.
"Thanks," he sighed.
"Don't thank me yet. Thank me when Carly doesn't kill you for bringing her a really poorly matched outfit." Not that she thought Carly would care at the moment. She just wanted to see his reaction.
"Note taken. Carly will definitely be thanking us both for you not letting me pick out her clothes."
"Yeah," she smiled. "No offense AJ, but somehow I get the feeling that sweatpants and a sweatshirt would not be a good decision for either of us health-wise."
AJ quirked an eyebrow, "You mean, our health depends on what we wear?" He asked quizzically.
"Well, if we want to live to see tomorrow we won't bring her the things I just mentioned."
"Oh." He drawled, as it dawned on him.
Gia threw her hands into the air in exaggerated exasperation as she followed AJ into Carly's room. "MEN!"
"ZANDER!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, her body lunging from the seat. Eduardo caught her in his arms before she flew across the front seat and through the windshield and held her firmly against his chest.
Her eyes were dilated, each with its own rhythm. Her breathing was erratic and her chest heaved with panic.
He was trying to calm her whispering "ssssh, ssshh." into her ear, but that was all he could manage as he was too shocked by what she had said to react any other way. All color had drained from his face, an empty nauseous feeling took hold of his stomach.
"There are no such think as coincidence, not in this her' family. That's fer damned sho."
It was something their mother had said on many occasions. In time it became the Unofficial Jade Credo. It had rung true so many times in their lives that they knew it was true.
And that is what made it so scary.
Nothing was coincidental.
NOTHING
He wasn't sure what scared him more now.
Zander's sudden disappearance.
Or that Azora was calling out his name.
"I gotcha," he cooed, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "I gotcha 'Zora." He whispered again, kissing her forehead.
His voice cut through the fog inside her head and he could feel her body's tense muscles start to relax.
"Oh Gawd 'Duardo� Oh Gawd," she murmured into his chest as she wrapped her arms around his torso, squeezed and burrowed her face into his chest.
"What's wrong? What did you see?" He asked hoping that he wasn't pushing her to far. But at the same time he needed to know.
"I-- I don' know�" she whispered, her voice as unsure as her memory. All remnants of the thing that had scared her so had flitted away like dew at sunrise. It was gone. AGAIN!
He paused, stroking her hair, before asking. "Do you know why you called out Zander's name?" He asked quietly, trying not to rouse her suspicions.
She tensed in his arms.
He cursed inwardly.
"I� I�" she took a shaky breath. "I called out fer Zander?"
He nodded. "Yes, just now. When you woke up--"
"Why?" she asked, pulling away. "Is something wrong?"
He looked away guiltily.
"Eduardo." She said in that annoying parental tone of warning.
"Azora, it's just that� I didn't know-- I didn't know when to tell you."
"Tell me what?" She asked sternly.
"I-- I�"
"Eduardo Rafael Emilio Ricardo Immanuel Jade Kortez!" She hissed in a tone so reminiscent of their Mummy's that he had to do a double take. "Tayl mae rit naw!"
He winced, and closed his eyes, knowing that she was going to let loose a string of expletives on him. "He's missing." He whispered.
It took a moment for it to register in her head. Then she pounded on his arm out of frustration. He made no move to stop her. It was better him than an employee, he supposed.
"How long?" She asked once she was done. Her chest was still heaving, her face colored like fire. Her eyes standing out like two color light bulbs in the midnight sky.
"Last night." He answered, ready for her tiny fists of fury.
She held back from hitting him, which surprised him, but if looks could maim, Eduardo would have been leveled.
"What??" She hissed.
"Last night, he never showed up for his shift at GH last night."
"Dammit," she spat, her teeth clenched. "Why wudn't I tolt las' night?"
"Cuz�"
"Cuz?"
"Cuz I thought you were asleep?!"
"Do I eva sleep?"
"No, not really� but." He groaned, knowing he was on the wrong side of a losing battle. "Azora, no one said nothing to anyone until Gia brought it to my attention that he hadn't shown up for work." He explained, his own worry showing. "An' by den I started t'freak cause you hadn't shown up neither. And I pert near lost it." He added.
"An' I put one and one and one t'gether and it all came out to a WHOLE MESS OF TROUBLE!!"
Azora winced.
"I tried t'call yer cell and I got bubkiss."
She looked up suddenly. "So DAT were YOU!"
"Yeah, dat were ME! Oh, FYI, I'm buying you a water resistant GOOD G-d damned cellphone and an� YER gonna like it!"
She hissed at him cattily.
"Well dern it, Azora! I lost it! I even had a mini-break down in front a God Blessed AUDIENCE!"
She winced, this kept getting worse. "How many?"
"One: Gia."
"Oh."
"Yeah 'oh'!" He shook his head sharply and expelled a long calming breath, that didn't really help him, but he needed it anyway. "And I think I oughta tell ya now instead of you findin' out later."
Her stomach dropped. What the HELL else could go wrong?
"She knows."